Improvements in or relating to Letter-boxes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Jan., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Letter-boxes.
I, EDWARD CHARLES TURNER BELDING, of 727 South Rockwell Street,
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, Electrician, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention relates to an improvement in the class of mail-boxes (and more
particularly those for private use) in which a box is equipped with electrical
contacts in circuit with an alarm-such as an electric bell-within the house to the
exterior of which the mail-box is applied, and adapted to be intentionally actuated
to close the circuit, as by one properly seeking admission to the house by way of
announcement of an insertion into the mail-box, or unintentionally, as in case of an
attempt to rifle the mail-box.
One of the more important objects of my improvement is to provide in the
mail-box a sounder in the circuit containing the alarm within the house, whereby
any operation of the latter from the box shall actuate the sounder therein by way
of informing the operator that the alarm in the house has responded to his operation
thereof and the inmates, if at home, have been accordingly notified of his presence
to seek admission; or by way of frightening off any one while attempting to
tamper with the mail-box. Another such object is to enable the burglar-alarm in
the house to be readily included in the circuit containing the house-bell or alarm,
referred to, and the box-sounder, thereby to insure arousing the inmates or police-
department in case of any one tampering with the mail-box.
My further object is to provide a novel and peculiarly desirable construction of
my improved alarm mail-box, whereby it shall be portable and readily adjustable
into any new situation, as upon an outside door, or elsewhere, and particularly to
include an already provided ordinary speaking-tube, whereby tenants of a house,
which they may have equipped with my improved device, shall be enabled in
moving to another residence to carry the box with them for use in the new
situation.
My object is also to provide a novel and peculiarly desirable construction of
contact in the box, adapted to be maintained open when the door of the box is
shut, and to be closed by opening the door; which construction of contact will
also be found of great use on other than mail-box doors, as those of rooms or the
outside doors of houses.
Referring to the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 shows my improved alarm mail-box by a view in front elevation partly
broken; Figure 2 is a section of the same taken at the line 2 on Figure 1 and
viewed in the direction of the arrow, and showing, diagrammatically, the circuits
in the house and their connections with the box, as also the front door to which the
box may be fastened;
Figure 3 is an enlarged broken and partly sectional front view of the mail-box;
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the box like that presented by Figure 2, but
broken and enlarged and taken at the line 4 on Figure 3 and viewed in the direction
of the arrow ;.
Figure 5 is a broken section taken at the line 5 on Figure 3 and viewed in the
direction of the arrow; and
Figures 6 and 7 show the box-sounder respectively by a view in side elevation
and a view in end elevation.

page_text: A is the box, of any desired form and material, but preferably of the general
shape of an ordinary house mail-box and formed of wood. The top of the box
should be formed with a rack B for newspapers or packages too bulky to permit
of their insertion; and in the front are an insertion-slot C¹ covered by a hinged
lid C, and a hinged door D adapted to be locked. Below the plane of the door,
in the front side of the box, is provided a speaking-tube section r, to align with an
opening in the back of the box for receiving the outer end of a speaking-tube
(not shown) should the latter be in a position at which it may be desired to adjust
the box for use. In the door D, near its upper end; is a push-button device E;
and in the base portion of the box is an electric sounder F which may involve any
of various well-known constructions, but is shown in Figures 6 and 7 as an electro-
magnet p having pole-pieces p' and p² and a spring armature p³ to be actuated, by
energizing the magnet, to vibrate against and thus produce a rattling sound with,
a stud p', or knocker, of non-magnetic material on the pole-piece p¹.
G is a generator (battery), in any suitable location. From one pole of the
battery leads the wire a through an electric bell J in the house, thence to the
push-button device, from which its branch terminal t¹ proceeds to the lid C of
the insertion-slot. From the opposite pole of the generator leads the wire w
through the sounder F and thence to the push-button device E from which its
branch terminal t (springy like the terminal t') extends and bears at its upper end
resiliently against the lid C behind its hinge. The burglar-alarm systein of the
house, represented by the diagram in Figure 2, may also be included in the circuit
containing the sounder F, as indicated, a switch-device H, of any ordinary or
suitable construction, being provided for cutting out the burglar-alarm during the
days and cutting it in at night.
As will thus be seen, when either the push-button device E is operated upon.
or the lid C is raised (the latter operation pressing the terminal t¹ against the
terminal t) the circuit containing the bell J and the sounder F is closed thereby
ringing the former and actuating the latter to notify the operator that his action
has sounded the house-bell, or in the case of an intruder to tend to frighten him
off, and, when the burglar alarm system is in the circuit, arousing the inmates of.
the house or notifying the police, according to the arrangement of the system.
The construction of the contact-mechanism of the push-button device E is
most clearly illustrated in Figure 5. The button bears against a spring let into
the inner side of the door D and extending beyond the hinged edge thereof where
the door carries a projection i of-insulating material which, when the door is closed,
bears against the spring terminals and 2 of the wires and w and holds them
away from a metal plate v³ on the side of the box, their contact with which however,
would cause it to act as a bridge to electrically connect the two terminals v¹ and v².
By opening the door, the projection i releases the terminals and ², whereby
they spring into contact with the bridge plate 3; and with the door shut, by
pressing the push-button the spring v bridges the terminals vi and 'v? and closes the
circuit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner, the same is to, be performed I. declare that, what: 1
claim is;
1. In. combination, a mail-box containing electrical contact-mechanism in circuit
with the electric alarm apparatus in a house, a push-button device controlling said
contact-mechanism, and a secondary electric sounder inside the box in the circuit
of said contact-mechanism, whereby operating the push-button device to close the
circuit actuates. the house-alarm and the secondary. sounder in the mail-box,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In combination, a mail-box provided with a movable insertion-slot cover,.a
secondary electric sounder, and a push-button device, all in normally open circuit.
with each other and in circuit with the electric-alarm apparatus in the house,
whereby closing the circuit by operating either the push-button or cover actuates

page_text: the house-alarm and also the sounder in the mail-box, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. In combination with a door, a push-button device having a bridging button-
spring, an insulating projection on the door, a pair of terminals adjacent to the
door, and a lateral connecting-bridge therefor, said terminals being engaged by
said projection in the closed condition of the door to maintain them normally out
of contact with the said lateral bridge and released to contact with said lateral
bridge by opening the door, said button-spring extending into position to bridge
across said terminals by operating the push-button and the terminals being.
included in an electric circuit arranged for connection with the electric-alarm
apparatus in a house, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4. An electric-alarm mail-box comprising, in combination with the casing having
a door and an insertion slot provided with a movable cover, a push-button device
having a spring v, terminals 2 and 1 and insulating projection normally engaging
said terminals, a terminal t¹ in position to be engaged by said cover and a companion
terminal t, said terminals being included in an electric circuit in the box arranged
for connection with the electric-alarm circuit in a house, and an electric-sounder in
the casing in said box-circuit, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. A portable electric-alarm mail-box comprising in combination with the casing
having a door D and an insertion-slot C' provided with a movable cover C, a push
button device E, terminals 1 and 2 and terminals t and t¹, in an electric-circuit in
the box arranged for connection with the electric-alarm circuit in a house, an
electric-sounder F in the casing in said box-circuit and a speaking-tube section
in the casing in alignment with an opening in the back thereof, the whole being
constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.