Improvements in Letter-boxes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 9th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 29th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter-boxes.
1, ALEXANDER CAMPBELL of Eaton Hall in the County of Chester, House
Steward, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to safety letter-boxes in which a compartment is formed in
the interior of the box to receive the letters, and consists in making the lower end
of such compartment rounded or crescent shaped in vertical section, and providing
a flap or pivoted plate moving within said rounded part, which flap is connected to
the lid or cover closing the slot, in such manner that when the lid is opened, the
said flap is raised and thereby closes the lower end of the compartment before any
opening is presented at the upper end of said compartment. When the lid or cover
is allowed to close, the flap automatically descends or opens and allows any letter
or other article which has been inserted to fall into the body of the box. By this
means the safety compartment is completely closed whenever the lid is open,
preventing any access to the letters in the body of the box; whilst the letters once
placed in the compartment fall out of such compartment as soon as the lid is closed,
whereby theft of letters from letter-boxes is effectually prevented.
The pivotted flap may be made in one piece with the lid, or may be operated by
means of levers or other connections attached to said lid.
The lid may be of any shape, and set at any angle, so as to lie inside the box
when closed, if so desired.
Dated this 6th day of March 1894
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, Agent for Applicant.
Improvements in Letter-boxes.
I, ALEXANDER CAMPBELL of Eaton Hall, in the County of Chester, House
Steward, 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 :-
This invention relates to safety letter-boxes in which a double compartment is
formed in the interior of the box to receive the letters and consists in making the
lower end of the upper part of such compartment rounded or crescent shaped in
vertical section, and providing it with a hinged flap or pivotted plate moving within
and enclosing said rounded part, which flap is connected to the lid or cover of the
letter plate, in such manner that when the lid is opened, the said flap is raised and
thereby closes the lower end of the upper compartment before any opening is
presented at the entrance or upper end of said upper compartment. When the lid
of the letter plate is allowed to close, the flap automatically descends or opens and
allows any letter or other article which has been inserted, to fall into the lower
compartment of the box.
By this means the lower or safety compartment is completely closed whenever
the lid is open thereby preventing any access from outside the door to the letters in
the body of the box; whilst the letters once placed in the compartment fall out of
such compartment as soon as the lid is closed, whereby theft of letters from letter
boxes is effectually prevented.

page_text: The pivotted flap is operated by means of levers and connections attached to said
lid and flap.
The lid may be of any shape, and set at any angle, so as to lie inside the box
when closed, if so desired.
An electric or other bell can be applied if so desired to announce the delivery of
letters into the box.
I will now describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1 shows a sectional elevation of my letter box with the lid c', of the
letter plate c, which receives the letters in the closed position and the flap e, at the
lower end of the upper compartment of the letter box open.
Fig. 2 shows a similar view to Fig. 1, but with the lid c, partly open, and the
flap e, closed or nearly so.
.
a, is the door on the back of which the letter box is secured. b, is the letter box.
c, is the letter plate in the door. d, is a small connecting rod fastened at one end
to, the lower side of the letter-plate lid c, and at the other to a small bell-crank
lever d', fulcrumimed at d². This in its turn is attached to a long connecting rod f.
is an arm to one end of which the connecting rod f, is secured and at the other
end the spindle g', of the flap e. g, is a small square rod or spindle operated by
the arm g. h, is the upper compartment. i, is the lower compartment. I, is a
rounded or crescent shaped top or back to the box whereby the letters are prevented
from catching or remaining suspended in the box. e, is the lower flap which is
only open when the upper flap c', is closed and on the contrary is closed when c¹, is
open.
It will be seen that by means of the above mechanism a perfect simultaneous
reversed action of the upper and lower flaps c, e, is secured, one being closed when
the other is open.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
.In a letter box, the combination of the letter plate c, lid c', the lever d², connecting
rods d, f, arm g, spindle g', flap e, forming the two compartments h, and i, the upper
of which is rounded or crescent shaped, whereby the internal hinged flap e, is
automatically closed immediately the lid c, of the letter plate is open, and the
reverse, as herein described and set forth.
Dated this 9th day of Amonst. 1894.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Patent Agent.