Improvements appertaining to Boxes for Receiving or Collecting Letters or the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 26th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 19th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements appertaining to Boxes for Receiving or Collecting
Letters or the like.
We, ALBERT EDWARD SMETHURST of 8, Yates Street, Tonge Moor, Bolton in the
County of Lancaster, Joiner, and JOHN WALKER, of 93, Weston Street, Bolton
aforesaid, Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that
is to say :-
It has for its object the production of means that may be applied to street, pillar
or like boxes for the receipt of letters and other articles, for preventing the with-
drawal of such letters and articles through the opening by which they have been
inserted.
To attain this object we preferably form a casing that will fit within and conform
to the inner walls of the letter box, and in this casing we mount hinged shoots
which are, by counterbalancing weights when free brought into a desired normal
position, so that by suitable fixed deflecting pieces, the letters or other articles
inserted or passed into or through the opening at the upper part of the box, fall
upon these hinged shoots, which are thereby caused to descend and allow the articles
to travel on their way to the receptacle beneath, and by these shoots having their
fulcrums relatively situated in such positions as one shoot moves in the opposite
direction to its neighbouring shoots, it will be seen that any attempt by a hooked
rod, wire or cord being inserted to withdraw the contents of the receptacle, these
shoots will so operate as to effectually close all openings and so frustrate all
attempts.
Provided that it is desired to use the shoots and deflectors without the additional
casing, this may be readily effected by these parts being mounted upon or attached
to the inner walls of the box.
When, however, the casing is used, we leave an opening in one or other of its
walls to facilitate the fixing and mounting of the said deflectors and shoots.
To prevent damage being done to the contents of the box by the insertion of
lighted matches or the like, projecting plates are arranged beneath the hinged shoots
to receive such articles and prevent them from descending into contact with said
contents, while to enable these projecting plates as well as the hinged shoots, to
perform their functions more efficiently, they are made of an appropriate grid-like
formation.
Dated this 24th day of J., 1900

page_text: COIN MITIGATION.
Improvements appertaining to Boxes for Receiving or Collecting
Letters or the like.
We, ALBERT EDWARD SMETHURST of 8, Yates Street, Tonge Moor, Bolton in the
County of Lancaster, Joiner, and JOHN WALKER of 93, Weston Street, Bolton
aforesaid, Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mantier
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, that is to say:
It has for its object the production of means that may he applied to street, pillar
or like boxes for the receipt of letters and other articles, for preventing the
withdrawal of such letters and articles through the opening by which they have
been inserted.
In order that our sail invention may be more readily understoo. we have hereunto
appended a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof to which by figures and letters
reference is made in the following description.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the upper portion of a pillar box showing the
application thereto of parts made in accordance with our invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of same part of said box as seen from behind.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan on line a-b of Fig. 1.
Figs. 4 and 5 are side and top views of certain parts hereinafter explained.
To attain the object of our invention we preferably form a casing e that will fit
within and somewhat conform to the shape of the inner walls of the box d and in this
casing e we mount binged shoots and pivotted at h' respectively and counter-
balanced by their weights g so that when free they may be brought into a
normal position against deflecting plates k k and into proximity with the deflecting
pieces so that letters or other articles inserted or passed into or through the
opening m at the upper part of the box d, fall upon these hinged shoots g which
latter are thereby caused to descend into the positions shown in broken lines Fig. 1, thus
allowing the said articles to travel to the receptacle beneath, and by these shoots / g
having their fulerums hh relatively situated on opposite sides of the case c as shown,
in order that they may move in somewhat opposite directions, it will be seen that
any attempt, as by a hooked rod or wire, or by cord carrying a hook or the like
being inserted through the opening m to withdraw the contents of the receptacle,
these shoots will so operate or be moved as to effectually close the passage leading
upwards from said receptacle and in this manner effectually prevent such withdrawal,
while the spikes on the edges of the shoots and y will retain any secondary
article as a net or the like should such be inserted when the shoots are held by
any rod bar or other rigid device being push down through the said opening m.
Further spikes are placed at the edge of the guiding plate to act as similar
preventative means.
Although it is stated above that we preferably employ the casing e for the mounting
therein of our shoots and deflectors k, k, 2, 3, we are aware that such may be
used without said additional casing e as their bearings may be secured to the walls
of the box d. While turther it will be seen that said box d or casing e inay be of
any well known or other shape or configuration other than that illustrated, by the
shoots and deflectors being correspondingly altered in shape and form.
However, when the casing e is used, we have an opening in one or other of its
walls as at s to facilitate the fixing an I mounting of the sail deflectors and shoots.
To prevent damage being done to the contents of the receptacle beneath the
upper part illustrated, by the inser ion of lighted matches or the like, projecting
plates ew are arrange beneath the hinged shoots g respectively to receive such

page_text: articles as they fall through said shoots as hereinafter described, thus preventing
them from descending into contact with said contents.
In order that lighted natches and the like or so that the pouring into the
receptacle beneath the box d of any damaging liquid may be prevented from
descending therein, the shoots g are of a suitable grid like formation as shown in
detail by Fig. 5, by which means said matches or liquid would be allowed to pass
through them to be received by the plates or wo.
to
The shoots and g are prevented from approaching too near the deflectors
prevent the passage through the spaces intervening between them of a post
card, light letter or like without the said shoots fg being moved from their
normal positions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is-
1. In boxes er receptacles for letters or the like, shoots and deflectors arranged in
combination substantially as specified.
2. In boxes for letters and the like, shoots deflectors and plates constructed and
arranged in combination substantially as herein specified.
3. Means applicable for use in connection with letter boxes constructed substantially
as herein specified.
Dated The 24th day of April 1897.
A. E. SMETHURST,
J. WALKER,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.
A. E. SMETHURST,
J. WALKER,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.