Improvements in Letter Boxes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Dec., 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter Boxes.
I GEORGE HIRAM WILLCOx Builder 241 Bradford Street Birmingham in
the County of Warwick do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention specially relates to letter boxes such as are fixed on the doors of
houses and offices to receive the letters from postal delivery and otherwise, the
invention can also be used for public letter-boxes and for semi-public letter-boxes.
The object of the invention is to secure the inlet passage that letters and packages
can be put through such inlet passage but cannot be afterwards taken out of the
letter box by thieves or other persons.
In carrying out my invention I by the first modification provide two side cheeks
to receive the hinged safety mechanism hereinafter described in second modification,
so that the safety mechanism will be self-contained within the side cheeks, and so
that such self contained mechanism can be secured to a door and the letter box
proper afterwards secured over the self contained mechanism.
By a second modification of my invention I dispense with the side cheeks described
in first modification and utilize the sides of any ordinary letter box to receive the
fulcrum pins of safety mechanism in the manner hereinafter set forth.
I first provide a front plate of suitable size to swing easily in the mouth, or inlet
: I hinge
passage pierced in the door through which to pass letters and packages
the upper edge of front plate to the upper edge of mouth, so that the front plate
(marked letters) can swing into a vertical position by its own weight.
On the lower back edge of front plate I form a shelf or hinge on to which 1
secure a board or plate extending the full width of letter box from side to side (an
easy fit) such board or plate forming the roof or top of safety mechanism such top
plate would extend to within one inch (more or less) of the back of letter box.
I next provide a board or plate of suitable length henceforward called the back
plate; the upper end of back plate would be hinged to the back edge of top plate.
The lower end of back plate would then be moved to touch the back of door or
the face of the letter box fastened to door at the same time that the front plate was
pushed open to receive letters, the back plate would then be pivoted to the sides of
the letter box, at or about the centre from end to end; it will be apparent that
letters passed through the slit in the door would not pass into the letter box but
would drop on to the inclined back plate and slide down such back plate where they
would be held up until the falling of the front plate drew the top plate forward and
thereby also drew the top end of the back plate forward oscillating such back plate
on its pivot bearings and thus causing the bottom end of said back plate to move
towards the back of letter box and release the letters resting on the internal face of
back plate allowing the letters to drop into the letter box proper.
Any person attempting to steal or withdraw the letters, then the slit in door
would by moving the front plate thereof move the lower end edge of oscillating
back plate to a position blocking the passage to letter box.
A block of wood or other suitable material would be secured to back of door or
face of letter box next to door forming a shelf below the end of back plate such
shelf acting as a further security against thieves.
Dated this 14th day of December 1892.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter Boxes.
1, GEORGE HIRAM WILLCOX Builder 241 Bradford Street Birmingham in the
County of Warwick 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 specially relates to letter boxes such as are fixed on the doors of
houses and offices to receive the letters from postal delivery and otherwise, the
invention can also be used for public letter-boxes and for semi-public letter-boxes.
The object of the invention is to so secure the inlet passage that letters and
packages can be put through such inlet passage but cannot be afterwards taken
out of the letter box by thieves or other persons.
In carrying out my invention I by the first modification provide two side cheeks
to receive the hinged safety mechanism hereinafter described in second modification,
so that the safety mechanism will be self contained within the side cheeks, and so
that such self contained mechanism can be secured to a door, and the letter box
proper afterwards secured over the self contained mechanism.
By a second modification of my invention I dispense with the side cheeks
described in first modification and utilize the sides of any ordinary letter box to
receive the fulcrum pins of safety mechanism in the manner hereinafter set forth.
I first provide a front plate of suitable size to swing easily in the mouth, or inlet
passage pierced in the door through which to pass letters and packages: I hinge
the upper edge of front plate to the upper edge of mouth so that the front plate
(marked letters) can swing into a vertical position by its own weight.
On the lower back edge of front plate I form a shelf or hinge on to which I
secure a board or plate extending the full width of letter box from side to side (an
easy fit) such board or plate forming the roof or top of safety mechanism such top
plate would extend to within one inch (more or less) of the back of letter box.
I next provide a board or plate of suitable length henceforward called the back
plate; the upper end of back plate would be hinged to the back edge of top plate.
The lower end of back plate would then be moved to touch the back of door or
the face of the letter box fastened to door at the same time that the front plate was
pushed open to receive letters, the back plate would then be pivoted to the sides of
the letter box at or about the centre from end to end; it will be apparent that
letters passed through the slit in the door would not pass into the letter box but
would drop on to the inclined back plate and slide down such back plate where
they would be held up until the falling of the front plate drew the top plate forward
and thereby also drew the top end of the back plate forward oscillating such back
plate on its pivot-bearings and thus causing the bottom end of said back plate to
move towards the back of letter box and release the letters resting on the internal
face of back plate allowing the letters to drop into the letter box proper.
Any person attempting to steal or withdraw the letters through the slit in door
would by moving the front plate thereof move the lower end edge of oscillating
back plate to a position blocking the passage to letter-box.
A block of wood or other suitable material would be secured to back of door or
face of letter box next to door forming a shelf below the end of back plate such
shelf acting as a further security against thieves.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings, the
manner in which my invention is constructed and used.
Figure 1. represents a broken off portion of the outer face of a door, on to which
is secured my safety mechanism.
Figure 2. represents a broken portion of letter box shewing the oscillating screw
or trunnion.

page_text: Figure 3. represents a longitudinal sectional view of Figure 1 shewing the flap
closed.
Figure 4. represents a longitudinal sectional view, similar to Figure 3 excepting
that the flap is open.
In carrying out my invention, I provide a front plate a of suitable dimensions to
swing easily in the mouth b, I connect the upper edge c of front plate a to the upper
edge of mouth by means of the hinges d, so that the front plate a can swing into the
position shewn at Figure 3.
On the lower back edge of front plate a I form a shelf e to which is secured the
top board or plate f: I next provide the back plate 9 the upper end of which is
hinged to the top plate as shewn at h.
The lower end of back plate is then moved into a position touching the back of
door or into a position touching the part of letter box resting against the back of
door as represented at j; the pivot bearings k are secured to the sides of letter box
and the pivot screws m screwed into the edges of back plate at n and o thus
suspending the back plate g between the sides of letter box.
The action of the safety mechanism would be as follows:-letters passed through
the open slit would fall on to the inside inclined surface p of back plate where
they would be held up until the front plate moved into the position shewn at
Figure 3, thereby covering the slot, the travel of the front plate from r to s would
move the back plate g on its pivots m into the position shewn at Figure 3, leaving
an opening & through which the letters or packages would drop into the letter-box.
Any person attempting to steal the letters would in pushing open the front
plate a thereby oscilate the back plate g on its pivots m and move the lower end of
back plate into a position closing the passage to letter-box.
The block of wood, metal, or other substance u is provided to guide the letters or
packages into the centre of letter box such block also acting as a further security
against thieves, as it will be readily understood that any attempt to get the letters
out of the letter box by means of a wire forced through the closed bottom end v of
back plate would fail, because the letters would catch against the underside wo
of block.
I make the parts of my safety mechanism out of wood, metal, or other suitable
material.
I have not shewn the two side-cheeks of first modification, as such side cheeks
would be similar to the letter box sides only shorter and narrower to pass easily
inside the letter box.
I provide a weight to assist the front plate a in closing the mouth b.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is.
1st. The safety mechanism as illustrated and described for use within a letter-box,
to prevent letters and packages from being withdrawn from the letter box, through
the inlet passage thereof.
2nd. In a letter box the utulization of an oscillating board or plate as illustrated
and described in reference to the back plate g.
3rd. Within a letter-box a stop-block secured to the surface against which the
letter box is fixed or secured to the inner surface of letter box as illustrated and
described in reference to Figures 3, and 4.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1892.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.