IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLI- CABLE TO PILLAR AND OTHER LETTER BOXES, BALLOT BOXES, MONEY TILLS, AND OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES, TO PREVENT THE SURREPTITIOUS WITH- DRAWAL OF THE CONTENTS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Leech Leech, of Pendleton, near Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLI-
CABLE TO PILLAR AND OTHER LETTER BOXES, BALLOT BOXES, MONEY TILLS,
AND OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES, TO PREVENT THE SURREPTITIOUS WITH-
DRAWAL OF THE CONTENTS."
Sealed the 4th July 1879, and dated the 8th January 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Leech Leech at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th January 1879.
FREDERICK LEECHI LEECH, of Pendleton, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO PILLAR AND OTHER LETTER
BOXES, BALLOT BOXES, MONEY TILLS, AND OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES, TO
PREVENT THE SURREPTITIOUS WITHDRAWAL OF THE CONTENTS."
In performing my Invention, say, as applied to letter boxes, I affix an incline
immediately behind the slide or opening through which the letters or other docu-
ments are introduced, and over which incline the letters or other documents must
necessarily slide in order to fall into the letter box, and at the lowest extremity of
this incline I arrange a curved door capable of sliding in suitable corresponding
grooves, or I arrange a door hinged at a suitable angle, and so connected by a
connecting link or by links and levers to the flap of the letter box that by the
action of opening such flap the door is closed at the bottom of the incline, and only
opens again with the closing of such flap. It thus becomes impossible to have such
door and flap open at the same instant, and hence when a letter has once fallen off
the incline its withdrawal from the letter box is rendered utterly impracticable.
This Invention is equally applicable to ballot boxes, money tills, and other similar
receptacles.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick Leech Leech in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th July
1879.
FREDERICK LEECH LEECH, of Pendleton, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster. " IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO PILLAR AND OTHER LETTER
BOXES, BALLOT BOXES, MONEY TILLS, AND OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES, TO
PREVENT THE SURREPTITIOUS WITHDRAWAL OF THE CONTENTS."
In performing my Invention, say, as applied to letter boxes, I affix an incline
immediately behind the slide or opening through which the letters or other docu-
ments are introduced, and over which incline the letters or other documents must
necessarily slide in order to fall into the letter box, and at the lowest extremity of
this incline I arrange a curved door capable of sliding in suitable corresponding
grooves, or I arrange suitable hinged doors so connected by a connecting link, or
by links and levers to the flap of the letter box as that by the action of opening
such flap the door or doors is or are closed at the bottom of the incline, and only
open again with the closing of such flap. It thus becomes impossible to have such
doors and flap open at the same instant, and hence when a letter has once fallen off
the incline its withdrawal from the letter box is rendered utterly impracticable.
This Invention is equally applicable to ballot boxes, money tills, and other similar
receptacles.
And in order that this my said Invention may be more readily understood and
carried into practical effect, I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings illus-
trative of my improvements, in which Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of my
improved apparatus applied to a letter box, and Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of
the same; Figs. 3 and 4 are modifications of my Invention.
In all the views A is an incline or shoot of a suitable width to pass the largest
size of letter required, and which is illustrated as fixed to the back of an ordinary
door B, the whole being contained or disposed within the letter box C. At the
bottom of the incline or shoot A (Figs. 1, 2, and 3), I arrange a pair of doors D
turning upon pivots d, as illustrated, and connect these doors by means of the links
E, rods F, and bell crank lever G to the flap H of the letter box, in the case of
Fig. 3, and in the case of Figs. 1 and 2 I arrange that the extremity of the bell
crank lever G shall be provided with a friction bowl resting against the back of the
flap H.
The spring I serving to pull the doors D into their open position and to
press the bell crank lever into contact with the back of the flap.
The action of this apparatus is as follows:-Upon introducing a letter through
the opening J the act of pushing open the flap H closes the doors D, the relative
positions of the different parts of the apparatus at this stage being illustrated in
Fig. 2; the letter so introduced falls down the incline A and is stopped by the
closed doors D. Upon releasing the flap H the doors D open and the parts return
to their original position, as seen in Fig. 1, and the letter is now free to fall into the
letter box Č. It will thus be apparent that it is impossible to have both flap and
doors opon at the same instant, and hence protection is afforded to the contents of
any letter box fitted with my improved apparatus, and the surreptitious withdrawal
of such contents is rendered impossible. W is a wire guard or false bottom to the
incline which serves to allow the letters to pass along without obstruction, and yet
will act as a preventive of lighted matches being introduced into the letter box,
such matches passing harmlessly between the wires and being retained on the
ledge X.
In the modification represented by Fig. 4, I use a single curved sliding door K
working in a corresponding groove L, the back of which is connected by the link M
to the back of the flap H, which in this case is inverted. The pushing open of the
Hap H in this modification causes the sliding door K to close, and vice-versa, as in
the previous mentioned modifications.

page_text: This Invention is equally applicable to ballot boxes, money tills, and other similar
receptacles.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, together with the best methods with which I am acquainted for carrying
the same into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details, relative proportions, or dimensions of the various
parts of my improved apparatus, as the same may be considerably varied without
departing from the Invention, but what I claim is,-
The use and application of an incline or shoot having hinged or equivalent doors
at the lower extremity, connected to or so working in conjunction with the ordinary
or other flap of the letter box as that one cannot be opened at the same time as
the other, substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated on the accompany-
ing Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Leech Leech, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
FREDERICK LEECH LEECH. (L.S.)