Improvements in Letter Boxes and Letter Collecting Bags.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1889-Accepted, 22nd June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter Boxes and Letter Collecting Bags.
We, WENZEL WLČEK, Locksmith, JOHANN NEP. MÜLLER and MAX KELZ,
Merchants, all of Gratz, in the province of Styria, Austrian Empire, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of letter boxes into which letters to be
posted are dropped, and of collecting bags, by means of which the letters accumulated
in a given number of letter-boxes during a given time are, after the lapse of this
time, collected and removed to the post office.
The invention has for its object so to construct the letter-box and collecting bag
that they both open automatically when the bag is applied to the bottom of the box
and close again as soon as they are separated. On the box and bag being connected
together and opening in consequence thereof, the letters are allowed to drop from the
box into the bag, and as the hollow space of the letter-box destined to receive the
letters, is entirely separated, by means of sheet metal plates, from the portions of
space near the outer sides of the box, where the shutting mechanism is arranged, the
letters can be neither touched nor seen while being transferred from the box into the
bag.
According to this invention the collecting bag has fixed to its top edge an iron
frame, corresponding in size with the bottom of the letter-box and having a double-
sided sliding lid fitted into corresponding grooves of its lateral sides. Near the rear
elge of this double-sided sliding-fid a number of pins mounted on springs project
downward through apertures formed in the lower plate of the lid, these pins taking
into corresponding holes in the rear side of the top frame of the collecting bag.
For the purpose of disengaging the said pins from the said holes and thereby
enabling the sliding lid to be opened, the lower edge of the front side of the letter-box
carries as many hooks as there are pins, these hooks being caused to enter the
apertures in the bottom plate of the double-sided sliding-lid and to force upward the
springs which carry the said pins.
As soon as the collecting bag thus suspended from the letter box, the lock of this
latter is opened by means of a key, when a vertical bar moveable endwise behind the
front side of the box is pushed upward by a spring thus lifting the hinged cover of
the box and allowing two vertical rods which are arranged in the two rear corners
of the box and kept lowered by coiled springs and by the closed cover to be pushed
upward. In their lowered position the said two vertical rods bear upon the rear ends
of two-armed lock levers pivotted to the lower portion of the lateral sides of the
letter-box. The front ends of the said lock levers are thereby raised and abut against
the lower ends of pawls having the shape of upright two-armed levers pivotted to the
lateral sides of the letter-box and engaging in notches in discs which are mounted
near the top ends of the lateral sides of the box, on a cranked shaft extending from
one lateral side to the other. To the said discs are eccentrically articulated links by
means of which the hinged bottom of the box is kept raised.
The aforesaid lock levers have their downwardly bent rear ends projecting through
slots in the hinged bottom of the box, and when now the collecting bag is pushed
backward along tongues at the lower edges of the lateral sides of the box, the sliding
lid of the bag is retained as it abuts against the front side of the box and the rear
side of the top frame of the bag carries along the projections of the lock levers whereby
these levers are displaced and caused to release the pawls. Immediately afterwards
two hooks arranged at the front side of the top frame of the bag pass through holes
in the front side of the box and press upon the lower ends of the pawls, whereby
these latter are disengaged from the discs and the hinged bottom of the box is allowed
to sink down.

page_text: To the top portion of the outer surface of the front side of the box is secured a
small frame adapted to have slid into it, from above, a plate, upon which the hour of
the next removal of letters is marked. When the letter-box is closed the cover
presses over, the top edge of the said marked plate, the curved outer end of a lever
pivotted inside the box and when the hinged bottom of the box sinks down, the
curved inner end of the said lever is carried along by the adjacent pivot pin of the
series connecting the suspending links of the bottom to the revolving discs. In
consequence of this arrangement the said indicator plate can only be changed when
the box has been opened.
To close the letter hox again the discs.are first turned back by means of their
cranked shaft which is held in one hand and serves as a handle; then the pawls
which are acted upon by springs again engage in the notches of the discs, and the
hinged bottom of the box is closed. Afterwards the collecting bag is pulled forward
when it will gradually get below its sliding lid hooked to the lower edge of the front
side of the box and the cover of the box is pressed down and locked by means of the
key. While the bag is being pulled forward, the rear side of its top frame releases
the projections of the rear ends of the lock levers and the aforesaid vertical rods are
thus allowed again to press the rear ends of the said lock levers downwards under
the action of their coiled springs, whereby the front ends of the same are caused to
lock the pawls in position.
The bar, by which the cover is lifted on the box, being unlocked, is jointed to a
horizontal bar, which then passes between the bit of the key and the frontside of the
box thus preventing the key from being withdrawn before the cover has been closed.
At the post office the described collecting bag is opened by means of a key
similar in form to the series of hooks arranged along the lower edge of the front side
of the letter box, and having at either end tongues similar to those of the lateral
sides of the letter box.
ሰ . 1
1300
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter Boxes and Letter Collecting Bags.
We, WENZEL WIČEK, Locksmith, JOHANN NEP. MÜLLER and MAX KELZ,
Merchants all of Gratz, in the province of Styria, Austrian Empire, 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 the construction of letter boxes, into which letters to be posted
are dropped, and of the collecting bags, by means of which the letters accumulated
during a given time in a given number of letter boxes, are, after the lapse of this
time, collected and removed to the post office.
The invention has for its object so to construct the letter box and collecting bag
that, after the. letter box has been unlocked by means of a key and on the subsequent
application of the bag to the bottom of the box, the bag and box shall automatically
open, and it shall be impossible, before the box is shut, to detach the collecting bag
and upon detaching it both the box and bag shall automatically close. On the box
and bag.being connected together and opening.in consequence thereof; the letters are
free to drop from the box into the bag.
The main characteristic feature of the invention consists in the combination of a
collecting bag having, a sliding lid, locked by its rear edge, of a letter box carrying
.on. the lower edge of its front side a device or key for unlocking the said sliding lid
and provided with a hinged trap bottom, and of a locking mechanism for this trap
bottom, the said mechanism being controlled by the hinged cover of the letter box and
adapted to be caused by the collecting bag to release the said trap bottom on the bag
being pushed under the box.

page_text: As the space of the letter box intended to receive the letters is entirely separated,
by means of sheet metal plates, from the space near the outer sides and the top of the
box, where the locking mechanism is arranged, the letters can be neither touched nor
seen while being transferred from the box into the bag.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will proceed to
describe how it can be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying
drawings in which―
Figure 1. is a perspective view of a letter-box constructed according to the
invention.
Figure 2. is a perspective view of the open letter-box having the collecting bag.
connected to it.
Figure 3. shows the collecting bag having its sliding lid opened, by means of a
special instrument or key, with which the post-offices are provided.
Figure 4. is a perspective view of the sliding lid of the collecting bag.
Figure 5. is a similar view of the aforesaid key for opening the collecting bag.
Figure 6. is a sectional perspective view, showing the effect produced by the key
being applied to the collecting bag.
Figure 7. is a sectional end elevation on line xx, Fig. 8, of the closed letter
box.
Figure 8 is a sectional front elevation of the closed "letter box.
Figure 9. is a section on line a¹, x', Fig. 8 of the open letter-box and having the
collecting bag attached to its underside.
Figure 10. shows a detail of the letter-box.
Figure 11. is a view of one of the tablets or plates indicating the time of the next
collection of letters.
A is the letter collecting bag provided with a double sliding lid a the tongues a¹ of
which slide in the grooves a a of the top frame of the bag. The sliding lid a is
locked in its closed position, by means of pins at, these pins being fixed to springs a³
mounted on the lower one of the two plates forming the lid. The said pins a project
downward through holes formed in the said lower plate of the sliding lid and can thus
take into holes in the rear side a of the top frame of the collecting bag. When
the bag A is closed, the rear edge of the sliding lid a projects beyond the rear side a
of the said top frame sufficiently to render accessible the fore ends of the springs a³
through the apertures a' of the lower plate of the double sliding lid a.
When the letter-box B is to be emptied into the collecting bag A, the said bag
is grasped by its two handles as and the apertures a' of the lower plate of the
double sliding lid a are passed onto hooks b, projecting from the lower edge of
the front side of the box B. By pressing the sliding lid a downwards upon the
hooks b, these hooks are caused to enter the apertures a and to force the springs a³
upwards sufficiently to disengage the pins at from the holes as of the rear side a of the
top frame of the collecting bag A.
As the lower edges of the lateral sides of the letter box B are provided with
tongues, extending in a line with the tongues a' of the sliding lid a, which abuts
against the front side of the box, the guide grooves"a2 of the top frame of the bag:
can, by pushing the collecting bag A backwards, be caused to slide along the
tongues b and the bag A to pass under the box B; while the sliding lid a, abutting
against the front side of the box B remains stationary. It will be readily understood
that, in consequence of this arrangement, the collecting bag A opens to the same
extent that it is covered by the letter box B, and therefore the inner space of the bag A
remains inaccessible.
Now in order to allow the top frame of the collecting bag A to unlock the
locking mechanism of the hinged trap bottom 62 of the letter box B, it is necessary to
first open the hinged cover 3 of the letter box, as this cover controls the said locking
mechanism. To this end, the lock of the letter box B is opened by means of a key g,
when an upright rod &, end wise movable on the inner surface of the front side of
the letter-box, rises under the action of a spring and thereby lifts the cover b³.
The cover when closed abuts against two end wise movable, upright rods i,

page_text: arranged in the two rear corners of the letter box B and by thus preventing these
rods from being moved upward, the cover controls the locking mechanism of the
trap bottom b².
This hinged trap bottom forms the whole under-side of the letter-box and the
bottom of the hollow space F receiving the letters dropped into the box, this
hollow-space F being separated, by sheet metal plates, from the parts of the locking
mechanisin at its top, front and lateral sides, and having besides its bottom trap no
other opening but the letter slit h. Each lateral edge of the bottom trap bis con-
nected by means of a link e, arranged outside the lateral sides of the space F, to an
eccentrically located pin on a rotatable disc e¹, provided with a notch e, into
which takes the terminal hook d¹ of a pawl 1), when the trap 2 is closed. The
said pawls Dare of the form of upright two-armed levers, pivotted to the lateral
sides of the letter box B, and kept in contact with the discs e¹ by means of springs d².
It will be seen that in order to open the bottom trap 13, the hooks d' of the pawls D
must be disengaged from the notches e of the discs e¹.
To admit of the necessary displacement of the pawls, two holes are formed in
the front-side of the letter box B and through these holes the lower ends of the
pawls D are accessible, but as it is necessary that the disengaging of the hooks d'
from the notches e should only take place when the collecting bag A is wholly
pushed under the letter-box, two-armed locking levers C are provided, the rear
ends of which are kept lowered by the aforesaid vertical rods i, acted upon by
spiral springs and controlled in the manner already explained, by the hinged cover
of the letter box, while the front ends of the said locking levers C then abut against
the lower ends of the pawls D and prevent them from being displaced. Projections c
on the rear ends of the locking levers C extend outward through slots in the
bottom trap 2, so that, when the control of the cover exerted upon the rods i
has been interrupted by unlocking the lock of the cover, the rear side a of the
top frame of the collecting bag A, can, on the bag being pushed rearwards, carry
along and force upwards the said projections e and cause the locking levers C to set
the pawls D free.
During the last portion of the rearward movement of the bag A along the tongues b¹
of the letter box B, hooks a, fitted to the front ends of the lateral sides of the
top frame of the bag, enter the holes 6 formed in the front side of the box B, and
thereby force backward the lower ends d of the pawls D, the top end hooks d' of which
are thereby disengaged from the notches e of the discs e¹. Consequently, the bottom
trap 6 falls by gravity, and the contents of the hollow space F are allowed to fall into
the collecting bag A.
While the bottom trap 62 is falling, one of the two pins e³, by which the links & are
jointed to the discs el carries along the crooked rear end of a two armed lever f
whereby the crooked front end of this lever, which extends beyond and across the top
edge of the front side of the box, is raised into the position shown by dotted lines in
Fig. 9. When the letter box B is closed the said crooked front end of the lever f*
bears upon the plate 7, slid into a corresponding frame and having marked upon
it, the hour when the next collection of letters will take place. It will be understood
that, for changing this plate f, it is necessary, first to open the bottom trap b².
To disconnect the collecting bag A from the letter-box B, the said bag must first be
sufficiently pulled forward to withdraw the hooks a from the lower ends d of the
pawls D, when the springs d² will bring the pawls again into the position shown in
Fig. 7. The bag A is then prevented from being pulled further forward by the
rearside a of the top frame of the bag abutting against the pendent, bottom trap 62.
In order to close the trap 2, the cranked shaft es, upon which both discs e¹ are mounted,
and which serves the purpose of a handle, is turned forward, whereby the discs e¹ are
brought into their original position and the hooks dare allowed to take into the
notches e. The collecting bag is then fully pulled forward, when the rear ends of the
locking levers C, which are thereby set free, are forced downwards by the rods i acted
upon by their spiral springs, and the front ends of the said levers come behind the
lower ends d of the pawls D, which are thereby locked in their position.

page_text: 7th. Unhook the bag.
As already stated, the hollow space F, into which the letters are dropped through
the letter-slit h, is entirely separated from the spaces, where the locking mechanism is
arranged, and is closed on all sides, therefore the contents of the said hollow space
cannot be tampered with, even while the cover b³ is open.
At the post-office, the collecting bag A is opened by means of a key k, Fig. 5,
which has hooks and tongues like the letter-box B. As may be inferred from
Fig. 3. this key remains hooked to the open sliding lid a, and cannot be removed
until after the lid has been closed.
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. The combination with a letter collecting bag, the double sliding lid of which
carries near its projecting rear edge a series of spring supported pins, projecting
through apertures in the lower plate and taking into holes in the rear side of the top
frame of the bag, of a letter-box provided with a trap bottom and with a series of
hooks, arranged along the lower edge of the frontside of the box and adapted to have
the apertures near the rear edge of the lower plate of the sliding lid of the collecting
bag hooked onto them, a locking-mechanism for the said trap bottom, and means
connected to the collecting bag for unlocking the said locking mechanism, sub-
stantially, as and for the purpose described.
2. The combination with a letter collecting bag, the double sliding lid of which
carries near its projecting rear edge a series of spring-supported pins, projecting
through apertures in the lower plate and taking into holes in the rear side of the top
frame of the bag, of a key having a series of books, adapted to be introduced into the
aforesaid apertures, and of means for guiding the ends of the key along the lateral sides
of the top frame of the bag, substantially, as and for the purpose, set forth.
3. The combination with a letter collecting bag, having its double sliding lid locked
by a series of spring catches to the rear side of the top-frame of the bag, of a letter-
box provided with a trap bottom and with a series of hooks arranged along the lower
edge of the front side of the box and adapted to disengage the said spring catches,
rotatable discs, mounted on the lateral sides of the letter box, links connecting the
trap bottom to eccentric points of the discs, pawls taking into notches in the said discs,
and hooks fixed to the top frame of the collecting bag and adapted to disengage the
pawls by penetrating through apertures formed in the front side of the letter box,
substantially, as and for the purpose, set forth.
4. The combination with the pawls adapted to be disengaged by the collecting bag,
while being pushed under the letter-box, of locking levers held by spring pressure
against the pawls, so as to lock them in their position and of downward extending

page_text: projections of the said locking levers, substantially, as and for the purpose
set forth.
5. The combination with the pawls and locking levers, of vertical rods acted upon
by springs, so as to keep the locking levers in locked position, a hinged cover of the
letter box, provided with a lock and bearing upon the said rods, when the letter box is
locked and partitions by means of which the hollow space for receiving the letters is
separated from the spaces above the same and containing the locking mechanism,
substantially as and for the purpose, set forth.
6. The combination with the trap bottom of the letter box and its locking
mechanism, of a lever adapted to have one end carried along, by the said locking
mechanism when it is acted upon, and of an indicator plate, slid into a frame on
the front side of the letter box and arranged beneath the other end of the said lever,
which projects outside the letter box, substantially, as and for the purpose, set forth.
7. The combination with the pawls, locking levers, vertical controlling rods, and
the hinged cover and lock of the letter box of an upright cover-supporting-rod, end-
wise movable on the inner surface of the front side of the letter box and acted upon by
a spring, substantially, as and for the purpose, set forth.
8. The combination with the cover supporting-rod and lock, of au arm
jointed to the supporting rod in such a position as to be interposed between the bit
of the key and the front side of the letter box as soon as the cover is opened,
substantially, as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 11th day of May 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.