Improvements relating to Mail Boxes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Mail Boxes.
We, BENJAMINE FRANKLIN BROCKMEYER, Clerk in Post Office Department, of
2736, Clark Avenue, and ALBERT CHARLES BROCKMEYER, of 318, South Jefferson
Avenue, both in St. Louis, Mo., U.S.A., Musician, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
The object of our invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and convenient
mail box for public use, which box will be absolutely storm proof at all times
including the period during which its contents are discharged into the collection
bag or box.
A further object of our invention is to construct a mail box wherein
the operations required in delivering mail matter into said box and discharging
it therefrom are greatly facilitated.
Our invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described and
pointed out in the claims.
Fig. I is a perspective view of our improved mail box,
Fig. II is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line II-II,
Fig. I.
Fig. III is a vertical sectional view through the center of the box and showing
the inner dump box in position assumed while discharging its contents.
Fig. IV is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately on the line IV—IV,
Fig. I.
Fig. V is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken approximately on the
line V-V, Fig. I.
Our improved box properly consists of an outer housing and a dump box
within the housing, the outer housing being rectangular in form and comprising
the fixed sides 1, 1, the top 2, bottom 3 and rear wall 4. Located on top of the
housing is a receptacle 5 provided with a suitable top 6 in the front wall of which
receptacle 5 is arranged a gravity door 7. This receptacle 5 is designed to be
used as a repository for papers, packages and large pieces of mail matter.
The inner dump box comprises a pair of side walls S, the lower ends of which
are formed at an angle (see Fig. III) together with the rear wall 9 and top 10.
The box so constructed is arranged to swing in the outer housing, there being
a hinged rod 11 passed through the upper forward corners of the side walls 1
of the housing and the side walls 8 of the dump box. The inner dump box is
of such width that when it is positioned within the outer housing slight spaces
are formed between the adjacent side walls of the housing and enclosed box, and
occupying the lower portions of the spaces thus formed is a dump chute having
side walls 12 pivotally held at their rear ends to the rear lower corners of the
side walls 8 of the dump box and having a bottom 13 adapted to serve also as
a bottom for the dump box when in closed position, and as the side walls of said
box are, as previously stated, formed on an angle, the bottom of the dump chute
CD

page_text: necessarily lies at an incline, as seen in Fig. III. A strip 14 is fixed to the
inner face of the lower end of the rear wall 9 of the dump box, said strip serving
to close the interstices between the lower edge of said rear wall and the rear
end of the inclined chute bottom 13.
A sectional plate which will now be described serves as a front wall or door
for both the outer housing and the enclosed dump box. The main portion of
said plate comprises a rectangular section 15 to the inside faces of the side edges
of which is fixed the forward edges of the side walls 8 of the dump box, the
said section entirely closing the lower portion of said box at the front. The
side edges of said section 15 extend beyond the side walls 8 of the dump box
and are adapted to lie against the forward edges of the side walls 1 of the outer
housing when the mail box is closed. The lower edge of this section 15 extends
downwardly far enough to engage directly against the front edge of the bottom 3
of the outer housing when the inner box is swung inwardly to its normal posi-
tion, and fixed to and extending outwardly from the center of the lower portion
of said section 15 is a staple 16 over which a hasp 17 hinged to the bottom 3
is adapted to pass. A padlock 18 or other suitable locking device is inserted
through the staple 16 after the hasp is located thereon in order to securely lock
the dump box within the outer housing.
A rectangular plate 19 that closes the upper portion of the housing and dump
box is provided with a pair of rearwardly projecting wings 20 which extend
into the spaces between the side walls 1 and 8 of the housing and dump box,
and said wings 20 are hinged at their forward upper corners upon the rod 11
previously mentioned. The rear ends of these wings 20 are widened, or weighted
in any suitable manner, in order that they, together with the plate 19, may
swing downwardly into the position shown by dotted lines Fig. II when the
plate 19 is released from the plate 15.
Formed through the upper portion of the plate 19 is a horizontally arranged
slit 21 that is normally covered by a gravity door 22 hinged beneath a hood 23
secured to the front face of the plate 19 immediately above said slit, and said
gravity door normally rests upon side projections 24 and a connecting projec-
tion 25 that serve as a chute for letters deposited through the slit 21. The
lower edge of the plate 19 is beveled inwardly and upwardly to fit a correspond-
ing bevel upon the top edge of the plate 15 for the purpose of providing a tight
joint between these parts, and hinged to the center of the upper edge of said
plate 15 is a hasp 26 that engages a staple 27 carried by the plate 19, and by
means of a padlock or other suitable locking device, the plate 19 may be secured
to the plate 15.
A transversely positioned rod 28 having upturned ends is fixed to the under
side of the housing bottom 3. This rod is designed to serve as a socket for the
reception of a portion of a frame of a mail collecting sack, which is made the
subject matter of a separate application for patent.
When our improved mail box is in use the plate 19 is locked to the plate 15
and the plate 15 is in turn locked to the outer housing. Should a person desire
to mail a paper of package, the gravity door 7 is raised and the article is depo-
sited within the receptacle 5. Should it be desired to mail a letter the gravity
door 22 is raised and the letter is deposited through the slit 21.
While boxes of the present construction are in use it has been the practice
for carriers or others who collect mail matter from the boxes in large buildings
to deposit their collections in the street boxes to be in turn collected by the
wagon collectors. Where this form of collection is carried out, much time is
lost in delivering the mail matter collected, into the street boxes, for the reason
that but few letters can be passed through the letter box door at a time, and to
obviate this loss of time, we have arranged the swinging plate 19 which, when
unlocked, swings outwardly as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. II, thus forming
a wide opening through which a large number of letters may be passed at a
time, and the box again closed.

page_text: en it is desired to discharge all of the contents of the box into the bag or
box of the wagon collector or other person whose duty it is to collect the mail
matter from the street boxes, the padlock 18 or other locking device is detached
from the staple 16 and after the hasp 17 has been swung downwardly away from
5 the lower edge of the plate 15, the inner dump box will, by gravity and by
reason of the weight of the accumulation of mail matter, which is greatest at
the front of the box, swing upon the rod 11, moving outwardly into the position
seen in Fig. III. In so doing the chute 12, 13 will swing downwardly thereby
opening the bottom of the dump box, and all of the mail matter contained by
such box is instantly discharged into the receptacle held to receive it.
discharge of the mail matter is accomplished in a very few seconds and is a
This
very important feature where quick collections are desired, and as the mail is
dropped downwardly from the bottom of the box into the receiving receptacle
it is not exposed to the liability of becoming wet where collections are being
made during inclement weather.
Our improved mail box is simple in construction and operation and the parts
are so arranged and connected together that the liability of their becoming out
of order is reduced to a minimum.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a housing, a swing-
ing dump box in said housing, and a movable chute or door mounted in the
lower end of the housing adapted to move outwardly on the outward movement
of said dump box, substantially as described.
2.' In a device of the class described, the combination of a housing, a swinging
dump box mounted in said housing, and a chute or door hinged to said dump
box, substantially as described.
3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a housing, a dump
box provided with walls forming the mail receptacle movably mounted in said
housing to assume a dumping position, and a door movably connected to said
dump box, substantially as specified.
4. In a device of the class described, a housing, a dump box hinged within
said housing, and a chute hinged to the rear portion of the lower end of said
dump box, substantially as specified.
5. In a device of the class described, a housing, a dump box hinged therein,
a front plate normally closing the front of the housing and the box, a hinged
door mounted in said plate, and weighted wings extending rearwardly from
the ends of said hinged door, substantially as specified.
6. In a device of the class described, a housing, a dump box hinged therein,
plate normally closing the front of the housing and box, a hinged door mounted
n said plate, weighted wings extending rearwardly from the ends of said hinged
oor, and a chute hinged to the rear lower ends of the dump box, substantially
s specified.
7. In a mail box, the combination with an open front housing, of a dump
ox hinged in said housing so that its lower end will swing outwardly there-
rom, and a chute hinged at its rear end to the lower rear end of the dump
ox, substantially as specified.
8. In a mail box, the combination with an open front housing, of a dump
ox hinged in said housing so that its lower end will swing outwardly there-
om, a plate fixed to the lower front edges of the sides of the dump box, a door
ate hinged to the front upper corners of the dump box, and a chute hinged at
3 rear end to the lower rear end of the dump box, substantially as specified.
9. In a mail box, the combination with an open front housing, of a dump box
nged in said housing, a plate fixed to the lower front edges of the sides of

page_text: the dump box, a plate hinged in the upper portion of the front of the dump
box, weighted wings extending rearwardly from the sides of the hinged plate,
and a chute hinged at its rear end to the lower end of the dump box, substan-
tially as specified.
Dated this 5th day of December 1899
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicants.