Year: 1897

page_text: BLAC
I, JAMES CARR, of Perambulator Works, Trafalgar Street, Bradford, in the
County of York, Perambulator Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in letter boxes, particularly private letter
boxes; and its object is to prevent their contents from being tampered with or
improperly dealt with.
For this purpose I employ a swing partition in the letter box pivoted across
from side to side by pivots located at or near the top. This swing partition is so
balanced and arranged that it normally hangs approximately straight down. The
flap or lid closing the aperture by which the letters are inserted may be fixed to and
move with the said partition.
To open the flap of the letter box I provide a lever having an external projection
by which it can be moved to open the said flaps and at the same time as the flap
is opened the lever is arranged to bring the lower end of the swing partition against
the edge of an inclined internal projection on the front of the letter box and thus
cut off the upper portion of the letter box from the lower portion whilst the letters
are inserted.
The parts may be so arranged that as soon as the said lever is released the flap.
closes and the swing partition falls back to its normal position which allows any
letter inserted to drop down into the lower part of the box.
D
1711 1
T1 100%
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Patent Agents, Bradford.
I, JAMES CARR, of Perambulator Works, Trafalgar Street, Bradford, in the
County of York, Perambulator Manufacturer, 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 improvements in letter boxes, particularly private letter
boxes; and its object is to prevent their contents from being tampered with or
improperly dealt with.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1, represents a vertical section of my
improved letter box.

page_text: Figure 2, is a similar view of the upper portion of the box showing some of the
parts in the position they occupy when the letter flap is opened to admit a letter.
Figure 3, is a sectional plan of Figure 1 on the broken line a b.
Figure 4, is a back view of the box.
A, represents the door or other part to which the box is fixed. The letter flap C
is hinged in the ordinary way to the frame D round the aperture for admitting the
letters. A lever E pivoted to the lug D³ on the frame D is provided. One arm
of this lever projects outside and terminates in a thumb or finger piece Eª whilst
a slot E³ in the other arm engages a stud C on the letter flap and the portion E*
beyond said slot engages the top cross piece F.of the swing partition F. The
partition F is approximately the full width of the box, it is hinged or pivoted
to the brackets G fixed to the sides of the letter box and extends from the back of
the cross piece F to the lower cross piece F³.
When it is required to insert. a letter the thumb piece E2 is depressed as shown
in Figure 2 this raises the other arm of the lever E so that the slot E³ raises the
letter flap C and the upper cross piece F is pushed back as shown which brings the
lower cross piece F³ forward.against the front of the box and separates the upper
portion B (Figure 2) of the box from the lower part B³. This effectually pre-
vents the contents of the lower portion of the box from being extracted through
the aperture for.admitting the letters.
As an additional safe guard the inclined projection H having a serrated edge H2
is provided on the front of the box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
'claim is:
―:
1. A letter box having a swing partition pivoted close to the back of the box and
adapted to automatically close the lower part of the box when the letter flap is
opened, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In a letter box the combination of the lever E, the flap C and the swing
partition F3, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated 18th day of April 1898.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Patent Agents, Bradford.