Improvements in Street Letter-boxes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 3rd Sept.. 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Street Letter-boxes.
MICHAEL J. DONAHUE of 71 Roxburg Street Boston Massachusetts United
States of North America a Letter Carrier 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, which is a full, clear
and exact description of this letter box, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings forming part of this application, in which :-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a letter-box secured to a lamp-post embodying
my invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 with the door open.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the letter-box with the door open, the upper
portion of the box being broken away.
Street letter-boxes to be an improvement on those now in use should be as simple
as possible and should be so constructed that in transferring letters from the letter-
box to the bag of the collector it will be impossible for mail matter, through accident
or negligence to fall to the ground or be mutilated, injured or crushed by the act of
opening the door of the box.
My invention has for its object to enable me to secure these advantages and. at
the same time effect the saving of from 50 to 70 per cent. in the time and labor of
collecting and sorting.
To this end my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and
combination of parts as hereinafter fully described and specifically pointed cut and
claimed.
In the said drawings A represents a letter box which is provided with two
slots, a. a. one on each side, which may be used by two different persons at the same
time. The slot a, next the curbstone may be used by anyone in a carriage or on
horseback, without alighting or interfering with anyone using the slot a next the
houses.
Letters mailed in the slots a, a, strike the floor f, Fig. 2, which consists of a
stationary second floor transversely inclined at an angle of about 45 degrees, causing
the letters deposited in the box to partly rest or press against the upper part of the
door, being a partly reciprocating door being hinged or attached to the box by
means of a horizontal axle rod g, which passes through the sides of the box j, j, and
through contiguous holes in the door guards or flanges h, h. The portion b, of the
door above the axle rod and floor f, closing the letter compartiment and acting and
opening outwardly, and the part m below the axle rod partially closing the package
compartment and acting and opening inwardly. On obliquely arranged funnel-
shaped pins d, d, (Figs. 1 and 3) which protrude outwardly from the flanges h, h, a
bag or other receptacle may be hung, and the mail matter pressing against the door b
will pass transversely by gradient gravitation into the bag or receptacle hung on the
pins d, d, when the door is unlocked and opened to the extent shown in Fig. 3; the
inclined floor, and portion b, of the door when opened forming a transversely
straight passage extending out from and beyond the front side of the box through
which the mail matter will pass freely into the bag or other receptacle of the
collector. The flanges h, h, having the pins d, d, and being of one piece with the
door b, form complete guards, said guards or flanges acting outside the main walls
or ends of the box, prevents the mutilation of letters that would occur in opening a
door having inwardly operating guards, and by their half circular shape acting inside
the cleats c, c, also effectually prevent any mail matter from falling other than into a
bag hung on the pins d, d.

page_text: The lower portion of the letter-box which is below the rod g, and floor, is
provided in front with a wide slot or space e, the breadth of the box, and is for the
reception of newspapers, small packages, etc., which would, otherwise be left on the
top of the box. This space when the door is dropped down (as seen in Figs. 2
and 3) such act raising the part m of the door upward and backward is sufficiently
wide to permit the hand and arm of the collector to be introduced within the lower
portion of the mail box for the removal of mail matter.therein, and when the
door is closed up, this lower portion m will partially close, the space, leaving a
slot or aperture between the bottom of the door m, and the upper edge of the lower
portion of the front of the box,. of sufficient width only for mailing purposes,.as
seen in Fig. 1.
!!
The outer ends of the lower portion m of the door are cut away at e, a, Big: 1,.
and are adapted to meet the notches e, e, in the sides of the box j, as seen in
Fig. 2, at the same time that the inner ends of the flanges h, h, are brought into
contact with the upper parts of the cleats c. c, at 1, Fig. 3. The notches v, e, with
the peculiar formation of the cleats c, c, serve to allow the door to open to, but
prevents opening beyond the extent shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The holes k, k, formed
in the sides of the box jj, are for the purpose of affording egress for dust, etc., that
may accumulate in the bottom of the box. The portions, n, of the flanges or
guards h, h, are of increased thickness to afford additional strength for supporting
the pins d, d.
Ireserve the right to have one letter slot in front of the box instead of the two
on the ends if found necessary.
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. The combination with a mail box, of an inclined intermediate floor, f, dividing
the box into upper and lower compartments. The upper compartment provided
with two letter ports a, a, and an opening on its front side; the lower compartment
provided with an opening e, above the inwardly projecting flange e', the upper
compartment provided with a door b, said door being attached to the box by means
of an axle rod g, the door being also provided with an extension m below.its pivotal
point, so that it will partially close the opening e in the lower compartment wlien
the door is closed, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination with a nail box having two compartments separated by an
inclined intermediate floor f, and having two openings on its front side, an upper
delivery opening, and a lower mailing and collection opening, of a door, having an
extension m, and secured to the box by means of a single axle rod and arranged to
close the openings as described, the door having internally operating side guards
carrying obliquely arranged pins d,. d, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
3. The combination, with a mail box, divided into two separate compartments by
means of the inclined intermediate floor, substantially as described, of a door b
hinged adjacent to the floor in front of the openings to said compartments, and
adapted to close the opening to the upper compartment, said door being provided
below the pivotal point with an extension m, adapted, when said door is closed, to
partially cover the opening to the lower compartment, and two externally-operating
side guards li, h, located one on each side of the door and arranged to operate
outside the main walls of the box, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination, with a mail box divided into two separate compartments by
means of the inclined' intermediate floor f, of a door hinged adjacent to the floor f
in front of the openings to said compartments, and adapted to close the opening to
the upper compartment, said door being provided below the pivotal point with an
extension: m adapted, when said door is closed, to partially cover the opening to the
lower compartment, and having two externally-operating, side guards h, h, located.
one on each side, and arranged to operate outside of the main walls of the box, and
j

page_text: two funnel-shaped obliquely arranged pins d, d, all operating substantially in the
manner and for the purpose set forth.
5. The combination, with a mail box, divided into two separate compartments by
means of the inclined intermediate floor f, substantially as described, of a door b,
hinged adjacent to the floor fin front of the openings to said compartments, and
adapted to close the opening to the upper compartment, said door being provided
below the pivotal point with an extension m adapted, when said door is closed, to
partially cover the opening to the lower compartiment, and two externally-operating
side guards h, h, located one on each side of the door b, and arranged to operate
outside the main walls of the box, and inside the two cleats c, e said cleats being
attached to the outer sides of the end of the box and of suitable shape to receive
said guards, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination, with a mail-box divided into two separate compartments by
means of the inclined intermediate floor f, substantially as described, of a door b,.
hinged adjacent to the floor in front of the openings to said compartments and
adapted to close the openings to the upper compartment, said door being provided
below the pivotal point with an extension m, adapted when said door is closed to
partially cover the opening to the lower compartment, and two externally-operating
side guards h, h, located one on each side of the door and arranged to operate
outside the main walls of the box and inside the two cleats c, c, said cleats being
attached to the outer sides of the end of the box and of suitable shape to receive
said guards, and two notches v, v, in the sides of the box j,j, fitting the parts cut
away of the portion m of the door, all operating substantially in the manner and for
the purpose set forth.
Dated this 16th day of March A.D. 1892.
MICHAEL J. DONAHUE,
Inventor.