IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER BOXES AND BAGS FOR RECEIVING AND CONTAINING LETTERS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Tristram and Edward Greene Leeman,
both of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER BOXES AND BAGS FOR RECEIVING AND CONTAINING
LETTERS."
Sealed the 3rd March 1871, and dated. the 10th September 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Tristram and
Edward Greene Leeman at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th September 1870.
We, HENRY TRISTRAM, and EDWARD GREENE LEEMAN, both of
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER BOXES AND BAGS FOR
RECEIVING AND CONTAINING LETTERS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention for " Improvements in Letter Boxes and Bags for
Receiving and Containing Letters" relates to constructing a self-acting
safety alarm or bell, letter or package receptacle, to be attached to the

page_text: inside of house or other doors, serving both as an alarm, or notice of
the arrival of postal or other letters or packages, and also in some cases
acting as a substitute for the ordinary bell or knocker attached to house
street doors.
This Invention also consists in so forming letter receptacles that when
attached to doors that open up to or against a wall the letter receptacle
will collapse, thereby allowing the door to open right up to the wall,
obviating the necessity for having a recess in the wall to suit the letter
box. Upon the door being closed the letter receptacle resumes its
ordinary position.
Letter or other package receptacles constructed according to this
Invention consist of a square, oblong, or other suitably shaped box
or bag attached to the door and_having_the_usual-slot-or-aperture-in-
the door for passing letters or packages. This aperture is fitted with
the usual hinged flap, or lip, which opens for the passage of letters.
Attached to this flap and working through the top of the letter box is
a spring lever or mechanical equivalent geared to and working the
striker of a gong or bell which is attached on the outside of the letter
box, and so arranged that when the flap or lip is raised for the admission
of letters the lever actuates the striker and causes the gong or bell
to give notice or sound an alarm, the spring at the same time tending
to close the flap or lid. In the centre of the letter box we prefer to fit
a false bottom, or what we will call a throttle valve bottom actuated by
a lever connected with the lip or flap; this bottom is so arranged that
when the lip or flap is closed the throttle valve is in a vertical position,
and when the lip or flap is open the throttle valve is in a horizontal
position, forming a false bottom. The letters when passed through the
aperture in the door fall on to this false bottom, when the aperture is
closed the false bottom assuming a vertical position the letters fall into
the bottom of the receptacle.
In some cases the false bottom can be dispensed with and in lieu thereof
angle pieces or slides are attached on the alternate sides of the letter
receptacle. The letter receptacle may be fitted with a slide or other
door made of glass or wire network to remove and observe the
contents of the letter box. In the case of doors that open right
up against the wall we attach the gong or bell to the door just above
the aperture by means of a bracket or other suitable contrivance.

page_text: attached and hinged to the door, and at right angles thereto is a half
hoop held in position by a spring or suitable elastic medium. This
spring supports a bag formed of leather, network, or other suitable
material. We prefer it should be network, as the contents of the bag
will then be visible, but the bag may be fancy work, thereby ornamenting
the door. The bottom of the bag may be opened and gathered in by a
tape or cord for the purpose of removing the contents, or it may be
fitted with a clasp and locked. The action is in the following manner:-
Upon opening the door the projecting hoop bar comes in contact with a
half round projection on the wall, and as the door opens it presses down
the bar and thereby causes the bag to collapse against the door. The
bell or alarm is actuated by the flap or lip of the aperture in the same
manner as in the first instance.
We would remark that by preference we place the aperture or slot
in the position usually held by the ordinary street door knocker, also
that in some instances we prefer that the aperture should be vertical,
the lip or flap being hung vertically. The flap or lip may be attached
to a small quadrant which passes through the door and terminates in
a suitable bell pull. This quadrant has a spiral or other spring attached,
and is so arranged that it will always keep the flap or lip closed unless
the handle is pulled. Attached to the flap or lip is a lever actuating
the striker of the bell or gong, so necessitating pulling the handle
and ringing an alarm before the letters can be passed through the
aperture.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Tristram and Edward Greene Leeman in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd March 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, HENRY
TRISTRAM and EDWARD GREENE LEEMAN, both of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, send greeting.
•
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give

page_text: and grant unto us, the said Henry Tristram and Edward Greene Leeman,
Her special licence that we, the said Henry Tristram and Edward
Greene Leeman, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Henry Tristram and Edward Greene Leeman, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, a
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LETTER BOXES AND BAGS FOR RECEIVING AND CONTAINING LETTERS,” upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Tristram and
Edward Greene Leeman, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and scals,
-should-particularly-describe-and-ascertain-the-nature-of-the-said-Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next-and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Tristram and Edward
Greene Leeman, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our Invention for improvements in letter boxes and bags for receiving
and containing letters relates to constructing a self-acting safety alarm
or bell, letter or package receptacle, to be attached to the inside of
house or other doors, serving both as an alarm or notice of the arrival
of postal or other letters or packages, and also in some cases acting
as a substitute for the ordinary bell or knocker attached to house street
doors.
This Invention also consists in so forming letter receptacles that when
attached to doors that open up to or against a wall the letter receptacles
will collapse, thereby allowing the door to open right up to the wall,
obviating the necessity for having a recess in the wall to suit the letter
box. Upon the door being closed the letter receptacle resumes its
ordinary position.
Letter or other package receptacles constructed according to this
Invention consist of a square, oblong, or other suitably shaped box
or bag attached to the door, and having the usual slot or aperture in
1

page_text: the door for passing letters or packages. This aperture is fitted with
the usual flap or lip which opens for the passage of letters. Attached
to this flap and working through the top of the letter box is a spring
lever or mechanical equivalent geared to and working the striker of a
gong or bell which is attached on the outside of the letter box, and so
arranged that when the flap or lip is raised for the admission of letters
the lever actuates the striker and causes the gong or bell to give notice
or sound an alarm, the spring at the same time tending to close the flap
or lip. In the centre of the letter box we prefer to fit a false bottom,
or what we will call a throttle valve bottom, actuated by a lever con-
nected with the lip or flap; this bottom is so arranged that when the
lip or flap is closed the throttle valve is in a vertical position, and
when the lip or flap is open the throttle valve is in a horizontal position
forming a false bottom. The letters when passed through the aperture in
the door fall on to this false bottom, when the aperture is closed the false
bottom assuming a vertical position the letters fall into the bottom
of the receptacle.
In some cases the false bottom can be dispensed with and in lieu
thereof angle pieces or slides are attached on the alternate sides of
the receptacle. The letter receptacle may be fitted with a slide or
other door made of glass or wire network to remove and observe the
contents of the letter box. In the case of doors that open right up
against the wall we attach the gong or bell to the door just above the
aperture by means of a bracket or other suitable contrivance. Attached
and hinged to the door and at right angles thereto is a half hoop held
in position by a spring or suitable elastic medium; this spring supports
We prefer
a bag of leather, network, or other suitable material.
it should be network as the contents of the bag will then be visible,
but the bag may be fancy, work, thereby ornamenting the door. The
bottom of the bag may be opened and gathered in by a tape or cord
for the purpose of removing the contents, or it may be fitted with a
clasp and locked.
We would remark that by preference we place the aperture or slot
in the position usually held by the ordinary street door knocker. Also
that in some instances we prefer that the aperture should be vertical,
the lip or flap being hung vertically. The flap or lip may be attached
to a small quadrant which passes through the door and terminates in a

page_text: suitable bell pull; this quadrant has a spiral or other spring attached,
and is so arranged that it will always keep the flap or lip closed unless
the handle is pulled. Attached to the flap or lip is a lever actuating
the striker of the bell or gong, so necessitating pulling the handle
and ringing an alarm before the letters can be passed through the
aperture.
The beforegoing being the nature and object of our Invention, we will
now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same
is to be or may be performed or carried out into practical effect, and
in order that the same may be more clearly and readily understood we
have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and
have marked them with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation, like letters and figures being
used to denote similar parts throughout the various views. The Drawings
are half full size and show a letter box and bag of what we consider
suitable, but we would have it clearly understood that we do not con-
fine ourselves to the relative proportions, or dimensions herein illustrated
as it will be readily seen the same may be altered to suit contingencies.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a safety alarm bell letter box; Figure 2
is a front elevation of the same; Figure 3, is an elevation of the lip or
flap which we consider best suited to our Invention; Figure 4 is a
side clevation of our safety alarm bell letter bag or net; Figure 5 is a
front elevation of the same.
A, Figures 1 and 2, letter box or receptacle which is firmly attached
to B, street or other door; C, alarm bell; D, guard round letter
aperture; E, flap or lip closing letter aperture; F, tongue or finger
piece for opening letter aperture; G, lever on which flap or lip E works;
H, lever or quadrant attached to flap or lip E, and works J, rod which
actuates the alarm bell C. The rod J passes through the standard K
and is held up by means of a spiral spring L; M, hammer of bell, or
gong; N, springs actuating hammers; O, tumbler levers which are
worked by P springs attached to rod J; Q, door of letter box or
receptacle; R, glass or wire front; S, lock. In Figures 4 and 5 the
alarm bell or gong C is attached to the door by means of the bracket A';
this bracket has a clasp or frame a which is hinged at b. Attached
to this frame is a bag receptacle c formed of leather, network, or other
suitable material; this bag is held in shape by springs d. The frame

page_text: a is fastened at the bottom by means of a suitable lock c. When it is
desired to remove the contents of the bag the frame a is unlocked and
opens out from its hinged part 6 on the radius line fallowing the hand
to enter the bag. and remove the contents. These bags are especially
adapted for use on doors that open up to or against a wall, as the bag.
being elastic will collapse upon pressure against the wall and resume its
normal position upon the door being closed. The action of the alarm
bell is thus -The postman or other deliverer raises the lip or flap E
by means of the tongue piece F, the quadrant or lever H then draws
down the rod J, compressing the spring L, and strikes an alarm on the
gong or bell. The letters are then passed through the aperture and fall
into the box or receptacle. The flap or lip E closes of its own accord,
by means of the spring L acting on the quadrant lever H and again
sounds an alarm on the gong or bell. The letter box or receptacle A
may be fitted with a false bottom in the form of a throttle valve placed
in a suitable position and actuated by the opening and shutting of the
lip or flap E. This false bottom is so arranged that when the lip or flap
is open it is in a horizontal position, and when the lip or flap is closed
it is in a vertical position, thereby allowing the letters to fall into the box
beneath, or the box may be fitted with suitable angle pieces or slides
attached on the alternate sides of the receptacles for more perfect
security.
Having now described and ascertained the nature and purposes of
this our Invention, together with the manner in which the same is to be
or may be carried out, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the exact shape or style as shown in the Drawings, as it
will be understood that the same may be considerably varied, for instance,
the letter aperture may be vertical instead of horizontal, the bell may
be horizontal instead of vertical, also an ordinary lip or flap opening
inwards instead of revolving upwards may be used actuating the alarm
bell in a similar manner, and many slight variations may be adapted
without departing from our Invention, as will be well understood by
any one acquainted with the manufacture. What we claim as the
Invention secured to us by Letters Patent as aforesaid is,-
First. The application and adaptation of an alarm bell or gong to
letter boxes or other receptacles, substantially in the manner and for
the purposes herein-before described, set forth, and illustrated.

page_text: Secondly. The letter bag or net herein-before described substantially
n the manner and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Tristram and Edward:
Greene Leeman, have hereunto set our hands and seals,. this
First day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight &
hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
HENRY
EDWARD GREENE
FREDERICK J. CHEESBROugh,
of 43, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
(L.S.) TRISTRAM.
(L.S.) LEEMAN.