An Improvement connected with Letter Boxes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 19th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement connected with Letter Boxes.
I, HENRY IVAN GOULD, of 103, Falmouth Road, London, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct what might be termed a safety letter
box or one from which letters or post cards when once inserted are absolutely
secure from fraudulent abstraction. For this purpose arrange a letter box with
an internal swing shutter in connection with the opening flap in such a manner
that when the flap is pushed open for the insertion of a letter, the part of the box
below the swing shutter is temporarily partitioned off from that of the upper part
of the box and into which a fresh letter when inserted will be temporarilly retained
or until the flap be again closed (preferably) by gravity.
To accomplish the above I make two short walls and to the upper part of these
I hinge or pivot the flap. Outside these walls and attached to the pivot pins I
have depending legs the lower ends of which reach to the bottom edges of the two
walls which are shaped to a segment of a circle swept from the pivot. To the
lower ends of the legs I affix a plate bent to a corresponding segment so that its
ends may swing under the bottom ends of the two walls. The breadth of the
plate is rather more than half the width of the outer box or casing into which
the above appliances are to be fitted, there being another but fixed plate in the
box and set at an angle to mid-distance the width of the outer casing, to lead the
letters towards the back.
I purpose making the legs, depending from the flap, of such a length that a com-
paratively small opening of the flap causes the swing shutter or bent plate to move
over to the back of the box and to remain there until the flap be again closed, when
the bent plate will move to the front of the casing and allow the letter or letters
last inserted to drop into the lower part of the box.
Dated this 10th day of May 1000
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London, Patent Agent,
Agent for the said H. I. Gould.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement connected with Letter Boxes.
I, HENRY IVAN GOULD, of 103, Falmouth Road, London, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The object of this invention is, to construct what may be termed a safety letter
box, or one from which letters, or post cards when once inserted are absolutely
secure from fraudulent abstraction.
For this purpose, 1 arrange a letter box with an internal swing shutter in con-
nection with the opening flap in such a manner, that when the flap is pushed open
for the insertion of a letter, the part of the box below the swing shutter is
temporarily partitioned off from that of the upper part of the box and into which
a fresh letter, when inserted, will be temporarily retained, or until the flap be again
closed (preferably) by gravity.
To accomplish the above, as will be understood by the annexed drawings,
Figures 1, 2, and 3 which are sectional elevations from the side and rear, I make
Si

page_text: .
two short walls A, A, and to the upper part of these, I hinge or pivot the flap B.
Outside these walls and attached to the pivot rod C or pins, I have depending
legs D, D, the lower ends of which reach to the bottom edges of the two walls A, A,
which are shaped to a segment of a circle swept from the pivot.
To the lower ends of the legs D, D, I affix a plate E bent to a corresponding
segment, so that its ends may swing under the bottom ends of the two walls A, A.
The breadth of the plate E is rather more than half the width of the outer box
or casing F, into which the above appliances are to be fitted, there being
another but fixed plate G in the box and set at an angle to mid-distance the
width of the outer casing, to lead the letters towards the back.
I purpose making the legs D, D, depending from the flap B of such a length
that a comparatively small opening of the flap B causes the swing shutter or bent
plate E to move over to the back of the box and to remain there until the flap be again
closed, when the bent plate E will move to the front of the casing and allow the
letter or letters last inserted to drop into the lower part of the box.
The shutter carrying legs D, D, may be hung from pivots other than that or
those of the flap B, as indicated at Figures 4 and 5, a quadrant shaped pin H of
the flap B passing through an eye or centre piece J and encircled by a spring K
holds the shutter E in its proper position but when the flap B is pushed open to
the part indicated by dotted lines, the shutter E has travelled back to touch the
back of the casing F, any further opening of the flap B causing the spring K
to be compressed, and the pin H to pass further into the hole in the piece J.
According to Figures 6 and 7, the same operation takes place by the links L, L,
being hung loosely on the pivot rod C and with springs K, K, connecting them to
the links, these being attached to the legs D, D, of the shutter E for rapid long-
travel on the first motion of the flap B and then a yield of the springs K, K, when
the flap B is pushed farther in.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The hereinbefore described improvement connected with letter boxes and
constituted by the flap B, legs D, D, shutter E, and walls A, A, for enabling the
lower part of the box to be completely partitioned off from the upper part when
the flap is pushed in, said shutter returning by gravity the instant the flap B is
released as set forth and substantially, with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3 of
the annexed drawings.
2. The arrangement of parts A, A, B, D, E, H, J, K, of Figures 4 and 5
of the annexed drawings.
3. The modified arrangement comprising the parts marked D, E, L, K, as
described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 of the annexed drawings.
ne
IMMA OHY OF PCOT LAUL Y 16ST
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London, Patent Agent,
Agent for the said Henry Ivan Gould.
TCOT A 190 10AT 10 ABD UTKI DUI