Improvements in or connected with Boxes or Receptacles so as to Prevent the Abstraction or Purloining of the Contents, chiefly applicable to Post, Letter, and Money Boxes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Boxes or Receptacles so as to
Prevent the Abstraction or Purloining of the Contents, chiefly
applicable to Post, Letter, and Money Boxes.
We LLEWLLEYN AUGUSTUS PARROCK of 12 Willis Street Ashted Row
Birmingham Mechanical Engineer and EDWARD POTTERTON of Henry Street
Ashted Row Birmingham Brewers Engineer, 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 relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement
of parts to boxes or receptacles so as to prevent the abstracting purloining or
illegally tampering with the contents and also the firing of the same which is
usually effected by the dropping in of a lighted match or paper, chiefly applicable
to post letter and money boxes.
Our invention is applicable to private letter boxes, and to public postal, pillar or
other letter boxes.
We will describe our invention as applied to the ordinary private letter box.
The box we employ is of the usual shape or constructed of any shape suited
to its purpose and of wood, metal, or wood and metal, and affixed in the ordinary
manuer.
We employ two divisional plates (metal by preference) one we term the upper
plate and the other the lower plate.
The upper plate moves freely upon a pin which finds a bearing on each side of
the box, and is formed with a projecting piece which bears against the inner
surface of the ordinary moveable "Hap" in connection with the letter box plate
covering the aperture in the door and keeping the said flap closed by its
accumulated weight, this upper plate carries two levers one at each end which is
jointed or pivoted thereto.
The second or lower plate also moves freely upon a pin as the upper plate and
also finds a bearing in each side of the box and the lower end of the above named
levers are likewise jointed or pivotted to this lower plate. This lower plate is
formed as a grid by having a series of bars inclined extending from the front to
the back and this forms a receptacle for inatches when lighted as they will pass
through the grid, but not to the lower chamber as the letters will. It will thus
be seen that the box is divided into two chambers the upper and the lower.
The action is as follows.
When a letter is being deposited in the box the "flap" is forced back in the
usual manner (against the resistance of the weight in connection therewith thus
exposing the aperture in the door ready to receive the letter, but by this force
the upper plate is raised and by the action of the jointed levers in connection
therewith the lower plate is also raised and both plates forced to the back of
the box, but the letter remains in the upper chamber upon the bars forming the
grid but when the pressure on the "flap" is withdrawn it reverts to its normal
position and both the upper and lower plates fall with it into a vertical position
that is open and the letter falls into the lower chamber which is provided with the
usual door for receiving the same. In no case does a match or lighted paper pass
into the lower chamber where the letters are for when passing through the grid it
remains there until removed by the hand.

page_text: When a letter or letters are thus deposited no felonious abstraction can be
effected through the "flap" because immediately the flap is opened to any degree
the lower plate is raised by the levers and the contents of the lower chamber is
protected.
To boxes for depositing money or ballot papers the construction and principal
would be the same, as above set forth varying only in the shape of receptacle,
plates and levers.
And in order that our invention may be more clearly understood and more
easily carried into practical effect we have appended hereunto a sheet of drawings
upon which is illustrated the several parts whieh constitute our invention the
same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side view in clevation sectional of a private letter box shewing the
position of parts where a letter is being deposited and constructed according to
our invention.
Fig. 2 is also a side view on elevation of same shewing the position of parts
when a letter is deposited.
Fig. 3 is a front view in elevation of same when removed from the door.
A is the door a is the box or receptacle 6 the upper plate ce the pin upon
which moves d d the sides in which e finds its benringe is the projecting piece
for engaging with the moveable "flap" which is part of g the letter box plate.
his the aperture in the door A, ii are the two levers pivotted to borjj. k is the
lower plate moving on the pin and finding its bearing in d d the lower ends
of ii being pivotted at m. m. n is the inclined bars on k forming the "grid."
In Figure 1 we shew the flapf forced against the projection e which raises the
plate band aided by the levers ii raises the plate k also forming the chambers B. C.
It is now open and receives the letter o which falls upon the grid n as shewn by
the letter p.
In Figure 2 we shew the position of the flapf plates 6 and k and levers i i and
the letter p when the pressure is released any attempt to feloniously abstract p
would be by forcing bringing k to the prior position shewn in Figure 1 which
shuts off all communication with the lower chamber C.
In Figure 3 we shew the grid n with the matches g in the plate or receptacle k
which are removed by hand.
We would observe in conclusion that we do not limit ourselves to the precise
details or arrangement of parts as described and shewn on the accompanying sheet
of drawings but we hold ourselves at liberty to alter or modify the same without
departing essentially from the principle of our said invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what mauuer the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
In improvements in or connected with hoxes or receptacles so as to prevent the
abstruction or purloining of the contents chiefly applicable to post letter and
money boxes.
1. The combination, the upper plate 6 with lower plate k working on pins c and ?
connected together and actuated by the levers ii the plate b being constructed
with projection e and plate k with bars n, substantially for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated.
2. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts substantially
as herein before described in the foregoing specification and illustrated on the
accompanying sheet of drawings.
DA
THOS.
KENDRICK,
New Eldon Chambers, 50 Cherry Street, Birmingham, Agent.