Improvements in Letter Boxes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter Boxes.
I JOHN MATTHEWS, Fernroyd 2 Chomeley Villas, Highgate and 25 Great
Marlborough Street W. Music Publisher, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
First A guard or shield extending inwardly in an upward direction from the
letter slot, or mouth of letter box, whether made of metal, wood, or any other
material.
Secondly-A comb or fork attached to the inside of the letter-box, at a distance
below the slot, or mouth and projecting partially across the box with a downward
slope made of metal, wood, or any other material.
Thirdly-A guard or shield placed above the comb or fork upon the opposite
side of the interior of the letter-box, but below the slot or mouth of the letter-box,
projecting partially over the said comb or fork and sloping downwards, made of
metal wood or any other material.
4th February 1802
JOHN MATTHEWS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter Boxes.
I, JOHN MATTHEWS of "Fernroyd" 2 Chomeley Villas, Highgate, and 25 Great
Marlborough Street, W., Music Publisher, 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved construction of letter boxes whereby greater
security is afforded against the fraudulent removal of letters, than by letter-boxes
of present construction.
For this purpose, in the first place I provide a guard or shield extending inwardly
in an upward direction from the letter slot or mouth of the letter box, secondly a
comb or fork attached to the inside of the letter box at a distance below the slot or
mouth and projecting partially across the box with a downward slope, and thirdly
a downward sloping guard or shield placed above the comb or fork, upon the
opposite side of the interior of the letter box, but below the slot or mouth, and
made to project partially over the said comb or fork.
The above described improved construction is shewn as applied, by way of
example, to a pillar letter box on the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 shews a perspective view of the letter box, with part of one side broken
away. Figure 2 shews a vertical section.
The mouth or slot a is formed with an upward sloping guard a¹; opposite the
slot is a downward sloping guard or shield b, and below this, on the same side as
the slot is a downward sloping comb or fork c which extends a sufficient distance
across for the guard & to overhang it to a greater or less extent.
Thus it will be seen that if a person attempts to fraudulently abstract letters from
the letter box by the introduction of a weight with adhesive material attached to a
string, the latter must necessarily engage with the spaces of the fork which will
consequently prevent the withdrawal of any letter that may adhere to the weight,
and if it be attempted to push the string inwards by means of a stick in order to
disengage it from the fork, it will be seen that as the guard a¹ of the slot prevents
the introduction of the stick otherwise than at the upper side of the guard b, the
overhanging edge of the latter will effectually prevent any such disengagement.
[Price 8d1

page_text: Although I have shewn my invention as applied to a pillar box it will be evident
that it is equally applicable to any other kind of letter box. The door d may
either be in the position shewn or it may be arranged below the fork c.
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:-
In a letter box the combination of an upward inclined guard such as a¹ to the
mouth or slot with a downward inclined guard b on the opposite side of the box
and a downward inclined fork or comb such as c below the guard 6 substantially as
.described.
Dated this 6th day of November 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY, -
Agents for the Applicant.