Improvements in or relating to Letter Boxes and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL DIEVITICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Letter Boxes and the like.
I, ALBERT JORDAN, of 128, Rochdale Road, Harpurhey, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Shop-keeper, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide means for preventing the unauthorized
abstraction of letters, packets or other articles from letter boxes, pillar-boxes or
other similar receptacles.
For this purpose I fit to the slit through which the letter or article is to be
inserted into the receptacle, a loosely hanging outside flap which must be raised
before the article can be passed through the slit and before any other access
through the slit can be obtained to the inside of the box or receptacle.
To this flap I fix a pair of light arms one at each end thereof, these arms are
curved back and pass through small holes in the receptacle and are then carried
inwards and downwards through suitable openings in an internal plate forming
the back of a shoot leading from the slit above named to the inside of the
receptacle. These arms also each pass through one of the bolts or stays from the
back of the receptacle hereafter mentioned.
The lower ends of these two arms are fixed to a light plate which is moved by
the raising of the aforesaid flap so as to close the bottom of the sheet. As soon
as the flap falls, it removes the plate from the bottom of the shoot and thus opens
the latter, the weight of the flap overbalancing the arms and the light plate.
The light arms are each furnished with a collar, so that in case the arms are
cut, the collars rest on the bolts or stays through which the arms pass, thus letting
the light plate only fall so far as to close the bottom of the shoot without giving
access to the contents of the receptacle.
The back plate of the shoot is supported by bolts or stays from the back of
the receptacle to prevent collapse in case any attempt is made to break it.
The light plate is furnished at the back with ridges or projections and a bar
is fixed from side to side of the receptacle, below and behind the back plate of the
shoot, so that in case a heavy weight of any kind is dropped in the shoot to break
the safety device, the light plate. will immediately rest against the bar, without
giving access to the contents of the receptacle.
The sides of the shoot hang upon pivots at their upper end, and are secured by
hooks at their lower end to the side of the receptacle so that in case of need they
can be released and replaced by any authorized person who has a key to the
ordinary door of the receptacle.
As the bottom of the shoot is closed by the opening of the slit, no one can hook
any of the contents up through the slit, as the only access to the interior of the
receptacle through the slit is down the shoot.
Hated thin with day of September 1898.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester. Agents for the Applicant,

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Letter Boxes and the like.
I, ALBERT JORDAN, of 128, Rochdale Road, Harpurhey, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Shop-keeper, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide means for preventing the unauthorized
abstraction of letters, packets, and other articles from letter boxes, pillar-boxes, or
other similar receptacles.
The manner in which my said invention is to be performed or carried into
practical effect will be readily understood on reference to the sheet of drawings
hereunto annexed and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawings is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a horizontal section of
a pillar-letter-box constructed according to my invention and Figs. 3 and 4 are
similar views of a modification of the same.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 a is the box or receptacle, and the slit through
which the letter or article is to be inserted therein.
To this slit I apply a loosely hanging outside flap c which must be raised
before the article can be passed through the slit b, and before any other access
through the slit can be obtained to the inside of the box or receptacle a.
To this flap I affix a pair of light arms d (one at each end thereof) these
arms are curved back and pass through small holes in the receptacle a, and are
then carried inwards and downwards through suitable openings in an internal
plate e forming the back of a shoot f leading from the slit 6 above named to the
inside of the receptacle a. These arms also each pass through one of the bolts
or stays g from the back of the receptacle hereinafter mentioned.
The lower ends of these two arms d are fixed to a light plate h which is moved
by the raising of the aforesaid flap c so as to close the bottom of the shoot f (see
Fig. 1).
As soon as the flap falls, it removes the plate h from the bottom of the
shoot and thus opens the latter, the weight of the flap c and letter or packet
overbalancing that of the arms d and light plate h.
The back part of the shoot f is supported by the bolts or stays from the
back of the receptacle to prevent collapse in case any attempt is made to break it.
The sides of the shoot f hang upon pivots or hinges at their upper end, and
are secured by hooks i at their lower end to the side of the receptacle so that in
case of need they can be released and replaed by any authorized person who has
a key to the ordinary door of the receptacle.
As the bottom of the shoot f is closed by the opening of the slit 6 no one can
hook any of the contents up through the slit b as the only access to the interior of
the receptacle through the slit is down the shoot f which is always closed
when the flap c is raised.
In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the arms d are not accessible from
Instead of passing
the outside but are hinged to the internal edge of the flap c.
through the shoot f they are carried down on each side thereof, and the light
plate his pivotted at or near the centre to the plate c which forms the back of
the shoot.
This makes a more compact arrangement and is safer and more difficult to be
tampered with than the form shown at Figs. 1 and 2.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
The improvements in or relating to letter boxes and the like whereby
unauthorized access to the contents is prevented substantially as illustrated by the
drawings annexed and hereinbefore more particularly described.
11
101
1
T
1000
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
Agents for the Applicant, 4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.