US1990003A - Mail box and the like - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 5, 1935.

J. SCHLENKER MAIL BOX AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 27, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 m A N g, N

W J L J Inventor Q 1 (i i/7 Jfi/e/r/r Feb. 5, 1935. LENK R 1,990,003

MAIL BOX AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 27, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor flllomey 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. SCHLENKER MAIL BOX AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 27, 1934 Feb. 5, 1935.

Inventor J07? fi/e fi/re r Patented Feb. 5, 1935 UNITED s'm'res QATEN 1,990,003 MAIL BOX ANDTHE LIKE John Schlenker, Los Angeles', Calif.

Application August 27,

2 Claims. (Cl. 23235) My invention relates, generally to receptacles arranged to receive and register the presence therein of parcels, packages, letters, and the like, and particularly to mail boxes especially adapted for rural delivery use, and an important object of my invention is to provide mail boxes of the character indicated which will indicate at a distance to the owner thereof the fact that a letter or package has been deposited therein, and an important object of the invention is to provide simplified and efficient devices of this character which do not readily get out of order and which unfailingly indicate the presence or absence of packages or letters therein.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with the drawings, wherein for purposes of illustration 1 have shown referred embodiments of my invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through one embodimentoi the invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l but showing the door and the mechanism in the open position. I

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through Figure 1 approximately on the line 3-3 and looking rearwardly in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional View through the forward part of Figure 1 showing the lever operating knob.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the over-balancing element.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of another embodiment having a portion thereof broken away to show the interior mechanism.

Figure '7 is a vertical transverse sectional view through Figure 6 showing the door and the operating mechanism in the open positions.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure '7 showing the door and the operating mechanism in the closed positions.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 refers generally .to the horizontally elongated type of rural mail box casing having the upset riveted bottom 6, the rear wall 7 provided with the flanged opening 8 holding the transparent glass 9, and the front door lo'hinged by flanges 11 on opposite sides of the front of the box on the rivets 12, the front door being provided with the sub-door 13 which swings in the opening 14 which is the slot for receiving letters and small or flat packages.

Attached to the back of the lower part of the door isa journal bracket 15 oFFicr.

1934, Serial No. 741,676

in which is pivoted a lateral portion 16 on a rod 17 which has its rear end bent slightly downwardly as indicated at 18 and provided with an eye 19 which is loosely circumposed on the straight elongated rod 20. The front end of the rod 20 is provided with an eye 21 which is looped loosely through the holev 22 on the lower arm which is pivoted on a through the left hand lever 24 depends from the foot portion 23 of the portion 26 of an L.-

bolt being located at the junction of 23 of the tiltable lever 24 bolt 25 which passes side of the mail box. 1 The shaped portion 27, the pivot the loot portion 26 and the standard portion of the lever.

An arcuate box slidably receives therethrough and has of said side of the whichv is arranged slot 28 in the same side of the mail a bolt 29 which projects on its outer end outwardly finger knob 30 31 as shown in mail box a the weather from reaching the slot 28.

The rear end of the rod 20 is provided with an-' other eye 32 which eye 33 on the lower fixed to the 'tiltable is loosely looped through the end of the arm 34 which is member 35 which has fixed thereto an car 36 which is pivoted on the bolt 3'7,

which is mounted in box.

38 attached to the the left hand side of the mail A stop in the form of an L-shapd bracket same side of the interior of the mail box is arranged in such a position under the element 35 so that it forms a rest to hold the element 35 in a horizontal position as shown in Figure l.

The element 35 is as shown in Figure dicated at 38 and p tubular and has closed ends 5, one end being solid as inrovided with a small opening 40 and the opposite end being closed by a plug 41 likewise provided with an air opening 42.

The ear gravitational center 36 is located approximately at the ol the element.

Attached under the rear end of the said element 35 is an arm through which 43 provided with an eye 44 is loosely looped the eye 45 on the lower end of the link 46 whose upper end is provided with an eye in the left hand end of the through a hole 48 signal arm 49 which casing by the pivot end the signal star through the glass in Figure 3 when 47 likewise loosely looped is pivoted to the back of the 50 and has on its right hand 51 which is adapted to appear 9 in the opening 8 as shown the mail box is empty, and is adapted to have a position out of said opening when there is mail tion of the signal st responds to the posi in the mail box. The posiar 51 shown in Figure 3 cortion thereof shown in Figure 1, whereas Figure 2 shows the star in the position in which it is not in the opening 8, and the owner of the mail box can then tell by the absence of the star that there is mail in the mail box.

The signal is set by pushing the finger knob 30 rearwardly which causes the lower part of the lever 24 to swing rearwardly and the upper part of this lever to swing forwardly. This movement of the lever 24 is communicated by the rod 30 to the tiltable element 35 so that the tiltable element 35 is tilted rearwardly and the ball weights 52 therein rolled to the rear end thereof and have the tendency to maintain the position shown in Figure 2 wherein the signal star 51 is elevated out of the position shown in Figure 3, and the parts changed from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 1 wherein the tiltable member 35 is in a horizontal position and the weighting balls 52 are at the forward end thereof and the signal star 51 is in front of the window 8. It will be observed that the door 10 is, because of the sliding mounting of the eye 19 of the arm 17 on the rod 20, independent of the movement of the rod 20 and its connections until the door 10 is closed as shown in Figure 1. the door 10 be opened while the parts are in the positions shown in Figure 1 it is obvious that the link 17 will pull against the lower end of the lever 24 if the door be opened, so as to cause tilting of the tiltable member 35 into the position shown in Figure 2, with consequent withdrawal upwardly of the signal star into a position out of the sight opening. Closing of the door subsequent to this does not have any effect upon the disposition of the parts, so that absence of the star in the sight opening indicates to the owner of the mail box that there is mail therein.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8, the casing 60 is of the vertically elongated type having the hinged front 61 hinged as indicated at 62 and stopping as indicated at 63 at a level below that of the rear wall 64. The top edges of the side walls 65 slant downwardly and forwardly as indicated at 66 except for the horizontal portion 67 on which is a cross piece 68 to the forward angulated edge of which is connected the hinge 69 which mounts the flap or door '70 the outer edges of which are arranged to rest on the upper edges 66 and the angulated top edge 63a when in the closed position as indicated in Figure 8.

Depending from the bottom of the door 70 is the journal bracket 71 which has journals therein a lateral portion 72 on the upper end of a depending link 73 which has a curved upper portion indicated at '74 and a lateral arm '75 on its lower end. The arm 75 works loosely in a slot '76 in a retainer member 77 in the upper part of the box at the left hand side thereof. Pivoted on a bolt 78 anchored to the side 79 as indicated is the ear 80 on the lower side of the tiltable member 81 which in the closed position of the cover or door 70 has the horizontal position indicated in Figures 6 and 8 wherein the signal disk 82 attached to the front end of the element 81 is remote from the transparent window 83 suitably supported in an opening 84 in the side of the box. In the open position of the cover or door 70 the tiltable element 81 is in the position shown in Figure 7 wherein the signal disk 82 is located before the sight opening to indicate to the owner of the box that mail is in the box. Like the tiltable element in the first described embodiment the tiltable element 81 contains weighting balls 85 which shift toward one end or the other of the element 81 according as the same is tilted. The tiltable member has on its rear end a right angularly related arm 86 to whose lower or outer end is loosely looped the eye 87 on the upper end of the resetting rod 88 which has the large finger loop 89 on its lower end. It is obvious that by opening the front 61 by hinging the same forwardly that the re-setting rod 88 will be exposed and may be drawn downwardly so as to place the parts in the position shown in Figure 8, wherein the arm '75 of the depending link 73 is under the tiltable element 81. If with the parts in the positions shown in Figure 8 the mailman opens the top or door 70, the result will be that the link 73 will draw the rear end of the tiltable member 81 upwardly and cause the balls 85 therein to run to the front end thereof and tilt the tiltable member downwardly into the position shown in Figure 7, whereat the signal disk 82 will be in full sight before the sight opening and the owner of the mail box will be advised of the presence of a letter or the equivalent in the mail box.

Although I have shown and described herein preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be definitely understood that I do not desire to limit the application of the invention thereto, and any change or changes may be made in material and structure and arrangement of parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:-

1. In a device of the character described comprising a casing, a swingable door on the casing, a pivoted indicator for indicating exteriorly of the box the presence and absence of articles in the box which the box is arranged to receive through the opening thereof closed by said door, and means connected to the door and connected to said indicating means for operating said indicating means into indicating position when the door is opened from an initial closed position, said indicating means comprising a tiltable cylindrical member including gravitationally operated means therein for holding the tiltable member in either of two general positions.

2. In a device of the character described comprising a casing, a swingable door on the casing, a pivoted indicator for indicating exteriorly of the box the presence and absence of articles in the box which the box is arranged to receive through the opening thereof closed by said door, and means connected to the door and connected to said indicating means for operating said hidicating means into indicating position when the door is opened from an initial closed position, said indicating means comprising a tiltable cylindrical member including gravitationally operated means therein for holding the tiltable member in either of two general positions, and means connected to said pivotal member for manually re-setting the same to said initial position after operation out of said initial position.

JOHN SCl-ILENKER.

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