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US1366323A - Mail-box signal and latch - Google Patents

Mail-box signal and latch Download PDF

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Publication number
US1366323A
US1366323A US398341A US39834120A US1366323A US 1366323 A US1366323 A US 1366323A US 398341 A US398341 A US 398341A US 39834120 A US39834120 A US 39834120A US 1366323 A US1366323 A US 1366323A
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Prior art keywords
signal
door
box
latch
mail
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Expired - Lifetime
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US398341A
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John B Maserang
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    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47GHOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G29/00Supports, holders, or containers for household use, not provided for in groups A47G1/00-A47G27/00 or A47G33/00 
    • A47G29/12Mail or newspaper receptacles, e.g. letter-boxes; Openings in doors or the like for delivering mail or newspapers
    • A47G29/1209Rural letter-boxes
    • A47G29/121Signalling devices
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47GHOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G29/00Supports, holders, or containers for household use, not provided for in groups A47G1/00-A47G27/00 or A47G33/00 
    • A47G29/12Mail or newspaper receptacles, e.g. letter-boxes; Openings in doors or the like for delivering mail or newspapers
    • A47G29/1209Rural letter-boxes
    • A47G29/121Signalling devices
    • A47G2029/12105Signalling devices activated by the inlet door

Definitions

  • This invention relates to deposit and collection receptacles, and more es ecially to letter boxes and'the object'of t e'same is to produce improved mechanism for controlling the signal inoof the door.
  • Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22of Fig.1, with the signal lowered.
  • Fig. .8 is a plan View of thelatch with its parts engaged with each other, showmg the hook as holding the fingerdepressed. V
  • Fig.4 is a perspective detailof the keeper plate and a slight modification, showing the fingerin the act of swinging tothe position where the signal is lowered 5 '5 a perspective detailof the signal.
  • the letter box 13 has a one endof the same, and this door has a marginal flange F which when it is-closed embraces the sides and the rounded top ofthe box to exclude the elements.
  • the sig nal' S maybe of a'nyapp'ropriate construc tion but is 'prefera 'ly composed of metal plates standing in planes at an angleto each other and painted in a bright color so that they may be seen from all directions when raised, and by preference I provide one plate with ai fiange l beveled oil at its end as at '2' so that when the signal is lowered by the closing and latch- I I w j V sta .and; signal may swing rearward and The lnvention conslsts in a rocking signal 7 as in Fig. 2,-jthis flange strikes the rounded top ofthe boxB and prevents rattle.
  • the signal s mounted on a stall '3 which is by preference a wire rod whose upright stretch carries the signal in a plane relative to the box about as shown in Fig. 2.
  • the rod is bent in a horizontal stretch leading over the top of the box, then bent into a double elbow 5,- then caratented Jan. 18,1921.
  • this crank stands at a slightly obtuse .angle to the elbow which fact, added to the weight of the signal itself, imparts a tendenc to'the shaft to rock so that the entire downward unless it is. sustained in practi-' cally upright position by something engag raised when it is desiredto indicate that the box contains mail matter, whereas at other times the signal is allowed to drop and both :the postman-and the owner are thereby informed th'atthere is nothing in the box.
  • A'keeper plate 10 is secured upon the top of the box near its open end by means of bolts or rivets 11 and 12, its forward end is ,upbent at 13 and then formed'into a shoulder 14 under which passes the flange F on the door, and the forward end of the shoulder is upturned into a lip 15 constituting a catch asfdescribed below.
  • the plate is rolled to form a bearing 16 for the rock'shaft 6, and atone side of the hearing the plate is continued into a rest 17 to support the elbow 5 when the signal is down. This rest is intended to sustain the weight of the signal, whereas the flange 1 on the'signal is only to prevent rattle.
  • either element might be omitted and the other permitted to perform both functions.
  • Fig. 4 there is shown secured upon the plate, as by'the rivet 12, a spring 18 whose free end underlies the crank or fin er 7 when of the signal S maybesufiicient to cause the Y riseof the crank without the spring, though I may employ the spring to make certain of- I the action and to prevent rattle.
  • a latchplate 2O secured'to the door D as by'bolts or rivets 21 and-5Z2, and the lower portion of this'plate may be bent 'OIltWZt-IfClY iIIt O a iingerqpiece orhandle 23 by- Qmeansof which the door can be opened and closed.
  • This latch extends for some little distance above the flange Rand its upper end is formed into a hook 2 1 projecting-over the" flange an'dupturned at its extremity as: seen at 25, whereas a crimp 26 is made in the lioolp'ne'a'rfits: juncture with thep'late as, seenlif r I f l- I 7 us assume that the owner hasput a Let piece of mail in the box and setthe'signal asseen i rFigll; I The postman approaches andjsees thesignal. lierasps thelfinger *piece 28, pulls open the door,takes out the 7 mail, closes the door, and passes on.
  • the signal is down and there is nothing in the, box. The same operation would have taken place-if the postman had pu't nail in the boxand set the signal, excepting that I the owner o would then come and takethe shaft 6 and swing the crankdown until 1t depressesthe spring 18 and rests on the shoulder 14;, and then the door closed so that mail out.
  • To set the signal the door is pulled open, the staff 8 raised to rock the the hook-24 engages; the catch and passes overithe crank to both hold the door closed,

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  • Supports Or Holders For Household Use (AREA)

Description

J. B. MASERANG.
MAIL BOX SIGNAL AND LATCH.
APPLICATION FILED JULY 23.1920.
1,366,323. Patented Jan. 18,1921.
ag 13W UNITED STATES,
"JOHN B. MASERANG, 'or- BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS.
"rrA IL-Boxs en L Amines. f r
' Specification of Letters Patent.
Application filed m 23, 1920. Serial n 393,341.
I '0 all whom it mag concern;
Be it known that I, JOHN B. MAsnRANG, a citizen of the United States, residing at I Belleville, in the county of St. Clair, State of Illinois, have invented'certain' new and useful Improvements in Mail-Box Signals V and Latches;- and 'I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will en-v able others skilled in theart to which it pertains to makeand use the same.
This inventionrelates to deposit and collection receptacles, and more es ecially to letter boxes and'the object'of t e'same is to produce improved mechanism for controlling the signal inoof the door.
support mounted on the keeper plate of the latch and having a finge'r" or crank which is held by the hook ofthe latch to sustain the signal in upright position, the same being released automatically whenv the door is.
swungopen so that the signal falls unless it is againpurposely raised.
Details are set forth below and shown in the-drawings wherein; j V
Figure'l is'aside elevation of this box complete, with the door closed and the sig nal "raised. V
Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22of Fig.1, with the signal lowered.
Fig. .8 is a plan View of thelatch with its parts engaged with each other, showmg the hook as holding the fingerdepressed. V
3 Fig.4 is a perspective detailof the keeper plate and a slight modification, showing the fingerin the act of swinging tothe position where the signal is lowered 5 '5 a perspective detailof the signal.--
' with its plates disconnectedfrom each other door D. hinged-"at H to andadaptedto close and from the stafl. Y I 7 As herein shown. the letter box 13 has a one endof the same, and this door has a marginal flange F which when it is-closed embraces the sides and the rounded top ofthe box to exclude the elements. The sig nal' S maybe of a'nyapp'ropriate construc tion but is 'prefera 'ly composed of metal plates standing in planes at an angleto each other and painted in a bright color so that they may be seen from all directions when raised, and by preference I provide one plate with ai fiange l beveled oil at its end as at '2' so that when the signal is lowered by the closing and latch- I I w j V sta .and; signal may swing rearward and The lnvention conslsts in a rocking signal 7 as in Fig. 2,-jthis flange strikes the rounded top ofthe boxB and prevents rattle. The signal s mounted on a stall '3 which is by preference a wire rod whose upright stretch carries the signal in a plane relative to the box about as shown in Fig. 2. At the lower end of the staff the rod is bent in a horizontal stretch leading over the top of the box, then bent into a double elbow 5,- then caratented Jan. 18,1921.
ried across the keeper plate in what might be called a rock shaft 6, and then turned up into a finger or crank 7. As will be seen in Fig. 1, this crank stands at a slightly obtuse .angle to the elbow which fact, added to the weight of the signal itself, imparts a tendenc to'the shaft to rock so that the entire downward unless it is. sustained in practi-' cally upright position by something engag raised when it is desiredto indicate that the box contains mail matter, whereas at other times the signal is allowed to drop and both :the postman-and the owner are thereby informed th'atthere is nothing in the box.
' A'keeper plate 10 is secured upon the top of the box near its open end by means of bolts or rivets 11 and 12, its forward end is ,upbent at 13 and then formed'into a shoulder 14 under which passes the flange F on the door, and the forward end of the shoulder is upturned into a lip 15 constituting a catch asfdescribed below. At its rearend the plate is rolled to form a bearing 16 for the rock'shaft 6, and atone side of the hearing the plate is continued into a rest 17 to support the elbow 5 when the signal is down. This rest is intended to sustain the weight of the signal, whereas the flange 1 on the'signal is only to prevent rattle. However, it is possible that either element might be omitted and the other permitted to perform both functions.
In Fig. 4 there is shown secured upon the plate, as by'the rivet 12, a spring 18 whose free end underlies the crank or fin er 7 when of the signal S maybesufiicient to cause the Y riseof the crank without the spring, though I may employ the spring to make certain of- I the action and to prevent rattle. A latchplate 2O secured'to the door D :as by'bolts or rivets 21 and-5Z2, and the lower portion of this'plate may be bent 'OIltWZt-IfClY iIIt O a iingerqpiece orhandle 23 by- Qmeansof which the door can be opened and closed. 7 This latch extends for some little distance above the flange Rand its upper end is formed into a hook 2 1 projecting-over the" flange an'dupturned at its extremity as: seen at 25, whereas a crimp 26 is made in the lioolp'ne'a'rfits: juncture with thep'late as, seenlif r I f l- I 7 us assume that the owner hasput a Let piece of mail in the box and setthe'signal asseen i rFigll; I The postman approaches andjsees thesignal. lierasps thelfinger *piece 28, pulls open the door,takes out the 7 mail, closes the door, and passes on. As he opens the door the hook moves away from its positionover the catch and the tip oi": the crankl", and the latter being-released ,is thrown upward by the spring or: by pre pondera nce of weight of the signaLso that the shaft 6 rocks in, its bearing 16 and the signal falls to the position seen ins-Fig. 2. lVhen the postman closes the door, the upturnedextremity of the hook snaps over the -lip.l5 until the crimp 26enga-ges with it, and this holdsfthe door D closed 'with its flange F inclosing the end of thebox B.
The signal is down and there is nothing in the, box. The same operation would have taken place-if the postman had pu't nail in the boxand set the signal, excepting that I the owner o would then come and takethe shaft 6 and swing the crankdown until 1t depressesthe spring 18 and rests on the shoulder 14;, and then the door closed so that mail out. To set the signal, the door is pulled open, the staff 8 raised to rock the the hook-24 engages; the catch and passes overithe crank to both hold the door closed,
and the crank depressed. 'ljhej act of opening and-closing Sand latching thedoor is -the same at all times, but when the person doing so has put something into the box 7 and desires to set the signal to indicate that fact, he will simply hold the signal raised While he closes and latches the door,-and' V-the-latchthen engages the crank and sustains thesignal in its raised or set'positi'on.
Obviously this invention can be applied to mail boxes of a 'varietyof'sizes and-constructions, thesignalitself maybe any,
- which will answer, and it is possible to have- 7 means for locking the door in addition to the latch, if. desired. Other changes in or In Fig. 5 the signal s is disclosed with its parts separated, the better to show its 'tion' in anydirection. I p in shape they may iollow the illustration construction. "The'rocl or staii ii passesng through a hole '30 'in the flange 1 at the lower edgeoi a{plate'31,"is carried upward at 32 alongside this plate to a point considerablyabove} its upper edge, is there bent back on itself as at 33,'extends again downward'as at 35%, passes through a sec'ondhole j in the flange 1, and is headed or upset "'as at to'holdiit' in'place, The plate 31 lies alongside the two stretches 32 and 34 The lower edge of upper "edge or" .the lower plate nearthe inner end of the 1atter,-and the upper edge the upper. platej 'is notchd at-i487 at s about. its midlength-to be rengaged by and under the band 33 in the wire ors'tai'i" 3. By this construct on the plates areneid at r ght angles to :eachother and against disloca- In proportion and by preference theyare of me tal painted or treated to render-them bright so as to be discernible i'r'oma dlstance. A signal of thischaracter is especiallyuseful on amail box structure: wherein the st'afi' is an upv standingfpiece of wire' or-tsmall rod which can be bent and headed as described. l Vhatis claimed, 1s:
1. The combination withfa'inail box hav i ing a door, a latch on the, door, and a keeper f plate on the box having a catch engaged-by the latchto hold the doorfclosed;-of abears, ring on said plate,- a rock shaft mounted therein and having at one end a finger uns i 2. The combination with amailbox haV- ing a-door, a latchjonthe door, and a keeper plate on the box having a catchengaged by the latch to hold the door closed; of a bearing on said plate, a rock shaft mounted therein andhavin at one end a fin er un b D derlying the latch, an elbow at the other end of the shaft standing in a 1313116 at an obtuse angle'to that occupiedby the finger, a staff rising from :the elbow, and"a signal carried by thestafi'. r a
The combination with mail box havi11 a door, alatch' on thedoor -having a hobked end, and a keeper plate on the lZIOX having an upstanding lipgforming a catch ger adapted when depressed to stand in rear of said lip, theshaft also; having a staif rising therefrom at an obtuse angle to the finger,- and a signal carried by said stall.
4. The combination with a mail box having a door, a latch on the door having a hooked end, and a keeper plate on the box having a shoulder and adjacent the same an upstanding lip forming a catch to be engaged by the hook; of a rock shaft journaled across the plate and having a finger adapted when depressed to stand in rear of said lip and rest on said shoulder, the shaft also having a stall" rising therefrom, and a signal carried by said staff.
5. The combination with a mail box having a door, a latch on the door having a hookedend, and a keeper plate on the box having a shoulder and adjacent the'same an upstanding lip forming a catch to be en gaged by the hook; of a rock shaft j ournaled across the plate and having a finger adapted when depressed to stand in rear of said lip and rest on said shoulder, a spring carried by the plate and pressing upward on said finger when the latter rests oncthe shoulder, the shaft also having a staff rising therefrom, and a signal carried'by said staff.
6. The combination with a mail box having a door, a latch on the door having a hooked end, and a keeper plate on the box having at one end an upstanding lip to be engaged by said hooked latch, on its body a transverse bearing, and at its other end a rest; of a shaft mounted for oscillation in said bearing, a finger on one end of the shaft adapted to be engaged by the hook of the latch, an elbow on the other end of the shaft standing at an obtuse angle to said finger and adapted to fall ontosaidrest when the finger is released and the shaft rocks in its bearing, a staff carried by said elbow, and a signal on the staff.
7. The combination with a mail box having a rounded top and open at one end, and a hinged door having a flange for coaction with the sides and top of said box; of a latch and a keeper plate on the door and the top of the box, a support pivotally mounted on the keeper plate and having at one end a finger to be engaged by the latch and at the other end an elbow and a staff rising from the elbow, and a signal on the staff, the same including a flange adapted to make contact with the top of the box to prevent rattle when'the signal falls.
In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.
JOHN B. MASERANG. Vitnesses W. PUDERER, LOUIS F. EIDMANN.
US398341A 1920-07-23 1920-07-23 Mail-box signal and latch Expired - Lifetime US1366323A (en)

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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2636669A (en) * 1951-03-19 1953-04-28 Sr Donald P Mossman Rural mailbox signal and nameplate attachment
US3014641A (en) * 1958-12-05 1961-12-26 Ankier J Sowton Automatic mail box flag
US3080107A (en) * 1962-01-19 1963-03-05 Lindahl Gustaf Adolph Magnetic mailbox signal
US3623655A (en) * 1970-04-16 1971-11-30 Peter P Tieszen Mailbox
US20060006218A1 (en) * 2004-07-07 2006-01-12 Bundy William J Mail indicator

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2636669A (en) * 1951-03-19 1953-04-28 Sr Donald P Mossman Rural mailbox signal and nameplate attachment
US3014641A (en) * 1958-12-05 1961-12-26 Ankier J Sowton Automatic mail box flag
US3080107A (en) * 1962-01-19 1963-03-05 Lindahl Gustaf Adolph Magnetic mailbox signal
US3623655A (en) * 1970-04-16 1971-11-30 Peter P Tieszen Mailbox
US20060006218A1 (en) * 2004-07-07 2006-01-12 Bundy William J Mail indicator
US7066381B2 (en) * 2004-07-07 2006-06-27 Bundy William J Mail indicator

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