Mail box station

Application filed March 18,

My invention relates to mail boxes, and more particularly to mail boxes for use along rural free delivery routes wherein it is desired to provide a station for a plurality of 5 boxes each belonging to an individual who may live away from the main route; and the present invention includes improvements in the mail box stations set forth in my prior Patent No. 1,629,620.

The mail box stations of my prior patent and of the present improvements each include case sections having a plurality of mail box compartments arranged so that the mail-carrier may fill all the boxes and take mail from 15 one side of the case.

The mail box stations of my prior patent and of one embodiment of the present improvements are further provided with individual boxes each interchangeably fitting in 20 one of the compartments for use as mail delivery boxes to be filled by the mail-carrier through an opening at one end and to be emptied by the box owner by means of a key locked hinged door at the other end, and ²⁵ each box being provided with improved latch means for retaining the box in its compartment at the will of the box owner, said latch means being easily operable by the box owner upon opening the locked hinged door by the 20 use of the owner’s key, but being inoperable from an adjacent compartment, thereby preventing theft of the individual boxes or their contents except by the malicious use of a .key to fit the individual box lock, or by malicious ³⁵ destruction of the box.

Each individual box of the mail box station of my prior patent is provided with a slotted end wall opposite the key locked hinged door, and the mail-carrier is thus able ⁴⁸ to insert letters through the slots in the boxes.

Such a slotted end wall prevents the placing by the mail-carrier of newspapers, packages and the like into the individual boxes; and where there are a substantial number of ⁴⁵ separate boxes in the mail box stations of my prior patent, the mail-carrier has difficulty in arranging and sorting the mail for the several boxes; and moreover the receiving slots are all exposed to the weather.

⁵⁰ Accordingly, the objects of the present im-

1928. Serial No. 282,202.

provements include the provision of a mail box station including a plurality of mail box compartments arranged so that the mail-carrier may fill all the boxes and take mail from one side of the case, and so that the box own- 55 ers may remove the delivered mail from the other side of the case, and constructed and arranged so that newspapers and packages may be inserted in the several boxes by the mail-carrier and safely secured therein until co the box owners open their several boxes.

A further object of the present improvements includes the prolusion for the carrier side of the station of a combined closure, mail sorting shelf, and a protective roof for the 65 shelf.

These and ancillary objects are attained in the improvements comprising the present invention, and which are hereinafter exemplified in detail, and claimed. 70

Preferred embodiments of the improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which

-Figure 1 is an elevation view of the carrier’s side of one embodiment of the present 75 improved mail box station;

Fig. 2 an elevation of the box owners’ side thereof;

Fig. 3 a fragmentary enlarged end elevation thereof, illustrating the closure for the so carrier’s side of the station open and forming a protected mail sorting shelf;

Fig. 4 a fragmentary reduced view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a modified arrangement for the closure; ⁸⁵

Fig. 5 an elevation view of the carrier’s side of another embodiment of the improved mail box station, the closure for the carrier’s side being open, and the station including removable boxes; ⁹⁰

Fig. 6 an elevation view of the box owners’ side thereof;

Fig. 7 an enlarged fragmentary sectional view thereof as on line 7—7 Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 a fragmentary isometric view of one 85 of the removable boxes for the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The embodiment of the improved mail box I

1,817,191 station indicated generally at 10, in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, may include a base 11 upon the top of which is secured a mail box section 12, and a roof section 13 is secured upon the top ⁵ of the box section 12.

The box section 12 is divided by laterally spaced vertical partitions 14 and by vertically spaced horizontal partitions 15 into a plurality of mail boxes extending from the to carrier’s side 16 of the station to the box owners’ side 17 of the station.

The end of each box at the box owners’ side of the station is provided with a door 18 hinged as at 19 upon one of the partitions 14. ¹⁵ and provided preferably at a central location ppon the side edge opposite the hinge with a key actuated lock 20.

One of the doors 18 at the box owners’ side of the station may be provided with a slot 21 ²⁰ into which outgoing mail may be inserted by the box owners.

.Means indicated generally at 22 are provided at the carrier’s side 16 of the station and comprise in one position as illustrated in ²³ Fig. 1, a lockable closure for all of the box ends at the carrier’s side of the station, and in another position as illustrated in Fig. 3, a protected mail sorting shelf for use by the’ carrier, and permitting access to the several ³⁰ boxes.

The means 22 providing a combined closure and protected mail sorting shelf includes a lower combined door and shelf 23 hinged adjacent one horizontal edge as at 24 upon the ³³ lower part of the box section 12, and a combined door and protecting roof 25 hinged adjacent one horizontal edge as at 26 upon the upper part of the box section 12.

The door 23, when in the closed position il⁴⁰ lustrated in full lines in Fig. 1, and in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3, provides a closure preferably for the entire lower half of the carrier’s side of the station.; and the door 25 when in its similar closed position, prefer⁴³ ably covers the entire upper half of the carrier’s side of the station.

A flange 25α is preferably provided on the swinging· horizontal edge of the door 25 for overlapping the swinging horizontal edge of ⁵⁰ the door 23 when the doors are in the closed positions.

A lock 27 of any well known construction is provided on one of the doors, preferably the upper door, for engagement with the other ³⁵ in the closed position, whereby all of the boxes are provided at the carrier’s side of the station with a common lockable closure.

For providing simultaneous opening and closing of both, doors by movement of one ⁶⁸ of them, one or more linkages indicated generally at 28 operatively connect the doors with each other, and each linkage may include a crank 29 secured for rotation about the lower hinge 24 with the door 23, and a con65 necting bar 30 pivotally connected at its lower end with the outer end of the crank 29 and at its upper encl with the upper door 25 at one side of the upper hinge 26.

A stop 3.1 may be provided on the lower door 23 to limit the open position of the same and maintain the same horizontally for use ‘ as a shelf when in the open position, and the floors and. linkages may be dimensioned and balanced so that they will remain open as illustrated in Fig. 3, when the lower door y₅may be used as a shelf as aforesaid and the upper door provides a protective roof keeping rain, snow and the like from the mail being sorted on the lower shelf.

Each of the linkages 28 preferably operates 30 in and out of a compartment 32 provided therefor in the box section 12. The modified arrangement of the closure illustrated in Fig. 4 is similar to the closure illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 with the excep- 33 tion that the linkage 28' of the closure of Fig. 4 includes a lower connecting bar 29' and an upper connecting bar 30', the outer ends of the connecting bars being pivotally connected with the doors, and the inner ends ία of the connecting bars being pivotally connected with each other, and one of the inner ends of the bars overlapping the other bar and being provided with a stop 30 for limiting the outward motion of the bars. 15,

The embodiment of the improved mail box station indicated generally at 110 in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 includes a base 111 upon the top of which is secured a mail box section 112, and a roof section 113 is secured upon the top of 10.0 the box section 112.

The box section 112 is divided by laterally spaced vertical partitions 114 and'vertically spaced horizontal partitions 115 into, a plurality of box compartments extending from 105 the carrier’s side 116 of the station to the box owners’ side 117 of the station.

Each box compartment interchangeably receives an improved mail box 118.

Each mail box 118 includes a bottom wall 1 ;.o 119, upwardly extending side walls 120 and 120', and an end wall 121 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 119 a sufficient distance to provide for the printing of the box owners’ name on the outer face thereof, and 115 to function as a stop for letters inserted into the box, but leaving a substantial portion of that end of the box open for receiving letters, newspapers, and packages, placed therein by the carrier. 120

At the other end of each box, a door 122. is hinged as at 123 on the box side wall 120, and the door is provided preferably at a central location on its side opposite the hinge: with a key actuated lock. 124. 125

Each box is moreover provided with a spring latch 125 having a downwardly extending latch tongue 126 projecting through a centrally located slot 127 in the bottom wall 119 of the box. 12α

1,817,191

Each of the partitions 115 is preferably a double wall partition and includes a lower imperforate wall 129, and an upper perforate wall 130 provided with a plurality of apertures 131 located in each compartment for receiving the tongue 126 of the spring latch 125.

By the above construction, each mail box 118 may be inserted in any of the compartments with its locked door end appearing at the box owners’ side 117 of the station. One of the doors 122 may be provided with a slot 132 for receiving letters to be picked up by the carrier.

The spring latch 125 of each box, having its downwardly extending latch tongue 126 projecting through an aperture 131 in the upper wall 130 of one of the partitions 115, secures the box in its compartment, and the lower imperforate wall 129 of the partition enables operation of the spring latch for removal of the box only from the interior of the box.

Each individual box may not be removed from its compartment without first opening the lockable end door 122 by the use of the owners’ key or a duplicate thereof.

Means indicated generally at 222, similar to the means 22 of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are provided at the carrier’s side 116 of the station 110, and comprise in one position a lockable closure for one of the box ends at the carrier’s side of the station, and in another position, as illustrated in Fig. 7, a protected mail sorting shelf for use by the carrier, and permitting access to the several boxes.