Meter-box.

Application filed February 21, 1908.

Patented Feb. 2, 1809.

Serial No. 417,092.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Henry E. McWane, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynchburg, in the county of Campbell and 5 State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Meter-Box, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in closures for street or outio side meter boxes, though useful for other analogous devices, and the principal object is to provide a simple and inexpensive closure that can be cheaply produced, will effectively prevent the ingress of dirt to the box, 15 can be properly locked, and easily unlocked for the purpose of inspecting the meter, and is so constructed that there is little liability of derangement.

The preferred form of construction is illus20 trated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:—

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a box, showing the closure in open -position. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view 25 through the hinge. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view showing the closure locked. Fig. 4 is a sectional view therethrough, on the lino 5—5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 4—4 of Fig. 3.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated, the upper portion only of the box body is shown, and is 35 designated 6, this body being cylindrical in form and having an open upper end provided with integral inset lugs 7, at its upper margin. These lugs, in the present embodiment, are diametrically opposite to each other and 40 have oppositely inclined lower edges 8, together with depending stops I), formed at the lower ends of the edges. The body furthermore has an outstanding integral lug 8« arranged half way between the lugs 7 and pro15 vided with a socket 9“, the upper and lower ends of which are open.

The closure is in the form of a disk or plate 10 that rests upon the top edge of the box 6, and is provided inside its margin with an in50 tegral depending flange comprising sections 11, the sections being formed by cutting away opposite portions of the flange, as shown at 12 to receive the lugs 7 when the closure is in place, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. 55 The closure disk or plate furthermore is pro vided with an integral projecting hinge lug comprising a downwardly and outwardly inclined neck 13 terminating in an enlarged head 14, the opposite edges 15 of which are rounded, said edges converging toward their ₆₀lower ends to form a point 16. The opposite portions of the edges, which converge to form said point, are substantially flat, forming stop shoulders. The head 14, as,shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 4, is engaged ₆₅in the socket 9^a of the outstanding lug 8, and the two parts cooperate to form a hinge on which the closure 10 swings, the upward or rearward swinging movement of the closure being limited by the head, as shown in 70 Fig. 2.

For the purpose of locking the closure in its operative or closed position, a locking bar 17 is employed and is riveted or otherwise fixedly secured, as shown at 18 to the lower 75 end of a rotary bolt 19 journaled in.the cen-. tral portion of the disk IQ and having an angular head 20 at its upper end that is arranged in a socket 21 in the cap. The locking bar 17 has its ends operating upon the go lower edges of the flange sections 11 on opposite sides of the cut-away portion 12, and said ends are arranged to move from the flange sections to positions beneath the lugs 7, riding against the inclined edges 8 and be- 85 ing stopped by the shoulders or lugs 9. The movement of the bar in an opposite direcfion is also limited by a depending stop 22 formed upon the lower edge of one of the flange sections 11. 90

With this structure, it will be evident that the closure plate can be swung freely from open to closed position, and can be readily detached, inasmuch as the head 14 is removable from the socket 9 when the closure plate 95 is in a predetermined position. When, however, the closure is in it.> operative position over the open end of the body 6, the flange sections 11 ami lugs 7 constitute an effective seal against the ingress of dirt and trash, and 100 said lugs constitute continuations of the flange sections. If now the locking bar 17 is turned to a position beneath the lugs 7, by means of a proper key, applied to the head 20, it will be evident that said closure plate 105 will not only be effectively locked, but will be drawn downwardly by the ends of the bars 17 riding against the inclined edges S of the lug.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the no

911,306 construction, .operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be under5 stood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction, may be resorted to without departing from j the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.