US2418010A - Mail box - Google Patents

Description

March 25, 1947. L. B. BRUELHEVIDE 8, 1

- MAIL Bdx' v Filed June 22, 1946 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 lA/VENTOR laws 6. Ema/1510s ATTORNEYJ 25, 1947. BRUELHElDE 2,418,010

- MAIL BOX Filed June 22, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORMEYG Patented Mar. 25,1947

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Louis B. Bruelheide, Bcdford, Ohio Application June 22, 1946, Serial No. 678,565

The invention relates to a novel and improved mail box structure.

Most householders are familiar with that variety of mail box which is suspended on a front wall or door, or on some such suitable supporting means, with its rear face in planar contact with said wall or support. In such position, and with a, conventional top closure hingedly connected near the upper portion of the rear face, it is generally impossible to swing such closure upwardly and backwardly far enough to give complete vertical clearance above the box, since the support interferes with the backward swing of the closure. This is especially true where the closure is equipped with a downturned portion overlying some of the front wall of the box, since, when the closure is swung as far as possible upwardly and rearwardly, the said downturned portion extends outwardly at an angle above the open top of the box. Such closure accordingly can be swung only to a position somewhat short of a vertical plane,

and elongated articles such as periodicals or newspapers must be bent or otherwise deformed when inserting them in the box. As indicated, this is particularly true of mail boxes in which a por tion of the front Wall is cut away, and is covered by a downwardly extending closure portion.

In the past, therefore, the householder was confronted with the dilemma of choosing between a box with a small top closure capable of being swung backwardly to afford fair vertical clearance, but which did not permit convenient access to the lower inner portions of the box, and a box with a large apron-like closure wherein the front wall was partially cut away, and in which the apron closure could not be swung far enough backwardly so that it no longer obstructed vertical clearance.

An object of the invention is to provide a mail box having novel and improved closure means whereby the interior of the box may be rendered fully accessible to any desired extent depending on immediate needs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mail box having closure means adapted, when operated, to provide respectively a larger and a smaller aperture for more convenient insertion and removal of articles of mail of varying size, such closure means being further adapted to be swung back substantially'to the vertical plane of the rear wall of the box.

A further object is to provide two part closure means for a mail box suspendible on a wall, or

7 other backing support, said means being adapted to be swung upwardly to fully open position while Claims. (01. 232-17) 2 not extending further rearwardly than the plane of the rear wall of the box.

A further object is to provide two part closure 7 means operative in combination to fully open the top alone, or both the top and a part of the front wall of the box, as desired.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from a study of the following specification, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mail box equipped with closure means embodying the present invention, the box being shown in fully open position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the box partially closed;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the box fully closed;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a some: what modified embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, I show a mail box having the usual body or container portion Ill and front and top closure elements H and I2 adapted, respectively, to completely close the box, or to provide smaller or larger openingsas will. appear. The rear wall [3 of the box is attached to any suitable support in conventional manner. A substantial portion of the top of front wall 14 is cut away, as best shown inFig. 1, to permit ready access to the.

box interior, or to allow the convenient insertion therein of relatively large pieces of mail. The open portion of wall M is normally closed by the closure element ll heretofore referred to. This closure element is of apron-like construction, pivotally mounted on the opposed side walls it of the box by pivots l5'spaced well forwardly from the back wall I3. The apron has two side flanges l8 bent rearwardly so as to provide a sliding i-lt between the inner face of the flanges and the outer surfaces of walls Hi. The top edge 25! of apron l I is cut away sufllciently sothat when the apron is swung from the closed position of Figs. 2 and 3 to the fully open position of Fig. 1, the opposed ends of said edge 20 just come to resting contact on the tops of side walls 16. r

[The top closure or lid 12 is hinged along the top edge of rear wall 13 and may be swung from the fully open position of Figs. land 2 to the fully closed-position of Fig. 3 wherein its front flange 2| and two side flanges 22 have a sliding fit, respectively, over apron II and side walls Hi.

It will now be apparent that the apron I I may contact with front flange 2| of lid l2. As shown,

this is just short of a vertical position.

Fig. 4 shows how the structure of the apron I l and the side walls l6 may be modified slightly to obtain the same result. Instead of cutting away the edge ,20 of the apron as at to permit it to be swung backwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1, side walls l6 are cut away downwardly and rearwardly, at therear portionof their upper edges to provide clearance spaces to .receive the edge 20' of the apron II. This permits the apron to swing to the same angular position as shown in Fig. 1. i

In this embodiment the clearance space-25 in the ide walls I6 may be externally shielded-by tabs 26 which may be part of the rear wall and which extend forwardly to be secured atthe pivots 29.

The box shown in the various views may be formed practically entirely from sheet metal, and preferably from aluminum or one of its a1- loys. The rear wall I3 is formed from one .blank,

and the front wall 14, the side walls I6, and the bottomwall 21 from another blank. This other blank is press formed or. stamped to box-like shape, and the respective meeting edges of both blanks are lapped, inturned, and crimped in any suitable manner, for example as shown in sectional view at 23 in Figs.- 5 and 6. The apron H and the lid I2 are likewise preferably fabricated from metal sheet and are pivotally attached in any suitable manner, for example as shown in the drawings.

What I claim is:

1. A mail box of the character described comprising an open top container portion, and closure means therefor, said container having a rear wall adapted for attachment to a support, and having side, front and bottom walls, a portion of the upper end edge of the front wall being cut away to provide a frontal opening communicating with the top opening, said closure comprising apron means for closing the said front opening and lid means for closing the said top opening, said apron means and said lid means being swingably mounted on respectively independent pivots to provide vertical clearance above the top opening, and free access to the box interior, the pivotal aXis for said apron means intersecting the side walls in a vertical plane which is located forwardly of the mid point between thefront and rearwalls.

2. A mail box of the character described comprising an open top container portion, and closure means therefor, said container having a rear wall, adapted for attachment to a support, and having side, front and bottom walls, a portion of the upper end edge of the front wall being cut-away to provide a'frontal opening communicating with the top opening, said closure comprising apron mean for closing the said front opening and lid means for closing the said top opening, said lid mean being'pivotallyconnected along the-top 4 edge of said rear wall, and said apron being pivotally carried, on a pair of opposed, aligned pivots, one pivot near the top edge of each side wall forwardly of said rear wall and in a plane at least half the distance from said rear wall to said front wall, whereby opening movement of said .lid affords free access through said top opening and opening movement of said apron affords free access both to said top opening and said front opening.

-3. A mail box of the character described comprising an open top container portion, and closure means therefor, said container having a rear wall adapted for attachment to a support, and

having side, front and bottom walls, a portion of the upper end edge of the front wall being cut away to provide a frontal opening communicating with the top opening, said closure comprising apron means for closing the said front opening and lid means for closing the said top opening, said-apron having a front planar portion and a pair of rearwardly extending wing flanges, one on each side edge of said planar portion and slidably embracing the upper ends of said box side walls, a pair of opposed, aligned pivots, the common axis of said pivots being in a Vertical plane located at least half the distance from said rear wall to said front wall, said pivots uniting said wing flanges and said side walls to permit upward and rearward swing of said apron, said lid being pivotally connected along the upper edge of said rear wall to permit opening movement of said lid, wherebyopening movement of said lid affords free vertical access to aid box, and upward and subsequent upward and rearward swing of said apron affords free frontal and vertical access to said box.

, 4. A mail box of the character described comprising an open top container portion, and closure means therefor, said container having a rear wall adapted for attachment to a support, and having side, front and bottom walls, a portion of the upper end edge of the front wall being cut away to provide a frontal opening communicating with the top opening, said closure comprising apron means for closing the said front open ing and lid means for closing the said top opening, said apron having a front planar portion and a pair of rearwardly extending wing flanges, one on each side edge of said planar portion and slidably embracing the upper ends of said box side walls, a pair of opposed, aligned pivots, uniting said wing flanges and said side walls to permit upward and rearward swing of said apron, said lid being pivotally connezted along the up per edge of said rear wall to permit opening movement of said lid, whereby opening movement of said lid aifords free vertical access to said box, and upward and subsequent upward and rearward swing of said apron affords free frontal and vertical access to said box, a portion of the top edge of said apron being cut away to permit said apron to be swung rearwardly substantially to the plane of the said rear wall of said box.

5. A mail box of the character described comprising an open top container portion, and closure means therefor, said container having a rear wall adapted for attachment to a support, and having side, front and bottom walls, a portion of the upper end edge of the front wall being prising apron means for closing the said front opening and lid means for closing the said top opening, said apron having a front planar portion and a pair of rearwardly extending wing flanges, one on each side edge of said planar portion and slidably embracing the upper ends of said box side walls, a pair of opposed, aligned pivots, uniting said wing flanges and said side walls to permit upward and rearward swing of said apron, said lid being pivotally connected along the upper edge of said rear Wall to permit opening movement of said lid, whereby opening movement of said lid afiords free vertical access to said box, and upward and subsequent upward and rearward swing of said apron affords free frontal and vertical access to said box, a portion REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,808,235 Lang Jun 2, 1931

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