Field of Search:
232/24,25 312/199,109,211 49/382,220,206 16/191
Claims:
What I claim is
1. An improved postal box comprising, in combination, a container having partitions forming a plurality of letter compartments with said compartments arranged into an even number of rows, said compartments each having an opening at one side of said container, two identical die cast frame members, means attaching each frame member to said one container side to extend around the openings for 1/2 of the rows of compartments, each frame member having a first side adapted to abut the corresponding side on the other frame member, three additional sides which are adjacent three sides of the container and a plurality of integral interconnected members dividing said frame member into a plurality of rectangular sections which align with said compartment openings, a rectangular door for each compartment, means for pivotally mounting each of said doors in a different section in said frame member, each door being mounted from adjacent one edge to pivot between open and closed positions, said door mounting means selectively mounting said door adjacent either of two opposed section sides in said frame member, a lock for each door, means mounting one of said locks on each door, and two lock plates for each section in said frame member, one lock plate extending from each of said opposed section sides for engagement by the lock on a door mounted from adjacent the opposite section side when such door is closed.
2. An improved postal box, as set forth in claim 1, wherein each frame member includes integral flanges extending inwardly into each section, said flanges for each section abutting the door for such section when such door is closed and locked.
3. An improved postal box, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said lock plates are spaced behind said flanges.
4. An improved postal box, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said frame members include a plurality of spaced lugs, said lugs projecting from said three additional sides for slidably receiving said container sides therebetween, and wherein said frame member attaching means comprises means connecting said lugs to such container sides.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to letter boxes and more particularly to an improved letter box for use in Post Offices, apartment buildings and the like.
Residents of many communities are not provided with door-to-door mail service by the Post Office. It is necessary for these people to rent postal boxes located in the local Post Office to receive mail. Many of these boxes are very old and easy to pry open. The boxes are also usually provided with windows to allow the owner to see whether or not mail is present without opening the box door. In such cases, the occurrence of thefts is often high. Because of the large number of thefts, there is a need for an improved postal box of a design which is difficult for an unauthorized person to open.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, an improved postal service box is provided having a door assembly with individual letter compartment doors which are difficult to open by unauthorized persons. The postal service box includes a container having a plurality of letter receiving compartments formed therein. The compartments open at the back to allow the insertion of mail. The front of each compartment has a lockable door for the removal of mail by the compartment owner. The compartments are formed into an even number of rows. Two door assemblies are attached to the front of the container with each door assembly containing the doors for one-half of the compartments. The door assemblies include a die cast frame member which may be reversed for use in either of the two door assemblies. When a compartment door is closed, the door abuts a flange on the frame member to prevent an unauthorized person from prying the door open. The door lock is mounted to engage a lock plate on the frame member located behind the flange.
Accordingly, it is a preferred object of the invention to provide an improved postal box.
Another object of the invention is to provide a postal box having an improved door assembly which is difficult to open by unauthorized persons.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a postal service box constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a frame member for mounting the compartment doors and showing in dashed lines a second frame member rotated to abut the first frame member;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a door for mounting in the frame member of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings and specifically to FIG. 1, a postal box 10 is shown in accordance with the present invention. The postal box 10 generally comprises a container 11 and two door assemblies 12. The container 11 is preferably molded from a synthetic resinous material and includes a plurality of partitions 13 forming compartments 14 for receiving letters 15 and other mail. The compartments 14 are parallel and are arranged into an even number of rows, two of which are shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1. It will, of course, be appreciated that the number of rows is not critical nor is the number of compartments 14 in each row.
Each of the two door assemblies 12 includes a frame member 16. The frame members 16 for the two door assemblies 12 are identical die castings. One of the frame members 16 is mounted over openings to the lower row of compartments 14, while the other frame member 16 is inverted or rotated 180° and mounted over openings to the upper row of compartments 14. A plurality of doors 17, one for each of the compartments 14, are mounted in the frame members 16 for providing access to the compartments 14. The doors 17 are shown mounted within each of the frame members 16 to open from the left. A lock 18 is adapted to receive a key 19 for opening the door 17.
The frame members 16 may be attached to the container 11 by any suitable means. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of lugs 20 extend to the rear of the frame members 16 and are spaced for slidably receiving the front of the container 11. Sides 21 of the container 11 are provided with holes for threadably receiving screws 22 which are passed through the lugs 20. The screws 22 firmly attach the frame members 16 to the container 11. When the postal box 10 is mounted in a Post Office, an apartment building, or the like, the screws 22 are covered to prevent unauthorized removal of the door assemblies 12.
Turning now to FIGS. 2-4, the frame members 16 are shown in detail. Each frame member 16 is die cast from a metal such as zinc or aluminum. The frame members 16 each include a side 25 adapted to abut against the similar side 25 of the other frame member when the two frame members are attached to the container 11. The frame members 16 are generally rectangular and have three additional sides 26-28. The side 27 is parallel to and spaced opposite the side 25 and the sides 26 and 28 are parallel and spaced apart. The side 27 has a flat outer surface to permit stacking of a plurality of the postal boxes 10. Flanges 29 project outwardly from the sides 26 and 28 for use in mounting the postal box 10. Suitable channels (not shown) may be adapted to engage the flanges 29 for maintaining a plurality of the postal boxes 10 in a stacked position and also for maintaining the postal box 10 in alignment with other postal boxes stacked to either side of the postal box 10. Three partitions 30 extend between the sides 25 and 27, parallel to the frame member sides 26 and 28, and are evenly spaced for defining four equal sections 31. The partitions 30 in the frame member 16 are located to abut the partitions 13 in the container 11. Thus, each section 31 in a frame member 16 is aligned with the opening to a compartment 14 to permit easy removal of mail from the compartments 14.
Pairs of aligned holes 32 and 33 extend through the sides 25 and 27, respectively, of the frame member 16 adjacent one side of each section 31 and pairs of aligned holes 34 and 35 extend through the sides 25 and 27, respectively, adjacent an opposite side of each section 31. Each door 17 is selectively mounted in one of the pairs of holes 32 and 33 or 34 and 35. Lock plates 36 are formed in the frame member 16 to project to the rear of each partition 30 and to the rear of the frame member side 28 for engagement by the lock 18 when the door 17 is mounted in the aligned openings 32 and 33. Similarly, lock plates 37 extend from and to the rear of the partitions 30 and the frame member side 26 for engagement by the lock 18 when the door 17 is mounted in the holes 34 and 35. By providing for each door 17 a dual set of mounting holes and two lock plates, the doors 17 may be mounted to open from either the left or the right. Thus, when two identical frame members 16 are attached to a container 11 with the frame members turned 180° from each other so that the common sides 25 abut, all doors 17 may be mounted to open from either the left or the right.
Turning now to FIG. 5, the door 17 is shown in greater detail. The door 17 may be formed by die casting, or it may be formed by extruding a material such as aluminum. Adjacent one edge 40 of the door 17, holes 41 extend into spaced edges 42 and 43 of the door 17 for receiving tapered pivot pins 44. The pivot pins 44 are inserted into either the pair of holes 32 and 33 or the pair of holes 34 and 35 in the frame member 16 and into the holes 41 for mounting the door 17. The lock 18 is mounted behind an opening 45 through the door 17. The opening 45 is spaced towards a door edge 46 opposite the door edge 40. A plate 47 is adhered to the door 17 adjacent the lock opening 45 for identifying the box number or the name of the box owner.
Turning to FIGS. 6 and 7, sections are shown through the door 17 and the frame member 16, showing the operation of the lock 18. A flange 50 is formed in the frame member 16 to extend around the opening in each of the sections 31. When the door 17 is closed and locked, the door abuts the flange 50 to increase the difficulty of inserting a prying tool for forcing open the door 17. This feature greatly reduces the incidence of theft from the postal box 10. The lock 18 includes an arm 51 which engages one of the lock plates 36 or 37 for locking the door 17. The arm 51 and the lock plate 37 are spaced behind the flange 50 to further reduce the chances of an unauthorized person inserting a tool between the door 17 and the flange 50 for opening the door 17. To open the door, a key is used to rotate the arm 51 clear of the lock plate 36 or 37.
It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in the postal box 10 without departing from the claimed invention. The arrangement of the individual compartments 14 may, for example, be varied to include various numbers of compartments in each row and various numbers of rows in a container 11. Each door assembly 12, for example, may cover one or more rows of compartments 14 and each row may have one or more compartments.