U.S. patent application number 11/042280 was filed with the patent office on 2006-07-27 for mailbox door with rain intercepting structure.
Invention is credited to Robert C. Beckmann, Robert W. Lackey.
Application Number | 20060163336 11/042280 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36695702 |
Filed Date | 2006-07-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060163336 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lackey; Robert W. ; et
al. |
July 27, 2006 |
MAILBOX DOOR WITH RAIN INTERCEPTING STRUCTURE
Abstract
A mailbox is provided with a rain intercepting structure which
includes a groove in a shoulder formed on the laterally opposite
sides and the top of the mailbox door and a ridge on the inside of
the mailbox doorway in juxtaposed registration with the groove.
Moisture impacting the ridge is diverted to the groove and drains
out its bottom ends, thus protecting the mail against rain
damage.
Inventors: |
Lackey; Robert W.; (Hickory,
NC) ; Beckmann; Robert C.; (Vail, NC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
John B. Hardaway, III;NEXSEN PRUET, LLC
P.O. Box 10107
Greenville
SC
29603
US
|
Family ID: |
36695702 |
Appl. No.: |
11/042280 |
Filed: |
January 25, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
232/38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 29/1209
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
232/038 |
International
Class: |
B65D 91/00 20060101
B65D091/00 |
Claims
1. A mailbox comprising: a postal compartment housing including a
roof having a downwardly facing surface, a pair of laterally spaced
side walls extending downwardly from said roof, said side walls
having laterally confronting upright surfaces on their laterally
inward sides, said downwardly facing surface and said confronting
upright surfaces defining a doorway, and a ridge structure
extending downwardly from said downwardly facing surface of said
roof and laterally inward from said confronting upright surfaces of
said side walls, and a door in said doorway, said door being hinged
at its lower end to said pair of laterally spaced side walls for
movement between an open position and a closed position, said door
having a shoulder presenting an outwardly opening recess in
juxtaposed outwardly confronting relation to said ridge structure
when said door is in said closed position.
2. The mailbox of claim 1 wherein said roof and said downwardly
facing surface are arched.
3. The mailbox of claim 2 wherein said door has laterally opposite
sides and wherein said recess extends to the lower ends of the
laterally opposite sides of said shoulder.
4. A plastic mailbox having longitudinally opposite ends
comprising: a postal compartment including a pair of laterally
spaced and longitudinally extending upright side walls with
laterally facing interior surfaces, and an arched roof integrally
formed with said sidewalls presenting a downward facing interior
surface on its underside, said side walls and roof forming an
arched doorway at one of said longitudinal ends of said mailbox,
and a ridge formed on and extending laterally inward from said
interior surfaces adjacent said doorway and a door having a front
side, a rear side, a top, a pair of laterally opposite sides, a
bottom portion pivotally connected to said side walls for swinging
movement about a horizontal axis between an open position and a
closed position, and an indentation in said top and laterally
opposite sides including a vertical surface facing longitudinally
toward the inside of said mailbox when said door is in said closed
position and a shoulder facing toward said interior surfaces of
said side walls and roof, and a recess formed in said shoulder
presenting an opening in juxtaposed registration with said ridge
when said door is in said closed position.
5. A plastic mailbox comprising: a housing having a longitudinally
extending arched roof with an exterior wall and an interior wall, a
pair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending upright side
walls, each having an exterior wall and an interior wall, said
interior walls forming a front doorway and a rear doorway at their
longitudinally opposite ends, respectively, and a ridge extending
inwardly from said interior walls at each of said doorways, a front
door at said front doorway, said front door having a lower end
pivotally connected to said housing on a first laterally extending
horizontal axis for pivotal movement between open and closed
positions, a rear door at said rear doorway having a lower end
pivotally connected to said housing on a second laterally extending
horizontal axis for pivotal movement between open and closed
positions, said doors having outwardly opening recesses at their
tops and lateral sides in juxtaposed outwardly confronting
registration with said ridges, respectively, when said doors are in
their closed positions.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Applicants have filed the following U.S. patent
applications: [0002] Ser. No. ______ Dec. 28, 2004 for a Ground
Mount Post; [0003] Ser. No. ______ filed ______ for a Mailbox and
Support; [0004] Ser. No. ______ filed ______ for a Mailbox with
Signal; [0005] Ser. No. ______ filed ______ for a Multiple
Component Mailbox having a Postal and Newspaper Compartments;
[0006] Ser. No. ______ filed ______ for a Two Piece Mailbox
Support, and [0007] Ser. No. ______ filed ______ for a Reinforced
Plastic Mailbox.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Rural mailboxes have at least a front door hinged at its
bottom near the mailbox floor and many also have a rear door hinged
in a similar manner at the rear of the mailbox. The fit of the door
accessed by the mail carrier should not be so tight as to be
difficult for the mail carrier to open and close, however a loose
fit can result in moisture entering the mailbox during a wind
driving rainstorm. A need exists for a mailbox door structure,
which intercepts and prevents entry of moisture into a mailbox but
is not difficult to open and close. Since the mailbox door is
opened and closed almost daily, the rain intercepting structure
should preferably not be subject to wear or other
deterioration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A door and doorway of the postal compartment of a mailbox
are constructed to intercept wind driven rain and route it
downwardly from the mailbox, thus preventing its entry into the
interior of the postal compartment. The sides and top of the door
and confronting portions of the postal compartment have a
registering groove and ridge construction serving to deflect and
drain rain driven by wind against the door. In a plastic mailbox
construction the grooves and ridges are integrally molded into the
mailbox door and the postal compartment housing to form a
labyrinthine structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a front view of a plastic mailbox with parts
broken away for illustration purposes;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a side view of the mailbox;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the postal compartment of
the mailbox with the front door and signal removed;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a front view of a housing component of the postal
compartment without its floor;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the rear of the postal
compartment door;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a side view of the postal compartment door,
and
[0018] FIG. 8 is a partial section taken on the line 8-8 in FIG.
2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a double walled plastic mailbox 11 having
a support 12, which has two side by side pieces 13, 14 secured by
screws 17 to a wooden post 16 set in the ground 18. A postal
compartment 21 is mounted on top of an open ended newspaper
compartment 22 and is interconnected to the newspaper compartment
22 by a floor 23 shown in FIG. 3. The newspaper compartment 22 is
secured to the upper end of the support 12 by suitable fasteners,
not shown.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the postal compartment 21
includes a longitudinally extending housing 24 which has a double
walled arched or arcuate roof 26 with an outer wall 27 and an inner
wall 28 having a downwardly facing interior surface 29. The housing
24 also includes a pair of laterally spaced and longitudinally
extending upright side walls or side wall structures 31, 32 which
are also of double wall construction. The side wall structure 31
has a laterally outer wall 33 and a laterally inner wall 34 and, as
shown in FIG. 8, the side wall structure 32 has an outer wall 36
and an inner wall 37. The inner walls 34, 37 have laterally
confronting interior surfaces 38, 39 on their laterally inward
sides. The inner wall 28 of the longitudinally extending arched
roof 26 and the inner walls 34, 37 of the side wall structures 31,
32 form front and rear doorways 41, 42 for front and rear doors 43,
44. The doors 43, 44 each have integrally formed coaxial pivots
extending outward from their laterally opposite lower ends or
corners. FIGS. 6 and 7 show the pivots 46, 47 of the front door 43.
The pivots extend into aligned bores or openings in the inner walls
of the side wall structures 31, 32. The two openings or bores 48,
49 for the pivots of the front door 43 are shown in FIG. 5. Thus
the front and rear doors 43, 44 pivot about parallel laterally
extending horizontal axes.
[0021] The longitudinally opposite ends of the inner wall 28 of the
roof 26 and the longitudinally opposite ends of the inner walls 34,
37 of the side wall structures 31, 32 define recesses 51, 52 with
vertical shoulders 53, 54, respectively, at the longitudinally
outer edges of the doorways 41 42.
[0022] As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7 and 8, an indentation 61 is formed
in the top and laterally opposite edges of the inner side of the
front door 43. The indentation 61 includes a vertical surface 62
and a shoulder 63 extending from the vertical surface 62 to the
inward side of the door 43. The shoulder 63 includes a recess 64
which is in juxtaposed registration with an inward extending ridge
or ridge structure 66 formed adjacent the doorway 41 on the inward
facing sides of inner side walls 34, 37 and on the inward facing
side of the inner wall 28 of the roof. A metal plate 56 is secured
by a fastener 57 to the inside of the door 43 at a notch 58 at the
top of the door 43. The notch 58 creates a gap or break in the
vertical surface 62 and in the shoulder 63. The metal plate 56
engages a magnet 71 in a notch 72 in the inner wall 28 of the
arched roof 26. The magnet 71 releasably holds the door in a closed
position.
[0023] Wind driven rain entering the clearance between the front
door 43 and its doorway 41 will be intercepted and diverted by the
ridge 66 to the recess 64. Rain diverted to the recess 64 passes
downwardly by gravity and out the bottom ends of the recess 64
terminating at the front of the postal box floor 23. The rear door
44 and its doorway 42 are constructed in the same manner as the
front door 43 and its doorway 41. Thus the interior of the postal
compartment is protected from driving rain at both its front and
rear doorways.
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