U.S. patent number 3,709,189 [Application Number 05/209,587] was granted by the patent office on 1973-01-09 for mail delivery signal device.
Invention is credited to Ernest G. Widham.
United States Patent |
3,709,189 |
Widham |
January 9, 1973 |
MAIL DELIVERY SIGNAL DEVICE
Abstract
Mail delivery signal device having on a bottom-hinged lid on a
mailbox a casing with a bottom slot and a ledge near the top, and a
signal plate having at the top a rearward flange and opposite side
ears, and being slidable in the casing and projecting through the
bottom slot, with the plate being in non-signalling position
resting with its top flange on the ledge in closed vertical lid
position and, on opening the lid, sliding off the ledge and
gravitating to signalling position, and there being in the casing
at the top a cam formation which on manual inward shove of the
plate from signalling position cooperates with the top of the plate
in camming the same with its flange into overlap with the ledge so
as to come to rest on the latter on releasing the plate.
Inventors: |
Widham; Ernest G. (Waterford,
CT) |
Family
ID: |
22779380 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/209,587 |
Filed: |
December 20, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
232/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
29/121 (20130101); A47G 2029/12105 (20170801) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
29/00 (20060101); A47G 29/122 (20060101); G08c
005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;116/114,132
;232/34,35,36 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Capozi; Louis J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A mail delivery signal device on a bottom-hinged mailbox lid
swingable into substantially vertical and horizontal closed and
open positions, comprising a casing having a slot and front rear,
side and bottom walls of which said rear wall is mounted on said
lid and is rearwardly offset to form a ledge near said top wall,
said front wall is outwardly spaced from said lid, and said slot
extends widthwise into adjoining portions of said bottom and front
walls, and is with its ends spaced from the adjacent side walls,
with the portions of the bottom and front walls bordering the slot
ends constituting bottom and front rests, respectively; a
longitudinal signal plate lengthwise slidable in said casing and
projecting through said slot, said plate having at its top a
rearward flange and oppositely projecting side ears, and the length
of said plate from the bottom thereof to said side ears
constituting the effective signal length, with said plate being, in
closed lid position, adapted to rest with its flange on said ledge
for its support in non-signalling position in which only a bottom
end projects through said slot to the outside of the casing, and
said plate responding to downward swing of said lid from closed to
open position in sliding with its flange from said ledge and
gravitating into a signalling position in which it is suspended
with said side ears on said front rests and extends with its
effective signal length vertically beneath said slot and outside
the casing; and cam means on said top wall engaged by said plate
top on manually sliding the plate from its signalling position into
the casing, with said cam means being in said closed lid position
effective to cam the engaging plate with its flange into overlap
with said ledge for its support on the latter in non-signalling
plate position on release of the plate.
2. A mail delivery signal device as in claim 1, in which on closure
of said lid with said plate in signalling position, said plate will
remain in vertical signalling position by its suspension with said
side ears on said bottom rests.
3. A mail delivery signal device as in claim 1, in which said cam
means is formed by a surface of said top wall which is inclined to
said front and rear walls.
Description
This invention relates to mail boxes in general, and to mail
delivery signals for mail boxes in particular.
The present invention is concerned with mail delivery signals
especially, though not exclusively, for rural mail boxes with their
characteristic bottom-hinged lids. Among known mail delivery
signals is one shown in the U.S. Pat. to Mary, No. 2,856,123, which
is structurally quite simple and also highly effective in
indicating a mail delivery. This particular signal is in the form
of a rectangular plate that serves as a signal flag, and is
provided with a top flange which in non-signalling position of the
flag rests on a top ledge in a casing section on the closed lid of
a mailbox, with most of the flag being then hidden in the casing
section and only a bottom portion thereof extending outwardly
through a slot in the bottom wall of the casing section. In
delivering mail, the mailman will in accustomed manner open the lid
on the mailbox from the top, whereby in the course of the downward
swing of the lid, the top flange on the flag will slide off the top
ledge in the casing section and the flag will then gravitate
downwardly and outwardly through the bottom slot in the casing
section until its top flange comes to rest on the bottom wall of
the latter. The flag is then freely suspended from the casing
section, and will remain suspended therefrom after the mailman
closes the lid, as required, after depositing mail in the box, with
the flag being then clearly discernible to signify a mail delivery
to an observer nearby or ever farther away. While this prior signal
is entirely satisfactory in most respects, it does have a drawback
in the important matter of restoring the flag to its non-signalling
position which must be done if the flag is to be effective in
signalling the next mail delivery. Thus, whoever picks up the
delivered mail will customarily close the lid of the mailbox, and
will then and there deal with restoration of the flag to its
non-signalling position. Restoration of the flag to its
non-signalling position involves manually pushing the flag at its
bottom portion upwardly into the casing section on the closed lid
until the top flange on the flag is at least at the level of the
top ledge in the casing section, whereupon the flag requires
further manipulation at its bottom portion to hook its top flange,
by feel alone and without any visual observation, onto the top
ledge in the casing section to a sufficient extent for firm support
of the flag in its non-signalling position. While this is not an
overly difficult task for many, it is just too much of a task for
many others who either lack whatever skill is required for this
task, or become impatient if they do not suceed on the first or
second attempt and, in consequence, forget about restoring it to
non-signalling position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a mailbox
with a bottom-hinged lid a mail delivery signal in the form of a
signal flag which, like the aforementioned prior signal flag, rests
with a top flange on a top ledge in a casing section on the closed
lid in non-signalling position and, in the course of opening the
lid in a downward swing, slides with its top flange off this top
ledge and then gravitates downwardly through a bottom slot in the
casing section into readily perceptible signalling position, but
unlike this prior signal flag, the flag is assuredly restored on
first attempt to firm support with its top flange on the top ledge
in the casing section on the closed lid, on merely shoving the flag
at its bottom back into the casing section until it is felt to hit
the top of the casing section, and then simply releasing the flag.
With this arrangement, entirely reliable restoration of the flag to
its non-signalling position is instantaneous and requires no feel
or skill whatever in hooking the top flange of the flag onto the
top ledge in the casing section.
It is another object of the present invention to achieve reliable
restoration of the signal flag to its non-signalling position on
merely shoving the same back into the casing section on the closed
lid until it hits the top of the latter as aforementioned, by
providing the casing section at its top with an inner cam formation
which on the inward shove of the flag is engaged by the top end of
the latter and cooperates therewith in camming the top flange into
unfailing overlap with the top ledge in the casing section, so that
on release of the flag its top flange will descend into firm
support on the top ledge.
Further objects and advantages will appear to those skilled in the
art from the following, considered in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying
out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a mailbox with a
delivery signal device according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 1, but
showing the delivery signal device in a different condition;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the mailbox as
taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section similar to FIG. 3, but showing
certain prominent parts in a different position;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section taken substantially on the line
5--5 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6. is a fragmentary section through a mailbox with a modified
delivery signal device; and
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section through a mailbox with a further
modified delivery signal device.
Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2
thereof, the reference numeral 10 designates a mailbox which is of
outdoor type, and is suitably mounted as, for example, on an
upright post (not shown). The mailbox 10 is provided with a lid 12
which at its bottom is hinged to the box as at 14, so as to be
swingable into open and closed positions, with the lid being
substantially vertically disposed in its closed position (FIG. 1).
The lid 12 is at its top provided with a catch 13 having a
V-formation 15 which, on closing the lid, snaps into register with
a similar V-formation on a fixed member 17 on the box 10 to keep
the lid closed, with the catch 13 and member 17 being sufficiently
resilient to release the former from register with the latter on
pulling the catch for opening the lid.
The mailbox 10 is provided with a mail delivery signal device 16
which comprises a casing 18 on the lid 12, and a signal plate 20
(FIGS. 1 to 5). The casing 18 provides front and rear walls 22 and
24, side walls 26 and 28, and top and bottom walls 30 and 32. The
rear wall 24 is mounted on the lid 12, and is in this instance
suitably secured, as by pressfitting, in a recess 34 in the lid,
and the remaining walls are, in this instance, formed by the lid.
An upper endlength of the rear wall 24 of the casing 18 is
rearwardly offset as at 36 to provide a ledge 38 near the top wall
30 of the casing, and the casing is also provided with a bottom
slot 40 which widthwise extends into adjoining portions of the
bottom and front walls 32 and 22 (FIGS. 3 and 4), and is with its
ends spaced from the adjacent side walls 26 and 28 (FIG. 5) so as
to leave on the bottom and front walls 32 and 22 bottom and front
rests or shoulders 42 and 44, respectively, which border the ends
of the slot 40.
The signal plate 20 is lengthwise slidable in the casing 18 and
projects through the slot 40. The signal plate is at its top
provided with a rearwardly projecting flange 46 (FIGS. 3 and 4) and
with oppositely projecting side ears 48 (FIG. 5), with the length
of the plate 20 from the side ears 48 to its bottom end
constituting the effective signal length of the plate.
The signal plate 20 is, in closed lid position, adapted to rest
with its top flange 46 on the ledge 38 in the casing for the
support of the signal plate in non-signalling position in which
only a relatively short bottomlength thereof projects through the
slot 40 (FIGS. 1 and 3).
When delivering mail, the mailman will open the lid 12 to deposit
the mail in the box 10. To this end, the mailman will swing the lid
from its closed position (FIG. 1) to an open position (FIG. 2) in a
downward swing, in the course of which the signal plate 20 will
with its top flange 46 slide off the ledge 38 in the casing and
gravitate downwardly until its side ears 48 come to rest on the
front shoulders 44 at the opposite ends of the bottom slot 20 in
the casing (FIGS. 4 and 5), with the plate 20 being then in
signalling position in which it depends vertically with its full
signal length from the casing. When the mailman closes the lid
again after mail delivery, as he is required to do, the signal
plate will with its side ears 48 slide onto the bottom shoulders 42
at the opposite slot ends and remain with its full signal length
suspended in vertical dot-and-dash line disposition from the casing
(FIG. 1) for its ready view by an observer. Thus, when the mailman
closes the lid after mail delivery, the plate 20 will be in its
conspicuous signalling position and clearly indicate to a distant
observer who looks for mail that mail has been delivered and may be
picked up. The signal plate may be all the more conspicuous in its
signalling position by being of a color which is in striking
contrast with the color of the mailbox.
The person who picks up the mail will, on retrieving the same from
the box, customarily close the lid 12, and will then restore the
signal plate 20 to non-signalling position to condition the same
for return to signalling position in response to the next mail
delivery. To do so, the one restoring the plate 20 to
non-signalling position need merely engage with one or more fingers
the bottom edge of the plate and shove the latter back into the
casing 18 until its top end hits the closed top of the casing,
whereupon the plate may be released, with the plate being then held
in non-signalling position by being supported with its top flange
46 on the ledge 38 in the casing (FIGS. 1 and 3). To the end of
assuredly restoring the plate 20 to its non-signalling position on
merely shoving the same into the casing until its top end hits the
closed top of the casing, there is provided in the top of the
casing a cam formation 50 which is in the path of the top end of
the plate on the inward shove of the latter into the casing, and on
being engaged by this top end, cooperates with the latter in
camming it with its rearward flange 46 into overlap with the ledge
38 in the casing so that, on release of the plate, the latter will
with its flange 46 come to rest on the ledge 38 (FIG. 3). The cam
formation 50 is preferably and conveniently formed by the inner
inclined surface of the top wall 30 of the casing.
While in the described signal device 16 of FIGS 1 to 5 most of the
walls of the casing 18 are formed by the lid 12, FIG. 6 shows a
modified, and in some respects preferred, signal device 16' which
is a preassembled unit separate from the mailbox lid 12' to which
it is attached. Thus, the casing 18' consists in this instance of
two, preferably plastic-molded, parts 52 and 54, of which part 52
forms the rear wall of the casing, and part 54 forms the remaining
casing walls, with the rear wall part 52 being, after placement of
the signal plate 20' into the casing, assembled with part 54 by
being simply pressfitted into a rear recess 56 in the latter. Part
54 has in this instance a circumferential mounting flange 58 which
bears against the lid 12' and is attached thereto by screws 60 or
the like.
In opening the mailbox, the mailman and the person picking up
delivered mail will more often than not hold the lid of the mailbox
temporarily open in a position like or similar to that shown in
FIGS. 2 and 4, or will swing the lid all the way into vertical
downward position. It does happen, however, that whoever opens the
lid will release it for gravitation into vertical downward
position, whereby the lid is more than likely to momentarily
overswing toward the bottom surface 62 of the mailbox (FIG. 2). In
order to avoid, in the course of a particularly wide overswing of
the lid, clashing of the signal plate against the bottom surface of
the mailbox and possible damage to, or even breakage of, the signal
plate, the modified casing 18" on the mailbox lid 12" in FIG. 7 has
at its bottom a pocket formation 64. Thus, even on the
exceptionally wide overswing of the lid 12" beyond vertical
downward position, as shown in FIG. 7, the top flange 46" on the
signal plate 20" will project into the pocket formation 64 so that
the signal plate will be kept away from the bottom surface of the
mailbox.
* * * * *