Mail notification device
The present invention discloses a novel device for notifying mailbox owners when their mailbox's door has been opened. The device includes a shaft slidably received in a housing which may be mounted to the mailbox. The shaft is based on a triggered position by a biasing means. The device is set by pressing the shaft against the biasing means and retaining the shaft in this position with a latch which may be mounted to the mailbox door and is operatively engaged with the shaft to overcome the force of the biasing means. When the mailbox door is opened, the latch retreats from the shaft allowing the biasing means to elevate the shaft so that the user can see it. In this way the user is notified of mail delivery or pickup.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 60/578,633, entitled MAIL NOTIFICATION DEVICE, filed Jun. 10, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.
I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of apparatuses and methods for use with mailboxes, and more specifically to apparatuses and methods for use with notification systems that signal when the mailbox door has been opened, such as upon the delivery of mail.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide mailboxes with apparatuses for detecting and notifying individuals when their mailbox's door has been opened. These devices are particularly useful for those whose mailboxes are located some distance away, such that it would be difficult and inefficient to travel to the mailbox to determine whether any mail has arrived or the postman has collected outgoing mail. Existing apparatuses include electronic emitters that emit a sound when the mailbox door has been opened to a receiver positioned in the house and mechanical devices that purport to notify the owner when mail has been delivered, or at least, the mailbox door has been opened. The existing apparatuses are, however, generally difficult to install onto the mailbox, requiring extensive modification to the mailbox or special manufacturing processes, difficult to maintain, and fragile against the elements and repeated usage. Additionally, some known mailbox notification devices have limited visibility, for example, being visible only when viewed from one side of the mailbox. This can render these devices unhelpful to many mailbox owners who cannot rearrange the orientation of their mailboxes.
The improved mailbox notification device of this present invention provides an apparatus that is easy to install onto the mailbox, durable, and provides notification from all viewing angles. Therefore, the problems mentioned above are reduced in ways that are simple and efficient while providing better and more advantageous results.
II. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting the same,
With reference now to
As noted above, and as shown in
With continued reference to
As shown in
As noted previously, and as shown in
Still referring to
As indicated above, the biasing means 36 may bias the shaft 30 in the first position. To set the device 12, force may be applied against the biasing means 36, until the shaft 30 is in the second position. The shaft 30 may be restrained in the second position by one of the means discussed in further detail below, until the device 12 is triggered by the opening of the mailbox door 16.
Methods for restraining the shaft 30 in the second position will now be discussed. In one embodiment, depicted in
Still referring to
In the first position, the shaft 30 may be visible to the associated user, indicating to the associated user that the mailbox door 16 has been opened. In one embodiment the notification may occur when the user sees the colored shaft 30 or first stop member 24 elevated in the first position. Alternatively, notification may occur by other means. For example, release of the latching means 40 from its communication with the shaft 30 may allow an electrical connection to be made between a power supply (not shown) and a light located in the shaft 30 or elsewhere, resulting in illumination of the shaft 30. In yet another embodiment, release of the latching means 40 may initiate an audible signal or other electrical and non-electrical notification systems. To reset the system, the user may press the shaft 30 to the second position, overcoming the biasing force of the biasing means 36. While the shaft 30 is being held by the user in the second position the mailbox door 16 may be closed and the latching means 40 may be operatively communicated with the shaft 30 to retain the shaft 30 in the second position until the mailbox door 16 is opened again.
With reference now to
In operation, this second embodiment is similar to the embodiment of the device 12 discussed above. In this second embodiment, when the latching means 40 is set, the magnet 44 may apply a magnetic force to the magnetically attractive catch 144, thereby retaining the shaft 30 in the second position. The strength of the magnetic force must be strong enough to overcome the force exerted by biasing means 36. When the mailbox door 16 is opened, the magnet 44 may move away from the magnetically attractive catch 144, removing the force that is retaining the shaft 30 in the second position. Due to the biasing means 36, the shaft 30 may slide in the housing 20 to the first position, thereby providing notification to the user. To reset the system, the user presses the shaft 30 to the second position with the mailbox door 16 closed, thereby operatively engaging the magnet 44 with the magnetically attractive catch 144.
With reference now to
Still referring to
The preferred embodiments have been described, hereinabove. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above methods may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of this invention. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
Having thus described the invention, it is now claimed:
Claims
1. A device for detecting an opened mailbox door, comprising:
- a housing having first and second housing ends, the housing being positionably attached to the body of an associated mailbox;
- the housing having an opening that extends there through from the first housing end to the second housing end;
- a shaft slidably received within the opening of the housing, the shaft having first and second shaft ends
- a first stop member located along the shaft, the first stop member adapted to prevent the first shaft end from falling past the second housing end;
- a biasing means positioned along the shaft for biasing the shaft in a first position within the opening of the housing; and,
- a latch having a first latch end and a second latch end, the first latch end being positionably attached to the door of the associated mailbox, and the second latch end being releasably, operatively communicated with the shaft to retain the shaft in a second position when the device is set with the shaft in the second position.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the first stop member is located at the first shaft end and is adapted to prevent the first shaft end from falling past the first housing end; and
- wherein the biasing means is spring.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein the spring is located about the shaft between the first stop member and the first housing end; and
- wherein the diameter of the spring is larger than the diameter of the opening in the housing at at least one point along the opening.
4. The device of claim 3 wherein in the first position the first shaft end is elevated above the associated mailbox and wherein in the second position, the first shaft end is lower than in the first position.
5. The device of claim 4 wherein one or more of the first stop member and the shaft is a color selected from the group consisting of yellow, pink, orange, red, and green.
6. The device of claim 4 wherein the shaft is adapted to releasably receive the second latch end when the device is set with shaft in the second position.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein the shaft includes a notch adapted to releasably receive the second latch end when the device is set with shaft in the second position.
8. The device of claim 4, further comprising:
- a second stop member located at the second shaft end, the second stop member adapted to releasably communicate with the second latch end when the device is set with the shaft in the second position.
9. The device of claim 4, further comprising:
- a magnetically attractive catch located adjacent the second latch end, the magnetically attractive catch adapted to releasably communicate with the shaft when the device is set with the shaft in the second position.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein the first stop member includes a light.
11. A device for detecting an opened mailbox door, comprising:
- a flag, the flag comprising; a flag shaft having first and second ends, and a signal located at the first flag shaft end;
- the second flag shaft end being rotatably attached to the body of an associated mailbox; and
- a cable having first and second ends, wherein the first end of the cable is attached to a door of the associated mailbox and the second end of the cable is attached to the flag shaft at a point between the first and second flag shaft ends and wherein the cable has a length that is sufficient to cause the flag to be pulled from a first position to a second position when the door of the associated mailbox is opened.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein the second position is a substantially vertical position.
13. The device of claim 12 wherein the signal is a color selected from the group consisting of yellow, pink, orange, red, and green.
14. The device of claim 12 wherein the signal is a light.
15. A method for detecting an opened mailbox door comprising the steps of:
- providing a housing having first and second housing ends and an opening that extends there through from the first housing end to the second housing end,
- affixing the housing to the body of an associated mailbox;
- providing a shaft slidably received within the opening in the housing, the shaft having first and second shaft ends;
- providing a first stop member located along the shaft, the first stop member adapted to prevent the first shaft end from falling past the second housing end;
- providing a biasing means positioned along the shaft for biasing the shaft in a first, position, which is an elevated position;
- providing a latch having a first latch end and a second latch end,
- affixing the first latch end to the door of the associated mailbox,
- placing the shaft in a second position, which is opposed to the bias imposed by the biasing means;
- positioning the second latch end to be releasably, operatively communicated with the shaft to retain the shaft in the second position; and
- releasing the second latch end from communication with the shaft when the door of the associated mailbox is opened.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of positioning the second latch end to be releasably, operatively communicated with the shaft to retain the shaft in the second position, involves the step of:
- providing a notch in the shaft adapted to releasably receive the second latch end; and
- positioning the second latch end within the notch.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of positioning the second latch end to be releasably, operatively communicated with the shaft to retain the shaft in the second position, involves the step of:
- providing a magnet adjacent one of the second latch end and the second shaft end;
- providing a magnetically attractive catch on the other of the second latch end and the second shaft end; and
- aligning the magnet with the magnetically attractive catch.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the magnetically attractive catch is a second magnet
19. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of positioning the second latch end to be releasably, operatively communicated with the shaft to retain the shaft in the second position, involves the step of:
- providing a second stop member located at the second shaft end, the second stop member adapted to releasably communicate with the second latch end.
20. The method of claim 15 wherein in the step of providing a biasing means positioned along the shaft for biasing the shaft in a first, position, the biasing means is a spring.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 9, 2005
Publication Date: Dec 15, 2005
Applicant:
Inventor: Gary Mullins (Navarre, OH)
Application Number: 11/149,405