GB2484111A

GB2484111A - Windproof slot assembly with pivoting flap

Info

Publication number: GB2484111A
Application number: GB201016402A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Victor Jessel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-09-29
Filing date: 2010-09-29
Publication date: 2012-04-04
Anticipated expiration: 2030-09-29
Also published as: GB2484111B; WO2012042198A2; GB201016402D0; WO2012042198A3

Abstract

A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door comprises a frame having a slot, a flap 12 for covering the slot, the flap being pivotable about a pivot axis located in a middle portion of the flap between its top end and its bottom end. In a first embodiment (figure 1) the slot assembly further comprises an actuator 17 configured such that pushing the actuator towards the flap actuator causes the flap to be pivotally opened. In a second embodiment (figure 7) the slot assembly the frame further comprises a first frame end surface 116 and the flap further comprises a first flap end surface 363corresponding to the first frame end surface. In this embodiment the flap and frame are configured such that substantially no wind can pass through the flap when the flap is in a fully closed position. When the flap is not in its fully closed position a space - W- is formed between the first flap end surface and the first frame end surface, the space comprising a first opening through which wind can come into the space and a second opening through which wind can go out the space, and the first opening is smaller than the second opening such that wind impacting on the flap urges the flap into the fully closed position.

Description

SLOT ASSEMBLY

The subject invention relates to a slot assembly. More particularly the subject invention relates to a slot assembly suitable for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door.

Various slot assemblies for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door are known. One type of slot assembly comprises a flap which is pivotable about a pivot point located in the middle portion of the flap between its top end and its bottom end for covering the mail slot. The disclosure of International patent publication No. W091/Ol 671 provides a description of such a known slot assembly.

There is however a problem associated with these known slot assemblies. Such known slot assemblies are designed to be opened by pushing a lower part of the flap (i.e. a part of the flap which is located below its pivot axis,) towards the inside of a room, but not the other way around. In other words, pushing an upper part of the flap cannot open the slot assembly. Therefore a postman cannot simply push anywhere on the flap to open the mail slot, but instead he has to push the lower part of the flap. This is not ideal because a postman may not want to exercise great care to find the right push point when delivering a letter/package. Rather, he might simply want to push a letter/package into the slot easily and quickly. Consequently, often, when a letter is pushed onto the upper part of the flap of such a slot assembly, the force exercised on the letter would result in the letter being folded or ruptured. This would not be desirable, in particular when a relatively rigid item, e.g. a photograph, is enclosed in the letter. A desire of the subject invention is to overcome or alleviate the above problem.

In one aspect, the subject invention provides a slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door, comprising: a frame having a slot; a flap for covering said slot of the frame, said flap being pivotable about a pivot axis which is located in a middle portion of the flap between its top end and its bottom end; and an actuator; wherein when the actuator is pushed towards the flap, the actuator pushes the flap to enable the flap to be pivotally opened.

In another aspect, the subject invention provides a slot assembly for mounting around or filling into a mail slot of a door, comprising: a frame having a slot, said frame comprising a first frame end surface; and a flap for covering said slot of the frame, the flap comprising a first flap end surface corresponding to the first frame end surface, and said flap being pivotable about a pivot axis for opening or closing the slot of the frame; wherein the flap and the frame are configured in such shapes that substantially no wind can pass through the flap when the flap is in a fully closed position, and that when the flap is not in its fully closed position, a space is formed between the first flap end surface and the first frame end surface, the space comprises a first opening through which wind can come into the space, and a second opening through which wind can go out the space, and the first opening is smaller than the second opening.

Preferred features and associated advantages will be set out in the following paragraphs

of the description and the appended claims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are now described by way of example only with reference to Figs. 1-8 of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a sectional view of a slot assembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the subject invention, which is filled into a mail slot of a door, showing a flap of the slot assembly in its closed position and an actuator of the slot assembly in its resting position;.

Figure 2 shows the slot assembly of Figure 1 with its flap in a rotated open position; Figure 3A is a side view of a flap of a slot assembly in accordance with a further embodiment of the subject invention; Figure 3B is a front view of the flap of Figure 3A; Figure 3C is a rear view of the flap of Figure 3A; Figure 4A shows a front view of a frame of a slot assembly in accordance with an additional embodiment of the subject invention, which can cooperate with the flap of Figure3A; Figure 4B shows a rear view of the frame of Figure 4A; Figure 4C is a sectional view of the frame of Figure 4A; Figure 5 is a sectional view of a slot assembly comprising the flap of Figure 3A and the frame of Figure 4A with the flap in a rotated open position; Figure 6 shows the slot assembly of Figure 5 with its flap shown in a lifted open position; Figure 7 shows a sectional view of a slot assembly according to a further embodiment of the subject invention; and Figure 8 shows a modification of the slot assembly shown in Figure 7.

Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a slot assembly cutting along a direction perpendicularly to a pivot axis 40 of a flap of the slot assembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the subject invention.

The slot assembly 10 is fitted into a mail slot of a door. It can also be mounted around a mail slot of a door. The area shown marked with an "A1' is an area outside the door.

The area shown marked with a "B" is an area inside the door. The area shown marked "C" is a part of the door above the slot assembly 10. The area shown marked with a "D" is an area of the door below slot assembly 10.

As shown in Figure 1, the slot assembly 10 comprises a frame member ii having a slot corresponding to the mail slot of the door, a flap 12 for covering said slot of the frame and an actuator 17. The frame member 11 comprises a lower portion 11 a, an upper portion I lb, and two side portions 11 c and lid (see Figure 4A for example). The slot of the frame member is surrounded by said lower, upper and side portions. The flap 12 is connected to the frame and is pivotable therein about a pivot axis 40 which is located in a middle portion of the flap 12 between its top end and its bottom end. Preferably the middle portion of the flap 12 spans within 50% of the height of the flap 12, and is centered at the middle point of the height of the flap (i.e. at one half of the flap from the top surface 12c to the bottom surface 12d). More preferably the middle portion of the flap spans within 30%, even more preferably 15%, yet more preferably 5% of the height of the flap 12, and is centered at one half of the height of the flap. Even more preferably the middle portion refers to the middle point of the height of the flap. The flap 12 is capable of pivoting open to allow a letter/package to be posted through the door from the outside "A" to the inside "B". The flap 12 has a front surface 12a facing towards the area A', a rear surface 12b, facing towards the area B', a top surface 12c and a bottom surface 12d. The upper portion 150 of the flap 12 has a stepped configuration as shown in Figure 1. This stepped configuration can be formed by cutting out the top surface l2e of the flap 12 downwardly and backwardly.

Alternatively, the whole flap can be molded to form the stepped configuration. The upper portion 150 thus includes a recess 133 and a protrusion part 134. As shown in Figure 1, the upper portion 1 lb of the frame 11 comprises a protrusion part 38 and a recess 36, which respectively correspond to the recess 133 and the protrusion part 134 of the flap. Similar to the upper portion 150 of the flap, the lower portion 151 of the flap 12 has a stepped configuration as shown in Figure 1. This stepped configuration can be formed by cutting out the bottom surface 12d of the flap 12 upwardly and forwardly, or be formed by molding. Thus the lower portion 151 of the flap includes a recess 39 and a protrusion part 37. As shown in Figure 1, the lower portion 11 a of the frame 11 comprises a protrusion part 101 and a recess 102, which respectively correspond to the recess 39 and the protrusion part 37 of the flap. Under such configuration, the flap 12 can be pivotally opened by rotating about the pivot axis 40 in one direction only. When the flap 12 is pivotally opened, its lower portion, i.e. a portion below the pivot axis 40 moves towards the inside of the door ( area "B") and its upper portion moves towards the outside of the door (area "A"), as can be best seen in Fig 2. Also as the flap 12 shuts, the upper flap protrusion 134 is stopped by the upper frame protrusion 38 and the lower flap protrusion 37 is stopped by the lower frame protrusion 101 such that the closure is sufficiently tight so as to prevent draughts of wind penetrating through flap 12 from outside of the door.

As showir in Figures I and 2, the upper surface of the actuator 17 is pivotally connected to the upper portion 1 lb of the frame of the slot assembly at a pivot axis 18. The actuator is rotatable in a "Z" direction shown in Figure 1. The actuator 17 is arranged to be located in front of the flap 12, (i.e. located closer to the outside of the door) and is capable of pushing the flap open. More details of the actuator and how it works will be described below.

In its closed position as shown in Figure 1, the flap 12 fully covers the slot of the slot assembly and preferably has such a close fit respectively with the upper part 1 lb of the frame 11 and the lower part 1 la of the frame 11 that the slot of the slot assembly is substantially sealed to prevent draughts of cold air coming through the door from the outside in a situation where the door is for example a front door of a house. When the actuator 17 is pushed towards the flap 12, the flap 12 stays in its fully closed position until the bottom portion 50 of the flap 17 just contacts the surface 12a of the flap 12.

The position of the flap under such a condition is shown in dotted lines in Figure 1.

When the actuator 17 is pushed further, the flap 12 is forced to be pivotally opened by the actuator 17, as shown in Figure 2, so that a letter/package can be posted through a slot K. In the present embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the actuator 17 is in the form of a flap for covering the slot of the frame so as to further prevent draughts of wind penetrating through from outside of the door. The lower portion 11 a of the frame II has a stop portion 51 which protrudes upwardly from the top surface 112 of the lower frame portion I la, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. When the actuator 17 is in its resting position as shown in solid lines in Figure 1, the stop portion 51 of the lower frame portion 11 a engages the bottom portion 50 of actuator 17 to prevent the actuator from rotating to its natural resting position where there is a point on the pivot axis of the

S

actuator which is located in a vertical line with the center of the mass of the actuator.

Under such a configuration, the force of gravity forces the actuator 17 to rest against the stop portion 51 to prevent wind or draughts from blowing towards the flap 12 from the outside.

Preferably there is no point on the pivot axis of the flap 12 is located in a vertical line with its center of mass when the flap 12 is in the fully shut position so that the flap 12 can be kept shut under the force of gravity. Various structures can be adopted to achieve this purpose. For example, for a substantially regular rectangular shaped flap 12 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the center of mass is generally in the middle along its thickness. The pivot axis 40 can be located nearer to (compared to the center of mass) or on the front surface 12a of the flap 12. When the flap 12 is in its fully closed position as shown in Figure 1, the flap 12 is kept shut under the force of gravity. The nearer the pivot point 40 to the front surface 12a of the flap, the more rotating closing force is achieved. Even more preferably, the pivot point is located on the higher part of the front surface 12a of the flap to increase the rotating closing bias of the flap.

Alternatively, various shapes of the flap in which the center of mass is not located in the middle along its thickness can be used.

The slot assembly 10 of this embodiment has the advantage that it can be easily opened by a postman seeking to post a letter/packet through the mail slot. Instead of pushing an area of the flap below its pivot axis 40 towards the inside of a room, a postman can push any portion of the actuator 17 to open the flap 12.

Figures 4A to 4C shows a frame 11 according to a further embodiment of the subject invention. The frame 11 shown in Figures 4A to 4C is similar to the frame of Figure 1 (the same reference numerals are used). The main difference is that the frame 11 further comprises two supporting portions l4a. In particular, as shown in Figure 4C, the side portion I Id has a first portion 14 and a second portion 15. The first portion is located facing closer to the outside of the door (i.e. area "A" in Figure 1). As can be best seen in Figure 4A, which is a front view of the frame, the upper portion l4b of the first portion 14 of the frame is narrower than the lower portion/supporting portion l4a of the first portion 14 of the side frame portion I ldl, thus the lower portion/support portion 14a of the first portion 14 of the side frame portion lid has a protruded part relative to the upper portion 14b. Such protruded part is also formed on the side frame portions 11 c. In this embodiment, the lower portion is the supporting portion 14a.

Such protruded part has a top surface 141 on each side, as best see in Figure 4k As can be seen from Figure 48, the upper portion 1 5b of the second portion 15 of the frame 11 is wider than the corresponding lower portion 1 Sa of the second portion 15 of the frame 11 on each side.

As can be seen from Figures 4A and 48, the upper portion l4b of the first portion 14 of each of the side portions of the frame 11 is narrower than the corresponding upper portion 1 5b of the second portion 15 of each of the side portions of the frame, and the lower portion 14a of the first portion 14 is wider than the corresponding lower portion 1 5a of the second portion 15. In the side view of the slot assembly shown in Figure 5, different shadows have been used to show that the upper portion 1 4b and the lower portion 14a of the first portion 14 and the upper portion I Sb and the lower portion 1 5a of the second portion 15 are each not in the same surface.

Figures 3A to 3C show a flap 12 of a slot assembly according to a further embodiment of the subject invention. The flap 12 comprises a front surface I 2a facing towards the outside of a door, a rear surface 12b facing towards the inside of a door, a top surface 12c, a bottom surface 12d and two side surfaces. The flap is rotatable about a pivot axis 41 which is located on the front surface 12a of the flap 12. The flap 12 has a front portion 121 and a rear portion 122 overlapping each other. The front surface 12a of the flap 12 is formed by the front surface of the front flap portion 121, and the rear surface 12b of the flap 12 is formed by the rear surface of the rear flap portion 122. The top surface 12c of the flap 12 includes a surface portion 132, which is formed by the top surface of the rear portion 122, and a surface portion 142, which is formed by the top surface of the front portion 121. Similarly, the bottom surface I 2d of the flap 12 includes a surface portion 131, which is formed by the bottom surface of the rear portion 122, and a surface portion 141, which is formed by the bottom surface of the front portion 121.

Similar to the first embodiment of the slot assembly discussed in Figures 1 and 2, when the flap of Figures 3A to 3C is fitted onto the frame of Figures 4A to 4C, the top surface 142 of the front portion 121 of the flap protrudes towards the upper frame portion 1 lb. The bottom surface 131 of the rear portion 122 of the flap protrudes towards the lower frame portion 11 a. The protrusion part 134 of the flap cooperates with the corresponding recess 36 of the upper portion 1 lb of the frame of the slot assembly. The recess 133 of the flap cooperates with the protrusion part 38 of the frame 11. The protrusion part 37 of the flap 12 cooperates with the recess 102 of the lower portion 11 a of the frame. The recess 39 of the flap cooperates with the protrusion portion 101 of the lower portion 1 Ia of the frame. When the flap is in its fully closed position, the protrusion part 134 of the flap 12 fits into the recess 36 of the frame, and the lower protrusion part 37 of the flap fits into its corresponding recess 102 of the lower frame portion 1 Ia of the frame.

is As can be best seen in Figure 3B, the upper portion 121a of the front portion 121 of the flap is wider than the lower portion l2lb of the front portion 121 of flap 12, thus the upper portion 121 a has a protruded part on each side relative to the lower portion 12 lb. Such protruded part has a bottom surface 151 on each side.

As can be best seen from Figure 3C, the lower portion I 22b of the rear portion 122 of the flap 12 is wider than the upper portion l22a of the rear portion 122 of the flap, thus the lower portion 1 22b has a protruded part on each side relative to the upper portion I 22b. Such protruded part has an upper surface 152 on each side.

As shown in Figures 3B and 3C, the lower portion I2lb of the front portion 121 is narrower than the lower portion l22b of the rear portion 122 and the upper portion 121a of the front portion 121 of the flap is wider than the upper portion 122a of the rear portion 122 of the flap,. The shapes of the side portions lic and lid of the frame correspond to the shapes of the side portions of the flap.

Under such configurations of the flap 12 and the frame II, the bottom surface 151 of the protruded part of the upper portion 121 a of the front flap portion 121 and the upper surface 152 of protruded part of the lower portion 1 22b of the rear flap portion 122 are capable of engaging the side portion 1 ic/i Id of the frame on each side. Therefore the side portions ii c and lid of the frame ii are capable of guiding the flap to enable the flap to slide thereon when the flap is not in its frilly closed position. Preferably by adjusting the thickness of the lower portions l4a of the first portions 14 of the side portions lic and lid of the frame 11, the side portions llc and lid are capable of guiding the flap to slide only along the upper portions 1 5b of the respective second portions 15 of the respective side portions I ic and lid of the frame when the flap is not in its fully closed position. More details will be explained with reference to Figure 6.

When the flap is in its fully closed position (not shown), the bottom surfaces 151 of the upper portions 121 a (see Figure 38) on both sides of the front portion 121 of the flap rest on the respective top surfaces 141 of the supporting portions i4a (See Fig 4A).

As shown in Figure 5, when the actuator is pushed against the flap 12, the flap 12 is forced open by rotating about the pivot axis 41 while the flap is still supported by the supporting portions 14a. The pivot axis 41 of the flap is located on the upper surfaces 141 of the protruded portions 14a of the frame.

Since the flap engages the side portions of the frame and is slidable along the upper portions 1 Sb of the respective second portions 15 of the side portions of the frame, when the actuator 17 is pushed further against the flap 12, the flap 12 will be then lifted upwardly by the actuator 17 to its fully opened position, as shown in Figure 6. Under such condition, the flap is not supported by the supporting portions 14a any more, as shown in Figure 6. As a result, a large opening K' in the slot assembly is provided so that a large package can be posted through the slot assembly.

Preferably the flap and the actuator are arranged in such a way that the flap can be pivotally opened by the actuator to a maximum of 45°C before it is lifted by the actuator 17 so that the flap does not need to be further lifted in order to post thin letters/packages. Various ways can be used to achieve this purpose, for example by adjusting the distance between the flap and the actuator. In a case where such distance is fixed (for example by the thickness of a door), the relative positioning of the actuator can be adjusted upwardly and downwardly to achieve this purpose. Although in this embodiment when the flap is in its fully closed position, the flap in a substantially vertical position, it can also be inclined forward or backward by up to 45°C when it is in its fully closed position and still function effectively.

Compared to the first embodiment of the slot assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2, the slot assembly according to the present embodiment has an additional advantage that a thicker package/letter which cannot or is difficult to go through the opening K of the first embodiment can be posted through the bigger opening K' of the slot assembly according to the present embodiment.

Compared to the prior art slot assembly disclosed in the International patent publication No. W091/O 1671, the embodiment shown in Figures 3A to 5, and 6 has an additional advantage. If a thick package/letter needs to be posted through the slot of the slot assembly ofWO9l/01671, a postman has to use two hands. One hand is required to lift the flap whilst the other hand is required to post the package through the slot. The embodiment shown in Figures 3A to 6 overcomes this problem by providing an actuator which is used to lift the flap. A postman can simply use a thick package to press the actuator which in turn rotates and then lifts the flap so that the thick package can be posted with one hand only. Therefore this embodiment allows single handed operation, without the fingers even touching the flap or door to reduce the possibility of hurting fingers as could have happened in the prior art.

One further problem associated with the prior art slot assembly disclosed in International patent publication No. WO9lfOl67l is that it had a tendency not to fully close if opened.

Figure 7 shows a further embodiment of a slot assembly. The desire of this embodiment is to overcome or alleviate the above mentioned problem of not fully closing of the flap. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment of Figure 5, and the same reference numerals are used. When a flap 12 is closing from an open position to a position which is just before the protrusion part 134 of the front portion 121 of the flap 12 enters into the recess 36 of the upper portion 1 lb of the frame 11, as shown in Figure 7, a space W (which is shown by shading) is fonned by the recess 36 of the upper portion llb of the frame and the recess 133 of the rear portion 122 of the flap 12.

In other words, the space W is formed by a bottom surface 361 of the recessed portion 116 of the upper portion 1 lb of the frame, a front surface 362 of the protrusion part 38 of the upper portion of the frame, the top surface 132' of the rear portion 122 of the flap and the rear surface 363 of the top protrusion part 134 of the flap. The space W comprises a first opening P through which (in windy situations) wind comes into the space, and a second opening Q through which wind goes out of the space. As a result, pressure is built up in the space W, which prevents the flap from closing. In order that the flap can easily close to its fully closed position even if in these windy conditions, to the flap and the frame are configured in such shapes that the first opening P is smaller than the second opening Q. By having such configuration, less pressure is built up in the area W, which results in there being a smaller force needed to be derived from the gravity and the wind impacting on the flap from outside of the door to overcome the pressure in the area W to fully close the flap. In other words, a larger force which tends to close the flap can be derived from the gravity and the wind impacting the flap from outside the door.

Different ways can be used to achieve the above-mentioned configuration of the flap and the frame. In the present embodiment, the top surface 132' of the rear portion 122 of the flap is inclined downwardly and rearwardly, rather than being horizontal as shown in dotted lines in Figure 7, which is the shape of the flap of the slot assembly of Figure 1 or Figure 5. In addition, the bottom surface 38a of the protruded part 38 of the upper portion 1 lb of the frame 11 is inclined upwardly and frontwardly, rather than horizontal as shown in dotted lines in Figure 7, which is the shape of the frame of the slot assembly of Figure 1 or Figure 5. The inclined surfaces can also be tapered surfaces or other shapes which can achieve the same purpose. As can be seen from Figure 7, by having the inclined or tapered top surface 132' of the flap and or the inclined or tapered bottom surface 38a of the frame, the opening Q of the space W is enlarged compared to the such opening of the slot assembly of Figure 1 (which has the horizontal top surface 12c of the flap 12 and the horizontal bottom surface of the upper portion lib of the frame) or Figure 5 (which has the horizontal top surface 132 of the rear portion 122 of the flap and the horizontal bottom surface of the protrusion part 38 of the upper portion 1 lb of the frame). When the flap is in its fully closed position, substantially no wind can pass through a gap between the top end surface 12c of the flap and the bottom end surface of the frame. When the flap is in the position shown in Figure 7, since the opening Q is larger than the opening P. less pressure is in the space W. The pressure in the space W tends to open the flap. In non-windy conditions the flap can close and be kept in its fully closed position due to the effect of gravity. Even in windy conditions, the flap can close to its fully closed position because less force needs to be derived from gravity and the wind from the outside of the door to overcome the anti-closing pressure in the space W. to As can be understood by the people skilled in the art, it is not necessary that both of the top surface 132' of the flap and the bottom surface 38a of the upper potion of the frame are inclined. Also a bottom surface 361 (shown in Figure 7) of the recessed part 116 (shown in Figure 7) of the upper portion 1 lb of the frame can be inclined downwardly and frontwardly or tapered, and or the top surface 142 of the protrusion part 134 of the is front portion 121 of the flap can be inclined upwardly and rearwardly or tapered to reduce the size of the opening P to ensure the opening P is smaller than the opening Q. Preferably, as also shown in Figure 7, the bottom surface l2d of the flap 12 has the same configuration as the top surface 12c of the flap 12. When the flap is in the position of Figure 7, a space W' (which is shown in shading) is formed by the recess 102 of the lower portion ila of the frame and the recess 39 of the front portion 121 of the flap 12. The space comprises a first opening P' through which wind comes into the space, and a second opening Q' through which wind goes out of the space when there is wind. The first opening P' is configured to be smaller than the second opening Q' by having the bottom surface 141' of the front portion 121 of the flap inclined downwardly and frontwardly, and having the top surface of the protrusion part 101 inclined upwardly arid rearwardly. When the flap is in its fully closed position, substantially no wind can pass through a gap between the bottom end surface 1 2d of the flap and the top end surface of the bottom portion 1 la of the frame. When the flap is in the position shown in Figure 7, since the opening Q' is larger than the opening P', less pressure is in the space W'. The pressure in the space W' tends to open the flap. The flap can close in non-windy conditions to its fully closed position and be kept in its fully closed position due to the effect of gravity. In this embodiment, even in windy conditions, the flap can close to its fully closed position because less force needs to be derived from the gravity and the wind from the outside of the door to overcome the anti-closing pressure in the space W'. Alternatively or additionally, as shown in Figure 7, the bottom surface 131 of the protrusion part 37 of the rear portion 122 is inclined upwardly and frontwardly or tapered, and or the top surface 105 of the recessed portion 117 of the frame is inclined downwardly and rearwardly or tapered to enlarge the opening Q' to ensure the opening Q' is larger than the opening P. Preferably the slot assembly further comprises an actuator which is used to push the flap to open. The configuration of such actuator can be same as the ones discussed in relation to the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 8 shows a further embodiment of a slot assembly similar to the slot assembly of Figure 7 (the same reference numerals are used herein). An actuator 17 is also shown is in dotted lines, The top surface 12c of the flap is tapered corresponding to the bottom surface of the upper portion 1 lb of the frame. The bottom surface 12d of the flap is also inclined corresponding to the top surface of the bottom portion I I a of the frame.

The upper frame portion 11 b further comprises an extension portion 190 extending from the recessed part 116 of the upper frame portion towards area "A". The shape of the extension portion 190 corresponds to the shape of the protrusion part 134 of the front portion 121 of the flap. Such configuration allows the control of the gap between the bottom surface of the upper portion 1 lb of the frame and the top surface of the flap.

The configurations of the slot assembly of the embodiments shown in Figures 7 and 8 can also be combined with the configurations of the slot assembly of Figure 5. In other words, the slot assembly can have the feature that the flap can be rotated and or lifted within the frame by the actuator (discussed with Figure 5), and also have the feature that the shapes of the flap and or the frame are configured to reduce the anti-closing pressure built up in the gap between flap and the frame.. As a result, the slot assembly can have the advantages that a post man can use only one hand to post a thick letter/package through the mail slot, and that the flap can close to its fully closed position even under the windy condition.

Although the actuator disclosed in the embodiments of the subject invention is a flap rotatably connected to the frame and fully covers the slot of the frame, other shapes or configurations can be used. For example, the actuator can only partially cover the slot as long as it can open the flap to open the slot of the frame. Moreover, the actuator can be in a shape of a wedge located in front of the flap. The sharp edge of the wedge faces towards the flap. The actuator is movable towards or away from the flap. Under such configuration, the actuator can force the flap to be rotatably opened or be lifted opened when the actuator is pushed against the flap.

The subject invention is not limited to a flap for a mail slot of a door. It can also relate to a flap for a slot of a video/tape cassette player, milk bottles, cartons, containers or similar things.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door, comprising: a frame having a slot; a flap for covering said slot of the frame, said flap being pivotable about a pivot axis which is located in a middle portion of the flap between its top end and its bottom end; and an actuator; wherein when the actuator is pushed towards the flap, the actuator pushes the flap to enable the flap to be pivotally opened.
2. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim I, wherein the flap is movable within the slot of the frame, and the actuator is further arranged to be able to lift the flap to fully open the slot of the frame.
3. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said middle portion of the flap spans within 50% of the height of the flap, and is centered at one half of the height of the flap, preferably wherein said middle portion of the flap spans within 30%, more preferably 15%, yet more preferably 5% of the height of the flap, and is centered at one half of the height of the flap, and wherein even more preferably said middle portion is in the exact middle point of the flap between its top end and its bottom end.
4. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any preceding claim, wherein there is no point on the pivot axis of the flap is located in a vertical line with the center of the mass of the flap when the flap is fully shut so that the flap can be kept shut under the force of gravity.
5. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 4, wherein said pivot axis of the flap is located on the flap and is closer to a surface of the flap which faces towards the actuator as compared to the center of the mass of the flap.
6. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 4, wherein said pivot axis of the flap is located on a surface of the flap which faces towards the actuator.
7. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any preceding claim, wherein the pivot axis is located in an area surrounding the centre of mass of said flap, said area encompassing between 0.1 % and 10% of the total mass of said flap.
8. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any preceding claim, wherein the actuator is mounted on the frame.
9. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 8, wherein the actuator is pivotally mounted on the frame.
10. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 9, wherein when the actuator is in a resting position, the pivot point of the actuator and the center of the mass of the actuator are not in a vertical line.
11. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 10, wherein said frame comprises a stop potion which engages with the actuator when the actuator is in its resting position.
12. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any preceding claim, wherein the actuator is a flap for at least partially covering the slot of the frame.
13. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any preceding claim, wherein said frame further comprises a guiding means for guiding the movement of the flap.
14. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 13, wherein the flap is slidable along the guiding means.
15. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 14, wherein said guiding means is provided on an inner peripheral portion of said frame defining said slot of the frame.
16. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door, comprising: a frame having a slot, said frame comprising a first frame end surface; and a flap for covering said slot of the frame, the flap comprising a first flap end to surface corresponding to the first frame end surface, and said flap being pivotable about a pivot axis for opening or closing the slot of the frame; wherein the flap and the frame arc configured in such shapes that substantially no wind can pass through the flap when the flap is in a fully closed position, and that when the flap is not in its fully closed position, a space is formed between the first flap is end surface and the first frame end surface, the space comprises a first opening through which wind can come into the space, and a second opening through which wind can go out the space, and the first opening is smaller than the second opening.
17. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 16, wherein the frame further comprises a second frame end surface opposite to the first frame end surface, the flap further comprises a second flap end surface opposite to the first flap end surface, the second frame end surface corresponds to the second flap end surface, and when the flap is not in its fully closed position, a second space is formed between the second flap end surface and the second frame end surface, the second space comprises a third opening through which wind can come into the space, and a forth opening through which wind can go out of the space, and the third opening is smaller than the forth opening.
18. A slot assembly according to claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the first flap end surface has a stepped configuration and the first frame end surface has a stepped configuration corresponding to the stepped configuration of the first flap surface.
19. A slot assembly according to any one of the claims 16 -18, wherein the flap comprises a first flap portion having said first flap end surface, the first flap portion includes a recessed part and a protruded part which form said stepped configuration of the flap, and wherein the frame comprises a first frame portion having said first frame end surface, the first frame portion includes a recessed part and a protruded part which form said stepped configuration of the frame, the recessed part of the first frame portion and the protruded part of the first frame portion corresponds to the protruded part of the first flap portion and the recessed part of the first flap portion respectively.
20. A slot assembly according to claim 19, said first flap end surface is formed by an end surface of the recessed part of the flap and an end surface of the protruded part of the flap, said first frame end surface is formed by an end surface of the recessed part of the frame and an end surface of the protruded part of the frame, and said space is formed by the end surface of the recessed part of the frame and the end surface of the recessed part of the flap.
21. A slot assembly according to any one of the claims 16 -18, wherein the flap comprises a first flap portion having said first flap end surface, the first flap portion includes a recess and a protrusion which form said stepped configuration of the flap, and wherein the frame comprises a first frame portion having said first frame end surface, the first frame portion includes a recess and a protrusion which form said stepped configuration of the frame, the recess of the first frame portion and the protrusion of the first frame portion engage the protrusion of the first flap portion and the recess of the first flap portion respectively when the flap is in a fully closed position.
22. A slot assembly according to claim 21, wherein said space is formed by the recess of the first frame portion and the recess of the first flap portion.
23. A slot assembly according to claim 21 or claim 22, wherein the space is formed just before the protrusion of the first frame portion enters into the recess of the first flap portion.
24. A slot assembly according to any one of the claims 16 -23, wherein the first flap end surface is a top surface of the flap, and said first frame end surface is a bottom surface of a top portion of the frame.
25. A slot assembly according to any one of the claims 16 -23, wherein the first flap end surface is a bottom surface of the flap, and said first frame end surface is a top surface of a bottom portion of the frame.
26. A slot assembly according to any one of the claims 16 -23, wherein the first flap end surface is a side surface of the flap, and said first frame end surface is a side surface of a side portion of the frame.
27. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any of claims 16-26, wherein there is no point on the pivot axis of the flap which is located in a vertical line with the center of the mass of the flap when the flap is fully shut so that the flap can be kept shut under the force of gravity.
28. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 27, wherein said pivot axis of the flap is located on the flap and is nearer a surface of the flap which faces towards the actuator compared to the center of the mass of the flap.
29. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 28, wherein said pivot axis of the flap is located on a surface of the flap which is facing towards the actuator.
30. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any of claims 16 to 29, wherein the pivot axis is located in an area surrounding the centre of mass of said flap said area encompassing between 0.1 % and 10% of the total mass of said flap.
31. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any of claims 16 to 30, wherein said frame further comprises a guiding means along which the flap is slidable.
32. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 31, wherein said guiding means is mounted in an inner peripheral portion of said frame defining said slot of the frame.
33. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any of preceding claims 16 to 32, further comprising an actuator, wherein when the actuator is pushed towards the flap, the actuator pushes the flap to enable the flap to be pivotally opened.
34. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 33, wherein the actuator is further arranged to be able to lift the flap to fully open the slot of the frame.
35. A slot assembly for mounting around or filling into a mail slot of a door according to claim 33 or claim 34, wherein the actuator is mounted on the frame.
36. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 35, wherein the actuator is pivotally mounted on the frame.
37. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 36, wherein when the actuator is in a resting position, the pivot point of the actuator and the center of the mass of the actuator are not in a vertical line.
38. A slot assembly for mounting around or filling into a mail slot of a door according to claim 37, wherein said frame comprises a stop potion which engages the actuator when the actuator is in its resting position.
39. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any of preceding claims 33 to 38, wherein the actuator is a flap for at least partially covering the slot of the frame.
40. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any preceding claim, wherein said slot of the frame corresponds to a mail slot of a door.
41. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to any of claims 16-40, wherein said pivot axis is located in a middle portion of the flap between its top end and its bottom end.
42. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door according to claim 41, wherein said middle portion of the flap spans within 50% of the height of the flap, and is centered at one half of the height of the flap, preferably wherein said middle portion of the flap spans within 30%, more preferably 15%, yet more preferably5% of the height of the flap, and is centered at one half of the height of the flap, even more preferably wherein said middle portion is in the exact middle point of the flap between its top end and its bottom end.
43. A slot assembly for mounting around or fitting into a mail slot of a door substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.