GB2499195A

GB2499195A - Letterbox with a display and delivery or collection indicator

Info

Publication number: GB2499195A
Application number: GB1202046.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tim Mills; Ben Mills; Sian Mills
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-02-07
Filing date: 2012-02-07
Publication date: 2013-08-14
Also published as: GB201202046D0; WO2013117914A1

Abstract

A letterbox of the kind having a lockable door provided with a delivery slot comprises a display device and a mail indicator. The display device 30 has a backplate and hooks or the like for attaching the backplate to the door using apertures in the door. An area 37 for displaying a name, house number or other recipient identifier is provided with a transparent cover 39. The mail indicator may include a sliding cover 43 which is capable of being changed to signal that incoming mail has been delivered. The mail indicator may be operated automatically, e.g. by raising the flap or operating the door lock. A preference indicator may be used to signal that junk mail is not wanted. A collection indicator 42 may also be provided which is capable of being changed to signal that outgoing mail is available for collection.

Description

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LETTERBOX WITH A DISPLAY DEVICE

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to letterboxes of the kind having a lockable door provided with a delivery slot.

BACKGROUND

Such letterboxes can be found singly outside premises and dwellings, or grouped together outside buildings or in the entrance halls/foyers of residences and business premises where multiple occupancies exist under the same roof. Grouped letterboxes are also found in Post Offices where people have a P.O Box address.

Most of these letterboxes are made of sheet steel, more decorative models being of cast iron. In certain countries, e.g. France, the postman/woman carries a master key for all letter boxes. This allows the person who delivers the post to unlock the door of the letterbox and place items inside the box which otherwise would be

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too large to pass through the letter box slot. Some postal services also offer the facility to collect mail from premises as well as deliver. Certain letterbox models have two doors, one at each end of the letterbox, and this model is sometimes placed into walls where the occupant of the premises can open the letterbox from within their property. The door that opens into the property does not have a nameplate facility, just a locking device.

There are a number of common problems relating to letterboxes. On many occasions the letterbox does not carry the name of the householder or occupants of the premises, which makes it difficult to identify the recipient of the mail to be delivered. Over 50% of letterboxes in semi-rural areas either have no name on the letterbox, or have names which are only partially visible. The postman/woman therefore has to enquire from neighbours where a certain person resides, which wastes time and makes the delivery round longer to complete. And if a vehicle is used for such mail deliveries, which is often the case in semi-rural areas, transport costs increase accordingly. On occasions when the postman/woman cannot find the correct name they may leave mail in someone else's letterbox and hope it reaches its destination.

There are a number of reasons why these letterboxes are not marked appropriately. Some people believe the postman will eventually find out who lives in the house and do not bother, or simply do not wish to be identified. But in many cases the marked name becomes bleached by the sun and totally illegible. Sometimes the removable plastic name holder which is provided

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with the box becomes damaged, broken, or deteriorates with age, making any name extremely difficult to read. This unsealed name holder is normally exposed to the elements allowing rain to enter. Furthermore, since the paper nameplate is placed next to the metal door, condensation comes into direct contact with the nameplate making the name eligible. It is not possible to buy a replacement name holder, and most people are not prepared to buy a new letterbox just to have a new name plate which will quickly suffer from the same deficiencies as the old one.

Due to the fact that there is no fixed delivery time for mail, and all mail is not necessarily delivered by the same agency, the receiver of mail is never quite sure whether mail has been delivered. Many householders look through their letterbox flap in an attempt to see if there is any mail in the box, but the interior of the letterbox is extremely dark, and the chances of seeing a letter at the bottom of the box are slim. For those who live in larger towns and cities it has become almost a habit that one of the first actions people do when returning from work is to take out their key and unlock the letterbox to check whether they have any mail. This is time consuming and unnecessary when the letterbox is empty. Furthermore, members of the public living in small towns and rural locations do not keep the letterbox key on their person and they have to return to the house and re-visit their letterbox in order to check whether they have mail. Many people, both young and old, have to descend staircases, leave the warmth of their houses, and cross their gardens to open their letter boxes only to find that no mail has been delivered. This is a great inconvenience particularly

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in the colder wetter months of the year, and especially for the elderly.

The present invention seeks to provide a new and inventive yet simple adaptation to a letterbox which takes account of the shortcomings discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention proposes a letterbox of the kind having a lockable door provided with a delivery slot, the distinguishing feature being that the letterbox is provided with a display device having an area for displaying a name, house number or other recipient identifier, and a mail indicator which is capable of being changed to signal the delivery of mail.

In one embodiment the mail indicator may include a sliding cover, which may be manually operated. The mail indicator may also be operated by a flap covering the delivery slot, operated by the door lock, or by a mail sensor.

An embodiment of the display device may also include a preference indicator for signalling that junk mail is not wanted.

The display device preferably includes a collection indicator which is capable of being changed to signal that outgoing mail is available for collection. The collection indicator may include a

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sliding cover and may be manually operated or operated by the door lock.

In letterboxes of the kind in which the door is provided with one or more apertures for attaching a nameplate cover the backplate is preferably attached to the door by means of the said aperture or apertures. The backplate may conveniently be provided with integral hooks for engagement in the said aperture or apertures.

Another embodiment of the display device may include an electronically programmable display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description and the accompanying drawings referred to therein are included by way of non-limiting example in order to illustrate how the invention may be put into practice. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a general view of a letterbox which can be provided with a display device in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of a first form of the display device showing one configuration of the device;

Figure 3 is a top edge view of the display device;

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Figure 4 is another front view showing the display device in a different configuration;

Figure 5 is a front view of a second form of the device;

Figure 6 is a font view of a third form of the device;

Figure 7 is a general view of a letterbox provided with a fourth electronic version of the display device;

Figure 8 is front view of a fifth form of the device; and

Figure 9 shows the fifth form of the device in a different configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, the letterbox 1 includes a metal housing 2 which may be mounted on a post or wall or set into a wall, for example. The letterbox has a pressed metal door 3 which is attached to the housing 2 by hinges 4 and 5. In many letterboxes the metal pin that acts as a hinge can be easily removed and is held in place with a small plastic bung. Once removed the pin can be pulled out releasing the door. The door is also provided with a key-operated lock 6 which allows the door to be locked shut to secure the contents of the box. A slot 7 at the top of the door 3 allows mail to be placed in the box by a postal delivery service,

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and for weather protection the slot may be covered by a flap 8 which is hinged to the door at its top edge 9. The door 3 is provided with an area 10 to receive a nameplate such as paper strip with a name written upon it. Weather protection is normally provided by a transparent cover (not shown) which can be fixed over the nameplate by releasable engagement with one or more fixing apertures. In this case two vertical slot apertures 11 and 12 and two longer horizontal slot apertures 13 and 14 are provided in a rectangular configuration. In some letterboxes the door may be hinged at the bottom and the nameplate cover may be in a different position (e.g. in the bottom part of the door), but the dimensions and spacing of the vertical slot apertures 11 and 12 have been found to be substantially the same in the majority of common letterbox types. However, a small number of letterboxes have a single rectangular aperture, or no apertures at all.

In accordance with the invention, the letterbox is provided with a moulded plastic display device 30, a first example of which is shown in Fig.s 2 to 4. The device includes a rectangular backplate 31 having a pair of integrally moulded hooks 32 and 33 formed at opposite ends to enable the device to be mounted on the door 3 by reception in the vertical apertures 11 and 12. Since the hooks can be prized out of the apertures, a pair of straps 34 and 35 may be secured to the backplate as shown. These straps may be passed through the apertures 11 and 12 and joined together inside the box using hook and loop fastenings or other means. The straps can only be released, allowing the display device to be removed from the door, by unlocking the door to gain assess to

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the straps. The outwardly-directed hooks 32 and 33 could be used to fix the device to letterboxes having a single rectangular aperture provided the hooks are configured to engage opposite sides of the aperture. In the small number of letterboxes which have no preexisting apertures, or in newly constructed letterboxes, the backplate may be bonded to a convenient place on the front of the letterbox using a suitable adhesive.

The front of the backplate is surrounded by a continuous peripheral wall 36 which supports a display panel 37 spaced from the backplate. The display panel allows the name of a mail recipient to be marked directly on the panel or marked on a paper strip which is then applied to the panel. Instead of, or in addition to, the name of an individual or business recipient, a house or flat number or any other recipient identifier may be applied to the display panel. A transparent cover 39 is clipped or otherwise affixed onto the display panel covering the name. The cover is preferably sealed around its periphery, and may be hinged to an adjacent edge of the display panel, as shown, using a suitable weatherproof hinge. Since there is an air gap between the front display panel 37 and the metal door there is considerably less risk of humidity and condensation causing deterioration of the name marking.

At opposite ends of the front display panel 37 there are gaps between the display panel and the wall 36 forming two windows 40 and 41 through which an area of the backplate is visible at each end. Each window contains a sliding opaque cover 42 and 43

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which, by means of a projecting pusher bar 44, can be slid behind the display panel 37 to reveal the backplate. One of the windows 41 may be used as a mail delivery indicator which displays two different signs to indicate whether or not mail has been delivered. For example, the backplate may carry a symbol, graphic or textual information to indicate that mail has been delivered whilst the cover 43 may carry a different symbol, graphic or text indicating that no delivery has taken place. By way of example, the cover 43 may carry a red cross, as shown in Fig. 2, while the backplate carries a green tick, shown in Fig. 4. Normally the householder will leave the red cross showing, but when the postman/woman delivers mail they slide the cover across to change the sign to a green tick which indicates to the recipient that mail is ready for collection. When the mail is collected the recipient moves the cover back again to show that no mail is waiting.

The other window acts as a combined preference indicator and (if required) a collection indicator. The cover 42 may, for example, carry a "stop" symbol, as shown in Fig. 2, the words "No junk" or other preference sign to indicate that circular letters and general advertising literature are not wanted. In areas where mail is collected the backplate may carry a yellow envelope (Fig. 4), text or another sign which, when visible in window 40, signals to the postman that outgoing mail is available for collection. Normally the "stop" sign will be displayed, but if the householder places an item in the mailbox for collection the cover 42 is slid across to signal that mail is ready for collection.

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Other configurations of the display device are possible. For example, the covers may rotate or slide vertically instead of horizontally to display two (or more) different signals. Fig. 5 shows another configuration of the display device in which one of the covers 43 slides vertically behind a panel 50 which may, for example, be used to bear the name and/or logo of a particular postal organisation such as "La Poste" or "Royal Mail". In this example, the mail indicator is operated by a rigid or flexible linkage arm 51 which moves the cover to the raised position when the flap 8 is raised. A ratchet or one-way clutch system allows the cover to remain in the raised position when the flap is released. The cover can be manually released and reset when the post is collected. Alternatively, instead of having to manually close/re-set the window the action of turning the key to close the door of the letterbox (by a arm system attached to the closing bar) could close and reset the window.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the cover 42 is operated by a linkage arm 52 which slides the cover across when the lock 6 is operated during collection or delivery of post. Again, a ratchet or similar system prevents the cover from returning to the previous position until manually reset.

Fig. 7 shows an electronic version of the display device 60 which is fixed to the vertical slots 11 and 12 as already described. The display device has an LCD or other display screen which may be powered by a battery or small photovoltaic panel 61 mounted in the door 3. The device may be programmed to enable the panel

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60 to display various information such as the name of the recipient and a symbol or words to indicate that junk mail is not wanted. When mail is delivered it triggers a light, sound or vibration sensor 62/63 which could, for example, be operated by raising the flap 8 or contact of the mail with a plate 64 located at the floor of the letterbox. This in turn causes a delivery indicator symbol such as a tick to be displayed on the display panel 60, indicating that the box contains mail. In this version a remote device 65 may be activated via a wire or radio link 66 to emit a sound and/or give a visual indication that mail has been delivered.

In regions that do not provide for collection of mail by the postal services the display device will only require a mail delivery indicator. Furthermore, since the users attitude to junk mail is unlikely to change the preference indicator can be fixed. In the embodiment shown in Fig.s 8 and 9 the junk mail preference is indicated by applying an adhesive "stop" label to the front panel 36. The name of the user is applied to the sliding cover 43. When the name of the user is displayed no mail is waiting, but when mail is delivered the postman/woman moves the slider 43 to indicate that mail is waiting. Moving the slider may, for example, reveal a symbol, graphic or textual information, as shown in Fig. 9, or the name of the user may be displayed against a different colour background, e.g. green.

The display devices can be purchased separately for use with existing letterboxes, but they can also be supplied as standard with new letterboxes. The display devices described above can also be

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used with through-wall double-door letterboxes.

The manual system described above is a sliding system, but could equally be designed as a manual rotary system that displays the relevant information.

Such a system of opening and closing windows on the display device could be fitted with a locking system to prevent young children from playing with the slides. Such a slide locking device would be unlocked and reset once mail has been collected. Such a locking device could include a press release spring or the like.

Whilst the above description places emphasis on the areas which are believed to be new and addresses specific problems which have been identified, it is intended that the features disclosed herein may be used in any combination which is capable of providing a new and useful advance in the art.

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Claims

1. A letterbox of the kind having a lockable door provided with a delivery slot, the distinguishing feature being that the letterbox is provided with a display device having an area for displaying a name, house number or other recipient identifier, and a mail indicator which is capable of being changed to signal the delivery of mail.

2. A letterbox according to Claim 1 in which the mail indicator includes a sliding cover.

3. A letterbox according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the mail indicator is operated by a flap covering the delivery slot.

4. A letterbox according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the mail indicator is operated by the door lock.

5. A letterbox according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the mail indicator is operated by a mail sensor.

6. A letterbox according to any preceding claim in which the display device includes a preference indicator for signalling that junk mail is not wanted.

7. A letterbox according to any preceding claim in which the display device includes a collection indicator which is capable of being changed to signal that outgoing mail is available for

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collection.

8. A letterbox according to Claim 7 in which the collection indicator includes a sliding cover.

9. A letterbox according to Claim 7 or 8 in which the collection indicator is operated by the door lock.

10. A letterbox according to any preceding claim in which the area for displaying a name, house number or other recipient identifier is provided with a transparent cover.

11. A letterbox according to any preceding claim in which the display device includes a backplate provided with means for attaching the backplate to the door.

12. A letterbox according to Claim 11 in which the door is provided with one or more apertures and the backplate is attached to the door by means of the said aperture or apertures.

13. A letterbox according to Claim 12 in which the backplate is provided with integral hooks for engagement in the said aperture or apertures.

14. A letterbox according to Claim 12 or 13 in which the backplate is provided with flexible elements for insertion through respective apertures and the flexible elements have connection means for releasably joining the elements together inside the

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letterbox.

15. A letterbox according to any preceding claim in which the display device comprises an electronically programmable display.

16. A letterbox provided with a display device substantially as described with reference to the drawings.

INTELLECTUAL

PROPERTY OFFICE

Application No: GB 1202046.7 Examiner: Mr Mike Leaning

Claims searched: 1-5&7-16 Date of search: 28 May 2012

Patents Act 1977: Search Report under Section 17

Documents considered to be relevant: