US2421603A

US2421603A - Mailbox signaling device

Info

Publication number: US2421603A
Application number: US571613A
Authority: US
Inventors: Doppelhammer John
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1945-01-06
Filing date: 1945-01-06
Publication date: 1947-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1964-06-03

Description

June v J. DOPPELHAMMER 2,421,603

v MAIL BOX SIGNALING DEVICE Filed Jan. 6, 1945 AWE/V7192 JOHN DOPPELH/IMMEE. J @Q, fl'rroz/vsv Patented June 3, 1947 1 2,421,603 MAm oxsIeNALING DEVICE John'i ljopiielliamnierfTwin LakeslMinn. Application January 6, 194's, Serial No. 5715613 This invention relates to new and useful improvements in -mail boxes and more particularly to a signal device adapted-for use onga mail box to indicate when mail has "been placed therein.

" Anobject of -the present invention-is to provide signal jfl ag carried bysaid arm may readily; be moved into signaling-position,-when mail is placed inthe mailboxby the mailman or by the owner of thebox. v i I i V'Aiilrtherand more 'specific object is to provide asignaling device icinmail boxes comprising a supportingarm of angular formation lhavingia signalingflag secured to one of its: legs and having its other leg pivotally mounted onfa wall of the mail box at a point intermediatethe ends of said leg, whereby when the supporting arm carrying the signal} fla'gis swung into signaling position the free lld Of thG Other leg of the 'ari'nis swung into position to engage a 'deteiit carried by the door of the mail. box, when samuwr (is closed, tlierbyto retain thefsignal in signaling position, the mounting of said signal aim being such that'whenthe'cloor of'the'mail bo'xi opened, the signalfiagwill assume'a non-signaling position and Will remain so until again-manually swung into signaling position when the lniail is placedin the mail box and. the door is closed.

Other objects of the invention resid in the simplemanner-inwhichthe signal is secured to a wall of the mail box; inthe formationof the detent in the flange of the door which is so related to the freeend of'the signal supporting arm that when the signal is swung into signaling position when the mail box dooriscl osed, said free end portion will lockingly engagesaid detent and thereby support the signal in signaling position; and in the formation of thepivot block for supporting the signal arm, which block has means for limiting swinging movement of the armin both directions and also for permitting limited latera'l movement of the supporting armjwhereby it may yield when the fr locking engagement with the detent on the door, when moving the arm into signaling position after the door is closed.

Other objects or the invention in appeai-. rrom the fol owing description and the aceomp nymg 2 Claims: (01. 232 35) the signalinnon-signaling position; a l

ee end 'thereofdis snapped into drawingand will be :pointed out "in the annexed claims. i In the accompanying drawing there-has been disclosed a structuredesigned to carry outthe various objeots'of the invention, butit is to be understood that'the invention isynot confinedto the "exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope=of the claims which follow. In thedrawing; i, U l v Figure 1 is a perspective View o'fa conventional mail box s owing the-inventionapplied thereto and in signaling position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing Figure 3 isan enlarged detail viewshowing the means for lockingthe signal arm in-signaling. position; r 5 I Figure 4 is a sectional plan view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of aportion of a mail boxshowing a modified form of detent, the signaling arm being shown in signaling position; and i i v i i a Figure 6 is a .view similar to Figure 5,- showing the door partially opened to releas' the signaling arm. H s; In the selected embodiment-of the device herein 7 disclosed, there is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, for purposes of disclosure, a conventional mail box generally idosignated by the numeral 2, pro- Vided With'a' door 3 hinged to the body of the box by j suitable pivotsll. 'I'hedooris shown provided i with a niarginal'flange? which in the form of the mail box Jherein disclosed, fits over the open "endoffthe box'when thedoor. is closed. i

A important feature oftlie present invention re'sidesinthe novel means provided f orindicating wlien mail1hasbeen placed in the mailbox. It isriot broadly new to provide mall boxeswith some sorti'of signal which may bemoved intosignaling position when mail is placed the ma'il box to indicate that the box contains n ail which should be re oved therefrom. Most such devices now in common use are rather complicated and ex pensive 'in c'onstruction, and therefore have not become .univer'sally used Others'ofthe Lrnore. simpler t'y'pe have been so fasbionedthat when moved or swung into signaling position, they could remain in suohposition when the door of the mail box is opened, unless manually moved into non-signaling position by the mail man or ownerfo'f'the box, H The novel signaling-device hereindisclosed has. beendesig'fied in an effortto provi'desuoh adevice wherein all of the objectionable features now present in devices of this general type have been eliminated, whereby such a device is provided which is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction and operation, and which is such that when in signaling position and the door of the mail box is opened, the signal will automatically move into non-signaling position and will remain so until the door of the mail box is again closed and the signal is manually moved into signaling position. In other words, the novel signal herein disclosed is so constructed that it cannot be retained in signaling positionwhen the door of the mail box is open, whereby when the door is opened the signal will immediately assume a non-signal-v ing position.

The novel signaling device herein shown is shown comprising a signal flag 6 secured to one end of an arm I having an offset portion or leg 8 at its lower end which is supported intermediately of its ends by a pivot pin 9 secured to a pivot block I l which, in turn, is secured to a wall of the mail box by suitable means such as rivets [2. The

pivot pin 9 in the present instance is shown extending through the upper wall portion or flange I3 of the pivot block and the wall M of the mail box and may be secured in position by applying a nut I5 to the threaded endof the pivot pin or screw.

The wall 13 of the pivot block constitutes, in effect, a flange which is disposed in a common plane with a flange or wall portion I6 of the pivot block. By so constructing the pivot block, abutment shoulders or faces I1 and I8 are adapted to be engaged by the lower edge'of the leg 8 of the supporting arm 1, thereby to limit the swinging movement of the arm in both directions, as will be understood by reference to Figure 3.

The free end portion IQ of the leg 8 of the arm is adapted to be swung into position to engage a detent 2| shown provided in the flange 5 of the door '3 of the mail box, whereby when the door is closed, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, and the signal 6 is swung into signaling position as illustrated in Figure 1, thefree end portion H! of the signal arm will engage beneath the detent 2| and thereby retain the signal arm in signaling position, as will readily be understood.

To facilitate swinging the free end it! of the supporting arm into locking engagement with the detent 2|, when the door 3 is in closed position, a suitable spring washer 22 is shown provided on the pivot pin 9 between the leg 8 of the supporting arm and the adjacent face of the wall IA of the mail box. This washer normally holds the signal arm outwardly against the wall' flanges I3 or IE, but permits the leg 8 of the signal arm to,

move laterally or in other words, axially on the pivot pin 9within certain limits, thereby to permit the free end portion I!) of the arm to laterally swing over the detent 2| and snap into locking engagement therewith.

From the foregoing it will be noted that when the door of the mail box is closed as shown in Figure 2, and the signal is swung upwardly as indicated by the arrow in said figure, the end portion I9 of the leg 8 of the signal arm will move into locking engagement with the detent 2|, whereby the signal arm is retained in signaling position so long as the door of the mail box remains closed. Immediately upon opening of the mail box door, the signal flag 6 will assume its non-signaling position, shown in Figure 2, returning to such position by gravity as the pivot pin 9 v is so located with respect to the signal flag 6 that 4 gravity will quickly swing the flag into non-signaling position when the detent 2| is moved out of locking engagement with the supporting arm by opening the door 3 of the mail box. It will thus be seen that the signal flag cannot be retained in signaling position unless the door of the mail box is closed.

In Figures 5 and 6 there is illustrated a construction comprising a yieldable detent 23 which may be formed of flat'spring stock having one end secured to the flange 5 of the cover 3 by such means as rivets. The opposite end of the detent 23 is bent inwardly and may pass through a suitable aperture 24 provided in the flange 5, as clearly illustrated in the drawing. The detent 23 functions in a manner similar to the detent 2| shown in the previous figure, except that it may yieldsomewhat should the end portion 19 of the signaling arm I be swung into locking engagement therewith when the door of the mail box is closed.

In some instances it may be desirable to attach a small spring to the arm 1 to constantly exert a force thereon to swing it into non-signaling position. From actual experience, however, I have found that by constructing the arm as herein disclosed, gravity will quickly swing the arm into non-signaling position when the door ofthe mail box is opened. 1

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have accomplished at least the principal objects of my invention, and it will also be ap parent to those skilled in the art that theembodiments herein described may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invenpreciated that the herein disclosedembodiments are illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim as my invention: H

1. In combination with a mail box having an open end and a door for closing said open end, a signal device including a mounting bracket secured to the side wall of the box, said mounting bracket being formed with a rearwardly extendingflange spaced outwardly from theadjacent wall of the mail box and extending upwardly from the bottom of the bracket and forwardly to the front end thereof, and disposed in substantially a vertical plane, and a signal arm of substantially L-shaped configurationeomprising angularly disposed legs, one of said legs being pivoted to the upper rear portion of the bracket flange and adapted, when in substantially a horizontal position, to interlock with means onthe doorto secure the signal arm with its other leg in an upright signalling position when the door is 2. In combination with a mail box having an open end and'a door for closing saidopen end, a signal deviceincluding a mounting bracket secured to the side wall of the box, said mounting bracket being formed with a rearwardly extending flange spaced outwardly from the adjacent wall of the mailbox and extending upwardly from the bottom of the bracket and forwardly to the front end thereof, and disposed in substantially a vertical plane, and a signal arm of substantially L-shaped configration comprising an- 2,421,608 5. 6 gularly disposed legs, one of which is longer than REFERENCE D the other, the relatively shorter leg being pivoted s C E to the upper rear portion of the bracket flange The following references are of record in the and adapted to interlock with means on the door file of thls patent:

to secure the signal arm with its other relatively 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS longer leg in an upright signalling position when Number Name Date the door is closed, the mounting of said signal 1,535,677 Maserang Apt 28, 1925 arm on the mounting bracket being such that 1,627,617 Nordin May 10, 1927 when the signal arm is in signalling position and 10 1 9 9 573 Man 6, 1934 the door is opened, said signalling arm will gravi- 2,073,160 Reed Apr, 20, 1937 tate to a non-signalling position. 2,098,242 Holmes Nov. 9, 1937 2,352,975 Roe s July 4, 1944 JOHN DOPPELHAMMER. 825,503 Zylstra July 130, 1906