US3026025A

US3026025A - Mail box signal apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3026025A
Application number: US811573A
Authority: US
Inventors: Chester C Hanson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-05-07
Filing date: 1959-05-07
Publication date: 1962-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 1979-03-20

Description

March 20, 1962 c. c. HANSON MAIL BOX SIGNAL APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May '7, 1959 muui INVENTOR. Chester C. Hanson Attorney March 20, 1962 c. c. HANSON MAIL BOX SIGNAL APPARATUS Filed May 7, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Chester C. Hanson BY g3 Attorney 3,026,025 7 V MAEL BOX SIGNAL APPARATUS Chester C. Hanson, Paio Alto, Calif.

(327 Marie, lvfanteca, Calif.) Filed May 7, 1959, Se -(No. 811,573 2 Claims. (Cl. 231-35) 'filed application, Serial No. 747,074, filed July 7, 1958,

now abandoned.

Heretofore rural mail box signals have been proposed which contemplated the use of a quadrant shaped flag pivotably supported at one corner of the quadrant from and externally of the rear of the box. The flag was captured in a raised position by engagement of a hook, carried'by the flag, with a rod slidably extending lengthwise of the box. The rod was adapted to be retracted upon opening of the mail box door thereby releasing the fiag and letting it swing to a lowered position.

In this prior art device the flag was pivoted at the lower corner of the mail box and therefore when the flag was in the lowered position it extended below the level of the box exposing it to various hazards such as wind damage, and inadvertent bending by coming in contact with persons and objects moving about the box. Attempts were made to minimize these hazards by including a housing which enveloped the flag in the raised position and by the provision of a wire guard which partially protected the flag in the lowered position.

Moreover, because of the eccentric pivoting of the quadrant shaped flag, a lower flag stop had to be provided to engage the catch of the flag to prevent it from swinging to a position where it protruded laterally of the box thereby exposing the flag to additional undesired hazards.

The present invention provides a novel indicating apparatus which is pivoted centrally of the end of the mail box thereby utilizing the protection of the box itself for the flag and avoiding the necessity of providing a separate housing, guard and stop. In this manner the elements are simplified and the construction and cost of the apparatus minimized.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel indicating apparatus especially useful with rural mail boxes and which is simple of construction and relatively inexpensive.

One feature of the present invention is the provision of a novel indicating flag pivotably mounted centrally of the end of the mail box whereby the box affords considerable protection for the flag from certain hazards such as, for example, wind and inadvertent bending.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a novel indicating flag having a tab extending outwardly of the flag for engagement with a rod slidably mounted upon the mail box and 'said flag being pivoted about a point thereon such that in 'the raised position gravity alone holds the tab in engagement with the slidable rod whereby setting of the flag is readily facilitated.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a hub on the pivotable flag, said'hub assuring proper tracking of the flag.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a novel flag actuating 'rod assembly for use with mail boxes of different lengths without need for special adjustment.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a'perusal of the specification 3,025M25 Patented Mar. 20, 1%62 taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a rural mail box incorporating the novel feature of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged foreshortened 'crosssectional view of thestructure-of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the structure of FIG- URE 1 taken along-line 33 in the direction of the arrows,

FIGURE 4 is an end View of the structure of FIG- URE 1 taken along line 33 in the direction of the arrows showing the flag in the lower position,

FIGURE 5 is a detail view of a portion of the structure of FIGURE 2 takenalong line 5'5 in the direction of the arrows,

FIGURE 6 is a foreshortened longitudinal cross sectional view of-a mail box including features-of'the present invention, and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary sectional view of the self-adjusting flag actuating rod assembly of FIGURE 6.

Referring now to the figures, there is shown a rural mail box 1 having a hollow inverted -U-shaped sheet metal cover 2 fixedly closed at one end via a sheet metal wall 3. An inverted sheet metal channel 4 closes off the open side of the cover 2 to form the floor of the mail box "1. The channel 4 is fixedly secured to the side walls of the cover 2 via a plurality of rivets 5. A hinged door 6 closes off the open end of the mail box 1.

An indicating flag 7, preferably formed in a quadrant shape, is pivoted substantially at the inner corner of the quadrant at a central position of the end closing wall 3. By pivoting the flag 7 from a central location at the rear of the mail box 1 the flag 7 is protected from wind damage and is less likely to be inadvertently contacted by persons moving about the box which might otherwise result in bending of the flag.

A tab 8 extends radially from the flag quadrant 7 for engaging the end of a retractable rod '9 protruding from an aperture in the end wall 3. The rod 9 is slidably mounted longitudinally of and preferably adjacent the top inside surface of the cover 2. The rod 9 is carried'within aligned openings in a U shapedbracket 11 which is fixedly carried from the inside surface of the cover 2 substantially at the open end thereof via, for example, a pair of nuts and bolts 12.

A compression spring 13 is captured between one leg of the bracket 11 and an annular spring retainer 14 carried at the end of the rod 9. The spring retainer 14 may comprise, for example, a washer or a flared portion of the rod 9. For the latter case, the rod 9 is preferably hollow. The spring 13 serves to urge the rod 9 outwardly of the open end of the mailbox 1.

A rod stop 15 is carried upon the rod 9 for engage ment with the other leg of the bracket 11 to prevent the rod 9 from extending an excessive distance outwardly of the mail box 1 when the door 6 is opened. The rod stop 35 may comprise, 'for example, a cotterpin captured to properly space the head 18 of a bolt 19 from awasher abutting the end wall 3 such that the hub 16 of the flag 7, which is thereby captured on the sleeve, is allowed to freely rotate without binding. The hub 16 assures that the flag 7 will 'trac'kprop'erly in its rotation about the bolt U.

The bolt 19 extends through a central opening in the tion. .flag actuating rod assembly which is utilized with mail boxes of differing length without special adjustment durend wall 3 and is held therein by a nut 22 and lock washer 23 on the inside of the mail box 1.

In operation the owner of the mail box 1, after collecting the mail, resets the novel mail indicating flag 7 by first closing the hinged door 6. In closing the door 6 the rod 9 is extended outwardly of the apertured end wall 3 and spring 13 is compressed. The indicating flag 7 is then rotated until the tab 8 engages the extending end of the retractable rod 9.

The tab 8 remains in engagement with the rod 9 solely because of gravity forces occasioned by the eccentric manner in which the flag 7 is pivoted. Upon deposit of mail the door 6 is opened thereby retracting the rod 9 and allowing the flag 7 to freely swing about the pivot to the lowered position. Since the flag 7 is visible from a substantial distance and since the back of the mail box .usually faces the residence of the owner the lowered position of the flag 7 may be readily ascertained without er 2. The rod 20 protrudes through a suitable opening 24 in the door 6 when the door 6 is closed. Upon opening of the door 6, for deposit of mail, the rod is retracted and the flag 7 freely swings to the lowered position.

It has been found that different rural mail box manufacturers make their mail boxes of different length. There has been found to be a variance in length of about an inch depending upon the manufacturer; Therefore, it is desirable to have a flag actuating rod 9 that can be utilized with any one of a number of different mail boxes Without requiring special adjustment of the rod 9 upon installation thereof.

Accordingly, referring now to FIGURE 6 there is shown an alternative embodiment of the present inven- More specifically, there is shown a self adjusting ing installation. A flag actuating rod 25 is provided at one end witha fixedly attached extension 26 having a portion of its length recessed at 27 to ride in slidable engagement Within a centrally apertured end closing wall 28 of an externally flanged sleeve 29. The recessed portion 27 of rod extension 26 is made slightly longer than the anticipated difference in mail box length to permit sufficient retraction of the rod assembly for the shortest boxes and the overall length of the rod 25 plus exten sion 26 is made long enough to accommodate the longest expected mail box. The sleeve 29 is fixedly secured to the end closing wall 3 of the mail box 1 via nut 31 threaded over the externally threaded end portion of sleeve 29 which protrudes through an opening in the end closing wall 3.

As an example of the operation of the self-adjusting rod assembly, assume that the over-all length between the front door 6 and the rear wall 3 of the longest expected mail box is 36 inches in length. The actuating rod as sembly, including portions 25 and 26, would then be designed to have an over-all length of approximately 36% inches such that when the front door 6 was closed, the rod extension 26 would extend A of an inch outwardly from the outside surface of end wall 3 to engage the rotatable quadrant flag 7. Assume the sleeve 29 is 2 inches in length and that the nonrecessed portion of the rod extension 26 is 2 inches long such that when the door opens, the extension portion 26 will fully retract into the sleeve 29 and permit the flag 7 to rotate to the lower position. Assume also that the recessed portion 27 of the recessed portion 27 of the actuating rod is 1% inches in length such that there is approximately 1 /2 inches of the recessed portion of the rod 27 extending outwardly of the sleeve 29 when the door 6 is closed. Upon opening of the door 6, spring 32 forces rod 25 outwardly of the front door 6 of the box 1 moving the nonrecessed portion of rod extension 26 against the end wall of sleeve 29 to retract the free end of the rod extension 26, allowing flag 7 to rotate. Now assume that the over-all length of the box 1 has been shortened to 35 inches while the rod 25 and rod extension 26, together with sleeve 29 have not changed in dimensions. Now, when the door 6 is closed, for the 35 inch length box, the rod extension 26 will extend 1% inches outwardly of the box 1 from the end wall 3. This is a sufficient distance to engage the rotating flag 7 and readily permits closure of the door 6. It will also be noted that approximately /2 inch of the recessed portion 27 of the rod extension 26 remains outwardly of the sleeve 29 when a short box is used and the door 6 is closed. On opening of the door 6, spring 32 forces the rod 25 outwardly of the open end of the box 1 causing the rod extension 26 to retract fully into the sleeve 29 and permit the flag '7 to rotate to the lowered position. Thus, it has been shown that the rod 25 with rod extension 26 is self-adjusting to boxes of substantially different length.

A compression spring 32 is carried externally of the sleeve 29 and is captured between the end closing wall 3 and a pin 33 and washer 34 carried transversely of rod 25. The spring serves to bias the flag actuating rod 25 outwardly of the box 1 through the hinged door 6, when the door is opened, thereby retracting a protruding free end portion 35 of the rod extension 26. When the rod extension 26 is retracted the indicating flag 7 drops by gravitational force to the lowered position.

The self adjusting rod assembly, in a preferred embodiment, is adapted to serve the two fold purpose of a flag actuating rod 25 for both a front and back indicating flag installation. More specifically, the front free end portion of rod 25 is provided with a transverse member 36 as of, for example, a pin or washer fixedly secured to the rod 25 for engaging the inside surface of the front door 6, when the door is closed, thereby allowing the free end portion of rod 25 to extend through a suitable aligned opening 37 in the door 6.

In closing the door 6, the free end portion of rod 25 protrudes through opening 37 in the door 6 a desired distance, for engagement with the front indicating flag 7, and then the door 6 picks up transverse member 36 and slides the rod 25 lengthwise of the box 1. Further movement of the door 6 causes the free end portion 35 of rod extension 26 to protrude from the rear wall 3 of the mail box 1 for engagement with the rear indicating flag 7.

When the door 6 is opened, for deposit of mail, the rod 25 retracts until a shoulder 38 of rod extension 26 is stopped against closing wall 28 of sleeve 29. The length of the sleeve 29 and the nonrecessed portion of rod extension 26 are approximately equal such that the free end portion 35 of rod extension 26 is fully retracted when rod extension shoulder 38 strikes the sleeve closing wall 28 thereby allowing the rear indicating flag 7 to drop. Further opening of the front door 6 causes the hinged door 6 to pull away from the front free end portion of the rod 25 thereby allowing the front indicating flag 7 to drop.

Since many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrativ and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A mail box signaling apparatus for use with mail boxes of various dimensions including, a mail box, a hinged Wall adapted to be pulled open for the deposit of mail within said mail box and serving to close off one end thereof, a fixed end wall closing 011 the other end of said mail box, an external signaling flag pivotally mounted on one of said end closing walls, a rod extending longitudinally of said mail box for actuation of said flag, a sleeve having a central opening therein fixedly mounted from said fixed end closing wall and disposed circumscriptive to said flag actuating rod that is slidable therethrough, means provided on said sleeve for limiting the travel of said flag actuating rod inwardly of said box, said means including a member projecting radially inwardly of the central opening in said sleeve, means carried from said flag actuating rod for cooperative engagement with said sleeve carried travel limiting means, said means comprising a shoulder on said flag actuating rod, a free end portion of said flag actuating rod protruding from the surface of said end closing wall at which said signaling flag is mounted when said hinged wall is closed, said signaling flag adapted to engage the protruding free end portion of said flag actuating rod for keeping said signaling flag in the raised position when said hinged wall is closed, and means for automatically retracting said protruding free end portion of said flag actuating rod out of engagement with said pivoted signaling flag upon opening of said hinged wall for the deposit of mail, whereby said pivoted signaling flag is allowed to rotate to a lowered position.

2. A mail box signaling apparatus for use with mail boxes of various dimensions including a mail box, a

hinged end wall adapted to be pulled open to gain access to said mail box, a fixed end wall, an external signaling means pivotally mounted on one of said end walls, actuating means extending longitudinally of said mail box for the actuation of said signaling means, tubular means fixedly mounted on and extended from said fixed end wall and slidably receiving said actuating means, a limiting member mounted on said tubular means for limiting the inward movement of said actuating means, a shoulder on said actuating means for cooperative engagement with said limiting member, a free end portion of said actuating means protruding outwardly of said fixed end wall when said hinged end wall is closed, whereby said signaling means will engage said free end portion to maintain said signaling means in raised position and spring biasing means for automatically retracting said free end portion out of engagement with said signaling means when said hinged end is opened to allow said signaling means to pivot to a lowered position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,562,536 Berg Nov. 24, 1925 1,627,617 Nordin May 10, 1927 1,973,020 Smith Sept. 11, 1934 1,990,003 Schlenlcer Feb. 5, 1935 2,754,051 Shellabarger July 10, 1956 2,807,410 Wand Sept. 24, 1957 2,812,130 Abell Nov. 5, 1957