US3467303A - Mailbox attachment - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 16, 1969 H. o. SAATZER MAILBOX ATTACHMENT Filed May a, 1967 9 INVENTOR.

#iLE/V .0. 8447-25 2 United States Patent 3,467,303 MAILBOX ATTACHMENT Helen D. Saatzer, 1347 8th Ave. N., St. Cloud, Minn. 56301 Filed May 8, 1967, Ser. No. 636,896 Int. Cl. B65d 91/00 US. Cl. 23235 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A clamping attachment for a mailbox including a rigid elongated link pivotally connected to the door of the mailbox at a point below the axis of pivot of the door and extending upwardly and secured to the flagstaif so as to automatically lift the flag out of its retaining socket when the mailbox door is opened and cause the same to be moved from an upright to a lowered horizontal position.

This invention relates to mailboxes. More particularly, it relates to an attachment for a mailbox constructed and arranged to automatically lower the flag of the mailbox upon opening of the door of the latter.

It is a general object of my invention to provide a novel and improved means for automatically moving the flag of the mailbox from an upright to a lowered position upon the opening of the door.

A more specific object is to provide a novel and improved mechanical attachment for a mailbox which will lift the flag of the mailbox out of its socket and move it to a lowered position as a result of the opening of the door of the mailbox.

A more specific object is to provide a novel attachment which can be simply and easily applied to the door of a mailbox to automatically move the flag of the mailbox from a raised to lowered position upon the opening of the door and which can :be manufactured relatively inexpensively.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a mailbox with an embodiment of my invention attached thereto with the flag being shown in raised position;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the same box after the door has been moved to open position and showing the flag moved to lowered position;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the box with the door moved to closed position after the flag has been lowered; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the attachment only as viewed from the opposite side of that seen in FIGURES 1-3.

One embodiment of my invention, as shown in FIGURES 1-4, includes an elongated U-shaped clamp member 5 which is adapted to be slid upwardly over the lower edge of the door 6 of a mailbox indicated generally as 7. This mailbox is of the conventional type approved by the United States Post Office Department and includes a container member '8 having an open forward portion 9, a closed rear portion 10, and a bottom 11. It also includes a flagstaif 12 which carries a flag 13 at its upper end. The lower end portion of the flagstaff 12 has a slot 14 formed therein and extending at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the staff 12 to cause the latter to pivot about a pivot pin 15 which is carried by the container 8. A socket member 16 encircles the lower end of the flagstaff 12 and is adapted to receive the lower end thereof "ice and hold the same when so doing in upright position as is conventional. An abutment member 17 is also carried by the container 8 to prevent the flagstaff from moving beyond horizontal position when lowered.

The clamp member 5 is pivotally mounted upon the lower end of an elongated rigid link 18 by means of a pivot pin 19. Secured to the upper end portion of the link 18 is a reflector member 20 at its outer surface and a rigid loop member 21 at its inner surface. The loop member 21 is secured to the link member 18 by means of a bolt 22 and extends around the flagstaff 12 in a loose sliding fit so that as the flagstaff 12 is swung in an arc, the loop member 21 may move longitudinally thereof as is required because of the difference in location of the pivots of the link 18 and the flagstaff 12.

It will be noted that when the attachment is secured to the door of the mailbox, the axis of pivot of the link 18 which is the bolt 19 is disposed below the axis of pivot 23 of the door 6. As a consequence, when the door 6 is swung to open position, the axis of pivot of the link 18 is swung rearwardly and upwardly and this causes the link 18 to lift the fiagstaif 12 out of its socket 16 and swing it rearwardly during the initial phases of movement of the door 6. Thereafter, as the door 6 continues to move toward open position, as shown in FIGURE 2, the link 18 and flagstaff 12 swing downwardly and rearwardly to the position shown in FIGURE 2. When the door 6 is moved again toward closed position, the forward movement of the bolt 19 which swings with the door permits the flagstaff 12 and the link 18 to continue to lower to the horizontal position shown in FIGURE 3.

From the above, it can be seen that I have provided a simple and inexpensive attachment for the conventional mailbox which can be applied very easily and can be manufactured very inexpensively and which will automatically cause the fiag of the mailbox to be moved from a raised to a lowered position upon the opening of the door. Thus, the rural mailbox patron, when desiring to mail a letter, merely places the letter in the mailbox and closes the door and then swings the fiag to the vertical position whereat it rests within the socket 16. When the mailman opens the door 6 of the mailbox to obtain the letter, the flag will be automatically moved to the position shown in FIGURE 2 and upon closing the mailbox after having withdrawn the letter, the flag will move to the full horizontal position shown in FIGURE 3.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter shown and described herein and set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A mailbox comprising:

(a) an elongated container adapted to be mounted to extend horizontally and having open forward and closed rearward end portions and having a bottom;

(b) a door pivotally mounted on said container adjacent its bottom and at its forward end and being swingable between open and closed positions;

(c) a staff mounted on the exterior of said container adjacent its forward end and having upper and lower end portions;

(d) a lost-motion connection connecting the lower end portion of said staff to said container and permitting said staif to swing between a horizontal rearwardly extending position and an upright position;

(e) a flag carried by the upper end portion of said staff;

(f) an upwardly facing socket member mounted on said container in position to receive the lower end of said staff member when the latter is moved to vertical position and being adapted to receive and support the same in upright position;

(g) a rigid link pivotally mounted on said door at a point below the axis of pivot thereof and extending upwardly to the upper end portion of said staff; and

(h) loose-fitting means connecting the upper end portionof said link to the upper end portion of said staff to cause said staff to be lifted out of the socket and swing rearwardly toward a horizontal position as said door is swung open.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, and a clamp member engaging opposite sides of said door adjacent the bottom of said container and pivotally mounting said link on said door.

3. The structure defined in claim 1, and a flattened U-shaped clamp member engaging the inner and outer surfaces of said door adjacent the bottom of said container and pivotally supporting said link on said door.

4. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein said means is comprised of a sliding connector carried by said link and engaging said staff for sliding movement longitudinally thereof.

5. In combination:

(a) a mailbox having a pivoted door swingable between open and closed positions;

(b) a staff pivotally mounted on said mailbox about a slot formed in the lower end portion of said staff and being pivotable between horizontal and upright positions;

() a flag mounted on said staff and movable therewith;

(d) a socket mounted on said mailbox in position to receive the lower end of said staff therein and being adapted to hold said staff in upright position when so received therein;

(e) an elongated rigid link having upper and lower end portions;

(f) pivot structure carried by the lower end portion of said link;

(g) means securing said pivot structure and said link to said mailbox door below the pivot of the door and ahead of the pivot of said staff and causing said pivot structure to swing with said door; and

(b) means carried by the upper end portion of said link loosely connecting the same with said staff adjacent said flag and causing said staff to be lifted out of said socket and swung rearwardly as the door of said mailbox is swung open.

6. The structure in claim 5 wherein said means securing said pivot structure and said link to the door is comprised of a clamp.

7. The structure defined in claim 5 wherein said means securing said pivot structure and said link to the door is comprised of a U-shaped clamp receiving said pivot structure within the closed end thereof.

8. The structure defined in claim 5 wherein said means connecting the upper portion of said link to the staff of the flag is comprised of a sliding connector carried by said link and adapted to engage the staff for sliding movement longitudinally thereof.

9. The structure defined in claim 5 wherein said means connecting the upper portion of said link to the staff of the flag is comprised of a loop member encircling the staff in loose-fitting relation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,521,397 12/1924 Scott 232-35 1,626,320 4/ 1927 Alms 232-35 2,092,561 9/1937 Sandifur 232-35 2,684,197 7/1954 Babcock 232-35 2,809,780 10/1957 Doefsch 232-35 2,859,913 11/1958 Paschke ct al. 232-35 2,889,981 6/1959 Hunt 232-35 2,954,920 10/ 1960 Harger 232-35 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner

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