Deposit and collection receptacles – Letter boxes – With supports
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-12
2004-04-20
Miller, William L (Department: 3677)
Deposit and collection receptacles
Letter boxes
With supports
C232S045000, C232S027000, C232S033000, C248S159000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06722561
ABSTRACT:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Research and development of the present invention and application have not been Federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to mailboxes and their support post, and more particularly to full service, locking curbside mailboxes that comply with U.S. postal regulations and are theft and weather resistant, have a highly visible identification means, are attractive and safe, and are easy to install.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many people take mailboxes for granted. Mailboxes have become virtually invisible to most people. The reason being, the majority of curbside mailboxes are usually ugly breadbox shaped containers held up on a wooden post or metal stake. People have few alternatives to depend upon to hold the valuable information that mail often contains about their personal lives. This personal, and most times, confidential information is accessible to any unauthorized person who merely opens the mailbox door. Due to the increase of mail being stolen from mailboxes, identity theft has escalated to the extent that it is being called the crime of the 21st century. Resulting from the growing occurence of mail theft, the U.S. Postal Service has introduced a new locked mailbox classification that will provide customers with an option to purchase mailboxes that offer increased security for their mail. Many people are concerned with mail theft but may not be handy or just don't have the time to replace their mailbox. The U.S. Postal Service has standards for curbside mailboxes, but it does not regulate the design of mounting accessories for mailboxes. The Postal Operations Manual states that a mailbox shall be provided with a means for convenient and locked mounting that meets all applicable requirements set forth in the Postal Operations Manual. It also states that the installation and construction of curbside mailboxes shall conform to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Postal Service as well as standards established by the Highway Department's Task Force of Highway Safety.
Prior art locking type mailboxes are known in which the body of the mailbox has an elongated receiving neck leading to a lower storage chamber. The length or angle of the mailbox or a blocking element inside the body of the mailbox serve to prevent any unauthorized person from removing the mail by trying to reach into the lower storage chamber. Prior art locking type mailboxes are also known to have a lockable door on the lower storage chamber that is located on the front, back, or side of the body of the mailbox. Examples of such known prior art devices are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 354,610 to Hassan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,999 to Fitzgerald, U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,378 to Dorr, U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,974 to Clopper, U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,519 to McClure, U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,388 to Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,505 to Grimes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,113 to Kim, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,979 to Mann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,736 to Parker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,484 to Carlson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,960 to Jeffs, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,115 to Hassan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,132 to Bachmeier, U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,993 to Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,883 to Pachl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,626 to Berry, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,891 to Wildish, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,344 to Earle.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a Postmaster General approved locking mailbox and means of installation which has many of the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new locking mailbox which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the known prior art mailboxes either alone or in any combination thereof. None of the known prior art provides a highly visible and uniform address channel; a unique rear access door that acts as a hasp, has a built in mechanical key lock and can accommodate an additional lock on a flange for added security or convenience; is provided with an attractive, convenient, safe, and easy means of installation; and is a theft and weather resistant locking mailbox that is safe to use while complying with U.S. postal regulations and the Highway Department's Task Force for Highway Safety. Thus, the need exists for an improved, aesthetically pleasing, safe and simple to install and use, locked, weather and theft resistant mailbox, that allows for highly visible identification and mail storage, and is approved by the Postmaster General.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the locking mailbox described in our above patent, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide an improved full service locking mailbox that has incoming and outgoing mail compartments that are weather and theft resistant located behind a single carrier access door;
(b) to provide an attractive, uniform, and highly visible means of displaying an address not only for delivery personal but also for Emergency Services;
(c) to provide a lockable mail access door on the back side of the mailbox so a person authorized to retrieve mail does not have to enter a street or roadway in front of the mailbox and expose themselves to danger or create a safety hazard;
(d) to provide a mailbox that is deep enough so an unauthorized person cannot reach down to remove mail, and has a large enough storage area that can hold mail for a period of time while the owner is away;
(e) to provide a full service locking mailbox that has all the standards required by the U.S. Postal Service and thus can be approved by the Postmaster General;
(f) to provide a safe, attractive, simple in design and operation, inexpensive to manufacture, and structurally stable locking mailbox;
(g) to provide an optional means of locking the rear mail access door; and
(h) to provide an easy, safe, and attractive means of installation that is approved and recommended by the Highway's Task Force for Highway Safety.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention provides a full service locking mailbox that is safe, weather and theft resistant, has a highly visible address display channel, a unique rear access door, and a post cover assembly for attractive, quick, safe, and easy installation. The locking mailbox and post cover assembly are preferably constructed of a type of plastic material. The material's thickness, form, and mechanical properties will more than adequately meet the operational, structural, and performance requirements set forth by postal regulations. The material the locking mailbox is constructed of will not be toxic, flammable, transparent, or hazardous in any way. The body of the full service locking mailbox is a vertically extended rectangular housing leading to a lower mail storage area. The shape of the body of the locking mailbox is deep enough for mail to drop to the bottom so that an unauthorized person cannot remove it. The top of the locking mailbox extends slightly beyond the carrier service door in the front. In the back the top slopes and extends slightly beyond the rear access door creating overhangs that act as barriers for moisture from entering the locking mailbox.
Mailboxes are not only used for incoming mail delivery and outgoing mail pickup, but also as a means for identification. Should street names and numbers be assigned by local authorities, a postmaster authorizes their use as a postal address. The number is then used as a means of identifying a location, usually a residence or business. This number according to postal regulations must be inscribed in a contrasting color and in legible numerals at least one inch high on the side of the mailbox that is visible to the carriers approach. Emergency Services require three inch numbers to allow for easy identificatio
Thomas Eva M.
Thomas William J.
Davidge Ronald V.
Miller William L
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