Abstract:
A mailbox includes a housing for receiving and storing mail, the housing having a first upper opening through which mail can be deposited and retrieved, and a second lower opening through which mail can be retrieved; a mailbox door mounted to the housing for movement between a first door position in covering relation to the first opening and a second door position out of the covering relation; and a lockable door movable between a first locked position in covering relation to the second opening and a second unlocked position out of the covering relation to permit access to the housing. A mail support is movably mounted within the housing for movement between a first mail support position for supporting mail adjacent the first opening and a second position for supplying mail to a lower portion of the housing adjacent the second opening. A lower support is movably mounted within the housing for movement between a first support position to prevent the mail support from moving to the second position, in response to movement of the mailbox door to the second door position, and a second position out of engagement with the mail support so as to release the mail support so that the mail support can move to the second position thereof, in response to movement of the mailbox door to the first door position. A support member is provided for releasably retaining the mail support in the first mail support position, regardless of the position of the mailbox door and the lower support.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Continuation-in-Part of prior application Ser. No. 09/283,902 filed Apr. 1 1999 (now abandoned), which in turn is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 09/056,771 filed Apr. 8, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,113 issued Aug. 17, 1999. The entire contents of parent application Ser. No. 09/056,771 are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a secure mailbox with mail storage and a theft prevention device which prevents thefts of articles received in the mailbox. 
     The mailbox of the present invention allows a mail carrier to deliver mail or to pickup mail in the normal manner. The mailbox of the present invention also allows accepting and storing mails in a secure, theft-proof manner, and allows easy retrieval of delivered mails at a later date instead of making a trip to the post office. The mailbox of the present invention further allows to eliminate time consuming trips to a post office for requesting to hold mails at the post office during vacation or business trips or for any other short or long period of time. In addition, the mailbox of the present invention also allows regular mail delivery, mail pickup and retrieval without interfering with stored mails. The mailbox of the present invention provides a safe deposit of delivered mail to be retrieved at a later date. 
     Conventionally, a mailbox erected at the edge of a roadway or curb side of a street in a rural area, town and village is used primarily for temporarily holding or storing delivered mail for a short duration, for example, for a few hours or a day or several days, without providing safeguards against theft of the delivered mail. 
     Many users of mailboxes in rural areas, towns and villages would prefer to have their valuable mail stored in a safe manner and without interruption of daily mail delivery, while having the flexibility of storing mail for a long period of time while they are away and allowing them to retrieve stored mail at a later date when they return. 
     Several known mailboxes have sought to safeguard delivered mail by providing locks and slots for retrieval, but have generally failed to provide sufficiently convenient, long term storage and retrieval capabilities. Such prior art mailboxes are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,999 to Fitzgerald et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,626 to Berry; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,979 to Mann. The present invention is directed to improvements over these prior art devices. 
     In addition, the U.S. Post Office provides mailboxes at street corners which are capable of collecting mail which is to be picked up by post office personnel. However, such mailboxes, if used as mailboxes for individuals, do not provide a method of retrieving the delivered and held mail in the mailbox without accessing the storage compartment of the mailbox with keys, and do not provide a method of holding outgoing mail which is to be picked up by a mail carrier. 
     It is therefore desired to provide a secure mailbox with a device which is capable of accepting and holding mail and which provides for convenient retrieval of the mail by the mailbox owner on a daily basis and which also allows outgoing mail to be picked up by a mail carrier on a daily basis, without interfering with previously stored mail. In addition, it is desired to provide such a mailbox device which allows the continuous and secure storage of delivered mail. Still further, it is desired to provide such a mailbox device which provides secure mail storage for a long period of time, and convenient retrieval capabilities, without dependence on visiting a post office to recover mail which has been held in the post office. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a mailbox which is capable of safely storing delivered mail and which later allows retrieval of the stored mail. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a mailbox that provides flexibility of mail delivery and mail pick up of outgoing mail by a mail carrier and retrieval of mail by the owner on a daily basis and/or safely storing mail for an extended period of time and to be recovered by the owner at a later date. 
     It is still another object of the invention to provide a mailbox that eliminates time consuming and inconvenient trips to the post office to request or reclaim mail held thereby. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a mailbox that automatically closes the mailbox door in the event that a mail carrier forgets to close the door when the mailbox is being operated in the mode for safely storing mail. 
     It is yet another object of the invention to provide a mailbox that reduces post office operating costs which are related to handling and holding mail in the post office and eliminating additional space requirement for storing such held mail. 
     According to a first aspect of the invention, a mailbox comprises a housing for receiving and storing mail, the housing having an upper opening through which mail can be deposited and retrieved, and a lower opening through which mail can be retrieved; a mailbox door mounted to the housing for movement between a first door position in covering relation to the upper opening and a second door position out of covering relation to the upper opening; and a lockable door movable between a first locked position in covering relation to the lower opening and a second unlocked position out of covering relation to the lower opening. A mail support is movably mounted within the housing for movement between (i) a first mail support position for supporting mail thereon, and (ii) a second position for supplying mail to a lower portion of the housing. A lower support is movably mounted within the housing and coupled to the mailbox door, the lower support being movable upon movement of the mailbox door between (i) a first support position to prevent the mail support from moving to the second position, in response to movement of the mailbox door to the second door position, and (ii) a second position which releases the mail support so that the mail support can move to the second position thereof in order to supply mail thereon from an upper portion of the housing to the lower portion of the housing, in response to movement of the mailbox door from the second door position to the first door position. 
     Preferably, the mail support includes a flat mail support plate, and the lower support includes a flat lower support plate. In addition, the mail support plate includes a nub or projection at an underside thereof, and a free end portion of the lower support plate engages the nub or projection when the lower support is moved to the first support position to support the mail support in the first mail support position. 
     The mail support plate may further include a mail holder on the underside of the support plate for holding outgoing mail regardless of the position of the support plate. In addition, the support plate may include an actuator arrangement for releasing the bottom support plate from the support position of the mail support responsive to an article being placed thereon. The actuator arrangement may be in the shape of a leaf strip which includes an actuator pin which is moved responsive to displacement of the resilient leaf strip. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention, a mailbox comprises a housing for receiving and storing mail, the housing having an upper opening through which mail can be deposited and retrieved, and a lower opening through which mail can be retrieved; a mailbox door mounted to the housing for movement between a first door position in covering relation to the upper opening and a second door position out of covering relation to the upper opening; and a lockable door mounted to the housing for movement between a first locked position in covering relation to the lower opening and a second unlocked position out of covering relation to the lower opening to permit access to the housing. A mail support is movably mounted within the housing for movement between (i) a first mail support position for supporting mail thereon, and (ii) a second position for supplying mail to a lower portion of the housing. A lower support is movably mounted within the housing for movement between (i) a first support position to prevent the mail support from moving to the second position, in response to movement of the mailbox door to the second door position, and (ii) a second position which releases the mail support so that the mail support can move to the second position thereof in order to supply mail thereon from an upper portion of the housing to the lower portion of the housing, in response to movement of the mailbox door from the second door position to the first door position. A support member is provided for releasably retaining the mail support in the first mail support position, regardless of the position of the mailbox door and the lower support. 
     Preferably, the support member includes an elongated member in the housing, the elongated member having an angled stub at an upper end portion thereof, and the elongated member being movable between a support position for supporting the mail support in the first mail support position, and a release position for releasing the mail support to permit the mail support to move to the second position for supplying mail to the lower portion of the housing adjacent the second opening. 
     The elongated member is preferably rotatably mounted in the housing between the support position and the release position, by means mounted to the housing. 
     The elongated member preferably includes a lower stub extending therefrom, and there is a releasable latching arrangement which includes a first latch mounted in the housing for latching the lower stub to retain the elongated member in the release position and a second latch mounted in the housing for latching the lower stub to retain the elongated member in the support position. 
     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mailbox according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the mailbox of FIG. 1, taken along line  2 — 2  thereof, and showing the mailbox door in an open position and the mailbox used as a conventional mailbox; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view, taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2, showing the pivot arrangements which connect the mailbox door, the mail support plate and the lower support plate; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the mailbox door in a mostly closed position and the mailbox used for long term mail storage and retrieval; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the mailbox of FIG. 4, taken along line  5 — 5  thereof; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the mailbox of FIG. 5, showing the mounting of the rod; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the mailbox of FIG. 5, showing the handle on the rod secured by a latch; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the mailbox of FIG. 5, showing the lower stub of the rod moved away from the bottom plate latch; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a mailbox according to another embodiment of the present invention, encapsulated by a brick structure; 
     FIG. 10 is a partially broken away perspective view of a mailbox, similar to FIG. 1, but showing a modification of the present invention; 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the mailbox of FIG. 10, taken along line  11 — 11  thereof; 
     FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the modified portion of the mailbox of FIGS. 10 and 11; 
     FIG. 13 is a side view taken along line  13 — 13  of FIG. 12, showing the modification in greater detail; and 
     FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 11, but showing the mailbox door in its closing state. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the drawings in detail, a mailbox  1  with mail storage and retrieval capabilities in accordance with the present invention includes an elongated substantially rectangular parallelepiped shaped housing  2  defined by opposing wide side walls  2   a  and  2   b , opposing front and rear narrow side walls  2   c  and  2   d  which connect together wide side walls  2   a  and  2   b , a bottom wall  2   e  and a slightly arcuate top wall  2   f . The size, shape, features and materials of housing  2  may vary, depending upon the desired storage capacity and intended location of mailbox  1 . Housing  2  is preferably supported on a post  6  which is mounted in the ground. 
     The upper end of front narrow side wall  2   c  has an upper opening therein, and a substantially rectangular metal mailbox door  3  is pivotally connected on a pivot pin  20  fixed to front narrow side wall  2   c  at the lower end of opening, for movement between the closed position shown in FIG. 1 (to close the opening) and the open position shown in FIG.  2 . Mailbox door  3  preferably fits within the upper opening with a friction fit, as is conventional, although a latch (not shown) may be provided. In addition, mailbox door  3  includes a handle  14  that can be grasped for opening and closing mailbox door  3 . Thus, mailbox door  3  can be opened to receive mail from mailbox  1  and to deposit mail therein. 
     A flag  13  is pivotally mounted to the upper exterior surface of wide side wall  2   a  to provide an indication by the mail carrier that mail has been deposited into mailbox  1 . 
     A stationary extension plate  24  is fixed to pivot pin  20  so as to be immovable with respect thereto, while a pivot pin  19  is fixedly connected to the opposite end of stationary extension plate  24 , as shown in FIGS. 2-4. Stationary extension plate  24  can also be fixed to front narrow side wall  2   c.    
     A movable mail support plate  4  is pivotally mounted on pivot pin  19 , to be pivoted between the support position of FIG.  2  and the non-support position of FIG.  4 . Mail support plate  4  has a length slightly less than the width of wide side walls  2   a  and  2   b , and a width slightly less than the width of narrow side walls  2   c  and  2   d , so that when in the support position of FIG. 2, mail deposited through the upper opening will be held thereon. In this regard, mail support plate  4  is preferably in compliance with United States Post Office Postal Service standards, guides or regulations as to intended uses. A V-shaped thin metal nub  9 , a rib or the like is attached to the underside of mail support plate  4 . 
     A lower support plate  5  is integral with and forms an extension of mailbox door  3 , and thereby is also pivoted on pivot pin  20  at the same location as mailbox door  3 . Lower support plate  5  may have other shapes, sizes, and features than those shown, although it is desirable and preferable to make lower support plate  5  with a similar thickness and strength as the metal plate of mailbox door  3 . 
     Thus, when mailbox door  3  is moved from the mostly closed position of FIG. 4 to the open position of FIG. 2, lower support plate  5  moves in the opposite direction, that is, from the lower position of FIG. 4 to the raised position of FIG.  2 . Lower support plate  5  includes a rim or free edge  12  which engages with nub  9  on mail support plate  4  when mailbox door  3  is in the open position of FIG. 2, to hold lower support plate  5  in a horizontal raised position to receive mail thereon. This provides the impression to the mail carrier that mailbox  1  is a conventional mailbox. 
     It will, however, be understood that a separate mailbox door  3 , a separate lower support plate  5 , and/or a separate mail support plate  4  may be provided to achieve the objects of the present invention. However, it is desirable and preferable to make lower support plate  5  integral with and as an extension of mailbox door  3 , and to provide that mail support plate  4  is connected to pivoted hinge  19 . 
     Elongated housing  2  also includes a lockable door  7  pivotally mounted by a hinge  32  at a lower portion of wide side wall  2   a  in covering relation to an opening in wide side wall  2   a . Door  7  is provided with a key slot  11  for locking and unlocking door  7 . In this manner, as will be understood from the explanation hereinafter, any mail that drops to the bottom of mailbox  1  can be retrieved. 
     A vertically oriented elongated rod  8  is provided with an inturned stub  15  at the upper end thereof, with stub  15  being perpendicular to the axis of rod  8 , for supporting mail support plate  4 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when mailbox  1  is used as a conventional mailbox. Upper stub  15  may be any shape, size, length or material, although it preferably includes the aforesaid features such that stub  15  can support mail support plate  4  when mailbox  1  is used as a conventional mailbox, and may be positioned to release mail support plate  4  to deliver mail into the bottom of mailbox  1 . 
     Rod  8  is rotatably held against the inner surface of rear narrow side wall  2   d  by guides  16 . 
     Alternatively, rod  8  can be rotated about its vertical axis to disengage inturned stub  15  from mail support plate  4 , wherein mail support plate  4  pivots down by gravity, and any mail supported by mail support plate  4 , is transferred into the bottom receptacle of mailbox  1 . In this regard, a handle  17  is provided near the lower end of rod  8 , and is perpendicular to the axis of rod  8 , to be grasped by a user through the opening in wide side wall  2   a  when door  7  is opened. Thus, handle  17  can rotate rod  8  between the supporting position of FIG.  2  and the non-supporting position of FIG.  4 . Handle  17  can be removably locked in position by a mechanical or magnetic latch  22  against side wall  2   d  to retain rod  8  so that inturned stub  15  is not supporting mail support plate  4 , as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     An inturned stub  18  is also provided at the lower end of rod  8 , and is perpendicular to the axis of rod  8 . Stub  18  is preferably parallel to stub  15 . Another mechanical or magnetic latch  21  is provided on bottom wall  2   e  for removably locking stub  18  so that inturned stub  15  is supporting mail support plate, as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     Although rod  8  is shown to be manually actuatable through lockable door  7 , rod  8  may be mechanically and/or externally actuated. It is preferred, however, to actuate rod  8  manually through door  7  to prevent unauthorized tampering therewith. 
     To use mailbox  1  as a conventional mailbox, that is, during mail delivery on a daily basis, rod  8  is rotated 90° by means of handle  17 , such that bottom stub  18  is secured in mechanical latch  21  and top stub  15  is positioned to support the underside of mail support plate  4 . As a result, the only pivoting action upon opening mailbox door  3 , is the pivoting movement of mailbox door  3  and lower support plate  5 . 
     To use mailbox  1  as a long term mail storage device, rod  8  is rotated 90° to the position of FIG. 4 by means of handle  17  such that handle  17  is secured in mechanical latch  22  and top stub  15  is moved away from its support position, whereby top stub  15  no longer supports mail support plate  4 . When mailbox door  3  is opened, lower support plate  5  supports and moves mail support plate  4  to the mail support position shown in FIG.  2 . Therefore, a mail carrier believes that he or she is depositing mail into a conventional mail box. In this position, lower nub or projection  9  of mail support plate  4  is engaged by edge  12  of lower support plate  5 . When nub or projection  9  of mail support plate  4  is engaged by edge  12  of lower support plate  5 , the plane of mail support plate  4 , the plane of lower support plate  5  and the common plane intersecting the pivot axes  19  and  20  of mail support plate  4  and lower support plate  5  preferably creates an obtuse triangle. It will be understood, however, that any other shape of triangle or plural sided polygonal shape may be provided. The nub or projection  9  may extend partially or completely along the width of the mail support plate  4 . 
     When mailbox door  3  is closed to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, that is, after the mail has been delivered thereinto and is supported by mail support plate  4 , lower support plate  5  pivots downwardly about pivot pin  20 . As a result, mail support plate  4  is no longer supported by lower support plate  5 , and pivots downwardly by gravity about pivot pin  19 , so that mail support thereby falls to the bottom receptacle of mailbox  1 . 
     Thus, with the present invention, mailbox  1  can be used as a conventional mailbox by locking mail support plate  4  in its raised position by stub  15 . However, when used as a longer storage facility, for example, during vacations and the like, mail support plate  4  is only raised when mailbox door  3  is opened, thereby providing the impression that mailbox  1  is a conventional mailbox. However, as soon as mailbox door  3  is closed, mail support plate  4  pivots downwardly by gravity to deposit the mail supported thereby, to the bottom of mailbox  1 , to be retrieved at a later time. It will be appreciated that an unauthorized person has no access to the mail in the bottom of mailbox  1 . This is because, when mailbox door  3  is opened, mail support plate  4  is in blocking relation to such access. 
     FIGS. 10-14 illustrate modifications of the present invention wherein an actuator arrangement is provided so as to release the free end  12  (see FIG. 11) from the bottom support plate  5  so as to enable the mail support plate  4  to automatically drop upon placement of mail or other articles on the mail support plate  4 . The modification of FIGS. 10-12 also includes a clip-like mail holder on the underside of the support plate  4  which can be used for holding outgoing mail, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. 
     As shown in FIGS. 10-14, the actuator arrangement includes an upper leaf strip  27  which is made of resilient material and which is pivotally mounted to the mail support plate  4  by pivot  28 , as shown in FIG.  13 . The pivot connection  28  is a pivot pin which is fixed to the mail support plate  4 . An actuator member  31  is fixedly connected to the leaf strip  27  so that when mail or another article is placed on the leaf strip  27  of mail support plate  4 , for example as shown in FIG. 11, the leaf strip is urged downwardly, causing the portion of the leaf strip coupled to pivot pin  28  to rotate about pivot pin  28  in a clockwise direction, thereby causing the fixedly connected actuator member  31  to also rotate in a clockwise direction and to force the bottom support plate  5  to move downwardly relative to the nub or projection  9 . This action causes the free end of the bottom support plate to be disengaged from the nub or projection  9 , and permits the mail support plate  4  to fall downwardly relative to its pivot  19 , to the position shown in FIG.  14 . This causes the mail or other articles placed on the mail support plate to fall into the bottom portion of the mailbox, as shown in FIG.  14 . Upon the next opening of the door  3 , the mail support plate  4  is raised to its normal upper position and the free end  12  of the bottom support plate is again engaged with the nub or projection  9 , to hold or lock the mail support plate  4  in its upper position, as shown in FIGS. 10,  11  and  13 . 
     The upper leaf strip  27  can be made of any type of resilient material, such as thin spring steel, sheet plastic material or any other flexible material exhibiting spring-like characteristics so that the springy leaf strip  27  remains in its position shown in FIG. 13 when no weight is placed thereon, and so that the springy leaf strip depresses downwardly to rotate the actuator member  31  clockwise when an article of mail or other article is placed on the upper leaf strip  27 . The leaf strip  27  is configured so as to deflect upon placement of even only one piece of mail thereon. The size of the leaf strip  27  is optional, as should be apparent. More than one such leaf strip  27  could be provided along the width direction of support plate  4 . 
     Another modification of the present invention is the provision of a clip-like mail holder  29  on the underside of the support plate  4 , which can be used for holding outgoing mail  30 , as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the mailbox is not used as a conventional mailbox. In this arrangement, when outgoing mail is present, the door  3  is in the open condition and the outgoing mail projects outwardly through the opening of the mailbox, so it is visible to a mail carrier or the like. When the outgoing mail  30  is taken from the mailbox by the mail carrier, the door  3  can be closed by the mail carrier in the normal manner. While a specific spring clip  29  is shown, various other spring clip configurations could be provided. The spring clip may be adhered to the bottom of the mail support plate, for example by an adhesive, riveting, welding or any other desired type of connection. A rivet  29 ′ is shown in FIG. 13 by way of example. 
     The spring clip may be made of spring metal or plastic, or any other suitable material. More than one spring clip  29  could be provided, at varying positions along the width of the support plate  4 . For example, as shown in FIG. 12, an additional spring clip  39  can be provided at the location shown in FIG.  12 . By proper dimensioning of the spring clip  29 ,  39 , the capacity thereof (i.e., the number of pieces of mail which can be held) can be varied. 
     The mailbox can also retain mail by the spring clip  29  when the door  3  thereof is in the closed position. See FIG.  14 . When the door is closed and the support plate  4  is in its lowered position, mail or the like can be accommodated under the spring clip  29  so that when the door is opened by a mail carrier or the like, the mail is visible and can be easily removed by the mail carrier. 
     Although mailbox  1  has been depicted with reference to particular arrangements of parts, components, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements and features. The various disclosed features can be combined in any desired combination, and many other modifications and variations will be available to those of skills in the art including but not limited to use of the system for aesthetic or other reasons. 
     For example, mailbox  1  may be a different size, shape or have different features. Further, mailbox  1  can be a stand alone device or can be included or encapsulated in a structure such as a brick enclosure, as shown in FIG. 9, for aesthetic or other reasons. It is, however, preferable to manufacture and install mailbox  1  as a complete assembly whether it is a stand alone device or housed or encapsulated within a structure. 
     It will be appreciated that, while mail support plate  4  has been shown to be mechanically held and released, mail support plate  4  may be mechanized to permit the aforesaid operations. 
     In addition, rod  8  can be eliminated, so that all mail falls to the bottom of mailbox  1  and must be retrieved through the opening covered by door  7 . 
     Having described specific preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and that various changes and modifications can be effected therein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims.