Abstract:
A smart postal mailbox device is disclosed that incorporates a camera and an imaging processing capability. When the device is in place inside a postal mailbox and is activated by a content element being placed in, or removed from, the mailbox, the camera obtains an image of the interior of the mailbox, which it then analyzes by first using pre-processing to correct for geometric distortion. The image is then decomposed using vision related algorithms into a discreet information dataset. This discrete data set is compared to previous data sets using a neural decision tree. If appropriate, the device transmits a message informing a remote user of the current state of the mailbox.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 62/138,987 filed on Mar. 27, 2015, the contents of which are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention of a smart postal mailbox device relates to the general field of human necessities, and may be considered furniture in that mailboxes are mail receptacles, or letter-boxes, which may be miscellaneous containers for domestic or household use; and it relates more particularly to devices for enabling mail receptacles, or letter-boxes, to become smart postal mailboxes by the incorporation of motion detection devices functionally integrated together with cameras, imaging processing capabilities and transmitters for sending messages to remotely located receivers. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    The relevant prior art includes: 
         [0006]    US Patent Application 20020024438 published by Orin A. Roberson on Feb. 28, 2002 entitled “Mail check method and system” that describes a method and system designed to allow the user to determine mail status of a mailbox without having to go to the mailbox. Using the internet, telephone, cell telephone, computer (with special software), computer with website, television website, or a special transmitter/receiver, a person can receive information about the status of the mailbox (if the mailbox contains any mail) regardless of the distance of the user from the said mailbox. The user is able to receive a picture/image of the mailbox&#39;s contents from remote locations where picture/image technology is supported and accepted. i.e. Computer, PDA, wireless web devices etc. This allows the user to evaluate the contents of the mailbox/container. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,987,452 issued to Yang on Jan. 17, 2006 entitled “iBOX with home delivery auto-receipt system” that describes an iBOX, an intelligent multifunction mailbox, that combines several technologies, such as video camera, remote programmable keypad, PN junction thermoelectric unit, powerline communication, wire or wireless communication and Internet together to provide a more secure, multi-functional mailbox. It resolves several short comes of the traditional signature-required delivery 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,462,659 issued to Schuette on Oct. 8, 2002 entitled “Portable remote mail detection system” that describes a device and system for checking the presence or absence of mail in a neighborhood delivery mailbox which has a plurality of individual mailboxes. The interrogation and response signals are triggered by remote control from a nearby location, for example from a moving vehicle. A custom identifying means is used to identify a selected mailbox from a cluster of mailboxes. This device and system thereby saves the operator time and provides a secure means of detecting mail from a remote location. The unit may be made miniature, as well as modular. The circuits described can be an integrated circuits or can be made of multiple discrete elements. The hand-held remote interrogator includes an antenna connected to a transmitter, and a receiver which is also connected to an antenna. A microcontroller is also provided to save, store and transmit data responsive to a query from a portable, hand held remote interrogator. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,411 issued to Baggarly on Jun. 29, 1999 entitled “Electronic mailbox with keypad alarm system” that describes an electronic mailbox including a mailbox housing, a door, an alarm system, a door sensor a first timer, a second timer, a programmable controller, and a power source. Housing defines an opening of a size and shape to receive mail. Door is of a size and shape to cover opening. Door is movably operable between an open state and a closed state. The alarm system is controlled by the controller between a first unarmed state and a second armed state. A keypad, door sensor and timers input signals to controller. The timers along with the door state determine whether the armed state or unarmed state is in effect. Controller sends output signals to activate the alarm system when the door is opened by an unauthorized user. An authorized user inputs a deactivating code into the keypad to deactivate the alarm system. Optional LED mail deposit indicator, latching (locking) mechanism, and illuminating lights(s) may be provided. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,506,796 issued to Robert L. Hanna on Mar. 24, 2009 entitled “Mail delivery notification device” that describes a transmitting mechanism for indicating the deposit of mail into mailboxes having doors that pivot about a horizontal hinge. Such mailboxes normally identified as curb side, wall mounted, and slot type. The transmitting mechanism is comprised of an adjustable knob capable of positioning an adjoining tilt switch, such that the mechanism can be set to send a signal at any preferred mailbox opening. As the mailbox door is opened past a predetermined angle, the tilt switch completes a circuit which emits a signal to a remote receiver which activates a sound and visual alarm indicating that mail has been deposited in the mailbox. 
         [0011]    Various implements are known in the art, but fail to address all of the problems solved by the invention described herein. One embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    An inventive smart postal mailbox device is disclosed. 
         [0013]    In a preferred embodiment, the smart postal mailbox device may incorporate a camera and an imaging processing capability. When the device is in place inside a postal mailbox and is activated by a content element being placed in, or removed from, the mailbox, the camera may obtain an image of the interior of the mailbox, which it may then analyzes by, for instance, first using pre-processing to correct for geometric distortion. The image may then be decomposed using, for instance, vision related algorithms into elements such as, but not limited to, a discreet information dataset. This discrete data set may then be compared to, for instance, previous data sets using techniques such as, but not limited to, a neural decision tree. If, based on the comparison of the datasets and other settings such as, but not limited to, user selected settings, the software deems it appropriate to inform the user, the device may transmit a message containing information pertinent to the current state of the mailbox. 
         [0014]    In a further preferred embodiment, the smart postal mailbox device may include a motion sensor, a camera, a flashlight, a microprocessor and a power supply. These may all be arranged in a common housing, and functionally interconnected to each other. The smart postal mailbox device may be placed in a conventional postal mailbox by, for instance, having a suitable mounting device on an outer, upper surface of the device housing so that it may be secured to the inside upper surface of the mailbox. 
         [0015]    When the device is in place inside a postal mailbox and the motion sensor is activated by, for instance, having a content element either place in, or removed from, the mailbox, the device may cause a content-altered signal to be issued. However, before issuing the signal the device may wait a predetermined time that may, for instance, be from 1 to 10 seconds, to allow for content being delivered in small, closely-timed batches. Once issued, the content-altered signal may trigger the flashlight to illuminate the interior of the mailbox, and the camera to obtain an image of the illuminated interior of the mailbox. Having obtained the image of the mailbox interior, a wireless communications module that may also be located within the device housing and functionally connected to the microprocessor, may emit a wireless message that may include a digital image of the mailbox interior. 
         [0016]    The wireless message may, for instance, be sent to a local Wi-Fi hotspot, and may then be relayed-on via a digital network such as, but not limited to, the Internet, to a user as, for instance, an email message that may show them the current state of the mailbox. 
         [0017]    In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the microprocessor may incorporate an image processing module and may be configured to store images, and make comparisons between previously stored images and the current image so as to only to send messages when significant changes had occurred such as, but not limited to, when one or more content elements have been added to, or removed from, the mailbox. 
         [0018]    The image processing module may further include an optical character recognition module that may be used to read, or decipher, information printed on the content elements such as, but not limited to, names and/or addresses of senders or intended recipients. 
         [0019]    The messages sent from the smart postal mailbox device may also include alerts such as, but not limited to, a new mail alert, a low battery alert and an unusual hour of opening alert, or some combination thereof. 
         [0020]    Therefore, the present invention succeeds in conferring the following, and others not mentioned, desirable and useful benefits and objectives. 
         [0021]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that oversees the contents of a mail box to determine when mail is delivered or retrieved from a mailbox and deliver the results of that determination to the intended recipients. 
         [0022]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device that images the contents of a mailbox, analyzes the images to extract mail images and data, compares the result to a last known state of the mailbox and reports the conclusions to the intended recipients. 
         [0023]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a means for a recipient to monitor their mailbox and receive updates and previews regarding the current contents of the mailbox on a networked device while away from their mailbox. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic, isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic, isometric view of a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention located within a mailbox. 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic functional layout of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  shows a schematic view of a use of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  shows a schematic, isometric, partial cut-out view of yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention in place in a mailbox. 
           [0029]      FIG. 6  shows a schematic flow diagram of exemplary steps in the use of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0030]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals. 
         [0031]    Various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto. 
         [0032]    In a simple, preferred embodiment, a smart mailbox device may simply include a camera, a microprocessor, a source of power, a communications channel and a software module operable on the microprocessor. With the microprocessor being functionally connected to the camera, the source of power and the communications channel, the software module may perform image analysis on an image obtained by the camera while located in a mailbox. Based on that image analysis, the software module may make a decision on whether or not to send a message on to a user of the device. For instance, if a result of the image analysis indicates that there has been a change in a status of the mailbox, and if that change of status exceeds a predetermined level of importance, then the software module may generate and send a message. The change in status of the mailbox may, for instance, be if a mail element has been added to, or removed from, the mailbox. The predetermined level of importance may, for instance, be a criterion such as, but not limited to, the address of the sender or the recipient of a mail element, a size, shape or color of a mail element or some combination thereof. 
         [0033]    The image processing may, for instance, be performed by an image processing module and may include pre-processing elements such as, but not limited to, correcting for geometric and/or color distortion. Having performed preprocessing, the image processing module may use computer vision related algorithms to, for instance, decompose the image into discreet information using one or more sets of variable parameters and computer vision rules. The discreet information may include elements such as, but not limited to, information about corners, edges and their relative orientation to each other, including the angles, distances and projected points of intersection of extensions, or some combination thereof. Such information may, for instance, be used to identify envelopes or boxes. 
         [0034]    The image processing module may then use machine learning methods and algorithms such as, but not limited to, one or more fixed rules, or a neural decision net built from training on a training dataset of images, or some combination thereof, in order to perform a function such as comparing the gathered, most recent discreet information dataset to that of a last known discreet information dataset. As a result of such a comparison, and with due account for optional user settings, the image processing module may determine where or not to send a user a notification and the nature of the that notification. 
         [0035]    A neural network, or decision net, may be built up independently of the device and uploaded to the device either at an assembly factory, or at a later date as a software update. In a further, preferred embodiment of the invention, the neural decision net may be managed directly on the device and trained by the user. In a further embodiment, the image processing may be done all, or in part, on the server side, i.e., the device may send an image to a server, with one or more software modules operative on the server performing some or all of the image processing functions including, for instance, the decision on whether to send a message and the nature of the message. 
         [0036]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic, isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The smart postal mailbox device  105  may include a housing  110  that may incorporate a motion sensor  145 , a camera  155  and a flashlight  160 . The housing  110  may have a housing outer, upper housing surface  115  sized and shaped to match a mailbox in which the device is intended to be placed and used. 
         [0037]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic, isometric view of a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 2 , the smart postal mailbox device  105  is shown located within a mailbox  130 , shown in dashed outline for clarity. This placement, or fixing, of the device within the mailbox may, for instance, be accomplished by having the device&#39;s housing&#39;s outer, upper surface sized and shaped to conform to an inside, upper surface  120  of the mailbox  130 . A mounting device  125  may then be located on the outer, upper housing surface to attach it to the inside upper surface of the mailbox. The mounting device  125  may be an adhesive means such as, but not limited to, double-sided tape, a hook-and-loop combination, or some combination thereof, or it may be a physical means such as, but not limited to, bolts or screws, or some combination thereof. 
         [0038]    In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the housing outer, upper housing surface  115  may be detachable from the lower part of the smart postal mailbox device  105  so as to facilitate easy removal of the functional components of the device for repair or replacement. 
         [0039]    The smart postal mailbox device  105  is preferably located within the mailbox  130  such that when the motion sensor  145  triggers the flashlight  160  to illuminate the interior of the mailbox, the camera  155  is positioned so as to take an image of any content elements  150  that may be located on the floor of the mailbox. Because of the relatively low height of many mailboxes, the camera  155  may be equipped with suitable optics such as, but not limited to, a fish-eye lens, so as to obtain an image of the entire floor, or interior, of the mailbox. 
         [0040]    Although the mailbox in  FIG. 2  is drawn to suggest a typical suburban mailbox, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, without undue experimentation, the device of the present invention may be fitted to mailboxes having a variety of shapes and sizes, such as, but not limited to, mailroom mailboxes, door mounted mail-slot-boxes, condominium mailboxes and other rural mailboxes shapes. 
         [0041]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic functional layout of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0042]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the smart postal mailbox device  105  may include a motion sensor  145 , a camera  155 , a flashlight  160 , a power supply  135  and a wireless communications module  165 , all of which may be functionally connected via a microprocessor  140 . 
         [0043]    The microprocessor  140  may, for instance, be any typical digital signal processor that may be programmed to perform functions, including control functions of the devices to which it may be connected. The microprocessor  140  may also include digital memory for storing data such as, but not limited to, software modules and digital images that may be obtained by the camera  155 . There may also, or instead, be a digital memory module that may be part of the smart postal mailbox device  105  and may be functionally connected to the microprocessor  140 . 
         [0044]    The motion sensor  145  may, for instance, be a visible light photo-diode, an infra-red diode or a passive infrared (PR) motion detector, or some combination thereof. These devices may be configured to transmit a signal to the microprocessor  140  when, for instance, the current in the photo-diode or PIR-detector exceeds a certain threshold. The photodiode or PIR-detector trigger threshold may, for instance, be indicative of a door of the mailbox being opened, or of a different object being located within the mailbox. 
         [0045]    The motion sensor  145  may also, or instead, include a make/break switch activated by the opening or closing of a mailbox access door. Such a switch may, for instance, be activated by a magnetic patch attached to a mailbox door and situated so as to activate a magnetic switch when the mailbox door is opened or closed. 
         [0046]    The flashlight  160  may be a low-power consuming, efficient light emitting illuminator such as, but not limited to, one or more white-light Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), one or more mono-color LEDs, or some combination thereof. 
         [0047]    The camera  155  may be a digital camera that may include a lens and an image sensor array. The image sensor array may, for instance, be an array of semiconductor charge-coupled devices (CCD), or complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), forming a device for obtaining a digital image as an array of pixels. The digital images obtained may range in size from 1 k pixels to as much as 16 M pixels though it is preferably in a range of 3 to 8 M pixels, and most preferably 5 M pixels. The number of pixels in the image may be a compromise between a need for feature resolution, which is preferably a fine resolution, requiring more pixels, and the file size of the image, which is preferably kept small for economy of storage and transmission by limiting the number of pixels. In a further embodiment of the invention, these two objectives may be met by obtaining high resolution images having a total of up to 16 M pixels or more for use in image processing such as, but not limited to, optical character recognition and image to image comparison, and then having an optical filtering module operative on the microprocessor that may reduce the pixel size to 1 M pixels or less for transmission and/or storage. 
         [0048]    The camera lens may be any conventional lens, though in a preferred embodiment it may be a fisheye lens to facilitate wide angle viewing, and in a more preferred embodiment it may be a Fresnel fisheye lens as that may be a low-cost, flat, space saving structure that facilitates wide angle viewing. 
         [0049]    The power supply  135  may be incorporated in the device housing or may be incorporated in a separate enclosure, or some combination thereof. The power supply  135  may be one or more conventional electric batteries, such as, but not limited to, an alkaline dry cell battery, a zinc-carbon battery, a rechargeable nickel-based battery, a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery or a lithium ion battery, or some combination thereof. 
         [0050]    In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power supply  135  may include one or more solar panels that may, for instance, be situated on the outer surfaces of the mail box. 
         [0051]    The wireless communications module  165  may a hardware or software module, or combination thereof, configured to communicate using one of the standard, well-known, short range, low power wireless communication protocols or standards such as, but not limited to, the Wi-Fi, or 802.11, standard, of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); the Bluetooth protocol of Ericsson; the IEEE ZigBee, or 802.15.4, standard; the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI); or some combination thereof. 
         [0052]    The wireless communications module  165  may be functionally connected to an antenna that may be positioned external to the mailbox so as to facilitate wireless, electromagnetic communication. 
         [0053]    In an alternative embodiment, the communications module may be a more conventional wired link such as, but not limited to, an Ethernet cable, a USB cable or some combination thereof. Such cables may also be used as a means of providing a power supply to the smart postal mailbox device  105  in the form, for instance, of a Power-over-Ethernet implementation of the Ethernet standard. 
         [0054]      FIG. 4  shows a schematic view of a use of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0055]    The smart postal mailbox device  105  may be located within a mailbox  130 . When activated by a suitable event, such as, but not limited to, the placement or removal of a content element, the smart postal mailbox device  105  may transmit a wireless message  170 . This message may, for instance, include a digital image of the interior of the mailbox. The message may also, or instead, include an analysis of the contents such as, but not limited to, a message to say that the contents are unaltered or that a content element has been added or removed, and may also include a name of a sender of an element or of an intended recipient of the element. 
         [0056]    The wireless message  170  may be received via a nearby message receiving station such as, but not limited to, a residential Wi-Fi unit  195 , a cable network, a wireless telephone network, or some combination thereof. 
         [0057]    Form the residential Wi-Fi  195 , the message may then be transmitted via a digital communications network  185  such as, but not limited to, the Internet, a telephone network, a wireless telephone network, a cable network, or some combination thereof. 
         [0058]    The message may reach a user  210  on the user&#39;s smartphone  205  or other mobile digital communications device. The user may, for instance, be able to view a current interior image  175  showing the current contents of his/her mailbox. 
         [0059]    The wireless message  170  may also, or instead, be relayed via the digital communications network  185  to a mailbox service  180  or an email server  190 . 
         [0060]    The mailbox service  180  may, for instance, provide services such as, but not limited to, responding to the message by physically visiting the mailbox and obtaining delivered content. 
         [0061]    The email server  190  may, for instance, store the message on a server for later collection by the user. 
         [0062]      FIG. 5  shows a schematic, isometric view of yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0063]    In  FIG. 5 , the mailbox  130  is shown partially cut away to more clearly display the smart postal mailbox device  105  and the possible associated hardware that may form part of various embodiments of the invention. 
         [0064]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the smart postal mailbox device  105  may have attached to it an electromagnetic antenna  215 , an auxiliary battery  250  and a solar panel  220 . These may be functionally connected to the device via an auxiliary controller  260 . 
         [0065]    The auxiliary controller  260  may also functionally connect a mailbox flag position indicator switch  255  to the smart postal mailbox device  105 . The mailbox flag position indicator switch  255  may, for instance, read the position of the mailbox flag  245  and may, therefore, be indicative of whether or not a content element left for collection has been collected. 
         [0066]    The auxiliary controller  260  may also functionally connect a magnetic contact switch  230  to the device. The magnetic contact switch  230  may, for instance, be activated by a magnetic patch  235  located on the mailbox weather door  240 . The magnetic contact switch  230  may, therefore, be indicative of when the mailbox door is closed or opened. 
         [0067]      FIG. 6  shows a schematic flow diagram of exemplary steps in the use of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0068]    In Step  601  “System active and waiting”, the smart postal mailbox device may be located in a mailbox and be functionally on, waiting for an event to occur. 
         [0069]    In Step  602  “Motion Detected”, the device&#39;s motion sensor may have detected a change indicative of an event such as, but not limited to, a content element being place in, or removed from, the mailbox. 
         [0070]    In Step  603  “Post-Detection Wait Period”, the device may wait for a pre-determined time after having detected motion. This wait period may be as little as 1 second or as long as 10 seconds. The purpose of the wait period may be to allow for content elements to be delivered over a short period of time. The mail deliverer may, for instance, be posting mail in a number of closely situated mailboxes and be moving from one to the other as they go through a basket of mail to be delivered. By waiting, the device may avoid taking too many pictures and may, therefore, avoid using up battery power. 
         [0071]    In Step  604  “Illuminate and Image”, the motion sensor, in conjunction with the microprocessor, may have, after a suitable delay, issued a content-altered signal. The microprocessor may then use this signal to trigger the flashlight to illuminate the mailbox, and the camera to obtain an image of the illuminated interior of the mailbox. 
         [0072]    In Step  605  “Process Image”, software modules operative on the microprocessor may evaluate the image obtained with the camera in the previous step. 
         [0073]    In a simple embodiment, this processing may simply take the form of transforming the image to a place and form suitable for transmitting in a message. This may, for instance, take the form of storing the image in a memory unit and/or converting the image into a suitable, possibly compressed format such as, but not limited to, the well-known JPEG or TIFF formats. 
         [0074]    In more advanced embodiments, the smart postal mailbox device may include image processing modules with functions such as, but not limited to, the ability to transform images obtained with a fisheye lens into a more conventional rectilinear form, the ability to compare current images with previous images to ascertain a degree of difference between them, and the ability to perform optical character recognition on the images, or some combination thereof. 
         [0075]    In Step  606  “Message Necessary?” software modules operative on the microprocessor may be programmed to perform the task of deciding whether or not to send a message to the user. Such a decision may be predicated, in part, on the results of the image processing performed in the previous step,  605 . 
         [0076]    For instance, a comparison of the most recent, or current interior image with a previous, or prior interior image that may be stored in the processors digital memory module, may reveal that no significant change may have occurred between them and, therefore, it may not be necessary to send a message. Because the smart postal mailbox device may have limited power resources, it may be useful to limit the number of messages sent so as to conserve power resources. 
         [0077]    The determination of whether a significant change has occurred within the mailbox may incorporate user selected thresholds that may include factors such as, but not limited to, a percentage of pixels that have changed. If, for instance, if more than 10% of corresponding pixels have changed value by more than an average change in overall pixel values, it may be determined that a message may be sent, and that the message may include a copy of the digital image of the current state of the interior of the mailbox. 
         [0078]    If in Step  606 , a determination that it is not necessary to send a message is made, the device may return to Step  601  and may remain active while waiting for a next event to occur. 
         [0079]    If, however, in Step  606 , a determination to send a message is made, the device may proceed to Step  607  and may emit, or send, a message via the wireless communications module. Such a message may be an electromagnetic signal comprising a digital encoding of the current interior image. 
         [0080]    The message sent in Step  607  may also, or instead, include status alerts, such as, but not limited to, a new mail alert, a low battery alert and an unusual hour of opening alert. 
         [0081]    Once the message is sent, the device may proceed to Step  601  and may remain active while waiting for a next event to occur. 
         [0082]    Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.