Abstract:
A system and method of attaching a flag display to a mailbox in a manner that enables the flag display to hang below the mailbox. The system includes a flag display that has a length equivalent to the sum of the combined lengths of the two sides of the mailbox and the front of the mailbox. The top edge of the flag display attaches to the exterior of the mailbox, near its base. The flag display attaches to the mailbox using hook and loop material or some other equivalent fastening means. The flag display hangs down from the base of the mailbox while maintaining the generally rectangular configuration of the mailbox base. At the bottom of the flag display, the flag display is either weighted or anchored to the mailbox post.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     In general, the present invention relates to displays and flags. More particularly, the present invention relates to displays and flags that are supported by mailboxes. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Most individual homes have mailboxes. In some communities where mail is delivered by truck, the mailbox is a freestanding roadside mailboxes. Such mailboxes are placed along the side of the road to enable a mail carrier in a mail truck to deposit mail into the mailbox without having to leave the driver&#39;s seat of that mail truck. In other communities, where the mail is delivered by a walking mail carrier, mailboxes are commonly mounted to the house near the front door. 
     Over the years people have used their mailboxes as a venue for self-expression and art. Mailboxes have been shaped into thousands of different objects and have been decorated in countless different ways. In some instances, the mailbox itself is an insufficient medium of expression. Consequently, auxiliary attachments for mailboxes have been developed as a means of decorating the mailbox. Many such prior art devices include decorative removable covers for mailboxes that enable a person to change the decorations of their mailbox on a day-to-day basis. Such prior art systems are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,379 to LaRue, entitled, Mail Box Cover; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,595 to Johns, entitled Mailbox For Receiving Decorative Overlays. A problem associated with such prior art systems is that the decorative cover for the mailbox covers the exterior of the mailbox, thereby obscuring the mailbox and any display of address that may be printed on the mailbox. 
     The present invention is a new device and method of decorating a mailbox in a manner that enables a person to quickly and easily change the shown design. The present invention design enables a mailbox to be uniquely decorated with a flag display in a manner that does not obscure the mailbox or any feature that may be painted on the mailbox. The display flag can be decorative or may contain advertisements or other information. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a system and method of attaching a flag display to a mailbox in a manner that enables the flag display to hang below the mailbox. The system includes a flag display that has a length equivalent to the sum of the combined lengths of the two sides of the mailbox and the front of the mailbox. The top edge of the flag display attaches to the exterior of the mailbox, near its base. The flag display attaches to the mailbox using hook and loop material or some other equivalent fastening means. The flag display hangs down from the base of the mailbox while maintaining the overall shape of the bottom of the mailbox. When applied to a roadside mailbox, the bottom of the flag display is weighted, tied and/or anchored to the mailbox post. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in conjunction with a free-standing roadside mailbox; 
     FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the flag skirt shown in FIG. 1, shown in conjunction with two embodiments of bottom edge attachments; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of an alternate exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of an alternate exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in conjunction with a house mounted mailbox. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring To FIG. 1, a traditional roadside mailbox construction  10  is shown. In such a construction, a vertical post  12  is set into the ground. Typically at some point above the ground, a horizontal post  14  extends from the vertical post  12 . The horizontal post  14  is typically reinforced by some type of bracket  16 . A mailbox  20  is mounted on the horizontal post  14 . The mailbox  20  is mounted with the door of the mailbox  20  facing the road so that the mailbox  20  can be accessed by the mail carrier. 
     The present invention is a system and method of hanging a flag display from the traditional mailbox construction just described. The present invention system includes a flag display  22  that attaches to the bottom of the mailbox  20  and hangs below the mailbox  20 . Accordingly, the present invention system does not obstruct the exterior of the mailbox  20 , which may be decorated and commonly displays the name and/or address of the owner of the mailbox  20 . 
     The flag display  22  can have any design, symbols or wording desired by the owner. The flag display can be decorative or can contain information, such as advertisements, a corporate sign or the like. In FIG. 1, an original American flag is shown by way of example. The flag display  22  has a top edge  24  and a bottom edge  26 . The distance D between the top edge  24  and the bottom edge  26  is preferably between one foot and three feet, but other lengths can be used. The flag display  22  has an overall length, as measured along either the top edge  24  or the bottom edge  26 . The length corresponds to twice the side length plus the width of the mailbox  20  being used. Consequently, the flag display  22  is capable of wrapping around three of the four sides of the base of the mailbox  20 . 
     To cause the flag display  22  to conform to the shape of the mailbox  20 , the flag display  22  must be folded at a right angle in two places. The flag display, therefore passes over the bottom of the access door  21  to the mailbox  20 . To prevent the presence of the flag display from obstructing the mailbox access door  21 , corner reliefs  28  are fabricated within the top edge  24  of the flag display  22 . The corner reliefs  28  correspond in position to the bottom edge of the mailbox access door  21  and enables the mailbox access door  21  to be opened without obstruction. 
     The top edge  24  of the flag display  22  attaches to the exterior of the mailbox  20  along its base. The attachment of the flag display  22  to the mailbox  20  is done using a mechanical fastening system. The mechanical fastening system can be snaps, hooks and grommets, laces and holes, a zipper, or the like. However, in the shown exemplary embodiment, opposing sections of hook and loop fastening material are used. Strips of hook and loop fastening material  30  are preferably adhesively attached to the base of the mailbox  20 . However, the strips of hook and loop fastening material can be held in place with mechanical fasteners, such as screws or rivets. Opposing strips of hook and loop material  32  are either adhesively or mechanically joined to the interior of the flag display  22  near the top edge  24 . Accordingly, when the top edge  24  of the flag display  22  is brought into contact with the base of the mailbox  20 , the top edge  24  of the flag display  22  attaches to the mailbox  20 . 
     Since there is nothing below the peripheral edges of the mailbox  20 , the flag display  22  hangs freely below the mailbox  20 . To change the design of the flag display  22 , one flag display is removed from the mailbox and another flag display is substituted in its place. 
     The bottom edge  26  of the flag display  22  may hang freely and ruffle in the wind. However, it is preferred that the bottom edge  26  of the flag display  22  be either anchored or weighted to provide the flag display  22  with a definable shape. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, a rear view of the flag display  22  is shown. A tubular conduit  34  is sewn at the bottom edge  26  of the flag display  22 . The sewn conduit  34  is open at both ends. A weight  36  can be placed in the sewn conduit  34 . The weight  36  is shaped in the rectangular pattern desired for the bottom edge of the flag display  22 . Once present in the sewn conduit  34 , the weight  36  maintains the bottom edge  26  of the flag display  22  in the same rectangular shape as the bottom of the mailbox  20  (FIG.  1 ). The weight  36  also prevents the flag display  22  from blowing freely in the wind and detaching from the mailbox  20  (FIG.  1 ). 
     Also shown in FIG. 2 is an optional bottom bracket  40  that can be used in place of the weight. The bottom bracket  40  has a mounting base  42  that connects to the vertical post  12  (FIG. 1) of the mailbox construction. Two arms  44  extend from the mounting base  42 . The two arms engage the sewn conduit  34  of the flag skirt  22  at opposite ends. The bottom bracket  40  therefore maintains the bottom edge  26  of the flag display  22  in the desired rectangular shape while simultaneously anchoring the bottom edge  26  of the flag display  22  to the vertical post  12  (FIG. 1) of the mailbox construction. The bottom bracket  40  can be made to be adjustable in length and/or width, so that one bottom bracket can be adapted for use with different flag displays. 
     Referring to FIG. 3 an alternative method for affixing the bottom of a flag display  22  to a mail post is shown. In this embodiment, two grommets  50  are formed on the flag display  22 . The grommets  50  are located near the bottom corners of the flag display  22 . A fastener  52  is used to engage the grommets  50  and interconnect the bottom of the display flag to a mail post. The fastener can be a chain, elastic cord or any other flexible band. It should be understood that the use of grommets is merely optional and that flexible bands can interconnect with the display flag  22  in other ways including being sewn directly onto the display flag  22 . 
     Referring to FIG. 4, an alternate embodiment of the present invention system is shown. In this embodiment, the display flag  60  is not manufactured to hang in a rectangular shape. Rather, the display flag  60  is manufactured to hang in a wedge shape. At the bottom of the display flag  60  is formed a tubular conduit  62 . The tubular conduit  62  is open facing a mail post. A weight  64  can be placed in the tubular conduit  62 . Once present in the tubular conduit  62 , the weight  64  maintains the bottom of the flag display  22  in the desired wedge shape. The weight  64  also prevents the flag display  60  from blowing freely in the wind and detaching from the mailbox. 
     Also shown in FIG. 4 is an optional bottom bracket  66  that can be used in place of the weight. The bottom bracket  66  has a mounting base  68  that connects to the vertical post  12  (FIG. 1) of the mailbox construction. The bottom bracket  66  engages the sewn conduit  62  at the bottom of the flag skirt  66 . The bottom bracket  66  therefore maintains the bottom of the flag display  60  in the desired wedge shape while simultaneously anchoring the bottom of the flag display  60 . The bottom bracket  66  can be made to be adjustable in length and/or width, so that one bottom bracket can be adapted for use with different flag displays. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, a mailbox  70  is shown of the type that mounts to the exterior wall of a house. Onto this mailbox is attached a strip of hook and loop material or some other mechanical fastening system  72 . The display flag  74  has a length equal to the three sides of the mailbox  70  that extend away from the wall of the house. A strip of hook and loop material or some other mechanical fastening system  76  is present on the inside surface of the display flag  74 , near its top edge. The fasteners on the display flag  74  connect with the fasteners on the mailbox  70  and the display flag hangs from below the mailbox  70 . 
     It will be understood that the specifics of the present invention described above illustrate only exemplary embodiments of the present invention. A person skilled in the art can therefore make numerous alterations and modifications to the shown embodiment utilizing functionally equivalent components to those shown and described. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.