Patent CA-2883805-A1 (CA)
Inventor: ARMSTRONG PATRICK D
IPC: A47G29/30
Filed: 2015-03-03
Abstract: The present invention satisfies the above needs, and provides a system that incorporates a novel and advantageous mechanical apparatus designed to closely fill-in the footprint of an individual mailbox. This mechanical body, which will herein be referred to as a "tray" for the sake of simplifying terminology, comprises a mail detection means which in preferred embodiments comprises one or more sensors, such as light or proximity sensors, arranged in a medium that has features conducive to mail detection by the sensors, and which further comprises a power supply, a computer interface and a wireless communication module. The tray is inserted into a single mailbox of any type of construction, which may reside in a gang of community type mailboxes, a building type mailbox or a rural driveway-style mailbox, for example. Said tray comprises detection means for detecting the presence of mail and then notifies electronically the user whose account is assigned to that mailbox that mail has been detected therein. This service is provided as a part of a system of the invention which can be provided to one user or to a variety of users simultaneously. The apparatus and system of the invention function without requiring a user to make any permanent or sophisticated modifications, alterations, or replacements to their existing mailboxes nor are any technically challenging operations required on behalf of the user or any mail delivery person, such as a postal service. An objective of the present invention is to provide a system useable by any type of user via an improved means for detecting and responding to mail deposits in a mailbox, wherein any number of existing mailboxes are rapidly and reversibly made part of the system by the semipermanent installation of the mail detection tray apparatus of the invention. In preferred embodiments the tray is an optical detection apparatus for mail that comprises advantageous features which include, for example, construction from a custom-formable material that in preferred embodiments is any plastic, acrylic, or other suitable rigid or semiflexible substance, allowing each tray to be constructed differently for different types of applications. These include lightweight applications or rugged applications, either low cost construction or more durable construction, depending on any individual user's needs. The tray is designed in such a way that its basic functions can be achieved no matter what dimensions are required for the mailbox. In preferred embodiments, the portion of the tray constituting the detection means comprises one or more layers of material where at least one layer comprises a transparent or translucent medium having relief elements formed therein, which are cut-out shapes that create ledges in the medium.  The ledges of the relief elements have a height dimension equal to the thickness of the medium (or a fraction of that thickness) and a breadth dimension that is commensurate with the perimeter of the relief element. The presence of said ledges in said tray apparatus improves the optical detection of mail that is placed on top of the tray as it rests in a mailbox (e.g., when an object of mail is delivered or deposited into a mailbox of a user of the system). Thus, the system of the invention does not require any permanent modification of existing mailboxes but can be implemented quickly and non-destructively into any location for any individual user or community of users. This method for implementing a mail detection system circumvents restrictions that may be imposed by the agency governing the use of mailboxes, whether said agency is a postal service or a property manager, homeowners association, and the like. The present invention will provide mail delivery notifications to users without requiring any deliberate interaction with the system on behalf of the postal service provider, by other mail delivery entities, or by the user when mail is delivered. It is another objective of the present invention to provide a user with a semi-permanent insertable structure or tray comprising a plurality of sensors that are configurable in different ways to accommodate any mailbox application, both in regard to the size and shape of the mailbox and in regard to the expected type of mail to be received and detected therein. An array of sensors can be positioned therein to achieve either simple or complex mail detection functions, where different sensors having different modes of operation can be used together in a variety of ways. The reliable and efficient manufacture and distribution of these tray structures to customers of the system is made possible by the novel paradigm of the structure and function of the tray, as explained in detail in the description below. It is a further objective of the invention to provide a preferred embodiment of the mail detection apparatus for insertion into a mailbox which comprises a clear rigid sheet such as an acrylic sheet or a glass sheet serving as a medium in which to produce a relief of certain shapes which may include bowls, ridges, grooves, or steps. Said shapes are relief elements which advantageously allow for the capture and transmission of detection signals comprising light, and in particular, Infrared (IR) light, via optical mail detection means that are built into the tray. The presence of and strategic placement of relief elements, in conjunction with sensors, in the medium allow for the capture and transmission of light over broad areas and enables the use of fewer sensors to achieve the same mail detection effects or outcomes. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a mailbox a system comprising means for generating a no-touch electronic notification to an addressee who receives mail at said mailbox which notification accurately and remotely informs the addressee when postal service mail is deposited in the mailbox, without requiring any particular mechanical operation to be performed by the postal service provider or any other mail delivery entity, and without requiring any permanent modification of the mailbox structure itself in order for the addressee to install and use the invention. Additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed descriptions of some preferred embodiments thereof. The present invention is not limited in its application, details, or components merely to those set forth in the following description and illustrations. The present invention resides not merely in any one of the features set forth in this specification, but also in the particular combination of all of the features and improvements claimed. Methods and devices consistent with the present invention are capable of other embodiments. In general, the order of the steps of disclosed processes may be altered within the scope of the invention. Also, the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting unless explicitly stated as such.