Patent Publication Number: US-3874583-A

Title: Mail receptacle

Description:
United States Patent 1191 1451 Apr. 1, 1975 MAIL RECEPTACLE [76] Inventor: Ralph E. Moll, 643 South St.,  
 Casper, Wyo. 82601 22 Filed: Apr. 12, 1973 211 App]. No.: 350,585  
 Primary Examiner-Francis K. Zugel [57] ABSTRACT A mail receptacle comprising a housing having forwardly and upwardly inclined front and rear walls, with the rear wall merging upwardly with a curved upper wall extending over and forwardly of the front wall to define a front opening in the housing. A door or baffle member is disposed within the housing opening and is hingedly connected to the upper portion of the front wall. The door member has a front panel and a rear panel having a shape and size that are substantially the same as those of the opening in the housing. The door member is pivotally movable between an open position wherein mail may be received on the front panel thereof and the rear panel thereof closes the opening in the housing, and a closed position wherein both the front and rear panels thereof are received within the housing and the front panel closes the opening therein. The housing is provided with an opening at the lower portion thereof for the removal of mail therefrom. This opening may be closed by any suitable type of closure member which may be provided with any suitable type of locking means. In this manner, the receptacle of this invention is tamperproof and theft-proof.  
 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures MAIL RECEPTACLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a mail receptacle and, more particularly, to such a receptacle that is tamper-proof, theftproof and adapted for use for curbside or rural delivery and home delivery.  
  For many years, certain types of mail receptacles have been utilized for rural or curbside delivery, as weli as home delivery. While these receptacles have generally served the purpose, they have been subject to one or more of the following disadvantages:  
 1. they have not been theft-proof or tamper-proof;  
 2. they have not been of sufficient size to accomodate various types of mail;  
 3. for rural or curbside delivery, their doors have opened outwardly and have extended a substantial distance from the housing, with the result that mail delivery vehicles have difficulty in approaching close enough to the mail receptacle for the delivery or pickup of mail;  
 4. they are difficult to install adequately on posts or other supports;  
 5. their doors have been poorly designed so as to be difficult to open and close, or to inadequately prevent moisture from entering the mail receptacle;  
 6. they have been complicated in construction and thus costly to manufacture; and  
 7. they have not been sufficiently durable and thus have not been usable for long periods of time.  
  A need has arisen, therefore, for an improved mail receptacle for rural or curbside delivery and home delivery, which is an improvement over the existing mail receptacles and is not subject to any of the above disadvantages. The mail receptacle of the present invention is not subject to any of the above disadvantages and possesses many advantages not possessed by the mail receptacles theretofore known or used.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The mail receptacle of the present invention comprises a housing having forwardly and upwardly inclined, elongated, sustantially parallel front and rear walls, with the rear wall merging upwardly with a curved upper wall extending forwardly of and over the upper portion of the front wall. The center of rotation of curved upper wall is approximately at the upper end of the front wall. Upwardly extending, substantially parallel side walls connect the front and rear walls, and each comprises an upper sector-shaped portion which extends from the upper portion of the front wall to the curved upper wall to define an opening in the front upper portion of the housing.  
  A door or baffle member is pivotally connected to the upper portion of the front wall by any suitable type of hinge means and is provided with front and rear panels having a shape and size that are substantially the same as those of the front opening in the housing. The front and rear panels of the door member are connected by sector-shaped side panels that are adapted to fit closely within the curved upper wall of the housing.  
  The door member is pivotally movable relative to the housing between an open position wherein its front panel extends outwardly and slightly forwardly of the housing and its rear panel serves to close the opening in the housing, and a closed position wherein its front and rear panels are disposed within the housing and the front panel serves to close the opening in the housing. The front panel is provided with a handle member that facilitates the movement of the door member from the closed to the open position and also engages the front wall of the housing to limit the opening movement of the door member.  
  One of the side walls of the housing is provided with an opening at its lower portion having a movable closure member that may be locked in any suitable manner. When the closure member is opened, mail may be conveniently removed from the housing through the opening in the side wall. At other times, the locked closure member serves to prevent the removal of mail from the housing.  
  The lower portion of the front wall of the housing may be provided with an upwardly facing receptacle portion or pocket for holding outgoing mail to be picked up by the mail carrier.  
  One or more substantially L-shaped brackets may be used to support the mail receptacle on a support means, such as a post or a wall. Each L-shaped bracket comprises a lower leg adapted to be secured to the bottom wall of the housing and an upper leg adapted to be secured to the support member. Since the rear wall of the housing is inclined forwardly and upwardly, it defines a wedge-shaped opening with the upper leg of the support bracket, thereby providing an area in which larger packages, such as records, magazines and the like may be received and supported.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mail receptacle constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.  
  FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the mail receptacle shown in FIG. 1;  
  FIG. 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially along lines 33 in FIG. 2, with the door member shown in a closed position; and  
  FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing the door member in an open position.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the mail receptacle 10 of the present invention comprises a housing 12 and a door member 14 movably mounted on the housing. The housing 12 may be mounted on a suitable support S, such as a post or the like, by one or more L- shaped brackets 16 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).  
  The housing 12 comprises upwardly and forwardly inclined, elongated, substantially parallel front and rear walls 18 and 20, respectively. As an illustrative example, the front and rear walls 18 and 20 may be inclined at an angle of approximately 10 to a vertical plane. The front wall 18 and rear wall 20 are connected by a bottom wall 22 and upwardly extending, substantially parallel side walls 24. The rear wall 20 merges at its upper end with a curved upper wall 26 having its center of rotation approximately at the upper end of the front wall and extending above and forwardly of the upper end of the front wall 18, and each of the side walls 24 has an upper sector-shaped portion merging with the curved upper wall 26 to define a front opening 28 in the upper portion of the housing 12. Each side wall 24 terminates upwardly in an oblique end surface extending from the upper end of the front wall to the outer end of the upper wall.  
  The door or baffle member 14 is pivotally connected to the housing 12, e.g., at the upper portion of the front wall 18, by any suitable hinge means 30, such as a piano hinge or the like. The door member 14 comprises a front panel 32 and a rear panel 34, both extending substantially radially outwardly from the hinge point 30 and being separated by any suitable angle, e. g., approximately 165 as an illustrative example. The front and rear panels 32 and 34 are connected by substantially parallel, sector-shaped side panels 36.  
  As seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the front panel 32 and rear panel 34 of the door member 14 extend substantially radially outwardly to a point closely adjacent to the inner surface of the curved upper wall 26, and the side panels 36 of the door member 14 are positioned closely adjacent to the side walls 24 of the housing 12, with the result that the door member 14 substantially completely fills the front opening 28 in the upper portion of the housing.  
  The door member 14 is provided with a handle member 38 of any suitable construction secured to the front panel 32 thereof in any suitable manner and in any desired position. Preferably, the handle member 38 comprises a convex upper surface 40 and an upwardly and outwardly inclined front surface 42. The door member 14 is pivotally movable about the hinge 30 between the closed position shown in FIG. 3 and the open position shown in FIG. 4. In the closed position, the rear panel 34 of the door member 14 engages the adjacent inner surface of the front wall 18 of the housing 12, and the front panel 32 of the door member 14 is positioned inwardly of the upper portion of the housing and serves to close the front opening 28 therein.  
  In the open position of the door member 14 shown in FIG. 4, the front surface 40 of the handle member 38 engages the outer surface of the front wall 18 of the housing 12 to limit the opening movement of the door member 14, and the front panel 32 of the door member 14 is disposed outwardly of the housing 12 for the depositing of mail thereon. In order to retain mail on the front panel 32, the door member 14 is provided with a front flange 44 extending upwardly from the outer portion of the front panel 32 between the side panels 36. When in the open position, the rear panel 34 of the door member 14 serves to close the opening 28 in the housing 12 to prevent access to the housing, thereby preventing tampering with or theft of mail from the housing 12 even when the door member 14 is in the open position.  
  At the bottom of one of the side walls 24, an opening is provided for the removal of mail deposited in the housing 12. This opening is adapted to be closed by a closure member 46 that is pivotally or otherwise movably mounted on the housing 12 in any suitable manner, such as by a hinge 48 (see FIG. 2). The closure member 46 may be provided with any suitable type of locking means, such as a padlock 50 secured to the housing 12 by a chain 52. The size of the opening in the side wall 24 of the housing 12, and the size of the closure member 46, are determined by the size of the opening 28 in the upper portion of the housing 12. In other words, the closure member 46 is of a size sufficient to enable mail of maximum size fitting within the opening 28 to be removed from the housing l2.  
  At the lower portion of the front wall 18 of the housing 12, an upwardly opening receptacle portion 54 is provided which extends laterally throughout a substantial portion of the width of the front wall 18. The receptacle portion 54 is for the purpose of receiving and retaining outgoing mail to be picked up by the mail carrier. For the purpose of alerting the mail carrier to the outgoing mail to be picked up in the receptacle portion 54, a conventional flag member 56 of any suitable construction may be movably mounted in any suitable manner on the housing 12.  
  The L-shaped supporting bracket 16 comprises a lower leg 58 that is secured to the bottom wall 22 of the housing in any suitable manner, and an upper leg 60 that is secured to the support member S in any suitable manner. Since the rear wall 20 of the housing 12 is inclined upwardly and forwardly away from the upper leg 60 of the supporting bracket 16, a wedge-shaped space W is defined therebetween. Items of mail that are relatively narrow and too long in one dimension to fit within the opening 28 in the housing 12 may be placed in the wedge-shaped space W and retained therein by wedging them between the rear wall 20 of the housing 12 and the upper arm 60&#39; of the supporting bracket 16.  
  As will be apparent from the foregoing description, since the housing 12 is inclined upwardly and outwardly away from the supporting member S, a mail delivery or pick-up vehicle may be conveniently parked near the front portion of the housing without danger of hitting and damaging the support member. In addition, since the door member 14 extends only slightly outwardly beyond the housing 12 when in the open position, the mail delivery vehicle may be parked close to the housing 12 without affecting the opening or closing movement of the door member 14.  
  When the door member 14 is in the open position shown in FIG. 4, mail may be conveniently deposited on the front panel 32 of the door member 14 and will be retained thereon by the front flange 44 of the door member. In this position, the inner panel 34 of the door member prevents access to the inner portion of the housing 12. When the door member 14 is rotated in a clockwise direction from the open position shown in FIG. 4 to the closed position shown in FIG. 3, the mail deposited on the front panel 32 thereof will slide inwardly along the front panel 32 and rear panel 34 and fall downwardly into the lower portion of the housing 12. This mail may then be conveniently removed from the housing 12 by unlocking and opening the closure member 46 to expose the opening in the side wall 24 of the housing. Since the curved upper wall 26 of the housing 12 extends forwardly beyond the front wall 18 of the housing, and the door member 14 is recessed within the curved upper wall 26 when in the closed position, precipitation in the form of rain or snow is effectively prevented from entering the housing 12 of the re ceptacle portion 54.  
  The specific shape of the housing 12 and the door member 14, as disclosed herein for te purposes of a preferred embodiment, may be varied without departing from the principles of this invention. Also, the housing 12 and door member 14 may be formed of any suitable material.  
 What is claimed is:  
 1. A mail receptacle, comprising:  
 a housing having a bottom wall, a front wall with hinge means disposed at the upper end thereof, and  
 a curved upper wall extending over and forwardly of the upper end of said front wall to define a first opening in the front upper portion of said housing, said upper wall having a center approximately at said hinge means, said front wall extending upwardly and forwardly from said bottom wall at an acute angle to a vertical plane, and said housing further comprising a rear wall extending upwardly and outwardly from said bottom wall in substantially parallel relation to said front wall, said bottom wall connecting said front wall and said rear wall;  
 a door member disposed within said first opening and being pivotally mounted on said housing by said hinge means;  
 said door member having a front panel and a rear panel spaced from said front panel, said front and rear panels extending substantially radially outwardly from said hinge means;  
 said door member being movable between an open position wherein said front panel extends outwardly of said housing to receive mail thereon and said rear panel is positioned to close said first opening, and a closed position wherein said front and rear panels are disposed within said housing and said front panel is positioned to close said first opening;  
 said door member further comprising side panels disposed adjacent opposite sides of said housing and extending from said front panel to said rear panel, said side panels being of sectorshape, and a flange extending upwardly from the outer end of said front panel and extending between said side panels to retain mail deposited on said front panel when said door member is disposed in said open position;  
 said housing having a second opening in a lower portion thereof for removal of mail therefrom, and closure means for said second opening;  
 means for locking said closure means;  
 support means for said receptacle, said support means comprising a substantially L-shaped bracket having a lower leg fixedly secured to said bottom wall and an upper leg extending substantially vertically upwardly and defining a wedge-shaped space with the adjacent outer surface of said inclined rear wall for the reception of large articles of mail that cannot conveniently fit within said first opening of said housing, said wedge-shaped space being open at its upper end so as to be adapted to receive articles of greater height than said housing; and  
 a receptacle portion secured to the lower outer portion of said front wall of said housing for the reception of outgoing mail, said receptacle portion having a closed bottom and an open upper end, the upper and front walls of said housing extending over and forwardly of said receptacle portion to serve as a protective cover therefor, owing to the forward inclination of said front wall.  
  2. The mail receptacle of claim 1 wherein a handle member is mounted on the outer surface of said front panel of said door member, said handle member engaging the outer surface of said front wall of said housing when said door member is in said open position to limit the opening movement of said door member.  
  3. The mail receptacle of claim 2 wherein the outer surface of said handle member is substantially parallel to the outer surface of said front wall when said door member is in said open position.