Patent Publication Number: US-8123113-B1

Title: Security mailbox system

Description:
RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     Support for the disclosure in this application is found in the applicant&#39;s Provisional Patent Application No. 61/339,819, filed Mar. 10, 2010. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Mailboxes used in suburban and rural areas typically are mounted on fixed posts located adjacent to the roadway in position to receive mail deposited by a mail carrier. As such, they are vulnerable to damage from being struck by passing vehicles on the roadway, as well as by equipment such as the lawn mowers, snow moving machines, and other commonly used lawn and garden implements. The proximity of these mailboxes to the roadway also makes them easy targets for vandalism and theft of their contents. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a roadside mailbox which retracts into a stowed secure position between periods of use in order to overcome the above-mentioned problems. It is a further object of this invention to cause the mailbox and its supporting structure to be pivotally movable by remotely operated electrical means from the stowed secure position to an erected operational position at such times as the mailbox needs to be accessible to receive mail deposited by a mail carrier or to be retrieved by the user. A still further object of the invention is to accomplish the above movement by a mechanism that is simple in concept and operation, is relatively maintenance free, and is not prone to being affected by weather conditions. Another further object of this invention is to provide a mailbox that is laterally movable when in the erected position in the direction of the roadway, in order to make it more easily accessible by one who is depositing or retrieving mail from a vehicle. 
     THE PRIOR ART 
     As explained below, the present invention provides a security mailbox system in which the mailbox is pivotally movable between a substantially horizontal secure stowed position and a substantially vertical erected operating position in response to an electrically actuated drive mechanism. While the prior art includes mailboxes whose objectives are similar to those of the present invention, they accomplish these by the use of a different principles of operation and more complicated operating mechanisms. Examples of such prior art mailboxes are Ranney U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,996, Van Orden U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,593,914 and 4,114,801, and Toval U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,441. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention comprises a housing that can be buried in the ground, a door pivotally attached by hinges to one end of the housing, and a mailbox so mounted as to be pivotally movable along with the door between a substantially horizontal secure stowed position entirely within the housing and a substantially vertical erected operational position wherein the mailbox is in position to receive and dispense mail in the same manner as a conventional fixed mailbox. The movement of the mailbox and the door is accomplished by a drive mechanism that can be remotely operated by a wireless sending unit or by other signal sending means. A rechargeable battery, an electric motor, a receiving antenna, and a solar electric power generating panel to recharge the battery can be located within the housing. The mailbox also can be so mounted as to allow it to be moved laterally toward the roadway at an appropriate time in its operating cycle to facilitate the transfer and retrieval of the mail. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the invention, and to illustrate the objects and advantages of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the invention with the mailbox and the operating components in the erected and laterally extended position, with details of some of the systems omitted for clarity. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1  with the mailbox and the operating components in the stowed position. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1  with the mailbox and the operating components in an intermediate position between the stowed position and the erected position. 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed perspective view of the arrangement of mechanism that pivots the mailbox between the stowed position and the erected position in the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a detailed perspective view of the mailbox and the structure upon which it is laterally movable in the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is another detailed perspective view of the mailbox and the structure upon which it is laterally movable in the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a drive motor and screw that is usable for moving the mailbox between the stowed and erected positions, as well as moving the mailbox laterally. 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevations view of a second preferred embodiment of the invention in which the mailbox is mounted directly upon the door. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Looking first to  FIGS. 1 through 3 , a first preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a generally rectangular housing  10  defined by an elongated front panel  11 , a corresponding elongated rear panel  12 , a first end panel  13 , a second end panel  14 , and a bottom panel  15 . A door  16  is attached to the upper edge of first end panel  13  by a piano type hinge  17 , although other hinge designs can be used. Installed in door  16  is a solar electrical generating panel  20 . While housing  10  has been shown as being rectangular in shape, other configurations are within the scope of the invention, so long as they can contain within them the mailbox and the operating components of the invention. The upper edges of panels  11 ,  12 ,  13  and  14  can be provided with outturned flanges  21  upon which are mounted sealing means to interact with the inner surface of door  16  to seal the interior of housing  10  from moisture and debris, and bottom panel  15  can be provided with openings to allow any moisture which may enter the interior of housing  10  to drain therefrom. Typical dimensions for the housing are a width of twenty-two inches, a length of forty-four inches, and a height of thirteen inches, although this may be varied within the scope of the invention. 
     Attached to the inside surfaces of front panel  11  and rear panel  12 , and spanning the interior of housing  10 , are a brace  24  and a pivot support member  25 . Also spanning the interior of housing  10  is a motor support member  26 . An electrical compartment  27  is positioned along the inside of rear panel  12 , as is a rechargeable battery  28 . Located within electrical compartment  27  are the electrical circuitry and components necessary to operate the mechanisms to be described hereafter, and to continuously charge battery  28  through the action of solar electrical generating panel  20 . For clarity, electrical wires connecting the components have not been shown in the drawings. 
     As shown best in  FIG. 4 , a mailbox post  30  is supported at its lower end for pivoting movement by a pivot pin  31  mounted on flanges  32 , which in turn are attached to pivot support member  25 . Mailbox post  30  is pivotally movable between a substantially horizontal stowed secure position essentially parallel to bottom panel  15  and a substantially vertical erected operational position. A motor  33  which motivates a longitudinally movable drive rod  34  is pivotally attached by means of a yoke  35  to motor support member  26 . This can be an electrically operated screw drive system, such as is shown in  FIG. 7 , or can be other systems, electric or hydraulic. Motor  33  is operated by power supplied by battery  28 , as controlled by electrical components located in electrical compartment  27 . Alternatively, electrical power can be supplied by a hard wired connection to a remotely located battery or to house power. The distal end of drive rod  34  is pivotally attached by a pin  37  to the lower end of mailbox post  30  at a point spaced from pivot pin  35 . Thus, when motor  33  is operated so as to extend or retract drive rod  34 , mailbox post  30  is caused to pivot between its stowed position and its erected position. The limits of movement can be programmed by the electrical components within electrical compartment  27 , or such can be accomplished by limit switches located externally thereof. When in the secure stowed position, mailbox post  30  and mailbox  42  are positioned beneath door  16  in that portion of housing  10  which is adjacent to open end panel  14 . 
     An antenna  38  is mounted on mailbox post  30  or at any other suitable location where it can receive wireless signals, and is electrically connected to the components housed in electrical box  27 . Antenna  38  receives wireless signals from a remote operating device, such as those used to operate garage doors or to open the doors of vehicles, in order to cause drive motor  33  to operate to move mailbox post  30  between its two positions. A manual operating switch can be provided inside housing  10  on electrical compartment  27 , as can a manual operating switch or a keypad or the like on the outside of housing  10 . 
     Mounted atop mailbox post  30  is a mailbox mounting platform  40 . Mailbox  42  is of the conventional type, and can be fixedly mounted on platform  40 . However, as shown in the drawings, mailbox  42  also can be provided with a means for causing it to move laterally outwardly on platform  40 , toward the roadway along which the inventive device is installed, which offers the advantage of allowing mail to more easily by placed into and retrieved from mailbox  42 . In this regard, a track  43  is attached to the upper surface of mounting plate  40 , and this interacts with a complementary track (not shown), which is attached to the bottom surface of a mailbox support plate  44  that is affixed to the underside of mailbox  42  and movable therewith. This enables mailbox  42  to slide laterally back and forth with respect to fixed platform  40  while being retained thereon. Other manners of interlocking mailbox  42  with fixed platform  40  while permitting this lateral movement of mailbox  42  are within the scope of this invention. 
     Lateral movement of mailbox  42  to a point that is beyond the plane of front panel  11  of housing  10  can be provided by means of a cable  50  that is secured at its lower end to an anchor  51 , mounted on the lower end of post  30 . At its upper end cable  50  is secured to an angled cable bracket  52  that is attached to mailbox  42  and extends downwardly and under post platform  40 . The path of cable  50  between anchor  51  and bracket  52  is a circuitous one defined by several pulleys  53 . The length of cable  50  and the placement and orientation of pulleys  53  are such that cable  50  is relaxed when mailbox post  30  and mailbox  42  are in the stowed position, but when mailbox post  30  and mailbox  42  are moved toward the erected position cable  50  is caused to be placed under tension by the relative movement of the various components, resulting in mailbox  42  being pulled progressively laterally and outwardly with respect to the fixed mounting plate  40 . The arrangement of pulleys  53  and the length of cable  50  are related in such a manner as not to move mailbox  42  laterally outwardly beyond the plane of front panel  11  of housing  10  until it is clear of the upper edge of front panel  11 . Lateral movement of mailbox  42  is resisted by a coil spring  54 , one end of which engages a spring bracket  55  that is hooked onto the edge of fixed platform  40 , and the other end of which is attached beneath mailbox  42  to mailbox plate  44 . Spring  54  is stretched as cable  50  pulls mailbox  42  laterally as it is raised from the stowed position to the erected position. When movement is reversed, that is, mailbox  42  is moved by drive motor  33  from the erected position to the stowed position, spring  54  pulls it laterally back within the plane of front panel  11 . This also maintains tension on cable  50  as the mechanism returns to the stowed position. Suitable means for adjusting the length of cable  50  can be provided. If lateral movement of mailbox  42  is not desired, cable  50  and its accessories are not provided, nor is spring  54 , and mailbox  42  is attached directly to fixed post platform  40 . Mailbox  42  alternatively can be caused to move laterally by the use of a second drive motor  33  ( FIG. 7 ), which can be positioned on fixed post platform  40  in such a manner as to engage rack  45 . In such case the cable system is deleted and suitable electrical controls are provided to operate the screw motor in an appropriate fashion. 
     To insure the proper operation of the first embodiment of the invention, post  30  and door  16  must be moved in a coordinated fashion. Door  16  and post  30  in this embodiment of the invention rotate about parallel but spaced axes at their separate points of pivotal attachment (hinge  17  and pivot pin  31 , respectively). This means that mailbox post platform  40 , and mailbox  42  which is carried thereon, move with respect to door  16  as they pivot between the stowed position and the erected position. The relative movement of these components requires that they be spaced from one another, however, they also must be connected together to maintain this spacing and so that they pivot in a coordinated fashion. To accomplish this, a lost motion connection is provided, which comprises an elongated channel member  60  attached to but spaced from the inside surface of door  16  and a pair of yoke members  61  attached to mailbox post  30 . Yoke members  61  support a pair of followers  62  that move engage the opposite sides of channel member  60 , as is shown in  FIG. 5 . This arrangement maintains the spacing between door  16  and platform  40  while allowing these two components to move with respect to one another as they are being pivoted between the stowed position and the erected position. The arrangement also insures that lateral movement of mailbox  42  is unimpeded. 
     In the second preferred embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 8 , mailbox  42  is mounted directly to the inside surface of door  16 . If lateral movement is not desired, mailbox  42  can be attached directly to door  16 . If the lateral movement feature is provided, a mailbox platform  65  can be attached directly to the inside surface of door  16 , with mailbox  42  slidably mounted thereon, in the same manner as was described above with regard to the other preferred embodiment of the invention. Also, as was the case in the other embodiment, lateral movement of mailbox  42  will be coordinated with the pivotal movement of door  16 . In this embodiment the distal end of drive rod  34  is pivotally attached directly to the inside surface of door  16 , and lateral movement of mailbox  42  can be accomplished by means of a cable or a separate electric motor, both operating in the manner explained above with regard to the first embodiment of the invention. 
     In the operation of either of the above-described embodiments of the invention, housing  10  can be wholly or partially buried in the ground. Several modes of operation are contemplated. For example, door  16  and mailbox  42  can be caused to pivot between the secured stowed position and the operational erected position when desired by the user by causing the motor to operate by signals from wireless or hard-wired control means. Alternatively, the mechanism can be operated automatically by a timer which signals the mechanism to erect the mailbox at the time a mail delivery is expected, and then retract it later at a set time, a sequence that can be repeated when the mail is expected to be retrieved by the user. Another alternative is manual operation by a touchpad or other switch means located on or adjacent to the vault. 
     While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it should be understood that these are by way of example only, and that variations and changes are possible within the scope of the following claims.