Abstract:
A door assembly is available for a roadside delivery container, such as a newspaper box or open-ended mailbox. The roadside container has a container interior and an open container end to facilitate access to the container interior. The door assembly permits selective covering of the open container end. The door assembly includes a door frame having a frame opening therein, a container fastener, and a frame opening cover. The container fastener is pivotally mounted to the door frame. The container fastener is configured for pivotally attaching the door frame to the delivery container. The frame opening cover is pivotally mounted to the door frame and is configured for selectably covering the frame opening. Advantageously, the frame opening cover has a bifold design, making closing thereof possible under newspaper placement conditions that would have otherwise prevented closure.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a newspaper box cover for a roadside delivery newspaper box, the newspaper box cover having a door-in-door construction.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Roadside newspaper delivery boxes are commonly employed in areas (e.g., usually rural) where newspapers are delivered by a person driving a car or other vehicle. These newspaper boxes typically have a predominant longitudinal direction and an open end directed toward the road to thereby accommodate the insertion of a newspaper into the box. The cross section of the newspaper delivery box must be able to accommodate the generally larger Sunday edition of the paper in addition to the generally smaller weekday/Saturday editions thereof.  
           [0005]    A problem with the basic newspaper box/tube design is the uncovered open end thereof. This open end allows at least the end of the newspaper nearest the open end to potentially be exposed to the elements, especially wind, rain, and snow, each of which could potentially damage the exposed end of the newspaper. The potential for exposure is especially true in a situation in which the newspaper has not been fully inserted into the newspaper box.  
           [0006]    In response to this potential exposure problem, pivotal/hinged lids and/or gates have been created for mounting to a newspaper delivery receptacle at the open end thereof. Of the known prior art newspaper box door constructions, such doors are generally designed to facilitate the insertion of a newspaper (i.e., door swings inward) or its removal (i.e., door swings outward), but not both. Further, of the known prior art door system in which is to swing inward, that door system is not designed to facilitate closure of that door in a situation in which the newspaper has not been pushed far enough back into the newspaper box so as to be clear of the swing radius of the newspaper box door. Additionally, none of the known newspaper delivery box covers incorporate an indicator flag that is able to coact with the door in order to thereby indicate whether or not a newspaper has been delivered into the newspaper box.  
           [0007]    What is needed in the art is a newspaper delivery box that will accommodate both the delivery insertion of a newspaper into the newspaper box and its removal therefrom.  
           [0008]    What is further needed in the art is a newspaper box cover which has an improved ability to come to a closed position even if the newspaper is not pushed all the way back into the newspaper box.  
           [0009]    What is also needed in the art is an indicator flag that is mounted with the door assembly that is able to coact with the movement of the door assembly so as to indicate whether or not a newspaper has been delivered, thereby allowing the delivery person to know whether or not a newspaper has been inserted far enough into the box to allow closure of the door as well as signaling the newspaper recipient of the paper delivery status.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention, in one form thereof, relates to a newspaper box door for an open, newspaper-receiving end of a newspaper box. The newspaper box has a box interior. The newspaper box door includes a door frame with a frame opening, a box fastener, and a frame opening cover. The door frame is configured for selective mounting around and adjacent to the open, newspaper-receiving end of the newspaper delivery box. The door frame has a newspaper-receiving frame opening formed therein. The box fastener is pivotally mounted to the door frame and is configured for attaching to the newspaper delivery box and for thereby releasably mounting the door frame to the newspaper delivery box. The box fastener facilitates a pivotal movement of the door frame selectively one of toward and away from the open, newspaper-receiving end of the newspaper delivery box. The frame opening cover is pivotally mounted to the door frame within the newspaper-receiving frame opening. The frame opening cover is configured for pivotal movement within the box interior.  
           [0011]    The present invention, in another form thereof, relates to a newspaper box door for an open, newspaper-receiving end of a newspaper box, the newspaper box having a box interior. The newspaper box door includes a door frame with a frame opening, a box fastener, and a frame opening cover. The door frame is for selective mounting to the open, newspaper-receiving end of the newspaper delivery box, the door frame having the newspaper-receiving frame opening formed therein. The box fastener pivotally mounts to the door frame and is configured for attaching to the newspaper delivery box. The box fastener facilitates a pivotal movement of the door frame selectively one of toward and away from the newspaper delivery box. The frame opening cover pivotally mounts to the door frame within the newspaper-receiving frame opening. The frame opening cover is configured for pivotal movement within the box interior.  
           [0012]    The present invention, in yet another form thereof, relates to a door assembly for a roadside delivery container. The roadside container has a container interior and an open container end to facilitate access to the container interior. The door assembly permits selective covering of the open container end. The door assembly includes a door frame having a frame opening therein, a container fastener, and a frame opening cover. The container fastener is pivotally mounted to the door frame. The container fastener is configured for pivotally attaching the door frame to the delivery container. The frame opening cover is pivotally mounted to the door frame and is configured for selectably covering the frame opening.  
           [0013]    The present invention, in yet an even further form thereof, relates to a door assembly for a roadside delivery container. The roadside container includes a door frame having a frame opening, a fastener, and a frame opening cover. The fastener is pivotally mounted to the door frame. The fastener is configured for pivotally attaching the door frame to the container. The frame opening cover is pivotally mounted to the door frame and is configured for selectably covering the frame opening.  
           [0014]    An advantage of the present invention is that the double door/door-in-a-door construction permits a double action of the door assembly of the present invention, thereby allowing easy insertion of the item to be delivered (e.g., a newspaper) in through the door yet facilitating easy access to the delivery receptacle (e.g., a newspaper box) by pivotal movement of the entire door assembly away from the open end of the receptacle.  
           [0015]    Another advantage of the present invention is that the door-in-a-door assembly is bi-fold in nature which allows the inner door member (i.e., the door in the door) to have enough room to close under circumstances which would have otherwise prevented it to close had the bi-fold construction not been present.  
           [0016]    A further advantage of the present invention is that the door assembly is both weather resistant and able to form a generally weather-tight closure with the delivery box to which it is connected.  
           [0017]    A yet further advantage of the present invention is that the door cover, door frame, and box attachment member are each made of a clear material. By the door cover being clear, the presence of a newspaper or other delivered material in the delivery box can be visually ascertained. Additionally, the clear nature of the box attachment mechanism and the door frame allow for visual confirmation of the relative positioning of such parts with respect to the delivery receptacle.  
           [0018]    An even yet further advantage of the present invention is that a single door assembly is versatile enough to fit on a variety of sizes of delivery boxes/tubes, the extent of its versatility limited essentially by the dimensions of the perimeter of the door frame.  
           [0019]    A yet additional advantage of the present invention is that it can incorporate various artwork on the parts of the door assembly, thereby increasing its aesthetic value. Likewise, various material colors can be incorporated therein. Advantageously, the materials chosen can be both clear and colored to provide for both the aesthetic value of the colored materials while still allowing for visual checks to be performed.  
           [0020]    A yet even further advantage of the present invention is that, while the primary embodiment of the invention employs the door assembly with a newspaper box, the use of the door assembly can be extended to other types of delivery receptacles such as mailboxes, especially delivery receptacles having an open end into which materials are to be delivered. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]    The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a newspaper box having a newspaper box door of the present invention mounted thereon, the newspaper box door being in a generally closed position relative to an open end of the newspaper box;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is a frontal, perspective view of the newspaper box door of the present invention; and  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 is a rear, perspective view of the newspaper box door of the present invention. 
     
    
       [0025]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplification set out herein illustrates one preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]    As shown in FIGS. 1, a newspaper box door  10  is configured for mounting to a newspaper box  12  at an open, newspaper-receiving end  14  thereof. Newspaper box door  10 , as better seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes a frame  16  having a newspaper-receiving frame opening  18  therein, a box fastener  20 , and a frame opening cover  22 .  
         [0027]    Newspaper box  12  is designed for roadside delivery of both a typical daily edition of a newspaper as well as the usually larger Sunday edition thereof. Such a newspaper box  12  can have various sizes and shapes, ranging from parallelepipeds to cylinders. A common variety has generally parallel sides with rounded corner portions. In any event, such roadside receptacles  12  are typically largest in their lengthwise direction L in order to accommodate the full length of a rolled up newspaper (not shown) within box interior  24  of newspaper box  12 . Newspaper-receiving end  14  is typically at one of the longitudinal ends of newspaper box  12  but could conceivably be formed in one of the longitudinally extending faces of box  12 . Given its long, open-ended construction, newspaper box  12  is also commonly referred to as a newspaper tube, even when it is not cylindrical in shape.  
         [0028]    Door frame  16  is configured for selective mounting around and adjacent to the open, newspaper-receiving end  14  of newspaper box  12 . As previously stated, door frame  16  has a frame opening therein through which a newspaper can be inserted into box interior  24 . Frame opening  18  is sized relative to frame opening cover  22  such that the frame opening is able to act as a limit stop for movement of frame opening cover  22  (i.e., it prevents frame opening cover  22  from swinging outward away from newspaper box  12 ). Proximate frame opening  18 , door frame  16  has a beveled frame portion  26 . Beveled frame portion  26  defines at least a portion of a perimeter of door frame opening  18  and is configured for facilitating the insertion of a newspaper (not shown) through door frame opening  18 . The presence of beveled frame portion  26  also helps reduce the potential tearing of the newspaper upon placement thereof within box interior  24 .  
         [0029]    Door frame  16  further includes a primary frame section  28  and a frame rim  30 . Primary frame section  28  has the box fastener  20  mounted thereto and has the frame opening  18  therewithin. Frame rim  30  is one of integral with and attached to primary frame section  18 . Frame rim  30  extends away from primary frame section  28 . Specifically, frame rim  30  is configured to extend over a portion of newspaper box  12  when door frame  16  is pivoted into a box closing position  32  proximate newspaper-receiving end  14  of newspaper box  12 . Frame rim  30  extends around at least a portion of primary frame section  28 , thereby increasing the weather tightness created by newspaper box door  10  upon moving it into box closing position  32 , relative to newspaper-receiving end  14 . Advantageously, frame rim  30  is further sized and arranged so as to aid in retaining newspaper box door  10  adjacent newspaper box  12  when placed in box closing position  32  (e.g., may form a snap-fix with box  12 ).  
         [0030]    Door frame  16  further has a frame handle  34  associated therewith. Frame handle  34  is either integral with or attached to door frame  16 . Frame handle  34  facilitates selective opening and closing of newspaper box door  10  relative to newspaper-receiving end  14  of newspaper box  12 . Locating frame handle  34  on the side of the door frame  16  opposite box fastener  20  promotes the amount of leverage that can be gained when using frame handle  34  to open box door  10 .  
         [0031]    Box fastener  20  is pivotally mounted to door frame  16  and is specifically configured to permit attachment of newspaper box  10  to newspaper box  12 . Box fastener  20  facilitates the selective pivotal movement of door frame  16  one of toward and away from the open, newspaper-receiving end  14  of the newspaper box  12 . In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the pivot mechanism associated with box fastener  20  is comprised of a plurality of hinges  36 . However, it is understood that configurations using one or more hinges  36  could be used to form a pivot mechanism for box fastener  20 . Alternatively, other pivot mechanisms such as a ball and socket mechanism (not shown) could be used to facilitate the pivoting action associated with box fastener  20 .  
         [0032]    The box fastener  20  shown in FIG. 3 is a box clip. Box clip  20  is configured for releasably attaching over a box edge associated with the open, newspaper-receiving end of  14  of newspaper box  12 . Although box fastener  20  is shown as a box clip in the current embodiment, it is understood that box fastener  20  could be any one of a variety of fastener mechanisms, either permanent or releasable (examples (not shown) of which are a hinged flange member which can be mechanically threadedly and/or chemically/adhesively bonded to newspaper box  12 ; and a hinged member with a vise portion for attachment to box  12 ).  
         [0033]    Door frame  16  and box fastener  20  are together configured to permit the newspaper box door  10  to be operably attached to any one of various sized and shaped newspaper boxes  12 . The maximum potential box size that can be accommodated by a given newspaper box door  10  is limited by the set of dimensions associated with the perimeter of the door frame  16  (i.e., the portions of frame rim  30  should fall outside of newspaper box  12 ).  
         [0034]    Frame opening cover  22  is pivotally mounted to door frame  16  within newspaper-receiving frame opening  18 . Frame opening cover  22  is configured for selectively one of pivotally moving within box interior  24  and resting proximate door frame  16 . By having separate and independent pivotal mounts for door frame  16  and frame opening cover  22 , newspaper box door  10  of the present invention offers a door-within-a-door structure. This door-within-a-door set-up allows a newspaper to be selectively inserted through a first door (i.e., frame opening cover  22 ) and retrieved through a second door (i.e., the combination of door frame  16  and frame opening cover  22 ).  
         [0035]    Opening cover  22  includes a first cover portion  38  and a second cover portion  40 . The first cover portion has a first edge or side  41  and a second edge or side  42  associated therewith. First cover portion  38  has a first cover hinge  44  located at first edge  41  thereof. First cover hinge unit  44  is hingedly connected to door frame  16 . Meanwhile, the second cover portion  40  has a second cover hinge unit  46  associated therewith that is hingedly connected to the second edge  42  of the first cover portion  38 . Since first cover portion  38  and second cover portion  40  are hingedly mounted in such a configuration, opening cover  22  defines a bi-fold cover.  
         [0036]    Opening cover  22  has an opening cover length  48 , opening cover length  48  being measured from first edge  41  of first cover portion  38  to an extreme opposing edge  50  of second cover portion  40 , relative to first edge  41 . First cover portion  38  has a first swing radius R 1  associated therewith, while second cover portion  40  has a second swing radius R 2  associated with it. The first swing radius R 1  and the second swing radius R 2  are each less than the opening cover length  48 , and the first and second hinge units  44  and  46  are configured for operating independently of one another. As a result, the bi-fold cover  22  has an effective bi-fold operating radius R 3  (schematically shown) that is capable of being less than the opening cover length  48 .  
         [0037]    To explain, upon insertion of a newspaper into newspaper box  12 , the initial pivoting associated with frame opening cover  22  will occur primarily at first cover hinge unit  44 . Upon contact of frame opening cover  22  with the newspaper (not shown), downward/return movement of opening cover  22  via first cover hinge unit  44  will be impeded. However, due to the overall weight of frame opening cover  22  and any spring bias which may be associated with first cover hinge unit  44 , second cover hinge unit  46  will tend to pivot under such conditions. Such pivoting by second cover hinge unit  46  will effectively bring extreme opposing edge  50  of second cover portion  40  closer to first side  41  of first cover portion  38 , thereby reducing effective bi-fold operating radius R 3 . With such a reduction in radius R 3 , frame opening cover  22  can potentially close past a newspaper which would have otherwise blocked it had second cover hinge unit  46  not been available.  
         [0038]    Advantageously, at least one of first cover hinge unit  44  and second cover hinge unit  46  is a spring-assisted hinge unit. A spring-assisted hinge unit is useful in that it aids in biasing a respective cover portion  38 ,  40  toward the door frame  16 . The spring constant associated with each hinge unit  44 ,  46  can be chosen for ease of insertion of a newspaper into newspaper box  12  (i.e., favoring a low modulus of elasticity) or designed to move frame opening cover  22  into contact with frame opening  18  of door frame  16  (i.e., favoring a high modulus of elasticity). Mid-range elasticity values can be chosen for the springs of hinge units  44  and/or  46  so that a given hinge unit  44 ,  46  may prove rather easy to open, while still promoting closure of the overall frame opening cover  22 .  
         [0039]    The elasticities of the spring members (not specifically illustrated) of hinge units  44  and  46  do not necessarily have to be the same. It may prove useful to have first cover hinge unit  44  have a low modulus of elasticity to be associated therewith in order to allow the newspaper to be easily inserted therewith, while having the modulus of elasticity associated with second cover hinge unit  46  be relatively large so that it will have a large tendency to want to close if in contact with an end of a newspaper inserted within newspaper box  12 . In such an instance, the spring constant associated with first cover hinge unit  44  could be chosen to be low as frame opening cover  22  will be biased to pivot downwardly just due to its own weight.  
         [0040]    Another advantage of the bi-fold cover construction and its effective bi-fold operating radius R 3  is that frame opening cover  22  need not necessarily be swung to its maximum open position within box interior  24  upon insertion of a newspaper therethrough. This is especially true if a generally smaller weekday/Saturday edition of the paper is being delivered. By not having it swing so far upward, less of a distance must be traversed in order to gain closure, and even if complete closure is not possible, a larger amount of frame opening  18  should be covered than might have been possible without the presence of second cover hinge unit  46 .  
         [0041]    Opening cover  22  is advantageously made of a material (e.g., a clear, flexible plastic such as Plexiglass™) that is clear enough so as to permit a visual inspection of the box interior  24  for the presence of a delivered newspaper. To ensure proper selective mounting of door frame  16  around newspaper box  12  and proper attachment of box fastener  20  to newspaper-receiving end  14  of newspaper box  12 , it is thereby useful for door frame  16  and box fastener  20  to be made of a clear material so as to visually account for sufficient attachment thereof to newspaper box  12 , when desired.  
         [0042]    Newspaper box door  10  of the present embodiment is further provided with an indicator flag  52 . Indicator flag  52  is pivotally mounted to door frame  16 . The indicator flag  52  is configured for pivoting to a delivered-paper flag position  54  that is indicative of a delivered newspaper upon insertion of a newspaper into the box interior  24 . In order to pivot the indicator flag into a position indicative of a delivered newspaper, for example, the indicator flag may be coupled to a lever (not shown) which extends into box interior  24 , the lever being contacted by a newspaper upon its insertion into newspaper box  12 . Such movement by the lever is thereby able to cause indicator flag  52  to move into delivered-paper flag position  54 . It is possible that upon removal of the newspaper from box interior  24  the lever could fall under its own weight and/or be spring loaded so as to return to the position it occupied prior to newspaper insertion. Alternatively, such a lever could be manually reset, if needed. Advantageously, the resetting of this lever would simultaneously cause the resetting of indicator flag  52  away from position  54  to a “not delivered” position (not shown).  
         [0043]    It is understood that the newspaper box door construction  10  could be extended to use with other roadside delivery receptacles such as mailboxes. It can be seen that certain advantages gained by use of box door  10  could also be useful with respect to mail delivery, especially those associated with the door-within-a-door construct. The generally weather-tight construction as well as the effective bi-fold operating radius R 3  are other features of box door  10  which could prove useful in combination with other delivery box devices.  
         [0044]    While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.