Claims
- 1. An upright mailbox having a lower bellows member which allows the mailbox to laterally deflect when struck by a physical object, the upright mailbox comprising:
- a lower mailbox portion having an inclined front wall, a pair of oppositely-disposed, vertically-upright side walls, and a vertically-extending back wall, the lower mailbox portion further defining an inner storage compartment wherein material can be deposited;
- a rectangular-shaped upper mailbox portion attached to the lower mailbox portion, the upper mailbox portion having a mailbox opening which allows material to be passed therethrough for depositing into the inner storage compartment;
- a generally flat upper mail shelf attached to, and located within, the upper mailbox portion and extending substantially the full horizontal length of the upper mailbox portion;
- a substantially flat mail drop shelf hingeably attached to the side walls adjacent the mailbox opening and extending substantially within the inner storage compartment, the mail drop shelf adapted to pivot upward toward the upper mailbox portion and downward into the inner storage compartment;
- a mailbox lid attached to the mail drop shelf for pivoting in tandem therewith, the mailbox lid adapted for sealably closing the mailbox opening;
- a collapsibly-extensible, laterally deformable lower bellows member attached subjacent to the lower mailbox portion and adapted to laterally deform when the upright mailbox is struck by a physical object, the lower bellows member adapted to maintain the laterally deflected position of the mailbox until the mailbox is returned to an upright position by an external force;
- a mail access door hingeably attached to the back wall of the lower mailbox portion and adapted to selectively open and close in order to contain material within the inner storage compartment and permit removal of material therefrom; and
- a mounting means for securing the upright mailbox into the ground, the mounting means located beneath the lower bellows member and attached thereto.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lower bellows member is generally rectangular-shaped and is integrally attached subjacent to the lower mailbox portion.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lower bellows member is generally circular-shaped and is integrally attached subjacent to the lower mailbox portion.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lower bellows member includes a flat, horizontally-extending bellows floor.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the mounting means includes a horizontally disposed reinforcing mounting plate positioned underneath and contiguous to the bellows floor and which is secured thereto.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the mounting means includes at least one threaded half-coupling secured to the reinforcing mounting plate and downwardly projecting therefrom.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the threaded half-coupling is secured to the bellows floor and downwardly projects therefrom.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the mounting means includes at least one elongated mounting pipe, the mounting pipe having a first pipe end adapted for securement to the half-coupling and a second pipe end for securement into the ground.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a mail access door hingeably attached to the frontwall of the lower mailbox portion and adapted to selectively open and close in order to contain material within the inner storage compartment and permit removal of material therefrom.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mail drop shelf includes an upper mail surface for receiving material thereon, a lower shelf surface, and a rear edge.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising support means for maintaining the mail drop shelf in a substantially horizontal position when the mailbox lid is opened.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the support means includes a support member attached to the backwall and projecting into the inner storage compartment, the support member adapted to yieldably abut the rear edge of the mail drop shelf when the mailbox lid is fully opened in order to maintain the horizontal position of the mail drop shelf.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the backwall is inwardly inclined toward the frontwall and forms a curved backwall portion that is integrally attached to the upper mailbox portion.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the curved backwall portion is adapted to yieldably abut the rear edge of the mail drop shelf when the mailbox lid is fully opened in order to maintain the horizontal position of the mail drop shelf.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a clip attached to the rear edge of the mail drop shelf, the clip adapted to yieldably abut the curved backwall portion when the mailbox lid is fully opened so that the mail drop shelf will be maintained in a horizontal position.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upper mail shelf has a rearwardly located, vertically-extending member integrally attached to the upper mail shelf, the vertically-extending member also attached to the upper mailbox portion sides and adapted to block material from reaching the back of the upper mailbox portion.
- 17. An upright mailbox having a means which allows the mailbox to laterally deflect when struck by a physical object, the upright mailbox comprising:
- a lower mailbox portion having an inclined front wall, a pair of oppositely-disposed, vertically-upright side walls, and a vertically-extending back wall, the lower mailbox portion further defining an inner storage compartment wherein material can be deposited;
- a rectangular-shaped upper mailbox portion attached to the lower mailbox portion, the upper mailbox portion having a mailbox opening which allows materials to be passed therethrough for depositing into the inner storage compartment;
- a generally flat upper mail shelf attached to, and located within, the upper mailbox portion and extending substantially the full horizontal length of the upper mailbox portion;
- a substantially flat mail drop shelf hingeably attached to the side walls adjacent the mailbox opening and extending substantially within the inner storage compartment, the mail drop shelf adapted to pivot upward toward the upper mailbox portion and downward into the inner storage compartment;
- a mailbox lid attached to the mail drop shelf for pivoting in tandem therewith, the mailbox lid adapted for sealably closing the mailbox opening;
- a mail access door hingeably attached to the back wall of the lower mailbox portion and adapted to selectively open and close in order to contain material within the inner storage compartment and permit removal of material therefrom; and
- a flexible mounting means for securing the upright mailbox into the ground so that the upright mailbox will laterally deflect when struck by a physical object and maintain its deflected state until physically returned to the upright position, wherein the flexible mounting means includes a plurality of elongated mounting pipes, each mounting pipe having a lower pipe end for placement into the ground and a upper pipe end protruding above the ground for attachment to the upright mailbox and, a plurality of elongated, deformable, generally circular-shaped flexible bellows members, each bellows member attached to the upper pipe end of each mounting pipe, wherein the flexible bellows members facilitate the deflection when the mailbox is struck by the physical object.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each flexible bellows member includes a cylindrical securement end adapted for attachment subjacent and contiguous to the lower mailbox portion.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein each respective mounting pipe and attached flexible bellows member are in concentric alignment when disposed in their operative position.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein a stub is located within the securement end of each flexible bellows member and is attached thereto, each stub further characterized by having a stub bore extending substantially therethrough.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising a plurality of vertically-extending, elongated rods adapted for insertion into the bore of each respective stub and protruding upwardly therefrom and into the inner storage compartment, each rod being in concentric alignment with each respective flexible bellows member and mounting pipe.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/749,725, filed Aug. 26, 1991, in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
749725 |
Aug 1991 |
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