Mailbox

A mailbox, comprising:

• an outer shell comprising a top wall with an interior and exterior surfaces, a bottom wall with an interior surface and an exterior surface, a pair of side walls, each from said pair of side walls with an interior surface and an exterior surface and a rear wall with an interior surface and an exterior surface, said outer shell defining a closed rear end, an open front end, and a hollow interior;
• a door mounted for a movement on said outer shell so as to selectively open and close said open front end of said outer shell;
• an inner shell comprising a top wall with an interior surface and an exterior surface, a pair of side walls, each from said pair of side walls of said inner shell with an interior surface and an exterior surface, and a front flange, said inner shell defining an open rear end, an open front end, and a hollow interior of said inner shell, said front flange defining a top portion and a pair of side portions;
• a first gap between said exterior surface of said inner shell and said interior surface of said outer shell;
• a second gap between each exterior surface of one side wall of said inner shell and an interior surface of a respective side wall of said outer shell;
• a power source mounted in said first or second gap, said power source comprising a charging circuit;
• a means for mounting said inner shell within said hollow interior of said outer shell so that said front flange covers said first and said second gaps during use of said mailbox;
• a flag comprising:
• a shaft configured to pass through an aperture in one side wall from said pair of side walls in said outer shell,
• an elongated flag portion secured to one end of said shaft for a rotation therewith between a first position indicating a presence of mail contents within said hollow interior of said inner shell and a second position indicating an absence of mail contents within said hollow interior of said inner shell, and a switch actuating portion secured to an opposite end of
• said shaft for said rotation therewith;
• a flag switch mounted on an interior surface of said one side wall from said pair of side walls in said outer shell, said flag switch configured to selectively engage said actuating portion of said flag, said flag switch configured to output a flag signal defining said first position or said second position of said elongated flag portion;
• a camera positioned adjacent a top portion of said front flange and within said first gap and being electrically coupled to said power source, said camera is configured to selectively capture an image in front of said mailbox, when said door is moved to open said open front end of said outer shell, said camera is configured to output a signal containing said captured image;
• a transmitter mounted in one second gap and being electrically coupled to said power source, said transmitter configured to selectively emit a beam of light;
• a receiver mounted in an opposite second gap, said receiver configured to selectively receive said beam of light emitted from said transmitter, said receiver configured to output a signal representing a received light condition or a not-received light condition;
• a lighted panel mounted on an exterior surface of one side wall from said pair of side walls of said outer shell and being electrically coupled to said power source;
• a light sensor mounted in a position to sense ambient light and selectively activate and de-activate said lighted panel;
• a solar panel mounted in said top wall of said outer shell and being electrically coupled to said charging circuit of said power source;
• a door indicator target mounted on an interior surface of said door;
• a door indicator switch being electrically coupled to said power source and being mounted in a position to sense said door indicator target when said door is moved to selectively close said open front end of said mailbox and output a signal representing a door closed or a door open position;
• a motion detection sensor being mounted in a position to detect a motion in a vicinity of said mailbox and output a signal representing said motion;
• a first indicator being electrically coupled to said power source and being mounted on an exterior surface of said bottom wall, said first indicator being configured to illuminate a ground area in a vicinity of said mailbox;
• a second indicator being electrically coupled to said power source and being mounted on an exterior surface of one of said top wall, said bottom wall, said side wall and said rear wall of said outer shell, said second indicator being configured to indicate any one of a condition when said door opens or closes said open front end of said mailbox, when said flag is moved into said first position, and when said receiver transmits said signal representing said not-received light condition;
• a third indicator being electrically coupled to said power source and being mounted in said first or second gap, said third indicator being configured to illuminate said hollow interior of said inner shell when said door is moved to open said open front end;
• and
• a controller being electrically coupled to said power source and being mounted in said first or second gap, said controller comprising one or more processors and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by said one or more processors, cause said one or more processors to perform the steps of:
• transmitting said image captured by said camera to a remote device,
• transmitting said flag signal, in a response to receiving said flag signal from said flag switch, to the remote device,
• transmitting said received light condition or a not-received light condition, in a response to a received signal from said receiver, to the remote device,
• activating said first indicator in a response to said signal received from said motion detection sensor,
• selectively activating said lighted panel,
• selectively activating said second indicator when said door is moved to open or close said open front end of said mailbox, when said flag is moved into said first position, or when said receiver transmits said signal representing said not-received light condition, and
• activating said third indicator in a response to a signal from said door indicator switch indicating said door being moved to open said open front end of said mailbox.