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US 4,375,869 AGranted
Protective covers or enclosures for mailboxes
OwnerGary H. Hatchinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerGary H. Hatchinventor
Estimating the term…
A rural mailbox cover has a slat assembly which overlays the arcuate roof and opposite side walls formed by a center panel of the mailbox, the assembly having parallel slats of equal lengths which are arranged in a row and joined by elongated flexible and preferably resiliently extensible elements that extend transversely of the row of slats and are fixed to each slat at the interiorly facing side of the assembly. A center group of slats are beveled at their opposite side edges to facilitate a contiguous slat edge arrangement for the group as they overlay the arcuate roof of the mailbox and the opposite ends of each slat are beveled to accommodate the location of the door flange and a bead at the juncture of the center and rear wall panels of the mailbox. The opposite end panels of the mailbox are covered by components that have a plate with a decorative strip that forms a flange that projects inwardly to overlay the adjacent ends of the slats in the slat assembly.
The combination comprising a rural mailbox having a generally rectangular center panel which has opposite side walls for the mailbox, and a cover for the mailbox comprising a generally rectangular slat assembly that is arranged to overlay the exterior surface of the center panel, said assembly comprising a plurality of elongated slats that are of substantially equal length and arranged to extend between the opposite edge portions of the center panel, said slats being arranged in parallel and in a row with one slat laterally of and adjacent to the next slat in the row, said cover further comprising flexible means located between said slat assembly and said center panel, and means located between said slat assembly and said center panel and joining said flexible means to each of said slats of said assembly, and said combination further comprising means fixing the slat assembly to the mailbox.
A cover for a rural mailbox having a generally rectangular center panel which has opposite edge portions and is bent to form an arcuate roof and opposite side walls for the mailbox, said cover comprising a generally rectangular slat assembly that is adapted to overlay the exterior surface of the center panel, said assembly comprising a plurality of elongated slats that are of substantially equal length and adapted to extend between the opposite edge portions of the center panel, said slats being arranged in parallel and in a row with one slat laterally of and adjacent to the next slat in the row, a pair of elongated flexible members which are laterally spaced apart and extend transversely of the parallel slats in the row, and means joining each of said flexible members to each of said slats of said assembly, said flexible members being resiliently extensible.
A cover for a rural mailbox having a generally rectangular center panel which has opposite edge portions and is bent to form an arcuate roof and opposite side walls for the mailbox, said cover comprising a generally rectangular slat assembly that is adapted to overlay the exterior surface of the center panel, said assembly comprising a plurality of elongated slats that are of substantially equal length and adapted to extend between the opposite edge portions of the center panel, said slats being arranged in parallel and in a row with one slat laterally of and adjacent to the next slat in the row, a pair of elongated flexible members which are laterally spaced apart and extend transversely of the parallel slats in the row, and means joining each of said flexible members to each of said slats of said assembly, said assembly having an exterior side face and an interior side face, said flexible members being located at the interior side face of the assembly, each of said slats having opposite end portions that are respectively adapted and arranged to overlay the opposite edge portions of the center panel, and each end portion of each slat being beveled to provide an endwardly and inwardly inclined surface at the interior face of the assembly.
A cover for a rural mailbox having a generally rectangular center panel which has opposite edge portions and is bent to form an arcuate roof and opposite side walls for the mailbox, said cover comprising a generally rectangular slat assembly that is adapted to overlay the exterior surface of the center panel, said assembly comprising a plurality of elongated slats that are of substantially equal length and adapted to extend between the opposite edge portions of the center panel, said slats being arranged in parallel and in a row with one slat laterally of and adjacent to the next slat in the row, a pair of elongated flexible members which are laterally spaced apart and extend transversely of the parallel slats in the row, and means joining each of said flexible members to each of said slats of said assembly, said row having a group of slats in the center of the row that is adapted and arranged to overlay the arcuate roof formed by the center panel, and each slat in the group having at least one beveled side edge which is contiguous to another slat that is adjacent thereto in the row.
A cover for a rural mailbox having a generally rectangular center panel which has opposite edge portions and is bent to form an arcuate roof and opposite side walls for the mailbox, said cover comprising a generally rectangular slat assembly that is adapted to overlay the exterior surface of the center panel, said assembly comprising a plurality of elongated slats that are of substantially equal length and adapted to extend between the opposite edge portions of the center panel, said slats being arranged in parallel and in a row with one slat laterally of and adjacent to the next slat in the row, a pair of elongated flexible members which are laterally spaced apart and extend transversely of the parallel slats in the row, and means joining each of said flexible members to each of said slats of said assembly, said flexible members being resiliently extensible, said assembly having an exterior face and an interior face, said flexible members having opposite end portions that are respectively adapted and arranged to overlay the opposite end portions of the center panel, each end portion of each slat being beveled to provide an endwardly and inwardly inclined surface at the interior face of the assembly, said row having a group of slats in the center of the row that is adapted to overlay the arcuate roof formed by the center panel, and each slat in the group having at least one beveled side edge which is contiguous to a side edge of another slat that is adjacent thereto in the row.
A cover for a rural mailbox having a generally rectangular center panel which has opposite lateral side edge portions, a rear edge portion and a front edge portion and which is bent between its lateral side edge portions to provide an arcuate roof and horizontally spaced apart and parallel upright opposite side walls, a generally rectangular and horizontally disposed floor panel which is bent to provide depending opposite side edge portions that are respectively fixed to the lateral side edge portions of the center panel, an upright rear wall panel which has an edge portion that is crimped to the rear edge portion of the center panel and therewith forms an elongated outwardly projecting bead along the crimped juncture between the center panel and rear wall panel, said front edge portion of the center panel being rolled to provide a bead which in part defines an opening between the exterior and interior of the mailbox, a door panel which is pivotally connected to the center panel for pivotal movement in the opening and which has a flange that overlies the rolled front edge portion when the opening is closed by the door panel, said cover comprising a generally flat rectangular assembly that is adapted to overlay the exterior surface of the center panel, said assembly including a plurality of elongated slats that are of substantially equal length and adapted to extend between the front and rear edge portions of the center panel, said slats being arranged in parallel and in a row with one slat laterally of and adjacent to the next slat in the row, a pair of elongated flexible members which are laterally spaced apart and extend transversely of the parallel slats in the row, and means joining each of said flexible members to each of said slats of said assembly, said cover further comprising a pair of flat plates which are respectively adapted to overlay the exterior surface of the rear wall and door panels of the mailbox, each of said plates having and edge and opposite side faces, and each of said plates having a flange forming component that is secured to the plate edge and projects laterally of one of the opposite side faces thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.