Latch member with a lighting assembly for a rural mailbox

#The present invention relates to a lighting assembly for a rural mailbox and more particularly to a lighting assembly for a mailbox which an user activates a light when he open of a door so there is sufficient ambient light by which to view the contents therein.

#Many persons have employment schedules that result in returning home in the dark. Of course, many persons working normal business hours also return home in the dark during the winter season due to the shortened period of daylight. The task of gathering one's mail from the mailbox is made more difficult by the darkness. The resident must scrape around inside the darkened mailbox or utilize an external light source such as a flashlight to ensure that important letters or small packages are not overlooked. Interior lighting of a mailbox is especially needed for use with rural mailboxes that are typically mounted some distance away from the home. Various apparatus have been proposed for lighting the interior of a mailbox. Some such devices are disadvantageous, however, in that a light is activated every time the mailbox door is opened, thus depleting the power supply even in situations where ambient light is plenteous. Other devices require the user to manually activate a light switch when more light is needed.

#Therefore, it is desirable to have a lighting system for a mailbox that activates an interior light only if insufficient ambient light is available for viewing the contents within the mailbox. It is further desirable that the amount of available ambient light is only sensed upon an opening of the mailbox door.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rural mailbox that includes a housing, a door, a male latch member and a female latch member according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,341.

#FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the female latch member of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a rear elevation in cross-section of the female latch member of FIG. 1 taken along the line 3—3 of FIG. 2.

#Referring to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG. 2 a rural mailbox 10 includes housing 11, a door 12 and auxiliary components. The auxiliary components include a male latch member 13, a female latch member 14 and latch clips. The male latch member has a base that has a top and a bottom. There are two clip-connector portions that mechanically couple the male latch member to the door 12 and disposed adjacent to the top of the door 12. One of the two latch clips is coupled to the two clip-connector portion of the male latch member 13 in order to secure the male latch member 13 to the door 12. The female latch member 14 is coupled to the housing 11 and disposed so that the male latch member 13 engages the female latch member 14. The female latch member 14 includes an integral member that has a base portion with a top and a bottom, a handle portion, a ribbed reinforcement portion and two clip-connector portions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,341 teaches a rural mailbox that is similar to the rural mailbox 10.

#Referring to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 3 the female latch member 14 is an integral member which has a base portion 20, a handle portion 21, a ribbed reinforcement portion 22 and two clip-connector portions 23. The two clip-connector portions 23 are disposed on the bottom of the base portions 20. The other latch clip is coupled to the two clip-connector portions 23 of the female latch member 14 in order to secure the female latch member to the housing 11. The handle portion 21 is disposed on the top of the base portion 20 at the front end. The ribbed reinforcement portion 22 is disposed on the top 21 of the base portion 20 and extends from the front end to the rear end.

#Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 a female latch member 114 with lighting assembly includes an integral member that has a base portion 120, a handle portion 121, a ribbed reinforcement portion 122 and two clip-connector portions 123. The handle portion 121 is disposed on the top of the base portion 120 at the front end. The ribbed reinforcement portion 122 is disposed on the top 121 of the base portion 120 and extends from the front end to the rear end. The two clip-connector portions 123 are disposed on the bottom of the base portion 120.