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US 7,066,381 B2Granted
Mail indicator
OwnerWilliam J. Bundyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention features a mailbox indicator for determining when the daily mail courier has deposited mail in a rural or suburban mailbox. The mailbox indicator features a pivotal rod, which is pivotally secured to a base. The base is attached to the top of the front end of a mailbox in proximity to, and extending out beyond, the door latch.
Claims2
A mailbox-indicating device for determining that the daily mail has been delivered by a courier to the mailbox, comprising:
- an elongated base member for supporting an indicating means, said base member being longitudinally secured to a top of said mailbox adjacent a door of said mailbox, said elongated base member including an elongated groove in a top surface thereof, and an arm that extends past said door of said mailbox;
- and
- said indicating means including an elongated substantially cylindrical rod being pivotally attached to said arm of said base member at substantially a mid-point of said rod to divide said rod into an upper section and a lower section, said upper section being brightly colored for visual observance, and said rod in operative engagement with said door of said mailbox for movement between an upward extending first visual position and a laterally extending second indicating position, whereby opening said door of said mailbox will engage said lower section of said rod and pivot said rod from said first visual position to said second indicating position such that said upper section of said rod is completely within said groove of said base member thereby completely obscuring said upper section of said rod and thereby indicating that the daily mail has been delivered.
A mailbox-indicating device for determining that the daily mail has been delivered by a courier to the mailbox, comprising:
- a base member for supporting a substantially cylindrical visual indicator rod, said base member having an elongated groove in a top surface thereof, and said base member being secured to a top of said mailbox adjacent a door of said mailbox;
- and
- said visual indicator rod in operative engagement with said door of said mailbox for movement between a first visually observable position and a second visually non-observable position, said visual indicator rod being pivotally attached at substantially a mid-point thereof to said base member, said mid-point dividing the visual indicator rod into an upper section and a lower section, said upper section being brightly colored for visual observance, said visual indicator rod extending upward in said first visually observable position, and extending laterally and partially beyond said mailbox in said second visually non-observable position such that said upper section of said visual indicator rod is completely within said groove of said base member thereby completely obscuring said upper section of said rod and thereby indicating that the daily mail has been delivered.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.