Hazardous material mail collection point-of-use

A mail collection point-of-use, at least partially positioned in a first wall separating a customer-accessible area from a non-customer-accessible work area, the mail collection point-of-use comprising:

• a mail drop unit having an opening for receiving customer-deposited mail;
• an enclosure on the non customer-accessible work area side of the wall, the enclosure being sealingly coupled to the mail drop unit and sealed off from the work area, the enclosure comprising an opening and a door sealing the opening when the door is closed;
• a mail receptacle positioned inside the enclosure, the mail receptacle accumulating received customer-deposited mail, the receptacle and the opening of the enclosure sized to permit removal of the receptacle from the enclosure through the opening;
• a positioning structure establishing a bottom portion of the mail receptacle to a first position below a top portion of the mail receptacle when empty, and lowering the bottom portion of the mail receptacle to a second position as a function of the weight of the received customer-deposited mail;
• a detector positioned inside the enclosure and generating a detection signal upon detection of airborne hazardous material;
• and
• an indicator positioned outside the enclosure, coupled to the detector, and generating an indication upon receipt of the detection.

A mail collection point-of-use, at least partially positioned in a first wall separating a customer accessible area from a non-customer-accessible work area, the mail collection point-of-use comprising:

• a mail drop unit comprising an opening for receiving customer-deposited mail;
• a mail receptacle for accumulating received customer-deposited mail;
• the mail receptacle comprising an expandable and collapsible container;
• a first positioning structure maintaining the top of the mail receptacle in an open position and at a fixed distance below the opening of the mail drop unit;
• a second positioning structure establishing the bottom of the mail receptacle to a first position below the top of the mail receptacle when empty and lowering the bottom of the mail receptacle to a second position as a function of the weight of the accumulated mail;
• an enclosure on the work area side of the wall, the enclosure being hermetically coupled to the mail drop unit and hermetically sealed off from the work area, the enclosure containing the mail receptacle and comprising an opening sized to permit removal of the mail receptacle and a door hermetically sealing the opening when the door is closed;
• a detector positioned inside the enclosure and generating a detection signal upon detection of airborne hazardous material;
• and
• an indicator positioned outside the enclosure, coupled to the detector, and generating an indication upon receipt of the detection.

A mail collection point-of-use, at least partially positioned in a wall separating a customer accessible area from a non-customer-accessible work area, the mail collection point-of-use comprising:

• a mail drop unit comprising an opening for receiving customer-deposited mail;
• a mail receptacle for accumulating received customer-deposited mail;
• the mail receptacle comprising an expandable and collapsible container;
• a positioning structure maintaining the top of the mail receptacle in an open position and at a fixed distance below the opening of the mail drop unit;
• an enclosure on the work area side of the wall, the enclosure being sealingly coupled to the mail drop unit and sealed off from the work area, the enclosure containing the mail receptacle and comprising an opening sized to permit removal of the mail receptacle and a door sealing the opening when the door is closed;
• a platform supporting the bottom of the mail receptacle;
• a plurality of springs placed between the platform and the bottom of the enclosure, which elevate the platform to a position below the top of the mail receptacle when empty, and which lower the platform proportionally to the weight of mail accumulated in the mail receptacle;
• a detector positioned inside the enclosure and generating a detection signal upon detection of airborne hazardous material;
• and
• an indicator positioned outside the enclosure, coupled to the detector, and generating an indication upon receipt of the detection.

A mail collection point-of-use, at least partially positioned in a wall separating a customer accessible area from a non-customer-accessible work area, the mail collection point-of-use comprising:

• a mail drop unit comprising an opening for receiving customer-deposited mail;
• a mail receptacle for accumulating received customer-deposited mail;
• the mail receptacle comprising an expandable and collapsible container;
• a positioning structure maintaining the top of the mail receptacle in an open position and at a fixed distance below the opening of the mail drop unit;
• an enclosure on the work area side of the wall, the enclosure being sealingly coupled to the mail drop unit and sealed off from the work area, the enclosure containing the mail receptacle and comprising an opening sized to permit removal of the mail receptacle and a door sealing the opening when the door is closed;
• a platform supporting the bottom of the mail receptacle;
• a plurality of resilient cords, each cord attached at one end to the platform and the other end to the positioning structure, wherein the cords elevate the platform at a first position below the top of the mail receptacle when empty, and which are proportionally stretched by the weight of mail accumulated in the mail receptacle;
• a detector positioned inside the enclosure and generating a detection signal upon detection of airborne hazardous material;
• and
• an indicator positioned outside the enclosure, coupled to the detector, and generating an indication upon receipt of the detection.

A mail collection point-of-use, at least partially positioned in a wall separating a customer accessible area from a non-customer-accessible work area, the mail collection point-of-use comprising:

• a mail drop unit comprising an opening for receiving customer-deposited mail;
• a mail receptacle for accumulating received customer-deposited mail;
• the mail receptacle comprising an expandable and collapsible container;
• means for maintaining the top of the mail receptacle in an open position and at a fixed distance below the opening of the mail drop unit;
• means for establishing the bottom of the mail receptacle at a first position below the top of the mail receptacle when empty and lowering the bottom of the mail receptacle as a function of the weight of the accumulated mail;
• an enclosure on the work area side of the wall, the enclosure being sealingly coupled to the mail drop unit and sealed off from the work area, the enclosure containing the mail receptacle and comprising an opening sized to permit removal of the mail receptacle and a door hermetically sealing the opening when the door is closed;
• a detector positioned inside the enclosure and generating a detection signal upon detection of airborne hazardous material;
• and
• an indicator positioned outside the enclosure, coupled to the detector, and generating an indication upon receipt of the detection signal.

A mail collection point-of-use, at least partially positioned in a wall separating a customer-accessible area from a non-customer-accessible work area, the mail collection point-of-use comprising:

• a mail drop unit comprising an opening for receiving customer-deposited mail;
• a mail receptacle for accumulating received customer-deposited mail the mail receptacle comprising a sack;
• means for maintaining the top of the mail receptacle in an open position and at a fixed distance below the opening of the mail drop unit;
• a platform, which supports the bottom of the sack;
• means for establishing the bottom of the sack at a first position below the top of the sack when empty and lowering the bottom of the sack as a function of the weight of mail accumulated in the sack;
• and
• at least one vertical guide for providing a boundary for the sack as it expands and the platform as it moves.

A method of preventing detected hazardous materials within a mail collection point-of-use from contaminating components of subsequent mail delivery system processes, the method comprising:

• receiving customer-deposited mail through an opening in a mail drop unit;
• reducing the distance received customer-deposited mail falls before landing in an empty mail receptacle;
• accumulating received mail in a mail receptacle contained in an enclosure;
• examining air within the enclosure for airborne hazardous material;
• generating a detection signal if hazardous material is detected;
• and
• indicating the detection of hazardous material.