Mail delivery alert system

#The present invention relates generally to mail receiving devices and, more particularly, to a mail delivery alert system that indicates to a resident when mail has been delivered and is ready to be retrieved.

#Presently, a person spends time looking for the mailperson, waiting until they think the mailperson has delivered the mail, or waiting until they are sure the mailperson has delivered the mail before they go to the mailbox. If the resident goes to the mailbox and, in fact, the mailperson has not yet delivered the mail, he has unnecessarily expended the effort to go to the mailbox. This can be a frustrating experience and, for some people, very tiring or inconvenient.

#Various devices have been proposed in the art for detecting mail delivery, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,611,333, 6,222,451, and 6,831,888. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, each of these proposed devices must be physically attached to an existing mailbox to operate.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mail delivery alert system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mailbox housing on an enlarged scale as in FIG. 1 with a door in an open configuration;

#FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the mailbox housing as in FIG. 1;

#A mail delivery alert system 10 according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings. The mail delivery alert system 10 is an electronic mailbox 12 and receiver 44 that will alert a homeowner to when mail has been placed into the mailbox 12. The mailbox 12 may be placed along a curbside as in any traditional mailbox, and the receiver 44 may be placed inside a residence at a location of the resident's discretion.

#The mailbox 12, also referred to herein as a mailbox housing, includes a bottom wall 14 and a top wall 28 generally opposed to and spaced apart from the bottom wall 14. The mailbox 12 also includes a pair of opposed side walls 30 that extend from opposed edges of the top wall 28 to a point below the bottom wall 14 (FIG. 4). The mailbox 12 further includes a rear wall (not shown) and defines an open front 32 (FIG. 2). Together, the walls of the mailbox 12 enclose an open space within the mailbox housing. A door 34 is pivotally coupled to the mailbox 12 at a lower edge of the side walls 30 and is selectively movable between open and closed configurations, the door 34 covering or enclosing the open front 32 when in the closed configuration.

#The bottom wall 14 includes upper 16 and lower 18 surface as well as a front face 20 and a rear face 22 extending downwardly from the upper surface 16 thereof. Together, the front 20 and rear 22 faces along with the lower surface 18 of the bottom wall 14 and the side walls 30 that extend below the bottom wall 14 form a cavity 24. Electronic components of the present system 10 are mounted to the lower surface 18 of the bottom wall 14 as will be described in greater detail below. A bottom panel 26 may be removably attached to free edges of the front 20 and rear 22 faces of the bottom wall 14 and free edges of the side walls 30 (FIG. 3) so as to enclose the cavity 24 for protection of the electronic components.