US3263352A

US3263352A - Device for outgoing mail

Info

Publication number: US3263352A
Application number: US338962A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bernard J Fitzpatrick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-01-20
Filing date: 1964-01-20
Publication date: 1966-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 1983-08-02

Description

Aug. 2, 1966 J. FITZPATRICK DEVICE FOR OUTGOING MAIL Filed Jan. 20, 1964 INVENTOR.

BER/WHO d 772 4 TR/CK MM MgZZ/ ATTORA/'YS United States Patent 3,263,352 DEVICE FOR OUTGOING MAIL Bernard J. Fitzpatrick, 3211 Garner, Kansas City, Mo. 64124 Filed Jan. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 338,962 4 Claims. (Cl. 40-10) This invention relates to improvements in clips, and more particularly to weather-protecting devices for receiving and prominently displaying outgoing letter mail for pick-up and the like.

The principal objects of the present invention are: to provide a device adapted to receive and protect against inclement weather outgoing letters, vendor notes and the like while permitting prominent display and easy removal thereof; to provide such a device which may be conveniently suspended on a mailbox or mail slot without interfering with the depositing of mail; to provide such a device wherein the contents are securely held while being easily removable therefrom with a minimum of manipulation; to provide such a device which may be alternately hooked over the thin front wall of a mailbox and the like or secured by means of a suitable fastening member against the surface of a door, wall or other fastener-receiving surface; to provide such a device which may include permanently printed informational material thereon such as advertisements, instructions and the like; and to provide such a device which is simple, rugged and inexpensive in construction and yet well suited for its intended purpose.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a device embodying this invention disengaged and empty.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view showing the device hooked onto the front wall of a common top opening mailbox and containing letter mail.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through the device taken on the line 33, FIG. 2, showing details of the engagement with the mailbox wall.

FIG. 4 is ,a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view through the device alternatively mounted.

Referring to the drawings in more detail:

The reference numeral 1 generally indicates a weatherprotecting device embodying this invention adapted to receive outgoing letter mail 2 or the like for prominent display and easy removal. The device 1 broadly includes a unitary supporting body 3 and a cover member 4.

The body 3 comprises an elongated downwardly extending strip 5 of spring-like material such as high strength plastic resins, aluminum or steel, and has 'a front face 6 and a rear face 7. The strip 5 includes a first or upper end portion 8 and a second or lower end portion 9. The

-strip 5 is formed into a normally resiliently closed hook portion 10 at the upper end portion 8 by looping same first rearwardly and then downwardly and forwardly into a point of contact 11 with the rear face 7 and then downwardly and rearwardly of the body 3 forming a rearwardly flared lip 12. The lip 12 in response to downward pressure on the body 3 is adapted to engage, in the illustrated example, in upwardly open edge 13 of a relatively thin front wall 14 forming a part of a common top opening mailbox 15. The lip 12, upon experiencing said downward pressure, urges said hook portion open whereupon the hook portion receives the wall 14 thereinto with the point of contact 11 resiliently urged against the inner side 16 of the wall 14. The resilient pressure of the point of contact 11 against the wall inner side 16 by reaction causes ice the lower end portion 9 of the strip 5 to be urged toward the outer side 17 of the wall 14.

The cover member 4 comprises a unitary unperforated sheet 18 of flexible transparent material such as a synthetic resin having an upwardly positioned horizontally extending fold line 19 intermediate the ends 20 and 21 thereof forming a folder 22 having front and

rear overlapping pages

23 and 24 respectively joined only at the fold line 19. The

pages

23 and 24 each have a height and width sufficient to receive and cover the letter mail 2 or the like to be placed therebetween, FIG. 2.

The cover member 4 is secured, in the illustrated example, by a suitable adhesive connection 25, to the strip rear face 7 at the lower end portion 9. The lower end portion 9 is located on the front page 23 at a position extending below the fold line 19 for resiliently urging the

pages

23 and 24 together at a locatioin coinciding with the letter mail 2 when the hook portion 10 is engaged with the wall 14.

The letter mail 2 and the like may thus be securely frictionally held and protected against inclement weather while being prominently displayed by slipping same between the

pages

23 and 24 to a position behind the lower end portion 9 whereupon the resilient pressure of the strip 5 urges the front page 23 against the rear page 24 which, in turn, contacts the wall 14. The letter mail and the like may be easily removed with one hand and without substantial manipulation by merely spreading the pages apart, grasping the letter mail and the like, and pulling downwardly. The lower corners 26 of the rear page 24 extend outwardly beyond the rounded corners 27 of the front page 23 to aid in conveniently separating the pages to insert the fingers therebetween for grasping the contents of the cover member 4.

The strip upper end portion 8 has an opening 28 therethrough of a size adapted to receive therethrough the shank 29 and head 30 of a screw 31 or other suitable fastening member. The hook portion 10 has an opening 32 therethrough aligned with the opening 28 but of a size only large enough to receive the shank 29 therethrough. Thus, if a thin mounting structure such as the wall 14 is not available, the device 1 may be secured to any suitable fastener receiving wall 33 by engaging the screw 31 therein after passing the screw entirely through the opening '28 and the shank 29 through the opening 32. The device 1 is thereby secured to the wall 33 in such a position that the strip material in the looping portion 34 of the hook portion 10 is available to add extra resiliency to the lower end portion 9. This extra resiliency would not be available if the screw head 30 engaged the front face 60f the strip 5. The strip 5 and the hook portion 10 thereof are so proportioned that the securing of the screw 31 in the wall 33 brings the lower end portion 9 against the outer surface 35 of the wall 33 with the desired resilient pressure for easy insertion of the letter mail 2 and the like between the

pages

23 and 24 while providing sufficient force for secure retention. It is noted that the lip 12 may be bent to assume a slightly changed position for adjusting the resilient pressure on the lower end portion 9 with respect to the wall outer surface 35. g

Suitable informational material 36 may be printed on one or both of the

pages

23 and 24 and, if desired, may take the form of a salutation or advertisement (not shown). The protected letter mail 2 and the like, due to the transparency of the cover member 4, is always on prominent display so that an interested person, for example a mailman or milk vendor, may quickly sight any such inserts of interest to him.

It is to be understood that while one form of this invention has been illustrated and described, it is not to be -limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for mounting on a wall, said device being adapted to receive outgoing letters, vendor notes and the like including: a supporting body and a cover member, said body being comprised of spring-like material having a front and rear face and first and second end portions, means associated with said first end portion for mounting said body on said wall, said second end portion being positioned with respect to said first end portion for exerting resilient pressure rearwardly against said wall when said body is mounted thereon, said cover member comprising a folder having joined front and rear overlapping pages, said folder pages having a height and width sufficient to receive and cover said letters, notes and the like therebetween, said second end portion being secured at said rear face to said front page for resiliently urging said pages together when said rear page is in contact with said wall, no portion of said supporting body extending between said pages whereby said letters, notes and the like may be easily slipped between said pages and frictionally retained between said pages and conveniently removed therefrom.

'2. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said body comprises an elongated downwardly extending strip, said first end portion being the upper end portion of said strip and said second end portion being the lower end portion of said strip.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said folder comprises a unitary unperforated sheet of flexible transparent material folded only at an upwardly extending fold line forming said joined front and rear pages.

4. A weather-protecting device adapted to receive outgoing letters, vendor notes and the like including: a unitary supporting body and a cover member, said body comprising an elongated downwardly extending strip of spring-like material having a front and rear face and an upper and lower end portion, said strip being formed into a normally resiliently closed hook portion at said upper end portion by looping first rearwardly and then downwardly and then forwardly into a point of contact with said rear face and then downwardly and rear-wardly forming a flared lip, said lip being adapted to engage an upwardly open edge of a relatively thin supporting wall having an inner and outer side for urging said hook portion open whereupon said hook portion receives said wall thereinto with said point of contact resiliently urged against said inner side, said lower end portion being resiliently urged toward said outer side by reaction against said point of contact, said cover member comprising a folder having front and rear overlapping pages, said folder pages having a height and width sufficient to receive and cover said letters, notes and the like therebetween, said strip lower end portion being adhesively secured at said rear face to said front page for resiliently urging said pages together when said hook portion is engaged with said wall, no portion of said supporting body extending between said pages whereby said letters, notes and the like may be easily slipped between said pages and frictionally held between said pages.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 340,803 4/1886 McGill 24-84 654,401 7/1900 King 232-33 X 2,508,453 5/1950 Gieseler 232-33 2,531,295 11/ 1950 Ritchie -11 2,618,086 11/1952 Komorous 40-1.5 2,972,826 2/1961 Newell 401.5 3,101,185 8/1963 Gustafson 211 X JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Praimary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

M. L. MINSK, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A DEVICE FOR MOUNTING ON A WALL, SAID DEVICE BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE OUTGOING LETTERS, VENDOR NOTES AND THE LIKE INCLUDING: A SUPPORTING BODY AND A COVER MEMBER, SAID BODY BEING COMPRISED OF SPRING-LIKE MATERIAL HAVING A FRONT AND REAR FACE AND FIRST AND SECOND END PORTIONS, MEANS ASSOICATED WITH SAID FIRST END PORTION OF MOUNTING SAID BODY ON SAID WALL, SAID SECOND END PORTION BEING POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST END PORTION FOR EXERTING RESILIENT PRESSURE REARWARDLY AGAINST SAID WALL WHEN SAID BODY IS MOUNTED THEREON, SAID COVER MEMBER COMPRISING A FOLDER HAVING JOINED FRONT AND REAR OVERLAPPING PAGES, SAID FOLDER PAGES HAVING A HEIGHT AND WIDTH SUFFICIENT TO RECEIVED AND COVER SAID LETTERS, NOTES AND THE LIKE THEREBETWEEN, SAID SECOND END PORTION BEING SECURED AT SAID REAR FACE TO SAID FRONT PAGE FOR RESILIENTLY URGING SAID PAGES, TOGETHER WHEN SAID REAR PAGE IS IN CONTACT WITH SAID WALL, NO PORTION OF SAID SUPPORTING BODY EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID PAGES WHEREBY SAID LETTERS, NOTES AND THE LIKE MAY BE EASILY SLIPPED BETWEEN SAID PAGES AND FRICTIONALLY RETAINED BETWEEN SAID PAGES AND CONVENIENTLY REMOVED THEREFROM.