Signal flag device

Claim 1

The combination of a rural mailbox, first signal means moveable from a first nonsignaling position to a first signaling position for indicating to a mail carrier that said mailbox contains mail to be taken by said mail carrier, and second signal means separate from said first signal means and moveable from a second nonsignaling position to a second signaling position for indicating to the owner of said mailbox that mail has been deposited within said mailbox by said mail carrier, said mailbox comprising a housing having an oPen forward end, side and top wall portions, a door hinged at its lower end on a lower part of said mailbox for closing said open end, said first signal means comprising a manually positionable signal flag device including a first arm member pivotally secured to a part of said sidewall portion so as to have a swingable end carrying a first flag portion, said first arm member being rotatable from said first nonsignaling position whereat said first arm member is generally horizontally disposed to said first signaling position whereat said first arm member is generally vertically positioned with said first flag portion being disposed upwardly at said swingable end, said first flag portion when moved to said first signaling position being effective for indicating to said mail carrier that said mail box contains mail to be taken by said mail carrier, said second signal means comprising a manually positionable second signal flag device including a second arm member pivotally secured by cooperating pivot means to a part of said side wall portion, said second arm member comprising third and fourth arm portions, said third arm portion having a second swingable end carrying a second flag portion, said second signal flag device being so weighted with respect to said cooperating pivot means as to tend to freely rotate about said cooperating pivot means from said second nonsignaling position whereat said third arm portion is generally horizontally disposed to said second signaling position whereat said third arm portion is generally vertically positioned, and fixed latching means carried by said door, said latching means being effective only when said door is in a closed position to operatively engage said fourth arm portion and thereby hold said third arm portion in said second nonsignaling position, said latching means also being effective when said door is moved from said closed position toward an open position to unlatch said fourth arm portion and release said second signal flag device to rotate about said cooperating pivot means to said second signaling position, said latching means being ineffective to again operatively engage said fourth arm portion until said second signal flag device is first manually rotated to said second nonsignaling position and said door is moved to said closed position; abutment means carried by said sidewall portion, said abutment means being so located as to be in the general path of travel of said third arm portion in order to abutably determine the attitude of said third arm portion when said second signal flag device assumes said second signaling position, and said abutment means is so located as to also serve as a prepositioning abutment effective for engaging said fourth arm portion when said third arm portion is manually rotated toward said second nonsignaling position.