Mailbox with door actuated signal flag

Claim 1

A mailbox, comprising: a hollow box open at one end; a door sized and configured for closing the open end of said hollow box; hinge means for hingedly attaching the lower edge of said door to the lower edge of the open end of said hollow box; an elongate signal arm; pivot means for pivotally attaching the lower end of said signal arm to one side of the hollow box to permit frictionless pivotal movement of said signal arm in a plane parallel to the one side of the hollow box; a pivot stop pin attached to the one side of the hollow box so as to engage and stop said signal arm at a first orientation in which said signal arm is reclined away from the open end of the hollow box, and to engage and stop said signal arm at a second orientation in which said signal arm is oriented upwardly and disposed in an over-center condition with respect to said pivot means; and a chain connected at one end to said signal arm at a location away from said pivot means and connected at the other end to said door at a location away from the hinged connection, the connection locations and length of said chain being such that said signal arm can be reclined in the first orientation when said door is closed, and such that said signal arm is drawn from the first orientation to the second orientation as said door is opened, the length of said chain further being sufficient to permit said door to be rotated about its hinge from the closed position to a fully opened position in which the door hangs vertically below the hinge means.