US2983438A - Flag mounting attachment for a mailbox - Google Patents

Description

May 9, 1961 R. H. BRocKMAN FLAG MOUNTING ATTACHMENT FOR A MATLBOX Filed Jan. 6, 1960 United Se@ Patent O FLAG MOUNTING ATTACHMENT Fon A MAILBox Filed Jan. 6, 1960, ser. No. 717

s claims. (cl. zzz-34) This invention relates to a device yof extremely simple construction which may be readily attached' to or detached from the rear end wall of a'conventional rural type mailbox and which, when applied to the mailbox, is capable of functioning eflcientlyfor mounting a flag.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide such a flag mounting attachment whichmay be utilized for Ydisplaying a small United States ag on appropriate occasions to encourage this practice, which is frequently overlooked due to ditculties in appropriately displaying the ag. i t

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodimentethereof, and wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view lshowing the flag mounting attachment in an applied position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantially along the line 2-2of Figme 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary substantially vertical sectional view, taken along a plane as indicated by the line 3 3 of Figure l, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken approximately along a plane as indicated by the yline 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring more speciiically to the drawing, the flag mounting attachment in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 6`-and includes an elongated plate 7 which is preferably formed of a single piece of sheet metal and which is provided with an integral substantially tubular portion 8 which extends substantially from 'end-to-end of the plate 7 and which is centrally disposed relative to said plate. 'llhe plate 7, which'forms a ag mounting bracket, has substantially coplanar corresponding side portions 9 and 10 which extend outwardly in opposite directions from the tubular part and which have downwardly converging side edges 11. The tubular part 8 is outwardly olset from lthe plane of the at side portions 9 and 10, as best seen in Figure 4. The upper ends of the side portions 9 and 10 are folded back upon themselves to provide downwardly opening hooks 12, as best seen in Figures 2 and 3, which are Kdisposed on the opposite side of the plane of the side portions 9 `and 10 relative to the tubular portion 8. The upper ends of the side portions 9 and 10, after formation of the hooks 12, provide a convexly bowed upper end 13 of the bracket 7. The metal piece forming the bracket 7 also includes extensions of the lower end of the tubular portion 8 forming ears "14 which are lfolded inwardlyin overlying relation to one another for substantially closing the lower end of the tubular portion 8, andwhich ears are provided with aligned openings 15 in the overlapping parts thereof. Y

A longtbol't 16 extends through the openings 15 and '70* the head 17 of said bolt is contained within the lower an outturned shank extension 19 which is provided with an opening 20 through which a part of the bolt shank 16 loosely extends. A nut 21'is threadedly mounted on the threaded lower end of the bolt 16, ybeneath and spaced from the shank extension 19, and a coiled compression spring 221s disposed on said bolt between the extension 19 and nut 21.

The flag mounting attachment 6 is adapted to be mounted on the rear end wall 23 of a conventionalrural mailbox, a portion of which is illustrated in the drawing. Said rear wall 23 is secured by a surrounding folded beading or welt 24 to the rear end of the body 25 of the mailbox, and which beading or welt has a convexly rounded upper end 26 4and a straight horizontal bottom portion 27. The curvature of the upper end 13 of the bracket 7 substantially conforms to the curvature of the upper portion 26 of the beading, so that lthe hooksy 12 can be engaged over spaced top portions of the beading 24, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, to position the side portions 9 and 10 ilush against the outer side of the end wall 23, as seen in Figure 4, and so that the tubular portion 8 will then be disposed in substantially an upright position and outwardly oiset from said end wall 23. With the bracket 7 thus applied to the end wall 23, the bolt 16 will extend downwardly from said bracket and the hook 18 can be manually engaged for. displacing it downwardly toward the -nut 21 to compress the spring 22 and so that the hook 18 can then be engaged with the intermediate portion of the bottom edge 27 :of the beading 24, as seen in Figure 2. The anchoring hook 18 will be displaced upwardly by the tension spring 22 into tight engagement with said bottom portion of the Ybeading 24 to thus demountably connect .theag mounting attachment to the rear mailbox wall 23, so that it can be readily removed and so that it will be securely held yieldably in engagement with said Wall. Obviously, the nut 21 can be adjusted to vary 'the tension of the spring 22 and also to vary the effective length of the bolt 16, between the bracket 7 and anchoring hook 18, to accommodate the attachment 6 to mailbox walls which may vary slightly in size from top to bottom thereof.

The tubular portion 8, closed at its lower end by the ears 14 and bolt head 17, forms a long socket having an open upper end 28 which is disposed at approximately the level of the intermediate portion of the arcuate upper edge 13 of the bracket 7 and at approximately the level of the uppermost portion of the beading 24, when the attachment 6 is applied to the mailbox wall 23.

The lower portion of the staff 29 oi a small' flag 30, such as the United States flag, can be inserted downwardly into the socket 8 for supporting the ilag 30 above the mailbox. The tubular portion or socket 3 is preferably provided intermediate of its ends with an external enlargement or boss 31 having a threaded bore 32extending therethrough and opening into the interior of said socket to receive a setscrew 33 having a head enabling it to be turned manually with lthe thumb and fingers for ladvancing the setscrew into the socket 8 and against the stai29 for securely clamping the stairr within said socket, inthe event that the stair has aloose tting engagement with the socket.v

Various modications and chan-ges arey contemplated 1. A flag mounting attachment for a mailbox comprising an elongated bracket formed of sheet metal providing a plate adaptedto bear against the outer side of the upper portion of the rear end wall of a mailbox, said bracket having hookV means lat its upper end adapted tov engage over the top beading portion of the rear'wall for attaching the bracket thereto, an elongated socket formed integral with said bracket and disposed in outwardly offset relation to the bracket plate, said socket having an open upper end and a substantially closed bottom provided with an aperture, an elongated bolt extending through the aperture of said bottom and downwardly from the bracket and having a head disposed within the lower end of the socket and anchoring fthe bolt to the bracket, van anchoring hook detaehably engaging around the bottom portion of the rear wall beading and provided with an outturned apertured shank extension disposed beneath and spaced from said socket and through which the lower part'of the bolt loosely extends, and fastening means adjustably connected to the bolt and engaging under the shank extension for detachably securing the attachment to the mailbox rear wall, said upwardly opening socket being adapted to receive the lower end of a ilagsitat for mounting a ag, carried by the staff, above the bracket.

2. A flag mounting attachment as in claim 1, said fastening means including a nut thread'edly engaging the bolt and a compression spring Vdisposed on the bolt between said nut and the shank extension for yieldably retaining the ilag mounting attachment in an applied position.

3. In combination with a mailbox rear wall having a surrounding beading including a convexly bowed top portion and a substantially horizontal bottom portion; a ag mounting attachment including a bracket formed from a piece of sheet metal including a plate bearing against the outer side of the upper portion of the rear wall and having integral hook means at the upper end thereof engaging over the upper portion of the beading, an elongated socket forming an integral part of the bracket Aand disposed in an upright position outwardly offset from said plate, said socket having an open upper end and a closed lower end, a'bolt secured to and ex- 4 tending downwardly from the llower end of said socket, an upwardly opening anchoring hook detachably engaging the bottom portion of the ybeading and having an outturned apentured shank extension through which a part of said bolt loosely extends, and fastening means adjustably connected to the bolt and engaging the underside iof said shank extension for detachably securing the attachment to the rear wall, said socket being adapted to receive the lower end of a agstai for supporting a flag, carried by the stai, above said attachment.

4. A combination as dei-ined by claim 3, said fastening means including a nut threadedly engaging the lower portion of the bolt and a compression spring disposed under tension on said bolt between the nut and shank extension.

5. A flag mounting attachment for a mailbox comprising `a plate adapted to bear against the outer side of the upper portion of an upright mailbox Wall and having hook means adapted to engage over the upper edge of said wall for suspending the plate thereon, anV elongated socket formed integral with'and disposed in outwardly offset relation to said plate having a bottom and an open upper end, an elongated bolt suspended from the socket bottom and extending downwardly from the plate, an upwardly opening hook detachably engaging a bottom edge of said wall, and means adjustabily supporting the hook on said bolt at a predetermined distance beneath the plate whereby the plate and said upwardly opening hook are detachably retained anchored to the wall edges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,390,732 Speicher Sept. 13, 1921 1,543,072 Fenner June 23, 1925 1,928,563 Hetzel Sept. 26, 1933

Images