Acrylic mailbox housing

Abstract

A mailbox housing and support device and a method for forming. A sheet of acrylic is heated to make it formable and stretched over a male mold to create a housing and support for a stand alone mailbox. The high gloss finish and aesthetically pleasing side of the acrylic is external as a result of the thermoforming of the acrylic sheet over a male mold and the application of a vacuum within the male mold and to bring the heated sheet into tight engagement therewith. Slight angling of the upstanding walls of the male mold allows it to be easily extracted after cooling down of the acrylic sheet. Another embodiment of the present invention incorporates a bulbous upper portion that uses shaping forms that are easily detached from the male mold upon withdrawal of the mold.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A mailbox housing and support device comprising: 
 a high gloss finished exterior surface; and    a receptacle for receiving a standard mailbox.    
     
     
         2 . The mailbox housing and support device as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising means for securing to the ground.  
     
     
         3 . The mailbox housing and support device as set forth in  claim 2  wherein said high gloss finish exterior surface comprises an outer surface of a sheet of thermoformable material that is stretched over a male mold.  
     
     
         4 . The mailbox housing and support device as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said securing means comprises a lower rim affixed to said housing having apertures therein.  
     
     
         5 . A method for forming a mailbox housing and support device comprising the steps of: 
 providing a sheet of thermoformable acrylic;    holding said sheet of thermoformable acrylic in a frame;    heating said sheet of thermoformable acrylic;    lowering said heated sheet of thermoformable acrylic over a male mold having internal vacuum means until said sheet has completely engaged and sealed around a perimeter of a lower lip of said male mold;    evacuating air from between said sheet of acrylic and said male mold to bring said sheet of acrylic into tight engagement with said male mold.