Mail receptacle

Abstract

The invention is attached in front of a mail opening and as the mail passes through the opening it comes into contact with a face-plate provided by the unit. The reaction from the mail pushing against the face-plate rotates interlocking side-plates producing an enlarged collection area from which the recipient can retrieve such mail. The face-plate can then be pushed into its upright position for the next mail delivery. The plates are pivoted at the base of the unit making them rotate around a common centerline. They are engaged in a manner, which allows them to slide past one another until such a point in rotation that one will stop and hold the adjacent plate in succession. The design enables the unit to automatically collapse upon contact with an adjacent wall when the door on which the unit is attached opens, allowing the door to open fully.

1 . A receptacle mounted in front of, above, and below an opening through a door, wall, or related partition to receive mail comprising of a face-plate located in front of, above, and below the mail opening of which the mail is to come into contact with, thus causing the face-plate and an arrangement of side-plates to rotate about a pivot point provided by a screw-post located adjacent a bottom of the receptacle; 
 and the face-plate, an arrangement of side plates, and encasement plates being so related to one another as to be inter-locked in a manner that allows the arrangement of side-plates and face-plate to move past one another while maintaining the ability to stop and hold in a rotated position about the pivot point thereby creating planes between which to retain the mail in a mail collection area, the side plates and face-plate inter-locked to and supported by encasement plates which flank the sides-plates of the receptacle and the mail opening and are attached to the bottom and back panel.    
   
   
       2 . The receptacle as defined in  claim 1 , and mounted underneath, on one side of, attached in front of, and about an opening through a door, wall, or related partition to receive mail comprising of a face-plate containing in part or in full the shape of an arc and being so located as to be in front of and extending above the mail opening, the mail, coming into contact with the face-plate, thus causing the face-plate and side-plates to rotate about a pivot point provided by a screw-post located adjacent a bottom of the receptacle; 
 and the face-plate, the side plates, and encasement plates being so related to one another as to be inter-locked in a manner that allows the side-plates and face-plate to move past one another while maintaining the ability to stop and hold in a rotated position about the pivot point, thereby creating planes between which to retain the mail in a mail collection area, the side plates and face-plate inter-locked to and supported by the encasement plates which flank the side-plates of the receptacle and the mail opening and which are attached to the bottom and back panel;    and comprising of the collection area able to expand when the mail strikes the face-plate;    and comprising of the collection area able to collapse when force is applied to; or as the face-plate strikes an adjacent surface;    and the inter-locking arrangement of side-plates, the encasement plate, and their opposites, provides guidance and support while rotating about the pivot point established adjacent a bottom of the receptacle;    and the inter-locking arrangement being such that the encasement plate has an extension piece located on center, placed through and within that of a contained opening of a first adjacent side-plate, the first adjacent side-plate having an extension piece located on center, placed through, and within that of a contained opening of a next adjacent side-plate, the next adjacent side-plate having an opening through which the extension piece of the encasement plate is able to pass through and having an extension piece located on center, placed through, and within that of a contained opening of a next adjacent side-plate, the next adjacent side plate having openings through which the extension piece of the encasement plate and the extension piece of the first adjacent side-plate is able to pass through and having an extension piece located on center, placed through, and within that of a contained opening of a next adjacent contiguous side-plate, the next contiguous side-plate having openings through which the extension piece of the encasement plate and the preceding extension piece of the adjacent side-plates are able to pass through.    
   
   
       3 . The receptacle as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the extension piece and screw post adjacent a bottom have an end condition larger than that of the width of the contained opening; 
 and comprising of an angle of that of the face-plate to that of the back panel when expanded is such that the mail will not fall out of the collection area while maintaining the ability to collapse the collection area upon contact with the adjacent surface.    
   
   
       4 . The receptacle as defined in  claim 3 , wherein a screw-post adjacent a bottom is in a centric positioning to the plates' center of gravity when the plates are collapsed, extended or in a stationary position about the screw-post.  
   
   
       5 . The method of interlocking side-plates and an encasement plate and their opposites such that the encasement plate has an extension piece located on center, placed through and within that of a contained opening of a first adjacent side-plate, the first adjacent side-plate having an extension piece located on center, placed through, and within that of a contained opening of a next adjacent side-plate, the next adjacent side-plate having an opening through which the extension piece of the encasement plate is able to pass through and having an extension piece located on center, placed through, and within that of a contained opening of a next adjacent side-plate, the next adjacent side plate having openings through which the extension piece of the encasement plate and the extension piece of the first adjacent side-plate is able to pass through and having an extension piece located on center, placed through, and within that of a contained opening of a next adjacent contiguous side-plate, the next contiguous side-plate having openings through which the extension piece of the encasement plate and the preceding extension piece of the adjacent side-plates are able to pass through, in order to create an expanding mail collection area in front of, underneath, and about a mail opening through a door, wall, or related partition to receive mail.