FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    A decorative device for housing and supporting a stand alone mailbox that is formed from a thermoformable sheet of acrylic, and the related method for forming, encloses and protects the mailbox and supports the mailbox above ground level.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The provisions for delivery of mail in the United States differs widely from house to house and neighborhood to neighborhood. Specifically, mailboxes take many different forms, from multiple box enclosures in large apartment complexes, to stand alone individual mailboxes mounted along a street or road in rural areas. The shift of the population from urban to suburban living has also resulted in an increased use of stand alone mailboxes, particularly in suburbs and neighborhoods in which set back requirements mandate that the houses be a certain distance from the street. Locating a mailbox near the street or road, rather than on or adjacent the house itself, is popular in such communities not only with the postal carriers because the distances and difficulties in delivering mail are diminished, in addition to the elimination of the need to deal with barking dogs, but stand alone mailboxes are also popular with the homeowner who does not have to concern himself or worry about intrusion by the postal carrier or the safety of the postal carrier while on the property.  
           [0003]    Prior attempts at improving stand alone mailboxes and related housings and supports have addressed both structural and aesthetic considerations. Structural problems with stand alone mailboxes include the deterioration of materials used therein when exposed to outside weather and the elements. For example, stand alone mailboxes and support posts constructed from wood are subject to the rotting of the wooden posts and/or the mailboxes themselves due to exposure to moisture or to termites. Replacement and repair of the mailboxes is a regular and expected chore for homeowners with stand alone mailboxes constructed from wood. On the other hand, stand alone mailboxes constructed from metals such as iron, steel or aluminum are subject to oxidation and rusting, which affect them both structurally and aesthetically and also necessitates frequent repair and replacement. The recognition in the prior art of the maintenance and repair drawbacks of mailboxes constructed from wood or metal led to the development of mailboxes and support structures that are not constructed from wood or metal. One such solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,758 to Erwin et al., wherein the use of a plastic encased mailbox post is disclosed to solve the problems of exposure to the elements. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,622 to Lents, on the other hand, a stand alone mailbox housing is disclosed wherein a faux brick visual appearance is constructed from coatings applied to a foam filled housing.  
           [0004]    While stand alone wood and iron mailboxes and related housings and supports have the disadvantage of being prone to deterioration over time, other mailbox housings and supports constructed from brick or stone have the disadvantages of being very expensive to construct and they are not easily movable. From a safety standpoint, mailbox housings constructed from stone or brick present an added risk to drivers that veer off the road because, rather than hitting a mailbox on a post that damages the car and the mailbox, the driver of a car striking a brick or stone mailbox housing is much more likely to be seriously injured or killed.  
           [0005]    Aesthetically, there have been many prior art attempts and devices for improving the appearance of the mailbox, and some prior art devices have addressed the appearance of housings and support devices for mailboxes. The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,622 to Lents discloses the use of faux brick, constructed from styrofoam and multiple coatings thereon, to emulate the expensive and immobile stand alone mailbox housings referred to above. The Lents device has the advantages of being lightweight, and thus safer, and of being more resilient to the elements and less expensive to manufacture than the actual brick housing. However, the formation of the Lents device is a complicated multiple step process that takes several days to complete and involves multiple applications of coatings and modifications thereto. The housing disclosed in the Lents patent emulates the roughish exterior of a brick construction.  
           [0006]    A number of prior art disclosures address improvements for the appearance of the mailboxes themselves. U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,172 to Easterwood discloses an ornamental and protective cover for a mailbox that includes provisions for decorative indicia thereon. U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,422 to Peterman discloses the use of an extruded mailbox to combat vandalism. U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,483 to Cox teaches the use of a rubber jacket to encase a stand alone mailbox and protect it from the elements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,125 to Critzer discloses the use of removable decorative panels for a mailbox. U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,685 teaches the use of decorative cladding for mailboxes, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,356 to Granger discloses a natural wood covering for outdoor mailboxes.  
           [0007]    None of the prior art devices provide for a stand alone mailbox housing or method for constructing a housing from acrylic or any other thermoformable plastic. The benefits of such a housing and the process for constructing such will be evident, as set forth in more detail below, but specifically include reduced cost and an easier process of manufacturing a mailbox housing that results in a mailbox housing with improved aesthetic characteristics not achieved by any of the prior art devices.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an aesthetically pleasing housing and support device for a stand alone mailbox.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a lightweight stand alone mailbox housing and support device that is also weather resistant.  
           [0010]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stand alone mailbox housing that is relatively easily moved and does not present a safety hazard to operators of vehicles.  
           [0011]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a stand alone mailbox housing and support device that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.  
           [0012]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a stand alone mailbox housing and support device from thermoformable sheet material that provides an improved aesthetic appearance of a high gloss exterior.  
           [0013]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a stand alone mailbox housing and support device that utilizes a male mold and the application of a heated sheet of acrylic thereto.  
           [0014]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a housing and support device for a stand alone mailbox with a high gloss exterior surface and a bulbous head formed from a sheet of thermoformable material.  
           [0015]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a mailbox housing and support device having a high gloss exterior surface and a bulbous head by providing a male mold having accommodations for retraction of the mold that allow the finished exterior surface to remain untouched so that a high gloss exterior finish is created.  
           [0016]    These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a review of the following specification and accompanying drawings.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0017]    The present invention is a mailbox housing and support device that has a high gloss finished exterior surface. The housing includes a receptacle that is appropriately sized to receive and support a standard mailbox. The housing is relatively lightweight, and may be easily moved, and includes provisions for being secured to the ground. In the most preferred embodiment, those securing provisions comprise a lower rim affixed to the housing that includes apertures therein that may be engaged by stakes or mounting bolts to secure the housing, and mailbox, in place.  
           [0018]    The high gloss finished exterior surface of the housing of the present invention is achieved, in the most preferred embodiment, through the use of a thermoformable sheet of acrylic. The acrylic is heated and stretched over an upstanding, generally vertical male mold. Air is removed from between the male mold and the acrylic sheet to bring the acrylic sheet into tight engagement with the male mold, after which sheet is permitted to cool down and the male mold retracted. The sheet is then trimmed to provide the lower rim and to provide the aperture to accommodate the mailbox.  
           [0019]    In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a mailbox housing having a bulbous upper head is provided that further includes a high gloss finished exterior surface and a receptacle for receiving a standard mailbox. The bulbous head mailbox housing also includes a lower rim that provides means for securing the housing to the ground through the use of stakes or bolts.  
           [0020]    A method for forming a mailbox housing from a sheet of thermoformable acrylic is provided wherein the sheet of acrylic is positioned and held in a rigid frame. The acrylic sheet is heated and lowered onto a male mold which is hollow and has a vacuum means removably affixed thereto. When the sheet has been stretched to engage the lower rim of the male mold, sealing air pockets between the acrylic sheet and the male mold, the vacuum is activated to withdraw air from between the acrylic sheet and the male mold to draw the sheet into tight engagement with the mold. The sheet is then cooled down, the mold is retracted and the final cutting modifications made to produce a mailbox housing having a lower rim and an aperture to accommodate a standard mailbox.  
           [0021]    An alternative method is provided in accordance with the provisions of the present invention wherein a male mold is provided having shaper blocks affixed thereto to create a housing having a bulbous head. Prior to retraction of the mold from the cooled housing, the pins are retracted to disengage the upright, substantially vertical portions of the male mold from the shaper blocks to allow withdrawal without contacting the interior surface of the housing. Alternatively to retracting the pins to allow removal of the male mold, shaper blocks are provided that are formed from an easily cut substance, such as styrofoam. Withdrawal of the male mold proceeds without retraction of the pins. Instead, the pins cut through the easily cut substance as the male mold is withdrawn from the cooled housing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the stand alone mailbox housing and support structure of the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a heated acrylic sheet in a frame and a male mold with vacuum apertures therein prior to application of the sheet to the mold.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3A is a sectional front view of a sheet of heated acrylic to be lowered and applied to a male mold.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3B is a sectional front view of a sheet of acrylic after lowering of the holding frame onto and stretching of the acrylic to conform with the general shape of the male mold.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3C is a sectional front view after application of a vacuum within the male mold to pull the acrylic sheet into tight engagement with the male mold.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3D is a front view of the stand alone mailbox housing and support device showing the cut points for final modification of the finished product after cooling of the acrylic and retraction of the male mold.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stand alone mailbox housing and support device of the present invention having a bulbous head.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the male mold used in forming the stand alone mailbox housing support device of the present invention having a bulbous head and appropriately positioned vacuum apertures.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6A is a sectional front view of a heated acrylic sheet just prior to lowering onto a male mold having a bulbous head in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 6B is a sectional front view of a heated acrylic sheet after the lowering of the holding frame over the male mold with a bulbous head.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 6C is a sectional front view of a heated acrylic sheet after application of a vacuum to draw the acrylic sheet into tight engagement with the male mold having a bulbous head.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 6D is a front view of the stand alone mailbox housing and support device reflecting retention of the bulb shapers and the location of the mailbox therein. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0034]    The presence and necessity of stand alone mailboxes, particularly in rural and suburban areas where residences are significant distances from the road, are well known. The present invention is directed to providing an improved device for housing and supporting such stand alone mailboxes, and a related method for the manufacturing of such.  
         [0035]    A mailbox housing  10 , shown in FIG. 1, comprises one preferred embodiment of the present invention. The housing  10  is generally an upstanding rectangle having four substantially vertical upstanding walls  11 A,  11 B,  11 C and  11 D and a top  13  and a uniform high gloss exterior finished surface  12  over the entire generally upstanding rectangular shape.  
         [0036]    The housing  10  is formed and constructed from a single sheet of thermoformable material. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sheet of acrylic  14  is used that is heated and stretched over a male mold  16 , subsequently subjected to a vacuum pulled within the male mold  16  to bring the acrylic into tight engagement with the mold  16  and then cooled. The male mold  16  is then retracted and the acrylic  14  is cut and trimmed to arrive at the final form depicted in FIG. 1. While the present invention discloses the use of thermoformable acrylic, uses of other materials with similar thermoformable and exterior finish characteristics are contemplated and do not depart from the principles of the present invention.  
         [0037]    The acrylic housing  10  accommodates and supports a standard mailbox  18 , as shown in FIG. 1, in an aperture  20  that is cut into the housing  10  after cooling down, as illustrated in FIG. 3D. The acrylic housing  10  has a number of advantages over the prior art stand alone mailbox housing and support structures. First, as a result of being formed from an acrylic sheet  14  stretched over a male mold  16 , the exterior surface  12  will be a high gloss polished finish that needs no further buffing, waxing or treatment. In this respect the process is similar to that for forming the interior of hot tubs, well known in the prior art, except that the decorative finished surface is external, or convex, in this case, but internal, or concave, in the formation of hot tub interior linings. The various well-known design options of color and color mixing utilized in the formation of hot tub interiors will thus be available to be applied to the mailbox housing  10  of the present invention.  
         [0038]    A lower rim  22  is formed at the base of the housing  10  during the heating, stretching, cooling and cutting process of fabricating the housing  10  from the acrylic sheet  12 . The lower rim  22  is advantageous for two reasons. First, it adds adds stability to the housing  10 , making it less apt to be turned or blown over. Second, the lower rim  22  also provides a means for attaching and securing the housing  10  to the ground through the use of mounting bolts or stakes at bolt-hole apertures  25 A,  25 B,  25 C and  25 D, which secure and stabilize the housing  10  to the ground near a road or street.  
         [0039]    The housing  10  is lightweight, as a result of being formed from a single acrylic sheet  14 , and thus is more easily moved, handled and installed than housings constructed from wood, metal, bricks or stone. In addition, the acrylic housing  10  is not subject to corrosion or degradation, unlike wood which is subject to rotting, splitting and termite infestation, or iron, steel, aluminum or other metals which are subject to rust and oxidation when exposed to the elements. The use of a sheet of thermoformable acrylic  14  is specifically contemplated because it retains a high gloss, polished exterior finish insofar as it does not react to or with water or other external weather conditions. Thus, the life and aesthetic appearance of the stand alone mailbox housing  10  of the present invention are extended compared to the prior art.  
         [0040]    Besides easing the moving and mounting requirements, the lightweight nature of the acrylic mailbox housing  10  has the additional benefit that the housing  10  will give way to a wayward vehicle to a much greater extent than a stand alone mailbox housing constructed from brick or stone. In this way, the risk of injury and/or death to the operator and occupants of a vehicle that strikes the stand alone mailbox housing  10  of the present invention is diminished compared to stand alone mailbox housings constructed from brick or stone.  
         [0041]    As shown in FIG. 2, the acrylic housing  10  begins with a sheet of acrylic  14  which is heated and held in a holding frame  24 . The frame  24  comprises an upper clamp  26  and a lower clamp  28  between which the acrylic sheet  14  is held. The frame  24  is appropriately sized for the male mold  16  so that it just has clearance over a lower rim  30  located at and affixed to the bottom of the male mold  16 . The slight angling of the upstanding walls  11 A,  11 B,  11 C and  11 D allow the acrylic sheet  14  to be completely stretched over the male mold  16  in such a way that an air tight seal is formed around the perimeter of the male mold lower rim  30  (FIG. 2).  
         [0042]    The heated acrylic sheet  14  is lowered over the male mold  16 , as represented by the sectional view in FIGS.  3 A-D, until the acrylic sheet  14  is sealed around the perimeter of the lower rim  30  (see FIG. 3B).  
         [0043]    As shown in FIG. 2, the male mold  16  has a number of vacuum apertures  34  near the inner portion of the male mold lower rim  30 . The location of the vacuum apertures  34  is critical because, once the acrylic sheet  14  has been lowered over the male mold  16  so that it is sealed around the perimeter of the lower rim  30 , a means for bringing the sheet  14  into tight engagement with the male mold  16 , comprising a vacuum pump  32 , is actuated that withdraws all air from between the acrylic sheet  14  and the male mold  16  to bring the acrylic sheet  14  into tight engagement with, and to assume the shape of, the male mold  16 . Specifically, the pockets  38 ,  40  are removed as illustrated in FIG. 3B, by removing air from the pockets  38 ,  40  through the withdrawal of air through the apertures  34 . The vacuum pump  32  communicates with the interior of the hollow male mold  16  through air-tight, sealed ductwork  36  that is removably affixed to the underside of the male mold  16  as shown in FIG. 3B. The air is removed from the pockets  38 ,  40  and through the ductwork  36  by the vacuum pump  32  as indicated by the directional arrows in FIG. 3B.  
         [0044]    After the heating of the acrylic sheet  14 , application to the male mold  16  and withdrawal of air between the sheet  14  and mold  16 , the shaped acrylic sheet  14  cools down. Next, the sheet  14  is cut to remove excess length at cut-points  42 , 44  as shown in FIG. 3D, to define the lower lip  22  of the housing  10 . In addition, final cutting modifications include the cutting of the aperture  20  into the housing  10  to accommodate a mailbox  18 .  
         [0045]    In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a mailbox housing  50  having a bulbous head  52  is formed from a thermoformable sheet, preferably acrylic, similarly to that discussed above with a heated sheet of acrylic  56  sandwiched in a frame  58  comprising an upper clamp  60  and a lower clamp  62  as shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS.  6 A- 6 C, the frame  58  is lowered over the male mold  64  until the acrylic is sealed around the lower perimeter  66  of the male mold  64 .  
         [0046]    After the heated sheet  56  is stretched over the male mold  64  and sealed around the lower perimeter  66 , the sheet  56  is drawn into tight engagement with the male mold  64  by removing air from pockets  69 ,  71  through the vacuum apertures  67 ,  68  (see FIGS. 5 and 6B). A vacuum blower  73  communicates with the interior of the mold  64 , which is hollow, through ductwork  75 , that is removably affixed to the bottom of the mold  64  as shown in FIG. 6B. The acrylic sheet  56  conforms to the shape of the male mold  64 , including two shaper blocks  70 , 72 , defining a bulbous head, which are affixed to upper portions  82 , 84  of laterally opposed sides  83 ,  85  of the male mold  64 . Prior to the lowering of the sheet  56  onto the mold  64 , the shaper blocks  70 , 72  are affixed to the laterally opposed mold sides upper portions  82 ,  84  by pins  74 , 76 , 78 , 80  as shown in FIG. 6A. After the acrylic sheet  56  is heated, held in the frame  58  and stretched over the mold  64  and cooled down, the male mold  64  is retracted without the shaper blocks  70 ,  72  as shown in FIG. 6C. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shaper blocks  70 , 72  are formed from styrofoam or some other suitable easily cut substance that allow the pins  74 , 76 , 78 , 80  to rip through the shaper blocks  70 ,  72  during extraction of the male mold  64 , including the upper portions  82 , 84  to which the shaper blocks  70 , 72  are attached, as shown in FIG. 6C. In an alternative embodiment, the vacuum  73  and ductwork  75  are disengaged from the male mold  64  to provide access to its hollow interior, and the pins  74 , 76 , 78 , 80  are retracted so that they do not bind the upper portions  82 , 84  of the male mold  64  to the shaper blocks  70 , 72 . In both embodiments, the pins  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80  provide a means for removing the male mold  64  after the housing  50  has been formed from the heated sheet  56  and cooled down. The gradual angling, or draft, of the sides  83 ,  85  of the male mold  64 , similar to the draft of the male mold  16  discussed supra, allows easy removal after the acrylic sheet  56  has been brought into tight engagement with the male mold  64  and cooled down. In addition, though, the gradual angling of the male mold  64  also allows removal of the male mold  64  after cooling down of the acrylic sheet  56  because the pins  74 , 76 , 78 , 80  even when left in place, as shown in FIG. 6C, do not damage or contact the interior surface of the stand alone mailbox housing  50 . The pins  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80  clear the innermost points  88 ,  90  of the housing  50 , as shown in FIG. 6C, upon removal of mold  64 .  
         [0047]    After cooling down of the acrylic sheet  56  and removal of the male mold  64 , the final step in the manufacturing of the acrylic mailbox housing  50  is to cut off the excess acrylic, shown in sectional view FIG. 6C at points  92 ,  94  to provide a lower lip  86  and to cut an aperture  80  into an upper portion thereof to accommodate a mailbox  91 .  
         [0048]    The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.
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.