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Yieldable fixture assembly

Yieldable fixture assembly description/claims

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/487,674, entitled “Yieldable Support for a Mailbox”, which was filed on Jul. 17, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a self-righting fixture for a mailbox.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are many different types of mailboxes in use, and they can be supported in many different ways. Mailboxes are often supported by a support structure which holds the mailbox at a location so it is easy to insert and retrieve mail. However, most mailboxes are supported by a rigid support structure which breaks in response to an applied force, such as being engaged by a car. More information regarding mailboxes, and their corresponding support structures can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,249,315, 1,266,152, 1,269,212, 1,679,623, 1,384,365, 1,402,465, 1,435,363, 1,435,379, 3,161,397, 3,658,284, 3,899,150, 4,172,579, 4,357,772, 4,546,944, 4,792,088, 5,029,783, 5,155,470, 5,215,283, 6,017,131, 6,513,284, 6,575,423 and the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Some of these mailboxes are supported by a self-righting support structure which yields in response to the applied force. Some self-righting support structures are designed to right themselves in response to the applied force being removed from the support structure. However, some of these self-righting support structures may undesirably yield without experiencing the applied force, and may not self-right in response to the applied force being removed.

The present invention provides a fixture assembly, which includes a base post assembly and a support post assembly which includes opposed post members. The fixture assembly includes a yieldable assembly which allows the support post assembly to repeatably move between upright and tilted positions in response to an applied force. The opposed post members are positioned to restrict movement of the support post assembly from the upright position to the tilted position.

The fixture assembly can include many other features. For example, in some embodiments, the fixture assembly includes a mailbox carried by the support post assembly, wherein the opposed members balance the mailbox over the base post assembly. In some embodiments, the fixture assembly includes a light post carried by the support post assembly, wherein the opposed members balance the light post over the base post assembly.

The support post assembly can include many other features. For example, in some embodiments, the support post assembly includes a reinforcement member.

The base post assembly can include many other features. For example, in some embodiments, the base post assembly includes an upwardly facing opening and the yieldable assembly includes a downwardly facing opening.

The yieldable assembly can include many different features. For example, in some embodiments, the yieldable assembly includes a spring with a rigid fastener extending therethrough.

The present invention also provides a fixture assembly, which includes a base post assembly having an upwardly facing surface with an opening extending through it, and a support post assembly which includes opposed upright post members. The fixture assembly includes a yieldable assembly which includes a spring that allows the support post assembly to move between upright and tilted positions in response to a force applied thereto. The opposed upright post members are positioned to bias the support post assembly to the upright position.

In some embodiments, the fixture assembly includes an angled post member coupled to each upright post member. In some embodiments, the fixture assembly includes a horizontal post member extending between the opposed upright members. In some embodiments, the fixture assembly includes a reinforcement member which extends between the opposed upright members and horizontal post member. In some embodiments, the fixture assembly includes a mailbox carried by the horizontal post member.

In some embodiments, the support post assembly includes a lamp fixture assembly which includes a lamp. In some embodiments, the lamp is repeatably moveable between engaged and disengaged positions with the lamp fixture assembly. In some embodiments, the yieldable assembly includes inner and outer springs.

The present invention provides a fixture assembly, which includes a base post assembly and a support post assembly which includes opposed upright post members. The fixture assembly includes a yieldable assembly which includes a spring and a fastener, wherein the spring and fastener couple the base post assembly and support post assembly together. The opposed upright post members are positioned to restrict movement of the support post assembly from an upright position to a tilted position.

In some embodiments, the opposed upright post members are positioned to bias the support post assembly to the upright position. In some embodiments, the fastener is a rigid fastener which extends through the spring. In some embodiments, the fastener is an eyebolt which couples the spring to the base support assembly.

In some embodiments, the yieldable assembly includes a housing and the base support assembly includes an upwardly facing cup sized and shaped to receive the housing. In some embodiments, the fixture assembly includes a mailbox which is carried by the support post assembly so it is balanced over the base post assembly.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and description.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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