Element B: DOCUMENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF PRIOR SOLUTION ATTEMPTS

Introduction

Mailbox designs have been changed and improved over the course of many years. Using patents of past designs, our team can analyze the efforts of previous engineers to see what we can improve upon with our design.

Patent Search

Below are four patents of various mailbox designs that helped inspire our own mailbox.

Patent Name: Home wall insert mailbox with convenient box handling features

Patent Number: 11,033,136

Date of Patent: June 15, 2021

Patent Abstract: The present invention teaches a residential wall penetrating mailbox with enhanced box handling capability, openable by barcode scanning, and openable from either inside or outside a home. A body which is generally column shaped has front and rear doors which open at the top and hinge near the bottom and which have interleaved fingers or members extending from the bottom ends into the interior space of the mailbox. A box tray sits on the interleaved fingers. When either door is opened the fingers of that door lift the box tray upward and out of the box on that side. Thus, a delivery person may access a box from outside the home, while the homeowner may do the same without leaving the safety of the home interior. In addition, an elastic cord and carefully slanted slots on side panels of the front door allow easy retention of a box even further up the front door.

Pros and Cons: Able to hold both mail and packages. Barcode scanning adds a lot of complexity for an item that is supposed to be simple to use/ make.

Patent Name: Package door for a garage door and package delivery method

Patent Number: 10,512,351

Date of Patent: December 24, 2019

Patent Abstract: A package delivery door, such as for mounting in a garage door, comprises a frame which defines a package delivery opening and a delivery door which is movable between a first position in which it closes the package delivery opening and a second position in which it does not. In the second position, the door may serve as a ramp for sliding package into the garage space behind the garage door. A stop limits rotation of the delivery door to the second position. The package door may include a lock which is unlocked when an unlock code is read or received from a package which is presented to the door.

Pros and Cons: Creative solution for delivering mail into a home. Could’ve been built into the house itself, the garage most likely dirty and attracting dirt/mess. Confusing which box to use.

Patent Name: Curbside mail protection mailboxes

Patent Number: 8,616,436

Date of Patent: December 31, 2013

Patent Abstract: A mailbox system includes a mailbox housing having an interior chamber. The interior chamber has a surface area and a depth. A lockbox is securely coupled to the mailbox housing, and the lockbox is disposed in the interior chamber of the mailbox housing. A security door is hingeably attached to a wall of the lockbox. The security door has a size smaller than that of the surface area of the interior chamber of the mailbox housing. A lock assembly is coupled to the security door, and the lock assembly is configured to alternatively maintain the security door in a closed position or an opened position.

Pros and Cons: Familiar and simple mailbox with a design that as been in use for decades. Regular mailbox design that doesn’t provide much security or protection of mail.

Patent Name: Antitheft Mailbox

Patent Number: 7,252,220

Date of Patent: August 7, 2007

Patent Abstract: A mailbox comprising side and back walls, a top and a bottom secured together to form an enclosure, a front access door mounted to the front wall, a rear access door connected to the rear access door, and a tray accessible through the front access door and vertically adjustable.

Pros and Cons: Mailbox provides a secure and organized way of holding mail. Removable tray opens up the possibility of it being lost or stolen.

Existing Competitive Products (include at least three)

Product 1

Made from durable cast aluminum and has two hooks for holding newspapers. Doesn't provide enough storage for larger packages.

Product 2

Simple and easy to use design. Provides little to no security for packages or mail.

Product 3

Able to transport mail directly from the mailbox and into the home. Involves added complexity and costs over $100.

Citations (use easybib.com)

Patent Summaries

Market Analysis

Summary:

While many of these product designs provide ample solutions to the problems many mailboxes have, they miss out on some of the main aspects that our team wants to change. For instance, the hummingbird mailbox includes newspaper hooks that our team considers to be out of date and unnecessary. Many of the mailboxes only support mail envelopes, while our team wants a mailbox that can hold both mail and packages. Consumers have also shown some disdain towards these product designs, with one customer saying, "The manufacturer should be ashamed of this product."