Patent landscapes › Home & cleaning

Is a mailbox patented?

Short answer: specific designs of a mailbox have been patented many times, but "a mailbox" as a general idea is not what is protected. What matters is the exact combination of features in your version.

What our index shows
  • 715 US and WO patent publications since 2000 have a title matching “mail box” or a close variant (our index of 9.7 million patent families; one publication per family).
  • Among the 693 best keyword matches we examined, 134 were published in 2020 or later, and the earliest was published in 2000.
  • Most frequent assignees in those matches: ZTE CORP (12), IBM (11), LIU FEN (9), MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC (9).
  • Most common patent classes (CPC subclasses): A47G (418), H04L (121), G06Q (80), H04M (67).

Counts come from keyword matching on titles and abstracts, so they are indicative, not a legal count. Some matches are different products that share a word.

14 real patent publications related to a mailbox

  1. Home wall insert mailbox with convenient box transfer features US-12369737-B2 2025 · KUTAS JEFFREY ROBERT
    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 h…
    View on Google Patents
  2. Home wall insert mailbox with convenient box handling features US-11033136-B2 2021 · KUTAS JEFFREY ROBERT
    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 h…
    View on Google Patents
  3. Door hanging foldable and detachable mailbox US-10682002-B2 2020 · MILLER JORGE
    This disclosure relates generally to novel system comprised to provide a foldable and removable mailbox or drop box which attaches securely to a door, window or the like by pinning its hook or wedge between the door, window etc. I…
    View on Google Patents
  4. Curbside mailbox with convenient box handling features US-10517417-B2 2019 · KUTAS JEFFREY ROBERT
    The present invention teaches a residential curbside mailbox with enhanced box handling capability, openable by barcode scanning, and with interchangeable bonnets. A body which is generally column shaped has front and rear doors w…
    View on Google Patents
  5. Spring post box holder for receiving a mailbox and post arrangement for absorbing impacts, e.g., from snow, slush, ice and water thrown from a plowblade US-2013134288-A1 2013 · WEBBER MICHAEL
    A spring post box holder features an elastic assembly (EA), a lower unit assembly (LUA) and an upper unit assembly (UUA). The EA expands and contracts in response to a force. The LUA mounts to the ground and has a square tube with…
    View on Google Patents
  6. Mail box flag that fits on to the front of the mail box US-8297493-B2 2012 · KUDRAY GARY DEAN
    A mail box flag assembly for use on common mail boxes having a hinged front door in front. The flag assembly mounts on the front of the hinged front mail box door consisting of a detachable flag (that can be customized to provide …
    View on Google Patents
  7. Locking devices for storage boxes such as mailboxes US-7686207-B1 2010 · JEFFS JOHN T
    A multipoint locking mechanism for an enclosure such as a mailbox which is gravity biased into an unlocked position. The locking mechanism includes a cylindrical lock member that extends through the panel and engages with a multip…
    View on Google Patents
  8. Swing away mailbox post US-7784748-B2 2010 · BIDDISCOMBE DAVID WILLIAM
    The invention relates to a swing away mail box post which is simple to operate and manufacture. It includes two parts: a stationary base; and, a rotating stem (the latter of which is attached to the mailbox post itself). There is …
    View on Google Patents
  9. Mailbox door restraint US-7252221-B1 2007 · EUROASIA PRODUCTS INC
    Door stop and impact absorber bracket for restraining mailbox doors from opening beyond a selected swing radius. The bracket can fit underneath the mailbox behind an existing lower hanging lip. The door stop bracket is positioned …
    View on Google Patents
  10. Electronic mailbox with electronically programmed access door to remove mail, with separate mail delivery slot configured to prevent access to mail box, and with auxiliary backup power system US-7123147-B2 2006 · ENGEL RAYMOND C
    An improved electronic mailbox increases the difficulty of stealing mail from the mailbox. The mailbox includes an electronically programmed access door, a mail slot shaped to prevent access to the mail box, and an auxiliary backu…
    View on Google Patents
  11. Method for the conveyance of postal items and package mailbox US-2005262028-A1 2005 · POST A G DEUTSCHE
    The disclosure relates to a method for the conveyance of a postal item, whereby an identification code is assigned to the postal item. The postal item is delivered to a box of an electronic package mailbox, and the identification …
    View on Google Patents
  12. System and method for synchronizing voice mailbox with e-mail box US-6697458-B1 2004 · ULYSSES ESD INC
    Voice messages are stored in both a user's voice mailbox in a voice mail system and an e-mail box in an e-mail system distinct from the voice mail system. When a voice message is stored in a user's voice mailbox in the voi…
    View on Google Patents
  13. Mailbox with internal light source directing light through translucent address panels or box walls US-6719193-B2 2004
    A mailbox includes a box having a box wall with a panel opening, the panel opening being fitted with a translucent panel marked with indicia; an electric power source; a light source secured relative to the box and positioned to r…
    View on Google Patents
  14. Rural mailbox flags US-6575357-B1 2003
    The rural mailbox has a rigid flag that is raised by a Post Office patron to indicate that there is outgoing mail in the mailbox. The mail carrier lowers the rigid flag when outgoing mail is removed from the mailbox. Opening the m…
    View on Google Patents

What this means for your idea

Because patents cover specific combinations of features, the useful question is not “has a mailbox been patented?” but “has my combination of features been described before?” Household products tend to differ in the mechanism (how something attaches, folds, dispenses or cleans) rather than the basic idea.

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Guides that help with this

First-look landscape. Not exhaustive. Not legal advice. This page lists keyword-matched publications from a limited database; it does not say whether any product is or isn't covered by a patent, whether a patent is still in force, or whether your idea is patentable. Consult a registered patent attorney or agent.