Why Are Mailboxes Blue Legal

Whether you`re sending Christmas cards or gifts, or just sending your monthly rent check, you should avoid those big blue collection boxes — at least for the next few months, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) officials advised. Response to Alex`s comment: If and only if the blue mailbox is the only way to communicate the idea of « courier service » – and it certainly isn`t. A local postal inspection office wrote in a recent press release that criminals tend to target collection mailboxes « after the last collection of the day or on Sundays and holidays. » The U.S. Postal Inspection Service urges people not to leave mail or packages in mailboxes overnight because of the risk of mail theft, which can lead to identity theft, fraud, and financial loss. (iStock) The first public mail collection boxes in the United States were installed in the 1850s outside post offices and on the streets of major cities in the Northeast. The original mail collection boxes were designed to be mounted on street lights and sides of buildings, and in the 1880s they were made of cast iron to prevent theft. Hammock boxes were completely replaced by large, standalone mailboxes in the 1960s. In reference to the book of Canada, the first independent mailboxes were red. They quickly switched to dark green and then army green after World War II, leaving the government with excess green paint.

From 1955 until the founding of the USPS, the boxes were red, white and blue – very patriotic! With the USPS came the blue mailboxes and the eagle logo that can be seen today. Green was the first color used for mailboxes. At that time, the hue was not uniform in all states. For example, California had light green mailboxes, while Pennsylvania used a darker shade. The blue mailboxes that can be found throughout the county are also known as collective mailboxes. You can find the answer in the 1970s after the Post-Reorganization Act. In an attempt to rebrand the change, the U.S. Postal Service repainted the mailboxes in a new, uniform signature color. The court ruled that the blue mailbox design was unmistakably and uniquely associated with the United States Postal Service. In addition, the establishment of the postal service holds trademark rights for this design. This trademark case only illustrates that the USPS considers the blue color of the box to be one of its trademarks. (Specific entries on pages 7, 13 and 20, as well as others.) In front of the post office, they have the blue mailboxes.

I understand the story behind when the colors were changed. But I`m looking for exactly why they chose the color blue. The U.S. Postal Service`s blue collection boxes are open to the public. USPS customers drop mail and packages into boxes for delivery by authorized USPS personnel. (REUTERS/Mike Blake) Other email theft prevention tips that USPIS offers customers include picking up mail immediately and not keeping it in mailboxes overnight and contacting issuing agencies immediately when important or valuable items don`t arrive as expected, such as checks, credit cards, or negotiable items. Not only have reports of mail fraud and theft increased throughout the year, but crimes tend to peak during the holiday season – and these blue mailboxes are increasingly becoming targets. Here`s what you need to know. As the name suggests, these mailboxes offer an easy delivery method for outgoing mail and small packages for U.S. Postal Service customers.

These mailboxes save the sender from needlessly having to travel to the post office. The color red was an attempt to highlight mailboxes on the streets. Unfortunately, people confused red mailboxes with emergency and firefighting equipment of the same color. If you choose to use the blue collection boxes, make sure you do so before the last pickup of the day so that your mail doesn`t stay in overnight. (The time should be indicated on the front of the box.) This is especially true on Saturdays, as the post office would be there all night and all Sunday. The answer to the question « Why are mailboxes blue? » dates back to the 1970s according to the Postal Code Act. Blue collection boxes are protected by the use of USPS trademarks, at least for film and television. There are even a few songs from 1970-71 about blue dye mailboxes! Suspicious activity, mail or identity theft, fraud and mailboxes apparently compromised with glue, tape or sticky substance should be reported to the USPIS, the agency`s pamphlet says. Consolidated mailboxes are often used for domestic mailings. Nevertheless, international shipping remains an option. The U.S.

Postal Service aimed to rename the organization in all aspects, including painting mailboxes with a distinctive blue color. A little later, in 1887, Washington D.C. began painting mailboxes red, and the rest of the states quickly followed. In 1971, the newly declared independent organization presented itself to the public again. One step in this direction was to paint the mailboxes in the characteristic dark blue color. In 2010, the U.S. Postal Service appealed Lost Key Rewards to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Their defense was that Lost Key Rewards used a logo that is very similar in shape to the well-known blue mailboxes. The United States Postal Service vs. Lost Key Rewards, Inc. case involved Lost Key Rewards` use of the round blue box, which appeared identical to collectible mailboxes.

These blue collective mailboxes could be your first choice if you want to send a small light letter or package at home or abroad. In 1971, after the Postal Reorganization Act, Postmaster General Winton Blount decided to paint all mailboxes in the current characteristic dark blue color with an eagle seal. « If customers simply used retail service or wall slots to ship their U.S. mail instead of dropping it off to stay outside overnight or weekends, blue after-hours collection boxes wouldn`t be so tempting to send ID thieves and check washing systems, » wrote the local postal inspection office. Have you ever wondered, « Why are mailboxes blue? » According to the USPS historian, with the reorganization (privatization) of the postal service, the boxes changed from red-white-blue to blue in 1971. This decision appears to remove requirement 2(a) that the defendant`s trademark must be identical to the name or identity previously used by the plaintiff, or be a close approximation of the plaintiff`s name or identity previously used. When did the USPS become known as the Blue Mailbox Design? The main difference between these two mailboxes is who uses them. For example, anyone can use blue mailboxes to send outgoing mail or a package. In big cities, you will find a blue collective mailbox every few blocks. However, you are less likely to find these boxes in rural areas because the demand for mail is not as high. Later, in 1955, Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield announced that they would paint mailboxes red and blue, with white letters, to make them more identifiable.

In addition to avoiding blue collection boxes, here are some additional tips from USPS experts to make sure your mail ends up in safe hands: I would conclude that since the body of most collection boxes was already blue, some blue color remained.