# Has anyone invented a device that notifies you when the mail has come? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881 "2005-01-21T06:52:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/21 "2005-01-21T19:11:14Z")
> [@](#): > > We had that, too. Our house was on top of a hill and the mailbox way down that the bottom of the drive, but we could see out the living-room window if the mailman had put the little red flag up, and we knew the mail had arrived. I think all the houses on our street had those flags. a-HA! Someone else had mail carriers who leave up the red flags. > [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by CalMeacham > My father-in-law made our mailbox… > > Technically, that’s a no-no, unless he received prior approval for the design: > Quote: > The local postmaster may approve a curbside mailbox constructed by a customer who, for aesthetic or other reasons, does not want to use an approved manufactured box. The custom-built box must generally meet the same standards as approved manufactured boxes for flag, size, strength, and quality of construction. > > I doubt he’ll actually get into any trouble for it - at worst, they’d only make him take it down. I’ve never seen this rule enforced, though, but an overzealous letter carrier could cause trouble, in theory. This is a ludicrous rule. The mailboxes they have in stores are inconvenient and _too damned small_. Packasges are invariably wedged halfway in. Our mailbox is large enough to comfortably hold both mail and packages. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/22 "2005-01-21T19:14:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > This is a ludicrous rule. The mailboxes they have in stores are inconvenient and _too damned small_. Packasges are invariably wedged halfway in. Our mailbox is large enough to comfortably hold both mail and packages. Can’t argue with that. No one ever said Postal regulations made any sense. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/23 "2005-01-21T19:31:13Z")
How bizarre. When I was growing up, I was taught that the flag was used to indicate to the postman that there was something to _pick up_, not that the mailman had been and gone. Maybe that was just a function of growing up in a very rural area, with a mile or more between houses; if the mailman didn’t have anything for us, and the flag wasn’t up, he could cruise on by. And he always put the flag _down_ when he picked up our outgoing mail. Am I alone on this? ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/24 "2005-01-21T22:14:04Z")
American Science and Surplus has one for 8 bucks right now (item #33597). [http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm?subsection=17&category=165](http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm?subsection=17&category=165) ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/25 "2005-01-21T22:34:17Z")
If you can see the mailbox, just leave it open, and the carrier will close it when s/he puts in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/26 "2005-01-21T22:43:17Z")
There’s also this: [http://www.smarthome.com/7466.HTML](http://www.smarthome.com/7466.HTML) ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/27 "2005-01-21T22:53:34Z")
> [@Max Torque](#): > > How bizarre. When I was growing up, I was taught that the flag was used to indicate to the postman that there was something to _pick up_, not that the mailman had been and gone. Maybe that was just a function of growing up in a very rural area, with a mile or more between houses; if the mailman didn’t have anything for us, and the flag wasn’t up, he could cruise on by. And he always put the flag _down_ when he picked up our outgoing mail. > > Am I alone on this? The flag has been used to signal to the mailman that there is mail to be picked up everywhere I have lived. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/28 "2005-01-22T02:46:28Z")
> [@Iceland\_Blue](#): > > In New Zealand,where a lot of places have a LONG drive down to the door,the mailbox was at the roadside. > … > You could see out the window easily that if the flag was up then he’d been. Hey, your driveway isn’t that long if you can see your mailbox from your house. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/29 "2005-01-22T05:52:22Z")
> [@Max Torque](#): > > How bizarre. When I was growing up, I was taught that the flag was used to indicate to the postman that there was something to _pick up_, not that the mailman had been and gone. Maybe that was just a function of growing up in a very rural area, with a mile or more between houses; if the mailman didn’t have anything for us, and the flag wasn’t up, he could cruise on by. And he always put the flag _down_ when he picked up our outgoing mail. > > Am I alone on this? In my dad’s case, you are talking about two completely different “flags”. Yes, the red stick-type flag that’s permanently mounted on the mailbox is the signal for the mail carrier to come pick up your mail. What Dad had was an additional flag attached to a spring. When the mail carrier opened the mailbox door, the spring was released and a separate flag popped up. It’s a passive device. The mail carrier doesn’t have to “do” anything except open the mailbox to insert the mail. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881/30 "2005-01-22T10:41:03Z")
You better go see Lemony Snickets. The “girl” is an engineer at heart, she invented just what you need. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-invented-a-device-that-notifies-you-when-the-mail-has-come/285881.md?page=1)