U.S. patent application number 09/841421 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-01 for delivery box.
Invention is credited to Scholefield, Michael.
Application Number | 20010035703 09/841421 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9890515 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010035703 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Scholefield, Michael |
November 1, 2001 |
Delivery box
Abstract
A delivery box 10 for groceries, other goods, mail, etc., to
enable their delivery even to an unoccupied building, is built into
an external wall 12 of the building and has an outer door 20 which
is openable to enable deliveries to be placed inside the box but
which locks automatically when it is then closed. It has a rear
door 28 openable directly into, and lockable from, the interior of
the building. The box has separate chilled and frozen compartments
30 and 32 respectively, and is accordingly supplied with mains
electricity. The outer door is substantially flush with the
exterior surface of the wall, and has either a digital computerized
locking system operable by pre-arranged single use code numbers or
a high-security Yale-type lock.
Inventors: |
Scholefield, Michael;
(Edgerton, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Jeffrey J. Schwartz
Adams, Schwartz & Evans, P.A.
2180 Two First Union Center
Charlotte
NC
28282
US
|
Family ID: |
9890515 |
Appl. No.: |
09/841421 |
Filed: |
April 24, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/242 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 29/141 20130101;
A47G 29/16 20130101; F25D 23/10 20130101; A47G 2029/148 20130101;
A47G 2029/147 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/242 |
International
Class: |
A47B 067/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 27, 2000 |
GB |
0010120.4 |
Claims
1. A delivery box adapted to be secured to a fixed support and
having an outer door which is openable to enable deliveries to be
placed inside the box but which locks automatically when it is then
closed.
2. A delivery box according to claim 1, wherein the support is a
wall of a building.
3. A delivery box according to claim 2, which is bolted internally
to the exterior surface of the wall.
4. A delivery box according to claim 2, which is built into the
wall.
5. A delivery box according to claim 4, which has a rear door
openable directly into, and lockable from, the interior of the
building.
6. A delivery box according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the
outer door is substantially flush with the exterior surface of the
wall.
7. A delivery box according to claim 1, wherein the outer door has
a letter deposit flap.
8. A delivery box according to claim 7, wherein the flap opens into
a receptacle mounted on the back of said door.
9. A delivery box according to claim 1, wherein the outer door may
have a bank-type deposit drawer.
10. A delivery box according to claim 1, wherein the box is adapted
to be supplied with mains electricity.
11. A delivery box according to claim 10, which includes a chilled
storage compartment.
12. A delivery box according to claim 10 or claim 11, which
includes a frozen storage compartment.
13. A delivery box according to claim 1, wherein the outer door has
a digital computerised locking system operable by pre-arranged
single-use code numbers.
14. A delivery box according to claim 1, which is adapted to be
connected to an existing alarm system.
15. A delivery box according to claim 1, which has an external
child-resistant grille with an opening catch at a high level.
Description
[0001] This intention relates to a delivery box for goods including
groceries ordered by Internet, mail or otherwise; for mail; and for
other articles.
[0002] The object of the invention is to enable articles to be
delivered at any time of day or night to a building whether
occupied or note and to be kept safely until retrieved by the
occupier.
[0003] The invention comprises a delivery box adapted to be secured
to a fixed support and having an outer door which is openable to
enable deliveries to be placed inside the box but which locks
automatically when it is then closed.
[0004] Preferably, the support is a wall of a building.
[0005] The box may be bolted internally to the exterior surface of
the wall.
[0006] Alternatively, the box is built into the wall. The built-in
box may have a rear door openable directly into, and lockable from,
the interior of the building.
[0007] The outer door of the built-in box is preferably
substantially flush with the exterior surface of the wall.
[0008] The outer door may have a letter deposit flap.
[0009] The flap may open into a receptacle mounted on the back of
said door.
[0010] The outer door may have a bank-type deposit drawer.
[0011] The box is preferably adapted to be supplied with mains
electricity,
[0012] The box may be a chilled storage compartment.
[0013] The box may include a frozen storage compartment.
[0014] The outer door may have a digital computerised Locking
system operable by pre-arranged single-use code numbers.
[0015] The box may be adapted to be connected to an existing alarm
system.
[0016] The box may have an external child-resistant grille with an
opening catch at a high level.
[0017] The invention will now be described in greater detail, by
way of example only, with reference to the accompanying
diagrammatic drawings, of which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a front elevation of one form of a large delivery
box particularly suitable for accepting deliveries of articles of
food;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevation of said one form of
large box built into an external wall of the house;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a front elevation of one form of smaller delivery
box;
[0021] FIG. 3a is a sectional side elevation of said one form of
smaller box built into an external wall of the house;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a front elevation of another form of smaller
delivery box;
[0023] FIG. 4a is a sectional side elevation of said other form of
smaller box built into an external wall of the house;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a front elevation of another form of large
delivery box; and
[0025] FIG. 5a is a sectional side elevation of said other form of
large box secured to an external wall of the house.
[0026] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a large
delivery box indicated generally at 10 is made of metal and/or
strong plastics material and is shown built into an external
masonry wall indicated generally at 12 of a house. The wall
conventionally comprises an outer leaf 14 and an inner leaf 16
separated by a cavity 18. The box 10 is securely fixed in the wall
12 by means of projections (not shown) which are concreted into
seams in the masonry, and has an outer door 20 with a handle 22 and
hinges 24 which is practically flush with the exterior surface 26
of the wall 12. The box 10 projects a short distance into the
interior of the house in order to have a useful front-to-back
dimension, and has a rear door 28 with a handle 34 openable
directly into, and lockable from, said interior to facilitate the
removal of deliveries. The box 10 is adapted to be supplied with
mains electricity from within the house, to enable it to include
both a chilled storage compartment 30 and a frozen storage
compartment 32, and also lighting (not shown) if desired. The outer
door 20 is openable to enable deliveries to be placed inside the
box, but is arranged to lock automatically when it is then closed.
This is effectively achieved by employing a digital computerised
locking system (not shown) operable by pre-arranged code numbers.
Said system can be button- or card-operated in such a way that the
door 20 is opened by a pre-arranged single-use code number which is
erased from the system's memory when said door is closed and
self-locked. The box 10 is adapted to be connected to a burglar
alarm system (not shown) existing within the house. A typical size
for a large box 10 suitable for accepting, inter alia, deliveries
of food from a supermarket is, say, 1200 millimeters in internal
height by 600 millimeters in internal width and depth, but a height
of more than two meters is preferably avoided as this would require
planning permission. It will be understood that the delivery box 10
just described is a de luxe or top of the range unit. Many of its
features can be omitted without departing from the scope of the
invention, and a less sophisticated locking system for the outer
door 20 such as a high-security Yale-type lock can be employed, in
which case said door is left unlocked until a delivery has been
made. The external child-resistant grille (not shown) with an
opening catch disposed at a high level so as to be difficult for a
child to reach then becomes a desirable adjunct to the box 10.
[0027] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 3a of the drawings, a smaller
delivery box indicated generally at 40 which is still large enough
to accept supermarket and mail order deliveries is built into an
external masonry wall 41 of a house. The box 40 has only an outer
door 42 with a handle 44 and hinges 46, which is openable to enable
deliveries to be placed inside said box but which locks
automatically when it is closed. The locking system employed can be
either of the digital computerised type or of the high-security
Yale-type hereinbefore referred to, and an external grille as
described in the preceding paragraph can be fitted if desired. The
door 42 of the box 40 is fitted with a large letter deposit flap 48
which conveniently opens into a receptacle 49 mounted on the back
of said door.
[0028] FIGS. 4 and 4a of the drawings show a delivery box indicated
generally at 50 which is in most respects similar to the box 40
shown in FIG. 3 but which has fitted in its outer and only door 52,
instead of a letter deposit flap, a bank-type deposit drawer
54.
[0029] A typical size for the boxes 40 and 50 is, say, 900
millimeters in internal height by 600 millimeters in internal width
and depth.
[0030] FIGS. 5 and 5a of the drawings show a large delivery box
having an outer and only door 62 with a handle 64 and hinges 65
which is secured to the external surface of an exterior wall 66 of
a house and to a concrete path 68 adjoining said wall by means of
internal and thus inaccessible masonry bolts 70. A typical size for
the box 60 is, say, 1500 millimeters in height by 600 millimeters
in internal width and depth. The door 62 is openable to enable
deliveries to be placed inside said box but locks automatically
when it is closed, the locking system being either of the digital
computerised type or of the high-security Yale-type hereinbefore
referred to.
[0031] In a modification, the box can be secured to other fixed
supports such as a concrete base or a post.
[0032] Thus there are provided secure delivery boxes which save
time and money by avoiding any need for redelivery.
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