Patent Application
20230397749
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The disclosure relates to package delivery boxes and more particularly pertains to a new package delivery box for securing delivered packages from tampering, theft, and weather.
The prior art relates to package delivery boxes which resort to several means for securely locking a package within them. Some devices are designed to function as furniture in addition to securely containing packages. Some devices have a single door at the top of the device which make lifting heavy packages that fill most of the containment space inconvenient or challenging. The prior art discloses a device with doors on opposite sides of the box, but which lacks weather-proofing features like a sloped roof and raised support legs. The prior art does not disclose a secure package delivery box that is comprised of a large package receptacle with a peaked roof and two access doors that can be selectively opened with keys used by delivery services or a key controlled by the package recipient.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a receptacle enclosing an interior space, wherein the receptacle has a top surface, the top surface sloping upward from each of a pair of lateral edges to a centerline parallel to each lateral edge. A lockable front door and a lockable back door are coupled to the receptacle, each door using a different key.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A front door 30 is pivotably coupled to the receptacle 12 and is lockable in a closed position by a front lock 32. The front door 30 is configured to permit access to the interior space 14 when open. A back door 34 is pivotably coupled to the receptacle 12 and is lockable in a closed position by a back lock 36. The back door 34 is configured to permit access to the interior space 14 when open. A front hinge 38 is coupled to the front door 30 and the receptacle 12 such that the front door 30 is pivotably coupled to the receptacle 12 about a front vertical axis. A back hinge 40 is coupled to the back door 34 and the receptacle 12 such that the back door 34 is pivotably coupled to the receptacle 12 about a back vertical axis. A front key is operationally couplable with the front lock 32 but is not operationally couplable with the back lock 36. A back key is operationally couplable with the back lock 36 but is not operationally couplable with the front lock 32. Alternatively, the back key may be operationally couplable with the front lock 32. A front gasket 46 is coupled to the front door 30 which abuts a front interior perimeter edge of the receptacle 12 when the front door 30 is closed. A back gasket 48 is coupled to the back door 34 which abuts a back interior perimeter edge 52 of the receptacle 12 when the back door 34 is closed. Each of the front gasket 46 and back gasket 48 are configured to seal the interior space 14 from an exterior space 54 when the front door 30 and the back door 34 respectively are closed.
A plurality of legs 56 is coupled to and elongates downward from the receptacle 12. The legs 56 have a length between 25.0 centimeters and 35.0 centimeters, wherein a bottom end 58 of each leg 56 is movably positionable on a support surface 60. Each leg 56 includes a lip 62 extending laterally from each associated leg 56 adjacent each associated bottom end 58. Each lip 62 has a hole 64 extending vertically through each associated lip 62. Each hole 64 is configured such that an associated fastener is insertable through each associated hole 64 for securing each associated leg 56 to the support surface 60. Each leg 56 is adjacent to an associated corner 68 of the bottom surface 22 of the receptacle 12.
In use, a delivery person uses the front key to unlock the front door 30 and open it. The delivery person places a package 70 within the interior space 14 of the receptacle 12, then closes the front door 30 and locks it with the front key. The box 10 prevents harmful weather elements from entering the interior space 14 and prevents tampering and theft of the package 70 while it is contained within the interior space 14. In particular, the sloping top surface 16 displaces precipitation that could otherwise accumulate and seep into the interior space 14, and the plurality of legs 56 raise the receptacle 12 above any accumulated water, snow, or the like. Later, the package 70 recipient unlocks the back door 34 with the back key and opens it, retrieving the package 70. The recipient then closes the back door 34 and locks it with the back key.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
