Patent Application
20240407581
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure relates to parcel devices and more particularly pertains to a new parcel device for storing a parcel until the parcel can be retrieved by an intended recipient. The device includes a base, a collapsible frame extending upwardly from the base, a lid attached to the collapsible frame and a shroud extending between the base and the lid. The lid includes a drop plate that is biased into a closed position and a plurality of fingers extending across the drop plate. Each of the fingers is urged downwardly and the drop plate is urged into an open position when a parcel is positioned on the fingers for subsequently storing the parcel in a storage area defined by the shroud.
The prior art relates to parcel devices including a variety of parcel delivery boxes that each has an entry chute being laterally disposed on a storage box to facilitate a parcel to be slid into the storage box. In no instance does the prior art disclose a parcel delivery box that has an entry chute positioned on top of the parcel delivery box to facilitate a parcel to be dropped into the parcel delivery box.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a collapsible frame that has a base and a plurality of legs movably attached to the base. A lid is attached to the plurality of legs of the collapsible frame and a drop plate is hingedly integrated into the lid. The drop plate is biased into a closed position and the drop plate is urgeable into an open position to facilitate a parcel to pass through the lid when the parcel is positioned on the drop plate. A shroud is coupled between the base and the lid which defines a storage area to conceal the parcel. A plurality of fingers is each pivotally attached to the lid and extends across the drop plate. Each of the plurality of fingers is urgeable into a downward position to facilitate the parcel to pass into the storage area.
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
The bottom end 18 of each of the plurality of legs 14 is pivotally attached to a top surface 26 of the base 16. Additionally, each of the plurality of legs 14 is aligned with a respective one of four corners 28 of the base 16. Each of the first section 22 and the second section 24 of a respective one of the legs 14 is oriented collinear with each other when the respective leg 14 is in the deployed position. The first section 22 and the second section 24 of the respective leg 14 lying on the top surface 26 of the base 16 when the respective leg 14 is in the stored position.
A lid 30 is attached to the plurality of legs 14 of the collapsible frame 12 and the lid 30 is spaced upwardly from the base 16 when the legs 14 are in the deployed position. The lid 30 is positioned next to the base 16 when the legs 14 are in the stored position. A drop plate 32 is hingedly integrated into the lid 30 and the drop plate 32 is biased into a closed position. The drop plate 32 is urgeable into an open position to facilitate a parcel 34 to pass through the lid 30 when the parcel 34 is positioned on the drop plate 32.
The lid 30 has perimeter wall 36 which has a bottom edge 38 and a top edge 40 and the top end 20 of each of the plurality of legs 14 is pivotally attached to the bottom edge 38 of the perimeter wall 36. The lid 30 has a lip 42 extending inwardly from an inwardly facing surface 44 of the perimeter wall 36. The lip 42 extends around a full perimeter of the perimeter wall 36 having the lip 42 being aligned with the top edge 40 of the perimeter wall 36 such that the lip 42 defines an opening 45 in the lid 30. The drop plate 32 has a rear edge 46 that is pivotally coupled to the inwardly facing surface 44 of a respective one of a plurality of intersecting sides 48 of the perimeter wall 36. The drop plate 32 is aligned with the bottom edge 38 of the perimeter wall 36. As is most clearly shown in
A shroud 50 is coupled between the base 16 and the lid 30 such that the base 16 and the lid 30 and the shroud 50 defines a storage area 52 to conceal the parcel 34 when the parcel 34 is dropped through the lid 30. The shroud 50 has a lower edge 54 and an upper edge 56 and the shroud 50 is attached to an exterior surface 58 of the base 16 at a point located adjacent to the lower edge 54. The upper edge 56 is coupled to the bottom edge 38 of the perimeter wall 36 of the lid 30. Additionally, the shroud 50 is comprised of a rip resistant and cut resistant material to inhibit the shroud 50 from being inadvertently or intentionally damaged.
A plurality of fingers 60 is each pivotally attached to the lid 30 and each of the fingers 60 is oriented to extend across the drop plate 32 of the lid 30. Each of the plurality of fingers 60 is biased into a horizontal position to restrict access to the storage area 52. Each of the plurality of fingers 60 is urgeable into a downward position to facilitate the parcel 34 to pass into the storage area 52. Each of the fingers 60 has a first end 62 and a second end 64 and the first end 62 of each of the plurality of fingers 60 is pivotally coupled to the inwardly facing surface 44 of the perimeter wall 36 of the lid 30. Each of the plurality of fingers 60 is curved between the first end 62 and the second end 64 such that each of the plurality of fingers 60 arches upwardly when the plurality of fingers 60 is in the horizontal position. The plurality of fingers 60 includes a set of first fingers 66 and a second of second fingers 68. Each of the first fingers 66 is positioned on a first lateral side 70 of the perimeter wall 36 and each of the second fingers 68 is positioned on a second lateral side 72 of the perimeter wall 36.
A tether anchor 74 is coupled to the lid 30 thereby facilitating the tether anchor 74 to be secured to a tether 75 for securing the lid 30 and the collapsible frame 12 and the base 16 to a pre-determined location. The tether anchor 74 arches away from an outwardly facing surface 76 of the perimeter wall 36 of the lid 30 at a point aligned with a respective one of four corners 78 of the perimeter wall 36. As shown in
In use, the base 16 is positioned in a designated location for receiving package deliveries and the plurality of legs 14 is positioned in the deployed position. The parcel 34 is positioned on the plurality of fingers 60 thereby urging the plurality of fingers 60 into the downward position which urges the drop plate 32 into the open position. In this way the parcel 34 drops in the storage area 52 and the drop plate 32 is subsequently biased into the closed position. Thus, the parcel 34 is secured until the intended recipient is able to retrieve the parcel 34 from the storage area 52. The legs 14 can be positioned in the collapsed position to facilitate the base 16, the shroud 50 and the lid 30 to be put away for storage.
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, device 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.
