Patent Application
20230200578
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The disclosure relates to parcel delivery assemblies and more particularly pertains to a new parcel delivery assembly for securing parcels upon delivery. The present invention discloses a parcel delivery assembly comprising a shell with a slot for receiving mail in a first compartment and a first door, which opens to second compartment for receiving a parcel. The first door is operationally engaged to a plate, which hinges open upon closing of the first door to drop the parcel into a third compartment, which is accessible by a second door. Electronic locks, which can be unlocked using a wireless signal or a key, secure the first and second doors
The prior art relates to parcel delivery assemblies. Prior art parcel delivery assemblies may comprise assemblies with internal chutes, electronic locks, and the like. What is lacking in the prior art is a parcel delivery assembly comprising a shell with a slot for receiving mail in a first compartment and a first door, which opens to second compartment for receiving a parcel. The first door is operationally engaged to a plate, which hinges open upon closing of the first door to drop the parcel into a third compartment, which is accessible by a second door. Electronic locks, which can be unlocked using a wireless signal or a key, secure the first and second doors.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a shell, which defines an interior space and which is configured to be mountable to a substrate. An upper opening and a lower opening are positioned in a front of the shell. A divider plate is hingedly engaged to the shell and defines an upper compartment and a lower compartment within the interior space. A first door is hingedly engaged by a lower edge to the shell so that the first door is positioned to selectively close the upper opening. The first door is hingedly engaged to the divider plate so that the divider plate is fixedly positioned substantially perpendicular to the front of the shell when the first door is open. The divider plate is hingable when the first door is closed. The upper compartment is configured for insertion of a parcel, positioning the divider plate to hinge upon closing of the first door so that the parcel drops from the upper compartment to the lower compartment. A second door is hingedly engaged to the shell so that the second door is positioned to selectively close the lower opening. Each of a pair of door locks, which are wireles sly actuatable, is engaged to a respective one of the first door and the second door and is configured to selectively engage the shell. The first door and the second door fixedly close the upper opening and the lower opening, respectively, to secure the parcel within the interior space. A user is positioned to selectively and wireles sly actuate and deactuate the door locks to secure and to retrieve the parcel, respectively.
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
An alternative mounting option is enabled by a plurality of apertures 24, which is positioned in a back 26 of the shell 12, as shown in
An upper opening 30 and a lower opening 32 are positioned in a front 34 of the shell 12. A divider plate 36 is hingedly engaged to the shell 12 and defines an upper compartment 38 and a lower compartment 40 within the interior space 14. A first door 42 is hingedly engaged by a lower edge 44 to the shell 12 so that the first door 42 is positioned to selectively close the upper opening 30. The first door 42 is hingedly engaged to the divider plate 36 so that the divider plate 36 is fixedly positioned substantially perpendicular to the front 34 of the shell 12 when the first door 42 is open, as shown in
A second door 46 is hingedly engaged to the shell 12 so that the second door 46 is positioned to selectively close the lower opening 32. As shown in
Each of a pair of door locks 50, which are wireles sly actuatable, is engaged to a respective one of the first door 42 and the second door 46 and is configured to selectively engage the shell 12. The door locks 50 also may be keyed so that the door locks 50 are unlockable with an associated door key (not shown). The first door 42 and the second door 46 fixedly close the upper opening 30 and the lower opening 32, respectively, to secure the parcel within the interior space 14. A user is positioned to selectively and wireles sly actuate and deactuate the door locks 50 to secure and to retrieve the parcel, respectively.
The pair of door locks 50 comprises a receiver 52, although the present invention also anticipates each door lock 50 comprising a receiver 52. Each door lock 50 comprises a housing 54, which defines an internal space 56. A battery 58, a latch 60, an actuator 62, and a switch 64 are engaged to the housing 54 and are positioned in the internal space 56. The latch 60 is selectively extensible from the housing 54. The actuator 62 is operationally engaged to both of the battery 58 and the latch 60. The switch 64 is operationally engaged to the battery 58 and the actuator 62. The switch 64 is communicatively engaged to the receiver 52. A strike 66 is engaged to the housing 54 and is positioned to selectively engage the latch 60. Upon receipt of a first signal and a second signal from the receiver 52, the switch 64 is positioned for operationally engaging the actuator 62 to the battery 58 for locking and unlocking, respectively, the first door 42 and the second door 46.
Each of a pair of handles 68 is engaged to a respective one of the first door 42 and the second door 46. The handle 68 is configured to be grasped in a hand of a user, positioning the user to hinge the respective one of the first door 42 and the second door 46. The handle 68 may comprise a recess 70, as shown in
A panel 72 is hingedly engaged to the shell 12 and defines a mail compartment 74 positioned in the interior space 14 above the upper compartment 38. A keyed lock 76 is engaged to the panel 72 and is configured to selectively engage the shell 12. When the keyed lock 76 is engaged to the shell 12, the panel 72 is fixedly positioned substantially perpendicular to the front 34 of the housing 54. When the keyed lock 76 is disengaged from the shell 12, the panel 72 is hingable to allow access to the mail compartment 74. A slot 78 is positioned in the front 34 of the shell 12 and opens into the mail compartment 74. The slot 78 is configured for insertion of mail into the mail compartment 74.
A mail flag 80 may be rotationally engaged to the shell 12 so that the mail flag 80 is selectively positionable in a substantially vertical position. The mail flag 80 is configured to indicate that outgoing mail is positioned in the mail compartment 74.
In use, the first door 42 is opened and a parcel is inserted into the upper compartment 38. The divider plate 36 hinges upon closing of the first door 42 and the parcel drops to the lower compartment 40. The user then can wirelessly actuate the door locks 50 to secure the parcel by sending the first signal from an electronic device, such as a smartphone, to the receiver 52. The parcel is accessible via the lower opening 32 upon deactuating of an associated door lock 50 upon receipt by the receiver 52 of a second signal sent from the electronic device.
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.
