JP7462267B2 - Delivery box - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to delivery boxes.

Delivery boxes that allow unmanned receipt of parcels have been known for some time. For example, in a delivery box, after a parcel delivery person places the parcel in a storage room (luggage room), the person closes the door and the door is locked by operating a locking device installed on the door. As a result, when the delivery box is placed in front of a building such as a detached house, the person can receive parcels delivered without having to choose (specify) a delivery company, and parcels can be received even when the residents of the building are not at home.

Traditionally, delivery boxes have been box-shaped with an opening on the front and can hold parcels, and the main body of the box has been made of metal plate. However, in recent years, it has also been considered to make the main body of the box out of plastic in order to reduce weight, etc.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose that the box body of a delivery box is integrally molded from resin material, and that strength is ensured by forming multiple reinforcing ribs on the outer surfaces of the left and right side surfaces, rear side surface, and top surface (top surface), and that the opening on the front of the box body is closed with a door. The left and right side surfaces and top surface of the box body are covered with left and right side panels and a top panel, which are decorative panels, and each panel is attached to the box body.

Japanese Patent No. 6606263 Patent No. 6586202

In configurations in which the box body is made of resin, such as the delivery boxes described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a panel has traditionally been attached as a separate member to the outer surface of the box body to ensure strength and rigidity, or to cover ribs formed on the outer surface to improve strength. However, such configurations require a large number of parts and require time for assembly, which reduces assembly workability, and there is room for improvement in terms of reducing weight.

The objective of this disclosure is to provide a delivery box that is lightweight and easy to assemble.

The delivery box disclosed herein comprises a box body capable of storing parcels, a box reinforcing frame, a door body, and a locking block. The box body is a one-piece molded resin product with an opening on the front side, the box reinforcing frame is fitted and attached to the edge of the opening on the front side of the box body, the door body is attached to the box reinforcing frame via a hinge, and the locking block is attached to the door body, allowing the door body to be locked and unlocked.

According to the delivery box of the present disclosure, the box body is a one-piece molded resin product, which allows for weight reduction. Furthermore, the box reinforcing frame is fitted and attached to the edge of the opening on the front of the box body, ensuring rigidity and strength without forming many reinforcing ribs on the top surface and left and right sides of the outer surface of the box body. Furthermore, since there is no need to attach many decorative panels to the outer surface of the box body to improve strength or cover the reinforcing ribs, the number of parts can be reduced. This improves the ease of assembly of the delivery box. Furthermore, the delivery box can be further reduced in weight by omitting many decorative panels.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a delivery box according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view of the delivery box of FIG. 1 from the front side. FIG. 2 is a side view of the delivery box of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a top view of the delivery box of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the delivery box of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the delivery box of FIG. 1 . FIG. 6B is an enlarged perspective view of part A in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the box reinforcing frame taken out from FIG. 6A and seen from the front. FIG. 7B is an enlarged perspective view of part B in FIG. 7A. 7B is a rear perspective view of the box reinforcing frame of FIG. 7A. FIG. 8B is an enlarged perspective view of part C of FIG. 8A. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of FIG. 8 , with the back plate for mounting the hinges omitted. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the lower part of FIG. 8 , showing the back plate for mounting the hinge omitted. 1 is an oblique view showing the state in which a box reinforcing frame is attached to a box body of a delivery box. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the cross section DD of FIG. 2. This is an enlarged view of the D-D cross section of Figure 2, showing the state in which rainwater flows rearward from the top surface of the delivery box when it rains. 14 is an enlarged view of part E in FIG. 13, showing that rainwater is prevented from entering the box body during rainfall. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the locking block removed from the door of FIG. 6A and seen from the front side. FIG. 16 is a rear perspective view of the locking block of FIG. 15. FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view of the door of FIG. 6A as seen from the rear side. This is an exploded oblique view of a delivery box according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which the delivery box in Figure 1 is changed from a right-opening type to a left-opening type by changing some of the parts. 19 is a perspective view of the door body used in the delivery box of FIG. 18, seen from the rear side. 20 is a perspective view of a locking block attachment to be combined with the door body of FIG. 19 and a locking block, seen from the rear side. 21 is a perspective view of the locking block of FIG. 20, seen from a different direction than that of FIG. 20.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained using the drawings. The shapes, materials, and quantities explained below are examples for the purpose of explanation, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the specifications of the delivery box. In the following explanation, the same symbols are used for equivalent elements in all drawings. Furthermore, in the explanations in the main text, the symbols previously mentioned will be used as necessary.

In the following explanation and drawings, R is the right side when viewed from outside the delivery box toward the front where the door is with the door closed, L is the left side, F is the front side, which is the front side of the delivery box, and B is the rear side, which is the back side of the delivery box. The direction connecting R and L and the direction connecting F and B are mutually perpendicular.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a delivery box 12 according to an embodiment. Figures 2 to 5 are a front view, a side view, a top view, and a bottom view of the delivery box 12, respectively. The delivery box 12 is for use in, for example, a detached house, and allows unattended receipt of parcels (not shown) that are to be delivered. The delivery box 12 is used by a parcel delivery person to deposit parcels and to lock the door 40. For example, the delivery box 12 is placed outside the detached house near the front door.

The delivery box 12 comprises a roughly rectangular box body 13 with an opening 15 (Fig. 6A) on the front, a box reinforcing frame 20, and a side-opening door 40 for opening and closing the opening 15. A luggage compartment 14 is formed inside the box body 13. The luggage compartment 14 is a roughly rectangular box-like shape that can accommodate luggage (not shown) so that it can be easily loaded and unloaded. The box body 13 is a one-piece molded product made of resin. For example, the box body 13 is made of resin such as polypropylene (PP) or acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA).

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the top surface 16 of the box body 13 is provided with an inclined surface 16a that slopes downward toward the rear end (end on side B in Figures 3 and 4) over almost the entire surface in order to prevent water from pooling during rainfall. For example, as shown in Figure 13 described below, the inclination angle α of the inclined surface 16a with respect to the horizontal plane 102 is approximately 3 degrees.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the left and right side surfaces 17, 18 on the outer surface of the box body 13 form inclined surfaces 17a, 18a that are inclined toward the center in the left-right direction toward the rear end (side B end in Figures 4 and 5). As a result, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the outer shape of the box body 13 when viewed from above or below is a trapezoid that is symmetrical about the center line in the left-right direction. For this reason, the cross-sectional shape of the box body becomes smaller toward the rear end, which improves the ease of removal from the mold used during resin molding.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6A and FIGS. 12 to 14 described below, a rectangular frame-shaped flange 19 is formed on the peripheral edge of the opening 15 side end of the box body 13 so as to protrude outward over the entire circumference. The flange 19 is used to engage the box reinforcing frame 20 described below when the box reinforcing frame 20 is fitted to the edge of the opening of the box body 13.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6A, a plurality of ribs 13a extending in the front-rear direction are formed on the front side F of both the left and right end sides of the inner surface of the box body 13. The plurality of ribs 13a may be omitted.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, no reinforcing ribs are formed on the left and right side surfaces 17, 18 and the top surface 16 of the box body 13. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 5, a lattice-shaped reinforcing rib 71 including a first rib and a second rib perpendicular to each other is formed on the bottom surface 70 of the box body 13. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, a trapezoidal cross-sectional recess 72 is formed on the bottom surface 70 of the box body 13 so as to be recessed upward as a whole from a portion slightly recessed from the end of the front side F to the vicinity of the end of the rear side B. The reinforcing rib 71 is formed inside this recess 72, and does not protrude below the lower ends of the side surfaces 17, 18. This improves the design of the box body 13. Since the reinforcing rib 71 is formed only on the bottom surface 70 of the box body 13, there is no need to attach a decorative panel to cover and hide the reinforcing rib to the left and right side surfaces 17, 18 and the top surface 16 of the box body 13. The bottom surface 70 is not visible or is difficult to see from the outside when the delivery box 12 is placed on the floor or ground, so there is no need to cover the bottom surface 70 with a decorative panel.

As shown in FIG. 5, a number of block-shaped legs 73 for placing the box body 13 on the floor or ground are attached to the lower ends of the reinforcing ribs 71 on the bottom surface 70 of the box body 13 by screws or the like.

The box reinforcing frame 20 is formed into a rectangular frame shape from resin. For example, like the box body 13, the box reinforcing frame 20 is formed from a resin such as polypropylene (PP) or acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA).

Figure 6A is an exploded perspective view of the delivery box 12. The box reinforcing frame 20 is fitted to the edge of the opening 15 of the box body 13. This ensures the strength and rigidity of the box body 13 without forming many reinforcing ribs on the outer surface of the box body 13. The door 40 is rotatably attached to the front side of the box reinforcing frame 20 via a hinge 75. The hinge 75 is formed by a metal hinge plate 76 attached to both upper and lower ends of the right R end of the front F surface of the box reinforcing frame 20, and a hinge pin 77 fixed to both upper and lower ends of the right R end of the door 40 so as to protrude in the vertical direction and supported by a hole in the hinge plate 76. This allows the opening 15 of the box body 13 to be opened and closed by the right-opening door 40.

Figure 6B is an enlarged perspective view of part A in Figure 6A. As shown in Figure 6B, the upper hinge pin 77 is fixed so as to protrude upward from the upper end of the door 40, for example, by screwing into a screw hole (not shown) formed in the upper end of the door 40. Although detailed illustration of the mounting part of the lower hinge pin 77 (Figure 6A) is omitted, it may be fixed so as to protrude downward from the lower end of the door 40 by screwing into a screw hole formed in the lower end of the door 40 in the same way as the upper hinge pin 77.

Figure 7A is a perspective view of the box reinforcing frame 20 taken out of Figure 6A and viewed from the front side F. Figure 7B is an enlarged perspective view of part B in Figure 7A. Figure 8A is a perspective view of the box reinforcing frame 20 viewed from the rear side B. Figure 8B is an enlarged perspective view of part C in Figure 8A.

As shown in Figures 7A to 8B, the box reinforcing frame 20 is integrally formed with a rectangular wall-shaped outer tube 21, a rectangular wall-shaped intermediate tube 23 connected to the inside of the outer tube 21 via a rectangular plate-shaped outer connecting part 22 at the front end, a rectangular plate-shaped inner connecting part 24 connected to the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate tube 23 in the front-rear direction middle part, and a rectangular wall-shaped inner tube 25 connected to the inner peripheral surface of the inner connecting part 24 over the entire circumference. The intermediate tube 23 protrudes to the rear side B beyond the rear side B end of the outer tube 21. The rear side B end position of the intermediate tube 23 and the rear side B end position of the inner tube 25 are approximately the same in the front-rear direction. The front side F end position of the inner tube 25 is behind the front side F ends of the outer tube 21 and the intermediate tube 23. This forms a space inside the intermediate tube 23 in which the door 40 can be placed. A plurality of reinforcing ribs 26 are formed on the rear side B surface of the inner connecting part 24 so as to connect the intermediate tube 23 and the inner tube 25. The multiple reinforcing ribs 26 include a truss-shaped rib 26a and multiple parallel ribs 26b that extend in the left-right direction.

Furthermore, two sets of locking parts 28, 29 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the right R end of the rear side B surface of the inner connecting part 24 to lock the back plate 78 (Figs. 8A, 8B) for attaching the hinge plate 76 (Figs. 7A, 7B). As shown in Fig. 9, the upper locking part 28 has two L-shaped plate parts 28a, 28b for fitting the back plate 78, and two claw parts 28c, 28d that are arranged between the two plate parts 28a, 28b in the left-right position and lock the upper and lower ends of the back plate 78 from both the top and bottom. As shown in Fig. 10, the lower locking part 29 has two L-shaped plate parts 29a, 29b for fitting the back plate 78, and two claw parts 29c that are arranged between the two plate parts 29a, 29b in the left-right position and can temporarily fasten the back plate 78 by locking the upper and lower ends of the back plate 78 from both the top and bottom. The upper claw portion of the lower locking portion 29 is not shown in the illustration.

In this example, the door 40 of the parcel box 12 is used as a right-hand opening type, that is, the door 40 can be opened in the direction of the arrow β in FIG. 6A. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, hinge plates 76 for mounting the door 40 are provided at both the upper and lower ends of the right R end of the box reinforcing frame 20. As shown in FIG. 7B, the hinge plate 76 has a main plate portion 76a that overlaps the front F surface of the inner connecting portion 24, and a protruding plate portion 76b that protrudes to the front F at the end of the main plate portion 76a that is closer to the vertical end of the box reinforcing frame 20, and a hole 76c that penetrates the protruding plate portion 76b in the vertical direction is formed. The hinge plate 76 is fixed to the box reinforcing frame 20 by a screw 79 (FIG. 7B) that penetrates the hole 24a (FIGS. 9 and 10) formed in the inner connecting portion 24 and a back plate 78 that has a screw hole that is connected to the screw 79, so that the inner connecting portion 24 is sandwiched between the back plate 78 and the main plate portion 76a. The hole 24a at the right R end of the inner connecting part 24 and the two sets of locking parts 28, 29 formed near the hole 24a at the right R end of the rear B surface of the inner connecting part 24 correspond to the attachment parts of the right-opening hinge 75 (Figure 6A).

Furthermore, in this example, the box reinforcing frame 20 is also used to form a structure for left-hand opening, i.e., the door 40a can be opened in the direction of the arrow γ in FIG. 18, as in another example of a delivery box 12a shown in FIG. 18 described later. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 7A, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, holes 24b are formed at both upper and lower ends of the left L end of the inner connecting portion 24 of the box reinforcing frame 20 to pass through screws for attaching the hinge plate 76. Furthermore, on the rear side B surface of the inner connecting portion 24, two sets of locking portions 30, 31 for locking the back plate 78 are formed at both upper and lower ends of the left L end near the holes 24b. The configuration of the right locking portions 30, 31 is the same as that of the left locking portions 28, 29. The hole 24b at the left L end of the inner connecting portion 24 and the two sets of locking portions 30, 31 at the left L end correspond to the mounting portion of the hinge for left-hand opening. As a result, the box reinforcing frame 20 is provided with hinge mounting parts for left- and right-opening doors so that it can accommodate both left- and right-opening doors.

Furthermore, the first metal fittings 81 forming the latch receiving metal fittings 80 are fixed to the inner peripheral edge of both the left and right ends of the box reinforcing frame 20, respectively, in the portions that overlap the inner tube 25 and the inner connecting portion 24. Since the delivery box 12 of this example is used for right-opening, the latch receiving metal fittings 80 are formed by fixing a second metal fitting (not shown) having a latch receiving hole to the first metal fitting 81 fixed to the left L end of the box reinforcing frame 20. The first latch bolt 52 (FIG. 16) and the second latch bolt 53 (FIG. 16) that are inserted and removed from the locking block 50 described later can be inserted into the latch receiving hole. When the box reinforcing frame 20 is used for a left-opening structure, such as the delivery box 12a of another example shown in FIG. 18 described later, the second metal fitting is fixed to the first metal fitting 81 fixed to the right R end of the box reinforcing frame 20.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8A to 10, the upper edge, left and right side edges, and lower edge of the rear B end of the outer tube 21 of the box reinforcing frame 20 are formed at multiple positions on each of the upper and lower edges for engaging with the box body 13.

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the state in which the box reinforcing frame 20 is attached to the box body 13. Figure 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the D-D cross section of Figure 2. Figure 13 is an enlarged view of the D-D cross section of Figure 2, showing the state in which rainwater 100 flows to the rear side B on the top surface 16 of the delivery box 12 when it rains. Figure 14 is an enlarged view of part E of Figure 13, showing that rainwater 100 is blocked from entering the box body 13 when it rains.

As shown in FIG. 11, when attaching the box reinforcing frame 20 to the box body 13, a tool 101 such as a mallet is used to push the box reinforcing frame 20 into the edge of the opening 15 of the box body 13 to fit it in place. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the outer peripheral edge of the box reinforcing frame 20 is fitted from the front side F into the outer peripheral edge of the opening 15 side end of the box body 13. In this state, the outer tube 21 of the box reinforcing frame 20 is fitted to the outer peripheral side of the flange 19 of the box body 13, and each claw portion 32 formed on the outer tube 21 rides up onto the outer peripheral surface of the flange 19, and is then engaged with the flange 19 on the rear side B of the flange 19. This allows the box reinforcing frame 20 to be attached to the box body 13. In this state, the opening 15 side end of the box body 13 is fitted from the outer peripheral side by the outer tube 21 of the box reinforcing frame 20, and is fitted from the inner peripheral side by the intermediate tube 23 of the box reinforcing frame 20. This ensures the rigidity and strength of the delivery box 12 without forming many reinforcing ribs on the top surface 16 and left and right side surfaces 17, 18 of the box body 13.

As shown in FIG. 6A, multiple pillars 13c may be formed on the step surface 13b formed at the lower part of the inner surface of the box body 13 so as to protrude forward, and screws (not shown) passing through holes formed at the lower end of the box reinforcing frame 20 may be screwed into screw holes formed in the pillars 13c to further increase the bonding strength between the box body 13 and the box reinforcing frame 20.

With the box reinforcing frame 20 attached to the box body 13, a door 40 (described later) is attached to the box reinforcing frame 20 via hinges 75 to form the delivery box 12. In this state, an inclined surface 16a is formed on the top surface 16 of the box body 13 as shown in FIG. 13. Therefore, when rainwater 100 splashes on the top surface 16 during rainfall, the rainwater 100 can flow down to the rear side B on the top surface 16, preventing rainwater from accumulating on the top surface 16 to form a puddle. Furthermore, in the unlikely event that rainwater 100 flows upward on the inclined surface 16a as shown in FIG. 14, the flange 19 of the box body 13 blocks the rainwater, preventing it from entering the inside of the opening 15 of the box body 13.

The door 40 further includes a rectangular plate-shaped door body 41 and a locking block 50 attached to the door body 41 so that a part of the locking block 50 is exposed to the front side F through a rectangular hole 42 (FIG. 17) long in the vertical direction formed to penetrate the left L end of the door body 41. The door body 41 is formed of, for example, a resin. For example, the door body 41 is formed of a resin such as acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA). The front side F surface (front side surface) of the door body 41 may be coated with a film or painted. As shown in FIG. 17 described later, a rectangular frame-shaped outer wall portion 43 is formed on the outer periphery of the rear side B surface (rear side surface) of the door body 41, and a substantially rectangular frame-shaped inner wall portion 44 is formed inside the outer wall portion 43. A plurality of ribs 45 extending laterally are formed between the hinge pin side end (left end in FIG. 17) of the inner wall portion 44 and the outer wall portion 43 on the rear side B surface of the door body 41. A diagonal lattice-shaped rib 46 is formed on the inside of the inner wall portion 44 on the rear side B of the door body 41. The strength of the door 40 is ensured by the multiple ribs 45, 46 of the door body 41.

Furthermore, in the outer wall portion 43 and the inner wall portion 44 of the door body 41, rectangular cutouts 43a and 44a long in the vertical direction are formed in the vertical middle portion of the end opposite to the hinge pin mounting side (the right end in FIG. 17). These cutouts 43a and 44a are formed to allow the first latch bolt 52 (FIG. 16) and the second latch bolt 53 (FIG. 16) of the locking block 50 to pass through. In this example, as shown in the box reinforcing frame 20 in FIG. 7A, the latch receiving metal fitting 80 for receiving the first latch bolt 52 and the second latch bolt 53 is formed below the vertical center of the box reinforcing frame 20. On the other hand, the cutouts 43a and 44a formed in the outer wall portion 43 and the inner wall portion 44 of the door body 41 shown in FIG. 17 are long in the vertical direction so as to extend not only below the vertical center of the door body 41 but also above the vertical center. As a result, the notches 43a and 44a of the door body 41 are elongated vertically so as to extend to both sides of the vertical center of the door body 41. The reason for this is to enable the same structure as the door body 41 to be used for the left-opening alternative delivery box 12a described later with reference to Figures 18 to 21, thereby enabling the components to be shared, thereby reducing costs. When using the door body 41 for the alternative delivery box 12a, the door body 41 is used upside down compared to this example. In this case, the box body 13 and the box reinforcing frame 20 are also made to have the same structure as this example, but the box body 13 and the box reinforcing frame 20 are oriented upside down in the same way as this example. Therefore, even if the door body 41 is turned upside down, the first latch bolt 52 and the second latch bolt 53 that can be received by the latch receiving metal fitting 80 arranged on the lower side can pass through the lower side of the vertically long notches 43a and 44a of the door body 41.

15 is a perspective view of the locking block 50 taken out of the door 40 in FIG. 6A and viewed from the front side F. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the locking block 50 viewed from the rear side B. The locking block 50 is an electronic lock that is attached to the door body 41 and enables the door 40 including the door body 41 to be electrically locked and unlocked, and corresponds to a locking device. The locking block 50 has a numeric keypad input unit 55, a keyhole cover 56, and a soft key cover 57 arranged so as to be exposed from the front side F of the block case 54. Inside the block case 54, a power supply unit including a battery, a control device supplied with power from the power supply unit, an electric actuator including a solenoid etc. driven by the control device, and the locking mechanism 51 are arranged. An operation signal generated by operating the numeric keypad input unit 55 is input to the control device. The locking mechanism 51 includes a first latch bolt 52 and a second latch bolt 53 that can protrude from the left end L of the door body 41 and retract to the inside of the door body 41, and a moving unit (not shown) that moves these bolts 52 and 53. The first latch bolt 52 and the second latch bolt 53 are configured to be protruding to the left side L of the locking block 50. The control device can switch between locking and unlocking the door 40 by driving the electric actuator to protrude or retract one or both of the first latch bolt 52 and the second latch bolt 53 via the moving unit. For example, after a delivery person places a package in the luggage compartment 14, the delivery person can close the door 40, enter a PIN number on the numeric keypad input unit 55, and then press the decision button 58 provided on the numeric keypad input unit 55 to lock the door 40. The recipient of the package can unlock the door 40 by entering a PIN number on the numeric keypad input unit 55 and then pressing the decision button 58.

The locking block 50 further has a locking device (not shown) with a keyhole on the back side of the keyhole cover 56, and is configured so that each bolt 52, 53 can be retracted to the inside of the door body 41 by inserting a key into the locking device and turning it. This allows the recipient of the package to open the keyhole cover 56, and then insert the key into the keyhole and turn it to unlock the door 40 in an emergency, such as when the recipient of the package forgets their PIN number.

The locking block 50 may further have a receiver on the back side of the soft key cover 57 for receiving wireless signals from a card key or a mobile device such as a smartphone. The signal received by the receiver is input to the control device. If the signal input to the control device is a signal indicating unlocking or locking of the door, the control device unlocks or locks the door 40 using an electric actuator and locking mechanism. This allows the door 40 to be unlocked or locked when a card key is brought close from outside the door 40 or a wireless signal for unlocking or locking is sent from the mobile device.

Figure 17 is an exploded perspective view of the door 40 of Figure 6A seen from the rear side. The locking block 50 is attached to the door body 41 from the rear side B of the door body 41 via the locking block attachment 60. The locking block attachment 60 is a rectangular frame having a rectangular hole 61 that is long in the vertical direction. The locking block attachment 60 has a substantially U-shaped rib 62 with an open left L end on the rear side, and a cylindrical portion 63 formed at multiple positions in the longitudinal direction of the rib 62. Furthermore, on the rear side B surface of the locking block attachment 60, pillar portions 64 are formed at multiple positions inside the rib 62. Screw holes are formed in the pillar portions 64. Meanwhile, pillar portions 47 that match the cylindrical portion 63 of the locking block attachment 60 are formed at multiple positions near the rectangular hole 42 on the back side of the door body 41. Screw holes are formed in the pillar portions 47. As a result, the locking block attachment 60 is placed on the back side of the door body 41 so that the cylindrical portion 63 fits into the pillar portion 47 of the door body 41, and in this state, the screw (not shown) that passes through the cylindrical portion 63 is connected to the screw hole in the pillar portion 47, thereby fixing it to the door body 41.

Meanwhile, in the block case 54 of the locking block 50, notches 54a with a substantially semicircular cross section are formed at multiple positions on the outer peripheral surface at positions that match the pillar portions 64 of the locking block attachment 60, and a plate portion 54b with a hole (Figs. 15 and 16) is formed within each notch 54a. As a result, the locking block 50 is placed on the rear side B surface of the locking block attachment 60 so that the pillar portions 64 of the locking block attachment 60 fit into the notches 54a, and in this state, the locking block 50 is fixed to the locking block attachment 60 by connecting the screws that pass through the holes in the plate portions 54b to the screw holes in the pillar portions 64. Therefore, the locking block 50 can be fixed to the door main body 41 via the locking block attachment 60. In this state, the numeric keypad input section 55 of the locking block 50 is exposed to the front side F of the door body 41 through the rectangular hole 61 of the locking block attachment 60 and the rectangular hole 42 of the door body 41, resulting in the state shown in Figures 1 and 2. The door 40 thus formed is attached to the inside of the box reinforcing frame 20 fixed to the box body 13 via hinges 75 so that the opening 15 of the box body 13 can be opened and closed.

According to the above-mentioned delivery box 12, the box body 13 is a one-piece molded product made of resin, so that the weight can be reduced. Furthermore, since the box reinforcing frame 20 is fitted and attached to the edge of the opening 15 on the front of the box body 13, the rigidity and strength can be ensured without forming many reinforcing ribs on the top surface 16 and the left and right side surfaces 17, 18 of the box body 13. Furthermore, since there is no need to attach many decorative panels to the outer surface of the box body 13 to improve strength or cover the reinforcing ribs, the number of parts can be reduced. This improves the assembly workability of the delivery box 12. Therefore, the productivity of the delivery box 12 can be improved. Furthermore, the weight of the delivery box 12 can be further reduced by omitting many decorative panels. Therefore, the delivery efficiency of the delivery box 12 can be improved and delivery costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, by forming reinforcing ribs 26 on the box reinforcing frame 20, the strength of the box reinforcing frame 20 can be improved. Furthermore, by including truss-shaped ribs 26a in the reinforcing ribs 26, the strength of the box reinforcing frame 20 can be further improved.

In addition, unlike a configuration in which the door is attached directly to the box body via a hinge, the delivery box 12 of this example has the door 40 attached to the box body 13 via the box reinforcing frame 20. Therefore, if there is a problem with the hinge 75 or the door 40, the box reinforcing frame 20 can be removed from the box body 13, and repair or replacement work can be easily performed in a compact structure.

Furthermore, the box reinforcing frame 20 is provided with hinge mounting sections for left-hand opening and right-hand opening so that it can be used for both left-hand and right-hand opening doors. This allows parts with the same structure as the box reinforcing frame 20 to be used to accommodate left-hand and right-hand opening, reducing the manufacturing costs of the delivery box. At the same time, users who purchase the delivery box 12 can easily switch between left-hand and right-hand opening by simply purchasing a few additional parts, such as the locking block 50 and locking block attachment 60 described in the alternative configuration in Figures 18 to 21 below. This leads to improved user satisfaction.

Figure 18 is an exploded perspective view of a delivery box 12a of another embodiment in which the delivery box 12 of Figure 1 has been changed from a right-opening to a left-opening by changing some parts. Figure 19 is a perspective view of the door body 41 used in the delivery box 12a of Figure 18, seen from the rear side B. Figure 20 is a perspective view of the locking block attachment 60a to be combined with the door body 41 of Figure 19, and the locking block 50a, seen from the rear side B. Figure 21 is a perspective view of the locking block 50a of Figure 20, seen from a different direction than that of Figure 20.

In this example, the configuration for opening to the right in Figs. 1 to 17 has been changed to a configuration for opening to the left. As shown in Fig. 18, the delivery box 12a comprises a box body 13, a box reinforcing frame 20, and a door 40a. The box body 13, the box reinforcing frame 20, and the door body 41 use components with the same structure as those used in the configurations of Figs. 1 to 17. In this case, the orientation of the box body 13 and the box reinforcing frame 20 in the up-down direction is the same as in the configurations of Figs. 1 to 17. Meanwhile, the door body 41 has its up-down orientation reversed from that of the configurations of Figs. 1 to 17. As a result, as shown in Fig. 19, the left-right orientation of the door body 41 is also reversed from that of the configurations of Figs. 1 to 17. Even in this case, as explained in the configuration of Figures 1 to 17, the notches 43a, 44a formed in the outer wall portion 43 and the inner wall portion 44 of the door body 41 are long in the vertical direction so as to extend to both sides of the vertical center. Therefore, even if the latch receiving metal fitting 80 attached to the right R end portion of the box reinforcement frame 20 is located below the vertical center as shown in Figure 7A, the first latch bolt 52a (Figure 21) and the second latch bolt 53a (Figure 21) protruding from the locking block 50a can be received by the latch receiving metal fitting 80 through the above-mentioned notches 43a, 43b so as to be aligned with the latch receiving metal fitting 80.

As shown in Figs. 20 and 21, the locking block 50a and the locking block attachment 60a are dedicated parts for left-hand opening. For example, the locking block 50a shown in Figs. 21 and 21 has a structure in which the left and right arrangement and orientation are reversed with respect to the center in the left-right direction compared to the locking block 50 shown in Fig. 16. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 21, the first latch bolt 52a and the second latch bolt 53a are configured to be able to protrude to the right side R of the locking block 50a. In addition, a roughly U-shaped rib 62a with an open right R end is formed on the rear side B surface of the locking block attachment 60a shown in Fig. 20. The locking block 50a is attached to the door body 41 of Fig. 19 via the locking block attachment 60a. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the box reinforcing frame 20 is attached to the box body 13, and the door 40 is attached to the box body 13 via hinges 75 (see FIG. 6A) attached to both the top and bottom ends of the left L end of the box reinforcing frame 20 so that the opening 15 of the box body 13 can be opened and closed. This forms a left-opening delivery box 12a.

As explained in the configuration of Figures 1 to 17, the delivery box 12a of this example can use parts with the same structure as the box reinforcing frame 20 that makes up the right-opening delivery box 12 (Figure 1), and the box body 13 and door body 41 can also use parts with the same structure as the right-opening delivery box 12. This reduces the manufacturing cost of the delivery box 12a, and allows a user who purchases a right-opening delivery box 12 to easily change to a left-opening delivery box 12a by simply purchasing the locking block 50a and locking block attachment 60a as additional parts that are fewer in number. In this example, the other configurations and functions are the same as those of the configuration of Figures 1 to 17.

In the configurations of the above examples, the door body 41 has long notches 43a, 44a in the vertical direction to allow the first latch bolts 52, 52a and the second latch bolts 53, 53a to pass through in order to accommodate right-opening and left-opening, but the configuration of the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. For example, two notches arranged separately above and below may be formed in the outer wall portion and inner wall portion of the door body 41 to accommodate right-opening and left-opening. In this case, the outer wall portion and inner wall portion of the door body 41 may have two rectangular or U-shaped grooves arranged separately above and below, in a knock-out manner, that is, by punching the inside, to form the notches.

In the configurations of the above examples, as shown in Figs. 12 to 14, the opening 15 side end of the box body 13 is fitted from the outer periphery by the outer tube 21 of the box reinforcing frame 20, and is fitted from the inner periphery by the intermediate tube 23 of the box reinforcing frame 20. However, the configuration of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the box reinforcing frame may be attached to the box body in a state in which the opening side end of the box body is fitted only from the outer periphery or only from the inner periphery by a rectangular tube portion formed on the box reinforcing frame. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of ensuring the rigidity and strength of the box body, it is preferable that the opening side end of the box body 13 is fitted from both the outer periphery and the inner periphery by the double tube portion formed on the box reinforcing frame 20, as shown in Figs. 12 to 14.

12, 12a Delivery box, 13 Box body, 14 Luggage compartment, 15 Opening, 16 Top surface, 16a Sloping surface, 17, 18 Side surface, 17a, 18a Sloping surface, 19 Flange, 20 Box reinforcement frame, 21 Outer tube, 22 Outer connection part, 23 Middle tube, 24 Inner connection part, 25 Inner tube, 26 Reinforcement rib, 26a, 26b Rib, 28-31 Locking part, 40, 40a Door, 41 Door body, 42 Rectangular hole, 43 Outer wall part, 44 Inner wall part, 45, 46 Rib, 47 Pillar part, 50, 50a Locking block, 51 Locking mechanism, 52, 52a First latch bolt, 53, 53a Second latch bolt, 54 Block case, 55 Ten-key input part, 60 Locking block attachment, 70 Bottom surface, 71 Reinforcing rib, 72 recess, 73 leg, 75 hinge, 76 hinge plate, 77 hinge pin, 78 back plate, 79 screw, 80 latch receiving metal fitting, 81 first metal fitting, 100 rainwater, 101 tool, 102 horizontal surface.

Claims (6)

The box includes a box body capable of accommodating luggage, a box reinforcing frame, a door body, and a locking block.
The box body is an integrally molded resin product having an opening on the front surface,
The box reinforcing frame is fitted to the edge of the opening on the front surface of the box body,
The door body is attached to the box reinforcing frame via a hinge,
The locking block is attached to the door body and enables the door body to be locked and unlocked,
the box reinforcing frame includes an outer tube, a frame-plate-shaped outer connecting portion connected to the front end of the outer tube so as to extend toward the inner peripheral side, an intermediate tube connected to the inner peripheral end of the outer connecting portion, and a frame-plate-shaped inner connecting portion connected to the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate tube,
The door body is attached to the inner connection portion via the hinge,
The outer cylinder and the intermediate cylinder are fitted to the outer peripheral edge and the inner peripheral edge of the opening side end of the box body, respectively.
Delivery box. The delivery box according to claim 1,
A flange is formed on the peripheral edge of the opening side end of the box body so as to protrude outward over the entire circumference.
Delivery box. The delivery box according to claim 2,
The outer tube has a rectangular wall shape, and a claw portion is formed on each inner peripheral surface of an upper piece portion, left and right side pieces, and a lower piece portion of a rear end of the outer tube to enable the box reinforcing frame to be engaged with the flange of the box main body.
Delivery box. The delivery box according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The top surface of the box body is provided with an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the rear end in order to prevent water from pooling during rainfall.
Delivery box. The delivery box according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The door body is a side-opening type.
Delivery box. The delivery box according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The box reinforcing frame is provided with mounting portions for the hinges for left-hand opening and right-hand opening so that the box reinforcing frame can accommodate both left-hand opening and right-hand opening doors.
Delivery box.

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