1 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 THE FUTURE OF DELIVERIES PTY LTD COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title: Improvements in home deliveries of letters and parcels The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- 2 Field of the Invention This invention relates to improvements in systems and apparatus for secure home delivery of parcels, packages, letters and the like. 5 Background of the Invention With the increasing use of the internet for the purchase of products, there has been a marked increase in the number of parcels being delivered to people's homes. Often the parcels are delivered to an individual customer's home at a time when no one is at home. In most homes, there is no place for the courier or postman to leave the 10 parcel securely, so often the courier or postman will simply leave a card, and the recipient of the parcel will have to either arrange for delivery at a time when they are in to sign for the parcel, or attend the post office or courier's office to collect the parcel personally. While it is possible to arrange for a parcel sent to you to be left at a property, sometimes out of sight hidden behind a wall, plant pot or the like, many 15 courier companies will not leave parcels without prior authorisation, and many will not leave parcels worth over a certain value, in case they are stolen. A further known problem is that sometimes parcels which a courier claims have been delivered to a particular property are nowhere to be found. In such cases it is difficult to determine whether the package was delivered to the wrong address, not delivered at all, or 20 delivered to the correct address and subsequently stolen. It is known for post offices to provide secure post boxes. It is also known for packages and on-line shopping to be left at specific secure locations either service stations or electronically controlled lockers for subsequent collection by the purchaser. These have the disadvantage that the purchaser has to travel to collect his or her 25 package. It is also known to provide secure boxes or containers at locations for delivery of parcels at properties, however, these tend to be unattractive and have to be chained or otherwise secured to the property. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that 30 any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application. Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated 35 element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, 2037147_1.doc 3 Summary of the Invention In a first broad aspect, the present invention provides a housing defining a first compartment for receiving parcels, packages or the like, including a portal allowing 5 access to the compartment and a movable closure means, such as a door, for closing the portal, including locking means for securing the closure means in a closed position preventing access to the compartment, further including a second compartment for receiving letters and the like separate from the first compartment and including a means for accessing the second compartment independently from the first compartment. 10 The combined letterbox and secure locker apparatus is designed for use at home or other residence and may be installed in a fence or the like in the same manner as a letterbox. In use, letters can be placed in the top compartment or letter chute and the letters can be removed by the occupier of the home without needing to open the secure first compartment. 15 Access to the first compartment is typically provided via an electronic lock opened via a keypad. A code, such as a four digit number, is provided by the resident for unlocking the door to open the compartment. In use, the first compartment is normally closed. A courier or the like making a delivery is provided with the code to open the first compartment. The code may be 20 provided at the time the order is made via the Internet or telephone and will appear at the end of the resident's name on the delivery address label. The courier opens the door to the compartment using the code and places the package inside the compartment before closing the door, which locks automatically upon closure. When the resident returns home he or she can simply key in the same pin number and remove the parcel. 25 The housing may include a front panel which defines a flange for mounting the housing to a suitably sized and shaped hole in the fence. The housing may include at least one, and preferably at least two, bracing members pivotally mounted to the housing, typically at the rear of the underside of the housing and extending therefrom for attachment to the fence, ground or the like or 30 providing support for the housing. Brief Description of the Drawings Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: 35 Figure 1 is perspective view of an apparatus embodying the present invention as seen from the front, and 20371471 .doc 4 Figure 2 is a rear view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments Referring to the drawings, Figure I shows a combined letterbox and secure 5 locker apparatus 10 which includes a housing assembly 12 comprising a first compartment/container 14 having an opening/portal 15 which may be closed by a closure means in the form of a door 16 mounted to the housing via a hinge assembly 20 and a second compartment 18 located above the first compartment. The housing assembly 12 is generally cuboid. 10 The second compartment 18 is a letter chute assembly for receiving letters, which is separate from the first compartment 14. The two compartments are not interconnected. The letter chute assembly 18 includes a hinged cover 22 which allows access to the second compartment at the rear of the housing, and at the front of the housing defines an elongate rectangular opening 24 and a hinged letter flap 26 which is 15 biased to close and cover the opening. The hinged cover 22 has a top 28 and side walls 30a, 30b and a rear wall 32 and is mounted to the housing via hinges 34. When raised, the cover 22 allows access to the second compartment through its top and rear, and when closed covers the top rear and sides of the second compartment to ensure that the compartment is weatherproof. 20 The apparatus includes a front cover plate 38 welded to the front of the housing which is larger in frontal area than the housing 12 so that it defines an external flange 40 which extends around the front of the housing. An electronic lock (not shown) is mounted on a retainer bracket 42. A keypad (not shown) operates the lock to provide access to the first compartment. 25 On the underside of the housing, at the rear, there are two brackets 50, to each of which a brace or strut 52 is pivoted. At the free end of each brace there is a further bracket 54. A guttering system 56 extends around the opening which ensures that the first compartment is waterproof. 30 In use, a suitable sized aperture is made in the fence (or wall) into which the housing is to be mounted. The hole needs to be large enough to receive the body portion of the housing 12, but smaller than the frontal area of the cover plate 38. The braces 52 are then fixed to the fence or to ground using the brackets 54 to help support the weight of the assembly. 35 In use, the first compartment is normally closed. A courier making a delivery is provided with the code to open the first compartment. The code is typically a simple 2037147_.doc 5 four digit number. The code is provided to the seller of the product being delivered at the time the order is made via the Internet or telephone. The courier opens the door to the compartment and places the package inside the compartment before closing the door which locks automatically. Optionally, there may be a visible indicator provided 5 to advise the resident that a package has been placed in the compartment, by way of a note in the second compartment, or an SMS, email or the like may be sent to the homeowner advising of the recent delivery. The resident, on returning home, can access the package by inputting the code to open the door. The code may be subsequently or periodically changed by the resident to improve security. 10 Letters are delivered as normal into the second compartment. The design of the compartment ensures that it is weatherproof. The resident can simply access their letters without needing to key in a code by lifting the chute cover at the rear of the assembly. The assembly is fully weatherproof, keeping both parcels delivered into the first 15 compartment and letters posted into the second compartment dry. In an alternative embodiment, where there is no suitable fence for receiving the housing, the housing could be mounted on a post set into the ground. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, without 20 departing from the broad general scope of the present disclosure. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. 2037147_i.doc