GB2406361A - Post box with lockable blanking plate - Google Patents

Abstract

A post box includes a posting slot (90) comprising a hollow cylinder (96) and a blanking plate (104), where the blanking plate can move between positions where it prevents and allows passage of items through the cylinder. Preferably the plate is pivotally hinged to the cylinder and a lock is provided to secure the blanking plate in a position where it prevents access through the cylinder. The cylinder may extend forward (101) of a mounting plate (92) to prevent water ingress to the cylinder when the mounting plate abuts a front wall around a mail aperture.

Description

240636 1 IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO POSTING Bows

FIELD OF THE lhVENTION

This invention relates, in general to posting boxes and in particular to improvements to such posting boxes.

BACKGROUND TO TIE INVENTION

A large network of posting boxes is currently provided, with boxes at various locations throughout the United Kingdom, and indeed the World.

These posting boxes are used as receptacles for mail by the public, and are visited daily by postal workers who remove posted items of mail from the boxes and take them for sorting and subsequent delivery to the addressees.

A typical example of one of these boxes is shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings. The posting box 1 comprises a generally cylindrical housing that is permanently fixed to the ground on a pavement or the like.

The box 1 has an inner cavity (not visible) that is normally closed by an outer locking door 3, and a posting slot 5 to enable items of mail to be deposited into a container (not shown) within the box. The container opens at one end to the posting slot, and is provided with a closing door that prevents deposited mail items fiom inadvertently spilling onto the street when the outer locking door 3 is opened. Postal workers visiting the box 1 are able to unlock the outer door 3, open the inner door of the container, and empty the contents of the box into a mail sack.

One problem with these existing boxes is that it is difficult for postal workers emptying the box to see what has been put into the box before the contents of the box are transferred to their mail sack. This means that any non-mail items (such as litter for example) that have been put into the box tend to be transferred into the sack along with the mail items. Postal workers then have to remove the non-mail items from their postal sack which is inconvenient and time-consuming.

To combat this problem it has previously been proposed to form the aforementioned inner container as a basket or wire mesh, so Mat a postal worker visiting a box can see the contents of the box before emptying the contents into their postal sack. A problem with this modification is that whilst it makes it easier for the contents of the box to be viewed, it is still not easy for the postal worker to remove non-mail items from the box before the contents are emptied into their sack.

Another problem with these existing boxes is that it is often difficult for postal workers to empty the box, particularly if it is relatively full. Is such circumstances, postal workers tend to have to reach deep inside the box and manually sweep the mail items out of the box and into the sack. Whilst this is not too much of a problem where a single poshug box is concerned, postal workers will typically have to visit a number of posting boxes in any one collection, and the cumulative extra time and effort required to get the mail out of the boxes can be quite significant.

To combat this particular problem it has previously been proposed to form the bottom third of the door of the aforementioned inner container as a fold-down flap. Whilst the flap does make it easier to empty the box, the size of it is such that it is not unusual for postal items to fall off the edges of the flap and onto the ground. If the postal worker wants to stop this Bom happening they must take care to ensure that their postal sack is correctly positioned with respect to Me box before they fold down the flap to empty the box, and they must take care to ensure that the sack is held tight to the box until all of the items in the box have been removed - all of which increases the amount of time required for the postal worker to empty a given box.

A further problem associated with these boxes is that it can be difficult and time consuming to close or obstruct the posting slot 5 if a given box is to be temporarily taken out of service.

In such a situation a postal worker would normally be dispatched to cover the front of the slot with a piece of wood or metal that is held in place by attachment to a retaining member (such as another piece of wood or metal) placed across the inside of the posting slot. As the cover can only be fitted by opening the box and locating the retaining member from the inside of the box, it is generally quite dimoult and time consuming for the postal worker to correctly position the cover and retaining member. Consequently, it can take quite a long time for the postal worker to seal the slot. If that postal worker has to seal a number of posting boxes (as is usually the case), the amount of time required for the task can be quite significant.

To alleviate this particular problem it has previously been proposed (in United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2314373 for example) to provide a slot closure device that comprises a generally rectangular cover that is joined at each end to a reinforced strap. The two straps can be passed round the posting box, with the cover located over the slot, and then secured to one another by means of a ratchet buckle. The principle advantage of this device is that as it is secured to the outside of the posting box, the postal worker no longer has to open the box and thus can install the cover more quickly than was otherwise possible.

IS However, a problem with this arrangement is that the postal worker still has to carry a selection of covers to fit differently sized postal slots.

Another disadvantage of this arrangement is that whilst the buckle can be locked, the cover can sometimes still be rotated about the postal box to a point where items can once more be posted through the slot.

Another problem associated with existing postal boxes of the type shown in Figure 1 is that the security of the box can be compromised, and consequently it is possible for determined individuals to obtain access to the interior of the box and steal mail items deposited in the box. This is particularly a problem when the postal box is sited in a location that is secluded, or poorly lit at night, and where someone can work on opening the posting box with a relatively low chance of being observed.

The present invention has been conceived with the aim of avoiding, or at least alleviating, one or more of the problems identified above.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

To this end, one presently preferred embodiment of the invention provides a posting box comprising a posting slot through which postal items can be posted and an external door through which posted postal items can be removed, wherein the box comprises an internal storage compartment which is in communication with said posting slot for the receipt of said postal items and from which said posted postal items can be removed via said external door, the internal storage compartment comprising a peripheral wall through which the contents of the compartment can be viewed before being removed from the box.

Such an arrangement is advantageous since it allows the postal worker to see if there are any non-mail items in the box, before the contents are transferred to their mail sack.

Another presently preferred embodiment of the invention provides A posting box comprising: a posting slot through which postal items can be posted; an external door through which posted postal items can be removed; an internal storage compartment defining a cavity in communication with said posting slot for the receipt of posted postal items and from which posted postal items can be removed by means of said external door, said internal storage compartment comprising a peripheral wall through which posted postal items in said cavity can be viewed before being removed from the posting box, said peripheral wall comprising a first port through which postal items can be removed, and a second port which can be opened to provide access to the cavity; a chute coupled to said posting box in cormnurucation with said first port, said chute being movable from a first position where said first port is closed to a second position where said first port is opera, and means for coupling a postal sack to said posting box; wherein the chute is configured to facilitate the removal of postal items from the box, and the coupling means is arranged so that a postal sack can be coupled to the posting box with its open end generally facing said first port, said chute being movable to said second position to extend into said open end of said sack to direct postal items from said cavity into said sack.

This embodiment is advantageous as it allows the contents of the box to be viewed before they are removed from the box, and because the second port allows postal workers to remove any non-mail items before those items are emptied into a postal sack. A furler advantage of this embodiment is that the coupling means and chute combine to provide an arrangement which makes it possible for postal workers to empty a given box much more quickly than is presently possible. The cumulative effect of this is that a postal worker can now visit a greater number of boxes in any given time period, and hence the number of persons employed to empty posting boxes can be reduced without compromising the service offered by the postal authorities.

The storage compartment is preferably provided with a sloping floor, or alternatively, the peripheral wall could be inclined to form the floor of said storage compartment.

In either event it is preferred that the floor slopes generally downwardly towards the first port, postal items being removable from said compartment via said first port.

The box may comprise a delivery chute which can be opened to provide access to said items via said first port. In which case it is preferred that the delivery chute is connected to said floor, the chute being movable between a first position where it is generally flush with the peripheral wall to close the access port, and a second position where it extends outwardly from the peripheral wall to open the access port. As an alternative, the chute may be connected to the peripheral wall.

The peripheral wall may have a plurality of holes formed therein, or it may at least partly comprise a mesh, or it may be transparent, at least in part (or a combination of these).

In any event it is preferred that the peripheral wall is removable Mom the box. To facilitate this it is preferred that the chute, "coupling means" and second port are mounted on the peripheral wall, so that they can easily be removed along with the wall.

Preferably, neighbouring portions of the external door and a housing of the box are each provided with security formations that are adapted to interfere to lock the door in the housing if an attempt should be made to prise the door therefrom. Preferably, the security formations are each substantially c-shaped in cross section, end portions of said formations engaging to lock the door in the housing if an attempt should be made to prise the door therefrom.

The posting box may be configured to be mounted on a generally horizontal surface, such as a pavement for example. Altematively, the posting box may be configured to be mounted on a generally vertical surface, such as a wall for example. In either event it is preferred that the posting slot comprises means capable of obstructing the posting of items into the box.

Preferably the obstructing means is an integral component of said posting slot.

The means for obstructing postal items could comprise a blanldug plate that is movable between a first position where it obstructs the slot to prevent postal items from being deposited in the box, and a second position where it does not obstruct the slot.

Preferably the blanking plate can be locked in said first position; and/or it could be hingedly mounted to a cylinder of generally rectangular cross-sectional shape, the cylinder extending from the posting slot into the posting box.

Another presently preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a posting box comprising a postal slot through which postal items can be posted, the slot comprising a hollow cylinder and a blanking plate, the blanking plate being movable between a first position where it is capable of obstructing the passage of postal items through the cylinder and a second position where it does not obstruct the passage of postal items through the cylinder.

2S Preferably, the blanking plate is connected to the cylinder by means of a hinge, and is pivotable about said hinge between said first and second positions. Preferably the blanldng plate may be locked in said first position.

Preferably the postal slot comprises a mounting plate which is adapted to abut against the exterior of a posting box in which the posting slot is installed, the cylinder extending beyond said mounting plate to provide guard against water ingress into the box.

Another aspect of the invention provides a posting box comprising: a posting slot through which postal items can be posted, a doorway formed in a peripheral wall of the box, and an external door mounted in the doorway, the door being openable to permit posted postal items to be removed from the box; wherein said doorway comprises a first security formation, and said external door comprises a second security formation, the first and second Connations berug arranged so that they do not interfere in normal operation of the door, but tend to engage to jam the door in the posting box if an attempt is made to prise open the door.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides a posting slot for a posting box, such as any of the posting boxes herein described, the slot comprising a hollow cylinder and a blanking plate, the blanking plate being movable between a first position where it is capable of obstructing the passage of postal items through the cylinder and a second position where it does not obstruct the passage of postal items through the cylinder.

Another aspect of the invention provides a security door assembly for a posting box, the assembly comprising a first security formation mountable about the periphery of a doorway in the posting box, and a second security formation mountable about the periphery of a door mounted in said doorway, the first and second formations being arranged so that they do not interfere in normal operation of the door, but tend to engage to jam the door in the posting box if an attempt is made to prise open the door.

The first and second formations may have any of the features later described with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a previously proposed posting box; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a posting box in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is another view of the box of Figure 2; Figure 4 is yet another view of the box of Figure 2; Figures 5 and 6 are schematic, partly cut-away views of the box of Figure 2; Figure 7 is a schematic cross section along the line A-A in Figure 2; Figure 8 illustrates, in exaggerated form, how a security feature of the first embodiment functions to resist an unauthorized operung of the posting box; Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of a posting box in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 10 is another view of the box of Figure 9; Figure 11 is a front perspective view of a lockable posting slot that may be employed with either of the previously described embodiments, or indeed that may be retro-fitted to any existing posting box (such as the box shown in Figure 1, for example) and Figure 12 is a rear perspective view of the slot shown in Figure 11.

DETAED DESCRON OF PREFERRED EMBODIMTS

As mentioned above, Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a posting box 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The box comprises a toughened, and weather resistant upper housing 12 that is mounted onto a base unit 14 that can be secured to a surface, such as a pavement for example. The upper housing 12 is provided, in a front wall 16 thereof, with a postal slot 18 to enable postal items to be posted into the box 10. A notice (not shown) giving details ofthe times at which postal items will be collected from the box 10 is provided in the front wall 16 between the postal slot 18 and an external access door 20 which, as will later be described, is recessed in the housing 12.

Although not shown in the figures, it is preferred for the door to be provided with a security lock so that it can be locked in a closed position to deter unauthorized access to the contents of the box. Preferably the lock employed is a so-called high security lock, such as a seven lever safe lock with a three point locking mechanism. Preferably the lock mechanism employed will also have a key-retaining feature so that the key to the lock can only be removed when the lock has been operated to lock the door in the housing. The door is preferably hingedly mounted on the housing by means of a so-called piano hinge that extends along substantially all of one vertical edge of the door. This type of hinge is preferred because it is generally more secure than other types of hinge. Details of further security features will later be described with reference to Figure 7.

Preferably, the housing 12 and base unit 14 are manufactured from 2mm plate stainless steel (which may subsequently be painted), with the housing being welded to the base unit.

The notice may take the form of a traditional weatherproof time tablet (of the type currently provided on posting boxes throughout the United Kingdom), or alternatively may comprise a weatherproof electronic display (such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display) for example.

An advertising panel 22 may be hingedly attached to the outside of the external door 20 to permit advertisements to be displayed to persons visiting the box.

Figure 3 is another view of the box 10 of Figure 2 with the external door 20 open. As shown in Figure 3, and certain other figures, inside the box there is defined an internal storage compartment 24 for postal items. The storage compartment 24 is in communication with the postal slot 18 for the receipt of postal items posted therethrough.

Access to the interior of the storage component 24 is enabled by means of an access port 26 (also referred to herein as a "first port') which is shown in Figure 3 as being closed by a delivery chute 28. As will later be described, the delivery chute 28 serves, in the first instance when closed, to retain postal items in the storage compartment 24 when the outer door 20 is first opened; and in the second instance when opened to direct postal items in the storage compartment into a mail sack (not shown). A latch (not shown) is provided to enable the chute to be locked in a closed position; and to facilitate yet further the clearing of postal items from the box, a hook 30 is provided either side of the chute 28 to which postal workers can attach a mail sack before the chute is opened.

A second access port 29 (also referred to herein as a "second port") is also provided (n b. shown closed in Figure 3) so that postal workers can reach into the interior of the posting box, for example to remove any nonmail items that have been put into the box before the contents of the box are emptied into a mail sack The second access port includes a door 31 which can be opened to provide access to the interior of the storage compartment. The door may be hinged to the storage compartment, or alternatively it may simply comprise a plate which is configured to sit in the access port, and to facilitate this the plate may have a stepped edge profile. Catches are provided which can be operated to keep the door closed.

Beneath the storage compartment 24 there is provided an additional storage space 32 which can be used as a general store for collection bags or other items. The additional storage space 32 is not in communication with the storage compartment 24.

The storage comparunent 24 is defined in part by a peripheral wall 34 that is provided with a plurality of through-holes 36 to enable postal workers emptying the box to see what is in the box before the contents of the storage compartment are transferred to a mail sack. Whilst it is preferred that the peripheral wall comprises, as shown, a plate in which a number of holes have been fanned it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a large number of alternative arrangements may instead be provided. For example, the peripheral wall could comprise a wire mesh or a transparent panel (of Perspex for example) through which postal items in the box can be viewed.

The peripheral wall may be formed, either in whole or in part, of any device or material that allows someone outside of the compartment to view the contents. In a highly preferred embodiment, the peripheral wall 34 can be removed to allow the interior of the compartment 24 to be cleaned for example. The peripheral wall could be held in place by means of threaded bolts and associated wing nuts (not shown).

Figure 4 is yet another view of the box of Figure 2 with the external door 20 and delivery chute 28 open. As can be seen from Figure 4, the chute 28 is generally U-shaped in cross-section and as a result functions to direct postal items from the compartment 24 into a mail sack hung upon the hooks 30. As will be explained with reference to Figures 5 and 6, the compartnent is designed so that gravity assists in the postal box clearing process, with postal items being encouraged to move towards the first access port 26 and out of the open chute 28. The effect of this is that clearing of the postal box according to this embodiment of the invention requires little effort on the part of the postal worker. As is shown in Figure 4, the second access port 29 can be opened to provide a means for the postal worker to reach into the box, for example to remove any non-mail items that have been put into the box.

Figures 5 and 6 are schematic, partly cut-away views of the box of Figure 2. Figure 5 shows the box 10 with the external door and peripheral wall removed; and Figure 6 shows the box 10 with the door, chute and side and top walls of the housing removed.

As shown in Figure 5, a ledge 38 is mounted on the interior of the housing 12. The ledge comprises a generally horizontal section 40, and two parallel and downwardly inclined sections 42 (only one of which is shown in Figure 5). Preferably the Free sections identified above are separate from one another so that the position of the ledge, and the inclination angle of the inclined sections can be varied at will. As with the peripheral wall 34, the ledge sections could be mounted on the inside of the housing by means of threaded bolts and associated wing nuts.

The purpose of the ledge 38 will now be described with reference to Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, the storage compartment 24 is partly defined by a floor 44 that rests upon, and preferably engages with, the ledge 38. The floor is inclined downwardly towards the first access port 26 so that postal items deposited into the compartment will tend to move towards the first access port 26 when the chute (not shown) is opened. As gravity will tend to assist clearing of the box, the time taken to collect mail from a given box can greatly be reduced.

As is shown in Figure 4, the chute 28 is attached to the floor 44 by a hinge which allows it, as described above, to be moved from a position generally flush with the peripheral wall 34 where the first access port 26 is closed to a position where the chute 28 extends outwardly from the peripheral wall 34 to open the access port 26. As a preferred alternative, the chute could instead be mounted on the peripheral wall 34.

Figure 7 is a cross section along the line A-A in Figure 2 illustrating in schematic form a further security feature of the posting box. As has been mentioned above, the door 20 is recessed in the front face 16 of the housing and is provided with a security lock so that it can be locked in a closed position to deter unauthorized access to the contents of the box. Preferably the lock employed is a so-called high security lock, such as a seven lever safe lock with a three point locking mechanism. The door 20 is mounted on the housing by means of a high security hinge, such as a piano hinge, which extends along substantially all of one vertical side of the door.

Whilst the lock and hinge will serve to protect the box against most assailants, there is still the possibility that someone might try to prise the door away from the housing 16 (or in the vernacular, "to jernmy the door from the housing',) using a crowbar or other such tool.

To guard against such attacks the door 20 and housing 16 are provided with cooperating formations 46, 48 which do not interfere in normal operation of the door, but tend to engage to jam the door 20 in the housing 16 if an attempt is made to prise open the door. As shown both the door and housing formations 46, 48 are substantially C-shaped in cross-section.

Figure 8 illustrates, in exaggerated form, how the door 20 and housing 16 might engage if an attempt is made to prise the open the door using a crowbar 50. As shown, when a crowbar 50 is jammed in the gap between the door 20 and the housing 16 and a force is exerted on the door in a direction A, the door tends to buckle, and the buckling tends to drive an end section 52 of the door formation 46 into engagement with a corresponding end section 54 of the housing formation. Once the door end section 52 has been driven into engagement with the housing end section 54 the door is jammed in the housing, and the assailant will be unable to open it. It can be seen therefore that this arrangement provides a simple and effective way to further enhance the security of the posting box.

In addition to the above described security function, the c-shaped formation 48 of the housing 16 also performs as a guard against water ingress into the box through any gap between the door and the housing, since any such water would tend to collect in the housing formation 48 where it would run down and out of the box without moving into the storage compartment 24.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the features described above with reference to Figures 7 and 8 could also be provided as a stand-alone assembly for retrofitting to existing posting boxes. In such a scenario, the assembly would comprise a first Connation fittable to the inside edge of the doorway and a second formation fittable to the peripheral edge of the door. The formations would be arranged so that they do not normally interfere, but do interengage if an attempt should be made to jernmy the door from the post box. The formations can have any of the features described above with reference to Figures 7 and 8, and it should be noted that they do not necessarily have to extend all of the way round the doorway and door. It could be sufficient for the formations to extend only partway round the doorway and door, or if a number of co- operating formations are provided at intervals round the doorway and door.

Whilst the teachings of the present invention have so far been described with reference to an embodiment of the invention where the posting box is designed to be fixedly mounted on a generally horizontal surface, such as a pavement for example, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that the teachings of the invention could alternatively be employed in a posting box for mounting to a vertical surface such as a wall for example.

Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of a posting box in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention that is particularly suitable for mounting on a vertical surface such as a wall.

As shown in Figure 9, the posting box 60 of this embodiment comprises a toughened, and weather resistant housing 62 that can be secured to a generally vertical surface, such as a wall for example. The housing 62 is provided, in a front wall 66 thereof, with a postal slot 68 to enablepostal items to be posted into the box 60. A notice 70 giving details of the times at which postal items will be collected from the box 60 is provided in the front wall 66 between the postal slot 68 and an external access door 72 which is recessed in the housing 62. The door is essentially the same as that described with reference to the first embodiment, and in common with the feet embodiment the door and housing are provided with suitable formations that are capable of engaging with one another in the event that an attempt should be made to prise the door from the box (see the above paragraphs relating to Figures 7 and 8 for a description of how these formations operate). The door, although not shown in the drawings, is also provided with a high security lock - such as a seven lever safe lock for example - which can be operated to lock the door in its closed position in the housing As with the first embodiment, the notice 70 may take the form of a traditional weatherproof time tablet (of the type currently provided on posting boxes throughout the United Kingdom), or alternatively may comprise a weatherproof electronic display (such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display) for example.

Figure 10 is another view of the box 60 of Figure 9 with the external door 72 open. As shown in Figure 10, inside the box 60 there is defined an internal storage compartment 74 for postal items. The storage compartment 74 is in communication with the postal slot 68 for the receipt of postal items posted therethrough.

Access to the interior of the storage compartment 74 is enabled by means of a first access port 76, and a delivery chute 78 is provided to direct postal items from the storage compardnent 74 to a postal sack placed therebelow. A latch or other locking means (not shown) may be provided to keep the delivery chute closed when the external door is first opened The delivery chute 78 senses, in the first instance when closed, to retain postal items in the storage comparLnent 74 when the outer door is first opened; and in the second instance when opened to direct postal items in the storage compartment into a mail sack (not shown). To facilitate yet further the cleanug of postal items from the box, a hook 80 is provided either side of the chute 78 to which postal workers can attach a mail sack before the chute is opened. As shown in Figure 10, a second access port 79 (shown closed) is provided so that postal workers can reach inside the box - for example to remove any non-mail items - before the contents of the box are emptied into a postal sack.

The storage compartment 74 is defined in part by a peripheral wall 82 which fonns a floor of the compartment, and which is provided with a plurality of through-holes 84 to enable postal workers emptying the box to see what is in the box before the contents of the storage comparUnent are transferred to a mail sack. Whilst it is preferred that the peripheral wall comprises, as shown, a plate in which a number of holes have been formed it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a large number of alternative arrangements may instead be provided. For example, the peripheral wall could comprise a wire mesh or a transparent panel (of Perspex for example) through which postal items in the box can be viewed. Generally speaking, the peripheral wall may be formed, either in whole or in part, of any device or material which allows someone outside of the compartment to view the contents. In a highly preferred embodiment, the peripheral wall 80 can be removed to allow the interior of the compartment 74 to be cleaned for example. The peripheral wall could be held in place by means of threaded bolts and associated wing nuts (not shown).

As shown in Figure 10, the peripheral wall 80 is arranged to slope towards the first access port so that gravity assists in the postal box clearing process, with postal items being encouraged to move towards the first access port 76 and out of the open chute 78. The effect of this is that clearing of the postal box according to this embodiment of the invention requires little effort on the part of the postal worker.

As with the first embodiment, the chute 78 is attached to the floor (which in this embodiment is formed by the peripheral wall) by a hinge which allows it to be moved from a position flush with the peripheral wall where the access port is closed to a position where the chute extends outwardly from the peripheral wall to open the access port.

It will be understood from the above description that the posting box of the first and second embodiments is a high security box, which is specially designed to resist any unauthorized attempts to open the box. It can also be seen that the box according to these embodiments will be easier to empty than prior art boxes as postal items in the box tend to move, without much encouragement on the part of the postal worker, towards and out of the first access port. A further advantage of these embodiments is that a postal worker can see what is in the box before it is emptied into their mail sack. Another advantage is that the postal worker is provided with an opportunity to remove any non-mail items (such as litter for example) that have beers placed in the box by means of the second access port, before the contents of the box are emptied into a postal sack. This means that it is less likely for postal workers to have to remove such non-mail items from a postal sack after the box has been emptied.

Figure 11 is a front perspective view of a lockable posting slot that may be employed with either of the previously described embodiments, or indeed that may be retro-fitted to any existing posting box.

As mentioned above, a problem with existing posting boxes, and in particular with existing posting slots, is that it is difficult and time consuming for postal workers to close the slots if Me boxes need to be temporarily taken out of service.

The lockable posting slot shown in Figures 11 and 12 (as will now be described) has been designed to alleviate this particular problems and can be employed as the posting slot 18, 68 of the first and second embodiments described above. In addition, the posting slot of Figures 11 and 12 can be retrofitted to traditional posting boxes, such as that shown in Figure 1 for

example.

With reference to Figure 11, the posting slot 90 comprises a mounting plate 92 which is adapted to be secured to the surroundings of a suitably sized aperture in the exterior wall of a posting box (such as the front face 16 of the housing 12 shown in Figure 2) so that the components to the right of the plate 92 as shown in Figure 11 (i.e. towards the rear of the slot 90) extend into the internal storage compartment of the box.

The mounting plate 92 is provided with a generally rectangular aperture (indicated generally by reference numeral 94), which opens to a hollow cylinder 96 of generally rectangular cross-section. The cylinder 96 comprises a top wall 98 and a bottom wall 100 that are joined to one another at either end by respective ones of a pair of sidewalls 102. As shown in figure 11, the height of the sidewalls 102 gradually decreases towards the rear of the slot 90 (i.e. towards the right in Figure 11) so that the cross- sectional area of the cylinder gradually decreases.

Preferably, the height of the front entrance (i.e. the distance between the top and bottom walls is approximately 60rnm at the front, reducing to approximately 25mrn at the rear. Preferably the cylinder is at least 275rnm wide (i.e. the distance between the sidewalls) to allow A4 envelopes to be posted into the box.

Advantageously, the top wall 98 and sidewalls 102 of the cylinder 96 extend a short distance in front of the blanking plate to form a rain guard 101 which helps to stop rmn, for example, from getting inside the box.

The bottom wall 100 of the cylinder 96 is Conned with a series of anti theft spikes 102 which are designed to make it more difficult for persons to pull postal items out of the box via the slot once they have been posted into the box.

A blanking plate 104 is mounted to the rearmost edge of the top wall 98 by means of a piano hinge 106. The blanking plate comprises a first portion 108 which is of roughly the same cross-sectional area as the cylinder 96 at the rear of the slot 90, and a second portion 110 which is formed at an angle to the first portion 108. A threaded bolt 112 (part of which is Risible in Figure 11) is mounted in the second portion 110. The angle between the first and second portions is chosen to be complementary to the angle between the cylinder bottom wall 100 and the anti-theft spikes 102, so that the second portion 110 will bear against the anti-theft spikes 102 when the blanking plate 104 is pivoted about the hinge 106 to obscure the rear end of the hollow cylinder 96.

Figure 12 is a rear perspective view of the slot shown in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 12, the anti-theft spikes 102 are formed with a slot 114 which is sized and placed to accommodate the threaded bolt 112 when the blanking plate 104 is pivoted about the piano hinge (in the direction indicated generally by arrow B) to obscure the rear end of the hollow cylinder 96.

Once the blanking plate 104 has been pivoted to obscure the rear end of the cylinder 96, a nut (not shown) - such as a wing nut for example - can be screwed onto the threaded bolt 112 from the underside of the antitheft spikes 102 to clamp the second portion 110 of the blanking plate 104 against the anti-theft spikes 102 Once the second portion 110 has been clamped to the anti-theft spikes 102, the rear end of the cylinder 96 is closed and the posting of postal items into the box will not be possible until the nut is removed and the blanking plate 104 is returned to the position shown in Figure 11. Once the slot is opened, the nut can be screwed back onto the bolt 112 for safekeeping until the posting slot 90 needs to be temporarily closed once more.

To use the lockable posting slot shown in Figures 11 and 12 when it is installed in a posting box, a postal worker must first open the external door to the box. The worker then must reach inside the box, via the aforementioned second access port for example, and remove the nut from the end of the threaded bolt. The blanlang plate can then be pivoted about the hinge until the bolt is received in the slot, whereupon the nut can be screwed back onto the bolt to clamp the blanking plate ain.st the anti-theft spikes to close the posting slot. Once the postal worka has reclosed and locked the external door to the posting box it will no longer be possible to deposit postal items into the box until the postal worka returns to open the lockable posting slot once more.

It will be apparent from the above that the arrangement described with reference to Figures 11 and 12 is highly advantageous when compared to the current system where postal workers must assemble and secure removable blanking plates if they wish to temporarily block the slot of a given posting box. For example, postal workers using the system described with reference to Figures I I and 12 will no longer have to carry blanking plates, tools and appropriate connectors with them when they visit a box to temporarily block the posting slot, as the necessary components will already be provided inside the box. At the very worst, it is likely that all they will have to bring with them is a supply of spare nuts in case the nut for a given lockable slot has gone astray. It is apparent therefore that the slot described above is significantly more user-friendly than existing systems.

It will be understood, and should be noted, that modifications may be made to the particular embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the invention.

It should also be noted that the scope of the invention is not limited to the particular combination of features set out in the appended claims, but instead extends to any combination or permutation of features herein described irrespective of whether or not they have been explicitly enumerated in the claims appended hereto.

As an example of one such modification, it will be apparent that the blanking plate of the postal slot need not be connected to the top wall of the cylinder by a hinge. It could instead be rotatably mounted on a side extension of one cylinder sidewall, the blanking plate being rotatable into and out of a position where the cylinder is obstructed. It is even conceivable that the blanking plate could be inserted into a lateral slot formed partway along the cylinder when it is desired to prevent the posting of items into the box. Many other alternative arrangements for preventing the passage of postal items through the cylinder will be apparent to persons skilled in the art In its broadest sense this aspect of the invention provides a postal slot comprising means mountable in a peripheral wall of a posting box to define a passageway for the posting of postal items into the box; and means for obstructing the posting of postal items through said passageway.

Claims (4)

1. A posting box comprising a postal slot through which postal items can be posted, the slot comprising a hollow cylinder and a blanking plate, the blanking plate being movable between a first position where it is capable of obstructing the passage of postal items through the cylinder and a second position where it does not obstruct the passage of postal items through the cylinder.

2. A posting box according to Claim 1, wherein the blanking plate is connected to the cylinder by means of a hinge, and is pivotable about said hinge between said first and second positions.

3. A posting box according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the blanking plate may be locked in said first position.

4. A posting box according to any of Claims 1 to 3, comprising a mounting plate which is adapted to abut against the exterior of the posting box, the cylinder extending beyond said mounting plate to provide guard against water ingress into the box.