GB2534137A

GB2534137A - Security container

Info

Publication number: GB2534137A
Application number: GB1500432.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cowie Seth; Cowie Neil
Original assignee: Cipher Data Tech Ltd
Current assignee: Cipher Data Tech Ltd
Priority date: 2015-01-12
Filing date: 2015-01-12
Publication date: 2016-07-20
Also published as: GB201500432D0

Abstract

A container suitable for receiving and storing confidential waste, said container comprising a substantially sealed unit formed of rigid or semi-rigid shreddable material, and having a slot 14 in at least one wall thereof, the unit including a closure flap 16 which is selectively moveable from a first configuration in which said slot is unobstructed to a second in which it is flush against said at least one side wall. The container may comprise a box 10 formed of cardboard, have a height greater than the width or depth and may be formed from a single-piece template configured to form a crash lock base which may be pre-glued. The container may comprise an adhesive strip suitable for sealing the closure flap against said at least one side wall. The slot may be positioned generally centrally in the upper wall 12 of the box, be elongate and substantially rectangular and extend laterally along a portion of the width of the upper wall of the box. The slot 14 may be provided with a flap (20, figure 6) extending orthogonally downward from one or more inner edges.

Description

SECURITY CONTAINER

This invention relates generally to a security container for confidential paper documents and, more particularly, to a security container for receiving and storing confidential paper documents required to be shredded or otherwise securely disposed of.

Many organisations have a requirement for secure destruction and disposal of confidential paper documents containing sensitive information, and services are provided, usually by external companies, whereby empty containers are supplied that can be filled with paper documents for disposal, and the full containers are then removed and their contents shredded, such that the integrity of the information within the documents is maintained and the resultant shredded waste can be safely disposed of.

Typically, the containers used for this purpose have comprised robust sacks, open at one end for receiving documents to be securely disposed of. In the past, such sacks have been formed of a fibrous material that could not be shredded and, thus, had to be emptied before the contents thereof could be destroyed. More recently, the sacks have been formed of a reinforced paper-based material which can be shredded such that a sack and its contents can be put straight through a shredding machine, without the sack having to be emptied first. In this case, some sacks are provided with a drawstring closing mechanism at the open end thereof, for enabling a full sack to be closed by pulling and tying the drawstring to hold the top of the sack closed, for additional security during storage and transportation.

Whilst this process has been considered to be adequate for a number of years, there are some problems and disadvantages associated with the use of the above-described sacks for collecting confidential paper waste. Firstly, the provision of open sacks around an office space, for example, is not only inconvenient for some users, but can also result in an untidy workspace environment. Furthermore, and more importantly, whilst the sacks are being filled over a period of time, they are in a fully open configuration, thereby allowing anyone to access the confidential documents therein, which results in a significant risk of internal data leakage and breaches. Once full, the sacks are unwieldy and inconvenient to store whilst awaiting collection, and the sacks are also prone to breakage, especially if they are overfilled, against which there is no safeguard.

Aspects of the present invention seek to address at least some of these issues and, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for receiving and storing confidential waste, said container comprising a substantially sealed unit formed of rigid or semi-rigid shreddable material, and having a slot in at least one wall thereof for enabling confidential waste to be inserted into said unit, the unit including a closure flap which is selectively moveable from a first configuration in which said slot is unobstructed to a second configuration in which it is flush against said at least one side wall and covers said slot.

In one exemplary embodiment, the container further comprises sealing means for sealing said closure flap against said at least one side wall when in said second configuration. Such sealing means, may, for example, comprise an adhesive strip provided on at least one edge of said closure flap.

The container may comprise a box formed substantially of cardboard (or other paper-based product), wherein the height of the box may be greater than the width or depth. The slot may be provided in the upper wall of the box, and it may be positioned generally centrally therein. In one exemplary embodiment, the slot is elongate and substantially rectangular, and extends laterally along a portion of the width of the upper wall of the box.

The slot may be provided with a flap extending substantially orthogonally downward, into the container, from one or more of the inner edges thereof.

The box may be provided in the form of a single-piece template, which is configured to be assembled by a user to form the box. The template may be configured to form a crash lock base of the box, and the crash lock base portion of the template may be pre-glued to enable the box to be quickly assembled and secured.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the following specific description, in which an embodiment of the present invention is described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a container according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with the closure flap in the open configuration; Figure 2 is a schematic front perspective view of the container of Figure 1, with the closure flap in the sealed configuration; Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the container of Figure 1, during assembly; Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of a single-piece template that can be used to form the container of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a schematic view of the base of the box of Figure 1; and Figure 6 is a schematic partial view of the top wall of the box of Figure 1, illustrating the slot.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a container according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a generally rectangular box 10 formed of a shreddable material, such as cardboard. The box comprises two pairs of opposing side walls, a base and an upper surface 12, wherein an elongate slot 14 is provided in the upper surface for enabling paper waste, such as confidential documents and the like, to be 'posted' into the box. The remainder of the box is substantially sealed. Thus, once such waste has been inserted into the box through the slot 14, it can no longer be accessed by anyone, unless the box is significantly damaged/broken by force to gain access to the contents.

In one exemplary embodiment, as illustrated, the height of the box 10 is greater than the width, and the slot 14 extends laterally along a portion of the width of the upper surface 12. However, in alternative exemplary embodiments, the slot may, for example, be provided in the front side wall of the box, and may be oriented longitudinally, along a portion of its height, rather than laterally. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the dimensions of the box may be such that it is suitable to be placed beneath or beside a user's desk or workstation, without causing a significant obstruction. However, the box may be of any dimensions deemed suitable for a particular environment and the present invention is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard.

A closure flap 16 is connected to or integrated with the box 10 and, in the example illustrated, is foldably jointed along the rear edge of the upper surface 12, such that it can be folded downwardly along the jointed edge to cover the upper surface including the slot 14. In this particular embodiment, it may have a width substantially equal to that of the upper surface 12 of the box 10, and be provided with a lateral flap portion 18 along the front edge, which, in the closed configuration, extends over the front edge of the box 10 and can be folded down to meet the corresponding upper portion of the front wall. The flap 18 may be provided with a self-sealing adhesive strip, for example, that can be used to seal the closure flap 16 in place over the slot 14 when the box 10 is full, thereby preventing any further waste from being inserted into the box and securing the contents for storage and eventual transportation to a disposal site. In alternative embodiments, however, the sealing means may be provided separately and, for example, comprise a length of adhesive tape or the like which can be placed over the join between the flap 18 and the front wall of the box to seal the two together.

The configuration of the closure flap 16 is dictated primarily by the location and dimensions of the slot 14 on the box. For example, if the slot is provided in the front wall of the box 10, the closure flap may be connected to the box along the front edge of the upper surface and configured to fold down over at least a portion of the front wall including the slot.

Once sealed, the several full boxes can be neatly stacked in a suitable location until they are collected for disposal. Furthermore, the cardboard boxes can be made significantly stronger, and less prone to breakage, than conventional paper sacks, thereby further improving security. The boxes cannot be inadvertently overfilled, as the capacity of the box itself, and the fact that waste can only be inserted through the slot, will eventually prevent further waste from being inserted when the box is full. The above-described self-seal facility on some exemplary embodiments of the invention provides additional convenience and security, as the boxes can be immediately and securely sealed as soon as they are full.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, the box can be provided in flat pack form, with the upper 'surface' 12, in which the slot 14 is formed, being provided with a self-sealing flap, which seals against the corresponding inner edge of the opposing side wall of the main body of the box for use. The closure flap 16 remains loose and open until the box is full and required to be sealed for storage and transportation. In one exemplary embodiment, the box may be of a crash lock type which is designed in such a way that when the opposite corners are pushed towards each other, the base will automatically lock together to create a secure and rigid bottom to the container, as illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. Such boxes can be supplied flat for the end user to assemble in one quick action and, if the base is pre-glued, it "clicks" and locks into place automatically.

Referring to Figure 6 of the drawings, one or more of the inner edges of the slot 14 may be provided with an inner flap 20 which extends substantially orthogonally downward, into the box. The provision of such a flap or flaps 20 further improves the security of the container during the period in which it is being filled, as, if a person puts their hand into the slot to remove a document, for example, they will be prevented from retracting their hand back through the slot by the obstructing flaps 20.

It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art from the foregoing description that modifications and variations can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, as claimed.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A container for receiving and storing confidential waste, said container comprising a substantially sealed unit formed of rigid or semi-rigid shreddable material, and having a slot in at least one wall thereof for enabling confidential waste to be inserted into said unit, the unit including a closure flap which is selectively moveable from a first configuration in which said slot is unobstructed to a second configuration in which it is flush against said at least one side wall and covers said slot.
2. A container according to claim 1, further comprising sealing means for sealing said closure flap against said at least one side wall when in said second configuration.
3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the sealing means comprises an adhesive strip provided on at least one edge of said closure flap.
4. A container according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a box formed substantially of cardboard.
5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the height of the box is greater than the width or depth.
6. A container according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the slot is provided in the upper wall of the box.
7. A container according to claim 6, wherein the slot is positioned generally centrally in the upper wall of the box.
8. A container according to any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the slot is elongate and substantially rectangular, and extends laterally along a portion of the width of the upper wall of the box.
9. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the slot is provided with a flap extending substantially orthogonally downward, into said container, from one or more of the inner edges thereof.
10.A single-piece template for forming a container according to any of claims 4 to 9, which is configured to be assembled by a user to form the box.
11. A template according to claim 10, configured to form a crash lock base of the box.
12. A template according to claim 11, wherein the crash lock base portion of the template is pre-glued.