JP3236894B2 - Security mailbox - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved security mailbox.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A security mailbox of this kind is installed as a mailbox in the entrance lobby or entrance of a building.
The security system provided in each room can be automatically set to the alarm and release states when the key is handed over. In recent years, by combining with a control box unit equipped with a card reader, the security system can be set up for 24 hours. Although it is configured such that only a limited number of people can enter and exit, most of them have a structure in which an electric lock is used to lock and unlock the door.

[0003]

However, in the case of using such an electric lock, the door is opened in an emergency such as when the card is forgotten, the magnetic information stored in the card is erased, or a power failure occurs. Problems such as inability to unlock. The present invention has been proposed in view of such circumstances, and in addition to opening and closing operations by a card reader, the door can be opened and closed from the outside even when the electric lock is in a locked state. It is an object of the present invention to provide a security mailbox provided with a locking mechanism which generates an alarm and is also excellent in crime prevention.

[0004]

According to the security mailbox of the present invention proposed to achieve the above object, when the door is closed, an engagement fitting protruding from the inner surface of the door is provided inside the main body. When the locking member is engaged with the engaging claw and locked, and the unlock signal is received, the latch member is unlocked.
To return the engaging claw to the unlocked position,
An electric lock solving cases, while the latch member is in the locked state, by directly rotating operation of the engagement alloy member from the outside of the door, engagement
Pawl is disengaged to include facilities, a machine lock capable of unlocking, the upper
In still serial latch member is in the locked state, and the engagement alloy member
When the engagement with the engagement claw is released, an alarm is generated.

[0005]

According to the security mail box of the present invention, when the door is closed, the engagement fitting protruding from the inner surface of the door presses the operating member of the electric lock provided inside the main body.
Then, the operating member moves the engaging claw held at the unlocking position to the locking position over the tapered portion of the latch member of the solenoid against the elastic force of the spring. And is locked . On the other hand, the results of such reading of the card reader, the unlock signal comes sent, an electric lock of the latch member is operatively unlocking, the engaging claw and is returned to the release position by the elastic force of the spring engaging an alloy tool And release the engagement to prepare for the next locking operation . Further, when the key is inserted into the mechanical lock provided outside the door, the engagement fitting on the door side can be directly rotated, so that the latch member of the electric lock is locked.
Locking and unlocking can be performed while maintaining the state . Further, the actuating member, since the provided microswitch to open the door, the switch you change from on to off. For this reason, a controller or the like monitors the locking and unlocking states of the electric lock and the mechanical lock, and the latch member is in the locked state.
If an alarm is generated when the micro switch is turned off as it is, an alarm can be generated when the door is forcibly opened, which is also desirable for security measures.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the internal structure of the box body of the security mailbox according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a half vertical sectional side view of the box body showing the engagement metal fittings.
FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away side view of the box portion showing the locking / unlocking mechanism. The security mailbox is mounted on a wall in the entrance of a building or the like, and stores an entry / exit key 7 for setting a security system provided in each room to a state of alert and release in a mailbox body 1A. . In such a mailbox, when leaving or leaving the office, a magnetic card is inserted into a card insertion slot of a control box (not shown) provided on the side of the mailbox body, and the ID code stored in the card is registered. Is confirmed, the electric lock of the locking / unlocking mechanism A is unlocked to open the door 13, but when the ID codes do not match, the electric lock is not unlocked.

On the front surface of the inside of the mailbox body 1A, a door 13 having a mail port 12 for posting mail to the main body 1A is attached by a hinge portion 13b so as to be openable and closable. A mechanical lock 20 for inserting a key and directly rotating the engagement fitting 18 is attached, and a front part in the box body 1A is provided with an interlocking mechanism such as a security system or the like, which is interlocked with an indoor interlocking system. A protection cover 15 provided with a keyhole 14 on the front surface for inserting the exit key 7 is attached. Here, a locking / unlocking mechanism A integrated with the keyhole 14 is provided inside the protection cover 15, and a locking / unlocking mechanism A is provided in a fan-shaped opening 15 a formed at the front end of the protection cover 15. The head end 2a of the operating member 2 (see FIGS. 6 to 10) is exposed. The U-shaped engagement fitting 18 protruding from the inner surface 13a of the door 13 is pivotally attached by a nut stopper 18a or the like so as to rotate in the direction of the arrow in response to the operation of a mechanical lock 20 provided on the outer surface of the door 13. When the door 13 is closed, the engagement fitting 18 presses the operating member 2 and rotates the engagement claw 4 sideways as shown in FIG. It is structured to lock automatically by engaging.

Even when the door 13 is closed, since there is a certain distance between the inner surface of the door 13 and the keyhole 14 , the hand 13 is manually moved downward from the mailing port 12 on the upper part of the door 13. , The entry / exit key 7 can be taken out. Therefore, on the inner surface 13a side of the door 13, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, when the door 13 is closed, substantially the entirety of the locking / unlocking mechanism A having the keyhole 4 is shielded. A shielding enclosure 19 is provided to prevent intrusion.

Further, in such a security mailbox, even if the entry / exit key 7 is inserted into the keyhole 14 and stored, if the entry / exit key 7 is not operated to the exit side,
It is configured not to link the interlocking system in the room such as crime prevention. That is, the characters "entrance" and "exit" are written at a fixed interval above the keyhole 14 , and when the entry / exit key 7 is inserted and set to the "entry" position, The interlocking system is not interlocked, and when set to the “exit” position, a switch (not shown) provided on the back of the keyhole 14 is connected, and the interlocking system in the room such as crime prevention automatically operates. It has become. 7 'is a key for opening and closing the door of each tenant room, and 17 is a wall for preventing the key 7' from popping out. In this security mailbox, the inner surface 13 of the door 13
When the entry / exit key 7 inserted into the keyhole 14 is at the entry position, a protruding piece 10 for preventing the closing operation of the door 3 is formed in a. If you forget to set it to the “exit” position and return home,
It should also be noted that the structure is such that the door 13 cannot be closed.

[0010] By the way, in the security mailbox having such a structure, since the door is opened and closed many times, the hinge 1 of the front door 13 becomes longer as the security mailbox is used for a long time.
3b is loosened, and the door 13 shifts downward due to its own weight.
There was a tendency for problems such as the door not closing smoothly and the locking not working well. In order to cope with such a situation, on the inner surface 13a side of the door 13, a protruding piece 11 having a tapered portion 11a which is inclined upward toward the inward direction of the mailbox main body 1A is formed.
A support seat 12 having a gentle top portion for receiving the tapered portion 11a of the projecting piece 11
a is provided. For this reason, even when the door 13 is displaced downward, as the door 13 is closed, the tapered portion 11a of the protruding piece 11 formed on the inner surface 13a of the door 13 contacts the support seat 12a formed on the bottom surface 12 side to reach the top. As a result, the entire tapered portion 11a rides on the support seat 12a, and the door 3 can be closed smoothly. Such a support seat 12a is made of a highly durable and slippery resin material in order to facilitate opening and closing of the door 13.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10, a description will be given of a locking / unlocking mechanism A which is another essential part of the present invention. In this locking / unlocking mechanism A, an engagement fitting 18 protruded from the inner surface 13a of the door 13 of the security mailbox main body 1A and pivotably mounted is provided on the locking / unlocking mechanism A provided inside the box main body 1A. and the engaging claw 4 and by disengaging, facilities the door has a structure to be unlocked, therefore unlock the latch member by driving the solenoid, and an electric lock for locking operation, the latch member of the electric lock is locked It has a structure in which it is combined with a mechanical lock mechanism that locks or unlocks by operating the mechanical lock even in the state. The locking / unlocking mechanism A has a large projecting step 1c bent between the mounting surfaces 1b, 1b having screw holes 1a formed on the upper and lower portions, and a large corner is formed on the upper front surface of the projecting step 1c. A notch 1d is formed. At the rear end of the notch portion 1d of the projecting step portion 1c and further at the rear end of the support plate 1, a protruding piece 1e,
An operating member 2 extending in the front-rear direction is supported on the protruding pieces 1e and 1f via a spring 3 having an elastic repulsive force in a forward direction. Here, the operating member 2
Has a head portion 2a having a tapered portion formed on a rear surface of a cylindrical shape, and a rear end 2b of the operating member 2 projects through the protruding piece 1f.

A U-shaped support member (not shown) is provided above the protruding step 1c of the support plate 1 and on the side opposite to the protruding piece 1e.
The supporting claw is always attached to the engaging claw 4 held in the unlocked position by the spring 7a as shown in FIG.
Are pivotally supported by the pins 6 inserted vertically, the door 13 is closed, and the front end 2 b of the operating member 2 pressed by the engagement fitting 18 presses the rear end hook-shaped portion 4 b of the engagement claw 4. Then, since the engaging claw 4 rotates laterally with the pin 6 as a fulcrum , FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 10 , the front end hook-shaped portion 4a is located in front of the head 2a of the operating member 2 to prevent the engagement fitting 18 from being pulled out, and in this state, the electric lock is held in a locked state.

A solenoid S is attached to a lower portion of the protruding step 1c of the support plate 1 by a mounting bracket 8, and a plunger S protrudes from an upper portion of the solenoid S.
A latch member 9 having a tapered portion 9a for allowing the engagement claw 4 to move to the locking position is provided at one upper end. The latch member 9 is normally supported by a spring 10 which pushes up the plunger S1 of the solenoid S upward. Therefore, when the solenoid S is not driven, the latch member 9 is positioned upward by the spring 10.
When the solenoid S is driven in the locked state , the plunger S1 descends against the elastic force of the spring 10 when the solenoid S is driven.
Therefore, the latch member 9 performs the unlocking operation , and returns the engagement claw 4 to the unlocked position by the elastic force of the spring 7a.

Notch 1 of projecting step 1c of one support plate 1
Below d, a micro switch 1 serving as a detection sensor
2 is mounted, and the roller-shaped operating portion 12a of the micro switch 12 is located on the lower surface of the head 2a of the operating member 2. Therefore, by closing the door 13, the head 2a of the operating member 2 is moved. Engagement fitting 1 provided on inner surface 13a of door 13
8 , the micro switch 12 is turned on when the tip 2b of the actuating member 2 further presses the rear hook 4b of the engaging claw 4. In addition, the micro switch 1
A small-diameter roller is supported on the operating piece 2 so that the operating piece can smoothly slide on the lower surface of the head 2a of the operating member 2. 13 'is a signal line for sending a detection signal from the microswitch 12 to a signal processing unit (not shown) of the card reader, and 14' is for sending an electric signal sent from the signal processing unit to the solenoid S, and operating the solenoid S operating unit. This is a signal line for moving downward. Therefore, with such a structure, when the solenoid S is in the non-driving state and the latch member 9 of the electric lock is held in the locked state, when the door 13 is pry open without rotating the mechanical lock. Since the engagement of the engagement fitting 18 with the engagement claw 4 is released and the micro switch is turned off, if this state is monitored on the control box side, an alarm can be generated, and security measures can be taken. Is also desirable. In this embodiment, when the door is opened while the electric lock is held in the locked state, an alarm is always generated.However, when opening the door without unlocking the electric lock, when the security mailbox is installed, There is no particular problem because it is an emergency. According to the locking and unlocking mechanism of the present invention, even when the solenoid S is in the non-driving state, that is, when the latch member of the electric lock is held in the locked state, the door 13 can be locked.
The key is inserted into the mechanical lock 20 provided on the outer surface of the
Is rotated and moved as shown by the broken line,
It can be unlocked and locked by performing the opposite operation.

[0015]

As described above, according to the security mailbox of the present invention, locking and unlocking of the door can be automatically performed by controlling the electric lock, and the door can be automatically closed by hand. Locked automatically. Further, in an emergency or the like, the mechanical lock provided on the outer surface of the door can be operated while the electric lock is held in the locked state, and the engagement fitting can be pivotally operated to be unlocked. Even when the magnetic information stored in the card is erased or the power is cut off due to a power failure, it can be unlocked, preventing the keys inside the box from being removed in an emergency, and providing a safety structure. An alarm is generated when the door is pryed open while the lock is in the locked state, which is also desirable for security measures.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the internal structure of a box body of a security mailbox according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a half cut vertical sectional view showing a mechanical lock of a box body.

FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away side longitudinal sectional view showing a locking mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the locking and unlocking mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the locking / unlocking mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the locking mechanism as viewed from the operation member side.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an unlocked state of the locking mechanism.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a locked state of a locking mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an engagement claw and an engagement metal fitting at the time of unlocking.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an engagement claw and an engagement metal fitting at the time of locking.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Locking / unlocking mechanism 1A Security mailbox S Solenoid 1 Support plate 2 Operating member 3 Spring 4 Engagement claw 13 Door 20 Mechanical lock 18 Engagement fitting 7a Spring 9 Latch member 9a Taper portion 10 Spring 12 Micro switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Katsuhiro Arai 76-1 Kisogami, Tsuna-cho, Tsuna-gun, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Misaki Electric Co., Ltd. Inside (72) Inventor Hikaru Mimura 1048 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Works Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuaki Onishi 1048 Kadoma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Works (56) Reference Reference JP-A-62-215780 (JP, A) JP-A-58-144493 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47G 29/00-29/30 E05B 45 / 00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] When the door is closed, an engagement fitting protruding from an inner surface of the door is engaged with an engagement claw provided inside the main body to lock the door, and when an unlock signal is received, a latch member is provided. To
Operate the unlocking operation, return the engaging claw to the unlocking position, and
An electric lock to disengage the bracket, while the latch member is in the locked state, from the outside of the door directly rotating operation of the engaging alloy member, thereby disengaging the engaging claw facilities,
A mechanical lock capable of being unlocked, wherein the latch member is in a locked state, and the engagement metal fitting is provided.
A security mailbox configured to generate an alarm when the engagement between the and the engagement claw is released .