Abstract:
Secure enclosure ( 10 ) is useful as mailbox or police evidence dropbox. Items are deposited through unsecured portal ( 32 ), pass past baffle ( 90 ) and are stored in secure compartment ( 40 ). Access to secure compartment ( 40 ) is through door ( 46 ). Lock lock housing ( 60 ) is mounted rigidly on door ( 46 ) and holds rotary shackle padlock ( 70 ) such that rotary shackle ( 73 ) engages hasp ( 51 ) to lock door ( 46 ) but rotary shackle padlock ( 70 ) is protected against twisting, prying, or impact

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to secure dropboxes, and more particularly to a mailbox that is highly resistant to vandalism and robbery.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Valuable goods and documents are often left unattended in mailboxes, especially in rural or suburban areas where mail is not deposited directly into a home door slot. A vandal may damage many mailboxes in a single night, causing the contents to be scattered and damaged. Thieves open and remove the contents of mailboxes to obtain checks, personal information, prescription drugs, and other valuables.  
         [0003]     Some vandalism is prevented simply by constructing mailboxes of stronger or more resilient materials. To protect the contents, some mailboxes have a lock, to which both the owner and the postman have keys. These locks are typically simple “cabinet” locks with a finger that rotates 90° between locked and unlocked positions. Such locks are a deterrent to casual snoops, but are easily forced open by thieves. Also, the keys are simple and can be easily duplicated and the mailbox owner does not have exclusive possession of the key.  
         [0004]     Reinforced mailboxes are available that have a convenient unlocked entrance for use by the postman and a locking access door, with some type of baffle between. The locking door may have a hasp for a padlock or a built-in “cylinder” lock. With such a dual-access mailbox, the owner of the mailbox has the only keys and the postman is not inconvenienced by having to unlock and lock the mailbox when delivering mail. The baffle prevents thieves from retrieving items out of the mailbox by inserting an arm or tool through the unlocked entrance.  
         [0005]     Such a mailbox deters thieves greatly, but is still vulnerable. Most padlocks can be cut, given a strong enough tool, and cylinder locks can generally be opened by a very strong blow to the front of the cylinder. Tools are available that allow thieves to punch out a cylinder lock from a reinforced mailbox and remove the contents in only a couple of minutes. Therefore, there is a need for a reinforced mailbox that requires sufficient time, skill, and tools to open it that experienced thieves pass it by in favor of one easier to open.  
         [0006]     Also, padlocks are somewhat inconvenient to use. In the case of a keyed padlock, the keyway is at the bottom and the body of the padlock must move approximately an inch vertically relative to the hasp and be rotated in order to open. Unlocking or locking such a padlock requires the use of two hands, one for the key and the other to manipulate the padlock. If one is holding items, such as the retrieved mail, the items must be put down to leave both hands free to operate the padlock. Thus, there is a need for a reinforced mailbox that is convenient to unlock and lock, even while holding an item.  
         [0007]     There is further a need for secure enclosures for uses other than receiving mail. For example, law enforcement personnel often confiscate or otherwise receive items in evidence that must be maintained securely. They may have to interrupt their duties and travel a long distance to take a gull, a packet of cash, illegal drugs, or other items to a central location for deposit into evidence storage. There is a need for a secure dropbox for uses such as law enforcement evidence deposit. Such a dropbox must be convenient for the depositor to use, yet very secure to maintain a proper chain of custody.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     This invention is a secure enclosure that is adapted for use as a mailbox for home or business, evidence dropbox for law enforcement agencies, or key dropbox for an auto repair shop or rental agency.  
         [0009]     Items such as mail or keys are deposited conveniently through an unlocked portal.  
         [0010]     The secure enclosure includes a secure compartment that is accessible through a locking door. A baffle between the unlocked portal and the secure compartment makes it impossible to remove items from the secure compartment by inserting an arm or elongate tool through the unlocked portal.  
         [0011]     On the door is mounted a lock lock housing of stainless steel. A rotary shackle padlock is held snugly by the bottom and wrap-around sides of the lock housing Such that the rotary shackle can engage a hasp to lock the door, yet the rotary shackle padlock cannot be twisted, pried, or jerked so as to break the rotary shackle or the hasp. When locked to the hasp, the rotary shackle padlock cannot be removed from the housing.  
         [0012]     The lock lock housing and door of the enclosure reinforce the body of rotary shackle padlock such that the mechanism of rotary shackle padlock cannot be punched out using an impact tool. The rotary shackle padlock and lock housing combine to create a visual deterrent to robbery by being obviously difficult and time-consuming to open by force.  
         [0013]     The secure enclosure is convenient for both persons with access to the secure compartment and other persons who deposit items into the unlocked portal. Persons depositing items, such as mail carriers, do not need a key or combination to drop items into the portal.  
         [0014]     Unlocking the door to the secure compartment can be done with only one hand because the rotary shackle padlock does not need to be moved to unlock it. The rotary shackle padlock remains in the lock housing and the key remains in the keyway when the door is open, so the open lock does not have to be held while retrieving mail. The key can only be removed from the keyway when the rotary shackle padlock is locked, making it less likely that the door could be left unlocked accidentally.  
         [0015]     The secure enclosure is constructed of strong materials such as hardened steel, such that it cannot be opened readily by a smashing with a baseball bat or sledge, or by cutting with a saw.  
         [0016]     The secure enclosure is a convenient and secure dropbox that many persons can deposit items into without having a key or knowing a combination. The known, quick methods that thieves use against locked mailboxes and similar enclosures will not open the secure enclosure.  
         [0017]     The invention will now be described in more particular detail with respect to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  is a rear left perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the secure enclosure of the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view, partly cut away, of the door of the secure enclosure of  FIG. 1 , with door partially open.  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view, partly exploded and partly cut away, of the lock, housing, and door of the enclosure of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]      FIG. 1  is a rear left perspective view of secure enclosure  10  of the present invention.  FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view, partly cut away, of the rear wall  22  and door  46  of secure enclosure  10  with door  46  partially open.  
         [0022]     Secure enclosure  10  generally includes front wall  21  (shown in phantom), back wall  22 , two side walls  23 , and top  24 , which are connected so as to enclose receiving compartment  30  and secured compartment  40 . Receiving compartment  30  includes unsecured portal means  32 , such as hatch  33 , for conveniently inserting items to be stored into secure enclosure  10 . Hatch  33  can be opened and used by anyone, without a key. Secured compartment  40  includes securable access means  45 , such as door  46 , and requires a key to open.  
         [0023]     Door  46  is illustrated in  FIG. 1  and is herein described as being located on back wall  22 , although door  46  may alternatively be located on front wall  21  or either of side walls  23 . Door  46  is preferably attached to back wall  22  by hinge  47  and opens downwardly. The weight of rotary shackle padlock  70  holds door  46  fully downward, allowing the use of both hands to get mail out of secure compartment  40 . Door  46  may alternatively open upwardly, but in that case, door  46  must be supported in the open position, such as with a hand. Door  46  may alternatively open to one side, but a strong wind may tend to blow door  46  shut, also required door  46  to be held open.  
         [0024]     Hasp  51  cooperates with rotary shackle padlock  70  and lock housing  60  to securely lock door  46  in a closed position.  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view, partly exploded and partly cut away, of lock  70 , lock housing  60 , and door  46  of enclosure  10  of  FIG. 1 . 
        lock housing  60  both protects rotary shackle padlock  70  from tampering and attaches rotary shackle padlock  70  to back wall  22  lock housing  60  is preferably fabricated from a strong, tough material such as stainless steel lock housing  60  includes a back  61 , a first side  63 , second side  64 , and bottom  65 . Back  61  has a first screw hole  62  and a second screw hole  69  bored through it. First side  63  and second side  64  are spaced apart so as to accept rotary shackle padlock  70  with a tight friction fit. Bottom  65  supports rotary shackle padlock  70  and shields padlock  70  from being pried or twisted from below.     lock housing  60  is mounted onto door  46  by inserting first screw  67  through first screw hole  62 . First screw  67  is countersunk and is flush with back  61  of lock housing  60  when installed, allowing rotary shackle padlock  70  to be pushed into lock housing  60 . First side  63  and second side  64  fit snugly against the sides of rotary shackle padlock and curve over the front of rotary shackle padlock  70 . First side  63  and second side  64  thus help shield body  71  of rotary shackle padlock  70  against cutting or drilling and prevent rotary shackle padlock  70  from moving laterally or outwardly with respect to door  46 .          
         [0028]     Second screw  68  is then inserted into second screw hole  69  and screwed down. Second screw  68  is not countersunk, and so protrudes from back  61  to function as a retainer for rotary padlock  70  by interfering against the apex of notch  72 . Second screw  68  is tightened by passing a screwdriver through notch  72  to second screw  68 . Thus, lock housing  60  holds rotary shackle padlock  70  tightly against movement to either side or downward. Second screw  62  prevents upward movement relative to lock housing  60 . “Upward” as used in this specification and in the claims means in a direction away from bottom  65  of lock housing  60 .  
         [0029]     Rotary shackle padlock  70 , a commercially available product, includes body  71 ; rotary shackle  73 , which includes engaging end  74 ; engaging aperture  76 ; and rotary shackle drive means, such as keyway  75 . Keyway  75  admits a key (not shown) that rotates the interior gears (not shown), which move rotary shackle  73 . Rotary shackle  73  includes an engaging end  74  that moves across notch  72  in an arcuate manner when driven by the interior gears and engages into engaging aperture  76  to lock padlock  70 .  
         [0030]     An alternative rotary shackle drive means is the front dial (not shown) of a combination rotary shackle padlock (not shown). Other rotary shackle drive means will be obvious to those skilled in the art but are not described herein.  
         [0031]     Rotary padlock  70  thus may be locked and unlocked without body  71  moving relative to hasp  51 . This feature allows rotary padlock  70  to be tightly held within lock housing  60 , unlike sliding shackle padlocks. Sliding shackle padlocks require movement of the body of the lock relative to the hasp in order to lock or unlock it and are, therefore, unsuitable for use as a part of secure enclosure  10 .  
         [0032]     Additional features of rotary padlock  60  are that keyway  75  is located on the front of rotary padlock  70  and that the key cannot be removed from keyway  75  when rotary padlock  70  is unlocked. Thus, rotary padlock  70  can be easily unlocked and locked by a person using only one hand, even when rotary padlock  70  is attached within lock housing  60 . One-hand operation is especially convenient when locking secure enclosure  10  after retrieving items, such as mail. The mail may be held securely in one hand while locking secure enclosure  10  with the other hand.  
         [0033]     A sliding shackle padlock typically requires a user to grasp the padlock with one hand and tilt it upward to make the keyway visible. A user inserts a key (or operates a combination dial) with the other hand, turns the key, and moves the body of the padlock vertically downward relative to the hasp means to disengage the shackle. Next, the body of the padlock is rotated and the shackle is removed from the hasp means. When a sliding shackle padlock is used to lock a mailbox, a user typically holds the padlock while retrieving mail from the mailbox. The key may be left in the keyway, but is subject to falling out. Because of the substantial movement and manipulation involved in unlocking and locking a sliding shackle padlock, such a lock cannot be rigidly attached to an enclosure Such as a mailbox and is inconvenient in use. Items held in the hand, Such as retrieved mail, are typically set on the ground or gripped in the teeth while operating the padlock.  
         [0034]     Rotary shackle padlock  70  and hasp  51  cooperate to lock door  46 . Hasp  51  includes tongue  52 , a rod of strong material such as hardened steel, attached to back wall  22  and projecting outwardly. Free end  53  of tongue  52  protrudes through aperture  55  in door  46  when door  46  is closed, such that bore  54  is outside of enclosure  10 . When the key is turned within keyway  75  to lock rotary shackle padlock  70 , engaging end  74  of shackle  73  passes through bore  54  and then into engaging aperture  76  of rotary shackle padlock  70 , preventing door  46  from being opened.  
         [0035]     Bore  54  has an inner diameter only slightly greater than that of shackle  73 , so hasp means  51  also serves to further reinforce rotary shackle padlock  70  against being pried or slammed.  
         [0036]     Other types of hasp means  51  are well-known to those skilled in the art and will not be discussed further herein.  
         [0037]     In the preferred embodiment  10  illustrated and described herein, lock housing  60  and rotary shackle padlock  70  are disposed on the exterior of enclosure  10  and tongue  52  is attached inside enclosure  10  and protruding outwardly. An advantage of mounting lock housing  60  and rotary shackle padlock  70  on the exterior is that they act as a visual deterrent to thieves, warning the thieves that the secure mailbox will be very difficult to open. Rotary shackle padlocks are known to be difficult to cut or punch and it would be readily apparent to most thieves, even those not familiar with the secure enclosure  10  of the present invention, that lock housing  60  and door  46  further protect rotary shackle padlock  70  against being, destroyed or opened by punching the working part of the lock out.  
         [0038]     Sides  63  of lock lock housing  60  preferably include grip means  66  for helping a person grip lock lock housing  60 , such as the plurality of holes shown in the drawings. Grip means  66  makes it easier for the user to use lock lock housing  60  as a handle for moving door  46 .  
         [0039]     In an alternative preferred embodiment, not illustrated, the relative positions are reversed, such that lock housing  60  and rotary shackle padlock are attached to the inner side of door  46  and engaging end  74  passes through a hasp means located inside enclosure  10 . This embodiment requires that keyway  75  be accessible through a small key port cut through door  46 , unless a rotary shackle padlock with keyless remote operation is employed. This alternative embodiment would be appropriate where visual deterrence is not required or where it is desirable to protect rotary shackle padlock  70  from vandalism damage, such as defacing with acid or epoxy adhesive.  
         [0040]     Secure enclosure  10  of  FIG. 1  is well-adapted for receiving and storing of mail. Enclosure  10  includes receiving compartment  30 , including the familiar tunnel  31  that projects outwardly for the convenience of a postman in a vehicle, and a non-secured portal  32 , such as hatch  33 . Enclosure  10  further includes secured compartment  40  for storage of mail until it is retrieved. Mail is retrieved by using door  46  as described above. Door  46  is typically located on rear wall  45  so that access in not blocked by tunnel  31 . Also, secure enclosure  10  may be placed such that tunnel  31  extends over or through a fence such that hatch  33  is available to a delivery person on the street but door  46  is within a fenced yard or court.  
         [0041]     Baffle  90  is disposed between receiving compartment  30  and secured compartment  40 . Baffle  90  is depicted as a pivoting platform, attached to front wall  21  or side walls  23  by pivot  94 . Baffle  90  is balanced such that it is normally horizontal. A postman or other delivery person opens hatch  33  and deposits items onto receiving end  92  of baffle  90 , then lifts receiving end  92  upward. The items slide to drop end  93  of baffle  90  and then into secured compartment  40 . When receiving end  92  is in its normal horizontal position, baffle  90  extends nearly to back wall  22  and blocks access to secure compartment  40 . When receiving end  92  is lifted, receiving end  92  blocks tunnel  31 . Thus, baffle  90  prevents anyone from pulling items out of secured compartment  40  up to hatch  33 . Hatch  33  does not need to be locked, making it convenient for any delivery person to deposit items without needing a key.  
         [0042]     It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other known types of mechanical baffles may be employed.  
         [0043]     Secure enclosure  10  is also well-adapted for use as a law enforcement dropbox for depositing evidence, firearms, or other items that require secure handling. Modifications to the dimensions can be made to further adapt enclosure  10  for a specific use. For example, if enclosure  10  will be used to store especially heavy or breakable items, it would be desirable to lessen the impact of items falling into secure compartment  40 , such as by adding an inclined platform inside secure compartment  40  to allow items to slide to the bottom of secure compartment  40  from baffle  90 ; by limiting the height of enclosure  10 ; by including a layer of shock-absorbing material such as synthetic viscoelastic foam in the bottom of secure compartment  40 ; or by other means well known to those skilled in the art. Because only persons authorized to remove items from secure enclosure  10  need to have the key to rotary padlock  70 , keys are less likely to be lost, duplicated, or used in an unauthorized manner.  
         [0044]     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, various changes may be made in the form, composition, construction, and arrangement of the parts herein without sacrificing any of its advantages. Therefore, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.