Post

Abstract

To provide a structure which detects that a thicker posting object is posted into a post from a posting port, but does not detect that a thinner posting object is posted.SOLUTION: A post 1 includes: a post body 10 for storing a posting object posted from a posting port 18; a flap 31 rotatably supported by the post body 10 so as to be used to open / close the posting port 18; and a detection part 40 for detecting that the posting port 18 is opened to allow an opening width of the posting port 18 to be opened / closed by the flap 31 to be equal to or more than 15 mm being a predetermined width when the posting object is posted into the post body 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to posts. [Background technology]

[0002] Post boxes that can receive mail have been installed in ordinary homes for a long time. With such post boxes, no stamp is required for receiving mail. For this reason, Yu-Packet (registered trademark), Yu-Packet Plus (registered trademark), or packages of similar size can be freely posted as long as they can be inserted into the post box slot and are within the storage capacity of the post box, and are smaller than a parcel (Yu-Pack (registered trademark)). For example, Yu-Packet is 30 mm or less in thickness, and Yu-Packet Plus is 70 mm or less in thickness.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes a mailbox that is provided with an infrared sensor that detects objects passing through a mail insertion slot, and when mail is detected by the infrared sensor, a lamp installed on the mailbox is turned on.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes a mailbox that is provided with a mail slot with a mail lid, a permanent magnet attached to the mail lid, and a magnetic proximity sensor attached to the mailbox body, and that brings the permanent magnet into contact with or into proximity to the proximity sensor when the mail lid is closed. With this mailbox, when mail is posted, the mail lid opens, and the permanent magnet moves away from the proximity sensor, thereby counting the number of mail items posted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3168254 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When a thick post such as a package that can be inserted into the post slot of a post is posted in a post, the recipient of the post cannot know when the thick post was posted in the post. In addition, it is not possible to know from the outside of the post whether a thick post has been posted in the post. On the other hand, it is possible to use the configuration described in Patent Document 1 to detect that an object has been posted in the post through the post slot by blocking incident light to an infrared sensor, and obtain the posting time and the fact that an object has been posted. However, since thin mail such as postcards and envelopes, and flyers for advertising, etc. are also posted in the post slot, it is not possible to obtain the posting time or the fact that a thick post was posted separately from such thin mail. For this reason, it is desired to realize a configuration that detects that a thick post has been posted in the post through the post slot, but does not detect the posting of a thin post. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a post comprising: a post body that receives mail items posted through the mail slot; a flap that is rotatably supported on the post body and is used to open and close the mail slot; and a detection unit that detects that the mail slot has opened so that the opening width of the mail slot, which is opened and closed by the flap, is a predetermined width of 15 mm or more when an item is posted into the post body. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the post box of the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a configuration that can detect when a thick item is posted into the post box through the mail slot, while not detecting when a thin item is posted. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a post according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing the post in FIG. 1 with the outer door removed. FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view showing the post of FIG. 2 with the middle door and the lower door removed. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a front view of the upper part of the post in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is a perspective view of the post in FIG. 2, with a portion omitted, as seen obliquely from above. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 7 is a perspective view of the detection unit taken out from FIG. 6 and seen obliquely from below. [Figure 8] 6 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to the cross section BB in FIG. 5, showing the post in FIG. 5 with the top plate and the top plate fixing plate attached and each flap in a closed state. [Figure 9] 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7, showing the first flap in an intermediate open state. FIG. [Figure 10] 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7 and showing the first flap in a fully open state. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An example of an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following, a post box with a parcel storage function in which a post box and a parcel box are integrated will be described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the post box may be configured without the parcel storage function.

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The shapes, materials, and quantities described below are examples for the purpose of explanation, and can be changed as appropriate according to the specifications of the post. In the following, the same reference numerals are used to denote equivalent elements in all drawings.

[0012] A post 1 of an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the post 1. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the post 1 of Figure 1 with the outer door 12 removed. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the post 1 of Figure 2 with the middle door 14 and lower door 16 removed. Figure 4 is a view of the upper part of the post 1 of Figure 2 as seen from the front.

[0013] The post 1 is installed on a wall or gatepost beside the entrance of a detached house, but is not limited thereto. The post 1 may also be installed in an apartment building, for example. The post 1 is capable of receiving mail and items such as parcels of a predetermined thickness or less. A mail delivery person can open an exterior door 12 provided on the front side of the post 1 and post an item (not shown) through a mail slot 18 into a mail storage chamber 20 provided on the top of the post body 10.

[0014] In the following, the side where the outer door 12 is arranged is defined as the front side, and the side opposite the outer door 12 is defined as the rear side. For the post 1, the right and left sides are defined in terms of the left-right direction when viewed from the front side. The vertical direction perpendicular to the left-right direction and the front-rear direction is defined as the up-down direction.

[0015] The post 1 has a rectangular post body 10 with an opening at the front end, three inner doors arranged vertically, an upper door 13, a middle door 14, and a lower door 16, which open and close the opening of the post body 10, and an outer door 12 provided on the outside of each inner door. The inside of the post body is divided into three storage chambers 20, 21, and 22 by two upper and lower partitions. The three storage chambers 20, 21, and 22 include the uppermost mail storage chamber 20 that is opened and closed by the upper door 13, the middle parcel storage chamber 21 that is opened and closed by the middle door 14, and the lowermost parcel storage chamber 22 that is opened and closed by the lower door 16. A locking device is provided on the back side of each inner door, and key insertion sections 23, 24, and 25 of the locking device are exposed on the front surface of each inner door. Each inner door can be locked and unlocked by turning the key inserted in the key insertion section 23, 24, and 25.

[0016] The delivery company uses a key to unlock the locking device of middle door 14 or lower door 16, which is the inner door of either of delivery parcel storage rooms 21, 22, and locks the locking device after placing the parcel in delivery parcel storage room 21, 22. This makes it possible to deposit the parcel in post 1. The locking device provided on the inner door closing delivery parcel storage room 21, 22 can also be provided with a function that allows the delivery company to operate an operation unit from the outside to stamp the delivery company's slip with a stamping means, and also allows the locking device to be locked by operating the operation unit.

[0017] The recipient of the mail item can insert a key into the key slot of the locking device provided on the upper door 13 of the post body 10 to unlock it. This allows the recipient to retrieve the mail item from the mail storage chamber 20. The upper part of the mail storage chamber 20 is closed by a top plate 10a that forms the upper end of the post body 10. A top plate fixing plate 10b is fixed to the underside of this top plate 10a for fixing a mounting bracket 60 (described below) to the top plate 10a. The upper door 13 may be configured to be locked and unlocked by a combination lock.

[0018] A generally rectangular mail slot 18 elongated in the left-right direction is provided in the upper half of upper door 13 for inserting mail. Mail slot 18 is large enough to allow a rectangular mail piece with a vertical thickness of 70 mm or less to pass through. Mail slot 18 can also allow an object with a left-right length of 240 mm or less to pass through. A flap set 30 for opening and closing mail slot 18 is provided on the rear side of upper door 13.

[0019] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the post 1 in Fig. 2, with some parts omitted, seen from diagonally above. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of part A in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the detection unit 40 taken out from Fig. 6, seen from diagonally below. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to the line BB in Fig. 5, showing the closed state of the flaps 31, 32 in the post 1 in Fig. 5 with the top plate 10a and the top plate fixing plate 10b attached.

[0020] The flap set 30 is rotatably supported by the post body 10. As shown in Fig. 8, the flap set 30 is arranged so as to close the mail slot 18 by forming a valley shape having a generally V-shaped cross section that is concave toward the inside of the mail receiving chamber 20.

[0021] The flap set 30 is formed by first flaps 31 and second flaps 32 arranged in two rows facing each other in the up-down direction. The first flap 31 corresponds to an upper flap, and the second flap 32 corresponds to a lower flap. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the first flap 31 includes a first flap shaft 33 extending in the left-right direction, and a plurality of first movable pieces 34, 35 supported by the first flap shaft 33 in an alternating arrangement in the left-right direction so as to be rotatable. The second flap 32 includes a second flap shaft 36 extending in the left-right direction, and a plurality of second movable pieces 37, 38 supported by the second flap shaft 36 in an alternating arrangement in the left-right direction so as to be rotatable.

[0022] The first flap shaft 33 is rotatably supported via shaft supports at both left and right ends of a portion of the front end member 10c that forms the front surface of the post body 10 that is located above the upper end of the mail slot 18. The second flap shaft 36 is rotatably supported via shaft supports at both left and right ends of a portion of the front end member 10c that is located below the lower end of the mail slot 18. As a result, the flaps 31 and 32 are rotatably supported on the post body 10 and are used to open and close the mail slot 18. For example, the first flap 31 is configured to open the upper half of the mail slot 18 by rotating upward. The second flap 32 is configured to open the lower half of the mail slot 18 by rotating downward.

[0023] Each of the movable pieces 34, 35, 37, 38 is integrally formed with a substantially rectangular plate-shaped flap body 51 and two ring-shaped shaft support parts 52 formed on both left and right ends of the inner surface of one end of the flap body 51. The flap body 51 has concave and convex parts alternately formed along the left and right direction on both sides in the thickness direction. As a result, each of the front and back surfaces of the flap body 51 has an uneven shape. The corresponding flap shafts 33, 36 are inserted and supported in each shaft support part 52. Each of the movable pieces 34, 35, 37, 38 is formed of, for example, resin or metal.

[0024] One of the movable pieces 35, 37 of each of the first movable pieces 34, 35 and the second movable pieces 37, 38 is provided at one or the other end in the left-right direction with a pressing portion 35a, 37a (FIG. 6) that presses the other or one end in the left-right direction of the other movable piece 34, 38 in the closing direction when closed. One of the movable pieces 35, 37 is biased in the direction of closing the mail slot 18 by a biasing member 39 described below. At that time, one of the movable pieces 35, 37 moves the other movable piece 34, 38 in the closing direction via the pressing portion 35a, 37a.

[0025] A biasing member 39, which is a coil spring, is wound and supported at a portion of each flap shaft 33, 36 that is sandwiched between two shaft support portions 52 of one of the movable pieces 35, 37. One end of the biasing member 39 is pressed against the back surface of the flap body 51 of one of the movable pieces 35, 37. The other end of the biasing member 39 is pressed against the inner surface of the front end member 10c. As a result, each of the movable pieces 34, 35, 37, 38 is biased in a direction that closes the mail slot 18.

[0026] When no external force is applied to each of the movable pieces 34, 35, 37, 38, the movable pieces 34, 35, 37, 38 are extended in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the tip of each movable piece is located at the back side of the mail receiving chamber 20 of the mail slot 18 and toward the center of the mail slot 18 in the vertical direction. In this state, the inclined surface formed at the base end of the flap body 51 of each of the movable pieces 34, 35, 37, 38 contacts the inner surface of the front end member 10c in a substantially parallel manner, thereby restricting the inclination angle of each movable piece with respect to the vertical direction. As a result, the first flap 31 and the second flap 32 close the mail receiving chamber 20 side of the mail slot 18 in an openable and closable manner. In this state, when the mail slot 18 is viewed from the front side as shown in FIG. 4, a gap d having a small vertical length is formed between the first flap 31 and the second flap 32 so as to extend in the left-right direction. The minimum value of the vertical length of the gap d is, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less. This makes it easy to smoothly post thin paper such as meter reading slips and postcards from the post slot 18 into the post item storage chamber 20.

[0027] The first movable pieces 34, 35 are rotatable around the first flap shaft 33. The second movable pieces 37, 38 are rotatable around the second flap shaft 36. Each of the movable pieces 34, 35, 37, 38 rotates toward the back of the mail receiving chamber 20 against the biasing force of the biasing member 39, so that the flap body 51 of each movable piece can be aligned along the front-rear direction. In this state, the mail slot 18 is in a maximally open state. For example, as shown representatively by the first movable piece 35 in FIG. 10 described later, the movable piece of the first flap 31 can be rotated toward the back of the mail receiving chamber 20 so that the flap body 51 of each movable piece can be aligned along the front-rear direction.

[0028] By rotating the flaps 31, 32 so that the mail slot 18 opens, it is possible to mail an item such as a parcel of a certain thickness range through the mail slot 18. Meanwhile, a mail sender can freely mail an item into the mail slot 18 without unlocking the locking device. For this reason, in this embodiment, a detection unit 40 is provided to detect that a thick item has been mailed so that the recipient of the mail item can know that an item, particularly a thick item, has been mailed or the time of mailing.

[0029] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the detection section 40 includes a pressing unit 41 and a detection switch 7070 capable of detecting pressing by a pressing lever 46 constituting the pressing unit 41. The pressing unit 41 includes a first metal fitting 42, a second metal fitting 43, and the pressing lever 46. The first metal fitting 42 and the pressing lever 46 are supported by a mounting bracket 80 fixed to the top plate 10a. The mounting bracket 80 has a substantially J-shaped cross section and includes a main plate 81, an auxiliary plate 82 that is shorter than the main plate 81 and is provided in parallel, and a connecting plate 83 that connects one end of the main plate 81 and the auxiliary plate 82. The main plate 81 is screwed to overlap a plate portion along the vertical direction of a top plate fixing plate 10b (FIG. 8), which is a metal plate with an L-shaped cross section fixed to the underside of the top plate 10a. The connecting plate 83 is screwed to the inner surface of a peripheral wall portion extending downward of the top plate 10a.

[0030] A cylindrical first shaft 84 extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the connecting plate 83 of the main plate 81 and the auxiliary plate 82 so as to span the main plate 81 and the auxiliary plate 82. The first fitting 42 includes a plate portion 42a having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and substantially cylindrical tube portions 42b, 42c are formed at both the base end, which is the upper end of the plate portion 42a, and the tip end, which is the lower end. The tube portions 42b, 42c are formed, for example, by rounding both ends of a metal plate. The tube portion 42b provided at the base end of the first fitting 42 is fitted onto the first shaft 84. As a result, the base end of the first fitting 42 is attached to the post body 10, and the first fitting 42 is supported so as to be rotatable about the first shaft 84 with respect to the post body 10.

[0031] The second fitting 43 has a first end attached to the tip of the first fitting 42, and is supported rotatably relative to the first fitting 42. Specifically, the second fitting 43 includes a plate portion 43a in the shape of a substantially rectangular flat plate whose widthwise length is greater than that of the plate portion 42a of the first fitting 42, and a substantially cylindrical tube portion 43c is formed at both ends in the widthwise direction, which is the left-right direction, of a first end 43b, which is the lower end of the plate portion. Each tube portion 43c is formed, for example, by extending both ends in the widthwise direction of one end of a metal plate in the longitudinal direction and rounding the extended portion. Each tube portion 43c is fitted into a portion near both ends of a cylindrical second shaft 85 extending in the left-right direction. In addition, a tube portion 42c provided at the tip of the first fitting 42 is fitted into an intermediate portion of the second shaft 85 sandwiched between the two tube portions 43c of the second fitting 43. As a result, the second fitting 43 is connected to the first fitting 42 in a bent state, and is rotatably supported on the tip portion of the first fitting 42 so that the bending angle can be changed.

[0032] The second end 43d of the second fitting 43 is folded back into a generally U-shaped cross section so as to overlap one surface in the thickness direction of the second fitting 43. Two locking holes 44 for locking a ring portion at one end of a biasing member 86 which is a spring such as a coil spring are formed on the second end 43d side of the second fitting 43. In Figs. 6 and 8 to 10, the biasing member 86 is shown separated from the second fitting 43, but in reality, the ring portion at one end of the biasing member 86 is locked in the locking hole 44 of the second fitting 43.

[0033] The ring portion provided at the other end of the biasing member 86 is engaged with a portion including a locking groove formed in the tip portion of the auxiliary plate 82 bent toward the main plate 81. As a result, the second metal fitting 43 is connected to the first metal fitting 42 in a substantially V-shaped cross section, and is biased by the biasing member 86 in a direction in which they approach each other, that is, in a direction in which the angle of the V-shape becomes smaller. In such a free state of the first metal fitting 42 and the second metal fitting 43, as shown in FIG. 8, the second end 43d of the second metal fitting 43 contacts the lower end of the main plate 81 of the mounting metal fitting 80, and does not contact the pressing lever 46 supported by the main plate 81, which will be described later. In addition, the rear side surface of any one of the movable pieces 35 (for example, the central part) constituting the upper first flap 31 faces the connecting portion 90 at the lower end of the first metal fitting 42 and the second metal fitting 43, and the connecting portion 90 is configured to be pushed upward by the movement of the movable piece 35 in the opening direction toward the back side of the mail receiving chamber 20.

[0034] The pressing lever 46 is supported by being suspended on the auxiliary plate 82 side in the thickness direction of the main body plate 81. The pressing lever 46 is made of resin or metal and has a long rod-like lever body 47 and a protrusion 48 formed at a position biased toward the front side, which is one side of the upper longitudinal direction of the lever body 47, and is substantially T-shaped. A T-shaped groove is formed on one side of the lever body 47 and the protrusion 48 to reduce weight. A hole penetrating in the left-right direction is formed at the tip of the protrusion 48, and a lever shaft 48a penetrating the hole is supported by the main body plate 81, so that the pressing lever 46 is supported rotatably along the lever shaft 48a in the left-right direction with respect to the post body 10. In the free state of the pressing lever 46, as shown in FIG. 8, the lower surface of the lever body 47 is inclined downward toward the back side of the post receiving chamber 20, which is the rear side in the horizontal direction. When the lever body 47 of the pressing lever 46 is extended horizontally, the lower surface of the lever body 47 and the lower end of the body plate 81 of the mounting bracket 80 are substantially flush with each other in terms of vertical height.

[0035] As a result, the upward movement of the second end 43d of the second metal fitting 43 is restricted by the lower end of the main body plate 81 of the mounting metal fitting. The movement path of the second end 43d of the second metal fitting 43 is restricted so that it moves back and forth between a first position shown in Fig. 8 and a second position shown in Fig. 10. Specifically, the first position is a position in which the second end 43d comes into contact with the lower end of the main body plate 81 when it has moved to the maximum extent toward the first metal fitting 42 due to the biasing force of the biasing member 86 as shown in Fig. 8. In this case, the connecting portion 90 of the first metal fitting 42 and the second metal fitting 43 is separated from the first flap 31, and a waiting state for the posting of the post item is maintained.

[0036] The second position is a position where the second end 43d moves to the maximum rearward position while being pressed against the lower surface of the pressing lever 46 as a result of the connecting portion 90 being pushed upward on the rear surface of the first flap 31, as shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 9 shows an intermediate position between the first and second positions, where the second end 43d is the position where the second end 43d first comes into contact with the lower end of the pressing lever 46 when the connecting portion 90 is pushed upward on the rear surface of the first flap 31. In this state, a detection switch 7070, which will be described later, is turned ON.

[0037] Between FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the second end 43d slides rearward along the lower surface of the pressing lever 46. In this state, the lower surface of the pressing lever 46 is generally aligned in the front-rear direction. When the mail slot 18 is opened, the connection portion 90 between the first metal fitting 42 and the second metal fitting 43 is pressed by the first flap 31, and the second end 43d of the second metal fitting 43 moves so that the bending angle between the first metal fitting 42 and the second metal fitting 43 increases. In response to this, the detection lever 71 of the detection switch 70 described later is pressed. In addition, with the detection lever 71 of the detection switch 70 pressed, the second end 43d slides along the lower end of the main body plate 81 or the pressing lever 46 between the start of detection in FIG. 9 and the maximum bending angle in FIG. 10. For this reason, as described later, the detection switch 7070 can be effectively prevented from being excessively pressed and destroyed.

[0038] The detection switch 7070 is fixed to a position on the rear side of the protrusion 48 of the pressing lever 46 on the surface of the main body plate 81 on the pressing lever 46 side in the thickness direction. The detection switch 7070 is, for example, a microswitch, and has the detection lever 71 extending diagonally downward, a button (not shown) that is pressed when the detection lever 71 is pressed from below, and a contact circuit in which the circuit is switched from open to closed, that is, from off to on, by the movement of the upper side of the button. The upper surface of the lever body 47 of the pressing lever 46 faces the lower surface of the detection lever 71. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, when the pressing lever 46 and the detection lever 71 are separated from each other, the detection switch 7070 is OFF. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, when the detection lever 71 is pressed by the pressing lever 46, the detection switch 7070 is ON. A signal indicating the ON or OFF state of the detection switch 7070 is sent to a control device (not shown) described later via a wiring not shown. As a result, the first flap 31 is configured to open the mail slot 18 by rotating upward, and the detection unit 40 is positioned inside the post body 10 from the first flap 31, and is pressed by the first flap 31 and activated when the first flap 31 moves to open.

[0039] A display unit (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the post 1 is connected to the control device. When the control device receives a signal indicating that the detection switch 70 is ON, the control device counts the number of times the post has been received by incrementing the number by one, or measures the time required for receiving the post and causes the display unit to display the number of times the post has been received or the time required for receiving the post. This allows the display unit to notify the recipient of the number of times and the time required for receiving a post such as a thick parcel, as described below. The control device may also be connected to a lighting unit provided on the outer surface of the post 1. In this case, the control device can turn on the lighting unit when it receives an ON signal from the detection switch 70, thereby notifying the recipient of the fact that a post such as a parcel having a thickness of a predetermined thickness has been posted. The control device is also connected to a wireless communication unit, and can notify a mobile terminal such as a user's smartphone of the number of times and the time required for receiving a post, or that the post has been received, via the wireless communication unit.

[0040] In addition, when the flap set 30 is closed as shown in Fig. 8, the center position between the closest tips of the first flap 31 and the second flap 32 is set as the reference position O1, and in the state shown in Fig. 9, the tip of the first flap 31 is at a position that is 15 mm open upward from the reference position O1, which is the opening width D1. Therefore, the detection switch 70 can detect that the mail slot 18 has been opened so that the opening width D1 of the mail slot 18 opened and closed by the first flap 31 is equal to or greater than the predetermined width of 15 mm when a mail item is mailed into the post body 10. Therefore, considering that a mail item is usually mailed by passing through the center of the mail slot 18 in the width direction and being inserted evenly apart from both ends in the width direction, the first flap 31 and the second flap 32 open by the same width, and therefore the detection unit 40 can detect that a mail item having a thickness of 30 mm or more has been mailed through the mail slot 18.

[0041] Also, as shown in FIG. 10, when the first flap 31 is in the maximum open state, the tip of the first flap 31 can be in a position that is 35 mm open, which is the opening width D2, upward from the reference position O1. In this case, considering that the mail is usually inserted so as to pass through the center of the mail slot 18 in the width direction and to be evenly spaced from both ends in the width direction, the first flap 31 and the second flap 32 open by the same width, so that the detection unit 40 can detect that a mail with a thickness of 30 mm or more and 70 mm or less has been inserted. Thus, in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the connection portion 90 between the first metal fitting 42 and the second metal fitting 43 continues to be pressed upward by the first flap 31, but the vertical position of the second end 43d of the second metal fitting 43 does not change, and it only slides backward along the underside of the pressing lever 46. This effectively prevents the detection switch 70 from being pressed excessively and being destroyed.

[0042] The post 1 is provided with a detection unit 40 that detects that the post slot 18, which is opened and closed by the first flap 31, has an opening width of 15 mm or more, which is a predetermined width, when an item is posted into the post body 10. This makes it possible to detect that a thick item, such as a small parcel purchased by mail order, with a thickness of 30 mm or more has been posted from the post slot 18 into the post 1. The detection unit 40 does not detect the posting of a thin item. Specifically, the detection unit 40 does not detect the posting of thin mail such as postcards, envelopes, and flyers. This makes it possible to suppress the user from feeling annoyed by frequent notifications in response to detection.

[0043] Moreover, the first flap 31 is configured to open the mail slot 18 by rotating upward. The detector 40 is disposed inside the first flap 31 in the post body 10, and is pressed and activated by the first flap 31 when the first flap 31 moves to open. As a result, since the detector switch 70 is located on the upper side, unlike a case in which a detector switch is provided on the lower side of the lower second flap 32, when mail items accumulate in the mail item storage chamber 20 from below, it is possible to prevent the detection switch from interfering with the storage of the mail items and reducing the amount of mail items that can be stored.

[0044] In the above, the flap set is described as including a first flap and a second flap that face each other vertically, but the flap set may also be configured to include a first flap and a second flap that are rotatably supported on the post body so as to face each other laterally, and the flap set may be configured to open and close a mail slot that opens upward in the post body. In this case, the upper side of the mail slot may be covered with an openable lid. Even in such a configuration, the detection unit of the present disclosure may be provided opposite the back surface of one of the flaps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 mailbox, 10 mailbox body, 12 outer door, 13 upper door, 14 middle door, 16 lower door, 18 cover, 20 mailed item storage chamber, 21, 22 parcel baggage storage chamber, 23, 24, 25 key insertion section, 30 flap assembly, 31 first flap, 32 second flap, 33 first flap shaft, 34, 35 first movable piece, 36 second flap shaft, 37, 38 second movable piece, 39 biasing member, 40 detection section, 41 pressing unit, 42 first metal fitting, 43 second metal fitting, 44 locking hole, 46 pressing lever, 51 flap body, 52 shaft support section, 70 detection switch, 71 detection lever, 80 mounting metal fitting, 81 main body plate, 82 auxiliary plate, 83 connecting plate, 84 first shaft, 85 second shaft, 86 Biasing member, 90 connection portion.

Claims

1. a post body for receiving mail items inserted through a mail slot; A flap that is rotatably supported on the post body and is used to open and close the mail slot; and a detection unit that detects that the mail slot, which is opened and closed by the flap, has an opening width of 15 mm or more, which is a predetermined width, when the mail item is mailed into the post body. post.

2. The detection unit is a first fitting having a base end attached to the post body and supported rotatably relative to the post body; a second fitting that is connected to the first fitting in a bent state and is rotatably supported on a tip portion of the first fitting so that a bending angle can be changed; a detection switch 70 that detects when the opening width is equal to or greater than the predetermined width by being pressed; When the mail slot is opened, the connection portion between the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting is pressed by the flap, and the second end of the second metal fitting moves so that the bending angle increases, and accordingly, the detection switch 70 is pressed. The post of claim 1 .

3. The flap is configured to open the mail slot by pivoting upward, The detection unit is disposed inside the post body from the flap, and is pressed by the flap and activated when the flap moves to open. A post according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. A flap assembly is provided which is rotatably supported on the post body and opens and closes the mail slot, The flap set includes an upper flap and a lower flap that are disposed opposite each other in the vertical direction and are rotatably supported on the post body, The flap is the upper flap. The post according to claim 3.

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