Safe deposit box system

Abstract

To provide a safe deposit box system that can reduce an installation area while having a vault room that can store multiple protective boxes closely.SOLUTION: A safe deposit box system S includes an endless member 11 that circulates along a long circumferential track in the vertical direction, a drive unit 12 that drives the endless member 11 to circulate along the circumferential track, a plurality of storage bodies 30 that is configured to be able to be accommodated in a state where it is connected to a part of the circumferential direction of the endless member 11 via a support arm 40 and a plurality of protective boxes is lined up with a predetermined gap in the vertical direction in a vault room R. The storage bodies 30 are opened towards the side that is operated by a user in the safe deposit box system S. The storage bodies 30 has an opening part through which the protective boxes are taken in and out.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a safe deposit box system that allows a user to use only a desired protective box from among a plurality of stored protective boxes. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, financial institutions and the like are equipped with safe deposit box systems for safely storing a plurality of protective boxes in which valuables and the like are stored. For example, the safe deposit box system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is called a fully automatic safe deposit box system, and has a safe room in which a plurality of protective boxes are stored, and a coupon booth where a user performs authentication operations and the like. The safe room is equipped with a rack for storing the protective boxes in a state in which they are lined up horizontally and vertically, and a stacker crane for taking the protective boxes in and out of the rack and transporting them. Then, when an authentication operation is performed at an operation terminal of the coupon booth, the stacker crane pulls out the desired protective box from the rack and transports it to the operation terminal of the coupon booth, and the user becomes able to use the protective box.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a rotating storage shelf device. This rotating storage shelf device is configured by connecting multiple storage shelves to a suspending chain that is driven in a circular motion to draw a long track in the vertical direction. By driving the suspending chain, the desired storage shelf can be transported to an available position, and items can be put in and taken out of the storage shelf. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-234048 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-109711 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in recent years, the reduction in the store area of ​​financial institutions has been remarkable, and there is a demand for a reduction in the installation area (projected area in a plan view) of safe deposit box systems as well. However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, conventional safe deposit box systems are configured to transport protective boxes in a rack using a stacker crane, so when installing the system in a financial institution, the area required for installing the rack and the area required for installing the stacker crane must be secured. In particular, since the stacker crane moves across both ends of the width direction of the rack, a long installation surface is required in that direction, and since the protective box is completely pulled out of the rack and moved up, down, left, and right, an installation surface longer than the length of the protective box is required. Therefore, conventional safe deposit box systems such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot respond to the reduction in store area of ​​financial institutions in recent years.

[0006] On the other hand, the rotating storage shelf device of Patent Document 2 transports the storage shelves using a shelf-hanging chain that draws a long track in the vertical direction, so it is thought that it is possible to reduce the projection area in a plan view compared to a transport device that uses a stacker crane.

[0007] However, in the rotating storage shelf device of Patent Document 2, a shelf support arm is required for each storage shelf to connect the storage shelf to the shelf hanging chain. This rotating storage shelf device is used for storing documents in offices and for storing medical records in hospitals, so as shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the document, the vertical dimension of each storage shelf is set to be longer than the depth dimension. Therefore, since it is easy to secure space for installing a shelf support arm, providing a shelf support arm for each storage shelf does not cause any particular problem.

[0008] However, many of the protective boxes used in the safe deposit box system are thin in shape with the vertical dimension set shorter than the depth dimension. In addition, in order to improve the space efficiency of the safe deposit box system, there is a demand to narrow the vertical intervals of the protective boxes and arrange them as closely as possible. Therefore, if a configuration with shelf support arms as in Patent Document 2 is to be applied to a safe deposit box system, the shelf support arms must be arranged closely in the vertical direction to match the narrow vertical intervals of the protective boxes. In order to arrange the shelf support arms closely in the vertical direction, it is a major issue to secure the installation space, including the non-interference space so that the shelf support arms do not interfere with other members, and in the first place, it may be difficult to arrange the shelf support arms so that they do not protrude in the vertical direction from the thin protective box. For these reasons, the vertical intervals of the protective boxes must be widened, which results in a deterioration of space efficiency. In other words, even if the rotating storage shelf device of Patent Document 2 is applied to a safe deposit box system, the effect of reducing the installation area of ​​the safe deposit box system is limited.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a safe deposit box system that is equipped with a safe room capable of densely storing multiple protective boxes, while enabling the installation area to be reduced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present disclosure can be based on a safe deposit box system including a safe room for storing multiple protective boxes. The safe deposit box system includes an endless member that circulates along a long orbit in the vertical direction, a drive unit that drives the endless member to circulate along the orbit, a control unit that controls the drive unit, and multiple containers that are connected to a portion of the endless member in the circumferential direction within the safe room via a support arm and are configured to be able to store the multiple protective boxes lined up with a predetermined gap therebetween in the vertical direction.

[0011] The container is opened toward a side operated by a user of the safe deposit box system and has an opening through which the protective box is taken in and out. The control unit is configured to control the drive unit to drive the endless member in a circulating motion until the opening of the container coincides with an opening provided in the safe room, and then to stop the circulating motion of the endless member.

[0012] According to this configuration, multiple protective boxes are stored in one storage unit, and since there are multiple storage units, the number of support arms is significantly less than the number of protective boxes. As a result, even if multiple protective boxes are closely spaced in the vertical direction, the support arms do not interfere with each other, making it possible to reduce the size of the safe room in which many protective boxes are stored. In addition, since the number of support arms is significantly less than the number of protective boxes, the space required for providing the support arms is reduced, which also makes it possible to reduce the size of the safe room.

[0013] On the side of the container where the opening is provided, there may be provided a locking member that is switchable between a locking position in which it locks with the protective box contained in the container and a non-locking position in which it does not lock with the protective box, and a biasing member that biases the locking member toward the locking position.

[0014] According to this configuration, the locking member provided on the container is constantly biased to the locking position by the biasing member, so that the protective box contained in the container will not accidentally come out from the opening of the container. When removing the protective box, the locking member is switched to the unlocking position against the biasing force of the biasing member, so that the protective box can be easily removed from the container only when necessary.

[0015] A support portion for supporting the bottom surface of the protective box may be provided on the inner surface of the container so as to extend in the direction in which the protective box is inserted and removed. In this case, a guide portion that is inclined or curved so as to be positioned higher toward the bottom can be provided on the bottom surface of the protective box on the rear side in the insertion direction into the container.

[0016] According to this configuration, when the protective box is placed into the container, if the protective box is positioned slightly lower than the support part, the guide part will come into contact with the support part, guiding the bottom surface of the protective box until it reaches the height of the support part, and then the bottom surface of the protective box is guided by the support part to the back side of the container, so that the protective box can be smoothly placed into the container.

[0017] Here, a configuration in which an inclined or curved guide portion is provided on the container to guide the protective box is also conceivable, but providing an inclined or curved guide portion requires a certain degree of dimension in the vertical direction.Since the container contains multiple protective boxes, if multiple guide portions are provided to guide all of the protective boxes, the vertical dimension of the entire container will be long, which may result in a reduction in the number of protective boxes that can be stored in the safe.

[0018] In contrast to this, in the present embodiment, the guide portion is provided using the bottom surface of the protective box, so that the guide portion can be accommodated between the top and bottom surfaces of the protective box, making it possible to guide the protective box while avoiding the vertical dimension of the container becoming too long.

[0019] An upper portion of the safe may be provided with an upper vibration suppressing portion extending in the depth direction of the safe, the upper portion being in sliding contact with an upper surface of the container to suppress vibration of the container, and a lower portion of the safe may be provided with a lower vibration suppressing portion extending in the depth direction of the safe, the lower portion being in sliding contact with a lower surface of the container to suppress vibration of the container.

[0020] That is, the container circulates along a long orbit in the vertical direction within the safe, but at the upper and lower parts of the orbit, the direction of movement of the container switches from upward to downward or downward to upward, and a horizontal force acts at this time. In this way, the container may shake significantly in the part where the direction of movement of the container changes significantly. In contrast, in this embodiment, by providing an upper or lower shake suppression part, the shake of the container can be suppressed, and the container can be circulated smoothly.

[0021] The outer surface of the housing may be provided with a bracket to which the support arm is connected and a fastening member to fasten the bracket to the housing. That is, when connecting the housing to an endless member during manufacturing or maintenance, a method is considered in which the support arm is attached to the endless member in advance, and then the housing is housed in a safe and connected to the support arm. When this method is adopted, since the safe is small in size, it is difficult for an operator to enter the safe, and it is necessary to connect from outside the safe. In this embodiment, the bracket is first connected to the support arm, and then the housing can be housed in the safe and the bracket can be fastened to the housing, so that the installation workability of the housing is improved.

[0022] An abutment portion that abuts from above against the bracket before the fastening member is provided on the upper portion of the housing so as to extend to the side of the housing. With this configuration, the housing can be temporarily held on the bracket before the bracket is fastened to the housing with the fastening member. This makes it easier to perform the fastening operation using the fastening member.

[0023] A positioning member may be provided on an outer surface of the housing so as to abut against the bracket in a depth direction of the housing, for positioning the bracket relative to the housing. With this configuration, the bracket can be positioned relative to the housing before fastening the bracket to the housing with the fastening member, making the fastening operation with the fastening member easier. Effect of the Invention

[0024] As described above, the container in which multiple protective boxes are housed is connected to an endless member that circulates along a long orbit in the vertical direction, making it possible to create a safe deposit box system that has a vault capable of densely storing multiple protective boxes while allowing for a reduced installation area. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a safe deposit box system according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from above. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of a safe deposit box system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing in which a plurality of protective boxes are housed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of a housing body in which a plurality of protective boxes are housed. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing before the protective box is housed therein; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a front view of the housing before the protective box is housed therein. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the upper left side of the container. [Figure 10] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a structure for connecting a container to an endless member. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing how easily the container shakes. [Figure 12] FIG. 12A is a diagram showing the relationship between the upper anti-vibration portion and the container, and FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the relationship between the lower anti-vibration portion and the container. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a right side view of the housing with the bracket attached. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the transport device and the container. [Figure 15]14 and shows a state in which the arm of the transport device is extended. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description of the preferred embodiments is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safe deposit box system S according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the safe deposit box system S according to an embodiment of the present invention. The safe deposit box system S is installed and operated in, for example, a financial institution including a bank. The safe deposit box system S includes a safe unit 1 having a safe room R therein, and an operation terminal 2 that can be operated by a user, a manager, etc. The imaginary line A shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is a line indicating the boundary between a safe area A1 in which the safe unit 1 is installed, and a coupon booth A2 in which the operation terminal 2 is installed. The safe area A1 is an area in which users cannot enter. On the other hand, the coupon booth A2 is an area in which users can enter.

[0028] In the explanation of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the side of the safe deposit box system S that is operated by the user is called the front side, and the opposite side is called the rear side. The front side can also be called the near side, and the rear side can also be called the far side. Additionally, the side of the safe deposit box system S that is located on the right side as seen from the user's perspective is simply called the "right", and the side of the safe deposit box system S that is located on the left side as seen from the user's perspective is simply called the "left". This definition of direction is provided for ease of explanation, and does not limit the direction of the safe deposit box system S of the present invention when in use or when manufactured.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the operation terminal 2 is provided with a card slot 2a for a user to insert an authentication card (not shown) and a number of keys 2b for inputting a PIN number and the like. A door 2c is provided on the top of the operation terminal 2. The door 2c is a member for opening and closing a protection box space B in which a protection box 20 (shown in FIG. 3, etc.) removed from a safe room R is accommodated. A transport device 3 is provided inside the operation terminal 2 for removing the protection box 20 from the safe room R and transporting it to the protection box space B. This transport device 3 is configured to be capable of transporting the protection box 20 in the protection box space B to the safe room R. Details of the transport device 3 will be described later.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 2, the safe 1 includes a housing 10. The housing 10 includes a front wall 10a, a rear wall 10b, a right side wall 10c, a left side wall 10d, an upper wall 10e, and a lower wall 10f. Each of the walls 10a to 10f constituting the housing 10 is made of a high-strength material having, for example, fire resistance. Of the walls 10a to 10f, for example, the front wall 10a can be opened and closed.

[0031] The inside of the housing 10 is a safe room R. The area (installation area) required for installing the safe unit 1 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1 m 2 This is to accommodate the recent trend of reducing the floor space of financial institutions' branches, and in order to achieve this reduction in installation area, a container 30 that contains multiple protective boxes 20 is provided in the vault R so as to move in a circular motion along a long orbit in the vertical direction, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 2. The container 30 is shown in Figs. 3 to 6.

[0032] More specifically, the safe section 1 includes an endless member 11 (shown by dashed lines in FIG. 2 and virtual lines in FIG. 7) to which a plurality of containers 30 are connected, a drive section 12 that drives the endless member 11, and a control section 13 (shown by dashed lines in FIG. 2) that controls the drive section 12. The endless member 11 is made up of a roller chain, and is provided on the left side of the safe room R so as to circulate along a long orbit in the vertical direction. Note that FIG. 7 is a view of the left side wall section 10d of the housing 10 as seen from inside the housing 10, with the endless member 11 positioned in the center in the front-to-rear direction.

[0033] The drive unit 12 has an upper sprocket 12a, a lower sprocket 12b, an upper support shaft 12c, a lower support shaft 12d, and an electric motor 12e (shown by a broken line only in FIG. 2). The upper support shaft 12c is provided so as to extend in the left-right direction above the vertical center of the left side wall portion 10d. The upper sprocket 12a is supported by the left side wall portion 10d by the upper support shaft 12c so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction. On the other hand, the lower support shaft 12d is provided parallel to the upper support shaft 12c below the vertical center of the left side wall portion 10d. The lower sprocket 12b is supported by the lower support shaft 12d by the left side wall portion 10d so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction. The lower sprocket 12b and the lower support shaft 12d cannot rotate relative to each other.

[0034] The endless member 11 is wound around an upper sprocket 12a and a lower sprocket 12b. Since the upper sprocket 12a and the lower sprocket 12b are spaced apart in the vertical direction, the endless member 11 forms a long orbit in the vertical direction. A rail portion 14 is provided on the left side wall portion 10d of the housing 10, extending to surround the orbit of the endless member 11. The inner surface of the right side wall portion 10c is also provided with the endless member 11, similar to the left side wall portion 10d, and is also provided with a rail portion 14 surrounding the orbit.

[0035] The control unit 13 is a part for controlling the electric motor 12e, and is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, a storage device, etc. The control unit 13 operates according to a program stored in the storage device, thereby making it possible to rotate and stop the electric motor 12e. The control unit 13 determines the timing at which the electric motor 12e starts to rotate, the timing at which it stops to rotate, etc.

[0036] When the control unit 13 controls the electric motor 12e, the rotational force of the electric motor 12e is transmitted to the lower support shaft 12d by a power transmission member such as a roller chain or a transmission belt (not shown). The rotational force of the electric motor 12e transmitted to the lower support shaft 12d is transmitted to the lower sprocket 12b, and the lower sprocket 12b rotates. As a result, the rotational force of the electric motor 12e becomes a driving force that drives the endless member 11 to circulate along the orbit. When the endless member 11 drives to circulate, the upper sprocket 12a also rotates. The upper sprocket 12a may be rotated by the electric motor 12e. In this embodiment, the sprockets 12a and 12b and the endless member 11 made of a roller chain are used to circulate the container 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. The container 30 may be circulated using an endless member (not shown) made of a pulley and a transmission belt.

[0037] The right side wall 10c of the housing 10 is also provided with an endless member 11, an upper sprocket 12a, and a lower sprocket 12b similar to those on the left side wall 10d. The upper support shaft 12c and the lower support shaft 12d may extend all the way to the right side wall 10c, in which case a right upper sprocket 12a can be provided on the right side of the upper support shaft 12c, and a right lower sprocket 12b can be provided on the right side of the lower support shaft 12d. By winding the right endless member 11 around the right upper sprocket 12a and lower sprocket 12b, it can be driven in a circular motion in the same way as the left endless member 11.

[0038] FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the housing 30 in a state in which a plurality of protective boxes 20 are housed. The housing 30 of this embodiment is configured to be able to house five protective boxes 20 arranged vertically with a predetermined gap therebetween. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the fourth protective box 20 from the top is halfway pulled out (in other words, halfway inserted). The number of protective boxes 20 housed in one housing 30 is not limited to five, and any number of protective boxes 20 equal to or greater than two can be housed in the housing 30. In addition, the vertical dimensions of the protective boxes 20 do not have to be the same, and protective boxes 20 with short vertical dimensions and protective boxes 20 with long vertical dimensions may be mixed.

[0039] As shown in this figure, most protective boxes 20 have a thin shape in which the vertical dimension is set shorter than the horizontal and depth dimensions. A lid (not shown) is provided on the top surface of the protective box 20, and the user can open and close the lid using a key. The front side of the protective box 20 is the side that is the front when the protective box 20 is pulled out from the housing 30 (the left side in FIG. 8). A hook portion 20a for hooking the arm of the transport device 3 is provided on the front side of the protective box 20.

[0040] On the other hand, a guide portion 20b is provided on the bottom surface of the protective box 20 on the rear side in the housing direction into the housing body 30 (the right side in FIG. 8), which is inclined so that the position increases toward the rear. The guide portion 20b may be configured as a curved surface that is curved so that the position increases toward the rear, or may be configured by combining an inclined surface and a curved surface, other than being configured as an inclined surface that is inclined so that the position increases toward the rear, or may be configured as a combination of an inclined surface and a curved surface. Also, a guide portion 20b may be provided on the top surface of the protective box 20 on the rear side in the housing direction into the housing body 30 (the right side in FIG. 8), which is inclined or curved so that the position decreases toward the rear.

[0041] As shown in Figs. 3 to 6, the container 30 is box-shaped and has an upper plate 30a, a lower plate 30b, a right plate 30c, a left plate 30d, and a rear plate 30e. The upper plate 30a and the lower plate 30b extend horizontally and substantially parallel to each other, and the right plate 30c and the left plate 30d extend vertically and substantially parallel to each other. The rear plate 30e extends substantially perpendicular to the upper plate 30a. The dimensions of each of the plate portions 30a to 30e can be set according to the size of the protective box 20 and the number of protective boxes 20 to be housed.

[0042] The front surface of the housing 30 is entirely open, and therefore the housing 30 has a structure on the front side having an opening (opening) 31. The protective box 20 can be inserted into the housing 30 through the opening 31, and can also be removed from the housing 30 through the opening 31.

[0043] The upper edge of the opening 31 of the container 30 is formed by the front edge of the upper plate 30a, the lower edge of the opening 31 of the container 30 is formed by the front edge of the lower plate 30b, the right edge of the opening 31 of the container 30 is formed by the front edge of the right plate 30c, and the left edge of the opening 31 of the container 30 is formed by the front edge of the left plate 30d. As a result, the opening 31 of the container 30 is substantially rectangular when viewed from the front side (near side).

[0044] 5 and 6, a left support part 32 and a right support part 33 for supporting the lower surface of the protective box 20 are provided on the left inner surface and the right inner surface of the housing 30, respectively, so as to extend in the insertion / removal direction of the protective box 20. That is, five left support parts 32, the same number as the number of protective boxes 20 to be housed, are provided on the inner surface of the left plate part 30d of the housing 30 at intervals in the vertical direction. Each left support part 32 is plate-shaped and extends substantially horizontally in the depth direction and the left / right direction of the housing 30. The depth dimension of each left support part 32 is set to be longer than the left / right dimension of each left support part 32.

[0045] Similarly to the left support parts 32, five right support parts 33 are provided on the inner surface of the right plate part 30c of the housing body 30 at intervals in the vertical direction. The height of the left support parts 32 and the height of the right support parts 33 are the same. A structure for reducing sliding resistance is provided on the upper surfaces of the left support parts 32 and the right support parts 33.

[0046] When the protective box 20 is accommodated in the housing 30, it is moved from the opening 31 toward the rear side. At the beginning of the accommodation, the bottom surface of the protective box 20 may be located slightly lower than the corresponding left support part 32 and right support part 33. In this case, the guide part 20b of the protective box 20 abuts against the left support part 32 and right support part 33, and the bottom surface of the protective box 20 is guided until it reaches the height of the left support part 32 and right support part 33. This is called guiding the protective box 20. After guiding the protective box 20, the bottom surface of the protective box 20 is guided to the rear side of the housing 30 by the left support part 32 and right support part 33, so that the protective box 20 can be smoothly accommodated in the housing 30. Even if the protective box 20 is located slightly higher than the predetermined position, the protective box 20 can be smoothly accommodated in the housing 30 by providing the guide part 20b on the upper surface of the protective box 20 on the rear side (the right side in FIG. 8) in the accommodation direction to the housing 30.

[0047] In this embodiment, as described above, the protective box 20 is provided with a guide portion 20b (shown in FIG. 8). Although not shown, if a configuration is adopted in which an inclined or curved guide portion is provided in the housing 30 to guide the protective box 20, a certain degree of dimension in the vertical direction is required when providing the inclined or curved guide portion. Since the housing 30 contains a plurality of protective boxes 20, if a plurality of guide portions are provided in the housing 30 so as to guide all of the protective boxes 20, the vertical dimension of the entire housing 30 will be long, and this may result in a reduction in the number of protective boxes 20 that can be stored in the safe room R.

[0048] In response to this, in this embodiment, the guide portion 20b is provided using the lower surface of the protective box 20, so that the guide portion 20b can be accommodated between the upper and lower surfaces of the protective box 20. This makes it possible to prevent the vertical dimension of the container 30 from becoming long, while realizing the guidance of the protective box 20 in the height direction by the guide portion 20b.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 8, the separation dimension E between the vertically adjacent left support parts 32 is the distance between the lower surface of the left support part 32 located above and the upper surface of the left support part 32 located immediately below. The height dimension F of the protective box 20 is the distance from the upper surface to the lower surface of the protective box 20. Furthermore, when the protective box 20 is housed in the housing 30, it is necessary to set the separation dimension E to be longer than the height dimension F of the protective box 20 by a predetermined dimension T, for example, to absorb manufacturing tolerances. In this embodiment, the protective box 20 is guided by utilizing the lower surface of the protective box 20 as described above, so that it is not necessary to provide the housing 30 with a shape for guiding the protective box 20, and the separation dimension E can be shortened accordingly.

[0050] As shown in Figs. 3 to 6, on the side (front side) of the housing 30 where the opening 31 is provided, there are provided locking members 34 that lock onto each protective box 20 housed in the housing 30, and a biasing member 35 that biases the locking members 34. In this embodiment, since five protective boxes 20 are housed in one housing 30, five locking members 34 and biasing members 35 are provided in one housing 30. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, on the outer surface of the left plate portion 30d of the housing 30, there are provided a locking member 34 that locks onto the protective box 20 housed at the top, a locking member 34 that locks onto the protective box 20 housed third from the top, and a locking member 34 that locks onto the protective box 20 housed at the bottom. Meanwhile, a locking member 34 that locks with the second protective box 20 housed from the top and a locking member 34 that locks with the fourth protective box 20 housed from the top are provided on the outer surface of the right plate portion 30c of the housing body 30. A biasing member 35 is provided for each locking member 34. The location where the locking member 34 is provided is not limited to the above-mentioned location, and may be the outer surface of the right plate portion 30c or the outer surface of the left plate portion 30d as long as it is a location that locks each protective box 20 housed in the housing body 30.

[0051] 9 is an enlarged view of the upper left side surface of the housing 30. The locking member 34 has a locking portion 34a that locks with the protective box 20 and a long hole 34b that is long in the vertical direction. The locking portion 34a can be arranged to face the front surface of the protective box 20, and when the protective box 20 tries to move forward, the locking portion 34a abuts against the front surface of the protective box 20, thereby preventing the protective box 20 from coming out of the housing 30.

[0052] A plurality of shafts 30f protruding from the left plate portion 30d of the housing 30 are inserted into the long hole 34b. The shafts 30f are spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction, and the ends of the shafts 30f are provided with portions 30g that prevent the shafts 30f from slipping out of the long hole 34b. The shafts 30f are relatively movable within the long hole 34b in the longitudinal direction of the long hole 34b. That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, the locking member 34 is disposed so that the locking portion 34a faces the front surface of the protective box 20 when the locking member 34 is moved upward. The position where the locking member 34 is moved upward is the locking position where the locking member 34 is locked to the protective box 20 housed in the housing 30.

[0053] 9B, when the locking member 34 is moved downward, the locking portion 34a is positioned below the front surface of the protective box 20, so that the insertion and removal of the protective box 20 is not hindered by the locking member 34. The position moved below the locking member 34 is the unlocked position where the locking member 34 is not locked to the protective box 20 contained in the container 30. In this manner, the locking member 34 is switchable between the locked position and the unlocked position.

[0054] The biasing member 35 is configured with a member, such as a tension spring, that applies a pulling force to the locking member 34 in an upward direction. An upper portion of the biasing member 35 is fixed to the left plate portion 30d of the housing body 30. A lower portion of the biasing member 35 is fixed to the locking member 34. As a result, the pulling force of the biasing member 35 acts on the locking member 34 as a biasing force that biases the locking member 34 toward the locking position. All of the locking members 34 and biasing members 35 are configured in the same way. The right locking member 34 and biasing member 35 have a symmetrical structure to the left locking member 34 and biasing member 35.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 10, the safe 1 includes a support arm 40, a connecting shaft 41, a bracket 42, and a vibration-prevention shaft 43 for connecting the housing body 30 to a part of the endless member 11 in the circumferential direction in the safe room R. The support arm 40, the connecting shaft 41, the bracket 42, and the vibration-prevention shaft 43 are provided on both the left and right sides of the housing body 30, and FIG. 10 shows the right side. The right support arm 40, the connecting shaft 41, and the bracket 42 connect the right side of the housing body 30 to the right endless member 11, and the left support arm 40, the connecting shaft 41, and the bracket 42 connect the left side of the housing body 30 to the left endless member 11. The support arm 40, the connecting shaft 41, the bracket 42, and the vibration-prevention shaft 43 are symmetrical.

[0056] The right bracket 42 is detachably attached to the right outer surface of the housing 30. A connecting shaft 41 extending in the left-right direction is provided on the bracket 42. A vibration prevention shaft 43 is connected to the connecting shaft 41 via a plate-shaped member extending downward. The right portion of the vibration prevention shaft 43 is formed to fit into a rail portion 14 provided on the right side wall portion 10c of the housing 10, and the right portion of the vibration prevention shaft 43 is guided by the rail portion 14 and circulates in a circular orbit.

[0057] One end of the right support arm 40 is fixed to the right endless member 11. The other end of the right support arm 40 is supported by the right connecting shaft 41 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the connecting shaft 41. This allows the container 30 to rotate relative to the right support arm 40.

[0058] The left bracket 42 is detachably attached to the left outer surface of the housing 30. A connecting shaft 41 extending in the left-right direction is provided on the bracket 42. A vibration prevention shaft 43 is connected to the connecting shaft 41 via a plate-shaped member extending downward. The left portion of the vibration prevention shaft 43 is formed to fit into a rail portion 14 provided on the left side wall portion 10d of the housing 10, and the left portion of the vibration prevention shaft 43 is guided by the rail portion 14 and circulates in a circular orbit.

[0059] One end of the left support arm 40 is fixed to the left endless member 11. The other end of the left support arm 40 is supported by the left connecting shaft 41 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the connecting shaft 41. This allows the container 30 to rotate relative to the left support arm 40.

[0060] Although only four containers 30 are shown in FIG. 2, four or more containers 30 are connected to the endless member 11 with narrow gaps so that they do not come into contact with each other. This allows many containers 30 to be driven in circulation by the common endless member 11. The number of containers 30 is not particularly limited, and may be any number. The circulation direction of the endless member 11 is not particularly limited, and may be clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed from the right side of FIG. 2. Furthermore, the multiple containers 30 may be connected to the endless member 11 at positions where they come into contact with each other without gaps.

[0061] In the case of a clockwise direction as viewed from the right side of Fig. 2, when the left and right endless members 11 are driven to circulate, for example, the container 30 located at the front moves upward, then moves to the rear of the circulating track, then moves downward, and then moves to the front of the circulating track. The container 30 connected to the endless member 11 is positioned so that it opens toward the side operated by the user of the safe deposit box system S during circulation. In other words, the opening 31 of the container 30 connected to the endless member 11 by the support arm 40 faces forward when moving along the front of the circulating track. The opening 31 is always facing forward during circulation.

[0062] 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining that the ease with which the contained body 30 shakes during circulation varies depending on the position. When the contained body 30 is moving upward or downward, almost no acceleration in the front-to-rear direction acts on the contained body 30, so the contained body 30 hardly shakes, and the shaking of the contained body 30 is small. On the other hand, when the contained body 30 reaches the upper part of the orbit and moves from the front side to the rear side, and when the contained body 30 reaches the lower part of the orbit and moves from the rear side to the front side, acceleration in the front-to-rear direction acts on the contained body 30, so the shaking of the contained body 30 becomes large.

[0063] In response to this, the safe 1 of this embodiment has an upper anti-swaying part 15 for preventing the housing body 30 from shaking in the front-rear direction at the upper part of the orbit as shown in FIG. 12A of FIG. 12, and a lower anti-swaying part 16 for preventing the housing body 30 from shaking in the front-rear direction at the lower part of the orbit as shown in FIG. 12B of FIG. 12. The upper anti-swaying part 15 is made of a member extending in the front-rear direction (depth direction) of the safe R at the upper part of the safe R, and is configured to stop the housing body 30 from shaking by sliding against the upper surface of the housing body 30 moving from the front side to the rear side at the upper part of the orbit. The dimension of the upper anti-swaying part 15 in the front-rear direction is set longer than the dimension of the upper surface of the housing body 30 in the front-rear direction. The upper anti-swaying part 15 is attached to the lower surface of the upper wall part 10e of the housing 10 so as to protrude downward. A plurality of upper anti-swaying parts 15 may be provided at intervals in the left-right direction.

[0064] The lower anti-swaying portion 16 is composed of a member extending in the front-to-rear direction (depth direction) of the safe R at the bottom of the safe R, and is configured to stop the shaking of the container 30 by sliding against the bottom surface of the container 30 moving from the rear to the front at the bottom of the orbit. The front-to-rear dimension of the lower anti-swaying portion 16 is set to be longer than the front-to-rear dimension of the bottom surface of the container 30. The lower anti-swaying portion 16 is attached to the top surface of the bottom wall portion 10f of the housing 10 so as to protrude upward. A plurality of lower anti-swaying portions 16 may be provided at intervals in the left-to-right direction. The upper anti-swaying portion 15 and the lower anti-swaying portion 16 may be provided as necessary.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 13, a bracket 42 to which the support arm 40 (shown in FIG. 10) is connected and a fastening member 44 for fastening the bracket 42 to the housing body 30 are provided on the right outer side of the housing body 30. The bracket 42 is made of a metal plate material formed so as to extend in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction along the outer surface of the right plate portion 30c of the housing body 30. With the bracket 42 arranged so as to contact the right plate portion 30c of the housing body 30, a fastening member 44 such as a bolt or a screw is inserted through the bracket 42 from the right side and screwed into a screw hole provided in the right plate portion 30c of the housing body 30. This fastens the bracket 42 to the housing body 30. If the fastening member 44 is loosened, the bracket 42 can be removed from the housing body 30. A bracket 42 and a fastening member 44 are also provided on the left outer side of the housing body 30.

[0066] As shown in Fig. 3, abutment portions 37 that abut from above against the bracket before it is fastened by the fastening members 44 are provided on the upper portion of the housing 30 so as to extend to the side of the housing 30. That is, the upper edge of the bracket 42 extends linearly in the front-to-rear direction. When the bracket 42 is placed near the fastening position to the housing 30, the upper edge of the bracket 42 is positioned near the upper portion of the housing 30 and takes a position extending in the front-to-rear direction near the upper portion of the housing 30. The abutment portions 37 are formed so that the upper edge of the bracket 42 in this position abuts against it. The abutment portions 37 are provided on both the left and right sides.

[0067] For example, in the case where a connecting shaft 41 is attached to a support arm 40 attached to the endless member 11, and a bracket 42 is further attached to the connecting shaft 41, the container 30 is attached to the bracket 42 that is already supported by the endless member 11. At this time, since the abutment portions 37 are provided on the left and right sides of the container 30, the weight of the container 30 can be supported by the bracket 42 via the abutment portions 37 before the bracket 42 is fastened to the container 30 with the fastening members 44. This is the temporary holding state of the container 30. Since the container 30 can be temporarily held to the bracket 42, the operation of fastening the bracket 42 with the fastening members 44 becomes easier.

[0068] A positioning member 38 is provided on the outer surface of the housing 30 so as to abut against the bracket 42 in the depth direction of the housing 30, for positioning the bracket 42 with respect to the housing 30. That is, an extension 42a is formed in the rear part of the bracket 42, which extends downward compared to the front part. A notch 42b is formed in the extension 42a, which opens toward the front side.

[0069] On the other hand, a positioning member 38 made of a plate material is attached to the right plate portion 30c of the housing 30 so as to protrude to the right side. When the housing 30 is moved from the front side to the back side with the bracket 42 attached to the endless member 11, the positioning member 38 fits into the notch portion 42b of the bracket 42, and the housing 30 does not move further back. This position is the position where the bracket 42 is fastened to the housing 30 by the fastening member 44. In addition, since a structure is provided in which the plate-like member presses the bracket 42 from the side when the positioning member 38 fits into the notch portion 42b of the bracket 42, the left-right movement of the positioning member 38 relative to the bracket 42 can also be restricted. As a result, it is no longer necessary to perform the fastening work at the back part of the housing 30 and the bracket 42, and the fastening work can be performed only on the front side, making the fastening work easier.

[0070] FIG. 14 shows a state where the opening 31 of the container 30 coincides with the opening 10h provided in the safe R. As shown in this figure, the control unit 13 controls the electric motor 12e of the drive unit 12 to drive the endless member 11 in a circular movement until the opening 31 of the desired container 30 coincides with the opening 10h of the safe R, and then stops the circular movement of the endless member 11. To be more specific, the user's identification information and the position information of the protective box 20 are stored in the operation terminal 2 in an associated state. The position information of the protective box 20 includes which of the multiple containers 30 the protective box 20 is contained in and in which stage of the container 30 the protective box 20 is contained in. When the position information of the protective box 20 is specified, the control unit 13 rotates the electric motor 12e of the drive unit 12 until the protective box 20 coincides with the height of the opening 10h. Since such a control method has been conventionally known, further detailed description will be omitted.

[0071] The transport device 3 is provided with an arm 3a that can be extended and contracted in the horizontal direction. FIG. 14 shows the arm 3a in a contracted state, and FIG. 15 shows the arm 3a in an extended state. When the desired protective box 20 stops in a state where it matches the height of the opening 10h, the opening 10h that was closed by a shutter member or the like (not shown) is opened. After that, when the arm 3a of the transport device 3 is extended, the tip of the arm 3a presses the locking member 34 downward, and this pressing force moves the locking member 34 (shown in FIG. 9A in FIG. 9) in the locking position to the non-locking position (FIG. 9B in FIG. 9) against the biasing force of the biasing member 35. Then, the engaging portion (not shown) of the arm 3a is moved by an actuator or the like to hook it onto the hook portion 20a of the protective box 20. After that, the engaging portion is pulled toward the transport device 3 to take out the protective box 20 from the container 30, and the protective box 20 is transported from the opening 10h to the protective box space B. This allows the user to use the protective box 20.

[0072] When the protective box 20 has finished being used, the protective box 20 can be housed in the housing 30 through the opening 10h by the transport device 3. After the protective box 20 has been housed in the housing 30, the locking portion of the arm 3a is released from the hook portion 20a, and the arm 3a is retracted as shown in FIG. 14. Thereafter, the opening 10h is closed. Note that the configuration of the transport device 3 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and any configuration that allows the protective box 20 to be taken in and out of the housing 30 may be used.

[0073] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, according to this embodiment, a plurality of containers 30 capable of housing a plurality of protective boxes 20 are connected to an endless member 11 and circulated along a long orbit in the vertical direction within the vault R. Therefore, even if the installation area of ​​the vault section 1 is small, a large number of protective boxes 20 can be stored in the vault R.

[0074] Furthermore, since each storage body 30 stores a plurality of protective boxes 20, and since there are a plurality of storage bodies 30, the number of support arms 40 is significantly smaller than the number of protective boxes 20. As a result, even if the multiple protective boxes 20 are closely spaced with narrow vertical intervals, the support arms 40 do not interfere with each other, making it possible to miniaturize the safe R in which many protective boxes 20 are stored. Also, since the number of support arms 40 is significantly smaller than the number of protective boxes 20, the space required for providing the support arms 40 is reduced, which also makes it possible to miniaturize the safe R.

[0075] The above-described embodiment is merely illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. Furthermore, all modifications and variations within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0076] As described above, the safe deposit box system according to the present invention can be used, for example, when introduced into financial institutions and the like that require a small installation area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 10h opening 11 Endless member 12 Drive unit 13 Control section 15 Upper anti-sway part (upper vibration suppression part) 16 Lower anti-sway part (lower anti-sway part) 20 Protective box 20b Guide part 30 Containment Unit 31 Opening port (opening part) 32 Left side support part 33 Right side support part 34 Locking member 35 Pressing member 37 Contact part 38 Positioning member 40 Support Arm 42 Bracket R Vault S Safe Deposit Box System

Claims

1. A safe deposit box system having a safe room for storing a plurality of protective boxes, An endless member that circulates along a long orbit in the vertical direction; a drive unit that drives the endless member to circulate along the orbit; A control unit that controls the drive unit; a plurality of containers connected to a portion of the circumferential direction of the endless member via a support arm in the safe chamber and configured to be capable of accommodating a plurality of the protective boxes arranged vertically with a predetermined gap therebetween; the container has an opening that opens toward a side operated by a user of the safe deposit box system and through which the protective box is inserted and removed; a control unit configured to drive the endless member in a circular movement until the open portion of the container coincides with an opening provided in the safe room, and then control the drive unit to stop the rotation of the endless member.

2. 2. The safe deposit box system according to claim 1, A safe deposit box system, comprising: a locking member switchable between a locking position in which it locks with the protective box contained in the container and a non-locking position in which it does not lock with the protective box; and a biasing member biasing the locking member toward the locking position, on the side of the container where the opening is provided.

3. 2. The safe deposit box system according to claim 1, A support portion for supporting a lower surface of the protective box is provided on an inner surface of the container so as to extend in a direction in which the protective box is inserted and removed, A safe deposit box system in which a guide portion is provided on the underside of the protective box at the rear side in the direction of storage into the storage body, the guide portion being inclined or curved so as to be positioned higher as it goes toward the rear.

4. 2. The safe deposit box system according to claim 1, A safe rental system in which an upper vibration suppression section is provided at the top of the safe room so as to extend in the depth direction of the safe room, the upper vibration suppression section suppressing the vibration of the storage body by sliding against the upper surface of the storage body.

5. 2. The safe deposit box system according to claim 1, A safe rental system in which a lower vibration suppression section is provided at the bottom of the safe room so as to extend in the depth direction of the safe room and suppress the vibration of the container by sliding contact with the underside of the container.

6. 2. The safe deposit box system according to claim 1, A safe deposit box system, wherein an outer surface of the container is provided with a bracket to which the support arm is connected and a fastening member for fastening the bracket to the container.

7. 7. The safe deposit box system according to claim 6, A safe deposit box system in which an abutment portion is provided on the upper part of the container so as to extend to the side of the container and abuts from above against the bracket before it is fastened by the fastening member.

8. 7. The safe deposit box system according to claim 6, A safe deposit box system in which a positioning member is provided on an outer surface of the container so as to abut against the bracket in the depth direction of the container, for positioning the bracket relative to the container.

Images