Lock structure for storage box door

Abstract

To provide a lock structure for a storage box door with which a lock can be unlocked and the door can be easily opened.SOLUTION: A lock structure 5 of a door 4 of a storage box 1 includes: a box body 2; the door 4; a lock part 51; an operation part 52; a movable member 53 that moves in conjunction with the operation of the operation part 52; and an engagement part 54 that is engageable with an edge of an opening 2a of the box body 2 and is movable in conjunction with the movement of the movable member 53. The engagement part 54 is movable between an engagement position where the engagement part 54 engages with the edge of the opening 2a of the box body 2 and a release position where the engagement with the edge of the opening 2a of the box body 2 is released. Further, when the engagement part 54 is moved from the engagement position to the release position, the engagement part 54 becomes movable to a temporary retention release position in which a disengaged state between the engagement part 54 and the edge of the opening 2a of the box body 2 is temporarily held, by being regulated by a second regulating portion 534 of the movable member 53, which is urged by a biasing force of a first biasing member 53a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lock structure for a door of a storage box. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, lock structures for doors of storage boxes are known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In some door lock structures, the door cannot be opened unless the lock is once unlocked and is held in the unlocked position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-127342 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of a lock structure in which the door cannot be opened unless the lock is held in the unlocked position after it has been unlocked, it is inconvenient to have to open the door of the storage box while holding the lock in the unlocked position. Therefore, it is required to be able to release the lock and open the door easily.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a lock structure for a door of a storage box that can be unlocked and the door opened easily. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides a box body, a door capable of opening and closing an opening of the box body, a locking section provided on the door and changeable between a locked state and an unlocked state, an operation section provided on the door and exposed to the outside of the door, and operable from the outside of the door when the locking section is in an unlocked state, a moving member provided on the door, having a first restricting section and a second restricting section, and moving in conjunction with the operation of the operation section, an engagement section provided on the door, capable of engaging with an edge of the opening of the box body, and movable in conjunction with the movement of the moving member, and a first biasing member that biases the moving member from a position side where the engagement section is not restricted by the first restricting section and the second restricting section of the moving member, toward a position side where the engagement section is restricted by the first restricting section and the second restricting section, and a release position in which the engagement portion is disengaged from the edge of the opening of the box body by being restricted by the first restricting portion of the movable member when the door is in a closed position, and is not restricted by the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion of the movable member by moving the movable member against the biasing force of the first biasing member, and the engagement portion is disengaged from the edge of the opening of the box body when the door is in a closed position, and is not restricted by the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion of the movable member when the movable member is moved from the engagement position to the release position, and is movable to a temporary retention release position in which the disengaged state of the engagement portion and the edge of the opening of the box body is temporarily maintained by being restricted by the second restricting portion of the movable member biased by the biasing force of the first biasing member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a mailbox according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] This is a perspective view of the mailbox from the rear side. [Diagram 3] This is an oblique view of the mailbox from the rear side with the front and rear doors open. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the mailbox with the rear door open. [Diagram 5]1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which the rear door of the mailbox is closed and the latch portion of the locking device of the rear door is in the engaged position. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the lock device for the rear door. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing a case where the moving member of the locking device for the rear door is located at a first restricted position. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing the movable member of the locking device for the rear door when it is in a retracted position. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing the state in which the moving member of the locking device for the rear door is located at the second restricted position. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a perspective view, seen from the outside of the post body, of a state in which the movable member of the locking device for the rear door is positioned in a first restricted position, causing the latch portion to be positioned in an engaged position. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a perspective view seen from the inside of the post body, showing a state in which the movable member of the locking device for the rear door is positioned in a first restricted position, causing the latch portion to be positioned in an engaged position. FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a perspective view seen from the outside of the post body, showing a state in which the movable member of the rear door locking device is positioned in the second restricted position, causing the latch portion to be positioned in the temporary hold release position. FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a perspective view seen from the inside of the post body, showing a state in which the movable member of the locking device for the rear door is positioned in the second restricted position, causing the latch portion to be positioned in the temporary hold release position. FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the latch portion is located at an engagement position, with a portion of the latch portion being shown in cross section; FIG. [Figure 16] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the latch portion is located at a temporary hold release position, with a portion of the latch portion being shown in cross section; FIG. [Figure 17] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the operation of the locking device for the rear door, illustrating a state from when the latch portion is in the engaged position to when the engagement of the latch portion is released. [Figure 18]13A and 13B are diagrams showing the operation of the locking device for the rear door, illustrating the state from when the rear door is open to when the rear door is closed and the latch portion is positioned at the engagement position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] A description will be given of a mailbox 1 according to one embodiment. In the mailbox 1, the depth direction when a person faces the front of the mailbox 1 is referred to as the "depth direction." In the depth direction of the mailbox 1, the front side (diagonally forward left side in FIG. 1) is referred to as the front side, and the rear side (diagonally rear right side in FIG. 1) is referred to as the rear side or back side. In addition, the left-right direction when a person faces the front of the mailbox 1 is referred to as the "left-right direction."

[0009] A mailbox 1 according to one embodiment is installed in a wall material 10, such as a block wall or a gate sleeve, as shown in Fig. 1. The mailbox 1 includes a mailbox body 2 (box body), a front door 3 disposed on the front side of the mailbox body 2 and attached so as to be able to open and close a front opening (not shown) of the mailbox body 2, and a rear door 4 (door) disposed on the rear side of the mailbox body 2 and attached so as to be able to open and close a rear opening 2a (opening) of the mailbox body 2 (see Fig. 3).

[0010] 2 and 3, the rear door 4 is configured to rotate about a rotation axis J1 that is provided at the lower end and extends in the left-right direction, to open and close the rear opening 2a of the post body 2. The rear door 4 includes a rear door body 41, a handle 42, and a lock structure 5 for the rear door 4 (door).

[0011] In the description of the lock structure 5 of the rear door 4 of this embodiment, the left-right direction when a person faces the rear door 4 of the mailbox 1 is referred to as the left-right direction X, and in the lock structure 5 of the rear door 4, one side of the left-right direction X is referred to as one side X1 (the front left side in Figs. 2 and 3), and the other side of the left-right direction X is referred to as the other side X2 (the rear right side in Figs. 2 and 3). In addition, the thickness direction of the rear door 4 is referred to as the width direction H of the lock structure 5, the inner side of the mailbox 1 in the width direction H of the lock structure 5 is referred to as the inner side H1, and the rear side of the mailbox 1 in the width direction H of the lock structure 5 is referred to as the outer side H2.

[0012] 2, when the rear door body 41 is in the closed position, it is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape that covers the entire rear part of the post body 2 when the mailbox 1 is viewed from the rear side. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear door 4 is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis J1 provided at the bottom of the post body 2 to open and close the rear opening 2a of the post body 2.

[0013] 2, the handle 42 is formed on the upper edge of an opening recess 43 that opens and recesses in a rectangular shape extending in the left-right direction X on the lower side of the outer surface of the rear door main body 41. By hanging a hand on the handle 42 and rotating the rear door 4 around the rotation axis J1, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the latch portion 54 provided on the rear door 4 can be engaged with the latch receiving portion 22 provided on the upper edge of the rear opening 2a of the post main body 2, and when the rear door 4 is closed, the rear door 4 can be held by the latch receiving portion 22 provided on the upper edge of the rear opening 2a of the post main body 2.

[0014] The lock structure 5 for the rear door 4 is provided on the rear door 4 as shown in Figures 3 to 5, and includes a push lock 51 (lock portion), an operating knob 52 (operating portion), a moving member 53, a latch portion 54 (engagement portion), and a case body 6 as shown in Figures 6 to 8. The case body 6 has a front case 61, a rear case 62, and a latch case 63.

[0015] The push lock 51 can be changed between a locked state and an unlocked state. As shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the push lock 51 has a plurality of push buttons 511 and a sliding plate 512. As shown in Fig. 2, the plurality of push buttons 511 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction X at a position closer to the other side X2 in the left-right direction X at the upper rear part of the rear door 4. The plurality of push buttons 511 are arranged protruding from an outer surface of the outer side H2 in the width direction H of the rear door 4 to the outer side H2. Each of the plurality of push buttons 511 is configured to be movable between a pressed state and an unpressed state.

[0016] The push lock 51 allows a combination of pressed and unpressed states to be set as a secret code for each of the multiple push buttons 511.

[0017] As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the sliding plate 512 is disposed above the multiple push buttons 511. The sliding plate 512 is formed in a plate shape having a thickness in the up-down direction, has a width in the width direction H of the rear door 4, and extends in the left-right direction X. The sliding plate 512 is configured to be movable in the left-right direction X and also configured to be movable to the inner side H1 in the width direction H. When the push lock 51 is to be unlocked, the multiple push buttons 511 are pressed to match the set PIN combination, thereby forming a space in which the sliding plate 512 can move in the left-right direction X. As a result, when the push lock 51 is unlocked, the sliding plate 512 can be moved in the left-right direction X, and when the push lock 51 is locked, the sliding plate 512 cannot be moved in the left-right direction X.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 8, an operation knob 52 is connected to an outer side protruding plate 512a that protrudes from a portion slightly inside the end of one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the sliding plate 512 to an outer side H2 in the width direction H, and a movable member 53 is connected to an inner side protruding plate 512b that protrudes from the end of one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the sliding plate 512 to an inner side H1 in the width direction H.

[0019] The operation knob 52 is provided on the rear door 4 and exposed to the outside of the rear door 4. When the push lock 51 is in an unlocked state, the operation knob 52 can be operated from the outside of the rear door 4. The operation knobs 52 are arranged side by side at intervals on one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the multiple push buttons 511. The operation knob 52 is arranged protruding from an outer surface of the outside side H2 in the width direction H of the rear door 4 to the outside side H2. As shown in Figs. 8 to 14, the operation knob 52 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction X within a predetermined range in the left-right direction X.

[0020] The operation knob 52 is connected to the outer protruding plate 512a of the sliding plate 512. When the push lock 51 is in an unlocked state where it is unlocked, the operation knob 52 can be operated to move in the left-right direction X. By moving the operation knob 52 in the left-right direction X, the sliding plate 512 connected to the operation knob 52 can be moved in the left-right direction X in conjunction with the operation knob 52.

[0021] By pushing the operation knob 52 toward the inner side H1 in the width direction H, it is possible to move the sliding plate 512 to the inner side H1 in the width direction H. By pushing and moving the sliding plate 512 toward the inner side H1 in the width direction H, if any of the multiple push buttons 511 is pressed by mistake, the pressed state of the push button 511 can be released, returning the push button 511 to an unpressed state.

[0022] The moving member 53 moves in conjunction with the operation of the operation knob 52. As shown in Fig. 8, the moving member 53 is connected to the inner protruding plate 512b of the sliding plate 512. The moving member 53 is formed to extend in the left-right direction X. A spring 53a (first biasing member) is disposed on the other side X2 of the moving member 53 in the left-right direction X. The moving member 53 is biased by the spring 53a toward one side X1 in the left-right direction X in a state in which it can move in the left-right direction X.

[0023] 8 to 10, the moving member 53 has a moving main body portion 531 and a tip latch restricting portion 532 that protrudes from an end portion of one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the moving main body portion 531 to one side X1 in the left-right direction X. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the moving main body portion 531 has an outer shape formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that has a predetermined width in the width direction H and a height in the up-down direction and extends in the left-right direction X.

[0024] 8 to 10, the moving main body 531 is connected to an inner side protruding plate 512b that protrudes toward an inner side H1 in the width direction H at an end portion on one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the sliding plate 512. An end portion on the other side X2 in the left-right direction X of the moving main body 531 is biased toward the one side X1 in the left-right direction X by a spring 53a.

[0025] As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the movable member 53 is configured to be movable between a position (see Figure 9) where the latch portion 54 is not regulated by the engagement position regulating portion 533 (first regulating portion) and the tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 (second regulating portion) of the tip side latch regulating portion 532, to a position (see Figures 8 and 10) where the latch portion 54 is regulated by the engagement position regulating portion 533 and the tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534.

[0026] The movable member 53 is configured to be movable between a first regulating position (see Figure 8) in which the engagement position regulating portion 533 of the movable member 53 regulates the latch portion 54, a retracted position (see Figure 9) in which the movable member 53 is not engaged with the latch portion 54 and is retracted from the latch portion 54, and a second regulating position (see Figure 10) in which the tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 of the movable member 53 regulates the latch portion 54.

[0027] The spring 53a biases the moving member 53 from a position (FIG. 9) where the latch portion 54 (described later) is not restricted by the engagement position restricting portion 533 and the tip side temporary holding position restricting portion 534 of the moving member 53 toward a position (see FIGS. 8 and 10) where the latch portion 54 is restricted by the engagement position restricting portion 533 and the tip side temporary holding position restricting portion 534. The moving member 53 biased by the spring 53a is moved to the other side X2 in the left-right direction X via the sliding plate 512 against the biasing force of the spring 53a by moving the operation knob 52 to the other side X2 in the left-right direction X with the push lock 51 unlocked.

[0028] 12 and 14, when the moving member 53 moves from the other side X2 to one side X1 in the left-right direction X, the tip side latch restricting portion 532 enters a moving space S (described later) on the inner side H1 of the width direction H of the latch portion 54, and restricts the movement of the latch portion 54 to the inner side H1 in the width direction H. The tip side latch restricting portion 532 has an engagement position restricting portion 533 (first restricting portion) arranged on the moving main body portion 531 side, and a tip side temporary holding position restricting portion 534 (second restricting portion) arranged on the tip side opposite to the moving main body portion 531. The engagement position restricting portion 533 and the tip side temporary holding position restricting portion 534 are formed in a stepped shape aligned in the left-right direction X, which is the moving direction of the moving member 53.

[0029] 12, the engagement position regulating portion 533 is formed smaller in height in the up-down direction and in size in the width direction H than the moving main body portion 531, and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending from an end portion of one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the moving main body portion 531 to one side X1 in the left-right direction X. A surface 533b on an outer side H2 in the width direction H of the engagement position regulating portion 533 is disposed on an inner side H1 in the width direction H of the latch portion 54 when the latch portion 54 engages with the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2, and abuts against a latch lower abutment surface 553 of the latch portion 54.

[0030] The engagement position restricting portion 533 is disposed on the inner side H1 of the latch portion 54 in the width direction H, and thereby comes into contact with the latch lower abutment surface 553 of the latch portion 54, restricting the rotation of the latch portion 54 to the inner side H1 in the width direction H. In this state, the latch portion 54 (described later) is located at an engagement position where it engages with the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2, as shown in Fig. 5. As a result, when the engagement position restricting portion 533 of the moving member 53 restricts the latch portion 54, the engagement state between the latch portion 54 and the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 is maintained.

[0031] 15, the tip-side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 is connected to the engagement position regulating portion 533 at an end portion on one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the engagement position regulating portion 533 via a step 535, and is formed to protrude in a triangular pyramid shape from the end portion on one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the engagement position regulating portion 533 to the outside of the one side X1 in the left-right direction X. The step 535 is formed in a triangular shape whose width in the width direction H narrows from above to below on the end face of the end portion on one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the engagement position regulating portion 533.

[0032] The tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 is formed in a right-angled triangular pyramid shape by being surrounded by a triangular side surface 534a, a triangular bottom surface 534b, and a triangular inclined surface 534c.

[0033] The triangular side surface 534a is formed by extending the side surface 533a on the inner side H1 of the width direction H of the engagement position restricting portion 533 to one side X1 in the left-right direction X, and is formed in a right-angled triangle shape whose width narrows toward the one side X1 in the left-right direction X. The triangular bottom surface 534b is formed by extending the bottom surface of the engagement position restricting portion 533 to one side X1 in the left-right direction X, and is formed in a right-angled triangle shape whose width narrows toward the one side X1 in the left-right direction X. The triangular inclined surface 534c is formed by an inclined plane that slopes downward toward the outside in the left-right direction X and slopes downward from the outer side H2 to the inner side H1 in the width direction H, and is formed in a triangular shape whose width widens from top to bottom.

[0034] As shown in Figure 16, by arranging the tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 on the inner side H1 of the width direction H of the latch portion 54, the tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 of the moving member 53 biased by the biasing force of the spring 53a regulates the latch portion 54 (described later) to a temporary holding release position where the latch portion 54 is temporarily disengaged from the latch receiving portion 22 provided on the edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2.

[0035] Since the moving member 53 is biased by the biasing force of the spring 53a, when the operating knob 52 is operated to move the moving member 53 to the other side X2 in the left-right direction X and to the retracted position (see FIG. 9), the tip-side temporary holding position restricting portion 534 is formed to protrude in a triangular pyramid shape on the outside of one side X1 in the left-right direction X, so that the moving member 53 moves to one side X1 in the left-right direction X until the step 535 of the moving member 53 abuts against an end face 554 (see FIGS. 10 and 14) of the other side X2 in the left-right direction X of the latch main body 55. As a result, when the operating knob 52 is released from the retracted position (see FIG. 9), the moving member 53 is moved to one side X1 in the left-right direction X and is moved from the retracted position (see FIG. 9) to the second restricting position (see FIGS. 10 and 14). The second restricting position of the moving member 53 is a position where the tip side temporary holding position restricting portion 534 of the moving member 53 restricts the latch portion 54 and holds the latch portion 54 at the temporary holding release position (see FIG. 14).

[0036] 4 and 5, the latch portion 54 is engageable with the latch receiving portion 22 provided on the edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2. The latch portion 54 is movable in conjunction with the movement of the moving member 53. The latch portion 54 is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis J2 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11 to 14.

[0037] The latch portion 54 is movable between an engagement position (see the upper left diagram in FIG. 17) where it engages with the latch receiving portion 22 provided on the edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2, and a release position where it is disengaged from the latch receiving portion 22 provided on the edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2. When the latch portion 54 is moved from the engagement position to the release position, the latch portion 54 is restricted by the tip-side temporary holding position restricting portion 534 of the moving member 53 biased by the biasing force of the spring 53a, so that it can move to a temporary holding release position (see the upper right diagram, lower left diagram, and lower right diagram in FIG. 17) where the disengaged state between the latch portion 54 and the latch receiving portion 22 provided on the edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2 is temporarily maintained.

[0038] When the rear door 4 is moved from the open position to the closed position, the latch portion 54, when positioned at the temporary hold release position (see the upper left diagram in FIG. 18), comes into contact with the latch receiving portion 22 (see the upper right and lower left diagrams in FIG. 18), and the movable member 53 biased by the biasing force of the spring 53a is moved to a position where the latch portion 54 is regulated by the engagement position regulating portion 533, whereby the temporary hold of the movable member 53 of the latch portion 54, which is positioned at the temporary hold release position (see FIG. 14), is released and the movable member 53 moves from the temporary hold release position (see FIG. 14) to the engagement position (see the lower right diagram in FIG. 12 and FIG. 18).

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the latch portion 54 has a latch main body portion 55, a latch tip engagement portion 56, a rotating shaft member 57, a latch engagement side spring 581, and a latch retraction side spring 582 (second biasing member).

[0040] The latch main body 55 has an elongated hole 551 that penetrates in the left-right direction X and extends in the up-down direction. A rotating shaft member 57 is inserted into the elongated hole 551. The latch main body 55 is configured to be movable along the elongated hole 551 and to be rotatable about a rotation axis J2 of the rotating shaft member 57.

[0041] 12, the latch main body 55 has an end lower frame portion 552 and a latch lower abutment surface 553. The end lower frame portion 552 is formed in a frame shape into which the latch retraction side spring 582 is inserted, on one side X1 in the left-right direction X of the inner side H1 in the width direction H of the latch main body 55. A movement space S into which the moving member 53 can move in the left-right direction X is formed on the inner side H1 in the width direction H of the latch main body 55, on the other side X2 in the left-right direction X.

[0042] The latch lower abutment surface 553 is formed in a plane facing the movement space S (see FIGS. 12 and 14) on the inner side H1 in the width direction H at the lower part of the latch main body 55. When the moving member 53 moves in the left-right direction X and enters the movement space S on the inner side H1 in the width direction H of the latch part 54, the tip side latch restricting part 532 of the moving member 53 abuts against the latch lower abutment surface 553, and when the moving member 53 does not enter the movement space S on the inner side H1 in the width direction H of the latch part 54, the moving member 53 does not abut against the latch lower abutment surface 553.

[0043] The latch engagement side spring 581 biases the latch portion 54 from the release position side toward the engagement position side. The latch engagement side spring 581 biases the latch portion 54 toward the side engaging with the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 in a state in which the latch engagement side spring 581 is disposed between the latch portion 54 and the bottom plate 631 of the latch case 63 on the inner side H1 of the width direction H of the latch portion 54.

[0044] The latch retraction side spring 582 biases the latch portion 54 from the engaged position side toward the released position side. The latch retraction side spring 582 biases the latch portion 54 to the side retracting (moving away) from the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 in a state in which the latch portion 54 is disposed between the latch portion 54 and the bottom plate 631 of the latch case 63 on the outer side H2 in the width direction H of the latch portion 54.

[0045] The latch main body 55 is lifted upward so as to be positioned on the lower side of the long hole 551 on the rotating shaft member 57, while being balanced in a rotatable state around the rotating shaft J2, by a latch engagement side spring 581 which urges the latch main body 55 in the direction engaging with the latch receiving portion 22 (engagement receiving portion) of the post main body 2 on the inner side H1 in the width direction H, and a latch retraction side spring 582 which urges the latch main body 55 in the direction retracting (moving away) from the latch receiving portion 22 (engagement receiving portion) of the post main body 2 on the outer side H2 in the width direction H.

[0046] The moving space S on the inner side H1 of the width direction H of the latch portion 54 is configured to allow the moving member 53 to enter. When the latch portion 54 is biased toward the release position by the latch retraction side spring 582, if the engagement position regulating portion 533 (first regulating portion) of the moving member 53 is arranged on the side to which the latch portion 54 is biased by the latch retraction side spring 582, the latch portion 54 is located at the engagement position, and if the moving member 53 is not arranged on the side to which the latch portion 54 is biased by the latch retraction side spring 582, the latch portion 54 is located at the release position. Also, if the tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 (second regulating portion) of the moving member 53 is arranged on the side to which the latch portion 54 is biased by the latch retraction side spring 582, the latch portion 54 is located at the temporary holding release position.

[0047] The latch tip engagement portion 56 is formed in a claw shape protruding upward from a portion on the inner side H1 of the latch main body portion 55 in the width direction H. The latch tip engagement portion 56 is formed in a claw shape with a tip provided on the upper side and protruding in the circumferential direction so that the cross-sectional shape of the tip follows an arc centered on the rotation axis J2. When the rear door 4 is in the closed position, the latch tip engagement portion 56 engages with the latch receiving portion 22 (engagement receiving portion) provided on the upper edge of the rear opening 2a on the back surface of the post main body 2 (box main body) as shown in FIG. 5.

[0048] The latch receiving portion 22 is provided on the upper edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The latch receiving portion 22 is fixed to the inner surface of a downward protruding plate 21 that protrudes downward from the upper end of the back surface of the post body 2 to the inside of the rear opening 2a, as shown in Figure 5. The downward protruding plate 21 is provided on the upper edge of the rear opening 2a on the back surface of the post body 2. The latch receiving portion 22 is engageable with and disengageable from the latch portion 54 of the locking structure 5 of the rear door 4.

[0049] When the rear door 4 is in the closed position, the latch tip engaging portion 56 of the latch portion 54 engages with the latch receiving portion 22. When the rear door 4 is to be opened, the engagement between the latch portion 54 and the latch tip engaging portion 56 is released, so that the rear door 4 can be opened.

[0050] As shown in Figure 5, the latch receiving portion 22 includes an attachment plate 221 which extends in the vertical direction and is attached to the downward protruding plate 21 of the post body 2, an inner side engaging downward inclined plate 223 which is connected to the lower end of the attachment plate 221 via a step 222 and is formed with a downward slope from the outer end of the step 222 to the inner side of the post body 2, and an outer side upward inclined plate 224 which is formed with an upward slope from the lower end of the inner side engaging downward inclined plate 223 to the outer side of the post body 2.

[0051] The inner engagement downward inclined plate 223 is formed in a plate shape and extends a predetermined length in a straight line from the outer end of the post body 2 of the step 222 connected to the lower end of the mounting plate 221, sloping downward from the outer side to the inner side of the post body 2 as it moves downward (inside the rear opening 2a).

[0052] The exterior-side upwardly inclined plate 224 extends linearly for a predetermined length from the lower end of the interior-side engagement downwardly inclined plate 223, with an upward inclination that rises from the interior side of the post body 2 toward the exterior side as it moves upward. The exterior-side inclined surface 224a of the exterior-side upwardly inclined plate 224 is formed facing the exterior side of the post body 2, and constitutes a collision surface with which the latch portion 54 collides when the rear door 4 is closed. The exterior-side inclined surface 224a of the exterior-side upwardly inclined plate 224 is formed in a plane shape that extends with an upward inclination that rises from the interior side of the post body 2 toward the exterior side as it moves from the lower side to the upper side.

[0053] Next, the operation of the locking mechanism 5 of the rear door 4 of the mailbox 1 will be described. First, when the rear door 4 is in the closed position and the push lock 51 is in the locked state, the latch tip engaging portion 56 of the latch portion 54 of the locking mechanism 5 is engaged with the latch receiving portion 22 of the mailbox body 2 as shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 17. In the state in which the latch tip engaging portion 56 of the latch portion 54 of the locking mechanism 5 is engaged with the latch receiving portion 22 of the mailbox body 2, the moving member 53 is in the first restricted position shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 12, and the latch portion 54 is in the engaged position shown in FIG. 12. From this state, the worker sets the push lock 51 to the set PIN number and moves the operating knob 52 shown in FIG. 8 to the right (the other side X2 in the left-right direction X in FIG. 8).

[0054] 8, the operator moves the operation knob 52 to the right (the other side X2 in the left-right direction X), thereby moving the moving member 53 to the right (the other side X2 in the left-right direction X) via the sliding plate 512. Then, the moving member 53 is moved from the first restricting position shown in Fig. 8 to the retracted position shown in Fig. 9. As a result, the moving member 53 is retracted from the inner side H1 of the width direction H of the latch portion 54, and the biasing force of the latch retraction side spring 582 causes the latch portion 54 to rotate from the engaged position shown in the upper left diagram of Fig. 17 toward the released position, and the latch portion 54 is moved to the released position where it is disengaged from the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2.

[0055] Subsequently, when the operator releases their hand from the operation knob 52 from the state shown in FIG. 9, the moving member 53 moves back to the left side (one side X1 of the left - right direction X) by the biasing force of the spring 53a. Here, the latch portion 54 is biased toward the release position side by the latch retraction side spring 582. In this state, when the moving member 53 is moved to the left side (one side X1 of the left - right direction X), as shown in FIG. 14, the tip - side portion of the moving member 53 penetrates into the movement space S on the inner side H1 in the width direction H of the latch portion 54 against the biasing force of the latch retraction side spring 582.

[0056] The tip - side portion of the moving member 53 that has penetrated into the movement space S on the inner side H1 in the width direction H of the latch portion 54 moves until the step 535 of the moving member 53 abuts against the end face 554 on the other side X2 in the left - right direction X of the latch main body portion 55 of the latch portion 54, as shown in FIG. 14, and the tip - side temporary holding position restricting portion 534 of the tip - side latch restricting portion 532 of the moving member 53 is disposed in the movement space S on the inner side H1 in the width direction H of the latch portion 54.

[0057] In this state, even when the operator releases their hand from the operation knob 52, the latch portion 54 is restricted by the tip - side latch restricting portion 532 of the moving member 53, and as shown in the upper - right view of FIG. 17, the latch portion 54 rotates by an angle α1 from the latch receiving portion 22 of the post main body 2 to the inner side of the post main body 2 and temporarily holds the state where the engagement between the latch portion 54 and the latch receiving portion 22 of the post main body 2 is disengaged at a temporary holding release position (see FIGS. 10 and 14).

[0058] Next, from the state shown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 17, when the operator releases his / her hand from the operating knob 52, the operator places his / her hand on the handle portion 42 (see FIG. 2) to open the rear door 4, and as shown in the lower left diagram of FIG. 17, the rear door 4 is rotated from the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 by angle α2 toward the outside of the post body 2, and the rear door 4 is opened until the latch portion 54 contacts the inner side engagement downward inclined plate 223 of the latch receiving portion 22, and by further opening the rear door 4, as shown in the lower right diagram of FIG. 17, at a position where the angle is α3 from the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 toward the outside of the post body 2, the latch portion 54 is pushed downward while abutting against the outer side upward inclined plate 224 of the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2, while being biased by the latch engagement side spring 581 from the release position side toward the engagement position side, so that it overcomes the lower end of the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 from below.

[0059] Then, as shown in the upper left diagram of Fig. 18, the rear door 4 can be opened by rotating it to a position at an angle α4 from the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 toward the outside of the post body 2. When the rear door 4 is rotated to the state shown in the upper right diagram of Fig. 18 through the states shown in the upper right diagram, lower left diagram, and lower right diagram of Fig. 17, the latch portion 54 is in a temporary retention release position (see Figs. 10 and 14) where the latch portion 54 and the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 are temporarily disengaged from each other. This allows the operator to open the rear door 4 with his or her hand released from the operation knob 52.

[0060] Conventionally, in a lock structure, the door could not be opened unless the lock was once unlocked and then held by hand in the unlocked position. In contrast, in the present disclosure, even if the rear door 4 is not opened while the latch portion 54 is held by hand in the released position, the latch portion 54 can be positioned in a temporary retention release position (see Figs. 10 and 14) in which the disengaged state between the latch portion 54 and the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 is temporarily held, so that the lock can be unlocked and the door can be easily opened without holding the unlocked state by hand.

[0061] Next, when closing the rear door 4 from the state shown in the upper left diagram of Fig. 18, as shown in the upper left diagram of Fig. 18, the worker rotates the rear door 4 to the closing side from the state in which the latch portion 54 is in the temporary hold release position (see Figs. 10 and 14) to the state shown in the upper right diagram of Fig. 18. As a result, as shown in the upper right diagram of Fig. 18, the rear door 4 moves to a position at an angle α5 from the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 to the outer side of the post body 2, and rotates until the latch portion 54 collides with the outer side upward inclined plate 224 of the latch receiving portion 22.

[0062] Then, as the latch portion 54 collides with the external upward inclined plate 224 of the latch receiver 22, the latch portion 54 is pushed by the external upward inclined plate 224 of the latch receiver 22, and the latch portion 54 is pushed from the temporary hold release position shown in Fig. 14 to the external side H2 in the width direction H of the rear door 4 as shown in the lower left diagram of Fig. 18. As a result, the step 535 of the moving member 53 is released from the state shown in Fig. 14 in which it abuts against the end face 554 of the other side X2 in the left-right direction X of the latch main body 55 of the latch portion 54, and the moving member 53 moves to one side X1 in the left-right direction X shown in Fig. 14 by the biasing force of the spring 53a.

[0063] As a result, the engagement position regulating portion 533 of the moving member 53 enters the movement space S on the inner side H1 of the latch portion 54 in the width direction H, and the moving member 53 moves to the first regulating position shown in Fig. 12. When the moving member 53 is located at the first regulating position, the latch portion 54 is regulated by the engagement position regulating portion 533 of the moving member 53 as shown in Fig. 12, and is located at an engagement position where it engages with the latch receiving portion 22 of the post body 2 as shown in the lower right diagram in Fig. 18.

[0064] In this way, when the latch portion 54 is located at the temporary retention release position and the rear door 4 is moved from the open position to the closed position, the latch portion 54 moves from the temporary retention release position (see the upper left diagrams of Figs. 10, 14, and 18) in which the latch portion 54 temporarily retains a disengaged state with the latch receiver 22 of the post body 2 to an engagement position (see the lower right diagram of Fig. 18) in which the latch portion 54 engages with the latch receiver 22 of the post body 2. As a result, the rear door 4 can be closed with the latch portion 54 engaged with the latch receiver 22 of the post body 2 simply by closing the rear door 4.

[0065] The lock structure 5 of the rear door 4 of the mailbox 1 of this embodiment described above provides the following advantages.

[0066] In this embodiment, the lock structure 5 of the rear door 4 of the mailbox 1 includes the mailbox body 2, the rear door 4, a push lock 51, an operation knob 52, a moving member 53 having an engagement position regulating portion 533 and a tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 and moving in conjunction with the operation of the operation knob 52, a latch portion 54 which can engage with the edge of the rear opening 2a of the mailbox body 2 and move in conjunction with the movement of the moving member 53, and a spring 53a which biases the moving member 53. The latch portion 54 is 2, and a release position in which it is disengaged from the edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2. When the latch portion 54 is moved from the engagement position to the release position, it is regulated by the tip-side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 of the movable member 53 biased by the biasing force of the spring 53a, and can be moved to a temporary holding release position in which the disengaged state between the latch portion 54 and the edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2 is temporarily maintained.

[0067] With this, with the push lock 51 unlocked, and the latch portion 54 positioned at the temporary retention release position that temporarily maintains the disengaged state between the latch portion 54 and the edge of the rear opening 2a of the post body 2, the rear door 4 can be opened without holding the released state by hand. Therefore, the rear door 4 can be easily opened by unlocking the push lock 51.

[0068] In this embodiment, when the latch portion 54 is located at the temporary hold release position and the rear door 4 is moved from the open position to the closed position, the latch portion 54 comes into contact with the latch receiving portion 22, and the moving member 53 biased by the biasing force of the spring 53a is moved, thereby moving from the temporary hold release position to the engagement position. As a result, the latch portion 54 can be easily engaged with the latch receiving portion 22 by simply moving the rear door 4 from the open position to the closed position, thereby closing the rear door 4.

[0069] In this embodiment, the engagement position regulating portion 533 and the tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 of the moving member 53 are formed in a stepped shape aligned in the moving direction of the moving member 53. This makes it possible to easily position the latch portion 54 to the engagement position where it is regulated by the engagement position regulating portion 533 and the temporary holding release position where it is regulated by the tip side temporary holding position regulating portion 534 by a simple operation of moving the moving member 53.

[0070] In this embodiment, the latch tip engagement portion 56 is formed in a claw shape that protrudes in the circumferential direction so that the cross-sectional shape of the tip is along an arc centered on the rotation axis J2. The latch receiving portion 22 has an inclined surface 224a that is formed facing the outside of the post body 2 and that hits the latch portion 54 once when the rear door 4 is closed. As a result, when the rear door 4 is moved from the open position to the closed position to engage the latch portion 54 with the latch receiving portion 22, the latch portion 54 can be received by hitting the inclined surface 224a once, so that the latch portion 54 can be smoothly engaged with the latch receiving portion 22.

[0071] A preferred embodiment of the mailbox 1 of the present disclosure has been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the case where the door of the storage box is applied to a mailbox door has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The door of the storage box may also be applied to a door of a delivery box or the like.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the lock is a push lock, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lock may be a combination lock.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the door is opened and closed by rotating about a rotation shaft provided at the lower end of the door, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the door may be opened and closed by rotating about a rotation shaft provided at the upper end of the door. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 mailbox (storage box), 2 mailbox body (box body), 2a rear opening (opening), 4 rear door (door), 5 lock structure, 22 latch receiving portion (engagement receiving portion), 51 push lock (lock portion), 52 operation knob (operation portion), 53 moving member, 53a spring (first biasing member), 54 latch portion (engagement portion), 224a inclined surface (collision surface), 533 engagement position regulating portion (first regulating portion), 534 tip side temporary holding position regulating portion (second regulating portion), 582 latch retraction side spring (second regulating member)

Claims

1. The box body, A door capable of opening and closing the opening of the box body; A lock portion provided on the door and capable of being switched between a locked state and an unlocked state; an operation unit that is provided on the door and exposed to the outside of the door, and that can be operated from the outside of the door when the lock unit is in an unlocked state; a moving member provided on the door, having a first restricting portion and a second restricting portion, and moving in conjunction with the operation of the operating portion; An engagement portion provided on the door, capable of engaging with an edge portion of an opening of the box body and capable of moving in conjunction with the movement of the moving member; a first biasing member that biases the moving member from a position side where the engaging portion is not restricted by the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion of the moving member toward a position side where the engaging portion is restricted by the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion, a lock structure for a storage box door, wherein the engagement portion is movable between an engagement position where the engagement portion engages with the edge of the opening of the box body when the door is in a closed position by being restricted by the first restricting portion of the movable member, and a release position where the engagement portion is disengaged from the edge of the opening of the box body without being restricted by the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion of the movable member by moving the movable member against the biasing force of the first biasing member, and wherein when the engagement portion is moved from the engagement position to the release position, the engagement portion is movable to a temporary retention release position where the disengaged state between the engagement portion and the edge of the opening of the box body is temporarily maintained by being restricted by the second restricting portion of the movable member biased by the biasing force of the first biasing member.

2. an engagement receiving portion provided on an edge portion of an opening of the box body and capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the engagement portion; 2. The lock structure for a storage box door as described in claim 1, wherein when the door is moved from the open position to the closed position while the engagement portion is located at the temporary hold release position, the engagement portion moves from the temporary hold release position to the engagement position by the moving member contacting the engagement receiving portion and being biased by the biasing force of the first biasing member.

3. a second biasing member that biases the engagement portion from the engagement position side toward the release position side, 3. The lock structure for a door of a storage box as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the engagement portion is located at the engagement position when the first regulating portion of the movable member is arranged on the side where the engagement portion is urged by the second urging member, is located at the release position when the movable member is not arranged on the side where the engagement portion is urged by the second urging member, and is located at the temporary retention release position when the second regulating portion of the movable member is arranged on the side where the engagement portion is urged by the second urging member.

4. 3. The lock structure for a door of a storage box according to claim 1, wherein the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion of the moving member are formed in a stepped shape and aligned in a moving direction of the moving member.

5. 3. The lock structure for a door of a storage box according to claim 1, wherein the engagement portion is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis.

6. an engagement receiving portion provided on an edge portion of an opening of the box body and capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the engagement portion; The engaging portion is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis, and a cross-sectional shape of a tip end is formed into a claw shape protruding in a circumferential direction so as to follow an arc around the rotation axis, 3. The lock structure for a door of a storage box according to claim 1, wherein the engagement receiving portion is formed facing an outer side of the box body and has a collision surface against which the engagement portion collides when the door is closed.

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