Safety insertion apparatus and parcel box
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety parcel boxes face issues such as significant space requirements for locking mechanisms, reliance on parcel weight for activation, inability to accept multiple parcels without unauthorized access, and potential damage to parcels during insertion due to falling.
Innovation Solution
A tubular filling shaft with movably lockable dividers that create separate compartments, allowing for secure storage of multiple objects while preserving space and preventing unauthorized access, with features like latches, magnetic holding, and guide structures to manage divider movement and prevent tilting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking mechanism is introduced to prevent unauthorized access, then security is improved, but the space required for the mechanism increases while storage space remains small
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is divided into multiple compartments by dividers that can be locked into place. Each divider creates a separate compartment, allowing the system to secure multiple parcels independently while using minimal space. The segmentation approach transforms a single large locking mechanism into multiple small, space-efficient divider units.
2Productivity
If the box is designed to accept multiple parcels, then productivity is improved, but reliable closing off of storage space after each insertion becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The dividers are designed to be movable along the shaft and can be locked into different positions. After each parcel insertion, the divider can be moved to close off the compartment containing the new parcel, then locked into place. This dynamic positioning system allows the box to reliably secure multiple parcels sequentially without requiring complex closing mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If parcels are dropped into the storage space for insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but damage to parcels from falling or to earlier received parcels occurs
Solution Approach 1:
A cushioning element is provided at the bottom of the shaft to absorb impact when parcels are dropped during insertion. This beforehand cushioning prevents damage to the inserted parcel from the fall and eliminates the risk of damaging previously received parcels that may be stored in compartments above. The cushioning is positioned in advance to protect against the harmful effect of dropping.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables secure, space-efficient storage of multiple parcels by preventing unauthorized access and minimizing damage during insertion, as compartments can be sized according to the objects and dividers move to accommodate varying sizes without requiring additional space for opening.
Implementation Method 1
the shaft and/or the divider comprise cooperating magnetic and/or magnetisable elements for releasably holding the divider in at least one predetermined position relative to the shaft
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for one-way filling, in particular a secure reception box or a parcel box is provided. The apparatus comprises a tubular filling shaft having a filling end (F) for sequentially receiving multiple objects, in particular parcels (P1, P2, . . . ), in a filling direction (FD) within the shaft, and a plurality of dividers. Each divider is movably lockable or movably locked into the shaft and thus locked is movable in the filling direction (FD), closes off part of the shaft forming the thus closed off part into a compartment (C1, C2) for storing a received object, and prevents access, at least from the filling end (F) and in the filling direction (FD), to the respective compartment (C1, C2).