Express package collection locker

• US 4,836,352 A
• Filed: 04/14/1988
• Issued: 06/06/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KOTO Electronics Company Limited 603-2 Higashiushigaya Sowa-Machi Sashima-Gun Ibaraki-Ken Japan, UPL Limited
• Original Assignee: KOTO Electronics Company Limited, UPL Limited
• Inventors: Shimotori, Yoshio, Tateno, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Reger, Duane A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Graham, Matthew C.
• Application Number:
  US07/181,714
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 194/210, 194/215, 232/27, 232/3 D, 232/21, 232/31, 232/32, 232/2 D, 232/24, 232/25, 232/2 L, 235/381, 235/375, 235/385, 235/383, 364/466, 364/566, 364/567, 364/562, 364/563
• US Class Current: 194/215
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/13 the containers being a postal pick-up locker
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42

Abstract

An express package collection locker capable of automatically calculating the portage fee of a package. The locker comprises a plurality of boxes for storing packages, a plurality of weight sensors incorporated in the boxes, respectively, and a plurality of push buttons for selecting regions from a map which correspond to possible destinations of the package. The locker further comprises a CRT display for displaying operating instructions, and a main controller. The main controller calculates the portage fee of a package placed in any one of the boxes, in accordance with the weight of the package measured by the weight sensor provided within the box, and the region destination of the package, which has been selected by operating the desired button. The portage, thus calculated, is displayed by the CRT display. The main controller locks the door of the box when the portage is duly paid into the locker, and then prints and issues a voucher.

Claims

1. An express package collection locker capable of calculating the portage fees of packages, said locker comprising:

a plurality of boxes for storing packages, each having a door;

a plurality of weight-measuring means incorporated within said boxes, respectively, for weighing the packages stored in said boxes;

destination-input means for inputting data representing destinations of the packages stored in said boxes;

portage-fee calculating means for calculating portage fees of each of the packages stored in said boxes, in accordance with the weight of the package measured by said weight-measuring means and the destination input represented by operating said destination-input means;

display means for displaying the portage fee calculated by said portage-fee calculating means and instructions as to how to use the locker;

detector means for detecting whether the portage fee has been paid into the locker;

locking means for locking the door of the box when said detector means detects that the portage fee has been paid for the package stored in the box; and

voucher-issuing means for printing and issuing a voucher when said detector means detects that the

portage fee has been paid and said locking means has locked the door of the box.

2. The locker according to claim 1, further comprising means for printing, on a recording sheet, information about data items of the package stored in any one of said boxes, thereby recording the data items.

3. The locker according to claim 1, further comprising data-transferring means for transferring data representing that a package has been placed in any one of said boxes, to a package collection and delivery center.

4. The locker according to claim 3, wherein said data-transferring means includes a transmitter for transmitting said data to said package collection and delivery center.

5. The locker according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of measuring means, incorporated in said boxes, respectively, for sensing dimensional sizes of packages placed in said boxes; and

wherein said portage-fee calculating means calculates the portage fees of each of the packages, in accordance with the weight of the package measured by said weight-measuring means, the dimensional sizes of the package sensed by said size-measuring means, and the destination input represented by operating said destination-input means.

6. The locker according to claim 1, wherein said boxes have different sizes, and said portage-fee calculating means calculates the portage fee of the package placed in any one of said boxes, in accordance with the weight of the package measured by said weight-measuring means, the destination input represented by operating said destination-input means, and the size of the box.

7. The locker according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of lamp means provided for said boxes, respectively, for indicating whether or not packages have been placed in said boxes.

8. The locker according to claim 7, wherein each of said lamp means comprises a green light-emitting diode for indicating that said box is empty, and a red light-emitting diode for indicating that the box is filled.

9. The locker according to claim 1, wherein said display means displays a map containing regions representing possible destinations of the packages.

10. The locker according to claim 9, wherein said destination-input means includes selection buttons for selecting the regions, displayed by said display means, which correspond to the destinations of packages.

11. An express package collection locker capable of calculating the portage fees of packages, said locker comprising:

a plurality of boxes for storing packages, each having a door;

a plurality of size-measuring means incorporated within said boxes, respectively, for measuring the sizes of the packages stored in said boxes;

destination-input means for inputting data representing destinations of the packages stored in said boxes;

portage-fee calculating means for calculating portage fees of each of the packages stored in said boxes, in accordance with the size of the package measured by said size-measuring means and the destination input by operating said destination-input means;

display means for displaying the portage-fee calculated by said portage-fee calculating means and instructions as to how to use the locker;

detector means for detecting whether the portage fee has been paid into the locker;

locking means for locking the door of the box when said detector means detects that the portage has been paid for the package stored in the box; and

voucher-issuing means for printing and issuing a voucher when said detector means detects that the portage fee has been paid and said locking means has locked the door of the box.

12. The locker according to claim 11, further comprising means for printing, on a recording sheet, information about data items of the package placed in any one of said boxes, thereby to record the data items.

13. The locker according to claim 11, further comprising data-transferring means for transferring data representing that a package has been placed in any one of said boxes, to a package collection and delivery center.

14. The locker according to claim 13, wherein said data-transferring means includes a transmitter for transmitting said data to said package collection and delivery center.

15. The locker according to claim 11, further comprising a plurality of lamp means provided for said boxes, respectively, for indicating whether or not packages have been placed in said boxes.

16. The locker according to claim 15, wherein each of said lamp means comprises a green light-emitting diode for indicating that said box is empty, and a red light-emitting diode for indicating that the box is filled.

17. The locker according to claim 11, wherein said display means displays a map containing regions representing possible destinations of packages.

18. The locker according to claim 17, wherein said destination-input means includes selection buttons for selecting the regions, displayed by said display means, which correspond to the destination of packages.

19. An express package collection locker capable of calculating the portage fees of packages, to be installed against a building with its front facing outward and its rear exposed to said building, said locker comprising:

a box for storing a package;

weight-measuring means incorporated within said box, for weighing the package placed in said box;

destination-input means for inputting data representing the destination of the package placed in said box;

portage-fee calculating means for calculating portage fees of the package placed in said box, in accordance with the weight of the package measured by said weight-measuring means and the destination input by operating said destination-input means;

display means for displaying the portage fee calculated by said portage-fee calculating means and instructions as to how to use the locker;

detector means for detecting whether the portage has been paid into the locker;

package-moving means for moving the package inside of said building from said box; and

voucher-issuing means for printing and issuing a voucher when said detector means detects that the portage fee has been paid into the locker.

20. The locker according to claim 19, wherein said package-moving means comprises:

a rear door attached to the back of said box;

door-driving means for opening said rear door when said detector means detects that the portage fee has been paid into the locker, and for closing said rear door when said box is vacant; and

a slope for guiding a package from said box when the package is moved inside of said building.