Cluster box mail delivery unit having security features

• US 8,661,862 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Mikolajczyk, Ryszard K., Baskerville, Taurris D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BOSWELL, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US11/168,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,170 Days
• Field of Search: 292/146, 292/150, 292/175, 292/302, 292/340, 292/341, 292/341.15, 292/341.18, 70 78- 82, 70/84, 701/41, 704/42, 232/17, 232/19, 232/24, 232/25, 232/45, 312/204, 312216-218, 312/292, 312/324
• US Class Current: 70/79
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/1201 Letter-box assemblies for apartment buildings
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 11/02 before the wing is locked
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/2088 Means to prevent disengagement of lock and keeper E05B63/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 2015/023 Keeper shape
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 35/08 operable by a plurality of keys
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 63/0013 Locks with rotary bolt without provision for latching
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 63/14 Arrangement of several locks or locks with several bolts, e.g. arranged one behind the other locks having bolts with multiple head E05B15/108; with provision for latching E05B59/00, E05B61/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 7/04 for wings which abut when closed pillarless vehicle doors E05B83/38
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 9/026 comprising key-operated locks, e.g. a lock cylinder to drive auxiliary deadbolts or latch bolts E05C9/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 1/08 secured individually
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 5/113 Arrangements at the edges of the wings, e.g. with door guards to prevent the insertion of prying tools protection of the locking region by preventing insertion of a tool E05B17/2003; means to prevent forced opening by attack, tampering or jimmying of lock E05B17/2084; anti-tamper devices arranged on or near the hinges E05D11/0018
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0853 Link and lever
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0862 Swinging and hooked end, multiple head
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0922 Operating means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0946 Link and lever
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1076 Link and lever
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/432 Sliding catch
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5097 Cabinet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5102 Projecting lug type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5111 Projectable bolt
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5124 : Swinging and hooked end
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5217 : Swinging dead bolt
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5341 : Key operable only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5354 : With hooked end
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5363 : Key operable only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7915 : Tampering prevention or attack defeating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7921 : Armoring

Abstract

An apparatus and method for enhancing the security of a cluster box unit which includes a protective enclosure, internal cabinetry, door, hinge and locking system. The cluster box unit may also include outgoing mail compartment doors that are heavily constructed and rigidly reinforced, with the locks carried thereon protectively shielded, and with the extensible bolts of these locks being engaged by brackets that not only lock the outgoing mail compartment doors but also the master loading doors of the cluster box units. The cluster box unit may also include master loading doors are provided with hinges that extend the full height of the doors—hinges that are defined by pivotally interfitting elements of extrusions that very sturdily mount the master loading doors, that prevent prying or bending the doors in the vicinities of their hinges. The interfitting elements of the hinge extrusions also permit the doors to be installed on their surrounding door frames quickly and easily, and permit one or both of the master loading doors to be quickly and easily removed for service or replacement when necessary.

Claims

1. A latch system for a cluster box mail delivery unit, the cluster box mail delivery unit including a top wall, a bottom wall, two sidewalls, a back side, and a front face having at least two doors, comprising:

a first door having a front face and a second door having a front face, the first door having a rearwardly turned hooked portion and the second door having a forwardly turned hooked portion shaped complementary with the rearwardly turned hooked portion of the first door, wherein;

an inner portion of the forwardly turned hooked portion faces a direction parallel to the first door,

an end portion of the forwardly turned hooked portion points toward a first sidewall of the two sidewalls,

an end portion of the rearwardly turned hooked portion points toward a second sidewall of the two sidewalls,

an inner portion of the rearwardly turned hooked portion faces a direction parallel to the second door,

the rearwardly turned hooked portion having an inner portion facing a complementary shaped inner portion of the forwardly turned hooked portion,

the rearwardly turned hooked portion having an outer portion facing an inner portion of the forwardly turned hooked portion,

the forwardly turned hooked portion having an outer portion facing an inner portion of the rearwardly turned hooked portion, and wherein the rearwardly turned hooked portion and the forwardly turned hooked portion operatively contact and engage at the end portion of each hooked portion when force is applied to widen a space between the first door and the second door while the rearwardly turned hooked portion and the forwardly turned hooked portion are engaged causing strengthened resistance to the force such that the rearwardly turned hooked portion of the first door and the forwardly turned hooked portion of the second door do not impede the normal opening of the first and second doors;

a door-within-a-door located on the front face of the first door;

an upstanding extrusion having a front wall, the upstanding extrusion being mounted to an internal surface of the cluster box mail delivery unit spanning the top wall and the bottom wall;

a plurality of front wall openings formed through the front wall;

a slide member movably mounted adjacent the upstanding extrusion;

a plurality of slide openings formed through the slide member and disposed proximal the front wall openings;

a plurality of wear plates mounted to said front wall and disposed proximal the front wall openings;

an operating handle connected to the slide member and extending laterally therefrom, the operating handle being accessible to a user through the door-within-a-door on the front face of the first door, wherein the operating handle is concealed when the first door, second door, and the door-within-a-door are in a closed orientation;

a plurality of latch formations coupled to each of the first and second doors, wherein the slide openings and front openings are further located such that moving the operating handle to a second position causes the slide openings and front openings to align more properly thereby allowing the latch formations to pass through the front wall openings and slide openings, the latch formations being mounted to each of the first and second doors of the cluster box mail delivery unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the latch formation have an arrowhead shape.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said arrowhead shape is sized to interlock with the slide member when the slide member is passed through the slide openings.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operating handle further comprises:

a front wall substantially parallel to a plane which includes the front wall of the upstanding extrusion; and

an extending handle formation configured to be substantially in a plane perpendicular to the front wall of the operating handle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the slide member is configured to have free falling movement.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising:

a rightwardly extending portion coupled to the first door and having the rearwardly turned hooked portion coupled to an opposite end of the first door, wherein the rearwardly turned hooked portion the forwardly turned hooked portion operatively engage when force is applied to widen a space between the first door and the second door while the rearwardly turned hooked portion and the forwardly turned hooked portion are engaged causing strengthened resistance to the force, and wherein the rearwardly turned hooked portion of the first door and the forwardly turned hooked portion of the second door do not impede the normal opening of the first and second doors; and

a wide front face having a box-like cross section coupled to the second door and having the forwardly turned hooked portion coupled to an opposite end of the second door.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the rearwardly turned hooked portion points back to the first door and the forwardly turned portion points back to the second door.

8. A method of accessing a cluster box mail delivery unit including a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls, a back side and a front face having at least first and second doors, the first door having a rearwardly turned hooked portion and the second door having a forwardly turned hooked portion, the method comprising:

reaching through a door-within-a-door located on a front face of first door;

grasping an operating handle connected to a slide having a plurality of slide openings, wherein, the slide substantially spans the top wall to the bottom wall of the cluster box mail delivery unit, and the first and second doors each has a plurality of latch formations coupled thereto;

moving said operating handle to simultaneously move the slide in relation to an upstanding extrusion having a front wall and thereby positioning the slide openings to align more properly with a plurality of font wall openings formed through the front wall such that the latch formations may pass through the front wall openings and slide openings, wherein the upstanding extrusion is mounted to an internal surface of the cluster box mail delivery unit spanning the top wall and the bottom wall; and

pivoting the first door to an open position without the forwardly turned hooked portion being impeded by the rearwardly turned hooked portion on the second door,

wherein the second door having a forwardly turned hooked portion shaped complementary with the rearwardly turned hooked portion of the first door, wherein an inner portion of the forwardly turned hooked portion faces a direction parallel to the first door, wherein an end portion of the forwardly turned hooked portion points toward a first sidewall of the two sidewalls, wherein an end portion of the rearwardly turned hooked portion points toward a second sidewall of the two sidewalls, wherein an inner portion of the rearwardly turned hooked portion faces a direction parallel to the second door, wherein the rearwardly turned hooked portion has an inner portion facing a complementary shaped inner portion of the forwardly turned hooked portion, wherein the rearwardly turned hooked portion has an outer portion facing an inner portion of the forwardly turned hooked portion, wherein the forwardly turned hooked portion has an outer portion facing an inner portion of the rearwardly turned hooked portion, and wherein the rearwardly turned hooked portion and the forwardly turned hooked portion operatively contacts and engages at the end portion of each hooked portion when force is applied to widen a space between the first door and the second door causing strengthened resistance to the force.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the latch formations have an arrowhead shape.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said arrowhead shape is sized to interlock with the slide when passed through the slide openings.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the operating handle further comprises:

a front wall; and

an extending handle formation configured to be substantially in a plane perpendicular to said front wall.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the slide is configured to have free falling movement.