Locking unit, housing with locking unit, and method for unlocking one or more doors of the housing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016265253-A1
Application number	US-201615164711-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 25, 2016
Priority date	Dec 5, 2013
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a housing with at least two doors for locking respective housing openings, comprising: a locking unit, which, for each of the doors, has a respective locking-element module with at least one locking body and with a locking drive for actuating the locking body, wherein the locking drive for the locking-element modules has a common drive element, which can be moved and moves the locking body/bodies for just one of the doors into an unlocking setting and, in a second adjustment position, moves the locking bodies for all of the doors into an unlocking setting; or locking units, wherein one or more respective locking units can be activated for unlocking the associated door of the at least two doors of the housing, and respective locking units can be activated for unlocking all of the associated doors of the at least two doors of the housing.

First claim

1 . A housing, in particular a receptacle for objects, having at least two doors for locking respective housing openings, in particular leading to storage compartments, comprising:
a locking unit which respectively has for each of the doors a locking element module with at least one locking body and a locking drive for actuating the locking body, wherein the locking drive for the locking element modules has a common drive element which is movable by an adjustment distance, and in a first adjustment position moves the locking body or bodies for merely one of the doors or merely a first group of two groups of doors of the doors into an unlocking position, and in a second adjustment position moves the locking bodies for all of the doors into an unlocking position, or locking units, wherein one or more respective locking units of the locking units are controllable to unlock the door or first group of two groups of doors of the at least two doors of the housing which is/are respectively assigned to said locking units, and respective locking units of the locking units are controllable to unlock all of the doors of the at least two doors of the housing which are respectively assigned to said locking units, wherein the housing further comprises: an authorization checking processor configured to check the respective authorization of persons to unlock one or more of the doors of the housing, on the basis of authorization information which is respectively used by the persons when providing proof of authorization, wherein the authorization information comprises authorization characteristic variables, wherein one of the authorization characteristic variables is information as to which door(s) or group(s) of doors of the housing can be opened with this authorization information, and wherein the authorization information comprises the result of a cryptographic operation with a key to the authorization characteristic variables as a checking information, and either a controller configured to control a drive assigned to the common drive element depending on the result of the check of the authorization checking processor, with the result that the common drive element assumes the first adjustment position if first authorization information was used when providing proof of authorization, and assumes the second adjustment position if second authorization information was used when providing proof of authorization, or a controller configured to control
the one or more respective locking units to unlock the door or first group of two groups of doors of the at least two doors of the housing which is/are respectively assigned to said locking units if first authorization information was used when providing proof of authorization, and
the respective locking units to unlock all of the doors of the at least two doors of the housing which are respectively assigned to said locking units if second authorization information was used when providing proof of authorization,
so that in case of using the first authorization information, only the door or the first group of doors of the at least two doors is unlocked and in case of using the second authorization information, all doors of the at least two doors are unlocked.

2 . The housing as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the first authorization information is usable by a delivery agent or a group of delivery agents and authorizes said agent/agents to unlock merely the one of the doors or merely the first group of doors of the doors in order to permit said agent/agents to place one or more shipments in the respective housing opening or openings and/or to collect one or more shipments, in particular parcels, from the respective housing opening or openings, and wherein the second authorization information authorizes at least one person assigned to the housing, in particular an owner of the housing, to unlock all of the doors, in order to permit said person to remove one or more delivered shipments, in particular parcels, from the housing opening or openings which is/are assigned to the door or to the first group of doors, or to place one or more shipments which are to be collected, in particular parcels, in the housing opening which is/are assigned to the door or to the first group of doors, and to remove one or more delivered shipments, in particular letters, from the housing opening or openings which is/are assigned to the remaining door or doors of the doors.

3 . The housing as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the authorization checking processor is configured to prevent the door or the first group of doors of the doors of the housing from being unlocked twice in direct succession with respective use of the first authorization information.

4 . The housing as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the common drive element is embodied as a rotatable axle which has first and second rod parts which can be releasably secured to one another in such a way that first and second rod parts rotate together, and in that each locking body is non-movably secured to the/each first rod part, and in that each locking body is mounted on the/each second rod part so as to be rotatable about the axle with a defined amount of play.

5 . The housing as claimed in claim 4 , characterized in that the locking body which is rotatably mounted on a second rod part has a bearing sleeve with a cutout, which bearing sleeve is movably guided on the axle, wherein a pin which protrudes radially from the axle engages in the cutout in the bearing sleeve and as a result defines the play with respect to the rotation of the bearing sleeve on the axle.

6 . The housing as claimed in claim 5 , characterized in that the pin on the axle is accommodated in the locking position of the locking body in a central region of the cutout which defines the play for the rotation of the bearing sleeve on the axle.

7 . The housing as claimed in claim 4 , characterized in that one or more locking bodies are arranged on a rod part in an axial direction in a mirror-symmetrical fashion with respect to the horizontal central axis of the rod part.

8 . The housing as claimed in claim 4 , characterized in that the first and second rod parts have, at both ends, coupling pieces which are constructed symmetrically about the horizontal central axis of each rod part.

9 . A method for unlocking one or more doors of a housing as claimed in claim 1 , the method comprising:
proving, vis-à-vis the authorization checking processor of the housing, the authorization of a person to unlock one or more doors of the housing by using the first or second authorization information.

10 . The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein proving the authorization comprises the following:
inputting the first or second authorization information, or information which was generated using the first or second authorization information, into an input unit of the housing, or transmitting, in particular in a wireless fashion, the first or second authorization information, or information which was generated using the first or second authorization information, to a reception unit of the housing.

11 . The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the first authorization information provides authorization to respectively unlock one or more doors of a plurality of housings.

12 . The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the first authorization information is stored on a portable electronic device, in particular on an RFID or NFC tag or on a hand-held scanner.

13 . The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the first authorization information provides authorization for respectively unlocking one or more doors of only one housing, and wherein t

Assignees

• Hild Horst
• Carstens Christian
• Dautz Christoph
• Benz Ramin
• Jansen Jochen
• Deutsche Post Ag

Inventors

• Hild Horst
• Carstens Christian
• Dautz Christoph
• Benz Ramin
• Jansen Jochen

Classifications

• G07C9/28

  the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence · CPC title

• G07C9/29

  the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards · CPC title

• G05B19/00

  Program-control systems · CPC title

• G06Q10/0836

  Recipient pick-ups · CPC title

• G07C2009/00468

  after n uses · CPC title