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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. An electric locker apparatus to be installed at a public space,
comprising:
a plurality of locker boxes of at least one type, each locker box having a
door with an electric lock device, and a sensor for detecting whether the
relevant locker box is occupied by an article or empty;
means for automatically designating an empty locker box of a desired type
such that any one of the locker boxes of a same type, after it has been
once occupied by the article, can be designated only after subsequent
occupation of all remaining locker boxes of the same type; and
means for actuating the lock device of the designated locker box to unlock
the door, thereby allowing the article to be accommodated in the
designated locker box.
2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including locker boxes of two or
more types, further comprising means for manually selecting a desired type
of the locker box to be occupied, depending upon the size of an article to
be accommodated in a locker box.
3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means for
manually selecting one of a plurality of operation modes of the apparatus,
including one operation mode wherein an article to be delivered to a
registered user can be accommodated in a locker box, and another operation
mode wherein the article delivered to the registered user and accommodated
in the locker box can be taken-out by the registered user.
4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising means for
manually inputting identification data of a registered user to whom an
article is to be delivered.
5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further comprising means for
displaying identification data of the registered user to whom an article
has been delivered and accommodated in a locker box.
6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising means for
issuing a certificate only after all procedures have been completed to
deliver an article to a registered user by accommodating the article in a
locker box.
7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means for
manually selecting one of a plurality of operation modes of the apparatus,
including one operation mode wherein an article to be delivered to a
service agent can be accommodated in a locker box by a registered user,
and another operation mode wherein the article accommodated in the locker
box can be taken-out by the service agent.
8. An electric locker apparatus to be installed at a public space,
comprising:
an electric power supply including a main switch;
a plurality of locker boxes of two or more types, each locker box having an
electric lock device and a sensor for detecting whether the relevant
locker box is empty or occupied by an article, said locker boxes being
assigned with respective box numbers of successive natural numbers which
are independent from the type of the locker box;
locker box type selection means for manually selecting the type of the
locker box, depending upon the size of an article to be accommodated in a
locker box;
locker box designation means for successively retrieving the locker boxes
and designating an empty locker box of the selected type which is to be
occupied by the article, such that any one of the locker boxes of a same
type, after it has been once occupied by an article, is designated only
after subsequent occupation of all remaining locker boxes of the same
type; and
control means for permitting the designating locker box of the selected
type to be opened to accommodate an article, by controlling the relevant
electric lock device upon coincidence of an input identification code with
a data stored in the control means.
9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, further comprising means for
manually selecting one of a plurality of operation modes of the apparatus,
including one operation mode wherein an article to be delivered to a
registered user can be accommodated in a locker box, and another operation
mode wherein the article delivered to the registered user and accommodated
in the locker box can be taken-out by the register user.
10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, further comprising mean for
manually inputting identification data of a registered user to whom an
article is to be delivered.
11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, further comprising means for
displaying identification data of the registered user to whom an article
has been delivered and accommodated in a locker box.
12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, further comprising means for
issuing a certificate only after all procedures have been completed to
deliver an article to a registered user by accommodating the article in a
locker box.
13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, further comprising means for
manually selecting one of a plurality of operation modes of the apparatus,
including one operation mode wherein an article to be delivered to a
service agent can be accommodated in a locker box by a registered user,
and another operation mode wherein the article accommodated in the locker
box can be taken-out by the service agent.
14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said locker box
designation means comprises:
a locker box retrieving counter;
a locker box number counter;
means operative when a successively retrieved locker box is not of the
selected type or is currently in use, for carrying out a first step
wherein, starting from an initial count value "0" of the retrieving
counter, a value "1" is successively added to the count value of the
retrieving counter;
means operative when the number of the retrieved locker box exceeds the
total number of the locker boxes, for indicating that no locker box is
currently available;
means for carrying out a second step for temporarily designating a locker
box, wherein count value of the locker box number counter is set to "0"
when the electric main switch of the locker apparatus is turned-on, and
the count value of the locker box number counter is added with "1" each
time a locker box has been retrieved to store the locker box number of
most recently designated locker box and read-out the stored locker box
number upon a subsequent locker box retrieval, and wherein the count value
of the locker box number counter is set to "1" when the count value of the
locker box number counter exceeds total number of the locker boxes to
continue addition of "1" to the count value of the locker box number
counter;
means operative when the temporarily designated locker box is either
occupied by an article or is of a type which is different from the
selected one, for returning to said first step and adding "1" to the count
value of the retrieving counter, and for successively retrieving the
locker box numbers as many times as the count value of the locker box
number counter exceeds the total number of the locker boxes; and
means for definitely designating a locker box by confirming that the
temporarily designated locker box is empty and is of a selected type.
15. An electric locker apparatus to be installed at a public space,
comprising:
an electric power supply including a main switch;
a plurality of locker boxes of two or more types, each locker box having an
electric lock device and a sensor for detecting whether the relevant
locker box is empty or occupied by an article, said locker boxes being
assigned with respective box numbers of successive natural numbers which
are independent from the type of the locker box;
locker box type selection means for manually selecting the type of the
locker box, depending upon the size of an article to be accommodated in a
locker box;
locker box designation means for successively retrieving the locker boxes
and designating an empty locker box of the selected type which is to be
occupied by the article, such that any one of the locker boxes of a same
type, after it has been once occupied by an article, is designated only
after subsequent occupation of all remaining locker boxes of the same
type; and
control means for permitting the designated locker box of the selected type
to be opened to accommodate an article, by controlling the relevant
electric lock device upon coincidence of an input identification code with
a data stored in the control means,
said locker box designation means comprising:
a locker box retrieving counter;
a locker box number counter;
means operative when a successively retrieved locker box is not of the
selected type or is currently in use, for carrying out a first step
wherein, starting from an initial count value "0" of the retrieving
counter, a value "1" is successively added to the count value of the
retrieving counter;
means operative when the number of the retrieved locker box exceeds the
total number of the locker boxes, for indicating that no locker box is
currently available;
means for carrying out a second step for temporarily designating a locker
box, wherein the count value of the locker box number counter is set to
"0" when the electric main switch of the locker apparatus is turned-on,
and the count value of the locker box number counter is added with "1"
each time a locker box has been retrieved to store the locker box number
of the most recently designated locker box and read-out the stored locker
box number upon a subsequent locker box retrieval, and wherein the count
value of the locker box number counter is set to "1" when the count value
of the locker box number counter exceeds the total number of the locker
boxes to continue the addition of "1" to the count value of the locker box
number counter;
means operative when the temporarily designated locker box is either
occupied by an article or is of a type which is different from the
selected one, for returning to said first step and adding "1" to the count
value of the retrieving counter, and for successively retrieving the
locker box numbers as many times as the count value of the locker box
number counter exceeds the total number of the locker boxes; and
means for definitely designating a locker box by confirming that the
temporarily designated locker box is empty and is of a selected type. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electric locker apparatus
including a plurality of locker boxes; more particularly, it pertains to
an improvement in a locker box designating device for such locker
apparatus, which serves to automatically designate a locker box to be
occupied thereby allowing all the locker boxes of a same type to be
occupied with a uniform frequency.
2. Description of the Related Art
A locker apparatus with a plurality of locker boxes of various sizes or
types is often installed at a public space such as an entrance hall of a
condominium, and used typically by registered residents or the like users
to receive baggages, etc., delivered during a period when the recipient is
out of house, or to transfer various articles rom residents to courier or
laundry service agent, etc. This kind of locker apparatus generally
includes a console box accommodating an electric control unit for
controlling the operations of each locker box, and having a front
operation panel equipped with an operation guidance display, ten-keys,
etc.
While such a locker apparatus proved to be generally satisfactory in
improving users' daily convenience, it has been confirmed that every
locker boxes of the apparatus are not actually occupied with a uniform
frequency. There are certain locker boxes which are located close to the
operation panel and/or at a convenient height, and which are thus more
readily accessible and tend to be used with a higher frequency than other
locker boxes. This tendency is quite significant in the case of a locker
apparatus wherein the size or type of a locker box to be used is selected
by user's designation, i.e. input of the locker box number through
ten-keys. It is of course that repeated occupation, with a higher
frequency, of such particular locker boxes may result in their premature
damages, possibly giving rise to undesirable shortening of the serviceable
life of the entire apparatus.
There has been a proposal wherein a locker box of a selected type is
automatically designated for use in order to avoid the user's free choice.
This proposal is that locker boxes of a same size or type are previously
assigned with respective serial natural numbers and the designation is
made of the box having the youngest number among the boxes of the selected
type which are ready to be used or which are not occupied. This proposal
proved to be quite effective when all the locker boxes are substantially
fully in operation at any time, as every boxes are then used with a
substantially uniform frequency. However, when only a limited number of
locker boxes are usually put in use due, for example, to a small number of
articles or baggages to be transferred through locker boxes to or from the
residents, it is still practically impossible to achieve a uniform use of
the locker boxes. In such a case, the locker box of the youngest number is
always in use while the boxes of elder number are scarcely used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate or at least
mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide a
locker apparatus including an improved locker box designating device which
allows all the locker boxes of a same type to be occupied with as uniform
a frequency as possible.
The present invention includes a number of lockers whose occupation (i.e.
the storage of articles) is cycled consecutively, so that when each of the
plurality of lockers is occupied once in a given cycle, the cycle begins
again. Consequently, each locker is occupied, at most, once more than the
other lockers in the cycle during their lifetimes to reduce wear or
damage. The invention may designate a particular locker any number of
times in a row after all the other lockers have been occupied (including
simple testing by the manufacturer or the like) as little as once.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
electric apparatus to be installed at a public space, which comprises: a
plurality of locker boxes of at least one type, each locker box having a
door with an electric lock device, and a sensor for detecting whether the
relevant locker box is occupied by an article or empty; means for
automatically designating an empty locker box of a desired type such that
any one of the locker boxes of a same type after it has been once used,
can be designated only after subsequent use of all remaining locker boxes
of the same type; and means for actuating the lock device of the
designated locker box to unlock the door, thereby allowing an article to
be accommodated in the locker box.
According to another practical aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a locker apparatus which comprises: an electric power supply
including a main switch; a plurality locker boxes of two or more types,
each locker box having an electric lock device and a sensor for detecting
whether the relevant locker box is occupied by an article or empty, said
locker boxes being assigned with respective box numbers of successive
natural numbers which are independent from the type of the locker box;
locker box type selection means for manually selecting the type of the
locker box, depending upon size of an article to be accommodated in a
locker box; locker box designation means for successively retrieving the
locker boxes and designating an empty locker box of the selected type
which is to be used to accommodate the article therein, such that any one
of the locker boxes of a same type, after it has been once used, is
designated only after subsequent use of all remaining locker boxes of the
same type; and a control unit for permitting the designated locker box of
the selected type to be opened to accommodate an article, by controlling
its electric lock upon coincidence of an input identification code with a
data stored in the control unit.
Preferably, the locker box designation means comprises: a locker box
retrieving counter; a locker box number counter; means operative when a
successively retrieved locker box is not of the selected type or is
currently in use, for carrying out a first step wherein, starting from an
initial count value "0" of the retrieving counter, a value "1" is
successively added to the count value of the retrieving counter; means
operative when the number of the retrieved locker box exceeds the total
number of the locker boxes, for indicating that no locker box is currently
available; means for carrying out a second step for temporarily
designating a locker box, wherein count value of the locker box number
counter is set to "0" when the electric main switch of the locker
apparatus is turned-on, and the count value of the locker box number
counter is added with "1" each time a locker box has been retrieved to
store the locker box number of most recently designated locker box and
read-out the stored locker box number upon a subsequent locker box
retrieval, and wherein the count value of the locker box number counter is
set to "1" when the count value of the locker box number counter exceeds
total number of the locker boxes to continue addition of "1" to the count
value of the locker box number counter; means operative when the
temporarily designated locker box is either occupied by an article or is
of a type which is different from the selected one, for returning to said
first step and adding "1" to the count value of the retrieving counter,
and for successively retrieving the locker box numbers as many times as
the count value of the locker box number counter exceeds the total number
of the locker boxes; and means for definitely designating a locker box by
confirming that the temporarily designated locker box is empty and is of a
selected type.
With the above-mentioned novel arrangement of the locker apparatus
according to the present invention, assuming for example that all the
locker boxes are assigned with serial natural numbers as the box numbers,
the locker box of a desired type and having the youngest box number is
designated at first and used to accommodate an article therein. Then, even
when the article has been taken-out and the locker box of the youngest box
number becomes empty, this locker box is not the one which is subsequently
designated. That is, an automatic designation for a subsequent use is made
of a locker box of the same type but having the second youngest box
number. In this manner, the locker box of a desired type and having a
predetermined box number is designated only after subsequent one-round use
of all the locker boxes of the same type.
It is thus possible to automatically designate a locker box of selected
type without user's free choice, thereby allowing all the locker boxes of
the same type to be put into use with a substantially uniform frequency,
effectively preventing premature damages of the locker boxes, and making
it possible to prolong the serviceable life of the entire apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be explained hereinafter with reference to the
attached drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a locker apparatus according to one embodiment of
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the operation panel;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control unit;
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a series of operations required to accommodate an
article in a locker box or to take out the article therefrom; and
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the procedures for automatically designating
the locker box to be used.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
There is shown in FIG. 1 one example of an electric locker apparatus
according to the present invention, which is denoted as a whole by
reference numeral 1. The apparatus 1 is typically installed at the
entrance hall of a multistory building or condominium, and serves to
automatically manage transfer of baggages or the like, which are to be
delivered to or dispatched from registered residents even when they are
out of their houses. It has to be noted in this connection that the term
"house" is used herein in its broadest sense, and collectively includes
not only a self-contained house in a restricted sense, but also a single
room, compartment, dwelling unit which is composed of a plurality of rooms
and/or compartments, etc., in the case of a condominium.
The apparatus 1 includes a plurality of locker boxes 2 of various types
depending upon capacity or size. Each locker box 2 has a front door which
is equipped with an electric lock device, not shown. The lock device may
be of a conventional solenoid-operated type, which normally assumes a
locked state to maintain the door in its closed position, and which can be
brought into unlocked state by supplying electric current to the solenoid,
thereby allowing the door to be opened. As such a lock device is known,
per se, a further detailed explanation will not be necessary. Each locker
box 2 incorporates a content sensor not shown, for detecting whether it is
empty or already occupied by an article.
The apparatus further includes a console box 3 accommodating an electric
control unit for controlling operations o the locker boxes 2. As will be
more fully explained hereinafter, the control unit is connected to the
baggage sensors and the electric lock devices of all the boxes, and serves
to designate a locker box of a selected type for use, to control opening
or closure of the designated box, and also to store information of use
records, etc.
In the illustrated embodiment, there are arranged two vertical rows of the
locker boxes, of which the left side row is formed of two medium-sized
boxes and four small-sized boxes therebetween, while the right side row is
formed of a medium-sized box and a large-sized box. Each locker box 2 is
provided on its door with a knob 4 which bears an indication 5 of the box
type, i.e. S, M or L respectively for small, medium or large type, and an
indication 6 of locker box number which is a serial natural number 01, 02,
. . . 07, 08 assigned to the box independently of its type. Thus, using
these indications 5 and 6, the locker boxes 2 may be identified as M01,
S02, S03, S04, S05, M06, M07 and L08, respectively. The locker boxes 2 on
their vertical side frame members are provided with unlock-indication
lamps 7, each being arranged adjacent to the knob 4 of a relevant locker
box 2, and turned ON when the lock device of that box 2 is switched into
an unlocked state.
The console box 3 accommodating the above-mentioned control unit 10 has a
lower section provided with a front door 11 which can be opened by
inserting a predetermined main key (not shown) into a keyhole 12 so as to
permit maintenance and/or exchange of components for repair to be
performed in a facilitated manner. The console box 3 has an upper section
provided with a display panel 13 for indicating the house number of the
resident to whom baggages or the like articles have been delivered and
stored in the locker boxes 2. Thus, the residents in front of the locker
apparatus 1 can readily ascertain if it is necessary to pickup delivered
articles.
The upper section of the console box 3 further includes an operation panel
14 which is provided with ten-keys 15, function keys 16 in the form of
various push buttons 16a-16h, an operation guidance display 17, a further
display 18, a card slot 19 for a card reader, coin inlet 20 and outlet 21
for inserting or returning coins when prescribed amount of fee is to be
charged in using the apparatus, a slot 22 for a voucher to be stamped for
certification purposes, etc.
More particularly, the function keys 16 include, as selection buttons to be
selectively pushed by an user in the first step, a delivery key 16a and a
take-out key 16b both for delivery agents, a take-out key 16c and a
delivery or dispatch request key 16d both for residents, and a common
cancel key 16e for cancelling a false key operation. A "#" key included in
the ten-keys 15 can be used as a confirmation key 16f which is pushed
after user's confirmation of correct numbers, etc., in order to further
proceed into a subsequent operation step. There are further provided
box-type selection keys 16g bearing indication of the box type S, M or L
for selecting a desired type of the box 2 which the user intends to use
depending upon the size of the baggages or the like to be accommodated in
the box, as well as a stamp key 16h for applying a voucher with a
certificate stamp after completion of all the necessary procedures. The
stamp key 16h is arranged just above the voucher slot 22.
The operation guidance display 17 may be divided into a plurality of
sections for displaying texts and visual images explaining the operation
procedures of the apparatus 1. Each section of the display 17 may have a
back-light illumination device which is turned ON when the procedure
displayed by that section is to be taken subsequently or is being taken.
This display 17 may be combined with an audio guidance by means of an
artificial voice, if desired. Furthermore, the display 18 is composed of a
suitable display element such as cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal
display (LCD), fluorescent or electroluminescent display tube or the like,
and is for indicating the house number, etc., which has been inputted by
the user through the ten-keys 15.
It is assumed that the administrator and registered residents are
previously assigned with respective registration cards in the form of a
magnetic memory in which necessary information are stored, such as the
house number of each resident, ID number for matching the house number
with the locker box of the apparatus, etc. The registration card may
alternatively be an IC card with a higher information storage capacity.
One preferred embodiment of the control unit 10 for the locker apparatus 1
according to the present invention will be explained below with reference
to a block diagram shown in FIG. 3. The control unit 10 is illustrated as
a controller 30 including a central processing unit (CPU) 31, a read-only
memory (ROM) 32, a random-access memory (RAM) 33 and a clock 34, which are
connected to various peripheral appliances through appropriate interfaces.
The ROM 32 stores a program which serves to control the operation of the
entire locker apparatus 1, and also stores data memories for the
information of each registration card and the users' passwords and/or
identification codes or ID numbers. The use record of the locker apparatus
1 (locker box numbers, identification of recipients, date and time of use,
etc.) is stored in the RAM 33 which may be in the form of a RAM card to
permit print-out of the stored information by means of an external printer
(not shown), whenever necessary. The clock 34 serves to control the length
of the period in which a designated locker box is opened, and to monitor
the time length of use.
The peripheral appliances which are connected to the controller 30 include
the above-mentioned ten-keys 15, function keys 16, displays 17, 18,
electric lock device, baggage sensor and unlock indication lamps 7. The
peripheral appliances further include an electric power switch 35, a power
switch indication lamp 36, an alarm interruption switch 37, a coin counter
38, a stamper 39 for the voucher, a card reader 40, a loudspeaker 41 for
an audio operation guidance, a guidance buzzer 42, an alarm buzzer 43, and
an interface 44 for the electric lock device, content sensor and
unlock-indication lamps 7.
The locker apparatus 1 can be used to receive an article, such as a
baggage, washed clothes, etc., which has been delivered by courier or
laundry agent to a resident who is out of house and to dispatch a baggage
or the like through courier agent or deliver clothes to laundry agent for
washing. To this end, it is necessary for the user to push either the
delivery key 16a or the delivery or dispatch request key 16d, and to
manually select the type S, M or L of the locker box 2 depending upon the
size of the article to be accommodated in the box. The locker box 2 of the
selected type is then automatically designated according to a
predetermined sequence of the locker box number 6.
When, as a typical example, a courier agent intends to deliver a baggage to
a resident who is out of house, the operations of the locker apparatus 1
to be performed are as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 4. In this
instance, the courier agent may be assumed to be aware, by some means or
other, of the absence of the resident to whom the baggage is to be
delivered; otherwise, the resident may wish to directly receive the
delivered baggage from the agent. Thus, the courier agent as the user
stands in front of the operation panel 14 and pushed the deliver key 16a,
inputs the house number of the resident through the ten-keys 15 and then
pushes one of the box-type selection keys 16g to select the type S, M or L
of the locker box 2 depending upon the size of the baggage. Each time a
key operation has been confirmed to be correct, the user pushed the
confirmation key 16f (#). If not, i.e., in the case of an erroneous input,
the cancellation key 16e is pushed to perform the key operation once
again.
The locker box to be used for accommodating the baggage is now
automatically designated in the manner to be fully explained hereinafter,
and the electric lock device of the designated locker box is turned into
an unlocked state. The box number of the designated locker box can be
confirmed by the display 18 and also by the indication lamp 7. Thus, the
courier agent is allowed to open the door of the designated locker box, to
place the baggage inside of the box, and to close and automatically lock
the door. On this occasion, if necessary, a voucher is inserted into the
slot 22 and the stamp key 16h then is pushed such that the voucher is
applied with a deliver certificate stamp by means of the stamper 39. By
this, all the necessary operations to be performed by the courier agent
are completed.
When an article has been delivered and accommodated in a locker box 2, the
house number of the recipient of the article, who is a registered
resident, is displayed on the display panel 13 so that the resident can
readily ascertain that the article has to be taken out. To this end, the
resident pushes the take-out key 16d and then inserts the registration
card into the card reader 40. By this, as soon as the identification of
the resident has been confirmed, the door of the relevant locker box is
unlocked and the unlocked state of the locker box can be confirmed by the
display 18 and the indication lamp 7. Thus, the locker box is opened and
the article accommodated therein is taken-out by the resident.
One preferred example of the locker box designation procedures in the
locker apparatus according to the present invention will be explained
hereinafter, by referring to a flow chart shown in FIG. 5. It is assumed
that after the apparatus has been installed in place and the registration
cards have been properly distributed to every registered users, the
electric power switch is turned ON. Then, the RAM 33 stores the locker box
number "0" and the total number of the locker boxes (MAX).
In subsequently using the locker apparatus, as soon as the desired locker
box type S, M or L has been manually selected by pushing one of the
selection keys 16g, the automatic locker box retrieval/designation
procedures are carried out. Upon commencement of the automatic locker box
retrieval/designation procedures, a counter (CNT) is always set to "0".
The counter (CNT) is then added with "1" (CNT+1). In this connection, if
the counter value is greater than the total number of the locker boxes
(MAX), all the locker boxes are assumed to be in use, and an announcement
to that effect by means of artificial voice is made and the procedures are
stopped. This is because, despite retrieval of the locker boxes as many
times as the total number of the locker boxes, it is impossible to find
out a locker box of a desired type which is not in use.
When the counter value is smaller than the total number of the locker boxes
(MAX), a temporary designation is made of a locker box with a box number
which corresponds to next one of the box number stored in the RAM 33, i.e.
the sum of the stored box number further added with "1". The box number of
each locker box, as mentioned hereinbefore, is a serial natural number and
ranges from 01 to 08 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. On the other
hand, the locker box number initially stored in the RAM 33 is set to "0"
upon the initial start of the apparatus, i.e. each time the electric power
switch is turned ON, as mentioned hereinbefore. Furthermore, the locker
box number normally stored in the RAM 33, during the operation of the
apparatus other than the initial start, corresponds to the number of the
locker box which has been most recently designated or unlocked. If the
number of the temporarily designated locker box is greater than the total
number of the locker boxes (MAX), the locker box number which has been
previously stored in the RAM 33 is cancelled, and the RAM 33 stores the
locker box number "1". This is because there are various types of the
locker boxes and, besides, a locker box which does not exist cannot be
designated and it thus becomes necessary to retrieve an available locker
box from the locker box of the number 01.
When the number of the temporarily designated locker box is smaller than
the total number of the locker boxes (MAX), a judgement is then made as to
whether the type of the temporarily designated locker box is the selected
one. If the type of the temporarily designated locker box has not been
judged as being the selected one, the procedure is returned to the step
wherein the value of the counter (CNT) is added with "1" (CNT+1), to
further retrieve available locker boxes.
If, on the other hand, the type of the temporarily designated locker box
has been judged as being the selected one, another judgement is then made
as to whether the door of the locker box is closed. Furthermore, if the
door of the temporarily designated locker box has been judged as being
closed, still another judgement is then made as to whether the locker box
is occupied by a baggage or the like article which has not yet been taken
out.
If the temporarily designated locker box has been judged as being empty and
unoccupied by an article, the locker box is assumed to be available and is
thus definitely designated. Thus, the electric lock device of the
designated locker box is supplied with an electric current so that the
solenoid of the lock device is moved into an unlocked position. The
unlocked state of the designated locker box is indicated by the lamp 7
adjacent to the lock device, so that the user is permitted to open the
door, accommodate an article inside of the locker box, and close the door
to lock the locker box.
If, however, the door of the temporarily designated locker box of the
selected type has been judged as being open, or if the temporarily
designated locker box of the selected type, with its door closed, has been
judged as being occupied by an article, the procedure is returned to the
step wherein the value of the counter (CNT) is added with "1" (CNT+1), to
further retrieve available locker boxes. It is assumed here that the
electric lock device, per se, is of a conventional kind wherein it is
normally maintained in its locked state. Hence, the locked state o the
temporarily designated locker box is an indication of failure o the lock
device. Moreover, occupation of the temporarily designated locker box by
an article is an indication that the locker box is being in use. In this
connection, the presence or absence of an article in a locker box 2 is
judged by comparing the use record of the relevant box with the output of
the baggage sensor within the box 2.
In order to clearly indicate the above-mentioned successive operation
procedures for the convenience of users, the operation guidance display 17
in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is divided into seven sections
17a-17g each of which may bear the following instructions, for example.
Section 17a:
START; Push One Selection Button
Section 17b:
Insert and Withdraw Registration Card
Section 17c:
Input House No. and Confirm (#)
Input Box No. and Confirm (#)
Input Password No. and Confirm (#)
Input ID No. and Confirm Key (#)
Section 17d:
Open Box of Designated No. and Accommodate/Take-out Article
Section 17e:
Close Door Tight
Section 17f:
Insert Voucher into Slot
Section 17g:
END; Operations Completed
Some aspects of the operation procedures and the arrangement and/or
structure of the electric locker apparatus are disclosed, e.g. in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,894,717, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No.
62-281,100 and Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication
Nos. 64-57,372 and 64-57,373, whose disclosures are expressly incorporated
herein by reference.
For the sake of clarity, some practical use examples will be explained
below. In this connection, it is assumed that all the locker boxes are
initially empty, and the power switch 35 has just been turned ON with the
RAM 33 storing the locker box number "0".
EXAMPLE 1
A courier service agent A intends to deliver a baggage to a resident whose
house number is 101.
(A) The agent A pushes the delivery key 16a (step A).
(B) The agent A pushes the house number 101 by the ten-keys 15, and further
pushes the confirmation key 16f (step B).
(C) The agent A selects a locker box of the medium type M and pushes the
selection key 16g corresponding to the type M (step C).
(D) Locker box retrieval (step D):
1) The locker box counter (CNT) is set to "0".
2) The counter value (CNT=0) is added with "1" (CNT=0.1=1).
3) The counter value (CNT=1) is judged to be smaller than the total number
8 of the locker boxes.
4) The locker box number (0) is added with "1" (BOX No.=0+1=1)
5) The locker box number (01) is judged to be smaller than the total number
8 of the locker boxes.
6) Judgement is made as to whether the locker box 01 is of the type M
selected in the step (C). The locker box 01 is judged to be of the type M.
7) Judgement is made as to whether the door of the locker box 01 is closed.
The door is judged to be closed.
8) Judgement is made as to whether the locker box 01 is occupied by an
article. The locker box 01 is judged to be empty.
(E) The locker box 01 is unlocked (step E).
(F) The door of the locker box 01 is opened, and the baggage to be
delivered is accommodated in the box and the door is closed to complete
the delivery operation (step F).
(G) The baggage is ready to be taken-out by the resident of the house
number 101, and the locker box number 01 is stored.
EXAMPLE 2
Another courier service agent B intends to deliver a baggage to a resident
whose house number is 201.
(A) The agent B pushes the delivery key 16a (step A).
(B) The agent B pushes the house number 201 by the ten-keys 15, and further
pushes the confirmation key 16f (step B).
The agent B selects a locker box of the medium type M and pushes the
selection key 16g corresponding to the type M (step C).
(D) Locker box retrieval (step D):
1) The locker box counter (CNT) is set to "0".
2) The counter value (CNT=0) is added with "1" (CNT=0+1=1).
3) The counter value (CNT=1) is judged to be smaller than the total number
8 of the locker boxes.
4) The locker box number (1) is added with "1" (BOX No.=1+1=2)
5) The locker box number (02) is judged to be smaller than the total number
8 of the locker boxes.
6) Judgement is made as to whether the locker box 02 is of the type M
selected in the step (C). The locker box 02 is judged to be of the type S.
7) Return to 2) to add the counter value (CNT=1) with "1" (CNT=1+1=2).
8) The counter value (CNT=2) is judged to be smaller than the total number
8 of the locker boxes.
9) The locker box number (2) is added with "1" (BOX No.=2+1=3).
10) The locker box number (03) is judged to be smaller than the total
number 8 of the locker boxes.
11) Judgement is made as to whether the locker box 03 is of the type M
selected in the step (C). The locker box 03 is judged to be of the type S.
12) Return to 2) to add the counter value (CNT=2) with "1" (CNT=2+1=3).
13) The counter value (CNT=3) is judged to be smaller than the total number
8 of the locker boxes.
14) The locker box number (3) is added with "1" (BOX No.=3.1=4).
15) The locker box number (04) is judged to be smaller than the total
number 8 of the locker boxes.
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