Abstract
A portable, universally fitting, stylish, lockable security box that integrally affixes to an object such as the support or cross bar on a frame of a beach lounge chair, a stroller, bike or similar member where it is desirable to protect your valuables on a stationary or a larger movable object. The security box is a device preferably comprised of a main top component having a solar panel thereon and a main bottom component which are hinged together and able to be securely closed by a RFID locking mechanism. When the security box is positioned over an elongate object, such as the support bar of a chair, stroller or other object, the security box can be affixed to the elongate object by employing an integral hasp or integral locking mechanism to close the security box around the support object, such that the support object extends through the security box by passing through specially configured openings in the security box.
Claims
1. A simplified, portable, lockable container that is attachable to a fixed object to store valuables comprising: an elongate top component having an inner surface and an arcuate outer surface, a bottom surface and front and back surface portions and a pair of spaced apart partial side openings and a lengthwise dimension extending between the partial side openings that is greater than the width dimension thereof extending between the front and back surface portions thereof; an elongate bottom component having an inner surface, an outer surface, a top surface and front and back surface portions and a pair of spaced apart partial side openings and a lengthwise dimension extending between the partial side openings that is greater than the width dimension thereof extending between the front and back surface portions thereof and wherein the top component and bottom component are interconnected and movable with respect to each other along the elongate dimension by a hinge member; a pair of spaced apart end openings formed by the partial side openings of the top and bottom components to form a support cavity that will fit a variety of different sized fixed objects extending therebetween; a storage compartment formed by the inner surfaces of the top component and the bottom component that will enable the storage of valuables therein and wherein the top component and bottom component are secured together by a locking mechanism under which the fixed object is also engaged by the top component and bottom component and which will prevent unauthorized entry into the lockable container; and a solar panel affixed to the top component and wherein the solar panel includes a charging cable extending therefrom into the storage compartment.
2. The container of claim 1 wherein the solar panel is integrally mounted to the top component and includes a charging surface that is generally flush with at least a portion of the top component.
3. The container of claim 2 wherein the charging surface includes the charging cable that extends through the top component into the storage compartment.
4. The container of claim 1 wherein the solar panel is a generally elongate and rectangularly shaped member that extends along the lengthwise dimension of the top component.
5. The container of claim 1 wherein the solar panel is oriented along the top component closer to the locking mechanism than the hinge member.
6. The container of claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism includes a RFID switch that is activated by an external RFID member to allow the locking mechanism to release the top component and bottom components to enable the user to pivot the top component and bottom component away from each other along the hinge member.
7. The container of claim 6 wherein the RFID switch is actuatable to allow the user to engage a button to unlock the top component and bottom component in response to the detection of a RFID member.
8. A portable lockable security box comprising: a top component having a lengthwise dimension that is greater than the width dimension thereof and an inner surface and an arcuate outer surface and front and back surface portions; a bottom component having a lengthwise dimension that is greater than the width dimension thereof and inner and outer surfaces and front and back surface portions; wherein said top component is movable with respect to the bottom component about a hinge member and is securely closed with a locking mechanism; a pair of spaced apart side openings formed by said top component and bottom component; wherein the combination of the top component and bottom components create a support cavity by placement of said side openings along the lengthwise dimension of the top and bottom components such that said support cavity can accommodate a variety of different sized elongate objects extending between the side openings and wherein the height of the top component is sufficient to hold an elongate object in the support cavity with sufficient structural integrity to support the weight of the lockable security box and the weight of objects capable of being stored in said lockable security box; a solar panel affixed to the outer surface of the top component and said solar panel having a charging cable that extends from the solar panel into the support cavity; and a locking member having a RFID locking switch thereon.
9. The security box of claim 8 wherein the solar panel has a charging surface that is generally flush with the outer surface of the top component and the solar panel includes the charging cable that extends through the top component to a location adjacent to the support cavity.
10. The security box of claim 8 wherein the solar panel is a generally rectangular member that extends lengthwise along the part of the outer surface of the top component that is closer to the locking member than the hinge member.
11. The security box of claim 8 wherein the locking member includes a RFID switch that senses the proximity of a selected RFID element.
12. The security box of claim 11 wherein the RFID switch enables the movement of a component of the locking member when the proximity of a selected RFID element is detected to enable the user to unlock the security box.
13. The security box of claim 12 wherein actuation of the RFID switch enables to movement of a switch button which causes a hasp to separate from a recess in the locking member to allow the top component and bottom component to be movable with respect to each other to provide access to the support cavity and a storage area formed by the inner surfaces of the top component and bottom component.
14. A simplified, portable, lockable container that attaches to a fixed object to store valuables comprising: an elongate top component having an inner surface and an arcuate outer surface and front and back surface portions and a lengthwise dimension that is greater than the width dimension thereof; an elongate bottom component having an inner surface and an outer surface and front and back surface portions and a lengthwise dimension that is greater than the width dimension thereof and wherein the top component and bottom component are interconnected and movable with respect to each other along the elongate dimension of the top component and bottom component by a hinge member; a pair of spaced apart side openings formed in the top and bottom components to form a support cavity that will fit a variety of different sized fixed objects extending therebetween; a storage compartment formed by the inner surfaces of the top component and the bottom component for the storage of valuables therein and wherein the top component and bottom component are secured together by a locking member around which the fixed object is also engaged by the top component and bottom component and which will prevent unauthorized entry into the lockable container when the locking member is engaged; and wherein the locking member includes a RFID switch which is actuatable in response to the detection of a specific RFID signal in close proximity thereto and wherein when the RFID switch is actuated, the user may open the lockable container.
15. The container of claim 14 wherein the locking member includes a movable hasp located on one of the top and bottom components and a hasp retention recess which is located on the other of the top component and bottom component.
16. The container of claim 15 wherein the actuation of the RFID switch enables the user to engage a switch button which causes the hasp to be released from the recess to allow the user to open the lockable container to access the contents of the lockable container.
17. The container of claim 14 wherein the RFID switch is programmable to recognize one or more specific RFID signals.
18. The container of claim 17 wherein the RFID switch is programmable to recognize a master RFID signal and a changeable RFID signal.
19. The container of claim 14 further including a generally rectangularly shaped solar panel extending along at least a portion of the outer surface of the top component and wherein the solar panel includes a charging surface that is flush with the outer surface of the top component and a charging cable that extends into the storage component.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective front view of the two main components of the security box and the side openings.
(2) FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view from the back of the two main components of the security box and the side openings.
(3) FIG. 3 shows a front view of both main components when assembled.
(4) FIG. 4 shows a side view of both main components when assembled.
(5) FIG. 5 shows a rear view of both main components when assembled.
(6) FIG. 6 shows a top view of both main components when assembled.
(7) FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of a security box taken generally along the plane generally bisecting the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3.
(8) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the present invention attached to the support bar of a lawn chair.
(9) FIG. 9 shows a front view of both main components of an alternate embodiment when assembled.
(10) FIG. 10 shows a cross sectional view of a security box taken generally along the plane bisecting the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 9.
(11) FIG. 11 shows an open view of both main components when assembled to demonstrate how the embodiment of FIG. 9 will be used to charge an electronic device.
(12) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the invention shown in FIG. 9 attached to the support bar of a lawn chair.
(13) FIG. 13 shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention with a RFID locking mechanism for use with an activating wrist band to activate the RFID locking mechanism.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(14) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the security box 10 of the present invention has a top component 12 which connects to the bottom component 30 through an integrally attached hinge 50. The hinge 50 operates by tapping a tapered pin 52 into each side of the hinge extensions 54. The top component 12 is hinged and movable relative to the bottom component 30 to close the top component 12 onto the top of the bottom component 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the hasps 62 of the locking mechanism 60 come together so they may be locked with a padlock to secure the user's valuables inside. Alternately, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the lockable security box 10 may have a self-contained locking mechanism 60, such as an integral briefcase style locking mechanism as described more fully below.
(15) As best shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 7, the top component 12 includes opposed side openings 14 and 16. In a preferred form of the present invention, the side openings 14 and 16 are formed by the combination of the upper arcuate portion 18, corner lip 68, straight side portions 20 of the top component 12 and the generally straight sides and generally rectangular shape of the side openings 14 and 16 of the bottom component 30. The combination of the arcuate portion 18, the corner lip 68, and the straight side portions 20 allows the side openings 14 and 16 to engage a variety of cross sectional shapes of elongate support bars. When the support bar has a circular cross section, the support bar will typically contact the upper arcuate portion 18 of the side openings 14 and 16. When the support bar has a rectangular, oval or other shaped cross section, the support bar will contact either the corner lip 68 or both the upper arcuate portion 18 and the corner lip 68 of the side openings 14 and 16 to reduce the movement of the lockable security box 10 relative to the support bar when the lockable security box 10 encloses the support bar. In this configuration, the security box cannot be removed from the support bar without cutting through the support bar or breaking the hinge or locking mechanisms of the present invention.
(16) As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the top component 12 includes an inner surface 22 and an outer surface 24. In a preferred form of the present invention, the inner surface and the outer surface of the top component 12 are preferably of general uniform thickness, although, it is anticipated that the thickness may vary to reinforce certain sections of the top component or to accommodate various manufacturing processes. The top component is preferably manufactured of an ABS material, although a variety of other strong and durable materials such as Poly Carbonates, nylon composites, carbon fibers or certain other high strength materials may be used to provide the attributes desired in the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the top component has a generally elongate lengthwise dimension between the side openings 14 and 16 and is generally u-shaped in cross sectional shape between the front surface 26 and back surface 28 of the top component. The height of the top component is generally chosen to be sufficient to accommodate the majority of cross sectional sizes of intended support bars in the side openings 14 and 16, while providing sufficient structural integrity around the support bar S and in combination with the bottom component 30 to provide secure engagement with the support bar. The back surface 28 of the top component 12 preferably includes a plurality of outwardly extending hinge extensions 54 having circular openings there through to securely retain the tapered pins 52 therein when the lockable security box is assembled. The front surface 26 of the top component 12 includes at least a portion of the locking mechanism 60 thereon. A shown in FIG. 1, a hasp member 62 forms an extension that projects forwardly from the front surface 26 of the top component 12 in a manner to allow the side by side positioning of the hasp 62 from the bottom component 30 to allow the insertion of a portion of a lock through each of the hasps to securely close the lockable security box 10. As also described in the application and as shown in FIG. 7, the locking mechanism may also consist of a self-contained lock similar to the types of locks used for bicycles, storage units or similar devices. In this form of the locking mechanism 60, a combination lock type feature extends or retracts to engage a hasp member 62 that is in a recessed portion located along the inner surface 22 of the top component 12.
(17) As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the bottom component 30 includes an inner surface 32 and an outer surface 34. In a preferred form of the present invention, the inner surface and the outer surface of the bottom component 30 are preferably of generally uniform thickness, although, it is anticipated that the thickness may vary to reinforce certain sections of the bottom component or to accommodate various manufacturing processes or even to provide an internal support surface for the valuables of the user. The bottom component 30 is preferably manufactured of an ABS material, although a variety of other strong and durable materials such as Poly Carbonates, nylon composites, carbon fibers or certain other high strength materials may be used to provide the attributes desired in the present invention. As shown, the bottom component 30 has a generally elongate lengthwise dimension between the side openings 14 and 16 and is generally ovoid, elliptical or u-shaped in cross sectional shape between the back surface 36 and front surface 38 of the bottom component 30. In the preferred form of the present invention, the inner surface 32 of the bottom component preferably forms a recessed area that has sufficient size to retain the valuables from multiple people. The height of the bottom component 30 is generally chosen to provide sufficient interior volume to accommodate the majority of the valuables typically carried by beach, park or pool goers. As with the top component 12, the bottom component 30 preferably includes a greater lengthwise dimension than the width dimension to provide a bottom component which extends along the lengthwise dimension of an elongate support bar. The bottom component 30 includes the bottom portions of the side openings 14 and 16. In the preferred form of the side openings 14 and 16, the shape on the bottom component is preferably rectangular to accommodate a variety of sizes of cross sectional shapes of the typical elongate support bar while providing sufficient structural integrity around the support bar and in combination with the top component 12 to provide secure engagement with the support bar. The back surface 36 of the bottom component 30 preferably includes a plurality of outwardly extending hinge extensions 54 having circular openings there through to securely retain the tapered pins 52 therein when the lockable security box 10 is assembled. As further shown in FIG. 2, the bottom surface of the bottom component 30 may include a plurality of drainage holes 64 to allow for drainage if the interior compartment of the lockable security box 10 gets wet. FIG. 2 also shows the back surface 36 of the bottom component as including a plurality of square box shaped openings 66 which are carved out and can be punched through to create a place where fasteners may be affixed if deemed necessary by a consumer.
(18) The front surface 38 of the bottom component 30 includes at least a portion of the locking mechanism 60 thereon. As shown in FIG. 1, a hasp member 62 forms an extension that projects forwardly from the front surface 38 of the bottom component 30 in a manner to allow the side by side positioning of the hasp 62 from the top component 12 to allow the insertion of a portion of a lock through each of the hasps to securely close the lockable security box 10. As also described in this application and shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the locking mechanism 60 may also consist of a self-contained lock similar to the types of locks used for bicycles, storage units or similar devices. In this form of the locking mechanism 60, a combination lock type feature engages a hasp member 62 that extends upwardly from the outer surface 34 of the bottom component 30 and engages a similar hasp member 62 extending downwardly from the front surface 26 of the top component 12. Also, as shown in the drawings, a handle type member H may extend from the front surface 26 of the top component 12 to provide the user with an element to grasp as the security box 10 is opened or closed. An example of a preferred form of the present invention, the bottom of the interior surface area of the bottom section 30 and top section 12 of the lockable security box 10 is approximately 60 square inches to securely accommodate phones, wallets, sunglasses etc. from the typical user. A preferred form of the lockable security box preferably has a general dimension of approximately 10.5 inches between side openings 14 and 16, by 6.5 inches between the top and bottom of the lockable security box 10 and by 5.5 inches between the front surface 38 and back surface 36 with an approximate size of 375 cubic inches.
(19) FIGS. 6 and 8 are illustrative of the top and perspective views of a preferred form of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows the ability of support bar S running all the way through the invention through the side openings 14 and 16 to allow for the fixed object, such as the support bar, to center the gravitational pull of the bottom component 30 of the lockable security box 10 and its contents to the middle of the invention eliminating lopsidedness. As shown in the drawings, this feature is accomplished through the combination of the arcuate portion 18, corner lip 68 of the top component 12 and the generally straight sides and generally rectangular shape of the side openings 14 and 16 of the bottom component 30. Because the lockable security box 10 encloses around the support bar and the support bar has no free ends, the lockable security box 10 is retained on the desired structure until the present invention is opened by the user. Similarly, because the components of the lockable security box 10 are formed of a material that does not allow the contents of the box to be visible there through and the side openings of the box are shaped to minimize the ability to see into the box through the side openings, thus the contents are not readily viewable without opening the lockable security box.
(20) As shown in FIGS. 9-12, an alternate embodiment of the present invention is provided with all of the features described above and further includes a solar panel 70 having the features described herein. The outer surface of the top component 12 preferably includes a solar panel 70 mounted thereon. As shown, the top charging surface 72 of the solar panel 70 is preferably flush along the outer surface of the top member and extends downwardly through the top component 12 to a position generally adjacent to the interior surface storage container. As further shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the solar panel is preferably relatively flat or slightly curved to conform to the outer surface of the lockable container. The solar panel 70 has a generally rectangular shaped configuration with a top charging surface 72 and a bottom surface 74 that includes a charging cable 76 extending therefrom which is adapted to be connected to a device D to be charged. A plurality of ridges or tabs are shown to retain the solar panel in the top component 12 although adhesives or other methods of retaining the solar panel in the desired position may be used. The solar panel 70 is preferably embedded in the top component 12 to be fixedly retained in the top component and extends between the inner surface 22 and outer surface 24 of the top component 12. As shown, the charging surface 72 of the solar panel 70 is arranged to be positioned along the front and top surface of the top component 12 to maximize the exposure of the solar panel to the sun when the invention is attached to a lawn chair or is otherwise in its preferred orientation.
(21) The solar panel 70 of the present invention is generally commercially available with little or no modification from a variety of commercial vendors. In a preferred form of the solar panel, the solar panel is preferably a monocrystalline solar panel with a capacity of about 12000 mAh and general dimensions between about 1 to 3 inches wide and about 5 to 7 inches in length with the exact dimensions depending on the efficiency, durability and a variety of other factors of the selected solar panel. The battery type is preferably a Lithium polymer battery with a lifetime charging capacity in excess of 800 times. One form of the solar panel has a full charging time of about 6 hours at 5.5V/1.7 W. The input of the solar panel when used as a phone charger is preferably 5V DC/IA with the output being preferably about 5V DC/2*1 A and includes a variety of internationally recognized certifications. The charging cord 76 is shown in the drawings and preferably includes a USB or mini USB connector to plug into the electronic device for charging.
(22) As shown in FIG. 13 an improved locking mechanism is disclosed that utilizes many of the components described in more detail above The front surface 26 of the top component 12 includes at least a portion of the locking mechanism 60 thereon and preferably consists of a combination lock type feature that extends or retracts to engage a hasp member 62 that is engaged in a recessed portion located along the inner surface 22 of the top component 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 13, the hasp member 62 extends along the front surface 38 of the bottom component 30 includes at least a portion of the locking mechanism 60 thereon. In the form of the locking mechanism 80 shown in FIG. 13, a RFID actuated lock includes a RFID powered switch 82 to movably cause the hasp member 62 that extends upwardly from the inner surface 32 of the bottom component 30 to engage in a recessed portion located along the inner surface 22 of the top component 12. The operation of the RFID locking mechanism is ideal for hotel or public pools where the use of the lockable container is on a rental or temporary basis to their patrons. In this embodiment, the RFID powered switch 82 responds to the presence of an RFID card or wrist band which, when properly recognized, allows the user to depress the switch button 84. When the switch button 84 is allowed to be depressed by the RFID switch, the hasp member 62 is movable from the recessed portion of the top component to allow the user to open the lockable container. If no RFID card or wrist band is detected in close proximity to the RFID powered switch, the user is unable to unlock the lockable container. The general function of this type of locking mechanism is best understood by analogy to a hotel room key where the card key activates a switch in the door which then allows the user to turn the door handle. In the present invention, the wristband or card activates the switch to allow the user to depress the button and unlock the lockable container.
(23) In addition to the added convenience for the users of the lockable containers, the administration and trackability of the use of the lockable containers is greatly improved with the use of the RFID technology for the hotel managers or a rental group. As is standard with RFID technology, the use of the RFID cards or bracelets allow for the rapid reprogramming of the RFID powered switch 82 such that users may be added or deleted as needed and access to the contents of the lockable container may be monitored or controlled. Similarly, if there are issues with lost cards or bracelets, a manager may reprogram or open the lockable container for the guests.
(24) The general standards for commonly used RFID technology allow for the opening of the lock in excess of 500,000 times. The battery life for common RFID switches allows the lock to be opened more than 10,000 times and even allows for an additional 150 openings after a low battery alarm is signaled. In a preferred form of this invention, the operating frequency may be in various bands within a frequency range of 125 KHz to 13.56 MHz and includes a sensing range of about 1 to 3 inches. In this embodiment, the user is allowed to place their wristband or card adjacent to the RFID switch 82 to activate the mechanism to allow the switch button 84 to be depressed thus opening the lock.
