Locking mechanism and container for delivering items
AssigneeUnited Parcel Service of America, Inc.
InventorJulian Bell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A canister is coupled to a delivery vehicle using a rail bracket. The canister comprises a securing channel having a first securing channel volume and a second securing channel volume. A width of the first securing channel volume is less than a width of the second securing channel volume. The rail bracket comprises a rotational shaft having a finger at one end. The rail bracket is inserted into the securing channel, and the rotational shaft is rotated. When rotated, the finger inhibits removal of the rail bracket from the securing channel, thereby providing a mechanism by which the canister can be releasably coupled to the rail bracket. The rail bracket may be provided on a delivery vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to transport the canister and contents within it.
Claims20
A canister comprising:
- a first canister end opposite a second canister end defining a longitudinal direction extending between the first canister end and the second canister end;
- a wall extending between the first canister end and the second canister end and defining at least in part an interior volume of the canister;
- and
- a securing channel having a first channel volume and a second channel volume, the first channel volume having a first width in the longitudinal direction, and the second channel volume having a second width in the longitudinal direction and comprising a first channel surface and a second channel surface, wherein the first width is less than the second width, the second channel volume is more interior to a center aspect of the interior volume than the first channel volume, and the first channel surface and the second channel surface comprise a groove to allow a finger of a rail bracket to nest within the groove to couple the rail bracket to the securing channel.
A canister comprising:
- a first canister end opposite a second canister end defining a longitudinal direction extending between the first canister end and the second canister end;
- a wall extending between the first canister end and the second canister end and defining at least in part an interior volume of the canister;
- and
- a securing channel having a first channel volume and a second channel volume, the first channel volume having a first width in the longitudinal direction, and the second channel volume having a second width in the longitudinal direction and comprising a first channel surface and a second channel surface, wherein the first channel surface and the second channel surface comprise a groove to allow a finger of a rail bracket to nest within the groove to couple the rail bracket to the securing channel.
A method comprising:
- inserting a rail bracket within at least a portion of a securing channel of a canister, wherein:
- the rail bracket comprises:
- a first bracket surface exposed to a vehicle,
- a rotational shaft having a first shaft end and a second shaft end with a longitudinal length extending between the first shaft end and the second shaft end, the rotational shaft extending through the first bracket surface and a first radial distance from a rotational axis extending along the longitudinal length, and
- a finger extending radially from the rotational shaft proximate the second shaft end, the finger having a second radial distance from the rotational axis that is greater than the first radial distance, and
- the securing channel has a first channel volume and a second channel volume, the first channel volume having a first width in a longitudinal direction of the canister, and the second channel volume having a second width in the longitudinal direction of the canister, and the second channel volume comprising a first channel surface and a second channel surface that comprise a groove;
- and
- rotating the rotational shaft such that the finger transitions between a first position perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the canister and a second position offset from the first position to allow the finger to nest within the groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.