Lockheed Martin Corporation

Louis B Taylor

Patrick J Fitzgibbons

Robert J Felice

Michael A Wisniewski

John T Swider

Eugene C Stradley

Michael W Finney

Douglas A Slocum

A publicly accessible drop box for isolating items deposited therein, includes a securable enclosure, a depository port, a closeable container having an opening and located within the securable enclosure, and a closure device for closing the opening prior to removal of the container. The depository port may include a housing forming a reception chamber having an entrance, wherein the housing is rotatably mounted within the drop box. The drop box may include a view port to allow viewing of the opening of the closeable container. The drop box may include a manipulation device extending into the securable enclosure to enable manipulation of the closure device or to enable movement of any items in proximity to the opening of the container.

Public drop box for isolating received items

A mail processing apparatus, includes an enclosure adapted for receiving deposited mail articles, a depository port adapted for passing deposited mail articles into the enclosure, and a sealing apparatus operatively associated with the depository port and adapted to seal deposited mail articles that pass through the depository port. The sealing apparatus may be a laminator adapted to apply a layer of plastic material to opposing sides of deposited mail articles.

Mail processing apparatus and collection box with a mail article sealer

This invention provides a mechanism for receiving flat articles, such as mail, moving in a travel path with a substantially horizontal orientation and for dropping selected such articles into either a single receptacle positioned below the mechanism or into a plurality of receptacles spaced along the length of the travel path, while maintaining the substantially horizontal article orientation for all such articles. The mechanism includes a holding station for each receptacle into which each article to be dropped is initially deposited, the holding station being just below the travel path, a retractable floor for the holding station and a driver selectively operable for rapidly retracting the floor in a substantially horizontal direction to permit articles accumulated in the holding station to drop substantially vertically into the corresponding receptacle. The driver may be activated in response to the holding station being filled by a selected amount. Where there are plurality of holding stations, a separate driver may be provided for each, or two or more of the holding stations may be operated by a single driver.

Drop control mechanism for flat articles

Growing community of inventors

Apalachin, NY, United States of America

Louis B Taylor