Closure fasteners – Seals – Interengaging shackle ends – inclosing housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-12
2001-09-25
Dayoan, B. (Department: 3627)
Closure fasteners
Seals
Interengaging shackle ends, inclosing housing
C292S30700B, C292S319000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293599
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to locking devices that provide indication of a seal, and more particularly to disposable, high-security, tamper-indicating locking devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Trucks and trains are often used to transport goods over long distances. When transported this way, goods are often placed in freight storage containers. Because of the nature of the trip, which may take many days to complete, shipments of goods are often left unattended at some time before reaching their final destination. To protect the goods from theft, the storage container may be locked shut.
At one time, padlocks and combination locks were sufficient to lock storage containers. However, as truck and rail shipping grew in popularity, logistics and security-related issues rendered those types of locks insufficient, if not inappropriate. As shipping routes became more complex, goods were transported to remote destinations, with partial deliveries and pickups made along the way. As a result, more people handled a container before it reached its final destination. Padlocks and combination locks were logistical nightmares: because the locks were too expensive to merely destroy at each stop, each person who needed to access the container also needed access to the key or combination. Besides creating logistical concerns, these locks created accountability problems, as well: a padlock or combination lock could be completely cut off and replaced without any indication of the replacement. This meant that goods could be stolen without a shipper's knowledge. A container that had been robbed and re-secured might leave the scene of the crime before the goods or thief could be found. And because many shippers might handle a container before it reached its destination, blame for lost goods was difficult to assess. These logistical and accountability-based problems prompted use of alternate sealing devices.
Seals were designed to avoid the logistical and accountability problems. Often these designs used brittle materials which cracked or shattered when an attempt was made to defeat the seal. Other types of seals were constructed with alternating layers of high-contrast materials which gave visual indication that the surface of the seal had been abused. Alas, these seals provided a barrier that was more psychological than physical. In other words, these were highly visible and often deterred “conscientious” thieves. Unfortunately, these “tamper-indicating” seals would not protect goods from theft by determined criminals. These seals were not sufficient.
Accordingly, new, more-rugged seals were created. However, while these new seals provided improved security, they were troublesome in their own right. As seals were created with more structural integrity, their application often required the use of tools. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,775 discloses a seal which has a portion that must be permanently deformed by the user. These seals were too hard to use.
Other seals were designed to provide security without the use of tools. To accomplish this, many seals comprised various dedicated parts which the user combined to create a container seal. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,579 discloses a seal having a barrel that slides onto a segmented insert that has passed through hasps on a pair of container doors. This type of seal often eliminated the need for tools, but created a new problem: if one component was missing, the others were essentially useless. In order to use large numbers of these multi-component seals efficiently, careful inventory of the individual parts had to be kept. If a user ran short of one component, the seal could not be applied correctly. Ultimately, these seals created the logistical problems that existed with padlocks and combination locks.
Accordingly, what is needed is a locking device for sealing containers that is inexpensive, disposable, applied without tools, and designed to indicate unauthorized entry into a container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a non-reusable locking device for sealing containers, such as trucks and train-shipping containers. The device employs an insertion bolt constructed from steel which is attached to the first end of a flexible steel cable. A multi-part cable collar is permanently attached to the second end of the cable and placed into one end of a hardened-steel cylindrical housing. A process of crimping the housing permanently secures the collar within the housing and secures a receptacle inside the opposite end of the housing. Locking flanges on the receptacle allow one-way insertion of the insertion bolt wherein a biasing ring that encircles the flanges permanently locks the bolt into a non-retractable position. With the bolt locked in the receptacle, the device forms a contiguous loop which may not be opened without cutting the cable. The housing may also contain is indicia to allow tracking of the device or to indicate authenticity.
The locking device may be used to secure a container by threading the insertion bolt and attached flexible cable through a wide variety of hasps or brackets secured to the doors of the container. After the insertion bolt passes through the hasps, it is inserted into the receptacle until the head of the bolt engages the locking flanges. This engagement prevents removal of the bolt and creates a contiguous metal loop. Because access to the bolt and locking flanges is prevented by the housing, containers secured by this device may not be opened unless the device is cut off. Once the device has been cut off, it is destroyed and may not be used again. Because each device is imprinted with unique indicia, the integrity of a once-secured container may be verified by comparing the serial number of the locking device currently on the container with an earlier-recorded serial number.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a non-reusable locking device for sealing containers which deters theft and provides visual indication of any unauthorized entry into a container.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a non-reusable locking device for sealing containers which is imprinted with a serial number that allows tracking and/or authenticity verification.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a non-reusable locking device for sealing containers that requires no tools for installation.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a non-reusable locking device for sealing containers which is self-contained and distributed as an all-inclusive unit.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a non-reusable locking device for sealing containers that may be used to seal a wide variety of container doors, which may or may not include designated hasps for a locking seal.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
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Dayoan B.
McHale & Slavin
Vaterlaus Clifford B
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