Closure fasteners – Seals – Encasing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-27
2002-10-15
Luu, Teri Pham (Department: 3677)
Closure fasteners
Seals
Encasing
C292S327000, C292S281000, C292S331000, C292S318000, C070S056000, C070S002000, C070S034000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06464269
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a security seal, and more particularly to a security seal and a removal tool for a security seal.
2. Description of the Background Art
Industrialization has resulted in many new forms of commerce. Shipping is a business that is needed to provide raw materials to industry, which are usually not situated at the source of raw materials. Furthermore, shipping is required to transport completed components to other industrial sites, and is needed to transport completed goods and products to consumers. Therefore, the transfer of cargo is a large business that handles a huge volume of goods and materials every day.
One of the areas in which shipping efficiency has been improved is through the numerous modes of transportation. In addition, efficiency has been improved by the development of shipping containers. Numerous types of common and specialized shipping containers exist. One example is the rail car container that is used to transport cargo, including by ship, train, truck, and even aircraft. These containers make shipping and handling efficient by transporting numerous small or bulk items and by allowing uniform handling of items. Containers additionally prevent damage and theft.
A recurring problem in shipping is vandalism and theft. Because of the massive amounts of material that are shipped every day, including shipment of expensive finished consumer goods, thievery is an attractive occupation. Many thieves are professionals who have made it their trade to know the shipping process and to know how to defeat security measures.
Thievery is a problem because shipping may involve periods of storage while in transit, and shipping may go through deserted areas where it is fairly easy to access trucks, trains, storage yards, etc. Therefore, there may be many opportunities for thieves to break into any manner of shipping container and steal items. For example, common shipping containers used for sea and truck and rail transport are generally too big for the container to be stolen, but all the containers, of course, have an access door and a security device that may be broken into. Professional thieves know how to quickly, quietly, and efficiently break into any manner of shipping container. Therefore, there is a constant need for effective security devices that have a reasonable cost. It is possible to make containers so difficult to get into that thieves cannot easily access them, but that is often at the price of making it also difficult and costly for the shipper to likewise open a container at the end of its journey.
A very basic requirement of a security device is that it should require a thief to have large, expensive and/or bulky tools to defeat the security device. Another consideration is that the security device should take a long time to defeat. Thieves know that even a small amount of extra time greatly increases the chance of getting caught. The main goal of most security devices is not to make access impossible but to make it time-consuming and uneconomical.
FIG. 1
shows a typical hasp
100
used for closing many types of container doors, including doors on shipping containers, trucks, rail cars, warehouses, etc. A hasp is a type of a closure device that is defined as a hinged metal fastening for a door, window, lid, etc., or a clasp that passes over a staple to be fastened by a padlock, hook, pin, etc.
There are many variations to the basic hasp concept, including variations in size and shape, etc. The hasp
100
typically includes a plate
103
mounted to the structure by fasteners
106
and upon which is pivotally mounted a pivoting tongue
110
. The hasp
100
further includes a pivoting bar
121
that can be engaged with the pivoting tongue
110
. The pivoting bar
121
is pivotally attached to a door or structural member by a fastener
126
, and may control a cam-type or tongue-type closure device that may hold a door or doors in place. A lock or other type of security device may be used to secure the door or doors by removably fastening the pivoting bar
121
to the pivoting tongue
110
. The lock may pass through the hole
112
in the pivoting tongue
110
and through the hole
129
in the pivoting bar
121
. The lock may therefore prevent movement of the pivoting bar
121
with respect to the plate
103
.
A padlock (not shown) has been commonly used for securing a hasp
100
. Although a padlock is cheap and is easy for the shipper to remove at a destination, it is also easily, quickly, and quietly cut by thieves. A padlock may be removed by a blow or impact, or by use of a portable, hand held cutting tool of some sort.
A newer variation of a lock for a hasp is a locking pin (not shown) that has a head on one end. A cap may snap onto the other end of the locking pin to prevent the locking pin from being removed from the hasp
100
. However, like the padlock, the locking pin can be easily broken or cut by bolt cutters or other cutting means.
As a result of the great need for economical and effective security devices, additional components have been developed to reduce the vulnerabilities of hasps and locking devices. A covered device as shown in Emmons et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,731, minimizes access to the padlock and to the hasp. The device of Emmons restricts access to the hasp and lock, but does not block access.
Further prior art devices are shown in Emmons, U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,149, and in Stone et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,604. Both show a cover that limits access to a locking pin. The drawback of these two devices is that they both still allow some access to the locking pin. Neither are designed in such a way that the locking pin can be inserted and locked without allowing thieves some room to access both ends of the locking pin. Worse yet, both ends of the pin are shaped to allow a thief to grasp and manipulate the ends in some manner. If a thief can grasp a head or a locking cap, the thief can still break the security locking pin and gain entry. Therefore, these two devices are still vulnerable to breakage.
Yet another prior art approach is shown in Burnett et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,009. The cover of Burnett is a box-like structure with five sides and an open side for receiving two tongues having holes which the locking pin passes through. Therefore, the device of Burnett will not work with a conventional hasp or conventional door enclosure and requires two tongues that meet up in a certain configuration. The device of Burnett will not work with a common hasp or other container closures having a pivoting rotating hand bar or handle as part of the closure mechanism.
Burnett shows a cover having only one access hole. The one access hole in the cover allows a locking pin to be inserted. The pin is driven into the hole. However, there is no allowance for pin removal. Cover removal requires a cutting torch or cutting tool and the cover must be cut off, potentially damaging the door and/or the closure device. The removal is therefore very time-consuming, expensive, and difficult. Although it may make access by a thief difficult, it also makes opening by the shipper expensive and difficult.
What is needed, therefore, are improvements in security for shipping containers and container access doors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A tamper resistant security device for a closure device is provided according to one embodiment of the invention. The tamper resistant security device comprises a locking pin including a head, a shaft, and a groove. The tamper resistant security device further comprises a locking cap comprising a blind hole, a groove formed inside and substantially coaxial with the blind hole, and a snap ring fitting within the groove and further capable of snapping into the groove of the locking pin. The tamper resistant security device further comprises a protective cover comprising a closure device cavity, a locking pin hole extending through the protective cover, a locking cap cavity, and an alignment hole. During assembly, the protective cover is placed over
Jorgensen Kevin
Wilhelm Richard E.
Luu Teri Pham
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck P.C.
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