FR2766952A1 - Security seal fitting and locking procedure, esp for vehicle doors - Google Patents

Abstract

The procedure, designed to seal and lock two components (5, 6), especially vehicle doors, comprises a stage in which a lock housing (4) is fitted so that it overlaps the adjoining edges of the two components and is locked irreversibly to a tie (2) which is fixed to the opposite side of the components and passes between them. The tie has a moulded plastic head (3) on its end which is attached to the two components on the side opposite the lock, the lock being fixed in place on the tie by non-return elements which allow the lock housing to be slide in one direction along the tie. In a variant of the design the lock can be fitted over a plate which overlaps the edges of the two components.

Description

 The invention relates to securing by means of seals.

 It aims to allow such securing for elements that are not initially intended to receive a seal.

 The invention provides for this purpose a securing method in which a seal is placed in engagement on a first element and on a second element while these elements are in a predetermined relative position where they are adjacent, so that if said elements are separated from each other, the seal is altered; characterized in that it comprises the step of placing, on a first side of said elements, a locking body in a position where it is pressed against and astride on a first face of the first element and on a first face of the second element by being irreversibly locked on a link fixed on a second side of said elements, opposite the first side.

 After placing the seal formed by the link and by the locking body, the fact of removing the first and the second elements causes the removal of the locking body and then, even if the link has not been broken , we can not put the locking body exactly in the same position vis-à-vis the link and vis-à-vis the first and second element. The link and the locking body thus make it possible to reveal any maneuver of spacing of the elements.

 We see that the method according to the invention can be used with the most varied elements, from the moment when it is possible to pass a link from one side to the other of these elements and to press a locking body to horse on an accessible side of these elements.

 It will further be observed that the elements secured in accordance with the invention do not undergo any degradation due to the installation, the presence or the removal of the seal.

 According to preferred characteristics, the securing method comprises the step of maintaining the link on said first side while bringing said elements into said predetermined relative position so that once they have been brought there, the link passes between the elements .

 We thus pass the link from one side to the other of the elements directly through the space which shrinks until almost non-existent when we bring the first and the second element in the position where they are adjacent, which is particularly simple and convenient.

 Preferably, the securing method comprises the step of fixing said link on the second side of said elements by means of a head secured to said link and situated on the second side, a head which has been pulled by pulling on said link from the first side. against and straddling a second face of the first element and a second face of the second element opposite respectively to the first face of the first element and to the second face of the second element.

 The establishment of the seal according to the invention (link provided with the head and locking body) is thus possible with most of the opening elements since it ultimately consists in taking the two elements sandwiched between the head and the body. lock, the link passing between the two elements.

 According to other preferred characteristics, for reasons of simplicity and convenience of implementation, the method comprises the step of locking said body on said link by means of non-return means allowing said body to slide irreversibly on said link.

 The invention also relates, more particularly, to a method for securing a pivoting vehicle door, characterized in that it includes the implementation of the method as described above with said first element which is the door to securing and said second element which is an element of said vehicle against which the door comes in the closed position.

 The invention also relates, in a second aspect, to a locking body suitable for implementing the method as described above, characterized in that it comprises a plate adapted to be pressed against and straddling a first face of the first element and on a first face of the second element, and provided with an opening for the passage of said link allowing it to join irreversible locking means.

 The fact of providing such a plate which cooperates with the first face of the two elements is particularly advantageous, in particular for reasons of arrangement of the locking body and of convenience of use thereof.

 Preferably, said plate comprises at least one positioning foot adapted to cooperate with an interval provided between the first face of the first element and the second face of the second element.

 The plate, thanks to the positioning foot (s), automatically takes the desired position when the seal is put in place and, depending on the configuration and the number of feet, then keeps this positioning.

 Preferably, the locking body comprises, away from said plate, a plate provided with non-return means adapted to cooperate with said link to allow it to slide in the direction which goes from the plate towards the plate while all sliding in the opposite direction is prohibited.

 There is thus, between the plate and the plate, a space which can be used to cut the link when it is desired to remove the seal, and this in complete safety with respect to the first face of the two elements since the plate forms a screen preventing injury to this coating with the link cutting instrument.

Preferably:
- Said non-return means comprise a metal plate provided with an opening for passage of the link and flexible blades oriented towards each other coming directly from said opening; and eventually
- the plate and the tray are part of a plastic base molded in one piece while the body has a plastic cap molded in one piece adapted to snap on the base to keep the plate on the latter.

 The invention also relates, in a third aspect, to a seal suitable for implementing the method as previously described, characterized in that it comprises a link at one end of which is connected a head, and an independent locking body of said head adapted to slide on the link in the direction in which it approaches the head while any sliding in the opposite direction is prohibited.

 According to preferred characteristics, the seal comprises a body as described above.

 According to other preferred characteristics, in particular for reasons of simplicity and convenience of manufacture, the link and the head form an assembly of plastic material molded in one piece.

 According to other preferred characteristics, the link has a smooth surface and the locking body comprises a metal retaining plate, fitted with flexible non-return blades.

 The body can thus be locked in any position vis-à-vis the link, which is particularly useful in cases where this positioning must be carried out with great precision.

The description of the invention will now be continued with the description of an exemplary embodiment, given below by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the appended drawings. On these
- Figure 1 is a very schematic plan section showing a motor vehicle door in the closed position as well as the amount against which this door is supported, the seal link according to the invention being put in place;
- Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the seal according to the invention fully in place;
- Figure 3 is an elevational view of the locking body that includes the seal;
- Figures 4 and 5 are respectively an elevational view and a top view of the base that comprises the locking body
- Figures 6 and 7 are respectively an elevational view and a top view of the cap that includes the locking body;
- Figure 8 is a detailed view of the link that includes the seal according to the invention;
- Figures 9 and 10 are respectively an elevational view and a top view of the retaining plate that comprises the locking body;
- Figure II is a view similar to Figure 7, but with the retaining plate which is placed on the cap; and
- Figure 12 is a top view of the seal according to the invention, in the assembled state.

 In the example illustrated, the seal 1 is used to secure the closing of a motor vehicle door, here the driver's side door of a vehicle transported by train whose keys remain on the starter control so that this door does not is not locked. More specifically, the seal 1 is placed near the handle of the door once the vehicle is positioned on the transport wagon, in order to reveal a possible intrusion into the vehicle.

 As shown very schematically in Figures 1 and 2, this seal includes a link 2, a head 3 secured to the link 2 by one end of it and a locking body 4 which can be held in position irreversibly on the link 2.

 To apply this seal, the door 5 is closed while maintaining the link 2 opposite the upright 6 so that the link is taken between this door and the upright with the head 3 which is located on the interior side of the vehicle ( space that can be seen above the door 5 and the upright 6 in Figures I and 2) and with a portion of the link 2 which is on the outside.

 We then pull, from the outside, on the link 2, to slide it between the door 5 and the upright 6 until the end of travel, that is to say until the head 3 is pressed against the inner face of the door 5 and the upright 6. Parallel to this maneuver, or after it, the body 4 is locked on the link 2 in a position where it is pressed against the outer face of the door 5 and the amount 6, as shown in Figure 2.

 The seal 1 is thus held in place by the fact that it sandwiches the door 5 and the upright 6 between the head 3 and the body 4, which are each astride the door and the upright.

 In the event that someone would like to open the door 5, the presence of the seal 1 and more particularly of its outer part which is near the door opening handle, indicates to this person that it is going to enter a place closed, and that she will therefore commit a break-in, which will be revealed thanks to seal 1.

 Indeed, the opening of the door 5 after the installation of this seal, normally requires the breaking of the link 2, and even if one succeeds in opening the door 5 without breaking this link, it will then be impossible to replace seal 1.

 We will now describe in more detail the locking body 4 and the link 2 provided with the head 3.

 The locking body 4 comprises a base 7, a cap 8, and a retaining plate 9 held between the base 7 and the cap 8.

 The base 7 is made of plastic molded in one piece.

 As can be seen more particularly in FIGS. 4 and 5, it comprises a plate 10 of generally rectangular shape rounded in the corners, with two ears 11 each projecting from a large respective side, the two ears Il 1 being opposite one from the other and slightly closer to the small side that we see on the left in the drawings than to the one that we see on the right. The two opposite faces 12 and 13 of the plate 10 are both flat.

 Two positioning fingers 14 each extend transversely to the face 12, at the level of a respective ear 11. The fingers 14 each have a conical shape rounded at its end. They are intended to be housed in the interval between the door 5 and the upright 6 in order to correctly position the body 4 with respect to the latter. The fact of having two fingers 11 separated at most from each other allows the base 10, and more generally the body 4, to avoid pivoting on itself to take a general vertical position instead of keep the general horizontal position in which it is placed.

 A plate 15 of generally rectangular shape and of smaller dimensions than the plate 10 is arranged parallel to the latter opposite the face 13, to which the plate 15 is connected by two feet 16 and 17 diagonally opposite.

 Two coaxial openings 18 and 19 are provided respectively in the plate 10 and in the plate 15 to allow the base 7 to slide along the link 2.

 The openings 18 and 19 are aligned with the fingers 14 in order to have a correct positioning of the link 2 with respect to the base 7, and more generally with respect to the body 4.

 Two longitudinally oriented U-shaped bridges 20 and 21 extend from the face 13, respectively opposite the side of the foot 16 located on the left in the drawings and opposite the side of the foot 17 located on the right on the drawings. An opening 22 is made in the plate 10 between the legs of each of the bridges 20 and 21, perpendicular to their portion which is parallel to the plate 10.

 The cap 8 is made of plastic molded in one piece.

 As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cover 8 comprises a plate 23 of generally rectangular shape with two diametrically opposite rounded corners while the other two angles, which are seen respectively at the bottom left and at the top right on Figure 6, are cut at an angle. The two faces 24 and 25 of the plate 23 are flat and parallel.

 Two sleeves 26 and 27 each disposed adjacent to one of the rounded angles of the plate 23, extend transversely from the face 24. They each have a narrow rectangle section corresponding to that of the bridges 20 and 21, and are longitudinally oriented. Each of the sleeves 26 and 27 has a recess 28 carried by one of its walls oriented longitudinally, projecting into the space internal to the sheath, near its free end. An opening 29 with the same outline as the interior space of the sleeves 26 and 27 is provided for each of these in the plate 23.

 At the center of the latter, a bowl 30 is provided delimiting a housing 31 of generally rectangular shape which opens through the face 24. On the side of this latter face, the bowl 30 has two elongated ribs 32. On the side of the face 25, the bowl 30 has a circular boss 33 in the center of which is formed an opening 34 which continues in the wall of the bowl 30, flaring. This opening is used for the passage of the link 2. A hook 35 (not shown in FIGS. 3, 11 and 12) extends transversely from the face 25 of the plate 23. This hook serves to hold the end of the link 2 once seal 1 has been placed on the vehicle, as shown in Figure 2.

 The link 2 and the head 3 form a plastic assembly molded in one piece.

 The link 2 is of circular cross section with a diameter corresponding to that of the openings 18 and 19 of the base 7 and that of the opening 34 of the cover 8.

The end 36 of the link 2 is thinned in order to facilitate its penetration into the abovementioned openings, as well as into that of the retaining plate 9.

 The latter is made of sheet steel. It has a general shape corresponding to that of the housing 31 which the bowl 30 of the cover 8 protects.

In the center of the plate 9 is formed an opening 37 while two non-return blades 38 coming directly from the opening 37 are folded so as to be inclined towards one another outside the plane of the plate 9. The hole 37 is used for the passage of the link 2, the blades 38 allowing this link to move with respect to the wafer 9 in the direction going from the top to the bottom of FIG. 10, while the displacement in the opposite direction is prohibited (any sliding of the link 2 vis-à-vis the plate 9 is irreversible).

 We will now explain how the plate 9, the cap 8 and the base 7 are assembled to form the body 4.

 The retaining plate 9 is first of all placed in the housing 31 as shown in FIG. 11, that is to say with the blades 38 which are on the side of the opening 34, the plate 9 being placed on the ribs 32. It will be observed that the opening 34 and the opening 37 are coaxial.

 The base 7 is then presented on the assembly formed by the cap 8 and the plate 9, with the face 13 of the plate 10 of the base which looks at the face 24 of the plate 23 of the cap, the bridges 20 and 21 being respectively referenced sleeves 26 and 27, and likewise for the plate 15 and the bowl 30.

 The base 7 and the cap 8 are then pressed towards each other, the bridges 20 and 21 penetrate into the internal space of the sleeves 26 and 27, the bridges meeting the recesses 28, the plastic material deforming in order to allow the progression of the bridges, until the portion of the latter which is parallel to the plate 10 has exceeded the teeth 28, the plastic material then relaxing so that the teeth come to be placed in front of the aforementioned portion of the bridges, this which locks the base 7 and the cover 8 (see Figure 12).

 During the assembly movement, the plate 15 come against the plate 9, so that the latter is held laterally by the walls of the bowl 30 while it is taken between the plate 19 and the ribs 32. The openings 18 and 19 of the base 7 are then coaxial with the opening 37 of the wafer 9 and the opening 34 of the cap 8.

 In order to make it easier to use the seal 1, the link 2 and the body 4 are then pre-assembled, the link being presented opposite the body 4 with the thinned end 36 which looks at the opening 18, the link 2 being successively pressed into the openings 18, 19, 37 and 34.

 It can be seen that, taking into account the orientation of the non-return blades 38, the body 4 can slide with respect to the link 2 in the direction where the body approaches the head 3, while any sliding in the opposite direction is prohibited.

 It will be observed that the presence of the ribs 32 makes it possible to obtain the non-return effect not only by the bending of the blades 38, but also by an overall bending of the plate 9.

 The space provided between the plate 10 and the plate 15 makes it possible to cut the link 2 in order to remove the seal 1, without there being the slightest risk of injuring the coating of the vehicle, since the plate 10 constitutes a screen preventing any contact between the cutting instrument and this coating.

 The use of a metal plate 9 with non-return blades has the advantage of allowing extremely precise positioning of the body 4, that is to say exactly corresponding to the thickness of the door 5 and the amount 6 .

 In a variant not shown, where such positioning precision is not useful, the smooth link 2 is replaced by a notched link and the body 4 by a body molded in one piece of plastic material, comprising retaining teeth adapted to cooperate with the notches of the link.

 In a variant not shown, the link 2 has, near the head 3, a thinning constituting a zone of weakness making it possible to remove the seal by a simple traction exerted on the link 2 or on the body 4 to break the zone of weakness.

 Many other variants are possible depending on the circumstances, and it is recalled in this regard that the invention is not limited to the examples described and shown.

Claims (14)

 1. Securing method in which a seal is placed on a first element (5) and on a second element (6) while these elements are in a predetermined relative position where they are adjacent, so that if said elements ( 5, 6) are spaced from each other, the seal is altered, characterized in that it comprises the step of fitting, on a first side of said elements (5, 6), a locking body (4) in a position where it is pressed against and astride on a first face of the first element (5) and on a first face of the second element (6) while being irreversibly locked on a link (2) fixed from a second side of said elements (5, 6), opposite the first side.  2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the step of maintaining the link (2) of said first side while bringing said elements (5, 6) in said predetermined relative position so that once qu 'they were brought there, the link passes between the elements (5, 6).  3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises the step of fixing said link (2) on the second side of said elements (5, 6) by a head secured to said link and located on the second side, head that 'we come, by pulling said link from the first side, press against and straddle a second face of the first element (5) and a second face of the second element (6) opposite respectively to the first face of the first element and on the second side of the second element.  4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises the step of locking said body (4) on said link (2) by means of non-return means (8, 9) allowing said body (4) sliding irreversibly on said link (2).  5. Method for securing a pivoting vehicle door, characterized in that it comprises the implementation of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 with said first element which is the door (5) to be secured and said second element which is an element (6) of said vehicle against which the door (5) comes in the closed position.  6. Locking body suitable for implementing the according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a plate (10) adapted to be pressed against and astride on a first face of the first element (5) and on a first face of the second element (6), and provided with an opening for the passage of said link (2) allowing it to join irreversible locking means (8, 9).  7. Body according to claim 6, characterized in that said plate (10) comprises at least one positioning foot (14) adapted to cooperate with an interval provided between the first face of the first element (5) and the second face of the second element (6).  8. Body according to any one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that it comprises, away from said plate (10), a plate (15) provided with non-return means (8, 9) adapted to cooperate with said link to allow it to slide in the direction from the plate (10) to the plate (15) while any sliding in the opposite direction is prohibited.  9. Body according to claim 8, characterized in that said non-return means comprise a metal plate (9) provided with an opening (37) for passage of the link (2) and flexible blades (38) oriented one towards the other coming in line with said opening (37).  10. Body according to claim 8, characterized in that the plate and the plate are part of a base (7) of plastic material molded in one piece while the body comprises a cap (8) of plastic material molded d 'a single piece, adapted to snap on the base to maintain the plate (9) on the latter.  11. A seal suitable for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a link (2) at one end of which is connected a head (3), and a body of locking (4) independent of said head (3) adapted to slide on the link (2) in the direction in which it approaches the head while any sliding in the opposite direction is prohibited.  12. Seal according to claim 11, characterized in that said locking body (4) conforms to any one of claims 6 to 10.  13. Sealed according to any one of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that the link (2) and the head (3) form a plastic assembly molded in one piece.  14. Sealed according to any one of claims il to 13, characterized in that said link (2) has a smooth surface and in that the locking body (4) comprises a metal retaining plate (9), provided flexible non-return blades (38).