US1097913A - Seal for cars and other purposes. - Google Patents

Description

L. J. CAMPBELL.

SEAL FOR ems AND OTHER PURPOSES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, 1909.

1,097,913. Patented May 26, 1914.

UNITED STA PATENT OFFICE.

LEON J. CAMPBELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CAMPBELL INDUSTRIAL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SEAL FOR CARS AND OTHER PURPOSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Application filed April 17, 1909. Serial No. 490,478.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON J. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seals for Cars and other Purposes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

The invention relates to seals for cars and other purposes, and particularly to the class of seals which are designed to be used once to close or seal a car, package, or other thing, and to be destroyed or so defaced as to be incapable of further use when such car, package or other thing, is opened.

The primary object of the invention is to obtain an improved seal of the character described which cannot be opened without breaking it, that is, which cannot be picked, and to obtain an improved seal which is economical in construction, of few parts, and readily closed by the operator.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of certain other new and useful objects which will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the features of novcity and in the combination of parts hereinafter described, shown in the drawings forming a part of this specification, and pointed out more particularly in the ap pended claims.

In the said drawingsFigure 1 is an elevation of the improved seal. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the locking parts of the seal. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the locking case taken on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fi 2, showing a modified form of the looking case. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4:, but showing a modified form of locking means within the casing. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Seals of the character herein described are employed to prevent unauthorized persons from tampering with the locks on cars, packages and the like without leaving visible evidence of their acts. In order to accomplish this purpose, seals should be so constructed that when once locked they cannot be unlocked or picked without so injuring them as to change their appearance, thereby making the fact very apparent. In the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated 1n the drawing herewith the sealing strip or shackle is shown of the usual fiat metal construction indicated by the reference character 10, Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive.

11 is the locking casing, which may be formed of any suitable metal, but which is preferably formed of iron or other suitable hard metal capable of being molded, and also capable of being chilled in order to impart to this casing hardness and brittleness so that it may not be tampered with without breaking. This casing 11 is preferably formed spherical or nearly so, as illustrated in the drawings, and in being molded it is preferable that one end of the shank or sealing strip 10 be formed into a tubular housing, as indicated at 10*. This tubular housing on one end of the sealing strip 10 may be formed and inserted in the mold in order that the molten metal in the casing 11 may be formed around the housing, and at the same time firmly attaching the strip 10 to the casing. The chilling of the casing ll at the time of casting, or the subsequent hardening of the same by well known processes may be carried to the extent that the casing is rendered practically impervious to ordinary tools, so that to reach the interior of the casing necessitates the breaking of it, thus leaving visible evidence that the seal has been tampered with. The cylindrical housing 10 is provided between its extremities with an enlarged portion extending around the periphery thereof, as at 10, adapted to serve as a seat and support for the locking member 12, which preferably consists of a piece of elastic metal or spring wire bent to the form shown most clearly in Fig. 3, having one of its free ends engagin the seat 1O on the interior of'the casing, and its other end formed to extend into the interior of the common diameter of the cylindrical opening in the casing formed by the housing 10 The free end of the locking strip 10 is provided with an attached locking plug 13,

preferably of the form most clearly shown in Fig. 2, having its forward end reduced in oraer to have a wedging effect when encountering the free end of the locking spring 12 which is interposed in its path when it is desired to insert the locking plug into the housing in the casing. To the rear of the exposed reduced or conical point of the plug a groove is formed extending preferably around the plug and being adapted to engage the free end of the spring 12, which is interposed in the path of the plug. This groove is indicated in the drawings by the reference character 13 The locking plug 13 may be attached to the free end of the strip 10 in any desired manner, but the preferred form is that illustrated in which the plug is shown with a wide groove or reduced portion, as at 13 and the material in the strip 10 may be formed around the cylindrical rear end of the plug, and the extremity of the material pressed downwardly into the groove 13 the preferred manner of securing the parts together being to fold the extreme end of the material and the strip 10 one or more times, as illustrated in Fig. 2, thus forming an inwardly projecting flange for engaging the groove 13 in the plug.

A modification of the form of the housing and easing illustrated in Fig. 2 is shown in Figs. 1- and 5 in which the locking strip indicated by the reference character 14 is secured to the casing 15 by having the end of the casing folded upon itself as indicated at 16, which serves as a means for securing the strip within the material of the casing, the molten metal of which is allowed to flow around the end of the strip 1% at the time the casing is cast. In this modification of the invention the housing 17 for providing the locking chamber is formed separate from the locking strip,

In Figs. 5 and 6 a further modification of the invention is shown in which two gravity washers of a diameter larger than the common diameter of the housing are mounted in the peripheral enlargement 18 in the housing 17. These washers are indicated by the reference characters 19, and it will be apparent that there may be any number of these gravity washers or circular locking members employed.

The metallic casing 11 may be of any suitable metal, but is preferably formed of gray iron, which, after being molded, is subjected to a chilling process, thus rendering it very hard and impervious to ordinary tools. The chilling of the casing 11 also increases the brittleness of it, so that any attempt to reach the interior of the casing for the purpose of picking the lock will result in the breaking of the casing, thereby rendering any tampering with the seal easy and certain of detection. In order to prevent further possibility of tampering with the lock, it is preferred that the plug 13 also be chilled, thus making it very difficult, if not impossible, for persons tampering with the lock to remove the plug by drilling or boring, which, if the plug were not hardened or chilled, might be done, and the broken end of the sealing strip again inserted into the casing after the plug is drilled out, which might enable persons tampering with the seal to restore it to its normal appearance, and thus avoid detection.

In the manufacture of the seal as described, the housing formed on the end of the sealing strip may be inserted in the mold and the metal formed around it, after which the spring 12 may be inserted, or, if desired, the'spring may be inserted into the retaining groove in the housing before the operation of casting, and in the use of the modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, in which the circular metallic rings or washers 19 take the place of the spring, it is preferred that these be secured within their retaining groove in the housing when the housing is formed, after which the. metal forming the casing may be cast around the housing, and the end of the sealing strip provided with the hooked portion 16.

One of the most common uses to which this invention may be applied is the sealing of cars, and in the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the seal is placed in the hands of the operator with the locking spring 12 in position on the inside of the housing. The free end of the sealing strip 10 to which is secured the cylindrical plug 13 is then passed through the parts to be secured together, and thelcck is coinpleted by the insertion of the member 13 into the housing within the casing. The plug 13 is preferably beveled or pointed, as illustrated, at its forward point, and this forward portion contacts with the end of the elastic locking member 12, which is normally interposed in its path. The plug being now inserted into the housing with some force, the interposed portion of the locking member 12 will be forced out of the path of the plug until the peripheral groove 13 in the plug registers with the locking member 12, when the deflectedportion of the locking member will then spring into the groove, thus permanently locking the member 13 and the end of the sealing strip within the casing 11. The peripheral groove 10 in the housing within the casing furnishes a firm support for the elastic locking member 12, and when the parts are constructed as described, it is found that the locking strip 10 will be fractured outside of the locking casing before the locking plug 13 may be disengaged from the holding power of the locking means within the g..

When the gravity washers 19 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 are used instead of the elastic locking member 12, the locking member 13 is beveled or pointed, as before, and as the apertures within the washers are slightly greater in diameter than the extreme diameter of the member 13, the washers 19 will be lifted, on the insertion of the plug, until the groove 13 registers with the washers, when they will drop into the groove, and being of a diameter larger than the common diameter of the casing, one or more of them will at all times engage both the groove in the member 13, and the peripheral enlargement 18 in the housing, thus forming a permanent lock, and as in the previously described embodiment of the invention, a lock that cannot be released without defacing or breaking the casing and thus rendering de tection certain and plainl visible.

It is one of the advantageous features of the construction above described that the locking plug on the end of the sealing strip or shackle opposite the casing is of such length that it is almost entirely covered by the rigid metallic casing when the seal is in operative condition. This makes it al most impossible for one desiring to tamper with the seal to break off the locking plug because it is difficult to get suficient hold of a short portion of the end of it protruding beyond the casing, and if it be broken off there is nothing to fasten the parts. On the other hand, with the common form of sealing strip in which the thin end of the strip is inserted in the casing, oftentimes suflicient variation in the thickness of the materials will occur and thus enable persons tampering with the seal to re-insert the broken end of the sealing strip into the casing, enabling fraud to be practised without detection. It is also an important fea ture of the invention that the material of the sealing strip 10 surrounds the locking plug 13 and extends into the groove 13 of the plug, because when constructed in this manner, and as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the material of the strip is permanently and effectively locked on the interior of the casing so that any strain of a breaking nature will cause the material of the strip on the outside of the plug to be fractured before the connection between the material of the strip and the groove 13 in the plug is released. Connection of the end of the strip or shackle with the plug 13 is particularly effective when constructed as illustrated in Fig. 2 with the material at the forward end of the strip within the groove folded upon itself so that it has a plurality of thicknesses with the folds next to the bottom of the groove. When any strain is brought upon the strip tending to withdraw the strip and the plug from the casing the folds of the material Within the groove will tend to act as a lever or roll and cause the material of the strip surrounding the plug to bind against the walls of the casing in such manner that a fracture of the material of the strip or shackle will occur at the outer extremity of the plug 13 before the connection between the strip plug and casing will be broken on the interior of the casing.

In order that the invention might be fully understood the details of the preferred embodiment thereof have been thus specifically described. It will be apparent that many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the purpose and spirit of the invention, and

h at I claim is:

1. In a seal, a sealing strip, a housing formed integrally with said sealing strip at one end thereof, a casing of chilled metal around said housing, locking means within the housing, and a chilled locking plug secured to the other end of the sealing strip and adapted to cooperate with the housing and the locking means therein.

2. In a seal, a sealing strip, a casing secured to one end of said strip and being provided with an aperture communicating with a peripherally enlarged opening in the interior of the casing, a movable locking member secured in position within the peripherally enlarged opening, and a locking plug secured to the sealing strip and adapted to enter the aperture in the casing, there being a peripheral groove in the said locking plug adapted to cooperate with the locking member in the interior of the casing.

8. In a seal, a sealing strip, a casing secured to one end of said strip and being provided with an aperture communicating with a peripherally enlarged opening in the interior of the casing, an elastically controlled locking member secured in position within the peripherally enlarged opening, and a locking plug secured to the sealing strip and adapted to enter the aperture in the casing, there being a peripheral groove in the said locking plug adapted to cooperate with the locking member in the interior of the casing.

1-. The combination of a sealing strip, a casing secured to one end of the strip, a tubular extension on the'other end of the strip, an inwardly projecting flange within the tubular extension, and a locking plug adapted to cooperate with the casing, said locking plug being provided with a groove adjacent its free end cooperating with the rib in the tubular extension to secure the plug to the strip.

5. In a seal, a sealing strip, a casing secured to one end of said strip, and a locking plug adapted to cooperate with the casing, said locking plug being provided with a groove adjacent its free end whereby the material of the strip may be given a tubular form to surround that portion of the lockname to this specification, in the presence of ing plug between the groove therein and the ttvo snhs'cribing itnesses, on this 146th day extremity opposite the free endthereo f, the of April, A. 1909. lnfit eriel of the strip being folded nponitself J.

one or more times Within the groove for 'se- Htnesses: cnrlng the stmp and locklng plug together. A. L. Srnrnnnn,

In testnnony whereof I have slgned my SnnM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fore cents ca ch, adqressing the Qonnnissioner o1 Patents,

Washington, 1) 0.

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