EP1511909A1

EP1511909A1 - Multipurpose seal with lock

Info

Publication number: EP1511909A1
Application number: EP03730200A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Graziano Azzalin; Christophe Korn; André Poucet
Original assignee: EUROPEAN COMMUNITY; European Community EC Belgium; European Economic Community
Current assignee: European Union Represented By European Co
Priority date: 2002-05-13
Filing date: 2003-05-07
Publication date: 2005-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 2023-05-07
Also published as: WO2003095773A1; US7178369B2; EP1511909B1; AU2003240836A1; DE60335799D1; PT1511909E; EP1371797A1; EP1511909B9; US20050210932A1; JP4435678B2; BR0309931A; DK1511909T3; NO20045395L; JP2005533941A; ES2358503T3; AR039998A1; ATE496188T1

Abstract

The invention concerns a multipurpose seal with lock, comprising a mobile closure apparatus (1) consisting of a housing (2) containing a lock and a fastening element (3) designed to be locked in the housing. The lock comprises a cylinder (7) mobile in the housing between a locking position and an unlocking position. An electronic component (6) capable of being remotely queried and of storing data is maintained in a package (21) which passes through part of the housing (2) and part of the lock cylinder (7) when the latter is in locking position. Thus, any rotation of the cylinder from the locking position causes the component to break.

Description

MULTI-PURPOSE LOCK SEAL

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a seal device for closing and marking objects. More particularly, the invention relates to seal devices which use electronic identification means.

Prior art

Many types of seals are currently used to control the routing or storage of products or materials which have more or less significant security or control needs, such as, for example, nuclear material, certain types of waste or 'money.

The technologies used for the production of seals are very varied and depend mainly on the use and the required degrees of security.

Thus, when one wishes to simply verify the integrity of an object, such as a bag or a chest, the function of the seal is to guarantee that the object has not been opened without authorization. In this case, inexpensive devices, such as simple plastic or metal collars affixed to the opening members of the object, can be used. A simple visual inspection of the integrity of the structure of the collars is then enough to see that the seal has been breached or not.

On the other hand, there are more and more areas in which seals must not only fulfill their basic function, which is to be able to attest to the inviolability of the object, but also to be able to provide information during use. Thus, there are currently devices which include mechanical sealing means to which are associated electronic or optical means which make it possible to store and transmit information.

However, current seal devices which include electronic means are complex and expensive. They are generally designed for a specific use and cannot be implemented with any type of object. In addition, they have a fragile mechanical structure which makes them very sensitive to handling and transport, which further limits their use.

Object and brief description of the invention

The present invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a low-cost multiple-use seal device which is mechanically robust and which contains information which can be consulted quickly and easily. The device must also allow safe and easy control of the integrity of the seal.

These aims are achieved by means of a multi-purpose lock seal, comprising a movable closure device formed by a housing containing a lock and by a fastening element intended to be locked in the housing, the lock comprising a movable cylinder. in the housing between a locking position and an unlocking position, characterized in that it further comprises an electronic component that can be interrogated remotely which includes a data storage means, the component being held in a housing which passes through part of the housing and part of the lock cylinder when the latter is in the locked position.

Thus, thanks to the seal according to the invention, the electronic component which makes it possible to store and transmit information becomes also witness the integrity of the seal. The integrity of the component is checked by remote interrogation of it, which requires no dismantling of the seal.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the housing comprises a holding element for retaining the electronic component in the housing.

More specifically, the retaining element comprises a cavity intended to receive a part of the electronic component, a spring being disposed between the bottom of the cavity and the electronic component.

In order to reinforce the fixing of the retaining element in the housing, the seal may further comprise a fixed pin which locks the retaining element in the housing.

The data storage means of the electronic component can include data encryption means. It can also be of the programmable or multi-page type.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the electronic component is a passive transponder of the injectable transponder type for animals.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the seal comprises a removable means for preventing the locking of the fastening element in the housing.

The mobile closing device can be a padlock or an anti-theft device of the anti-theft type for a cycle.

The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a multi-use seal comprising a movable closure device formed by a housing enclosing a lock and an attachment element, the lock comprising a movable cylinder in the housing between a locking and unlocking position of the fastening element, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a) drilling an opening which passes through a part of the housing and a part of the lock cylinder when it is in the locked position, and b) installation, in the opening, of a remote interrogable electronic component comprising a data storage means.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the following steps: c) machining of a recess in the housing upstream of the opening, and d) fixing of a holding element of the electronic component in said recess.

More particularly, the retaining element comprises a cavity intended to receive a part of the electronic component, a spring being disposed between the bottom of the cavity and the electronic component.

The method may further comprise a step e) of fixing a pin to lock the holding element in the housing.

It may also include an additional step f) of installing a removable means to prevent the locking of the fastening element in the housing.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the data storage means of the electronic component includes data encryption means. It can also be of the programmable or multi-page type.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the electronic component is a passive transponder of the injectable transponder type for animals.

The mobile closing device can be a padlock or an anti-theft device of the anti-theft type for cycles. Brief description of the drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, given by way of nonlimiting examples, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a lock seal in the unlocked position in accordance with a first embodiment according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a lock seal in the locked position according to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of part of the seal according to a first embodiment,

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the seal according to a first embodiment,

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view along the plane V of FIG. 2 according to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an example of a portable reader,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail view of part VII of FIG. 1, and

- Figure 8 is a perspective view of a seal according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments of the invention

In order not to unnecessarily complicate the description, the present invention will essentially be described in relation to a mobile locking device of the padlock type. However, it will be clear that the present invention applies to any type of closure device. mobile which comprises a housing containing a lock mechanism actuable by rotation of a cylinder using a key or the like.

Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of a seal according to the invention.

In this first exemplary embodiment, the seal is made from a padlock 1 which mainly comprises a housing 2 and a fastening element 3 such as a metal hoop. The housing 2 contains a lock mechanism intended to lock at least one of the ends of the attachment element 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the attachment element 3 comprises a free end 33 provided with a notch 31 intended to receive a failure (not shown) of the locking mechanism for locking. The other end 34 of the element 3 is held in the housing 2 so as to allow the element 3 to rotate around this end when the padlock is unlocked. As for the end 31, the end 34 may also include a notch 32 intended to receive a locking failure. In known manner, the locking means of the lock mechanism of the housing 2 are actuated in the unlocking direction by rotation of a cylinder 7 around its axis using a key 8 previously introduced into a slot (71) of the lock cylinder 7 (Figure 5). It is also known that this type of padlock can be locked without having to use the key, that is to say without rotation of the lock cylinder. Indeed, when no force is applied to the cylinder by the key 8, the padlock is provided with a return mechanism which maintains the cylinder 7 in a rest position as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In addition, the or the purlins intended to engage in the notch (s) of the fastening element 3 are also mounted with return springs which keep them in the locking position of the fastening element as long as no action is taken not the lock cylinder rotating in the unlocking direction S (figure 5). In some types of padlocks, the lock cylinder can be operated in both directions to cause the fastening element to be unlocked. To close the padlock, simply press the element 3 to move it in translation towards the housing 2 and thus lower its ends into the housing and this without movement of the cylinder. The lock mechanism which consists in blocking or releasing the ends of the fastening element 3 is well known per se and will not be described in more detail.

According to the invention, the housing 2 is modified to be able to receive an electronic component 6 which can be broken mechanically. To this end, as shown in FIG. 3, a bore 21 is machined on the side of the housing 2 in order to form a housing for the component 6. In this embodiment, the component 6 is held in the bore 21 by an element 4 which includes a cavity 41 in which are arranged a spring 5 and a part of the component 6. For this purpose, a recess 22, whose shape corresponds to that of the element 4, is also machined in the housing 2 upstream of the bore 21. Thus, once the element 4 fixed in the housing, the component 6 is held in abutment against the bottom of the bore 21 by the spring 5, itself in abutment against the bottom of the cavity 41 of element 4. Element 4 can be fixed in the recess 22 of the housing by means of a simple bonding. The attachment of the element 4 in the housing can however be reinforced by a pin 9 disposed in a passage 23 drilled in the housing and in a portion of the element 4 which does not include the cavity 41 (Figure 4).

As illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the bore 21 extends both in a part of the housing 2 and in a part of the cylinder 7 of the lock of the padlock. The portion of the bore 21 located in the housing and the portion of the bore 21 located in the cylinder 7 are aligned only when the latter is in the locked position. In other words, the bore 21 forms a common housing in the housing and the cylinder for the component 6 only when the cylinder is in the locked position, that is to say its rest position. What is important is that the depth of the bore 21 in the cylinder 7 does not exceed the length of the component 6 to guarantee that the latter, once kept in abutment at the bottom of the bore 21, will be present at both in the cylinder 7 and in the housing 2 (Figure 5). By way of example, in the embodiment described here, the depth of the bore 21 in the cylinder 7 is approximately 2 mm. Thus, the component 6 is in opposition to any rotational movement of the cylinder 7 relative to the housing 2 which forms a stator. Due to its mechanical fragility, any attempt to unlock the padlock by actuating the cylinder will cause the component to break. Consequently, the integrity of the seal according to the invention is ensured by the mechanical and, therefore, electronic integrity of the component.

An electronic component which can be used in the seal according to the invention is a passive electronic component that can be interrogated remotely like a transponder of the type of those injected or implanted in domestic animals for their identification. A transponder is a device that transmits the information it has in memory when it is activated by a transceiver. Optionally, it can store new information.

More specifically, such an electronic component comprises an electronic circuit which includes antenna means, such as a coil wound around a ferrite core, and an electronic part essentially composed of storage means. The antenna means are used not only for transmitting data but also for receiving an activation field for supplying electrical energy to the electronic circuit.

An example of a passive transponder which can be used in the present invention is a model (B T-IS 6110 with an industrial and non-animal identification code in accordance with standard ISO 11784) from the company DATAMARS SA. This transponder model includes a miniature electronic circuit which is wrapped in a glass cylinder of very small dimensions, namely 14 mm in length by 2 mm in diameter. The electronic circuit includes a memory with a capacity of 128 bits which can be programmable or multi-page ("Full Duplex" (FDX) type transponder).

The data stored in the transponder, such as the identity of the seal or information on the sealed content, can be read, for example, using a portable reader 50 shown in FIG. 6. Such a reader can in particular include a display screen 51, a keyboard 52 and / or means for storing the interrogated data. The reader activates the radio frequency (RF) transponder, for example at a frequency of 134.2 kHz. This wave charges a capacitor present in the transponder circuit. When the latter is discharged, it returns to the reader a code or information, written in the memory of the transponder.

The code and / or information of each interrogated transponder are thus sent to the reader 50 and displayed on its screen 51 and / or stored in its memory, or transferred, via a serial link, to a computer. Software can make it possible to establish the correlation between the identification number of the seal (the transponder code) and various data such as for example the location, and / or the name of the inspector who installed the seal, and / or the date the seal was applied. The system thus created allows the reading of the seal data at a distance of up to approximately 30 cm, which is sufficient for most uses.

The type of transponder described above is particularly suitable for the present invention. Indeed, such components have a very small footprint which allows them to be easily accommodated in small mobile closing devices such as padlocks. In addition, the circuit protection envelope being made of glass, it can be easily broken and thus allow the destruction of the electronic circuit with little resistance, in particular with respect to the shearing force applied to the component during the rotation of the lock cylinder.

Thus, thanks to this seal design specific to the invention, the integrity of the latter can be checked in a very simple and rapid manner although it is not apparent. Indeed, any attempt to violate the seal by opening the padlock is sanctioned by the mechanical destruction of the component. Thus, the integrity of the component, and therefore that of the seal, will be checked using a reader. If the component does not respond to a question from the reader, this means that the electronic circuit has suffered damage and that the integrity of the seal is questionable.

According to the principle of the seal, it can only be affixed once without compromising its integrity. The seal according to the invention meets the same requirements. The seal is supplied in the configuration shown in the figure

1, that is to say with the fastening element 3 unlocked to allow the latter to pass, for example through pegs or rings closed with a bag or the like that one wishes to close in an inviolable manner. Once the padlock is locked, the seal according to the invention is in the configuration shown in Figure 2 where the fastening element is locked in the housing

2. This configuration corresponds to the seal affixed and any attempt to open the padlock will destroy the component and consequently that of the seal.

In order to prevent any untimely closing of the padlock and therefore the loss of the seal during its transport or its manipulation before its use, there may be provided removable means on the fastening element, the housing or both. An example of such a means is illustrated in FIG. 7. In this figure, the free end 33 of the fastening element 3 is covered with a cap 35 whose width L ₂ is greater than the width L _x orifice 24 of the housing 2 in which the end 33 is housed in order to be locked. Thus, as long as the end of the fastening element is covered with the cap, the latter cannot be introduced into the orifice 24. Alternatively, the untimely closing of the padlock can be prevented by removable means present on the housing. 2 such as an adhesive or a seal which obstructs the orifice 24. The removable means may also consist of a spacer, removable or breakable, disposed between the housing and the upper part of the attachment element 3 to hold the latter at a determined distance which prevents the free end from entering the housing.

Figure 8 shows another embodiment of a multi-use seal according to the invention. In this embodiment, a seal is made from a movable closure device 100 of the anti-theft cycle type. The attachment element 103 is constituted by a steel cable or a chain, possibly covered with a plastic sheath, one end 134 of which is fixed to a housing 102 containing a lock mechanism. The other end 133 of the fastening element 103 is left free when it is not locked in the housing 102. In the same way as for the previous embodiment, the housing 102 is modified to receive a component 106 of the same type as that described above, the latter being held between a part of the housing 102 and of the lock cylinder 107 by means of an element 104 and a spring 105. Any rotation of the cylinder 107 using a key 108 will destroy the component 106.

The embodiment presented in FIG. 7 operates in a similar manner to that described in relation to FIGS. 1 to 5 and can obviously include all the particular characteristics described above. For the sake of simplification, it will therefore not be described in more detail.

The seal according to the invention has the following advantages. Information, such as an identification code, can be read without dismantling or altering the seal when it is affixed. Thanks to the glass envelope which protects the electronic circuit, the transponder is waterproof and resistant to chemical attacks. Therefore, the information can be read even under special storage conditions. Thus, for example, the data stored in the seal can be read when it is submerged.

The use of a reader for the identification and interrogation of the seal facilitates the control work. You just have to transport the reader to each of the sites to be checked. It is not necessary to take each of the seals to a laboratory or an analysis center to have specific means of opening and reading.

The data stored in the seal can be easily stored, thanks to a simple serial computer link. We can then quickly process the extracted data, which accelerates and lowers the cost of identification.

It is possible to use multipage transponders in order to store various information, such as information on the nature, provenance, stages of journey or else the place of departure of the sealed material or product, which further increases the possibilities of the sealed . During a routing in several stages for example, the information could be useful to determine the place or the date of a possible breach of the seal.

When the transponder circuit includes programmable or encryptable means, it is possible to encode or encrypt the data stored in the seal, hence an increased level of security.

The seal has a low manufacturing cost (around 10 Euros depending on the quantity produced for a seal made from a padlock). Verification of the integrity of the seal is carried out quickly and easily: if the reader cannot read the stored information, the seal has been breached.

The seal has significant mechanical robustness which allows it to be used as a reliable closing device. In addition, once applied, the seal does not require any special precautions to protect its integrity. Indeed, the integrity indicator, namely the component, is protected inside the closing device against any destruction which could occur during the handling of the sealed object.

It is also possible to have a single key for a plurality of locking devices used as seals according to the invention. This further simplifies their use.

Claims

1. Multi-use seal with lock, comprising a mobile closing device (1) formed by a housing (2) enclosing a lock and by a fastening element (3) intended to be locked in the housing, said lock comprising a cylinder (7) movable in the housing between a locking position and an unlocking position, characterized in that it further comprises an electronic component (6) interrogable remotely which comprises a data storage means, said component being held in a housing (21) which passes through a part of the housing (2) and a part of the lock cylinder (7) when the latter is in the locked position.

2. Seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing comprises a holding element (4) for retaining the electronic component (6) in the housing (21).

3. Seal according to claim 2, characterized in that the holding element (4) comprises a cavity (41) intended to receive a part of the electronic component (6), a spring (5) being disposed between the bottom of the cavity and the electronic component (6).

4. Seal according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it further comprises a fixed pin (9) for locking the retaining element (4) in the housing (2).

5. Seal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the data storage means of the electronic component (6) comprises data encryption means.

6. Seal according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the data storage means of the electronic component (6) is of the programmable or multi-page type.

7. Seal according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the electronic component (6) is a passive transponder of the injectable transponder type for animals.

8. Sealed according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a removable means (35) to prevent locking of the fastening element in the housing.

9. Sealed according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the mobile closing device (1) is a padlock.

10. Sealed according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the movable closing device (100) is an anti-theft device of the anti-theft type for cycle.

11. A method of manufacturing a multi-use seal comprising a movable closure device (1) formed by a housing (2) closing a lock and an attachment element (3), said lock comprising a cylinder ( 7) movable in the housing between a locking and unlocking position of the fastening element, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a) drilling an opening (21), said opening passing through part of the housing and part of the lock cylinder when it is in the locked position, and b) installation, in said opening, of an electronic component (6) which can be interrogated remotely comprising a data storage means.

12. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that it further comprises the following steps: c) machining of a recess (22) in the housing (2) upstream of the opening (21), and d) fixing of a holding element of the electronic component in said recess.

13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the holding element (4) comprises a cavity (41) intended to receive a part of the electronic component (6), a spring (5) being disposed between the bottom of the cavity and the electronic component (6).

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, characterized in that it further comprises a step e) of fixing a pin (9) to lock the holding element (4) in the housing (2).

15. Method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that it further comprises a step f) of installation of a removable means (35) to prevent the locking of the fastening element in The box.

16. Method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that the data storage means of the electronic component (6) comprises data encryption means.

17. Method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that the data storage means of the electronic component (6) is of the programmable or multi-page type.

18. Method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that the electronic component (6) is a passive transponder of the injectable transponder type for animals.

19. Method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that the mobile closing device (1) is a padlock.

20. Method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that the mobile closing device (100) is an anti-theft device of the anti-theft type for cycle.