FR2873313A1 - METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A MARK CLOSURE DEVICE AND CLOSURE DEVICE. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a marked closure device (1) comprising a male member (2) and a female member (3). The method comprises as main step the realization of a marking (7, 10) in depth through a partial thickness (e) of a portion of opaque material and a total thickness (e) of a layer (9) of transparent material superimposed. The deep marking may be laser marking. The invention also relates to a closure device (1) provided with such a marking.

Description

Method of manufacturing a marked closure device and device

of

closing.

  The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a marked closure device. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for increasing a security level of a closure device. The invention also relates to such a closure device.

  An object of the invention is to provide a closure device whose security level is such that said closure device can not be falsified.

  Another object of the invention is to optimize a time required for the manufacture of a secure closure device. A further object of the invention is to reduce the manufacturing costs of a secure closure device. Closure means any closure device, such as a padlock, a seal or a locking system. By can not be falsified, it is meant that the closing device can not be fraudulently opened, without this fraudulent opening being visible.

  The invention finds particular applications in the field of transport of cargo by air, sea, rail, road or other, access to which must be controlled. The invention can also find applications in the field of justice, for example when it is necessary to prohibit free access to a place or a physical element such as an exhibit. More generally, the invention finds applications in all areas requiring at one time or another to prohibit free access to something.

  A closure device means a device able to prohibit a mechanical free operation of an element to which it is applied. For example, it is forbidden to open a container door, by sealing a door handle, the rotation of a valve or a tap, the opening of a bung or a box etc. For some closure devices, such as seals, it is impossible to play the element or elements blocked by the presence of the closure device without destroying or visibly impair said device.

  Two different categories of closure devices are mainly known. The first category of closure devices includes closure devices offering little or no resistance to opening. Such closure devices serve only as indicators, that is, they do not offer mechanical strength but only allow to visually inform a person that the sealed element has been opened. The second category of closure devices comprises the more robust closure devices, whose particular function is to provide mechanical resistance to destruction. To open such closure devices, it is generally necessary to use a particular tool. For example, a closure device of the second category can be opened by means of a bolt cutter for cutting said closure device.

  Generally, a closure device is provided with a particular marking, allowing a secure identification thereof and / or the element on which it is affixed. For example, the closure device comprises a sequence of particular numbers and / or a particular graphic design to identify the owner of the sealed item, the recipient and so on. One of the major problems encountered by users of these closure devices is the risk of copying said device. Thus, there are closure devices that can be easily reproduced identically, by simple turning. For example, there are closure devices comprising a male member formed by a steel rod, and a female member provided with a particular orifice in which the rod can be blocked. The stem can in some cases be reproduced by simple turning. It is possible to destroy such a closure device to access the original merchandise and replace it with contraband. The container fraudulently opened and then closed by means of an identical copy of the destroyed closure device. During a customs passage, for example, it is impossible to detect the break-in.

  To fight against such falsifications, it is known to over-mold, for example by means of a plastic material, the parts forming the closure device. It is thus possible to give the closure device a complex shape, in order to make duplication impossible without plastic injection equipment.

  The layer of plastic material may further comprise a surface marking. The marking can be achieved by hot stamping, inkjet printing, engraving or laser.

  However, it is possible to falsify such a surface marking of the closing device, in order to replace it with another marking. For example, the original marking is removed by scratching and a new marking is subsequently affixed instead of said original marking.

  To avoid such falsification by scraping and then remarking, it is known to cover the marking area with a transparent protective layer. The marking is performed, for example by inkjet printing, on the closure device. Once the closure device marked, covering said closure device, at least at the location of the marking, the local protective layer, for example transparent plastic material. The marking is thus protected by this local overlayer and can not be scratched. Thus, it is difficult to achieve the marking, and therefore to modify it, without breaking at least locally this overlay of plastic material.

  This last solution gives good results as to the level of security of the closing devices. However, it remains possible, especially when the plastic overlay is simply glued or crimped on the closing device, to separate the plastic overlay of the body of the closure device, and thus scratch / change the inscriptions before replacing the overlay. In addition, the fact that the marking takes place before the closure device is covered with the overlay of plastic material can be problematic. Indeed, insofar as the marking is a function of the user, it is not possible to manufacture in advance sealed stocks. It is therefore necessary to manufacture the seals in one go and on demand, which poses significant problems of production and logistics.

  In the invention, it is sought to provide a closure device whose security level is high, and therefore tamper-proof. We also seek to optimize the manufacture of such closure devices.

  To achieve this result, the method of manufacturing the closure device of the invention comprises a step of performing a marking on the finished closure device. That is to say, the marking step of the method of the invention is applied to the component or components forming the closure device while they are already covered with the protective layer. The marking is a deep marking, that is to say that passes through the protective layer and also appears, more or less superficially on the component or components of the closure device. The protective layer and an area of the closure device under this protective layer are marked at the same time. The markings on each of these parts are identical and perfectly superimposed. Any attempt to falsify the marking alters the perfect alignment of the two superimposed markings and is therefore detected. The closure device obtained offers a perfect resistance to attempts to erase or modify the marking that it comprises.

  Furthermore, with the method of the invention, it is possible to manufacture all at once the closure device, at the desired time and in desired quantities, and to proceed to the marking at the last moment, on demand, if necessary. The closure devices can be fully assembled, controlled and stored before being individualized by the marking. Unlike the state of the art, even when it is necessary to proceed in advance to the manufacture of the closure device, the marking is secure, whereas until now, in such a case, the marking was necessarily on the surface therefore easily falsifiable. The marking can for example be achieved by etching, by means of a laser, through the protective layer.

  In the method of the invention, after complete assembly of the closure device, the marking can be carried out directly on a component of said closure device. It is also possible to carry out the marking on an independent label which has been previously secured to said device, before being covered with the protective layer, and then marked at the same time as the protective layer.

  The marking of the closure device of the invention is unfalsifiable since the closure device itself and the protective layer are marked at the same time and in an identical manner, thus making it impossible to alter one or the other without visibly and irreversibly compromising the perfect alignment of the markings forming the marking, these inscriptions being originally superimposed.

  The invention therefore relates to a method of manufacturing a marked closure device, said device being at least partially covered with a layer of transparent material, characterized in that it comprises the following step of - Perform a deep marking simultaneously on at least a portion of the device and an area of the transparent material layer, said area being superimposed on the marked portion of said device.

  In a particular embodiment of the method of the invention, the closure device to be marked is provided with a male member and a female member, at least one of the two members being covered with the layer of transparent material.

  The depth marking can then be performed on the female member and / or on the male member forming the closure device.

  In an example of a particular implementation of the method of the invention, the deep marking is a laser marking. The laser may for example be a YAG laser or a CO2 laser.

  Moreover, it is possible to provide additional steps such as: overmoulding the layer of transparent material on the part of the closure device to be covered; - Provide the female member with a label of opaque material, cover the female member, at least at the location of the label, the layer of transparent material and mark in depth the transparent layer and the label.

  The invention also relates to a closure device, at least a part of which is at least partially covered with a layer of transparent material, characterized in that the portion covered with the layer of transparent material comprises a marking traversing the whole of a thickness of the transparent material layer and a partial thickness of said portion.

  In a particular example, the device is provided with a male member and a female member, the male member being a steel rod, and the female member being a metal locking piece, said locking piece being covered. of the layer of transparent material. The metal locking piece is for example anodized metal.

  The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows and the examination of the figures which accompany it. These are presented as an indication and in no way limitative of the invention. The figures show: FIG. 1: A schematic representation of an example of a closure device that can be a closure device of the invention; - Figures 2A and 2B: A representation of the female part of a front closure device (Figure 2A) and after (Figure 2B) marking according to the method of the invention; - Figure 3: An exploded view of the female part of a closure device at the location of the marking.

  FIG. 1 shows a closure device 1. The closure device 1 comprises a male member 2 and a female member 3. The male member 2 is provided with a male end 4 capable of being inserted into a housing 5 arranged in the female member 3. When the male member 2 is inserted into the housing 5, a locking means (not visible) disposed inside the housing 5 irreversibly retains the end 4 of the male member in housing 5. By irreversible means that the male member 2 can not be detached from the female member 3 without mechanically damaging the closure device.

  In the example described here, the male member 2 is formed of a rod for example of steel and the female member 3 is a locking piece in the form of a cylinder. A body 6 of the female member 3 may be made of an opaque material, such as anodized metal or an opaque plastic, and then be covered over its entire outer surface with a transparent material. In another embodiment, it is possible to make the female member 3 in any material and to provide said female member 3 with a removable label of opaque material. The label is applied against the outer surface of the female organ. The female member 3 is then covered with a layer of transparent material. The layer of transparent material covers at least the label, but may also cover a larger surface of the outer surface of the female member 3, or fully cover said outer surface.

  By opaque material is meant, as opposed to transparent material, a material that does not allow light to pass through. The opaque material is intended to receive a deep marking, superimposed on a marking made on the transparent plastic layer. An opaque material is used to make the closure device 1, at least at the location where the marking is to be made, so that said marking can be visible to the naked eye.

  An inscription 7 or marking is made on the body 6 of the female member 3, said inscription 7 passing through a total thickness of the layer of transparent material and a partial thickness of the opaque material forming the female member 3 or the label , located under the layer of marked transparent material.

  In another embodiment, the female member 3 of the closure device 1 may be made of a material such that the marking 7 may not be visible under normal conditions of use of the sealed device 1 and be revealed, for example when subjected to specific wavelength radiation. In the case where the female member 3 is directly made of an opaque plastic material, it is possible to perform the marking 7 on the outer surface of said opaque plastic material which forms the female part 3 of the closure device 1. The plastic material can then be sensitive to a specific wavelength, and a laser marking 7 on this surface allows local discoloration of the plastic, making the marking 7 visible. It is also possible that radiation from the laser used is absorbed by the plastic material which is thus burned locally, the marking 7 then appearing in black at the burned areas.

  In Figures 2A and 2B, we can see in more detail the female organ 3 unlabeled (Figure 2A) and marked (Figure 2B). In this example, the female member 3 is provided with a label 8. The entire body 6 of the female member 3, and therefore including the label 8, is covered with a layer 9 of transparent material. The layer 9 of transparent material is for example overmolded on the body 6 of the female member 3. It is also possible to proceed by injection of a transparent plastic material forming the layer 9 on or around the body 6, or by ultrasonic welding or by gluing.

  This gives two distinct superposed layers formed on the one hand of the layer 9 of transparent material and on the other hand of the label 8 of opaque material covered with said layer 9.

  The marking is then carried out according to the process of the invention. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the marking is carried out by means of a laser beam 12. In FIG. 3, the layer 9 and the label 8 are dissociated, in order to highlight the simultaneous and superimposed marking. layer 9 and label 8.

  In another embodiment of the invention, the female member 3 is devoid of a label 8. A zone, or all, of the female member 3 can then be covered with the layer 9 of transparent material. The marking is then carried out simultaneously on the layer 9 of transparent material and on a partial thickness of the female member 3.

  In a particular embodiment of the invention, a YAG laser is used for marking. It is also possible to use a CO2 or other type of laser. In all cases, the laser is set to the required frequency and power and the radius is calibrated in terms of diameter and duration of the light pulse so that the label 8 and the layer 9 can be etched at the same time. protective in transparent material.

  The inscription 7 on the layer 9 of plastic material is thus superimposed superimposed on the corresponding inscription on the label 8.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the inscriptions 7 and 10 are superimposed so as to form only one inscription in depth. If someone tries to eliminate the marking, for example by scratching, it must necessarily scratch the layer 9 of transparent material over its entire thickness e (Figure 3) and the label 8, at least on a partial thickness e ' of said label 8. Such tampering is in all cases visible. It is impossible to reuse the closure device 1 by affixing a new inscription, without the falsification is obvious, since the external appearance of said closure device 1 is irreparably damaged.

  With the method of the invention, it is therefore possible to proceed in a single time to the manufacture of closure devices 1. The closure devices 1 can then be stored until the final marking step. When a user wishes to be able to use a closure device 1, a marking 7, 10 on one or both male and female members 3 of the closure device 1 is carried out in depth, in accordance with the instructions of the user. 'user.

  It is also possible to provide the closure device 1 with one or more second superficial inscriptions 11. The second 2873313 9 inscriptions 11 may be provided on the female member 3 and / or on the male member 2. In particular, it is possible to perform a surface marking on the male member, corresponding to the markings in depth made on the female organ. Of course, it is also possible to perform several markings in depth on the same closure device 1. In all cases, it is possible to use the same laser to perform the deep marking 7 and the surface marking 11, by simple moving a laser head.

  In another embodiment, the closure device is provided with a male member 2 formed by a cable. When the closing device 1 is in the open position, a first end of the cable is integral with the female member 3, a second end being free. When it is desired to close the closure device 1, the free end of the cable is introduced into an orifice formed on the female member. The orifice is provided with means for holding the free end in said orifice. Thus, the two ends of the cable are secured to the female member, the assembly forming a closed loop.

Claims (10)

  A method of manufacturing a marked closure device (1), said device being at least partially covered with a layer (9) of transparent material, characterized in that it comprises the following step consisting of: marking (7, 10) in depth simultaneously on at least a portion of the device and on an area of the layer of transparent material, said area being superimposed on the marked portion of said device.   2- Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the depth marking is a laser marking.   3- Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the closure device is provided with a male member (2) and a female member (3), at least one of the two bodies being covered with the layer of transparent material.   4- Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the deep marking is performed on the female member 5- Method according to one of claims 3 to 4, characterized in that the deep marking is performed on the organ male.   6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises the additional step of: - overmolding the layer of transparent material on the part of the closure device to be covered.   7- Method according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that it comprises the following additional steps consisting of: - providing the female member with a label (8) of opaque material; - Cover the female member, at least at the location of the label, the layer of transparent material; - mark in depth the transparent layer and the label.   8- Method according to one of the preceding claims and according to claim 2, characterized in that the laser used is a YAG laser.   9- Method according to one of the preceding claims and according to claim 2, characterized in that the laser used is a CO2 laser.   Closure device (1) at least a portion of which is at least partially covered by a layer (9) of transparent material, characterized in that the portion covered with the layer of transparent material comprises a marking (7, 10) traversing the entire thickness (e) of the layer of transparent material and a partial thickness (e ') of said portion.   11- Device according to claim 10, characterized in that it is provided with a male member (2) and a female member (3), the male member being a steel rod, and the female member being a metal locking piece, said locking piece being covered with the layer of transparent material.