GB1600396A - Seals - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SEALS (71) I, WILLIAM REGINALD COL EING a British Subject of 212 Ladyshot, Harlow, Essex CM20 3ET do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention concerns security seals for bags and like containers particularly for money bags.

This type of seal does not rely on strength for security but solely on the fact that one of the parts has to be severed in order to gain access to the interior of the container and consequently at the end of a journey it can be readily determined whether or not a container has been tampered with.

The type of container with which the seal can best be used comprises a bag having a single open end and having two parallel lines of holes which extend substantially parallel to the open end of the bag a short distance therefrom. The bag can be sealed by folding the bag over between the two lines of holes so that the holes in the two lines are aligned folding the bag in a concertina manner in a direction perpendicular to the first fold so that the pairs of holes are all aligned in the direction parallel to the direction of the original fold and pushing a sealing member through the aligned holes. Such a bag will herein be referred to as an eyelet bag.

Hitherto the sealing member has typically comprised a rod or wire or chain. The present invention provides a replacement for such devices which can be sealed without the need for special tools or keys etc. and which will reveal at the end of transit whether or not the seal has in any way been tampered with or broken during transit or storage.

According to the present invention a security seal comprises a member in use forming a broken ring having two ends adapted to be bridged by an elongate closure member which can be assembled with the broken ring to form a closed loop seal, the broken ring being hollow or slotted along at least parts of its length extending from the respective ends, the arrangement being such that, in use, a trailing end of the closure member is held captive within the hollow or slotted end part adjoining one end of the broken ring so that said closure member protrudes from said end of the broken ring towards the other end thereof, and the hollow or slotted end part adjoining the other end of the broken ring is formed with a barbed entrance to receive therein a leading end of the closure member, said leading end of the closure member being itself barbed so that once it has been introduced into the barbed entrance it cannot be withdrawn therefrom.

In one embodiment of the invention a security seal comprises a broken ring in the form of a tube, one end of which includes a reduced diameter entrance region, a shoulder being formed between the rear of the entrance region and the interior of the tube, the other end of the tube being formed with a region of reducing diameter to define an exit of a diameter smaller than that of the majority of the interior of the tube, two axially parallel slots in the wall of the tube in diametrically opposite regions of the tube extending from a point in the region of the reduced diameter entrance to a point in the region of the reducing diameter exit, enlarged aperture means intermediate the two said points forming an enlarged hole at least equal to the internal diameter of the tube and a closure member in the form of a spigot having a barbed cone at the leading end and an abutment at its rear end, which is adapted to be fitted into the tube through the aperture means intermediate the two said points so that the barbed conical end protrudes through the exit of the tube but the spigot is prevented from leaving the tube by virtue of the abutment at its opposite end, the spigot including two diametrically opposed radial protrusions which are dimensioned so as to run freely in the two diametrically opposed slots in the wall of the tube and to extend therebeyond in a radial direction, and said exit of the tube being formed with at least a stop member in the form of a radial protrusion, the closing of a bag or like device being achieved by trapping the bag between the radial protrusions on the spigot and the stop member at the exit end of the tube, the barbed conical end of the spigot being inserted into and trapped within the entrance end of the tube.

In order to adjust for different sizes of bag with which the seal is to be used, spigots having different lengths between the conical barb at the leading end and the abutment at its opposite end, may be used.

Preferably the stop member at the exit end of the tube comprises an annular shoulder formed on the external surface of the tube.

The shoulder between the reduced diameter entrance and the main internal tube diameter may be undercut so as to form a tapering annular aperture around the shoulder thereby forming a tubular extension within the tube having a frusto conical surface which joins it to the internal surface of the tube. However in order to simplify tooling, a plain shoulder may be used between the reduced diameter section and the main tube diameter.

Preferably the tube and spigot are formed from plastics material.

As used herein the term "conical barb" or "barbed cone" is intended to mean any barblike protrusion and is intended to include a cruciform barb.

Where the different parts are formed from plastics material it is of course desirable to use the hardest and strongest possible plastics material consistent with other requirements thereon, so that the barbed portions do not deform or deflect under tension due to material creep so allowing unauthorized withdrawal of the closure member from the barbed entrance.

On the other hand it will be appreciated that if a very hard plastics material is used there will be insufficient give in the material to allow the barbed sections to deform sufficiently to allow the closure member to be introduced into the barbed entrance.

According to another object of the present invention a form of construction is provided for the end of the closure member which has to be introduced into the barbed entrance which will allow a relatively hard plastics material to be used but which nevertheless retains the necessary resilience and give, to allow the closure member to be introduced into the barbed end.

.It is a further object of the present invention to provide a form of construction for the barbed entrance which is compatible with being moulded in plastics material by an injection moulding process.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the leading end of the closure member having formed at or near the end thereof which is to be so introduced, at least one pair of diametrically opposite triangular fins and in the region of the said fins but in a plane at right angles thereto, at least one transverse slot through the cross-section of the closure member to assist in the collapse of the closure member section as the fins are forced into the barbed entrance of the sealing device.

Preferably the slot is formed completely through the cross-section. Preferably the slot is substantially axially aligned with the fins.

Where two pairs of fins are provided, they are preferably axially spaced apart along the length of the closure member and typically are in axial alignment therealong, and slot is preferably formed through the cross-section of the closure member at the location of end pair of fins.

According to another aspect of the present invention the barbed entrance into which the leading end of the closure member is pushed comprises a circular section member of circular cross-section having an annular shoulder formed therein between a reduced diameter neck section forming the actual entrance and the interior of the member into which the closure member is to be fitted. Typically the reduced diameter section reduces in diameter towards the said annular shoulder region and preferably the final section thereof is inclined at an even steeper angle than the remainder of the reduced diameter section so as to form an annular lip of triangular cross-section in the immediate vicinity of the annular shoulder.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention a sealing device for eyelet bags comprises a member in the form of a tube, curved or curvable around to form a broken ring one end of which includes a reduced diameter entrance region and a shoulder between the rear of the entrance and the remainder of the interior of the tube, the other end of the tube being formed with a reduced diameter exit, two slots in the wall of the tube in opposite regions thereof, aperture means at a point along the length of the two slots forming an entrance hole, a closure member in the form of a spigot having a barbed leading end and an abutment at its rear end, which is adapted to be fitted into and through the tube through said entrance hole so that the barbed end protrudes through the exit of the tube but so that the spigot is prevented from leaving the tube by virtue of the abutment at its opposite end, the spigot including at least one and preferably two oppositely directed protrusions which are dimensioned so as to run freely in the two slots in the wall of the tube and to extend radially outwardly therebeyond, the said exit end of the tube being formed with at least a stop member in the form of a radial protrusion, the closing of the bag or like device being achieved by threading the tube through the eyelets, trapping the bag between the protrusions or protrusion on the spigot and the stop member at the exit end of the tube, the barbed end of the spigot being inserted into and trapped within the entrance end of the tube.

The shoulder between the reduced diameter entrance and the internal tube diameter may be undercut so as to form a tapering annular aperture around the shoulder thereby forming a tubular extension within the tube having a frusto conical surface which joins it to the internal surface of the tube. However in order to simplify tooling, a plain shoulder may be used between the reduced diameter entrance and the main tube internal diameter.

The closure member may be formed from flexible material to facilitate the introduction of the closure member into the interior of the tube. Alternatively and preferably the closure member is curved so as also to form an open loop the radius of curvature of which is similar to that of the curved tube.

The tube may be formed from two similar half sections which are joined by means of metal or plastic bands. Preferably grooves are formed around the external surface of the half sections in which the bands are located.

In order to prevent the tubular sealing device from rotating about its axis when threaded through the eyeletted apertures in a bag the latter may be of non-circular and the tube is formed with a similar noncircular shape and is dimensioned so as to be just capable of being pushed through the aligned eyeletted apertures in the bag.

The said shoulder between the rear of the entrance and the remainder of the interior of the tube may be in the form of an internally projecting ring.

Where the closure member is also of circular cross-section the barbed end thereof conveniently includes at least one annular radial protrusion having a shallow angled surface and a steep angled surface defining the so-called barb.

Where the cross-section of the closure member is non-circular and is for example rectangular in which the longer dimension is considerably greater than the shorter dimension, then the barb is conveniently in the form of a flattened arrowhead having two triangular barbs which extend from the thin cross-section of the closure member.

Where the cross-section of the closure member is rectangular the aperture into which the barbed leading end of the closure member is pushed is also of rectangular cross-section the proportions of which are the same as those of the cross-section and the dimensions of which are such as to allow the rectangular cross-section closure member to be pushed into the hole. Where this is the case, the entrance will be of rectangular cross-section and the reduced diameter dimension referred to above will of course be the longer dimension of the rectangular entrance, which dimension is smaller than the internal dimension measured in the same direction beyond the shoulder between the entrance region and the remainder of the interior of the tube.

Likewise when a rectangular section closure member is employed, the interior of the tube beyond the said entrance region may also be formed in a particular manner so as to produce parallel shoulders and the rectangular section closure member is dimensioned so as to be a slipping fit between the said pairs of parallel shoulders.

More particularly, where the closure member is of rectangular cross-section, the abutment hereinbefore referred to as being located at the rear end of the closure member spigot is conveniently of circular cross-section and is dimensioned so as to just be accommodated within the circular cross-section passageway formed along the length of the tube and the said entrance hole is dimensioned so as to allow the said abutment to pass therethrough.

The seal formed when the barbed end of the closure member is pushed into the appropriate entrance in the one end of the tube can only be broken by severing either the tube or the closure member so as to break the continuous loop so formed. Typically the severance is achieved by cutting the closure member and to facilitate this severance the latter is artificially weakened at at least one point along its length so as to allow it to be cut more easily at that point to allow the seal to be broken.

Since the aperture into the barbed end of the closure member is introduced includes a shoulder the inserted member is prevented from being pulled in a backward direction out of the aperture after it has been introduced. After the closure member has been severed, it is simple enough to remove the tail end of the second member from the tubular ring member but it has been found difficult to retrieve the severed barbed end which of course is retained in the said other end of the tubular ring member. By inserting a proble or like device, the said barbed end can be pushed around the tubular interior of the ring member until it aligns with an aperture through which the closure member was originally introduced into the tubular ring member but such a procedure is laborious and it is a further object of the invention to provide an improved form of security seal operating on the basic principle of that just described but in which the procedure for retrieving the severed barbed end is considerably simplified.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention an aperture is provided in the wall of the broken ring member beyond the barbed entrance, the one hollow or slotted part of the ring member extending between the barbed entrance and the aperture to permit a severed leading end of the closure member to pass therethrough to allow the leading end to be gripped and pulled out to facilitate the removal of the severed leading end of the closure member from the broken ring member.

By incorporating this improvement, a security seal is formed in which the introduced closure member can be readily and quickly removed from the broken ring member after it has been severed.

The closure member which is introduced into the broken ring member may be of circular or elliptical cross-section or may be of a flattened cross-section. Where the cross-section is non-symmetrical (such as flattened), and where the cross-section of the interior of the broken ring member is formed with a similar cross-sectional shape, it will be appreciated that the longer dimension of the non-symmetrical shape will resist bending in one direction but allow bending of the introduced closure member in a direction at right angles thereto. Where the longer dimension of the non-symmetrical cross-section of the ring member is parallel to the plane containing its curve, the closure member must also be curved, but where the longer dimension of the non-symmetrical cross-section is perpendicular to the plane containing the curve of the main member, the closure member may be elongate provided it is formed from flexible material.

In any event it is preferable to provide a stop member to prevent the tail end of the closure member from being pulled more than a given distance around the broken ring member and to this end the tail end of the closure member may be formed with one or more ears which protrude through a slot formed in the walls of the broken ring member and a locating projection lug or the like may be formed on at least one of the surfaces of the introduced member near or in the region of the laterally extending ear or ears, to extend substantially perpendicularly from the plane of the ear or ears to engage in a further groove contained within the broken ring member to prevent the closure member from being rotated.

The leading end of the closure member is of course formed with at least one barb and the end of the broken ring member into which the barbed end is introduced is formed with at least one shoulder behind the aperture receiving the barbed end to prevent the barb from being pulled in the rearward direction after the barbed end has been introduced into the said broken ring member.

The broken ring member may be formed from metal or plastics or any other convenient material and where the closure member need not be flexible, it too can be formed froni metal or plastics but where it must be flexible to a high degree, it is preferably formed from a flexible and resilient plastics material.

In order to reduce the risk of fraud, a unique marking or the name of a company or the like may be stamped or formed in the surface of the said broken ring member and a similar name or colour marking may be provided on or in the closure member which is introduced into the ring member.

Although reference has hitherto been made to a C-shaped or broken ring member it is to be understood that this member need not be curved prior to use, nor curved in the form of a letter C, but may be of any convenient shape, convenient that is to allow the container or bag or other member which it is to seal to be threaded thereon.

The closure member which is to be introduced at least in part into the broken ring member likewise need not be curved or C-shaped but as previously mentioned may be of a flexible material. In fact a straight elongate member of appropriate crosssectional shape to allow the member to be bent and deformed in shape to follow the shape of the broken ring member into which it is introduced is quite sufficient. It is also to be understood that the broken ring member into which the closure member is introduced may itself form part of another member and whilst it may itself be designed either alone or with the closure member to constitute a handle, it may alternatively include as an attachment thereto or an integral part thereof, a handle or like carrying member.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a tubular portion of a first sealing device embodying the invention Figure 2 is a side view of a spigot for use with the tubular member of Figure 1 to form a complete sealing device, Figure 3 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a side view of the leading end of a closure member of another embodiment of the invention, Figure 5 is a side view in cross-section of the end of the member into which the leading end of the closure member shown in Figure 4 is to be fitted, Figure 6 is a plan view of one-half of an open loop tubular portion of another embodiment of the invention, Figure 7 is a similar view of a curved spigot closure member for use with the open loop tubular member of Figure 6 as viewed in the direction of arrow III in Figure 6 Figures 8 and 9 are views similar to that of Figure 3 of the edge of the open loop tubular ring and viewed in the direction of the arrows III and IV, respectively in Figure 6, Figure 10 is a plan view of a completely assembled open loop ring member drawn to a different scale from that employed in Figure 6, Figure 11 is a plan view of the main part of a further embodiment of the invention Figure 12 is a plan view of the subsidiary member of the security seal shown in Figure 11 and is adapted to be introduced into the member shown in Figure 11, Figure 13 is an edge view of the first member in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 11, Figure 14 is an edge view of the member shown in Figure 11 viewed in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 11, Figure 15 is a cross-section through the end of the introduced member on the line C-C in Figure 12, Figure 16 is a plan view of the main member of another security seal embodying the invention Figure 17 is a plan view of the ancillary member which is introduced into the main part of the seal shown in Figure 16, Figure 18 is a cross-section on the line D-D in Figure 17, Figure 19 is an edge view in the direction of the arrow E in Figure 16 and Figure 20 is an edge view in the direction of the arrow F in Figure 16.

Referring to Figure 1, the first part of a sealing device for money bags and the like (not shown) comprises a tube 10 of plastics material one end of which is formed as an entrance having a reduced diameter section 12 through which a closure device (see Figure 2) can be pushed. The entrance section terminates in a shoulder 14 between the rear of the entrance section and the main internal tubular section of the tubular member 10. This main internal section of the tubular member is denoted by reference numeral 16.

At the opposite end of the member 10 there is formed an annular flange 18 to form an end stop for a bag to be threaded on the tube (not shown) and the interior of the tube is formed with a reducing diameter region designated 20.

From a point 22 near to the entrance end of the member 10 to a point 24 near to the exit end of the member 10, extend two parallel-sided slots only one of which can be seen in Figure 1 and which is generally designated 26.

Approximately half-way along their length each of the slots is enlarged to form an entrance one of which is shown in Figure 1 and is generally designated 28. The entrance allows the insertion of a spigot (to be described hereinafter) which serves as a closure device.

The latter is shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The spigot comprises an elongate flexible pin 30 the leading end of which is formed with a cruciform barb generally designated 32 and the trailing end of which is formed with a truncated conical section 34 having two radial protrusions 36 and 38 (see also Figure 3).

The larger diameter of the truncated conical section 34 is commensurate with the main interior section 16 of the tube 10 and the truncated conical section 34 is thus prevented from leaving the exit end 20 of the tube 10.

The radial protrusions 36 and 38 run in the slots one of which is shown at 26 in Figure 1. The radial extent of the protrusions 36 and 38 is such that they protrude beyond the tube to form a closure abutment for trapping a bag or other container. These protrusions 36 and 38 cooperate with the annular abutment 18 to form the two stops between which the bag or other container is trapped.

The form of the cruciform barb is best seen with reference to Figure 3 which is an end view of the spigot. The four sections of the barb are each inclined at a shallow angle of approximately 16 to the central spigot 30 and to facilitate insertion etc. the end of the barb is rounded at 46.

The sealing device shown in the drawings is of particular use with money bags having two parallel lines of holes reinforced with eyelets which can be brought into alignment by folding the bag in between the two lines of eyeletted holes. Further security is then gained by forming the bag as a concertina by folding the bag in a direction perpendicular to the first fold first one way and then the other between the two pairs of aligned holes. The tubular member 10 is then pushed through the series of aligned holes until the annular protrusion 18 is against one of the eyletted holes in the bag. The spigot is then inserted into the entrance 28 so that the leading barbed end traverses around the right hand section of the tube (as shown in Figure 1) to emerge from the exit 20. The protruding members 36 and 38 abut against the eyletted hole at the other end of the concertinaed bag and trap the bag therebetween.

The leading end of the spigot is pushed into the entrance end 12 so that the cruciform barb is trapped behind the shoulder 14.

As shown in Figure 4 the leading end of a closure member or spigot generally designated 110 is rounded at 112 and is formed with two pairs of diametrically opposed triangular fins 114, 116 and 118, 120.

The two pairs of fins are arranged in axial alignment along the outside of the spigot 110 near the rounded end 112 and form a double barb to prevent the closure member or spigot 110 from being withdrawn from a member into which the barbed end is pushed, the said other member to be described in relation to Figure 5.

In order to allow a less resilient and harder plastics material to be employed that would otherwise be the case, two diametrical slots are formed at right angles to the plane of the fins 114, 116 and 118, 120, the two slots being designated by reference numerals 122 and 124 respectively and extending completely through the circular cross-section of the spigot 110.

The slots 122 and 124 are aligned with the triangular fins 114 and 116 on the one hand and 118 and 120 on the other and are dimensioned so as to allow the circular cross section of the spigot 110 to collapse in the region of the fins 114, 116, 118 and 120 as the spigot is pushed into a restricted entrance (to be described) the dimensions of which are such that the fins 114, 116, 118 and 120 cannot be pushed therethrough without either the fins collapsing or the cross-section of the spigot collapsing.

It is obviously to advantage if the fins 114, 116, 118 and 120 are not readily capable of collapsing under an externally applied force in order to ensure that the closure member is fully retained within the member into which it is fitted and in consequence the slots 122 and 124 are provided so that the circular cross-section of the spigot 110 can collapse to admit the leading end of the spigot into the restricted entrance without undue collapse of the fins 114, 116, 118 and 120 being required.

Referring now to Figure 5, the restricted entrance comprises a reduced diameter section 126 the diameter of which actually reduces between the entrance end 128 and an annular shoulder 130 between the reduced diameter section 126 and the larger diameter of the remainder of the device into which the spigot 110 is to be pushed, the interior of which is generally designated by reference numeral 132.

A triangular section annular flange is formed in the immediate vicinity of the shoulder 130 by forming the last section of the reduced diameter region 126 with a steeper angled annular surface than is the remainder of the reduced diameter section 126.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular Figures 6 and 10 to begin with, an open loop tubular sealing member 210 is formed by fitting two complementary halves together, one half being shown in Figure 6.

The two halves are secured by means of bands of plastics or metal such as 212, 214, 216, 218 and 220 as shown in Figure 10 and to facilitate the location of these bands, grooves are formed in the surface of the two halves which make up the unit 210, the grooves aligning when the two parts are fitted together so as to form annular channels into which the plastics material can either be caused to flow in an injection moulding process so as to form bands of strong plastics material which are bonding the two halves together or into which metal fittings can be accommodated.

In Figure 6 the half segment of the ring is designated 222 and this member includes a semi-circular cross-section abutment 224 at one end which constitutes the exit end and both ends 226 and 228 are formed with rectangular openings 230 and 232, the first comprising the exit for a closure device and the latter the entrance for the barbed end thereof.

Beyond the entrance 232 two shoulders 234 and 236 on opposite sides of the passage, are formed and for security an additional similar pair of shoulders 238 and 240 are provided beyond the main shoulders 234 and 236. The purpose of the additional shoulders 238 and 240 will become evident herein after.

Referring to Figure 10 once again there is shown a circular hole 242 in the outer peripheral surface of the discontinuous ring 210. In the region of the circular hole 242 are formed two slots one in the outer peripheral surface and the other in the inner peripheral surface of the discontinuous loop 210.

The extent of the two slots can be seen from the cutaway regions 244 and 246 respectively which cooperate with similar cutaway regions on the other half to form two parallel-sided slots.

One of the two half sections is formed with arcuate ridges designated 248 and 250 whilst the other half secti close fit so the two halves are accurately aligned relative to each other at all times.

Additionally locating pins 252 and 254 are provided on the cheeks at the end regions of the half section shown in Figure 6 and similarly positioned recesses into which the pins 252 and 254 will locate are provided on the other half section.

Referring now to Figure 7, there is shown the curved closure member 256 which can be fitted into the curved tubular member formed from the two half sections such as shown in Figure 6. When so fitted, the barbed end 258 protrudes beyond the exit 230 of Figure 6 and can be pulled and eventually pushed into the entrance 232 also shown in Figure 6. By virtue of the slot 260 formed in the barbed end of the member 256, the barbs 262 and 264 are allowed to collapse towards one another to allow the cross-section to be pushed beyond the exit defined by the shoulders 234 and 236 into the wider region designated by reference numeral 266.

Once the rear shoulders of the barbs 262 and 264 are beyond the shoulders 234 and 236, the natural resilience of the material forming the barbed end will cause the barbed end to revert to its normal shape as shown in Figure 7 causing the shoulders behind the triangular barbs to engage the shoulders 234 and 236 and prevent the barbed end 258 from being withdrawn through the entrance into which it has been pushed.

The far end of the closure device 256 includes two spade-like protrusions 268 and 270 and a spherical abutment 272 which is formed between the two spade-like protrusions 268 and 270. The diameter of the spherical abutment 272 is commensurate with the internal diameter of the tubular passage of which half is denoted by the reference numeral 274 in Figure 6.

The method of inserting the C-shaped member into the unit 222 shown in Figure 6 comprises pushing the barbed end 258 through the slot formed by the cutaway 244 and feeding the member 256 through the slot so as to push the barbed end 258 around the curved passage within the member 222 until the barbed end protrudes beyond the exit 230. Continued feeding of the C-shaped member 256 results in the spherical section 272 finally entering the tubular interior of the member 222 via the circular hole shown at 276. Once the spherical section 272 has entered the interior of the tube member 222, it is automatically retained in position by virtue of its shape since it cannot now leave the tubular interior unless it is first aligned with the hole 276 through which it entered.

By pushing the barbed end 258 into the entrance 232 as previously described a complete seal is formed which cannot be broken except by cutting the C-shaped member 256. To this end a weak point is formed in the C-shaped member designated by reference numeral 278 to facilitate cutting of the C-shaped member.

It is to be noted that the circular hole 276 shown in Figure 6 corresponds to the circular hole 242 shown in Figure 10.

Figures 8 and 9 show the edge views of the completed member shown in Figure 10. The exit slot 230 and entrance slot 232 are shown clearly in Figure 8. The slot 280 is the one formed by the two cutaway sections such as 246 as shown in Figure 6 and is the slot which enables the C-shaped 256 to be introduced into the tubular member 222 in the first instance.

In Figure 9 the slot 282 corresponds to the slot 280 but is now the one formed by the cutaway sections such as 244 in Figure 6.

A preferred material from which the various different parts of the sealing device can be formed is ABS plastics material.

Referring to Figures 11 to 15, a security seal comprises a main C-shaped tubular member 310 having an enlarged end 312 to form a shoulder against which the folds of a bag or the like can be urged as the member 310 is threaded through holes formed in the wall of a bag or like member near the open end thereof.

An opening 316 communicates with a passage 318 which extends around a substantial portion of the C-shaped member 310 and terminates at 320. The wall of the member 310 is cut away at 322 and 324 to form aligned slots and the slot 322 is further cut away with recesses 326 the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

A second passage shorter than the first passage is formed at the other end of the C-shaped member and is denoted by reference numeral 330. The passage 330 communicates between an entrance 332 formed at the entrance end of the C-shaped member 310 and extends between the entrance 332 and a slot 334 formed in the wall of the tubular member 310 and through which the leading end of an introduced member can be pulled after it has been severed in order to break the seal as will hereinafter be described.

Immediately behind the entrance 332 the cross-section of the passage 330 is reduced to form shoulders as denoted by reference numerals 336 and 338.

The closure member is shown in Figure 12 as comprising a second C-shaped member 340 the leading end of which is formed with a barb or arrowhead generally designated 342 having barb extensions 344. The material forming the member 340 is cut away to form an internal slot 348 the extreme ends of which are widened as at 350 and 352 so as to allow the member 340 to collapse thereby closing the slot 348 as it is introduced into the entrance 332 and through the narrowing passage section. As soon as the barbs 344 and 346 are beyond the shoulders 336 and 338 the two barbs 344 and 346 spring outwardly and by virtue of their construction prevent the leading end of the C member from being withdrawn in a rearward direction from the entrance 332 into which it has been pushed.

The rear end of the member 340 is formed with two diametrically aligned ears 354 and 356 and as will be seen with reference to Figure 15, includes two abutments 358 and 360 which extend perpendicularly from the plane of the member 340 and assist in guiding the rear end of the member 340 around the interior of the member 310.

The member 340 is introduced into the member 310 by pushing the leading end 342 into the passage 318 through the slot 322. By feeding the member 340 through the slot 322 the barbed end 342 finally appears through the exit 316 whereafter it can be pulled out of the exit and finally the ears 354 and 356 are received the one in the slot 322 and the other in the slot 324 and the member 340 can be pulled further round the passage 318 until the barbed end 342 can be introduced into the opening 332. As has hereinbefore been mentioned, on pushing the barbs 344 and 346 beyond the shoulders 338 and 336, the leading end 342 is locked into this end of the C-shaped member 310 and the seal can only be broken by severing the member 340 for example at the point denoted by the necking 362. Thereafter the leading end can be pushed further through the entrance 332 until the leading end 342 appears through the exit slit 334 and the remaining section containing the ears 354 and 356 can be pushed back through the opening 316 until the ears align with the entrance portion denoted by the enlarged cutaway sections 326 in the slots 322 whereafter the ears 356 can be pulled readily outwardly and the rear end of the member 340 pulled out of the passage 318 and completely out of the member 310.

The embodiment of security seal shown in Figures 16 to 20 is essentially very similar to that shown in Figures 11 to 15 but in this embodiment the plane of the slots formed in the interior of the main C-shaped member are at right angles to those in Figures 11 to 15 embodiment and in consequence the member which is introduced into the main member can be elongate provided it is formed from flexible material and this has certain advantages.

To simplify matters the same reference numerals have been used to denote parts which are common to the two types of seal, those used to identify parts from which the second seal is formed being denoted with a suffix and where the parts are completely different, totally different reference numerals are used to illustrate the relevant parts in the second seal.

The main seal is thus denoted by reference numeral 310' and the member which is introduced thereinto which is an elongate flat member of flexible material as distinct from the relatively rigid curved member 340, is denoted by reference numeral 364.

The entrance into which the barbed end 342' of the member 364 can be inserted is best seen in Figure 20 and comprises a cutaway section 366 into which the ears 354' and 356' can be slotted. The cutaway 366 communicates with a slot form diametrically across the member 310' and denoted by reference numeral 368. The end of the slot 368 determines the maximum extent which the hammer-head end formed by the ears 354' and 356' can move around the arcuate path within the member 310'.

The plane of the exit 316' and the entrance 332' in the opposed ends of the C-shaped member 310' are at right angles to the plane of the corresponding exits and entrances 316 and 332 in Figure 13 and the shoulders forming the tapering recess through which the barbed leading end 342' of the elongate member 364 is pushed are likewise at right angles to the plane of the shoulders in the previous embodiment of Figures 11 to 15. Beyond the shoulders the passage curves around to form a guide and terminates in a relatively wide exit formed by cutting away a large section of the wall of the tubular member 310' and is denoted by reference numeral 370. After the member 364 has been severed as at the point 362', the leading end (i.e. the left hand end containing the barbs 346' and 344') can be pushed further through the passage 330' to exit through the opening 370. As with the Figures 11 to 15 embodiment, the rear end (i.e. the right hand end containing the hammer-head as shown in Figure 17) can be pushed back through the exit 316' and if there is insufficient length, can be further pulled by gripping the diametrically extending ears 354' and 356' until the ears align with the cutaway section 366 when the elongate section can be removed from the member 310'.

As best seen with reference to Figure 18, an abutment 372 extends perpendicularly relative to the plane containing the ears 354' and 356' and this abutment 372 engages in a further slot 374 formed in the wall of the member 310'. Alternatively the abutment 372 may be in the form of a nodule which does not extend by anything like the extent as shown in Figure 18 from the plane of the ears 356' and 354' and the slot 374 as shown in Figure 19 can be dispensed with and simply a groove may be formed centrally of the member 310' between the wall sections containing the slot 368 to accommodate the nodule 372.

Although not shown the member 310' may form part of an overall assembly which may include a handle (not shown).

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A security seal comprising a member in use forming a broken ring having two ends adapted to be bridged by an elongate closure member which can be assembled with the broken ring to form a closed loop seal, the broken ring being hollow or slotted along at least parts of its length extending from the respective ends, the arrangement being such that, in use, a trailing end of the closure member is held captive within the hollow or slotted end part adjoining one end of the broken ring so that said closure member protrudes from said end of the broken ring towards the other end thereof, and the hollow or slotted end part adjoining the other end of the broken ring is formed with a barbed entrance to receive therein a leading end of the closure member, said leading end of the closure member being itself barbed so that once it has been introduced into the barbed entrance it cannot be withdrawn therefrom.

2. A security seal as claimed in claim 1 in which the barbed entrance is formed by an internal annular shoulder.

3. A security seal as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the trailing end of the closure member is enlarged to prevent it from being pulled out of the hollow or slotted end part adjoining the said one end of the broken ring when the leading end is pushed through said hollow or slotted part.

4. A security seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the leading end of the closure member includes a pair of oppositely directed triangular fins and in the region of the fins but in a plane at right angles thereto a slot through the member to assist in the collapse of the member as the finned section is forced through the barbed entrance.

5. A security seal as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 in which the closure member is flexible.

6. A security seal as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 in which the closure member is curved to the same degree as the broken ring member into which it is fitted and is resilient to allow the two members to be interengaged.

7. A security seal as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the broken ring member is formed from two similar half sections which are joined by means of metal or plastics bands.

8. A security seal as claimed in claim 7 in which the bands are received in grooves formed around the external surfaces of the two half sections.

9. A security seal as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the external cross-section of the broken ring member is non-circular.

10. A security seal as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the closure member includes a region of reduced crosssection at which it can be more readily severed than elsewhere along its length.

11. A security seal as claimed in any of the preceding claims further comprising an aperture in the wall of the broken ring member beyond the barbed entrance, the one hollow or slotted part of the ring member extending between said barbed entrance and the aperture to permit a severed leading end of the closure member to pass therethrough and be extracted from the broken ring member.

12. Security seals constructed arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (12)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. simply a groove may be formed centrally of the member 310' between the wall sections containing the slot 368 to accommodate the nodule 372. Although not shown the member 310' may form part of an overall assembly which may include a handle (not shown). WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A security seal comprising a member in use forming a broken ring having two ends adapted to be bridged by an elongate closure member which can be assembled with the broken ring to form a closed loop seal, the broken ring being hollow or slotted along at least parts of its length extending from the respective ends, the arrangement being such that, in use, a trailing end of the closure member is held captive within the hollow or slotted end part adjoining one end of the broken ring so that said closure member protrudes from said end of the broken ring towards the other end thereof, and the hollow or slotted end part adjoining the other end of the broken ring is formed with a barbed entrance to receive therein a leading end of the closure member, said leading end of the closure member being itself barbed so that once it has been introduced into the barbed entrance it cannot be withdrawn therefrom.

2. A security seal as claimed in claim 1 in which the barbed entrance is formed by an internal annular shoulder.

3. A security seal as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the trailing end of the closure member is enlarged to prevent it from being pulled out of the hollow or slotted end part adjoining the said one end of the broken ring when the leading end is pushed through said hollow or slotted part.

4. A security seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the leading end of the closure member includes a pair of oppositely directed triangular fins and in the region of the fins but in a plane at right angles thereto a slot through the member to assist in the collapse of the member as the finned section is forced through the barbed entrance.

5. A security seal as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 in which the closure member is flexible.

6. A security seal as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 in which the closure member is curved to the same degree as the broken ring member into which it is fitted and is resilient to allow the two members to be interengaged.

7. A security seal as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the broken ring member is formed from two similar half sections which are joined by means of metal or plastics bands.

8. A security seal as claimed in claim 7 in which the bands are received in grooves formed around the external surfaces of the two half sections.

9. A security seal as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the external cross-section of the broken ring member is non-circular.

10. A security seal as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the closure member includes a region of reduced crosssection at which it can be more readily severed than elsewhere along its length.

11. A security seal as claimed in any of the preceding claims further comprising an aperture in the wall of the broken ring member beyond the barbed entrance, the one hollow or slotted part of the ring member extending between said barbed entrance and the aperture to permit a severed leading end of the closure member to pass therethrough and be extracted from the broken ring member.

12. Security seals constructed arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.