US1537715A - Seal - Google Patents

Description

S. W. TREAT SEAL Filed April '29, 1920- Patented May i2, was.

UNITED STATES 1,537,715 PTENT OFFICE.

SYDNEY W. TREAT, OF CHICAGQTLLINOIS, ASSIGNDR TO SJIIGTN'ODE SYSTETE INC., 0]? v CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A GORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SEAL.

Application filed April 29, 1920. Serial No. 377,697.

To aZZ whom itxmag concern:

Be it known that l, SYDNEY W. TREAT, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Seals, of which the following is a -t'ull, clear, concise, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to means for sealing freight cars and other containers to render pilfering impossible without detection.

It is an object of the invention to provide simple etlicient means for this purpose, which shall 'be simple and economical to manufacture and apply.

In the accompanying drawings, which represent an illustrative embodiment of the invention Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a seal made according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sealing means with its coacting elements separated. j

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a piece of sheet metal stock showing how the sleeve element of the sealing means may be produced with out waste.

Box car seals of the prior art have comprised generally, either lead seals, which are expensive, or some form of sheet metal device, which involves the cutting out of special forms, involving substantial waste of metal. In the sheet metal sealing means herein disclosed, no waste is involved, and the device is otherwise advantageous.

I employ coacting elements, one a strip 1 of sheet metal which maybe threaded through a staple, or other device on a box car door, for instance; the sleeve 2, which is adapted to be crimped upon and simultaneously with the two ends of the strip, forming therewith a pilier proot seal.

The metal strip 1, may be cut in indefinite lengths from sheet metal stock without waste since it is of uniform width throughout. The sleeve element 2 comprises a portion having folded wings 3, to'form a slotted tube appropriately formed to receive superposed ends of the strip 1, and a tab or extension 4. In Fig. 3, it is shown that the blanks for forming the sleeve elements may be cut from sheet metal stock without waste-each tab 4 lying between the wider portions of the. adjacent blanks on each side. The dotted lines in Fig. 8 indicate where the wings 3 are folded over on each blank form the sleeve portion as shown in Fig. 2. v i

In assembling abox car seal constructed according to this invention, a strip 1, of predetermined length is threaded through a staple or the like on a car door; its ends are then superposed and threaded together in the same direction through the sleeve 2. Thereafter by a suitable tool, the assembly, comprising the two strips and the sleeve, is simultaneouslycrimped, in a manner to distort thefedges oi vthe/assembly toward each other, and form a joint such as that illustrated in Fig. 1, and shown more in detail in Flora Patent 1,252,680 of J anuary 8, 1918. I

be opened without leaving clear indications or having been tampered with.

The result is a strong joint which cannot It is desirable in applying box seals and thelike, that the seal be impressed with the name or device of the railroad or shipper. It is somewhat diilicult to do this satisfactorily as the seal is being applied, furtermore the distortion involved as making a sealed joint in sheet metal device, would render such impress diflicult to identify. I therefore provide the tab or extension 4, upon which the name (for instance) of the shipper may be impressed, preferably in raised letters, but in any' other manner desired. This tab is not involved in the distortion which forms thejo'int and maintains its legibility unimpaired, throughout the life oi the seal. Thus, each shipper may have his own device on the tabs of the sleeve member. he uses. In addition-the strips 1 may bear in raised letters or otherwise the" name of the railroad or off theshipper, or

other desired legend.

The foregoing discloses an exceedingly cheap and efiicient seal, easily applied and identifiable at all times. Obviously the disclosed seal may be used for many other purposes than for sealing box cars, such use being merely illustrative.

I claim: v

1. A seal member of the class described comprising an initially flat rectangular body portion having a narrower tongue formed integral with and projecting cenll l iii

trally from one "end thereof, both lateral. edges of said body member being turned toward each other to provide strip slots parallel with the lateral edges of said tongue. v p p a 2.- In combination, a metal strip turned upon itself and having its ends brought together, a seal member comprising an initially rectangular fiat body portion having its lateral edges turned toward each other to l'orn slots embracing the later'al edges of theends of said strip, together with -a tongl'ie formed integral with and projecting centrally fronione end of said body portion, said tongue lying parallel with and against one of the end portions of said strip. 3'. A seal member of the class described eo npri'siri'g an initially-[fiat rectangular body portion, and 'a narrower tongue of the same length as said body portion, said tongue projecting centrally from one end of the body portion with "the lateral edges of the tongue and body portion parallel with each other, the lateraledges of the body portion being turned toward each other to provide "strip slots "for the 'pnrpose set forth.

4. A seal of the class described comprising an initially flat substantially rectangular body portion, a narrower tongue in tegral with said body portion and adapted tohave identifying legends applied thereto, the edges of said body portion being folded and rebent in the same direction to provide a sleeve or channel, and a strip of sheet metal, the opposite ends of which are passed into said sleeve in the same direction, said sleeve and said ends being conjointly crimped together.

5. A seal member of the class described comprising an initially flat rectangular body portion having a narrower tongue formed integral with and projecting from one end thereof, both lateral edges of said body member being turned towards each other to form wings substantially parallel with the lateral edges of said tongue, said wings lying in substantially the same *plane and being of'substantially the same width.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this day of April, A. D., 1920.

s w. TREAT.

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