US1601973A - Seal - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 5 1926.

J. W. LESLIE ET AL SEAL Filed Dec. 6. 1922 'gms Patented Get. 5, l92.

UNITED STATES y Lauren PATENT OFFICE. y

JOHN W. LESLIE, OF EVANSTON, AND ROBERT I-I. FULTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNORS TO SIGNODE SYSTEM, INC., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION Ol DELAWARE.

SEAL.

Application led December 6, 1922. Serial -No. 605,163.

Our invention relates to a seal which` consists of a metal strip adapted to be formed into a loop and to be secured in such manner that it cannot be opened and reclosed except with the utmost diiiiculty, and with the certainty that such violation of the seal will be apparent or readily detect-able. Devices of this character are adapted to be employed for a great variety of sealing purposes, as, for instance, in connection with car doors, `other doors, cans, boxes, trunks, shipping cases, bags, etc.

VOur present invention provides a metal seal of new and unique construction,which 5 is adapted to be threaded through and upon itself .to form a loop and to be secured in such a manner that the loop closely hugs the elements (for instance, the pin and lug of an ordinary form of car door fastener) through which the seal passes, and renders practically inaccessible those port-ions of the seal to which access must be had by any person desiring to open and reclose the sea-l.

When properly applied inthe manner hereinafter set forth, the seal of our invention comprises a free end of substantial length, which provides ample space for such data as the seal number, initials of a Arailroad company or shipper, etc. Y j

Prior to being used, the seal of our invention is, or may be, substantially identical with the seal shown in co-pending application of Robert H. Fulton, Serial No. 558,719, filed May 5, 1922. All patentable subject matter common to this case and the aforesaidV co-pending application will be claimed herein, the claims of said co-pend ing application being limited to features of improvement not shown or claimed herein.

ln the accompanying drawings illustrating our invention Figure 1 is a view in perspectiveof thev seal of our invention as it appears before it has been looped and crimped;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective, illustrating the reverse side f one end of the seal shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective of portions of a well-known type of car door fastener, this view illustrating our improved seal as it appears in the course of its application to such a car door fastener; Y

F igure l is a view in perspective .illustrating the seal of our invention, as it appears when finally applied to the car door fastener;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view partly in section, but illustrating in elevation those portions of the sealed joint which closely hug t-he door fastener when the seal is applied as shown in Figure 4; Aand Figure 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Similar characters of reference referto similar parts lthrough the several views.

The seal of our invention comprises an integral and preferably ductile metal strip 11, which at one end is provided with lateral wings 12-12 which have been turned away from the strip proper and toward each other as is clearly illustrated in Figures l and 2. Two parallel slits 13-13 are formed in the winged end of the strip and the web 14, which lies between these slits, is raised above the plane of the rest of the strip to permit and facilitate the formation of the sealed loop in the manner presently to be described.

lThat end of the metal strip which is to be threaded through the slits 13-13 is conveniently pointed, as at 15, and apertured as at 16 to receive a seal carrier. Ordinarily, the pointed end ofthe strip will have eertain data, such as a seal number and initials e lithographed or impressed thereon, as illustrated at 17. l

As seals of the type to which our invention relates are very commonly used in connection with fasteners of the type employed in conjunction with railway car doors, we shall herein illustrate and describe the application of our improved seal to such a fastener. However, it is to be understood that the use of our seal is in noV way restricted to car door fasteners.

In Figure 3 we have illustrated Certain portions ofV a well-known type of car door fastener. In thisV figure, A indicates vthe fastener element which is usually applied to the door frame, and B illustrates the hasp which is usually carried by the door. The hasp B is provided at its free end with a slot C to receive the horizontal lugD, which forms part of element A. Lug D is in turn provided with an opening E for the reception` of the lower end of the pin F. Pin F is provided with a slot G, which, when the?u pin is in its locking-position, registers with a corresponding slot .H in the fixed lug 1 which forms part of element A. lt is, of course, unnecessary'to illustrate the fastener in all of its detail, since our invention is not concerned with details of car door fastener construction. rlhe speciiic type of car door fastener herein illustrated is to be regarded as being merely representative of the many different devices with which our improved seal may be employed.

In applyingthe seal of our invention to a fastener of the type shown in Figures 3 and 4, the pointed end of the seal is threaded through the slots G and H and is then passed through slots 13-13 and under web 14 to form a loop in which the extremities of the seal strip extend in opposite direc# tions, as distinguished from the ordinary car seal loop in which the extremities extend in the same direct-ion. The seal loop is drawn tightly upv against the fastener elements F and I, and the seal is closed by a distorting operation, which is preferably a crimping operation performed in accordance with the method of Flora U. S. Patent No. 1,038,168, dated September 10, 1912, and is accomplished by means of a sealing or crimping tool substantially like the tool shown and described in Floral U. S. Patent No. 1,038,- 109.` dated September 10, 1912.

In closing the seal by means of a device of the type shown in the Flora patent last above-mentioned, the jaws of the sealing tool are applied to the lateral edges of the wing portion of the seal, the sealing tool servingv simultaneously to crimp that portion of theV vstrip which passes under web 11i into interlocking engagement with said web and with the wings 12-12- The slots 13-13 deiine the points where the jawsof the sealingtool are to beapplied, and in a measure facilitate the crimping operation. Figures fl, 5, and 6 illustrate the seal as it appears after the performance ofthe crimping operation just described.

r he wings 12-12 materially strengthen the crimped joint in addition to permitting the inished joint to be of minimum width, notwithstanding the factthat the slits 12B-13 are somewhat longer than the width of the seal portion which is passed therethrough.

ln applying the seal, the loop thereof is drawn tightly against those portions of the fastener vthrough which the seal passes. Consequently, the sealed joint hugs the fastener, with the crimped-'in portions of the wings and embraced metal inaccessible to anyone desiring to tamper with the seal. This is a very important advantage afforded by the present invention. (Dur present seal also possesses the advantage that it affords a long free end adaptedto carry the seal number, initials, or other suitable indicia. rlhe seal is cheapv to construct, may be readily applied to a fastener' or the like, and may be eifectively closed by a single operation of the type of crimping tool hereinbefore mentioned. Other advantages of our improved seal will be apparent to persons familiar with the art to which our invention relates.

Having thus illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of our invention, we do not limit ourselves to the precise construction and arrangement of parts herein shown, and described, but wish to cover any equivalentconstruction falling within the scope of the appended claims.

lllhat we claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A seal comprising a metal strip prof'ided atone end thereof with lateral wings, which together with said strip end constitute a sleeve, there being a pair of transverse slits in the aforesaid end of the strip, the metal between said slits being offset from tne adjacent metal and away from said wings.

2. A seal comprising a metal strip provided at one end with lat-eral wings, there being a pair of transverse slits formed in the winged end of said strip, the metal between said slits being ofi'set from the adjacent metal and away from said wings, said slits adapted to have the opposite'end of the strip passl therethrough.

3. A seal comprising a metal strip pro- .vided at one end with lateral wings, there being a pair of transverse slits formed in the 4winged end of said strip, said slits terminating short of the lateral edges of the said winged end of the strip the metal between said slits being turned back wardly away from said wings, said wings being turned away froml the plane of the adjacent metal and toward each other. il. A seal comprising a metal strip pointed at one end and provided at the other end with a. pair of lateral wings, a pair of -parallel transverse slits formed in the winged end of the strip, said slits terminating short of the lateral edges of said winged end and being adapted to have the pointed end of the strip pass therethrough, the metal between said slits being pressed away from the plane of the adjacent metal and away from saidl wings to provide an oiset web, said. wings being turned away from the plane of the strip and toward each other substantially as and for the purpose setgforth.

5. A seal comprising a metal strip pron vided at one end with lateral wings, there being a pair of transverse slits formed in the winged end of said strip', said slits being adapted to have the other end of the strip pass therethrough, the `metal between said slitsbeing pressed away fromthe plane ofthe 'acrljaceiit metal and away from said wings vto provide an offset web'.

Cil

l OG

6. A met-al strip provided at one end with a pair of transverse slits, the other end of the strip being passed through said slits to form a loop wherein the strip ends extend in opposite directions, that end of the strip which is provided with the slits as aforesaid being provided with lateral .wings which are turned away from the adjacent metal and toward each other, that portion of the metal of the winged end of the strip which lies between said slits being crimped into interlocking engagement with said wings and with the metal which entends through and between said slits.

7. In combination with a pair of juxtaposed members forming part of a fastener, a seal strip passing through said members, saidseal strip being provided at one end with a pair of transverse slits, the other end of the strip being drawn through said slits to provideV a loop which closely hugs said fastener members, and wherein the strip ends extend in opposite directions, the metal between said slits being crimped edgewise into interlocking engagement with the strip metal which extends through and between said slits, the inwardly crimped edges of the metal lying closely adjacent the fastener members hugged by the seal loop.

8. In combination with a pair of juxtaposed members forming parts of'a fastener, a seal strip passing through said members, said seal strip being provided at one end with lateral wings and transverse slits which terminate short of the lateral edges of said winged end, the other end of ther strip4 being passed through said slits to form a loop which closely hugs the fastener members aforesaid, the strip ends extending in opposite directions, said wings being turned inwardly toward the interior of the loop and toward each other, said wings, the web between said slits, and the metal which extends through and between said slits being crimped simultaneously edgewise into inter'- locking relation.

9. A seal comprising a metal strip provided at one end thereof with lateral wings which are turned away from the adjacent meta-l and toward each other, there being a pair of transverse slits in the aforesaid end of the strip, the metal between said slits being offset from the adjacent metal and away from said wings.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this lst day of December, 1922.

JOHN WV. LESLIE. ROBERT H. FULTON.

Images