US1878991A

US1878991A - Seal

Info

Publication number: US1878991A
Application number: US601972A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph B Murray
Original assignee: METROPOLITAN DEVICE CORP
Current assignee: METROPOLITAN DEVICE Corp
Priority date: 1932-03-30
Filing date: 1932-03-30
Publication date: 1932-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 1949-09-20

Description

Sept. 2% 1932. J. B. MURRAY SEAL Filed March 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l QNVENTOR Jasep/ e Bi/Wezrray LF/fiATroRNEYs Sept. 2%, 1932. J. B. MURRAY SEAL Filed March 50, 19 32 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTOR 1 05 eph B. Mm? 5v i 42 flgw ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 2% H232 JOSEPH B. MURY, 01F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T METROPOLITAN DEVICE GGBPOEATION, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CQRPORA'IION OF NEW YORK The invention aims to provide an improved seal of the padlock type for use in seal: ing electrical instrument boxes and the like,

in which-a hasp has hooked ends which are il thrust into the seal or casing and cannot be withdrawn without destroying or in ur1ng the seal in some manner which will be apparent to the inspector for the electrical company.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are respectively front, back and side elevations;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sections on the corw respondingly numbered lines in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section showing the configuration within the casing;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a button before insertion;

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a blankafter the first stamping operation;

Fig. 10 is a similar view after a second stamping.

Fig. 11 is a front view of an alternative design.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated, the casing or seal proper is made of stifi steel or other rigid sheet metal front and

back walls

11 and 12 integrally united by a bend 13 at the upper end and having their: sides and lower ends united by crimped oints l4 and 15. The front and back walls are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the th1ck ness of the hasp, and the casing 18 closed except for two openings 15 1n the upper end through which the hooked ends ofthe hasp mav be introduced as in Fig. 7. The

central portions

16 and 17 of the front wall are pressed down to contact with the back wall .See Fig. 1.

and to form certain .partitions or walls exdownward and sharply upward to form the hook ends 22.

The depression 16 of the, front wall is shaped also to form lateral shoulders 23 extending inward from the portions 18 for engagement by the ends of the hooks to prevent withdrawal of the hasp. In the stamping down of the portion 16 the shoulder or wall 23 is pressed down sharply at the corner 24, Fig. 5, at substantially a right 00 angle. The drawing of the metal thins thewalls 23 and provides weakened lines at the corners 24 so that the walls. 23 are somewhat like the familiar knockouts in sheet metal boxes. If an attempt be made to remove the hasp by a strong pull, the walls 23 will yield before the hasp canbe straightened sufiiciently to remove it; and the breaking of the wall 23 will betray the attempt to tamper with the seal.

The bending down of the portion 17 of the front wall provides longitudinal partitions or walls 25 which form with the side walls 26 enclosed spaces 27 to receivethe hooked ends of thehasp. These spaces taper toward the lower end. They must be of considerable length to permit the thrusting in of the hooked ends of the hasp, which have to be fairly long to providea sharp upward bend of the hook and length enough for a certain spring action to snap into engages ment with the lateral shoulders 23.

The bent down

portions

16 and 17 of the front wall are continuous with each other. Consequently the .two lateral shoulders '23, (Fig. 7 are separate from each other, each being limited at its inner end by a partition 25. i

In previous seals of this class a single shoulder served as a stop for both hooks 22 of the hasp. By pulling the hasp forcibly and laterally, the end of one hook could be made to push the end of the other sidewise sufliciently to clear the shoulder and permit withdrawal of the hasp in a distorted shape and its rebending and reinsertion in sui'ficiently good shape to conceal the fact.

By interposing a longitudinal wall, or two such walls 25. between the shoulders 23 this method of tampering is prevented. It is we preferable to have two walls 25 inclined outwardly at the lower ends as shown so as to form the enclosed spaces 27 of downwardly tapered shape fitting the shape of the hasp 5 ends so as to limit their lateral play.

In the lower end of-the seal I provide a.

button of lead or similar soft metal with a shank 28 passing through the two plates and having enlarged

heads

29 and 30 on the opposite faces of .the seal.- The button is originally of the shape shown in Fig. 8 with one head 29 and an elongated shank 28' which is passed through the hole in the plates and swaged to form the opposite 'head. This button serves two purposes.

It provides an identifying means upon which the electrical company canjimpress its own initials or other mark with a simple hand tool; so that this companys seals cannot be gotten from the manufacturer by stealth or otherwise. With the two buttons the companys mark PO, Fig. 1, can be impressed on one button and the individual inspectors mark 121, Fig. 2, on the other button.

This button also helps to secure the seal against tampering. .It rivets the front and back walls together at the end remote from that at which they are joined integrally; thus preventing the opening of the lower end of the seal by uncrimping the edges at this point. Preferably also the button head at the front is made so large as to extend over the crimped joint and prevent access thereto.

85 See Fig/1.

The shank 28 of the button is placed' in the extreme lower end of the space outlined by the partitions 25, close to the lower wall 31 which connects these two partitions. A certain length of the spaces 27 is required to accommodate the hooked ends of the hasp and this space must have a certain width at the bottom corresponding to the bend of the has L l T he placing of the button at the lowest possible point permits such a location of the lower ends of the walls 25 as to secure the maximum width in the lower ends of the hook-receiving spaces 27; notwithstanding 5 the making of the front button large enough to extend over the crimped joint. The low a est point of the two heads of the button practically coincides with the lower edge of the seal so as to provide a stiff backing and prevent distortion when the marks are being impressed thereon;

The walls of the casing are also fastened to ether near the upper end so as to prevent li ing of the part 16 by a tool introduced 6 through the top openings 15, which would permit the forcing of the'hooks 22 outward and the withdrawal of the hasp. v

In seals of this character the fastening has been accomplished by punching a hole 32 (Fig. 9) in the top wall 11 of the blank and punching up a flange 33 from the lower wall 12. When the blank is bent over, as in Fig. the flange 33 is passed through the opening and crimped down at the edge 34 to rivet the connection either as a substitute'for the riveted connection described or as a supplement thereto.

In the design illustrated, the riveted con-- nection is supplemented by two spot welds 35 closely adjacent tothe walls 23 so as to offer the greatest obstacle to the separation of the plates at these particular points.

In the manufacture of the seal, the first operation is to stamp out the flat blank, Fig. 9, of appropriate shape with end openings 15, with the portion 16 drawn down with sharp angles as above described, and with the openingl32 and the struck up flange 33.

the next operation (Fig. 10) the top and

bottom walls

11 and 12 are flanged around their edges and the top plate drawn to form the depressed portion 17. In this operation it is common to stamp in the sheet metal various identifications such as are shown; and some companies require that they be serially numbered as a further security, which must be done in this flat condition of the blank.

The blank is then bent across the line through the two openings 15 and crimped around the edges and riveted by the flange 34 near the top and then spot welded at the points 35.

Before the lead button is applied there will be a slight space between the lower end wall 36 and the part 31, inside partition, as shown in Fig. 7 The application of the button and the pressing down of the head 29, however,

will flatten the front wall against the back walland close such space as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. For some purposes it is not necessary to have a lead button, the name of the company using the seal being stamped on the sheet metal in the course of manufacture.

I have referred to a rigid sheet metal casing and a soft lead button, but these terms are used in the comparative sense and other materials having similar physical properties may be employed in making the seal.

1 have also referred to the back and the front of the seal and to its upper and lower ends in the comparative sense merely since the seal may lie in various positions in practice.

. Certain features of the invention may be applied to a hasp or similar wire or strip with only one hooked end, the opposite end being fastened to the box or other apparatus to be sealed or being fixed to the seal in such a way that it cannot be removed without detection.

- is like that of Fig. 1 split along a central line. The hasp 19 has one end 36 flattened and welded on the outside of the depressed portion 16 of the front wall 11 of the casing,

just above the shoulder 24; the same weld may serve to fasten the hasp-end and to fasten the part 16 to the back wall. The button may be applied to this form of seal or omitted as desired.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A seal of the character described having front and back walls, one of said walls having A a continuous depressed portion forming within the casing lateral partitions and separate longitudinal partitions extending downward from the inner ends of the lateral partitions.

2. A seal of the character described having front and back walls of sheet metal, the front wall having a depressed portion near the upper end forming lateral shoulders for en; gagement by the hooked ends of a hasp and a further depressed portion forming two separate longitudinal partitions extending from said shoulders downward.

3. A seal of the character described having a casing with an internal lateral shoulder adapted to be engaged by the hooked end of a hasp, said shoulder being comparatively weak so as to be breakable by a strong pull on the hasp;

4. -A seal of the character described having front and back walls spaced apart, one of said walls being of sheet metal and being sharply depressed and drawn so as to thin the metal while formin a shoulder adapted to 'engage and lock'the hooked end of a hasp introduced into the casing .so that such shoulder can be broken by a strong pull on said hasp.

5. A seal of the character described having front and back walls formed of a single sheet of metal integrally connected at the, upper end and crimped together along their sides and lower end with an opening through the upper end for introduction of a hasp, the front wall having a depressed portion forming an internal lateral partition near the upper end for engagement by the hooked end of a hasp, said: depressed portion being welded to the back wall at a point above said shoulder and accessible through said opening, so as to prevent separationof the walls at this point.

6. A seal of the character described having front and back walls formed of a single sheet of metal integrally connected at the upper end and crimped together along their sides I and lower end, the front wall being depressed to form lateral shoulders for engagementby the hooked endsof a hasp and to form longitudinal partitions constituting the inner walls of downwardlytaperin spaces for receiving the elongated ends 0 the hasp, and

a button of soft metal having a shank passing through said walls at the extreme lower "endlof the depressed portion of the front 7 A seal of the character described having two lateral internal shoulders for engagement by the hooked ends of a hasp inserted into the seal, and having longitudinal internal shoulders extending downward from said lateral shoulders a distance corresponding substantially to the length of such hooked ends so as to prevent substantial lateral a casing with an internal lateral shoulder for engagement by the hooked end of a hasp and having a longitudinal wall extendin downward from said shoulder and adapte to prevent substantial lateral movement of such hooked end, said lateral shoulder being comparatively' weak so as to be breakable by a strong pull on the hasp when its hooked end is thus confined laterally. I

10. A seal of the character described having lateral internal shoulders for engagement by the hooked ends of a hasp and longitudinal internal shoulders extending downward from said lateral shoulders and adapted to pro-- vent substantial lateral movement of such hookedends, said lateral shoulders being of metal so weakened as to be breakable by a strong pull on the hasp when its ends are thus confined laterally.

11. A seal of the character described having front and back walls formed ofa single sheet of metal integrally connected at the' upper end and crimped together along their sides and lower end, the front wall being depressed to form lateral shoulders for engagement by the hooked ends of a hasp and to form longitudinal partitions constituting the inner walls of downwardly taperin spaces -for'receiving the elongated ends of t e hasp, the depressed portion of the front,- wall above said shoulders being -fastened directly to the back wall, and a button of soft metal having a shank passing through said walls I at the extreme lower end of the depressed portion of the front wall.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, i

' JOSEPH B. MURRAY.