US606408A - Seal-lock - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

4J. BOWLING.

SEAL LOCK.

Patented June 28 WHIDQSSZS Jol-IN DowLINe, or `ALTooNA, PENNSYLVANIA.

1 i i f iSE-ALi-LOCK.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,408, dated June 28, 1898.. Application filed May 5, 1897. Serial No. 635,235. (No model.)

Tojal whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN DOWLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Seal- Lock, of which'the following is a specification.

My invention relates to seal-locks of that class shown and described in my former patents, No. 476,617, granted June 7, 1892; No. 482,118, granted-September 6, 1892, and No. 506,214, granted October 10, 1893;' and the object of thepresent invention, in addition to that of providing a simple-,com pact, strong, and ellici'ent lock, is to produce a device of this class which without other change .than that of size or proportions may be adapted for use in connection with either car-doors,

crates, boxes, or any other like receptacles" for shipping produce.

There is a demand for a cheap, simple, and efficient lock adapted for receptacles Suchas those which are employed for fruit, berries,

vegetables, dac., when sentby freight or otherwise, whereby the opening of suchreceptacles and the removal and injury of their contents may be prevented or whereby any attempt to tamper with the same may be detected, to enable the responsibility for such acts to be fixed upon the culprits. A lock to be suitable for receptacles o f this class must be comparatively small and light in weight, must be capable of withstanding rough usage, and must be adaptedfor promptV manipulation when properly managed, while itis constructed to resist the most skilful 'attempts of unauthorized persons to 'disengage the members thereof without injury to the seal.

Further objects and advantages ofthis invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawingsfigure 1 is a perspective view of a lock constructed in accordance with my invention as seen when applied to a cardoor. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the improved lock as seen when applied to a crate or shipping-receptacle. Fig. 31s a'longitudinal section of the lock detached. Fig. @isla transverse section through the pin-seat or guide.

. Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective of the staple or keeper. Fig. 6 is a similar View of the pin detached. y Fig. 7 isa similar view of the seal detached. r j f Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the gures of the drawings. f f

l designates a hasp provided with a suitable securing- plate 2, and 3 designates a staple or keeper provided with a securing-plate 4. and adapted to be engaged bythe opening 5 of the hasp, the said opening being fitted over the staple or keeper and being held from disengagement by means ofa pin 6. In Fig, 1, which shows the lock adapted for use on a car-door, the hasp is arranged in a horizontal position, while the -staple or keeper is elongated vertically, the hasp being provided with a transversely-elongated opening to correspond with the shape of the staple or keeper, whereas in Fig. 2, which shows the lock adapted for use on areceptacle such as a shipping-crate, the hasp is secured to the top or cover in a vertical position, and the staple or keeper is also vertical, whereby the opening in the hasp is disposed longitudinally thereof. In other words, the staple orkeeper is adapted for arrangementjin a vertical" position when used in connection with either a car-door or a shipping-receptacle; but the hasp is disposed either horizontally or vertically, according to whether it isfapplied to a car-door or a shipping-receptacle.V l y Theopening in the s'tapleor keeper constitutes a pin-seat and corresponds in cross-sectionalarea with the pin in order to insure a snug seating thereof, and the staple or keeper, as above indicated, is preferably elongated parallel with the pin in order to provide an extended seat therefor. Arranged in a suitable recess in the rear wall of the pin-seat is a pivotless pawl 7, adapted to engage a notch 8 in the rear side of the pin, and thereby lock the pin against removal in one direction. For instance, in the construction illustrated in the drawings the notch 8 is provided with an abrupt 'upper side and the pin is adapted to be inserted at the lower end of the seat,where by when the pin reaches a point at which the pawl 7 engages thenotch 8 the pin is locked against downward displacement, and this peculiarity of the construction of the improved lock adapts it for temporarily securing a cardoor or other closure, such as that of a crate IOO ' but yet is desirable-to keep the cover in a closed position. The lower side of the notch 8 being beveled it is obvious that the pin may be relnoved from the seat by movement in the same direction as it was inserted. The seat is open-ended,or open at both ends, and hence the pin may be inserted at one end-as, for instance, the lower end-and passed entirely therethrough, the engagement of the pawl with the notch not interfering with said movement; but after the pin has been inserted a sufficient distance to bring its notch into registration With the pawl the withdrawal thereof in the -opposite direction, either by jar or otherwise, is prevented. A flexible connection, as a chain 9,is preferably used in connection with the pin to support it when not engaged in the pin-seat, and the attachment of this chain with the pin is attained by means of an elongated link 10, adapted to pass through a longitudinal slot 11v in the outer wall of the pin-seat when the pin is removed from its seat. The pawl 7 is provided with an actuatings rinoV 7 which is secured to he rear side of the plate 4f, said pawl being iitted in a recess in therear wall of the staple or keeper and being held from displacement by means of terminal extensions 7b, as shown in Fig. 3.

The cavity or recess in which the pivotless pawl f7' is fitted is of sufficient size at the rear side of the base-plate to freely receive the pawl, while at its front side or at the point of communication of therecess with the pinseat it is contracted and is of smaller dimensions than the pawl, whereby the displacement of the pawl through the front openin g is prevented. Rearward displacement of the pawl when the lock is detached from the supporting-surface, such as the framework of a car or a crate, is prevented by the actuatingspring 7. The advantage of the pivotless pawl, constructed as described, resides in the fact that there is less wear, no chance of damage by reason of the wear or breakage of a pivot, the pawl may be mounted without perforating the casing to provide a scat for a pivot, and a new pawl may be introduced with facility when the lock-Casin g is detached from the supporting-surface simply by flexin g the actuating-sprin g sufliciently to expose the rear enlarged side of the recess or cavity.

The pin is also provided at a suitable intermediate point with a seal-seat 12, which is elongated parallel with the lengthy of the pin and extends diametrically through the pin, whereby it is open at opposite sides thereof. This seat is adapted to receive a seal 13, made of any suitable material and having a central recess llt in its lower edge, the width of said recess corresponding with the width of the pin, while the width of the seal corresponds approximately with the length of the seat. serted in a transverse direction into the seal seat or slot until its recess 14 is in alinement Hence the seal is adapted ,to be in-v with or in the plane of the pin, whereupon the downward movement of the seal will cause the sides of its recess to bear against the opposite side surfaces of the pin and prevent lateral displacement. Vhen the parts are in this position, the insertion of the pin into the pin-seat of' the staple or hasp until the notch of said pin is engaged by the pawl will cause the upper portion of the seal seat o1' slot to be inclosed within the seal-seat and thus prevent the seal from being moved 'upward-ly to accomplish its disengagement from the pin. In other words, the pin and seal are so constructed that the latter is engaged with the former by two movements, the first being a transverse and the second a longitudinal movement and when thus engaged the insertion of the pin into the staple or keeper prevents the seal from being moved longitudinally ofthe pin, and hence prevents the disengagement of the seal, except by breaking or tearing off one end thereof. Furthermore, the approximate contact of the upper edge of the seal with the lower end of the staple or keeper prevents the upward removal of the pin from its seat without injuring the seal.

From the above description it will be seen that the pin snugly fits in the scat provided for its reception and that the locking-pawl is located in a recess in the rear wall of said seat, whereby access to the pawl in order to displaceit or disengage it from the pin is impossible. Even if a thin-bladed instrument could be inserted between the rear side of the pin and the contiguous wall of the seat the contact thereof with the pawl could not be made to disengage the latter from the notch of the pin. pawl, insertible into its recess only through the rear of the plate 4 and held from displacement by means of the actuating-spring, simplifies the construction and reduces the Wear upon the parts due to the operation of the lock. Furthermore, inasmuch as the pin is of uniform cross-sectional area throughout it would be insertible and removable in either direction or would pass entirely through the Furthermore, the use of a looseA IOO pin-seat in either direction were it not for the forwardly and rearwardly movable pawl which prevents movement, except in one direction, which is preferably upward, as hereinbefore described. Hence after the pin has been inserted at the lower end of the pin-seat and has been advanced upwardly a sufficient distance to bring its notch into the path of sufficient distance to allow the engagement of the pawl with its notch.

It is obvious that in practice various.

changes in the form,proportion,and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl.I In alock, the combination of a staple or keeper adapted to be engaged by a hasp and `constructed to form an elongated pin-seat of uniform cross-sectional area, a pin fitted snugly in said seat and having a seal-slot, a

seal, to engage said slot, having a pin-engaging notch, and a pivotless pawl loosely mounted in a recess or cavity in the rear wall of the pin-seat to engage a notch in the pin, said recess, at its point of communication lwith the seat, being of smaller dimensions than the pawl, to prevent lthe forward displacement of the latter, and rearward displacement of the pawl being prevented by an actuating-spring closing the rear side of the rccess and bearing against the pawl to hold it yieldingly in Vits operative position, substantially as specified.

2. In a lock, the combination of a staple lor keeper of rectangular exterior contour adapted to be received and entirely encircled by the opening of a hasp, and having a vertical open-ended pin-seat provided in its front wall with a longitudinal slot, a non-rotatable pin tted to slide in the pin-seat and adapted to secure the hasp in engagement with the staple or keeper, a pawl arranged within the staple or keeper to engage a notch in the pin, a iiexible connection, as a chain, attachedl to the pin and having an elongated link adapted to pass through said slot in the front wall of the pin-seat, and a seal fitted in a-transverse opening in the pin and having a pin-engaging notch, substantially as specified. v

3. In a lock,the combination of a staple or keeper provided with a base-plate for attachment to asupporting-surface, said staple projecting perpendicularly from the plane of the base-plate, and having an open-ended pinseat of uniform cross-sectional area, extending continuously therethrough parallel with the base-plate, and also having in one side a continuous longitudinal slot communicating with the pin-seat and open at both extremities of the staple, a hasp adapted at its free end to occupy a position parallel and in contact with the base-plate, and having an opening to receive and wholly encircle the staple in rear of the pin-seat therein, or between the pin-seat and the base-plate, a pin slidablyn fitted in the pin-seat, and having an attached Asafety-chain adapted to pass through said slot in the side of the staple when the pin is removed from the pin-seat, a concealed locking device Within the staple for engaging the pin and preventing movement thereof in one direction, and a seall fitted in a seat in the pin and extending laterally beyond the same, to engage the contiguous end of the staple and prevent movement of the pin in the opposite direction, substantially as specified'.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed `my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN DOVLING.

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