US745587A - Seal. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTE!) DBG. 1, 1903. L.- A.' FOUTE.

SEAL.`

APPLIOATION FILED um. 1a, 190s,

no MODEL.

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if @Mn 7H: cams Pneus :au4 Norauto-404, msm-1s UNITED STATES atented ecember 1, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS A. FOOTE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO CHICAGO CAR SEAL AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- TION OF ILLINOIS.

SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 745,587, dated December 1, 1903. Application filed March 18, 1903. Serial No. 148,367. (No model.)

Y To a/ZZ whom it mrtg/concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS A. FOUTE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seals, of which the following is al specication.

My invention relates particularly to seals for use on cars and in analogous situations;

and my primary object is to provide a selff locking seal of simple and cheap construction and one which cannot be tampered with without ready detection.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l represents a perspective view of the seal in the open condition; Fig. 2, a similar view of the seal in the closed or locked condition; Fig. 3, a perspective view illustrating the manner in'which the parts of the seal are assembled Fig.'4, an enlarged broken section taken as indicated at line 4: of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a section taken as indicated at line 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a brokenv perspective View of a modification of the seal, and Fig. 7 a broken section taken as indicated at line 7 of-Fig. 6.

In the construction shown in Figs. l to 5,

inclusive, the seal co'mprises a tin or shoet-V metal casing or body A, equipped interiorly with a locking member a, and a shackle A', having one end anchored in the casing and the other end equipped with a locking member d. The casing comprises a side plate C, having its inner surface provided with depressions c' and having onecurvedend edge and curved lateral edges bounded by a flange c2, the other end of the side plate being outy straight and left unianged, as indicated at c3, and a side plate d,provided with one curved end edge and curved lateral edges and having the metal struck up to form at the inner surface a longitudinal channel or depression having portions ol d2 of a given Width and depth and an intermediate portion d3 of the same depth and constricted width and a portion d4 of the same width as the portion d3,

but of lessdepth. The shackle A has the metal struck down to form on its lateral side has the metal struck up at its anchored. extremity, as indicated at f', to aord beneath 'said struck-up portion a space for receiving the anchored end of .the locking member a. The locking member@ comprises a liat springmetal member having one end turned under, as indicated at g, to lit into the space beneath the enlargement f' and having the other end bent back upon its upper surface and bifurcated to form locking-prongs g. The prongs g are separated by a slot g2 and have oblique edge portions g3, terminating at the points of the prongs, which are turned away from each other. The locking member oz' is formed by cutting away the metal of the shackle at the edges thereof near the free end of the shackle, as indicated at '72, striking the metal up beyond the cut-away portions, as indicated at h', and bending it into substantially box form by turning it downwardly at the lateral margins to form vertical portions h2 and inwardly to form lower fianges h3. This aiords a longitudinal channel h4, open at' the extreme end' of the shackle to receive the locking member a.; The'walls h2 are cut away to form openings or slots h5, affording locking-shoulders for engaging the prongs of the locking member d. The rear ends of the flanges h3 are bent up beneath the raised portion h' to form a guard hl, preventing insertion of an instrument between the ends of the shackle in the locked condition. Adjacent to the neck of the shackle at the cut-away points h the metal is perforated and struck upwardly to form a raised eye h6.

In assembling the parts the turned extremity g of the member d is hooked under the Iportion fof the inner end of the shackle, and

the shackle is then placed so that the bosses f engage the depressions c' of the plate c. The plate d is then put into place, iitting within the flanges of the plate c. In this position the raised portion d4 receives beneath it the raised portion f of the shackle. The edges of the flange c are then turned over upon the edge margins of the plate d and locked, as indicated in Fig. et. In this operation, or before, if desired, the plated has a channel formed on its upper surface near its periphery for receiving the edge of the flange c2. This ICO channel is preferably formed by striking the metal downwardly to form a bead or rib k, and,

the member c is similarly beaded or ribbed, as indicated at 7c. These beads or ribs may be formed in the plates before the flange is bent over, if desired.

-From the foregoing description it will be understood that the locking membera is anchored in such a manner that it is held centered in the channel cl3, so that the box-form free end of the shackle may be slipped over the outer end of the locking'member a to permit t-he prongs to enter the slots h5. The wide portion d2 of the channel,.with which the member d is provided, affords space for the prongs of the locking member a, and the constricted portion d3 prevents access to the prongs. Moreover, when the shackle` is locked the neck portion at 7i fits into the portion d of the channel, and the shouldersl aid in closing the entrance to the channel. Also the raised boss h6 abuts against the struck-np portion of the metal adjacent to the channel cl', affording an additional safeguard against the insertion of any instrument and also affording a means of detection in case the shackle is broken off and shortened and then inserted into the casing. It will be understood, of course, that the seals may be marked in any suitable manner and that they will commonly be numbered and arranged in numerical order for use. The perforation at h6 aords a convenient means for arranging the seals on a wire in numerical order.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7, B represents a cast-metal casing or body equipped with a locking member b, and B' a shackle having one end anchored in the casing. The casing is formed with a longitudinal channel b', in which the member h` isccentered. The inner end of the shackle has a struckup portion b2, provided with a perforation h3, and the member b has its inner or rear end turned downwardly to afford a hook b4, received by the slot h3 and cast into the metal of the casing. This provides for the secure anchoring of both the shackle and the locking member. The locking member is of the same construction as the locking member a, and the free end of the shackle is equipped with a locking member similar to the locking member a.

In both constructions the inner locking member is located so as to be free from tampering, and the shackle is so constructed that it cannot be altered without detection. This overcomes the objection inherent in certain seals which employ a hook on the end of the shackle, which may be broken off and a new hook formed.

It will be understood that changes in details of construction within the spirit of my invention may be made. Hence no undue limitation should be understood from the foregoing detailed description, which has been given for clearness of understanding only.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A seal, comprising a body formed with a suitablelongitlidinalchannel,alocking member comprising a sheet-metal member having its rear portion anchored in said body and its front portion bent upon itself and bifurcated to afford locking-prongs, said front portion being suitably centered in said channel, and a shackle provided at its free extremity with a locking member having lateral walls for pressing said prongs together during insertion of the shackle and locking-shoulders for engaging the extremities of said prongs, for the purpose set forth.

2. A seal, comprising a body having a suitable longitudinal channel, and a shackle and locking member having interlocking portions anchored in said body, said locking member being centered in said channel and equipped with yieldinglocking-prongs and said shackle having at its free extremity a locking member adapted to fit over said first-named locking member and provided with locking-shoulders, for the purpose set forth.

3. A seal, comprising a plate having depressions on its inner surface formed by striking the metal outwardly, a shackle having one end provided with bosses engaging said depressions, a locking member having one portion interlockingly engaging the inner end of said shackle, a second plate provided with a longitudinal channel and having iianged connection with said first-named plate, and a locking member at the free end of said shackle, for the purpose set forth.

4. A seal, comprisinga flanged plate having the metal struck outwardly to form depressions on its inner surface, a shackle having the metal struck downwardly to form bosses engaging said depressions and the metal struck upwardly at its extremity, a locking member having a hooked end engaging a struck-up portion of said shackle, a second plate formed with a longitudinalchannel in which said locking member is centered and which is secured to said first-named plate by said flange and a locking member at the free end of said shackle, for the purpose set forth.

5. A seal, comprising a suitable body provided with a longitudinal channel, a shackle having one end anchored in said body, a locking member having its rear end portion anchored in said body and equipped at its free or outer end with rearwardly-turned prongs, and a locking member at the free extremity of said shackle having slotted lateral Walls and of sufficient size to receive said rst-named locking member, for the purposeset forth.

6. A seal, comprising a suitable body equipped with a longitudinal channel, a shackle having one end anchored in said body, a locking member having one end anchored in said body and equipped at its other end with locking-prongs, anda box-form locking member at the free end of said shackle and formed integrally therewith, the lateral walls IIO thereof being cut away to afford lockingshoulders for engaging said prongs, for the purpose set forth.

7. A seal, comprising a suitable body, an inner locking member, a shackle having one end anchored in said body, and a box-form locking member formed integrally with the other end of said shackle and provided with suitable locking-shoulders and shoulders adjacent to the inner end of said last-named locking member obstructing the entrance to the channel in said body.

S. A seal, comprising a suitable casing, a

In presence of A. C. KITTLESON, WALTER N. WINBERG.

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