US956490A

US956490A - Sealing means for registering devices.

Info

Publication number: US956490A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank J Frederick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1909-02-11
Filing date: 1909-02-11
Publication date: 1910-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 1927-04-26

Description

I. J. FREDERICK. SEALING MEANS FOR REGISTERING DEVICES. 7 APPLICATION FILED FEB.11, 1909.

956,490., Patented Apr.26,1910.

ANDREWW GBANAM uu. vucfmumcwrnim. WASHINGTON, u (:v

FRANK J. FREDERICK, OF SOB-ANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SEALING MEANS FOR REGISTERING DEVICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1910.

Application filed February 11, 1909. Serial No. 477,337.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. FREDERICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sealing Means for Registering Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in sealing means for registering devices and is more particularly directed to a sealing device adapted to secure a removable part of a register, as the cap of a water meter or the like, against unauthorized disconnection, whereby the consumer or unauthorized person is prevented from having access to the registering mechanism without the knowledge of the proper authorities.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a flexible strip adapted to be secured about the cap or other removable part of the register, with its terminals secured to a relatively fixed part of the body, a sealing strip being utilized for the final connection, whereby the part to be protected is held against unauthorized removal from the body.

The invention will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation, illustrating the application of my improved sealing means to a water meter. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sealing means.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawing, it will be noted that my improvement is shown in connection with a water meter comprising a body 1 having inlet and outlet pipes 2 and 3 and a cap at designed to carry the registering dials, the cap being provided with a hinge cover 5 arranged for free unobstructed movement so that the dials may be inspected at any time. The cap l is preferably secured in place by a suitable fastening means passed through diametrically arranged registering ears 6 projecting from the cap and upper portion of the body, and it is to prevent the unauthorized removal of this cap that the present invention is designed.

In carrying out the invention I provide a flexible strip 8, as of wire or the like, one end of which is flattened at 9 and formed with an elongated aperture 10, the opposing end being similarly flattened at 11 and formed with an elongated aperture 12. In applying the seal one terminal of the strip is looped about one of the pipe connections to the body of the meter, as the outlet pipe 3, after which the strip is passed to and around the cap in loop form, as at 13, the wire being intertwisted to tighten the loop about the cap, the intertwisted portion preferably resting immediately above one pair of alined ears 6 and 7, as shown. From the loop a strip is projected toward the opposing pipe section or inlet 2, about which it is partially looped, as at 14. A sealing strip 15 is passed through the opening 12 in the terminal portion 11 of the strip and over the upper portion of the inlet pipe, forming with the strip 8 a complete encircling inlet pipe. The terminals of the sealing strip 15 are passed on opposite sides of the strip 8 opposite the terminal 11 thereof, so as to include said strip within the loop formed by the sealing strip, one end of the sealing strip being flattened at 16 and formed with an opening 17 to just permit the passage of the sealing strip 15 in normal condition. When the parts have been applied as described that end of the sealing strip passed through the opening 17 beyond said strip is flattened ,or enlarged, as at 18, forming a surface on which a seal may be duly 1mpressed. The sealing strip 8 is thus locked to the inlet and outlet pipes of the meter body and is utilized to prevent possibility of separation of the cap a from the body. In this connection it is important to understand that the sealing strip 15 is entirely separate from the strip 8, so that when removal of the cap't to provide access to the meter is essential breakage or cutting of the sealing strip 15 will permit such access without in any way destroying the strip 8. The scaling function of the strip 8 is thus maintained perfect at all times, the necessity of access to the meter through the removal of the cap requiring only the renewal of the sealing strip 15. As these strips 15 are of materially less length than the strips 8 an important saving is thus occasioned as compared with a construction in which the renewal of the entire sealing media is necessary in each removal of the cap 4. While shown and described in connection with the water meter, it is obvious that the improvement is adapted for use with any registering apparatus in which it is important that the user be prevented from having access to the registering mechanism and the primary function of the device is to prevent tampering with the meter connections or the registering dials to prevent proper registration of the quantity of material used. The character of the strips 8 and 15 is not important except that they must be more or less flexible and I contemplate the use of any desired material in the construction of these strips.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

1. A sealing strip for registers including a looped end and an auxiliary strip to seal the opposing end into loop form.

2. The combination with a Water meter including a removable cap, of a sealing strip comprising a section of wire looped at one end about a fixed part of the meter, looped intermediate its ends about the cap, and secured at the opposing end to another fixed part of the meter.

3. The combination with a water meter including a removable cap, of a sealing strip comprising a section of wire looped at one end about a fixed part of the meter, looped intermediate its end about the cap, partly looped at the remaining end about a fixed part of the meter, and an auxiliary sealing strip to secure said partly looped end against disconnection.

4. A sealing strip comprising a wire section having its terminals flattened and formed with apertures, and an auxiliary sealing strip of a size to pass through one of the apertures and having one of its ends flattened and formed with an aperture corresponding approximately to the size of the auxiliary sealing strip.

5. A sealing device for registers including a flexible strip to be centrally engaged with a movable part of the register and loosely engaged at one end with a fixed part of the register, an auxiliary sealing means to loosely secure the remaining terminal of the strip to a fixed part of the register, whereby upon the rupture of the auxiliary sealing means the flexible strip may be removed intact.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. FREDERICK.

Witnesses:

CLARA L. Woonnnrr, JOHN F. MURPHY.