WO2008054352A2

WO2008054352A2 - Anti-terrorist security device for cargo containers

Info

Publication number: WO2008054352A2
Application number: PCT/US2006/031062
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard S. Searle
Original assignee: Crowley Maritime Corporation
Priority date: 2005-08-12
Filing date: 2006-08-08
Publication date: 2008-05-08
Also published as: WO2008054352A3

Abstract

An anti-terrorist security device is provided for a cargo container having first and second hinged access doors. A heavy gauge steel block member is welded to a metallic center frame member of the first door and a heavy gauge steel plate member is welded to the center frame member of the second door. The plate member carries a protrusion that extends laterally across the block member. An opening in the protrusion is formed to allow a tab carried by the block member to extend through the protrusion to receive a Customs seal. The device may be retrofitted onto existing containers without having to modify the hinged access doors or the vertical rods carried by the hinged doors. The device is sufficiently rugged that, in order to overcome the device, sufficient damage would have to be done so that the entry can be easily detected.

Description

ANTI-TERRORIST SECURITY DEVICE FOR CARGO CONTAINERS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of and priority from United States provisional application Serial No. 60/708,027 filed August 12, 2005. BACKGROUND AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to anti-terrorist devices; in particular, the invention provides a robust and simple anti-terrorist security device for cargo containers. The invention is designed to meet developing requirements of the US Customs and Border Protection "Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) Program" in order to maintain cargo integrity during supply chain process transfer and also provides increased anti- racking strength for the container.

As the war against terrorism continues after the 9/11 nightmare, increasing port security and cargo container security has become a top priority aspect of national security.

Typical prior art cargo containers have locking mechanisms and security mechanisms which may deter petty thieves, but not a determined terrorist. For example, a common prior art locking mechanism for cargo containers includes rotatable, vertical rods (or stanchions) carried by the rear doors of the container. The rods interact with keepers carried on the container frame above and below the doors, as known in the art. Such mechanisms can be defeated/manipulated (without disturbing the Customs seal) by a terrorist drilling out one or more anchoring pins and opening the door. An explosive device (or other undesirable device) can be placed in the container, the door closed, and dummy pins inserted to replace the drilled-out pins. The cargo container has been compromised, the Customs seal has been left intact, and the unlawful entry is not easily detected!

The prior art includes various devices developed after September 11 , 2001 for increasing cargo container security. The most common approach is a device which attaches to one or more of the vertical rods (or handles for rotating the rods) to restrict movement of the vertical rod or rods. Determined terrorists could remove these devices by cutting or bending them and discarding the device. After gaining unauthorized entry, the terrorist could even reapply an identical device to the one that was removed to conceal the break-in!! Examples of such prior art filed after September 11 , 2001 include: U.S. patents 6,581 ,419; 6,834,896; 6,928,843; 6,983,629 and US 2006/0131896.

Another approach of the prior art is to add a rather cumbersome and expensive additional connection between one of the cargo doors (or rods) and the container frame (see US 2004/0155477; 4,768,816 and UK 2,388,628A).

Those devices are unduly expensive, do not add anti-racking strength and may be defeated by terrorists. For example, terrorists could simply cut off the standard padlock of 4,768,816 and replace it with an identical padlock! The expensive, cumbersome and internally mounted security device of US 2004/0155477 could be defeated by terrorists by drilling out the four mounting bolts and replacing them with dummy bolt heads. The device shown in UK 2,388,628A uses a sliding bolt carried by relatively thin-walled tubing. The thin- walled tubing is in turn welded to studs carried by a mounting plate. Terrorists could defeat this device by simply cutting the studs to separate the sliding bolt and tubing from the mounting plate. The studs could be rewelded after the entry to conceal the entry.

Various anti-racking and/or locking devices are known in the prior art, as shown by U.S. patents 4,068,409; 3,891 ,112 and 3,784,243. None of these patents provides the welding of heavy plate steel members to adjacent metal door frames, and therefore could be easily defeated and the entry concealed by determined terrorists, by drilling out the mounting bolts and replacing them with dummy pins. These prior art anti-racking devices are relatively cumbersome and expensive. The present invention provides a security device that preferably includes heavy, plate steel members welded to the vertical metallic doorframes extending along the free or unhinged edges of the doors of a two door cargo container to removably connect the door frames directly to each other! A rugged, heavy duty connector prevents the opening of either rear door, even if the vertical rods are removed!! In order to defeat the present invention, heavy welds or heavy plate steel would have to be cut or broken; these actions would be difficult if not impossible to conceal.

The device of the present invention receives a ISO/PAS 17712 Hi- Security metal Customs seal after the cargo container doors are closed. The damage required to defeat the present invention is very difficult to conceal and easily noticed by security and/or Customs personnel. The invention also allows visual and physical inspection of the security seal stem/shaft for inspection of unauthorized alteration. The present invention includes a secondary advantage of forming an anti- racking support for the cargo container, as described below.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an anti-terrorist security device for cargo containers which may be easily retrofitted onto existing cargo containers without changing the hinged doors or the vertical rods typically carried by the hinged rear doors of conventional cargo containers.

A further object of the invention is to provide an anti-terrorist security device for cargo containers which is extremely robust in design, so that if the security device is defeated by a terrorist, the damage to the container is difficult, if not impossible, to conceal and the unauthorized entry into the container is easily detected by security and/or Customs personnel.

A further object of the invention is to provide an anti-terrorist security device for cargo containers which also performs a secondary function of providing anti-racking strength to the cargo container. Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the rear of a typical cargo container which has been outfitted with the anti-terrorist security device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a close-up and enlarged front elevational view of the anti-terrorist security device shown in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5A is a front elevational view of an optional secondary anti-racking device used in conjunction with the anti-terrorist device shown in Figs. 1-4; Fig. 5B is a sectional view on the line 5B-5B of Fig. 5A; Fig. 6A is a front elevational view of a portion of the anti-racking device of Fig. 5A; and

Fig. 6B is a sectional view on the line 6B-6B of Fig. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 illustrates the rear of a typical cargo container 10 which has been outfitted with the anti-terrorist security device and anti-racking device of the present invention shown generally as 100. The rear of cargo container 10 includes upper and lower frame members 11 and 12 and side frame members

13 and 14. First and second rear hinged access doors 21 and 22 are hingedly connected to the side frames 13 and 14 by hinges 15 as known in the art. First and second hinged doors 21 and 22 each have free, unhinged vertical edges 21 b and 22b (see Fig. 3). Vertical, metallic center frame members 21a and 22a of doors 21 ,22 extend along the vertical, unhinged center edge of each door

21 ,22. A flexible, resilient seal 50 is carried by the free or unhinged edge 22b of second door 22, as is known in the art. First door 21 supports vertical rods 31 and 32 which are actuated by handles 41 and 42 as known in the art. Similarly, the second or righthand rear door 22 carries vertical rods 33 and 34 which are actuated by handles 43 and 44 as known in the art. Each of the rods 31-34 extends upwardly and downwardly beyond the edges of doors 21 and 22 and are typically secured by camming mechanisms or other keeper mechanisms which removably connect the ends of rods 31-34 to the upper and lower frame members 11 and 12 of cargo container 10. Some cargo containers use only one rod per door; the invention applies to those containers also.

A Customs seal (not shown in Fig. 1 ) is typically applied to the bottom end of rod 33. However, as noted above, a determined terrorist may drill out one or more pins supporting rods 31 and 32, allowing entry into the container through the left doorway 21 without disturbing the right door 22 or any Customs seal attached to the bottom of rod 33.

In accordance with the present invention, the anti-terrorist and anti-racking device 100 may be retrofitted to the rear of container 10 without interfering or in any way affecting the operation of rods 31-34 and their handles 41-44 and without requiring modification of the doors or rods. The Customs seal is applied as shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 1-3 do not include the Customs seal in the interest of clarity.

As shown best in Fig. 2, the device 100 includes a block member 110 that is welded to the metallic frame member 21 a of door 21 , as shown by weldments

111 in Fig. 2. Block 110 includes a first, raised plate section 121 and a second, raised plate section 122. These raised plate sections are important aspects of the anti-racking feature of the device. Furthermore, raised sections 121 and 122 provide obstacles to pry bars and the like that might otherwise be used in an attempt to break the locking mechanism 100.

A rectangular plate member 130 is welded to the metallic frame member 22a of the second hghthand door 22. The weldment 131 is shown in Fig. 2 and extends around three edges of heavy plate 130. Plate 130, as shown in Fig. 3, has an offset protrusion 135 that extends laterally across and over block 110. Protrusion 135 has a generally rectangular opening 136 formed therein. The block member 110 has an integrally formed tab 115 that extends outwardly through passageway 136 and includes a Customs seal hole which is a passageway 117 formed in the free end of tab 115 and is adapted to receive a Customs seal 170, shown best in Fig. 4. The seal 170 is not shown in Figs. 1-3.

As shown best in Fig. 4, when the doors 21 ,22 are closed, the outer surfaces 135c of protrusion 135 and the raised sections 121 ,122 are co-planar to prevent pry bars from being inserted between either raised plate section 121 ,122 and protrusion 135. It is significant to note that the plate member 110 and the plate 130 are relatively heavy pieces of steel (i.e. 0.500 inch or more) and relatively difficult to cut through. In order to defeat locking mechanism 100 without disturbing Customs seal 170, a terrorist would either have to remove the entire weldment 111 or the entire weldment 131 or cut through plate 130 vertically along its mid- line. Needless to say, any one of these three acts would cause considerable damage to the locking mechanism 100 and/or to frame member 21a or 22a, would be clearly visible and extremely difficult to effectively conceal.

The locking device 100 has a secondary advantage of providing increased anti-racking strength for cargo container 10. The interaction of protrusion 135 with raised plate sections 121 and 122 tends to reduce or prevent any racking that may otherwise occur. Increased anti-racking strength is becoming more important as cargo containers carry more weight and are stacked higher and higher. As shown best in Fig. 4, the anti-racking aspect of the invention is illustrated. The raised plate sections 121 and 122 restrict the vertical motion of protrusion 135, and thereby limit the "racking" of container 10. Vertical clearance is provided between sections 121 ,122 and protrusion 135, as shown by d., and d₂- This clearance provided by each of d, and 4 is preferably in the range of 0.20 inch to 0.40 inch. This clearance is relatively large to limit any binding between protrusion 135 and raised section 121 or 122 that may occur and which may create problems in opening doors 21 and 22. This large clearance is in contrast to the limited or even zero clearance of the anti-racking device of U.S. patent 3,784,243, referred to above. The '243 patent relies on little or no clearance to intentionally bind the device to prevent the doors from opening simultaneously in response to a shifting of the contents. The use of little or no clearance in cargo container door closures includes at least one inherent problem: as the container ages, the doors bend or buckle, and a closure with little or no clearance is difficult, if not impossible, to utilize.

The preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 includes a second, anti-racking device 180 near the top of container 10. Anti-racking device 180 is shown in Figs. 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B and includes a block member 182 welded to edge rail 21a and a plate 184 with protrusion 185 welded to edge rail 22a. Protrusion 185 interacts with block member 182 in the same way that protrusion 135 interacts with block member 182. Figs. 6A and 6B are elevational and sectional views, respectively, of offset plate 184 for anti-racking device 180.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best use the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications suited to the particular use contemplated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. An anti-terrorist security device for a cargo container, wherein said container carries first and second hinged access doors, and wherein each of said first and second hinged access doors has a metallic center frame member extending along the vertical, unhinged center edge of each door and each door carries one or more vertical rods, said vertical rods each movable between a locked and an unlocked position, said anti-terrorist security device comprising: a block member welded to said center frame member of said first door, a plate member welded to said center frame member of said second door, a protrusion carried by said plate member, said protrusion extending laterally across said block member, an opening formed in said protrusion, a tab carried by said block member, said tab having a free end extending through said opening in said protrusion, and a passageway formed in, and extending through, said free end of said tab, said passageway adapted to receive a Customs seal, wherein said anti-terrorist security device may be retrofitted onto an existing container without having to modify said hinged access doors or said vertical rods carried by said hinged doors.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said block member and said plate member are heavy gauge plate steel with a thickness of 0.500 inch or more.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said block member includes first and second raised plate sections and wherein said protrusion of said plate member extends between said first and second raised plate sections, whereby the outer surfaces of said first and second raised plate sections are co-planar with the outer surface of said protrusion.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said plate member is rectangular and is welded to said second door frame along three edges.