US2654624A - Bag seal - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 6, 1953 G. G. CANTER ET AL 2,654,624

BAG SEAL Filed May 9, 1952 lnven/ors George G. Can/er Gilbert 6. Can/er Af/ameys Patented Oct. 6, 1953 UNITED BAG SEAL George G. Canter and Gilbert G. Canter, New York, N. Y.

Application May 9, 1952, Serial No. 286,884

This invention relates to bag seals and more particularly to seals such as are used with bags in which money is transported.

The general objects of the invention are to provide an easily removable bag seal having improved gripping properties which is simple to manufacture, highly eirective in use, and which may be produced at a low cost.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a seal in which both loops of the cord may readily be cut, from either or both sides, to remove the seal from the bag without injuring the bag.

The invention will best be understood from the following detailed description of thepresent preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the gathered neck portion of a bag showing the seal applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan of a fiat, punched, serrated metal blank prior to its being bent and further formed to produce the flanged bag=gripping element;

Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, outer and inner perspective views of one embodiment of the im proved bag-gripping element;

Fig. 5 is a modification in which the serrations are omitted from the lower edge of the element;

Fig. 6 is a further modification in which secondary flanges are provided adjacent the openings in the element through which the reaches of the cord pass; I

Fig. 7 is a further modification similar to that shown in Fig. '6 in which the secondary flanges have smooth rather than serrated edges;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross section on the line 88 of Fig. '7, showing the element in position on a bag;

Fig. 9 is a plan of a complete seal assembly ready to be applied to a bag; and

Fig. 10 shows a gripping element embodying a combination of features separately shown in other figures.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows the top portion of a money bag It or the like with the seal applied thereto. The bag is usually formed of some sturdy textile fabric such as canvas. After being filled, the neck portion of the bag is gathered at H and surrounded by a cord l2 usually arranged in two loops each of which passes through a compressible distortable sealing member It of lead or the like in a manner well known in the art. A preferred method of threading the cord through sealing member I4 is shown in Fig. 9. The sealing member 14 is pro- Claims. (01. 292308) vlded with four parallel holes 15. The cord is first passed through one of the inner holes, formed into a loop, passed through an outer hole on the opposite side, across the base of the seal and through an outer hole on the other side and back through the remaining inner hole. By pulling on the free ends of the cords emerging from thetwo inner holes, the two loops may be tight ened about the neck of the bag and this is usually done by means of a tool which also serves to crimp the relatively soft metal of sealing member l4 while the cords are held tight. The crimping partially closes the holes through the member and bends them, thus making it impossible to withdraw the cord.

The present invention resides in a novel form of baggripping element which is interposed between sealing member l4 and the neck of bag It, the cord being threaded through it. One form of such element is shown in Figs. 3 and 4'. This gripping element is formed, by punching, stamping and drawing operations, from sheet metal such as steel and comprises two angularly disposed flat sides 16 and it provided with elongated openings [9 and 2E]. At an intermediate stage in its production, the element has the flat form shown in Fig. 2 wherein the upper and lower edges El and 22 of the blank are shown as serrated. The points of the serrations are preferably blunt rather than sharp so as not to damage the material of the bag Ii]. The blank .of Fig. 2 is subsequently formed by suitable operations into the shape shown in Figs. 3 and i, a portion of the upper part of the blank being formed over along the horizontal dotted line to produce a flange 24,-the sides It and It being bent substantiallytoa right angle on the central vertical dotted line. f

On the fiat outer faces of the sides is and is, beneath the holes 19 and 2%, the element may be stamped with the name of the banker other user for identification purposes, the fiat surfaces of the sides providing a convenient place on which to form this marking. r

Fig. 5 shows a slightly modified form in which the lower edge 22a of the element is smooth instead of being serrated and in which the holes l9a and 20a are somewhat wider. The size of the holes, however, is not important so long as they are sufficiently large to freely receive the loops of the cord I2 without binding or chafing and, to prevent damage to the cord during application of the seal, the edges of the openings are preferably blunt and free from burrs.

Fig. 6 shows a further modification in which shown in Figs. 6 and 7 may either be smooth as 7 shown in the drawings or serrated as shown a 22 in Fig. 3.

In use, the bag gripping element is positioned with its apex 28 adjacent sealing member it, cord 12 passing through the holes l9 and 29. As

may be seen from Figs. 1 and 9; the angular disposition of the flat sides of the gripping element provides for a very small arrangement of contact between the element and the sealing member I l, thus exposing on'each side of the apex 28' two reaches of the cord I2. Thus by inserting a knife between either side of the gripping element and the sealing member, both loops of the cord may be severed substantially simultaneously for'the removal of the seal from the bag and the gripping element efiectively protects the bag against injury during the cutting or" the cord. While it is not broadly new to interpose between the seal and the bag a gripping element which protects the bag from damage during the cutting of the cord, the above described form of sealing element has the advantage of making both of the loops more readily accessible for cutting from one side only.

While the angle between the sides It and [8 of the sealing element is shown and described above as a right angle, there is nothing critical about the angle and it may be somewhat greater or smaller without changing the function.

The seal assembly is preferably appliedto a bag in the manner shown in Fig. 1 with the flange 24 uppermost. When the cord is tightened around the neck of the bag, there is some bulging of the material of the bag above the gripping element but there is usually a much greater bulging below it, caused by the contents of the bag. When cords are tightened to bring flange 25 into gripping engagement with the neck portion of the bag above the cords, it tends to tilt the gripping element so as to press the lower edge 22 inwardly against the bag, producing firm engagement of the bag by both the upper edge 2| of the flange and the lower edge 22 of the element.

Referring to Fig. 8, which is a section through the gripping element of the type having secondary flanges as shown in Figs. 6 and '7, it will be seen that a dual gripping action is provided by the flange 2s and the secondary flange 25a. Since the secondary flanges may be produced by bending inwardly the material which is displaced to form the openings, this metal is put to a useful purpose instead of being discarded as is the case where the metal is completely removed from the openings.

Fig. 10 shows an embodiment similar to that of Fig. 6 but having its lower edge serrated as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 at 22.

The above described embodiments instead of being produced by forming sheet metal, may also be formed by die casting and may be made from materials other than metal and by other processes. For example, they may be molded from any plastic material which has sufficient rigidity and strength, numerous such materials being known. The configuration of the gripping element is such as to provide suflicient structural strength when it is made from such material as molded plastic, the flange or flanges being reinforcements.-

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of the illustrative embodiments shown and described but that various modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: i

1. In combination with a sealing device for the gathered neck portion of a bag of the type comprising a cord adapted to be arranged in one or more loops around said neck portion, and a cordanchoring sealing member of compressible material having holes through which said cord is threaded; a rigid bag-gripping element having two angularly disposed flat sides in which are openings to freely receive said cord in its passage to and from said. sealing member, said element having a bag-engaging flange along adjacent edges of the sides of saidelement which flange extends inwardly of the space between said sides, said element being threaded on said looped cord with its apex adjacent said sealing member.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the edge of said flange is serrated.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the edge of said flange and the edges of said sides opposite thereto are serrated.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein secondary flanges extend inwardly of the space included between said sides along the longitudinal edges of said openings.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said secondary flanges extend along the edges of said openings which are closest to said flange.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the said secondary flanges have serrated edges.

7. The device of claim 4 wherein said element is a sheet metal element and said secondary flanges are integral with the said sides.

GEORGE G. CANTER. GILBERT G. CANTER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,163,660 Brooks June 27, 1939 2,578,504 Canter D80. 11, 1951

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