US3441304A - Shipping seal - Google Patents

Description

April 29, 1969 J, 5, cH EYT AL SHIPPING SEAL Filed July 24, 1967 INVENTORS John S. Chndley George J. Nylund Hyman Dolinsky 41f,

United States Patent Oflice 3,441,304 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 Nylund, Staten (all of 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a band-like seal for use with a shipping container. The seal is connectable between the container and its door. Ends of the seal are joined together. The inventors teach an apparatus by which tampering with the seal at its connection can be easily detected. The seal is provided with reservoirs of dye at the connection, so that on any tearing in that locality, the dye is released and thereby one is alerted to the broken seal. A solid medial portion of the band is provided between dye reservoirs so that the band may be stamped or otherwise marked for identification and so that the band may be sheared for normal removal of the seal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Unattended freight is usually shipped in containers with their doors locked. But locks can be picked, so seals are furnished to indicate when a door may have been opened. These seals are usually made of metal. They comprise a band which is connectable between the door and the shipping container. A socket engages the ends of the band.

Responsibility for loss, due to pilferage .or the like, is frequently fixed by a determination of whether or not a seal has or has not been broken. However, it is not inordinately difficult to undo conventional metal seals from their sockets, pilfer goods from the shipping containers and then reinsert the broken seals back into their sockets.

At destinations the seals are normally broken with crude instruments such as crow bars. Not much force is necessary to break these seals and seal breaking degenerates into a lax, routine effort. In breaking a large number of seals, a railroad employee easily may fail to discern a seal band that has been broken loose at its socket and reinserted therein. Thus, shippers can lose valuable merchandise with no recourse against carriers. But worse than this, indifference, or carelessness on the part of the carriers employees ensures to the carriers benefit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The inventors have cured this paradox by a novel and facile approach to scaling of shipping containers. They provide a seal with its elongated band ends each housing reservoirs of dye. The dye is positioned in margins about holes at the connectable ends of the band. A rivet or other suitable connector is permanently positioned through both holes to assure sealing.

When the band is broken in the vicinity of one of its connectable ends, the rivet tears a margin and dye is released so that a broken seal cannot readily be denied.

One advantage of this invention is that it improves security and makes this security more palatable to shippers. Determination of whether or not a seal has been broken is made more simple. Rapid visual checking of a large number of freight containers is made possible.

The seal according to this invention is also inexpensive to manufacture, convenient to use and is otherwise well suited to its intended purpose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other advantages will appear more fully from the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic illustration of a shipping container having a door and including a seal according to this invention connected between the container and its door.

FIGURE II is a side view of the seal band with an undeformed rivet inserted in the connecting holes.

FIGURE III is another side view taken in a plane normal to that of FIGURE II.

FIGURE -IV is a sectional view of an assembled, twopiece acorn shroud suitable for enclosing the assembled seal connection.

FIGURE V is a sectional side view of the assembled seal and shroud.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As best seen in FIGURE I seal 1 is used with shipping container 2 having a port and moveable door 3 all operatively associated in their conventional relationship. Seal 1 includes elongated band 4 which encircles handles 6 for connection between door 3 and container 2.

Band 4 is preferably made of plastic and it houses dye reservoirs 7 and 8 in margins 9 and 11 respectively about connecting holes 12 and 13. Dye useful in this application may be any indelible substance of a bright, easily recognized color. To lock the seal, a broad-faced rivet 16 is inserted through both holes 12 and 13. Rivet 16 is deformed for permanent locking of the seal assembly. Twopiece acorn shroud 17 protectss the dye reservoirs from accidental rupture in normal service. Shroud 17 has inner piece 18 which is installed before rivet 16 is inserted. Shroud 17 also has outer piece 19 which is applied after the rivet is deformed. Inner piece 18 is also provided with scroll 21 formed about opening 22 to avoid accidental cutting of band 4 under normal service. The shroud also prevents access to rivet 16 when the seal is assembled.

When the seal is broken in the vicinity of the connection, rivet 16 tears either margin 9 or 11 and either dye reservoir 7 or 8 is ruptured so that the dye housed therein is permitted to escape. The dye is preferably under fairly high, super-atmospheric pressure to assure pronounced issuance from either reservoir 7 or 8. Nitrogen is preferred for this pressurizing service because it is inexpensive, convenient, non-toxic and would not react with a dye. Acorn shroud 17 could also be provided with perforations to allow greater dispersion of the dye on breaking of the seal.

When a shipment arrives at its destination with its seal intact it is necessary to remove the seal without any dye being released. Toward this objective, the reservoirs are spaced apart along the length of band 4 by a solid intermediate portion 23. Intermediate portion 23 can be sheared to remove the seal with no consequent escape of dye. Intermediate portion 23 can also be marked; either by dye, embossing, impression or by melting; with an identifying mark, brand and/ or code number.

It will be understood by those familiar with containerized shipping and/ or with shipping seals that wide deviations may be made from the shown embodiment without departing from the main theme of invention.

dye reservoir.

3 What is claimed is: 1. A seal for use with a shipping container which is provided with an access port and a movable door operatively associated therewith, the seal comprising:

an elongated band connectable between the door and the container,

means for connecting the ends of the band each to the other,

means for defining at least one reservoir for dye which includes a membrane containing the dye and is 10- 1 cated in the vicinity of one of the ends and is so organized that tampering with the seal causes the membrane to rupture and the dye to escape.

2. The seal of claim 1 wherein the band houses the 3. The seal of claim 2 with each of the ends of the band provided with a hole,

a member insertable through both holes to define a locked position,

lock means for permanently securing the member in 20 its locked position.

4. The seal of claim 3 with the band having a margin about each of the holes,

the dye housed in both margins and surrounding each of the holes whereby on breaking of a margin by the member the dye is released.

5. The seal of claim 4 with the dye reservoirs maintained at super-atmospheric pressure.

6. The seal of claim 5 with a shroud having at least one opening to receive both ends of the band,

the shroud enveloping the ends of the band,

the shroud defining a scroll about the opening to avoid accidental cutting of the band.

7. The seal of claim 6 with a rivet serving as the member,

the rivet deformable to serve as the lock means.

8. The seal of claim 7 with the band having a solid medial portion between the dye reservoirs where it can be cut for normal removal without dye being released.

9. The seal of claim 8 with the shroud made of metal and including an inner piece which defines the opening and an outer piece permanently engageable with the inner piece after the rivet is deformed in its locked position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,188,811 6/1916 Mosel 292-317 2,212,434 8/1940 Buell 292-317 2,942,908 6/ 1960 McClure 292-324 3,221,428 12/1965 Fischler 40-2.2

RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner. E. J. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 116-414

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