The present disclosure generally relates to security tags for shipping containers.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Shipping containers are containers used to ship and store cargo. Sometimes, the containers include door locking mechanisms to secure one or more doors of the containers. In such examples, the door locking mechanism commonly includes two bolts for securing the mechanism to the door(s). Sometimes, a tag, a seal, or a metal tie is used with the mechanism to discourage users from interfering with the mechanism. Commonly, the tag, the seal or the metal tie may be inserted through an opening in the mechanism to identify whether the doors have been opened. For example, a user may identify the doors of the containers may have been fraudulently and/or prematurely opened if the tag, the seal or the metal tie has been removed.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a shipping container for storing cargo is disclosed. The shipping container includes a plurality of walls defining a cargo storing area, one or more doors coupled to at least one of the plurality of walls, a locking device and a security device. At least one door of the one or more doors is movable between an open position exposing the cargo storing area and a closed position. The locking device is configured to secure the at least one door in its closed positioned. The locking device defines an opening and includes a first fastener and a second fastener. At least one of the first fastener and the second fastener is attached to the at least one door. The security device is insertable through the opening of the locking device. The security device includes a first wing substantially covering the first fastener and a second wing substantially covering the second fastener to substantially prevent access to the first fastener and the second fastener when the security device is inserted through the opening of the locking device.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a security device for a shipping container is disclosed. The shipping container includes a plurality of walls defining a cargo storing area, one or more doors coupled to at least one of the plurality of walls, at least one door of the one or more doors movable between an open position exposing the cargo storing area and a closed position, and a locking device configured to secure said at least one door in its closed positioned. The locking device defines an opening and includes a first fastener and a second fastener. At least one of the first fastener and the second fastener is attached to the at least one door. The security device is adapted for placement in the opening of the locking device. The security device defined by a first end, a second end opposing the first end, and a neck between the first end and the end. The security device comprises a first wing including the first end and a portion of the neck and a second wing including the second end and a portion of the neck. The first wing and the second wing are connectable. The first wing and the second wing are adapted to substantially cover the first fastener and the second fastener, respectively, to prevent access to the first fastener and the second fastener when the security device is placed in the opening of the locking device.
Further aspects and areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that various aspects of this disclosure may be implemented individually or in combination with one or more other aspects. It should also be understood that the description and specific examples herein are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts and/or features throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, shapes and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
A shipping container for storing cargo according to one example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in
The security device 116 may be installed in the locking device 114. For example, and as shown in
For example, cargo stored in a shipping container may be stolen by various individuals between when the shipping container leaves its shipping location and arrives at one or more destinations. Sometimes, a substantial amount of the cargo may be stolen during this time without the receiving party knowing. For example, about 838 cargo thefts were recorded in the United States in 2016. This is roughly 70 cargo thefts per month in the United States alone. The large amount of theft may equate to nearly $172.9 million in losses for the receiving parties, the shipping parties, etc. This equates to an average loss of about $206,837 per shipment.
To discourage such theft, some shipping containers include a door locking mechanism having one or more fasteners (e.g., bolts, etc.). A conventional tag may then be coupled to the door locking mechanism and used to indicate (at times) if the door has been opened (or otherwise tampered with) and to discourage unauthorized users from interfering with the door locking mechanism. However, and as recognized by the subject inventors, a thief may be able to manipulate (e.g., move, etc.) the conventional tag and access the fasteners of the door locking mechanism. Once accessed, the thief may manipulate, destroy, remove, etc. the fasteners and/or the door locking mechanism without properly opening the door locking mechanism. As a result, the thief can open the door(s) and gain access to cargo in the shipping container.
Sometimes, the thief can remove the fasteners (e.g., by drilling out the fasteners, unscrewing the fasteners, etc.) and the door locking mechanism, steal the cargo, and then replace, reinstall, etc. the fasteners and the door locking mechanism without tampering with, destroying, etc. the conventional tag. As such, an extended period of time (e.g., weeks, month, etc.) may pass before the receiving party realizes that some or all of their cargo has been stolen. This realization may occur, for example, when the cargo is inspected, inventoried, etc. and/or when a bill is received.
The subject inventors recognized that the security device 116 (and/or other example security devices disclosed herein) may be employed to substantially cover fasteners and/or other components of a locking device to prevent a thief from accessing the fasteners and/or other components, as explained herein. Thus, not only can the security device 116 prevent access to the fasteners of the door locking mechanism, the security device 116 can also identify when a door of the shipping container has been unlawfully opened. As a result, theft of, tampering with, etc. cargo may be substantially reduced (and in some cases eliminated) compared to other conventional systems and/or devices.
As explained above, when installed to the locking device 114, the security device 116 substantially covers the fasteners 122, 124. For example, the wings 128, 130 may be sized to cover about 95% of the fasteners 122, 124, respectively, more or less than 95% of the fasteners 122, 124, and/or another suitable percentage to ensure the fasteners 122, 124 cannot be tampered with. In some embodiments, and as shown in
In some embodiments, the security device 116 may be substantially rigid. For example, when a force is applied to the security device 116, the security device 116 may substantially resist deformation to ensure the fasteners 122, 124 are not exposed. Additionally and/or alternatively, the security device 116 may be at least somewhat brittle such that the security device 116 may break when a force is applied thereto. This may indicate to the cargo's owner that someone has tampered with the security device 116 and possibly the cargo in the shipping container 100.
In other embodiments, the security device 116 may be flexible, but not enough to expose the fasteners 122, 124. In such examples, the flexibility of the security device 116 may depend on the size, shape, etc. of the wings 128, 130 relative to the fasteners 122, 124. For example, if the wings 128, 130 are larger than the fasteners 122, 124, the security device 116 may have more flexibility than other examples where the wings 128, 130 are the same size or slightly smaller than the fasteners 122, 124.
In the illustrated embodiment, the security device 116 includes a two-piece construction. For example, and as shown in
In the example of
In the particular example of
In some embodiments, once the members 132, 134 are coupled together, they cannot be separated without destroying the security device 116. In other words, a user cannot disassemble the security device 116 once the members 132, 134 are attached together. As such, the security device 116 may be considered a single use security device. This configuration may assist in discouraging individuals from tampering with the security device 116. For example, this configuration requires a user to destroy, damage, etc. the security device 116 to access the fasteners 122, 124 (and possibly the cargo storing area, etc.). In other embodiments, the members 132, 134 of the security device 116 may be separated and used again (if desirable). In such examples, the security device 116 may be considered a multi-use security device.
As explained above, the door 106 is coupled to the wall 102. For example, the door 106 (and/or other doors disclosed herein) may be coupled to the wall 102 via one or more mechanical fasteners such as hinges, screws, bolts, etc. In some examples, the door 106 may be removable from the wall 102 and/or movable relative to the wall 102.
As shown in
With continued reference to
If a user wants to secure the door 106, the user may manipulate one or both bars 110, 112 such that the bar 112 extends through, behind, etc. the base 138, as shown best in
Referring back to
Each of the fasteners 122, 124 (and/or other fasteners disclosed herein) may be any suitable fastener for attaching the locking device 114 to the door 106. In the particular example of
As shown in
As shown in
Additionally, although the shipping container 100 of
The security devices disclosed herein may be any suitable shape and/or size including those configured to fit through an opening in a locking device and to cover adjacent fasteners, as explained above. For example, and as shown in
Additionally, the middle portion of the security device 116 has a width that is smaller than the width of the wings 128, 130. As such, the security device 116 has a substantially hour glass shape. This may ensure the security device 116 fits within the opening 126 but does not slide out of the opening 126 in the locking device 114 when the security device 116 is installed. The width of the middle portion and/or the wings 128, 130 may depend on, for example, the size and/or shape of the opening 126.
In other embodiments, the middle portion and the wings 128, 130 may have a substantially similar (e.g., a uniform) width. In such examples, one or more mechanical fasteners, adhesives, etc. may be used to ensure the security device 116 cannot slide out of the opening 126 in the locking device 114.
Additionally and/or alternatively, other security devices may be used to secure one or both doors 106, 108 of
Additionally, and as explained above, the security devices may be a one piece construction, a two piece construction, etc. For example, the security devices 800, 900 of
Further, the security devices may include an identifier. For example, and as shown in
The security devices including the wings may be formed of any suitable material(s). Preferably, the security devices are formed of one or more plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), etc. In other embodiments, the security devices may be formed of another suitable material including, for example, one or more metals, rubbers, etc. In some embodiments, the security devices may be formed of a combination of materials. For example, the security devices may be formed of a combination of plastic and metal.
The wings disclosed herein may be any suitable shape including those shaped and sized to prevent passage through an opening in a locking device and to cover adjacent fasteners, as explained above. For example, the wings may include an elliptical shape as shown in
Further, the wings of a security device each may have the same shape and/or size, as shown in
The shipping containers disclosed herein may be used in various different applications. For example, any one of the shipping containers disclosed herein may be a shipping container on a semi-trailer hauled by semi-trailer truck, as shown in
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190024423 A1 | Jan 2019 | US |