The present invention relates to locking devices or security seals for locking or sealing items, such as cargo containers or doors or the like, and, more particularly, to a security seal with a flexible cable that is secured to a seal body to secure the security seal to an item.
It is known in the art to provide a security seal or locking device for locking or sealing an item, such as cargo containers or doors or the like. The locking devices often include a flexible cable or bolt or the like extending from one end of a metallic or plastic locking body, where the cable or bolt or the like may be routed through an opening of the cargo container or door and received into another end of the locking body to substantially seal or secure the locking device to the cargo container or door.
The present invention provides a security seal or rocking device, such as a cable security seal or locking device (or a bolt type security seal or other metallic or plastic locking devices or seals or lock bodies) that has a locking body (such as a metallic locking body), which receives a locking element or cable therein to secure the seal to a container or door. The security seal may have a collapsible wall or crush zone so that it is readily evident or discernible if the security seal has been tampered with. The security seal may have a disk or ball element that moves along an arcuate or curved tapered channel to clamp against the locking element or cable received therein.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a locking or sealing device includes a locking element (such as a flexible metallic woven cable or the like or such as any other flexible or semi-rigid locking element or rod or the like, and such as a metallic or plastic locking element) and a locking body. The locking body is configured to receive an end of the locking element therein to lock or seal or secure the locking device at an object. The locking body has a collapsible or deformable wall that collapses or deforms responsive to a person applying pressure to the walls of the locking body, and thus provides a tamper evident feature.
The locking body may receive a locking insert therein, and the collapsible or deformable wall may be spaced from the locking insert so that the wall may deform towards the locking insert when pressure is applied thereto. The locking insert may include a disk or ball that rolls or moves along a tapered or inclined channel to clamp against the cable or locking element to limit or substantially preclude retraction of the locking element when the security seal is secured to a container or door. The tapered or inclined channel may include a curved or arcuate ramp or surface along which the ball or disk may roll or move to provide enhanced clamping at the locking element.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a locking or sealing device includes a locking element (such as a flexible metallic woven cable or the like or such as any other flexible or semi-rigid locking element or rod or the like, and such as a metallic or plastic locking element) and a locking body. The locking body is configured to receive an end of the locking element therein to lock or seal or secure the locking device at an object. The locking insert includes a disk or ball that rolls or moves along a tapered or inclined channel to clamp against the cable or locking element to limit or substantially preclude retraction of the locking element when the security seal is secured to a container or door. The tapered or inclined channel include a curved or arcuate ramp or surface along which the ball or disk may roll or move to provide enhanced clamping at the locking element.
The locking element may comprise a flexible cable, with one end of the flexible cable being fixedly connected to a fixed portion of the locking body and extending therefrom, and the other end of the flexible cable being received in a locking portion of the locking body to lock or seal the locking device at the object. The locking body may comprise a metallic material (and may be coated with a polymeric or plastic or polyester coating or powder coat) or may comprise a polymeric or plastic material.
The disk element may comprise a cylindrical disk having a plurality of knurls or teeth established therealong and around a circumference of the disk element. The disk element may have a circumferential groove established in the knurled outer surface and circumferentially around the disk element, or the disk element may have two or more spaced apart circumferential grooves established in the knurled outer surface and circumferentially around the disk element.
Therefore, the present invention provides a locking device or security seal (such as a cable locking or sealing device) that provides a tamper evident feature in that if a person attempts to retract the cable or locking element from the locking body by clamping against or squeezing the locking body, the wall or walls of the locking body may readily deform or partially collapse so that a person later observing the security seal can readily discern that the security seal had been tampered with. The present invention also provides a curved or arcuate surface or ramp along which a disk or ball may roll to clamp the cable or locking element within the locking insert of the locking body. The curved or arcuate surface provides a sharper or greater biting angle for the ball or disk to enhance biting or clamping against the cable or locking element if the cable is pulled at in an attempt to retract the cable from the locking body. The initial retraction of the cable when initially pulled thus may be limited by the sharper bite angle whereby a greater amount of clamping force may be achieved at the cable in a reduced amount of longitudinal travel (along the locking body and in the direction of the cable retraction) of the disk or ball.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a locking device or security seal 10 includes a metallic or elastomeric or plastic locking body 12, a locking element, such as, for example, a flexible locking element or cable 14, and a locking insert 16 that is received in locking body 12 and functions to receive and secure an end of cable 14 therein when the security seal is secured to an item (
Cable 14 is fixedly secured at one end 14a at a fixed portion 18 of locking body 12 and extends therefrom. The cable 14 may be routed through a hasp or opening of an object (not shown), such as a cargo container or door latch or the like, and the opposite or locking end 14b of the cable 14 may be inserted into receiving or locking insert or portion 16 of a locking portion 20 of locking body 12 to lock or seal the locking or sealing device 10 to the object. The locking insert 16 includes a ball or disk element 22 or other locking member positioned within a tapered or ramped or inclined channel 24, whereby the disk element moves along the ramped channel of the locking insert to allow for insertion of the locking end of the cable 14 in one direction and to clamp onto the cable to limit or substantially preclude retraction of the cable (such as by pulling at the cable in the opposite direction) after the cable is inserted into the locking insert 16 and locking body 12, and the disk element 22 may be biased toward the narrow end of the channel via a biasing element 26, such as a spring or the like. The ramped channel of locking insert 16 may comprise a curved or arcuate ramped or inclined surface along which the disk may roll or move to enhance the clamping of the disk against the inserted cable, as discussed below. The locking body 12 may function to collapse or crush at predetermined areas to limit or substantially preclude removal of the cable from the locking insert and to indicate that the security seal has been tampered with, as also discussed below.
Flexible locking element or cable 14 may comprise any cable or flexible element, such as a multi-strand cable that is woven from multiple metallic strands. For example, the cable 14 may comprise a multi-strand cable having multiple strands of wire woven or wound together, and then multiple woven strands may be further woven together to form the woven cable. The cable may comprise a pre-formed or non-preformed type of cable without affecting the scope of the present invention. The fixed end 14a of cable 14 is received in a passageway 27 established at least partially through fixed portion 18 of locking body 12 and is fixedly retained therein (such as via staking or welding or crimping or the like, such as at stakes 27a shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, locking body 12 includes a generally planar rear or back surface 12a and a tiered or stepped front surface 12b. Optionally, fixed portion 18 of locking body 12 may comprise a narrowed side or edge region 18a, and the rear surface 12a of locking body 12 may include a roughened surface portion 12c, which may be roughened or uneven and may have a plurality of ridges and grooves formed therealong (as best shown in
Locking portion 20 of locking body 12 receives locking insert or retaining element 16 for receiving locking end 14b of cable 14 therein and substantially retaining locking end 14b therein so that removal of cable 14 and locking end 14b from locking body 12 is limited or substantially precluded. Locking portion 20 of locking body 12 includes a hollow interior (such as shown in
As can be seen in
As best shown in
As shown in FIG, 3, tapered channel 24 of locking insert 16 receives disk element 22 and spring 26 therein. Disk element 22 may comprise any suitable rollable or movable element, and may include a plurality of knurls or ridges or teeth to enhance the biting of the disk element 22 into the cable 14, and may comprise a generally cylindrical-shaped disk element or a generally spherical-shaped ball element or the like, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The disk element 22 may include a circumferential groove established in a knurled outer surface and circumferentially around the disk element and optionally may include two or more circumferential grooves established in a knurled outer surface and circumferentially around the disk element, such as discussed below with reference to
Cable receiving portion or channel 24a is disposed at a cable receiving passageway 32 at the narrowed end of the tapered channel 24. Cable receiving passageway 32 is generally aligned with aperture or passageway 29 of locking body 12 when locking insert 16 is inserted into or received in locking body 12 so that locking end 14b of cable 14 may be inserted through aperture or passageway 29 and into cable receiving passageway 24d and into cable receiving portion 32 of locking insert 16. As can be seen in
Disk element 22 is movable along tapered channel 24 and engages cable 14 when cable 14 is received in passageway 32 and cable receiving portion 24a. Disk 22 engages and rolls along cable receiving portion 24a and along the ramped surface or inclined surface 24b of tapered channel 24. As can be seen in
Disk element 22 may comprise any suitable locking element, such as a cylindrical-shaped disk or a spherical-shaped ball or the like. For example, disk element 22 may comprise a cylindrical-shaped disk having a roughened or toothed or knurled outer circumferential surface, with a circumferential groove established in the knurled outer surface and circumferentially around the disk element. The circumferential groove may be established along a center region of the disk element or may be offset from the center region toward one of the ends of the disk.
Because the cable 14 may comprise wound cable strands that typically form a helix pattern (which may be similar to the threads on a screw or other threaded fastener), a conventional or known disk element (having a groove at the centerline of the disk element) may not sufficiently resist retraction of the cable when a rotational force is applied to unscrew the cable from the locking device or rock the cable back and forth relative to the locking device to “walk” the cable out of the locking device without leaving evidence of tampering with the security seal. In a conventional cable locking seal using a conventional disk element, it is known that if the cable is twisted clockwise and counterclockwise the cable may be removed from the locking seal without leaving evidence of tampering. In such conventional cable locking seals, a knurled disk typically has a single groove that is centrally located around the disk element.
Optionally, and desirably, the disk element of locking device 10 may be formed with its circumferential groove offset or established off-center or toward one end or the other of the disk element. The offset groove may be located at or toward one end of the disk element and may assist in preventing the cable from being turned out or unscrewed out, because the rotation of the cable against the disk element with the offset groove (when the cable is rotated in a direction towards the offset groove) tends to urge or push the cable into the offset groove, thereby limiting or substantially precluding retraction of the cable from the locking device. When the cable is rotated in the opposite direction (or if the offset groove is located on the opposite side of the disk element), the cable may not be urged into the groove and the disk element may not prevent the cable from being retracted from the locking device, because in such an application, the rotation of the cable may push the cable out from the groove.
Optionally, and desirably, the disk element may include a pair of spaced apart offset circumferential grooves established on opposite sides of the centerline of the disk element (the centerline of the disk element being generally centered between the two opposite ends of the disk element with a plane at the centerline comprising a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the disk element) so as to limit retraction of the cable from the locking device regardless of the direction of rotation of the cable relative to the disk element. For example, and with reference to
Optionally, and with reference to
Optionally, and desirably, the disk element may be made of a hard or tough material that is harder than the material of the cable itself. Otherwise, the cable (if harder or stronger than the disk material) may act like a file and wear out the surface or chip and crack the corners of the disk element. Thus, it is desirable that the disk element comprise a material that is harder and stronger than the cable.
Thus, the offset or off-center one, two or three (or more) groove configurations of the disk element of the present invention provide enhanced gripping of a cable by the disk element and locking device and may provide enhanced assembly orientations. With a symmetrical disk element (such as the two or three groove configurations shown in
When security seal 10 is assembled, locking insert 16 is disposed within the hollow cavity of locking body 12, and may be secured therein, such as via staking or crimping, such as via staking or crimping the locking body 12 at a crimping portion 12f that is generally at a receiving portion or aperture 16d at wider portion 16a of locking insert 16. When so disposed, narrowed end 16b of locking insert 16 is received at narrowed end portion 28b of the hollowed interior of the locking body. The wider portion 16a and narrowed end portion 16b of locking insert 16 are thus received in and engaged with the respective walls of locking body 12 at the respective end portions of the locking body. The intermediate width portion 16c of locking insert 16 extends between wider end portion 16a and narrowed end portion 16b and is disposed at wider receiving portion 28a of the hollow interior of locking body 12. Thus, a gap 30 is established between the side wall of locking insert 16 and the side wall 12e of locking body 12.
During use, a person may insert the free end or locking end 14b of the cable 14 through an object (such as through an opening or hasp or the like of an object, such as a cargo container or door or the like) and into the cable receiving passageway 29 of locking body 12 and into cable receiving passageway 32 and cable receiving channel portion 24a of locking insert 16. When so inserted, the cable may push the disk element 22 against the spring 26 to allow for insertion of the cable into the locking body the desired or appropriate amount, and the cable is retained in the locking body via the locking insert, such that the security seal is thus substantially locked or sealed to the object.
After the cable is inserted the desired or appropriate amount, any retraction of the cable (such as by pulling the cable in a direction opposite the insertion direction), causes the disk element 22 to roll along the tapered channel 24 and along the arcuate surface 24b in the direction of the attempted movement of the cable (in other words, toward the narrowed end of the tapered channel). As the disk element 22 moves along the arcuate surface 24b, the disk element moves toward and bites into or clamps against the cable 14 that is disposed at the cable receiving channel 24a. The arcuate surface 24b provides enhanced clamping of the disk element 22 into the cable 14 by providing a progressively increasing or sharper bite angle, whereby the disk element 22 bites into the cable and limits or substantially precludes retraction of the cable. The arcuate surface provides enhanced clamping of the cable and enhanced initial engagement and clamping of the cable, with only a limited or substantially shortened or reduced amount of initial cable retraction as compared to conventional security seals.
If a person attempts to tamper with security seal 10 when it is secured to an object, such as by clamping or squeezing the security seal to limit proper functioning and clamping of the cable by the locking insert 16, the side wall 12e of locking body 12 (that is disposed along gap 30) will collapse or deform, thereby providing a readily viewable and discernible visible indication that the security seal has been tampered with. In the illustrated embodiment, the tapered channel 24 of locking insert 16 (along with the disk element 22 and spring 26) is disposed along and within the wider receiving portion 28a of locking body 12 and with the gap 30 established along the entirety of or substantially the entirety of the tapered channel 24, in order to limit or substantially preclude a person from clamping or squeezing a portion of the tapered channel and/or disk element at a location where the side wall 12e may not deform in response to such clamping or squeezing of the locking body. Thus, any sufficiently strong compression or squeezing or clamping of the locking body at any location along the tapered channel portion of the locking body will result in at least partial deformation of the side wall of the locking body.
Therefore, the present invention provides a locking device or security seal that provides a tamper evident feature in that if a person attempts to retract the cable or locking element from the locking body by clamping against or squeezing the locking body (which may adversely affect the locking insert from working properly by limiting movement of the disk or ball of the locking insert), the wall or walls of the locking body may readily deform or partially collapse so that a person later observing the security seal can readily discern that the security seal had been tampered with. The present invention also provides a curved or arcuate surface or ramp along which a disk or ball may roll to clamp the cable or locking element within the locking insert of the locking body. The curved or arcuate surface provides a sharper or greater biting angle for the ball or disk to enhance biting or clamping against the cable or locking element if the cable is pulled at in an attempt to retract the cable from the locking body. The initial retraction of the cable when initially pulled thus may be limited by the sharper bite angle whereby a greater amount of clamping force may be achieved at the cable in a reduced amount of longitudinal travel (along the locking body and in the direction of the cable retraction) of the disk or ball. The disk element may further enhance the functionality of the locking device by providing one or more off-center circumferential grooves to limit or substantially preclude rotation of the cable relative to the disk element and locking device to further limit or substantially preclude retraction of the cable from the locking device.
Changes and modifications to the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/226,810, filed Jul. 20, 2009, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61226810 | Jul 2009 | US |