Container Lock and Seal
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Locks and seals for containers, in particular those including an automatic self-checking and warning system against tampering, are provided. The lock has an infra-red (IR)-bases mechanism, with an IR emitter and an IR receiver, communicating through a waveguide such that an IR pulse emitted by the IR emitter can pass through the waveguide and be received by the IR receiver only when the lock is in the closed state. The seal has a U-shaped shackle engaged in a seal body irreversibly locking said shackle to the body. Only when the shackle is broken into two separate parts, each part can be rotated to disengage the cylindrical end so that the broken part may be pulled out of the body.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1-23. -23. (canceled)
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24. A seal for sealing a closure on a container, comprising a U-shaped shackle with cylindrical ends and a seal body having two recesses adapted to receive said cylindrical ends, said body and said cylindrical ends being formed so that when said ends are inserted in said recesses, the seal assumes an irreversibly closed state such that said shackle may be released from said body only after being cut or broken into two separate parts, wherein
said cylindrical ends have taper or bevel and a flat segment notch at the inner side of the U-shape, said body has a bore intersecting said recesses and two bolts sliding in said bore, said bolts being biased by a spring element towards said recesses, such that when said cylindrical ends enter said recesses, said taper or bevel pushes said bolt against said spring element into said bore to allow movement of said ends into said recesses and when said notches align with said bore said bolts engage said notches, irreversibly locking said shackle to said body, and such that when said shackle is broken into two separate parts, each part can be rotated, whereby said flat segment notch pushes said bolt back into said bore and disengages said cylindrical end from said bolt so that said part may be pulled out of said body.
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34. A lock for locking a closure on a container, comprising a first member and a second member movable relative to one another, said two members being of strong construction, the lock having a closed state with the two members engaged with each other, and an open state with the two members disengaged, wherein said lock further comprises:
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a control module with an IR (infrared) emitter and an IR receiver; an IR waveguide formed as an air channel carved in the body of said two members, starting at said IR emitter, ending at said IR receiver and passing through said two members such that an IR pulse emitted by said IR emitter can pass through said waveguide and be received by said IR receiver only when said lock is in said closed state. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification