CONTAINER WITH INTERIOR ENCLOSURE OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL HAVING EMBEDDED SECURITY ELEMENT

• US 20100018964A1
• Filed: 01/22/2009
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ANGEL Secure Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ANGEL Secure Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: SMITH, Fred Hewitt
• Granted Patent: US 8,344,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/1.500
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/02 Internal fittings of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/00 Component parts, details or accessories for large containers B65D88/34 - B65D88/78 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/022 Laminated structures B65D90/029 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/026 Parallel slats
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/22 Safety features floating covers B65D88/34; arrangements of indicating or measuring devices B65D90/48; fire-fighting A62C
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed including one or more security structures. The one or more security structures includes: a weldable frame; a plurality of composite panels, each panel securable to the weldable frame, each composite panel configured to form at least one joint with at least one adjoining composite panel; and a respective security element embedded within each of the composite panels. The security element is configured to detect a breach in the composite panel.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more security structures each comprising;

a weldable frame;

a plurality of composite panels, each panel securable to the weldable frame, each composite panel configured to form at least one joint with at least one adjoining composite panel; and

a respective security element embedded within each of the composite panels, wherein the security element is configured to detect a breach in the composite panel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first and a second of the security element embedded, respectively, within a first and a second of the plurality of composite panels are interconnected such that the first security element can detect a breach in the second composite panel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more security structures comprise a first and a second security structure, each comprising:

a weldable frame;

at least one composite panel, said panel securable to the weldable frame, and

a respective security element embedded within the composite panel configured to detect a breach in the composite panel;

said apparatus further comprising a corner joint, wherein, at said corner joint,

at least a portion of the weldable frame of each of the first and the second security structures are welded to each other or to a weldable support member, and

at least a portion of a composite panel from the first security structure and at least a portion of a composite panel from the second security structure form an angled joint or substantially contiguous composite material.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the corner joint comprises an interconnect between security elements embedded in the first and the second security structures.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of security structures form an enclosure surrounding a volume with substantially contiguous composite material.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the enclosure is substantially free of gaps in the contiguous composite material, and comprises a plurality of interconnected security elements configured to detect any substantial breach of the enclosure.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a monitor in communication with the plurality of interconnected security elements and configured to monitor for any substantial breach of the enclosure.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the monitor unit is located within the enclosure, and further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a signal indicative of a detection of a substantial breach of the enclosure to a receiver located outside of the enclosure.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a weldable container frame and wherein at least one weldable frame of the one or more security structures is welded to the container frame.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a metal shipping container, said shipping container surrounding the enclosure and comprising at least a portion of the weldable container frame.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the enclosure substantially conforms to the interior shape of the metal shipping container.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one joint comprises at least one chosen from the list consisting of:

a butt joint, a lap joint, a mitered joint, a dado.

13. The security structure of claim 1, wherein the security element comprises a conductive element or a waveguide.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each composite panel of the plurality of composite panels is fastened to the frame using at least one chosen from the group consisting of:

a chemical fastener, glue, epoxy, cement.

15. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a composite member including a security element, the elongated composite member configured to cover a gap between adjacent composite panels forming the enclosure.

16. A method comprising

assembling one or more security structures by, for each security structure,

forming a weldable frame;

aligning each panel of a plurality of composite panels to form a substantially contiguous composite surface with the other panels, each of the composite panels including an embedded security element configured to detect a breach of the composite panel; and

attaching each panel of the plurality of aligned composite panels to the weldable frame thereby forming a contiguous composite surface attached to the welded metal frame.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising interconnecting a plurality of the embedded security elements.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein one or more security structures comprise a plurality of security structures, and further comprising:

arranging the security structures to form an enclosure surrounding a volume with substantially contiguous composite material, wherein the enclosure;

is substantially free of gaps in the contiguous composite material, and

comprises a plurality of interconnected security elements configured to detect any substantial breach of the enclosure.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising monitoring for a detected breach of the enclosure.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising, prior to attaching each panel of the plurality of aligned composite panels to the weldable frame of each security structure, welding the weldable frame of one or more of the security elements to:

the weldable frame of another of the one or more of the security elements or

a weldable container frame.