TAMPER EVIDENT CARGO CONTAINER SEAL BOLT LOCK
First Claim
1. A bolt lock device comprising:
- a bolt member;
a receiving member adapted to receive a first end of the bolt member;
an encapsulant connected to the receiving member and to the bolt member, the encapsulant comprising a conductive medium, wherein when the first end of the bolt member has been received in the receiving member, an electrically conductive pathway is formed from the conductive medium, through at least a portion of the bolt member and at least a portion of the receiving member; and
a sensory circuit comprising memory, wherein the sensory circuit is adapted to transmit electrical current through the electrically conductive pathway so as to detect whether the circuit has been interrupted, the sensory circuit being further adapted to record the current date and time in the memory in the event of a detected interruption.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for a tamper-evident cargo container seal bolt lock are disclosed herein. The device can include a receiving member, a conductive bolt member adapted to be snap-locked into the receiving member, and a plastic encapsulant which tethers the bolt member to the receiving member. The encapsulant can contain an electrically conductive medium, such as a wire, which runs from the receiving member to the second end the bolt. A sensory circuit disposed within the receiving member can be configured to sense whether the circuit has been interrupted (e.g., if the bolt has been cut). In the event of an interruption, the circuit can record the present time and/or date in memory. An RFID transponder disposed within the encapsulant or the receiving member can then transmit the recorded date/time to an RFID interrogator if a dispute subsequently arises as to when the lock had been broken.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A bolt lock device comprising:
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a bolt member; a receiving member adapted to receive a first end of the bolt member; an encapsulant connected to the receiving member and to the bolt member, the encapsulant comprising a conductive medium, wherein when the first end of the bolt member has been received in the receiving member, an electrically conductive pathway is formed from the conductive medium, through at least a portion of the bolt member and at least a portion of the receiving member; and a sensory circuit comprising memory, wherein the sensory circuit is adapted to transmit electrical current through the electrically conductive pathway so as to detect whether the circuit has been interrupted, the sensory circuit being further adapted to record the current date and time in the memory in the event of a detected interruption. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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7. The bolt lock device of claim 7, wherein the sensory circuit further comprises a serial bus connection.
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15. A method for electronically detecting whether a bolt lock has been tampered with, the method comprising:
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receiving a first end of a bolt member in a receiving member, the receiving member being connected to the bolt member via an encapsulant comprising a conductive medium, wherein when the first end of the bolt member has been received in the receiving member, an electrically conductive pathway is formed from the conductive medium, through at least a portion of the bolt member and at least a portion of the receiving member; transmitting an electrical current through the electrically conductive pathway; detecting whether the sensory circuit has been interrupted; and in the event of a detected interruption, recording the current date and time in memory. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification