Ceramic tamper-revealing seals

• US 5,169,188 A
• Filed: 08/19/1991
• Issued: 12/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Department Of Energy
• Original Assignee: United States Department of Energy
• Inventors: Raptis, Apostolos C., Sheen, Shuh-Haw, Kupperman, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US07/746,537
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 292/307 R, 292/307 A, 292/308, 340/572
• US Class Current: 292/307.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/002 assembled from preformed elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0305 characterised by the type of seal used
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0358 using a rigid hasp lock
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/48 Seals

Abstract

A flexible metal or ceramic cable with composite ceramic ends, or a u-shaped ceramic connecting element attached to a binding element plate or block cast from alumina or zirconium, and connected to the connecting element by shrink fitting.

Claims

1. A tamper revealing seal comprising:

a fracturable binding element, said binding element having a face area and a side profile, and wherein said binding element includes means for identifying tampering further comprising a fixed acoustic signature; and

a connecting element having two end portions and means for coupling allowing heat shrinking and said end portions to be coupled to said binding element.

2. The seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said end portions are ceramic plugs.

3. The seal as recited in claim 2 wherein said acoustic signature is a reflective indicia embedded in the material of said binding element creating a predetermined defect in said binding element.

4. The seal as recited in claim 3 wherein said connecting element is a flexible metal cable.

5. The seal as recited in claim 3 wherein said binding element is a ceramic block.

6. The seal as recited in claim 3 wherein said binding element is an alumina block.

7. The seal as recited in claim 3 wherein said binding element is a zirconium block.

8. The seal as recited in claim 3 wherein said connecting element is a ceramic cable.

9. The seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said connecting element is a rigid u-shaped ceramic member.

10. The seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for coupling includes at least one orifice in the face of said binding element of a predetermined size so that when heat is applied to said binding element said orifice expands and one of said two end portions of said connecting element may be inserted into said orifice and upon cooling a shrink fit occurs between said binding element and said connecting element.

11. A method of shrink fitting a ceramic seal, comprising the steps of:

providing a fracturable binding member having a face area and a side profile, including means for identifying tampering comprising an acoustic signature embedded in said binding member and having at least one cavity within said face area;

heating said binding member until said cavity expands;

providing a connecting element having two end portions, and at least one of said two end portions deposed within said cavity; and

cooling said binding member until said cavity contracts and forms a shrink fit around said end portion.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said connecting element is a metal cable having ceramic plug ends.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said connecting element is a flexible ceramic cable having ceramic plug ends.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said connecting element is a rigid u-shaped ceramic member.