Cargo seal

• US 6,331,022 B1
• Filed: 08/28/2000
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jeff Liroff
• Original Assignee: Jeff Liroff
• Inventors: Liroff, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos, Robert G.
• Application Number:
  US09/649,739
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 292/307.R, 292/317, 292/318, 292/319, 292/320, 292/321, 292/323, 292/324, 292/DIG.32
• US Class Current: 292/307.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2211/00 Anti-theft means
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/008 Doors for containers, e.g. ISO-containers locking E05B83/12
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 13/002 locking the handle E05B13/10, E05B47/0657 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 67/003 Chain, wire or cable locks alarms therefor E05B45/005; E05B69/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 67/383 Staples or the like for padlocks; Lock slings; Arrangements on locks to cooperate with padlocks
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/12 for back doors of vans E05B83/04, E05B83/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/32 Freight car door fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/48 Seals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/499 Resilient engaging means

Abstract

An improved cargo seal structured to securely close a container having at least one door, the cargo seal including

a lock assembly, having at least one lock aperture defined therein and being structured to secure the door in a closed orientation, and an elongate segment of substantially strong, generally flexible material. The elongate segment is structured to extend through the lock aperture of the lock assembly so as to restrict movement and/or actuation of the lock assembly. A pair of lock segments are further provided and are correspondingly disposed at a first end and a second end of the elongate segment, at least one of the lock segments being structured to be securely coupled with at least one mating segment at one end of the elongate segment. Each of the lock segments has an increased diameter relative to a diameter of the elongate segment so as to prevent removal of the elongate segment from the lock aperture by passage over the ends of the elongate segment. Moreover, each of the lock segments further includes an identifying indicia disposed thereon so as to prevent its unauthorized replacement.

Claims

1. To securely close a container having at least one door, an improved cargo seal comprising:

a lock assembly, said lock assembly being structured to secure the door in a closed orientation and including at least one lock aperture;

an elongate segment of substantially strong, generally flexible material, said elongate segment including opposite ends and structured to extend through said lock aperture of said lock assembly so as to restrict movement of said lock assembly and accordingly release of the door from said closed orientation;

at least one of said opposite ends of said elongate segment including a mating segment;

a lock segment structured to be correspondingly and substantially fixedly disposed at said opposite ends of said elongate segment so as to generally prevent removal thereof segment and thereby providing visible evidence of tampering;

said mating segment structured to be securely coupled with said lock segment,

said lock segment having an increased diameter relative to a diameter of said elongate segment, so as to prevent removal of said elongate segment from said lock aperture, and accordingly movement of said lock assembly to permit opening of the door, without removal of said lock segment or visibly damaging said lock assembly, thereby providing clear evidence of tampering and opening of said door,

said lock assembly including at least a cargo door latch assembly in which said lock aperture is defined, and a tamper evident container door lock,

said cargo door latch assembly including a lock rod disposed on the door of the container,

said tamper evident door lock including a retention bracket structured to be disposed about said lock rod, and a cross brace structured to be secured with said retention bracket;

said cross brace structured to generally retain said retention bracket engaged with said lock rod so as to prevent removal of said retention bracket from said lock rod; and

said elongate segment structured to extend through at least said cross brace.

2. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said lock segment includes an identifying indicia disposed thereon so as to verify that said elongate segment and said lock segment originally secured through said lock aperture have not been replaced with new ones of said elongate segment and said lock segment after unauthorized access to the container.

3. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 2 including a pair of said lock segments, each of said lock segments includes identifying indicia disposed thereon.

4. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 1 including a pair of said lock segments disposed at said opposite ends of said elongate segment.

5. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said lock segment includes a single lock segment secured to both of said opposite ends of said elongate segment.

6. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said tamper evident door lock is secured to the container by said fixed disposement of said lock segment with a corresponding end of said elongate segment, thereby requiring physical damaging of said tamper evident door lock, said elongate segment or said lock segment in order to permit removal thereof from the container.

7. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 1 including a seal assembly structured to secure said cross brace to said retention bracket.

8. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 7 wherein seal assembly is at least partially defined by said lock segment.

9. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 7 wherein seal assembly is at least partially defined by said elongate segment.

10. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said retention bracket includes a pair of spaced apart openings wherethrough said cross brace extends so as to enclose said retention bracket.

11. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 1 wherein said cross brace includes an aperture defined therein, said elongate segment further structured to extend through said aperture in said cross brace so as to prevent removal thereof from said retention bracket.

12. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 11 wherein said retention bracket includes said lock segment secured therewith and disposed such that said elongate segment extends through said aperture in said cross brace when said cross brace is disposed in said enclosing engagement with said retention bracket and into secure engagement therewith, thereby preventing slided removal of said cross brace from said retention bracket.

13. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 12 wherein said lock segment is fixedly secured to said retention bracket and is disposed relative to said cross brace so as to prevent facilitated severing of said elongate segment at a point which permits slided removal of said cross brace from said retention segment, thereby requiring visible damaging of at least two components of the cargo seal to effectuate complete removal thereof.

14. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 12 wherein said cross brace is generally elongate and is structured to restrict opening of the door of the container when in said enclosing engagement with said retention bracket.

15. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 14 wherein said tamper evident door lock includes a second generally C-shaped retention bracket disposed about a lock rod on a second door of the container and structured to receive said cross brace therethrough in enclosing engagement therewith so as to prevent normal opening of the doors of the container without removal of said cross brace and removal of said elongate segment from said lock aperture, thereby providing visible evidence of tampering.

16. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 1 further comprising a depiction of the improved cargo seal properly positioned on a container, said depiction being secured to a shipping manifest associated with a cargo in the container.

17. An improved cargo seal as recited in claim 16 wherein said depiction further includes an identifying indicia visibly disposed thereon, and at least one of said lock segments includes said identifying indicia disposed thereon so as to verify that said elongate segment and said lock segment originally secured through said lock aperture have not been replaced with new ones of said elongate segment and said lock segment after unauthorized access to the container.