Sealing system for sealing of doors of transport vehicles

• US 9,053,643 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Inventors: Paavilainen, Samuli
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Zhen Y
• Application Number:
  US13/636,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945, 340/571, 340/572.1, 340/572.8, 340/572.9, 340/545.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0292 tamper indicating labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/03 of security seals means for indicating unauthorised opening of container closures B65D, e.g. B65D27/30, B65D55/02; theft deterrent tags E05B73/0017

Abstract

Described herein is a seal, having a tape-like shape, for doors of transport vehicles, attachable to the doors to indicate closure. The door includes a first area to be positioned onto the door and a second area to be positioned onto an area-around the door. The seal also includes an indicator suitable to be activated after attaching the seal to the transport vehicle—and suitable to send-out a warning signal-in case the seal is detached or damaged after activation of the indicator. A portable logging device for sealing doors of transport vehicles includes a data insert unit to insert a specific type of transport vehicle and to insert the executed attachment of a seal to a certain door, to record sealing the door.

Claims

1. A seal having a tape-like shape, for sealing of doors of a transport vehicle, attachable to the doors to indicate closure of a door, the seal comprising a first area to be positioned onto the door and a second area to be positioned onto an area around the door, wherein the seal further comprises an indicator further comprising a controller to detect a detaching or damaging of the seal by breaking of a closed electrical circuit in case of re-opening the door and being suitable to send out a warning signal in case of a detached or damaged seal after activation of the indicator, wherein the indicator is suitable to be activated by an activation signal sent out by a portable logging device comprising a data insert unit inserting a particular type of the transport vehicle and to insert an executed attachment of a seal to a certain door to record a sealing of the door, a data unit storing inserted data, and the portable logging device sending out an activation signal to the seal after attaching the seal to the transport vehicle, wherein the first and second areas each comprise two contact pins, where the two contact pins of the first area are arranged to establish an electrical contact between each other via a conductive surface of the door and the two contact pins of the second area are arranged to establish an electrical contact between each other via a conductive surface of the area around the door in order to provide the closed electrical circuit by attaching the seal to the door and the area around the door.

2. The seal of claim 1, wherein the first area and the second area are arranged to apply an adhesive and/or magnetic force to the door and the area around the door in order to be attached.

3. The seal of claim 1, wherein the seal further comprises an identifier providing a machine-readable code suitable to be read by the portable logging device after attaching the seal at least to the door.

4. The seal of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a control to detect a detaching or damaging of the seal and to subsequently provide a detection signal, which is an electronic signal.

5. The seal of claim 4, wherein the indicator comprises a sender, suitable to send out the warning signal as a response to the detection signal provided by the control.

6. The seal of claim 1, wherein the seal further comprises a lighting unit emitting light after activation.

7. The seal of claim 1, wherein the transport vehicle is an aircraft.

8. A portable logging device for sealing of doors of transport vehicles comprising a data insert unit inserting a particular type of the transport vehicles and to insert the executed attachment of a seal to a certain door to record a sealing of the door, a data unit storing inserted data, and the portable logging device sending out an activation signal to the seal, wherein the seal having a tape-like shape, for sealing of doors of a transport vehicle, which is an aircraft, attachable to the doors to indicate closure of a door comprising a first area to be positioned onto the door and a second area to be positioned onto an area around the door, wherein the seal further comprises an indicator suitable to be activated by the activation signal to send out by the portable logging device after attaching the seal to the transport vehicle and suitable to send-out a warning signal in case of a detached or damaged seal after activation of the seal, wherein the portable logging device further comprises a display unit displaying a location of the door to be sealed with seals of the particular type of the transport vehicle inserted into the data insert unit, and wherein the first and second areas each comprise two contact pins, where the two contact pins of the first area are arranged to establish an electrical contact between each other via a conductive surface of the door and the two contact pins of the second area are arranged to establish an electrical contact between each other via a conductive surface of the area around the door in order to provide the closed electrical circuit by attaching the seal to the door and the area around the door.

9. The portable logging device of claim 8, wherein the seal comprises an identifier providing a machine-readable code and the portable logging device further comprises a reading unit reading the machine-readable code and the data unit stores the machine-readable code.

10. The portable logging device of claim 9, wherein the portable logging device further comprises a display unit displaying a location of each door of the particular type of the transport vehicles, wherein the seal is attached, and correlates a location of a door with the machine-readable code of the identifier of the seal attached to this door.

11. The portable logging device of claim 10, wherein the portable logging device comprises a data connection unit transferring stored data to a computer system and/or update data stored in the data unit, via a wireless data connection.

12. A sealing system for sealing of doors of transport vehicles comprising:

multiple seals having a tape-like shape, for sealing of doors of a transport vehicle, attachable to the doors to indicate closure of a door comprising a first area to be positioned onto the door and a second area to be positioned onto an area around the door, wherein the seals further comprise an indicator further comprising a controller to detect a detaching or damaging of the seal by breaking of a closed electrical circuit in case of re-opening the sealed door, wherein the indicator is suitable to send out a warning signal in case of a detached or damaged seal after activation of the indicator and to be activated by an activation signal send out by a portable logging device suitable to be activated after attaching the seal to the transport vehicle and suitable to send-out a warning signal in case of a detached or damaged seal after activation of the indicator, wherein the first and second areas each comprise two contact pins, where the two contact pins of the first area are arranged to establish an electrical contact between each other via a conductive surface of the door and the two contact pins of the second area are arranged to establish an electrical contact between each other via a conductive surface of the area around the door in order to provide the closed electrical circuit by attaching the seal to the door and the area around the door;

the portable logging device for sealing of doors of transport vehicles comprising a data insert unit inserting a particular type of the transport vehicles and to insert the executed attachment of one of the multiple seals to a certain door to record a sealing of the door, and a data unit storing inserted data, wherein the portable logging device sends out the activation signal to the seal; and

a clearance system comprising a computer system for receiving and storing data from the portable logging device, suitable to receive the warning signal from the seal and to provide an alarm signal at least inside a clearance area as a response of the received warning signal.

13. The sealing system of claim 12, wherein the clearance system further comprises multiple receiving stations arranged at different suitable places within the clearance area to receive the warning signal from any location in the clearance area accessible for transport vehicles.

14. The sealing system of claim 12, wherein the transport vehicle is an aircraft.

15. A method for operating a sealing system, comprising:

attaching at least one seal having a tape like shape to each door of a transport vehicle, the seal comprising a first area positioned onto the door and a second area positioned onto an area around the door, wherein the seal further comprises an indicator further comprising a controller to detect a detaching or damaging of the seal by breaking of a closed electrical circuit in case of re-opening the sealed door, wherein the first and second areas each comprise two contact pins, where the two contact pins of the first area establish an electrical contact between each other via a conductive surface of the door and the two contact pins of the second area establish an electrical contact between each other via a conductive surface of the area around the door providing the closed electrical circuit by attaching the seal to the door and the area around the door;

activating an attached seal via the indicator by an activation signal send out by a portable logging device comprising a data insert unit inserting a particular type of the transport vehicles and to insert an executed attachment of a seal to a certain door to record a sealing of the door, a data insert unit storing inserted data, and the portable logging device sending out an activation signal to the seal after attaching the attached seal to the transport vehicle; and

sending out a warning signal by the attached seal in case of the attached seal being detached or damaged after activation of the indicator.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

inserting a particular type of the transport vehicle into the portable logging device via the data insert unit,

inserting an execution of attaching the attached seal to a certain door into the portable logging device via the data insert unit by reading a machine-readable code provided by an identifier of the attached seal; and

storing the inserted data in the data unit of the portable logging device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving and storing data inserted to the portable logging device from the portable device in a computer system via a wireless data connection;

receiving a warning signal from the attached seal in case of a detached seal or a damaged seal; and

providing an alarm signal at least inside a clearance area in response to receiving the warning signal.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the transport vehicle is an aircraft.