Improved rotatable seal

Abstract: An improved security seal includes a plastic housing (22) with a chamber open at one end and a plastic rotor (24) which is insertable in the chamber. The housing wall contains bores (42, 44) aligned across the chamber and two annular grooves (38, 40) adjacent the chamber entrance. Tabs (56, 58) are formed adjacent the chamber entrance. The rotor has a bore and two annular ridges (70, 72) near its top. The ridges (70, 72) are relieved complementarily to the tabs. The rotor may be partially inserted in the housing by snapping the lower ridge (72) into the upper groove (38) and locating the tabs in the relieved areas to align all of the bores so that a seal wire (26) may thereafter be inserted through the seal. The ridge-groove and tab-relief cooperation prevent inadvertent relative rotation of the rotor and housing and full insertion of the rotor. With a seal wire (26) inserted, the rotor (24) and housing (22) are relatively rotated to wrap the wire about the rotor (24). The rotor (24) is then fully inserted into the housing (22) so each ridge snaps into one groove. This and the engagement of teeth (34) on the bottom of the rotor and the chamber prevent removal of the rotor (24) from the housing (22), relative rotor-housing rotation, and removal of the wire from the seal. Cowls may surround the housing bores to obviate insertion of an object and levering out of the rotor from the housing.

Description: This invention relates to a seal of the type which includes a flexible wire insertable through an item to be secured, the seal being non-removably affixable to the wire to prevent opening operation of the item, such an opening operation rendering the wire or the seal disintegral such disintegrality providing a visual indication that such operation has been attempted or has occurred; wherein the seal comprises: a walled housing defining a chamber and having first and second aligned bores formed therethrough on opposite sides of the chamber; a rotor conformally receivable in the chamber and having a third bore therethrough; for permitting the bores in the housing and in the inserted rotor to be aligned to thereafter receive the wire through all thereof, and permitting the inserted and held rotor and the housing to be ralatively rotated after insertion of the wire through the bores so as to partially wrap and deform the received wire around the rotor. Such a seal may be used for example for securing containers, and, more particularly to prevent removal of sealing wire from a hasp, staple or similar member of a lock or latch which secures a container. The lock or latch cannot be operated and the container cannot be opened without destruction of the seal or breaking the wire. Further, should the wire be pulled from the seal, it cannot be reinserted therein. A seal as described above is known from US-A 1 826 033. In this known seal the rotor is fully inserted into the chamber of the housing. The rotor comprises sheet metal and is fully inserted immediately. Therefrom it follows that it is complicated to move the rotor relative to the housing. A further disadvantage of this known seal resides in that the alignment of the bores of the rotor and the housing is not exactly defined so that it may be complicated to insert the wire through all the bores. US-A 421 951 discloses a rotable seal lock wherein a strip seal is inserted within a rotatable member. Thereafter the member is rotated causing a dog to be received within an opening in the strip and pulled within the rotatable member to a retained position. The rotatable member is held against unlocking rotation by the use of a spring-loaded pawl. US-A 1 911 060 discloses a sealing device having a body with apertures through which a flexible sealing means can extend. The center portion of the body is provided with a threaded bore which is intersected by the apertures. Disposed within the threaded bore is a uni-rotational screw which may be tightened down against the flexible securing means to retain it in a sealed position. While the foregoing seals are beneficial, a need remains for a simple seal capable of securing a container, the seal providing clear evidence of tampering and being economical to manufacture. One object of the present invention is to provide a seal that is highly resistant to tampering. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a seal that provides an indication of any tampering action and which cannot be reassembled after being rendered disintegral. An additional object of the present invention is to provide a seal which is economical to manufacture and simple to use while at the same time being highly secure. These and other objects are achieved by the seal of the present invention which is characterized by first means for holding the rotor partially inserted in the chamber with the third bore, coplanar with the first and second bores and second means for holding the rotor fully inserted in the chamber following wrapping and deformation of the wire and for preventing relative rotation of the fully inserted rotor and the housing. In a broadest aspect, the present invention is a seal which includes a flexible seal wire and two partially interfittable, relatively rotatable members preferably molded from a fracturable plastic. A flexible seal wire is passed through a hasp, staple or other locking facility and then its ends are inserted through aligned apertures in both of the partially interfitted members. Relative rotation is then imparted between the partially interfitted members to cause the wire to be wrapped around one member and therby deformed and locked between the members. The members are then completely interfitted to further deform the wire and to lock them together. The improved seal thus far described is less costly than prior art seals because the members may be made of molded plastic by automated equipment. The seal also gives a more definite visual indication of unauthorized entry since tampering with the members cracks, chips or crazes them to provide visual evidence of tampering, and, if they are rendered disintegral, they are difficult, if not impossible, to put back together. The first interfittable member is a male member or rotor and the second is a female member or housing defining a chamber open at one end. The rotor may be partially inserted and held in the chamber and the members may be thereafter relatively rotated. The members each have bores therethrough generally transverse to the axis of relative rotation. The bores are alignable by relative rotation of the interfitted members. The ends of a flexible sealing wire may be passed through the aligned bores, and the members are then relatively rotated to misalign the bore and wrap the wire partially around the rotor which deforms the wire. Following wire deformation, the rotor is fully inserted into the housing member to further misalign the bores to and lock the members together against disassembly. The deformed wire typically cannot be withdrawn from the members. In the rare instance where the wire is pulled out of the seal without breaking it, the wire cannot be reinserted because of the rotational and insertional misalignment of the bores. Partial insertion of the members is achieved by complementary surface features on the members, such as an annular ridge or shoulder on the rotor and a pair of annular grooves in the wall of the chamber of the housing. Partial insertion snaps the ridge into the upper groove which renders the bores in the members coplanar and allows relative rotation of the members to axially align the coplanar bores. Full insertion is achieved by the lower annular groove in the wall of the chamber. Following deformation of the wire, the rotor is further inserted until its ridge snaps into the lower groove. The members are locked together by the presence of the ridge in the lower groove and by the intermeshing of complementary teeth on the lower end of the rotor and on the lower wall of the chamber in the housing. In more specific aspects, the rotor has two ridges. Partial insertion of the rotor locates the lower ridge in the upper groove, and wire insertion and deformation proceed as described above. Full insertion of the rotor locates each ridge on the rotor in one of the grooves. This increases she difficulty of disassembling the members. The presence of the two ridges permits the lower ridge (and the lower groove) to be smaller diametrically than the upper groove into which it is snapped during partial insertion. This diametric difference permits the members to be easily and freely relatively rotatable when aligning the bores and deforming the wire. In other embodiments the ridges may be relieved at selected sites. The housing may include tabs which fit into the relief sites of each ridge. The tabs and relief sites are located so that when they interfit, the bores of the members are aligned. Thus, the presence of the lower ridge in the upper groove and the interfitting together of the tabs and relief sites permit the members to be easily pre-assembled by the manufacturer, with the bores held coplanarly, prealigned and ready for use by end users. In yet further embodiments, the exterior of the housing may include one or more cowls having bores which are extensions of those through the housing. The length of the bores in the cowls prevents insertion of a thin elongated object through the bores of the housing at an angle which could permit levering the members apart. Brief Description of the Drawings A more complete understanding of the rotatable seal of the present invention may be had from the following detailed description thereof, particularly when read in the light of the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a plan view of a female member or housing of the rotatable seal of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side view of the housing shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a plan view of a male member or rotor of the rotatable seal of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a side view of the rotor shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the rotor member shown in FIGS. 3 and 4; FIG. 6 is a side, partially sectional view of the members of FIGS. 1-5 partially assembled together with a seal wire; FIG. 7 is a plan view of the members of FIGS. 1-5 assembled together into the rotatable seal of the present invention with a seal wire therethrough; FIG. 8 is a front view, partly in section, of the partially assembled rotatable seal of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional plan view of the rotatable seal of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a plan view of the rotatable seal of the present invention similar to FIG. 7 but showing the deformed seal wire therein; FIG. 11 is a front view, partly in section, of the fully assembled rotatable seal of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional plan view of the rotatable seal of the present invention at the beginning of initiation of deformation of the seal wire; and FIGS. 13-16 are generalized perspective views of the method of assembling the seal of the prevent invention to secure a hasp, staple or the like. Detailed Description The rotatable seal 20 of the present invention (FIGS. 6-12) is best initially described with reference to FIGS. 1-5. The rotatable seal 20 includes a housing or female member, generally indicated at 22, a rotor or male member, generally indicated at 24, and a flexible seal wire 26 (FIGS. 6-16). The housing 22 and rotor 24 are both preferably molded from plastic. Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 22 has a generally cylindrical, vertical wall 28 enclosing a circular cross-section chamber 30 which is closed at one end by a base 32. Formed at the interior juncture of the wall 28 and the base 32 are plurality of circumferential surface features, such as serrations or teeth 34. The teeth 34 may take any convenient configuration, and in a specific embodiment may be disposed at an acute angle 36 of between 17°and 20° (FIG. 2) with respect to the cylindrical wall 28. Near the open end of the chamber 30 and formed in the interior of the wall 28 are surface features, such as two generally mutually parallel annular grooves 38 and 40. The diameter of the upper groove 38 may be slightly larger than the diameter of the lower groove 40, as shown in FIG. 2 at 41. Formed through the wall 28 below the grooves 38 and 40 and above the teeth 34 are two pairs of bores 42, 44 and 46, 48. The bores 42 and 44 are axially aligned across the chamber 30, as are the bores 46 and 48. Each bore pair 42, 44 and 46, 48 preferably lies on a respective chord "A" or "B" of the cross-section of the chamber 30. Further, the bore pairs 42, 44 and 46, 48 are preferably mutually parallel and parallel to the base 32. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous other arrangements and orientations are possible. In specific embodiments, the housing 22 may include cowls 50 and 52 integrally formed with the wall 28. The cowls 50 and 52 contain continuations of the bores 42, 46 and 44, 48, respectively, and serve to lengthen these bores 42-48 for a security-related purpose described below. The invention in its broader aspects may omit the cowls 50 and 52. Also in specific embodiments, an upper surface 54 of the wall 28 may carry one or more upstanding tabs, such as those at 56 and 58, the function of which is explained subsequently. The tabs 56, 58 preferably lie on a diameter of the chamber 30 which is generally parallel to the chords "A" and "B". The tabs 56 and 58 may be omitted from broader embodiments of the invention. The rotor 24 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3-5. The rotor 24 is generally cylindrical and has various portions of varying diametric dimensions. The rotor 24 includes a circular top or head 60 with a diameter substantially equal to that of the chamber 30. The top 60 contains a tool-engageable portion 62, which in the FIGURES includes a depression 64 defined by a lip 66 with a penta-head member 68 extending up from the depression 64 and spaced inwardly from the ridge 66. The member 68, which may have configuration other than the penta-head, is engageable by a complementary drive socket (not shown) the walls of which fit between the member 68 and the lip 66 for rotation thereof and of the rotor 24, as described below. As will be appreciated, the head 68 may extend above the top 60 although coplanarity between the head 68 and the lip 66 is preferred. The tool-engageable portion 62 may also constitute a shaped female socket (not shown) in the top 60 engageable by a complementary male tool. Formed integrally on the outside of the top 60 are surface features, such as annular ridges 70 and 72. In broader embodiments of the invention only the ridge 72 is present and the ridge 70 is absent. At the bottom of the rotor 24 is a disk 74 carrying peripheral surface features, such as serrations or teeth 76. Intermediate the top 60 and the disk 74 is a reduced diameter portion 78 having two parallel bores 80 and 82 extending therethrough. The ridges 70 and 72 are integral with the top 60 and are complementary with the grooves 38 and 40. Of course, the placement of the ridges 70,72 and grooves 38, 40 can be reversed, with the former in the chamber 40 and the latter on the rotor 24. Moreover, other complementary surface features may be used. In specific embodiments, when the rotor 24 is fully inserted into the chamber 30, the ridge 70 is snapped into the groove 38 simultaneously with the ridge 72 being snapped into the groove 40. In broader embodiments full insertion of the rotor moves the ridge 72 out of the groove 38 and into the groove 40, the upper groove 38 thereafter being unoccupied. The ridge 70 has a larger diameter than the ridge 72, as shown at 84. In both broad and specific embodiments, the ridge 72 is snapped into the upper groove 38 when the rotor 24 is only partially inserted into the chamber 30. The diametric difference between the ridge 72 and the groove 38 permits the rotor 24 to be easily rotated within the chamber 30 relative to the housing 22. The disk 74 and the teeth 76 thereon are complementary to the teeth 34 in the chamber 30, the teeth being angled from the vertical by the same angle 36 as the teeth 34. When the rotor 24 is fully inserted into the housing 22 and the ridge 72 is seated in the groove 40 (with the ridge 70 seated, if present, in the groove 38), the teeth 34 and 76 mesh to prevent relative rotation of the housing 22 and the rotor 24. When the rotor 24 is partially inserted and the ridge 72 is located in the groove 38, the teeth 76 are elevated above and out of engagement with the teeth 34. The reduced diameter portion 78, the top 60 and the disk 74 define a wire-receiving channel 86 which functions in a manner described below. The bores 80 and 82 are parallel and are spaced apart by the distance between the bores pairs 42, 44 and 46, 48 in the housing 22. When the lower ridge 72 is retained in the upper groove 38 and the rotor 24 is freely rotatable in the chamber 30 relative to the housing 22, the axes of the bores 80, 82 are coplanar with the axes "A", "B" of the bores 42-48. The rotor 24 may be freely rotated to align the bore 80 with one bore pair 42, 44 (or 46, 48) and to align the bore 82 with the other bore pair 46, 48 (or 42, 44). When the ridges 70 and 72 are retained in their respective grooves 38 and 40 upon full insertion of the rotor 24 into the housing 22, the axes of the bores 80, 82 are below those of the bores 42-48. The effective size of the channel 86 may be increased by flattening the portion 78 in the areas 88 of both ends of the bores 80 and 82. The ridges 70 and 72 may be relieved, as at one or more sites 90 and 92, respectively. The relieved areas 90, 92 permit conformal receipt therein of the inwardly facing portions of the tabs 56, 58. The tabs 56, 58 may be received in the relieved areas 90, 92 in one of two ways. First, the rotor 24 may be oriented so that the bottom of the relieved areas 92, overlie the tops of the tabs 56, 58, following which the rotor 24 and the housing 22 are relatively moved axially of the chamber 30 until the bottom of the lower ridge 72 rests on the top surface 54 of the wall 28 with tab 56, 58 residing in the relieved areas 92. Subsequent partial insertion of the rotor 24 into the chamber 30 causes the tabs 56, 58 to first move through the relieved areas 92 and into the relieved areas 90, with the tabs 56, 58 now residing in both relieved areas 90, 92. As the tops of the tabs 56, 58 move into the relieved areas 90, the lower ridge 72 enters the upper groove 38 as described above. Second, the flexibility of the plastic rotor 24 and housing 22 permits the lower ridge 72 to be snapped to the upper groove 38 with the tabs 56, 58 and the relieved areas 90, 92 misaligned. Following this partial insertion of the rotor 24 into the chamber 30, the rotor 24 and the housing 22 may be relatively rotated until the tabs 56, 58 snap into their respective relieved areas 90, 92. With the tabs 56, 58 residing in the relieved areas 90, 92 and the lower ridge 72 in the upper groove 38 -- however this condition is achieved --inadvertant relative rotation of the housing and rotor 22 and 24 is prevented, as are inadvertant disassociation and inadvertent full insertion of the partially inserted rotor 24 from or into the housing 22. The relieved areas 90, 92, the tabs 56, 58 and the bores 42-48 and 80, 82 are angularly and positionally located so that each bore 80 and 82 is aligned with one bore pair 42, 44 or 46, 48 when the foregoing condition is achieved. Where the tabs 56, 58 and relieved areas 90, 92 are absent, alignment of the coplanar bores 42-48 and 80, 82 is achieved by visual observation, rather than "automatically." FIGS. 6-9 show specific embodiments of the rotatable seal 20 of the present invention in an opened or unsealed condition, i.e., with the rotor 24 partially inserted into the housing 22 and the seal wire 26 extending therethrough. It should be understood that the upper ridge 70, the tabs 56, 58 and the relieved ares 90, 92 shown in these FIGS., may be omitted. In the opened or unsealed condition of the rotatable seal 20, the lower annular ridge 72 of the rotor 24 resides in the upper annular groove 38 of the housing 22. In this condition, as explained above, the bores 42-48 of the housing 22 are held in alignment with rotor bores 80, 82 by visual observation or by the cooperation of the tabs 56, 58 and the relieved areas 90, 92, if present. There are thus formed two parallel passageways 42-80-44 and 46-82-48 through the rotatable seal 20 for the seal wire 26. FIGS. 10 and 11 show the rotor 24 fully inserted into the housing 22 and the rotatable seal 20 of the present invention in a closed or sealed condition. As best may be seen by viewing, in order, FIGS. 9, 12, 10 and 11, the seal wire 26 is first passed through the passageways 42-80-44 and 46-82-48 (FIG. 9), following which the seal wire 26 is deformed by rotating the rotor 20 relative to the housing 22 (FIG. 12). This relative rotation causes the bores 80 and 82 to be rotated out of alignment with the bore pairs 42, 44 and 46, 48 of the housing 22. The rotor 24 is rotated by the engagement and rotation of the head 68 by a tool (not shown) in the area 62. The bottom of the housing 22 may contain indentations 94 to assist in holding the housing 22 against rotation if deformation of the wire 26 requires high torque. At the same time or immediately after the time that the rotor 24 is rotated within the housing 22, the rotor 24 is also fully inserted and moved inwardly into the housing 22 (FIGS. 10 and 11) by the same or a different tool so that the annular ridges 70 (where present) and 72 are moved into mating engagement with their respective annular grooves 38 and 40. At the same time, the teeth 76 of the rotor 24 are moved into locking engagement with the teeth 34 of the housing 22 (FIG. 11). It can be seen when the rotatable seal 20 is in the closed or sealed condition as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the seal wire 26 is firmly locked within the rotatable seal 20. The locking is accomplished by the rotational and insertional deformation of the seal wire 26 together with the concurrent locking engagement of the teeth 34 and 76 and the frictional engagement of the ridges 70 and 72 with the grooves 38 and 40. When the seal wire 26 has been deformed there is a high resistance to any further relative rotation of the housing 22 and the rotor 24 or to reopening of the rotatable seal 20. The engagement of the teeth 34 and 76 also prevents relative rotation of the members 22 and 24. As seen in FIGS. 10 and 12, deformation of the seal wire 26 includes the wire 26 first being wrapped around the portion 78 of the rotor 24, with the wrapped wire 26 occupying and filling the channel 86 within the chamber 30. The flattened areas 88 on the portion 78 create additional volume for the wire 26 to prevent jamming as the members 22 and 24 are relatively rotated. After a selected amount of rotation of the rotor 24 (that shown in FIG. 10 being typical but not mandatory) with the rotor 24 partially inserted (the ridge 72 is in the groove 38), the rotor 24 is then fully inserted (the ridge 72 is in the groove 40, and the ridge 70, if present, is in the groove 38). Full insertion of the rotor 24 further deforms the wire 26 in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor 24. Both types of deformation of the wire 26 -- wrapping and axial -- prevent both removal of the wire 26 from the seal 20 and opening of the seal 20. When the seal 20 is closed, the head 60 of the rotor 24 is preferably coplanar and forms a smooth surface with the upper surface 54 of the wall 28 of the housing 22. Such smooth surface makes it difficult for any tampering action to separate the rotor 24 from the housing 22 after closing of the rotatable seal 20 has been achieved. Other features of the seal 20 may also contribute to obviating disassembly of the seal 20. First, as noted, the two modes of deforming the wire tend to resist removal of the rotor 24 from the housing 22. Second, the presence of one or both interfitted ridge-groove pairs 38-70 and 40-72 resists opening of the seal 20. Third, the teeth 34, 76 also help to defeat opening of the seal 20. Fourth, the cowls 50 and 52, if present, obviate the insertion of a slender elongated object into one of the bores 42-48 and the levering of the rotor 24 by an engaging end of the object out of the chamber 30. The effective lengthening of the bores 42-48 by the cowls 50 and 52 prevents the object from being able to engage the rotor 24 in a position where levering forces can be applied. If the rotor 24 and housing 22 are, as preferred, molded from plastic, attempts to tamper with the seal 20 will be evident by the chipping, cracking or crazing thereof following the application of tampering forces. FIGS. 13-16 diagrammatically show the operation of the rotatable seal 20 of the present invention. FIG. 13 shows one end of the flexible seal wire 26 through the rotatable seal 20 with the rotor 24 partially inserted. FIG. 14 shows the other end of the wire 26 inserted through openings in relatively movable members 96 and 98 (hasps, staples, latches, etc.) of a latch, lock or the like. FIG. 15 shows the other end of the wire 26 passing back through the still opened rotatable seal 20. FIG. 16 shows the rotatable seal 20 after it has been closed and locked in the sealing position by fully inserting the rotor 24 into the housing 22. The housing 22 and rotor 24 of the rotatable seal 20 may be made from strong and essentially semi-rigid materials such as metal, rubber, plastics, etc. A preferred material is acrylic plastic. The housing 22 and rotor 24 of the rotatable seal 20 may also be made from clear materials so that alignment of the bores 42-48 and 80, 82 and the positive locking of the seal wire 26 can be inspected and can also provide a visual indication of tampering. The flexible seal wire 26 used with the rotatable seal 20 of the present invention may be in the form of wire, or rope, or cable, and may be made of metal or plastic or other suitable materials. When the seal 20 is in the closed condition, the inter-fitting members 22 and 24 must be destroyed, or the seal wire 26 must be cut, in order to remove the seal 20 from the members 96 and 98 so that these members can be moved or operated. Due to the strong materials of construction, substantial effort is required either to destroy the members 22 or 24 or to cut the wire 26. However, if such destruction or cutting is effected, there is provided an easily detectable indication of tampering. The conjoint action of the tabs 56, 58 and the relieved areas 90, 92 where present, and of the lower ridge 72 and the upper groove 38, permits the manufacturer of housings 22 and rotors 24 to easily preassemble them with the rotor 24 partially inserted and with the passageways 42-80-44 and 46-82-48 ready to receive the ends of the wire 26. Since this partial insertion requires low force -- the lower ridge 72 has a smaller diameter than the upper.groove 38 -- and since bore alignment is "automatically" achievable by the action of the tabs 56, 58 and the relieved areas 90, 92 via relative rotor-housing 24-22 rotation -- either before or after ridge-groove 72-38 engagement -- an unskilled, low cost labor force can readily and quickly preassemble the seal 20 into a ready-to-use, open condition. While the present invention has been described with regard to certain embodiments, it should be understood that variations and modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: A seal of the type which includes a flexible wire (26) insertable through an item (96, 98) to be secured, the seal being non-removably affixable to the wire (26) to prevent the opening operation of the item (96, 98), such an opening operation rendering the wire (26) or the seal disintegral, such disintegrality providing a visual indication that such operation has been attempted or has occurred; wherein the seal comprises: a walled housing (22) defining a chamber (30) and having first and second aligned bores (42, 44, 46, 48) formed therethrough on opposite sides of the chamber (30); a rotor (24) conformally receivable in the chamber (30) and having a third bore (80, 82) therethrough permitting the bores (42, 44, 46, 48) in the housing and in the inserted rotor (24) to be aligned to thereafter receive the wire (26) through all thereof, and permitting the inserted and held rotor (24) and the housing (22) to be relatively rotated after insertion of the wire (26) through the bores (42, 44, 46, 48, 80, 82) so as to partially wrap and deform the received wire (26) around the rotor (24), characterized by first means for holding the rotor (24) partially inserted in the chamber (30) with the third bore (80, 82) coplanar with the first and second bores (42, 44, 46, 48) and second means for holding the rotor (24) fully inserted in the chamber (30) following wrapping and deformation of the wire (26) and for preventing relative rotation of the fully inserted rotor (24) and the housing (22). A seal as in Claim 1, wherein: the first and second means comprise complementary surface features (38, 40, 70, 72) on the rotor (24) and the chamber wall (28). A seal as in Claim 1, wherein: the first means comprises a first annular ridge (70) on the rotor (24), and a first annular groove (38) complementary with the ridge (70) and formed in the housing wall (28) within the chamber (30), the first ridge (70) residing in the first groove (38) when the rotor (24) is parially inserted into the chamber (32). A seal as in Claim 3, wherein : the second means comprises the first ridge (79), and a second annular groove (40) complementary with the first ridge (7) and formed in the housing wall (20) within the chamber (30) and below the first groove (38), the first ridge (70) residing in the second groove (40) when the rotor (24) is fully inserted into the chamber (30). A seal as in Claim 4, which further comprises: third means for maintaining the alignment of the bores (42, 44, 46, 48, 80, 82) until the partially inserted rotor (24) and the housing (22) are relatively rotated to wrap and deform the wire (26). A seal as in Claim 5, wherein: the third means comprises a tab (56, 58) formed on the housing wall (28) at the point of insertion of the rotor (24) into the chamber (36), and a relieved area (90, 92) complementary with the tab (56, 58) and formed in the annular ridge (70, 72). A seal as in Claim 6, wherein: partial insertion of the rotor (24) into the chamber (30) is accompanied by the ridge (72) snapping into the first groove, following which relative rotation of the rotor (24) and the housing (22) causes the tab (56, 58) to snap into the relieved area (90) as the bores (42, 44, 46, 48, 80, 82) become aligned, the receipt of the ridge (72) in the first groove (38) being capable of preventing inadvertent further insertion or the removal of the rotor (24) from the housing (22), the receipt of the tab (56, 58) in the relieved area (90) being capable of preventing inadvertent relative rotation of the rotor (24) and the housing (22), the ridge-groove cooperation and the tab-relief cooperation being capable of being overcome by intentionally applied forces respectively incident to relative rotor-housing rotation to wind the wire (26) and by full insertion of the rotor (24). A seal as in Claim 4, wherein: the second means comprises a second annular ridge (70) formed on the rotor (24) above the first ridge (72), and the second ridge (70) residing in the first groove (38) and the first ridge (72) residing in the second groove (40) when the rotor (24) is fully inserted into the chamber (30), the first ridge (72) being loosely receivable in the first groove (38) when the rotor (24) is partially inserted into the housing (22). A seal as in Claim 8, which further comprises: third means for maintaining the alignment of the bores (42, 44, 46, 48, 80, 82) until the partially inserted rotor (24) and the housing (22) are relatively rotated to wrap and deform the wire (26). A seal as in Claim 9, wherein: the third means comprises a tab (56, 58) formed on the housing wall (28) at the point of insertion of the rotor (24), and aligned relieved areas (90, 92) complementary with the tab (56, 58) and formed in the first and second annular ridges (70, 72). A seal as in Claim 10, wherein: partial insertion of the rotor (24) into the chamber (30) is accompanied by the first ridge (72) snapping into the first grove (38) and the tab (56, 58) being received in the relieved area (92) as the bores (42, 44, 46, 48, 80, 82) become aligned, the receipt of the first ridge (72) in the first groove (38) being capable of preventing inadvertent further insertion or removal of the rotor (24) from the housing (22), the receipt of the tab (56, 58) in the relieved areas (92) being capable of preventing inadvertent relative rotation of the rotor (24) and the housing (22), the first ridge-groove cooperation and the tab-relief cooperation being capable of being overcome by rotorhousing rotation to wind the wire (26) and, intentionally applied forces incident to full insertion of the rotor (24), full insertion of the rotor (24) conformally locating the first ridge (72) in the second groove (40) and conformally locating the second ridge (70) in the first groove (38). A seal as in Claim 1, wherein: the second means comprises a plurality of teeth (76) formed on the rotor (24), and a plurality of teeth (34) formed on the housing (22) within the chamber (30), the teeth (76) on the rotor (24) engaging the teeth (34) in the chamber (30) to prevent relative rotation of the rotor (24) and the housing (22) when the rotor (24) is fully inserted, the teeth (34, 76 being out of engagement when the rotor (24) is parially inserted into the chamber (30). A seal as in Claim 12, which further comprises: first and second cowls (50, 52) integral with the exterior of the housing (22), the cowls (50, 52) surrounding and providing the external extentions of the first and second bores (42, 44, 46, 48), the extentions of the bores (42, 44, 46, 48) preventing an object inserted thereinto from being used as a lever against the rotor (24) to remove the fully inserted rotor (24) from the chamber (30). A seal as in Claim 1, wherein: with the rotor (24) fully inserted following relative rotation of the rotor (24) and the housing (22) to wrap the wire (26), the bores (42, 44, 46, 48, 80, 82) are rotationally misaligned via non-coplanarity to prevent insertion of an item through the bores (42, 44, 46, 48, 80, 82). A seal as in Claim 5, which further comprises: forth means for preventing the removal of the fully inserted rotor (24) by an object inserted into the first or second bore (42, 44, 46, 48, 80, 82).

Inventors: GEORGOPOULOS GEORGE, GNOINSKI RICHARD, GEORGOPOULOS, GEORGE, GNOINSKI, RICHARD
Applicants: BROOKS CO E J, E.J. BROOKS COMPANY
Application year: 1990
Main classification: G09F3
IPC codes: B65D88, E05B39, G09F3