Abstract:
A tamper-evident seal adapted to be attached to a variety of thin-walled containers, including cabinets having glass doors ( 700 ), lockers, file cabinets, and the like. Plug-like catches ( 300 ) that may be anchored individually in an aperture in a thin wall are connected by a seal element ( 100 ) bearing an identification tag ( 110 ). Removal of the tag immediately separates the seal element into two parts, each of which can pass entirely through the plug-catch to which it has been connected, freeing the catch to accept another seal. The tag may continue to be used after its removal to serve a commercial purpose, such as offering to a guest who has made use of the sterilized lockers in a resort hotel&#39;s weight room a premium for redeeming the tag, thus to create an opportunity to sell the guest a service, perhaps dance or scuba lessons.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/369,350. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to tamper-evident seals, in particular to U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673 to Olshausen (2000) and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/602,337, filed as a continuation in part to U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673 on Jun. 24, 2000 which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,539. However, the present application is not a continuation in part of either one of those prior filings. 
     Tamper-evident seals attach to most objects usually with a bit of difficulty and often rather unaesthetically. Typically, a pair of apertures must be provided, one on each of two movable parts of the object, through which a seal can be passed. Eye-bolts sometimes are welded onto the parts, or, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,401,965 to Rossiter (1946) the parts may come manufactured with built-in apertures. Often, as with Rossiter&#39;s part 15, some element of the seal-related mechanism will stick out maybe an inch or two from the adjacent, flat surfaces, just enough to rip a shirt on when the door to the sealable compartment is left open. A great many, thin-walled objects, such as the glass of a cabinet or the sheet-metal of a locker, are not particularly suited to the support of protruding elements, which, should they get whacked, and everything does get whacked eventually, can exert on the thin-walled material a strong-enough, sudden stress or torque to bend or shatter it. Locker handles typically do have apertures for the hasp of a lock, but, if a lock is already in use, not much room remains for the additional insertion of a tamper-evident seal. 
     Neither U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673 nor U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,539 specifically addresses the thin-wall problem. Basically each requires some ancillary object, a chain link, a staple, which in turn must be screwed or glued or riveted or welded or somehow otherwise battened onto an object, in order to be attached. 
     And then there is also the motive thing. Most tamper-evident seals, including those of U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,539, basically are intended to keep people from indulging their, perhaps we should say, momentary baser instincts to pry or pilfer. The use of such seals does not arise from a sanguine view of humanity. A less adversarial point of departure is arguably represented by the tamper-evident, container seal in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,087 to Kusz (1987). In Kusz, the stranger of the greatest importance is not the miscreant but rather the customer, the authorized user, authorized usually in virtue of a purchase. Deterrence, to be sure, remains important but with the understanding that the relatively few, serious attempts to do damage will likely weigh less before the bar of public opinion than a product&#39;s quality and its manufacturer&#39;s due diligence in protecting that quality. To the customer the seal says we&#39;ve thought of you, this is a fresh product, you can take this. 
     There are, it&#39;s true, times and circumstances in which a message needs to be sent, but in which, nevertheless, a light touch is desirable. Maybe Ann has forgotten to pay her dues for a time at a swim club, but she still uses it. The stock market&#39;s been bad and so on, money&#39;s been tight. The swim club wants to keep her as a member very much, but it also needs to have its dues paid. So, it attaches an easily-broken, tamper-evident seal to her locker. She can still stow her stuff and use the pool, but now she has been tactfully, although clearly, reminded of an arrear and of fraying patience. 
     The present invention aims to serve and to preserve these more user-friendly, customer-first sort of options. In particular, it provides an easily-severable, tamper-evident seal having dual, independent catches, each adapted for easy attachment to a thin walled-container. It provides, in addition, a structurally essential, tear-off ID tag, which may be used, for example, to redeem a premium, such as a room-discount at a hotel. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 6.371,539, both op. cit., as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,885 to Netto (1998), perforations attach an ID tag to the main body of a seal. For all of these devices, however, mere removal of the ID tag does not render the device unusable. Tag removal in U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673 is necessary to allow the seal element to pass through and out of either catch element. But, if a seal element that already had had its tag removed were to be found, say in a bag of 100, it could still be used as a seal. In none of these reference does the tag function to guarantee the structural integrity of the seal. 
     The present invention makes the tag a guarantor of seal integrity by splitting the seal, apart from the tag, into two, generally symmetric, “halves” joined only by the tag and contiguous separation means. If the tag is fully removed, either end of the seal may now be passed through the catch with which it has been in locking engagement without the need to sever from the seal either of the seal&#39;s studs, or, as the case may be, the seal&#39;s linear ratchets, by force. The tag need not even be fully removed to open the seal-protected container. It&#39;s enough just to free up one of the seals “halves”. 
     The present invention furthermore takes the concept of dual, independent catches found U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673 and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,539 and reinvents it for use in a thin-walled setting. The result is a variety of plug-like objects, each bearing a catch and each specifically adapted either to self-anchor into an aperture or to be mechanically anchored from behind an aperture. Inasmuch as the apertures will often have front surfaces lying in substantially the same plane, the catches will often face in the same direction, so that the seal has to be bendable. 
     A means is presented for optimizing perforation design by concentrating tear-off force at an acutely angled junction of a given perforation tooth with the tooth&#39;s adjacent half-midsection of the seal. An alternative separation means is presented, not involving perforation teeth, that simultaneously reinforces the integrity of the tag-to-seal-half-midsection link while also making easy tearing off the ID-tag. This alternative separation means is among the simplest for which to build a mold, and thus marginally reduces mold costs. 
     With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a tamper-evident seal for thin-walled containers that is both easily attached and easily removed with a minimum of force. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide for easy replacement and/or repair of the seal&#39;s catch elements. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide for easy bending of the seal element in order to engage catch elements both facing in the same direction. 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to be adaptable to a variety of wall thicknesses and orientations. 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a tag that may be easily removed and used to serve some commercial purpose. 
     These and yet further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following, detailed specification, drawings, and appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts or elements throughout the several views, and in which solid arrowheads point to compound objects whose numbered resolution into constituent parts occurs when it is germane to the discussion: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of the seal element of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 taken along lines  2 — 2 . 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 after being bent at each end. 
     FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.  1  and bent as in FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention in its entirety. 
     FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a remainder of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 after portions of it have been severed and removed. 
     FIG. 7 shows the same elements as in FIG. 6 but after the movement of one of these elements part of the way through the other. 
     FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of the seal element of the present invention 
     FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of the embodiment of the catch elements shown in FIG. 5 but on a larger scale. 
     FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the element shown in FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the element shown in FIG. 10 taken along lines  11 — 11 . 
     FIG. 12 is a side view of one of the elements shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 after its attachment to a generic, thin wall by a deformable, hardenable substance. 
     FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of the elements shown in FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of a third embodiment of the seal element of the present invention on the scale of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG.  14  and taken along lines  15 — 15 . 
     FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, but bent in the same manner as the first seal embodiment shown in FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 17 is a fractional, greatly enlarged, front perspective view of a forth embodiment of the seal element of the present invention, emphasizing a salient point thereof. 
     FIG. 18 is a fractional, greatly enlarged, front perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the seal element of the present invention, emphasizing a salient point thereof. 
     FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 18 taken along lines  19 — 19  and enlarged in scale. 
     FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the seal embodiment represented by FIG. 18 taken along lines  20 — 20  and on the scale of FIG.  19 . 
     FIG. 21 is a rear perspective view of a second embodiment of the catch element of the present invention, suited to the third embodiment of the seal element shown in FIGS. 14 to  16  and enlarged relative thereto in scale. 
     FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the element shown in FIG. 21 taken along lines  22 — 22 . 
     FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the element shown in FIG. 21 taken along lines  23 — 23 . 
     FIG. 24 is an oblique, perspective view of a portion of an arbitrary, thin-walled container. 
     FIG. 25 is a partially, broken away side perspective view of the catch element in FIG. 21 in locking engagement with the thin-walled, container portion shown in FIG.  24 . 
     FIG. 26 is a side perspective view of a third embodiment of the catch element of the present invention, suited to the seal element of FIGS. 14 to  16 . 
     FIG. 27 is a side perspective view of a spring-clip device. 
     FIG. 28 is a rear perspective view of the elements shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 in clasping engagement with each other. 
     FIG. 29 is a side perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the catch element of the present invention. 
     FIG. 30 is a front perspective view of a liquor cabinet to which are attached two catch elements of the present invention. 
     FIG. 31 is a detail of FIG.  30 . 
     FIG. 32 is the detail of FIG. 30 after the insertion and locking engagement of a first embodiment of the seal element of the present invention with the two catch elements shown in FIG.  30 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 shows seal element  100  having ID-tag  110 . Left half-midsection  130 , or simply left arm  130 , has medial cylindrical segment  131  and distal cylindrical segment  135 , both sharing the same axis and radius. Joining  131  to  135  is a coaxial, like-radiused segment of  130  that, however, has three, substantially coplanar, parallel, thin sections  132 ,  133 , and  134 , each formed by a pair of oppositely-placed, 60°, wedge-shaped cut-outs. At the distal end of  130  and smoothly joining  135  is tapered segment  136 . Abutting segment  136  at flat face  137  is rounded stud  138  having short, calendrical, end stub  139 . Stud  138  is rotationally symmetric, sharing the axis of symmetry of members  131  and  135 . The largest radius, however, of stud  138  is greater than the radius of the remainder of  130 , for the sake of illustration being 20% larger in FIG.  1 . The radius of stub  139  is substantially smaller than the radius of  131 . 
     Right half-midsection  120 , a.k.a. right arm  120 , has medial cylindrical segment  121  and distal cylindrical segment  125 , both sharing the same axis and radius, these being the same as the axis and radius of  131 . Joining  121  to  125  is a coaxial, like-radiused segment of  120  that, however, has three, substantially coplanar, parallel, thin sections  122 ,  123 , and  124 , each formed by a pair of oppositely-placed, 60°, wedge-shaped cut-outs. At the distal end of  120  and smoothly joining  125  is tapered segment  126 , identical in form and dimensions to segment  136 . Abutting section  126  at flat face  127  is rounded stud  128 , identical in form and dimensions to stud  138  and having short calendrical end stub  129  identical to  139 . Stud  128  shares the axis of symmetry of members  121  and  125 . 
     Most importantly, gap  140  separates arm  120  from arm  130 , which thus are connected only to ID-tag  110  and not directly to each other. Furthermore, the connection to tag  110  is by a separation means, here perforation teeth  113 , of which seven are shown on each side of  100 . Perforation teeth  113  are shown to be as thick as tag  10  itself, in practice about 0.04″. They are thus somewhat thicker than the perforation teeth shown in FIG. 8 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673. This is because teeth  113  serve a structural purpose, that of maintaining the integrity of seal element  100  as a whole during unstressed use and normal storage. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,673 the perforation teeth needed merely to hold the tag onto the seal&#39;s midsection, a task requiring somewhat less strength. 
     Seal-element embodiment  100  has one plane of symmetry, namely the medial plane passing centrally though gap  140  perpendicularly to tag  110 . 
     At the ends of tag  110  are gaps  114  and  115  which not only make tearing-off tag  110  easier, but which also serve as visual cues to an unfamiliar user that tag  110  can be torn off, perforations generally being interpreted to mean that a thing is tear-offable. 
     ID-tag  110  also carries identifier  111 , here an integrally formed, as by molding, raised serial number. The serial number might also be hot-stamped on, though there is a distinct advantage to using a raised identifier: it provides a convenient gripping aid for fingers wanting to tear off tag  110 . Below  111  is blank space  112 , which may be variously used, as to write or imprint a message on, or for a company logo, etc. 
     FIG. 2 shows gap  140  between seal arms  130  and  120  more clearly. Thin sections  122 ,  123 ,  124 , and  132 ,  133 ,  134  function essentially as hinges. The polypropylenes, from which many tamper-evident seals are molded, are well known as a “‘living hinge’ thermoplastic[s]” (see  Plastics Engineering Handbook of the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc , by Michael L. Berns, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1991, p.54). Controlling the degree to which a plastic resin is “filled”, sometimes with glass, or carbon, or other fibers, is a means for closely controlling its brittleness. In the present case, there is a bias toward flexibility, so that the seal&#39;s thin-section hinges do not break easily when stressed. Unlike the usual tamper-evident seal, which breaks most readily at the junctions of its studs (or linear ratchets) with its remaining elements, here, there actually is a benefit to keeping the seal flexible enough so that the little perforation teeth each, individually, become the weakest points of the structure, though they remain stronger in sum on either side of  100  than that side&#39;s junction of its stud with its half-midsection or than its hinge sections. The authorized user and, of course, the miscreant will likely see at once that the best way to open the seal is simply by tearing off ID-tag  110 . 
     FIG. 3 shows element  100  after arms  120  and  130  have been bent at right angles, as their “hinges” anticipate they will be. Note that with three, 60°, wedge-shaped cutouts to work with, a 90° turn demands relatively modest material elasticity. 
     FIG. 4 shows a version of tag  110  in which area  112   m  of blank space  112  has been given a matte finish to create a writing surface. One Joe Smith, evidently, has signed the tag. 
     FIG. 5 shows seal element  100  in locking engagement with two, identical plug-type catches  300 , each threaded to receive identical nut  310 . These elements are described in detail below. 
     FIG. 6 shows the remainder of seal  100  after tag  110  has been torn off and arm  120  has been removed along with the tag. All that&#39;s left is arm  130 , with remnants of perforation teeth  113  still attached to section  131 . Flat end  143  of arm  130  was once the left face of gap  140 . 
     FIG. 7 shows segment  131  about to be pushed into and possibly through plug-catch  300 . In an arbitrary, thin walled container, where it may not be practical or possible to see the rear of plug-catch  300 , finger  80  pushing on end  143  may leave the last few millimeters of segment  131  in catch  300 . Or, segment  131  may indeed fall out and plop down into the space between, say, sheet metal walls, as perhaps of a file cabinet. Should segment  131  stick in  300 , that&#39;s okay, however, because segment  131  is smaller in diameter than the greatest diameter of stud  138  and so will not strain the resilient, relatively tougher material, possibly a nylon or a polycarbonate, from which plug-catch  300  is made. The reason for end stubs  139  and  129  now becomes clear. When a replacement seal is installed, cylindrical end stubs  139  and  129  help the user to push any leftover portion of a previous seal out of catch  300 . By contrast, rounded ends or tapered, leader-like ends, common among seal designs, would be unhelpful in removing such leftovers. 
     FIG. 8 shows second, non-symmetric embodiment  900  of the present invention&#39;s seal element. Arms  920  and  930  are unequal in length, as are also their corresponding components  921  and  931 , and  925  and  935 . Components  926 ,  936 ,  927 ,  937 ,  928 ,  938 ,  929 , and  939  are identical to their analogously number components of seal element  100 . We note that, unlike arm  130 , arm  930  has a group  950  of four, rather the three, “hinge” sections, as a group analogous to  132 ,  133 , and  134 , each “hinge” being formed by a pair of oppositely-placed, 60°, wedge-shaped cut-outs. With four “hinges” on arm  930 , seal embodiment  900  more easily wraps around a corner. Note that seal  900  has eight perforation teeth  913  on each side, one more than seal  100 . Gaps  915  and  914  are negligibly shorter than, but fulfil the same purpose as, gaps  113  and  114 . 
     FIG. 9 shows a first embodiment  300  of the plug-type catch of the present invention, having cylindrical body  301  and cylindrical flange  302 . Flange  302  has flat, rear surface  303 , rim  304 , and filleted front edge  305 . About body  301  and integrally formed with it are threads  320 , which mate with hex nut  310 . Plug catch  300  is open at both ends, with cylindrical, inner surface  335  here showing. 
     FIG. 10 shows three, symmetrically placed, resilient fingers  331 ,  332 , and  333 , which together move apart as seal element  100  is forced through them, then spring back to lockably engage stud  138 , alternatively stud  128 , such that the engaged stud may not be withdrawn without breaking off from its respective tapered element,  136  or  126 , in the usual manner. The interior of plug catch  300  is formed, apart from these resilient fingers and their adjacent, interrupted surfaces, by cylindrical surfaces  334 ,  335 , and  336 . 
     FIG. 11 shows threads  320  in cross-section, in particular showing that thread root  321  can be made the closest approach of threads  320  to rear surface  303  of flange  302 . Such a design is useful for attaching plug  300  to a thin-walled container having a wall thick-ness only slightly less than thread root  321 . 
     Such an arrangement is shown in FIG.  12 . Wall  810  has wall thickness  811  slightly less than thread root  321 . When plug-catch  300  is turned in a round aperture formed in wall  810 , provided that the aperture&#39;s diameter is very sightly greater than distance d in the figure, plug catch  300  will be drawn into the aperture until flange  302  is brought up snug against wall  810 . Plug catch  300  may then be secured by nut  310 , or else by blob  850  of epoxy putty pressed into and around the junction of plug-catch  300  and wall  810 , as shown, and allowed to harden. 
     FIG. 13 shows plug-catch  300  as it would appear from an end-user&#39;s perspective following its secure attachment to generic, thin wall  810 . 
     FIG. 14 shows third embodiment  200  of the seal element of the present invention, having flat rather than rounded constituent elements to simplify mold making, and having at its extremities short, right and left linear ratchets, RLR and LLR, respectively, instead of single studs. Each linear ratchet will lockably engage a suitably formed plug-catch, of which several forms are described in detail below. Right and left arms  220  and  230  have half-midsections  221  and  231  and least-cross-sectional portions  222  and  232 , respectively. Although shown to be equal in length, portions  222  and  232  might also be unequal, as are arms  920  and  930  of seal embodiment  900 . Portions  222  and  232  here assume the hinge function of the thin-section hinges of seal embodiments  100  and  900 , and so allow embodiment  200  to be bent. Right and left linear ratchet RLR and LLR have top and bottom plates  223  and  224 , and  233  and  234 , respectively, between which are triangular elements  251 ,  253 , and  255 , and  241 ,  243 , and  245 , respectively. Flat faces  242 ,  244 , and  246  of the triangular elements of LLR each function analogously to flat surface  137  of stud  138 . RLR has faces  252 ,  254 , and  256  (see FIG. 15) each of which functions analogously to surface  127  of stud  128 . Tag  210  is identical to tag  110 , having identifier  211 , blank space  212 , separation means  213 , again perforation teeth, seven for each side of  200 , and starter gaps  214  and  215 . RLR attaches through its element  225  to portion  222  of  220 , and LLR attaches through its element  235  to portion  232  of  230 . Elements  225  and  235  are not greater in cross-sectional area than any other member of their respective, dimensionally identical linear ratchets. Thus arm  220  will break preferentially either at the junction of  222  and  225  or at the junction of  222  and  221 , where arm  220  is understood to include RLR itself. Likewise, arm  230  will break preferentially either at the junction of  232  and  235  or at the junction of  232  with  231 , where arm  230  is understood to include LLR itself. 
     Most importantly, gap  240  separates arms  220  and  230 , which are thus connected only to ID-tag  200  and not directly to each other. Furthermore, the connection to tag  210  is by a separation means, here perforation teeth  213 . Note that, although the upper surfaces of midsections  221  and  231  are respectively coplanar with the upper surfaces of plates  223  and  233  and with each other, the bottom surfaces of midesctions  221  and  231  lie somewhat above the coplanar bottom surfaces of plates  224  and  234 . This allows perforation teeth  213 , after being severed, to pass more easily into and through the plug catches. 
     FIG. 15 shows more clearly the cross-sectional relationships just described. In their aggregate on either side of seal  200 , perforation teeth  213  are stronger than the junction of  222  with either  225  or  221 , or of the junction of  232  with either  235  or  231 , but are much weaker individually. 
     FIG. 15 also emphasizes that the ends of RLR and LLR are blunt in order serve the same dislodging purpose as the stubs  129  and  139  of seal element  100 . 
     FIG. 16 emphasizes the flexibility of least cross-sectional elements  222  and  232 , which permit respective arms  220  and  230  to be bent, here at right angles. This allows seal element  200  to be used with catches whose front surfaces are, for example, in substantially parallel alignment. 
     FIG. 17 shows an alternative form for the perforation teeth used to connect the tag of the present invention to the remainder thereof, and, at the same time, to maintain the structural integrity the whole. Now the teeth that join the seal-element&#39;s two, otherwise-unconnected half-midsections are oppositely slanted. 
     In FIG. 17, fourth seal-element embodiment  150 , identical in all respects except its perforation teeth to embodiment  100 , has arms  170  and  180 , which in turn have half-midsections  171  and  181 , respectively, separated by gap  190 . The separation means of seal embodiment  150  comprises slanted perforation teeth  167 , connecting tag  160  to seal half-midsection  170 , and oppositely slanted (i.e. slanted oppositely with respect to seal element  150 &#39;s medial plane) perforation teeth  168 , connecting tag  160  to seal half-midsection  180 . The opposite slanting of teeth  167  and  168  gives rise to gap  191  at the top of tag  160  that is wider than gap  190 . 
     Teeth  168  slant away from gap  164  at the left end of tag  160 , here the end nearest to arm  180 , meeting seal half-midsection  181  in arced, acutely-angled, junctions  165 . The acute angle at the junctions  165  compared to the oblique angle formed by each tooth  168  where it meets tag  160  nearest to gap  164 , concentrates any force tending to tear off tag  160 , usually a twisting force as represented here by the large, right-and-upward-sweeping arrow, at the top of the perforation teeth, thus preferentially severing them nearer to half-midsection  181  than to tag  160 . This design seeks to minimize the amount of residual material left behind on half-midsection  181  after tag removal, in order to smooth the passage of  181  into and through plug-like catches  300 . Similarly for half-midsection  171 . The opposite slanting of teeth  167  and  168  furthermore increases the structural stability of seal element  150  as a whole over the stability of seal element  100  as a whole. 
     FIG. 18 shows fifth embodiment  250  of the seal element of the present invention, identical in all respects to seal element  200  except for the separation means used to connect tag  260  to arms  270  and  280 . Here, perforations are not used, rather the separation means comprises two abscission strips,  267  and  268 , connected respectively to arms  270  and  280 . Gap  290  separates arms  270  and  280 , and strips  267  and  268 . At the distal end of strip  268  is gap  264 , which serves both to facilitate tearing in the direction shown by the large, right-and-upward-sweeping arrow and as a visual cue that tearing-off is possible. 
     FIG. 19 shows that strip  268  is narrower where it meets arm  280  than where it meets tag  260 , so that the junction line  265  is acutely angled. Strip  268 &#39;s cross-section is small compared to the cross-section either of tag  260  or arm  280 . Thus strip  268  will sever preferentially nearer to arm  280  than to tag  260  when a twisting force is applied. 
     FIG. 20 shows tag  260  in its entirety from above after separation from seal element  250 . Gap  262  serves strip  267  as gap  264  serves strip  268 . Note that gap  290  is continued between strips  267  and  268 , and that strips  267  and  268  are oppositely slanted with respect to the medial plane of symmetry of seal element  250 , excluding, of course, asymmetric, raised, serial number  269  and strips  267  and  268  themselves. This opposite slanting once again increases stability over a simpler, in-line configuration. 
     FIG. 21 shows second embodiment  400  of the catch elements of the present invention, suitable for lockably engaging rectilinear embodiment  200  of the seal element shown in FIGS. 14 to  16 . Generally cylindrical body  401  has opposite, flat sides  405  and  407 , and flange  402  has rear surface  403 . Body  401  has inside surface  435  from which resilient, internal fingers  431  and  432  extend. After seal  200  has been pushed into plug-catch  400 , fingers  431  and  432  snap back in turn behind triangular members  241 ,  243 , and  245 , or members  251 ,  253 , and  255  of seal  200 , thus lockably engaging  200 , in the usual manner. Integrally formed with  400 , as by molding, are external, resilient fingers  451  and  452 . 
     FIG. 22 shows fingers  431  and  432 , and aperture  434  in face  406  of flange  402 , through which seal element  200  passes. Flange  402  has angled rim  404 . 
     FIG. 23 shows external, resilient fingers  451  and  452 , integrally formed with body  401 . Finger  451  ends in flat surface  453  parallel to rear surface  403  of flange  402 , and finger  452  ends in flat surface  454  also parallel to surface  403 . Surfaces  453  and  454  are equally distant from surface  403 . 
     FIG. 24 shows a portion of generic, thin-walled container  800 , having side wall  821 , front wall  822  with outer surface  802 , and second side wall  823 . Side walls  821  and  823  are close together, perhaps ¾″, and offer little room for the insertion of a plug catch, much less for turning a nut, such as  310 . Container  800  can, however, be easily provided with aperture  824  similar to a cam-lock aperture, being cylindrical except for opposite, flat sides  805  and  807 . If plug catch  400  is now inserted into aperture  824 , flat sides  805  and  807  will orient  400  so that fingers  451  and  452  come into contact with aperture  824 &#39;s cylindrical, top and bottom surfaces. As plug-catch  400  is pushed into  824 , fingers  451  and  452  will be compressed toward body  401  of catch  400 . Fully compressed, fingers  451  and  452  will just pass through aperture  824 . Flange  402 , however, cannot pass though. Circle  803  indicates the size of surface  403  relative to aperture  824 . 
     FIG. 25 shows plug catch  400  just after being pushed into aperture  824  and far as it will go. Resilient fingers  451  and  452  have snapped back up, so that surfaces  453  and  454  now abut the rear of wall  822 , and so that flange  402  is held against outer surface  802 . Catch  400  is now fixed in place and ready for use. 
     FIG. 26 shows third embodiment  500  of the catch elements of the present invention, suited to embodiment  200  of the seal element, and adapted both to especially thin-walled and to especially thick-walled containers. Just behind rear surface  503  of flange  502  are coplanar slots  571 ,  573 ,  575 , and  577  (see also FIG.  28 ), and a distance farther down body  504  are coplanar slots  572 ,  574 ,  576  and  578  (see also FIG.  28 ). Each set of four slots contains two, mirror-image pairs, set ninety degrees apart. 
     FIG. 27 shows spring-steel clip  550  having legs  551  and  552  and curved, top member  559 . Legs  551  and  552  have arched middle segments  555  and  556  and short, humped portions  553  and  557 , and  554  and  558 , respectively, at either end. Top member  559  has straight, flat edge  560  orthogonal to legs  551  and  552 . 
     In FIG. 28 clip  550  is shown in clasping engagement with plug-catch  500 . Clip  550  has been pressed down into slots  574  and  578 , until being stopped by the contact of edge  560  with the bottom of slot  572 , i.e. with body  504 . Arched middle sections  555  and  556  remain slightly compressed by slots  574  and  578 , respectively. Humped portions  553  and  554 , having passed through slots  575  and  578  under somewhat greater compression, have now passed beyond the slots. Their form is somewhat changed due to the remaining compression of arms  551  and  552 , however they are not able, unless forced backwards through slots  574  and  578 , to pass through the slots unforced, i.e. to slip out. A screwdriver tip placed against curved top portion  559  and jerked upward will quickly remove clip  550 . 
     Rear slots  572 ,  574 ,  576 , and  578  are useful especially for wood constructions, where wall thicknesses are typically ¾″. Font slots  571 ,  573 ,  575 , and  577  are useful for very thin, sheet-metal constructions. 
     FIG. 29 shows a fourth embodiment  600  of the catch elements of the present invention that is similar to catch  300 , except that it has four, symmetrically-placed, flat sides, two of which,  605  and  607 , are shown. Threads  620 , are interrupted by the four flat sides of 60°, yet mate in a continuous manner with nut  310  just as do threads  320  of plug catch  300 . Plug-catch  600  can be useful where a cam-lock hole permits the use of a securing nut. 
     Note that any embodiment of the seal element of the present invention might be used with two different embodiments of the catch elements. Depending on the specific circumstances of an application, seal element  200  might, for example, be used with one, fully-threaded catch, in the manner of plug-catch  300 , and with a spring-clip catch, in the manner of plug-catch  500 . 
     FIG. 30 shows wooden liquor cabinet  700  having top  731 , bottom  732 , sides  733  and  734 , back  735  and shelf  736 . Right rack members  742  and  741  hold bottle  722 , and left rack members  745  and  746  hold bottle  723 . Cabinet  700  has left glass door  715 , comprising glass pane  716 , glass hinges  717  and  718 , and edge piece  719 , and right glass door  710  comprising glass pane  711 , glass hinges  712  and  713 , and edge piece  714 . Bottle  721  is inside cabinet  700  as is a pair of wine glasses  724 . Someone, we see, must&#39;ve been nipping at the sauce, correction, appears to have been enjoying the nice wine in bottle  721 , for the cork is partly withdrawn. Perhaps we are in a room at an expensive hotel, or at a private club, of just at home. Plug catches  300  are built into cabinet  700 , one in each glass door. 
     FIG. 31 shows plug catches  300  both attached by nuts  310  from behind glass panes  716  and  711 . The catches  300  are unobtrusive and can be made in colors matched to various woods or to tinted glass. 
     FIG. 32 shows seal element  100  lockably engaged in plug catches  300 . Tag blank space  112  displays the word “Welcome” in raised letters. Maybe cabinet  700  is in a resort hotel somewhere out in the blue, beautiful Carribean. Ahh. After a guest, the authorized user, removes tag  110 , then his/her bill will be charged for whatever bottles he/she opens or takes. The room porter explains to the guest on arrival that he/she may redeem the tag for a discount or a premium of some sort, or perhaps for a free cab ride home from a restaurant, at any time during the guest&#39;s stay. The porter records the number of the tag and assigns it to the guest&#39;s room in the hotel&#39;s computer. If the guest redeems the tag for the premium, there rarely will be a dispute later that he/she did consume or otherwise make use of the beverages. 
     Inasmuch as modifications and alterations apparent to one skilled in the art may be made in the herein described embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative, and not in a limiting, sense with respect to the invention claimed in the following claims and equivalents thereto.