Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a bar seal for a shipping container that indicates if the bar seal has been tampered with during the shipment of goods. The bar seal uses the following mechanisms to indicate tampering: a unique marking mechanism, a reusable locking mechanism, and a temporary sealing mechanism for sealing a shipping container.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to security systems and more particularly, to security bar seals for shipping containers. 
     Most bar seals for shipping containers are by necessity one time use bar seals. This is defined to mean that once a bar seal is locked on to a shipping container, the bar seal will have to be cut to open the container. 
     The present invention is directed to a bar seal that allows the user of the bar seal to use the bar seal with or without permanently locking the bar seal to the shipping container and at the same time provide a security mechanism that will allow the user not to have to cut the bar seal. The invention also provides a marking mechanism that will indicate tampering with the bar seals. 
     It is foreseen that the bar seal of the present invention will be used in two scenarios. 
     Scenario one, involves exporters sending goods in shipping containers from inland locations to seaports. In many countries, the goods transported by land will pass through check points wherein containers will be ordered opened by authorities prior to reaching seaports. In order to prevent theft, most exporters seal containers prior to shipping the containers by land. In most instances, when a container that has been sealed by a bar seal is ordered open, the bar seal will have to be cut and a new bar seal will have to be placed on the container. If there are many check points between the inland location and the seaport, then the costs associated with replacing the bar seals would be taxing on the exporter. An embodiment of the present invention will allow exporters to place temporary seals on the bar seals when transporting shipping containers by land, thereby allowing them to secure their containers without having them permanently sealed. Upon the containers reaching the seaport, the bar seals have a locking mechanism that permanently locks the containers after the containers are inspected. 
     Scenario two uses another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment uses a reusable locking mechanism. This embodiment would be used when shipping containers by land. By using a marking mechanism along with the reusable locking mechanism and the temporary seal, transporters of shipping containers will prevent the containers from being compromised during shipment. Upon the containers reaching their final destination, the temporary seals would be cut, the reusable locking mechanisms would be opened, and the marking mechanisms would be checked to ensure that the bar seals were not compromised. 
     The inventor devised a marking mechanism that involves the assigning of random color codes to individual elements of the bar seals along with placing random specific codes on the elements of the bar seals. The codes are placed on the bar seals because thieves monitor shippers&#39; behaviors. Thieves tend to work around the safeguards shippers put in place. By using the random color codes and placing the random specific codes on the individual elements of bar seals, he has devised a way of identifying any tampering with the bar seals, thereby reducing the chances that shipments protected with his bar seals will be compromised by thieves. 
     Several bar seals have been developed in the past, however, the inventor believes that the closest references correspond to his own U.S. patents and a pending U.S. patent application: U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,846 B1, issued on Jun. 3, 2008 for Bar Seal for Container; U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,512, issued on May 16, 2006 for Bar Seal for Shipping Container; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/164,551, filed on Jun. 30, 2008 for Bar seal For Shipping Container. However, the above references differ from the present invention. Specifically, the present invention includes the following non-obvious tamper resistant elements: a marking mechanism; a reusable locking mechanism; and a temporary sealing mechanism for temporary sealing a shipping container. 
     For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a bar seal having a unique marking mechanism, a reusable locking mechanism, and a temporary sealing mechanism for sealing a shipping container. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention is directed to a bar seal for a shipping container that indicates if the bar seal has been tampered with during the shipment of goods. The bar seal uses the following mechanisms to indicate tampering; a unique marking mechanism, a reusable locking mechanism, and a temporary sealing mechanism for sealing a shipping container. 
     The bar seal comprises of an elongated bar, a U-shaped bracket, a locking bracket, a mount, and a locking means. In one embodiment the locking means will be a pin and in another embodiment the locking means will be a lock. 
     In a further embodiment of this application, a temporary seal shall be used with the bar seal. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the elongated bar, the U-shaped bracket, and the locking bracket and mount shall be randomly assigned a color code and might be further uniquely marked. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide shippers with a unique marking mechanism. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide shippers with a reusable bar seal when shipping containers by land. 
     A further object of the present invention is to allow shippers the ability to attach a temporary seal to reusable or one way bar seals. 
     Still a further object of the present invention is to allow shipper to identify tampering with a bar seal of shipping containers. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and drawings where: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of an elongated bar used with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a U-shaped bracket used with the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the locking bracket used with the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the elongated bar mounted on the locking bracket of the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  shows a cross sectional view of the elongated bar mounted on the locking bracket of the present invention, wherein a pin functions as the locking means of the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  shows perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the bar seal is fixedly attached to a shipping container; 
         FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein a push lock is used as the locking means; 
         FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of the second embodiment, wherein the lock is shown attached to the mount of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of the elongated bar mounted on the locking bracket of the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  shows a cross sectional view of the elongated bar mounted on the locking bracket of the present invention, wherein a push lock functions as the locking means of the second embodiment; and 
         FIG. 12  shows perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the bar seal is fixedly attached to a shipping container. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     As seen in  FIGS. 1-4  a bar seal  100  for shipping containers, comprising elongated bar  10 , a U-shaped bracket  12 , a locking bracket  14 , a mount  16 , and a locking means  20 / 200  for locking the bar seal  100  after the bar seal has been placed on a container. 
     The elongated bar  10  has a first  10   a  and a second end  10   b , the second end  10   b  of the bar  10  is bent at an angle  10   c  that is perpendicular to the bar  10 , the first end  10   a  of the elongated bar  10  defines a plurality of apertures  10   d  centrally positioned on the bar  10  and running from the first end  10   a  of the bar toward the second end  10   b  of the bar, the elongated bar  10  is stamped  10   e  with words running from the second end  10   b  toward the first end  10   a  and one of the words being a code, thereby allowing any user of the elongated bar to identify any tampering with the elongated bar. The user would identify tampering by seeing welds running across the stamped code. 
     The U-shaped bracket  12  defines two U-shaped bracket apertures  12   b  that are coplanar and parallel to each other and have a width and height that allows the elongated bar  10  to pass trough the U-shaped bracket apertures  12   b , the U-shaped bracket apertures  12   b  are adjacent to the ends of the U, the U-shaped bracket  12  defines a lip  12   c  and the lip is stamped  12   d  with a code, the elongated bar  10  is slideably mounted on the U-shaped bracket  12 . 
     The locking bracket  14  is semi-U-shaped and has a first  14   a  and a second end  14   b , the first end  14   a  defines a locking bracket aperture  14   c  that is adjacent to the first end  14   a  and has a width and height that allows the bar  10  to pass through, the locking bracket aperture  14   c  has a top  14   c   1  and a bottom  14   c   2 , the second end  14   b  is bent  14   d  perpendicularly outward from the first end  14   a  so that the second end  14   b  of the locking bracket  14  is substantially coplanar with the bottom of the locking bracket aperture  14   c   2 , the second end  14   b  of the locking bracket  14  has an upper  14   e  and a lower side  14   f , the second end  14   b  of the locking bracket  14  further comprises of a centrally positioned receiver  14   g.    
     The mount  16  has an upper  16   a  and a lower side  16   b , the mount  16  defines a centrally positioned mount aperture  16   c  and a protrusion  16   d  that runs flush with the upper side  16   a  of the mount  16 , the protrusion  16   d  defines a protrusion aperture  16   d   1 , the mount  16  is stamped  16   e  with a code, the lower side of the mount  16   b  is fixedly attached to the second end  14   b  of the locking bracket  14  so that a channel  18  is defined between the mount  14  and the locking bracket  16  and the channel  18  defined is coplanar and parallel to the locking bracket aperture  16   c , the elongated bar  10  is slideably mounted on the locking bracket  14  and the mount  16 . 
     And, the locking means  20 / 200  is attached to the mount  16  and is locked to the receiver  14   g  alter the elongated bar  10  is passed through the channel  18 . 
     The bar seal  100  is made of steel, the steel might be galvanized. In one embodiment of the present invention, the elongated bar  10 , the U-shaped bracket  12 , and the locking bracket  14  might be made of different colors of steel. 
     In a further embodiment of the present invention, the locking means is a pin  20 . 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the locking mechanism is a push lock  200 . 
     In a further embodiment of the present invention, the bar seal  100  for shipping containers further comprises of a temporary seal  22 , the temporary seal  22  would be used by placing the temporary seal  22  through the protrusion aperture  16   d   1  of the mount  16  and one of the elongated bar apertures  10   d.    
     The bar seal  100  for shipping containers of the present invention is used by first providing the bar seal  100 . Then, providing a shipping container, the shipping container has two doors and each door has a bar lock. Next, placing the U-shaped bracket on one of the bar locks of the shipping container so that the ends of the U-shaped bracket point outward from the container. Then, sliding the elongated bar through the U-shaped bracket aperture of the U-shape bracket. Next, placing the locking bracket on the other bar lock of the shipping container so that the ends of the locking bracket point outward from the container. Then, sliding the elongated bar through the locking bracket aperture and the mount. Lastly, applying the locking means. 
     In another embodiment of the method of use of the present invention, the method would further comprise the steps of providing a temporary seal and placing the temporary seal through the protrusion aperture and one of the elongated bar apertures. 
     An advantage of the present invention is that it provides shippers with a unique marking mechanism. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides shippers with a reusable bar seal when shipping containers by land. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that it allows shippers the ability to attach a temporary seal to reusable or one way bar seals. 
     Still a further advantage of the present invention is that it allows shippers to identify tampering with bar seals of shipping containers. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore the spirit and the scope of the claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.