Improvements in Seals for Car Doors and other Objects.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Seals for Car Doors and other Objects.
We FRANK WELLINGTON WOOD, of No. 150 Nassau Street New York City,
New York, ALDEN MARCH YOUNG, of No. 95 North Willow Street Waterbury
Connecticut and WILLARD BLODGETT HOSMER, of No. 295 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston Massachusetts United States of America do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of improvements in the construction of seals for car doors
and other objects, whereby it is designed to provide simple and cheap but efficient
seals of thin sheet metal, and contrived for greater security against fraudulent use.
The blank consists of the strip of tin which is of uniform width for the most part
of its length, but having a wider section near one end which projects a short
distance beyond said wider section, in one way of construction; it has another
section wider than itself but much narrower than the said wider section, these two
sections being separated by a short section of like width as the principal portion
of the strip.
The wider section is looped back over the section of lesser width, and the
extremity of the wider section bent to form a hook, the margin or lips of said
section of lesser width are bent upward and lips of the wider section are bent
upward at the sides of lips of the narrow section, and then the lips of the two
sections are turned over in the seams whereby the narrow lips engage the wider
lips forming the sides of a box so as to hold them so securely that the box cannot
be restored after opening without showing indications of unauthorized tampering.
A hook is formed on the other end of the strip, and the strip is doubled on itself
to connect in a staple or the like, and the last mentioned hook is forced in the box
under the hook therein for sealing from which it cannot be withdrawn without
such damage as will prevent further use of the seal without detection.
The entire seal thus consists of a single piece of sheet metal and is substantially
made very simply and without rivetting or soldering. It may however be made in
parts soldered or otherwise joined together.
The lips of the section of lesser width may be dispensed with, the lips being
folded down flat on the surface of said narrow section if desired, but the seal is
more substantial and reliable with said lips.
In another form of construction the extension of the wider section is made a little
longer for the purpose of making the box hook longer and more elastic and to
provide a part looped back under the point of the hook to serve as a spring to
thrust up the point for more certain action in engaging the hook to be inserted, a
slot is provided along the part of the strip represented by the narrower section and
the lips are extended a little wider and inserted through the slot and clinched on
the inside.
In this case too the thickness may be re-enforced of the part of the shank that

page_text: occupies the mouth of the opening in the end of the box for inserting the hook to
he engaged, said re-enforcement being preferably made by doubling the strip back
on itself, but the thickness may be increased in any other approved way as by
soldering or otherwise securing one or more layers of like material thereon. This
thickened portion of the shank entirely cluses the open end of the hook box through
which the hook is inserted so that no instrument of any kind can be inserted for
disengaging the hooks, as might be the case without the greater thickness, the said
opening being made necessarily wider than the single thickness of the shank to
admit the bent over part of the hook.
It is known that the shank of a seal hook has been corrugated in the part occupy-
ing the mouth of the opening to fill the same; and no claim is made for such a device
which can be reduced by stretching out the corrugations and can be restored again
by compressing the corrugations without visible evidence of tampering, the present
invention comprising a practically solid re-enforcement that cannot be so
manipulated without manifest evidence of such violation.
It will be seen that the box hook is a fixture within the box, and the box has only
one opening and one part to be inserted for effecting the locking connection of the
seal, and said opening is arranged in the relation to the part of the strip joined to
the box whereby it forms a gage or guideway which facilitates the inserting of
the hooked end of the strip, which is especially advantageous in the dark.
Dated August 26th 1896.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Seals for Car Doors and other Objects.
We FRANK WELLINGTON WOOD, of 150 Nassau Street New York City,
New York, ALDEN MARCH YOUNG, of No. 95 North Willow Street Waterbury
Connecticut, and WILLARD BLODGETT HOSMER, of 295 Commonwealth Avenue,
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentlemen, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention consists of improvements in the construction of seals for car doors
and other objects, whereby it is designed to provide simple and cheap but efficient
seals of thin sheet metal, and contrived for greater security against fraudulent use
as hereinafter described reference being made to the accompanying drawings in
which:-
Fig. 1, is a plan view of the blank of which the seal is made.
Fig. 2, is an end elevation of the partly folded blank.
Fig. 3, is an end elevation of the blank showing an additional step in the folding.
Fig. 4, is an end elevation of the finished seal.
Fig. 5, is a side elevation of the seal in complete form.
Fig. 6, is a side elevation with the seal complete and locked, with the box in
section.
Fig. 7, is an end elevation of the complete seal as it may be made with some of
the elements of the other figures omitted.
Fig. 8, is a plan of the blank as we make it when it is desired to have the box hook
of longer and more elastic construction, and to clinch the edges of the sides of the
box for greater security.
Fig. 9, is a plan of the blank of fig. 8 partly folded.
1

page_text: Fig. 10, is an end elevation of the partly folded blank of fig 8:
Fig. 11, is 'a side elevation of the partly folded blank of fig 8.
Fig. 12, is a side elevation of the device of fig 8, showing another step in the
process of folding.
Fig. 13, is an end elevation of the device as represented in fig 12.
Fig. 14, is a side elevation of the seal produced from the blank of fig. 8, complete
and ready for being locked.
11
Fig. 15, is an end elevation of the complete seal as in fig 14.
Fig. 16, is a side elevation of the complete seal locked as in use.
Fig. 17, is a longitudinal section of the seal on line - fig 15, enlarged.
Fig. 18, is a transverse section on line y-y, fig 17.
1)
47:
The blank consists of a strip a of tin which is of uniform width for the most part
of its length, but having a wider section near one end which projects (in fig 1,
at c) a short distance beyond said wider section as is shown in Figs. 1 to 7,it has
another section d wider than itself but much narrower than the section b. these
two sections b and d being separated by a short section e of like width as the
principal portion of the strip.
The section bis looped back over the section d and the extremity. c, as shown in
fig. 6, bent to form a hook, the margin or lips f of section d are bent upwards as in
figs 2 and 3 and lips g of the wider section bare bent upward at the sides of the
lips f as in fig 3, and when they are turned over in the seams h' fig 4. whereby the
narrow lips f engage the wider lips g forming the sides of a box so as to hold them
so securely that the box cannot be restored after opening without showing
indications of unauthorized tampering.
The hook is formed on the other end of the strip preferably with the lip jand
the strip is doubled on itself as in fig 6 to connect in a staple or the like, and the
hook i is forced in the box under the hook c for sealing from which it cannot be
withdrawn without such damage as will prevent further use of the seal without
detection.
The entire seal thus consists of a single piece of sheet metal and is substantially
made very simply and without rivetting or soldering. It may however be made
in parts soldered or otherwise joined together.
The lips f may be dispensed with, the lips y being folded down flat on the surface
of section d as in fig 7 if desired, but. the seal is more substantial and reliable with
said lips f.
In the construction represented in figs 8 to 18 inclusive we have made the
extensions c a little longer for the purpose of making the box hook longer and more
elastic and to provide the part h looped back under the point to serve as a spring
to thrust up the point for incre certain action in engaging the hook i and instead
of the lips to engage the edges of lips g we have provided a slot k along the part
of the strip represented by section d, and extended lips a little wider and inserted
them through the slot and clinched them on the inside as represented in figs 17
and 18.
In this case too we have re-enforced the thickness of the shank n which is the
part that occupies the mouth of the opening in the end of the box for inserting
the hook i, said re-enforcement being preferably made by doubling the strip back
on itself as shown, but the thickness may be increased in any other approved way
as by soldering or otherwise securing one or more layers of like material thereon.
This thickened portion n of the shank entirely closes the open end of the hook box
through which the hook is inserted so that no instrument, of any kind can be
inserted for disengaging the hooks, as might be the case without the greater
thickness, the said opening being made necessarily wider than the simple thickness
of the shank to admit the bent over part of the hook.
We are aware that the shank of a seal hook has been corrugated in the part
occupying the mouth of the opening to fill the same, and we make no claim for
such a device which can be reduced by stretching out the corrugations and can be
restored again by compressing the corrugations without visible evidence of

page_text: tampering, we therefore base our claim on a practically solid re-enforcement that
cannot be so manipulated without manifest evidence of such violation.
It will be seen that the box hook is a fixture within the box, and the box has
only one opening and one part to be inserted for effecting the locking connection
of the seal, and said opening is arranged in the relation to the part of the strip
joined to the box whereby it forms a gauge or guide way which facilitates the
inserting of the hooked end of the strip, which is especially advantageous in the
dark.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The improved seal consisting of the metallic strip having the hook at one end
and the hook engaging box at the other end, said box formed of the wide section
doubled back on the strip with its lips consisting of portions of its lateral extensions
folded over both edges and lapped on the back of the portion of the strip on which
the said wide section is folded, and said box having an opening in one end adapted
to admit the hooked end of the strip and containing a hook for engaging said
hooked end of the strip substantially as described.
2. The improved seal consisting of the metallic strip having the hook at one end
and the hook engaging box at the other end, said box formed of the wide section
produced by extension of both edges of the strip and doubled back on the strip
with its lips folded over and lapped on each edge of the back of the strip, and
having an opening adapted to admit the hooked end of the strip, and the extension
of the strip beyond said wide extension forming the box hook to engage the inserted
hocked end of the strip substantially as described.
3. The improved seal consisting of the metallic strip having the hook at one end,
and the hook engaging box at the other end, said box formed of the wide section
produced by extension of both edges of the strip and doubled back on the strip and
secured thereon with other lips thereat, and having an opening adapted to admit
the hooked end of the strip, and the extension of the strip beyond the wide section
forming the box hook to engage the hooked end of the strip substantially as
described.
4. The improved seal consisting of the metallic strip having the hook at one end,
and the hook engaging box at the other end, said box formed of the laterally
extended parts of both edges of the strip near one end doubled back on the strip
and folded over on the back of the strip with the edges of these folded parts inserted
through a slot of the strip and clinched inside of the box, said box being open at one
end to receive the hook of the other end of the strip, and having a hook to engage
it substantially as described.
5. The improved seal consisting of the metallic strip having the hook at one end,
and the hook engaging box at the other end, said box formed of the laterally
extended parts of both edges of the strip near one end doubled back on the strip
and folded over on the back of the strip with the edges of the folded parts inserted
through a slot of the strip and clinched inside of the box, said box containing a hook
for engaging the hook at the end of the strip, and having an opening in the end
which joins the strip to admit the hooked end of the strip and being in such relation
to the part of the strip joined to the box that said part of the strip forms a guide
way to facilitate inserting the hooked end of the strip, and the shank of the hook
at the end of the strip having a practically solid re-enforced section adapted to fill
said opening substantially as described.
6. The improved seal consisting of the metallic strip having the hook at one end
and the hook engaging box at the other end, produced from the strip, said box
being open at one end to receive the hook of the other end of the strip, and having
the box hook to engage said other hook, said box hook having the part looped back
under the point for a spring to thrust up the point to engage the strip hook, the
shank of the latter hook having a practically solid re-enforced section to fill the

page_text: opening in the end of the hook box, and being incapable of reduction by stretching
and of restoration by compression substantially as described.
Dated the 17th day of June 1897.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London, for the Applicants.