Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 19th Nov.,
1898
Fig. 7 is a plan, and
Fig. 8, an edge elevation of a third modification of the same invention.
In these drawings, I have shown my invention applied to a fastening in which
the seal is of lead or other material adapted to be imprinted when it is clinched
into sealing form and position. But, as will further hereinafter appear, the
invention is in nowise limited to use with such seal, but is equally applicable
to other forms of seal.
The purpose of my invention is to provide a seal fastening whose inspection
requires a certain amount of manipulation of the parts which are secured by
the sealing, to the end that if the device has been tampered with since the last
inspection, such tampering may be unavoidably disclosed. This is effected by
providing the fastener with a serial number or other arbitrary succession of
identifying characters, which are so arranged on one or more parts which are
relatively movable without destroying the seal or breaking the lock that a part
of the characters are concealed at one position, and preferably so that when the
necessary movement is made to disclose these characters, other characters will be
concealed, so that in whatever position the parts stand when the fastening is in-
spected, it is necessary to handle the fastening and move the relatively movable
parts to a different position in order to read all the characters. These fastenings
being used on railway cars and mail and express bags and packages in transit, each
inspector through whose hands they must pass being required to record the
serial numbers, is compelled, in order to meet that requirement, to handle the
fastening and move the parts, and is thus compelled to observe whether they
have been tampered with.
In all the forms of seal to which this invention is shown applied in these
different figures, the general character of the structure is that a strap of flexible
material, such as commercial tin, adapted to be inserted through a staple or
other fastening of the package or door, carries at one end the sealing device
or seal proper, and is designed to have the other end inserted through the staple
037

page_text: and brought back to connection with the seal-carrying end where the two ends
are to be retained in connection by the seal, the loop thus formed through the
staple being the means of securing the seal in position and preventing the
unlocking of the package or door which can be effected only after rupture of
the strap at some point. Although made in one piece this strap has at its two
end portions, it will be seen, two distinguishable functions which might be
performed by two separate pieces. The end which is inserted through the staple
and afterward joined by the seal to the other part I term the securing strap
or bar," since it is adapted to perform this function whenever it is at one end
prevented from coming through the staple,-whether that prevention is due to
its integrality and continuity with the other piece which makes it form a loop
when folded for junction with the seal-bearing end, or whether it is effected by
any other contrivance at the end corresponding to the loop in the drawings. The
other end of the strap I distinguish as the seal-body-carrying strap or bar,”
since it is adapted to perform this function regardless of its integrality or con-
tinuity with the other portion of the strap. And I shall refer to these two
portions by these terms notwithstanding they are portions of one piece.
A is the strap, of which the portion A¹ is the securing strap or bar, and the
portion A2 is the seal-body-carrying strap or bar. The latter is made with a
lateral offset lug A20, which is folded upon itself,—that is, so as to overhang the
end-portion of said bar, as seen in all the views, forming a cleft or guideway a20,
through which the end of the securing strap or bar may be passed when the
device is sealed. Both sides of this cleft are apertured, the apertures being in
line through the middle of the cleft to receive the seal B, which may be of soft
metal, such as lead, adapted, after being inserted through the apertures, to be
clinched down with a suitable tool at both ends, thus forming a soft rivet, securing
the parts together, so that they cannot be separated without destroying at least
the head of the rivet which may receive an identifying imprint in the process
of clinching, by virtue of which it receives the name of "seal." The end of
the securing strap or bar has an elongated aperture or slot A10, through which,
also, the seal B passes when it is inserted in position for being clinched or
impressed, and the seal thereby prevents the separation of the seal carrying
strap at the seal end of the device; but the elongation of the aperture A10 in
the securing strap permits a certain range of longitudinal movement of the latter
with respect to the seal-carrying strap or bar without permitting the separation
of the two parts. Near the position at which the seal is mounted on the seal-
carrying bar, said bar is offset into the plane of the overhanging lug A20, which
bounds the cleft a", forming a shoulder A, and at a short distance from that
point it is again offset in the opposite direction into the original line forming a
second shoulder A. Apertures are formed through the shoulders A1 23,
respectively, in line with the cleft 20, and the securing strap A is inserted
through these apertures on its way into the cleft. The third offset forming the
shoulder A, and having an aperture a³, may be made as shown in the forms
illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and the securing strap will, in such case
be secured in all three apertures of all three shoulders on its way into the cleft.
It will be seen that with this structure, when the seal is clinched through the
slot A10 in the securing strap, a certain portion of one surface of said strap is
concealed from view where it lies facing the portion A25 of the seal-carrying
strap, and that a portion of the offset surface is similarly concealed by the por-
tion A27 of the seal-carrying strap between the shoulders A2 and A2³. Each
surface of both parts throughout the extent of these offsets and engagements
of the two parts with each other at the apertures in the shoulders is made up of
alternately concealed and exposed portions; and by making the length of the
slot A10 in the securing device equal to the length of one of such portions, the
securing device may be shifted, without breaking the engagement at the sealed
end, sufficiently to interchange the relations of these portions of its surfaces,-
that is, to conceal at one limit of its movement portions which were exposed at

page_text: the other limit, and to expose those which were concealed. In the form shown
in Figs. 1 and 2, I have represented as produced and readable on one surface of
the securing strap, a succession of characters constituting a serial number, two
of which are concealed under the portion A of the seal-carrying strap between
the shoulders AA, one character being exposed between the lug A≫ and
portion A, and the others being exposed beyond the portion A2, and another
being exposed beyond the seal-body. The length of the slot A10 is sufficient to
permit the withdrawal of the two characters which are concealed under A25,
so that they, may be exposed at the right. But such movement will conceal
the character which, before such withdrawal,-that is, while the two first-men-
tioned characters were concealed,-
-was exposed beyond the seal-body at the
left, and also the character which was exposed between the offset A5 and the
seal body. At no position, therefore, can the entire seal number be read;
and whatever be the position in which the inspector happens to find the parts,
he must hold the seal-body-carrying end of the strap and move the securing
device longitudinally through it in one direction or the other in order to discover
and record all the characters of the number. In the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4,
the third shoulder A23 is added, and the characters are formed on the opposite
side of the securing device from that on which they are shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
In this form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, certain characters are concealed by the
portion A2 of the seal-carrying strap between the shoulder A2 and the seal;
and certain other characters are concealed by the portion A27 between the
shoulders A and A23, the only characters, therefore, which are visible being
those which may be seen between the shoulders A1 and A2 on the surface of
the securing strap which is facing away from the portion A. The length of
the slot A10 being, as before, equal to the distance between the shoulders A21
and A, and that being the same as the distance between the shoulders A22
and A23, the longitudinal movement of the strap A¹ being equal to the length
of the slot, will cause the characters 9 0, which are concealed at A26 to become
visible opposite A25, the characters which were first visible at the last-mentioned
point being concealed at A27, while the characters which were first concealed
at A7 are disclosed beyond the shoulder A23. In the form shown in Figs. 5
and 6, three characters only are involved, two of these being placed, not on
the securing strap, but on the seal-body carrying strap on the inner surface of the
portion A25, facing, therefore, and adapted to be concealed by, the securing strap
running through the shoulders A21 A2, while the character beyond the body is
concealed and disclosed as in the preceding forms. Other characters, as 12
and 0 6, may be added for the purpose of a conveniently large serial number
on the other surface of the seal-holding strap where they are never concealed,
and an aperture A" is made in the securing strap large enough to disclose one
character only, said aperture being located so that in the range of movement
permitted by the slot A10, which, in this case, is made equal only to the extent
of one figure, said aperture is shifted from one side to the other within the space
between the shoulders A21 and A2, so that it at one limit conceals one and dis-
closes the other of the two characters borne by the inner surface of the portion A25
between said shoulders, and at the other limit discloses the second and conceals
the first of said characters. In the form shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a characteristic
of the forms illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is combined with that illustrated in
Figs. 5 and 6. That is to say, all the characters are involved in the process,
the characters at the right of the seal body being divided into three groups,
one extreme group being in position to be concealed at A, while the other
extreme group is in position to be concealed at A27, where the intermediate group
is disclosed at A25, but the disclosure at A is effected after the manner of the
disclosure in Figs. 5 and 6,-riz.: by an aperture A" in the securing strap.
Although the figures thus disclosed through the strap are on the inner face of
the portion A5 instead of upon the outer face of the strap, as in Figs. 3 and 4,

page_text: it will be observed that the result here attained is precisely the same
attained in Figs. 3 and 4.
as that
Other modifications of the same general expedient may be devised, but the
four forms illustrated will sufficiently indicate the principle involved. It will
be observed that the mechanical characteristic of all the forms illustrated is that
the two straps or bars which are held in connection by the seal are interlaced
with each other, so that alternate portions of each is opposed to opposite surfaces
of the other, the interlacing being in such form as to leave one of the parts
practically straight so that the two parts may have relative movement longi-
tudinally with respect to each other through their interlacing points; and con-
sidered in this light, it will be seen that the point to which the part A¹ passes
through the clamp at the end of the part A2 when the seal is fixed, is in effect
an interlacing point, since between that point and the point A21, one surface of
the part A is exposed, and the other surface is concealed by the part A2, precisely
as between the other two intersecting points A21 A22, or A22 and A23 in the forms
in which an additional bend is given, and an additional intersecting point afforded.
This interlacing of the parts is only one of many forms in which the change of
relative position of the parts causes part of the identifying number to disappear
and another part to become visible.
In the form shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the character beyond the seal body is
on the opposite side from the other character, so that the inspector is compelled
not only to move the part but also to turn the seal over in order to read the
character. This is a further protection against oversight of any mark of tam-
pering which careful inspection might disclose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a scal fastening, a securing device and a device whose rupture or removal
is necessary in order to unfasten the securing device, said fastening comprising
two relatively movable parts and bearing on said parts a serial number or other
arbitrary succession of characters, one or more of which is concealed at one
position and disclosed at another, in the range of relative movement of said
parts.
2. In a seal fastening, a securing device and a device whose rupture or removal
is necessary in order to unfasten the securing device, said fastening comprising
two relatively movable parts and bearing on said parts a serial number or other
arbitrary succession of characters, the range of relative movement of the parts
and the location of the several characters thereon being such that at one position
in said relative movement a portion of said characters is concealed, and at
another position in said movement said portion is disclosed and another portion
is concealed.
3. In a seal fastening, a securing device and a sealing or locking device adapted
to retain the securing device and allow it some range of movement with respect
to the seal-holding portion of the lock, such lock bearing a serial number
or other arbitrary succession of characters on one of the relatively movable parts,
the other of said parts being adapted at one position in the range of movement
to conceal part of the characters and at another position to disclose the same.
4. In a seal fastening, a securing device and a sealing or fastening device
adapted to retain it and yet allow it some range of movement with respect to
the part which holds the sealing device, such fastening bearing a serial number
or other arbitrary succession of characters on one of the relatively movable parts,
the other of said parts being adapted at one position to conceal part of the
characters, and at another position to disclose the same and conceal other part
of the characters.
5. In a seal fastening, in combination with the sealing or fastening device,
two straps or bars which it retains connected together, such straps or bars being

page_text: interlaced so that successive portions of each are opposed alternately to opposite
surfaces of the other, one of said parts having a character on the surface which is
adapted to be thus concealed between the interlacing points, the attachment of
the sealing device being adapted to permit relative longitudinal movement of
the straps sufficient to disclose such character.
6. In a seal fastening, in combination with the sealing or fastening device,
two straps or bars which it retains connected together being interlaced so that
successive portions of each are opposed alternately to opposite surfaces of the
other, one surface of one of the parts having a character adjacent to one of the
interlacing points, the attachment of the sealing device being such as to permit
relatively longitudinal movement of the straps sufficient to shift said character
from one side to the other of such interlacing point, so that it may be disclosed
at one position and concealed at the other position within such range of movement.
7. In a seal fastening, in combination with the sealing or fastening device,
two straps or bars which it retains together, such straps or bars being interlaced
so that successive portions of each are opposed alternately to opposite surfaces
of the other, the attachment of the sealing or fastening device being adapted to
permit relative longitudinal movement of the straps, one of them having on one
surface a serial number or other arbitrary succession of characters extending
past one interlacing point and over a distance greater than the distance between
two consecutive interlacing points, the range of movement permitted by the
sealing or fastening device being less than the entire extent of the serial number,
whereby at all positions in the range of movement, there are two portions of such
serial number of which one is concealed and the other is exposed at opposite
sides of one of the interlacing points.
8. A seal fastening having a serial number or other arbitrary group or succes-
sion of characters for identification, part of which are exposed upon one side,
and part upon the other side of the lock, whereby the inspection of both sides
is necessary in order to record the number.
9. In a seal fastening, two relatively movable parts bearing a serial number
a portion of which is concealed at one position in the range of relative movement
of the parts, and disclosed at another position, a portion of the characters of
such serial number being legible only at one side of the lock and another portion
legible only at the other side.
10. In a seal fastening, in combination with a seal-holding body, a securing
device which extends past such body and appears beyond it at both sides, suitable
fastening or sealing device having a serial number or other arbitrary succession
of characters, of which one portion is in position to appear at one side of the
seal-holding body, and another portion is in a position to appear at the other
side, the securing device having range of movement with respect to the seal-
holding body adapting it to conceal at one limit one or more of the characters
at one side, and at another limit to conceal one or more of the characters at the
other side of the seal-holding body.
Dated this oth
P
1000
By Herbert Haddan & Co.,
EMIL TYDEN,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.