IMPROVED MEANS FOR SECURING, SEALING AND LABELLING MAIL BAGS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of AM and
W Clark of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agents, for an Invention of IMPROVED MEANS FOR SECURING, SEALING AND
LABELLING MAIL BAGS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES Communicated to him
from abroad by Thomas Addison Platt and William Man, both of the City
County and State of New York and William Osborn Platt of Elizabeth in
the County of Union State of New Jersey, both in the United States of
America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th July 1882.
•
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, "IMPROVED MEANS FOR
SECURING, SEALING, AND LABELLING MAIL BAGS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES."
Communicated to him from abroad by Thomas Addison Platt and William Man,
both of the City County and State of New York and William Osborn Platt, of
Elizabeth in the County of Union State of New Jersey, both in the United States
of America]
This Invention consists of a device for effectually securing, sealing, and labelling
bags and other similar receptacles, but is more especially intended for use on mail
bags.
The device consists in a label frame a cup for holding the sealing wax and a
strap for tying the bag. The sealing cup and label frame are hinged together and
secured to the bag preferably by means of thumb screws which pass through the
material of the bag from the inside of the bag and screw into tapped holes formed
in the sealing cup washers of leather rubber or metal being placed upon the screws
so as to come upon both sides of the material of the bag. Instead of the screws
rivets or other means may be used for attaching the cup and frame to the bag.
The cup is formed with a central bar over which the strap for tying the bag
passes, which bar is of a length about equal to twice the width of the strap so that
when the strap is in place in the cup the strap will entirely close and form the
LD C

page_text: bottom of the cup. Slots are formed in the bottom of the cup to permit the strap
to be passed over the central bar and cuts are by preference made in the cup.
leading from the outer edge of the cup to the slots so that the strap may be passed
edgewise through these cuts into the slots or the strap may be passed endwise
through the slots if desired. The central bar is rounded upon its upper sides and
one half of it is slightly cut down to hold the strap always in place when the
device is not in use and permit the same to be easily drawn through the cup, the
raised portion serving to bind the strap when placed the second time in the cup so
that it will be held firmly in 'the cup.
The label frame is formed with a solid back plate and an outside surrounding
plate or rim between which back plate and rim the card or label is placed. When
the frame is hinged to the cup by a pin passing through lugs formed on the upper
side of the top piece of the frame and the lower plate of the cup the label or card
will be slipped into the frame from the front; but when hinged by a pin passing
through lugs formed on the upper rim and the lower plate of the cup the label or
card will be slipped in the frame from the back of the frame so that when the frame
is strapped down to the bag the label cannot be removed without first undoing the
strap.
The means for strapping the frame down to the bag consists of a loop or staple
secured to the back plate of the frame through which the tying strap is to be
passed one or more times before the same is finally buckled and sealed.
One end of the tying strap is made wide and is provided with two buckles.
In some cases instead of hinging the label frame to the sealing cup the frame
and cup may be riveted together or the two may be cast integral.
After the label frame and the sealing cup have been attached to the bag the
method of tying and sealing the bag is as follows:-Place the strap first in the
sealing cup laying it over the reduced portion of the central portion of the cup;
then pass the strap around the bag (or other receptacle) and buckle it tight around
the bag with the upper buckle (the one towards the top or opening of the bag)
which secures the bag. Now to doubly secure the bag and to secure the label
frame pass the strap around the neck of the bag as many times as the length
of the strap will permit passing it through the loop or staple of the frame as
many times as desired which will hold the label frame in case of breaking of the
hinge and protect the label from removal. The end of the strap is then passed
through the sealing cup alongside the strap first placed therein and drawn tight
and buckled in the lower buckle and then finally the cup is to be filled with
sealing wax.
•
By this means it will be seen that the strap cannot be removed from the cup
without breaking the seal, nor can the label frame be freed without first having to
draw the strap through the lower buckle which would remove all the sealing wax
which would cling to the strap after leaving the sealing cup making it impossible
to open the bag or remove the label without detection.
To open the bag the strap is first unbuckled from the lower buckle and then it
is drawn through the sealing cup or twisted and carried edgewise through the cuts
of the cup thereby breaking the seal and then the strap is taken off the same as an
ordinary strap.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th January 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the Firm of A, M, and W, Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Patent Agents "IMPROVED MEANS FOR
SECURING, SEALING, AND LABELLING MAIL BAGS AND OTHER RECEPTACLES." A
communication to me from abroad by Thomas Addison Platt and William Man
both of the City County and State of New York, and William Osborn Platt of
Elizabeth in the County of Union, State of New Jersey, both in the United States
of America.
This Invention consists of a device for effectually securing, sealing, and labelling
bags and other similar receptacles generally, but is more especially intended for
use on mail bags.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mail or other.
bag having the Invention applied thereto. Figure 2 is a front elevation of the
new back locking, labelling, and sealing device the strap being removed. Figure 3
is a sectional elevation showing the manner of attaching the device to the material
of the bag. Figure 4 is a detailed plan view of the buckle end of the strap, and
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation showing a modified form of hinging the label
frame to the seal cup. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the bag, B the label frame, C the cup for holding the sealing wax,.
and D the strap for tying the bag. The sealing cup and label frame are hinged
together as shown and secured to the bag A preferably by means of the thumb
screws aa which pass through the material of the bag from the inside of the bag
and screw into the tapped holes e e formed in the sealing cup, as shown clearly in
Figure 3, the washers cc and c¹ c¹ of leather, rubber, or metal being placed upon
the screws so as to come upon both sides of the material of the bag, as shown
clearly in said Figure. Instead of the screws a a, rivets or other means may be
used for attaching the cup and frame to the bag. The cup C is formed with the
central bar d over which the strap for tying the bag passes, which bar is of a length
about equal to twice the width of the strap, so that when the strap is in place in
the cup, the strap will entirely close and form the bottom of the cup as shown in
Figure 1. Slots ff are formed in the bottom of the cup to permit the strap to be
passed over the central bar d, and the cuts f1f1 are by preference formed in the
cup leading from the outer edge of the cup to the slots ff so that the strap may
be passed edgewise through these cuts f¹ f¹ into the slots ff, or the strap may be
passed end wise through the slots ff if desired. The central bar dis rounded upon
its upper sides and one half of it is slightly cut down, as shown at g Figures 2
and 3, to hold the strap always in place when the device is not in use, and permit
the same to be easily drawn through the cup, the raised portion g¹ serving to bind
the strap when placed the second time in the cup, so that it will be held firmly
in the cup.
The label frame B is formed with the solid back plate b and the outside
surrounding plate or rim b', between which back plate and rim the card or label
is placed. When the frame is hinged to the cup C by the pin h passing through
the lugs i formed on the upper side of the top piece (shown in Figure 3) and
the lower plate 7 of the cup, the label or card F will be slipped into the frame from
the front, but when hinged as shown in Figure 5 by the pin passing through the
lugs formed on the upper rim b' and the lower plate of the cup, the label or
card will be slipped in the frame from the back of the frame, so that when the
frame is strapped down to the bag, the label cannot be removed without first
undoing the strap. The means for strapping the frame down to the bag consists
of the loop or staple J secured to the back plate 6 of the frame through which the
tying strap is to be passed one or more times before the same is finally buckled and
sealed. One end of the tying strap D is made wide, as shown in Figure 4, and is

page_text: provided with the two buckles E E. In some cases instead of hinging the label
frame to the sealing cup, the frame and cup may be rivetted together, or the two
may be cast integral, but the plan shown in Figure 5 is the preferred plan.
After the label frame and the sealing cup have been attached to the bag, the
method of tying and sealing the bag is as follows:-Place the strap D first in the
sealing cup, laying it over the reduced portion g of the central portion d of
the cup; then pass the strap around the bag (or other receptacle) and buckle it
tight around the bag with the upper buckle (the one towards the top or opening
of the bag) which secures the bag. Now to doubly secure the bag and to secure
the label frame, pass the strap around the neck of the bag as many times as the
length of the strap will permit, passing it through the loop or staple J as many
times as desired, which will hold the label frame in case of breaking of the hinge
and protect the label from removal. The end of the strap is then passed through
the sealing cup alongside the strap first placed therein and drawn tight and buckled
in the lower buckle, and then finally the cup C is to be filled with sealing wax.
By this means it will be seen that the strap cannot be removed from the cup
without breaking the seal, nor can the label frame be freed without first having to
draw the strap through the lower buckle which would remove all of the sealing
wax which would cling to the strap after leaving the sealing cup, making it
impossible to open the bag or remove the label without detection.
To open the bag the strap is first unbuckled from the lower buckle and then it is
drawn through the sealing cup or twisted and carried edgewise through the cuts
ff of the cup, thereby breaking the seal, and then the strap is taken off the same
as an ordinary strap.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is.
.
1st The device for locking, sealing, and labelling bags made substantially as
herein shown and described, consisting of the cup C and the frame B, the cup being
slotted for the passage of a strap, and the frame provided with a staple or loop, as
and for the purposes set forth.
2nd The sealing cup Ċ formed with the slots fƒ for the passage of the strap
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3rd The combination with the cup C. formed with the slots ff of the label
frame B hinged or otherwise secured to the cup, substantially as described.
4th The label frame B hinged to the cup C and provided with loop or staple J
substantially as and for the purposes described.
5th The sealing cup C formed with the slots ff and f¹ f' substantially as
described.
6th The central bar d of the cup C reduced in size as shown at g substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
7th The cup C hinged to the front and upper side of the label frame B and
provided with the staple or loop J whereby the label must be slipped into the
frame from the back of the frame, as and for the purposes set forth.
8th The cup C formed with the slots f and in combination with the hinged
label frame B provided at the back with the loop or staple J and the strap D
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
9th The strap with the two buckles on one end substantially as shown, and its
combination with the sealing cup and label frame.
In Witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
my hand and seal this fifth day of January, A.D. 1883.