US 5,524,945 AGranted

Thermoplastic security seal

AssigneeE. J. Brooks Company

InventorsGeorge Georgopoulos, George A. Lundberg, Jr., Louis J. Mattos

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Abstract

A one piece molded thermoplastic, preferably polypropylene, high security seal for coin bags has a locking socket body from which a flag extends on one side and a rectangular flat elongated shackle extends on the opposite side via an intermediate flat member which has a tear band there across for selectively separating the member into two pieces to facilitate removal of the locked seal. The shackle has several locking circular segment teeth in two parallel linear arrays on opposite edges of the shackle adjacent to a tamper resistant flange at the member end. A locking sheet metal stamped insert has two sets of tangs defining two spaced tooth receiving openings in a socket locking cavity aligned with shackle receiving openings in the body. The body receives the insert transverse to the shackle insertion direction through a cavity side wall later sealed with a flap formed in the seal body. The locked shackle precludes removal of the insert should the side wall seal be tampered with. The locked shackle forms a closed loop passed through an aperture in the bag folded neck. A hook on the intermediate member forms a tear band tab and engages the bag neck in the seal locked condition.

Claims17

Dependent claims

In a seal for securing an element and including a body with a locking socket and a shackle extending from the body and having a free end insertable into and engageable with the socket for locking the shackle to the body and to the element, the socket including a metal locking insert having a locking tang for engaging and locking the inserted shackle, the combination comprising:

a thermoplastic molded body having a cavity;
a flexible molded thermoplastic shackle extending from the body in a first longitudinal direction, said body having a first opening therein in communication with said cavity in a second direction transverse the first direction, said opening for receiving the shackle in the second direction and for permitting the received shackle to be inserted into the cavity;
the cavity being defined by a bottom and top wall at least one of which has said first opening and a plurality of sidewalls between the top and bottom walls for enclosing the cavity at respective cavity sides, the body having a second opening at one of said cavity sides for receiving said insert therethrough in a direction transverse the second direction;
and
a further sidewall molded with the body and hinged to the body at one sidewall edge the further sidewall having an open state forming the second opening and a closed state for enclosing the cavity one side.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.