US1955627A - Tying and sealing means and method - Google Patents

Description

April 17, 1934. H. B. FOULDER 1,955,627

TYING AND SEALING MEANS AND METHOD Filed Dec. 7, 1931 AQ'AATTQRNEY- handling.

Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to tying and sealing means and method, and more particularly relates to tying and sealing with wire bags filled with heavy material and likely to be subject to rough It is customary to ship cement in bags. It is essential that these bags be tied up so securely that they will not become untied or opened during transportation or handling. I It is also desirable that the contents of these bags be protected against being tampered with by unauthorized persons; in other words, that they be sealed.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to provide a method of and means for tying and sealing a bag withwire so securely that the bagwill not become untied and open even when filled with heavy material and subjected to rough handling, and in such a way that any attempt to remove the wire intact after application will rupture the wire permanently and thereby establish clearly apparent indication of the tampering, the bag, however, remaining as securely tied after such rupture as previous thereto.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combined tie and seal constituting the sealing and tying means of the character referred to, and

a tie and seal which is simple and inexpensive,

onethat may be applied and removed quickly and easily, and one that is protected so as not to be apt to cut or scratch the hands of a person handling or undoing the bag or likely to out or injure other bags or articles coming in contact therewith.

Qther objects of this invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In accordance with this invention, the tie and seal may comprise a length of wire placed around the gathered neck of the bag and having the free ends twisted together to hold the bag securely tied. The free ends of the wire are also twisted together toward their extremities and intermediate the two twisted portions one or both of the ends of the wire are weakened so that the wire will break at the weakened portion or portions when an attempt is made to untwist either twisted portion.

When the wire is broken it will give'clear indication of the fact that an attempt has been made to untwist the wire. If desired, the extremities of the free ends of the wire may be protected, either by forming these extremities into loops, or forming upset heads thereon, or by other means as desired. In order that a clearer'underst anding of this invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of 55;'tl 1 is application and illustrating one possible embodiment of this invention, and in which the figure is a side view of the upper portion of a filled bag, about the gathered neck of which is bound a wire forming a tie and seal embodying this invention, and whereby the bag is held closed against being opened except accompanied by the breaking and destruction of the seal. The figure also depicts, by dot and dash lines, the seal broken but the wire nevertheless maintaining the bag securely tied.

Referring to the drawing, the tie and seal may comprise a length of wire, preferably pliable, having its center portion 2 disposed about the gathered neck of the bag 1, and its free ends twisted together tightly against the bag neck, as at 3, thus 0 maintaining the bag securely tied. The portions 2 and 3 constitute tying means.

' The ends of the wire extend a distance beyond the portion 3, as at 4, without being twisted upon. each other, and then are again twisted together, as at twisted portion 6.

The portions 4 of the wire may be bowed sit, as shown, or they may be straight or in any other configuration desired, but preferably are not twisted on each other for some distance. One or both of these portions 4 are weakened so that a very slight bending will cause the wire to break at the weakened spot or spots. A simple and efiective way to accomplish the weakening desired is to nick the wire at the desired place or places, as at 5. Preferably only one of the seal portions 4 is weakened, so that if the bag is to be untide by untwisting the portion 3, the unbroken end will afford a better finger grip for this purpose than would be available if both ends of the wire were to break. However, it is quite usual to cut the wire where it encircles the bag neck to undo the bag, and when this is done it is immaterial whether one or both portions 4 are weakened for breaking,

If desired, the extremities of the wire may be formed with heads or loops, such as 7 and 8, offering a better finger grip for the more convenient and easy manipulation of the seal to break and remove it from the bag. Furthermore, unprotected ends would be dangerous and likely to cause injury to those handling the bags and to tear other bags.

The advantages of providing the loop between the twisted portions 3 and 6 and locating the breaking point at such loop are that the wire will break more readily when the wire is bent and the break will be more noticeable than would be the case if the wire were weakened at a tightly twisted portion. However, a characteristic of this invention is to provide the combination of a weakened portion which will break when the wire is bent or tampered with, and the binding together of the two ends of the wire intermediate the weakened portion and the bag neck whereby the portion encircling the bag neck is securely held in place, thus avoiding all strain on the weakened portion to keep the bag closed. The binding together of the two ends of the wire intermediate the weakened portion and the extremities of the ends insures the wire breaking at the weakened portion when the extreme ends of the wire are turned. Thus the wire can be removed easily and quickly by merely taking hold of the protected ends, giving them a slight turn to break the seal, and then turning the part gripped about the broken end of twisted portion 3 to untwist this portion and remove the wire from the bag.

In applying the tie and seal the wire is usually placed about the bag neck and the twisting of both portions 3 and 6 completed before the wire is nicked or otherwise weakened to complete the seal. The protected ends may be formed either before or after application of the wire to the bag neck. The twisted portions 3 and 6 may be formed either simultaneously or successively, and the twists may be in the same direction or in contrary directions. The application may be made with ordinary or special hand tools or with bench tools or with automatic machines, such tools forming no part of the present application.

Obviously this invention may be applied quite generally, and is not limited to the tying and sealing of cloth cement bags, the invention being suited to anything to which the tie and seal may be applied. Accordingly it is understood that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be in terpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. Means for tying and sealing articles, comprising a wire looped about the article and having its free ends intertwisted and having a weakened portion adapted to break and thereby establish indication of tampering, when undoing of the intertwisted ends is attempted, there being an intertwisted portion intermediate said weakened portion and the loop about the article, whereby the loop is maintained in place on the article irrespective of the breaking of the wire at said weakened portion.

2. Means for tying and sealing articles, comprising a wire looped about the article and having its free ends intertwisted and having a weakened portion adapted to break and thereby establish indication of tampering, when undoing of the intertwisted ends is attempted, there being intertwisted portions of the free ends of said wire on both sides of said weakened portion, whereby the intertwisted portion intermediate said weakened portion and the loop about the article maintains the loop in place on the article irrespective of the breaking of the wire at said weakened portion.

3. Means for tying and sealing articles, com prising a wire looped about the article and having its free ends intertwisted and having a weakened portion adapted to break and thereby establish indication of tampering, when undoing of the intertwisted ends is attempted, there being intertwisted portions of the free ends of said wire on both sides of said weakened portion, whereby the intertwisted portion intermediate said weakened portion and the loop about the article maintains the loop in place on the article irrespective of the breaking of the wire at said weakened portion, the free ends of the wire being not intertwisted at said weakened portion.

4. Means for tying and sealing articles, comprising a wire looped about the article and having its free ends intertwisted and having a weakened portion adapted to break and thereby establish indication of tampering, when undoing of the intertwisted ends is attempted, there being intertwisted portions of the free ends of said wire on both sides of said weakened portion, whereby the intertwisted portion intermediate said weakened portion and the loop about the article maintains the loop in place on the article irrespective of the breaking of the wire at said weakened portion, the free ends of the wire being not intertwisted and being bowed out in opposite directions at said weakened portion.

5. Means for tying and sealing articles, comprising a wire looped about the article and having its free ends intertwisted and having a weakened portion adapted to break and therebyestablish indication of tampering, when undoing of the intertwisted ends is attempted, there being an'intertwisted portion intermediatesaid weakened por- E and the loop about the article, wherebythe loop is maintained in place on the article irrespective of the breaking of the wireat said weak ened portion, the extreme endportions of the wire being deformed to shield the sharp extremities and to provide finger grips for the manipulation of the wire.

6. A method of tying and scaling of the char.- acter described which consists of looping. a wire about an article, intertwisting the free ends of the wire and subsequently weakening the wire so as to break when undoing of the intertwisted ends is attempted and to leave an unweakened intertwisted portion intermediate the break and the loop about the article, whereby the loop is maintained in place about the article irrespective of such breaking. I

7. A method of tying and sealing of the character described which consists of looping a wire about an article, intertwisting the free ends of the wire into two intertwisted portions with an intermediate not intertwisted portion, and subsequently weakening one of said endsat said intermediate portion so as to break there when twisting or untwisting of either of said intertwisted portions is attempted.

8. A method of tying and sealing of the character described which consists of looping a wire about an article, intertwisting the free ends of the wire into two intertwisted portionsturned in opposite directions and with an intermediate not intertwisted portion, and subsequently weakening one of said ends at said intermediate portion so as to break there when twisting or untwisting of either of said intertwisted portions is attempted.

9. A method of tying and sealing of thecharacter described which consists of looping a wire about an article, intertwisting thefree endsof 1 HENRY B. FOULDERT

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