MXPA06002010A - Security seal with peel off label - Google Patents

Abstract

A locking device or security seal includes a locking element, a locking body and a label adhesively applied to a surface of the locking body. The locking body is configured to receive an end of the locking element therein to secure the security seal at an object. The label has indicia formed therethrough and the locking body has the same indicia formed in its surface via a laser etching process. The label is removable from the surface of the locking body and is applicable to a tracking form to record identifying indicia of the security seal. The laser beam may be selected to selectively burn through the label material and at least partially into a non-metallic material of or at the surface of the locking body, without substantially burning into the locking body, such as into a metallic locking body or into a non-metallic or polymeric locking body.

Description

SECURITY SEAL WITH DETANDABLE LABEL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to securing devices or security seals for securing or sealing articles, such as cargo containers or doors or the like, and more particularly, with a security seal with identification. in the same and with a method of labeling and tracking a security seal. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known in the art to provide a security seal or securing device for securing or sealing an article, such as cargo containers or doors or the like. The securing devices frequently include a flexible cable or bolt or the like extending from one end of a metal or plastic securing body, wherein the cable or bolt or the like can be directed through an opening in the cargo or door container and received at another end of the securing body to substantially seal or secure the securing device to the cargo or door container. The securing devices are typically labeled during the manufacture of the securing devices, such as by chemical etching or printing of identification numbers or identification marks on each device of Ref .: 170304 assurance. When the securing devices are secured to the container or door, the identification numbers or marks are written in the documentation or shipping or tracking paperwork to trace the securing devices and containers, in such a way that a person can later verify the number of Identification or identification marks to make sure that the same insurance device is still in the container or door. The registration of the identification numbers frequently takes place in a yard or loading dock and can take place in adverse environmental conditions. Sometimes, identification numbers or marks (which may be several numbers or characters) may be wrongly recorded in the shipping or tracking documentation, resulting in delays in the installation of boarding or reception, confusion and work and additional paperwork to determine the error and correct the error. It has been proposed to register the identification of the securing devices by scanning a bar code on the security seal. Although this approach can reduce errors in identification registration, barcode scanning and registration equipment is expensive and some facilities do not have bar code capability and some environments are not suitable for using barcode scanning. bars and registration equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a security seal or securing device, such as a cable security seal or securing device (or a bolt-type securing seal or other securing devices or seals or metal or plastic securing bodies) which has a metallic securing body, which receives a cable therein to secure the seal to a container or door. An adhesive label is applied to the insuring body, and an identification number or identification marks are established by means of the label and on the surface of the insuring body by the same process or a common one, such as a process of cutting or establishing with To be. The label can then be easily removed from the security seal after the seal is secured to a container or door, and can be applied or easily adhered to the documentation or paperwork or form of shipping or tracking. Therefore, errors in the registration of identification numbers or identification marks are limited or avoided. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a securing or sealing device includes a securing element (such as a flexible wire of metallic fabric or the like or such as any other flexible or rigid securing element or rod or the like)., and such as a metal or plastic securing element) and an insurance body. The securing body is configured to receive one end of the securing element thereon for locking or sealing or securing the securing device to an object. A label is applied in adhesive form to the belaying body, and identification numbers or identification marks are established through the label and on the surface of the belaying body via a laser engraving or burning process. The label can be easily removed from the insurance body and adhesively applied to shipping or tracking documentation to track or identify the security seal with respect to the object or container or door to which it is insured. The securing element may comprise a flexible cable, with one end of the flexible cable fixedly connected to a fixed portion of the securing body and extending therefrom, and the other end of the flexible cable being received in a securing portion of the securing body to ensure or seal the insurance device to the object. Alternatively, the securing element may comprise a rod or bolt or other rigid or flexible securing element, and may comprise a metallic or elastomeric or plastic material. The securing body may comprise a metallic material (and may be coated with a polymeric or plastic or polyester coating or powder coating) or may comprise a polymeric or plastic material.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of identifying and tracking a security seal includes the provision of an insurance element and the provision of an insurance body to at least partially receive one end of the securing element. A label is applied in adhesive form to a surface of the securing body, and identification numbers or identification marks are established through the label and on the surface of the securing body via a laser engraving or burning process. The security seal is secured to an object and the label is removed from the insurance body and applied in adhesive form to the documentation or paper or forms of boarding or tracking to trace or identify the security seal with respect to the object or container or door to which it is insured. Therefore, the present invention provides a security or security seal device (such as an insurer or sealant cable device) having an identification and tracking feature that facilitates the accurate and substantially fail-safe registration of identification numbers. or of identification marks of the security seal in the corresponding documentation of tracking or boarding. Because the tag and the security body are marked or recorded at the same time in the manufacturing facility of the security seal, the security seal and the tag of the present invention can be implemented in any shipping or receiving facility, without requiring any special equipment in the installation. The present invention therefore provides a low-cost and effective label and process for substantially reducing or avoiding the erroneous registration of identification numbers or security-seal identification marks after the security seals are applied to the objects. . These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification together with the accompanying figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 is a plan view of a security cable seal according to the present invention, showing an interruption in the cable to indicate that the cable can be of various lengths; Figure 2 is a plan view of the other side of the security seal of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectioned view of the security seal taken along the line III -III in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a block diagram of a method of labeling and tracking a security seal in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the figures and the illustrative embodiments shown therein, an insurance device or security seal 10 includes an elastomeric or plastic securing body 12, an insurance element, such as, for example, an element flexible belay or cable 14, and a removable tag 16 that is adhesively applied to a surface 12a of the securing body 12 (Figures 1-3). The security seal 10 can be substantially similar to the insurance device shown in the US design patent application, Serial No. 29 / 228,921, filed on April 29, 2005 by Beard et al. For an Insurance Cable Device (Control Number). of Representative BRA01 P-130), which is incorporated herein by reference. The cable 14 is fixedly secured at one end 14a to a fixed portion 18 of the securing body 12 and extends therefrom. The cable 14 can be directed through a fastener of an object (not shown), such as a cargo container or door lock or the like, and the opposite or securing end 14b of the cable 14 can be inserted into a receiving portion or portion securing 20 of the securing body 12 to secure or seal the securing device or seal 10 to the object. The label 16 is adhesively applied to the surface 12a and identification numbers or identification marks or characters are formed through the label and on the surface 12a of the securing body 12 via an etching or laser burning process, as discussed later. The tag 16 can be easily removed from the insurance body and applied to tracking or shipping documentation to accurately copy or record the identification numbers or characters or identification marks of the security seal in the appropriate documentation, as discussed further below. The flexible securing element or cable 14 can comprise any cable or flexible element, such as a multi-wire cable that is woven from multiple wires. For example, the cable 14 may comprise a multi-wire cable having multiple wire strands woven or wound together, and the multiple woven threads may be further woven together to form the woven wire. The cable may comprise a preformed or non-preformed type of cable without affecting the scope of the present invention. The fixed end 14a of the cable 14 is fixedly held (such as by staking, welding or folding or the like) in the fixed portion 18 of the securing body 12 and extends therefrom. Although not shown and described as a flexible cable, it is thought that the securing device may include a substantially rigid securing element, such as a substantially rigid securing rod or the like, without affecting the scope of the present invention. Alternatively, other securing elements, such as rigid or flexible securing elements made of a metallic or elastomeric material, can be implemented with a plastic or metallic securing body, without affecting the scope of the present invention. The securing body 12 includes a securing member or retaining element (not shown) within the securing portion 20 of the securing body 12 for receiving the securing end 14b of the cable 14 therein and substantially retaining the securing element 14b in such a manner that the cable 14 and the securing end 14b are substantially prevented from being removed from the securing body 12. The securing member may comprise a ball or disc or other securing member placed in a tapered channel 22 in the securing body 12, and may be displaced towards the narrow end of the channel by means of a displacement element or spring or the like (not shown), as is known in the art of safety seals. Examples of suitable insuring members or retention elements are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,578,886; 6,457,754; 5,611,583; and 5,352,003, in the U.S. patent application, serial number 11 / 053,503, filed on February 8, 2005 by Beard et al. for a Non-Ferrous Cable Assurance Device (Attorney Control Number BRA01 P-128), in the application US Provisional, serial number 60 / 664,069, filed March 22, 2005 by Littrell et al. for an Insurable Cable Device with Breakable Cover (Attorney Control Number BRA01 P-129), and PCT Application No. PCT / US2004 / 037838, filed on November 12, 2004 (Attorney Control number BRA01 FP-125 (PCT)), all of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, other metallic or polymeric securing elements or members may be implemented with the securing body, without affecting the scope of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the securing element 12 comprises a metallic material, such as aluminum or steel or the like, and includes a coated outer surface 12a comprising a coating material or layer 24, such as a powder coating layer 24, of such that a layer of non-metallic powder coating material, a polymeric or plastic powder coating material, such as a polyester powder coating material or the like, is established on the surface 12a of the securing body 12. Although The coating layer in Figure 3 is shown as substantially coarse, this is thus shown only for clarity purposes. In practice, the powder coating layer can be a substantially thin layer at least partially on the surface of the securing body. The label 16 is applied or adhesively bonded to the surface 12a of the securing body 12 to retain the label in the securing body. The label may include a layer of adhesive, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive or other adhesive material. The label 16 may comprise a flexible substrate comprising a durable polymeric material, such as a polyester or polyethylene material or the like, such as TYVEK® (commercially available from DuPont) or other suitable material. Optionally, the tag 16 can be colored in such a way that, when applied to a white or substantially white boarding form, the identification marks formed through the tag are visible as white identification marks on the white shape and are delineated by the colored material of the label in such a way that the identification marks are easily discernible and legible. After the label 16 is applied to the surface 12a, laser is used to cut, burn or burn through the label 16 and through or partially through the powder coating 24 of the securing body 12 to establish the numbers or characters or appropriate identification marks 26, 28 on the label and the insurance body, respectively. Preferably, the laser is selected to burn through the materials of the label and the powder coating or surface layer 24 of the securing body, without substantially burning the metal securing body. For example, a carbon dioxide laser (C02) is desirably used to mark through the applied adhesive backing polyester label 16 and the polyester powder coating 24 over the metal securing body 12. The laser C02 removes, or "evaporates" plastic or polymeric materials to which the laser beam is exposed, and therefore removes or evaporates the label and powder coating in the areas where the laser is directed, without burning or burning in the metallic insurance body. Optionally, a YAG laser (yttrium-aluminum garnet) or another suitable laser can work in the same way as a C02 laser burning through the label 'and on the substrate or plastic layer in the insurance body, thus leaving a mark of a contrasting color on the substrate or plastic layer which is easily discernible after the engraved label is removed (such as due to a contrast between the exposed metallic securing body and the plastic or substrate coating or to a discoloration of the plastic coating or substrate during the engraving or laser burning process). Using a C02 or YAG marker laser (or other suitable laser) that is programmed to print or burn or evaporate or otherwise form or set characters or graphics on the powder coating surface of the metal body with the polyester label Applied self-adhesive backing is obtained the identification or pattern marks that are engraved through the label and also that are etched through the powder coating surface of the metal belaying body (or at least partially etched or burned on or through a plastic substrate of an insuring body or of a plastic securing body, as discussed below). The width of the engraved material will be approximately the width of the laser beam. Optionally, the width of the engraved identification characters or marks can be extended by bringing the laser slightly out of focus, which results in a larger size of the laser "dot". The engraved label, when removed from the powder-coated insulating body or the plastic substrate, has the appearance of a "stencil". Desirably, a special font with "spaces" or "interruptions" in the printed characters (such that the characters provide a connection of the surrounding material with any central portion of the character (such as the internal portions of an "8" or similar and as shown in Figure 1)) allows the removed label to retain the center of the characters that may otherwise be left on the powder-coated surface of the metal belay body or in a polymeric or plastic belay body.

Therefore, the label can be kept substantially continuous or without breaking and without separate portions, so that when the label is removed from the surface of the securing body, the substantially continuous label does not leave portions of the numbers or letters or characters or markings of the label. identification (such as, for example, the inner portion or portions of an "8" or "9" or "0" or "A" or "e" or the like) on the powder coated surface of the insuring body. Therefore the tag remains substantially intact and provides substantially all of the numbers or characters, including the internal portions thereof, when applied to the document being shipped or tracked. The label 16 can be applied to a substantially flat or flat surface 12a of the securing body 12 (as shown in Figures 1 and 3). Optionally, however, and since the laser engraving or the forming process does not require physical contact with the tag and the belaying body during the engraving / forming process, a tag 16 'can be applied easily, and the numbers or characters or identification marks 26 ', 28' can be easily established, on a curved surface 12b of the securing body (as shown in Figures 2 and 3). After the label is applied to the insuring body and the identifying characters or marks are formed or established through the label and the powder coating or plastic substrate or surface of the insuring body, the safety seal can be shipped or provided to a user in a boarding facility or similar. During use, the safety seal cable (with the label applied to the securing body and the indicia marked therein) can be directed through an opening or fastener or the like of an object, such as a cargo container or door or the like, and the cable securing end may be inserted into the passageway of the securing or receiving portion of the belay body. When the cable is inserted, the cable is retained in the securing body through the securing member or retaining element, so that the safety seal is then secured or sealed substantially to the object. Just before or during or after the safety seal is attached or secured to the object, the tag can easily be peeled off or removed from the surface of the insuring body and applied in adhesive form to paperwork or shipping documents to provide an accurate record of the identification marks or characters or numbers or indications of the security seal in the respective object. The insurance device can be applied to a container or object and the label can be detached from the insurance device and applied to the shipping documentation at a shipping dock or any other origin site of the container. The shipping document (with the label on it) can later (such as at the destination of shipment of the object or cargo container) be easily compared with the insurance device '(with identifications or markings set on the surface of the insurance body) for confirm that the insurance device was not removed or replaced or altered during the shipment of the object. • Although it is shown and described as a security seal having a metal securing body with an elastomeric or plastic cover, the security seal may include an insurance body comprising an elastomeric material or other suitable material, without affect the scope of the present invention. For example, the securing body may comprise a molded plastic securing body, and may be molded substantially uniformly or may be molded from different materials, as discussed below. The label can adhere to the surface of the plastic securing body, thereby the laser functions to burn through the label (as described above) and partially into the plastic securing body. The laser can be selected and energized to provide the desired degree of burning in the plastic body to form the identification marks on the surface of the plastic securing body and not substantially within the plastic securing body. Optionally, the securing body may include an additive that limits or partially or substantially blocks the transmission of the laser beam, such that the laser beam does not penetrate substantially into the securing body, but rather heats or melts the outer surface of the securing body in the desired pattern. The power or intensity of the laser beam can also be selected to establish the depth at which the laser beam penetrates the belaying body in such a way that it burns or burns the label and heats or burns or melts or boils any other surface of the plastic belay body . Optionally, the securing body may be formed of a plastic or polymeric material and may have a plastic overcoat or over-molded layer on the body portion (as it is similarly as described above with respect to the metal securing body and the coating on the body). dust). The overcoat or overmoulded layer may comprise a different color or contrast color or different appearance than the body portion, such that the identification markings formed on the overcoat / molded envelope layer are easily discernible due to the contrast between the color of the internal body that can be seen in the identification marks formed and the color of the external body that surrounds the identification marks. Therefore, the insuring body may comprise or include a plastic or metallic substrate, and may comprise a flexible or rigid plastic or metal substrate. The insulating body may have a pattern or identification marks laser engraved on the plastic substrate, in which the laser leaves a mark or pattern on the plastic substrate that is easily discernible on the surface of the substrate after the engraved label with laser has been removed from the insurance body. Referring now to Figure 4, a process 110 for the manufacture and labeling of a safety seal and tracking of the safety seal on an object includes the application of a label to a body securing a safety seal at 115. The numbers or characters or identification marks or any other appropriate or desired mark are burned or burned by laser through the label and also burned in and / or through the powder coating layer of the insuring body at 120 or burned on or through a plastic substrate of the insuring body or partially burned in a plastic securing body. The security seal is shipped or transferred to a shipping facility or the like and secured to a target (such as a cargo container or door or similar) at 125. The tag is removed from the security body at 130, such as by detachment of the insuring body label (as can be seen in figure 3). The detached label is then applied or affixed to a tracking document (such as a shipping form or the like) at 135 to record the identification numbers or identification marks of the security seal in the tracking document. The identification numbers or registered identification marks formed through the label in the tracking document can then be verified with identification numbers or identification marks formed on or in or partially through the insurance body to ensure that the security seal it was not removed and replaced during the shipment and / or storage of the object. Because the identification numbers or identification marks on the label and the insurance body are formed during the same laser engraving process, the numbers or characters or identification marks are identical, in such a way that the precise registration is substantially guaranteed. of the numbers or identification marks in the tracking documents. Although it is shown in a particular sequence in Figure 4, clearly, the process for manufacturing and labeling a security seal and tracing the security seal on an object can be performed on other sequences, without affecting the scope of the present invention. For example, after the label and / or coating is applied to the securing body and the identification marks are laser-etched through the label and onto or into the securing body, the label can be removed from the securing body and the Seal of security (with the tag removed from it) can then be sealed or attached to the object to secure or seal the object. The tag can then be removed from the securing body before the security seal is attached to the target, whereby the removed tag can be applied to the tracking document before or at approximately the same time or after the seal is sealed or attached or secured to the object. Preferably, the security seal is placed in and / or sealed to the target early or substantially immediately followed by the removal of the tag from the belaying body (and preferably the tag is applied similarly to the tracking document at a similar time), in order to limit or substantially avoid a disparity between the label applied to the tracking document and the security seal on the object. Therefore, the present invention provides a securement device or security seal having a label applied in adhesive form to an insurance body, whereby the identification marks of the security seal are laser-set through the label and through of a powder coating layer on the securing body (or in a plastic securing body or in or through a plastic substrate or layer of a plastic or metallic securing body or the like) of the security seal during an etching process with simple laser. The laser beam is selected and the materials of the label and the powder coating are selected in such a way that the laser beam cuts or burns or easily evaporates the materials of the label and the powder coating (or other coating or material or surface of the laser). body to which the label adheres) without (or with a minimum or reduced) cutting or burning or evaporation of the metallic insurance body or burning substantially in a plastic or substrate insurance body. The label (with the identification marks formed on it) is easily removed from the insurance body and applied to a tracking document, thereby tracking or identical identification information (such as numbers, characters, identification marks or the like) It is found in both the tracking document and the security seal. Changes and modifications may be made to the modalities specifically described without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as they are interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (23)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property. 1. A safety seal, characterized in that it comprises: a securing element, the securing element comprises one of the following: a flexible cable and a substantially rigid rod; an insurance body, the securing body being configured to receive therein an end of the securing element to secure the security seal on an object; and a label applied in adhesive form to a surface of the belaying body, the tag having identification marks formed therethrough and the belaying body having the same identification marks formed on that surface by means of a laser engraving process. With the label of that surface of the securing body being removable and applicable to a tracking form for registering identification marks of the security seal, the surface of the securing body has identification marks formed thereon which are substantially identical to those of the label afterwards. that the tag is removed from the surface and applied to a tracking form. The security seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the securing body comprises a metallic material and the surface of the securing body comprises a non-metallic layer, the label comprising a non-metallic material, the laser engraving process uses a laser beam that selectively burns the non-metallic material of the label and the non-metallic layer of the insuring body. 3. The security seal according to claim 2, characterized in that the laser beam does not substantially burn the metallic material of the insuring body. 4. The security seal according to claim 2, characterized in that the non-metallic layer comprises a polymeric layer and the non-metallic material comprises a polymeric material. The security seal according to claim 2, characterized in that the non-metallic layer comprises a polyester material and the non-metallic material comprises a polyester material. The security seal according to claim 2, characterized in that the laser beam comprises one of the following: a carbon dioxide laser beam and a yttrium-aluminum garnet laser beam. 7 The security seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the securing body comprises a polymeric securing body, the laser engraving process uses a laser beam that selectively burns the label and at least partially within the polymeric securing body. 8 The security seal according to claim 7, characterized in that the laser beam burns a portion of the polymeric securing body to provide discernible identification marks on the surface of the polymeric securing body. 9. The security seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the securing element comprises a flexible cable, one end of the flexible cable is fixedly connected to a fixed portion of the securing body and extends therefrom, the other end of the cable Flexible is received in a securing portion of the insuring body to ensure the safety seal on the object. The security seal according to claim 1, characterized in that the identification marks are formed through the label in such a way that the label remains substantially continuous, so that when the label is removed from the surface of the That insuring body, no substantial portion of the identification marks remain on that surface of the insuring body. 11. A method of forming and labeling a security seal and tracking and identification of the security seal, characterized in that the method comprises: providing a security seal having an insurance element and an insurance body for at least partially receiving one end of the security element to ensure the safety seal to an object; apply a label to a surface of the insuring body; forming identification marks through the label and on the surface of the insuring body by means of a common laser engraving process; secure the security seal to an object; remove the label from the surface of the insuring body; and applying the tag to a tracking document, the tag on the tracking document and the body surface secured on the object have substantially identical identification marks formed thereon and on the same, respectively. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the securing body comprises a metallic or polymeric material. 13. The method according to the claim 12, characterized in that it includes coating the metallic or polymeric securing body with a polymeric material in such a way that the surface of the securing body comprises a polymeric material. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the label comprises a polymeric material, the laser engraving process uses a laser beam that is selected to burn through the polymeric material of the surface of the insuring body and through the material polymeric of that label. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the securing body comprises a metallic securing body and the laser beam does not substantially burn the metallic material of the securing body. 16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the laser beam comprises one of the following: a carbon dioxide laser beam and a yttrium-aluminum garnet laser beam. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the polymeric material of the surface of the securing body comprises a polyester material or the like and the polymeric material of the label comprises a polyester material. 18. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the securing body comprises a polymeric material, the laser engraving process uses a laser beam that is selected to burn through the label and partially inside the polymeric material of the insuring body. . 19. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the securing element comprises a flexible cable, one end of the flexible cable is fixedly connected to a fixed portion of the securing body and extends therefrom, the other end of the flexible cable it is received in a securing portion of the insuring body to ensure the security seal on the object. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the formation of the indicia marks comprises forming identification marks through the label in such a way that the label remains substantially continuous, such that when the label is removed of the surface of the belaying body, no substantial portion of the identification marks remain on the surface of the belaying body. 21. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that it includes shipping the object and the security seal and subsequently identifying the security seal by reviewing the tracking document with the label that is on it in a receiving facility. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the step of securing the security seal to an object is performed before the tag is removed from the surface of the securing body and the label is applied to a tracking document. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the step of securing the security seal to an object is performed after the tag is removed from the surface of the securing body.