Patents by Inventor Donald A. Ruth
Donald A. Ruth has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20200105167Abstract: An electronic security bolt seal for locking a hasp includes an electronic module that has a circuit board disposed at an interior cavity of a housing. The housing includes apertures aligned with each other, such that a bolt is configured to be inserted through the apertures and through the interior cavity to engage the circuit board and complete an electronics circuit. When the bolt is inserted through the apertures of the housing, a locking device engages a tip region of the bolt that protrudes from the housing to secure the electronic module to the bolt. Responsive to a determination of breaking the electronics circuit, the circuit board is operable to generate a seal tamper signal. The locking element can be unlocked by a user to disengage the locking device from the bolt to permit the bolt to be removed from the electronic module and disengaged from the hasp.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2019Publication date: April 2, 2020Inventors: Robert Debrody, Donald Ruth, George Lundberg, Richard Dreisbach
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Patent number: 10497289Abstract: An electronic security bolt seal for locking a hasp includes an electronic module that has a circuit board disposed at an interior cavity of a housing. The housing includes apertures aligned with each other, such that a bolt is configured to be inserted through the apertures and through the interior cavity to engage the circuit board and complete an electronics circuit. When the bolt is inserted through the apertures of the housing, a locking device engages a tip region of the bolt that protrudes from the housing to secure the electronic module to the bolt. Responsive to a determination of breaking the electronics circuit, the circuit board is operable to generate a seal tamper signal. The locking element can be unlocked by a user to disengage the locking device from the bolt to permit the bolt to be removed from the electronic module and disengaged from the hasp.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2016Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: E.J. BROOKS COMPANYInventors: Robert Debrody, Donald Ruth, George Lundberg, Richard Dreisbach
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Publication number: 20170032710Abstract: An electronic security bolt seal for locking a hasp includes an electronic module that has a circuit board disposed at an interior cavity of a housing. The housing includes apertures aligned with each other, such that a bolt is configured to be inserted through the apertures and through the interior cavity to engage the circuit board and complete an electronics circuit. When the bolt is inserted through the apertures of the housing, a locking device engages a tip region of the bolt that protrudes from the housing to secure the electronic module to the bolt. Responsive to a determination of breaking the electronics circuit, the circuit board is operable to generate a seal tamper signal. The locking element can be unlocked by a user to disengage the locking device from the bolt to permit the bolt to be removed from the electronic module and disengaged from the hasp.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 12, 2016Publication date: February 2, 2017Inventors: Robert Debrody, Donald Ruth, George Lundberg, Richard Dreisbach
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Patent number: 9472125Abstract: An electronics circuit first portion is entirely within an electronics module housing, sensing and transmitting a tamper condition of a normally locked bolt. The bolt comprises a second portion of the electronics circuit. The seal electronics circuit first portion comprises a seal monitoring, tracking and communications system. The bolt passes through the module housing and is secured with a locking device external the module such that the module is reusable when the bolt is severed. The bolt and module housing include a cooperative contamination sealing arrangement for sealing the bolt to the housing. The electronics circuit first portion includes RFID tamper detection circuitry, GPS, Wi Fi and cell phone communication and tracking technologies. The cell phone technology tracks the seal using cell phone towers and Wi Fi access points and communicates the seal tracked position and seal status data to a cell phone communications center.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2011Date of Patent: October 18, 2016Assignee: E.J. BROOKS COMPANYInventors: Robert Debrody, Donald Ruth, George Lundberg, Richard Dreisbach
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Publication number: 20150213737Abstract: An electronic circuit senses and transmits a tamper condition of a bolt seal locked with a locking device external the module on a side of the module opposite the bolt head. The module is reusable intact when the bolt/locking device, which is conventional, is opened. In various embodiments, a tang type metal/plastic or plastic tamper indicative seal may be attached through a hole in the bolt tip region that has a narrowed diameter tip or attached in a one way clutch action on the tip, or which mates in a bolt groove at the bolt tip region and/or a conventional tamper evident seal is attached to the surface of the bolt shank at the bolt tip region in a clutch action. Different bolt embodiments comprise non-electrically conductive or electrically conductive plastic or steel shanks with juxtaposed electrical conductors along the shank connected to external conductors formed by coatings or axially spaced cylindrical sleeves forming contact regions which engage the circuitry contacts inside the module.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 4, 2015Publication date: July 30, 2015Inventors: Robert Debrody, Donald Ruth, George Lundberg, Richard Dreisbach
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Publication number: 20110273852Abstract: An electronics circuit first portion is entirely within an electronics module housing, sensing and transmitting a tamper condition of a normally locked bolt. The bolt comprises a second portion of the electronics circuit. The seal electronics circuit first portion comprises a seal monitoring, tracking and communications system. The bolt passes through the module housing and is secured with a locking device external the module such that the module is reusable when the bolt is severed. The bolt and module housing include a cooperative contamination sealing arrangement for sealing the bolt to the housing. The electronics circuit first portion includes RFID tamper detection circuitry, GPS, Wi Fi and cell phone communication and tracking technologies. The cell phone technology tracks the seal using cell phone towers and Wi Fi access points and communicates the seal tracked position and seal status data to a cell phone communications center.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2011Publication date: November 10, 2011Inventors: Robert Debrody, Donald Ruth, George Lundberg, Richard Dreisbach
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Publication number: 20090091144Abstract: An electronic circuit senses and transmits a tamper condition of a bolt seal locked with a locking device external the module on a side of the module opposite the bolt head. The module is reusable intact when the bolt/locking device, which is conventional, is opened. In various embodiments, a tang type metal/plastic or plastic tamper indicative seal may be attached through a hole in the bolt tip region that has a narrowed diameter tip or attached in a one way clutch action on the tip, or which mates in a bolt groove at the bolt tip region and/or a conventional tamper evident seal is attached to the surface of the bolt shank at the bolt tip region in a clutch action. Different bolt embodiments comprise non-electrically conductive or electrically conductive plastic or steel shanks with juxtaposed electrical conductors along the shank connected to external conductors formed by coatings or axially spaced cylindrical sleeves forming contact regions which engage the circuitry contacts inside the module.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2008Publication date: April 9, 2009Inventors: Robert Debrody, Donald Ruth, George Lundberg, Richard Dreisbach
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Patent number: 7239238Abstract: A battery operated cable security seal for cargo containers and the like includes a housing with a transparent cover for visual inspection of illuminated internal green or red LEDs, the red LED representing a tampered state of a stranded metal locking cable, which has a length sufficient to secure the keeper bars and hasp of a cargo container door. The cable has an internal conductor whose conductivity, e.g., resistance, manifests a tampered condition when severed and also if reattached, e.g., by a solder or spliced joint and so on. The electrical continuity of the conductor is monitored by a circuit in one embodiment for a severed state, i.e., tampering, and whose resistance is monitored in a second embodiment correlated optionally to either or both ambient temperature and a battery output voltage. The seal housing has two compartments one being hermetically sealed and contains the circuitry and the other containing a cable locking device for receiving and locking the cable to the seal.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2005Date of Patent: July 3, 2007Assignee: E. J. Brooks CompanyInventors: Theodore R. Tester, Robert F. Debrody, Donald A. Ruth
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Publication number: 20050231365Abstract: A battery operated cable security seal for cargo containers and the like includes a housing with a transparent cover for visual inspection of illuminated internal green or red LEDs, the red LED representing a tampered state of a stranded metal locking cable, which has a length sufficient to secure the keeper bars and hasp of a cargo container door. The cable has an internal conductor whose conductivity, e.g., resistance, manifests a tampered condition when severed and also if reattached, e.g., by a solder or spliced joint and so on. The electrical continuity of the conductor is monitored by a circuit in one embodiment for a severed state, i.e., tampering, and whose resistance is monitored in a second embodiment correlated optionally to either or both ambient temperature and a battery output voltage. The seal housing has two compartments one being hermetically sealed and contains the circuitry and the other containing a cable locking device for receiving and locking the cable to the seal.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2005Publication date: October 20, 2005Inventors: Theodore Tester, Robert Debrody, Donald Ruth
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Patent number: 5382061Abstract: An improved bag seal of the type typically used to close and seal the necks of cloth or other similar bags with a flexible strap. One end of the strap is attached to a non-resilient ferrule having an elongated housing with a passage therethrough for receiving the second end of the strap. The housing is received within a bore of a sealing block and thereafter is crimped to lock the housing to and within the sealing block and the strap to and within the housing. One or more cutting edges formed on the exterior of the housing permit insertion of the housing within the bore without cutting the sealing block, but upon attempted removal of the housing, the cutting edge cuts into the sealing block to provide a visual indication of tampering. Moreover, before passing the second end of the strap through the passage in the housing, the strap is passed through a slot in a flap rotatably mounted to the sealing block near an end of the bore.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 1993Date of Patent: January 17, 1995Assignee: E.J. Brooks CompanyInventors: Allan W. Swift, Donald A. Ruth