Locking device

Claim 1

A locking device for positively locking a closure member of an article to be locked in an article closing position, said locking device comprising: a base member permanently securable to an article to be locked and including means for aligning a closure member of said article in an article closing position with said closure member overlapping said base member; said closure member having therein receiving means for receipt therein of said aligning means when said closure member is in said article closing position and overlapping said base member; said aligning means having therein entrance means for receiving a portion of a disposable locking element to prevent disengagement of said closure element from said aligning means; means for permanently securing said base member to said article; and a disposable locking element completely separate from said base member and made of synthetic plastics material, said locking element including: a resiliently deformable plug part of substantially arrow-head configuration which is resiliently yieldable and slidably insertable through, but not slidably retractable from, said entrance means of said aligning means; and a head part connected to said plug part by a rupturable portion, said head part, when said plug part is inserted through said entrance means into a locking position, being outside said aligning means and covering a portion of said closure member, thereby forming means for preventing disengagement of said closure member from said aligning means, said head part having accessible manual manipulation means for allowing said head part to be rupturably removed from said plug part after said plug part is in said locking position, to thereby allow said closure member to be disengaged from said aligning means and the thus separate plug part to be removed, whereafter said base member and said aligning means can be re-used with a fresh disposable locking element to relock said closure member when desired.