The present invention relates to personal safety devices. More specifically, the invention provides a writing instrument having features that may be useful in a variety of emergency situations.
It is possible for an individual to face numerous types of unexpected emergencies or other potentially difficult situations during the course of any given day. These situations potentially include the need to defend against criminal attack, a need to break automobile glass to rescue an accident victim or to free oneself from a vehicle that has been involved in an accident, or a need to see while moving or working in the dark. Despite the foreseeability of the potential for these situations to occur, people are often unprepared to deal with them. Defensive or rescue equipment can be heavy or bulky, or may be subject to legal restrictions.
Writing instruments such as pens are commonly carried. These writing instruments often have little bulk, and may legally be carried virtually anywhere, ensuring that a means for dealing with an emergency is present when needed. Efforts have therefore been made to provide pens with some defensive capability. Presently available pens include the “Extreme Duty Pen” and “Modular Kubaton” (KUBOTAN is a registered trademark owned by Takayuki Kubota) sold by Rick Hinderer Knives, as well as pens offered by Benchmade and by Allen Elishewitz. All of these presently available pens lack the ability to combine a glass break with a means for securing the pen's cap or other cover over the glass break. Furthermore, some presently available pens include a point opposite the writing tip that is sufficiently sharp to present a potential to break the skin upon execution of a strike, minimizing the usefulness of these pens for nonlethal control techniques. Lastly, these pens failed to provide the ability to modify the appearance or functionality of this end of the pen while retaining an optimal striking surface.
Accordingly, there is a need for a writing instrument having a striking tip opposite the writing point, and having a means for securing a cap or other cover over the striking tip.
A writing instrument includes a tubular body having a writing tip at one end, and a glass break at the other end. Means for securing a cap to either end of the body, selectively covering either the writing tip or glass break, are provided.
Like reference characters denote like elements throughout the drawings.
Referring to the drawings, an example of a writing instrument having defensive and/or safety features is illustrated. As shown in
The first end 14 and second end 16 include a means for securing a cap 24 to the body 12, so that the cap 24 may cover either the writing tip 18 or glass break 20. In the illustrated example, screw threads 26, 28 are provided on the first end 14 and second end 16, respectively. The illustrated example of a cap 24 (
The illustrated example of the body 12 includes a plurality of circumferential ridges 32 and/or channels 34. These ridges 32 and/or channels 34 resist any slipping movement of the hand on the writing instrument 10 during use, and may also increase the effectiveness of pain compliance holds, as explained in more detail below.
Referring to
The writing medium insert 38 may be any insert that is appropriate to the type of writing instrument selected. In the illustrated example of a pen, the writing medium insert 38 may be any presently available ink cartridge, for example, a ballpoint pen and ink cartridge, a rollerball ink cartridge, or fountain pen ink cartridge (with an appropriate securing member 36). A preferred ink cartridge is the cartridge used by the SPACE PEN sold by the Fisher Pen Company located in Boulder City, Nev. In the case of other writing instruments, the writing medium insert 38 may be a graphite stick for use in a pencil, an ink cartridge for a marker, etc. A spring 52 may optionally be provided within a second end 16 of the body 12 to bias the writing medium insert 38 towards the first end 14 of the body 12.
Referring back to
The writing instrument 10 may include a cover that is structured to be secured over the glass break 20. One possible cover 70 is illustrated in
In use, the writing instrument 10 may be carried in any manner that is convenient to the user. Some users may wish to clip the writing instrument 10 to a shirt or jacket pocket, while others may wish to utilize a cover 74 to attach their keys to the writing instrument 10, carrying the writing instrument 10 in a pocket or inside their waistband. Regardless of the selected mode of carry, the writing instrument 10 is immediately available in the event of an emergency. For example, in the event of criminal attack, the writing instrument 10 may be quickly withdrawn from a pocket, grasped with both ends protruding from the user's fist, and immediately used to block attacks by striking the attackers arm with the glass break 20, the cap 24, or the cover 70, 74. The user may then follow up by striking the attacker with these same surfaces, and/or attempt to control the attacker by applying pain compliance holds wherein the body 12 is pressed against the attacker's wrist. The ridges 32 and/or channels 34 serve to resist sliding of the writing instrument 10 within the user's hand during blocking and striking, and to increase the effectiveness of pain compliance holds by reducing the surface area over which the force of the holds are applied.
If the emergency occurs while the user is using the writing instrument 10 to write, the writing instrument and may be used as a defensive tool with substantially equal effectiveness. Because the cap 24 is firmly secured over the second end 16 of the body 12, and because the writing tip 18 is firmly secured to the first end 14 of the body 12, the cap 24 may be stored in this convenient location during use of the writing instrument 10 for writing without compromising the rigidity or general usefulness of the writing instrument 10 as a defensive tool.
If the nature of the emergency is an automobile accident, the writing instrument 10 may be quickly accessed, and the glass break 20 may be used to quickly break a vehicle window, enabling the user to quickly free himself or another accident victim from the vehicle.
If the user enters a darkened area, the user may utilize the flashlight 54 to facilitate vision, thereby avoiding any obstacles that may be present. If a criminal attack occurs in this darkened area, the writing instrument is already positioned within the user's hand, with the cap 24 protruding from the thumb end of the fist, and the glass break 20 protruding from the opposite end of the fist, already in the appropriate position for a hammer fist strike and for the above-described defensive usage. Similarly, a user who has selected a writing instrument 10 with a laser pointer 56 already has a defensive tool in hand if an attack occurs during use of the laser pointer. This capability can be particularly useful, for example, to a teacher who is responsible for the safety of his students, or to a businessman who is making a presentation during negotiations in a hostile situation, or under other less than amicable circumstances.
A variety of modifications to the above-described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. Thus, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The particular embodiments disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention. The appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, should be referenced to indicate the scope of the invention.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/136,490, filed on Jun. 10, 2008, and entitled “Defensive Writing Instrument.”
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12136490 | Jun 2008 | US |
Child | 14795612 | US |