Patent Application
20250163731
The present invention generally relates to handcuffs and shackles and, more particularly, to a handcuff apparatus that is convertible between a rigid connection relative to the cuffs and a flexible connection, with a removable grip apparatus mountable on the base of each cuff member.
Handcuffs are commonly used by police departments, constables and other similar personnel to secure a suspect or prisoner by coupling the suspect's wrists together in a manner that makes use of the secured hands difficult. Typically, the suspect's or prisoner's wrists are secured together behind the person's back to prevent ample movement of the person's arms. The handcuffs are formed with two handcuff members connected together by two or more chain links or a tether that enables the pair of handcuffs to be folded and stored in a pocket or appropriate container. Each handcuff member has a fixed jaw and a movable jaw pivoted to the fixed jaw and having ratchet teeth that securely engage a spring-loaded dog formed on the fixed jaw.
When the movable jaw is ratcheted against the dog, the movable jaw cannot be disengaged from the fixed jaw until the dog is moved out of engagement with the ratchets by manipulation of a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism and spring-loaded dog are housed in a housing or base portion of each cuff member. Access to the spring-loaded dog is obtained by inserting a key through a keyhole to rotate the dog against the corresponding spring which allows the movable jaw to be withdrawn from engagement with the fixed jaw. The housing of each cuff member is generally rectangular in shape and incorporates the dog and spring devices, as well as the lower portion of the fixed jaw.
Generally, handcuffs have a flexible linkage, usually a short chain, interconnecting the two handcuff members. However, some handcuffs have a rigid connector that keeps the prisoner's hands spaced apart a predetermined distance. Examples of a rigid handcuff can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 647,735, granted to Frank B. Widmayer on Apr. 17, 1900; U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,381, granted to Julie M. Savage on Mar. 25, 1997; and in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0056332, of Kevin L. Parsons, et. al., published on Mar. 15, 2007.
Flexible handcuffs can be converted into rigid handcuffs by overlying the flexible linkage with a pair of opposing rigid members that extend from one handcuff member to the other and encapsulate the flexible linkage. Two examples of such conversion devices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,048, granted on Jun. 20, 1989 to Dennis C. Elam, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,257, granted on Apr. 16, 1991, to Charles E. Thompson. In both of these handcuff disclosures, a pair of opposing shells are connected together on opposite sides of the flexible chain to provide a rigid structure between the two handcuff members. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,658, granted on Jun. 18, 1996, to Geoffrey W. Cross, et. al., each of the handcuff members have a rigid extension that are interconnected by a series of parallel links that enable a limited amount of flexibility in the handcuff structure. As with the previous references identified above, a pair of shell members having spacers that fit between the links to render the links from pivotal movement and, thereby convert the flexible handcuffs into rigid handcuffs.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,935, granted on Feb. 27, 2007, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,010,943 granted on Mar. 14, 2005, both to Alan L. Earl, disclose a grip for handcuffs wherein the grip apparatus is secured over the chain links interconnecting the two opposing cuff members in such a manner that the grip overlaps the lower portion of the base portion of each opposing cuff member but not the entire base portion. This prior art grip apparatus encapsulates the chain links, but incorporates a central hinge device that allows the handcuff to be folded for conventional storage while the grip apparatus is installed. The grip apparatus has an upper member and a lower member that are overlapped to encapsulate the chain links and secured together in a manner that makes the grip apparatus difficult to impossible to remove from the handcuff. The engagement of the base portion of each opposing cuff member is minimal so that the handcuff keyhole is not covered or access thereto obstructed.
Grip devices similar in nature to the Earl grip apparatus can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,374, granted to Norman E. Clifton, Jr., on May 3, 2005, and in U.S. Design Pat. No. D373,446, granted on Sep. 3, 1996, to Gee-Sook Kim, et al, in which the grip devices are used to convert the otherwise flexible handcuff into a rigid handcuff, like a shackle. In both of these patents, the grip device encompasses the base portions of the opposing cuff members, overlapping the keyhole in each cuff member, requiring openings to permit access to the keyholes. These grip devices are formed of a rigid material, such as steel, and are very specific in utilization.
It would be desirable to provide a grip apparatus that would be mounted on the base portions of the individual cuff members in a manner that would be easily removable if desired and capable of incorporating auxiliary functions to improve on the use and efficiency of the handcuff.
It is an object of this invention to provide a structure for a handcuff apparatus that can easily be converted between a flexible configuration and a rigid configuration.
It is another object of this invention to provide an accessory rail on the bottom of the housing of the handcuff apparatus.
It is a feature of this invention that the accessory rail is formed with a T-shaped slot into which an accessory can be supported.
It is an advantage of this invention that the accessory can be a spacer that interconnects accessory rails on both handcuff members to convert the handcuff apparatus into a rigid configuration.
It is another feature of this invention to provide an accessory rail that can be used to support any desired accessory from the housing of a handcuff member.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a grip apparatus for a handcuff housing to facilitate handling the handcuff members while in use.
It is another advantage of this invention that a double lock button can be accessed through the grip apparatus.
It is another advantage of this invention that the officer operating the handcuff apparatus has a greater measure of control over the movement of the person being restrained by the handcuffs.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a handcuff apparatus that is convertible between flexible and rigid configurations which is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use.
These and other objects, features and advantages can be accomplished by a handcuff apparatus having accessory rails formed on the bottom surface of the housing for the handcuff members. The accessory rail can have a T-shaped configuration to provide support for desired accessories, such as a spacer that will extend between accessory rails on the housings of opposing handcuff members to convert the handcuff apparatus into a rigid handcuff configuration. Placement of the spacer can be made on accessory rails on either or both opposing sides of the mount for connecting the flexible tether between the handcuff members. The accessory rails can also be used to mount other accessories, such as a GPS/cellular tracking device. A grip apparatus is also provided to facilitate the engagement of the handcuff members. The grip members can have a recessed keyhole surrounded by LEDs and a double lock button accessible through the grip member. The grip member is removable from the housing.
The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to the drawings, a pair of handcuffs incorporating the principles of the instant invention can best be seen. Each handcuff member 10 is constructed with a fixed arcuate jaw 12 having opposed face members 13, 14 and a housing 15 for the lock mechanism 20. A movable arcuate jaw 17 is formed with a saw tooth ratchet (not shown) on one side thereof and is pivotally connected by a pivot 19 to the distal end of the fixed jaw 12 thereof. The pivotal movement of the arcuate movable jaw 17 in one direction, corresponding to the insertion of the tip of the movable jaw 17 into the lock housing 15, allows the arcuate jaw 17 to pass between the opposing face members 13, 14 of the fixed jaw 12 and completely circle around the pivot 19 unless an object, such as a wrist, is captured between the fixed and movable jaws 12, 17.
The lock housing 15 encloses a conventional handcuff locking mechanism 16 that has a mating ratchet member formed with a reverse saw tooth ratchet that is pivotally supported within the lock mechanism between an engagement position and a non-engagement position corresponding to the engagement of the ratchet on the movable jaw. Alternatively, the locking mechanism 16 can utilize a spring-loaded dog (not shown) that will engage the ratchet mechanism (not shown) on the movable jaw 17 to allow movement of the movable jaw 17 in one direction relative to the fixed jaw. The locking mechanism 16 is arranged such that the insertion of a key into the keyhole formed in the housing 15 and rotated appropriately will affect pivotal movement within the housing to release the movable jaw from restrictive engagement with the fixed jaw. The chain 11 is fastened to the underside of the opposing housings 15 to interconnect the two handcuffs. A remote keyhole 18 located at the distal end of the fixed jaw 12 can be used to disengage the movable jaw from the fixed jaw, according to the principals of the invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,336,345, granted on Dec. 25, 2012, to Stephen T. Burgoon.
Referring now to
The accessory rail 42 is preferably formed in a T-shaped configuration to facilitate the mounting of an accessory to the housing 15 and to maintain the connection of the accessory to the housing 15 in the manner so intended. One skilled in the art will recognize that the shape of the accessory rail 42 can vary, such as an oval or I-shape as examples, so long as the shape of the accessory rail 42 will maintain the integrity of the connection of the accessory to the housing 15. An example of an accessory, is shown in
The spacer 45 is preferably formed of rubber and is sufficiently flexible to permit the cuffs 10 to be folded over for storage in a suitable holder. The rubber spacer 45 provides an improved grip surface for holding the cuffs 10 for engagement with a prisoner. With the rubber spacer 45 in place both cuffs 10 are automatically oriented for engagement with the prisoner's wrists. This spacer 45, which could be referred to as a bridge, can be sized according to the officer using the cuffs 10. For example, female officers will typically have smaller hands than male officers and the bridge 45 can be made smaller to accommodate the corresponding size of hands. With the provision of the accessory rail 42, different accessories can be conveniently attached and secured to the cuffs 10 by the set screw through the opening 43. For example, the bridge 45 could be rigid and used to convert the pair of handcuffs from a flexible configuration to a rigid configuration. Other accessories would include flashlights, GPS devices and the like.
To secure the accessory within the accessory rail 42, a set screw (not shown) can be inserted through the housing 15 via the opening 43 to engage the portion of the accessory received within the accessory rail 42. One skilled in the art will recognize that a pin (not shown) can be inserted through the opening 43 to engage the accessory and restrict movement off the accessory rail 42 until the pin is removed. In the way of an example, another accessory that could be mounted on the accessory rail 42 would include a GPS/cellular tracking unit (not shown) that could be formed to slide into the accessory rail 42 to permit tracking of high risk prisoners. Furthermore, the GPS/cellular tracking unit could be built into the spacer 45.
Double locking of handcuffs is a known apparatus that when engaged after a prisoner has been provided with handcuffs mounted on the prisoner's wrists, the handcuffs cannot be tightened on the prisoner's wrists beyond the original positioning of the movable jaw 17 into engagement with the fixed jaw 12. By double locking, the movable jaw 17 cannot move relative to the fixed jaw 12 in either direction, which prevents the handcuffs 10 from being unlocked with a shim in a known manner. Double locking also prevents the prisoner from tightening the handcuff members 10 to the extent of injury. On the handcuffs shown in
Referring now to
The purpose of the grip apparatus 20 mounted on the housing 15 is to facilitate the grasping of the handcuffs 10 to secure a suspect's wrists. The grip apparatus 20 can be molded from a number of materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as well as other plastic and rubber compounds that will hold shape, be functional as described in greater detail below, and be aesthetically pleasing. The grip apparatus 20 is molded as a hollow cavity 22 located between spaced apart upright walls 23, 24. The forward portion of the cavity 22 has a vertical opening 26 that will accommodate the sliding of the grip apparatus 20 over the chain links 11, as will be described in greater detail below. One skilled in the art will recognize that the grip apparatus 20 can be used on the housings 15 of conventional handcuffs, as well as in conjunction with the housings 15 on the handcuffs configured as described above to be convertible between flexible handcuffs and rigid handcuffs, except that the shape of the grip apparatus 20 may have to be modified slightly from that shown in
The rearward portion of the upright walls 23, 24 is preferably sloped upwardly to provide a surface engagable with the user's thumb if desired. The floor 27 of the grip apparatus 20 is formed with a horizontal slot 28 that is continued from the vertical opening 26. Near the center of the floor 27 the slot 28 expands into a rounded opening 29 that is sized to allow the passage of the chain links 11 and the mount 11a onto which the chain links 11 are connected. To provide structural integrity for the grip apparatus 20, the rearward portion of the cavity 22 is formed as a solid wall 21 extending upwardly from the floor 27 to the beginning of the upwardly sloped portions.
One of the upright walls 24 is formed with a recess 30 that includes a keyhole 32 at the center thereof. This keyhole 32 will be aligned with the corresponding keyhole in the housing 15 to access the lock mechanism 26. The recess 30 also includes an LED 33 that shines light onto the keyhole 32 and recess 30 to facilitate the use of a handcuff key to release the lock mechanism 16. Rearwardly of the recess 30 is a switch 35, preferably in the form of a depressible button 35 that directs electricity from a small replaceable battery 36 to the LED 33 to provide a light source when desired. On the opposing upright wall 23, an opening 37 to permit the installation of an RFID chip or a GPS tracking device to keep track of the prisoner wearing the handcuffs.
The grip apparatus 20 can be installed onto any conventional pair of handcuffs 10 as is described herein. The grip apparatus 20 is aligned with the first chain link 11 and slid over the chain link 11 with the chain link 11 passing through the vertical opening 26 and along the slot 28 until the chain link 11 is aligned with the hole 29 in the center of the floor 27 of the grip apparatus 20. The grip apparatus 20 can then be pushed upwardly onto the housing 15 such that the mount 11a is extended through the hole 29 and such that the upright walls 23, 24 cover the opposing sides of the housing 15. With the grip apparatus 20 in proper placement, the user's hands will be less likely to slip off the handcuffs, particularly in situations where the housing 15 is wet. Preferably, the material from which the grip apparatus 20 is molded will provide a tacky touch. Alternatively, the outer surface of the upright walls 23, 24 can have knurling formed therein to increase grip capabilities or other non-slip surfaces.
It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the grip apparatus 20 can be utilized on conventional handcuff configurations, as well as the remote lock configuration described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,336,345 noted above and the convertible handcuff configuration as described above.
An alternative handcuff configuration is shown in
It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiments of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the principles of the instant invention can also be applied to leg restraints to provide an improved grip and orientation of the restraints.
This patent application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/601,320, filed on Nov. 21, 2023, the content of which is incorporated herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63601320 | Nov 2023 | US |
