Locks – Portable – Fetters
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-21
2004-02-03
Barrett, Suzanne Dino (Department: 3676)
Locks
Portable
Fetters
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684666
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention broadly relates to locking devices. The invention further relates to locking devices useful to physically restrain the movement by an individual of his or her arms and/or legs. This invention more particularly relates to mechanical restraining devices referred to in the art as “handcuffs.” This invention specifically relates to an operating mechanism and to a locking mechanism for a handcuff.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Problems Solved
It is known in the art that a handcuff is an apparatus, usually made of metal, which, when employed, is ordinarily placed around the wrist or ankle of an individual. The apparatus, can be, and usually is, directly connected to another such device by a bridge, such as a chain, a link, or a bar, to thereby form a combination of such devices. The combination is referred to in the art and herein as “handcuffs” or as a “set of handcuffs.”
It is also known in the art to place handcuffs upon an individual to render such individual physically ineffective or powerless. Accordingly, handcuffs can be employed, for example, in the field of law enforcement for the purpose of physically restraining an individual from escape and/or to prevent such restrained individual from injuring himself and/or some other person, such as a police officer. It is apparent, then, that a handcuff, or handcuffs, which can be opened and removed by the person being restrained, or by any other unauthorized person, either by force or by device, utterly defeats the purpose of the handcuffs.
As known in the art, a handcuff contains mechanisms which function to permit the apparatus to open and close and also function to prevent the apparatus from opening. The first function is referred to herein as the “operating mechanism.” The second function is referred to herein as the “locking mechanism.”
An example of a handcuff known in the art which includes an operating and a locking mechanism can be an apparatus comprised of a combination of at least two, and sometimes three, planar, substantially parallel, plates and a movable arm. The plates and movable arm cooperate to produce a ring defined herein as a “restraining space” which can be opened and closed. It is to be understood that the wrist or ankle of the individual to be restrained is placed and confined in the closed restraining space.
The combination of plates is a sandwich structure comprised of two, aligned, exterior plates which cooperate to form a stationary arm and an enclosed interior space. The enclosed interior space is, for convenience, referred to herein as the “machinery space.” The machinery space can sometimes be further defined by cavities formed in a third plate positioned between the two exterior plates. The third plate thus separates the exterior plates and provides a cavity or cavities in which the operating and locking mechanisms are positioned.
Each exterior plate is ordinarily a unitary body comprised of a first section, referred to herein as a “cheek plate,” and a second section, referred to herein as a “plate arm.” The cheek plates serve as the top and bottom covers of the machinery space and as a base to support the operating and locking mechanisms positioned in the machinery space. The plate arms combine to form the stationary arm. The third plate, when employed, is positioned between the cheek plates and can be considered to be a part of the housing for mechanisms positioned in the machinery space.
Each plate arm, which extends beyond the cheek plate to form one side of the stationary arm, is a rigid, curvilinear, i.e., a “C-shaped,” member which terminates at an end adapted for hinged attachment to the movable arm. The stationary arm, which as stated, is formed by the combination of the aligned, curvilinear, plate arms, is referred to as such to distinguish the combination of plate arms from the movable arm of the handcuff. The combination of the terminal ends of each plate arm is referred to as the hinge end of the stationary arm.
The movable arm of a handcuff, which has been variously referred to as a curved locking arm or as a swing arm, is also a rigid, curvilinear member having a pivot end and a free end. The pivot end of the swing arm is positioned between the terminal ends of each plate arm and is rotatably connected to the hinge end of the stationary arm. The free end of the swing arm is equipped with teeth adapted to engage, that is, contact and intermesh with, opposing teeth mounted within the machinery space.
Accordingly, in operation, the pivot end of the swing arm and the hinge end of the stationary arm cooperate to permit the free end of the swing arm to rotate into at least a portion of the machinery space wherein the teeth on the free end of the swing arm engage teeth mounted within the machinery space to thereby form and close the restraining space. In handcuffs known in the prior art the restraining space is opened by causing the respective teeth to disengage followed by rotating the swing arm out of the machinery space.
From the above description it is evident that a handcuff functionally comprises a restraining space and a machinery space. The prior art of particular interest herein is the specific operating and locking mechanisms employed in the machinery space.
The operating mechanism of a prior art handcuff is embodied in a substantially linear member enclosed in the machinery space which features a plurality of teeth mounted on one side thereof which are adapted to engage teeth on the swing arm. The prior art operating mechanism is hinged at one end and biased to urge the teeth on the member into engagement with the teeth on the swing arm. The mechanism can be thus characterized as a hinged pawl situated within the machinery space of the handcuff. The swing arm must enter the machinery space to close the restraining space. Accordingly, the swing arm is rotated into the machinery space with force sufficient to overcome the resistance of the biasing source to cause the pawl to rotate about the hinge. The result of this action is to raise the teeth on the pawl out of engagement with the teeth on the swing arm. The operating mechanism of the prior art thus employs a reciprocating action wherein the teeth on the pawl and the teeth on the swing arm are continually alternating between an engaged and a disengaged condition as the swing arm is rotated into the machinery space.
A prior art handcuff features a first operating position and a second operating position. The first operating position is referred to as the “ready-to-lock” position. In this position, the swing arm is permitted to swing inwardly into the machinery space of the handcuff to close and reduce the area of the restraining space, to thereby tighten the restraint around the wrist or ankle of an individual, but the handcuff is not permitted to be loosened or opened because the teeth of the pawl are designed to permit inward, but not outward, movement of the teeth on the swing arm. It is believed that the shape of the teeth of the pawl and the teeth of the swing arm combine to prevent the swing arm from rotating out of the machinery space of the handcuff.
The second operating position, referred to as the “double locked” or secondary locking position, employs, as the locking mechanism, a movable physical barrier, such as a rod or a bar, positioned within the machinery space of the handcuff to prevent the pawl from performing the mentioned reciprocating action and, therefor, prevents the swing arm from rotating around the hinge end of the stationary arm. In the second operating position, the swing arm cannot be moved in either direction (i.e., inwardly into or outwardly out of the machinery space of the handcuff), because the pawl teeth are caused to remain in continuous contact with the teeth of the swing arm by the locking mechanism to prevent any movement of the swing arm. In this regard, the reciprocating movement of the pawl to disengage the pawl teeth is prevented by the mentioned rod or bar positioned between the reciprocating, i.e., free
Barrett Suzanne Dino
Weaver Thomas R.
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