Apparel – Body garments
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-08
2001-04-10
Hale, Gloria M. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Body garments
C002S115000, C002S085000, C002S108000, C128S873000, C128S874000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212684
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to restraining devices of vest or shirt type for the upper torso of a wearer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
According to a recent Justice Department report, the number of people held in U.S. prisons, jails and other correctional facilities exceeded two million at the end of 1999. On any given day, thousands of these people are being transported between these facilities or to various courts. For long distance trips, commercial carriers and public accommodations are often used.
While being transported and during court appearances, prisoners are usually restrained by handcuffs binding their wrists together for the safety of those nearby. Because handcuffs permit a prisoner to elevate his arms, a belt with a handcuff-retaining loop is normally also fastened about the waist of the prisoner. When the cuffs are passed through the loop, the prisoner is effectively prevented from moving his hands, wrists, arms and elbows more than a few inches in any one direction.
Unfortunately, there are problems associated with “locking down” a prisoner by means of handcuffs and a retaining belt. When worn for long periods, handcuffs tend to dig into the skin of a wearer, restricting blood flow to the hands and sometimes causing cuts, bruises, and great discomfort. Of course, to eat or use the restroom, a prisoner must be uncuffed—conduct that violates the rules of most airlines, restaurants, and hotels and is grounds for expulsion therefrom. Finally, the sight of a handcuffed person is frightening to some and may cause onlookers to panic or flee from this person's presence. A need, therefore, exists for a product that permits control over the movements of a prisoner while in public places to be maintained at all times yet is unobtrusive and unnoticeable to casual observers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In light of the problems associated with the known methods and apparatus for transporting prisoners from place to place using commercial carriers and other public accommodations, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a garment having the appearance of a regular jacket that will immobilize the upper body of a wearer. The garment selectively pins the arms of a wearer to his torso and positions his hands in the same location that handcuffs and a retaining belt would. The garment is safe, unobtrusive, and offers a level of security believed to be equal to that of handcuffs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a garment that is not only useful in securely transporting prisoners from place to place but, when employed in a courthouse in the presence of a judge or jury, can reduce or eliminate any stigma or assumption of guilt associated with the wearing of handcuffs. In short, the wearer of the garment does not appear to be dangerous on account of the garment.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a garment that can be made in practically any size to accommodate wearers of different statures. Whatever the size, however, the garment is compact. When not in use, it may be easily carried, folded away in a piece of luggage or suspended from a hanger in a closet.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a garment of the type described that may be easily donned or doffed with the help of an assistant. Once positioned on a wearer, however, the wearer, being incapable of moving his arms, cannot remove the garment without the assistant's aid.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a garment for the restraint of a wearer that is comfortable to wear, having no hard parts that can rub against the skin of a wearer. Thus, the likelihood of injury to a wearer caused by the garment is minimal.
It is another object of the invention to provide a restraining garment that does not have to be fully removed to permit a wearer to eat or relieve himself. It is believed, then, that airlines and other public providers of services will be less likely to shun wearers of the garment from their facilities.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a garment being a strait jacket for the purposes described which is lightweight in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and dependable in use.
Briefly, the strait jacket in accordance with this invention achieves the intended objects by featuring a front panel and a rear panel with side-by-side parts. A zipper releasably fastens the side-by-side parts together. A pair of sleeves extend from the front and rear panels and are sewn to the front panel so that they cannot be raised. One of the sleeves has a lateral opening extending from its bottom that can be selectively closed with a zipper. A belt may be run through passageways formed between the sleeves and front panel to draw the sleeves rearwardly. A pair of cuffs are secured to the bottom of the sleeves and have releasable fasteners so that they can be adjusted in size.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2664083 (1953-12-01), Heymans
patent: 2769177 (1956-11-01), Berg
patent: 3407807 (1968-10-01), Giberson
patent: 3502073 (1970-03-01), Stanley
patent: 3901229 (1975-08-01), Hensel et al.
patent: 5031639 (1991-07-01), Wolfer
patent: 5267352 (1993-12-01), Rodarmel
patent: 6024091 (2000-02-01), Bennett
patent: 459200 (1949-04-01), None
Greiner Stephen R.
Hale Gloria M.
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