Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BELT-TYPE RESTRAINT DEVICE
Background of the Invention
I This invention relates in general to belt-type restraint
devices for restraining a person by securing the wrists to a belt
locked about the waist.
The advantages of the belt-type restraint devices, of
¦which the present invention is intended as an improvement, are
well known and include the fact that once properly secured, it is
difficult to break loose or to do much damage while secured.
However, there are a number of disadvantages inherent
in the belt-type restraint devices presently in wide-spread use.
IIn general these devices are quite bulky and heavy. They
¦require a lock to secure the girdling belt about the waist of
¦the person and an individual lock for each shackle which secures
¦ the wrists to the belt. Additionally, the shackles are normally
made o~ metal thereby adding to the bulk and weight of the re-
¦straint device. The prior art devices are therefore not only a
¦bother to carry when not in use, but also are highly visible when
¦ in use. High visibility tends to result in "public relations"
¦problems when a prior art restraint belt is utilized during the
¦ transportation of restrained persons by public transportation.
¦ Accordingly, it is a major object of this invention to
¦ provide a belt-type restraint device which is lighter in weight
¦l and less bulky then are previously known devices and which is
therefore easier to carry and simpler to use.
¦ It is a further and related purpose of this invention
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l~to eliminate the metal shackles in order to achieve the above
¦! objectives.
It is a further purpose of this invention to provide
¦this type of device which, in use, will attain the required
¦restraing but which will make it feasible to restrain an indi-
vidual who is then transported in public conveyances and in
¦public places with minimum visibility as to the fact of the
~¦restraint.
It is also a purpose of this invention to achieve all
of the above results in a device which is fully as secure as any
previously known devices. Indeed, handcuffs, and to some extent
metal shackles, permit a certain degree of mobility for the
hands which at times allows the re~trained individual to defeat
and even break the devices. Accordingly, it is a purpose of this
invention to reduce such mobility and thus enhance the security of
the restraint device.
It is important that the restraint device be simple to
use and that it be coupled to the individual being restrained by
means of a single latching action. Accordingly, it is another
purpose of this invention to provide a single latch restraint
device.
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!
ll Brief Description
¦! In brief, the embodiment of the invention
j1disclosed herein restrains a person by securing the person's
¦Iwrists in loops of a fabric belt girdling the waist of the
¦ individual. The belt buckle is in the back, not in the front.
The wrists of the individual are secured by two loops formed
l as a continuous part of the belt. This continuous construction
! results in a device wherein the tightening of the belt around
the person's waist and the tightening of the wrist restraining
loops occur simultaneously. The belt webbing is threaded
through ~wo separate metal grips at the front of the belt to
form two separate wrist restraining loops. The two loops are
spaced from one another by a non-adjustable portion of the
belt extending between the two metal grips. The circumference
of the belt is adjustable by means of passing the belt around
a friction bar associated with the clip that latches into the
buckle at the back of the belt. The wrist loops are threaded
around cross bars at the two spaced apart metal grips and are
adjustable. Tightening the belt around the waist of the
person being restrained pulls the belt web through the metal
~rips thereby also tightening the wrist loops.
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In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is
provided a belt-type restraint device having a flexible
belt member and a restraint means for releasably securing
one wrist of a person to the belt member comprising: said
flexible belt member being for forming a girdle about the
waist of said person, latching means to adjust the size of
said flexible belt member and to latch it, under tension,
to girdle the waist of the person, said restraint means
comprising a first slip loop forming means mounted on said
flexible belt member, and forming a first wrist restraining
loop continuous with said flexible belt member, any
increase or decrease in the length of said first loop
being matched by a corresponding decrease or increase,
respectively, in the length of the rest of said flexible
member when around the waist of said person.
Brief DescriPtion of the Drawinqs
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a belt-type restraint
device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view in perspective of
the device of FIG. 1, showing a wrist restraining loop and
associated adjustment buckle in detail.
FIG. 3 is a view of the latch actuating surface of the
latching buckle for the belt.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the adjustment buckle
used to form the loop of FIG. 2 with the belt webbing
removed to reveal the grip structure.
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Description of the Preferred Embodiments
The FIGS. all refer to the same embodiment. As shown
therein, the belt-type restraint device 10 of this invention
Il includes a belt portion 12 having a buckle 14 and clip 16 so
1 as to fasten the belt on an individual. The webbing 18 of the
l belt portion 12 is threaded through a friction bar (not shown)
! in the clip 16 so that the circumference of the belt portion 12
can be adjusted and the restraint device 10 thereby tightly drawn
around the waist of the person being restrained.
The webbing 18 is threaded through two spaced apart
metal grips 20 to form two spaced apart loops 22. These loops
22 are employed to tightly fasten the wrists of the individual
being restrained to the belt at the position of the grips 20.
The restraint device 10 includes a strap portion 24, which is
made of the same type of webbing as the rest of the belt, but
which is connected between the two grips 20 and which thereby
fixes the distance apart of the two grips 20 and thus of the two
loops 22. This fixed length strap portion 24 is overlayed by
¦ belt webbing 18 that is threaded through the grips 20. This
! overlayed portion of the belt 12 and the strap portion 24 are
sewn together so that tension forces in the belt extend contin-
uously through the webbing 18 that constitutes the belt portion
I, 12, loop portion 22 and strap portion 24 of this restraint
¦¦ device.
11 The grips 20 are rectangular metal pieces, each having
an inboard end bar 20a, an outboard end bar 20b, side bars 20s
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and a cross bar 26. The cross bar 26 is V-shaped in cross
section and is positioned across the two side bars 20s so that
the cross bar 26 is free to move along the side bars 20s. Thus
I the side bars 20s operate as rails along which the cross bar 26
¦ can move.
The ends of the strap portion 24 are looped around the
inboard ends 20a of the grips and sewn in place. The belt
portion 12 is passed over the outboard end 20b of each grip,
under and around the cross bar 26 and then along the front
facing surface of the strip 24 where the belt webbing 18 and
strap 24 webbing are sewn together. Tabs 28 in the form of
loops are sewn to the belt portion of the webbing 18 at positions
where the loops 22 are formed. These tabs aid the peace officer
t or the like to pull the restrained individual's wrists into
position and also aid in releasing the wrists once the buckle has
been opened.
The metal grip 20 is the same as a type of adjustment
buckle frequently used on a parachute. It prevents a restrained
person from opening the loops 22 by thrusting his wrists in an
outboard direction. Thus, thrusting the wrists outboard will
cause the webbing 18 to pull the movable cross bar 26 outboard
thereby gripping the webbing between the outboard end bar 20b.
I It is for this reason that the jaw of the cross bar 26 faces the
~ outboard end bar 20b. Yet once the buckle 14 in the back has-
¦¦ been released, the wrist loops 22 can be opened by pulling the
tabs 28 in an inboard direction (that is, toward each other).
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When this is done, the cross bar 26 moves inboard enough so that
the webbing 18 can slide over the end bar 20b and around the
¦I cross bar 26 to open the loop 22.
The buckle 14 and clip 16 arrangement may be similar
1l to that shown in United States Patent No. 4,052,775 issued
¦ October 11, 1977 However, in order to enhance security, the
,I top of the buckle 14 is covered by a plastic face plate 30 having
! a small opening 30a so that the only access to the release lever
¦ is by way of a prod or key that is inserted through the opening
30a and pressed inward to depress the lever and release the clip.
This prevents finger or thumb release of the buckle. Further,
in order to enhance security, the top of the buckle 14, where
access to the release lever is available, is turned inward
against the body of the person being restrained rather than, as
is usual, turned outward. Thus, to release the restraint device
10 one not only has to have a key available that will fit through
the opening 30a but one also has to turn the buckle 14 and clip
16 around so as to have access to the opening 30a.
In operation, the arresting officer pulls the loops 22
open so that the hands of the person being restrained can be
passed through the loops 22. The arms of the restrained person
are preferably crossed so that his left wrist is held by the
Il right loop 22 and vice versa. Loops 22 are then pulled reason-
¦1 ably tight and the belt portion 12 is drawn around the waist of
¦I the person being restrained. The end 12e of the belt is drawn
through the clip 16 until the belt is as tight as desired around
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the person being restrained. The clip 16 and buckle 14 are
fastened and the belt can continue to be drawn as tight as
desired. The drawing of the belt tighter, sets up tension in
the webbing 18 which is transmitted through the webbing to the
¦loop portions 22 thereby pulling the loop portions 22 tight
¦around the wrists of the person being restrained at the same time
as the belt 12 is being pulled tight around the waist of the
person. Wrist movement within the loops 22 by the person being
restrained causes the cross bar 26 to jam against one end of the
grip 20 thereby preventing the loops 22 from opening under
pressure from forces generated within the loops 22.
Although a presently preferred embodiment of the
invention has been described, there are certain variations that
could be made without departing from the scope of this invention.
For example, the adjustment buckle or grip 20 has been referred
to as a grip because of the manner in which the movable cross
bar 26 will serve to grip the webbing 18 when a restrained
individual attempts to move his wrists in a outboard direction.
However, depending on the precise function to be achieved and the
trade-off between security and ease of use, the grip 18 might be
¦replaced by any one of a number of types of adjustment buckles
Iwhich permit and even facilitate movement of the webbing 18
¦therethrough under tension so that the wrist loops 22 can be
¦I tightened around the wrists of the restrained individual at the
¦ same time that the girdle portion of the belt 12 is tightened
around the waist o~ the individu~l.
