AEROSOL SPRAY FOR SELF PROTECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF ASSAILANTS

AEROSOL ANTI-AGRESSEUR TEINTE

English Abstract

ABSTRACT
A non-toxic dye in an aerosol container to be used
for protection against an assailant is disclosed. The dye is
an irritant to skin and eyes and is also a semi-permanent
marking dye which is intended to aid in the identification of
the assailant by police.

Claims

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THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A marking dye composition for use in a personal
security device adapted for spraying said composition on an
assailant, said marking dye composition comprising an aqueous
solution of a non-toxic, water-soluable, difficult to remove
dye, said dye being present in a concentration effective for
marking an assailant's skin for a prolonged period of time.
2. A marking dye composition as recited in claim 1, in
which said marking dye composition comprises about 5 percent
water soluable dye by weight, and about 85 to 90 percent water
by weight.
3. A marking dye composition as recited in claim 1, in
which said marking dye composition comprises a small amount of
a detergent.
4. A marking dye composition as recited in claim 2, in
which said marking dye composition comprises a small amount of
a detergent.
5. A personal security device for use against an
assailant, said device comprising a spray container containing
a sprayable marking dye composition, whereby said assailant
can be marked with said marking dye composition.

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6. A personal security device as recited in claim 5, in
which said marking dye composition is non-toxic.
7. A personal security device as recited in claim 5, in
which said marking dye composition comprises a water-soluable
dye, dissolved in water.
8. A personal security device as recited in claim 7, in
which said marking dye composition comprises about 5 percent
water soluable dye by weight, and about 85 to 90 percent water
by weight.
9. A personal security device as recited in claim 7, in
which said marking dye composition comprises a small amount of
a detergent.
10. A personal security device as recited in claim 8, in
which said marking dye composition comprises a small amount of
a detergent.
11. A skin marking composition operable as a personal
security device, comprising a skin markingly effective amount
of at least one water-soluble, non-toxic, difficult to remove
dye, water for dissolving said dye and diluting said skin
marking composition, and a hydrocarbon propellant for
propelling said dissolved dye as an aerosol, wherein said skin
marking composition is propellable as an aerosol, whereby
contact of said aerosol with skin of an assailant visibly

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marks said assailant under visible light for a prolonged
period of time.
12. A skin marking composition operable as a personal
security device as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said skin
markingly effective amount of a dye comprises from about 0.05%
to 10.0% per cent by weight.
13. A skin marking composition operable as a personal
security device as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said dye is
selected from the group consisting of FD&C Green #15794,
Ariavit (trademark) Green S #312524, D&C Green #5, or D&C
Green #3.
14. A skin marking composition operable as a personal
security device as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said skin
marking composition comprises a surfactant.
15. A skin marking composition as recited in claim 11,
where said composition is non-odiferous.
16. In a personal security device having a container and
a reservoir therein containing a skin marking composition, the
improvement wherein said container is pocket-sized and thereby
concealable manually and has an actuator in communication with
said marking composition in said reservoir, wherein said
marking fluid comprises a skin markingly effective
concentration of a non-toxic, water-soluable, difficult to

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remore dye, and wherein said marking composition is
propellably deliverable as an aerosol from said container by
depressing said actuator whereby contact of said aerosol with
skin of an assailant visibly marks said assailant under
visible light for a prolonged period of time.
17. A personal security device as claimed in Claim 16,
where said skin marking composition is non-odiferous.

Description

This invention relates to a personal protection and
criminal identification device. ~n aerosol spray container of
non-toxic dye is designed to help individuals defend
themselves from assailants while marking the criminal with a
dye that will later help identify the criminal to police and
others.
In today's society, people are often frightened to
walk alone, for fear of attack. Various methods of self-
protection have been tried. For example, weapons can be
carried, or ordinary objects such as keys can be used as
temporary weapons. While carrying weapons can be illegal, the
most important problem with this method is the possibility
that if the victim is not strong enough to stay in control of
the weapon, it can be taken away and used against them by the
assailant.
Noise makers are also available which emit a loud
"screech". These devices are intended to call attention to
the situation. This is of little value if there is no one
around to hear the noise, or if bystanders do not recognize
the noise as a distress signal, or if they ignore the noise.
Chemical irritants such as Mace (trademark), like
the noise-making products, do not require great strength, and
are sometimes used by individuals to defend themselves when
they are attacked. Such products can be dangerous, however,
and there is also the potential for the mace to be taken from
the victim and turned against him or her.

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It is an object of the invention to provide a safe
substitute for mace and the like, which will also serve the
purpose of marking an assailant for identification purposes.
The invention does not use a toxic substance, so if it is used
against the victim, it will not cause any serious damage. The
spray should surprise the assailant, and when sprayed towards
the face will sting the assailant~s eyes and face, since the
dye is an irritant. This should in most cases provide the
victim with an opportunity to escape.
At the same time, the indelible dye will mark
someone for a significant period of time, possibly from three
days to three weeks. This should help identify the assa~lant
and make it easier for identification by the police.
Thus in accordance with the present invention there
is provided a dye based on FD & C and DC dyes, which are non-
toxic. The dye is in a conventional aerosol can approximately
4-1/2 inches tall (including cap) by 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
The invention i8 intended to be small enough to be carried in
purses and pockets, so that it can be readily available if
needed.
In the invention, the dye mixture is provided in a
conventional aerosol spray canister, approximately 4-1/2
inches tall (including cap) by 1-1/2 inches in diameter. The
canister is intended to be small enough to be carried in
purses and pockets, so that it can be readily available if
needed.

The specific formulation of the preferred dye
mixture is as follows, with the percentages being by weight.
The preferred total fill weight per unit is 50 grams.
FD&C Green #15794, supplied by Tricon 3.14%
Ariavit* Green S #312524,
supplied by Charles Tennant 1.62%
Water (deionized),
supplied by Crystal Springs 85.57%
Triton X-100*, supplied by Rohm & Haas 0.10%
Formaldehyde, supplied by Ashland
Chemicals 0-05%
Hydrocarbon propellant (A-70),
supplied by Stanchem - CIL 9.52%
=======
100.00%
An alternative formulation is as follows:
D&C Green #5 3.30%
(Alizarin* Green Cyanine J)
D&C Green #3 1.70%
(Fast Green #3)
Water (deionized) 89.85%
Triton X-100* 0.10%
Formaldehyde 0.05%
Hydrocarbon propellant (A-46)5.00%
100.00%
The concentrate for the alternative formulation has the
following specifications at 25 degrees C:
pH: 7.0
Specific Gravity: 0.9731
Colour: Green
Solid: 5.37 * Trademarks

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The specification of the finished product according to the
alternative formulation, i.e. after dilution with the
deionized water, is as follows, again at 25 degrees C:
Specific Gravity: 0.9616
Vapour Pressure: 45 psig
Spray Rate: 1.6 mg/sec
Flame Extension: Nil
The specifications for the preferred formulation are not
presently available, but are presumed to be similar.
The canister is a conventional one supplied by
Lechner GMBH, West Germany, and in the preferred embodiment is
35 x 97mm, Microflex ttrademark) lined. The valve is supplied
by Precision Valve Canada Ltd, and has the following
specifications:
Stem - .024
Spring - stainless steel
Gasket - neoprene
Housing - .080 bonded
Cup - conical, open top & bottom, undimpled, bonded,
lip P/E sleeve
Dip tube - 96mm
The actuator is a .016 MB Aqua Delta (trademark), also
supplied by Precision Valve Canada Ltd.
The dyes used in the formulation are FD & C approved
for internal and external use in drug and cosmetic
preparations. The small amount of detergent used in the
formulation is a mild irritant, but it is safe. The detergent
creates a 1/2" buildup which has a strong psychological impact
on the assailant, and which makes the composition difficult to

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remove immediately. The dye therefore has a greater length of
time to work into the skin, producing a mark which is
extremely difficult to remove.
It will be appreciated that the above description
relates to the preferred embodiment by way of example only.
Many variations on the invention will be obvious to
those knowledgeable in the field, and such obvious variations
are within the scope of the invention as described and
claimed, whether or not expressly described.
For example, it should be appreciated that the above
compositions could be varied substantially by those
knowledgeable in the field.