US 4,910,831 AGranted

Two-loop law enforcement restraining device formed from a single, flat strap

OwnerRichard F. Bingoldinventor

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Abstract

A positive, secure two-loop restraint for law enforcement is light-weight, strong, inexpensive and disposable and which may be attached to the wrists or ankles to be used in place of traditional handcuffs. The restraint is formed from a single elongated, substantially flat plastic strap having a pair of closely spaced socket clasps centrally located therein generally mid-way between first and second strap extremities. The extremities are insertable through openings in the socket clasps which are perpendicular to the plane of the strap and when receiving the extremities form double loops with the strap ends extending parallel to each other when the loops are formed by positioning the extremities through the socket clasps. Each of the extremities has a toothed surface whose teeth all slope in the same direction, and each socket includes a latch stop extending in the same direction as the slope of the teeth for permitting the stop to ride over the teeth during insertion movement and preventing extraction movement, thereby providing a flat ratchet arrangement such that a two-loop restraint is provided, with the sizes of the loops being adjustable in the same direction and which are formed and positioned on wrists or ankles of the restrained person when the extremities are inserted in the same direction through the socket clasps. The straps are made of a high density plastic, are light-weight and a large number may be conveniently carried by a law enforcement user as contrasted with bulky, expensive, heavy and difficult to use handcuffs.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A two-interconnected-loop forming disposable law enforcement restraint wherein each loop is adapted to encircle a limb of a person to be restrained, said restraint comprising:

a stiffly flexible, elongated, integral, tough plastic strap having strong tensile strength for resisting being manually pulled apart,
said strap having two ends and having a center located mid-way between said ends,
each of said two ends being shaped for ease of insertion into an opening,
said strap having two extremities,
a respective one of said extremities being contiguous with a respective associated shaped end and extending inwardly from its associated shaped end toward said center,
a pair of socket clasps integral with said strap and each being located near said center,
each socket clasp having an opening extending through the socket clasp,
latching means operatively associated with said opening for permitting a strap extremity to be drawn through the opening of a socket clasp in a first direction and for preventing the strap extremity from being withdrawn through the opening of the socket clasp in a second direction opposite to said first direction,
each extremity of the strap being sufficiently flexible for allowing the strap extremity to be flexibly bent into a loop with its associated shaped end being inserted completely through the opening of a socket clasp in said first direction for pulling on the shaped end for drawing the strap extremity through the opening in said first direction for snugging a loop formed by the flexibly bent strap extremity around a limb encircled by the loop,
whereby said latching means prevents either strap extremity from being withdrawn from the opening of the socket clasp through which the extremity has been drawn,
thereby forming two secure loops restraining two limbs of a person around which respective loops have been snugged, and said strap extremities being cuttable for opening the loops for removal of the restraint, which is thereafter to be disposed of.

8 more elements

A law enforcement restraint for forming a double loop attachment to arms or legs of a restrained person comprising

a single, elongated, substantially flat strap having first and second longitudinally extending strap extremities, first and second socket clasps spaced longitudinally of said strap and being located in said strap between said first and second extremities,
said first and second socket clasps each having an opening therethrough extending substantially perpendicular to the plane of said elongated strap,
each of said openings being adapted to receive and retain a respective one of said extremities, when the respective extremity is looped into inserted relationship through an opening in a socket clasp,
each extremity being sufficiently flexible for being looped into such inserted relationship through an opening of a socket clasp, whereby respective end portions of said first and second extremities project parallel to each other after insertion through said first and second socket clasps, and
ratchet means in each of said openings for allowing an extremity to be inserted through an opening in an insertion direction and to be moved further through the opening in said insertion direction and for preventing a fully inserted extremity from being moved through the opening in an extraction direction opposite to said insertion direction,
whereby a respective extremity can be looped around a limb of a person to be restrained with the extremity being drawn snugly around the limb in inserted relationship through an opening of a socket clasp, forming a dual-loop attachment around two limbs, and
thereby said ratchet means will hold such looped extremity in snug relationship around the respective limb for securely restraining two limbs of a person.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.