Hand-held personal defense apparatus

Abstract

A hand-held personal defense apparatus for protecting a user against an attacker includes a hollow housing defining an elongate handgrip. An aerosol canister of a defense fluid, such as tear gas, MACE.RTM. or (cayenne) pepper gas, and a battery-powered siren are positioned within the housing. The apparatus further includes a strike bar connected to the housing and extending forwardly in spaced relation from the handgrip so that the hand of the user may surroundingly grip the handgrip with the strike bar exposed on the outside of the hand. The strike bar serves as a visible deterrent to an attacker may be used as a defensive weapon against the attacker. The apparatus further includes a movable actuator button for selectively activating the alarm or the alarm and the canister of defense fluid. The actuator button may be positioned in a safety position wherein the user cannot readily activate the alarm or the defense fluid; in a ready position wherein the user can rotate the actuator button to activate the alarm, and can depress the actuator button to activate the alarm and the defense fluid simultaneously; and an alarm position wherein the alarm is activated, and the user can depress the actuator button to activate the defense fluid. A companion exercise apparatus is also disclosed that includes a stop watch and a pedometer in place of the actuator button, a flashlight in place of the canister of defense fluid, and a storage compartment in place of the alarm.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.