restraints

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a restraint comprising at least one cuff configured for wearing around a wrist or ankle of a person. The (or each) cuff includes an arm that is moveable between a cuff-open position and a cuff-closed position; a lock for locking the arm in the cuff-closed position; and a release that is operable to unlock the lock, whereupon the arm can move from the cuff-closed position. The release is accessible to, and operable by, a person wearing the cuff, using a hand which is restrained by the cuff.

Description

RESTRAINTSTechnical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to restraints including one or more cuffs that are configured for wearing around a person’ s wrist or ankle.Background Art

[0002] Restraints such as handcuffs are well known for their use in activities such as law enforcement, but can also be used for sexual purposes, e.g. by couples engaging in bondage play. Traditional handcuffs, however, can be very uncomfortable to wear and can present a significant risk of nerve damage to the wearer’s wrists. Loss of the key to open the handcuffs, combined with their sinister nature, are other potential drawbacks which may cause couples to avoid using traditional handcuffs.

[0003] Restraints in the form of leather cuffs, including a buckle and straps for affixing around a person’s wrist or ankles may be used as an alternative to handcuffs. However, such are typically time consuming and cumbersome to apply, which may cause an unwanted distraction in the heat of the moment.

[0004] It would be advantageous to provide restraints for a person’s wrist or ankles for use in bondage play and which overcome at least some of the drawbacks associated with using traditional handcuffs or leather cuffs.Summary of Invention

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a restraint comprising at least one cuff configured for wearing around a wrist (or ankle) of a person. The (or each) cuff includes an arm that is moveable between a cuff-open position and a cuff-closed position; a lock for locking the arm in the cuff-closed position; and a release that is operable to unlock the lock, whereupon the arm can move from the cuff-closed position. The release is accessible to and operable by a person wearing the cuff, using a hand which is restrained by the cuff.

[0006] The cuffs of the present invention are advantageously quickly and relatively easily releasable by the person wearing the cuff using the hand that is cuffed. Same handed operation enables the wearer of the cuff to release it from their wrist, regardless of where their other handis positioned. Such a release mechanism functions in completely the opposite manner to the corresponding mechanism in normal restraints such as handcuffs (and even bondage cuffs, where someone other than the wearer would usually need to undo the buckles). The restraints of the present invention also allow for an extremely quick application and a high degree of comfort, whilst being less threatening than handcuffs and hence providing a potentially more intimate experience.

[0007] The restraints of the present invention can advantageously provide the best features / functionality of existing products, including fast application (metal cuffs), extremely comfortable (leather cuffs), bright fun non sinister in appearance (e.g. pink soft cuffs), as well as being fully adjustable. At the same time, the restraints can eliminate the negative features of existing products, including cumbersome application (leather cuffs), risk of cutting into wrists I nerve damage (metal cuffs), risk of getting stuck if you lose the key / fumbling for a key with a lover in a vulnerable position (metal cuffs), sinister I threatening (metal cuffs).

[0008] In some embodiments, the release may comprise a tab on an outer portion of the cuff, movement of which tab unlocks the lock.

[0009] In some embodiments, the arm can swing between the cuff-open position and the cuff- closed position.

[0010] In some embodiments, the lock may comprise a ratchet mechanism. In such embodiments, a distal end of the arm may comprise a surface having a ratchet gear rack, teeth of which are configured to engage with a pawl in the lock. The pawl may, for example, be biased into an engaging position on the ratchet gear rack (e.g. by a resilient member) such that actuation of the release disengages the pawl from the ratchet gear rack (and the cuff opens). For example, the pawl may be housed within a body portion of the cuff, a fixed arm extending from the body defining the remainder of the cuff. The moving / swinging arm may, for example, be pivotally connected to a distal end of the fixed arm.

[0011] In some embodiments, an end of the arm may be configured to abut an end portion of the lock when in the cuff-closed position such that overtightening cannot occur.

[0012] In some embodiments, an interior periphery of the cuff may be substantially circular. In some embodiments, the surfaces of the inside walls of the cuff may be substantially flat. In some embodiments, an inside wall of the cuff may have a width of about 40mm. In some embodiments, an inside wall of the cuff may be lined with a soft material. All such embodiments can contribute to an increased comfort of the restraints when worn by a person.

[0013] In some embodiments, two or more cuffs may be joined by a joiner such as a chain.

[0014] In some embodiments, the cuffs are made of plastic, such imparting a more playful appearance to the restraints and being easily coloured.

[0015] Additional features and advantages of the various aspects of the present invention will be described below in the context of specific embodiments. It is to be appreciated, however, that such additional features may have a more general applicability in the present invention than that described in the context of these specific embodiments.Brief Description of Drawings

[0016] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 shows a restraint in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a closed configuration;

[0018] Figure 2 shows the restraint of Figure 1 in an open configuration;

[0019] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the restraint of Figure 1 in a closed configuration, with the lock and release mechanism visible;

[0020] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the restraint of Figure 1 in an open configuration, with the lock and release mechanism visible; and

[0021] Figure 5 shows a photograph of a restraint in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, being lined with lambswool, in an open configuration.Description of Embodiments

[0022] As described above, the present invention provides a restraint comprising at least one cuff configured for wearing around a wrist (or ankle) of a person. The (or each) cuff includes an arm that is moveable between a cuff-open position and a cuff-closed position, a lock for locking the arm in the cuff-closed position and a release that is operable to unlock the lock, after which the arm can move from the cuff-closed position. The release is accessible to and operable by a person wearing the cuff, using a hand which is restrained by the cuff.

[0023] The restraints of the present invention, provide users with a non-sinister and safe means to engage in bondage play. Typically, the restraint includes two cuffs (or perhaps four, if a person’s wrists and ankles are to be cuffed), these being joined by a joiner. Any joiner that is fitfor purpose may be used, with a light metal chain being a form of joiner used by the inventor during prototyping.

[0024] The restraint may be made from any suitable material, or combination of materials. Whilst handcuffs are traditionally made out of metal, there is no need for such in the present invention because their intended use is different. Indeed, the inventor notes that cuffs made primarily of plastic have many advantages, including that they are lightweight, more comfortable, can be coloured (e.g. using bright colours for a more “fun” appearance), are easily manufactured (e.g. using injection moulding) and have a less sinister appearance than traditional (metal) handcuffs.

[0025] Plastic materials which the inventor envisages could be used to produce the restraints include a mix of hard ABS or vinyl plastic (70%) plus a soft plastic material like TPU.

[0026] Given their primary application is for bondage play, the cuffs may have a number of features which contribute to the comfort of a wearer. For example, an interior periphery of the cuff may be substantially circular in shape, which allows the cuff to rotate to the best position on the wearer’s wrist or ankle (in contrast, most metal cuffs are oval, which prevents them rotating on a person’s wrist).

[0027] The surfaces of the inside wall of the cuff may also be substantially flat, such that no sharp edges etc. are present, which might dig into the wearer’s wrists or ankles, or provide some other irritation. For example, the inside wall of the cuff may completely cover the locking mechanism, such that the swinging arm and its ratchet mechanism (in embodiments having such) is physically separated from the wearer’s skin. The inside wall of the cuff may also have a relatively large width (e.g. of up to about 40mm) that acts to spread out the force of the cuff over a correspondingly wide portion of the wearer’s wrists or ankles. The inside wall may also be lined with a soft material, such as genuine lambswool, as described below, in order to even further improve its comfort.

[0028] In some embodiments, an end of the arm may be configured to abut an end portion of the lock when in the cuff-closed position. Thus, a physical abutting of parts in the cuff itself acts to prevent overtightening, which might cause discomfort to the wearer and / or an unwelcome distraction whilst an overtightened cuff needs to be loosened.

[0029] The cuff includes a release that is operable to unlock the lock so that the arm can move from the cuff-closed position and re-open. The release is accessible to and operable by a person wearing the cuff and, importantly, using the hand which is cuffed. In this manner, should theperson wearing the cuffs want to remove them, then they can do so, notwithstanding that their other hand may not be able to access the cuff (e.g. because it is also restrained).

[0030] A release having any suitable form may be utilised in the present invention. Provided that it is accessible to the wearer and operable to unlock the cuff as described herein, any structure may be provided. By way of non-limiting example, the release in the specific embodiment described below is provided in the form of a tab on an outer portion of the cuff, where movement of the tab unlocks the lock.

[0031] In some embodiments, the cuff may include two or more releases, specific examples of which will be described below. In such embodiments, one or more of these releases will be accessible to and operable by the hand restrained in the cuff, although not all releases need to be so accessible.

[0032] The cuff also includes an arm that is moveable between a cuff-open position and a cuff- closed position. Any configuration of an arm which can be slid, swung or pivoted between the open and closed positions may be used in the present invention.

[0033] Again, by way of non-limiting example, the arm in the specific embodiment described below swings between the cuff-open position and the cuff-closed position.

[0034] The cuff also includes a lock for locking the arm in the cuff-closed position. Any configuration of lock which is operable to retain the arm in its cuff-closed position, but which can also be released as described herein may be used in the present invention.

[0035] In some non-limiting embodiments, for example, the lock may include a ratchet mechanism, such commonly being used in metal handcuffs. In such embodiments, a distal end of the arm may include a surface having a ratchet gear rack, the teeth of which are configured to engage with a pawl inside the lock. Such a pawl may, for example, be biased into an engaging position on the ratchet gear rack (e.g. by a resilient member, such as that described below), where actuation of the release disengages the pawl from the ratchet gear rack.

[0036] In some embodiments, the pawl may be housed within a body portion of the cuff, a fixed arm extending from the body defining the remainder of the cuff. In such embodiments, the moving / swinging arm may be pivotally connected to a distal end of the fixed arm.

[0037] Referring now to Figures 1 to 5, shown is a cuff 10 in a restraint in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Cuff 10 may, in use, be joined to a second cuff with an appropriate length of chain. Each cuff 10, in this embodiment, is identical, and only one will be described in further detail below.

[0038] Cuff 10 includes a body 12, a fixed arm 14 projecting outwardly from the body, and a swinging arm 16. A distal end of swinging arm is joined to a distal end of fixed arm 14 at a pivot 18, which enables arm 16 to move by pivoting between a closed position (i.e. as shown in Figure 1) and an open position (i.e. as shown in Figure 2). An interior portion of body 12, fixed arm 14 and swinging arm 16 defines a substantially continuous circular surface, into which a person’s wrist or ankle can be received As shown in Figure 5, this surface may be lined with a soft material, such as genuine lambswool (or a luxurious synthetic material), to even further enhance the cuffs wearing comfort.

[0039] A release tab 20 is provided on the body 12. Tab 20 is discreet enough that it is relatively unlikely to be moved during normal use of the cuffs 10, but is in a physical position where it can readily be accessed and operated (in the manner described below) to open the cuff 10, should the wearer ever want to do so.

[0040] As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, body 12 houses a locking mechanism 22, which includes a ratchet 24 and pawl 26. The proximal end of swinging arm 16 includes a number of sawtooth shaped teeth which define the ratchet 24 and which are configured to slide past corresponding teeth on the bearing surface of pawl 26 when the swinging arm 16 is moved into its closed position. Pawl 26 is biased towards a ratchet engaging position (i.e. as shown in Figure 3) due to the resilient member 28. Release tab 20 is located at the end of the arm 50 which carries pawl 26.

[0041] In use, swinging arm 16 is moved towards its closed position once a user’s wrist (for example) is received within the cuff 10. Pushing the arm 16, and specifically its ratchet 24 into the body 12 causes ratchet 24 to engage pawl 26 and, because of the respective orientation of the pawl’s sawtooth teeth, the pawl allows this closing movement. Once the ratchet 24 and pawl 26 are so-engaged, the swinging arm 16 cannot be moved back towards its open position and the cuff 10 is locked around the user’s wrist. Surfaces 30 and 32 (see Figure 3) within the body 12 define a limit of movement for the swinging arm 16 by abutting each other, thereby preventing overtightening of the cuff.

[0042] Should the user want to cause the cuff 10 to open, all they need to do is to move the release tab 20 with their finger. Doing so, against the biasing action of the resilient member 28, disengages the pawl 26 from the ratchet 24, whereupon the swinging arm 16 can be moved towards its open configuration and the user’s wrist no longer restrained by the cuff. The release tab 20 is positioned on the cuff 10 and configured such that it can easily be accessed and actuated by the wearer of the cuff, using the hand which is in the cuff.

[0043] Arm 50 also includes an additional release member, in the form of key release tab 54. Key release tab 54 is located inside of the cuff body 12 and is not physically accessible to the user. Tab 54 can, however, be actuated in order to open the locked cuff 10 using a key (not shown), inserted through a keyhole 56 in the cuff 10. Providing such a key operation (whilst also enabling a user to remove cuff 10 with the restrained hand vis tab 20) provides an additional novelty element to the restraint.

[0044] In preferred embodiments, hard shelled soft lined, rachet closing, fully adjustable keyless cuffs for use in the bedroom for bondage play are provided. The inventor believes that such cuffs have all of the best features of existing products, namely fast application (metal cuffs), extremely comfortable (soft / leather cuffs), can be provided having a bright, fun and entirely non sinister in appearance (e.g. pink soft cuffs), and are fully adjustable to suit any wearer (both metal and soft cuffs). The inventor also believes that such cuffs eliminate the negative features of existing products including cumbersome application (soft cuffs), risk of cutting into wrists / nerve damage (metal cuffs), risk of getting stuck if you lose the key / fumbling for a key with a lover in a vulnerable position (metal cuffs), sinister I threatening (metal cuffs).

[0045] In summary, cuffs 10 are, to the best of the inventor’s knowledge, the first form of "restraint" which provide for comfort, speed and ease of use. Metal handcuffs are designed for speed and ease of use, but at the cost of user comfort. Leather cuffs are designed for comfort, but at the cost of speed and ease of use.

[0046] It will be appreciated that the present invention is likely to provide a number of useful advantages over the state of the art. For example, specific embodiments of the present invention may provide one or more of the following advantages:• fast application, extremely comfortable;• bright fun non sinister in appearance and use;• fully adjustable; and• quickly releasable by the wearer.

[0047] It will be understood to persons skilled in the art of the invention that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the following claims.

[0048] In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A restraint comprising: at least one cuff configured for wearing around a wrist of a person, the or each cuff comprising: an arm that is moveable between a cuff-open position and a cuff-closed position; a lock for locking the arm in the cuff-closed position; and a release that is operable to unlock the lock whereupon the arm can move from the cuff-closed position, the release being accessible to and operable by a person wearing the cuff, using a hand which is restrained by the cuff.

2. The restraint of claim 1, wherein the release comprises a tab on an outer portion of the cuff, movement of which tab unlocks the lock.

3. The restraint of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the arm swings between the cuff-open position and the cuff-closed position.

4. The restraint of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lock comprises a ratchet mechanism.

5. The restraint of claim 4, wherein a distal end of the arm comprises a surface having a ratchet gear rack, teeth of which are configured to engage with a pawl in the lock.

6. The restraint of claim 5, wherein the pawl is biased into an engaging position on the ratchet gear rack and whereby actuation of the release disengages the pawl from the ratchet gear rack.

7. The restraint of claim 6, wherein the pawl is biased into the engaging position on the ratchet gear rack by a resilient member.

8. The restraint of any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the pawl is housed within a body portion of the cuff, a fixed arm extending from the body defining the remainder of the cuff.

9. The restraint of claim 8, wherein the arm is pivotally connected to a distal end of the fixed arm.

10. The restraint of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein an end of the arm is configured to abut an end portion of the lock when in the cuff -closed position whereby overtightening cannot occur.

11. The restraint of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein an interior periphery of the cuff is substantially circular.

12. The restraint of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a surface of an inside wall of the cuff is substantially flat.

13. The restraint of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein an inside wall of the cuff has a width of about 40mm.

14. The restraint of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein an inside wall of the cuff is lined with a soft material.

15. The restraint of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein two or more cuffs are joined by a joiner.

16. The restraint of claim 15, wherein the joiner is a chain.

17. The restraint of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the cuffs are made of plastic.

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