Abstract:
An arm bracelet is provided for containing a retrievable blade around a forearm between wrist and elbow. The bracelet includes first and second bands, a network, bridges and a housing. The bands wrap around and attach to the forearm. The first band is disposed adjacent the wrist. The second band is disposed adjacent the elbow. The network connects the first and second bands together along the forearm. The bridges detachably extend from the first and second band. Each bridge includes a plurality of shapes. Each shape is able to form a grip. The housing for contains a sheath that holds a knife with a handle and the blade. The handle superficially resembles the shape to aid concealment of the knife.

Description:
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST 
     The invention described was made in the performance of official duties by one or more employees of the Department of the Navy, and thus, the invention herein may be manufactured, used or licensed by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates generally to ornamental bracelets that include self-defense attachments. In particular, this invention relates to arm bracelets that incorporate concealed daggers for defending against attackers. 
     In an effort to manage criminal activity, municipal administrators of metropolitan areas often impose restrictions on civilians that reside and/or labor in such crowded urban environments. Such regulations can include firearms (e.g., pistols), chemical aerosols (e.g., pepper-spray), and electroshock discharge instruments (e.g., stun-guns) in an effort (frequently vain) to curtail human violence. In addition, such devices can be clumsy to carry and/or conceal, and may require maintenance or non-intuitive instruction to operate successfully for disabling or warding off an attacker. 
     SUMMARY 
     Conventional self-defense devices yield disadvantages addressed by various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In particular, exemplary embodiments provide an arm bracelet for containing a retrievable blade around a forearm between wrist and elbow. The bracelet includes first and second bands, a network, bridges and a housing. The bands wrap around and attach to the forearm. The first band is disposed adjacent the wrist. The second band is disposed adjacent the elbow. The network connects the first and second bands together along the forearm. 
     The bridges detachably extend from the first and second band. Each bridge includes a plurality of shapes. Each shape is able to form a grip. The housing contains a sheath that holds a knife with a handle and the blade. The handle superficially resembles the shape to aid concealment of the knife. Various exemplary embodiments provide uniform shapes that have a regular profile with alternating orientations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and various other features and aspects of various exemplary embodiments will be readily understood with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like or similar numbers are used throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of an exemplary bracelet laid out unworn, including sheathed daggers; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the sheathed daggers along with a detail elevation view; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the arm bracelet with the decoratively concealed weapons; and 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of fists holding the unsheathed daggers. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments may be utilized, and logical, mechanical, and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims. 
       FIG. 1  shows a plan view  100  of an exemplary bracelet  110  with sheathed daggers or similar knives. The bracelet  110  includes a wrist-band  120  and an elbow-band  130  joined by cords  140  that diagonally extend across the arm length separating the bands. The bands  120  and  130  can be connected together at their ends by button snaps  150 , with those shown in solid outline being on and above the outer visible surface of the bands  120  and  130 , and those in dash outline being underneath and thereby hidden from plain view. 
     An exemplary dimension for arm length distance can be provided as about eight inches (8″) for purposes of description. The thickness of the arm of a typical wearer of the exemplary bracelet varies based on physical build and other physiological factors. The arc length of the wrist-band  120  can be described as extending between five inches and seven inches (5″-7″). Similarly the arc length of the elbow-band  130  can be estimated as between six and ten inches (6″-10″). 
     The bands  120  and  130  can be formed from a thick flexible material, such as leather or vinyl. The cords  140  can be elastic or non-elastic string-type material, or else can constitute a web such as fishnet fabric or decorative cloth. The cords  140  can be attached to the bands  120  and  130  either by detachable fasteners, such as snap buttons or permanently affixed thereto. The button snaps  150  for connecting together the ends of the bands  120  and  130  can be metal or rigid plastic, and multiple sets of these can be arranged for sundry extents of overlap, depending on arm thickness. 
     A plurality of regular (i.e., uniform pattern) shapes  160  extend from the wrist-band  120  to the elbow-band  130 . The shapes  160 , which are depicted as rounded rectangles, connect to each other by chain links  165 . The shapes  160  can comprise carbon fiber composite or a rigid plastic. The rectangles are arranged in the displayed embodiment as alternating width and length along the distance between the bands  120  and  130 . These alternations relate to longitudinal and transverse directions relative to the forearm. The chains  165  can incorporate twist-link configuration to reduce overall thickness, and can be composed of metal or rigid plastic. 
     A set of these shapes  160  extending along the arm represent a bridge  170 . The shapes  160  at the extremities of the bridge  170  can include mechanisms for removable attachment to their respective bands  120  and  130 , such as Velcro strips (not shown), with appropriate counterpart strips on those bands secured by adhesive (e.g., glue) to their respective surfaces. 
     Alternative mechanisms for such attachment between the shapes  160  and their bands can be contemplated without departing from the scope of the claims, such as button snaps, latches, and other techniques. Some of the bridges  170  can be substituted by first and second braces  180  and  190 , in which one of the shapes  160  at the extremities remains unconnected by chain  165  to the remainder, but rather represents a grip or handle. The braces preferably include a pike or dagger or alternative thrust edge, as described subsequently in greater particularity. 
       FIG. 2  shows a plan view  200  of the sheathed daggers. The first brace  180  constitutes a housing  210  with an opening  215  and an elbow drawn dagger  220 . The housing  210  includes a scabbard  230  that mounts to a concatenation of shapes  160  terminating at the elbow end with the opening  215 . The dagger  220  includes a handle  240  that closely resembles one of the shapes  160  and a blade  245 , which can be inserted into the scabbard  230  through the opening  215 . The scabbard  230  can have interior walls  235  that conform to the contours of the blade  245  to ensure a tighter fit for reduced jostling and greater uniformity of material density of the scabbard  230  and blade  245  together. 
     The second brace  190  constitutes a housing  250  with an opening  255  and a wrist drawn pike  260  having a narrowed hilt  265 . The housing  250  includes a scabbard  270  that mounts to a concatenation of shapes  160  terminating at the wrist end with the opening  255 . The dagger  260  includes a handle  280  that closely resembles one of the shapes  160  and a blade  285 , which can be inserted into the scabbard  270  through the opening  255 . The scabbard  270  can have an interior cavity contoured to conform to the blade  285 . The hilt  265  incorporates a relatively smooth (i.e., unsharpened) perimeter to enable being held between the middle and ring fingers at the knuckles. 
     A detail elevation view  290  reveals an A-A section of the dirk  220  with the handle  240  and the blade  245  with wedge contour and having a double-edge rhombus cross-section having quadrilateral symmetry for this example. Artisans of ordinary skill will recognize that the blades  245  and  285  can taper in linear form or alternate shape, such as ogive, depending on preference. (An ogive shape resembles a truncated parabola.) Moreover, the cross-section can constitute a variety of forms. Knife blades can assume commonly available forms such as pen knife, salmon knife, punch blade and clip point blade. 
     The handles  240  and  280 , as well as the shapes  160 , can include indentations  295  to reduce weight and/or provide decorative distraction. As shown, the handles  240  and  280  can constitute the same general contour as the shapes  160  with alternating orientations, such as on the bridges  170 . 
     Alternatively, the indentations  295  can penetrate through the handle  240  and  280  to render the interior hollow inside the outer perimeter or outline of the handle  240  and  280 . Either of these visual and geometric configurations can be similarly extended to the shapes  160  for greater symmetry and uniformity of the bridges  170  to the handles  240  and  280 . The shapes  160  can have alternating aspect ratios between the longitudinal and transverse directions. 
     The sheaths  230 ,  270  handles  240 ,  280  and blades  245 ,  285  can be composed of carbon fiber composite or rigid plastic (e.g., acetals, amino resins, phenolics, polyamids) to reduce detection by registering instruments for reflected magnetic pulse. Carbon fiber has a density of 1.76 g/cm 3 . Assuming a brace of about seven inches (7″) in length and a scabbard of about one-half inch (½′) in width and of three-eighths inch (⅜″) in thickness, such an instrument could be expected to have a mass of 35 grams to 40 grams (roughly 1 oz-1.5 oz). Alternatively, the blade can comprise a comparatively rigid metal, such as steel, assuming detection by dynamic electromagnetic fields is not of concern. 
       FIG. 3  shows perspective views  300  of a right forearm  310  wearing the bracelet  110  decorated with bands  140  and bridges  170 . The forearm  310  extends from the elbow  320  to the wrist  330 . The bracelet  110  includes the bands  120  and  130  worn on the forearm  310  between the wrist  330  and the elbow  320 . The bracelet  110  can similarly or additionally be worn on the left arm. 
     The left image depicts the palm  340  of the right hand with the second brace  190  visible. The right image depicts the back  350  of the right hand with the first brace  180  visible. The handle  240  has a length parallel to the longitudinal direction along the forearm  310 . The handle  280  has a length parallel to the transverse direction around the forearm  310 . 
     The left hand (not shown) can retrieve the elbow drawn dagger  220  from the first brace  180  by reaching around the body and grabbing the handle  240  (resembling one of the shapes  160 ) from the scabbard  230  and pulling upward (towards the shoulder), with the blade  245  extending from the heel of the left hand. Alternatively with both palms facing each other, the left hand can retrieve the wrist drawn pike  260  from the second brace  190  by grabbing the handle  280  from the scabbard  270  by pulling away from the wrist  330 , with the blade  285  extending from between the middle and ring fingers near the knuckles. In this manner, depending on posture and hand position, either blade can be retrieved for surprise self-defense. The pikes  260  on both left and right forearms  310  near the wrists  330  can be retrieved concurrently by their opposite hands. 
       FIG. 4  shows perspective views  400  of the right first  410  holding the knives from the bracelet  110  on the left arm (not shown). The left side shows the first  410  holding the elbow drawn dagger  220  by the handle  240  with the blade  245  extending from the clenched heel  420 . The right side shows the first  410  holding by the handle  280  the wrist drawn dirk  260  with the blade  285  extending at the hilt  265  from the joint  430  between the middle and ring fingers. Either blade  245  or  285  can be used for stabbing or slashing, although the straight form for rapid retrieval suggests the former would be more effective for such a design. 
     While certain features of the embodiments of the invention have been illustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the embodiments.