Personal protection ring

A ring has secured on an upper portion thereof an elongated tubular member. A pin is slidably mounted within the tubular member so as to be selectively shifted between a retracted position wherein the pin is located entirely within the tubular member and an extended position wherein the pin projects from the tubular member and can be used for defensive purposes. A latching arrangement is provided to retain the pin member in at least its extended position. In the preferred embodiment, the pin member is also rotatable within the tubular member and the latching arrangement includes a longitudinal slot formed in the tubular member, along with a pillar which is carried by the pin member and projects through the slot. At least one end of the slot is formed with a notch into which the pillar can be positioned to prevent undesired relative movement between the pin and tubular members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention pertains to a personal protection device and, more 
particularly to a ring that is adapted to be worn on a finger and 
incorporates a pin which can be selectively shifted between a retracted 
position wherein the pin in located within a housing and an extended 
position wherein the pin can be used for defensive purposes. 
2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
Personal safety and protection is increasingly becoming a main concern for 
many people. For this reason, many different types of portable protection 
devices are now readily available in today's marketplace and it is not 
uncommon to find many people, particularly women, carrying such personal 
protection devices. Often, these known types of personal protection 
devices are kept in a pocket, purse or bag and removed when needed. 
Unfortunately, under various circumstances, time does not always permit 
these devices to be accessed. 
This problem has been recognized in the art and therefore various personal 
protection devices have been proposed which are more readily accessible. 
For example, it has heretobefore been proposed to construct jewelry, such 
as rings and bracelets, with some type of personal protection feature. 
However, mainly due to their particular constructions, these known 
arrangements have not been favorably viewed. 
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a personal protection device 
that can be carried or worn in a readily accessible manner and which is 
not only constructed so as to be generally cosmetically appealing, but 
constitutes an effective weapon. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is the main object of this invention to provide a device that can be 
utilized for personal protection purposes and which can be worn by a user 
thereof in a readily accessible and cosmetically appealing manner. 
This and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a ring, 
adapted to be worn on a finger, including an outer surface portion to 
which is secured a tubular member that constitutes a mounting support for 
a gem or the like. A pin is slidably mounted within the tubular member so 
as to be selectively shifted between a retracted position wherein the pin 
is located within the tubular member and an extended position wherein the 
pin projects from the tubular member. When in the extended position, the 
pin can be used as a weapon for defensive purposes. 
The personal protection device in accordance with the present invention is 
further provided with a latching arrangement for retaining the pin in at 
least its extended position. In the preferred embodiment, the latching 
arrangement is partially defined by a transversely extending notch 
provided at one end of a longitudinally extending slot formed in the 
tubular member. An upstanding pillar member is secured to the pin and 
projects through the slot. The pillar member preferably terminates in a 
mounting element for attaching a gem or the like to the ring. The pillar 
member is also used to shift the pin relative to the tubular member and, 
when the pin assumes its fully extended position, the pin can be rotated 
in order to position the pillar member within the notch. With this 
arrangement, the pin is prevented from retracting within the tubular 
member until the pin is again rotated to remove the pillar member from the 
notch. 
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will 
become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a 
preferred embodiment thereof when taken in conjunction with the drawings 
wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the 
several views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
As represented in FIGS. 1-4, the personal protection device of the present 
invention is generally indicated at 2. Personal protection device is 
defined by a ring member 6 in the form of an annular band having a central 
aperture 12 and an outer surface 15. Ring member 6 is adapted to be worn 
about a finger inserted through central aperture 12. Personal protection 
device 2 further includes and elongated tubular member 20 having a first 
end 22 and a second end 24. First end 22 is formed with an opening 27 that 
leads to an elongated internal cavity 31 defined within tubular member 20. 
Second end 24 of tubular member 20 is preferably closed by means of a 
terminal wall 34. 
Tubular member 20 is formed with an elongated slot 38 that extends through 
outer surface 15 and opens into internal cavity 31 between first and 
second ends 22 and 24. Slot 38 is formed with a notch 41 (see FIG. 1), 
adjacent first end 22, that extends substantially transverse to the 
longitudinal direction of slot 38. For cosmetic purposes, a chain section 
45 can be secured to tubular member 20 on either side of slot 38 as best 
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
Slidably mounted within tubular member 20 is a pin member 52 having a 
pointed end 55 and a squared-off end 58 (see FIG. 4). In the preferred 
embodiment, tubular member 20 is cylindrical and pin member 52 has a 
generally circular cross-section such that pin member 52 can also rotate 
relative to tubular member 20. Pin member 52 has secured thereto, adjacent 
squared-off end 58, an upright pillar 62 which projects through slot 38. A 
mounting piece 67 for a gem 70 or the like is fixedly secured atop pillar 
62. 
As indicated above, ring member 6 is adapted to be placed about a finger of 
a user with the finger extending into central aperture 12 from the second 
end 24 of tubular member 20. When pin member 52 is fully retracted, it 
will assume the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and ring member 6 may be 
casually worn. By manually manipulating mounting piece 67, pin member 52 
can be shifted longitudinally within internal cavity 31 such that pin 
member 52 assumes the extended position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Once 
pillar 62 reaches the end of slot 38 adjacent first end 22 of tubular 
member 20, pin member 52 can be rotated by means of mounting piece 67 such 
that pillar 62 moves into notch 41 as shown in FIG. 2. In this position, 
pin member 52 is latched in its fully extended position and can be 
effectively used for defensive purposes. Pin member 52 will be retained in 
this extended position until again rotated and shifted relative to tubular 
member 20 through mounting piece 67 and pillar 62. As best shown in FIG. 
3, the fully retracted position of pin member 52 is reached when pillar 62 
comes to the end of slot 38. Preferably, this point coincides with the 
abutment of squared-off end 58 with second end 24 of tubular member 20. 
Obviously, the diameter of pin member 52 need only be slightly less than 
the internal diameter of tubular member 20 in order to permit sliding 
movement of pin member 52 within internal cavity 31. However, in the 
preferred embodiment shown, the diameters of tubular member 20 and pin 
member 52 need not be made with such a small tolerances. Instead, an 
elastic sleeve 75 is positioned within internal cavity 31 at first end 22. 
Elastic sleeve 75 is provided with a central bore (not labeled) that is 
sized so as to be under a slight compression in order that some friction 
acts between pin member 52 and elastic sleeve 75. This friction functions 
to prevent undesired relative movement between pin member 52 and tubular 
member 20 when pin member 52 is fully retracted (see FIG. 3). 
Although described with respect to a preferred embodiment of the invention, 
it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications 
can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. 
For example, pillar 62 need not be located at squared-off end 58 but could 
be located closer to pointed end 55 along pin member 52. In this case, an 
additional elastic sleeve could be provided at terminal wall 34 within 
which squared-off end 58 of pin member 52 would extend when pin member 52 
is fully retracted. In addition, second end 24 need not be closed off but 
could include an opening similar to opening 27 in first end 22. 
Furthermore, various other types of latching or locking arrangements known 
in the art could be utilized for retaining pin member 52 in its extended 
and/or retracted positions. Finally, ring member 6 could be modified in 
numerous ways for aesthetic purposes. In general, the invention is only 
intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.