Abstract:
An impact device and method for use in incapacitating an opponent. The device mounts on the lower part of the leg and is used by kicking the opponent with the impact device. A police version of the device has a rounded surface for exerting a measured blow on the opponent while a military version has a cutting edge for cutting the opponent. The device may be covered and obscured by the pant leg of the user.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/654,729, filed, Sep. 4, 2003, which is incorporated herewith by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to an impact device and method.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Police officers have official guidelines as to how much force they should use in a particular situation. For example, the amount of force to be used might be coded as green, yellow or red depending on whether there is no danger to the officer, or mortal danger, or an intermediate situation where the individual is illegally resisting arrest but there is little or no danger to the officer. A police officer frequently carries a pistol which might be grabbed by a criminal if the officer does not protect the pistol by grasping it or by covering it with his hand. It is desirable that the police officer have available a weapon permitting the officer to apply measured force and at the same time to protect the officer&#39;s pistol.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     It is therefor an object of the invention to provide an improved weapon for use by a police officer permitting the application of a measured amount of force.  
         [0005]     Another object of the invention is to provide an impact weapon for use by the military.  
         [0006]     One embodiment of the invention is an impact weapon including a main body having an elongated curved shape for mounting on the shin. The body has an inside curved surface adapted to nest on the shin and has an outside surface. A retainer is secured to the main body for retaining the main body on the shin. An elongated rigid member is fixed to the outside surface of the main body and extends along the length of the main body.  
         [0007]     Another embodiment of the invention is a method for subduing an opponent which includes providing an impact weapon with a main body having an elongated curved shape for mounting on the shin. An elongated rigid member is secured to the outside surface of the main body and extends along the length of the main body. The method further includes securing the weapon to the shin and striking the opponent with the elongated rigid member by kicking the opponent with the weapon.  
         [0008]     Still another embodiment of the invention is an impact weapon including a main body having an inside surface adapted to nest on the lower part of the leg. A retainer is arranged to secure the main body to the lower part of the leg. The main body has an outside surface to which is fixed a rigid member which has a relatively flat striking surface.  
         [0009]     Still a further embodiment of the invention is a method for subduing an opponent which includes providing an impact weapon which has a main body with an inside surface adapted to nest on the lower part of the leg. A rigid member having a relatively flat striking surface is secured to the outside surface of the main body. The method further includes securing the weapon to the lower part of the leg and striking the opponent with the relatively flat striking surface by kicking the opponent with the weapon.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a view of a policeman having a pistol in a holster and also having the impact device of the present invention mounted on the policeman&#39;s right leg.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the impact device.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation of the device.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is an end elevation of the device.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a view of the policeman of  FIG. 1  carrying out a step of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a fragmentary view similar to  FIG. 4  of an alternative embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a fragmentary side elevation of an impact device forming an alternative embodiment of the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a fragmentary perspective view of a further impact device forming an alternative embodiment of the invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an impact device forming an alternative embodiment of the invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an impact device forming an alternative embodiment of the invention.  
         [0020]      FIGS. 11 and 12  are perspective view of the impact devices forming further alternative embodiments of the invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0021]     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, and alterations and modifications in the illustrated device, and further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein are herein contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.  
         [0022]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a police officer  10  is illustrated having a holster  11  with a pistol  12  received within the holster  11 . Mounted on the right leg  15  of the police officer is the impact device or weapon  16  of the present invention. (The police officer&#39;s right pant leg is broken away to show the mounting of the impact device.) The police officer  10  has on long pants  17  which cover the impact device  16  and make it obscured from view of a criminal. The illustrated police officer in  FIG. 1  is right handed and consequently has the impact device  16  mounted on his right leg. The officer has a pistol belt carrying the holster and pistol where they are easily accessible by his right hand. A left handed police officer would have the impact device  16  mounted on his left leg and would have his holster and pistol at his left side accessible by his left hand.  
         [0023]     Referring to the perspective view  FIG. 2  of the impact device or weapon  16 , the device or weapon includes a main body  20  which has an elongated curved shape for mounting on the shin. The main body  20  also has an inside curved surface  21  adapted to nest on the shin and also has an outside curved surface  22 . A cushion  25  is mounted on the main body  20  on the inside curved surface  21  and covers the inside curved surface for protecting and cushioning the shin of the wearer of the impact device. An elongated rigid member  26  is fixed to the outside curved surface  22  of the main body and extends along the length of the main body.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  shows the impact device of the present invention in use. One of the advantages of the present device is the fact that it is not visible to the perpetrator of a crime because it can be covered by the long pants  17  of the policeman. Thus the police officer can use the front of the shin of his right leg for a right handed police officer to kick a perpetrator in the leg as shown in  FIG. 5  so as to bring down the perpetrator or can even use the kick on some other part of the perpetrator&#39;s body if a more crippling force is necessary for a particular situation. When the officer kicks the criminal, the cushion  25  cushions the impact to the shin of the officer. As shown by the arrow in  FIG. 5 , the kick can be aimed at the rear of the criminal&#39;s leg to cause the leg to buckle and the criminal to go down. At the same time that the right handed police officer is doing the kicking operation he can also use his right hand to cover his gun as shown so that it cannot be withdrawn from the holster by the perpetrator.  
         [0025]     The impact device of the present invention can take various forms. The specific embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5  includes a main body  20  that is approximately 9-½ inches in length. The elongated rigid member  26  has a thickness dimension  27  that is approximately ⅛ inch and has a curved surface  30  facing away from the main body. The elongated rigid member  26  is designed in this fashion in order to stun the recipient of a kick by the policeman but not to cause excessive damage by the kick. An alternative embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 6  involves a sharp edge  31  of the elongated rigid member  26 ′ so that the kick would produce a cutting action. This particular alternative embodiment is intended for military use as opposed to police use.  FIG. 6  is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the elongated rigid member  26 ′. The embodiment of  FIG. 6  in other respects is identical to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5 .  
         [0026]     The impact device  16  is secured in place on the leg of the user by a retainer and/or retainers  32  and  35 . In the illustrated embodiment the retainers  32  and  35  are straps  36  and  37  which have Velcro  40  mounted on them. The strap  36  is received between the main body  20  and the elongated rigid member  26  and is secured in place by appropriate fasteners. The strap  36  has a loop or ring  41  on the strap through which the strap is inserted prior to use of the Velcro to attach the strap  36  to itself. The retainer  35  includes the strap  37  which is secured by appropriate fasteners between the main body  20  and the cushion  25 . The end portions of the strap  37  have the complementary Velcro sections on them for securing the end portions together and mounting the impact device on the leg.  
         [0027]     The invention includes other alternative embodiments. For example the elongated rigid member  26  might be constructed integrally with the main body  20 . In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the elongated rigid member  26  and the main body  20  are made out of rigid plastic but they could be made out of other materials such as metal or wood as examples. One manner of constructing the impact weapon of the present invention includes modifying a commercially available soccer leg guard by adding to it and mounting on it the elongated rigid member  26 . Still another alternative embodiment of the invention includes making the elongated rigid member out of more than one piece such as, for example, a series of spaced or contiguous or adjacent pieces.  
         [0028]     Still other alternative embodiments of the invention are shown in  FIGS. 7 through 11 .  FIG. 7  is a fragmentary side elevation and  FIG. 8  is a fragmentary perspective view of impact devices  45  and  45 ′. Also shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  is the lower part  46  and  46 ′ of the leg of persons having the impact devices  45  and  45 ′ mounted thereon.  FIGS. 7 and 8  show boots  47  and  47 ′ on the persons&#39; foot. The impact device  45 ′ may not be elongated but does have a relatively flat striking surface  56 ′ on the rigid member  55 ′ mounted on main body  52 ′.  
         [0029]     The impact device  45  can take various forms. As shown in  FIG. 8  it can include a main body  52  which may be made out of (at least in part) cushioning material to protect the person&#39;s leg. Mounted on the main body  52  is a rigid member  55  which, in the illustrated example, has a length of approximately two inches although this dimension can vary. The rigid member  55  has a relatively flat striking surface  56 . Both the embodiment of  FIG. 7  and the embodiment of  FIG. 8  are secured to the lower part of the leg by show laces  51  and  51 ′ which extend through eyelets in the main body  52  and  52 ′ and also through the eyelets of the boots  47  and  47 ′. Thus, in both the embodiment of  FIG. 7  and the embodiment of  FIG. 8  the impact device is secured to the boot as well as to the lower part of the leg of the person wearing the boot.  
         [0030]      FIGS. 9 and 10  show two forms that the impact device can take. In  FIG. 9  the impact device  59  is shown with velcro sections  60  and  61  on the strap  62  which is inserted through the slot in the main body  66  in order to secure the impact device to the lower portion of the leg. The main body  66  also has eyelets  67  through which the shoelaces of the boot are laced to secure the impact device in place. The elongated rigid member  68  is secured to the main body  66  and has a relatively flat striking surface  69 .  FIG. 10  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the complementary velcro sections  60 ′ and  61 ′ are on opposite ends of the strap  62 ′ and the rigid member  68 ′ is secured to the strap centrally of the strap. The device of  FIG. 10  can be secured to the lower part of the leg of the person by the velcro  60 ′ and  61 ′ and by lacing the boot (on the person) over the strap  62 ′ and the rigid member  68 ′.  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIG. 11 , still another embodiment of the invention is illustrated as including an impact device  71  mounted on a low cut shoe  72 . The impact device  71  is used in the same manner and described above by securing the shoe  72  and impact device  71  to the lower portion of the leg of the person using the impact device. The impact device  71  includes an elongated rigid member  75  and a main body  76  with the elongated rigid member  75  fixed to the main body  76 . The shoelaces  80  of the shoe  72  are laced through eyelets  77  in the main body  76  to secure the impact device to the shoe and to the lower portion of the leg of the person using the impact device.  
         [0032]     Referring to  FIG. 12 , still another embodiment of the invention includes an impact device  84  including a main body  85  and elongated rigid member  86  fixed to the main body  85 . The elongated rigid member  86  has slots  87  through which shoe or boot laces can be laced to secure the impact device to a shoe or boot with a resulting mounting of the impact device  84  on the lower part of the leg of the user of the impact device.  
         [0033]     Each of the impact devices illustrated in  FIGS. 8 through 12  is used in the same fashion as described above with regard to the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 through 6 , that is, the impact device or weapon is secured to the lower part of the leg. The opponent is then struck with the rigid member by kicking the opponent with the weapon.  
         [0034]     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.