Patent Publication Number: US-2023142788-A1

Title: Handcuff ring with mechanism for enhanced locking and handcuffs having the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     This non-provisional application claims priority to and the benefit of, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a). Taiwan Patent Application No. 110141705, filed Nov. 9, 2021 in Taiwan. The entire content of the above identified application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure is related to a handcuff ring of a handcuff, and more particularly related to a handcuff ring formed with at least one locking groove on the front side and/or the rear side thereof. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Handcuffs are devices for restraining a person&#39;s wrists, are typically made of metal, and are generally used by a military person or police officer. A military person or police officer attempting to arrest or detain a suspect (or criminal) may use a pair of handcuffs as a tool for restricting the suspect&#39;s movement so that the handcuffed suspect cannot move freely and is thus kept from escaping control. Please refer to  FIG.  1    for a common pair of handcuffs  1  that includes two handcuff rings  10  linked together by a chain  11 . Each handcuff ring  10  is composed essentially of a stationary strand  100  and a movable strand  101 . The movable strand  101  is pivotally connected at one end to the stationary strand  100  and can be rotated about the pivotal joint. The stationary strand  100  is provided therein with a locking mechanism and is formed with a keyhole  102 . The keyhole  102  corresponds to the locking mechanism in the stationary strand  100 . The movable strand  101  is provided with a plurality of teeth  103 . The locking mechanism in the stationary strand  100  can engage with the teeth  103  of the movable strand  101  so that the movable strand  101  cannot separate from the stationary strand  100  freely. 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , the stationary strand  100  is provided therein with a receiving space  104  for receiving the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism essentially includes an engaging element  12  and an elastic plate  13 . The engaging element  12  is pivotally provided in the receiving space  104 , and the bottom side of the engaging element  12  is protrudingly provided with a plurality of engaging teeth  120 . The elastic plate  13  is located in the receiving space  104  and can push the engaging element  12  elastically such that the engaging element  12  tends to rotate downward about its pivotal joint. This structural feature allows the engaging teeth  120  on the engaging element  12  to engage with the teeth  130  of, and thereby restrict, the movable strand  101  so that the movable strand  101  cannot separate from the stationary strand  100  freely. Therefore, by closing the movable strand  101  and the stationary strand  100  with respect to each other and making the engaging teeth  120  engage with the teeth  103  of the movable strand  101 , the handcuff ring can be closed around a suspect&#39;s wrist to restrict the suspect&#39;s movement effectively. 
     Moreover, referring to  FIG.  2    in conjunction with  FIG.  1   , the right end of the engaging element  12  is protrudingly provided with a pushing portion  121 , and the pushing portion  121  corresponds to the keyhole  102 . When a user (e.g., a military person or police officer) inserts a key  2  into the keyhole  102  and turns the key  2 , the key tooth  20  on the key  2  pushes the pushing portion  121  upward. Now that the engaging clement  12  is pivotally provided in the receiving space  104 , the key tooth  20  rotates, and causes upward displacement of, the engaging element  12  against the elastic force of the elastic plate  13  and thereby compresses the elastic plate  13  while pushing the pushing portion  121  upward, and the engaging teeth  120  of the engaging element  12  are separated from the teeth  103  of the movable strand  101  as a result. The user can then rotate the movable strand  101  to open the handcuff ring  10 . Once the user draws the key  2  out of the keyhole  102 , the elastic plate  1  pushes the engaging element  12  downward again, in order for the engaging element  12  to engage with the movable strand  101  next time. 
     To enhance the security of the handcuffs  1 , with continued reference to  FIG.  2    in conjunction with  FIG.  1   , the stationary strand  100  is further provided therein with a stop portion  14 . The stop portion  14  can be displaced in the left-right direction, with the elastic plate  13  pressing against the stop portion  14 . The right end of the stop portion  14  is provided with a first abutting portion  141  that extends downward, and the engaging element  12  is provided with a second abutting portion  122  that is adjacent to the right end of the engaging element  12  and extends upward. When the right end of the stop portion  14  abuts against the inner wall of the stationary strand  100 , the first abutting portion  141  and the second abutting portion  122  abut against each other to prevent the engaging element  12  from being pushed upward; consequently, the difficulty of opening the handcuffs  1  by an illegitimate means (e.g., by inserting a pointed object such as a metal hairpin or nail into the keyhole  102 ) is increased. To enable pushing of the stop portion  14 , the left side of the stationary strand  100  is formed with a through hole  15 . The through hole  15  communicates with the receiving space  104  and corresponds to the left end of the stop portion  14  so that a military person or police officer can insert the thin rod  21  at an end of the key  2  into the through hole  15  to push the stop portion  14 . 
     In terms of practical use, however, the limited thickness of each handcuff  1  limits the area in which the through hole  15  can be provided, so a military person or police officer must look at the through hole  15  attentively in order to insert the thin rod  21  into the through hole  15 , which causes inconvenience of use. Moreover, as the through hole  15  is located in a lateral side of the stationary strand  100 , it is often necessary for a military person or police officer to turn a handcuffed person&#39;s wrist in order to insert the thin rod  21  into the through hole  15 , which also causes inconvenience of use. Accordingly, the present disclosure aims to effectively address issues including those referred to supra. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of the above-referenced issues of the conventional handcuffs, as a result of longtime research and experiment, the present disclosure provides a handcuff ring with mechanism for enhanced locking and handcuffs having the same so as to resolve these conventional issues, to provide users better user experience, and to facilitate an enhanced locking process. 
     One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a handcuff ring with mechanism for enhanced locking for a handcuff. The handcuff ring includes a stationary strand, a movable strand, an engaging element, an elastic element and a stop portion. The stationary strand is formed with an opening on an inner side thereof, a receiving space therein that extends from the opening, a keyhole on a front side thereof, and at least one locking groove on at least one of the front side and the rear side. The opening and the keyhole communicate with the receiving space separately, and the locking groove communicates with the receiving space. The movable strand has one end pivotally connected to the stationary strand, and an outer periphery of the other end thereof formed with a plurality of teeth, and can be rotated toward the opening to correspond the teeth to the opening. The engaging element is pivotally disposed in the receiving space with a top side thereof protrudingly formed with a first abutting portion, a bottom side thereof formed with a plurality of engaging teeth, and an end thereof that is adjacent to the keyhole protrudingly formed with a pushing portion. The elastic element is fixed in the receiving space, and can press against the engaging element through a bottom side of the elastic element, and drive the engaging element to engage the engaging teeth with the teeth when the other end of the movable strand is inserted into the opening so as to lock the movable strand in the opening and form a closed ring. The stop portion is movably positioned in the receiving space, has a first end corresponding to the locking groove, is formed with a second abutting portion that is adjacent to a second end of the stop portion and extending toward the engaging element, and can be displaced toward the keyhole until the second abutting portion is displaced to be located above, and abuts against, the first abutting portion when a thin rod is inserted into the locking groove to push the first end of the stop portion. The elastic element can press against a bottom side of the stop portion through the top side of the elastic element. Accordingly, through the locking groove(s) located on the front side and/or the rear side of the handcuff ring, a user can conveniently push the stop portion by the thin rod to finish the enhanced locking process. 
     In certain embodiments, the stationary strand is formed with an insertion allowing mechanism, the insertion allowing mechanism forms an insertion allowing space between the first end of the stop portion and an inner wall of the stationary strand, and the insertion allowing space corresponds to the locking groove and has a transverse length less than a transverse length of the locking groove, so that the first end of the stop portion is pushed by the thin rod when the thin rod is inserted through the locking groove. 
     In certain embodiments, the stationary strand includes a first plate, a second plate, and a stationary base located between the first and second plates and concavely formed therein with the receiving space, and an inner wall of the stationary base is formed with a protrusion that serves as the insertion allowing mechanism and can block the first end of the stop portion from lying against the inner wall of the stationary base so as to form the insertion allowing space. 
     In certain embodiments, the stationary strand includes a first plate, a second plate, and a stationary has located between the first and second plates and concavely finned therein with the receiving space, the first plate is formed with the locking groove, and a side of the second plate that corresponds to the locking groove is protrudingly formed with a block that extends outward and serves as the insertion allowing mechanism, and can block the first end of the stop portion from lying against the inner wall of the stationary base so as to form the insertion allowing space. 
     In certain embodiments, the stationary strand includes a plate clement formed with a through space for communicating with the receiving space and accommodating the stop portion, and an inner wall of the plate element that is adjacent to the locking groove is concavely formed with an insertion allowing groove having a longitudinal width less than a longitudinal width of the first end of the stop portion and serving as the insertion allowing mechanism to block the first end of the stop portion from extending into the insertion allowing groove by being blocked by inner wall portions of the plate element that are adjacent to the insertion allowing groove and from lying against the inner wall of the stationary base so as to form the insertion allowing space. 
     In certain embodiments, the locking groove is formed on at least one of the first plate and the second plate. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a handcuff having at least two handcuff rings that are linked by a chain, and each of the handcuff rings is the above-referenced handcuff ring. 
     These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings and their captions, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram of a conventional handcuff. 
         FIG.  2    is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the conventional handcuff. 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded view of a handcuff ring according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the handcuff ring according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the handcuff ring according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, with a stop portion located at the left. 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the handcuff ring according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, with the stop portion located at the right. 
         FIG.  7    is an exploded view of a handcuff ring according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic diagram of a plate element according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a handcuff ring according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a handcuff ring according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference, and the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. Titles or subtitles can be used herein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The accompanying drawings are schematic and may not have been drawn to scale. The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art. In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitions given herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more than one way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s) discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numbering terms such as “first”, “second” or “third” can be used to describe various components, materials, objects or the like, which are for distinguishing one component/material/object from another one only, and are not intended to, nor should be construed to impose any substantive limitations on the components, materials, objects, or the like. Directional terms (e.g., “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “upper/top” and/or “lower/bottom”) are explanatory only and are not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The present disclosure provides a handcuff ring having a mechanism for enhanced locking and handcuffs including the same. Referring to  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4   , a pair of handcuffs C includes two handcuff rings C 1  and a chain C 2  that links the handcuff rings C 1  together. To facilitate description, the front side of a component is defined as the side facing the lower left corner of  FIG.  3   , the rear side as the side facing the upper right corner of  FIG.  3   , the left side as the side facing the upper left corner of  FIG.  3   , and the right side as the side facing the lower right corner of  FIG.  3   . In certain embodiments, with continued reference to  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4   , each handcuff ring C 1  at least includes a stationary strand  2 , a movable strand  3 , an engaging element  4 , an elastic element  5 , and a stop portion  6 . The inner side of the stationary strand  2  is formed with an opening  21 , a receiving spacing extends from the opening into the stationary strand the front side of the stationary strand  2  is formed with a keyhole  22 , the opening  21  and the keyhole  22  communicate with the receiving space  20  separately, and at least one locking groove  71  is formed on one or both of the front side and the rear side of the stationary strand  2  and is in communication with the receiving space  20 . 
     In certain embodiments, referring to  FIG.  3    in conjunction with  FIG.  4   , the stationary strand  2  can include a first plate  24 , a second plate  25 , and a stationary base  26 . The first plate  24  can be formed with the keyhole  22  and the locking groove  23 . The stationary base  26  can be located between the first plate  24  and the second plate  25  at a position adjacent to the top sides of the first and the second plates  24 ,  25 . The bottom side of the stationary base  26  can be concavely formed with the receiving space  20 , which extends upward into the stationary base  26 , such that the opening  21  is formed at the bottom side of the stationary base  26 . In certain embodiments, however, the structure of the stationary strand  2  can be adjusted according to product requirements. For example, the stationary base  26  can be integrally formed with the first plate  34  or the second plate  25 . In certain embodiments, it is also feasible for the locking groove  23  to be formed only in the second plate  25  or in each of the first plate  24  and the second plate  25 . When each of the front and rear sides of the stationary strand  2  is formed with a locking groove  23 , the two locking grooves  23  correspond to each other in position. 
     Referring to  FIG.  3    in conjunction with  FIG.  4    again, the movable strand  3  can have one end pivotally connected to the stationary strand  2 , and the outer periphery of the other end of the movable strand  3  can be formed with a plurality of teeth  31 . The movable strand  3  can be rotated toward the opening  21  in order tor the teeth  31  to correspond to the opening  21  and extend into the stationary strand  2 . Referring to  FIG.  5   , the engaging element  4  can be pivotally disposed in the receiving space  20 , with the top side of the engaging element  4  protrudingly formed with a first abutting portion  41 , the bottom side of the engaging element  4  formed with a plurality of engaging teeth  42 , and the end of the engaging element  4  that is adjacent to the keyhole  22  protrudingly formed with a pushing portion  43 . The teeth  31  of the movable strand  3  match, and can engage with the engaging teeth  42 . The pushing portion  43 , which can be adjacent to the keyhole  22 , can be pushed by a key in order to disengage the engaging teeth  42  from the teeth  31  and thereby bring the handcuff ring C 1  into an unlocked state. 
     Referring to  FIG.  5    in conjunction with  FIG.  3   , the elastic element  5  is fixed in the receiving space  20 , and the bottom side of the elastic element  5  can press against the engaging element  4 . In certain embodiments, the clastic element  5  can have been bent into a V or U shape such that the right side of the elastic element  5  branches into a lower pressing portion  51  and an upper pressing portion  52 , and the lower pressing portion  51  can press against the engaging element  4 . When the other end of the movable strand  3  is inserted into the opening  21 , the engaging element  4  is driven by the elastic element  5  to have the engaging teeth  42  engage with the teeth  31  and thereby lock the movable strand  3  in the opening  21 . The stationary strand  2  and the movable strand  3 , therefore, are locked with respect to each other and form a closed ring. 
     In certain embodiments, referring to  FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6   , the stop portion  6  can be movably positioned in the receiving space  20 , and the top side (i.e., the upper pressing portion  52 ) of the elastic element  5  can press against the bottom side of the stop portion  6  so that the stop portion  6  can stay lying against the top inner side of the stationary strand  2  while being displaced in the receiving space  20  in the left-right direction. A first end of the stop portion  6  can correspond to and lie exposed through the locking groove  23 . The bottom side of the stop portion  6  is formed with a second abutting portion  62  adjacent to a second end of the stop portion  6  that is opposite to the first end, and the second abutting portion  62  can extend downward (i.e., toward the engaging element  4 ). In addition, the left inner wall of the stationary base  26  can be formed with a protrusion  261  for blocking the first end of the stop portion  6  from lying against the left inner wall of the stationary base  26  (see  FIG.  5   ), and an insertion allowing space  200  is therefore formed between the first end of the stop portion  6  and the left inner wall of the stationary base  26 . In other words, the protrusion  261  can serve as an insertion allowing mechanism for forming the required insertion allowing space  200 . 
     It should be pointed out that, with continued reference to  FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6   , the feature defined by the protrusion  261  is designed in relation to the insertion allowing space  200 . A manufacturer, therefore, may either provide the inner wall of the stationary base  26  with the outwardly extending protrusion  261  or form the protrusion  261  by forming an inwardly extending insertion allowing space  200  on the inner wall of the stationary base  26 , as long such a protrusion  261  formed can block the first end of the stop portion  6 . Furthermore, the insertion allowing mechanism defined in the present disclosure refers, but is not limited, to a mechanism through which the insertion allowing space  200  can be formed between the first end of the stop portion  6  and the inner wall of the stationary strand  2  (in certain embodiments, the inner wall of the stationary base  26 ), and through which the insertion allowing space  200  can correspond to the locking groove  23 . The insertion allowing space  200  can have a transverse length  111  less than the transverse length  112  of the locking groove  23  (see  FIG.  6   ) so that a user can insert a thin rod through the locking groove  23  into the insertion allowing space  200  to push the first end of the stop portion  6  and thereby displace the stop portion  6  toward the keyhole  22  until the second abutting portion  62  is displaced to be located above, and abuts against, the first abutting portion  41  (see  FIG.  6   ) to produce an enhanced locking effect. Accordingly, when an attempt is made to open the handcuff ring C 1  by an illegitimate means (e.g., by inserting a pointed object such as a metal hairpin or nail into the keyhole  22  in order to push the pushing portion  43 ), it will be impossible to push the stop portion  6  away at the same time, so the handcuff ring C 1  cannot be opened with ease. 
     When a handcuff user intends to open the handcuff ring C 1 , referring to  FIG.  6    in conjunction with  FIG.  3   , the key can be inserted into the keyhole  22  and turned counterclockwise to begin with. The stop portion  6  will, as a result, be displaced leftward from the position in  FIG.  6    to the position in  FIG.  5    such that the second abutting portion  62  is moved away from the First abutting portion  41 . The key can then be turned clockwise in order for the key tooth on the key to push the pushing portion  4  and thereby separate the engaging teeth  42  from the teeth  31 , bringing the handcuff ring C 1  into the unlocked state. 
     The insertion allowing mechanism according to the present disclosure is not limited to that described supra. In certain embodiments, each handcuff ring C 1  has two stationary bases  26  and a plate element  27 . Referring to  FIG.  7   , one of the stationary bases  26  can be fixed on the first plate  24 , and the other stationary base  26  can be fixed on the second plate  25 . The plate element  27  can be located between the two stationary bases  26  and is formed with a through space  270  that can be in communication with the receiving space  20 . At least the stop portion  6  can be accommodated in the through space  270  and displaced in the through space  270  in the left-right direction. As the two stationary bases  26  increase the thickness of the handcuff ring C 1 , two engaging elements  4  can be provided in certain embodiments to lock together the stationary strand  2  and the movable strand  3  even more securely. The two engaging elements  4  can be located on two opposite sides of the plate element  27  respectively, and the lower pressing portion  51  of the elastic element  5  can be formed with a slit so as to form two branch portions that can press and abut against the two engaging elements  4  respectively. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     Referring to  FIG.  8    in conjunction with  FIG.  7   , the inner wall of the plate element  27  that is adjacent to the locking groove  23  (e.g., the left inner wall of the plate element  27  as shown in  FIG.  8   ) is concavely formed with an insertion allowing groove  271 . The groove bottom of the insertion allowing groove  271  (i.e., the leftmost wall of the insertion allowing groove  271  in  FIG.  8   ) is flush with or adjacent to the inner walls of the stationary bases  26 , and the longitudinal width W 1  of the insertion allowing groove  271  is less than the longitudinal width W 2  of the first end of the stop portion  6  (see  FIG.  9   ). Accordingly, the structural feature defined by the insertion allowing groove  271 , into which the first end of the stop portion  6  cannot extend, can serve as an insertion allowing mechanism; when the stop portion  6  is moved leftward, the first end of the stop portion  6  will be blocked from lying against the left inner walls of the stationary bases  26  the inner wall of the stationary strand  2 ) by the inner wall portions of the plate element  27  that are adjacent to the insertion allowing groove  271 , such that the insertion allowing groove  271  forms an insertion allowing space that is alike the insertion allowing space  200  described supra. A user, therefore, can insert a thin rod through the locking groove  23  into the insertion allowing groove  271  to displace the stop portion  6  rightward by pushing the first end of the stop portion  6 . 
     In certain embodiments, referring to  FIG.  10   , the side of the second plate  25  that corresponds to the locking groove  23  (see  FIG.  3   ) (e.g., the front side of the second plate  25 ) is protrudingly formed with a block  251  that extends outward to serve as the insertion allowing mechanism. The front side of the block  251  is spaced apart from the locking groove  23  by a distance in order to form the insertion allowing space  200 . As the rear side of the stop portion  6  lies against the front side of the second plate  25 , the first end of the stop portion  6  will be blocked by the block  251  from lying against the left inner wall of the stationary base  26  when the first end of the stop portion  6  is displaced leftward. When a user inserts a thin rod into the locking groove  23 , therefore, the thin rod will be outside the front side of the block  251  (i.e., in the area of the insertion allowing space  200 ) and can displace the stop portion  6  rightward by pushing the first end of the stop portion  6 . 
     Accordingly, it can be known from the above that by positioning the locking groove(s)  23  at the front side and/or the rear side of a handcuff ring C 1 , due to the relatively larger area(s) of the from side and/or the rear side of the handcuff ring C 1 , the size and position of the locking groove  23  can be arranged in a more flexible way, and its production is easier. For a military person or police officer, since the locking groove(s)  23  is located at the front side and/or the rear side of the handcuff ring C 1 , a thin rod can be easily and swiftly inserted into a locking groove  23  to push the stop portion  6 , which greatly improves use convenience. 
     The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. 
     The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope.