Patent Publication Number: US-2005121041-A1

Title: Human extremity restraint

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This application relates to a device to be used primarily at psychiatric and medical facilities as a restraining means for inhibiting movement of patients without significant discomfort. It may also be useful for other applications requiring nonabrasive restraints.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Restraints are used by psychiatric and medical personnel to restrain out-of-control persons under a variety of circumstances and may also be used in other various operating environments.  
      Restraints are also used by hospital attendants, nurses, EMT&#39;s, and others to prevent persons from doing harm to themselves, other persons and to a property, at a particular point in time.  
      One of the problems associated with current restraint apparatuses is that if applied too tight, they can be injurious by causing skin abrasions, blood flow constriction and other problems to the wearer. If too loose, the wearer might be able to escape and cause injury to himself or others. Therefore, there is a need for a restraint that is non injurious to the wearer. This invention fills that need by providing a strong and effective, fabric-based, restraining device that is strong enough to restrain the wearer, and which is noninjurious and causes minimal discomfort.  
      The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features, properties, the selection of components which are amplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.  
      For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A fabric-based restraint to detain, bind, restrict or hinder the movement of the wearer. The device may be applied to the arms or legs of any size, for both children and adults without harming the wearer. The wraparound unit includes a built-in formed central loop to allow attachment of a location inhibitor, such that the device wearer can be secured in a fixed position such as a bed or Gurney.  
      The device of this invention may also be attached wrist to wrist or ankle to ankle for mobile restraint.  
      It is a first object to provide a fabric-based restraining device.  
      It is a second object to provide a restraining device that has an interchangeable throwaway skin contacting layer.  
      It is a third object to provide a washable reusable nonabrasion causing restraint.  
      Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of this invention on the clothed wrist of a wearer  FIG. 2  is a top plan view of this device.  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of this invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of a variant having only two securing bands.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a removable and disposable pad insert that can be utilized as part of this invention shown in exploded view, and showing the adaptation required for use.  
       FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of the inventive device modified to receive the pad insert that forms part of this invention.  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      In  FIG. 1  the device  10  of this invention is seen wrapped around the clothed arm of the wearer. Loop  20  which is built in and centrally disposed and which will be discussed infra in detail is used to attach the wearer to a wall, chair or bedframe as by a shackle, chain or rope. The discussion now moves to  FIG. 2 .  
      The device of this invention is seen laid out in unrolled form in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The device has a main body  11  and a series of bands  21 , which bands preferably overlay a transversely disposed webbing section or segment  18 .  
      Device  10  has a main body  11  formed of two layers, an outer layer  12  which may be of cotton, polyester, nylon or some other close woven material such as canvas. The inner layer  14  of the body  11  that lies upon the skin is a soft layer of fabric such as but not limited to velour. The main body has upper and lower parallel edges,  19 , an inner oblique edge  17  and an outer edge  15 . The outer edge  15  is disposed at a substantially right angle to the upper and lower edges.  
      There are four bands  22 , 23 , 24  and  25  that are attached to the upper layer  12  of the main body  11 . These four bands are spaced apart from top to bottom and extend the full width of the body from the outer edge  15  to the oblique edge  17 . While being spaced apart, they converge in pairs at points spaced slightly beyond the oblique edge of the body. The two inner bands  23 , 24  are disposed in a convergent fashion toward each of the respective two outer bands at the oblique or inner edge,  17 , of the body  11 . A notch  26  and a notch  27  are formed at the junction of the respective two bands, approximately one inch beyond the inner edge  17 , of the body portion. The bands could converge along the length of the body as well. While such is not shown, this is deemed to be within the skill of the artisan to do so.  
      From the points of convergence each of the two bands that form a pair namely  22  and  23  and the pair  24  and  25  are sewn together along seam  31  for the pair joined at notch  26  namely the pair now known as  22 - 23 . The pair of bands  24  and  25  joined at notch  27  are also seamed together long their facing edge to form the pair now known as  24 - 25 .  
      Returning briefly to the placement of the bands on the body  11 , it is seen that the spacing between band  23  and band  24  need not conform to the spacing between the two members of the respective pairs  22  and  23  &amp;  24  and  25 . Band  22  and band  25  should preferably be disposed along the upper and lower edges of the outer fabric layer  12 . Again see  FIG. 2 . The stitch to be used for the sewing is preferably a blind stitch so that a wearer cannot try to break the thread using any type of implement available to him or her.  
      The “A” section of each band—that part that extends beyond the edge of the body is equal in length to the “B” section that is attached to the body  11 . The reason for the equality of length of the bands is such that when they are mated, the overlap will be co-extensive.  
      Each of the separate bands  22 , 23 , 24 , and  25  for their “A” section, has only a top surface  34  which is of the pile material of the closure. The “B” section of each band also has a pile layer  35  on the top side, and a hook layer  36  of Velcro® or equal on the underside of the band.  
      Disposed transverse to the running of the four bands is a section of webbing, usually of nylon, which is readily available in the marketplace. This length of webbing  16  is cut to a size larger than the extension between the upper and lower edges of the main body  11 . The webbing is sewn spaced to the body commencing at the upper and lower edges of the body at a location near or at the midpoint of the width of the body, with the outer edges of the webbing being at substantially the upper and lower edges of the body. That mode of attachment leaves a raised up or loop portion  18  in the middle which loop is spaced from the main body. The loop  18  has an opening therein designated  20 . It is through this loop  18  that a chain or shackle or handcuff or other confining tool can be used to limit the ability of the wearer to move away, or to touch a part of the body with the retained extremity. See  FIG. 2 . A cable tie, readily available to the art, can be attached to the loop of a pair of these restraints to secure a person&#39;s hands together during a crowd control action. While sewing the webbing to the body before the addition of the bands is preferred, either step can take place first.  
      The device of the first embodiment was made with four bands of about one inch in elevation that converged together as to form two bands of a height equal to two individual bands. The embodiment is practical and uses one inch wide bands of Velcro° brand hook and pile closure, which is readily available in several colors. But in point of fact only two bands are needed if two inch wide hook and pile closure is available. Reference is thus made to  FIG. 4  wherein like numbers refer to like parts. One band  122  is sewn to the body  11  adjacent the upper edge, and one band  125  adjacent the lower edge of the body  111  both overlying the webbing section  16 . Here too, the “A” portion of the two bands is of loop material only, while the “B” aspect is both loop on the obverse side and hook on the reverse side.  
      Preferably the upper and lower edge seams that connect the canvas or corduroy fabric of the upper layer  12  to the lower layer of velour, velvet, etc, is ripple layered along the length of the upper and lower edges to prevent bunching.  
      While the discussion previously has placed the oblique edge of the body proximal the two respective notches seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the oblique edge could also be the outer or distal edge if desired.  
      In  FIG. 5  there is shown the optional pad insert  50 . It has a flexible film base  51  of waterproof paper, polyester, or nylon to which is attached in each corner a Velcro® or equal tab  52  on the underside of the base  51 . See  FIG. 6 . A pad  53  of woven or nonwoven fabric or even cotton batting is removably, adhesively, attached preferably to te film base  51 &#39;s top side. The pad may be fixedly attached but his renders cleaning and replacement for sanitary reasons more difficult.  
      The pad is worn adjacent the skin. The film base  51  is attached by its tab  52  to a matingly engageable pad of Velcro® on the underside of the invention  10 . The pad is worn adjacent the skin such that abrasions to the wrist and/or ankle can be minimized or eliminated altogether.  
      The use of the insert pad  50  is optional, but is beneficial in the fight against disease transmission from wearer to wearer. In the medical field, concerns of cross contamination and universal precautions require that restraints be sufficiently cleaned between patients. A disposable pad attached to the restraint at the contact point with the skin&#39;s surface of the wearer will minimize cross contamination and the necessary cleansing of the body of the restraint. This disposable pad can be made of nonirritating paper or cloth such as felt so that the paper or felt can absorb fluid without irritating the skin and has a water-resistant backing to prevent body fluid from leaking into the restraint.  
      If the detachable pad  50  is not used, the surface  14 , which contacts the wearer&#39;s skin, may be of soft, nonirritating, washable, permanently affixed, felt-like material.  
      For ease and convenience, the film base is generally rectangular in configuration with a Velcro® tab in each of the four corners&#39; underside.  
      It is seen that I have devised an article that can be washed and reused many times, such as between uses. If there is a possibility that the most recent wearer of the device may be infected with HIV or a sexually transmitted disease, immediate disinfection can be carried out. Unlike metal handcuffs, the restraint of this invention forms no potential weapon for the wearer against the hospital, jail or other facility personnel nearby.  
      It is coincidental that the timing of this patent application arises close to the time of recall of 1,000 sets of handcuffs used by the sheriff&#39;s department in Los Angeles County California for fear of hurting suspects&#39; wrists and the desire not to create inadvertent injures, according to a recent Associated Press article. This device, especially when used with the optional insert pad, totally avoids that issue.  
      It is contemplated to have the device sized, small, medium, large and extra large to fit both hands and wrists of people of all ages and builds. The sizing would be in the body of the unit by making the distance between the upper and lower parallel edges greater or lesser than the medium size general fit model, which is of a distance of about six inches. The spacing between the outer edge and the oblique edge can also be modified from the medium sized model of about the outer edge and the oblique edge can also be modified from the medium sized model of about nine inches within the range of six to twelve inches. Thus, the medium model has bands of about 18 inches in length for both the “A” and the “B” portions. A loop of about two inches is considered adequate. Color coding can be readily accomplished if desired as by gender, size or special use high infection risk  
      The device of this invention can be readily used in an operating recovery room as well as by law enforcement. Being of fabric it can be readily sterilized. Being lightweight a plurality can be stacked in boxes for quick use during protests and other crowd control situations, by simply cuffing a person and chaining or shackling the extremity bearing this device to a wall, fence or other fixed object. Two of the devices can be attached via the loop using simple cable tie where two hand restraint is deemed necessary. By being fabric no injury to the wearer will occur, thus avoiding lawsuits for excessive force or injury to the party upon whom the device or devices is/are placed.  
      In extremely dangerous situations where dangerous or violent individuals are involved and where escape may be of concern, a locking handcuff or similar device may be applied over the invention without compromising any of the invention&#39;s virtues.  
      Since certain changes maybe made in the described apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.