Description:
The present invention relates generally to a self-defense weapon, and more particularly to a spring whip adapted to be conveniently carried on the person and thus available to be readily put to use in an emergency situation.
There is a need for a defensive weapon not necessarily of lethal capacity but nevertheless capable of inflicting a degree of pain sufficient to as act as a deterrent, which can be conveniently carried in a woman's purse, in a man's coat pocket, or other such location, from which it can readily be put to use in an emergency situation. Prior art efforts have been restricted, undoubtedly because of the limitations of space, either to alarms rather than actual defensive weapons per se or to the use of weapons, such as firearms or chemicals, which are extremely dangerous. These available prior art weapons are convenient to carry on the person for emergency use but are not used because they present too great a hazard to be kept at home. Alarms on the hand are sufficiently compact, but in only summoning aid are obviously of limited value to the uses user.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved defensive weapon overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object to provide a spring whip which can be placed in a compact condition for convenience in carrying and readily converted therefrom into an elongated configuration effectively serving as a whip.
A spring whip demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention includes a hollow housing, serving as a handgrip, in which several spring lengths are movable from a compact, telescoped storage position into an interconnected, elongated whipping position.
The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the defensive weapon hereof with the spring lengths thereof in their storage position within the handgrip of the weapon;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view, in longitudinal section, illustrating the spring lengths in their extended position from the handgrip; and
FIG. 3 is a detailed end view of the centrally disposed spring length.
Reference s is now made to the drawings, wherein there is shown a defensive weapon, specifically, a spring whip, generally designated 10, demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention. As its name implies, the defensive weapon 10 is constructed essentially of lengths of springs. In the illustrated embodiment there are two in number, namely, springs 12 ad and 14 and these, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, have an interconnected position forming an elongated configuration in which they effectively serve as a whip. The primary contemplated use of the weapon 10, as already noted, is for self-defense, and to this end, the springs 12, 14, in addition to having an extending whipping position as illustrated in FIG. 2, also have a compact, telescoped storage position such that the weapon or device can be conveniently carried in a woman's purse, in a man's coat pocket, or other such location, form which it can conveniently be put to use in an emergency situation.
Turning now to the details of construction of the spring whip 10, the same includes a hollow cylindrical housing 10 a bounding an internal cylindrically shaped storage compartment 10 b, provided with an upper entrance opening 10c normally closed with a friction-fit cap 16 after placement of the springs 12, 14 within the storage compartment 10b. The opposite end of the housing 10 a has a conical lip 10 d which provides a lower housing exit opening of a progressively diminishing extent for a purpose soon to be described. Housing 10a, to add to the convenience of carrying the defensive weapon 10, also includes a pocket clip construction 18.
From the foregoing description, it should be readily appreciated that the housing 10a effectively serves not only as a storage compartment for the springs 12, 14 when the defensive weapon is not being used, but also as a handgrip for the weapon during use. To place the weapon 10 in condition for use, the springs 12, 14 need only be projected from their telescoped stored position within the housing 10a, as illustrated in FIG. 1, into their whipping extending position from the housing 10a, as illustrated in FIG. 2. To achieve this, spring 12, which will be understood to be a conventional, helically wound spring, has at one end (the upper end as viewed in FIG. 2) the last two of its helical turns 12a, 12 b made in progressively increasing diameters so that it is not possible for the spring 12 to fit through the progressively diminishing exit opening 10e. At the opposite end of the spring 12, the last two of its helical turns 12c, 12d are made with a progressively diminishing diameter so as to serve the same purpose as the conical lip 10 d, but with respect to the spring length 14 as will now be described.
Spring 14, like spring 12, is a conventional, helically wound spring, At the end of spring 14, which cooperates with spring 12, the last two of its helical turns, 14a, 14b, are made in progressively increasing diameters so that when the springs 12, 14 are projected into their extending positions from the storage compartment 10b, the respective helical turns 12c, 12d, and 14a, 14b, form a wedging engagement with each other to hold the springs 12, 14 in their extended positions.
To facilitate the movement of the springs 12, 14 into their projected positions extending from the storage compartment 10b, plural weights 20 are movably disposed within the hollow interior of the spring 14 and are confined to this area by the bent respective opposite ends 14c, 14d of this spring.
From the foregoing, it should be readily appreciated that the defensive weapon 10 hereof is effective for purposes of self-defense defense in that the springs 12 and 14 can inflict sufficient pain to act as a deterrent, and the telescoped, storage positions of the spring 12, 14 within the cylindrical housing 10a in an obvious manner contribute to the cone convenience of carrying the defensive weapon on the person of the user until it is required in an emergency situation.
A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly an d in a manner consistent with the spirit and c scope of the invention herein.