Self-defense apparatus and method

Abstract

A wearable non-lethal, self-defense apparatus can include a main body portion, such as a bracelet, watch, sweat band or ring, configured to be worn by a user. The apparatus can include a control circuit and an activation circuit. The apparatus can also include an indicator adapted to receive an armed signal from the control circuit and transmit an indication that the self-defense apparatus is armed to a receiver in communication with the device. The apparatus can also include a high voltage generation circuit adapted to generate a high voltage in response to a voltage control signal received from the control circuit. Upon activation, the apparatus arms and is capable of discharging and delivering high voltage to an assailant via a plurality of electrodes. The apparatus can also include an integrated circuit (e.g., a GPS module) to determine location and a communications circuit to transmit the location upon arming and/or discharge.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wearable self-defense apparatus comprising:
 a main body portion configured to be worn by a user;   a control circuit disposed within the main body portion;   an activation circuit coupled to the control circuit, the activation circuit adapted to provide an activation signal to the control circuit;   an indicator adapted to receive an armed signal from the control circuit and provide an indication that the self-defense apparatus is armed, the armed signal indicating that the self-defense apparatus has been activated and is armed;   a high voltage generation section coupled to the control circuit, the high voltage generation section adapted to generate a high voltage in response to a voltage control signal received from the control circuit; and   a plurality of electrodes coupled to the high voltage generation unit and adapted to transmit high voltage,   wherein the control circuit is adapted to arm the self-defense apparatus by generating the voltage control signal and the armed signal when the activation signal is received.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the main body portion is one of a bracelet, a sweat band, a watch and a ring. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the activation circuit is one of a switch, a button, an accelerometer, a voice input module and a stress sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the indicator is one of a visual indicator, an audio indicator and a tactile indicator. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a location circuit adapted to determine a location of the self-defense apparatus and provide location information to the control circuit. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the location circuit includes a global positioning system receiver. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising a communications circuit coupled to the control circuit and adapted to transmit information. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the communications circuit is a Bluetooth circuit. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the communications circuit is a cellular phone network transceiver. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the communications circuit is a wireless network transceiver. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a battery coupled to the control circuit. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery and the apparatus further includes a charging circuit configured to be connected to a power source and to recharge the rechargeable battery. 
     
     
         13 . A method of controlling a self-defense device, the method comprising:
 receiving an activation signal at a control circuit disposed in a wearable self-defense device, the activation signal being provided by an activation circuit;   transitioning to an armed state in response to receiving the activation signal, the transitioning including:
 signaling a high voltage generator circuit to generate a high voltage, and 
 providing an indication that the self-defense device is armed; and 
   discharging the high voltage through a plurality of electrodes when the electrodes contact a surface.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the activation circuit includes an accelerometer. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the activation circuit includes one or more buttons. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the activation circuit includes a voice recognition module. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising determining a location of the self-defense apparatus in response to the discharging. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising transmitting the location via a communication circuit. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the providing an indication includes providing a visual indication. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the providing an indication includes providing an audio indication.