The Pug Anti-Bandit Bag

Inventor John Rinfret debuted his "Pug Anti-Bandit Bag" in 1963. His idea was that, if attacked, you could activate a spring that would forcefully eject all the contents from the bag. The attacker would be so shocked that he would run away. At least, that was the theory.

From what I can gather, Rinfret hoped to rent his anti-bandit bags to companies that used couriers to carry important documents or money. He definitely put a lot of work into promoting his invention. He even came out with a new and improved version of the bag the following year. But evidently few companies were interested in using his bag.

Possible reasons why: 1) a bandit might pick up the money instead of running away; or 2) what if the spring was activated by accident, spraying money everywhere?

London Daily Telegraph - Aug 28, 1963

Rinfret demonstrates his anti-bandit bag (August 27, 1963). Source: Getty Images

London Evening Standard - Aug 27, 1963

London Daily Telegraph - Sep 25, 1963

Personnel Management and Methods - April 1964