Abstract: Ballistic material side elements are shaped to cover portions of a wearer's face and selectively attached to a ballistic helmet. The side elements cover the sides of the wearer's head, but leave room to avoid interfering with hearing needs and goggles. These side elements are held in place by connecting them to the existing helmet shell with an encircling strap and band, or to the straps and hardware of the helmet retention system by receiving portions of the straps through loops on the interior of the side elements. A front ballistic member may join the side elements to cover a significant portion of the wearer's face. The ballistic material is formed of a plurality of layers with a resin and joined by the application of pressure. Higher pressure in the forming of the side elements produces stiff members which stay in place when attached to the helmet.

Abstract: A device for carrying an ammunition magazine has a band which encircles a conventional magazine and which has two downwardly extending plastic tabs. The two plastic tabs are spaced sidewardly to define an downwardly opening, downwardly extending gap, which permits the tabs to be received within openings in two adjacent loops presented by a standard MOLLE webbing on a Pouch Attachment Ladder System or PALS grid on a vest or other clothing item. The tabs are shaped to slide behind standard MOLLE webbing and engage the webbing to hold the magazine securely until the user grabs the magazine and pulls it away from the MOLLE webbing. The tabs are biased towards the magazine, and have a lower protrusion which engages beneath a belt, allowing the same device to be attached to a belt.

Abstract: A concealable armored vest is provided. The armored vest can include a ballistic insert and a contoured member that overlies the ballistic insert to obscure the outline of the ballistic insert from view. The foam insert can include tapered end portions that flatten as they extend laterally outward of the ballistic insert. The armored vest can also include a downwardly extending retention panel having a retention member to limit vertical movement of the vest. The retention panel can be tucked into a lower body garment, and the retention member can be oversized to inhibit the sliding retraction of the retention panel from the lower body garment. The retention member can include a longitudinal foam element generally parallel to the waistline and generally coextensive with the lowermost portion of the retention panel.

Abstract: A ballistic resistant groin protector is provided. The groin protector includes a groin panel and a deployable groin wrap. The groin panel can be suspended from clothing or equipment to protect a wearer's anterior pelvic region from ballistic impact. The groin wrap is moveable from a stowed position adjacent the anterior pelvic region to a deployed position between the wearer's legs and adjacent a posterior pelvic region. One or more fasteners secure the groin wrap to the wearer's clothing or equipment to maintain the groin wrap in the deployed position. Optional left and right femoral protective portions extend downwardly from the groin wrap to protect the wearer's medial thigh regions against ballistic injury in the deployed position.

Abstract: A stowable outerwear garment is provided. The outerwear garment includes a shortened torso portion that deploys from an integral pouch to provide protection to a wearer's upper torso when worn in combination with a load-bearing vest. The shortened torso portion can include an elastic band extending about the wearer's torso and a plurality of fasteners supported by the elastic band to detachably secure the garment to the load-bearing vest. Sleeves can extend from the torso portion and can include an outer waterproof shell, an inner lining and an insulating material therebetween.

Abstract: A body armor component mounts to the waist of a wearer by attachment to a belt to protect the lower back of the wearer. The component has a flexible fabric carrier with a front sheet which faces the wearer, and two rear sheets sewn to the front sheet to define two pockets opening towards each other and joined by a connecting segment. A flexible soft ballistic armor element has a first wing connected by a center segment to a second wing, the ballistic armor element being concave and opening toward the wearer, and the first wing being received within the flexible carrier first pocket and the second wing being received within the carrier second pocket. A covering flap is pivotable on the fabric carrier to cover the gap between the pockets. A belt loop is defined by an accessory segment fixed to the covering flap.

Abstract: A body armor component mounts to the waist of a wearer by attachment to a belt to protect the lower back of the wearer. The component has a flexible fabric carrier with a front sheet which faces the wearer, and two rear sheets sewn to the front sheet to define two pockets opening towards each other and joined by a connecting segment. A flexible soft ballistic armor element has a first wing connected by a center segment to a second wing, the ballistic armor element being concave and opening toward the wearer, and the first wing being received within the flexible carrier first pocket and the second wing being received within the carrier second pocket. A covering flap is pivotable on the fabric carrier to cover the gap between the pockets. A belt loop is defined by an accessory segment fixed to the covering flap.

Abstract: A body armor system has a left vest section connected to a right vest section and has a front plate carrier which is alternatively mounted with a buckle at either the right shoulder or the left shoulder. The front plate carrier has identical straps terminated by patches of hook and loop fastener material. One strap is passed through a loop on the rear of the front plate carrier and mounts one part of a buckle, the other part of the buckle is mounted on a hook and loop fastener strap which is affixed to a shoulder element, thus permitting the system to be reconfigured for left- or right-handed users. U-shaped ballistic inserts are received in mating pockets in each vest section. A laced cord which joins the rear segments of the vest sections is held in place by a cord restraint member which defines a loop for each cord crossing.

Abstract: Support assemblies releasably extending between a ballistic vest and a waist encircling belt transfer the loads from the vest to the belt relieving the stress on the wearer's shoulders and spine. Each support assembly has a stiff carbon fiber bar enclosed within webbing which is attached to a side section of the vest such as by extending within a downwardly opening pocket, and is attached to the belt such as by an upwardly opening pocket. Alternatively, plastic shelves mounted to the belt can support the weight of the vest.

Abstract: A MOLLE system compatible garment has a lightweight attachment structure with a skeleton of horizontal bands connected by a few vertical bands. The horizontal bands are thus accessible from both the interior and the exterior permitting accessories to be attached to either side of the garment. The bands may be sewn with regularly spaced vertical seams to each other or to a plastic substrate. The horizontal bands are connected with supportive vertical bands which serve to retain the shape of the garment, and which do not interfere with the regularly spaced loops of the horizontal webbing bands. Conventional accessories can be attached to both the interior and the exterior of the garment.

Abstract: A MOLLE system compatible garment has a lightweight attachment structure with a skeleton of horizontal bands connected by a vertical bands. The garment has a unitary bearing frame assembly composed of a glued layup of a substrate which is adhered to an outside layer. The layup is cut to define holes delimiting horizontal bands interrupted at regular intervals by vertical bands presenting attachment points that correspond to those of a conventional PALS webbing system.

Abstract: A ballistic armor helmet has two or more shell elements which are fixed to one another to define one or more ventilation gaps. The shell elements preferably overlap to keep projectiles from entering the helmet.

Abstract: A device for carrying an ammunition magazine has a band which encircles a conventional magazine and which has two downwardly extending plastic tabs. The two plastic tabs are spaced sidewardly to define an downwardly opening, downwardly extending gap, which permits the tabs to be received within openings in two adjacent loops presented by a standard MOLLE webbing on a Pouch Attachment Ladder System or PALS grid on a vest or other clothing item. The tabs are shaped to slide behind standard MOLLE webbing and engage the webbing to hold the magazine securely until the user grabs the magazine and pulls it away from the MOLLE webbing. The tabs are biased towards the magazine, and have a lower protrusion which engages beneath a belt, allowing the same device to be attached to a belt.

Abstract: One or more methods for inhibiting corrosion in a fluid that contain a composition with a specified generic formula are disclosed. The fluid can be contained in an oil or gas pipeline or refinery.

Abstract: One or more methods for inhibiting corrosion in an aqueous medium that contain a composition with a specified generic formula are disclosed. The aqueous medium can be contained in an oil or gas pipeline or refinery.

Abstract: An accessory system has one or more accessory elements which are removably attachable to a waist belt. A loop is fastened to the rear wall of each accessory element to define a passage between the rear wall and the loop which extends generally perpendicularly to the direction of the belt. A first part of a two-part fastener such as a snap is attached to an exterior surface of the loop. A strap is fastened to the accessory element rear wall spaced from the loop. A second part of the two-part fastener is configured to mate with the first part of the two-part fastener. The second part is fixed to the strap, so the strap is capable of passing through the loop, and around the loop to bring the first part and the second part of the fastener into engagement to retain the belt between the strap and the accessory rear wall.

Abstract: A lightweight, secure, and low profile adjustable locking buckle has a first steel loop which overlies a second steel loop with a rear member spaced from a front member by two side members. The first loop front member has a forward projection which extends frontwardly and is dimensioned to fit within a central opening in the second loop. Each side member of the second loop has a ramped portion, such that the front member is spaced upwardly from the rear member. A fixed strap encircles the rear portions of the first loop and the second loop and is fixed to a supporting element. An adjustable strap extends beneath the first loop front portion and the second loop front portion, turns over the first loop forward projection and beneath the second loop front portion to be releasably secured to itself. Side tabs may be formed on the loops to facilitate adjustment.

Abstract: A handgun holster permits sideward extraction of the weapon, and engages with the central portions of the handgun without regard to accessories mounted to the front or beneath the barrel. The holster has a main element which engages the central region of the pistol in a snap fit between two opposed arms. Lateral projections extend from the back wall to restrict the side-to-side displacement of the gun and two resilient flaps extend around the engaged gun, providing additional retention, and covering the on/off switch of any flashlight accessory. The main element is connected to a mounting assembly to permit the main element to be set at any desired angular orientation with respect to the mounting assembly. The mounting assembly has two expandable parts with opposed flanges which permit mounting to either a conventional belt, or to a series of webbing pockets, such as in the military's PALS webbing attachment system.