Armoured garment

Abstract

The armoured garment has an outer shell usually with sleeves and a lining. A front fastening, conveniently a sliding clasp fastening, is provided between the two front edges of the shell. The lining has three openings to pouches extending between itself and the shell. Openings are provided close to the front fastening and parallel to it. Each lining opening gives access to a respective large pocket or pouch. The pouches are of lining material and are stitched to the lining at the fastenings and as detailed below. Inserted in the pouches are respective sheets of armour. A belt, having an elasticated rear, central portion and front portions ending in a buckle, passes out through lining slots and around the pouches and the armour for drawing the latter tight around the body of the user, without constricting the outer shell.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an armoured garment.

2. Description of the Related Art

Armoured garments exist, typically as bullet-proof vests. Often these are worn as over garments and are not in the least discrete in appearance. As such they are not suitable for covert use.

Provision of “armour”—used herein to include materials which are resistant to knife, bullet and other weapons and are of plastics and other materials—in garments as ordinary linings is little more satisfactory, being both uncomfortable in restricting freedom of movement and readily apparent as present in a garment to onlookers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved armoured garment.

According to the invention there is provided an armoured garment comprising:

an outer textile shell;

a lining incorporating armour; and

a belt for drawing in the armour within the outer textile shell.

Whilst the armour could be provided as a single piece, conveniently arranged to overlap at front edges on tightening of the belt; it will normally be provided as several pieces, typically a back piece and two front pieces mutually overlapping when the belt is tightened.

Preferably the lining is provided with pockets or pouches for receiving the armour. These can be formed with one side being comprised of lining material and the other side being stitched to the lining around the extent of the pouch. Alternatively, as is preferred, the pouches are complete enclosures and connected to the lining only at a discrete number of places, in particular openings in the lining for insertion of the armour. The openings can be closable with sliding clasp fasteners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an armoured garment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an oblique view of the garment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the garment, showing its shell, lining and armour within pouches arranged in use between the lining and the shell;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the armour pouches and their tightening belt, with the lining and outer shell omitted, but lines of connection thereof shown in bold;

FIG. 5 is a rear view similar to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view from the rear of the armour pouches;

FIG. 7 is a similar front exploded of the armour pouches; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view of the garment, the section being taken just above the belt and showing shell, lining, and armour in its pouches.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, the armoured garment 1 has an outer shell 2 usually with sleeves and a lining 3. A front fastening 4, conveniently a sliding clasp fastening, is provided between the two front edges 5,6 of the shell. The lining has three openings 7,8,9 to pouches extending between itself and the shell. Openings 7,8 are provided close to the front fastening and parallel to it. The third opening 9 is provided across the back of the garment close to the bottom edge of the lining. The openings are provided with sliding clasp fastenings 10,11,12.

Each lining opening gives access to a respective large pocket or pouch 14,15,16. The pouches are of lining material and are stitched to the lining at the fastenings and as detailed below. Inserted in the pouches are respective sheets of armour 17,18,19. A belt 20, having an elasticated rear, central portion 21 and front portions 22,23 ending in a buckle 24, passes out through lining slots 25,26 and around the pouches and the armour for drawing the latter tight around the body of the user, without constricting the outer shell.

The pouches are semi-independent of each other in that they are joined at the shoulder, that is the back pouch 16 has two extensions 27 up to shoulder level and the front pouches 14,15 have respective shoulder extensions 28,29; these latter are stitched to the extensions 27. The width of the pouches in the direction of the belt is such that they overlap at the front and sides when the belt is tightened with armour in the pouches. To avoid the rear edges of the front armour sheets fouling on the front edges of the rear armour sheet or indeed the rear pouch fastening 12, the front pouches 14,15 are constrained to remain outside the rear pouch 16 by extensions 14′,15′ of the front pouches, stitched to the rear pouch at 16′. The front armour sheets 17,18 are not able to pass into the extensions, with the rear edges of the pouches being delimited by lines of stitching 14″, 15″. The lining is drawn into folds 3′ on tightening of the belt as are the extensions 14′,15′.

The sheets of armour, typically of aromatic polyamide or aramid material A with ballistic foam inner layers F, are sized to fill the pouches or at least to extend from their fastened openings to the furthest extent of the pouches. Thus the sheets keep the pouches extended and overlapping as the belt it drawn tight.

The pouches are stitched to the lining:

around their fastened openings 7,8,9;

across the top of the rear pouch at 31;

across the top of the front pouches at 32;

down the front edges at 33; and

over the top of the arm hole at 34.

Further the lining material is extended around overlap portions 35 of the front of the pouches to lining attachment strips 36 extending parallel to the front fastening 4. The shell has front inner margins 37 extending in from the fastening 4 to lining attachment strips 36, which provide front attachments between the shell and the lining. These strips 36 have the lining slots 25,26 to allow the buckle parts to be drawn out and connected. Once the front fastening is closed over the buckle the presence of the armour remains covert.

The shell is also attached to the lining and pouches:

across the top of the rear pouch at 31;

across the top of the front pouches at 32 as far as the top of the attachment strips 36;

over the top of the arm hole at 34; and

at conventional places such as the lower edge of the shell and the cuffs.

The shell will be provided with normal features of an outer garment such as pockets. In so far as these are conventional they are not shown.

When the garment is put on, with the armour in the pouches, and the front fastening is made, the armour will tend to expand the entire garment, causing the presence of the armour to be very evident. Drawing of the belt tight around the armour in the pouches draws it in and rendering its presence far from immediately apparent. Also in causing the edges of the armour to overlap, drawing it in removes areas of vulnerability.

The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above described embodiment. For instance it is applicable to a sleeveless garment. Alternatively, the sleeve can have a slash resistant lining.

Claims

1. An armoured garment comprising:

an outer textile shell;

a lining incorporating armour; and

a belt for drawing in the armour within the outer textile shell.

2. An armoured garment according to claim 1, wherein the armour is provided as a single piece.

3. An armoured garment according to claim 2, wherein the single piece of armour is provided arranged to overlap at front edges on tightening of the belt.

4. An armoured garment according to claim 1, wherein in the armour is provided as a plurality of pieces.

5. An armoured garment according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of pieces of armour are provided as a back piece and two front pieces mutually overlapping when the belt is tightened.

6. An armoured garment according to claim 1, wherein the lining is provided with one or more pockets or pouches for receiving the armour.

7. An armoured garment according to claim 6, wherein the or each pocket or pouch is formed with one side being comprised of lining material and the other side being stitched to the lining around the extent of the pocket or pouch.

8. An armoured garment according to claim 6, wherein the or each pocket or pouch is a complete enclosure and connected to the lining only at a discrete number of places, including opening(s) in the lining for insertion of the armour.

9. An armoured garment according to claim 6, wherein the or openings are closable with sliding clasp fastener(s).