Concealable Leather and Plastic Holster With Metal Attachment Clips

Abstract

A concealable hybrid holster is disclosed that includes metal attachment clips for enhanced strength and flexibility, thereby providing increased attachment durability during long term use. The holster includes a leather sheet to which is attached a rigid plastic encasement, preferably made of Kydex®, thereby forming a compartment suitable for carrying a concealed handgun. The metal clips are preferably made of steel, more preferably of spring steel, and can be attached to the leather sheet of the hybrid holster by rivets, screws, or any other suitable fastening means. Due to the inherent strength of steel, the steel attachment clips are thinner and/or smaller than prior art attachment clips made from plastic, and so provide better concealment of the holster as compared to the prior art.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to handgun accessories, and more specifically to holsters for the carrying of concealed handguns.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Handguns represent a popular class of weapon, since they are highly portable, and can be used for both sport and for personal protection. The portability and convenience of a handgun can be enhanced through use of a holster, typically fastened to the waste of the user, so as to provide for convenient and secure carrying of the handgun while leaving the hands and body free of encumbrances.

When personal protection is the primary goal, it is often desirable to carry a handgun in a concealable manner, so as to provide for desired accessibility and protection without alarming nearby individuals who may be intimidated by the sight of a handgun, or may have other strong feelings regarding the carrying of weapons. In these situations, it is common to use a concealable holster for carrying the handgun. Such concealable holsters are typically worn inside of the pants of the user and are attached to the user's waistband by one or more clips that extend over the top rim of the waistband and attach thereto.

So as to make a concealable holster more difficult to detect, it is desirable for the holster to have as small a profile as possible. For this reason, a popular design for concealable holsters is to attach a rigid gun encasement to a sheet of leather so as to form a compartment between the encasement and the leather that is suitable for carrying a handgun. Such holsters are referred to herein as “concealable hybrid” holsters. The sheet of leather provides a flexible and comfortable barrier that can rest against the body of the user, while the rigid encasement prevents the user's clothing from applying pressure to the handgun in the holster, thereby allowing the handgun to be quickly retrieved without rubbing against or otherwise catching on the user's clothing. For reasons of both cost and weight, the rigid encasement and attachment clips are usually made from a strong plastic, typically an acrylic-PVC alloy such as Kydex® (Kydex is a registered trademark of Kleerdex Company).

Due to the nature and construction of concealable hybrid holsters, considerable flexing and other stresses are placed on the attachment clips as a user moves about in various ways, sitting, walking, running, and such like. Over time, this can lead to stress fractures, weakening, and eventual failures of the attachment clips. When an attachment clip fails, it can be replaced. However, this is difficult, expensive, and time consuming. Replacement of the entire holster is also an option, but this is even more expensive. Also, replacement of the clip or of the entire holster after an attachment clip has failed does nothing to prevent the damage to the handgun and/or injury to the user that can result from an attachment clip failure during use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A concealable hybrid holster is disclosed that includes metal attachment clips for enhanced strength and flexibility, thereby providing increased attachment durability during long term use. The holster includes a leather sheet to which is attached a rigid plastic encasement, preferably made of Kydex®, thereby forming a compartment suitable for carrying a concealed handgun. The metal clips are preferably made of steel, and can be attached to the leather sheet of the hybrid holster by rivets, screws, or any other suitable fastening means known in the art. Due to the inherent strength of steel, the steel attachment clips are thinner and/or smaller than prior art attachment clips made from plastic, and so provide better concealment of the holster as compared to the prior art.

The invention is a concealable hybrid holster with improved attachment durability. The concealable hybrid holster includes a leather sheet, a rigid plastic encasement attached to the leather sheet and forming therewith a compartment suitable for securing a handgun, and at least one metal attachment clip fastened to the leather sheet, the at least one metal attachment clip being configured for durably clipping the leather sheet and rigid plastic encasement inside the waistband of a user's clothing.

In preferred embodiments, at least one of the metal attachment clips is made of steel. In other preferred embodiments, at least one of the metal attachment clips is made of spring steel.

In various preferred embodiments the rigid plastic encasement is made of an acrylic-PVC plastic alloy. And in some of these embodiments the acrylic-PVC plastic alloy is Kydex™.

In certain preferred embodiments the holster includes only one metal attachment clip. In other preferred embodiments the holster includes a total of two metal attachment clips.

In preferred embodiments, at least one of the metal attachment clips is configured so as to be attachable to a waistband of pants worn by the user. In some preferred embodiments, at least one of the metal attachment clips is configured so as to be clipped over the waistband and over a belt worn by the user. In other preferred embodiments at least one of the metal attachment clips is configured so as to be clipped over the waistband while extending under a belt worn by the user.

In certain preferred embodiments at least one of the metal attachment clips is attached to the leather sheet using a rivet. In other preferred embodiments at least one of the metal attachment clips is attached to the leather sheet using a screw.

In preferred embodiments, at least one of the metal attachment clips has a thickness that is less than one millimeter. And in other preferred embodiments at least one of the metal attachment clips has a thickness that is between one quarter millimeter and three quarters of a millimeter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the detailed description, in conjunction with the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a front illustration of a concealable hybrid holster of the present invention in an embodiment with only one metal attachment clip, suitable for carrying small handguns;

FIG. 1B is a front illustration of the concealed hybrid holster of FIG. 1A with a handgun inserted into the holster;

FIG. 2A is a front illustration of a concealable hybrid holster of the present invention in an embodiment with two metal attachment clips, suitable for carrying larger handguns;

FIG. 2B is a front illustration of the concealed hybrid holster of FIG. 2A with a handgun inserted into the holster;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the side of a user wearing the holster of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 4A is a cross sectional side view of a prior art attachment clip; and

FIG. 4B is a cross sectional side view of a metal attachment clip of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1A is an illustration of a concealable hybrid holster of the present invention. The holster includes a leather sheet 100 to which a rigid plastic encasement 102 is attached, so as to form a compartment suitable for carrying a handgun. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A, the rigid plastic encasement 102 is attached to the leather sheet 100 by rivets. At least one metal attachment clip 106 is also attached to the leather sheet 100, and is used to attach the holster to the waistband of clothing worn by the user. The embodiment of FIG. 1A is intended for use with small handguns, and requires only one attachment clip 106. FIG. 1B illustrates placement of a handgun 108 in the holster of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of a concealable hybrid holster similar to the holster of FIG. 1A, but intended for use with larger and heavier handguns. In this embodiment the shape and size of the leather sheet 100 are sufficient to allow a metal clip 106 to be attached on each side of the rigid plastic encasement 102. In this embodiment, the metal clips 106 are held in place by screws 200. FIG. 2B illustrates placement of a handgun 108 in the holster of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is an illustration showing the holster of FIG. 2A being worn by a user 300. The lower half of the holster is tucked behind the waistband of pants 302 worn by the user, while the upper half of the holster is normally hidden behind a shirt 302 worn by the user 300. In FIG. 3, the shirt 304 has been pulled away from the holster to reveal the leather sheet 100 and handgun 108 beneath. The metal clips 106 are barely visible, since they are mainly covered by a belt 306 worn by the user.

FIG. 4A is a cross sectional illustration of an attachment clip 400 of the prior art. The attachment clip 400 is made from a rigid plastic such as Kydex®, and includes a lower half 402 that is attachable to a leather sheet by means of a rivet, a screw, and/or other attachment means known in the art, as well as an upper half 404 that is able to extend over the rim of a waistband and rest beneath a user's belt. The plastic material of the prior art attachment clip 400 requires that the clip have a substantial thickness, typically more than two millimeters, which can cause the clip to be visible beneath the belt of a user. Even with the added thickness, repeated bending and stressing of the clip due to walking, sitting, running, and other natural movements of the user can lead to breakage of the attachment clip 400.

FIG. 4B is a cross sectional illustration of a preferred embodiment of the attachment clip 106 of the present invention. Due to the strength of the steel material, the attachment clip is significantly more durable than the prior art clip 400, and at the same time can be made very thin, thereby improving its concealment.

Other modifications and implementations will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the above description is not intended to limit the invention except as indicated in the following claims.

Claims

1. A concealable hybrid holster with improved attachment durability, the concealable hybrid holster comprising:

a leather sheet;

a rigid plastic encasement attached to the leather sheet and forming therewith a compartment suitable for securing a handgun; and

at least one metal attachment clip fastened to the leather sheet, the at least one metal attachment clip being configured for durably clipping the leather sheet and rigid plastic encasement inside the waistband of a user's clothing.

2. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips is made of steel.

3. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips is made of spring steel.

4. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein the rigid plastic encasement is made of an acrylic-PVC plastic alloy.

5. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 4, wherein the acrylic-PVC plastic alloy is Kydex™.

6. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein the holster includes only one metal attachment clip.

7. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein the holster includes a total of two metal attachment clips.

8. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips is configured so as to be attachable to a waistband of pants worn by the user.

9. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips is configured so as to be clipped over the waistband and over a belt worn by the user.

10. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips is configured so as to be clipped over the waistband while extending under a belt worn by the user.

11. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips is attached to the leather sheet using a rivet.

12. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips is attached to the leather sheet using a screw.

13. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips has a thickness that is less than one millimeter.

14. The concealable hybrid holster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metal attachment clips has a thickness that is between one quarter millimeter and three quarters of a millimeter.