TOURNIQUET HOLSTERS
Tourniquet holsters for accessibly supporting tourniquets on supporting articles, the holsters including sleeves extending longitudinally around sleeved regions. The sleeves may define sleeve openings configured to slidingly receive forward portions of tourniquets, rear walls extending laterally across portions of the sleeved regions, first side flanges extending from first sides of the rear walls, and second side flange extending from second sides of the rear walls. The first side flanges and the second side flanges may collectively define sleeve channels. Some examples may include windlass retainers configured to retain elongated windlass handles attached to the tourniquets. Some examples may include sleeves formed from a thermoplastic material including an acrylic-polyvinyl alloy.
The present disclosure relates generally to tourniquet holsters. In particular, tourniquet holsters configured to support windlass-type tourniquets on supporting articles for efficient storage and removal are described.
Known tourniquet storage devices are not entirely satisfactory for the range of applications in which they are employed. For example, many existing devices store tourniquets in ways that are difficult to access quickly and easily. For example, many conventional devices define non-rigid structures that provide little structural support when a user removes a stored tourniquet. Tourniquet removal may be a clunky process as a result.
For example, many conventional tourniquet storage devices define cloth pouches that substantially envelop stored tourniquets. The cloth construction provides insufficient stability when a user attempts to retrieve the tourniquet from the pouch. As a result, users may tumble the tourniquet during retrieval. In tactical situations, small delays like this may result in injury or death. Further, because the pouches cover such a substantial portion of the tourniquet, users must often grip tourniquets awkwardly when removing them, resulting in even further delay.
Further, the prevalence of standard tourniquet designs in tactical applications, such as the military, provides an opportunity to tailor tourniquet storage devices to these designs and improve tourniquet storage and retrieval. Conventional tourniquet designs often fail to seize on this opportunity in any meaningful way.
For example, the Combat-Application-Tourniquet® is a standard design of a tourniquet commonly used in the United States Armed Forces. Because of the widespread use of this particular design, storage devices that provide improved storage and removal would, in effect, improve tourniquet usage over the entire United States Armed Forces.
Thus, there exists a need for tourniquet holsters that improve upon and advance the design or known tourniquet storage devices. Examples of new and useful tourniquet holsters relevant to the needs existing in the field are discussed below.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure is directed to tourniquet holsters for accessibly supporting tourniquets on supporting articles, the holsters including sleeves extending longitudinally around sleeved regions. The sleeves may define sleeve openings configured to slidingly receive forward portions of tourniquets, rear walls extending laterally across portions of the sleeved regions, first side flanges extending from first sides of the rear walls, and second side flange extending from second sides of the rear walls. The first side flanges and the second side flanges may collectively define sleeve channels. Some examples may include windlass retainers configured to retain elongated windlass handles attached to the tourniquets. Some examples may include sleeves formed from a thermoplastic material including an acrylic-polyvinyl alloy.
The disclosed tourniquet holsters will become better understood through review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the figures. The detailed description and figures provide merely examples of the various inventions described herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that the disclosed examples may be varied, modified, and altered without departing from the scope of the inventions described herein. Many variations are contemplated for different applications and design considerations; however, for the sake of brevity, each and every contemplated variation is not individually described in the following detailed description.
Throughout the following detailed description, examples of various tourniquet holsters are provided. Related features in the examples may be identical, similar, or dissimilar in different examples. For the sake of brevity, related features will not be redundantly explained in each example. Instead, the use of related feature names will cue the reader that the feature with a related feature name may be similar to the related feature in an example explained previously. Features specific to a given example will be described in that particular example. The reader should understand that a given feature need not be the same or similar to the specific portrayal of a related feature in any given figure or example.
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Many features of holster 100 are specifically configured to complement features of Combat-Application-Tourniquets®. For example, holster 100 is sized to snugly fit a Combat-Application-Tourniquet®, storing the tourniquet in a space efficient and secure fashion. Further, holster 100 is sized to expose a portion of a secured Combat-Application-Tourniquet® when stored. A user may grip this exposed portion 111 and remove the tourniquet from holster 100.
Holster 100 also includes several features designed for Combat-Application-Tourniquet®'s windlass handle. Some of these features allow the often cumbersome windlass handle to be elegantly stored and released. By designing holster 100 around Combat-Application-Tourniquets® standard design, holster 100 provides improved performance compared to many conventional tourniquet storage devices when used in conjunction with Combat-Application-Tourniquets®.
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Sleeve channel 150 is not, however, specifically required to be wider than windlass handle width 109. For example, some examples some examples may include flexible side flanges may compensate for the reduced sleeve channel width and allow windlass handle 103 to pass through sleeve channels with a width narrower than its own. Indeed, examples including a reduced sleeve channel width may better secure the windlass handle in place.
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Further, because windlass handle 103 has been at least partially released through retention channel 159, windlass handle 103 does not hinder the remainder of tourniquet 102 from being removed. Even when windlass handle 103 remains partially disposed within retention channel 159, it wedges the retention members apart from one another and allows the remainder of windlass handle 103 to pass through retention channel 159 with little resistance.
Providing this elegant method of releasing windlass handle 103 from sleeved region 116 clearly distinguishes holster 100 from many conventional tourniquet storage devices. In many conventional devices, an elongated windlass handle must be removed from an opening at the top of the storage device, along with the rest of the tourniquet. In many examples, the windlass handle often becomes entangled within the storage device unless the whole tourniquet is removed straight through the device's opening. This often leads to delay and frustration. In many cases, such delay or frustration may lead to injury or death. This potential entanglement may also reduce users' confidence in their equipment, further reducing the equipment's effectiveness.
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Although holster 100 is specifically designed to complement Combat-Application-Tourniquets®, other examples could easily be configured to accomodate other tourniquet varieties. Indeed, this disclosure considers adapting holster features to compliment a standard tourniquet design an important part of the inventive subject matter. Likewise, holster 100 is not specifically limited to use with Combat-Application-Tourniquet® branded tourniquets.
Although holster 100 includes two flange-styled retention members, many examples may achieve similar results using a single retention member. In examples including a single flange-styled retention member, the single retention member can extend over a greater portion of sleeve channel 150 than illustrated in
The disclosure above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in a particular form, the specific embodiments disclosed and illustrated above are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed above and inherent to those skilled in the art pertaining to such inventions. Where the disclosure or subsequently filed claims recite “a” element, “a first” element, or any such equivalent term, the disclosure or claims should be understood to incorporate one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
Applicant(s) reserves the right to submit claims directed to combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed inventions that are believed to be novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in the present application or in a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to the same invention or a different invention and whether they are different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are to be considered within the subject matter of the inventions described herein.
Claims
1. A tourniquet holster for accessibly supporting a tourniquet on a supporting article, the holster comprising:
- a sleeve extending longitudinally around a sleeved region, the sleeved region extending from a first sleeve end to a second sleeve end, the sleeve defining: a sleeve opening proximate the first sleeve end, the sleeve opening configured to slidingly receive a forward portion of the tourniquet; a rear wall extending laterally across a portion of the sleeved region from a first side to a second side; a first side flange extending from the first side of the rear wall; and a second side flange extending from the second side of the rear wall, the first side flange and the second side flange collectively defining a sleeve channel routed from the first sleeve end to the second sleeve end.
2. The holster of claim 1, wherein:
- the tourniquet includes an elongated windlass handle defining a windlass handle width; and
- the sleeve channel defines a sleeve channel width complimentarily configured with the windlass handle width to enable the windlass handle to pass through the sleeve channel.
3. The holster of claim 2, further comprising a retention member extending from the first side flange into the sleeve channel to partially restrict the windlass handle from exiting the sleeved region via the sleeve channel.
4. The holster of claim 3, wherein:
- the retention member defines a first retention member and further comprising a second retention member extending from the second side flange into the sleeve channel to cooperatively, with the first retention member, restrict the windlass handle from exiting the sleeved region via the sleeve channel; and
- the first retention member and the second retention member define a retention channel between them, the retention channel defining a retention channel width that is narrower than the sleeve channel width.
5. The holster of claim 4, wherein the first retention member and the second retention member taper toward one another along a tapered portion of their lengths to restrict the windlass handle from entering the sleeved region via the retention channel.
6. The holster of claim 5, wherein the first retention member is resilient and selected to flex when a user applies a removal force to the tourniquet against the first retention member.
7. The holster of claim 1, wherein the sleeved region frictionally and resiliently engages the tourniquet to inhibit the tourniquet from exiting the sleeved region.
8. The holster of claim 1, wherein the sleeve defines a third flange projecting from the rear wall proximate the second sleeve end to a third flange end, the third flange being configured to restrict the forward portion of the tourniquet from sliding beyond the second sleeve end by abutting the forward portion of the tourniquet when fully inserted into the sleeved region.
9. The holster of claim 8, wherein the third flange is curved toward the first sleeve end.
10. The holster of claim 8, wherein:
- the tourniquet includes an elongated windlass handle; and
- the third flange includes a blocking protuberance aligned with the windlass handle when the tourniquet is received in the sleeved region.
11. The holster of claim 1, further comprising a fastener attached to the rear wall opposite the sleeved region, the fastener configured to attach to the supporting article.
12. The holster of claim 11, wherein the fastener defines a clamp.
13. The holster of claim 11, wherein the fastener defines a top substantially aligned with the sleeve opening.
14. The holster of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is substantially rigid.
15. The holster of claim 14, wherein the sleeve is formed from a thermoplastic material including an acrylic-polyvinyl alloy.
16. The holster of claim 1, wherein the sleeve defines a dimple protruding into the sleeved region.
17. The holster of claim 16, wherein the dimple protrudes from the first side flange.
18. The holster of claim 1, wherein:
- the sleeve is sized to engage a supporting portion of the tourniquet when the tourniquet has been slidingly received by the sleeve to retain tourniquet in a stored position; and
- an exposed portion of the tourniquet extends beyond the sleeved region when the tourniquet is stored in the stored position, the exposed portion being large enough for a user to readily grip.
19. A tourniquet holster for supporting a tourniquet on a supporting article, wherein the tourniquet includes an elongated windlass handle, the holster comprising:
- a sleeve extending longitudinally around a sleeved region, the sleeved region extending from a first sleeve end to a second sleeve end, the sleeve defining; a sleeve opening proximate the first sleeve end, the sleeve opening configured to slidingly receive a forward portion of the tourniquet; and a sleeve channel extending from the first sleeve end toward the second sleeve end, the channel defining a sleeve channel width sized to receive a received portion of the windlass handle; and
- a retention member connected to the sleeve proximate the channel, the windlass retainer configured to restrict the windlass handle from releasing from the sleeve channel when the received portion of the windlass handle is at least partially disposed in the channel.
20. A tourniquet holster, the holster comprising:
- a sleeve extending longitudinally around a sleeved region, the sleeved region extending from a first sleeve end to a second sleeve end, the sleeve defining a sleeve opening proximate the first sleeve end, the sleeve opening configured to slidingly receive a forward portion of a tourniquet;
- wherein: the sleeve is formed from a thermoplastic material including an acrylic-polyvinyl alloy; and the sleeve is sized to engage a supporting portion of the tourniquet when the tourniquet has been slidingly received by the sleeve to retain tourniquet in a substantially upright stored position.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 25, 2012
Publication Date: Jan 30, 2014
Inventor: Joshua Van Heusen (Portland, OR)
Application Number: 13/558,132
International Classification: A45F 5/00 (20060101);