Ballistic Vest with Duty Belt Suspension System
A ballistic vest is formed with an integrated suspension system for supporting the duty belt directly from the ballistic vest. Front and rear support straps can be tunneled into the structure of the ballistic vest and terminate in clip members formed with an interior slot or cavity into which the duty belt can be positioned. The duty belt is loosely contained within the clip members to permit shifting relative to the ballistic vest to the comfort of the officer wearing the apparatus. The clip member can be formed with a latching clevis to engage the strap for positional adjustment of the clip member or with a plurality of horizontal slots for the threading of the strap. The ballistic vest can be manufactured with the appearance of a uniform shirt so that the ballistic vest can be worn as an external garment as part of the officer's uniform.
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This application claims domestic priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/510,287, filed on Jul. 21, 2011, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to body armor as worn by police officers and, more particularly, to a ballistic vest incorporating a duty belt suspension system to support the duty belt from the ballistic vest.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA bulletproof vest is typically formed with a front ballistic panel and a rear ballistic panel, which are secured to one another by detachable straps that pass under the arms of the user along the rib cage, and by a pair of shoulder straps that connect upper portions of the front and rear panels and pass over the shoulders of the user. Ballistic vests are conventionally concealed beneath the officer's uniform or worn over top of the officer's uniform, but present a separate article of clothing from the officer's uniform.
Police officers also carry duty belts that encircle their waist and are used to carry equipment for convenient access by the officer. Such equipment can include a pistol, ammunition, handcuffs, night stick, defensive spray, etc. This array of equipment can present a heavy load for the officer to carry in addition to the substantial weight of the bulletproof vest. The duty belt, sometimes referred to as a duty belt, is an awkward apparatus to carry around. The duty belt is typically constructed from heavy leather and carries a substantial amount of equipment for use by the officer in the performance of his duties. Thus, the duty rig, including the duty belt and the equipment mounted thereon, presents a cumbersome weight on the officer's hips that requires an expenditure of a lot of energy by the officer.
The ballistic vest in U.S. Pat. No. 7,712,148, issued to Richard A. Carlson on May 11, 2010, is zippered at the rear to the duty belt support member, along with hook and loop fasteners, and clipped at the front panel of the ballistic vest by buckles connecting to mating buckles on the duty belt, such that the duty belt support member becomes an integral part of the ballistic vest. The duty belt is then threaded through the belt loops of the support member, which can be integrally formed with the duty belt. In this configuration the duty belt becomes an integral part of the ballistic vest and very little movement between the two components is permitted. As a result, sitting in a vehicle and other related movements of the officer are limited as the duty rig is not capable of freely moving relative to the ballistic vest.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,738, granted on Feb. 13, 2001, to Betty A. Sidebottom, anchoring straps permanently affixed to the bottom edge of the ballistic vest can be looped around the duty belt to keep the ballistic vest from riding up on the wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,532, issued to Daniel F. Cabana on Jul. 27, 2004, utilizes a similar concept of using anchoring straps for back support belts. Other anchoring devices for ballistic vests are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,621, granted on Mar. 5, 1996, to Rick E. Kibbee, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,982, granted on May 26, 1998, to C. Morgan Gainer, in which the ballistic vests are anchored through attachment to undergarments. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,831, issued to Derek L. Jenson on Jul. 18, 2000, discloses the use of hook and loop fastener strips inside the uniform shirt to interact with corresponding hook and loop fastener strips on the ballistic vest, while the duty belt is supported by keepers that are connected to the personal belt.
Anchoring the ballistic vest is an expressed concern in the known prior art, as is represented by the aforementioned patents; however, none of these prior art patents teach a suspension system in which the duty belt is supported from straps integrally formed within the ballistic vest to permit the shifting of the duty belt relative to the ballistic vest for the comfort of the officer wearing the ballistic vest and the duty belt.
It would be desirable to provide a ballistic vest that is constructed as a uniform shirt such that the ballistic vest can be worn as the officer's uniform. It would also be desirable to provide a belt suspension system for a ballistic vest in which front and rear straps integrally threaded through the ballistic vest terminate in connection devices for direct engagement of the duty belt to provide full support of the duty rig from the ballistic vest while allowing a freedom of movement for the duty rig relative to the ballistic vest.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a ballistic vest having the duty belt supported from straps carried by the ballistic vest.
It is another object of this invention to provide a duty belt suspension system for a ballistic vest in which a pair of integrated front and rear straps on the ballistic vest carry the weight of a duty belt.
It is a feature of this invention that the front and rear straps carries the weight of the duty belt on the ballistic vest.
It is an advantage of this invention that the front and rear straps carrying the duty belt in a manner to allow shifting of the duty belt relative to the ballistic vest.
It is another advantage of this invention that the full weight of the duty belt is carried on the ballistic vest.
It is another feature of this invention that the ballistic vest can be constructed to appear as a uniform shirt to enable the officer to wear the ballistic vest as an exterior part of the officer's uniform.
It is still another object of this invention that the front and rear straps forming the duty belt suspension system are formed with U-shaped clips at the terminal ends thereof to allow the duty belt to be supported in the U-shaped clips.
It is still another feature of this invention that the U-shaped clips conveniently allow the mounting of the duty belt onto the ballistic vest suspension system.
It is still another advantage of this invention that the open U-shaped clips allow the vertical movement of the duty belt relative to the ballistic vest.
It is yet another feature of this invention that the front and rear straps of the duty belt suspension system are threaded through tunnels formed in the ballistic vest.
It is yet another advantage of this invention that the weight of the duty belt is carried on the shoulders of the officer wearing the ballistic vest due to the integration of the suspension system into the structure of the ballistic vest.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an integrated ballistic vest incorporating a duty belt suspension system for supporting a duty belt from the ballistic vest which is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use.
These and other objects, features and advantages can be accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a ballistic vest is formed with an integrated suspension system for supporting the duty belt directly from the ballistic vest. Front and rear support straps can be tunneled into the structure of the ballistic vest and terminate in clip members formed with an interior slot or cavity into which the duty belt can be positioned. The duty belt is loosely contained within the clip members to permit shifting relative to the ballistic vest to the comfort of the officer wearing the apparatus. The clip member can be formed with a latching clevis to engage the strap for positional adjustment of the clip member or with a plurality of horizontal slots for the threading of the strap. The ballistic vest can be manufactured with the appearance of a uniform shirt so that the ballistic vest can be worn as an external garment as part of the officer's uniform.
The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to
The sides 15 below the sleeve holes 16 are formed with hook and loop fastener material 17 that can be fastened beneath the wearer's arms once the vest 10 is slipped over the wearer's head. Preferably, the exterior surfaces of the ballistic vest 10 in both the front panel 12 and the rear panel 19 are constructed from conventional uniform material in the color and style corresponding to the uniform adopted by the organization for which the wearer is employed. The opening 11 is formed in a V-neck configuration for both the comfort of the wearer and to simulate a uniform shirt. The shoulder portions 18 on opposing sides of the opening 11 can be formed with optional shoulder straps (not shown), badge tab (not shown), and simulated stitched military creases 12a, 19a to provide an authentic uniform appearance.
The interior surface of the ballistic vest, as shown in
The duty belt 25 is representatively shown in
The ballistic vest 10, according to the principles of the instant invention, is formed with a duty belt suspension system 30 incorporated into the interior of the vest 10 to support the duty belt 25 from the vest 10, such that the weight of the duty belt 25 will be carried by the shoulder portions 18. The suspension system 30 is shown in different embodiments in
In a first embodiment of the suspension system 30 shown in
A third embodiment of the instant invention shown in
Each of the suspender straps 32 can be provided with an adjuster buckle (not shown) that is coupled to the literal end of the suspender strap 32 and engaged with the suspender strap 32 along the length thereof, in a customary manner, to provide for adjustment of the overall length of the suspender strap 32 so that the duty belt 25 can be located relative to the bottom edges of the ballistic vest 10 as desired by the wearer. Alternatively, the adjustment of the length of the suspender strap 32 can be accommodated within the clip member 40, as will be described in greater detail below.
Each suspender strap 32 terminates in the front and back at a clip member 40 that engages and supports the duty belt 25. A first embodiment of the clip member 40 is best seen in
An alternative configuration of the clip member 50 is shown in
The outside vertical portion 54 is preferably formed with an offset bend 57 at the upper portion thereof to form the top boundary of the interior cavity 51. The vertical terminus of the offset bend 57 is formed with a slot 58 to receive the passage of the suspender strap 32 toward and from the latching clevis 55, as is best seen in
The counterpart rear mounting clip 50a is shown in
Another alternative configuration of the clip member 60 can be found in
Referring to
In operation, the wearer first slips the ballistic vest 10, having the compartments 20 properly filled with protective panels (not shown), over his or her head with the head passing through the opening 11 and the shoulder portions 18 resting on the shoulders of the wearer. The left and right sides 15 are then fastened by engaging the corresponding hook and loop fastener material to make the vest fit snuggly over the torso of the wearer. The configuration of the ballistic vest 10 as described above eliminates the need for the wearer to wear a separate uniform shirt, particularly if an appropriate undershirt is worn beneath the ballistic vest 10.
The suspension system 30 is normally installed within the interior of the vest 10, although for cleaning, maintenance and replacement purposes the suspender straps 32 can be removed from the vest 10. The clip members 40, 50, 60 hang down from the ballistic vest 10 with the suspender straps 32 being properly adjusted in length through manipulation of the adjustment buckles (not shown) or the clip members 50, 60. The wearer can then wrap the duty belt 25 around him/her and fasten the duty belt 25 together at the releasable buckle 27. The belt 25 can be placed into the interior slots or cavities 45, 51, 65 of all of the clip members 40, 50, 50a, 60 so that the entire weight of the duty belt 25 is supported on the suspension system 30 and borne on the shoulder portions 18 against the wearer's shoulders.
The vertical depth of the slots or cavities 45, 51, 65 is preferably deeper than the vertical height of the belt portion of the duty belt 25 received within the slot 45. Although the restriction provided by the top edge 47, 53 of the clip member 40, 50 provides some limitation on the vertical movement of the duty belt 25 within the clip members 40, 50, the clip members 40, 50, 60 are intended to allow some vertical movement of the duty belt 25 to provide some comfort when the wearer needs to move into a sitting position, such as to enter a vehicle. Furthermore, the suspender straps 32 are preferably manufactured as a web material by weaving elastic fibers into the webbing. As a result, these straps 32 have an inherent elastic stretch of about 3-4% of their length, which enables the wearer to realize the relief of the weight of the duty belt 25 while retaining lateral, as well as horizontal, mobility of the duty belt relative to the ballistic vest 10. The permitted vertical and horizontal movement of the duty belt 25 relative to the clip members 40, 50, 50a, 60, as well as the flexibility of the suspender straps 32 between the vest 10 and the clip members 40, 50, 50a, 60, allows the duty belt 25 to move relative to the ballistic vest 10 in a manner that the natural body movement of the wearer is not inhibited or restricted during the course of the daily activities of the wearer.
Removal of the duty belt 25 and ballistic vest 10 is easy and convenient for the wearer. The duty belt 25 can be easily unbuckled and lifted out of the U-shaped slots 45, 51, 65 in the four clip members 40, 50, 50a, 60. The ballistic vest 10 can then be unfastened at the sides 15 and lifted over the wearer's head to affect removal thereof. If cleaning of the ballistic vest 10 is desired, the suspension system 30 can be removed simply by pulling the suspender straps 32 from the interior of the ballistic vest 10, although removal of the clip members 40, 50, 60 in the front or back of the vest 10 would be necessary before removing the suspender straps 32.
It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiments of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are intended to protect the invention broadly, as well as in the specific form shown.
Claims
1. A ballistic vest comprising:
- a front ballistic panel;
- a rear ballistic panel connected by shoulder straps to said front ballistic panel; and
- a suspension system integrated into said front and rear ballistic panels to support a duty belt therefrom such that the weight of the duty belt is borne from the front and rear ballistic panels.
2. The ballistic vest of claim 1 wherein said suspension system includes a pair of front and rear straps having terminal ends extending downwardly from said front and rear ballistic panels.
3. The ballistic vest of claim 2 wherein said front and rear straps are threaded through tunnels formed in said front and rear ballistic panels.
4. The ballistic vest of claim 2 wherein said front and rear straps include clip members mounted on each respective said terminal end of said front and rear straps and having an interior cavity for receipt of said duty belt for support thereof from said clip members.
5. The ballistic vest of claim 4 wherein each of said front and rear straps is formed as a unitary structure passing over a corresponding said shoulder strap so that the weight of said duty belt will be carried over said shoulder straps.
6. The ballistic vest of claim 5 wherein said clip members are detachably mounted on said terminal ends of said front and rear straps.
7. The ballistic vest of claim 6 wherein said front and rear panels are formed with the appearance of a uniform shirt so that said ballistic vest can be worn as an external garment forming a part of a uniform.
8. The ballistic vest of claim 6 wherein each said clip member mounted on said front straps includes a latching clevis to engage said strap for positionally adjusting the operative length of the strap.
9. A duty belt suspension system for a ballistic vest having a front ballistic panel coupled to a rear ballistic panel, said duty belt suspension system supporting a duty belt from said ballistic vest, comprising:
- a pair of front and rear straps integrated into said front and rear panels, each said front and rear strap having a terminal end extending below the corresponding front and rear ballistic panels.
10. The duty belt suspension system of claim 9 wherein said front and rear straps include clip members mounted on each respective said terminal end of said front and rear straps, said duty belt being supported in said clip members.
11. The duty belt suspension system of claim 10 wherein said front ballistic panel is connected to said rear ballistic panel by a pair of shoulder straps, each of said front and rear straps being formed as a unitary structure passing over a corresponding said shoulder strap so that the weight of said duty belt will be carried over said shoulder straps.
12. The duty belt suspension system of claim 9 wherein said clip members are detachably mounted on said terminal ends of said front and rear straps, at least one said clip member associated with corresponding front and rear straps including a latching clevis for engaging the strap and positionally locking the at least one clip member on the strap.
13. The duty belt suspension system of claim 9 wherein each said clip member is formed with a plurality of horizontal slots for the passage of the corresponding strap for positionally securing said strap on said clip member.
14. The duty belt suspension system of claim 13 wherein said front and rear panels are formed with the appearance of a uniform shirt so that said ballistic vest can be worn as an external garment forming a part of a uniform.
15. A ballistic vest comprising:
- a front ballistic panel formed with an appearance of a front portion of a uniform shirt;
- a rear ballistic panel formed with an appearance of a rear portion of said uniform shirt; and
- shoulder portions interconnecting said front and rear ballistic portions and being formed with an appearance of shoulder portions of said uniform shirt such that the combination of said front ballistic panel, said rear ballistic panel and said shoulder portions form the appearance of said uniform shirt to enable said ballistic vest to be worn as an external garment as part of a uniform.
16. The ballistic vest of claim 15 further comprising
- a suspension system integrated into said front and rear ballistic panels to support a duty belt therefrom such that the weight of the duty belt is borne from the front and rear ballistic panels.
17. The ballistic vest of claim 16 wherein said suspension system includes a pair of front and rear straps having terminal ends extending downwardly from said front and rear ballistic panels.
18. The ballistic vest of claim 17 wherein said front and rear straps include clip members detachably mounted on each respective said terminal end of said front and rear straps, said duty belt being supported in said clip members.
19. The ballistic vest of claim 18 wherein at least one said clip member associated with corresponding front and rear straps including a latching clevis for engaging the strap and positionally locking the at least one clip member on the strap.
20. The ballistic vest of claim 18 wherein each said clip member is formed with a plurality of horizontal slots for the passage of the corresponding strap for positionally securing said strap on said clip member.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 20, 2012
Publication Date: May 15, 2014
Applicant:
Inventors: David L. Lurio (Spring City, PA), Stephen T. Burgoon (Boyertown, PA)
Application Number: 13/554,750
International Classification: A41F 19/00 (20060101); F41H 1/02 (20060101);