BOOT HOLSTER ADAPTED PANTS

Abstract

A long leg pants construction defined by a heavy duty zipper disposed on the inner seam of at least one leg of said pants. Said zipper is configured to zip down from the knee area of the pant leg to and through the bottom of the pant leg. When zipped up, the heavy duty zipper is relatively indistinguishable from the rest of the pant leg. A user wishing to access a firearm in a boot holster is only required to grab the zipper located near the knee area of the pant leg and push it down until the firearm is revealed. As such, the pant leg inner seam zipper facilitates the rapid access to a firearm in a boot holster.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to an article of clothing adapted to worn on the lower portion of a user and, more particularly, to full leg pants having a zipper disposed on the inside leg seam.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Pants constructed to have a zipper which runs from a location in the front area of waistband to a location near inseam (or inside seam or inside leg seam) are well known. It has long been understood that such a construct for pants with a substantially fixed waist size is desirable to make it easier to put on, remove in whole or in part, or otherwise manipulate the pants around the midsection of the user. Further, it is not uncommon to see zippers at pocket openings to allow a pocket to be sealed and other areas on pants for fashion purposes.

Boot (or ankle) holsters for firearms are also well known as a storage and securing apparatus for a firearm. Boot holsters are typically worn around a user's ankle or laced into a user's boot and provide a pocket in which a firearm can be stored and/or locked in a manner which keeps the firearm on the body of the wearer.

A problem which exists is evident whenever a user wearing full leg pants and a boot holster tries to access a firearm located in the boot holster. As the leg circumference of typical long leg pants is fixed and the leg length would in near every case extend beyond a properly mounted boot holster, the only option typically available for accessing a firearm in a boot holster to a wearer of long leg pants is to lift and hold the pant leg above the boot holster in order to grab the firearm. Such a time consuming and awkward movement requirement can be both frustrating and dangerous during emergency situations and even non-emergency situations. Thus, there is a need for a structural configuration of long leg pants which would allow easier, more direct, and safer access to a firearm in a boot holster. It would be helpful for such a configuration to be relatively discreet so as to essentially blend in with the leg of pants. It would be additionally desirable for such a configuration to employ a reliable and easy to actuate means of accessing a firearm without requiring removal or active holding up of the affected pant leg.

The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a long leg pants construction wherein a zipper is disposed on the inner seam of pant leg. The primary components of Applicant's boot holster adapted pants are conventional pants and a zipper on the leg of the pants configured to zip down said leg. When in operation, the pant leg inner seam zipper facilitates rapid and direct access to a firearm in a boot holster. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by the structure of existing long leg pants when used with boot holsters are removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Boot holster adapted pants defined by a heavy duty zipper disposed on the inner seam of at least one leg of a pair of long leg pants (a pair of pants referring to a conventional pant structure worn by one user). The zipper is configured to zip down from the knee area of the pant leg to and through the bottom of the pant leg. As such, the zipper allows a user to directly and safely access a boot holster.

When zipped up, the heavy duty zipper is relatively indistinguishable from the rest of the pant leg. This is particularly the case if, as in an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a flap is provided to conceal the zipper. A user wishing to access a firearm in a boot holster is only required to grab the zipper located near the knee area of the pant leg and push it down until the firearm is revealed. In this manner, it is understood that a user need only unzip the zipper to a point which is required to reach in, access the firearm, and pull it out. Despite the same, the user can unzip the zipper fully to access or store the firearm if the user so desires.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a structural configuration of long leg pants which allows easier, more direct, and safer access to a firearm in a boot holster.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a configuration which was relatively discreet so as to essentially blend in with the leg of pants.

It is yet another object of this invention to employ a reliable and easy to actuate means of accessing a firearm through such a configuration of pants that does not require removal or active holding up of the affected pant leg.

These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of boot holster adapted pants built in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the zipper zipped.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of boot holster adapted pants built in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the zipper unzipped.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of boot holster adapted pants built in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIG. 1, boot holster adapted pants 10 built in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention are shown comprising a conventional pair of pants 12 and a zipper 11 disposed on the inner seam of one leg of the pants 11. As with conventional pants, the pair of pants 11 provides a pants means for wearing on the lower portion of a user's body and typically includes a waistband connected to a pair of leg members extending from said waistband, wherein each leg member includes an inseam, a proximal end disposed substantially at the waistband connection and a distal end disposed at the bottom of the leg member opposite the waistband connection, as well as a central area disposed between the proximal end and the distal end. The zipper 11, which is disposed over part of the inseam of the pant leg, zips open by user actuation in an opening direction 13, which opens the inseam over which it is disposed and zips closed by user actuation in a closing direction 14, which closes the part of the inseam over which it is disposed. As such, it supplies a means for selectively fastening an inseam.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the zipper 11 of the boot holster adapted pants 10 is shown unzipped into a first portion 11a and a second portion 11b. Each portion of the zipper 12 remains connected at one end to one side of the inner seam of the pants 12 and because the portions of the zipper have been separated, the inner seam of the pants 12 are likewise separated to reveal an access gap 15. It is through the access gap 15 that a user wearing boot holster adapted pants 10 can access a firearm in a boot holster being worn by the user.

A user wearing boot holster adapted pants 10 and a boot holster will typically wear the pants 10 in the configuration depicted in FIG. 1. The zipper 11 may be visible in the configuration, but would still tend to blend in to the pants 10 upon a cursory glance. In an alternate embodiment, the zipper 11 could be disposed beneath a flap as many zippers on pants are customarily.

Thus, a user having a firearm in a boot holster being worn under boot holster adapted pants 10 will wear the pants 10 as people customarily wear long leg parts. Whenever the user desires to access a firearm in the boot holster, or at least desires to prepare to access the firearm, the user merely zips the zipper 11 in the opening direction 13 until the firearm is revealed in the access gap 15 or until the zipper 11 is zipped all the way down as depicted in FIG. 2. Once in this configuration, the user can readily and safely access the firearm in the boot holster at any time. Once the user no longer requires access to the firearm in the boot holster, the user zips the zipper 11 in the closing direction 14 until the zipper is all the way up, as depicted in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternate embodiment of the boot holster adapted pants 20 is shown comprising a conventional pair of pants 22 and a first zipper 21a disposed on the inner seam of one leg of the pants 22 and a second zipper 21b disposed on the inner seam of the other leg of the pants 22. The alternate embodiment of the boot holster adapted pants 20 operates as the boot holster adapted pants 10 built in accordance with the preferred embodiment, except that the first zipper 21a and the second 21b operate independent of each other to provide access to a boot holster which may be located on the respective pant leg on which they are disposed.

In another alternate embodiment, an alternate fastening system is employed. It is specifically contemplated that selectively engaging fastener systems, including hook and loop fasteners and a series button fasteners, may be employed.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Claims

1. Boot holster adapted pants comprising:

a pair of pants comprising a waistband connected to two leg members extending from said waistband, wherein each leg member includes an inseam, a proximal end disposed substantially at the waistband connection and a distal end disposed at the bottom of the leg member opposite the waistband connection, as well as a central area disposed between the proximal end and the distal end; and

at least one selectively engaging fastener system, wherein the inseam of at least one leg member is configured such that a portion of that inseam is defined by the fastener system and the fastener system can be selectively engaged by a user to close and open the portion of the inseam defined by the fastener system.

2. The boot holster adapted pants of claim 1, wherein the inseam of at least one leg member is defined by the fastener system from at least the distal end of leg member to the central portion of the leg member.

3. The boot holster adapted pants of claim 1, wherein the fastener system is defined by a zipper.

4. The boot holster adapted pants of claim 1, wherein one selectively engaging fastener system is employed on each leg member.

5. Boot holster adapted pants comprising:

a pants means for wearing on the lower portion of a user's body having at least two pants legs each having an inseam; and

a means for selectively fastening an inseam disposed on at least one pant leg.

6. The boot holster adapted pants of claim 5, wherein one of said means for selectively fastening an inseam is disposed on each pant leg.

7. A method of accessing a firearm in a boot holster mounted on the leg of a user through long leg pants, comprising the steps of:

providing a firearm in a boot holster mounted on the leg of a user;

providing a pair of pants comprising a waistband connected to two leg members extending from said waistband, wherein each leg member includes an inseam, a proximal end disposed substantially at the waistband connection and a distal end disposed at the bottom of the leg member opposite the waistband connection, as well as a central area disposed between the proximal end and the distal end;

providing at least one selectively engaging fastener system, wherein the inseam of at least the leg member covering the boot holster is configured such that a portion of that inseam is defined by the fastener system and the fastener system can be selectively engaged by a user to close and open the portion of the inseam defined by the fastener system; and

disengaging the fastener system in a manner which opens the portion of the inseam between the distal end and the central portion and uncovers the boot holster.