PROTECTIVE CONCEALMENT GARMENTS

Abstract

Garments for personal protection and/or self-defense use by providing penetration protection and/or ready weapons access are disclosed. Embodiments of such garments include pants, jackets/hoodies, shirts, and undergarments made of protective fabrics and/or including features to allow fast access to weapons.

Description

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to protective clothing. More specifically, but not exclusively, the disclosure relates to garments for use in protection from personal injury as well as for use in concealing self-protection devices such as knives or firearms.

BACKGROUND

With recent changes in potential personal injury hazards as well as firearms law, there is an increased desire among the general public as well as military and law enforcement for clothing that can protect a wearer from attacks by others. In addition, with changes in laws allowing so-called concealed carry of firearms, there is a need for clothing that facilitates concealed carry of weapons as well as providing enhanced wearer protection from cuts, gunshots, and other hazards.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art to address the above-described as well as other problems in the field.

SUMMARY

This application is directed to garments for providing personal protection against attacks or other potential injuries, as well as to readily provide access to weapons for use in self-defense or other self-protection scenarios. In various embodiments, the disclosures provided subsequently herein may be used my, among others, law enforcement, first responders, military personnel, or other persons desiring personal protection and ready access to weapons.

For example, in one aspect the disclosure is directed to a protective jacket garment. The jacket garment may include, for example, a core section and a hand pocket disposed on or in the core section in the lower front section. The hand pocket may include an opening sized and shaped to allow for access of wearer's hand to a weapon positioned behind the opening.

In another aspect the disclosure is directed to a pants garment. The pants garment may include, for example, an upper pants section. The pants garment may include a left and/or a right leg attached to the upper section. One or both of the left leg and the right leg may include breakaway opening features. The breakaway opening features may include a plurality of magnets attached to sides of cut sections of one or both legs to magnetically hold the sides together. The pants garment may further include an internal accessory belt attached to the upper section.

In another aspect the disclosure is directed to a shirt garment. The shirt garment may include, for example, a shirt body having two sides and a breakaway side section on one or both sides of the shirt body. The shirt garment breakaway section may include a cut section on the lower portion of one or both sides of the shirt. A plurality of magnets, or other attachment mechanisms, may be attached to sides of the cut section to hold the sides together either mechanically or magnetically. The shirt garment may include an internal pocket disposed on a side of the shirt.

Various additional aspects, details, features, and functions of embodiments of protective garments are described below in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure may be more fully appreciated in connection with the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A & 1B illustrate details of one embodiment of a protective garment in the form of pants in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates details of one embodiment of a protective garment in the form of a jacket in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates details of one embodiment of a protective garment in the form of a shirt in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrate details of one embodiment of a protective garment in the form of an undergarment in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5F illustrate various details of a embodiments of pants, such as shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A-6E illustrate various details of a embodiments of a jacket or hoodie, such as shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates additional details of a breakaway section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Overview

This application is directed generally to garments for providing personal protection against attacks or other potential injuries, as well as to readily provide access to weapons for use in self-defense or other self-protection scenarios. Various embodiments of the disclosures provided subsequently herein may be used my, among others, law enforcement, first responders, military personnel, or other persons desiring personal protection and ready access to weapons. As well as to avoid imprinting of concealed weapons.

For example, in one aspect the disclosure is directed to a protective jacket garment. The jacket garment may include, for example, a core section and a hand pocket disposed on or in the core section in the lower front section. The hand pocket may include an opening sized and shaped to allow for access of wearer's hand to a weapon positioned behind the opening.

The jacket garment may include a left sleeve and a right sleeve attached to the core section. The jacket may include a hood. The hood may cover all or part of a wearer's head. The core section and/or other sections may be made of an armor or other protective fabric. The jacket garment opening may have reinforced edges. The jacket garment opening may have a width of about 5 inches or larger. The jacket garment opening may have a width of about 8 inches or larger. The jacket garment opening may have a width of about 12 inches or larger. The jacket garment opening may have a diamond shape. The jacket garment opening may have an oval or circular shape. The jacket garment opening may have a square or rectangular shape.

The jacket garment hand pocket may be positioned in the lower front section of the core section. The jacket may be an anorak-type hip-length jacket. The jacket garment may include an upper front pocket and/or additional pockets. The jacket garment may include a fleece material. The jacket garment may include a fire-resistant material. The jacket garment may include a puncture-resistant material. The jacket garment may include an abrasion resistant material. The jacket garment may include a cut-resistant material.

The jacket may include a breakaway side section. The breakaway side section may be positioned on one or both lower sides of the jacket. The breakaway side section may have a cut section on the lower portion of one or both sides of the jacket. A plurality of magnets may be attached to sides of the cut section to magnetically hold the sides together.

In another aspect the disclosure relates to a pants garment. The pants garment may include, for example, an upper pants section. The pants garment may include a left and/or a rigt leg attached to the upper section. One or both of the left leg and the right leg may include breakaway opening features. The breakaway opening features may include a plurality of magnets attached to sides of cut sections of one or both legs to magnetically hold the sides together. The pants garment may further including an internal accessory belt attached to the upper section.

In another aspect the disclosure relates to a shirt garment. The shirt garment may include, for example, a shirt body having two sides and a breakaway side section on one or both sides of the shirt body. The shirt garment breakaway section may include a cut section on the lower portion of one or both sides of the shirt. A plurality of magnets, or other attachment mechanisms, may be attached to sides of the cut section to hold the sides together either mechanically or magnetically. The shirt garment may include an internal pocket disposed on a side of the shirt.

Various additional aspects, details, features, and functions of embodiments of protective garments are described below in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.

It is noted that the following embodiments are provided for the purpose of illustrating examples of various aspects, details, and functions of inventive garments; however, the described embodiments are not intended to be in any way limiting unless specifically described as such. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various aspects and details described herein may be implemented in other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It is also noted that as used herein, the term, “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect, detail, function, implementation, and/or embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects and/or embodiments.

EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In various embodiments as described subsequently herein, fabrics having characteristics providing protective properties such as, for example, high puncture resistance, tear resistance, abrasion resistance, cut resistance, laceration resistance, fire resistance, and the like. These textiles may be used for all or part of a protective garment in accordance with any of the example embodiments described herein, as well as any equivalents. For example, fabrics may meet or exceed standards such as EN 388:2016, and/or ISO 13997:1999 or the revised ISO 13997:2023, and/or ISEA/ANSI level A6-A9 cut resistance and/or CE Level 5 cut resistance may be used in various embodiments of protective garments. Such textiles or fabrics may comprise, for example, armor fabrics of materials such as aramid fibers (e.g., Kevlar, Technora, Twaron, Heracron, Nomex, Armortex, etc.) or other high strength and/or heat resistant synthetic fibers and the like. Additional embodiments may comprise other fiber types such as polyethylene fibers (e.g., Spectra, Dyneema) and/or other materials such as Innegra S (high modulus polypropylene) Nylon, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, vectran, etc.). Other embodiments may use alternate fabric types such as cotton, polyester, or other fabrics that are not specifically intended to be armored or otherwise protective.

Various types of protective garments are described subsequently herein in different aspects and embodiments. For example, in one aspect the disclosure is directed to protective pants which may also be worn to facilitate concealed carry of firearms or other weapons. FIG. 1 illustrates details of one embodiment of the front and back sides of a protective concealment pants garment 100 (also denoted herein as “pants” for brevity) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In an exemplary embodiment, pants 100 may be made of an armor fabric (i.e., a fabric designed to resist stabs or other puncture mechanisms from sharp objects such as knives, some types of ammunition, and the like comprising fibers such as those described above). The armor fabric may be soft and low visibility.

Details of another pants garment embodiment, which may be same as or similar to embodiment 100 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B in various details, are illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5F and are described subsequently herein.

Returning to FIGS. 1A and 1B, pants embodiment 100 may include individually or in various combinations additional elements and features in addition to or in place of armored fabric, either alone or in combination. For example, pants 100 may have an upper pants section 142, with zippers, pockets, and other features as described herein. The upper pants section may be in a form similar to shorts, wrapping around and covering the user's lower waist and upper leg and crotch area. Pants 100 may include a left leg 144 (when viewed from the front side) and a right leg 146, which may be integral with or fixedly or removably attached to the upper pants section. For example, removably attached legs may be zipped on the upper section or otherwise removably attached. In fixed embodiment the upper pants section and legs may be configured as in traditional long jeans or trousers as an integral assembly.

In an exemplary embodiment pants 100 may include breakaway opening features 160 on the bottom of one or both pant legs 144 and 146 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Breakaway opening features allow a portion of the pants, typically near the lower leg(s), to rapidly expand or open up when desired by a user, thereby allowing a user access to a weapon or other item hidden beneath the pant leg. The breakaway features may be implemented in various ways, and may be positioned on the inner side of the legs in some embodiments (such as shown in FIG. 1). In alternate embodiments the breakaway features may be positioned on the other side of one or both legs.

As noted above, breakaway opening features allow for rapid opening of the lower section of the lower pant legs to facilitate access to objects inside of the pant legs, such as a knife, firearm, tool, and the like, by allowing a user to rapidly open an area of the leg to access an object underneath, such as a weapon worn on the lower leg. As such, the breakaway features include a breakaway mechanism allowing such easy opening, and may also facilitate automatic closing when access is completed.

For example, in an exemplary embodiment the breakaway feature may comprise a cut section of the lower legs with two adjacent sides, as well as one or more magnets as described subsequently herein. One magnetic embodiment is shown FIGS. 5C and 5D, with the magnets attached to sides of the cut or opening in the lower leg section to hold the sides together during normal wear. When a user wishes to access the concealed firearm or other item, he merely reaches down and separate the two sides with his hand to release the magnetic hold between the sides. In alternate embodiments, Velcro, snaps, loose fitting buttons or other opening mechanisms may be used in place of or in addition to the magnets as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D to implement the breakaway functionality.

In use, when the breakaway features 160 are closed the lower pant legs are in a standard pant leg configuration. This allows an object inside of the pants (e.g., on a user's leg, such as a knife or small gun in a leg holster) to be hidden from view. Conversely, when the breakaway features 160 are opened, typically with a wearer's hand by slight pressure, the lower pant legs spread apart at the cut section, allowing the wearer of the pants to readily access an object inside the pants leg for use in self-protection, such as to rapidly draw a hidden firearm or knife in self-defense.

As shown in FIG. 5C, in an exemplary embodiment the breakaway features 160 may include one or more magnets disposed on the lower portion of the pants legs in a cut open area of the pant leg, such as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, to secure the sides of the cut open area of the lower pants legs closed in normal use, but then allow them to be readily opened to access hidden objects such as knives or firearms by having a user merely pull the two sides held together by pushing his hand into the cut section. A similar configuration of breakaway opening features can be implemented with a hook and loop material such as Velcro, or with other attachment mechanisms such as loose-release buttons and the like.

In various embodiments additional elements of pants 100 may include pockets, such as pockets 132, 134, 136, and 138 (as well as others not shown) which may be on the exterior or interior of the pants, and may include pockets for storing self-defense objects such as one or more knives, firearms magazines, radios, or other objects or devices. Such pockets may comprise fabric or other materials that reduce printing of weapons held in or under them.

In an exemplary pants embodiment, pocket 132 is a knife pocket, pocket 134 is a pistol magazine pocket, pocket 136 is a rifle magazine pocket, and pocket 138 is a handheld radio pocket. Other pockets for particular devices, such as cell phones, tablets, or various other objects may be also be included. These various pockets may be specifically sized and shape to receive and retain their corresponding object (i.e., a knife pocket having a knife-shape, a firearm magazine pocket having a magazine shape, a radio pocket having a portable radio shape, etc. In other embodiments the illustrated pockets, as well as others not shown, may also be included for storing other objects or devices.

Other elements that may be used in additional pants embodiments include a slotted internal weapon and accessory belt 120, which may include retention shot stitching 122. The belt 120 may be disposed in the pants so as to minimize or eliminate external visibility (i.e., so that an aggressor is unable to see the belt and/or anything attached to it such as a knife holder, a firearms holster, and the like). This functionality can aid in eliminating or reducing printing and also provide fast access to the weapon.

Internal belt 120 may be used to eliminate the need for a visible external belt and to secure an object such as a firearms holster from sifting or slipping. The internal belt 120 may be fixedly attached to the upper section of the pants or may be removably attached (e.g., such as with a zipper, buttons, Velcro, and the like).

Various additional details of pants embodiments and the above-described elements are shown in FIGS. 5A to 5F.

In another aspect the disclosure relates to a protective jacket or hoodie that may be used to facilitate rapid access to a weapon or other item underneath the jacket, such as a firearm worn on a user's belt holster or slightly above the waistline or on a shoulder harness and the like. In addition to providing rapid access, the jacket may be configured to reduce or minimize printing (i.e., hiding a firearm or other weapon beneath the jacket in such a way as to eliminate or reduce its appearance under the jacket to another person) such as is described subsequently below.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates details of one embodiment of the front side of such a protective concealment hoodie or jacket garment 200 (also denoted herein as “jacket” for brevity) in accordance with aspects of the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, hoodies such as jacket garment 200 or other jacket embodiments may be made of an armor fabric (i.e., a fabric designed to resist stabs or other puncture mechanisms from sharp objects such as knives, some types of ammunition, and the like comprising fibers and associated textiles such as those described previously herein) such as a low visibility soft armor fabric. Other fabrics may be used in whole or part in alternate embodiments.

Addition details of such a jacket garment embodiment 600, which may be same as or similar to embodiment 200 shown in FIG. 2, are illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6E and are described subsequently herein.

Returning to FIG. 2, jacket embodiment 200 may be made with a material such as an armor fabric, which may be low visibility, such as those described above with respect to pants 100 and or of other fabric types and materials such as described previously herein. In style configuration, jacket embodiment 200 may be an anorak-type jacket in an exemplary embodiment, comprising wind and/or water-resistant and/or puncture and/or cut or abrasion resistant material such as described previously herein. In other embodiments jacket embodiments may be in a hoodie form, in a vest form, in a long length form, or in other jacket forms. In some embodiments, jacket 200 may comprise a lightweight, washable, comfortable, fleece lining and/or similar body material either along or in combination with an armor fabric or other material.

Jacket embodiment 200 may include, in some embodiments, a hood, such as hood 214 in “hoodie” form as shown in FIG. 2. In some embodiments the hood may be detachable, such as with a zipper, Velcro, buttons, and the like. Alternate embodiments may omit the hood and be in the general form of a hoodless jacket.

In an exemplary embodiment, jacket 200 and other embodiments may include a core section 212, a left sleeve (as viewed from the front side) 218 and a right sleeve 216. In alternate embodiments the sleeve(s) may be omitted so as to provide a “muscle shirt” type of configuration with just the core section covering a user. In some embodiments the sleeves may be detachable, such as with a zipper, Velcro, buttons, and the like.

Core section 212 may comprise a multifunctional high-performance textile/fabric material, such as those armor textiles/fabrics described previously herein, with characteristics such as one or more of abrasion, penetration, laceration, cut resistance, FR resistance protection, and the like. Core section 212 may wrap around a user and have arms and/or hoods (such as described above), and/or other elements such as described herein, fixedly or removably attached thereto. Other jacket elements, such as sleeves and/or hoods, may also be made of a high-performance material such as described previously herein to provide protection to a wearer of the arms, head, back, neck, etc. from cuts, stabs, gunshots, and/or other attacks.

Jacket 200 may further include a lower front hand pocket 230 (also denoted herein as “hand pocket” for brevity), which may be positioned in the lower front section of the core section 212 as shown in FIG. 2 (also as shown in in additional detail in the embodiments of FIGS. 6A-6E). The hand pocket may be integral with or attached to on the core section in various embodiments. Jacket 200 may also include one or more additional pockets such as upper front pocket 220. Pocket 220 may be a zip and/or flap covered front chest pocket such as shown in FIG. 2. Pocket 220 may be integral with or attached to core section 212.

The interior of hand pocket 230 may include an opening (also referred to herein in conjunction with an outer pocket element such element 30 of FIG. 6A as a weapons port) 232 to allow for rapid access to weapons such as knives or firearms inside of the jacket, such as a firearm secured to the wearer's waist, such as in a handgun holster as shown in FIG. 6B.

Opening 232 may be sized and shaped to allow user fast, silent access to an internally stored weapon (e.g., behind or inside the jacket when worn) such as a knife or firearm (or other item), without allowing an aggressor or other person to see that the wearer has a weapon or has ready access to the knife, firearm, or other weapon or item.

Opening 232 may include reinforced edges, such as with sewing around the perimeter and/or other reinforcements such as additional fabric, edging, and the like to strengthen and/or reinforce the opening. Opening 232 may be disposed inside of hand pocket 230 such that it is not readily visible from the exterior of jacket 220 (e.g., as shown by the diamond shaped dotted lines in FIG. 2). In this way a potential aggressor is unable to see that the wearer has a concealed weapon and ready access to it. If a user already has his hands in the pocket it can appear as if he is just keeping them in place for warmth, however, with the inner opening the user can have rapid access to the weapon if it is needed. Moreover, even if the hands are outside of the pocket, the user can readily reach into the pocket, through the opening 232, and withdraw the weapon to confront an aggressor.

Some embodiments may include a removable cover for opening 232 (not shown), such as a fabric section that can zip or button or Velcro to the core or pocket to cover the opening when a user does not want to use the jacket in a concealed carry mode (for example, to make the pocket into an “ordinary” pocket without the hidden internal opening).

Other pockets (not shown), that may be the same as or similar to pocket 230 with opening 232, may be disposed elsewhere on or in the core section for accessing concealed items such as additional firearms, firearms magazines, knives, or other objects or apparatus. In some embodiments, pocket 220 may be configured with an inner opening similar to pocket 230 and associated opening 232.

Although shown in FIG. 2 in a diamond shape, opening 232 may alternately be in other shapes in various embodiments (not shown), such as a circular or oval shape, an elongate linear shape with a substantially uniform width along the elongate section, a rectangular shape, or other shapes so as to facilitate rapid access to the opening and weapon or other items or apparatus concealed inside the opening by a user's hand(s). In a typical embodiment opening 232 may have a width of about 5 inches or larger when accessed to allow at least one typical sized hand to reach through the opening. Some embodiments may have larger openings, and some openings may extend across all or most of the hidden area inside the pocket (e.g., most of the area between the two elongate openings shown in FIG. 2 or over most of the area behind pocket 630 as shown in FIG. 6A). Some embodiments may include additional inner pockets, for example attached to the inner side of a pocket such as pocket 630 (in addition to openings such as opening 232) to allow a user to retain an additional item hidden from external view while still allowing access to a weapon or other item inside of the jacket.

In some embodiments pocket 230 may also be configured as a hand-warming pocket and may include materials and/or features (e.g., smaller inner pockets for holding heating elements such as electric or chemical heating devices, and the like to warm a user's hand or body core) for providing enhanced warmth and/or dryness for a user's hand in cold and/or wet environments.

Jacket 200 may include a hood, such as hood 214 as shown in FIG. 2. The hood may be a full-size hood (i.e., to cover the entirety of a user's head) and/or may be larger than full size to cover some or all of a user's face, or may sized to cover only part of a user's head. In some embodiments the hood may include a balaclava element or other full or partial facial covering element. The balaclava or other facial covering element may be permanently attached to the hood or may be detachable therefrom, such as with Velcro, a zipper, buttons, or other attachment mechanisms.

In another aspect the disclosure relates to a protective shirt. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates details of one embodiment of the front side of a protective concealment shirt 300 (also denoted herein as “shirt” for brevity) in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

In an exemplary embodiment, shirt embodiment 300 may include a shirt body 310, with the shirt body including a breakaway side section on one or both sides, such as side breakaway section 320, allowing rapid opening of the side of the shirt for access to objects such as knives, firearms, tools, and the like. In use, a user merely needs to push into the lower side of the shirt (e.g., to separate magnets or open Velcro or loose-fitting buttons) to break apart the lower shirt along a cut section, thereby accessing a weapon or other item beneath the shirt.

Additional details of an embodiment of such a breakaway side section are shown in FIG. 7 and described subsequently herein. The breakaway side section may be of the same or similar type to the breakaway opening features described herein with respect to pants. For example, the breakaway side section may use one or more magnets, such as magnets 762 shown in FIG. 7, in conjunction with a cut section at the lower bottom of one or both sides of the shirt, to implement the breakaway functionality. Alternately, the breakaway side may use Velcro, and the like to secure the side sections while allowing rapid opening if desired by a user.

Shirt 310 may comprise a lightweight, washable, high performance stretch material. The material may be one or more of a antibacterial, abrasion resistant, penetration resistant, laceration resistant, and fire resistant. Pockets 330 may be low visibility internal pockets for storing weapons, communication apparatus, documents, and the like. Additional fabric may be used in portions of the shirt, such as on the lower sides, to make the shirt less printable. For example, a section of thin but rigid fabric or other material may be sewed onto the lower sides of the shirt adjacent to the cut section to make those areas more rigid and less likely to show a weapon underneath. Similar fabric or other material inserts may be used with the various other garment types described herein to make the garment less printable.

For example, it should be noted that similar breakaway side functionality may be implemented in jacket garment embodiments, such as on one or both of the lower sides of a jacket embodiment such as jacket embodiment 200 or jacket embodiment 600. Such a configuration may be used to allow a user to access weapons or other objects both from the lower front, via a hand pocket opening, as well as from one or both sides. This may be used, for example, to provide rapid access to two or more separate weapons or other objects, while also reducing or eliminating printing of those weapons on the front and/or side. Such a jacket may be worn by a user along with pants embodiments as described herein to allow access to concealed weapons in multiple places inside the jacket as well as on the lower leg or legs of the pants.

In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a protective concealment undergarment. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates details of an embodiment of the front side of a protective concealment undergarment 400 (also denoted herein as “shorts” for brevity) in accordance with aspects of the present invention. Shorts 400 may be used as a first or concealment layer and may comprise a soft armor material or other protective material using fibers and textiles such as described previously herein. In one embodiment a high performance four way stretch material constructions may be used. The material may be one or more of an antibacterial material, an abrasion and/or penetration resistant material, and/or a laceration and/or FR material. Shorts 410 may include one or more pockets, such as stretch pocket 410 as shown for concealment of weapons, tools, and the like.

Returning to pants embodiments, FIGS. 5A-5F illustrate various details of embodiments of a pants garment embodiment 500 in accordance with aspects of the present invention. Pants garment 500 may be the same as or similar to the pants embodiment 100 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and may comprise an armor material of fibers and textiles as described previously herein, or may comprise other fabrics or textiles.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, pants embodiment 500 may comprise an armor material that may also be a soft material. Pants 500 may include one or more built-in internal belt(s) such as belt 120 described previously herein, which may be a weapons belt for concealing a firearm, knife, or other weapon in a holster or other storage apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 5B, pants 500 may include full waist holster clip pockets 520 for attaching a holster to the pants.

As shown in FIG. 5C, pants 500 may include breakaway features with a breakaway section 560, including a cut section of the legs and magnets (or other attachment mechanisms as described previously herein such as Velcro, button, etc.) on one or both lower pants legs, such as on lower left pant leg 544.

Pants 500 may include a Magseam breakaway element 560 for ankle weapons access. This breakaway element 560 may include magnets or other attachment mechanisms in or on the fabric to allow for rapid opening of the pants without need to unzip a zipper mechanism, allowing for easy pull-apart such as described previously herein. In some embodiments Velcro or other attachment elements may also be used.

In some embodiments magnets may be disposed on both sides of the cut section of the pants leg and may be oriented such that opposite polarities attract. In other embodiments magnets may be on one side of the cut section and a metal (e.g., iron or some types of steel) or other material attracted to magnets may be on the other side of the cut section (in this configuration there would not be magnets on opposite cut sides, eliminating magnetic repulsion if the magnet positions are reversed so the same polarities of two magnets are facing each other.

The magnets may be button or small bar type or strip type magnets or other types of magnets attached to or sewn into the legs fabric such as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D. If used in embodiments with magnets on one, the material attracted to magnets may be pieces or thin strips of steel (e.g. sewn into or attached to the legs fabric) or other materials that are attracted to magnets and are sewn into, woven into, or otherwise attached to the leg fabric.

FIG. 5D illustrates additional details of pant embodiment 500 and in particularly an exemplary embodiment of a breakaway section 560 of left leg 544. The corresponding right pant leg may include a similar breakaway section (not shown). Breakaway section 560 may include one or more magnets 562 (typical a plurality of magnets as shown). Magnets 562 may be sewn into the fabric of pants leg 544 as shown, or may, in other embodiments, be attached with other attachment mechanisms such as Velcro, adhesives, buttons, glues or other adhesives, and the like.

Additional details of patents embodiment 500 are shown in FIGS. 5E-5F. As shown in FIGS. 5E and 5F, pants 500 may include a modified yoke for stabilizing a low visibility holster.

FIGS. 6A-6E illustrate various details of embodiments of another jacket garment 600 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Jacket garment 600 may be the same as or similar to the jacket embodiment 200 as shown in FIG. 2. Jacket 600 may comprise a lightweight washable fleece material. Jacket 600 may include a high-performance protective textile for providing one or more of abrasion, penetration, laceration, and FR resistance (fire resistance), such as with fibers and associated textiles as described previously herein.

In an exemplary embodiment such as shown in FIG. 6A, jacket 600 may include a core section 612, a left sleeve (as viewed from the front side) 618 and a right sleeve 616. Jacket 600 may further include a lower front hand pocket 610 (also denoted herein as “hand pocket” for brevity) positioned in the lower front section of the core section 612 as shown in FIG. 6A. Pocket 610 may comprise an outer fabric element, such as element 630, attached to the core section 612 as shown in FIG. 6A. Adding additional fabric, such as element 630, to the core section may be used to reduce printing of a firearm or other weapon worn underneath the jacket by a user. Jacket 600 may also include one or more additional pockets, such as an upper front pocket 620 as shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6B illustrates additional details of the hand pocket 610, including interior opening 632 to allow for rapid access to weapons such as knives or firearms inside of the jacket and secured to the wearer's waist or abdomen, such as in a handgun holster as shown in FIG. 6B. Opening 632 may diamond shaped similar to opening 232 of FIG. 2, or may be in alternate shapes such as rectangular, oval, or other shapes so as to allow fast access to object underneath, such as the firearm as shown in FIG. 6B.

FIG. 6C illustrates additional details of pocket or weapons port 610 as viewed from the interior of jacket 600. Jacket 600 may include an opening 632 as part of weapons port 610 allow rapid access to concealed weapons underneath the jacket (e.g., on a holster attached to a user's belt) by a user through the front pocket and opening 632. As noted previously herein, in other embodiments the opening may have other shapes such as circular, oval, rectangular, or other shapes to facilitate rapid access to a weapon or other object beneath the jacket and/or to reduce or eliminate printing of such a weapon or other object.

FIG. 6D illustrates how a jacket such as described herein may be used. A weapon (i.e., a firearm in this example as shown as firearm 690 in FIG. 6D) may be concealed inside of the jacket 600, behind an opening such as opening 632, on a holster for quick, silent, ready access without the firearm being visible before access (i.e., without be being printed). In some embodiments additional layers of fabric or other material may be used as part of the jacket and may be positioned in front of the firearm to further reduce or eliminate printing. For example, a thin but rigid fabric or other material may be positioned inside of a pocket such as pocket 610 to further reduce any impressions the firearm may make through the jacket fabric.

FIG. 6E illustrates details of the front side of another jacket embodiment 600 showing the front side in the form of an anorak style jacket (i.e., a hip length jacket made of weather-resistant fabric). Other embodiments of jacket types in accordance with the present invention may be configured in other jacket types.

In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to additional aspects of a protective concealment shirt. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates details of an embodiment of a side breakaway section 720 of a shirt or a jacket such as shirt embodiment 300 or jacket embodiments 200 and 600. The shirt may include a shirt body 710 (partially shown in FIG. 7), with a breakaway side section on one or both sides. Likewise, a jacket embodiment may be similarly configured with a breakaway section or one or both sides. The breakaway side section may be the same as or similar to that described previously herein with respect to the breakaway opening features of the lower leg(s) of pants, for example using one or more magnets or other attachment mechanisms such as Velcro or loose-fitting buttons.

As shown in FIG. 7, breakaway section 720 may include an opening on one or both lower side sections of the shirt or jacket, such as sections 712 and 714 as shown. The breakaway section may comprise a low visibility breakaway “Magseam” for weapons access, for example to allow a user to rapidly access a concealed weapon from one or both sides of the garment. One or more magnets may be used to facilitate rapid opening of the shirt side sections, such as magnets 762 as shown. Magnets 762 may be attached to shirt side section by sewing, adhesive, or other attachment mechanisms. Magnets 762 may be used on one or both sides 712 and 714 of the breakaway section. For example, magnets with opposing polarities may be positioned on opposite sides of the opening sections to close the opening through magnetic attraction. In some embodiments, magnets may be used on one side of the breakaway section and magnetic materials, such as iron, magnetic stainless steel alloys, and the like that are attracted to the magnets for holding the breakaway sections closed. It is noted that similar magnetic configurations for breakaway sections may be used in pants embodiments as described previously herein.

Other embodiments and modifications of the elements and configuration may occur readily to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of these teachings. Therefore, the scope of the presently claimed invention is not only limited to the specific disclosure herein, but also its equivalents, which include all such embodiments and modifications when viewed in conjunction with the above specification and accompanying drawings.

Claims

1. A jacket garment, comprising:

a core section; and

a hand pocket disposed on or in the core section in the lower front section;

wherein the hand pocket includes an opening sized and shaped to allow for access of wearer's hand to a weapon positioned behind the opening.

2. The jacket of claim 1, further comprising a left sleeve and a right sleeve attached to the core section.

3. The jacket of claim 2, further comprising a hood.

4. The jacket of claim 2, wherein the core section comprises an armor fabric.

5. The jacket of claim 4, wherein the opening has reinforced edges.

6. The jacket of claim 5, wherein the opening has a width of about 5 inches or larger.

7. The jacket of claim 6, wherein the opening is of a diamond shape.

8. The jacket of claim 6, wherein the opening is of an oval or circular shape.

9. The jacket of claim 6, wherein the hand pocket is positioned in the lower front section of the core section.

10. The jacket of claim 7, wherein the jacket is an anorak-type hip-length jacket.

11. The jacket of claim 6, further comprising an upper front pocket.

12. The jacket of claim 6, further comprising a fleece material.

13. The jacket of claim 6, wherein the core comprises a fire-resistant material.

14. The jacket of claim 1, further including a breakaway side section on one or both lower sides of the jacket, wherein the breakaway section comprises a cut section on the lower portion of one or both sides of the jacket, and a plurality of magnets attached to sides of the cut section to magnetically hold the sides together.

15. A pants garment, comprising:

an upper pants section;

a left leg attached to the upper section; and

a right leg attached to the upper section;

wherein one or both of the left leg and the right leg include breakaway opening features.

16. The pants garment of claim 14, wherein the breakaway opening features comprise a plurality of magnets attached to sides of cut sections of one or both legs to magnetically hold the sides together.

17. The pants garment of claim 15, further including an internal accessory belt attached to the upper section.

18. A shirt garment, comprising:

a shirt body having two sides; and

a breakaway side section on one or both sides of the shirt body.

19. The shirt garment of claim 18, wherein the breakaway section comprises a cut section on the lower portion of one or both sides of the shirt, and a plurality of magnets attached to sides of the cut section to magnetically hold the sides together.

20. The shirt garment of claim 19, further including an internal pocket disposed on a side of the shirt.