REMOVABLE PLACARD AND POCKET FOR A WEARABLE GARMENT

A wearable garment has a garment panel with pocket having a hook-and-loop closure formed by first and second parts of a hook-and-loop fastener. A removable placard includes a placard body panel and a placard flap extending from an edge of the placard body panel. Opposing sides of the placard flap include first and second parts of a hook-and-loop fastener so that both sides of the placard flap are selectively securable in the opening to the pocket. With the placard flap secured in the pocket, the placard body panel may be folded over so that it is selectively secured to a font side of the pocket with first and second parts of a hook-and-loop fastener.

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Description
BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a protective garment, such as a tactical vest that may include soft armor and/or hard armor inserts.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART

A protective garment is designed to be worn by a person and protect the person from some potential harm. The protective garment may take the form of a vest that covers the person's torso so as to protect many of the person's major internal organs from a gunshot. Some dangerous jobs where the person may encounter a gunshot include military service, police, and private security. Accordingly, it is extremely prudent to wear a protective garment whenever a person's job places them in a position of potential harm.

A protective garment such as a ballistic vest is commonly worn to absorb the impact of projectiles fired from a small caliber handgun or shotgun. However, the person wearing the vest will typically need to carry a variety of gear to deal with situations that may arise. So, the protective garment may include one or more pockets for securely storing equipment and/or supplies, such as extra clips. However, the amount and type of equipment and/or supplies that are needed may vary from situation to situation and from person to person. So, a flexible yet secure configuration of a protective garment is a highly desirable.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Some embodiments provide an apparatus comprising a wearable garment having a garment panel that covers an area of a person's body. The apparatus further comprises a pocket secured to an outward-facing side of the garment panel, wherein the pocket is formed by a first pocket panel and a second pocket panel, wherein the second pocket panel has a perimeter edge that is permanently attached to the first pocket panel to form a storage space and an operative edge that is selectively securable to the first pocket panel to close the storage space. The second pocket panel includes an inward-facing area of a first part (loops) of a hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge and an outward-facing area of the first part (loops) of a hook-and-loop fastener. The first pocket panel includes an outward-facing area of a second part (hooks) of a hook-and-loop fastener that is aligned with the inward-facing area of the first part (loops) of a hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel. Furthermore, the apparatus comprises a removable placard having a placard body panel and a placard flap extending from an edge of the placard body panel. The placard body panel and the placard flap have a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the placard body panel and a first side of the placard flap each include an area of the second part (hooks) of a hook-and-loop fastener, and wherein the second side of the placard flap includes an area of the first part (loops) of a hook-and-loop fastener. The placard flap is positionable inside the pocket between the operative edge of the second pocket panel and the first pocket panel such that the area of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap is selectively securable to the area of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel, the area of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard flap is selectively securable to the inward-facing area of the first part (loops) of the hook-an-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel, and the area of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard body panel is selectively securable to the outward-facing area of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a front view of a protective vest made to be worn by a person.

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of the vest with a removable placard.

FIG. 1C is a front perspective view of the vest without the removable placard.

FIG. 1D is a front perspective view of the vest with the waist straps released.

FIG. 2A is a plan view of the front side of the placard.

FIG. 2B is a plan view of the back side of the placard.

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional side view of the placard as seen from line 2C-2C in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2D is a cross-sectional side view of the placard as seen from line 2C-2C in FIG. 2A, but with the Molle straps replaced with a zippered pouch.

FIGS. 3A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the vest illustrating the pocket open to receive the placard flap.

FIGS. 4A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the vest illustrating one side of the placard flap secured in the pocket.

FIGS. 5A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the vest illustrating both sides of the placard flap secured in the pocket.

FIGS. 6A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the vest illustrating both sides of the placard flap secured in the pocket and the placard body panel secured to the front of the pocket.

FIGS. 7A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the vest illustrating the waist straps secured to the front of the pocket.

FIGS. 8A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the vest illustrating both sides of the placard flap secured in the pocket, the waist straps secured to the front of the pocket and the placard secured to the front of the waist straps.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an elastic strap weave that may be used to organize items stored in the pocket.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of the construction and use of the first and second parts of a hook-and-loop fastener.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments provide an apparatus comprising a wearable garment having a garment panel that covers an area of a person's body. The apparatus further comprises a pocket secured to an outward-facing side of the garment panel, wherein the pocket is formed by a first pocket panel and a second pocket panel, wherein the second pocket panel has a perimeter edge that is permanently attached to the first pocket panel to form a storage space and an operative edge that is selectively securable to the first pocket panel to close the storage space. The second pocket panel includes an inward-facing area of a first part of a hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge and an outward-facing area of the first part of a hook-and-loop fastener. The first pocket panel includes an outward-facing area of a second part of a hook-and-loop fastener that is aligned with the inward-facing area of the first part of a hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel. Furthermore, the apparatus comprises a removable placard having a placard body panel and a placard flap extending from an edge of the placard body panel. The placard body panel and the placard flap have a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the placard body panel and a first side of the placard flap each include an area of the second part of a hook-and-loop fastener, and wherein the second side of the placard flap includes an area of the first part of a hook-and-loop fastener. The placard flap is positionable inside the pocket between the operative edge of the second pocket panel and the first pocket panel such that the area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap is selectively securable to the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel, the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard flap is selectively securable to the inward-facing area of the first part of the hook-an-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel, and the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard body panel is selectively securable to the outward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel.

The wearable garment may take the form of any known item of clothing, including a shirt, coat, pants, overalls or vest. For example, a tactical vest or bulletproof vest is a clothing item that includes body armor designed to absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration of a bullet or other projectile. The vest configuration covers the person's torso and may position body armor so as to protect many of the person's major internal organs. However, the wearable garment is not limited to items that include body armor but may include any clothing item that may benefit from a pocket and removable placard that is secured against accidental removal. In one option, the wearable garment may have a front panel, a back panel, shoulder straps connecting the front and back panels, and side straps connecting the front and back panels. In another option, the garment panel is a front panel of the wearable garment, and the pocket is positioned over the person's abdomen when the garment is being worn by the person.

The garment panels, pocket panels, placard panels and placard flap may include various types of materials and fabrics. For a ballistic vest or similar garment, the components (i.e., panels and flaps) may be made using a fabric with woven fibers of nylon, aramid, para-aramid or other strong, abrasion-resistant and/or fire-resistant materials. Each of the garment panels, pocket panels, placard panels, placard flaps, shoulder and/or waist straps may be constructed with one or more layers of fabric and may include one or more insert between two layers of fabric. For example, a front garment panel of a ballistic vest may include a soft armor insert that is covered with fabric on both sides, wherein two cut fabric pieces may be sewn together along the edges of the soft armor. Items sewn to such a garment panel may be sewn to one of the fabric layers covering the insert.

The pocket is a receptacle or container that is capable of receiving and storing an item. A pocket has an opening for inserting an item into the pocket or retrieving an item from the pocket. Embodiments here describe a pocket having an opening that may be selectively secured in a closed condition using a hook-and-loop fastener. For example, a simple pocket may be formed by first and second pocket panels that are permanently attached along a perimeter edge of one of the pocket panels, such as the second pocket panel, to form a storage space. The “permanent” attachment of the two pocket panels means that the attachment is continuing or enduring without fundamental or marked change. Non-limiting examples of a permanent attachment include sewing, riveting and adhering, which form an attachment that continues or endures unless cut, torn or destroyed. Notable, a hook-and-loop fastener forms a temporary, selective and reversible attachment rather than a permanent attachment. The pocket may have various shapes and the perimeter edge may follow various paths, but a preferred pocket is rectangular, and the perimeter edge follows three sides of the rectangle. For example, a perimeter edge of a second pocket panel may be permanently attached to a first pocket panel along three sides of a rectangle to form a storage space. The operative edge that is selectively securable to the first pocket panel to close the storage space may be a fourth side or edge of the rectangular pocket. The pocket is preferably oriented on the protective garment so that the operative edge of the second pocket panel is directed upward when the garment is worn by a person.

A hook-and-loop fastener or hook-and-loop fastener system, which is sometimes referred to as “Velcro” in reference to brand name VELCRO (a registered trademark of Velcro IP Holdings LLC), includes two parts. One part of the hook-and-loop fastener is a fabric piece or patch that includes tiny hooks spaced apart over the area of the fabric piece and another part is a fabric piece or patch that includes small loops of fibers covering the area of the fabric piece. When one of the parts (i.e., a first part) is pressed against the other of the parts (i.e., a second part), the hooks of one part catch in the loops of the other part so that the two parts are temporarily fastened. The two parts may be separated by pulling or peeling the two patches apart. The fabric pieces that form first and/or second parts of the hook-and-loop fastener may come in various dimensions, such as long strips of various widths and panels of various lengths and widths. However, fabric pieces of the first and second parts may be cut to size and sewn to other fabrics. The strength of the bond (i.e., force required to overcome resistance to separation) between a fabric piece of the first part and a fabric piece of the second part is a function of the amount of overlapping surface area between the fabric pieces.

Embodiments may use the first and second parts of a hook-and-loop fastener to selectively secure a first component to a second component. A person may “selectively secure” the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener that is attached to the first component to the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener that is attached to the second component because the person may manually press the first and second parts of the hook-and-loop fastener together to cause them to be secured and may manually pull or peel the first and second parts of the hook-and-loop fastener away from each other to cause them to be unsecured. However, it should be appreciated that for any given configuration, the bond between first and second components form by engagement of the first and second parts of the hook-and-loop fastener will be the same regardless of which component the first part is attached to and which component the second part is attached to. Accordingly, the first and second parts may be attached to the first and second components, respectively, or to the second and first components, respectively, with little or no change in the function or effectiveness of the hook-and-loop fastener. However, pressing a first part against a first part or pressing a second part against a second part (i.e., pressing like part to like part) is generally ineffective and/or undesirable. So, a piece of the hook fabric or material pressed against another piece of the hook fabric or material is generally ineffective and/or undesirable and a piece of the loop fabric or material pressed against another piece of the loop fabric or material is similarly ineffective and/or undesirable.

The terms “inward” and “outward”, or “inward-facing” and “outward-facing”, are used in reference to the position of a person that may be wearing the wearable garment. Accordingly, the relative position of a component of the apparatus may be described as being inward or outward relative to the person and/or another component of the apparatus. Similarly, the orientation of a component of the apparatus may be described as being inward-facing or outward-facing. While many fabrics are the same on both sides or faces and there is accordingly no preferred orientation, the first and second parts of the hook-and-loop fasteners have an operative side (i.e.., selectively securable side), which includes either the hooks or the loops, and a non-operative side, which includes the backing fabric or material. For a hook-and-loop fastener to be selectively securable, the hooks-containing side of one part of the hook-and-loop fastener must be facing the loops-containing side of the other part of the hook-and-loop fastener. So, first and second parts of the hook-and-loop fastener may be selectively secured if they meet the dual conditions of being adjacent to each other and having their operative sides facing each other. In reference to a person wearing the garment, a first part (i.e., hooks) may be selectively secured to a second part (i.e., (loops) that is outward of, and adjacent to, the first part, where the first part is outward-facing (i.e., having its operative side directed away from the person) and the second part is inward-facing (i.e., having its operative side directed toward the person).

In some embodiments, a pair of snap fasteners are used to align the placard flap, and therefore also align the placard body panel, with the pocket. For example, the outward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel may include a pair of first snap fastener parts, and the area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap may include a pair of second snap fastener parts. Accordingly, the placard flap is positionable to align and fasten the pair of second snap fastener parts on the second side of the placard flap with the pair of first snap fastener parts on the first pocket panel. While the snap fastener may provide some securing force between the placard flap and the first pocket panel, the primary purpose of the snap fasteners of the placard flap and first pocket panel is to provide for alignment between these components. Alignment of the place flap with the first pock panel is important because it avoids a trial and error approached to alignment which, due to the force required to separate the hook-and-loop fasteners, may require some time and effort.

A snap fastener is a pair of interlocking discs, made out of a metal or plastic, commonly used in place of traditional buttons to fasten clothing. A circular lip on one disc (i.e., a stud) fits into a circular groove on the other disc (i.e., a socket), holding them fast until a certain amount of force is applied. Snaps can be attached to fabric or other sheet-like materials by riveting with a punch and die set specific to the type of rivet snaps used (striking the punch with a hammer to splay the tail), sewing, or plying with special snap pliers. As with the hook-and-loop fastener, a snap fastener works with one stud part and one socket part that have their operative sides directed toward, and aligned with, each other. A snap fastener is generally effectiveness to temporarily fasten two components regardless of which of the components is attached to the stud part and which of the components is attached to the socket part.

In some embodiments, the pair of first snap fastener parts are positioned within the outward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel and the pair of second snap fastener parts are positioned within the area of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap. Accordingly, aligning and fastening the pair of second snap fastener parts on the second side of the placard flap with the pair of first snap fastener parts on the first pocket panel will cause alignment of the placard body panel with the pocket.

In some embodiments, the pocket may be selectively secured in a closed condition without the current use of a placard. For example, the inward-facing area of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel may be selectively securable to the outward-facing area of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel when the placard flap of the removable placard is not positioned inside the pocket between the operative edge of the second pocket panel and the first pocket panel. Accordingly, embodiments may be used to selectively secure one or more items within the pocket with or without the use of a placard.

In some embodiments, the wearable garment may further include a pair of waist straps. Each waist strap may have a distal inward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener that is selectively securable to the outward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel. Furthermore, each waist strap may have a distal outward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener that is selectively securable to the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard body panel. In other words, each waist strap has an end with hook-and-loop fasteners that allow the waist strap to be selectively secured between the second pocket panel and the placard body panel.

In some embodiments, the inward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel extends substantially across a width of the pocket and the outward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel extends substantially across the width of the pocket. Accordingly, the hook-and-loop fastener may selectively secure the opening to the pocket so that any item within the pocket cannot fall out. Furthermore, beyond mere retention of items within the pocket or preventing debris from getting into the pocket, extending the hook-and-loop fattener substantially across the width of the pocket improves the physical stability of the pocket and any other component or item attached to the pocket, such as the placard body panel and/or the ends of the waist straps. In one option, the area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap may extend substantially across a width of the placard flap, and the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard flap extends substantially across the width of the placard flap. Accordingly, substantially of the width of the placard flap contributes to the amount of holding force that secures the placard, and the used of the placard does not cause any reduction in the physical stability of the pocket and any other component or item attached to the pocket.

In some embodiments, the placard flap may have a width that is less than a width of the placard body panel and less than a width of the pocket. For example, the placard body panel and the pocket may have the same width, but the placard flap may be slightly narrower in order to be easily positionable into the opening in the pocket. In a preferred option, the placard flap may have a width that tapers with distance away from the placard body panel. For example, the placard flap may taper inward at an angle between about 20 and 45 degrees relative to the side of the placard body panel.

In some embodiments, the placard body panel may include a flexible card that gives shape to the placard body panel. For example, the flexible card may be a thin sheet of plastic. A preferred plastic is easily bent but resiliently maintains its shape. The flexible card may be disposed between two fabric panels that form the front and back of the placard body panel, where the flexible card prevents the fabric panels from collapsing into some irregular or undesirable shape. Accordingly, the flexible card gives shape to the placard body panel so the that placard body panel is easy to manipulate both prior to use with the garment and during attachment to the pocket. While the placard may have a variety of shapes, the preferred shape of the placard body panel is substantially rectangular.

In some embodiments, the second side of the placard body panel may include one or more storage elements, such as Molle straps or a zippered pouch. Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment (“Molle”) is a current generation of load-bearing equipment and backpacks used by various armed forces and police departments. The Molle and similar systems utilize the woven Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) webbing for modular pouch attachment.

FIG. 1A is a front view of a protective garment in the form of a vest 10 made to be worn by a person. The vest 10 includes a front garment panel 12 that secures a removable placard 30.

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of the vest 10 with the removable placard 30. The vest 10 further includes a back garment panel 14, shoulder straps 16 connecting the front panel 12 and the back panel 14, and waist (side) straps 18 connecting the front panel 12 and the back panel 14.

FIG. 1C is a front perspective view of the vest 10 without the removable placard 30 (See FIGS. 1A-B). Accordingly, a second pocket panel 22 can be seen forming part of the pocket 20. The pair of waist straps 18 each have a distal end 19 the includes hook-and-loop fasteners on the inward-facing and outward-facing sides. FIG. 1C shows the distal end 19 having an outward-facing area of the first part (for example, loops; illustrated with swirled lines) of the hook-and-loop fastener that may be used to selectively secure a first side of a placard body panel (not shown).

FIG. 1D is a front perspective view of the vest 10 with the distal ends 19 of the waist straps 18 released from an outward-facing area of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel 22 of the pocket 20. The distal ends 19 of each waist strap 18 further includes an inward-facing area of the second part (for example, hooks; illustrated with an array of dashed lines) of the hook-and-loop fastener that is selectively securable to second pocket panel 22. In other words, each waist strap 18 has a distal end 19 with hook-and-loop fasteners that allow the distal end 19 to be selectively secured between the second pocket panel second pocket panel 22 and a placard body panel (not shown).

FIG. 2A is a plan view of the front side (second side) of the removable placard 30. The placard 30 has a placard body panel 32 and a placard flap 34. The placard body panel 32 is larger than the placard flap 34 and is generally defined as that portion of the removable placard 30 that is below the fold line 31. The placard flap 34 is the smaller portion of the removable placard 30 that is above the fold line 31. Although the removable placard 30 is illustrated as being a planar structure in FIGS. 2A-C, the placard flap 34 may be folded relative to the placard body panel 32 along the fold line 31.

The front of the placard body panel 32 is shown supporting three rows of Molle straps 33 that may be used to secure one or more items. Furthermore, the placard body panel 32 has a flexible card 35 (shown in dashed lines) that gives shape to the fabric that forms the placard body panel 32. The flexible card 35 is preferred positioned between two layers of fabric that are sewn together to enclose the flexible card 35. Although the flexible card 35 may be manually bent, the resilience of the flexible card 35 may keep the fabric spread out to hold its shape. Here, the flexible card 35 is rectangular and the fabric is cut, wrapped and/or sewn to fit snug about the card.

The placard flap 34 is coupled to the upper edge of the placard body panel 32 by the same fabric that covers the placard body panel. However, the flexible card 35 does not extend as far as the fold line 31, such that the fabric can be easily folded in the area of the fold line. The front side of the placard flap 34 includes an area 37 of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener, which extend across the width (left to right as shown) of the placard flap 34. Also within the area 37 of the placard flap 34 is a pair of snap fastener parts 38. These snap fastener parts 38 are used to align and fasten the placard flap 34 into the pocket 22, as described in greater detail in reference to FIG. 4B. Another helpful feature of the placard 30 is a pull tab 36, which is a helpful element to grab when initially pulling the placard body panel 32 free from a hook-and-loop fastener.

FIG. 2B is a plan view of the back side (first side) of the removable placard 30. The back side of the placard 30 includes an area of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the placard body panel 32 and an area of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the placard flap 34. Although the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener could span the entire back side of the placard 30, leaving a gap along the fold line 35 makes is easier to fold the placard flap 34 relative to the placard body panel 32. The backing members (caps or islets) 39 are just the opposite side of the snap fastener parts 38 (see FIG. 2A) that help secure the snap fastener parts through a hole in the placard flap 34.

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional side view of the placard 30 as seen from line 2C-2C in FIG. 2A. The flexible card 35 is shown in the middle of the placard body panel 32 between two pieces of fabric 40, 41. A first side (shown on the left) of the placard body panel 32 includes an area 42 of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener and a first side (shown on the left) of the placard flap 34 includes an area 44 of the second part of a hook-and-loop fastener. On the opposite (second) side (shown on the right) of the placard 30, the placard body panel 32 supports the Molle straps 33 and the placard flap 34 includes an area 45 of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener. The snap fastener part 38 is secured to the placard 34 in the area 45 with a shaft that extends through the flap to a cap 39 on the opposite side of the flap. In addition, the pull tab 36 is secured to the fabrics 40, 41 at the lower end of the placard 30.

FIG. 2D is a cross-sectional side view of a placard 50 that is similar to the placard 30 of FIG. 2C, except that the first (left) side supports a zippered pouch 52 rather than the Molle straps 33. The zippered pouch 52 may be formed with fabric pieces sewn to the placard body panel 32 near the lower end and the upper end, and including a zipper that extends the width of the placard and is operated with a zipper pull tab 54. Accordingly, the zippered pouch 52 may establish the storage space 56. The placard flap 34 and other aspects of the placard body panel 32 are unchanged from FIG. 2C.

FIGS. 3A-B, FIGS. 4A-B, FIGS. 5A-B, and FIGS. 6A-B illustrate a sequence of operations for securing the placard 30 to the pocket 20 according to one embodiment that does not involve fastening waist straps to the pocket 20. FIGS. 7A-B and FIGS. 8A-B illustrate operations that my be substituted for FIGS. 5A-B and FIGS. 6A-B according to an embodiment that do involve fastening waist straps to the pocket 20. The following sequences of operation are intended to provide a greater understanding of how the placard 30 may be secured to the pocket 20, but the illustrated operations are not to be interpreted as limiting of the physical configurations or operations of the embodiments.

FIGS. 3A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the front garment panel 12 illustrating the pocket 20 secured to an outward-facing side of the garment panel 12 and having an upper edge that is open to receive the placard flap 34. Note that the garment panel 12 has fabric on each side of a soft armor insert 13. In FIG. 3B, the upper half of the second pocket panel 26 has been cut short (for illustration purposes) to show the position of the area 23 and the snap fastener parts 29 on the first pocket panel 24. In a preferred configuration, the snap fastener parts 29, 38 and their caps 39 are aligned laterally (left to right in FIG. 3B) and vertically with respect to the area 44 on the placard flap 34 and the area 23 on the first pocket panel 24. Accordingly, the two snaps fasteners are aligned to selectively securing, the areas 44, 23 will also be aligned (See FIG. 4B).

The pocket 20 is formed by a first pocket panel 24 and a second pocket panel 26 that is sewn to the first pocket panel 24 along a perimeter edge 27 to form a storage space 21. An operative edge 25 of the second pocket panel 26 is selectively securable to the first pocket panel 24 to close the storage space 21. Specifically, the second pocket panel 26 includes an inward-facing area 28 (not shown in FIG. 3B) of a first part (loops) of a hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge 25 (not shown in FIG. 3B). The second pocket panel 26 further includes the outward-facing area 22 of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener. On the opposite side of the pocket 20, the first pocket panel 24 includes an outward-facing area 23 of a second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener that is aligned with the inward-facing area 28 of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge 25 of the second pocket panel 26. A snap fastener part 29 is also attached to the first pocket panel 24 within the area 23.

As shown, the area 28 of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel 26 has been separated or unsecured from the area 23 of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel 26. Accordingly, the pocket 20 is in an open condition. The placard 30 has been inverted so that the placard flap 34 is directed toward the open pocket 20 and the placard flap 34 is further oriented with its area 45 of the second part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener directed inwardly toward the front garment panel 12.

FIGS. 4A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the front garment panel 12 illustrating one side of the placard flap 34 secured in the pocket 20. Specifically, the placard 30 has been lowered into the open end of the pocket 20 and the snap fastener parts 29, 38 have been aligned and fastened. Furthermore, the area 45 of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the placard flap 34 has been pressed against the area 23 of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel 24.

FIGS. 5A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the front garment panel 12 illustrating both sides of the placard flap 34 secured in the pocket 20. In addition to the selective securing of the area 45 and the area 23, the area 28 of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener has now bee pressed against the area 44 of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard flap 34. As a result, the placard flap 34 is “sandwiched” between the first and second parts of the hook-and-loop fasteners of the pocket 20. This makes a very stable and secure connection. In FIG. 5B, the upper portion of the second pocket panel 26 (which was cut short in FIGS. 3A-4B to show the area 23 and the snap fastener parts 29) is now shown.

The fold line 31 is just above the operative edge 25 of the second pocket panel 26 and the entire placard body panel 32 extends upward from the fold line 31. The arced arrow 47 illustrates how the placard body panel 32 will be folded about the fold line 31 to achieve the position shown in FIG. 6A-B. Notice that the area 42 of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard body panel 32 is positioned to be selectively secured to the area 22 of the first part (loops) of the forward-facing hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel 26 when folded about the fold line 31. It should be appreciated that the alignment of the snaps causes alignment of the flap with the pocket which, in turn, aligns the area 42 of the placard body panel 32 with the area 22 of the second pocket panel 26.

FIGS. 6A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the front garment panel 12 illustrating both sides of the placard flap 34 secured in the pocket 20 and the placard body panel 32 secured to the front of the pocket 20. Specifically, the area 42 of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first placard body panel 32 are now selectively secured to the area 22 of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel 26.

The condition of the placard 30 as shown in FIGS. 6A-B is a fully secured condition according to some embodiments. However, for embodiments consistent with FIGS. 1A-D, the distal ends 19 of the waist straps 18 may also be secured as more fully shown in FIGS. 7A-8B.

FIGS. 7A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the front garment panel 12 illustrating the placard 30 in the same condition shown in FIG. 5A and the distal ends 19 of the waist straps 18 secured to the front of the pocket 20. Specifically, the distal ends 19 of the waist straps 18 have an inward-facing area 60 of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on distal end 19 that is selectively secured with the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel 26. Now that the distal ends 19 are secured in this manner, the placard body panel 32 will be folded about the fold line 31 as illustrated by the arced arrow 47 illustrates how to achieve the position shown in FIG. 8A-B.

FIGS. 8A-B include a cross-sectional side view and a front view of the front garment panel 12 illustrating both sides of the placard flap 34 secured in the pocket 20, the distal ends 19 of the waist straps secured to the front of the pocket 20, and the placard body panel 32 secured to the front of the distal ends 19 and perhaps also the area 22 of the second pocket panel 26.

Specifically, the area 42 of the second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the placard body panel 32 are now selectively secured to the area 22 of the first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel 26. Accordingly, the distal ends 19 are “sandwiched” between the area 22 of first part (loops) of the hook-and-loop fastener of the pocket panel 26 and the area 42 of second part (hooks) of the hook-and-loop fastener on the placard body panel 32.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an elastic strap weave 70 that may be used to organize items stored in the pocket 20. For example, the elastic strap weave 70 may be sewn into the pocket 20, such as the first pocket panel 24.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of the construction and use of the first and second parts of a hook-and-loop fastener. A fabric piece 80 has an operative side 82 with a plurality of hooks 84 formed across the fabric piece. Conversely, a fabric piece 90 has an operative side 92 with fiber loops 94 attached to the fabric piece. When the operative side 82 with hooks 84 is pressed against the operative side 92 with loops 94, the two fabric pieces 80, 90 are selectively secured together as shown at 96 on the right hand side of FIG. 10. Of course, the two fabric pieces 80, 90 may be separated by manually pulling or peeling the two fabric pieces 80, 90 apart to overcome a holding force of the collection of hooks 84 and loops 94. Peeling one fabric from the other allows a person to apply a smaller force since a smaller number of hooks and loops are being separated at any particular instant.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The terms “preferably,” “preferred,” “prefer,” “optionally,” “may,” and similar terms are used to indicate that an item, condition or step being referred to is an optional (not required) feature of the embodiment.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or steps plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but it is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure. The disclosed embodiments were chosen and described as non-limiting examples to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand these embodiments and other embodiments involving modifications suited to a particular implementation.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a wearable garment having a garment panel that covers an area of a person's body;
a pocket secured to an outward-facing side of the garment panel, wherein the pocket is formed by a first pocket panel and a second pocket panel, wherein the second pocket panel has a perimeter edge that is permanently attached to the first pocket panel to form a storage space and an operative edge that is selectively securable to the first pocket panel to close the storage space, wherein the second pocket panel includes an inward-facing area of a first part of a hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge and an outward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener, and wherein the first pocket panel includes an outward-facing area of a second part of the hook-and-loop fastener that is aligned with the inward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel; and
a removable placard having a placard body panel and a placard flap extending from an edge of the placard body panel, wherein the placard body panel and the placard flap have a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the placard body panel and a first side of the placard flap each include an area of the second part of a hook-and-loop fastener, and wherein the second side of the placard flap includes an area of the first part of a hook-and-loop fastener;
wherein the placard flap is positionable inside the pocket between the operative edge of the second pocket panel and the first pocket panel such that the area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap is selectively securable to the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel, the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard flap is selectively securable to the inward-facing area of the first part of the hook-an-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel, and the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard body panel is selectively securable to the outward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel includes a pair of first snap fastener parts, and wherein the area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap includes a pair of second snap fastener parts, wherein the placard flap is positionable to align and fasten the pair of second snap fastener parts on the second side of the placard flap with the pair of first snap fastener parts on the first pocket panel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the pair of first snap fastener parts are positioned within the outward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel and the pair of second snap fastener parts are positioned within the area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap such that aligning and fastening the pair of second snap fastener parts on the second side of the placard flap with the pair of first snap fastener parts on the first pocket panel causes alignment of the placard body panel with the pocket.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel is selectively securable to the outward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel when the placard flap of the removable placard is not positioned inside the pocket between the operative edge of the second pocket panel and the first pocket panel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the wearable garment further including a pair of waist straps, each waist strap having a distal inward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener that is selectively securable to the outward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second pocket panel and a distal outward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener that is selectively securable to the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard body panel.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inward-facing area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener along the operative edge of the second pocket panel extends substantially across a width of the pocket, and wherein the outward-facing area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first pocket panel extends substantially across the width of the pocket.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the area of the first part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the second side of the placard flap extends substantially across a width of the placard flap, and wherein the area of the second part of the hook-and-loop fastener on the first side of the placard flap extends substantially across the width of the placard flap.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the placard body panel includes a flexible card that gives shape to the placard body panel.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the placard body panel is substantially rectangular.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the placard flap has a width that is less than a width of the placard body panel and less than a width of the pocket.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the placard flap has a width that tapers with distance away from the placard body panel.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pocket is formed by a first pocket panel and a second pocket panel having a perimeter edge that is permanently connected to the first pocket panel and a fourth edge that is selectively securable to the first pocket panel to enclose a storage space within the pocket.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second side of the placard body panel includes Molle straps.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second side of the placard body panel secures a pouch.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pocket is oriented on the protective garment so that the operative edge of the second pocket panel is directed upward when the garment is worn by a person.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the garment panel is a front panel of the wearable garment, and wherein the pocket is positioned over the person's abdomen when the garment is being worn by the person.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first part of a hook-and-loop fastener is a patch of loops, and wherein the second part of a hook-and-loop fastener is a patch of hooks.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wearable garment has a front panel, a back panel, shoulder straps connecting the front and back panels, and side straps connecting the front and back panels.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wearable garment is a vest.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the garment panel includes soft armor.

Patent History
Publication number: 20250231010
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 13, 2024
Publication Date: Jul 17, 2025
Inventor: Devin Michael Strong (Houston, TX)
Application Number: 18/412,478
Classifications
International Classification: F41H 1/02 (20060101); A41D 13/05 (20060101);