Patent Grant
10976137
This disclosure relates to protective ballistic garments. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a protective ballistic vest that is adjustable.
Protective, or ballistic vests are typically provided with front and back panels for providing ballistic protection to a torso of a user. Protective vests are conventionally concealed beneath the user's uniform or worn over top of the user's uniform, but present a separate article of clothing from the user's uniform. In the field, it is imperative that a ballistic vest be easy for a user to put on and adjust.
An adjustable ballistic garment includes a first panel, an opposing second panel, and a connection assembly configured to releasably and adjustably couple the first panel to the second panel. The first panel has a first end of a strap attached thereto, while a second end of the strap is free-hanging. The second panel includes an adjustable tensioning loop and a rotary tensioning knob configured to adjust a length of the tensioning loop. A first coupling member is attached to a second end of the strap and includes a pin extending therefrom. A second coupling member is formed separately from the tensioning loop and the first coupling member and includes a cavity configured to receive the pin of the first coupling member and channel configured to receive the tensioning loop.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
With reference to the figures, a ballistic vest 10 includes a front panel 12 and an opposing back panel 14. The panels 12, 14 may be formed one or more protective materials, as are known in the art, and may include means, e.g., a slot, opening, etc., to receive a protective material, such as a plate, panel, etc. The front panel 12 may be joined to the back panel 14 by a pair of adjustable shoulder straps 16. In some examples, the shoulder straps 16 may be fixed to a first one of the panels 12, 14, and include an adjustable fastener 17 (e.g., hook and loop, buttons, snaps, magnets) for removably coupling with the second one of the panels 12, 14. Accordingly, the front panel 12 and the back panel 14 may be selectively separable.
With reference to
Each connection assembly 18 interfaces with a tensioner 20 disposed on the front panel 12. The tensioner 20 includes a pair of tensioning loops 22 defined by elongate cords connected to a rotary tension knob 24. The tensioning loops 22 are formed of a high-strength cord having at least one end 23a, 23b coupled to the rotary tensioning knob 24. Accordingly, an effective length of the tensioning loop 22 (i.e., a length of the tensioning loop 22 from the first end 23a to the second end 23b) is adjustable by rotating the rotary tension knob 24, as illustrated in
In some examples, opposite ends 23a, 23b of the tensioning loops 22 are both coupled to the rotary tensioning knob 24. Accordingly, the effective length of the tensioning loop 22 is adjustable at both ends 23a, 23b. In other examples, a first one of the ends 23a, 23b of the tensioning loop 22 may be fixed with respect to the front panel 12, while the other end 23a, 23b is coupled to the rotary tension knob 24. Here, the effective length of the tensioning loop 22 is adjustable at one of the outlet 26 or the inlet 28.
In the illustrated example, the tensioning loops 22 are associated with opposite sides of the vest 10 from each other, whereby a first one of the tensioning loops 22 corresponds to the first side of the vest 10 and the second one of the tensioning loops corresponds to the second side of the vest 10. Each tensioning loop 22 extends from a first outlet 26 to a first inlet 28 formed in the front panel 12. The first outlet 26 and the first inlet 28 may be spaced apart and aligned with each other along a substantially vertical direction (i.e. direction associated with a height of a user). A distance between a center of the outlet 26 and a center of the inlet 28 defines a height H1 of the tensioning loop 22.
Referring to
Each of the connection assemblies 18 includes a first coupling member 32 and a second coupling member 34 configured to provide an interface between the free-hanging tensioning loop 22 and the second end 31b of the strap 30, whereby a tension of the strap 30 can be adjusted by extending or retracting the loop 22 (i.e., changing the effective length of the tensioning loop 22) using the rotary tension knob 24. As shown in
With reference to
In the illustrated example, the first coupling member 32 includes two pins 36 spaced apart from each other in a first direction by a first distance D1. Each pin 36 includes a first end 37a attached to the base 35, and a distal second end 37b disposed at an opposite end from the first end 37a. A peripheral surface 38 extends between the first end 37a and the second end 37b, and defines an outer peripheral of the pin 36. As shown, the peripheral surface 38 may define a groove 39 extending around the periphery of the pin 36, about a central axis A36 of the pin. Particularly, a width W38 of the pin 36 at the peripheral surface 38 may be less than the width W37 of the pin 36 at the first end 37a or second end 37b.
As shown in
With reference to
The inner peripheral surface 43 defines a substantially cylindrical cavity 46 extending entirely through the thickness of the clip 40 . . . . As shown in
With continued reference to
With reference to
As discussed above, the clips 40 of the second coupling member 34 may be attached to the base 52. In one example, the base 52 is formed of a resilient material, such as leather or rubber, and first sides 42a of the clips 40 are joined to the base 52. Alternatively, the clips 40 and the base 52 may be integrally formed of a rigid or semi-rigid material, such as a plastic, metal, composite, or combination thereof. The base 52 may include a handle portion 54, which is configured to be grasped by a user to position or adjust the second coupling member 34. As shown, the clips 40 are disposed adjacent to an inner first edge 53a of the base 52, while the handle portion 54 is formed along an outer second edge 53b of the base 52, on an opposite side of the base 52 from the first edge 53a.
With reference to
Once the vest 10 is positioned on the user, the user or an assistant may couple each tensioning loop 22 to respective ones of the second coupling members 34 by inserting respective portions of the cord of the tensioning loop 22 into the channels 48 of the clips 40, as shown in
With the second coupling member 34 secured to the tensioning loop 22, the user may couple the second coupling member 34 to the first coupling member 32, as shown in
Because the tensioning loops 22 are secured within the respective channels 48 of the clips 40, the tensioning loops 22 remain engaged with the second coupling members 34, even when the tensioning loops 22 are in a slacked state, as shown in
Once the second coupling members 34 are engaged with (i.e., coupled to) the first coupling members 32, the user may adjust the tension of the tensioning loops 22 by rotating the rotary tension knob 24, as indicated by the directional arrow RT shown in
To remove the vest 10, the user may release the tension on the tensioning loop 22 by disengaging the rotary tension knob 24. With the tension released in the tensioning loop 22, the user may disengage the second coupling member 34 from the first coupling member 32 by pulling on the handle portion 54 of the second coupling member 34, thereby allowing the second end 31b of the strap 30 to fall free, and for the vest 10 to be removed.
The operation of the vest may be done to quickly, and easily adjust (i.e., increase or decrease), the girth of the vest to correspond to, for example, a circumference of a user's abdomen. Adjustment of the girth of the vest may be done for a variety of reasons, such as, for example, to accommodate users of different size, weight, etc.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
This U.S. patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional application 62/620,250 filed on Jan. 22, 2018 the disclosure of which is considered part of the disclosure of this application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190226811 A1 | Jul 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62620250 | Jan 2018 | US |
