Patent Application
20180180387
The invention disclosed herein relates in general to body armor. More particularly, disclosed herein are articles of body armor providing combined ballistic, impact, and stab protection through anterior and posterior hard armor arrays affixed to anterior and posterior panels formed from or retaining attack resistant material, potentially soft attack resistant material. Segments of the hard armor arrays are operative to absorb and dissipate forces applied thereto. The body armor thereby protects the wearer from multiple possible types of attack simultaneously.
Members of the military, law enforcement, corrections officers, and others in potentially hazardous situations are at risk of attack and confrontation from multiple sources. For instance, ballistic impacts can derive from bullets, fragments, and other projectiles. Direct force impacts can be received through, for example, physical attacks from hostile individuals and objects wielded by such individuals. Further impact on the human body can derive from the percussive waves of proximate explosions. Still other threats come from sharp objects, such as knives and other pointed weapons. Indeed, in corrections facilities, most attacks against correction officers are made with various types of blades fashioned by inmates from available objects, but attacks also can derive from kicks, punches, and other bodily impacts and other sources of attack.
The prior art has disclosed numerous materials and designs for body armor designed to mitigate injury from bullet and fragmentary impacts. Indeed, bullet and fragment resistant body armor vests and garments are standard personal protective equipment for military and law enforcement personnel. Body armor for absorbing high kinetic energy projectiles commonly relies on multiple layers of woven aramid material, such as woven para-aramid or meta-aramid synthetic fiber. Such ballistic materials are typically disposed in multiple layers to provide effective protection against common ballistic and fragmentary threats.
Other body armor materials and structures have been disclosed with the specific object of providing stab resistance. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,288,493 to Bhatnagar et al. is directed to body armor with improved knife-stab resistance through the incorporation of flexible composites. There, stab resistance is provided by composites with layers of a fabric base formed from high tenacity fibers and a rubber layer bonded to the fabric base, such as by a thermoplastic bonding layer. Under the teachings of the '493 patent, ballistic resistance can additionally be provided by the incorporation of layers comprising a composite of high tenacity fibers.
Body armor and other protective gear has further been disclosed for insulating persons from harm deriving from impacts related to hand-to-hand combat, from other physical attacks by third parties, potentially those wielding dangerous striking implements, and from other impacts to the human body and of the human body against outside objects and surfaces. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0231985 is directed to a Body Armor Protection System with ballistic and non-ballistic, riot configurations. There, articulating and interleaved segments are deployed in combination with ballistic fabrics and, potentially, highly-contoured pressed foam padding and harness systems to produce body armor that is alleged to be flexible and light while providing protection to the wearer. A further Wearable Body Armor is taught by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0212056 of Sullivan. There, the inventor notes prior art teachings of body armor for stopping bullets and other blunt force objects, but the inventor further recognizes that such armor is commonly ineffective against other threats, such as needles, knives, teeth, glass, and other objects. Sullivan thus developed a wearable body armor suit with body armor components connected by an impact-resistant material.
The prior art has provided innumerable useful advances in body armor material and structure. Nonetheless, having significant experience and achievement in the design and development of body armor, the present inventors have appreciated that there remains an unfulfilled need for members of the military, law enforcement, corrections officers, and others in potentially hazardous situations for body armor providing enhanced, simultaneous protection from plural sources of attack, including ballistic impacts, stabbing attacks, and direct assaults on the person by aggressors or external objects or surfaces, whether by punching, kicking, wielded implements, pushing, falling, or otherwise. Many articles of body armor have sought to confront one or more sources of harm, but body armor providing simultaneous protection against multiple sources of attack while permitting comfort and relative flexibility would nonetheless represent a marked advance in the art.
The present invention is thus founded on the basic object of providing body armor that simultaneously protects wearers from plural different types of attack while retaining comfort and flexibility.
A more particular object of the invention is to provide body armor that provides concomitant protection from ballistic impacts, stabbing attacks, and direct assaults on the person, including by aggressors and external objects and surfaces.
These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious not only to one who reviews the present specification and drawings but also to those who have an opportunity to experience an embodiment of the body armor disclosed herein. It will be appreciated that, although the accomplishment of each of the foregoing objects in a single embodiment of the invention may be possible and indeed preferred, not all embodiments will seek or need to accomplish each and every potential advantage and function. Nonetheless, all such embodiments should be considered within the scope of the present invention.
In carrying forth the objects of the invention, one embodiment of the wearable body armor has an anterior panel of soft body armor with one or more layers of attack resistant material, a posterior panel of soft body armor with one or more layers of attack resistant material, and left and right shoulder sections. Each shoulder section has an anterior portion coupled to the anterior panel and a posterior portion coupled to the posterior panel. A neck opening is bounded anteriorly and posteriorly by upper edges of the anterior and posterior panels and laterally by inner edges of the shoulder sections, and left and right arm openings are bounded by lateral edges of the anterior and posterior panels and outer edges of the shoulder sections. A substantially symmetrically disposed anterior hard armor array is secured exteriorly to the anterior panel, and a substantially symmetrically disposed posterior hard armor array is secured exteriorly to the posterior panel. The anterior hard armor array comprises a plurality of substantially rigid arched armor segments with each arched armor segment having first and second ends secured to the anterior panel and an arched shell portion between the first and second ends spaced from the anterior panel. In a similar manner, the posterior hard armor array has a plurality of substantially rigid arched armor segments, and each arched armor segment has first and second ends secured to the anterior panel and an arched shell portion between the first and second ends spaced from the anterior panel.
The arched armor segments of the anterior hard armor array can be secured to the anterior panel by mechanical fasteners that pass through the first and second ends of each arched armor segment and into the anterior panel. Likewise, each of the arched armor segments of the posterior hard armor array can be secured to the posterior panel by mechanical fasteners that pass through the first and second ends of the arched armor segment and into the posterior panel.
To provide substantially continuous protection to the abdomen, chest, and lower neck areas while permitting flexibility, the arched armor segments of the anterior hard armor array are fixed in series and in immediate juxtaposition substantially centered along a longitudinal centerline of the anterior panel. Similarly, the arched armor segments of the posterior hard armor array are fixed in series and in immediate juxtaposition substantially centered along a longitudinal centerline of the anterior panel to provide substantially continuous protection to the coccyx, spine, and lower posterior neck areas.
Further protection can be provided by including in the posterior hard armor array a substantially rigid lower terminal armor segment secured to the posterior panel in immediate juxtaposition to an adjacent lower arched armor segment of the plurality of arched armor segments. In such constructions, the lower terminal armor segment can have a quarter-spherical body portion that is open to the arched shell portion of the adjacent arched armor segment. In a like manner, the posterior hard armor array can further comprise a substantially rigid upper terminal armor segment that is secured to the posterior panel in immediate juxtaposition to an adjacent upper arched armor segment of the plurality of arched armor segments. There, the upper terminal armor segment can have a quarter-spherical body portion that is open to the arched shell portion of the adjacent upper arched armor segment. With that, the posterior hard armor array can provide closed-ended, substantially continuous protection to the wearer.
Embodiments of the body armor are contemplated wherein the pluralities of arched armor segments of the anterior and posterior hard armor arrays include upper rigid armor segments that have substantially rigid left and right wing portions that extend from the arched shell portion of the upper rigid armor segment toward the left and right shoulder sections respectively. The left and right wing portions can extend diagonally from the arched shell portion of the upper rigid armor segment toward the left and right shoulder sections. Moreover, substantially rigid left and right shoulder armor segments can be secured to overlie the left and right shoulder sections respectively, and the left and right wing portions of the upper rigid armor segment can be secured to the left and right shoulder armor segments respectively.
Still further, to facilitate the capture of sharp objects of attack, plural channels can be disposed in each of the left and right shoulder armor segments. At least some of the plural channels can have longitudinal orientations along lines emanating from the neck opening.
The anterior hard armor array can additionally include left and right substantially rigid oblique armor segments secured to outer portions of the anterior panel. The oblique armor segments can, for instance, be disposed generally diagonally across the anterior panel in relation to a longitudinal of the panel. Similarly, the posterior hard armor array can additionally include left and right substantially rigid kidney armor segments secured to outer portions of the posterior panel. These too can be disposed generally diagonally across the panel in relation to a longitudinal of the panel.
The arched shell portions of at least some of the arched armor segments of the hard armor arrays can have a protuberance, such as an oblong protuberance, that communicates longitudinally along the arched shell portion. Further, the plurality of arched armor segments of the hard armor arrays can each be considered to include an upper rigid armor segment that has an indentation, such as an oblong indentation, that communicates longitudinally along the arched shell portion. The upper and lower terminal armor segments with quarter-spherical body portion can similarly have quarter-hemispherical protuberances. The protuberances again add rigidity and present obstacles to the free travel of sharp objects of attack.
One will appreciate that the foregoing discussion broadly outlines the more important goals and features of the invention to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventor's contribution to the art. Before any particular embodiment or aspect thereof is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of the many possible manifestations of the invention.
In the accompanying drawing figures:
The body armor disclosed herein is subject to a wide variety of embodiments. However, to ensure that one skilled in the art will be able to understand and, in appropriate cases, practice the present invention, certain preferred embodiments of the broader invention revealed herein are described below and shown in the accompanying drawing figures.
Looking more particularly to the drawings, an article of body armor pursuant to the disclosed invention is indicated generally at 10 in
Under this construction, a neck opening is formed that is bounded anteriorly and posteriorly by upper portions of the anterior and posterior panels 12 and 14 and laterally by inner edges of the shoulder sections 16. Left and right arm openings are bounded by lateral edges of the anterior and posterior panels 12 and 14 and by outer edges of the shoulder sections 16.
It will be understood that, although the present embodiment of the body armor 10 is crafted as a body armor vest, other embodiments are possible. For instance, body armor 10 according to the invention could be formed as a full upper body covering for the wearer's torso and arms or otherwise. Each such embodiment should be considered to be within the scope of the invention except as the body armor 10 may be expressly limited by the claims.
Under this construction, the body armor 10 can be applied to a wearer's body as by separating the buckles 18 as illustrated in
As is shown and described herein, each of the anterior and posterior panels 12 and 14 and, potentially, the shoulder portions 16 are configured to retain, potentially in a removable and replaceable manner, layers of ballistic-resistant and, potentially, stab-resistant material. The body armor 10 will ideally provide ballistic protection to at least Ballistic Level IIA and stab protection at least to Spike Blade Level 2 as each is defined by the United States National Institute of Justice. The anterior and posterior panels 12 and 14 and, potentially, the shoulder portions 16 can retain what is commonly referred to as soft body armor, indicated at 90 in
It will be understood that plural different resistant materials and types of materials could be employed in combination for the flexible body armor 90, the encapsulation layer 86, and the shell layer 84 depending on, for instance, the goals to be accomplished by the body armor 10. It would be possible, for instance, to include material primarily designed for ballistic resistance, material designed primarily for stab resistance, material designed for both ballistic and stab resistance, multiple layers of different types of material interleaved, plural layers of one type on top of plural layers of another type, or layers otherwise configured and retained. As used herein, attack resistant material shall be applied to include ballistic resistant material, stab resistant material, material that demonstrates combined ballistic and stab resistance, and combinations of ballistic and stab resistant material of any type that may now exist or hereafter be developed.
Looking further to
As
The anterior and posterior panels 12 and 14 additionally retain symmetrically disposed hard armor arrays that are secured exteriorly to the panels 12 and 14. The anterior hard armor array can be best perceived by reference to
In this embodiment, the securing of the rigid armor segments 20, 22, and 24 is achieved by bolts, rivets, or other mechanical fasteners 32 and 34 that pass through the end portions of the segments 20, 22, and 24 and into, potentially through, the encapsulation layer 86 of the panel 12 as seen in
The upper terminal rigid armor segment 24 also has a central body with first and second ends and an arched shell portion therebetween. However, the upper terminal rigid armor segment 24 further includes wing portions that extend diagonally laterally and upwardly therefrom thereby to extend from the position of the central body of the upper terminal rigid armor segment 24 overlying the upper chest and lower neck of the wearer toward the shoulder sections 16. The wing portions and the central body of the upper terminal rigid armor segment 24 are integrally formed in this embodiment thereby eliminating the possibility for sharp objects of attack piercing into the covered portion of the anterior panel 12 freely.
Substantially rigid shoulder armor segments 26 are disposed to overlie the shoulder portions 16 of the body armor vest 10. The shoulder armor segments 26 correspond in general shape and contour to the shape and contour of the shoulder portions 16 such that each segment 26 spans along an arcuate path to have a first end overlying the anterior panel 12, a second end overlying the posterior panel 14, and a body portion overlying the shoulder portions 16 of the body armor 10. The first end of the shoulder armor segment 26 overlaps the wing portion of the upper terminal armor segment 24, and the second end of the shoulder armor segment 26 overlaps a wing portion of an upper rigid armor segment 52 of the posterior hard armor array as shown, for instance, in
As seen in
The anterior hard armor array further includes left and right oblique rigid armor segments 28 that are secured to outboard portions of the anterior panel 12 to align generally with the oblique muscles of a typical wearer's abdomen. The oblique rigid armor segments 28 are disposed generally diagonally across the anterior panel 12 and are each secured by plural mechanical fasteners 45.
With the rigid armor segments 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 disposed to form the anterior hard armor array so shown and described, protection beyond that already provided by the anterior panel 12 itself is provided from the wearer's lower abdomen, through a central portion of the wearer's chest and sternum, over the wearer's clavicle region, and over the wearer's shoulder regions. Further protection by the anterior hard armor array is provided to the lateral abdominal areas by the oblique rigid armor segments 28.
The posterior hard armor array can be perceived by further reference to
Each of the rigid medial rigid armor segments 50 and the upper rigid armor segment 52 has a body with a rectangular peripheral shape with first and second ends and an arched shell portion spanning therebetween. The medial and upper segments 50 and 52 are secured to the posterior body panel 14 centered longitudinally with the arched shell portions of the segments 50 and 52 spanning across a longitudinal centerline of the panel 14. The arched shell portions are thus spaced from the surface of the body panel 14 in alignment with the wearer's spine.
The lower terminal rigid armor segment 48 and the upper terminal rigid armor segment 78 have quarter spherical body portions. The body portions are open to the medial rigid armor segments 50 and closed to areas above and below the series of rigid armor segments 48, 50, 52, and 78. The lower and upper terminal rigid armor segments 48 and 78 have flanged edges along the closed portions thereof.
Fixation of the rigid armor segments 48, 50, 52, and 78 is achieved by bolts, rivets, or other mechanical fasteners 58, 60, 62, 64 and 66 that pass through the segments 48, 50, 52, and 78 and entirely through, the encapsulation layer 86 of the panel 14 as in
The upper rigid armor segment 52 also has a central body with first and second ends and an arched shell portion therebetween. The upper rigid armor segment 52 further includes wing portions that extend diagonally laterally and upwardly therefrom thereby to extend from the position of the central body of the upper rigid armor segment 52 overlying the upper back and posterior of the lower neck of the wearer toward the shoulder sections 16. The wing portions and the central body of the upper rigid armor segment 52 are integrally formed in this embodiment thereby eliminating the possibility for sharp objects of attack to pierce into the covered portion of the posterior panel 14 freely.
The posterior hard armor array further includes left and right kidney rigid armor segment 56 that are secured to outboard portions of the posterior panel 14 to align generally with the kidney areas of a typical wearer. The kidney rigid armor segments 56 are disposed generally diagonally across the posterior panel 14 and are each secured by plural mechanical fasteners 58.
With the rigid armor segments 48, 50, 52, and 78 disposed to form the posterior hard armor array, protection, beyond that already provided by the posterior panel 14 itself, is provided from the wearer's coccyx, over the length of the spine including the lower neck, and over the posterior portions of the wearer's shoulders. The kidney rigid armor segments 56 provide further protection to the lateral back areas.
The rigid armor segments 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 48, 50, 52, and 78 are formed from a substantially rigid material that preferably demonstrates limited resilient deflection. Possible materials include, without limitation, plastics, carbon fiber resin-based composites, and other substantially rigid materials demonstrating limited deflection under stress. Potential plastic materials include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, and urethane.
The arched portions of the rigid armor segments 20, 22, 24, 50, and 52 and the quarter spherical portions of the rigid armor segments 48 and 78 thus provide resiliently deflectable shells spaced from the surfaces of the anterior and posterior panels 12 and 14 and thus further displaced from the body of the wearer. Direct contact between the arched portions and the underlying panels 12 and 14 is eliminated. Under this construction, a force applied to the arched portions of the rigid armor segments 20, 22, 24, 50, and 52 and the quarter spherical portions of the rigid armor segments 48 and 78, which would otherwise be in line with, for example, the coccyx, spine, sternum, or lower neck of the wearer, will be applied to the end and edge portions of the segments 20, 22, 24, 50, 52, 48, and 78 outboard of those sensitive and high-risk areas. Moreover, the resilience of the arched portions will further absorb and diminish the shock and deleterious effects of impact forces.
Notably, the securing of the ends and edges of the segments 20, 22, 24, 50, 52, 48, and 78 to the respective encapsulation layers 86 of the anterior and posterior panels 12 and 14 with mechanical fasteners 32, 34, 36, 38, 58, 60, 62, 64, and 66 installs the encapsulation layers 86 of the anterior and posterior panels 12 and 14 as integral portions of a resilient structure formed by the arched portions of the rigid armor segments 20, 22, 24, 50, and 52 and the quarter spherical portions of the rigid armor segments 48 and 78 and the panels 12 and 14. The portions of the panels 12 and 14 between the fasteners 32, 34, 36, 38, 58, 60, 62, 64, and 66 act as bridges to contribute to the resilient, shock-absorbing effect of the segments 20, 22, 24, 50, 52, 48, and 78.
The several rigid armor segments 20, 22, 24, 26, 48, 50, 52, and 78 also have rigidifying and sharp catching formations build therein. More particularly, the arched portions of rigid armor segments 20, 22, and 50 have oblong protuberances 70 therealong that serve to rigidify the segments 20, 22, and 50 and to deflect and present obstacles to the smooth travel of bladed and other tools of attack. In a similar manner, the quarter hemispherical portions of the lower terminal rigid armor segment 48 and the upper terminal rigid armor segment 78 of the posterior hard armor array have quarter-hemispherical protuberances 68 and 80 thereon that tend to stiffen the segments 48 and 78 and to deflect and present obstacles to sharp tools of attack. The arched portions of the upper terminal rigid armor segment 24 and the upper rigid armor segment 52 have oblong indentations formed therein that rigidify the segments 24 and 52 but that have a greater tendency to catch bladed objects rather than to deflect the same in the sensitive areas of the neck of the wearer.
Moreover, the wing portions of the upper terminal rigid armor segment 24 and the upper rigid armor segment 52 have slots or channels 44 and 72 respectively formed therein. The channels 44 and 72 provide further capacity to catch sharp tools of attack to prevent the same from reaching the neck and soft underarm areas of the wearer. The channels 44 and 72 are generally longitudinally aligned with lines pointing toward the neck opening of the body armor 10. Similarly, the shoulder rigid armor segments 26 have anterior slots or channels 46 formed therein and posterior slots or channels 74 formed therein that communicate transversely to the shoulder rigid armor segments 26 and, accordingly, in general longitudinal alignment with lines pointing toward the neck opening of the body armor 10. Sharp objects of attack otherwise traveling toward the neck of the wearer can thus be caught and stopped upon entering one of the channels 44, 46, 72 or 74.
The oblique rigid armor segments 28 and the kidney rigid armor segments 56 additionally have slots or channels 42 and 76 respectively formed therein. The channels 42 and 76 are disposed generally orthogonal to a longitudinal centerline of the body armor 10. Under this configuration, sharp objects of attack entering the channels 42 or 76 and otherwise travelling toward or away from the center of the wearer's body, such as toward the wearer's medial or lateral abdomen, will tend to be caught and stopped.
With certain details and embodiments of the present invention for body armor disclosed, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that numerous changes and additions could be made thereto without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention. This is particularly true when one bears in mind that the presently preferred embodiments merely exemplify the broader invention revealed herein. Accordingly, it will be clear that those with major features of the invention in mind could craft embodiments that incorporate those major features while not incorporating all of the features included in the preferred embodiments.
Therefore, the following claims shall define the scope of protection to be afforded to the inventor. Those claims shall be deemed to include equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention. It must be further noted that a plurality of the following claims may express certain elements as means for performing a specific function, at times without the recital of structure or material. As the law demands, any such claims shall be construed to cover not only the corresponding structure and material expressly described in this specification but also all equivalents thereof.
