Patent Grant
8474673
Not applicable.
The field of this disclosure is that of article carriers supported by an animate bearer, such as a human being.
Human beings have long carried articles by attaching them to belts worn around the waist or hips. Such objects have included canteens, weapons, food carriers, and the like. In modern times, for example, photographers may carry cameras, lens systems such as telephoto lens systems, and other photographic gear in pouches or carriers suspended from a belt worn about the waist or hips.
An article to be carried by a belt may be permanently or releaseably attached to a definite position on the belt. Alternatively, the article may be attached to the belt by a sleeve or the like so that the article may be moved along the belt as needed in order to access the article or to wear it in the most comfortable position.
A belt carrier system that provides for both types of attachment at the choice of the wearer is needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,933 to Rogers, entitled “Track Member System” discloses a system for carrying containers suspended from a track member which may be attached to a body encircling belt or attached to clothing which includes a pair of protruding tracks substantially parallel and from which the containers for holding articles are suspended by clips on the containers which are attachable to the tracks anywhere along the lengths thereof or positionable lengthwise on the tracks by sliding thereon at tapered ends of the tracks. This system includes a clamp in the form of a planar wedge for locking the container in place on the tracks to prevent the container from sliding along the tracks to an undesired position and inhibiting forceful unintended removal of the clip and container from the tracks without removal of the clamp.
The track member system of Rogers is complicated and expensive to make because its construction requires the provision of two parallel and protruding members and a rigid clip attached to a carrier that is specifically shaped to receive the parallel members and thereby hold the carrier on the belt. The security of the attachment of the clip to the carrier depends on how well the clip encloses the members so that failure of that enclosure will cause detachment of the carrier from the belt. In addition, the planar wedge clamp is complicated and requires the provision of additional components.
One of the inventors of the present invention, Douglas H. Murdoch, has previously filed provisional application No. U.S. 60/611,655 for a “Carrier System” (Patent Coordination Treaty application PCT/US2005/34036 filed on Sep. 20, 2005 and published as WO 2006/034421 claims priority from this provisional application) directed to, generally, a system comprising an elongated planar member or belt to be worn by an animate bearer such as a human being having an outside surface facing away from the bearer's body and an inside surface facing toward the body of the bearer, at least one loop or pocket attached to the outside surface of the belt, and at least one carrier for an object comprising a sleeve having a first end attached to a body of the carrier and a second end detachably attached to the body of the carrier, the first end and the second end of the sleeve being spaced apart at their respective places of attachment to the body of the carrier so that the second end of the sleeve can be folded over the belt and attached to the body of the carrier, and further comprising a tab of stiff material having a first end attached to the carrier at or near the junction of the first end of the sleeve to the carrier and a second end remaining unattached, the tab having an axis generally aligned with the sleeve, the second end of the tab being capable of being inserted through one of the loops of the belt when the sleeve is folded over the belt for attachment of the carrier to the belt and thereby fixing the carrier with respect to the belt so that the carrier substantially may not be slid along the belt whereas if the tab is not inserted into a loop when the sleeve is folded over the belt the carrier is not substantially fixed with respect to the belt and therefore may be slid along the belt. (The disclosures of provisional application no. U.S. 60/611,655 and PCT application PCT/US2005/34036 published as WO 2006/034421 are incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein to the full extent permitted by treaty, law, and regulation.) In this configuration the sleeve is generally placed between the belt and the body of the wearer. This may require the wearer to either loosen the belt or suck in her breath in order to remove the sleeve from the belt or to slide the carrier with respect to the belt.
What is needed for is an improved carrier system that provides for attaching articles to a belt that provides for the articles to be releaseably attached at a fixed position on the belt or, in the alternative, to be in a slideable relation to the belt.
The present disclosure provides, in one aspect, a carrier system comprising a belt comprising an elongated member to be worn by an animate bearer such as a human being and having an outside surface facing away from the bearer's body and an inside surface facing toward the body of the bearer, and a substantially planar rail supported by and spaced from the elongated member. In various embodiments, the rail may be attached to the outer surface of the member and spaced from the outer surface of the member at points where the rail is not attached to the member. The rail may have two spaced apart ends and at least one end is attached to the outer surface of the elongated member. The rail may have a center and the center of the rail may be attached to the outer surface of the elongated member. The elongated member may comprise a substantially planar stiffener. The rail may have two spaced apart ends and each of the ends may be attached to the outer surface of the elongated member and a center of the rail may be attached to a center of the elongated member so that the rail has right and left portions spaced from the outer surface of the elongated member. The rail may be shaped like a “V” with a generally obtuse angle and may be concave upwards when mounted on the outer surface of the elongated member. The rail may be attached at a center of the rail to a center of the elongated member so that the rail has right and left portions spaced from the outer surface of the elongated member and the right and left portions are joined at the generally obtuse angle. The elongated member may have two spaced-apart ends and the belt further comprises a buckle for joining the two ends. The carrier system may further comprise at least one carrier for an article, the carrier comprising a body and a sleeve connected to the body of the carrier for detachably securing the carrier to the rail. The sleeve may further comprise a first end attached to the body of the carrier and a second end with means for detachable attachment to the body of the carrier, the first end and the second end of the sleeve being spaced apart at their respective places of attachment to the body of the carrier so that the second end of the sleeve can be folded over the rail and attached to the body of the carrier. The carrier may further comprise a tab made of stiff material having a first end attached to the body of the carrier at or near the junction of the first end of the sleeve to the body of the carrier and a second end remaining unattached, the tab having an axis generally aligned with the sleeve, wherein the second end of the tab is adapted to be capable of being inserted through a loop attached to the rail when the sleeve is folded over the rail for attachment of the carrier to the rail and thereby fixing the carrier with respect to the rail so that the carrier substantially may not be slid along the rail whereas if the tab is not inserted into the loop when the sleeve is folded over the rail the carrier is not substantially fixed with respect to the rail and may be slid along the rail. The tab may be long enough that the second end of the tab is adjacent the means of detachable attachment of the second end of the sleeve when the carrier for articles is supported by the rail.
Without limitation, it is an object and advantage of the present invention to provide to provide an improved system for carrying equipment on the wearer.
Another object and advantage is to provide a system for carrying equipment on the wearer that will positively attach the equipment to a member supported by the wearer so that the equipment will not become accidentally detached.
Another object and advantage is to provide an improved system that will positively attach equipment to the wearer that will permit the equipment to be moved with respect to the member worn by the wearer while the equipment is supported by that member but alternatively, at the option of the wearer, to permit the equipment to be carried in a fixed relationship to the member.
Another object and advantage is to provide a system for carrying equipment on a wearer that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
Referring now to the drawings, an animate bearer (in this case a person) 2 wearing about his waist a preferred embodiment of a carrier system according to the invention 1 is shown in
The belt 10 comprises a body contacting portion 20 of the belt in the form of an elongated planar member having an outside surface 26 of the body-contacting portion of the belt 20 that faces away from the bearer's body and an inside surface 28 of the body-contacting portion 20 of the belt 10 (not shown in
The belt 10 is shown in cross-section in
A stiffener 21, preferably made of PE (polyethylene) board that can be sewn through, for the body-contacting portion 20 of the belt 10, is attached lengthwise to the outside surface 26 of the body-contacting portion 20 by the fabric cover and keeper 29 that is sewn to the fabric tube 22 and the foam padding 23 at the upper and lower transverse stitch lines 25A and 25B. The stitching of the stitch lines 25A and 25B penetrates transversely through the fabric tube 22 and the foam padding 23 and extends lengthwise to the body-contacting portion 20.
The stitch lines 25A and 25B therefore not only secure the stiffener 21 to the fabric tube 22 and the foam padding 23 but also secure the foam padding 23 with respect to the fabric tube 22. The stiffener 21 is flexible when a sideways torque is applied (the torque vector is generally parallel to the plane of the stiffener 21) but resists bending due to vertical torques (the torque vector is generally perpendicular to the plane of the stiffener 21). The stiffener 21 will tend to prevent the belt 10 from sagging when it is worn around the waist of the user 21 and a load in the form of a carrier 50 is applied to the belt 10 as described below.
The opposing ends of the fabric tube 22 are sewn at the X-box stitch connections 39 to first and second webbings 14 and 15 (as well as to the rail 30).
The body-contacting portion 20 of the belt 10 is secured around the body of the person 2 by a buckle 12. The buckle 12 shown in
The belt 10 shown in the drawings has two D-rings 16 and a rectangular ring 17 sewn by loops of webbing to the top edge of its body-contacting portion 20. This hardware is provided for optional attachment to a harness (not shown) in order for the shoulders of the person 2 to take part of the weight of the belt 10 and any attached carriers 50.
The body-contacting portion 20 of the belt 10 could be made without the foam padding 23 or could be made of leather or other materials known to the art to which this invention pertains.
The belt 10 is provided with a rail 30 for the purpose of bearing carriers for objects such as the carrier 50 shown in the drawings of this specification. The substantially planar rail 30 is disposed on and parallel to the outside surface 26 of the body-contacting portion 20 of the belt 10. It comprises a PE board stiffener 36 that can be sewn through secured within a fabric tube 32 by a stitch line 34.
The fabric tube 32 and the PE board stiffener 36 are sewn at opposing ends to the body-contacting portion 20 of the belt 10 by the X-box stitch connections 39. In addition, the fabric tube 32 and the PE board stiffener 36 are sewn at their centers to the body-contacting portion 20 of the belt 10 by the center box stitch connection 38.
The stiffener 36 is substantially planar and is flexible to bending due to a sideways torque (the torque vector is generally parallel to the plane of the stiffener 36) but resists bending due to vertical torques (the torque vector is generally perpendicular to the plane of the stiffener 36). The stiffener 36 will tend to prevent the rail 30 from sagging when it is supporting a load in the form of a carrier 50 that is applied to the belt 10 as described below. The rail 30 preferably has a slight curved “V” shape, concave upwards, as is best seen in
It will be understood that the rail may have one, two or more portions that are spaced from and not attached to the body-contacting portion 20 of the belt 10, although two such portions of the rail is preferred as shown in the drawings and described herein.
The webbing 40 is sewn by the regularly spaced bar tacks 42 to the outside surface of the rail 30. The spacing of the bar tacks 42 causes the webbing 40 to form loops (or bottomless pockets) 44 spaced along and above the rail 30. Webbing made of nylon or polyester is preferred for webbing 40.
At least one or more loops 44 must be provided on the rail 30 for cooperation with the tab 70 attached to the carrier for articles 50 (see
The carrier for articles 50 comprises a body 54 and a sleeve 60. The carrier for articles 50 shown in the drawings is a pouch of a known kind in the photography field having an interior main compartment (not shown) with a top opening secured by a zipper 52. The carrier 50 shown in the drawings is designed to hold photographic articles such as a lens system and the like. The specific structure and form of the body of the carrier for articles 50 is not important to the invention. All that is necessary is that the carrier for articles 50 be suitable for carrying an article or articles that a wearer may wish to carry. The system of the invention could be used with virtually any carrier for articles, such as a holster for a handgun or a canteen.
The carrier for articles 50 is provided with a sleeve 60 made of fabric. The sleeve 60 has a first end 62 sewn or otherwise attached to the carrier for articles 50, as is best seen in
In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the means for attaching the second end 64 of the sleeve 60 to the carrier for articles 50 is by provision of mating hook and loop strips 66 and 68 sewn onto the carrier for articles 50 and onto the sleeve 60 adjacent the second end 64, respectively. Although hook and loop strips are preferred, other means of detachable connection such as snaps and the like are suitable for use in this invention.
The means of attachment of the second end 64 of the sleeve 60 to the body 54 of the carrier for articles 50 is illustrated best in
The specific structure and materials of the sleeve 60 is not important as long as the sleeve 60 can be detachably secured at one of its ends to the carrier 50.
As may be seen in
The tab 70 lies between the carrier for articles 50 and the sleeve 60 when the second end 64 of the sleeve 60 is attached by the mating hook and loop strips 66 and 68 to the carrier for articles 50 and thus will not be observed when the carrier for articles 50 is in that condition as shown in
The first end 72 of the tab 70 is broadened in the form of the cross-bar of a “T” to provide a broader space for sewing in the attachment of that end to the carrier for articles 50. This will help prevent rotation of the second end 74 of the tab 70 from side to side along the plane of the tab 70 and will anchor the tab 70 more securely to the carrier 50 because of the greater length of the stitch line.
The second end 74 of the tab 70 is rounded to facilitate insertion of the second end 74 through one of the loops 44 as shown in
Preferably the tab 70 is long enough that the second end 74 will be in contact with the hook and loop strips 66 and 68 when the second end 64 of the sleeve 60 is attached to the body 54 of the carrier for articles 35 but will not extend below or beyond the sleeve 60. This positioning and length of the tab 70 is indicated in
The carrier for articles 50 may be attached to the belt 10 in one or another of two modes.
The other or second mode of attachment is shown in
An aspect of the invention disclosed herein comprises a system for carrying articles from a belt worn on the body of a person or other animate bearer. The system may comprise a belt or elongated member with a substantially planar rail borne on the outside surface of the belt and a carrier for articles attached to the rail by a sleeve sewn to the body of the carrier. The carrier may be free to slide along the rail or may be secured at least temporarily to the rail. The carrier thereby can be moved along the rail when worn on the belt so that the bearer can place the carrier in a more comfortable or useful position with respect to the body of the bearer and secure it in that position at least temporarily.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to this embodiment. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
This application is a continuation application of U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/095,997, which was a 35 U.S.C. §371 national-phase filing of international application PCT/US2006/061357 filed on Nov. 29, 2006, and which is expected to issue on Sep. 6, 2011 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,011,545. International application PCT/US2006/061357 claimed priority from and the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/742,294, filed on Dec. 5, 2005 for a “Carrier System,” by Douglas Harland Murdoch and Michael Sturm, and assigned to Think Tank Photo, Inc., the disclosure of which applications are incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein to the full extent permitted by treaty, law, and regulation.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4676419 | Victor | Jun 1987 | A |
| 4747527 | Trumpower, II | May 1988 | A |
| 5470000 | Munoz | Nov 1995 | A |
| 5724707 | Kirk et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
| 6431424 | Smith | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| 7770770 | Murdoch et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
| 8011545 | Murdoch et al. | Sep 2011 | B2 |
| 20030000986 | Smith | Jan 2003 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20120074192 A1 | Mar 2012 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60742294 | Dec 2005 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12095997 | US | |
| Child | 13225545 | US |
