BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention relate to holsters. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to holsters that are worn between a wearer's body and the wearer's clothing, sometimes referred to as “inside-the-waistband (IWB) tuckable holsters”.
IWB tuckable holsters are often worn by law enforcers and civilians for concealing and carrying handheld weapons and other objects. However, existing holsters are limited in the ways they can be attached to the wearer's clothing. This restricts where the wearer can conceal a weapon in relation to his torso. The angle and the height at which the weapon is holstered is also restricted, which prevents the wearer from concealing the weapon in an optimal position and orientation according to his stature, arm reach, etc.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the present invention solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a distinct advance in the art of holsters.
One embodiment of the invention is a holster for holding an object in a left handed, a right handed, a straight draw, and/or a cross draw arrangement in a first orientation or a second orientation. The holster broadly includes a band, a first clip, a second clip, a first connector, a second connector, and a strap. The band has a cavity for inserting at least a portion of a weapon therein and a first and a second set of holes spaced from each other for attaching the clips to the band. The first clip has a third set of holes and the second clip has a fourth set of holes that are selectively alignable with the holes of the band. The first and second connectors connect the clips to the band through the aligned holes. When connected to the band, the clips each form a space with the band for tucking a shirt therein. By connecting the first and the second clips to the band via different holes, the holster may be vertically and angularly adjusted. The strap secures the weapon in the cavity and is selectively shiftable to an unsecured configuration for removing the weapon from the cavity. The clips and the strap may be reversed to face an opposite direction in relation to the band for shifting the holster between the first and second orientations.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a wearer donning an IWB holster holding a weapon, the holster and the weapon being concealed (represented by dashed lines) behind the wearer's shirt and pants in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the holster in FIG. 1 showing the clips in relation to the band when the holster is donned and adjusted according to the wearer's preferences;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a first side of the holster of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a second side of the holster of FIG. 1 opposite the first side;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a clip of the holster of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 6 is a top view of the holster of FIG. 1 showing a cavity for holding the weapon therein and a liner disposed in the cavity for retaining a shape of the cavity.
The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.
Turning to the figures, and particularly FIGS. 1-5, a holster 10 for holding a weapon 12 such as a gun in a left handed, a right handed, a straight draw, and/or a cross draw arrangement in a first orientation or a second orientation is shown. It will be understood that the holster 10 may also hold a knife, a taser, a baton, a chemical sprayer, a flashlight, a communication device, or any other weapon or object. The holster 10 is worn between the torso of the wearer 14 and the wearer's waistband 16 for concealing the weapon 12 therein, as shown in FIG. 1. The holster 10 may be worn in a first orientation or a second orientation mirroring the first orientation in almost any position around the wearer's waist, such as on the left hip, the right hip, near the appendix, and behind the back, and can be worn with the weapon 12 oriented for a left handed draw or a right handed draw. The holster 10 can also be positioned for a standard draw or a cross draw wherein the wearer 14 reaches across his body to draw the weapon 12. The holster 10 is vertically and angularly adjustable for providing a comfortable fit and easy access to the weapon 12 by the wearer 14 while preventing other people from easily removing the weapon 12, as described below. The holster 10 mounts onto the wearer's waistband 16 while allowing the wearer to tuck his shirt 18 between the holster 10 and the waistband 16.
The holster 10 broadly includes a band 20, a first clip 22, a second clip 24, a first connector 26, a second connector 28, and a strap 30, each of which are described in more detail below.
The band 20 is provided for conforming to the torso of the wearer 14 and giving structure to the holster 10 and is inserted between the torso of the wearer 14 and the waistband 16, as shown in FIG. 2. The band 20 may be formed of a flexible fabric or other material such as cotton, wool, polyester, plastic, rubber, nylon, or combination of materials. The band 20 may include multiple layers of material for forming a cavity (described below) or for increasing the resilience thereof. The band 20 is configured to be bent, curved, or folded to fit to the contours of the wearer's torso. The band 20 may also be inverted (e.g., bent backwards) so that the weapon 12 can be carried on an opposite side of the torso or so that the weapon 12 can be oriented in an opposite direction. The band 20 may have an outer edge 32 shaped to have straight portions and corners, such as a rectangle, curves such as a circle, a plurality of convex and concave curved sections, curved sections having varying degrees of curvature, such as an oval, or a combination of these features. The band 20 may be reinforced with wire, plastic, cardboard, or other resilient material for providing rigidity. For example, a wire member 34 may be sewn into the band 20 around the outer edge 32 for giving the band 20 an overall shape.
The band 20 has a cavity 36 for inserting at least a portion of the weapon 12 therein, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The cavity 36 has an open top, closed sides, and a partially closed bottom. The cavity 36 may have an internal shape for conforming to the weapon 12. For example, the cavity 36 may be shaped to receive the barrel and the trigger guard of the weapon 12 therein. The cavity 36 may be formed between two or more layers of material attached together. The layers may be symmetric, with the cavity being disposed equally therebetween, so that the holster 10 bends equally regardless of the holster's orientation. The cavity 36 may be reinforced with a plastic liner 37 (FIG. 6) or other resilient material disposed therein or embedded in the band 20 and secured by stitching, glue, wire, or compressive forces, etc. for maintaining a desired shape. The cavity 36 may also terminate at a lower end of the band 20 or may extend through the band 20 thus forming a lower hole for draining moisture or dirt. The band 20 also includes a first and a second set of holes 38a-c, 40a-c spaced from each other, as best shown in FIG. 3. Each set of holes 38a-c, 40a-c may include as few as 2 holes or as many as 6 holes and may form a straight line or other formation. The holes 38a-c, 40a-c may be reinforced with gromets or additional material.
The first and second clips 22, 24 are provided for attaching the holster 10 to the wearer's waistband 16 and are detachable from the band 20, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The clips 22, 24 may both be connected to the band 20 on either side thereof, thus facing an opposite direction in relation to the band 20, for reversing the orientation of the weapon 12 (i.e., shifting between the first orientation and the second orientation). The clips 22, 24 are formed of a resilient material such as plastic, rubber, or metal. Each clip 22, 24 has a first section 42 extending upwards for inserting behind the waistband 16 and a second section 44 extending downwards from a top of the first section 42 for sliding over an outside of the waistband 16 and optionally behind a belt 46 of the wearer 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The second section 44 may curve upwards at a lower end for catching or clipping onto a lower portion of the belt 46. This prevents the holster 10 from “riding up” as the wearer 14 moves. The clips 22, 24 have a third and a fourth set of holes 48a-d, 50a-d, respectively on the first section 42. Each set of holes 48a-d, 50a-d may include as few as 2 holes or as many as 6 holes, may be countersunk or counterbore for urging the connectors 26, 28 (described below) therein, and may form a straight line or other formation. The connector 26 is provided for selectively connecting the first clip 22 to the band 20 through one hole of the first set of holes 38a-c and one hole of the third set of holes 48a-d. The connector 28 is provided for connecting the second clip 24 to the band 20 through one hole of the second set of holes 40a-c and one hole of the fourth set of holes 50a-d. Each connector 26, 28 may have a first section 52 and a second section 54 of complementary means for fastening together such as magnets, a male and a female screw and receiver, a buckle, a snap, etc. Each section 52, 54 may have ends that are wider than the holes 38a-c, 40a-c, 48a-d, 50a-d for preventing the clips 22, 24 from separating from the band 20 when the sections 52, 54 are connected. By selectively inserting the connectors 26, 28 through different holes, the holster 10 may be vertically and angularly adjusted. For example, if the wearer 14 wishes for the band 20 to be mounted high in relation to his waistband 16, the connectors 26, 28 are inserted through the highest holes 48a, 50a on the clips and the lowest holes 38c, 40c on the band 20. The clips 22, 24 each form a space 56 with the band 20 for tucking the shirt 18 therein (FIG. 2). The space 56 extends behind and below the waistband 16 when the clips 22, 24 are positioned over the waistband 16 so that the shirt 18 may be tucked in inconspicuously and so that the band 20 and the weapon 12 are concealed.
Turning again to FIGS. 3 and 4, the strap 30 is provided for securing the weapon 12 in the cavity 36. The strap 30 is formed of a bendable semi-resilient material such as plastic or rubber. The strap 30 extends vertically and wraps around a back end of the weapon 12 to prevent the weapon 12 from being unintentionally removed or from being removed by another person. The strap 30 may include a first and a second portion 58, 60 connectable at top ends thereof by a detaching mechanism 62, such as a button, a snap, a latch, a buckle, or Velcro® for selectively shifting the strap 30 to an unsecured configuration for easily and quickly removing the weapon 12. The strap 30 is connected at lower ends of the portions 58, 60 to the band 20 by a connecting means 64 such as Velcro®, snaps, string, clips, or other fasteners. The strap 30 can be adjusted vertically by connecting the portions 58, 60 to the band 20 at various heights for accommodating the weapon 12 or objects of various sizes. The strap 30 may be disconnected from the band 20 by urging a thin blade-like tool known in the art between the strap 30 and the band 20. The strap 30 can be reversed to face an opposite direction in relation to the band 20 such that the first and the second portions 58, 60 are disposed in or on opposite sides of the band 20 for shifting the holster 10 between the first and the second orientations. Optionally a first and a second external pocket 66, 68 formed of elastic material are attached on opposite sides of the band 20 to prevent the strap 30 and the connecting means 64 from catching on clothing etc.
Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.
Patent Grant
9267760
