This invention of an extendable pouch was designed to be used by people who are mobile by foot and need immediate, quick access to the information supplied by a small equipment device such as a radiation detector. The ability to receive immediate alert notification, access to readings, security, and use while the pouch stays attached directly to the user, are intended to help police, security personnel, fire crews, and other emergency sentinels.
This invention did not have federally sponsored research and design.
There are none.
This invention was conceived for the quick, convenient, and secure use of small device radiation detection equipment by emergency, police, fire, and security personnel, so that they can have the time-critical important information they need immediately accessible and secure.
There are a myriad of belt pouches, all intended for customer ease by allowing carrying hands-free on the user's belt. These pouches generally have a space that the user's belt rides through in some manner: Generally the belt goes through a cloth or web material loop on the pouch, a loop made by a sewn passage, a snapped passage, or a hook-and-loop passage. These common pouches work by allowing quick reach and removal of the piece of equipment, such as a cell phone or a small medical device. Examples of such pouches are the Tough Traveler® Belt Pouch, the Tough Traveler® Medi-Pouch, and the Tough Traveler® Epi-Pouch.
Some pouches themselves are easily reached and removable. The Bianchi AccuMold 7315 Pager Pouch, the Bianchi AccuMold ARS Radio Holster Swivel, the Samsung T300/Q105 Tilt Up Holster, and the Holster U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,751 are examples of pouches that have plastic clips that ride on the user's belt and that have a locking/unlocking mechanism that allows removal from the user's belt.
And some pouches have changeable angles. The Dual-Purpose Fishing Rod Holster U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,578 with mechanical adjustments allows changes in the angles for access to the gear inside, and the Raine Inc. Pager Extension Strap allows the gear pouch to hang below the belt and to be tilted up, as a number of the other pouches that are attached with snap or hook-and-loop also allow the pouch to be tilted up.
However, neither the Dual Purpose Fishing Rod Holster nor the Extension Strap, or the many other pouches that allow tilting up, have the facility of allowing the pouch to be kept tightly against the belt and then quickly and immediately tilted up for use while on the belt, then quickly and immediately re-secured tightly. Quick access to a non-removable pouch that is not flopping, or in other ways insecure, is needed for use in critical monitoring situations by police and other security officers, who may be running and otherwise not have hands totally free.
This invention allows users to quickly and immediately access information contained in a piece of equipment that is held tightly and securely against the user's belt, without need for removal of either the pouch or the equipment. In a time of crisis, the equipment held inside this pouch in the present embodiment of the invention can be immediately accessed and decisions can be made, all while the user is moving if need be. Additionally, the generally expensive piece of equipment inside will be used and has no chance of being lost since it does not need to be removed from the pouch in order to be used.
In the present embodiment of this invention, a pouch of an appropriate size to hold a small electronic device (such as a radiation pager used by law enforcement and safety officials) is carried on a user's belt by a loop that attaches to the top of the pouch, through which the user's belt can be passed. Complementary pieces of hook and loop connectors are affixed to the reverse of the belt loop and to the back of the pouch, allowing the pouch to be securely, tightly, and removably attached to the belt loop, and when released form a hinge. An ‘audio hole’ at the bottom of the pouch allows an audio plug to be attached to a device within the pouch and also connected to the user's ear for notice of alert. When alerted, the user can immediately grab the pouch and pull forward and tilt up, thereby partially releasing the pouch from the security of tightness against the belt, but without disconnecting it from the belt. The user looks at the tilted-up pouch and is able to read the controls through the two vinyl windows in this embodiment. After access to the information, the user is able to quickly re-secure the pouch by dropping the pouch so that the hinge reverts to its original position and the pouch is reconnected to the hook-and-loop, thus keeping the device from flopping or dangling.
Additionally, the present invention embodiment further allows tight carriage of the equipment inside by elastic sides to the pouch.
The embodiment of the present invention of the extendable pouch shows
Cross-related applications: PPA U.S. 60/861,142 was filed on Nov. 27, 2006, a Design Patent Application has been filed on Nov. 13, 2007, and the Assignment has been recorded.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60861142 | Nov 2006 | US |