Patent Application
20240074565
The present disclosure is related generally to vests that are worn by hunters while hunting and, more particularly, to hunting vests for bird hunting.
Bird hunters frequently wear vests that are specifically designed to carry both birds and other objects that the hunter might need while hunting, for example, ammunition, a water bottle, dog food, and/or a first aid kit. Some known hunting vests are provided with a pair of shoulder straps that cover a hunter's shoulders while the hunter is hunting. When the hunter raises their shotgun to take a shot, the hunter places a stock of the shotgun against one of these shoulder straps. This is different than practice as most hunters practice shooting while not wearing their vests such that the stock is placed directly against the hunter's shoulder without an intervening shoulder pad. The difference in the location of the stock (against the shoulder during practice and against the shoulder pad when hunting) may compromise the shooter's accuracy.
An aspect of the present disclosure is related to an outdoors vest that has an upper portion with a single back strap and a pair of shoulder straps that are monolithic with one another. The shoulder straps converge towards one another in a direction away from the single back strap and towards a connector to leave a pocket of a user's shoulder pocket free of the shoulder straps when the user is wearing the vest. The back strap having a maximum width adjacent the shoulder straps, and the width of the back strap decreases in a direction away from the shoulder straps.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, adjacent the connector, a gap between the ends of the shoulder straps is at most 3 inches.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the connector is a first buckle.
According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the shoulder straps converge towards one another at an angle of between sixty and eighty degrees.
According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the shoulder straps converge towards one another at an angle of between sixty-five and seventy-five degrees.
According to yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the outdoors vest further includes a lower portion that includes a back section and a belt.
According to still a further aspect of the present disclosure, a double D-ring connects the back section with the back strap of the upper portion.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the back strap of the upper portion has a generally triangular shape with an increased width at an intersection area where the back strap meets the shoulder straps and a reduced width adjacent the double D-ring.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the belt includes two opposite belt ends, and the shoulder straps are connected with the belt ends via additional double D-rings.
According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the outdoors vest further includes webbing pieces that are attached with ends of the shoulder straps and extend to the additional double D-rings.
According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the belt includes an attachment mechanism for allowing objects to be attached to the webbing pieces.
According to yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the attachment mechanism includes a hook and loop means.
According to still a further aspect of the present disclosure, the outdoors vest further includes a cell phone pocket on one of the belt ends.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is related to a method of firing a firearm. The method includes the step of placing an upper portion of a vest on a user with a back strap resting on a back of the user and a pair of shoulder straps resting on shoulders of the user and extending forwardly of the shoulders of the user. The method continues with the step of connecting the ends of the shoulder straps together with a connector so that the shoulder straps converge towards one another to leave a shoulder pocket of the user free of the shoulder straps. The method proceeds with the step of placing a stock of the firearm in the shoulder pocket without the vest being between the stock and the shoulder pocket. The user can then fire the firearm without the outdoors vest interfering with the firing.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the step of connecting the ends of the shoulder straps includes buckling a buckle and wherein when the buckle is at a maximum length, a gap between the ends of the shoulder straps is at most 3 inches.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the shoulder straps converge towards one another at an angle of between sixty-five and seventy-five degrees.
According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the back strap of the upper portion has a generally triangular shape with a maximum width at an intersection area where the back strap meets the shoulder straps.
According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the vest further includes a lower portion with a belt and a back section, and the method further includes the step of buckling the ends of the shoulder straps to first and second belt ends of the belt and buckling the back section to the back strap of the upper portion.
According to yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the outdoors vest further includes webbing pieces that are attached with ends of the shoulder straps.
According to still a further aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes the step of attaching an object to one of the webbing pieces.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more readily appreciated when considered in connection with the following description of the presently preferred embodiments, appended claims and accompanying drawings, in which:
One aspect of the present disclosure is related to a lightweight and modular outdoors vest 20 that is designed to be worn for many outdoor activities, including, but not limited to, hunting and hiking. The vest 20 is designed to solve a common hunting issue where a user may miss shots on game animals due to an improper “mount” of the weapon (for example, a shotgun 22) caused by vest material interfering with the mounting location, which is located in and around a user's “shoulder pocket,” i.e., the space or depression formed by the contours of the shoulder joint and the surrounding muscles and bone.
The vest 20 includes an upper portion 24 with a “Yoke” shape. The upper portion 24 is specifically shaped and constructed to keep all vest materials out of the user's shoulder pocket and the immediately surrounding area, thereby allowing the user to put the shotgun 22 (or other suitable firing weapon, such as a rifle) in a proper firing position where the stock of the shotgun 22 is mounted directly in the user's shoulder pocket without any portion of the vest 20 separating the stock from the shoulder pocket. This firing position is illustrated in
Turning now to
Adjacent their respective ends, the shoulder straps 28 are detachably connected with one another by a first buckle 30. When buckled, the gap between the ends of the shoulder straps is at most three inches (3″), i.e., the gap is zero to three inches (0-3″) wide. In the exemplary embodiment, the first buckle 30 is slightly adjustable in length to ensure that the shoulder straps 28 properly converge towards one another on the user's chest at the correct angle to stay out of the user's shoulder pocket but even at its maximum width, the gap between the shoulder straps 28 is still at most three inches (3″) and the angle that the shoulder straps 28 converge towards one another at an angle α that is within the designed range, e.g., approximately seventy degrees (70°). In an example embodiment, the first buckle is a one-half inch (½″) buckle. In some alternate embodiments, the first buckle 30 may be non-adjustable.
The vest 20 also includes a lower portion 32 with a back section 34 and a belt 36 that are made of an elastic material to conform to the user's body. A second buckle 38 extends between a lower edge of the back strap 26 of the upper portion 24 and an upper edge of the back section 34 of the lower portion 32 to removably attach the lower portion 32 with the upper portion 24. In a width-wise direction, the second buckle 38 is generally centrally located on the upper and lower portions 24, 32. The second buckle 38 may be adjustable (selectively lengthened and shortened) to accommodate users that have different heights.
The belt 36 of the lower portion 32 is elastically stretchable and can wrap around the user's waist and attach with itself through Velcro or any other attachment means by overlapping a first belt end on top of a second belt end. The belt 36 can be tightened or loosened by disconnecting and reattaching the first and second belt ends to optimize comfort while preventing the lower portion 32 from riding up on the waist of the user. A plurality of modular lightweight load carrying equipment (MOLLE) loops 40 are sewn onto (or otherwise attached with) front areas of the belt ends for holding objects, such as a first aid kit 48, a water bottle holder, a global positioning system (GPS) unit, a cellular phone, a zippered pocket, and/or an additional storage solution. In the exemplary embodiment, thirty-six MOLLE loops 40 are provided on the belt with eight MOLLE loops 40 being provided on each of the belt ends. A handle 42 is sewn into the first belt end for assisting in opening and closing the belt 36. A back area of the belt may include a pocket for holding objects, such as game carcasses.
The ends of the shoulder straps 28 are connected with the first and second belt ends by way of respective webbings 44 and third and fourth buckles 46. In other words, one of the shoulder straps 28 is buckled, or otherwise affixed to the first belt end, and the other shoulder strap 28 is buckled, or otherwise affixed, to the second belt end. The webbings 44 may be made of one or more pieces and may have adjustable lengths (e.g., at the locations of their attachments with the third and fourth buckles 46) for accommodating users that have different lengths. The upper and lower portions 24, 32 of the vest 20 can be detached from one another and reattached with the second, third, and fourth buckles 38, 46. In the exemplary embodiment, the webbings 44 are sewn into connection with the wider end areas of the shoulder straps 28 of the upper portion 24. In the exemplary embodiment, the webbings 44 converge towards one another in a direction towards the belt 36.
In the first exemplary embodiment, the buckles 30, 38, 46 allow for quick disassembly and reconfiguration of the vest 20 depending on the user's desired application. The quick disassembly also allows for easy cleaning of individual components of the vest 20.
Turning now to
One or both of the first and second belt ends includes a cell phone pocket 152 such that the user's cell phone 154 is easily accessible while the user is wearing the vest 120.
In this embodiment, thirty-six (36) MOLLE loops 140 are provided on the belt 136 with eighteen (18) being located on each of the belt ends. Also, in this embodiment, a handle 142 is disposed at each of the belt ends of the belt 136.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than specifically described. Additionally, it is to be understood that all features of all claims and all embodiments can be combined with each other, as long as they do not contradict each other.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63403007 | Sep 2022 | US |
