LIGHT WEIGHT BODY ARMOR PLATE CARRIER SYSTEM

Abstract

A body armor plate carrier constructed from sections of spunbonded olefin fabric bonded together with adhesives and interconnected using patches of hook and loop fastener material.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Body armor and particularly “plate carriers” are well known in the military and law enforcement communities. Plate carriers are garments that support rigid ballistic armor plates and/or flexible ballistic armor inserts within internal pockets or pouches of the carrier. The plate carrier is generally comprised of front and back plate panels connected by shoulder straps and a waist strap or cummerbund. Often, numerous accessory pouches for ammunition, electronic devices and weaons are detachably mounted to the plate carriers, which provide a load bearing platform for the wearer. Due to the equipment loads carried, reducing the weight of plate carriers is always beneficial to military and law enforcement personal.

The present invention in various embodiments provides for a ballistic plate carrier constructed from sheets of spunbonded olefin fabric, or similar materials, that are cut to shape and bonded together using adhesives. Spunbonded olefin fabric is a non-woven fabric of olefin fibers, a high density polyethylene. Spundbonded olefin fabrics, such as DuPont's Tyvek®, are strong, light weight, tear resistant synthetic fabrics. The fabric sections that form the plate panels, as well as various other carrier components, are joined together using adhesives rather than being sewn together. The use of spunbonded olefin fabrics and adhesives greatly reduces the bulk of conventional sewn nylon fabric carriers and simplifies the manufacturing process. Hook and loop fasteners are used to secure closure flaps and adjustably connect the shoulder straps and cummerbunds to the plate carrier without adding significant weight or bulk. Similarly, other accessory pouches fashioned of spunbonded olefin fabrics can be detachably affixed to the plate carrier using hook and loop fasteners.

The above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may take form in various system and method components and arrangement of system and method components. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. The drawings illustrate the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the light weight plate carrier system of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the front plate panel and ballistic plate of the light weight plate carrier system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a single plate panel of the light weight plate carrier system of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the plate panel of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the single plate panel of FIG. 3 unfolded and a conventional ballistic plate;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the single plate panel of FIG. 3 unfolded;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the single plate panel of FIG. 3 with the rear section folded over the ballistic plate;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the single plate panel of FIG. 3 with the side, corner and top flaps folded around the ballistic plate;

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the single plate panel and ballistic plate;

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a single plate panel of the light weight plate carrier system of this invention;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the plate panel of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the single plate panel of FIG. 10 unfolded;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view on an embodiment of a ballistic plate, which forms part of the light weight plate carrier system of this invention; and

FIG. 14 is a partial side sectional view of the ballistic plate of FIG. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

The light weight plate carrier system of this invention generally includes one or more components constructed of a thin, light-weight, spunbonded olefin fabric. Spundbonded olefin fabric, such as Tyvek®, is a flashspun high-density polyethylene synthetic material manufactured and sold by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Spunbonded olefin fabrics consist of nondirectional (nonwoven) fibers (plexifilaments) that are first spun and then bonded together by heat and pressure, without binders. Spunbonded olefin fabrics are very strong and tear resistant, but can be easily cut by scissors or knives. Spubonded olefin fabrics are water resistant and unaffected by water and many chemicals. They are highly breathable in that water vapor can pass through, but not liquid water. Spunbonded olefin fabrics have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than paper and are more elastic. As a thermoplastic, they maintain toughness and flexibility down to −100° F. (−73° C.) and are dimensionally stable up to 270° F. (132° C.) making the fabric shrink resistant.

In each embodiment of the plate carrier system of this invention, sheets of spunbonded olefin fabric are cut to shape and joined together by adhesives to form the plate panels, shoulder straps and cummerbunds. Additional system components, such as accessory pouches, straps, covers and the like may also be fashioned from spundbonded olefin fabric within the teachings of this invention. Sections or patches of hook and loop fasteners, commonly sold under the brand name, VELCRO® are used to secure closure flaps on the plate panels and to interconnect shoulder straps, cummerbunds and other accessory pouches. The patches of hook and loop fasteners are bonded directly to the spunbonded olefin fabric by suitable adhesives. The use of spunbonded olefin fabric joined by adhesives and interconnected using hook and loop fasteners provides an extremely durable, yet light weight plate carrier system, which is ideal for low profile applications.

FIGS. 1-2 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the light weight plate carrier system of this invention, which is designated generally as reference numeral 100. Plate carrier 100 includes a front plate panel 110 and back plate panel 120 connected by shoulder straps 130 and cummerbund straps 140. Each plate panel 110 and 120 has an internal pocket enclosed by a bottom flap (only front flap 112 shown in FIG. 2) for receiving a ballistic plate 102. Each plate panel 110 and 120 is fashioned from sheets of spunbonded olefin fabric joined together by adhesives. Patches of hook and loop fasteners are used to interconnect the panel sections, shoulder straps and cummerbund straps. The patches of hook and loop fasteners are bonded directly to the spunbonded olefin fabric.

FIGS. 3-9 illustrate a single plate panel 200 of a second exemplary embodiment of the light weight plate carrier system of this invention. As with the first embodiment above, plate panel 200 is intended for used with a second plate panel (not shown), and cummerbund (not shown), which completes the plate carrier system. For simplicity of illustration and explanation, only the singe plate panel is shown and discussed. Plate panel 200 is again constructed from a sheet of spunbonded olefin fabric that is shaped to tightly fold around and enclose ballistic plate 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet of spunbonded olefin fabric is cut or otherwise configured to form a front section 210, rear section 220, side flaps 230, corner flaps 240 and top flap 250. Each side flap 230 has an adhesive 231 applied to its inner surface (the surface contacting ballistic plate 10). Corner and top flaps 240 and 250 have patches of hook fasteners 242 and 252 bonded by an adhesive to their inner surface (the surface contacting ballistic plate 10). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, rear section 220 has a patch of loop fastener material 222 bonded by an adhesive to the outer surface (the surface facing away from ballistic plate 10). Separate shoulder straps 260 are also bonded to the inner surface of rear section 220 by a suitable adhesive.

FIGS. 5-8 show how the shaped sheet of spunbonded olefin fabric is folded around ballistic plate 10 to form plate panel 200 with the ballistic plate supported in an internal pocket from which it can be later removed. First, ballistic plate 10 is placed and aligned atop the inner surface of front section 210 (FIG. 5). Next, rear section 220 is fold to overlie ballistic plate 10 (FIG. 7). Side flaps 230 are tight folded over and bonded to rear section 220 by adhesive 231 thereby forming the internal pocket of plate panel 200 (FIG. 8). Finally, corner flaps 240 and top flap 250 are folded over ballistic plate 10 and secured by the engagement of hook fastener patches 242 and 252 to loop fastener patches 222 on rear section 220. It should be noted that additional strips and sections of spunbonded olefin fabric may be bonded over front section 210, rear section 220 and side flaps 230 forming various places to provide additional coverage and reinforcement to plate panel 200 as desired without significantly adding to the weight or bulk of the plate carrier system.

FIGS. 10-12 illustrate another single plate panel 300 of a third exemplary embodiment of the light weight plate carrier system of this invention. Panel 300 is intended for use with a ballistic plate 20 (FIGS. 13 and 14) that has an integrated outer covering of loop fastener material. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the entire exterior surface of plate 20 is covered with a loop pile 21 that allows direct interconnection of straps, panels and other items using hook fasteners. As shown, layers of ballistic material 24, such as Dupont's Kevlar® are bound together and integrally wrapped in an outer covering of loop fastener material 22. Ideally, the outer covering of loop fastener material 22 is permanently bounded around ballistic layers 24 by an adhesive. Plate panel 300 is identical in design and construction as plate panel 200 discussed above, except that front and rear sections 310 and 320 have a plurality of holes 301, which allow access to the loop fastener pile covering 21 of ballistic plate 20. Access to the loop fastener pile covering 21 through holes 301 allows accessories, such as magazine panels, holsters and other utility pouches with hook fastener backings to be directly attached to plate panel 200.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that an invention having significant advantages has been provided. While the invention is shown in only a few of its forms, it is not just limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. The embodiment of the present invention herein described and illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is presented to explain the invention so that others skilled in the art might utilize its teachings. The embodiment of the present invention may be modified within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A body armor plate carrier comprising: a plate panel constructed of spunbonded olefin fabric and having an internal pocket therein for receiving an armor plate; anda pair of shoulder straps extending from the plate panel for suspending the plate panel over the torso of a wearer.

2. The body armor plate carrier of claim 1 wherein the plate panel is fashioned from at least one sheet of spunbonded olefin fabric configured and bonded together by an adhesive.

3. The body armor plate carrier of claim 2 wherein the at least one sheet of spunbonded olefin fabric is configured to have a front section and a back section adapted to fold over the front section and enclose the arm or plate therebetween.

4. The body armor plate carrier of claim 3 wherein the front section is also configured to have a pair of opposed side flaps configured to fold over the back section and wrap around opposed sides of the armor plate received between the front section and the back section.

5. The body armor plate carrier of claim 4 wherein each of the opposed side flaps integrally extend from the front section and are bonded to the back section to define the internal pocket for receiving the armor plate therein.

6. The body armor plate carrier of claim 3 wherein the back section has an outward facing surface and a patch of hook and loop fastener material affixed to the outward facing surface.

7. The body armor plate carrier of claim 6 wherein the front section is also configured to have a pair of opposed corner flaps configured to wrap around opposed corners of the armor plate received between the front section and the back section and to fold over and detachably connect to the outer facing surface of the back section.

8. The body armor plate carrier of claim 7 wherein each of the pair of opposed corner flaps has a patch of corresponding hook and loop fastener material configured to overlap and engage the patch of hook and loop material affixed to the outward facing surface of the back section.

9. The body armor plate carrier of claim 6 wherein the front section is also configured to have a top flap configured to wrap around the top edge of the armor plate received between the front section and the back section and to fold over and detachably connect to the outer facing surface of the back section.

10. The body armor plate carrier of claim 9 wherein the top flap has a patch of corresponding hook and loop fastener material configured to overlap and engage the patch of hook and loop material affixed to the outward facing surface of the back section.

11. The body armor plate carrier of claim 9 wherein the top flap folds over the back section between the pair of shoulder straps.

12. The body armor plate carrier of claim 1 wherein the plate panel has a plurality of holes there through.

13. A body armor plate carrier comprising: a plate panel constructed of spunbonded olein fabric and having an internal pocket therein for receiving an armor plate; anda pair of shoulder straps extending from the plate panel for suspending the plate panel over the torso of a wearer,the plate panel is fashioned from at least one sheet of spunbonded olefin fabric configured to have a front section and a back section,the back section is adapted to fold over the front section and enclose the armor plate therebetween, the back section has an outward facing surface and a patch of hook and loop fastener material affixed to the outward facing surface,the front section has a pair of opposed side flaps, a pair of opposed corner flaps and a top flap,the pair of opposed side flaps are configured to wrap around opposed sides of the armor plate received between the front section and the back section and to fold over the back section and bond to the back section to define the internal pocket for receiving the armor plate therein,the pair of opposed corner flaps are configured to wrap around opposed corners of the armor plate received between the front section and the back section and to fold over and detachably connect to outer facing surface of the back section, each of the pair of opposed corner flaps has a patch of corresponding hook and loop fastener material configured to overlap and engage the patch of hook and loop material affixed to the outward facing surface of the back section,the top flap is configured to wrap around the top edge of the armor plate received between the front section and the back section and to fold over and detachably connect to the outer facing surface of the back section, the top flap has a patch of corresponding hook and loop fastener material configured to overlap and engage the patch of hook and loop material affixed to the outward facing surface of the back section, the top flap is also configured to fold over the back section between the pair of shoulder straps.