Patent Application
20240237772
The embodiments generally relate to belts and harnesses capable of carrying items and more particularly to a user-wearable harness used to carry paintball pods.
Paintball is a recreational and competitive sport wherein participants use a paintball gun, often called a marker, to shoot frangible plastic balls (i.e., paintballs) at their opponent(s). The marker includes a hopper which stores and feeds paintballs into the marker. During play, it is common for players to shoot hundreds of paintballs throughout each round. However, many hoppers have a capacity of about 200 paintballs. Thus, players may often need to reload the hopper with paintballs during the game. To accomplish this, paintball harnesses (also referred to as pod packs, pod belts, pod carriers, among other names) are worn by the player. The paintball harness carries a number of plastic tubes, called pods, which carry additional paintballs within them.
Many paintball harnesses are constructed in a similar manner which includes an adjustable waist band that is secured around the user's torso. Pods are then secured to the waist band by various means, such as elastic components or straps. This allows the user to easily and efficiently retrieve the pods from the paintball harness during gameplay to refill their hopper. Players can select paintball harness configurations and carrying capacity based on their playing style, position, and strategy.
This summary is provided to introduce a variety of concepts in a simplified form that is disclosed further in the detailed description of the embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The embodiments described herein relate to a modular paintball harness, including a backplate extending along the back of a user and releasably engaging with a waist belt to adjustably extend around the torso of the user. A set of lower and upper pod sleeves engaged to one another, releasably engages to the backplate. The modular paintball harness allows the selectable configuration of the upper pod sleeves and lower pod sleeves based on the user's needs and playing style.
The modular paintball harness allows for even and stable distribution of multiple paintball pods and allows various configurations. Each configuration is readily selectable by the user to fit their style of play and refill needs. The modular paintball harness provides a unique means of affixing the upper pod sleeves with the lower pod sleeves while providing plastic members therebetween to stabilize the upper pod sleeve and prevent it from bouncing during use. Non-stretch fabric stabilizers are provided on the bottom to prevent bouncing of the pods during use. The bottom fabric stabilizers also close off the honeycomb construction. The modular paintball harness reduces unwanted movement and shaking during use while distributing the weight of the paintball harness and pods when worn.
The below paragraphs of this summary describe shortcomings in the prior art. In some iterations, paintball harnesses typically consist of two layers of paintball pods, an upper layer and a lower layer with each layer often being sewn directly to a back plate. To ensure the upper layer of paintball pods is above the lower layer of paintball pods, a long elastic sleeve is sewn at a single point on the back plate. Attaching the long elastic sleeve at a single point is not sufficient and allows the sleeve to move side to side when loaded with a paintball pod. This increases the packs movement and can lead to the paintball pod falling out of the elastic sleeve.
Alternatively, some prior art solutions add an upper layer of pods by attaching a long strip of elastic fabric across the top of elastic sleeves used to hold the lower layer of pods. The long strip of elastic fabric attaches to the top of each bottom elastic sleeve to form a second set of elastic sleeves and double as a waist belt. This approach creates some stability for the upper pods, but still shakes because the bottom elastic sleeves become stretched from the weight of the upper pods. Further, this approach can cause paintball harness to loosen around wearer's waist as the pods are removed causing the long strip of elastic fabric to become less stretched.
Most paintball harnesses are not designed to distribute the weight of the pods and are made with sod and flexible materials. Some packs do have a rigid plate in the back pad that does help a bit. This, however, makes the paintball pack completely inflexible, causing it to ride up on the players back in certain positions.
In some cases, paintball harnesses are worn using two to three sets of overlapping elastic straps. Both of these elastic straps are sewn into the sides of the paintball pack. These elastic straps must be very wide and thick to try and support the weight of the pods. Elastic straps are not sufficient to carry the weight of the paintball pods. When a wearer moves, the pack starts to move up and down as the elastic stretches and contracts in response to the weight of the pods sliding. Further, some harnesses are placed along the back plate of the pack to enable the use to change out pieces. This limits how pieces are attached to the pack and the variety of pieces that can individually attached
The embodiments described herein overcome each of the above shortcomings to provide a secure paintball harness which does not have unwanted movement during use, evenly distributes the weight of the paintball harness and pods and allows the user to pack a variety of configurations.
A complete understanding of the present embodiments and the advantages and features thereof will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodiments described herein are to the described apparatus. Any specific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposes only, and no unnecessary limitations or inferences are to be understood therefrom.
Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of components and procedures related to the apparatus. Accordingly, the apparatus components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodiments described herein are set forth in this application. Any specific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposes only, and no unnecessary limitation or inferences are to be understood therefrom. Furthermore, as used herein, relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” and the like, may be used to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship, or order between such entities or elements.
In general, the embodiments provided herein relate to a harness device for paintball that allows for even and stable distribution of multiple paintball pods and allows various configurations. Each configuration is readily selectable by the user to fit their style of play and refill needs. More specifically, users may gain more comfortable usage and flexibility via the harness device when carrying paintball pods.
In some embodiments, the paintball harness (also referred to herein as “device” or “the device”) includes a backplate comprised of an internal elastic belt that has one or more belt buckles and extends through openings in the front of the backplate, multiple layers, in some configurations 3 layers, which may comprise: EVA foam, neoprene, and memory foam, and loop fabric. Further loop hook-and-loop material is positioned on the back pad. Pod sleeves, which in some configurations comprising of a set of upper pod sleeves and a set of lower pod sleeves, may be optionally attached at multiple points via hook and loop straps that extend through slots the backplate and winged straps attached to the backplate's belt buckles. A padded belt may be constructed of neoprene which may directly attach to the sides of the backplate using a hook and loop. A webbed belt may include nylon webbing, which may attach to the backplate's belt buckles.
In some embodiments, non-woven and woven fabric is provided through the apertures where the belt exits from.
During use, the user may first wrap the padded belt around their waist then loop the webbed belt through the back pad's belt buckles. The user then pulls both sides of the webbed belt tight to tighten then back pad's internal elastic belt and the pod sleeve's winged straps to a secure position. The user then loads the paintball harness' pod sleeves with paintball pods. The user may not necessarily fill each pod sleeve with a paintball pod.
In further reference to
In some embodiments, the backplate 111 includes three layers including EVA foam, neoprene, and memory foam.
In some embodiments, the plurality of plastic members 109 are constructed of a sufficiently lightweight and rigid material such as Tegris. This retains the lightweight capabilities of the paintball harness 101 while providing rigid support for the elastic components of the paintball harness 101.
In some embodiments, the webbed belt tightens the left wing 209 and right wing 211. The bottom portion of the left wing 209 and right wing 211 are constructed of an elastic material and the top portion of the left wing 209 and right wing 211 are constructed of an inelastic material. The inelastic material 505 prevents the pack from pulling away from the users back (which creates unwanted bouncing during use), while the elastic material 504 still allows the user sufficient range-of-motion and comfort during certain movements (e.g., crouching, bending over).
Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connection with the above description and the drawings. It will be understood that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to describe and illustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments. Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/or combination, and the present specification, including the drawings, shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of all combinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein, and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims to any such combination or subcombination.
An equivalent substitution of two or more elements can be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element can be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements can be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination can be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present embodiment is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the following claims.
