MOUNTING ACCESSORY FOR ARMOR CARRIERS

Information

  • Patent Application
  • 20250123081
  • Publication Number
    20250123081
  • Date Filed
    October 16, 2024
    a year ago
  • Date Published
    April 17, 2025
    6 months ago
Abstract
A mounting accessory that projects from the inside surface of an armor carrier carrying a ballistic plate. The mounting accessory may comprise at least one pectoral member that is attached to the inside of the upper surface area of the armor carrier, and at least one abdominal member that is attached to the lower surface area of the armor carrier. Both the pectoral and abdominal members may include a contoured surface, that in some instances, substantially match the exterior profile of the wearer's chest and abdomen, respectively. The pectoral and abdominal members are configured to conform to the respective area of the wearer when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier and disposition the ballistic plate in an aligned position with respect to the wearer's torso. In some instances, the disposition of the ballistic plate being substantially parallel to the wearer's torso
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to mounting accessories, and more particularly, to a mounting accessory that projects from an inside or anterior torso facing portion of an armor carrier.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An armor carrier is a tactical vest containing or carrying ballistic material, designed to protect the wearer's body from projectiles. Some armor carriers are configured to carry ballistic plate, or often referred to in the alternative as an armor plate, are made out of hard, mostly impenetrable materials that provide varying levels of protection depending on its material makeup. Ballistic plates are also provided in various types of plate cuts, which can affect the plate's weight, protection level, and the coverage it gives to the wearer. For instance, a ballistic plate can be either square or rectangular, include a small curvature or be flat; or a ballistic plate can be mostly rectangular shaped but include distinct cut-off corners at its upper ends.


Regardless of the type of cut, the ballistic plate is generally designed to rest within a designated compartment space of the armor carrier and rest substantially flush to the wearer's body. Put differently, a ballistic plate is most comfortably worn when the ballistic plate is extending parallel and resting flush to the anterior torso of the wearer. Although this type of set up is ideal, achieving it can be somewhat difficult due to the wearer's physical geometry.


For instance, a woman with a pronounced bust or a man with a large chest each have pectoral muscle and fat that extend beyond their abdomen. Thus, a person with a prominent chest region creates an uneven surface for the armor carrier to press against. Likewise, wearers with a small pectoral profile but large abdominal profile provide an uneven surface for the armor carrier to press against. As a result, when the ballistic plate is pressed against the anterior torso of the wearer, the plate's desired or aligned orientation (i.e., parallel to the wearer's torso) is biased or inclined in an unfavorable, uncomfortable orientation. Either the upper portion of the ballistic plate is pointing away from wearer-meaning the lower portion is pointing toward the wearer's abdomen—or the upper portion of the plate is pointing toward the wearer, digging into the region of the wearer's clavicle. Either unfavorable disposition makes it incredibly uncomfortable for the wearer to don the ballistic plate with the armor carrier for long periods of time.


Accordingly, there is an established need for that as of yet has not been met for a mounting accessory that projects from a surface of the armor carrier and solves one or more of the foregoing problems.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a mounting accessory projecting from an inside aspect of an armor carrier. In some embodiments, the present invention consists of a mounting accessory projecting from an armor carrier carrying a ballistic plate donned by a wearer, comprising one or more pectoral members projecting from an inside upper surface of the armor carrier, where the one or more pectoral members include a first contoured surface substantially matching the profile of the wearer's pectoral mass and is configured to conform to the wearer's pectoral region when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier. The mounting accessory further comprises one or more abdominal members projecting from an inside lower surface of the armor carrier. The abdominal members include a first contoured surface that in some instances substantially matches the profile of the wearer's abdominal region and is configured to conform to the wearer's abdominal region when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier. In one exemplary embodiment, the pectoral members and the abdominal members are configured to position the ballistic plate substantially parallel to the wearer's torso.


In some embodiments, the mount accessory 100 is integral with the inside surface of the armor carrier. In some embodiments, the pectoral and abdominal members may be coupled together with one or more straps extending between the members, and with the straps including straps having fasteners that engage with portions of the armor carrier to removably attach the mounting accessory to the armor carrier. The pectoral and abdominal members, in some embodiments, may be individual members that include an attachment device for attaching the member to the interior side of the armor carrier. For instance, an attachment device may comprise but is not limited to a hook and loop fastener, zip fastener, magnetic coupler, a buckle, or a snap fastener.


These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:



FIG. 1 presents a perspective view of the wearable mounting accessory projecting from an interior surface of the armor carrier;



FIG. 2 presents a perspective view of the front exterior face of the armor carrier and the mounting accessory removably attached to the armor carrier through snap fittings;



FIG. 3 presents a front perspective view of the upper members of the mounting accessory designed to rest over the bust or upper chest of a wearer;



FIG. 4 presents a top plan view of the upper members of the mounting accessory;



FIG. 5 presents a front perspective view of the lower members of the mounting accessory designed to rest against the wearer's abdomen;



FIG. 6 presents a top plan view of the lower members of the mounting accessory;



FIG. 7 presents a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the lower member of the mounting accessory designed to rest against the wearer's abdomen; and



FIG. 8 presents a side elevation view of the mounting accessory attached to an armor carrier and donned by a wearer, where the mounting accessory maintains the ballistic plate substantially parallel to the wearer's vertical axis.





Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “rear”, “right”, “front”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.


Referring initially to FIGS. 1 through 8, and more specifically FIGS. 2 through 6, a mounting accessory 100 projecting from an armor carrier 200 is generally shown. The mounting accessory 100, in one exemplary embodiment, comprises one or more resilient upper members 102 and one or more resilient lower members 140. The upper member 102, or pectoral member as referred to interchangeably herein, may comprise a first member 104 and a second member 106. The first member 104 and the second member 106 of the pectoral members 102 are mirror image embodiments of one another. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, like reference numbers are used to signal similar elements. With reference to FIG. 3, the first member 104 and second member 106 each comprise a main body having a first contoured surface 108, an opposing second contoured surface 100, a top end 112, a bottom end 118, a contoured end wall 116, and an opposing contoured end wall 114. The first and second members may be made out of any resilient material that includes but is not limited to foam, rubber, polyurethane, vinyl, PVC, or any combination thereof. The contoured surface 108 of the upper members 102 may generally include a concave surface that may substantially match or conform to the contours of the wearer's chest or bust, particularly, the contour of the wearer's bust area above the nipple. Disposed at one or more surfaces, but as exemplarily shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, about the second contoured surface 110, opposite the first contoured surface 108, the first and second pectoral members 104, 106 include an attachment device for removably securing the first and second pectoral members 104, 106 to the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200 (FIG. 8). The attachment device 120 may comprise but is not limited to a hook and loop fastener, a buckle, a magnetic clasp, a zipper fastener, a snap fastener, or any other known fastener.


With reference to FIGS. 5 through 7, the one or more resilient lower members 140, or abdominal members as referred interchangeably herein, of the mounting accessory 100 may comprise a single abdominal member 160, as shown in FIG. 7, or as one or more abdominal members, as shown in FIG. 5. In the exemplary embodiment where the mounting accessory 100 comprises one or more abdominal members, the abdominal members may comprise a first member 142 and a second member 144. As was the case for the pectoral members 104, 106, the abdominal members 142, 144 are mirror image embodiments of one another. Thus, like reference numbers are used to signal similar elements. The first and second abdominal member 142, 144 of the mounting accessory 100 comprises a main body having a first contoured surface 146, an opposing second contoured surface 148, a top end 154, a bottom end 156, and a pair of contoured surface end walls 150, 152. In one exemplary embodiment, the contoured surface wall 146 of the abdominal members 142, 144 includes a concaved shape designed to substantially match or conform to the wearer's abdominal region. Disposed at the second contoured wall 148 and the end wall 150 of the abdominal members 142, 144 is an attachment device 158 for removably securing the abdominal members to the interior lower surface 206 of the armor carrier (FIG. 8). The attachment device 158 may comprise but is not limited to a hook and loop fastener, a buckle, a magnetic article mechanism, a zipper fastener, a snap fastener, or any other known fastener.


In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the abdominal member 140 may comprise a unitary abdominal member configuration 160, rather than a split configuration as previously described. In this exemplary embodiment, the abdominal member 160 includes a first contoured wall surface 162 that includes a concaved shaped outline that substantially matches or conforms to the outline of the wearer's abdominal region, a top end 168, a bottom end, 170, opposing side end walls 166, and a second contoured wall surface 164. As shown, the opposing side ends 166 and/or the second contoured wall surface 164 may include an attachment device 172 for securing the abdominal member 160 to the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200. The abdominal member may be made out of any resilient material that includes but is not limited to foam, rubber, polyurethane, vinyl, PVC, or any combination thereof.


With reference now to FIGS. 1 through 6, an exemplary embodiment illustrating one method of attachment of the mounting accessory 100 to an armor carrier 200 is shown. The method of attachment comprises providing one or more upper members 102 and one or more lower members 140. More specifically, the method includes providing a first pectoral member 104 and a second pectoral member 106. The first and the second pectoral member 106 may be joined via a strap 230 extending from the contoured end wall surface of the first pectoral member 104 and the contoured end wall surface of the second pectoral member 106. Additional straps 230 are used to join the upper members 102 to the lower members 140. For instance, both the first pectoral member 104 and the second pectoral member 106 may include a strap extending from a bottom end and attaching to a top end of a respective lower member 140. The lower members 140, as shown, includes a first abdominal member 142 and a second abdominal member 144. The first and second abdominal member 142, 144 are attached to one another via a strap extending from a contoured end wall of one of the members to a contoured end wall of the other member. In one exemplary embodiment, the straps 230 joining together the upper and lower members 102, 140 of the mounting accessory 100 may be used to secure the mounting accessory to the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier. For example, a strap 230 joining the two upper pectoral members 104, 106 may be threaded through an attachment device 228 provided on the upper surface area 204 of the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200. Below the upper members 102, the strap(s) 230 joining the two lower abdominal members 142, 144 may be threaded through an attachment device 228 provided on the lower surface area 206 of the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200. The mounting accessory 100 may further be secured to the armor carrier through an attachment device 232 disposed on one or more of the straps 230 that engage one or more attachment devices 228 on the exterior face 208 of armor carrier 200 (See FIG. 2).


In an alternative method of attachment, the mounting accessory 100 is attachable to the inside surface 202 of the armor carrier 200 through an attachment device, as illustrated in now FIGS. 3-6, and 8. As shown, each one of the first and second pectoral members 104, 106 and the first and second abdominal members 142, 144 of the mounting accessory 100 may include an attachment device disposed on one or more surfaces. The attachment device is designed and configured to secure each individual member to the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200. As shown in FIG. 8, the attachment device 120 is used to secure the pectoral member 102 of the mounting accessory to an upper interior surface area 204 of the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200. The abdominal member 140 of the mounting accessory 100 is secured to the lower interior surface area 206 of the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200. The abdominal member and the pectoral member are designed to conform to the wearer's abdominal region 226 and pectoral region 222, respectively, when making contact with the wearer 220 under the weight of the armor carrier 200 and ballistic plate 210. In one exemplary embodiment, it is preferred that the positioning of the pectoral member 102 be somewhere on the wearer's bust above the nipple (i.e., pectoral mass 224 of the wearer).


Unlike other armor carriers and accessories that do not account for the wearer's physical geometry, the instant mounting accessory 100 is designed and configured to position the ballistic plate 210 in an aligned or desired disposition with respect to the wearer's torso 220. In some embodiments, the desired disposition of the ballistic plate 210 central axis AP is to be adjacent or parallel to the central axis AT of the wearer's torso. In some embodiments, the mounting accessory 100 projects from the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200. In some embodiments, the mounting accessory 100 is integral with the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200 and, in some embodiments, the mounting accessory is removably attached to the interior surface 202 of the armor carrier 200. One or more mounting accessories 100 may be integrally and/or removably provided in various combinations. When donning the armor carrier 200, the upper pectoral member 102 makes contact with the upper region 224 of the pectoral mass or bust 222 of the wearer 220. As the weight force of the armor carrier 200 and ballistic plate 210 are felt on the pectoral member 102, the pectoral member 102 begins to slightly deform from its original shape and conform to the wearer's pectoral contours. Once deformation ends, the pectoral member 102 provides a stable platform upon which the top portion of the ballistic plate 210 is pressing against. On the lower end, the abdominal member 140 makes contact with the lower region 226 of the wearer 220. As the weight force of the armor carrier 200 and ballistic plate 210 are felt on the abdominal member 140, the abdominal member 140 also begins to slightly deform from its original shape and conform to the wearer's abdominal contours. Once deformation ends, the abdominal member 140 provides a stable platform upon which the bottom portion of the ballistic plate 210 is pressing against. Both the upper and lower members of the mounting accessory work in tandem to maintain the position of the ballistic plate 210 parallel to the wearer's torso.


Of course, in the instance where the wearer's geometry varies from the above example, to achieve the desired result of positioning the ballistic plate 210 substantially parallel to the wearer's torso, the wearer may employ the use of one or more upper or lower members. For example, if the wearer has a small bust and a large abdominal area, the wearer may only use the upper members of the mounting accessory 100 to position the ballistic plate in a desirable position. Similarly, if the wearer has a large bust and does not wish to add more spacing in the bust area, the wearer may only use the lower members of the mounting accessory 100 to position the ballistic plate in the desired position.


It is appreciated and understand that the mount accessory can be constructed to be permanent and/or integral with the interior surface or removable therefrom. In some embodiments, the mounting accessory members can be permanently affixed to the interior surface through stitching, any form of adhesives, and through mechanical, thermal, or chemical bonding.


Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it is understood that any of the features presented in the embodiments may be integrated into any of the other embodiments unless explicitly stated otherwise. The scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims
  • 1. A mounting accessory for an armor carrier carrying a ballistic plate donned by a wearer, comprising: one or more resilient members projecting from an inside surface of the armor carrier;wherein the one or more resilient members are configured to position the ballistic plate in an aligned disposition with respect to the wearer's torso.
  • 2. The mounting accessory of claim 1, wherein the one or more resilient members include one or more straps for attaching the resilient members to the armor carrier.
  • 3. The mounting accessory of claim 1, wherein each one of the one or more resilient members include an attachment device for removably attaching the resilient member to the interior side of the armor carrier.
  • 4. The mounting accessory of claim 3, wherein the attachment device comprises a hook and loop fastener.
  • 5. The mounting accessory of claim 3, wherein the attachment device comprises a zip fastener.
  • 6. The mounting accessory of claim 3, wherein the attachment device comprises a magnetic article.
  • 7. The mounting accessory of claim 3, wherein the attachment device comprises a buckle.
  • 8. The mounting accessory of claim 3, wherein the attachment device comprises a snap fastener.
  • 9. The mounting accessory of claim 1, wherein the one or more resilient members substantially conform to the wearer's torso.
  • 10. The mounting accessory of claim 1, wherein the one or more resilient members include at least one pectoral member having a first contoured surface, and wherein the pectoral member is configured to conform to the wearer's pectoral region when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier.
  • 11. The mounting accessory of claim 1, wherein the one or more resilient members include at least one abdominal member having a first contoured surface, and wherein the abdominal member is configured to conform to the wearer's abdominal region when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier.
  • 12. The mounting accessory of claim 1, wherein the one or more resilient members include at least two distinct pectoral members each having a first contoured surface, and wherein each pectoral member is configured to rest upon a respective pectoral mass and conform to the respective pectoral mass of the wearer when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier.
  • 13. The mounting accessory of claim 12, wherein the first contoured surface of each pectoral member substantially matches the profile of the wearer's pectoral mass.
  • 14. The mounting accessory of claim 1, wherein the one or more resilient members include at least two distinct abdominal members each having a first contoured surface, and wherein each abdominal member is configured to rest upon a portion of the wearer's abdomen and conform to the abdomen of the wearer when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier.
  • 15. The mounting accessory of claim 14, wherein the first contoured surface of each abdominal member substantially matches the profile of the wearer's abdominal region.
  • 16. The mounting accessory of claim 12, wherein the two distinct pectoral members are mirrored image embodiments of one another.
  • 17. The mounting accessory of claim 1, wherein the aligned disposition comprises the ballistic plate being substantially parallel to the wearer's torso.
  • 18. A mounting accessory for an armor carrier carrying a ballistic plate donned by a wearer, comprising: one or more pectoral members projecting from an inside upper surface of the armor carrier; andone or more abdominal members projecting from an inside lower surface of the armor carrier,wherein the pectoral members and the abdominal members are configured to position the ballistic plate in an aligned disposition with respect to the wearer's torso.
  • 19. The mounting accessory of claim 18, wherein the one or more pectoral members and the one or more abdominal members are removably attachable to the armor carrier.
  • 20. The mounting accessory of claim 18, wherein the one or more pectoral members and the one or more abdominal members substantially conform to the wearer's upper and lower torso, respectively.
  • 21. The mounting accessory of claim 18, wherein the aligned disposition comprises the ballistic plate being substantially parallel to the wearer's torso.
  • 22. The mounting accessory of claim 18, wherein each one of the one or more pectoral members and the one or more abdominal members include an attachment device for attaching the resilient member to the interior side of the armor carrier.
  • 23. A mounting accessory for an armor carrier carrying a ballistic plate donned by a wearer, comprising: one or more pectoral members projecting from an inside upper surface of the armor carrier, the one or more pectoral members including a first contoured surface substantially matching the profile of the wearer's pectoral mass,wherein the one or more pectoral members is configured to conform to the wearer's pectoral region when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier; andone or more abdominal members projecting from an inside lower surface of the armor carrier, the one or more abdominal members including a first contoured surface substantially matching the profile of the wearer's abdominal region,wherein the one or more abdominal members is configured to conform to the wearer's abdominal region when making contact under the weight of the armor carrier, andwherein the pectoral members and the abdominal members are configured to position the ballistic plate substantially parallel to the wearer's torso.
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
63590646 Oct 2023 US