Patent Grant
9301595
This application relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/959,300, filed on Aug. 5, 2013, entitled ADJUSTABLE HOLSTER TO SECURE AN INSTRUMENT, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/959,349, filed on Aug. 5, 2013, entitled ADJUSTABLE HOLSTER TO SECURE AN INSTRUMENT, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
This application relates to a holster for securing a firearm or other object to a user's body, and more particularly, to a multi-layered holster that secures instruments and/or firearms.
Conventionally, holsters worn by users of such instruments (i.e., weapons, guns, tools, etc.) are large, bulky and not comfortable for a user desiring to keep the instruments close to or against his or her body. Depending on the type of instrument, the instrument dimensions can be sharp, hard, pointy and/or awkward for a user to keep strapped against his or her body. The materials used to secure the instrument also need to be generally thin and smooth to ensure comfort for the user. Also, the materials most commonly associated with a holster are smooth plastics or poly-synthetic materials and/or leather which are aesthetically pleasing to a user by comfort and appearance. However, by having multiple layers it may be possible to ensure a comfortable experience for the user while maintaining a professional appearance and holstering capability.
One embodiment of the present application may include an apparatus that includes a front cover with a plurality of engaging snap portions and a molded surface area that provides a cavity for instrument insertion, and a rear cover with a plurality of layers including a first layer composed of a first material, a middle layer composed of a second material and a third layer composed of a third material, wherein the second material of the middle layer is different from the first material of the first layer, and a plurality of receiving snap portions configured to engage the plurality of engaging snap portions.
Another example embodiment includes an apparatus with a front cover having a molded surface area that provides a cavity shaped as a hand gun barrel and a hand gun trigger housing, and a rear cover including a plurality of layers including a first layer composed of a first material, a middle layer composed of a second material and a third layer composed of a third material, wherein the second material of the middle layer is different from the first material of the first layer.
It will be readily understood that the components of the present application, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of an apparatus, and system configuration, as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the application as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the application.
The features, structures, or characteristics of the application described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases “example embodiments”, “some embodiments”, or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, appearances of the phrases “example embodiments”, “in some embodiments”, “in other embodiments”, or other similar language, throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
The middle layer 112 may be smaller by about approximately 1/32, 1/16, ⅛ or ¼ of an inch all around the perimeter of the middle layer 112 as compared to the larger front layer 212 and/or the rear layer 312. In this example configuration, the middle layer 112 can be hidden from view when the front and rear layers are secured together. According to example embodiments the material compositions of each of the three layers may be the same, different or two layers may be the same while one of the other three layers is different. For example, in one example embodiment the front layer and the rear layer are leather and the middle layer is a softer polysynthetic material that provides a cushion with a particular firmness coefficient that is suitable for a user who may desire comfort when a bulky and large hand gun is resting inside the holster (i.e., between a front cover and the rear holster layers).
In one example embodiment, the front layer 212 is made of a vinyl material or a leather animal hide type of material, the middle layer 112 is made of plastic, ABS, KYDEX, or comparable material and the rear layer 312 is made of NEOPRENE which is cheaper than leather and relatively comfortable against a body of a person. Also, in this example the front layer 212 is about 1-2 mm thick, the middle layer 112 is about 1-2 mm thick and may be slightly thinner than the front layer and the rear layer is about 2-6 mm of NEOPRENE. The four holes in the middle 142, 144, 152, 154 and corresponding holes 162, 164 and other holes not visible are for a plastic holster shell as may be observed from
In another example, the middle layer 112 may be leather similar to the front and rear layers 212 and 312, however, the middle layer 112 may have a thicker cross-sectional depth area than the front layer 212 and the rear layer 312. Or, the middle layer 112 may be the same thickness as the front and rear layers 212 and 312 and may be the same material. Alternatively, the middle layer 112 may have a smaller cross-sectional depth area than the front layer 212 and the rear layer 312, but may still be made of the same type of material. Yet in another example, the middle layer may be made from a different material from the front layer and the rear layer. In yet another example, the middle layer may be made from the same material as one of the front layer and the rear layer but not both the front layer and the rear layer, as one of the exterior layers may be made of a different material than the other two layers. Examples of different materials used for the various different rear layers may include leather, neoprene, plastic, vinyl, wood, metal, etc.
In another example embodiment, the middle layer 112 is made of a plastic material having a relatively firm and rigid construction. This configuration may provide a middle layer 112 with a relatively thin cross-sectional depth while providing a hard plastic protective shell so the gun inside the holster will not be as likely to press against the user's skin and cause irritation. In this configuration, the middle layer may have a depth of only about 1/64, 1/32 or 1/16 of an inch and may be rigid and generally difficult to bend by the user, although not perfectly rigid as the user may feel pressure against his or her body if the material is overly-rigid. In this example, since the middle layer is supposed to be relatively thin, the outer layers may be thicker and softer to encase the middle layer on both sides without the middle layer being visible. Also, the middle layer may have a natural curve present that would correspond to a user's leg or hip protruding towards the three-layer configuration while preserving a relatively arcuate position to correspond with the user's body. The arcuate structure may have an arc angle of anywhere between 10 and 120 degrees to correspond to the user's body.
In
According to one example embodiment, the rear holster portion 212 is significantly larger in area than the area of the front cover or front holster portion 214. For example, the rear holster portion 212 may be approximately 100% to 400% larger in surface area than the planar surface area of the front cover portion 214. The front cover portion 214 may also be made of a different material than the rear portion 212. The front cover 214 may have multiple molded protrusions that extends beyond the surface area of the main cover portion 214. For example, the barrel portion may be one molded protrusion and the trigger and/or trigger housing portion may be another molded protrusion extending beyond the planar surface area of the front cover 214. This configuration permits the gun 241 to be inserted into a voluminous area (as shown by the user hand 239) defined by the protrusions which protrude away from the flat planar surface of the main area of the front cover 214. Also, the molded protrusion may extend beyond a main surface area of the front cover 214 by approximately 1-2 inches to cover the voluminous channel consumed by a gun barrel placed in the holster.
In one example embodiment, the front cover portion 214 may be made of a form-fitted plastic that is specifically designed to accommodate a particular caliber or gauge size of a handheld gun. In this example, the snaps may be positioned in the same general locations on different front cover portions that are wider, deeper, longer, etc. This configuration provides a common snap receiving array as indicated by the snap portions that may be used for differently sized front covers which engage the receiving snap portions with engaging snap portions 232, 233, 234 and 235 which are paired by an engaging snap connector piece 262 and 264. The connector pieces are of varying lengths and provide a securing mechanism to avoid pressure from the heavy gun pressing against the snaps individually. Top snaps 216 may be part of a belt snap configuration worn by the user to offer additional securing restraints. The belt loop snaps 219 offer a convenient way to remove the belt loops if necessary.
In one example, a holster for an instrument tool or gun may include a front cover with a plurality of engaging snap portions and a molded surface area that provides a cavity for instrument insertion, and a rear cover including a plurality of layers including a first layer composed of a first material, a middle layer composed of a second material and a third layer composed of a third material, wherein the second material of the middle layer is different from the first material of the first layer, and a plurality of receiving snap portions configured to engage the plurality of engaging snap portions.
The front cover could be a different material than the first layer of the rear cover and may be a plastic where the other layers are an animal hide leather. The plastic may be form-fitted and rigid plastic or form-fitted and flexible. The first layer and the second layer of the rear cover are animal hide leather and the middle layer is plastic. The middle layer may have a same depth, a larger depth or a thinner depth than the first layer and the second layer. The middle layer may have a larger rigidity coefficient than a rigidity coefficient of first layer and a rigidity coefficient of the second layer to maintain a larger degree of protection from friction caused by the movement of the gun in the holster. Also, each of the three layers includes a same number of holes which match a corresponding position on each of the three layers. The surface area of the middle layer may be less than the surface area of the first layer and the surface area of the second layer.
Another example embodiment may provide a holster with front cover that includes a molded surface area that provides a cavity shaped as a hand gun barrel and a hand gun trigger housing, and a rear cover with a plurality of layers including a first layer composed of a first material, a middle layer composed of a second material and a third layer composed of a third material, and the second material of the middle layer is different from the first material of the first layer.
It will be readily understood that the components of the application, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the detailed description of the embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the application as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the application.
Therefore, although the application has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the application. In order to determine the metes and bounds of the application, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claims.
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