Patent Application
20170234648
Persons routinely carry handguns in holsters designed to protect the handgun and hold it securely on their body in a concealed manner. Common body placement for concealing a holster is on a belt at the waist, on the thigh, under an arm, and/or around an ankle. Many people find it uncomfortable to carry a handgun in one of these positions, and women in particular, find it hard to conceal due to having a more curvy body shape and tighter fitting clothing styles as compared to men. As a result, many women are now interested in way to facilitate the conceal carrying of a handgun off their body and in their handbag or purse.
Unfortunately, holster designs configured to he worn on the body are generally not suitable for use within a purse as they provide no way of positioning the handgun for a quick and easy draw. In response, purses configured to act as a handgun bolster have been developed. However, these purses have several disadvantages. First, the selection of purses configured to act as a handgun holster is limited. Second, these designs do not allow a user to carry a handgun within a purse they currently own or one produced by a different designer. Third, many of these purse designs are unattractive and expensive. What is needed is a mount that fits comfortably in a purse that allows a bolstered handgun to be readily available for a quick and easy draw, with the mount capable of being used with common interior purse designs such that it could be used with numerous purses from various designers, including ones that are currently owned by users.
Disclosed is a purse mount device capable of being used in various purses and capable of being used with various handgun/holster combinations. Most preferred characteristics of the device is that it has a low profile, that it is easily securable within a purse, but also that it is easily releasable to switch purses, that it is easily adjustable for height for holding various bolstered handguns within different purses, and that it is durable to survive everyday conceal carrying.
Everyday conceal carrying of a handguns on the body provides challenges. Selection of the best gun and holster combination is very important for every individual who chooses to conceal carry on their body. There must be balance between the comfort of carrying a bolstered handgun for everyday normal activities and the risk of “printing”, i.e. revealing the presence of a handgun secured on the body. Handgun/holster combination choices can be very limiting for some people, especially women. Women have unique demands on their concealed carry choices that men do not have due to the shape and curves of the female figure as well as the impractical trends of ladies' fashions for conceal carry purposes. Many holsters are designed without female's curves in mind and feature a flat or otherwise uncompromising backing. If an inside- or outside-the-waistband holster doesn't somewhat fit the bends of a female hip and lower back, it often does not stay securely positioned and may “flop” to some degree during regular body motion. That “flop” makes a concealed carry handgun more noticeable (a moving handgun definitely prints more than one that is entirely stable). A non-secure handgun could also have an adverse effect to one's ability, to draw quickly and effectively in a self-defense situation. Some holsters are designed for certain size and/or caliber of handgun, while other holsters are customized for a specific handgun design. Most of these typical holsters are for carrying a handgun on the body are not functional or practical for concealed purse carry, an option many women, would like to have available, considering the above described problems.
Purse carry is an alternative option for carrying a handgun and providing effective concealment. Purse carry allows for a larger range of handgun/holster combinations and may allow for carry of a larger handgun size that cannot ne easily concealed on the body. The option to purse carry is sometimes the only option available to women when their clothing choice prevents them from carrying any other way. A caveat to purse carry is that placement of a bolstered handgun in a purse makes it less accessible and can cost precious seconds to draw in a self-defense situation. The purse mount device addresses and minimizes this problem. The purse mount device makes concealed handgun bolster purse carry a more viable and practical option. The purse mount device comprises a holster support that is sized to accommodate a variety of handgun holster combinations. One advantage of the purse mount device is that it connects to side pocket(s) found within the interior of most purses. Many fashionable/functional purses have duel side pockets of varying sizes adjacent to one another on a single side of the purse and larger zippered pocket on the opposite side. It is most preferred to connect the device to both dual side pockets. Another advantage is that the design allows for height adjustment of the bolster support within the purse to accommodate various handgun holster combinations, and allowing for easier and quicker drawing of a handgun in a self-defense situation. Furthermore, the device gives a “soft” purse the ability and stability to carry the firearm safely.
A preferred material comprising the injection molded embodiments is polycarbonate. Other possible include polypropylene, polyethylene, ABS and PC-ABS, polystyrene (HIPS and GSSP), acrylic, nylon 6/6 PBT, acetal PVC, TPE, Noryl, TPU, and polysulphone. These disclosed materials are not meant to he limiting, any feasible materials known to those skilled in the art are contemplated by this disclosure. Characteristics of materials that can be used include, but are not limited to, being relatively strong and durable at a relatively thin width, being lightweight for everyday use, being heat and cold tolerant and being easy to use for injection molding. The injection molded embodiments can be manufactured by any feasible injection, mold technique known to those with ordinary skill in the art.
The foregoing description merely illustrates the invention is not intended to be limiting. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept. Accordingly it is not intended that the invention be limited except by the appended claims.
