Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6588640
-
Patent Number
6,588,640
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, October 25, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, July 8, 200321 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 224 192
- 224 193
- 224 195
- 224 198
- 224 677
- 224 911
- 224 912
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
This invention relates to a back piece or a support plate for positioning a handgun holster in a substantially fixed position on a waist belt, the back piece being a molded, stiff, inflexible single thickness of leather-like material adapted to hold a holstered pistol close to the leg of the wearer with the handgun grip canted slightly outwardly for easy withdrawal and having two elongate belt slots. This invention is especially suitable for waist belts and carriers attachable to a waist belt by means of fabric hook-and-loop fasteners. A belt adapter plate is included to provide for use of the support plate with belts of smaller width and/or thickness. The support plate is constructed in a manner to deflect the lower portion of a belt outwardly so that when the belt is tensioned the lower portion of the support plate is pulled inwardly toward the leg of a wearer. The slots are formed in a manner to firmly bind against a belt when it is tensioned to fix the support plate in a desired position.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to devices to suspend personal equipment for a police officer or a soldier; and more particularly, it relates to devices that suspend article carriers such as a holster for a pistol or the like on a belt, including a waist belt.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,881,933, dated Mar. 16, 1999, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,045, dated Jan. 4, 2000. The former invention discloses a combination of two waist belts, one overlying the other, preferably locked together by “Velcro” hooks and loops, and employed for carrying sidearms and other, articles used in police work. The latter invention describes an adjustable carrier plate, which is attachable to a waist belt and provides an angular position adjustment for a gun holster or other carrier that might be attached to the belt through the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,781, dated Nov. 30, 1993 discloses several mounting devices for holster suspension; a paddle embodiment in FIGS. 10-13 which is the more relevant embodiment to the support plate of the herein disclosed invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a device attachable to a belt for carrying a holster including an elongate support plate having an upper portion and a lower portion and opposite side portions, and a pair of spaced elongate slots oriented lengthwise of and passing through respective side portions of the support plate. The support plate has an outer surface and an inner surface adapted to fit adjacent a wearer and includes means to deflect a belt passing through the slots, greater at a lower portion of a belt than an upper portion of a belt to cause the lower portion of the plate to be pulled against a leg of a wearer when a belt is tensioned about a wearer, the support plate further including mounting means for attachment of a holster thereto. The means to deflect includes each side portion being bent inwardly toward a wearer to shape the slot such that a passageway defined by the slot for a belt therethrough is a wedge having a wide, upper portion and a narrower lower portion for firmly grasping the inner and outer surfaces of a belt therethrough. The means to deflect in one embodiment includes the side portion adjacent the lower portion of a respective slot being thicker than the side portion adjacent the upper portion of the slot. The means to deflect in another embodiment includes an outwardly extending wall member adjacent each lower portion of a respective slot. The means to deflect in a further embodiment includes slots being slanted such the upper portions of the slots are closer together than the lower portions of the slots. The slots are substantially parallel and each is formed angularly between the surfaces so that the width of each slot adjacent the outer surface is larger than the width of the respective slot adjacent the inner surface for firmly grasping the inner and outer surfaces of a belt. The support plate is formed of a stiff, substantially inflexible material and includes mounting means having an outwardly disposed boss formed on the lower portion of the outer surface of the plate which includes at least one attachment hole formed therein for mounting a holster thereto. The slots are sized to accept belts of different widths therethrough for securing the support plate to the body of a wearer.
The support plate is curved about a vertical longitudinal axis so as to fit closely against an outside hip and leg of a wearer when a belt is worn about a waist. The lower portion of the support plate is curved at a horizontal axis so as to dispose a handgun carried in a holster attached thereto with the grip spaced away from a wearer's waist and the muzzle being closely held adjacent a leg of a wearer. Belt adapter means is include for securing to the support plate a belt having a width substantially less than the length of the slots. The belt adapter means includes an insert having opposite end portions each being disposable in a slot. The insert includes a substantially planar body positioned closely adjacent the inner surfaces of the upper portion of the support plate when the end portions are disposed in respective slots. The device may be combined with two concentric waist belts that fasten to each other by means of a fabric fastener system of hooks and loops, one belt being worn around the waist of a wearer, the other being threaded through the slots and attachable to one belt by the fastener system in a portion of the other belt that is between the slots.
In other aspects of the present invention there is provided a device attachable to a belt for carrying a holster including an elongate support plate having means for self-securing the plate on a tensioned belt to selectively fix the position of the plate along a belt and being freely movable along a belt when loosened about a wear. The means for self-securing further may include means to deflect a belt passing through the slots wherein each side portion is bent inwardly toward a wearer to shape the slot such that a passageway defined by each slot is wedge-shaped, having a wide upper portion and a narrower lower portion for firmly grasping the inner and outer surfaces of a belt therethrough. The means to deflect may have a side portion adjacent the lower portion of each slot being thicker than the side portion adjacent the upper portion of each slot. The support plate is symmetrical about a central vertical axis for use with either right-handed or left-handed holsters.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a front perspective view of a waist-encircling belt employing the support plate of the present invention as an attachment means between a pistol holster and the waist belt of the wearer;
FIG. 2
is an elevational view of the support plate of the present invention showing the outer surface away from a wearer;
FIG. 3
is a top plan view of the support plate of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4
is a side elevational view of the support plate of
FIGS. 2 and 3
;
FIG. 5
is a front elevational partial view of the support plate shown in
FIG. 2
modified by the presence of a belt adapter;
FIG. 6
is a front elevational view of the belt adapter of
FIG. 5
;
FIG. 7
is a side elevational view of the belt adapter of
FIG. 6
;
FIG. 8
is a perspective view of the support plate of
FIG. 1
showing an alternate belt mounted therethrough;
FIG. 9
is a perspective view of the support plate of
FIG. 8
;
FIG. 10
is a perspective view of another embodiment of the support plate in accord with the present invention; and
FIG. 11
is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the support plate in accord with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
INTRODUCTION
Since the first handgun holsters, the part of the holster that was attached to the wearer's belt has had three requirements. This part of the holster, commonly referred to in the industry as the “back piece”, “belt piece” or “back plate” needed to be comfortable, secure to the belt and needed to prevent the holster from riding up when the firearm is drawn quickly upward. The first holsters were actually laced to the belt with leather strips to prevent any lateral movement; Leather thongs were tied through the back piece and around the wearer's thigh to prevent the holster from riding up when drawing the firearm. The comfort issue was originally solved by wearing the handgun low on the thigh, support from the waist by a heavy piece of conforming leather.
Because of the automobile and other reasons, the modern holster must be worn high on the waist. Modern designs have proven to be uncomfortable for the most part because they are made of more rigid material. Present designs require screws, fasteners or other mechanical clamp devices to anchor the back piece to the belt. Thigh “tie down straps” are not practical with present dress standards and there have been a number of attempts by designers to improve on the ability of the holster to remain in place when drawing upward. The most recent art uses plastic or metal inserts built into the back piece and curved such that the handle of the handgun is displaced far away from the wearer's waist and the muzzle of the gun touches the wearer's leg. If the holster rides up and pivots on the belt, it can move a considerable distance before the draw is completed. Such design has come under scrutiny recently because of the officer's safety. With the grip of the weapon displaced away from the officer it is much easier for an assailant to grab the weapon.
The present invention relates to a novel back plate for a gun holster that is normally carried on a waist belt. It uses two wedge shaped parallel slots in conjunction with a concave hip-conforming radius. Because of the design of the back plate the belt is placed into a bind when the two ends of the belt are tensioned. The bottom of the belt is forced to bow outwardly on either side, i.e., the belt has a longer distance to extend around the shoulders of the slots at the bottoms compared to the tops of the slots. This binding does two things. It self locks the plate and attached handgun holster to the belt and it applies pressure to the bottom portion, or muzzle end of the holster to prevent it from riding up during the drawing motion. The weapon handle can be carried safely close to the body without compromising the draw. The present invention can be in conjunction with matching hook and loop inner and outer belts resulting in enhanced results.
This invention relates to a belt and a holster along with a novel support plate (or back plate) for carrying a pistol or a revolver suspended from a waist belt. One of the principal purposes of this combination is to keep the weapon at a specific location that is not altered by the twisting and turning of the body of the wearer in performing his or her daily duties. It is intended by wearing this combination to maintain the weapon in the same position on the waist belt so that the wearer can readily draw the weapon out of the holster when needed without fumbling around to find that the holster and weapon have inadvertently slipped around the suspension belt to a new location during the wearer's activities.
The preferred components of the combination of this invention are an inner belt
20
and an outer belt
21
. Inner belt
20
may be a simple overlapping band of fabric such as canvas, generally without a buckle so as to eliminate any bulges that may interfere with the outer belt
21
and/or inhibit the arm movements of the wearer. Outer belt
21
may also be made of a fabric, or it may be made of leather to provide a more dressy appearance. Preferably belts
20
and
21
are made of materials that combine to adhere to each other and appear to be one belt. A preferred combination is to have inner belt
20
covered on the outside surface
41
with fabric loops of a “Velcro” fastener combination, while the inside surface
43
of outer belt
21
is covered with fabric hooks of a “Velcro” fastener. A typical combination of two concentric waist belts for police or military personnel is described and illustrated in the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,933, and the disclosed general combination is basic to the present invention. The combination of belts
20
and
21
carries a holster
24
with a handgun
25
. Other items are held in carrier
23
such as ammunition clips or speed loaders, handcuffs, etc. The principal component of this invention relates to the support plate
26
, which serves to locate the holstered handgun
25
in a selected position along the belt
20
,
21
combination; and it is this part of the equipment that will be described below.
Support plate
26
is shown in detail in
FIGS. 2-4
of the attached drawings. Support plate
26
is a thin plate having a lengthwise concave inside surface
39
and a corresponding convex outer surface
40
; the plate being shaped to lie closely along the upper thigh of the wearer with a holstered handgun
25
being attached to the outside surface. Plate
26
has two substantially parallel wedge-shaped slots
27
adapted to receive a waist belt therethrough. The lower central portion of plate
26
below horizontal axis
54
is curved inwardly and is shaped into a T-shaped outwardly disposed flat plateau or boss raised above the remainder of plate
26
with three spaced attachment holes
28
for attaching holster
24
to plate
26
. The general shape of plate
26
allows the upper part of plate
26
to lie close to the upper thigh of the wearer with the muzzle of the handgun pointing downwardly along the leg and the handgun grip and breech of the handgun canted slightly outwardly only enough to allow immediate access by the wearer's hand for a quick withdrawal of the weapon from the holster. Among the several special characteristics of plate
26
are:
1) the concave shape of the plate
26
with compound curves provides a strong rigid structure in the horizontal and vertical directions and light weight;
2) the concave shape provides a cavity to conform around the hip bone and also conforms to the size of an adult;
3) the edges of the slots
27
are shaped so as to engage the adjoining surface of either the belts
20
,
21
or
55
(
FIG. 8
) and thereby to prevent any lateral movement along the belt;
4) the slots
27
are widely separated so as to lessen the tendency of the plate
26
to move along the length of the belt
21
and to provide stability against rotary movement;
5) the shape of the wedge-shaped slots causes a bowing of the belts to properly position the support plate
26
as will be discussed hereinbelow;
6) the plate
26
is identical for either right-handed or left-handed wearers by virtue of being symmetrical about vertical axis
53
;
7) the plate
26
is adapted to be modified by the use of a belt adapter
31
(described in detail below) for wearers who employ a narrower waist belt than the wide belt favored in the U.S.A.; and
8) the outer belt inner surface loops between the slots
27
are firmly attached to the hooks on the outer surface of the inner belt.
For the possibility that the wearer does not wish to wear a wide belt as shown in the drawing (approx. 2.0 inches in width) there is another feature of this invention involving the use of a belt adapter as illustrated in
FIGS. 5-7
. The adapter
31
is sandwiched between the support plate
26
and the outer belt
21
. This provides a tighter fit between outer belt
21
and support plate
26
so as to permit narrower outer belts than 2.0 inches. In other countries, the outer belts of police frequently are narrower than 2.0 inches and in these situations the use of a belt adapter
31
is recommended so that substantially all of the advantages of the instant support plate may be achieved. Adapter
31
is shown in
FIGS. 5-7
, and the use of that adapter
31
with holster
24
is shown in FIG.
5
. Belt adapter
31
is a partially flat piece of plastic as seen in FIG.
6
. Adapter
31
includes a rectangular central body
33
having inner surface
45
and outer surface
46
with two oppositely positioned flexible side wings
34
each joined to body
33
by a narrow neck
37
that defines spacer slots
38
. At the top of the body
33
there is a tongue
35
designed to penetrate into slot
32
at the top of support plate
26
.
With respect to
FIGS. 5 and 6
, adapter
31
lies flat between the outer surface
44
of outside belt
21
and the inside surface
39
of support plate
26
. Thus, a sandwich construction results of these three components is produced with adapter
31
being the middle layer, support plate
26
being the outside layer, and belt
21
being the inner layer. Tongue
35
is inserted into slot
32
. Wings
34
are spread outwardly so that belt slots
27
and spacer slots
38
are aligned. Belt
21
is then threaded into one belt slot
27
and through aligned spacer slot
38
in adapter
31
and thence across the back of adapter
31
to emerge through the other slot
38
and belt slot
27
as shown.
Each slot
37
includes a top portion
47
, a bottom portion
48
, an outward side
49
and an inward side
50
. When belt
21
is threaded through the support plate
26
the belt
21
is engaged by the innermost edge
52
of side
50
and the outermost edge
51
of side
49
of the respective slots
47
.
As seen in
FIG. 4
, the belt passageway is wedge-shaped with a top that is wider than the bottom. This structure is provided by the bending of the sides of the support plate
26
that contain slots
27
inwardly toward the wearer and provides for inward movement of the lower portion of the support plate
26
and an attached holster
24
. This arrangement produces a tight fit for adapter
31
, support plate
26
, and outer belt
21
to inhibit slippage of holster
24
along the length of belt
21
.
With respect to
FIG. 8
, the support plate
26
is shown with a portion of a standard police belt
55
having an upper portion
56
and a lower portion
57
. As belt
55
is threaded through slots
27
the lower portion
57
will distort in an outward arch or bow due to the narrow lower portion
48
of the belt
55
will remain straight as it passes from one slot
27
to another. The belt is quite stiff as understood in the art and therefore an outward arch or bulge portion
58
will be created because the belt
55
is too thick to fit through both of the lower portions
48
of the slots
29
and remain flat as is the case with the top portion
56
of the belt as can be seen from the side view of
FIGS. 4 and 9
. When the belt
55
is tensioned to secure it around the waist of a wearer
59
and inwardly directed force will push the lower portion of the support plate
26
below axis
54
inwardly against the body of the wearer
59
. At this position the arch or bulge portions
58
will become only slightly smaller thus maintaining inward force on the lower portion of support plate
26
. The force of the bowed belt
55
against the support plate
26
will cause a binding therebetween holding it in position.
With respect to
FIG. 10
, an alternative support plate
60
is illustrated. Slots
61
have an upper end portion
62
and a lower end portion
63
. An upraised wall is formed of wedge member
66
formed integrally with the body of support plate
60
. The member
66
preferably includes a thin upper portion
67
and a thicker lower portion
68
in the form of an upraised wall extending outwardly. Mounting hole
69
is used for belt adapter
31
. The wedges
66
are illustrated as having sharp edges but they can be formed rounded if so desired. Mounting portion
64
and mounting holes
65
are the same functionally as those of support plate
26
.
The wedge members
66
provide for the same arch or outward bowing of the bottom portion
57
of a belt
55
, as do the wedge-shaped slots discussed hereinabove. When a belt
55
is tightened by a wearer
59
the support plate
60
is substantially fixed in position along the belt
55
because of the binding action between the slots
61
and adjacent wedges
66
and the distorted arch portion of the belt
55
adjacent thereto. The upraised thick portion
68
can be used without upper thin portion
67
.
In
FIG. 11
another embodiment of the support plate according to the present invention is shown at
70
. The support plate
70
has an upraised mounting portion
71
and three screw holes
72
as before. Slots
73
are formed to be slanted from the vertical to place upper portions
78
closer together than lower portions
77
as are sides
76
of the support plate
70
. Outward walls
74
of slots
73
assist in providing the binding or gripping action as discussed hereinabove. A belt
55
threaded through slots
73
in the manner of
FIG. 8
will lie flat along the top portion
56
adjacent upper portion
78
but will also arch outwardly near a slot
73
as it passes over the portion of the support plate
70
at the lower portion
77
due to the curvature of the upper portion of the support plate
70
. Accordingly, lower portion
77
is displaced laterally outwardly further away from a wearer
59
than upper portion
78
. Mounting hole
79
is used with belt adapter
31
.
In each of the support plates
26
,
60
, and
70
, the lower portion of the respective slots
27
,
61
, and
73
are formed to require the bottom portion of a stiff belt
55
to bend outwardly away from a wearer before going through the respective slot and then across the inside of the respective support plate, and then outward through the opposite slot with an additional outward bend. From there the bottom portion
57
of the belt
55
curves outwardly over the support and inwardly against the body of wearer
59
. When the belt
55
is tensioned around the user
59
the force on the lower portion
57
of belt
55
works against the bends resulting in a movement of the lower portion of the respective support plate inwardly against the body of wearer
59
. The top portion
56
of belt
55
undergoes virtually no outward bending when it is threaded through the slots in a respective support plate. The binding action of the slots and the respective edges thereof results in the support plate being fixed in position as long as the belt remains tensioned.
While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
- 1. A device attachable to a belt for carrying a holster comprising a stiff, substantially inflexible elongate support plate having an upper portion and a lower portion and opposite side portions, a pair of spaced elongate slots oriented lengthwise and in the same direction as the elongation of said elongate support plate and passing through respective said side portions of said support plate, said plate including means to deflect a belt passing through said slots, greater at a lower portion of a belt than an upper portion of a belt to cause said lower portion of said plate to be pulled against a leg of a wearer when a belt is tensioned about a wearer, said support plate further including mounting means located in said lower portion for attachment of a holster thereto.
- 2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means to deflect includes each said side portion being formed inwardly toward a wearer to shape said slot such that a passageway defined by said slot for a belt therethrough is a wedge having a wide upper portion and a narrower lower portion for firmly grasping the inner and outer surface of a belt therethrough.
- 3. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means to deflect includes said side portion adjacent said lower portion of a respective said slot being thicker than said side portion adjacent said upper portion of said slot.
- 4. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means to deflect includes an outwardly extending wall member adjacent each said lower portion of a respective said slot.
- 5. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means to deflect includes said slots being slanted such that the upper portions of said slots are closer together than said lower portions of said slots.
- 6. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said slots are substantially parallel.
- 7. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said plate includes an inner and an outer surface, each said slot being formed angularly between said inner and outer surfaces so that the width of each said slot adjacent said outer surface is larger than the width of said respective slot adjacent said inner surface for firmly grasping the inner and outer surfaces of a belt.
- 8. The device of claim 1 wherein said means to deflect includes means for self-securing said plate on a tensioned belt to selectively fix the position of said plate along a belt whereby said plate is immovable, said plate being freely movable along a belt when loosened about a wearer.
- 9. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes an outwardly disposed boss formed on said lower portion of said outer surface of said plate, said boss further including at least one attachment hole formed therein for mounting a holster thereto.
- 10. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said slots are sized to accept belts of different widths therethrough for securing said support plate to the body of a wearer.
- 11. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said support plate is curved about a vertical longitudinal axis so as to fit closely against an outside hip and leg of a wearer when a belt is worn about a waist.
- 12. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said lower portion of said support plate is curved at a horizontal axis so as to dispose a handgun carried in a holster attached thereto with the grip spaced away from a wearer's waist and the muzzle being closely held adjacent a leg of a wearer.
- 13. The device as defined in claim 1 further including belt adapter means for tightly securing to said support plate a belt having a width substantially less than the length of said slots.
- 14. The device as defined in claim 13 wherein said belt adapter means includes an insert having opposite end portions, each said end portion being disposable in a said slot.
- 15. The device as defined in claim 14 wherein said insert includes a substantially planar body positioned closely adjacent said inner surfaces of said upper portion of said support plate when said end portions are disposed in respective said slot.
- 16. The combination of the support plate of claim 1 with two concentric waist belts that fasten to each other by means of a fabric fastener system of hooks and loops, one said belt being worn around the waist of a wearer, the other said belt being threaded through said slots and attachable to said one belt by said fastener system in a portion of said other belt that is between said slots.
- 17. A device attachable to a belt for carrying a holster comprising a stiff, substantially inflexible elongate support plate having an upper portion and a lower portion and opposite side portions, a pair of spaced elongate slots oriented lengthwise and in the same direction as the elongation of said elongate support plate and passing through respective said side portions of said support plate, said support plate having an outer surface and an inner surface adapted to fit adjacent a wearer, said plate including means for self-securing said plate on a tensioned belt to selectively fix the position of said plate along a belt, said plate being freely movable along a belt when loosened about a wearer, said support plate further including mounting means located in said lower portion for attachment of a holster thereto.
- 18. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said means for self-securing further includes means to deflect a belt passing through said slots, said means to deflect including said side portions, each said side portion being formed inwardly toward a wearer to shape respective said slot such that a passageway defined by each said slot is wedge shaped having a wide upper portion and a narrower lower portion for firmly grasping the inner and outer surfaces of a belt therethrough.
- 19. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said means for self-securing further includes means to deflect a belt passing through said slots, said means to deflect including said side portion adjacent said lower portion of said slot being thicker than said side portion adjacent said upper portion of said slot.
- 20. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said support plate is symmetrical about a central vertical axis for use with either right-handed or left-handed holsters.
- 21. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said mounting means includes an outwardly disposed boss formed on said lower of said outer surface of said plate, said boss further including a plurality of attachment holes formed therein for mounting a holster thereto.
- 22. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said lower portion of said support plate is curved at a horizontal axis so as to dispose a handgun carried in a holster attached thereto with the grip spaced away from a wearer's waist and the muzzle being closely held adjacent a leg of a wearer.
- 23. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said support plate is curved about a vertical longitudinal axis so as to fit closely against an outside hip and leg of a wearer when a belt is worn about a waist.
- 24. The device as defined in claim 17 further including belt adapter means for tightly securing to said support plate a belt having a width substantially less than the length of said slots.
- 25. The device as defined in claim 24 wherein said belt adapter means includes an insert having opposite end portions, each said end portion being disposable in a said slot.
- 26. The device as defined in claim 25 wherein said insert includes a substantially planar body positioned closely adjacent said inner surface of said upper portion of said support plate when said end portions are disposed in respective said slots.
- 27. The combination of the support plate of claim 17 with two concentric waist belts that fasten to each other by means of a fabric fastener system of hooks and loops, one said belt being worn around the waist of a wearer, the other said belt being threaded through said slots and attachable to said one belt by said fastener system in a portion of said other belt that is between said slots.
- 28. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said means to deflect includes an outwardly extending wall member adjacent each said lower portion of a respective said slot.
- 29. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said means to deflect includes said slots being slanted such that the upper portions of said slots are closer together than said lower portions of said slots.
- 30. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein said slots are substantially parallel.
- 31. The device as defined in claim 17 where each said slot is formed angularly between said surfaces so that the width of each said slot adjacent said outer surface is larger than the width of said respective said slot adjacent said inner surface for firmly grasping the inner and outer surfaces of a belt.
US Referenced Citations (6)