Patent Application
20060162135
The present invention relates to the attachment of objects to garments, harnesses, and the like, and, more particularly, to a fastening system that securely mounts removable pockets, pouches, or the like, to a mesh fabric.
Many types of load bearing garments or backpacks may employ some type of attachment system for accessories so that a user may locate any of a variety of such accessories (e.g., pockets, pouches, and holders) where they will be most convenient. Permanently attached pockets are suboptimal because they require extensive repair or replacement of the garment when they wear out. Pockets that are permanently attached cannot be repositioned for the comfort and accessibility of the individual user, nor swapped for more appropriate alternative accessories given the current use.
Well known attachment systems include keepers with slides, hook and loop fasteners, snap fasteners (both hard and soft), buttons, and interlocking straps. Generally, the problems associated with these systems are the labor and expense, weight, heat stress on the user, unreliability, bulk, lack of comfort, and creation of unstable loads due to sloppiness in the fitting.
Keepers and sliders tend to be uncomfortable to the user, or require padding, which adds to a user's heat stress. Their mechanism have a tendency to become fouled, and are costly to repair when damaged.
Hook and loop fasteners (of both plastic and metal) are noisy and become unreliable when exposed to adverse environmental conditions, such as water, grit, mud, snow, or ice.
Snap fasteners are unreliable, easily damaged, and require support to engage. These fasteners require both sides of the snap to be affixed to heavy textile substrates and do not provide enough retention for high load situations.
Some other attachment methods employ one or more plastic parts, which are adhered directly to the garment or the pocket, and interface with another part on the opposing surface. These plastic parts are sewn directly onto a textile surface, but this requires that a relatively low strength plastic be used and that it be thinned to allow penetration by a sewing needle. Furthermore, piercing the plastic in this manner damages it precisely at the point of greatest load, typically resulting in tear-outs during heavy use.
Modular pockets are frequently avoided due to the cost and lack of stability caused by sloppiness in the attachment. Methods which can better approximate the stability of permanent attachment, such as the interlocking straps described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,707, may be expensive, bulky, and cause heat stress due to their thickness and heavier textile substrates required on a garment for their mounting. An interlocking strap system confines the location and angle at which modular pockets can be attached to a garment, based on the width and placement of the straps on the garment.
The effective modular attachments of the present invention allow a user to customize the number, style, and location of the attachments on worn or carried items. The ability to mount accessories at various angles enhances the utility of the accessories and the garment. Further advantages are derived from a system that uses a mesh textile and standard materials as the substrate for accessory attachment. The ability to use mesh as a structural element in a garment or item has advantages in weight and the reduction of heat stress in warm weather environments. To be useful in performance applications, such as load bearing garments, backpacks, sportsman's gear, or luggage, an attachment system must have substantial retention of what is attached.
A primary object of the present invention is to create a secure, reliable, robust, and easy to use attachment system that is low profile (i.e., flat against the garment or item). Additionally, when used with a mesh substrate, the present invention allows accessories to be mounted in a variety of positions and at numerous angles.
In accordance with a general aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for detachably securing an accessory component to a garment or the like has a meshed fabric forming an integral part of the garment. The meshed fabric has an array of first openings. A base plate has a plurality of second openings. The base plate is adapted to be positioned on one side of the meshed fabric with the second openings aligned with mating first openings. The apparatus has means for securing the base plate to the accessory component. A locking plate has a plurality of studs. The locking plate is adapted to be positioned on an opposite side of the meshed fabric with the studs projecting through the mating first openings into the second openings and into interlocked engagement with the base plate.
In other aspects of the present invention, the accessory component is comprised at least partially of a fabric to which the base plate is secured by stitching. The second openings are spaced along a longitudinal axis of the base plate, and the base plate is additionally provided with third openings spaced along paths parallel to and on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis, the third openings being arranged to accept a threaded needle of a sewing machine employed to stitch the base plate to the fabric. The base plate is additionally provided with guide surfaces for guiding the sewing machine along the paths. The second openings have undercut elongated slots communicating with apertures that are relatively large in comparison to the width of the slots. The studs have heads that are connected to the base plate by stems. The heads are wider than the slots and are configured and dimensioned to enter the apertures in a first direction. The stems have widths that are narrower than the heads and dimensioned to enter the slots in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to position the heads beneath the slots and to establish the interlocked engagement. The studs have heads joined to the base plate by stems, the stems being located between gaps in the base plate. The heads have shoulders overlaying the gaps. A top surface of the base plate is provided with grooves extending between the third openings. The stitching is recessed beneath said top surface in the grooves. The base plate has a top surface with a raised longitudinally extending central area, and wherein the second openings are spaced along the central area. The locking plate is adapted to be in interlocked engagement with the base plate and is adapted to slide into locking engagement with said base plate. The means for securing the base plate to the accessory component includes openings formed in the base plate to accommodate riveting of the base plate to an accessory component comprised at least partially of a fabric.
Referring to
In one example, vest 1 includes panels of a wide aperture mesh fabric 6 having an array of relatively large openings, such as about 0.125 inches. An example of this type of fabric is the combat mesh, available from Crossfire Australia Pty Ltd., of Braidwood, NSW, Australia.
Referring to
Studs 26 protrude from top face 18 of base 12 and are disposed longitudinally along centerline 28 of base 12. The studs 26 have heads 30 having a rectangular shape and about equal width and length. Heads 30 are connected to base 12 by stems 32 having a narrower width than heads 30. In one example, stems 32 are about half the width of heads 30. In another example, heads 30 have a width of about 0.25 inches, a length of about 0.25 inches, and a thickness of about 0.062 inches. Stems 32 have a width of about 0.125 inches, for example. Studs 26 may protrude about 0.2 inches from top surface 18, for example.
Referring to
Fastening holes 52 extend through base plate 40 and are arranged along edges 54 and 56. Holes 52 are used to attach base plate 40 to a modular pocket, such as by sewing, for example. Holes 52 are sized to accommodate a sewing machine needle and are uniformly spaced so a sewing machine can be adjusted to the correct number of stitches per inch to correspond with spacing between holes 52. In one example, holes 52 are elongated transversely to the direction in which base plate 40 is sewn so that several different types of sewing machines may be used. In another example, grooves 58 may extend between individual holes 52, between holes 52 and edges 54 or 56, and between holes 52 and ends 60 or 62. Grooves 58 aid in locating stitches during the sewing installation of a base plate 40 to a modular pocket. Grooves 58 also protect stitches from abrasion damage by recessing the stitches below top surface 42. One advantage of holes 52 is the ability to use stronger materials to make base plate 40 as a sewing needle does not have to punch through base plate 40 to form each stitch. In one example, holes 52 are also disposed along ends 60 and 62 of base plate 40.
In one example, top surface 42 includes an elevated center portion 64 forming guide ledges 66 along axis 45 and guide ledges 68 transverse to axis 45. Guide ledges 66 and 68 guide a sewing machine foot during sewing attachment of base plate 40 so that stitches are properly located relative to holes 52.
In another example, rivet holes 70 extend through base plate 40 and are arranged along axis 45 to allow attachment of base plate 40 by commonly known riveting methods. Rivet head recesses 72 extend from top surface 42 into base plate 40 and are sized to permit rivet heads to be installed flush with or below top surface 42.
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The foregoing description has been limited to a specific embodiment of the invention. It will be apparent, however, that variations and modifications can be made to the invention, with the attainment of some or all of the advantages of the invention. Therefore, it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
