U.S. patent application number 10/723836 was filed with the patent office on 2004-08-05 for load bearing system with secure pouch attachment.
Invention is credited to Cohen, Michael.
Application Number | 20040149796 10/723836 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29798347 |
Filed Date | 2004-08-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040149796 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cohen, Michael |
August 5, 2004 |
Load bearing system with secure pouch attachment
Abstract
The invention provides a modular load-bearing system to be worn
by security and combat personnel, comprising a base surface
provided with a plurality of sleeve means and a plurality of
pouches, each of the pouches having a major flange-like extension
attached at one of its ends to a back surface of the pouch, the
extension being sized to be inserted through one of the sleeves and
to be retained therein by releasable interacting fastening means
provided on a surface associated with the base surface and on the
pouch.
Inventors: |
Cohen, Michael; (Mobile Post
North Yehuda, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FULBRIGHT AND JAWORSKI L L P
PATENT DOCKETING 29TH FLOOR
865 SOUTH FIGUEROA STREET
LOS ANGELES
CA
900172576
|
Family ID: |
29798347 |
Appl. No.: |
10/723836 |
Filed: |
November 25, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/660 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F 5/02 20130101; A45F
5/00 20130101; A45F 3/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/660 |
International
Class: |
F42B 039/02; F41C
033/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 12, 2002 |
IL |
153,261 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A modular load-bearing system to be worn by security and combat
personnel, comprising a base surface provided with a plurality of
sleeve means and a plurality of pouches, each of said pouches
having a major flange-like extension attached at one of its ends to
a back surface of said pouch, said extension being sized to be
inserted through one of said sleeves and to be retained therein by
releasable interacting fastening means provided on a surface
associated with said base surface and on said pouch.
2. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 1, wherein said
base surface is an outer surface of a garment.
3. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 1, wherein said
sleeves are formed from a plurality of panels, each of said panels
being attached to said base surface along two spaced-apart lateral
edges.
4. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 1, wherein said
interacting fastening means is of the hook-in-piles
Velcro.TM.-type.
5. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 1, wherein said
pouches are of varying dimensions.
6. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 1, wherein said
releasable interacting fastening means are provided on an extension
of said sleeve.
7. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 1, wherein said
releasable interacting fastening means are provided directly on
said base surface.
8. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 1, wherein said
back surface of said pouch and an outer face of said sleeve are
provided with interacting fastening means for removable
interconnection thereof.
9. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 1, wherein said
pouch is further provided with a minor flange-like extension
attached to an end of said back surface of said pouch opposite the
end supporting said major flange-like extension, said major
flange-like extension protruding beyond said sleeve, interacting
fastening means being provided for connecting said minor
flange-like extension with a protruding portion of said major
flange-like extension.
10. A modular load-bearing system according to claim 9, further
provided with an openable flap depending from said base surface and
when closed arranged to cover said minor flange-like extension,
said flap and said minor flange-like extension being provided with
interacting fastening means for interconnection when said flap is
closed.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to pouches for carrying items
needed by soldiers, police and other security forces.
[0002] More particularly, the invention provides an improved secure
arrangement for attaching a military-style removable pouch to a
base item worn by security and combat personnel.
[0003] Pouches attached to a belt or a coat are in common use by
soldiers to carry ammunition, rifle cleaning items, grenades, a
radio, first aid items, tools, food items and any other small
articles which might be needed while carrying out a mission.
Pouches are available in various sizes, and the number and size of
pouches to be carried will be dependent on an assessment of what
might be required to carry out a specific task. Unneeded pouches
are removed because a lightly-loaded soldier can move faster and
farther when not burdened by carrying unnecessary items.
[0004] Pouch removal or addition should be possible quickly,
securely and without the need for tools. Accordingly, systems have
been developed for attaching pouches, including by means of the
hook-in-pile method, such as Velcro.TM. attachments, which can be
used many times while maintaining its attachment properties.
[0005] The hook-in-pile attachment does not, nor is it intended to
provide resistance to a strong force tending to pull apart the
connected item. However when crawling on rough ground or pushing
through dense undergrowth, conventionally attached pouches,
possibly containing essential items, are sometimes lost, which can
result in failure to fulfill a mission. Worse, the lost pouch may
contain items which should not fall into enemy hands.
[0006] The hook-in-pile system is so versatile and has so many
other advantages, that soldiers have become fully accustomed to its
use, and the military are reluctant to abandon this attachment
method. Consequently, there is a demand for hook-in-pile attachment
method which yet meets the attachment security requirements of
harsh use, typically at the hands of commandos and special
forces.
[0007] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,792 by (Tishler et al.?) (the present
inventors?) disclose a system for secure retention of armor panels.
With regard to pouches: "Pouches 16 are attached to panels 12, 14
in a permanent manner by sewing, and cannot become inadvertently
detached from the panels." Such an arrangement does not satisfy the
aims of the present invention, which is to provide a modular system
adaptable to change.
[0008] Braunht in U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,069 refers to the use of
Velcro-type fasteners only for the purpose of holding or adding
more armor panels.
[0009] An arrangement for pouch mounting that is both flexible and
secure is disclosed by Holland et al. in European Patent EP1042975,
which provides for both a fixed and a releasable belt loop. The
arrangement however mandates the use of an externally worn belt,
which is not a requirement in the present invention.
[0010] It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention
to obviate the disadvantages of prior art pouch attachment
arrangements and to provide a versatile fastening for a removable
pouch.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
secure method of pouch attachment which will eliminate any
possibility of inadvertent separation and loss thereof.
[0012] Yet a further object of the present invention is to allow
pouch attachment to a vest without using an exterior belt for this
purpose.
[0013] The present invention achieves the above objects by
providing a modular load-bearing system to be worn by security and
combat personnel, comprising a base surface provided with a
plurality of sleeve means and a plurality of pouches, each of said
pouches having a major flange-like extension attached at one of its
ends to a back surface of said pouch, said extension being sized to
be inserted through one of said sleeves and to be retained therein
by releasable interacting fastening means provided on a surface
associated with said base surface and on said pouch.
[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is
provided a modular load-bearing system wherein said interacting
fastening means is of the hook-in-piles Velcro.TM.-type.
[0015] In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention
there is provided modular load-bearing system wherein said pouch is
further provided with a minor flange-like extension attached to an
end of said back surface of said pouch opposite the end supporting
said major flange-like extension, said major flange-like extension
protruding beyond said sleeve, interacting fastening means being
provided for connecting said minor flange-like extension with a
protruding portion of said major flange-like extension.
[0016] Yet further embodiments of the invention will be described
hereinafter.
[0017] It will thus be realized that the novel attachment
arrangement provides a degree of security unknown in the prior art
for removable pouches. In some embodiments, such as is described in
FIGS. 4 and 5, even a deliberate attempt to tear off the pouch
without opening the closed hook-in-pile flaps is firmly resisted by
the attachment. It can thus be stated without reservation that when
attached according to the system of the present invention the
probability of unintended pouch loss is zero. Even so, only a few
seconds are needed to release the pouch in its intended manner, and
if needed replace same by a pouch of a different size.
[0018] It will be understood that although the system of the
present invention is primarily intended to serve the needs of
military and security forces, the advantages of the system are also
realized when applied for civilian purposes, for example on a
mountain climber's rucksack, or on a school bag.
[0019] The invention will now be described in connection with
certain preferred embodiments with reference to the following
illustrative figures so that it may be more fully understood.
[0020] With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is
stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for
purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of
the present invention only and are presented in the cause of
providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily
understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of
the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show
structural details of the invention in more detail than is
necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the
description taken with the drawings making apparent to those
skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be
embodied in practice.
[0021] In the drawings:
[0022] FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of
the pouch and sleeve prior to assembly and according to the
invention;
[0023] FIG. 1b is a sectioned side view of the same embodiment
shown after assembly;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment wherein the
base surface is part of a garment;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment wherein
different size pouches are held on the base surface;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an additional preferred
embodiment of the pouch and sleeve prior to assembly, the pouch
being provided with an additional flap; and
[0027] FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4 and provided with a flap and pad
to seal together the pouch extensions.
[0028] There is seen in FIGS. 1a and 1b a portion of a modular
load-bearing system 10 to be worn by security and combat
personnel.
[0029] A base surface 12 in the present embodiment is a part of a
rucksack. Attached to the base surface 12 are a plurality of
sleeves 14, one of which is seen in the figure. Pouches 16, only
one being seen, are attached as follows: The pouch 16 has a major
flange-like extension 18 attached at its upper end to the back
surface 20 of the pouch. The extension 18 is sized to be inserted
through the sleeve 14 and to project from the bottom thereof. Then
the back surface 20 of the pouch and the outer face of the sleeve
14, which are provided with interacting fastening means 22 for
removable interconnection thereof, are pressed together. Preferably
the interacting fastening means 22 is of a coarse grade of the
hook-in-piles Velcro.TM.-type.
[0030] Should the back surface 20 of the pouch become disconnected
from the sleeve 14, an event of which the wearer will likely be
aware, the pouch 16 is not lost because it is still retained by the
major flange-like extension 18 inserted in the sleeve 14. The user
can easily reconnect the pouch 16 by pushing same against the outer
face of the sleeve 14.
[0031] With regard to the rest of the figures, similar reference
numerals have been used to identify similar parts.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is seen a portion of a
modular load-bearing system 24, wherein the base surface 26 is an
outer surface of a garment such as an outer vest. The system is
similar to that seen in FIG. 1.
[0033] In the present embodiment the sleeves 28, one of which is
seen in the figure, are formed from a plurality of panels 30a 30b,
each of the panels 30a, 30b being permanently attached by sewing 31
to the base surface 26 along two spaced-apart lateral edges.
[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a modular load-bearing system 32, wherein
large, medium and small pouches 34, 16, 36 are connected to the
base surface 37. The larger pouches 34 are intended, for example,
for rifle ammunition magazines or for hand grenades. The smaller
pouches 36 are intended, for example, for rifle cleaning components
and for a cellular radio telephone. All pouches have a major
flange-like extension 38 attached at the upper end of the back
surface of the pouch, for insertion in a sleeve 40, as seen in FIG.
1a.
[0035] Seen in FIG. 4 is a detail of a modular load-bearing system
42 intended to be even more secure than the arrangements seen in
the previous figures.
[0036] The pouch 44 is further provided with a minor flange-like
extension 46 attached to an end of the back surface 48 of the
pouch, opposite the end 49 supporting the major flange-like
extension 50.
[0037] When assembled, the major flange-like extension 50 protrudes
beyond the sleeve 14, as seen in FIG. 1b. Interacting fastening
means 52 are provided for interconnecting the minor flange-like
extension 46 with the protruding portion of the major flange-like
extension 50 to form a loop. The major extension 50 is thus
retained in the sleeve 14 and even if the back surface of the pouch
44 detaches from the sleeve 14, the major extension 50 retains the
pouch 44 from disconnection.
[0038] It will be noted that, as in previous embodiments, the pouch
44 can only be removed by disconnecting its attachment from the
base sleeve 14 and then sliding the pouch upwards. Such movement is
however resisted in the present embodiment because of the
interconnection of the two extensions 46,50. Upward movement of the
pouch 44 applies a shear force to the extensions fastening means
52, and shear forces are resisted very strongly by the hook-in-pile
attachment. The attachment could be broken by peeling forces, but
due to the sleeve construction only shear forces are transmitted to
the major extension 50, and these are resisted, preventing loss of
the pouch 44.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is depicted an arrangement
providing an ultimate degree of security for a modular load-bearing
system 54 generally similar to 42 seen in FIG. 4. As in FIG. 4,
releasable interacting fastening means 52 are provided on both
extensions 46, 50 which may then be interlocked.
[0040] The minor extension 46 is however provided with releasable
interacting fastening means 52 on both of its faces.
[0041] A further pad 56 for a releasable interacting fastening
means is provided directly on the base surface 60, and underneath
the sleeve 62. In a further embodiment (not shown) the connecting
pad is mounted on an extension of the sleeve.
[0042] An openable flap 64 is permanently attached to and depending
from the base surface 60 at a position below the further pad 56.
The face of the flap 64 forming the inner side when the flap 64 is
closed is also provided with releasable interacting fastening means
66.
[0043] When closed, the central portion of the flap 64 covers the
minor flange-like extension 46 and connects to fastening surface
52. Furthermore, the side portions 64b of the flap 64 spanning the
central portion interconnect with the pad 56.
[0044] While the probability of inadvertent pouch disconnection is
reduced to virtually zero, the pouch 68 can nevertheless be
intentionally removed in a few seconds by peeling opening the
various interconnections and withdrawing the major extension 50
from the sleeve 62.
[0045] It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the
invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing
illustrative embodiments and that the present invention may be
embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit
or essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are
therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not
restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the
appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all
changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of
the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
* * * * *