U.S. patent application number 11/073021 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-22 for finger-actuated handgun retention device for holster.
This patent application is currently assigned to Michaels of Oregon Co.. Invention is credited to French, John M., Shults, Brian J..
Application Number | 20050205624 11/073021 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34985158 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050205624 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
French, John M. ; et
al. |
September 22, 2005 |
Finger-actuated handgun retention device for holster
Abstract
A handgun retention device for a holster includes a catch that
extends into a handgun receiving cavity defined by a body of the
holster where the catch engages a trigger guard of a holstered
handgun to retain the handgun in the cavity. A lever is operably
coupled to the catch and extends below the grip of the holstered
handgun and aft of its trigger guard, typically behind a rear
margin of the holster, where the lever can be depressed to move the
catch and release the handgun. The position of the release lever
may promote safe gun handling. In a preferred embodiment, the catch
and lever are formed of a resilient injection molded resin in a
unitary structure with a spring arm that flexes when the lever is
pressed inwardly toward the user's body.
Inventors: |
French, John M.; (Boise,
ID) ; Shults, Brian J.; (Nampa, ID) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STOEL RIVES LLP - PDX
900 SW FIFTH AVENUE
SUITE 2600
PORTLAND
OR
97204
US
|
Assignee: |
Michaels of Oregon Co.
Oregon City
OR
97045
|
Family ID: |
34985158 |
Appl. No.: |
11/073021 |
Filed: |
March 3, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60552927 |
Mar 11, 2004 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/244 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41C 33/0263 20130101;
F41C 33/0209 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/244 |
International
Class: |
F41C 033/02 |
Claims
1. A holster for a handgun having a trigger and a trigger guard,
comprising a holster body defining a handgun-receiving cavity
having a top opening through which a handgun is inserted into the
cavity and drawn from the cavity; and a retention mechanism
attached to the holster body, the retention mechanism including a
spring arm having a fixed end attached to the holster body and a
movable end on which a catch is supported for movement between a
first position wherein at least a portion of the catch extends into
the cavity to engage the trigger guard of the handgun when
holstered, and a second position wherein the catch is moved away
from the trigger guard to allow the holstered handgun to be drawn
from the cavity, and the retention mechanism further including a
lever attached to the spring arm proximal the movable end thereof
and extending aft of the trigger, such that when the lever is
depressed the catch moves toward the second position.
2. The holster of claim 1, further comprising a mounting body
interposed between the spring arm and the holster body.
3. The holster of claim 1, further comprising a positioning pin and
a positioning socket for positioning the retention mechanism
relative to the holster body.
4. The holster of claim 1, in which the spring arm has a thickness
in the direction of flexure and a width in the general direction
extending from the lever to the catch, and wherein the width is
substantially greater than the thickness.
5. The holster of claim 1, in which the spring arm includes spaced
apart first and second sections connected by a beam extending
transversely of the first and second sections.
6. The holster of claim 1, in which the catch is formed in an
inverted-J shape.
7. The holster of claim 1, in which the catch includes a outer
surface for facilitating reinsertion of the handgun.
8. The holster of claim 1, in which the retention device is
removably attached to the holster body.
9. The holster of claim 1, further comprising an upwardly-facing
resting surface against which the trigger guard rests when
holstered.
10. The holster of claim 1, in which the body includes an opening
for allowing movement of at least part of the handgun retention
device therethrough.
11. The holster of claim 1, in which the lever, the catch, and the
spring arm are formed of unitary construction.
12. The holster of claim 1, in which the retention device is formed
of injection molded resin.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/552,927, filed
Mar. 11, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This application relates to security holsters for handguns
and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Known security devices for preventing unauthorized or
unintended withdrawal of a handgun or other weapon from a holster
include security straps and flaps, internal retention devices, and
security hoods, among others. To release such security devices, the
user must typically manipulate snaps, clasps, buttons, or
"thumb-break" straps with his or her thumb or index finger, or
both. The motions required to release such devices often require
the user to let go of the handgun while releasing the security
device and can hinder the user's ability to quickly draw a
handgun.
[0004] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,419,474 of Marx et al. and 6,547,111 of
French describe internal retention devices for handgun holsters
that are actuated by twisting the grip of the handgun before
drawing it from the holster to allow the trigger guard of the
handgun to clear a catch inside the holster body. The twisting
motion used to operate these retention devices allows the user to
securely grip the firearm while releasing the retention device and
further allows the user to extend his or her index finger in
accordance with accepted safe gun handling practices, to avoid
accidental discharge of the firearm.
[0005] Other handgun retention mechanisms may hinder a user's
ability to extend his or her index finger away from the trigger
when drawing the weapon, in accordance with safe gun handling
practice, increasing the chance that the user's index finger may
inadvertently come into contact with the trigger and cause an
accidental discharge.
[0006] U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,752,300 of Har-Shen and 6,769,582 of
Beletsky et al. describe handgun holsters with latching devices
that are actuated by inward depression of a button or lever
positioned along the outer side of the holster and adjacent the
trigger area. The inward finger movement in the region of the
trigger may increase the risk of accidental discharge of the
handgun when quickly drawing it from the holster.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,581 of Rogers et al. describes a holster
security mechanism including a first mechanical blocking element
that inhibits upward withdrawal prior to rearward movement of a
holstered handgun, and a second mechanical blocking element rear of
the trigger guard that is biased into a first position that
prevents rearward movement of the handgun and that is manually
movable by a user's index finger or middle finger to a second
position that allows rearward movement of the gun. Thus, the second
mechanical blocking element is positioned to avoid inadvertent
contact between the release finger and the trigger. The second
mechanical blocking element works by cooperation with the first
blocking element, and operation of the security mechanism requires
a practiced series of handgun movements to withdraw the handgun
from the holster.
[0008] The present inventors have recognized a need for an improved
handgun retention device for holsters, having an operational mode
allowing the user to practice safe handgun handling technique to
reduce the chance for accidental discharge of the handgun.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A holster in accordance with a preferred embodiment includes
a catch that extends into a handgun receiving cavity defined by a
body of the holster where the catch engages a trigger guard of a
holstered handgun to retain the handgun in the cavity. A lever is
operably coupled to the catch and extends below the grip of the
holstered handgun and aft of its trigger guard, typically behind a
rear margin of the holster, where the lever can be depressed to
move the catch and release the handgun. In a preferred embodiment,
the catch and lever are formed of a resilient injection molded
resin in a unitary structure with a spring arm that flexes when the
lever is pressed inwardly toward the user's body. In other
embodiments, the catch, lever, and spring arm may be integrally
formed of one-piece construction with the holster body by injection
molding or otherwise.
[0010] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the following detailed description of preferred
embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a holster including a
handgun retention device in accordance with a preferred
embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 2 is an outside elevation view of the holster of FIG. 1
holding a handgun;
[0013] FIG. 3 is an inside elevation view of the holster of FIG.
1;
[0014] FIG. 4 is an auxiliary perspective view looking downwardly
into the cavity of the holster to show detail of a catch of the
handgun retention device;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the holster of FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 6 is an enlarged front perspective view of the handgun
retention device of the holster of FIG. 1, showing detail of the
outwardly facing portions of the device; and
[0017] FIG. 7 is an enlarged rear perspective view of the handgun
retention device of FIG. 6, showing detail of the inwardly facing
portions of the device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] With reference to FIGS. 1-5, a holster 10 includes a holster
body 20 that defines a cavity 24 sized to receive a firearm 25
(FIG. 2) via a top opening 26 of cavity 24 and to hold firearm 25
therein. Holster 10 is normally attached to a wearer's belt (not
shown) or in another location. Holster 10 may include mounting
holes 27 for fastening to holster 10 a belt loop or other
intermediate device (omitted from the figures for clarity) suited
to coupling holster 10 to a belt or other support. Holster body 20
may be made of a wide variety of materials, such as leather,
fabric, molded plastic, and other synthetic materials, for example,
and by any of a variety of manufacturing methods, such as molding,
sewing, lamination, riveting, and other methods. Holster body 20
may be made of a KYDEX.RTM. acrylic/PVC sheet material folded back
over itself and formed to define a front spine 28. However, holster
body 20 is preferably molded of KYDEX resin. The rearward edges of
holster body 20 define a rear margin (or welt) 34 of holster 10
where inner and outer sidewalls 35 and 36, respectively, are
fastened together via screws or rivets (not shown) extending
through one or more holes 37 in sidewalls 35 and 36. Holster body
20 and cavity 24 may have an open bottom 38, as in the embodiment
shown. Alternatively, cavity 24 may be closed at its bottom. In
other embodiments (not shown), holster body 20 may comprise two
sections of material that are attached along front and rear
margins, as in a "pancake" type holster, so that front spine 28
does not include a folded over region.
[0019] In the preferred embodiments, inner and outer sidewalls 35
and 36 include inwardly protruding forms 44 that are sized to
engage a trigger guard 54 (FIG. 2) of handgun 25 to provide nominal
retention and thereby require a substantial upward withdrawal force
to draw handgun 25 from holster 10. In other embodiments (not
shown) the inwardly protruding forms 44 may be omitted.
[0020] A handgun retention device 40 for use with holster 10
includes a catch 50 (FIGS. 3-7) having an inverted "J" shape that
extends into cavity 24 where it engages trigger guard 54 to
releasably retain handgun 25 in cavity 24. Catch 50 is preferably
sized so that it extends laterally at least part way across trigger
guard 54 and preferably about half way across trigger guard 54 when
catch 50 is in the closed position shown. A lever 60 is operably
coupled to catch 50 and preferably extends aft of a trigger 56 of
handgun 25, when holstered, below a grip 58 of handgun 25 and
preferably behind rear margin 34. In this location, lever 60 acts
as a second-class lever that can be depressed in a laterally inward
flexure direction indicated by arrow 64 (FIG. 5) in response to
force applied by the user's release finger, without requiring the
release finger to be moved in the direction of trigger 56. In
alternative embodiments (not shown), lever 60 may be arranged
relative to catch 50 so as to act as a first-class or third-class
lever. Lever 60 preferably includes a contoured seat 68 that has a
convex shape for providing purchase for the release finger to
prevent slippage. The release finger is preferably the user's
middle finger, although the index or third finger may also be used
with some embodiments. Positioning of lever 60 and contoured seat
68 aft of trigger 56 may tend to prevent improper gun handling
technique that can lead to inadvertent or premature discharge of
handgun 25 when drawing it from holster 10.
[0021] Pressing inwardly on lever 60 flexes a spring arm 70 (FIGS.
6 and 7) supporting catch 50, causing catch 50 to move inwardly to
an open position (not shown), clear of the trigger guard 54. With
catch 50 in the open position, handgun 25 may be drawn upwardly
from holster 10. To facilitate re-holstering of handgun 25, catch
50 includes a sloped or wedge-shaped top surface 74 (FIG. 6) that
extends inwardly downward so that trigger guard 54 drives catch 50
outward when handgun 25 is reinserted into holster 10. As
illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, catch 50, lever 60, and spring arm 70
are preferably unitary (of one-piece construction), and may be
formed of a resilient injection molded resin, such as KYDEX.RTM. or
nylon, for example. In an alternate embodiment (not shown), handgun
retention device 40 may comprise separate catch, lever, and spring
arm parts fixed together. Spring arm 70 preferably extends upwardly
from a mounting body 80. Mounting body 80 is sized to fit between
inner and outer sidewalls 35 and 36 of holster body 20 so that a
pair of holes 86 in mounting body 80 are aligned with holes 37 of
holster body 20. Mounting body 80 preferably includes one or more
positioning pins 88 that mate with positioning sockets 89 formed in
inner sidewall 35 of holster body 20 for accurately locating
handgun retention device 40 relative to cavity 24, holes 37, or
some other feature associated with holster body 20. Fasteners (not
shown) extend through holes 37 and 86 to secure handgun retention
device 40 to holster body 20. In some embodiments, threaded
fasteners may be tightened or loosed to flex one or both of the
sidewalls 35 and 36 and thereby adjust the spacing between opposing
forms 44 to control the tension of sidewalls 35, 36 or the
resistance to handgun withdrawal.
[0022] With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, a spring arm 70 preferably
operates as a resilient cantilever attached at its fixed end to
holster body 20, for example via mounting body 80. Spring arm 70 is
configured to resist twisting when lever 60 is depressed so that
catch 50 moves clear of the trigger guard 54 (FIG. 2) without
binding. For example, the cross section of spring arm 70 preferably
has a width "W" in a generally horizontal direction extending from
lever 60 to catch 50 (or from front spine 28 to rear margin 34),
that is substantially greater than its thickness "T" in the
direction of laterally inward flexure 64. For example, width W may
be from 2 to 10 times greater than thickness T. The particular
ratio of W to T will be dependent on the configuration of holster
body 20, the material used for spring arm 70, and the release force
desired. Spring arm 70 may include spaced-apart first and second
sections 102, 104 connected by a transverse beam 106 and separated
by a relief or aperture 92 to reduce the amount of force required
to bend spring arm 70 in flexure direction 64 for releasing catch
50. First section 102, which supports catch 50 in the preferred
embodiment, may include a thinned neck section 110 so that first
section 102 is more flexible than second section 104 in flexure
direction 64. Thus, thickness T of second section 104 may provide
the majority of the resistance to depression of lever 60. Thinned
neck section 110 may thereby act as a fulcrum about which first
section 102 may pivot to avoid inducing twisting of catch 50 when
lever 60 is depressed.
[0023] Spring arm 70 and catch 50 are shaped to define an undercut
region 96 adjacent spring arm 70 and below catch 50 to allow spring
arm 70 to be flexed inwardly toward the user without interfering
with the inner sidewall 35 of holster body 20. An opening 98 (FIG.
3) is preferably provided in inner sidewall 35 to provide clearance
for movement of catch 50 when it is released clear of trigger guard
54.
[0024] Handgun retention device 40 preferably includes an
upwardly-facing resting surface 120 against which trigger guard 54
rests when handgun 25 is holstered. Resting surface 120 preferably
extends along the upper surface of beam 106 and across an upper
surface of an extension member 122 (FIG. 6) that projects laterally
from first section 102 of lever 70 and on which catch 50 is
supported. Resting surface 120 is preferably positioned at a
predetermined distance "A" above positioning pins 88 or some other
feature of handgun retention device 40, to thereby fix the vertical
location of handgun 25 relative to holster body 20, when handgun 25
is holstered. Catch 50 preferably includes a hook portion 126
including a downward-facing trigger guard engaging surface
(unnumbered) spaced apart from resting surface 120 a distance "B"
that is slightly greater than the thickness of trigger guard 54.
Distance "B" may preferably be selected to accommodate a nominal
thickness of the trigger guard of the particular handgun model for
which handgun retention device 40 is designed to fit, and to
accommodate typical variation in such thickness without allowing an
undue amount of play in the vertical resting position of handgun
25.
[0025] In another embodiment (not shown), the catch 50, lever 60,
and spring arm 70 may be integrally formed of one-piece
construction with the holster body 20 by injection molding or
otherwise. Catch 50, lever 60, and spring arm 70 may also be shaped
in a variety of shapes and configurations other than those shown.
Handgun retention device 40 can be adapted to fit a variety of
types of holsters or to retrofit older holsters.
[0026] It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that
many changes may be made to the details of the above-described
embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the
invention. For example, holsters in accordance with the various
embodiments can be used to hold other kinds of weapons and law
enforcement tools, such as stun guns or energy weapons sold under
the name TASER.RTM., for example, and the term "handgun" is meant
to encompass such devices. The scope of the present invention
should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.
* * * * *