U.S. patent application number 13/306039 was filed with the patent office on 2013-05-30 for low visibility body armor.
This patent application is currently assigned to LINEWEIGHT LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Caleb Clark Crye, Matthew Aaron Johnson. Invention is credited to Caleb Clark Crye, Matthew Aaron Johnson.
Application Number | 20130133130 13/306039 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48465470 |
Filed Date | 2013-05-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130133130 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Crye; Caleb Clark ; et
al. |
May 30, 2013 |
LOW VISIBILITY BODY ARMOR
Abstract
A concealable armored vest is provided. The armored vest can
include a ballistic insert and a contoured member that overlies the
ballistic insert to obscure the outline of the ballistic insert
from view. The foam insert can include tapered end portions that
flatten as they extend laterally outward of the ballistic insert.
The armored vest can also include a downwardly extending retention
panel having a retention member to limit vertical movement of the
vest. The retention panel can be tucked into a lower body garment,
and the retention member can be oversized to inhibit the sliding
retraction of the retention panel from the lower body garment. The
retention member can include a longitudinal foam element generally
parallel to the waistline and generally coextensive with the
lowermost portion of the retention panel.
Inventors: |
Crye; Caleb Clark;
(Brooklyn, NY) ; Johnson; Matthew Aaron; (Milford,
PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Crye; Caleb Clark
Johnson; Matthew Aaron |
Brooklyn
Milford |
NY
PA |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
LINEWEIGHT LLC
Brooklyn
NY
|
Family ID: |
48465470 |
Appl. No.: |
13/306039 |
Filed: |
November 29, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/463 ; 89/36.02;
89/922 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41H 1/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/463 ; 89/36.02;
89/922 |
International
Class: |
F41H 1/02 20060101
F41H001/02; F41H 5/02 20060101 F41H005/02; A41D 13/05 20060101
A41D013/05 |
Claims
1. An armored vest comprising: front and back protective portions
defining a neck opening; a retention panel extending downwardly
from one of the front and back portions; a ballistic insert
supported by one of the front and back protective portions, the
ballistic insert defining a strike face terminating in a lateral
periphery; and a contoured member adjacent the ballistic insert and
transitioning rearwardly from the strike face to at least partially
obscure the ballistic insert periphery from view.
2. The armored vest of claim 1 wherein the retention panel includes
an elastic material.
3. The armored vest of claim 1 wherein the retention panel includes
a retention member to limit vertical movement of the vest while
being free from attachment to a lower garment.
4. The armored vest of claim 3 wherein the retention member
includes a longitudinal foam element extending generally parallel
to a wearer's waist.
5. The armored vest of claim 1 wherein the contoured member
includes a curved stiffener extending laterally outward of the
ballistic insert.
6. The armored vest of claim 1 wherein one of the front and back
protective portions includes first and second spaced apart panels
defining a pocket to supportably receive the ballistic insert and
the contoured member.
7. The armored vest of claim 6 wherein the pocket defines first and
second transition regions outward of the ballistic insert, the
first and second transition regions defining a gradual reduction in
pocket depth.
8. The armored vest of claim 7 wherein the contoured member at
least partially occupies the first and second transition regions
and flattens as it extends laterally outward.
9. An armored vest comprising: front and back portions, at least
one of the front and back portions including a ballistic material
capable of impeding the penetration of a foreign object; and a
retention panel extending downwardly from one of the front and back
portions, the retention panel including a retention member limiting
vertical movement of the vest when worn by a user while being free
from attachment to a lower garment.
10. The armored vest of claim 9 wherein the retention member
includes a longitudinal foam element extending generally parallel
to a wearer's waist.
11. The armored vest of claim 9 wherein the retention member is
generally coextensive with the lowermost portion of the retention
panel.
12. The armored vest of claim 9 wherein the retention panel
includes an elastic material.
13. The armored vest of claim 9 wherein the retention panel is a
first retention panel extending downwardly from the front portion,
the armored vest further comprising a second retention panel
extending downwardly from the back portion.
14. The armored vest of claim 9 wherein the ballistic material
includes at least one of a pliant ballistic insert and a rigid
ballistic insert.
15. An impact resistant unit for an armored vest comprising: a
ballistic insert defining a strike face terminating in a lateral
periphery; and a contoured member adjacent the ballistic insert,
the contoured member transitioning rearwardly relative to the
strike face to at least partially obscure the lateral periphery
from view.
16. The impact resistant unit of claim 15 wherein the contoured
member includes a curved stiffener extending laterally outward of
the ballistic insert periphery.
17. The impact resistant unit of claim 15 wherein the contoured
member defines a substantially continuous and unbroken outer
surface.
18. The impact resistant unit of claim 15 wherein the lateral
periphery defines a first thickness and the contoured member
includes a tapered end portion extending laterally outward of the
ballistic insert periphery and transitioning to a second thickness
less than the first thickness.
19. The impact resistant unit of claim 18 wherein the ballistic
insert defines a rear face spaced apart from the strike face and
the tapered end portion is curved rearwardly to substantially align
with the ballistic insert rear face.
20. The impact resistant unit of claim 19 wherein the contoured
insert includes an intermediate portion generally conforming to the
ballistic insert rear face.
21. An armored vest comprising: front and back portions, at least
one of the front and back portions including a ballistic material
capable of impeding the penetration of a foreign object; and an
elastic retention panel extending downwardly from one of the front
and back portions to limiting vertical movement of the vest when
worn by a user.
22. The armored vest of claim 21 wherein the elastic retention
panel includes a retention member to limit vertical movement of the
vest while being free from attachment to a lower garment.
23. The armored vest of claim 22 wherein the retention member
includes a longitudinal foam element extending generally parallel
to a wearer's waist.
24. The armored vest of claim 22 wherein the retention member is
generally coextensive with the lowermost portion of the elastic
retention panel.
25. The armored vest of claim 21 wherein the elastic retention
panel is a first elastic retention panel extending downwardly from
the front portion, the armored vest further comprising a second
elastic retention panel extending downwardly from the back portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to armored vests, and more
particularly to concealable armored vests worn under the wearer's
outer garments.
[0002] Armored vests are items of personal body armor that slow or
stop the movement of high velocity projectiles. These vests are
commonly formed from a woven nylon shell including a combination of
pliable ballistic panels and rigid ballistic plates. The pliable
ballistic panels include woven or laminated high-tensile strength
fibers to protect the wearer against small caliber rounds and some
forms of shrapnel and fragmentation. The rigid ballistic plates
include ceramic or metal plates to provide an added degree of
protection against high velocity rifle rounds and stab wounds.
[0003] In many instances, an armored vest is sized to be worn
beneath an outer garment to conceal the vest from view. However,
the armored vest can become visible through the wearer's outer
garments when the vest shifts from the desired position on the
wearer, particularly as a result of bending, twisting and entering
and exiting vehicles. While various shirt tails have been added in
an attempt to retain the armored vest in the desired position on
the wearer, these shirt tails tend to slide upwardly out of the
wearer's lower body garment. In addition, the outline of the
ballistic plate is in many instances visible through both the outer
nylon shell and the wearer's outer garments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A concealable armored vest is provided. The concealable
armored vest includes a ballistic insert and a contoured member
adjacent the ballistic insert to visually obscure the outline of
the ballistic insert. The concealable armored vest further includes
a downwardly extending retention panel having a retention member
limiting vertical movement of the vest while being free from
attachment to a lower garment.
[0005] In one embodiment, the contoured member includes an
intermediate portion extending between left and right end portions.
The intermediate portion can be coextensive with the ballistic
insert strike surface or the ballistic insert rear surface, and the
left and right end portions can angle rearwardly toward the wearer
to conceal the periphery of the ballistic insert from view. The
left and right end portions can each define a tapered cross-section
that gradually reduces in thickness as the end portions extend
outwardly.
[0006] In another embodiment, the armored vest includes a front
portion having first and second spaced apart panels to define a
pocket for a ballistic insert. The contoured member can be
interposed between the ballistic insert and the first panel, and
can include first and second end portions that flatten as they
extend outwardly from the ballistic insert. The pocket can define
first and second transition regions outwardly of the ballistic
insert that define a gradual reduction in pocket depth.
[0007] In still another embodiment, the armored vest can include
first and second retention panels extending downwardly from the
armored vest. The retention panels can each include a retention
member to limit vertical movement of the armored vest when worn by
a user. The retention panel can be adapted to be tucked into a
lower body garment, and the retention member can be oversized to
inhibit the sliding retraction of the retention panel from the
lower body garment. The retention member can include a longitudinal
foam element generally parallel to the waistline and generally
coextensive with the lowermost portion of the retention panel.
[0008] Embodiments of the invention can therefore provide an
improved armored vest that maintains a continuous, unbroken outer
surface while also remaining in the proper position on the wearer.
The improved armored vest can remain concealed under lighter
garments by obscuring the outline of one or more ballistic inserts.
In addition, the improved armored vest can remain concealed by
remaining in close alignment with the wearer's torso after a wide
range of upper body movements.
[0009] These and other advantages and features of the invention
will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the
description of the current embodiments and the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an armored vest in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a side view of the armored vest of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of a contoured member
and a ballistic insert according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the contoured member and the
ballistic insert of FIG. 3.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-section of the contoured member
and ballistic insert of FIG. 4 taken along line A-A in FIG. 4 while
positioned within a vest pocket.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-section of a first alternative
contoured member.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-section of a second alternative
contoured member.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a horizontal cross-section of a third alternative
contoured member.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENTS
[0018] The current embodiments relate to a concealable armored
vest. In some embodiments, the armored vest includes a downwardly
extending retention panel having a retention member to limit
vertical movement of the vest while being free from attachment to a
lower garment. In other embodiments, the armored vest includes a
contoured member adjacent a ballistic insert to obscure the outline
of the ballistic insert from view.
[0019] More specifically, and with reference to FIGS. 1-8, a
concealable armored vest is generally designated 10. The armored
vest 10 includes a front protective portion 12 for overlying the
chest region of the wearer, a back protective portion 14 positioned
rearwardly of the front portion 12 for overlying the back region of
the wearer, and left and right shoulder straps 16, 18. The left and
right shoulder straps 16, 18 extend over respective left and right
shoulders of the wearer for attachment to the front protective
portion 12. The shoulder straps 16, 18 and the front and rear
protective portions 12, 14 cooperatively define a neck opening 20
and left and right arm openings 22, 24 for the wearer. As also
shown in FIGS. 1-2, the front and back protective portions 12, 14
include overlapping side panels 26, 28 to releasably secure the
front protective portion 12 to the back protective portion 14 about
the wearer's abdomen. At least one of the overlapping panels 26, 28
can include hook and loop fasteners to secure the panels together
at or above the wearer's hip. In some embodiments, the wearer can
adjust the shoulder straps 16, 18, and thus the size of the
armholes, to maintain the bottom edge 30 of the protective vest 10
at or above the wearer's belt.
[0020] The concealable armored vest 10 can include relatively soft
or pliant body armor, including for example a non-woven ballistic
resistant material, such as SPECTRA.RTM. ballistic resistant
material by Honeywell of Colonial Heights, Va., or a woven
ballistic resistant material, such as KEVLAR.RTM. ballistic
resistant material by DuPont of Wilmington, Del. For added comfort,
the front and back protective portions 12, 14 can include a lining
material adjacent the wearer. The pliant body armor can be
supplemented with one or more ballistic inserts 50 including, but
not limited to, a soft ballistic insert, such as SPECTRA.RTM. or
KEVLAR.RTM. ballistic inserts, or a rigid ballistic insert formed
of ceramic or metal. The ballistic insert 50 can include chamfered
corner regions 34 and can be curved about a vertical axis 36 to
approximate the torso contour of the wearer. The ballistic insert
50 can be secured to the vest 10 in one or more exterior pockets 38
to permit the wearer to add or remove the ballistic insert 50 as
desired. For example, one or more ballistic inserts 50 may be
inserted in the front protective portion 12 through a horizontal
opening 40. Alternatively, the opening 40 may instead be positioned
along a peripheral region of the front portion 12 to conceal the
opening 40 from view. Additional ballistic inserts may be inserted
in corresponding pockets on other portions of the vest 10,
including for example the back protective portion 14.
[0021] As the armored vest 10 is worn, the vest 10 will normally
shift relative to the wearer to afford the wearer a range of
motion. When the wearer returns to an upright position from a
bending position or an upward reaching motion, for example, the
armored vest 10 can sit higher on the torso, leaving the wearer's
abdomen exposed to possible injury while also promoting the
appearance of the vest 10 through the wearer's outerwear. In order
to restrain upward movement of the armored vest 10 relative to the
wearer's waist, the vest 10 can include first and second retention
panels 42, 44 extending downwardly from respective front and back
protective portions 12, 14. The retention panels 42, 44 can be sewn
to the lower edge 30 of the front and back protective portions 12,
14, and can each include a retention member 46 being free from
attachment to a lower body garment. The retention panels 42, 44 can
be formed of an elastic fabric which can be tucked into a lower
body garment. While shown as including a single panel, one or both
of the retention panels 42, 44 can include a split shirt-tail
configuration, in which two or more panels extend downwardly from
the front protective portion 12 and/or the back protective portion
14. The retention panels 42, 44 can be sized to extend to just
below the wearer's belt, or can extend further into the wearer's
lower body garment as desired.
[0022] As noted above, the retention panels 42, 44 include a
retention member 46 being generally free from attachment to the
lower body garment. The retention member 46 can include a
lightweight flexible foam element being generally coextensive with
the lowermost portion of the corresponding retention panel 42, 44.
The retention member 46 can be secured to the respective retention
panel 42, 44 according to any suitable method. In some embodiments
the retention member 46 can be glued to the respective retention
panel 42, 44, while in other embodiments the retention member 46
can be sewed to the respective retention panel 42, 44. The
retention member 46 can include a front-to-back thickness that is
dimensioned to impede movement of the retention member 46 between
the wearer's belt and the wearer's waist. As the wearer flexes
about the waist, the retention member 46 can remain loosely
anchored in the lower body garment in elastic communication with
the front and back protective portions 12, 14. As the wearer
returns to an upright posture, the elastic retention members 42, 44
tend to return the vest 10 into close registration with the
wearer's torso. The retention panels 42, 44 can therefore assist in
retaining the proper protective positions of the ballistic insert
50. The front and back retention panels 42, 44 can be tucked into
the pants, or other lower body garment, when the vest is worn in an
attempt to keep the vest in position. When the wearer assumes a
position of stretching forward or rearward, the retention panels
42, 44 similarly extend upward, but tend to pull the vest bottom
edge 30 to the position nearest the waistline. The elastic
retention panels 42, 44 therefore permit the vest 10 to move away
from the waist with the body movements of the wearer, while also
returning the vest 10 to the desired position with respect to the
wearer's waist.
[0023] Referring now to FIGS. 3-8, the ballistic insert 50 can
define a generally uniform thickness that terminates in a periphery
52. The ballistic insert 50 can be received with the aforementioned
pocket 38, being generally sandwiched between spaced apart layers
54, 56 formed of high tensile strength nylon, for example. The
ballistic insert 50 can overlie the above mentioned pliant body
armor, which is generally disposed rearward of the pocket 38 and
the ballistic insert 50. To at least partially conceal or obscure
the outline of the ballistic insert periphery 52 from view through
the forward layer 54, the armored vest 10 can include a contoured
member 60, for example a foam element(s) as shown in FIGS. 3-7 or a
curved stiffener as shown in FIG. 8. The ballistic insert 50 and
the contoured member 60 can interlock or interfit with each other,
forming a single impact-resistant unit 70 sized to be snugly
received within the pocket 38.
[0024] As optionally shown in FIGS. 5-6, the contoured member 60
can include a foam panel defining an intermediate portion 62 and at
least one end portion 64 outward of the intermediate portion 62.
The intermediate portion 62 can define a generally uniform
thickness less than the thickness of the ballistic insert 50. In
addition, the intermediate portion 62 can include a continuous,
unbroken outer surface being generally coextensive with the
ballistic insert strike face 58 as shown in FIG. 5, or being
generally coextensive with the ballistic insert rear surface 68 as
shown in FIG. 6. Each end portion 64 can transition from the
thickness of the intermediate portion 62 to a maximum thickness
before declining in thickness toward its lateral edge 66. In
addition, each end portion 64 can angle rearwardly (or forwardly if
worn on the back protective panel 14) from the forward nylon layer
54 to the rearward nylon layer 56 to at least partially obscure the
ballistic insert periphery 52 from view. The combined impact
resistant unit 70 can therefore include a tapered end portion 72
for each facet of the ballistic insert 50. Each tapered end portion
72 can extend laterally outward of the ballistic insert 50 while
also transitioning rearwardly from the forward nylon layer 54 to
the rearward nylon layer 56. Each tapered end portion 72 can
terminate in general alignment with a plane defined by the
rear-facing surface 68 of the ballistic insert 50. In this aspect,
the impact resistant unit 70 occupies the space formed by the first
and second spaced apart nylon layers 54, 56--including regions of
reduced pocket depth laterally outward of the ballistic insert
50--to provide a continuous, unbroken outer surface immediately
rearward of the forwardmost nylon layer 54. Optionally, the foam
end portions 64 extend a distance of at least twenty percent of the
side-to-side width of the ballistic insert 50, while in other
embodiments the end portions 64 extend outward to a greater or
lesser extent.
[0025] While left and right peripheral portions of the ballistic
insert 50 are shown as being obscured by the contoured member 60,
it should be noted that the contoured member 60 can extend entirely
around the ballistic insert periphery to obscure or conceal
substantially the entire outline of the ballistic insert 50 from
view. The contoured member 60 can be formed of a low-density closed
cellular foam, for example polyurethane foam, and the contoured
member 60 and the ballistic insert 50 can be bonded to each other
or held in position by the nylon shell pocket 38. The contoured
member 60 can in some embodiments be free of an intermediate
portion 62, and can include spaced apart end portions 64 as
generally illustrated in FIG. 7. In this configuration, each end
portion 64 can transition from a first thickness approximately
equal to the ballistic insert thickness to a second thickness less
than a first thickness. More specifically, each end portion 64 can
generally flatten as it extends laterally outward of the ballistic
insert 50 to conceal the periphery of the ballistic insert 52 from
view. In addition, each end portion 64 can angle rearwardly from
the forward nylon layer 54 to the rearward nylon layer 56 and at
least partially occupy the portion of the pocket 38 laterally
outward of the ballistic insert 50.
[0026] While described above as being formed of a foam material,
the contoured member 60 can alternatively be formed from a
low-density plastic or other generally rigid material. As shown in
FIG. 8 for example, the contoured member 60 includes a curved
stiffener 80 formed of a one piece low-density plastic and
extending laterally outward of the ballistic insert 50. The curved
stiffener 80 is bowed rearwardly about a vertical axis while also
optionally terminating at the rearward nylon layer 56. In addition,
the curved stiffener 80 can include a uniform thickness as shown in
FIG. 8, while in other embodiments the curved stiffener 80 includes
a varying cross-sectional width as it extends laterally outward.
The curved stiffener 80 is shown as being positioned within the
pocket 38, generally bearing against the ballistic insert strike
face 58, while in other embodiments the curved stiffener 80 is
spaced apart from the strike face 58, optionally forming a
non-removable part of the pocket 38 or vest 10. In the illustrated
embodiment the curved stiffener 80 is formed of a one piece
low-density plastic, while in other embodiments the curved
stiffener 80 includes a multi-component construction. The curved
stiffener 80 can optionally be utilized in combination with the
foam insert(s) of FIGS. 3-7, or can be used separately as shown in
FIG. 8. Though described above as including a single impact
resistant unit 70, the vest 10 may include multiple impact
resistant units 70 at various locations on the vest 10. In
addition, while the armored vest 10 is generally described as being
concealable, the armored vest 10 may also be worn on the outside of
a wearer's clothing if desired.
[0027] The above descriptions are those of the current embodiments
of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made
without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the
invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be
interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law
including the doctrine of equivalents. Any reference to elements in
the singular, for example, using the articles "a," "an," "the," or
"said," is not to be construed as limiting the element to the
singular.
* * * * *