Holster

Abstract

An extremely simple but effective holster which is in the form of a strap which wraps over the top of the frame of a handgun or other firearm and is secured through the trigger guard by a releasable fastening device to hold the weapon. A safety strap may be added for additional security. The holster may be used either as a belt holster or as a shoulder holster.

Description

This invention relates generally to holsters for handguns, and, more particularly, to holsters suitable for concealment under the clothing of the wearer.

It has long been a problem of the art of holster design to provide a holster which combines security of retention with speed of access to the weapon and which is sufficiently compact to be readily concealable under the clothing of the wearer. For example, the conventional shoulder holster provides good security of retention of the weapon, but is considered not to provide especially quick access to the weapon under emergency conditions. In addition, the conventional shoulder holster requires the use of a cumbersome harness and is rather thick and bulky and thus difficult to conceal under the clothing. The well-known high-riding belt holster provides somewhat speedier access to the weapon, but it is also rather bulky. In addition, it is often necessary to provide a safety strap in order to more securely retain the weapon within the high-riding belt holster. The safety strap tends to reduce the speed with which the weapon can be brought into action.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a holster which combines the features of secure retention of the weapon with speedy access thereto.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an extremely compact holster which may be easily concealed beneath the clothing of the wearer.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved high-riding belt holster.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved shoulder holster.

According to the above and other objects, the present invention provides a holster which is in the form of a strap which is wrapped snugly over the top of the frame of a handgun or other firearm and which is fastened through the trigger guard by a releasable fastening device such as a snap fastener. A safety strap which wraps around the bottom of the trigger guard and is releasably fastened to the first strap may be optionally provided for additional security. The holster of the present invention may be worn either as a belt holster or as a shoulder holster. Further, the holster of the present invention may be modified to carry weapons other than a handgun such as, for example, a shotgun, submachine gun or the like.

An advantage of the holster of the present invention is that it is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture. A minimum of leather or other material is used, and no stitching is required, the assembly of the holster preferably being accomplished by means of rivets.

Another advantage of the present holster is that it leaves the muzzle of the weapon free so that a weapon having an attached compensator or sound modulator may be used without interfering with the operation of the holster.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth the principle of the invention and, by way of example, the best modes contemplated of carrying out that principle.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the holster of the present invention worn on the belt of a man.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holster of the present invention worn under the arm of a man.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the holster shown in FIG. 1 with the parts fully opened to show the construction thereof.

FIG. 4 shows the holster of FIG. 3 holding a pistol shown in phantom lines, the safety strap of the holster remaining open.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the holster of the present invention taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view of the holster shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 holding a pistol with the safety strap of the holster in the closed position. A hand is shown in phantom form with the index finger in position to release the safety strap of the holster.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the shoulder holster shown in FIG. 2 with the parts fully open to show the construction thereof.

FIG. 8 is a view of the holster of FIG. 7 holding a pistol with the barrel pointed upward.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a man 1 wearing a holster 2 according to the present invention. The holster 2 is mounted on the belt 3 of man 1 and rides high on his right hip so that handgun 4 is in position to be drawn by the right hand 5 of man 1.

FIG. 2 shows a man 11 wearing a shoulder holster 12 according to the present invention. The shoulder holster 12 is held in position beneath the left arm 13 of man 11 by a pair of garter clips 14 and 15 which are fastened to the fabric of the shirt of man 11. A handgun 16 is suspended from holster 12 with its barrel pointing upward and its handgrip 17 hanging downward where it may be readily grasped by the right hand 18 of man 11. Although the holster 12 shown in FIG. 2 is suspended in position by garter clips 14 and 15, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any of the various types of conventional shoulder harness might be employed for this purpose.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, there is shown a detailed view of the high-riding belt holster 2 shown in FIG. 1 with the various parts fully opened to show the construction thereof. The holster, generally designated 2, includes a belt loop 21 which is preferably made of a single piece of leather folded over to form a snug belt loop which firmly holds holster 2 in position on the belt 3 of the wearer. A second piece of leather 22 is firmly mounted on belt loop 21, preferably by means of rivets 23, 24, 25 and 26. Rivets 23 and 24 preferably extend through both thicknesses of belt loop 21 and through piece 22 to simultaneously form the snug belt-enclosing passage of belt loop 21 and to fasten belt loop 21 to piece 22. Rivets 25 and 26 extend through piece 22 and only one thickness of belt loop 21 so as to fasten piece 22 to belt loop 21 while leaving the belt-enclosing passage open. While rivets are used in the preferred embodiment of the holster 2 shown in FIG. 3, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other means may be employed to fasten together the parts 21 and 22 of holster 2. For example, it will be apparent that either stitches or glue might be employed. Rivets are preferred, however, for reasons of strength and economy.

Piece 22 of holster 2 has various parts or portions which cooperate to hold a handgun. A first portion 27 of piece 22 is in the form of a strap which wraps snugly over the top of the frame of the handgun to be carried. Portion 27 might therefore be called the top strap for purposes of identification.

Piece 22 also includes a tab portion 28 which slips through the trigger guard of the handgun to be carried, and which is fastened to top strap 27 by means of a snap fastener 29 having two parts 29a and 29b, one part 29a being mounted on tab portion 28, and the other part 29b being mounted on top strap 27.

Piece 22 also includes a safety strap 30 which extends from the central portion of piece 22 in a direction substantially opposite to that of top strap 27. Safety strap 30 wraps around the bottom of the trigger guard of the handgun to be carried and is fastened to top strap 27 by means of a snap fastener 31 having two parts 31a and 31b, one part 31a being mounted near the end of safety strap 30, and the other part 31b being mounted on top strap 27 inwardly of snap fastener part 29b. The snap fasteners 29 and 31 may be of a conventional type such as, for example, the commercially available "Dot" fastener manufactured by the Carr Fastener Company of New York, N.Y.

Referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is shown the holster 2 of FIGS. 1 and 3 carrying a handgun 4, which is in this case an automatic pistol, shown in phantom lines. The top strap 27 of holster 2 is snugly wrapped over the top of the slide 41 of automatic pistol 4. Tab 28 of holster 2 extends through the trigger guard of pistol 4 between the trigger 42 and the front portion 43 of the trigger guard. Tab 28 is folded down over the front portion 43 of the trigger guard and is fastened to top strap 27 of holster 2 by the snap fastener 29. Top strap 27 and tab 28 are proportioned so that when fastened together by snap fastener 29, they snugly embrace pistol 4 so as to substantially prevent any movement of pistol 4 with respect to holster 2 and to permit the quick and easy release, when required, of the pistol 4 from holster 2 as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.

In FIG. 4, the safety strap 30 is shown in the open position in order to more clearly illustrate the manner in which top strap 27 and tab 28 cooperate to hold the pistol 4 in holster 2. It will be apparent, however, that safety strap 30 may be folded over so that part 31a mates with part 31b of snap fastener 31. In its closed position the safety strap 30 prevents snap fastener 29 from opening accidentally and thus provides very secure retention of the pistol 4 in holster 2. It will be appreciated, however, that the safety strap 30 is merely optional and need not be included unless an additional measure of security is desired. The cooperative action of top strap 27, tab 28 and snap fastener 29 is capable of holding the pistol 4 with sufficient security for most applications.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the pistol 4 and holster 2 taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 shows the manner in which tab 28 passes through the trigger guard of the pistol 4 and is folded down over the front portion 43 of the trigger guard so as to bring part 29a into position to engage part 29b of snap fastener 29. Referring to FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the operative portion of snap fastener part 29a is located on the opposite side of piece 22 from the operative portion of snap fastener part 9b. Likewise, it will be seen that the operative portion of snap fastener part 31a is located on the opposite side of piece 22 from the operative portion of snap fastener part 31b.

Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is shown a detailed view of the holster 2 with the safety strap 30 in the closed position. A hand 5 is shown in position to draw the pistol 4. The index finger 51 of hand 5 is shown in position beneath the extended end portion 52 of safety strap 30 in preparation for releasing the snap fastener 31 of safety strap 30. The fingers 53, 54 and 55 are in position to be wrapped around the handgrip 56 of pistol 4.

To draw the pistol 4, the fingers 53, 54 and 55 are wrapped around the handgrip 56 in the normal manner, and the index finger 51, located between the top strap 27 and the extended end portion 52 of safety strap 30, is urged toward snap fastener 31 so as to wedge apart the two parts 31a and 31b of snap fastener 31, thus causing the snap fastener 31 to pop open. After the snap fastener 31 has popped open, the pistol 4 is twisted slightly in a counterclockwise direction about its barrel so as to cause snap fastener 29 to pop open thus freeing the pistol 4 for use. In practice, this twisting motion is almost imperceptible and seems to occur as part of the natural motion of bringing the pistol 4 forward to point at a target. Although the use of the index finger 51 to release the safety strap 30 may at first seem a bit unfamiliar to the user, it can be accomplished with good facility after a modest amount of practice.

The leather or other material of which the holster 2 is made is preferably fairly stiff in order to provide a good leverage for the releasing of snap fasteners 29 and 31. For example, holster 2 is preferably made of leather of 8-ounce to 10-ounce weight. It will be appreciated, however, that other materials of comparable stiffness may be employed such as, for example, a plastic-impregnated leather of lighter weight or a wholly synthetic material such as Corfam, a leatherlike material manufactured by the Du Pont Corporation of Wilmington, Del.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a detailed view of the shoulder holster 12 shown in FIG. 2 with the various parts fully opened to show the construction thereof. The holster 12 includes a top strap 61 which wraps snugly over the top of the frame of the handgun to be carried, and a tab portion 62 which extends through the trigger guard of the handgun and is fastened to top strap 61 by means of a snap fastener 63 having two parts 63a and 63b, part 63a being mounted on tab portion 62 of holster 12 and part 63b being mounted on top strap 61. As in the case of the holster 2 shown in FIGS. 3--6, the operative portions of the parts 63a and 63b of the snap fastener 63 are located on opposite sides of the piece of leather from which the holster 12 of FIG. 7 is made. Tab 62 is folded upward to the position 62' shown in FIG. 7 in order to bring the operative portion of snap fastener part 63a into mating relation with the operative portion of snap fastener part 63b.

The shoulder holster 12 shown in FIG. 7 may be suspended in position under the arm of the wearer by means of a pair of conventional garter clips 64 and 65. The garter clips 64 and 65 are secured to the holster 12 by means of tabs 66 and 67 which extend through the loops 68 and 69 of the garter clips 64 and 65 respectively and are fastened back to themselves by means of rivets 71 and 72. For best operation of the holster 12, the garter clips 64 and 65 are fastened adjacent the armhole of the shirt of the wearer so that the holster 12 rides snugly up under the armpit without much slack.

Although the garter clips 64 and 65 shown in FIG. 7 provide a convenient means for suspending the holster 12 beneath the arm of the wearer, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other means for suspending the shoulder holster 12 may be employed such as, for example, one of the various types of conventional shoulder harnesses.

FIG. 8 shows the shoulder holster 12 of FIG. 7 carrying a handgun 16, which is in this case an automatic pistol, with its barrel pointed upward and its handgrip 17 hanging downward. The top strap 61 of holster 12 is snugly wrapped over the slide 73 of automatic pistol 16 and is fastened to the tab portion 62 of holster 12 by means of the snap fastener 63. As in the case of the holster 2 shown in FIGS. 3--6, the top strap 61, tab portion 62 and snap fastener 63 of holster 12 cooperate to hold pistol 16 snugly. This snug-fitting relation also provides for a quick crisp release of pistol 16 when required. As in the case of the holster 2 shown in FIGS. 3--6, the pistol 16 is released from the shoulder holster 12 shown in FIG. 8 by twisting the pistol 16 slightly in a counterclockwise direction about its barrel. This twisting action serves to pop open the snap fastener 63 thus freeing the pistol 16 for action.

Although the shoulder holster 12 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 does not have a safety strap, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a safety strap similar to the safety strap 30 of the holster 2 shown in FIGS. 3--6 may be provided if additional security of retention of the pistol 16 is desired.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, while snap fasteners have been used to perform various functions in the holster of the present invention, other types of releasable fastening devices might be employed, such as, for example, Velcro fastening material which is manufactured by the Velcro Corp. of New York, N.Y.

It will also be apparent that other structures may be employed to perform the function of the tab portion of the holster which extends through the trigger guard of the handgun and carries the snap fastener part which mates with the complementary snap fastener part mounted on the top strap of the holster in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. For example, the snap fastener part might be mounted on a built-up portion or post which extends through the trigger guard of the handgun. Alternatively, a tab portion might be provided at the end of the top strap to extend down through the trigger guard of the handgun to bring about a mating of the snap fastener parts in that fashion. It will further be apparent that the end of the top strap might be provided with a built-up portion or post to extend down through the trigger guard.

It will further be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications and adaptations of the preferred form of the present holster may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A holster for a firearm comprising an elongated piece of sheet material having a tab portion extending therefrom at an angle to the direction of elongation of said elongated piece of sheet material and for at least a distance corresponding to the thickness of the trigger guard of the firearm to be carried; and a releasable fastening means having two parts, the first part of said releasable fastening means being mounted on said elongated piece of sheet material at a distance from said tab portion and the second part of said releasable fastening means being mounted on said tab portion on the opposite side of said piece of sheet material from said first part of said releasable fastening means such that when said elongated piece of sheet material is wrapped over the top of the frame of the firearm to be carried and said tab portion is extended through the trigger guard of the firearm and wrapped over the forward portion of said trigger guard, said first and second parts of said releasable fastening means may be fastened together, said fastening means being releasable in response to the twisting of the firearm substantially about the barrel axis relative to said piece of sheet material.

2. The holster of claim 1 wherein said releasable fastening means comprises a snap fastener.

3. The holster of claim 1 further comprising a belt loop attached to said elongated piece of sheet material.

4. The holster of claim 1 further comprising means for suspending said holster beneath the armpit of a wearer so that the barrel of the handgun carried points upward.

5. The holster of claim 4 wherein said means for suspending said holster comprises a pair of garter clasps for attachment to the shirt of the wearer.

6. A holster for firearms comprising an elongated piece of sheet material having two ends, a first releasable fastening means having two parts, the first part of said first releasable fastening means being mounted on said piece of sheet material adjacent one end thereof and the second part of said first releasable fastening means being mounted on said piece of sheet material at a distance from said first part of said first releasable fastening means such that when said elongated piece of sheet material is wrapped over the top of the frame of the firearm to be carried, said first and second parts of said first releasable fastening means may be fastened together through the trigger guard of the firearm; and a second releasable fastening means having two parts, the first part of said second releasable fastening means being mounted on said elongated piece of sheet material adjacent the remaining end thereof and the second part of said second releasable fastening means being mounted on said elongated piece of sheet material between said first and second parts of said first releasable fastening means so that when said first and second parts of said first releasable fastening means are fastened together through the trigger guard of the firearm and the remaining end of said elongated piece of sheet material is wrapped around the bottom of the trigger guard of the firearm, said first and second parts of said second releasable fastening means may be fastened together to more securely hold the firearm.

7. The holster of claim 6 wherein said second part of said first releasable fastening means is mounted on a tab portion extending from said elongated piece of sheet material a distance corresponding to the width of the trigger guard of the handgun to be carried.

8. The holster of claim 7 wherein said second part of said releasable fastening means is mounted on the opposite side of said elongated piece of sheet material from said first part of said releasable fastening means.

9. The holster of claim 8 further comprising a belt loop attached to said elongated piece of sheet material.