Concealable Holster for a Firearm

Abstract

The present invention is a concealable holster for a handgun which encircles the mid-torso of the wearer, for the purpose of supporting and stabilizing a handgun, while the wearer is engaged in vigorous physical activities such as running, thereby reducing movement of the firearm independent of the wearer's body allowing the wearer to focus on the activity without the distraction of the independent movement of the handgun. The handgun within an encasement with a clip attachment is inserted onto the belt; a pad is attached to the interior side of the belt and positioned behind the firearm encasement. The unattached top and bottom portions of the belt's plane and pad's plane, which are aligned, create a sleeve which precludes movement of the firearm independent of the wearer's body.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/790282 filed Mar. 15, 2013, and a refiling of the provisional application Ser. No. 61/950971 filed Mar. 11, 2014; the foregoing application is incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a concealed firearms holster for supporting and stabilizing a handgun worn during vigorous physical activities. The invention was developed for athletes needing the protection of a firearm while engaging in rigorous activity. The invention is a concealed firearm holster worn at the wearer's mid-torso or upper waist. The holster enables the wearer to carry a firearm (or other device) safely and comfortably during vigorous physical activity without detracting from the wearer's focus on the activity at hand.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] For the athlete, or even the recreational or occupational user, engaged in vigorous activity, access to a firearm for safety allows the wearer protection and self-defense in the instance of exigent and dangerous circumstances. The ability to carry a firearm safely while running, hiking, cross-country skiing, bicycling and other strenuous physical endeavors enhances and expands the athlete's options regarding where and when she can engage in these activities. The present invention, a concealed holster for a firearm is designed to allow the athlete to focus on the athletic activity and enjoy the peace of mind having the self-defense protection of a firearm.

[0006] Athletes carrying a handgun do not want the firearm to distract from the activity or their performance in that activity. Carrying a firearm can cause distraction or discomfort and diminish the wearer's physical performance. A person carrying a concealed firearm during vigorous physical activities must be able to carry the firearm comfortably or it is likely the wearer will discontinue the practice of carrying the firearm during the physical activity. The present invention allows the wearer to carry the firearm in a holster which contours to the wearer's body and is secure, stable, safe, and comfortable.

[0007] The present invention stabilizes and secures the firearm to the wearer's body to minimize the movement of the firearm independent of the wearer's body. This allows the wearer to focus on the activity. A firearm that is not stabilized is a distraction because the movement and shifting of the weight of the firearm against the body. The present invention minimizes movement of the firearm that is independent of the wearer's body.

[0008] Most recreational and athletic pursuits involve quick movement of the body and forceful and jarring body movements. The present invention minimizes the independent movement of the firearm or device from the movement of the body. Movement of the firearm independent of the wearer's body makes carrying the firearm uncomfortable to the wearer and is potentially unsafe if the movement resulted in the disengagement of the firearm from the holster or accidental discharge due to accidental engagement of the firearm's trigger mechanism or accidental disengagement of the firearm's safety mechanism.

[0009] Personal safety issues are important for all athletes, but particularly female athletes. Women who carry concealed firearms do so out of a genuine and well-grounded concern for their personal safety. This concern for personal safety can limit the activities of women because some of the activities them in potentially dangerous or remote environments making them reluctant to pursue those activities without a means of protecting themselves. The present invention allows women wearers (and users of any gender to carry a concealed firearm) in these circumstances without fear of harm.

[0010] Women who wish to carry a concealed firearm for purposes other than athletics (i.e. self-defense or defense of others i.e. children) require a concealed firearm holster which is safe, which can be worn on the body, is comfortable and conforms to a women's body dimensions, does not require heavyweight garments or heavier clothing to help support the weight of the firearm, and allows easy access to the firearm. Women who carry concealed firearms have limited options for holsters which fulfill the need to carry the weapon in a manner that suits a woman's body and women's clothing.

[0011] The present invention contours to the body, holding the firearm against the body securely while supporting the weight of the firearm without the need of an article of clothing or garment made of heavyweight material to help support and stabilize the firearm. Nor does the present invention require the use of a shoulder strap or other encumbering device which could interfere with or is incompatible with dimensions of the female body. The present invention allows the female user to safely and comfortably carry a concealed firearm on her person.

[0012] A woman carrying a concealed firearm must be able to carry the weapon safety. Some women chose to carry their firearm in a concealed holster that is not worn or secured to the wearer's body due to the unavailability of options that suit their needs. The present invention allows the wearer to position the firearm or device housed in the concealable holster on her body at multiple positions, to include the right side, left side, back, front-center, around the mid-torso or upper waist. This positioning of the firearm allows for multiple draw options. It is equally accessible to right and left-handed persons. The firearm may be positioned for right, left, rear and front or cross draw.

[0013] A holster that is not attached to the wearer's body carries a heightened responsibility and diligence as this style of holster requires the user to maintain constant contact with and control of the holster to prevent an unauthorized person from gaining access to the firearm. A distracted mother tending to small children often could easily become distracted and lose contact and control of a holster that is unattached to and independent of her body. Examples of prior art such as concealable holsters built into a handbag or purse, or a concealable holster encased in a portfolio are not attached to the wearer's body. The present invention is worn on the body and reduces the likelihood an unauthorized person will gain access to the firearm.

[0014] A concealable holster designed to be attached to the wearer's clothing also has limited utility as attaching a concealable holster to the waistband or other areas of the body. For example the clothing worn while running is, lightweight and cannot support the weight of the firearm in the manner required by the design of the prior art as the lightweight clothing allows a degree of movement or free play that is uncomfortable and allows unsafe movement of the firearm independent of the wearer's body. The present invention supports the weight of the firearm independent of articles of clothing or other devices and secures the holster and firearm directly to the body.

[0015] Concealing a firearm is essential for many reasons. Civilians carrying a firearm for self-defense must conceal their weapon so as to not telegraph to a potential attacker that they are armed, thereby eliminating the element of surprise during an assault, or worse, encouraging an attacker to attempt to gain possession of the wearer's gun. In addition, in some jurisdictions, it is illegal to carry a handgun openly ("open carry").

[0016] The present invention conceals that the wearer is carrying a firearm, allows the wearer to comply with the law, and exercise her rights to protect herself and her right to carry a firearm with sensible discretion and privacy.

[0017] A person under attack in an exigent and dangerous circumstance must have easy and rapid access to the firearm. The present invention allows for rapid access to the firearm. It houses the firearm so that while housed within the holster the firearm is exposed and does not require the wearer to take steps to expose the firearm so the firearm may be accessed by the wearer.

[0018] The present invention allows rapid access to the weapon as the weapon is not completely encased and does not require the user to reach into a bag or under a covering to access the firearm.

[0019] Prior art houses the firearm within an enclosed structure such as a bag which must be opened to expose the handgun so that he may be accessed, thereby decreasing the speed at which the firearm can be drawn during exigent circumstances. A firearm that is concealed and stabilized but is not readily accessible to the wearer in circumstances requiring the wearer to rapidly draw the firearm from the holster and respond to a threat has serious limitations. If the wearer must unzip, unsnap or otherwise open a closed compart in which the firearm is housed, and reach into the compart to access the firearm, the time it takes to draw the firearm for use in exigent circumstances has increased, as has the possibility of the firearm snagging which would further increase the time it takes to draw the firearm. In an exigent circumstance this could have serious consequences; it could also increase the changes of an accidental discharge of the firearm due to the disengagement of the firearm's safety mechanism or the accidental engagement of the trigger m's safety mechanism or the accidental engagement of the trigger mechanism.

[0020] The present invention is carried independent of the wearer's clothing and does not require garments or other aids or encumbering devices to add support to the weapon. Prior art utilizes shoulder straps or harnesses to provide support, or require the holster to be placed behind the waistbands of garments made of sturdy materials in order to provide stability.

[0021] The present invention be could be used as designed by a wearer with no clothing and still provide the intended function.

[0022] A prototype of the present invention was commercially manufactured and that prototype has been tested in the field and found to perform as designed and as described by specific reference herein to this application.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a comfortable and safe method of carrying a firearm, large cell phone or other device while engaged in vigorous physical activities such as running. The present invention gives the wearer the option of positioning the firearm or device in multiple positions on the waist on the torso. The wearer may position the firearm or device at the front, rear, right or left side of the body. In the case of a firearm, the multiple positions allow for the greatest number of draw options, it is equally accessible to the right and left-handed wearer and can be positioned for cross draw. The present invention allows quick and safe access to the firearm or device. The invention allows the wearer to conceal a firearm under outer garments. The present invention protects the firearm or device from the corrosive effects of sweat. The invention is designed for use by men and women. Unlike prior art, the present invention minimizes or eliminates the independent movement of the firearm or device in relation to the movement of the wearer's body during vigorous physical activity, and thereby allowing the wearer to pursue physical activities such as running without the discomfort, distraction or danger of the firearm having independent movement from the wearer's body. The invention's synthetic rubber barrier cushions the holster and the firearm or device contained therein while molding to the wearer's body thereby eliminating much if not all of the independent movement of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the holster with the firearm positioned in the sleeve;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holster with the firearm encasement and the pad removed;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the holster with firearm, firearm encasement attached;

[0028] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the belt with the pad removed from the belt;

[0029] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the belt with the pad attached to the interior of the belt;

[0030] FIG. 6 is a side view of the interior and exterior of the pad;

[0031] FIG. 7 is a side view of the interior plane of the belt;

[0032] FIG. 8 is a side view of the exterior plane of the belt; and

[0033] FIG. 9 is the front and rear view depicting the holster as worn by the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0035] Referring generally to FIGS. 1-9, the invention is manufactured from a variable length of 4 inch wide polypropylene web belt material, with varying lengths (to be determined by the wearer's body size) 1. The outer edge is covered in binding material 5, with 4 inch.times.6 inch hook and loop material 4a & 4b at either end. The hook material is attached to the outer side of the belt 4b, and the loop attached to the inner side of the belt 4a. The width and the rigidity of the polypropylene webbing provides stabilization when the belt is adjusted to a length around the waist that tightly encompasses the waist and firearm bring the firearm closer to the wearer's body.

[0036] In addition a the invention includes a stabilizing barrier comprised of an 8 inch.times.5 inch 0.060 inch thick synthetic rubber pad 2 attached to the interior side of the belt by 1 inch strips of adhesive back hook 3a & 3b and loop 10a & 10b material. The hook material is positioned 1 inch from the outer edges of the pad toward the center of the pad 2. The loop material 10a & 10b is attached to the inner side of the belt with the inner edges of the loop positioned six inches apart. The synthetic rubber pad acts as a cushion for the firearm and stabilizes and immobilizes the firearm and firearm encasement while also molding to the wearer's body.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 1, which shows the hook 3a & 3b and loop 10a & 10b material attached to the interior plane of the synthetic rubber pad. The firearm encasement 6, containing a semi-automatic handgun 8, is shown as inserted into the sleeve 8 formed by the interior plane of the synthetic rubber pad 2 and the interior plane of the nylon webbing belt 1. The sleeve 8 is partially open with the interior planes of the pad 2 and the nylon webbing belt 1 opposite each other with a number of inches of space between them to allow the insertion of the firearm encasement. The composition of the holster's elements, the synthetic rubber pad, the polypropylene webbing material minimize the independent movement of the firearm or other device from that of the movement of the wearer's body. The materials and composition of elements of prior art do not provide the same level of stabilization of the weight of the firearm or device. A semi-automatic handgun was used for the purpose of illustration, but a revolver style handgun could be substituted as an illustration as there is no difference in the functionality of the concealable holster for the semi-automatic handgun or revolver style handgun.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 2, which depicts an exploded view revealing the adhesive back hook and loop material 10a & 10b which are sewn onto to the interior of the nylon webbing belt 1 in addition to being attached to the belt 1 by the adhesive on the back of the hook and loop material 10a & 10b.

[0039] Referring now to FIG. 3, which shows the firearm encasement 6 in position on the nylon webbing belt 1. The firearm encasement is attached by sliding the clip attachment 9 onto the belt and by placing the nylon webbing belt 1 between the two planes of the clip 9. The clip attachment of the firearm encasement may be attached to the front or back plane of the encasement to facilitate the use of the holster by right or left-handed wearers.

[0040] Referring now to FIG. 4, which depicts and exploded view and shows the synthetic rubber pad 2 in a disengaged position from the nylon webbing belt 1.

[0041] Referring now to FIG. 5 which depicts a view of the interior plane of the belt 1 with the pad 2 attached to the belt by the engagement of the hook 3a & 3b and loop 10a & 10b attached to the interior plane of the pad and the interior plane of the belt. Sleeve 8 is shown in a closed position with the planes of the pad 2 and the belt 1 aligned and the planes touching against each other with minimal space between the planes.

[0042] Referring now to FIG. 6, which depicts the interior and exterior sides of the cloth covered pad 2 and the hook attachments 3a and 3b.

[0043] Referring now to FIG. 7 depicts the interior side of the belt 1 with the hook and loop attachment 4a and the end portion of the webbing belt.

[0044] Referring now to FIG. 8, which depicts the exterior side of the belt 1 with the hook and loop attachment 4b positioned at the end portion of the webbing belt.

[0045] Referring now to FIG. 9, which illustrates the present invention encircled and engaged around the wearer's body showing two of the multiple positioning options for the firearm around the circumference of the wearer's body, and one of multiple positions of the concealable holster between the waist and mid-torso of the wearer's body.

[0046] As outlined in greater detail throughout these specification, the present invention improves upon prior art by reducing independent movement of the firearm or device from the movement of the wearer's body during vigorous physical activities such as running. This reduction in movement is accomplished by pad 2, which acts as a stabilizing barrier between the firearm in the firearm encasement and the wearer's body.

Claims

1. A holster encircling the waist of the wearer and for the purpose of securing, supporting and stabilizing a firearm encasement and the firearm contained within the encasement, compromising: a belt; a handgun encasement with clip attachment which attaches to the belt; a pad of synthetic rubber which is attached to the interior of the belt and positioned behind the firearm encasement; wherein the top and bottom portions of the belt and synthetic pad are unattached at the top and bottom portions of the belt to which the pad is aligned, thereby creating a sleeve which houses the firearm within its encasement as the encasement is placed in the sleeve created by the rear plane of the belt and the front plane of the pad;

2. The invention of claim 1 comprises a belt with attachment devices for engaging the first end upon the second end so the ends overlap and attach allowing the wearer to adjust the functional length of the belt to be positioned around the waist of the wearer.

3. The attachment devices of the belt of claim 2 allow repeatable engagement and disengagement over the lifespan of the holster.

4. The belt of claim 2 comprises heavyweight polypropylene webbing material.

5. The belt of claim 2 where binding material is attached to the exterior edges of the belt.

6. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a firearm encasement with attachment clip.

7. The firearm encasement of claim 7 having a first and second panel being attached to retain a firearm within.

8. The firearm encasement of claim 7 is constructed of synthetic or man-made materials.

9. The firearm encasement of claim 7 has at least one attachment clip.

10. The attachment clip of claim 9 may be attached to either the front or rear plane of the encasement.

11. The clip attachment of claim 9 may be attached to the firearm encasement by screws, rivets, adhesive or by inserting through an elastic band attached to the front or rear plane of the firearm encasement.

12. The clip attachment of claim 9 may be have one, or static positioning device, or the attachment may allow more than one option for positioning of the firearm encasement so that the encasement may be angled or canted.

13. The invention of claim 1 further compromises a cloth covered synthetic rubber pad secured to the interior plane of the belt, and said pad (panel) positioned directly behind the firearm encasement and positioned for contact with the wearer's body.

14. The synthetic rubber pad of claim 13) is attached to the interior plane of the belt by attachment devices which are positioned and attached to the interior plane of the pad at the right and left end portion.

15. The belt of claim 2 attaches to the synthetic rubber pad of claim 12 by attachment devices that are positioned and attached to the interior plane of the belt so that the attachment devices align with the corresponding attachment devices of the pad of claim 12 and the pad's attachment devices of claim 14.

16. The attachment devices of the synthetic rubber pad of claim 12 allow repeatable engagement and disengagement over the lifespan of the holster.

17. The pad of claim 2 where binding material is attached to the exterior edges of the pad.

18. The attachment devices of claim 14 allow repeatable engagement and disengagement over the lifespan of the holster.

19. The belt of claim 2 may also have attached to its exterior plane, sleeves, pockets, pouches, flaps or other attachment devices.

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