Ballistic vest carrier cover system

• US 8,528,112 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blauer Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Blauer Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Blauer, Stephen J, Lee, Robert K
• Primary Examiner(s): Worrell, Danny
• Assistant Examiner(s): Annis, Khaled
• Application Number:
  US13/367,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 2/25, 2 9/2, 210/2, 2 9/4, 211/3, 210/3, 211/4, 2 8/0, 226/7, 2 9/5, 225/0, 225/1, 245/6, 245/8, 2/216, 2462-467, 2 9/7, 89/360.5
• US Class Current: 2/2.5
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 1/02 Armoured or projectile- or missile-resistant garments; Composite protection fabrics F41H5/04 takes precedence

Abstract

A ballistic vest carrier cover has a mantle that goes over the wearer'"'"'s shoulders from the front waist to rear waist. It has a fabric outer layer, an interlining heat-fused to the back of the outer layer, and a liner. The cover is designed to fit over a pullover shirt so the combination appears as a standard uniform shirt. The liner attaches to the outer layer at the front and rear waist, neck, and along the sides from front armor openings to rear armor openings, thereby producing front and rear pockets for receiving the body armor panel carriers through the armor openings. The front of the mantle attaches to the rear at the waist by zippers. One zipper component is on a stretch panel that extends from the outer layer at the rear armor opening and the other zipper component is on the outer layer at the front armor opening.

Claims

1. A cover for a ballistic vest carrier, said carrier including a front armor panel in a front portion of the carrier, a rear armor panel in a rear portion of the carrier, attachable/detachable waist fasteners for removably attaching said front portion of the carrier to said rear portion of the carrier at the waist of a wearer, and attachable/detachable shoulder fasteners for removably attaching said front portion of the carrier to said rear portion of the carrier at the shoulders of the wearer, said cover comprising:

(a) a mantle extending from a front waist of the mantle through shoulders of the mantle to a rear waist of the mantle and having a neck opening, a right side, and a left side, said mantle having an outer fabric layer and a liner, said liner being attached to said outer layer at the front waist at a front waist attachment, at the rear waist at a rear waist attachment, at the neck opening, along the right side from a right front armor opening on the right side adjacent to the front waist to a right rear armor opening on the right side adjacent to the rear waist, and along the left side from a left front armor opening on the left side adjacent to the front waist to a left rear armor opening on the left side adjacent to the rear waist, thereby forming a front pocket and a rear pocket between said outer layer and said liner, the right front armor opening being separated from the left front armor opening by the front waist attachment, the right rear armor opening being separated from the left rear armor opening by the rear waist attachment, said front pocket being connected to said rear pocket by tunnels between said outer layer and said liner at the shoulders, said front pocket being accessible through said right and left front armor openings and said rear pocket being accessible through said right and left rear armor openings;

(b) a right waist panel extending from said outer fabric layer at said right rear armor opening to a free end;

(c) a left waist panel extending from said outer fabric layer at said left rear armor opening to a free end;

(d) a right zipper having a right rear zipper component attached to said right waist panel free end and a mating right front zipper component attached to said outer fabric layer at said right front armor opening; and

(e) a left zipper having a left rear zipper component attached to said left waist panel free end and a mating left front zipper component attached to said outer fabric layer at said left front armor opening;

(f) whereby said front portion of the carrier is installed in said front pocket through one of said right and left front armor openings, said rear portion of the carrier is installed in said rear pocket through one of said right and left rear armor openings, said front portion of the carrier is attached to said rear portion of the carrier by said shoulder fasteners through said tunnels and by said waist fasteners at the waist, said waist panels are extended over said waist fasteners, and said zippers are attached.

2. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein said mantle is composed of a single panel.

3. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein said mantle is composed of a front panel and a back panel attached at the shoulders.

4. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein said outer layer includes one or more of the following:

breast pockets, a false placket with buttons, a shoulder yoke, shoulder epaulets, front and/or rear creases, a microphone tab; and

a tie clip strip.

5. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein said outer layer includes an interlining attached to said outer layer between said outer layer and said liner.

6. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 5 wherein said interlining is attached to said outer layer by a thermoplastic adhesive.

7. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein said liner is composed in part of a mesh fabric.

8. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein said liner has openings at the shoulders to provide access to said tunnels.

9. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein said waist panels are composed substantially of a stretch fabric.

10. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein said zippers are double-ended.

11. A cover for a ballistic vest carrier, said carrier including a front armor panel in a front portion of the carrier, a rear armor panel in a rear portion of the carrier, attachable/detachable waist fasteners for removably attaching said front portion of the carrier to said rear portion of the carrier at the waist of a wearer, and attachable/detachable shoulder fasteners for removably attaching said front portion of the carrier to said rear portion of the carrier at the shoulders of the wearer, said cover comprising:

(a) a mantle extending from a front waist of the mantle through shoulders of the mantle to a rear waist of the mantle and having a neck opening, a right side, and a left side, said mantle having an outer fabric layer and a liner, said outer layer including an interlining attached to said outer layer between said outer layer and said liner by a thermoplastic adhesive, said liner being attached to said outer layer at the front waist at a front waist attachment, at the rear waist at a rear waist attachment, at the neck opening, along the right side from a right front armor opening on the right side adjacent to the front waist to a right rear armor opening on the right side adjacent to the rear waist, and along the left side from a left front armor opening on the left side adjacent to the front waist to a left rear armor opening on the left side adjacent to the rear waist, thereby forming a front pocket and a rear pocket between said outer layer and said liner, the right front armor opening being separated from the left front armor opening by the front waist attachment, the right rear armor opening being separated from the left rear armor opening by the rear waist attachment, said front pocket being connected to said rear pocket by tunnels between said outer layer and said liner at the shoulders, said tunnels being accessible through openings in said liner at the shoulders, said front pocket being accessible through said right and left front armor openings and said rear pocket being accessible through said right and left rear armor openings;

(b) a right waist panel composed substantially of a stretch fabric extending from said outer fabric layer at said right rear armor opening to a free end;

(c) a left waist panel composed substantially of a stretch fabric extending from said outer fabric layer at said left rear armor opening to a free end;

(d) a right zipper having a right rear zipper component attached to said right waist panel free end and a mating right front zipper component attached to said outer fabric layer at said right front armor opening; and

(e) a left zipper having a left rear zipper component attached to said left waist panel free end and a mating left front zipper component attached to said outer fabric layer at said left front armor opening;

(f) whereby said front portion of the carrier is installed in said front pocket through one of said right and left front armor openings, said rear portion of the carrier is installed in said rear pocket through one of said right and left rear armor openings, said front portion of the carrier is attached to said rear portion of the carrier by said shoulder fasteners through said tunnels and by said waist fasteners at the waist, said waist panels are extended over said waist fasteners, and said zippers are attached.

12. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 11 wherein said mantle is composed of a single panel.

13. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 11 wherein said mantle is composed of a front panel and a back panel attached at the shoulders.

14. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 11 wherein said outer layer includes one or more of the following:

breast pockets, a false placket with buttons, a shoulder yoke, shoulder epaulets, front and/or rear creases, a microphone tab; and

a tie clip strip.

15. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 11 wherein said liner is composed in part of a mesh fabric.

16. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 11 wherein said zippers are double-ended.

17. A ballistic vest carrier and cover assemblage comprising:

(a) a mantle extending from a front waist of the mantle through shoulders of the mantle to a rear waist of the mantle and having a neck opening, a right side, and a left side, said mantle having an outer fabric layer and a liner, said liner being attached to said outer layer at the front waist at a front waist attachment, at the rear waist at a rear waist attachment, at the neck opening, along the right side from a right front armor opening on the right side adjacent to the front waist to a right rear armor opening on the right side adjacent to the rear waist, and along the left side from a left front armor opening on the left side adjacent to the front waist to a left rear armor opening on the left side adjacent to the rear waist, thereby forming a front pocket and a rear pocket between said outer layer and said liner, the right front armor opening being separated from the left front armor opening by the front waist attachment, the right rear armor opening being separated from the left rear armor opening by the rear waist attachment, said front pocket being connected to said rear pocket by tunnels between said outer layer and said liner at the shoulders, said front pocket being accessible through said right and left front armor openings and said rear pocket being accessible through said right and left rear armor openings;

(b) a front armor panel in a front portion of the carrier and installed in the front pocket;

(c) a rear armor panel in a rear portion of the carrier and installed in the rear pocket;

(d) a right attachable/detachable waist fastener removably attaching said front portion of the carrier to said rear portion of the carrier at the waist;

(e) a left attachable/detachable waist fastener removably attaching said front portion of the carrier to said rear portion of the carrier at the waist;

(f) attachable/detachable shoulder fasteners extending through the tunnels and removably attaching the front portion of the carrier to the rear portion of the carrier;

(g) a right waist panel extending over the right attachable/detachable waist fastener from said outer fabric layer at said right rear armor opening to a free end;

(h) a left waist panel extending over the left attachable/detachable waist fastener from said outer fabric layer at said left rear armor opening to a free end;

(i) a right zipper having a right rear zipper component attached to said right waist panel free end and a mating right front zipper component attached to said outer fabric layer at said right front armor opening; and

(j) a left zipper having a left rear zipper component attached to said left waist panel free end and a mating left front zipper component attached to said outer fabric layer at said left front armor opening.

18. The assemblage of claim 17 wherein the outer layer includes one or more of the following:

breast pockets, a false placket with buttons, a shoulder yoke, shoulder epaulets, front and/or rear creases, a microphone tab; and

a tie clip strip.

19. The assemblage of claim 17 wherein the outer layer includes an interlining attached to the outer layer between the outer layer and the liner.

20. The assemblage of claim 17 wherein the liner is composed in part of a mesh fabric.

21. The assemblage of claim 17 wherein the liner has openings at the shoulders to provide access to the tunnels.