Ballistic vest carrier cover system

• US 8,776,262 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2013
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• 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:
  US14/093,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20140082809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 228 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, 2/2, 2 1/6, 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 the rear waist. It has a fabric outer layer, an optional interlining, and a liner. The cover fits over a 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, producing front and rear pockets for receiving the body armor panel carriers. The panel carriers are attached using supplied straps at the waist through the armor openings and at the shoulders through tunnels between the front and rear pockets. A stretch panel extends from the cover at the rear armor opening, over the waist strap, and fastens to the cover at the front armor opening.

Claims

1. A cover for a ballistic vest carrier, the 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 straps for removably attaching the front portion of the carrier to the rear portion of the carrier at the waist of a wearer, and attachable/detachable shoulder straps for removably attaching the front portion of the carrier to the rear portion of the carrier at the shoulders of the wearer, the 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, the mantle having an outer fabric layer and a liner, the liner being attached to the 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 the outer layer and the 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, the front pocket being connected to the rear pocket by tunnels between the outer layer and the liner at the shoulders, the front pocket being accessible through the right and left front armor openings and the rear pocket being accessible through the right and left rear armor openings;

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

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

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

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

(f) whereby the front armor portion of the carrier is inserted into the front pocket, the rear armor portion of the carrier is inserted into the rear pocket, the front portion of the carrier is attached to the rear portion of the carrier by the shoulder straps through the tunnels and by the waist straps at the waist, the waist panels are extended over the waist straps, and the panel fasteners are fastened.

2. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 wherein the liner has lateral openings for inserting the armor portions of the carrier into the pockets.

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

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

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

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

7. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 1 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.

8. 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, the mantle having an outer fabric layer and a liner, the liner being attached to the 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 the outer layer and the 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, the front pocket being connected to the rear pocket by tunnels between the outer layer and the liner at the shoulders, the front pocket being accessible through the right and left front armor openings and the rear pocket being accessible through the right and left rear armor openings;

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

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

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

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

(f) attachable/detachable shoulder straps 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 strap from the outer fabric layer at the right rear armor opening to a free end;

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

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

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

9. The assemblage of claim 8 wherein the right panel removable fastener and the left panel removable fastener are double-ended zippers.

10. The assemblage of claim 8 wherein the liner has lateral openings for inserting the armor portions of the carrier into the pockets.

11. The assemblage of claim 8 wherein the liner has openings at the shoulders to provide access to the tunnels.

12. The assemblage of claim 8 wherein the outer layer includes an interlining attached to the outer layer between the outer layer and the liner.

13. The assemblage of claim 8 wherein the liner is composed in part of a mesh fabric.

14. The assemblage of claim 8 wherein the waist panels are composed substantially of a stretch fabric.

15. The assemblage of claim 8 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.

16. A cover for a ballistic vest carrier, the 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 straps for removably attaching the front portion of the carrier to the rear portion of the carrier at the waist of a wearer, and attachable/detachable shoulder straps for removably attaching the front portion of the carrier to the rear portion of the carrier at the shoulders of the wearer, the 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 extending between the front waist and rear waist, and a left side extending between the front waist and rear waist, the mantle having an outer fabric layer and a liner, the liner being attached to the outer layer to form a front pocket and a rear pocket between the outer fabric layer and the liner, the front pocket being accessible through a right front armor opening on the right side of the mantle and through a left front armor opening on the left side of the mantle, the rear pocket being accessible through a right rear armor opening on the right side of the mantle and through a left rear armor opening on the left side of the mantle, the right front armor opening being separated from the left front armor opening by the mantle front waist, and the right rear armor opening being separated from the left rear armor opening by the mantle rear waist;

(b) whereby the front armor portion of the carrier is inserted into the front pocket, the rear armor portion of the carrier is inserted into the rear pocket, and the front portion of the carrier is attached to the rear portion of the carrier by the waist straps via the armor openings and by the shoulder straps.

17. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 16 further comprising:

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

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

(c) a right panel removable fastener having a right rear panel fastener component attached to the right waist panel at the free end and a mating right front panel fastener component attached to the outer fabric layer at the right front armor opening; and

(d) a left panel removable fastener having a left rear panel fastener component attached to the left waist panel at the free end and a mating left front panel fastener component attached to the outer fabric layer at the left front armor opening;

(e) whereby after the front portion of the carrier is attached to the rear portion of the carrier by the waist straps, the waist panels are extended over the waist straps, and the panel fasteners are fastened.

18. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 17 wherein the panel fasteners are zippers.

19. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 17 wherein the waist panels are composed substantially of a stretch fabric.

20. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 16 wherein the liner is composed in part of a mesh fabric.

21. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 16 wherein the outer layer includes an interlining attached to the outer layer between the outer layer and the liner.

22. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 16 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.

23. A cover for a ballistic vest carrier, the 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 straps for removably attaching the front portion of the carrier to the rear portion of the carrier at the waist of a wearer, and attachable/detachable shoulder straps for removably attaching the front portion of the carrier to the rear portion of the carrier at the shoulders of the wearer, the 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 extending between the front waist and rear waist, and a left side extending between the front waist and rear waist, the mantle having an outer fabric layer and a liner, the liner being attached to the outer layer to form a front pocket and a rear pocket between the outer fabric layer and the liner, the front pocket being accessible through a right front armor opening on the right side of the mantle and through a left front armor opening on the left side of the mantle, the rear pocket being accessible through a right rear armor opening on the right side of the mantle and through a left rear armor opening on the left side of the mantle, the right front armor opening being separated from the left front armor opening by the mantle front waist, and the right rear armor opening being separated from the left rear armor opening by the mantle rear waist, the outer layer including one or more of 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;

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

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

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

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

(e) whereby after the front portion of the carrier is attached to the rear portion of the carrier by the waist straps, the waist panels are extended over the waist straps, and the panel fasteners are fastened,

(b) whereby the front armor portion of the carrier is inserted into the front pocket, the rear armor portion of the carrier is inserted into the rear pocket, the front portion of the carrier is attached to the rear portion of the carrier by the waist straps via the armor openings and by the shoulder straps, and the waist panels are extended over the waist straps, and the panel fasteners are fastened.

24. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 23 wherein the panel fasteners are zippers.

25. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 23 wherein the liner is composed in part of a mesh fabric.

26. The ballistic carrier cover of claim 23 wherein the outer layer includes an interlining attached to the outer layer between the outer layer and the liner.