EP0798534A1

EP0798534A1 - Rotatable fastening and supporting device for a holster

Info

Publication number: EP0798534A1
Application number: EP97200815A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sergio Carabelli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-03-25
Filing date: 1997-03-20
Publication date: 1997-10-01
Also published as: IT240540Y1; ITMI960226U1

Abstract

A device for rotatably fastening and supporting a holster on a wearable support comprises a first (11) and a second (12) element, one of which is designed to be applied to the holster and the other to the wearable support. The elements (11, 12), disposed facing each other, are coupled so as to permit their reciprocal free rotation.

Description

This invention refers to a device for quickly fastening a holster to a belt. The devise enables the fastened holster to rotate freely with respect to the belt.
The term holster is understood here to mean any casing designed to house portable instruments such as pistols, cellular telephones, walkie-talkies, testers, etc..
The term belt is understood to mean a support capable of being worn by the user and suitable for fastening the holster to it.
It can consist, for example, of a belt for trousers, a military-type holster-belt, shoulder harness or the like.
In the known technique, holsters, for example those used for pistols, are applied to the holster-belt so as to remain fixed in a substantially vertical position, suitable for drawing the weapon. No substantial rotation of the holster with respect to the belt is allowed.
Consequently, whenever the user needs to sit down while wearing the holster belt, his movements are hampered by the holster which would naturally tend to rotate towards a substantially horizontal position in order to adapt to the changed configuration of the body and to rest against the seat, but is prevented from doing so by the fastening system on the belt
The general scope of this invention is to obviate the aforementioned problems by providing a device for fastening and supporting a holster to a belt, which enables the holster, once fastened, to rotate freely with respect to the belt in order to adapt to the movements of the user's body.
This scope is achieved, according to the invention, by providing a device for rotatably fastening and supporting a holster on a rotatable support, characterized by the fact of comprising a first and a second element, one of which is designed to be applied to the holster and the other to the rotatable support, the elements, facing each other, being coupled so as to permit their reciprocal free rotation.
Preferably, in a position at a distance from the reciprocal angular position in which the elements are disposed for the spontaneous attitude of the holster by gravity, a coupling member which axially couples the elements shifts to a released position which enables the elements to reciprocally free themselves.
The innovative principles of this invention and its advantages with respect to the known technique will be more clearly evident from the following description of a possible exemplificative embodiment applying such principles, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a fastening device according to the invention.
Fig. 2 shows a front view of the device with the fastening in the released position.
Fig. 3 shows a front view of the device with the fastening in the locked position.
Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

With reference to Figure 1, the fastening device according to the invention, generically indicated by reference 10, is composed of three plates which can be coupled to one another with their faces reciprocally facing and parallel to each other.
In particular, the device 10 comprises a pair of outer fastening plates 11, 12, reciprocally rotatable between a released position and a fastened position. Disposed between the outer plates 11, 12 is an intermediate plate 13 for guiding their rotation. The plates 11, 12 can be secured respectively to each of the objects to be coupled together (belt and holster).
As can be clearly seen in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 4, the plate 11 is provided with a circular cup 14, extending in the direction of the plate 12, with a bottom 15 provided with a slot 16. The slot 16 has a radial portion 17 smaller in width, which is substantially rectangular in shape, and a central portion 18 greater in width, which is substantially circular in shape and coaxial to the cup.
In a radial position substantially coinciding with that of portion 17 of the slot 16, the plate 12 is provided with a lug 19, protruding from its surface 20 towards the plate 11 and bent so as to extend radially outward parallel to said surface, and at a distance from it. The lug 19 has a shape complementary to portion 17 of the slot, and is slightly smaller than it so as to fit into it without interference. A free space 21 slightly thicker than the thickness of the bottom 15 of the cup 14 is defined between the lug 19 the surface 20.
The intermediate plate 13, designed to be made integral with the plate 12, is provided with a central hole 22 slightly larger in diameter than that of the cup 14. The plate 13 presents a first flat surface 23 which couples with the surface 20 of plate 12 and a second surface 24 provided with an annular protrusion 25 extending towards plate 11 and surrounding the hole 22 to rotatably receive the cup 14.
The plates 11, 12, 13 have respective holes 26, 26', 26'' to receive known fastening elements for fastening them to the belt and the holster, for example riveted pins, not shown since they are well-known to the expert in the field.
A brief description will be given below of how the fastening device according to the invention works. The plates 12, 13 are secured, integrally to each other, to a loop to be fitted onto the belt, or directly onto a belt to be worn, schematically indicated by reference 27 in Fig. 4, so that the lug 19 extends preferably upwards, even though other orientations are possible. Plate 11, on the contrary, is secured to the holster, schematically indicated by reference 28, with the radial portion 17 of the slot directed downwards with reference to the resting position of the holster hanging from the belt.
To attach it to the belt, the holster is first turned upside down so as to turn the portion of slot 17 radially upwards, in any case with the same orientation as the lug 19, and then brought close to the belt until the lug fits into said portion of the slot, as shown in Fig. 2. At this point, the holster is rotated by 180° to obtain a bayonet connection, with interposition of a portion of the bottom 15 of the cup 14 between the lug 19 and the surface 20 of the plate 12, until reaching the firmly fastened position, which is understood as being the one shown in Fig. 3 and in Fig. 4. The cup 14 is guided round by the annular protrusion 25.
It is clear that the holster fastened in this way is free to rotate by a very wide angle, adapting to the movements of the user's body, without jeopardizing the security of the fastening. In fact the holster can be unfastened by simply rotating it by 180°, that is to say by turning the holster upwards, and consequently shifting it to the opposite position to the one it spontaneously assumes by gravity.
The foregoing description of an embodiment applying the innovative principles of this invention is obviously given by way of example in order to illustrate such innovative principles and should not therefore be understood as a limitation to the sphere of the invention claimed herein.
For example, the lug 19 can be made on the plate provided with the cup and the slot 16 on the other plate. The configuration and dimensions of the bayonet fastening elements can in any case differ from the ones shown, just as the means for securing the plate elements to their respective parts can also differ. The plate-type configuration is advantageous because it enables each element to be fastened to the belt (or a loop on it) and to the holster by means of several rivets, to ensure that they are firmly secured. Moreover, whereas here the plates 11, 12, are applied to the holster and the belt respectively, the first can be applied to the belt and the second to the holster.
Lastly, the guide means 25 for guiding the reciprocal rotation of the plates can be formed directly on plate 12, without the need to use a third plate 13.

Claims

Device for rotatably fastening and supporting a holster on a wearable support, characterized by the fact of comprising a first (11) and a second (12) element, one of which is designed to be applied to the holster and the other to the wearable support, the elements (11, 12), facing each other, being coupled so as to permit their reciprocal free rotation.
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact of comprising an axial coupling member (16, 19) for coupling the elements (11, 12) which, when in a position at a distance from the reciprocal angular position in which the elements (11, 12) are disposed for the spontaneous attitude of the holster by gravity, defines a release position which enables the elements (11, 12) to reciprocally free themselves.
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the first element (11) is a plate from which emerges a cylindrical cup (14) with a bottom (15), which extends towards the second element, consisting of a second plate (12) from which emerges a circular annular wall (25) extending towards the first plate (11) to rotatably receive said cup (14).
Device as claimed in claim 3, characterized by the fact that the bottom (15) of the cup (14) is provided with a slot (16) comprising a central circular aperture (18) with a radial extension (17), the axial coupling member consisting of a hook-shaped lug (19) protruding from the second plate (12) and receivable by said radial portion (17) of the slot (16), the portion of the bottom (15) of the cup (14) which surrounds the circular aperture (18) of the slot fitting between the lug (19) and the wall (20) of the second plate (12).
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the plates (11, 12) are provided with means (26, 26') to secure them to the holster and to the belt.