GB2534939A

GB2534939A - Personal load carrying vest

Info

Publication number: GB2534939A
Application number: GB1502141.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chitolie Pamela
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-02-06
Filing date: 2015-02-06
Publication date: 2016-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2035-02-06
Also published as: GB2534939B; GB201502141D0

Abstract

A wearable load carrying vest 20/30 comprises (i) at least one load bearing webbing 2/4 and (ii) a foldable portion 9 having edges 1 which can be fastened together (e.g. by use of a zip, VELCRO, a clip fastener, buckle etc) to conceal the foldable portion in the case of a male wear (Fig 9a) and to unfold the foldable portion when the edges are unfastened so as to expand and accommodate the bust line of a female wearer (Fig 9f). The load carrying vest may be fabricated from disruptive pattern material (DPM), anti-stab material or a material similar to Hush Hide. A rucksack may be attached directly to the webbing and the load carrying vest can comprise at least one pocket for carrying ballistic inserts.

Description

Personal Load Carrying Vest

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a personal protection vest, more preferably to a personal 5 protection vest with combined load carrying and webbing provision that is adaptable to be used by both male or female wearers, i.e. unisex personal protection vest.

Introduction

Webbing is a strong, hard wearing fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibrous materials. It has found particular use in the manufacture of clothing that demands a high degree of tensile strength for carrying heavy objects, as well as being resilient to the wear and tear through heavy use. Due to their durability webbing materials such as nylon are regularly used in the manufacture of military clothing such as protective jackets, as well as belts, packs and pouches for carrying vital items used in battle and outdoor survival, e.g. ammunition, water bottles, communications equipment, etc. Today, the term "webbing" is also commonly used to describe the garment or protective vest comprising pouches or pockets that carries essential items.

Webbing is commonly designed in a "yoke arrangement", with paddings inserted over the user's shoulders and held in place by straps that drapes down the chest and secured to a belt around the waist of the user, as shown in Fig.1(a). Such a yoke arrangement shown in Fig. 1(a) is commonly used in military clothing. The belt for securing the yoke (a type of shoulder harness) comprises a number of pouches to carry various essential items for military combat, in particular in the front line of combat e.g. ammunition magazines etc. With the increasing role of women fighting alongside men in front line combat such a yoke arrangement places considerable pressure on the breasts of female soldiers which can be uncomfortable, and in some extreme cases it may even cause physical injury to the user during prolong use. This is particularly exacerbated due to the weight of the ammunition held within the pouches. For example, whilst the paddings such as those shown in Fig.1 may be used to provide comfort to a female user's shoulders, their bust lines lie in the way of the webbing straps. As a result, any load carried by the webbing may still cause the straps to rub against the chest of the female user, which in a majority of cases causes irritation to the user particularly as the nylon straps tend to be coarse. Furthermore, the padding may also prevent a rifle butt from resting comfortably against the user's shoulder and therefore, interfere with the precision or accuracy of the shot. To mitigate with such interference, the webbing are usually removed from the user's shoulders before firing in a combat situation. This can have dire consequences since the essential items such as ammunitions are no longer secured and supported by the webbing running the risk that the webbing may unfasten and any ammunition held by the webbing may be dropped or lost during combat.

Alternatively, webbings are also supplied as a waist belt integrated with storage spaces as shown in Fig.l(b) and Fig.1(c), better known as the "belt arrangement". Such arrangement does not intrude into the bust line of a female user so it may be used as a substitute to the webbings shown in Fig. 1(a). However since all the pouches are placed around the waist of the user, this places considerable stress on the back of the user particularly during prolonged use.

As a result, a personal load carrying vest that is adaptable to be worn by both male and female users is thus required that does not suffer from the above problems.

Statement of invention

The present applicant has mitigated the above problems by providing a wearable load carrying vest comprising at least one load bearing webbing, wherein the wearable load carrying vest comprises a foldable portion having edges fastenable together to conceal the foldable portion in the case of a male wear and to unfold the foldable portion when the edges are unfastened so as to expand and accommodate the bust line of a female wearer. By accommodating the different body shapes of both male and female wearers, the wearable load carrying vest of the present invention is adaptable to cater for male and female wearers. Instead of concentrating the load in one area, e.g. the back region, by accommodating the bust line of the user allows the wearable load carrying vest of the present invention to distribute any load carried by the user over a larger area of the body, e.g. shoulder and back. This eases discomfort, particularly the pressure acting on the breast region of the user during prolonged use allowing the user to make more use of the shoulders to bear some of the load carrying, thus reduces fatigue.

Optionally, the edges of the foldable portion are fastened together by any one of a zip fastener or Velcro or a clip fastener or a buckle or a combination thereof. By unfastening the edges of the foldable portion it allows the foldable portion to expand and therefore, allows a female soldier to carry equipment loads with comfort since the unfolded portion can accommodate the bust line of the female wearer. Likewise, by fastening the edges of the foldable portion, the said foldable portion is concealed allowing the vest to be worn by a male wearer.

Optionally, at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest is fabricated from canvas material. Optionally, at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest is fabricated from nylon. Optionally, at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest is fabricated from DPM (disruptive pattern material). The wearable load carrying vest may adopt any DPM (disruptive pattern material) as required by a military, paramilitary or police force.

Optionally, at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest is fabricated from a material similar to Hush Hide (12). For example it is preferable that the material is fabricated from a soft, lightweight and durable material which generates minimal noise in a tactical situation.

Optionally, the wearable load carrying vest comprising at least one belt. Optionally the belt 20 comprises a fastener located to the side of the wearable load carrying vest. By locating the fastener to the side of the wearer minimises discomfort when the user is crawling.

Optionally, the at least one belt comprises attachment means for removably attaching items to the at least one belt. Optionally, the webbing comprises attachments means for carrying items. Optionally, the webbing comprises the ability for a rucksack to be attached directly to it by any one of a zip fastener or Velcro or a clip fastener or a buckle or a combination thereof.

Optionally, the wearable load carrying vest comprises at least one pocket for carrying 30 ballistic inserts. Optionally, the at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest comprises Infra Red Reflective material. Optionally, the at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest comprises anti-stab material.

By having the foldable portion either opened and the fabric expanded out (in the case of the female wearer) or closed / concealed (in the case of the male wearer) allows the vest of the present invention to be worn by both male and female users i.e. the vest is unisex. The unisex wearable load carrying vest according to the present invention is commercially attractive, for example it can be issued to all the soldiers regardless of gender, cutting down the procurement cost significantly. The vest reduces discomfort and therefore, reduces the likelihood of injury though prolonged use which in turn mitigates any injury claims faced by the military as a result of prolonged use of the load carrying vest.

Introduction to Drawings

Further features and aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the following 15 detailed description of an illustrative embodiment made with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1(a) is an example of a vest in the prior art constructed with webbing having a yoke arrangement.

Fig. 1(b and c) are examples of a prior art webbing in a "belt arrangement".

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vest according to an embodiment of the present invention having a closed breast line configuration for use by a male wearer, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the vest of Fig. 2 having an extended/open breast line configuration for use by a female wearer, Fig. 4 is a front view of the vest according to an embodiment of the present invention in the closed position.

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the vest according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the vest according to an embodiment of the present invention in the extended/open position.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the vest in the extended/open position.

Fig. 8 is a front view of the vest in the closed position.

Fig. 9 (a) to (f) are perspective views of the vest illustrating its conversion from a closed configuration to an extended breast line configuration.

Detailed Description

The wearable load carrying vest according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 2 and Fig.3 comprises two main components: a front part 30 and a rear part 20. The 5 front and rear components of the vest are shown in Fig.4 and Fig.5 respectively. The front part 30 incorporates a concealed foldable portion defining an edge 1. In this particular embodiment, the front part 30 is secured to the rear part 20 with at least one belt 4 to form the wearable load carrying vest. In the particular embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the front 30 and rear part 20 are assembled together by two belts 4 but any number of belts (plurality of 10 belts) can be used to secure the front part to the rear part of the vest.

The belts 4 are secured to the front part and rear part of the vest at various fixing points 10 along the longitudinal length of the front part 30 and rear part 20. In the particular embodiment shown in Fig. 2 and 3, the belts are secured to the front part and the rear part by at least one support strap (2,3) that runs substantially perpendicular to the belts and extends along at least the length of the front and rear part. The support strap (2, 3) is fixed (e.g. sewing) at various locations along the front and rear part so creating loops 11 through which the belt 4 can be fed. As shown in Fig. 2, the lengths of the support straps 3 on the front part 30 extend from the bottom edge of the front part 3a up to the bottom edge of foldable portion 3b. As shown in Fig. 5, the lengths of the support straps 2 on the rear part 20 extend from the bottom edge of the rear part 2a such that the free end of the rear support strap extends beyond the top end of the rear part 13, at a length sufficient so as to form a section of shoulder straps 2c, as shown in Fig 2, when the free end is fixed to the top of the front part, e.g. by an adjustable fastener 5a such as a buckle. Preferably the widths of the straps are sized to accommodate loadings intended to be carried by the belt(s) 4 whilst ensuring the shoulder straps 2c are sufficiently wide to ease the pressure exerted on the shoulders.

Preferably the edges of the straps (2,3), as well as the external edges of front part 30 and rear part 20, are reinforced with a narrow strip of fabric commonly known as bias binding 8.

Such bias binding 8 provides longevity to the straps whereby tightening and loosening of belts 4 would otherwise cause fraying to the said external edges over time. Bias binding also covers the coarse edges of the straps so limiting any irritation as a result of the strap rubbing against the user As shown in Figs. 3, 6 and 7, the front part 30 of the vest incorporates a foldable portion 9 of fabric having an openable end defined by an edge 1. The openable end of the foldable portion 9 can be fastened together, as shown in Fig. 8, by any mechanism known to the person skilled in the art, for example zip fasteners, Velcro, clip fasteners or buckles.

Figs. 9(a)-(f) shows the sequence of steps of converting the vest of the present invention from a vest to accommodate the body shape of the male wearer to a vest to accommodate, in particular the breast line of a female wearer, i.e. the foldable portion 9 converts from a closed position (Fig. 9(a)) to an extended position (Fig. 9(f)). In Fig 9(a), the vest is initially in a closed position to be used by a male user. To put the vest into an extended position to accommodate the breast or bust line for use by a female user, the edge 1 is first folded backward in order to reveal the concealed fastening mechanism, in this case zip fasteners 22 as shown in Fig 9(b). Once the fastener 22 is undone (see Fig. 9(c)) the foldable portion 9 may be drawn outwardly (see Fig. 9(d) and Fig. 9(e)) before fully erected into an extended position as shown in Fig. 9 (f).

The foldable portion 9 creates additional room for the breasts to expand into, relieving any stress that would otherwise cause discomfort to the user. Furthermore, as shown in Fig.3, the foldable portion 9 is reinforced at its sides with additional flanking segments of fabric 12 which forms a cup for accommodating the bust line and thereby, creating additional support. Preferably the flanking segments 12 are made from the same fabric as the vest and are similarly reinforced at the edges with bias binding 8.

The wearable load carrying vest has numerous advantages in terms of size and fit. For example in addition to the adjustable fastener 5a, each of the belts 4 comprises at least a set of adjustable belt fasteners 5 such that the vest is adjustable to accommodate users of different height and sizes. In addition, the length of the vest can be shortened or hemmed by folding both the lower portions of the front part 30 and the rear part 20 inwardly onto itself and fixing the folded sections to the interior or the vest. For example, the folded sections may be secured in place by affixing one or more male snap-on buttons 6a to corresponding female snap-on buttons 7a positioned along the length of the interior of the vest as shown in Fig. 2 and 3. In some embodiments, the male snap buttons 6a are interchangeable with their corresponding female snap buttons 7a and vice versa. Other fixing means for hemming the length of the front and rear part of the vest can be used, e.g. Velcro. Preferably, the adjustable belt fasteners 5 would be located to the side of the vest to eliminate discomfort while the user is crawling. The adjustable belt fasteners 5 can be any fastener known to the person skilled in the art, for example ladder lock buckles or quick-release buckles.

The longitudinal length of the rear part 20 is greater than that of the front part 30 as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The extra length at the top portion 13 of the rear part provides neck line support to the wearer as well as to enough length to accommodate a releasable backpack.

In addition to securing the belt around the front and rear part of the vest by a releasable fastener, e.g. buckle, to permit easy and fast removal of the vest, the belt can be secured to the front or accessible part of the vest by a set of quick release fasteners. For example, the free ends of the belts 4 is attached to the front part of the vest by at least one snap-on button 6 and 7 as shown in Fig. 2 and 3. This eliminates the need to loosen and re-tighten the belts from the buckle every time the user puts on or takes off the vest. The set of quick release fasteners are preferably snap-on buttons to maximise available space along the belt for loads to be attached to the belt. The quick release fasteners is not restricted to the snap-on buttons and can be any quick release fastener known to the person skilled in the art, for example quick release buckle and zips.

Preferably, the vest may adopt any DPM (disruptive pattern material) as required by a military, paramilitary or police force. The straps may be arranged to match the front part 30 and rear part 20 of the vest to maintain visual uniformity.

Loads are carried in pouches (not shown here) that may be attached to the belt by any known fixing. In the case of a female user the pressure created by the loads are spread across over a much wider surface area and consequently reduces the stress acting on the breasts. This is a distinct improvement over the prior art example shown in Fig.1(a) where the stress are concentrated on the straps and causes discomfort to the female user.

The use of the wearable load carrying vest is particularly advantageous to soldiers in a tactical situation. For example, it provides a much better fit to the user's body when compared to the prior art webbings currently available, which are generally ill fitted and thereby, encouraging the movement of water bottles, pouches and other loads whilst manoeuvring. Such unwarranted movement not only hinders soldiers' agility but also creates undesirable noise.

Preferably, the vest is made from a soft, lightweight and durable material such as Hush Hide® which generates minimal noise in a tactical situation. In addition, the vest can be made of material that possess sufficient tensile strength to enable to carry additional loads without tearing or breaking.

In some embodiments, the wearable load carrying vest can be arranged to accommodate ballistic inserts (not shown) to cater for soldiers deployed on the frontline. Preferably the ballistic insets are made of fabric for weight conservation, but it can be made of any materials known to the person skilled in the art, for example Kevlar, polycarbonate and carbon fibre composite materials. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the exposed surface of the vest is coated with infrared reflective pigments in order to reflect ambient IR radiation. Such pigment aids camouflage in military outfits where untreated fabrics often appears white when viewed through infra-red night vision equipment.

The wearable load carrying vest may also be adapted for non-military uses, for example emergency services such as police force and paramedics. In this embodiment the vest may be made from stab resistant material using Kevlar brand fibres, enabling paramedics to carry equipment on the vest rather than in a medical bag as situations require.

Claims

Claims 1. A wearable load carrying vest comprising at least one load bearing webbing, wherein the wearable load carrying vest comprises a foldable portion having edges fastenable together to conceal the foldable portion in the case of a male wear and to unfold the foldable portion when the edges are unfastened so as to expand and accommodate the bust line of a female wearer.
2. The wearable load carrying vest according to claim 1, wherein the edges of the to foldable portion are fastened together by any one of a zip fastener or Velcro or a clip fastener or a buckle or a combination thereof.
3. The wearable load carrying vest according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest is fabricated from canvas material.
4. The wearable load carrying vest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest is fabricated from DPM (disruptive pattern material).
5. The wearable load carrying vest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest is fabricated from a material similar to Hush Hide O.
6. The wearable load carrying vest according to any of the preceding claims, comprising at least one belt.
7. The wearable load carrying vest according to claim 6, with the belt comprises a fastener located to the side of the wearable load carrying vest.
8. The wearable load carrying vest according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the at least one belt comprises attachment means for removably attaching items to the at least one belt.
9. The wearable load carrying vest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the webbing comprises attachments means for carrying items.
10, The wearable load carrying vest according to Claim 9, wherein the webbing comprises at least one loop for carrying items.
11. The wearable load carrying vest according to and of the preceding claims, wherein the webbing comprises the ability for a rucksack to be attached directly to it by any one of a zip fastener or Velcro or a clip fastener or a buckle or a combination thereof.
12. The wearable load carrying vest according to any of the preceding claims wherein the wearable load carrying vest comprises at least one pocket to carry ballistic inserts.
13. The wearable load carrying vest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at 15 least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest comprises Infra Red Reflective material.
14. The wearable load carrying vest according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least a portion of the wearable load carrying vest comprises anti-stab material.