US20130081189A1

US20130081189A1 - Modular Frame for Supporting Body Armor

Info

Publication number: US20130081189A1
Application number: US13/251,078
Authority: US
Inventors: Charlie Wei-Min Chiang
Original assignee: REGULATION LLC
Current assignee: REGULATION LLC
Priority date: 2011-09-30
Filing date: 2011-09-30
Publication date: 2013-04-04

Abstract

A frame for supporting body armor on a belt. The frame includes a first and second support each having a first end and a second end. Each support is configured for fitting the first end onto the belt and the second end into an opening of the body armor. The support aligns the body armor so that the weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the belt. The support further prevents shifting of the body armor from the belt, thereby preventing the weight of the body armor from shifting from a position in which it is substantially carried by the belt.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to the field of apparatus useful in assisting soldiers in combat and, more particularly, to a modular frame for supporting body armor so as to make it easier and more comfortable for soldiers to wear in combat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern soldiers have many weapons in their arsenal, from automatic weapons, to knives, grenade launchers and other more lethal and sophisticated weapons. Weapons are useful in attacking an enemy, but generally useless in defending the soldier from attack by the enemy the soldier is seeking to kill.
Defensive equipment has also developed over time, from crude metal plates to more sophisticated ceramic plates. Still, modern defensive equipment has many features in common with the suits of armor worn by medieval knights: armor must cover as much of the body as possible, especially a soldier's vulnerable areas, and it must be able to withstand the enemy's weaponry. Modern body armor, the direct descendent of knight's armor, suffers from one of the greatest drawbacks that a knight's armor did, namely that armor, by its nature and by necessity, is cumbersome, heavy and uncomfortable to wear. Defensive equipment development does not evolve systematically, but in part to counter specific threats, from Kevlar throat guards and side SAPI plates to cover weakness in existing armor design to counter snipers, crotch guards to counter mines and improvised explosive devices, and electronic counter measure packs to jam radio controlled explosive devices. All of these new defensive systems have added weight without consideration to a soldier's load or mobility since they were tacked onto existing systems as needed.
Soldiers are by their nature stoic and willing to bear whatever burden is asked of them, particularly when it may help keep them safe. Still, in many theaters of war, such as the deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq, summer temperatures reach unbearable highs. A soldier's standard combat load, which includes body armor, weapon, and equipment, weighs as much as 65 lbs. A fully loaded combat backpack can weigh as much as 150 lbs. Thus, a soldier can carry as much as 215 lbs in total equipment. Modern body armor is conventionally worn strapped to the body, and supported on the body at the shoulders, so that the entirety of the weight of the body armor is carried by only a few muscles, which are not designed to carry such weight. This weight distribution also limits mobility and freedom of movement, requiring the soldier to relearn simple physical movements, such as bending down, since his center of gravity is now higher than what he has been used to. The soldier will not complain, but anything which might distract a soldier, impair his mobility, or unnecessarily add to fatigue prevents the soldier from paying full attention to his or her surroundings, which even for a moment, could be fatal.
There is thus a need in the art for some sort of apparatus which can lessen the physical strain on the soldier caused by the added weight of issued body armor and any new equipment.
There have been attempts to provide body armor which is carried partially on a specially adapted load-bearing belt, such as found in United States Published Patent Application No. 2008/0010730, but such attempts generally require the use of specially constructed belts and armor and a front and back panel that is somewhat rigid, and cannot be used with existing combat belts and equipment. Implementing such solutions would require a redesign of a soldier's entire set of equipment because currently available supporting mechanisms are not designed to be universal to all standard issued body armor. Nor are the solutions found in the existing art removable or movable to work around an existing combat load and equipment placement which would affect combat efficiency since moving equipment to accommodate different body armor supports would require a soldier to relearn using or accessing equipment in a new position. The utility of any design which calls for new equipment, or specially configured equipment which is not usable with pre-existing and/or standard equipment is significantly reduced.
Another consideration, as it always is, is cost. Any suitable apparatus for ameliorating the strain imposed upon a soldier in combat must not be prohibitively expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with these, and other, objects of the present invention, there is provided a frame for supporting body armor that lessens the strain placed on the soldier by the armor, may be used with existing equipment, and is inexpensive to manufacture.
In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a frame for supporting body armor on a belt, the frame comprising: first and second supports, each having a first end and a second end, each support being configured for fitting the first end thereof onto the belt and the second end thereof into an opening of the body armor. The supports align the body armor so that the weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the belt. The support further prevents shifting of the body armor from the belt, thereby preventing the weight of the body armor from shifting from a position in which it is substantially carried by the belt.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a frame for supporting body armor on a belt. The frame includes at least two supports, each support having a first end configured to couple with the belt and a second end configured to couple with the body armor. At least one of the first and second ends is split. The supports align the body armor so that the weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the belt, and prevent shifting of the weight of the body armor from the belt, thereby preventing the weight of the body armor from shifting from a position in which it is substantially carried by the belt.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is presented a method of supporting body armor utilizing a belt. The method includes providing a support having a first end, a second end and an angle offset therebetween, coupling the first end of the support to the belt, and coupling the second end of the support to the body armor. The weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the angle offset, and the support prevents the weight of the body armor from shifting from a position in which it is substantially carried by the belt.
In embodiments of the invention, the belt may be a standard issue belt to which MOLLE straps may be attached, and the support may be configured to fit into one of the added MOLLE straps. In other embodiments, the body armor also may be standard issue, and the support also may be configured to fit into standard straps on the standard issue body armor.
The support may also include an offset in which the body armor rests, and which therefore causes the bottom of the body armor to rest substantially upon the belt. This allows the belt to provide support for the weight of the body armor, so that the weight of the body armor is not borne on the user's shoulders, and is instead distributed on the user's hips as the support is attached to a belt or other load bearing system on the hips.
In certain embodiments, the support may include more than one piece, and may be distributed about the belt, thereby spreading out the support provided by the belt, to ensure the balanced distribution of weight about the user's waist. A modular and removable design of the supports allows them to be shifted anywhere on the soldier's armor so that the soldier does not have to change or alter the load out and placement of the equipment, such as ammunition pouches, whose efficient access and use has been refined during training through muscle memory.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements, and the use of a prime (“′”) designates similar elements, even if not mentioned separately:

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of a body armor support frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective drawing of a bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3 a-b are perspective drawings illustrating the exterior (FIG. 3 a) and interior (FIG. 3 b) of a holder used in conjunction with a utility belt in according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 a-4 c are drawings illustrating the exterior (FIG. 4 a) and interior (FIG. 4 b) components of a sleeve and strap (exterior shown in FIG. 4 b and interior in FIG. 4 c) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 a-5 f are drawings illustrating the steps in attaching the frame to body armor and a duty belt according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective drawing of the support when in use with the sleeve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the present invention in conjunction with a battle belt;

FIG. 8 is a drawing showing the front view of a bracket used in conjunction with the embodiment of FIG. 7 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 9 a-9 c are perspective and front view drawings showing the sleeve used with the bracket of FIG. 8 and the frame of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 10-10 b and 11 a-11 b are perspective and rear view drawings showing embodiments according to the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a side view drawing illustrating a support according to an embodiment of the present invention in conjunction with an anti-crush protector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1, there is shown, generally at 10, a support member for body armor 12 in accordance with the invention. Body armor 12 is typically worn by a soldier 14 in combination with a belt 16. Belt 16 may be of any conventional type, including a standard issue duty belt 16 (shown) or battle belt 18 (FIG. 7). A duty belt and a battle belt differ, for purposes of this invention, in that a duty belt is a simple belt with no built-in attachment mechanisms while a battle belt includes means for attaching items of equipment, such as canteens, extra ammunition and the like. These attachment mechanisms often take the form of so-called MOLLE straps (“MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment“) 20 (e.g., FIG. 7), which are standard sized (about 1.25 inches—about 3.2 cm) and shaped straps permitting the use of holders for holding various types of equipment equipped with complementarily shaped attachment means. Other forms of standard equipment attachment mechanisms are also utilized in practice, including, but not limited to, other forms of Pouch Attachment Ladder System (“PALS”) webbing. Support 10 may be used with, or be modified to work with, any standard attachment mechanism used by soldiers in the field.
Support 10 may take the form of a plurality of individual brackets 22 arranged about belt 16. Brackets 22 comprise individual formed brackets, composed of any suitable sturdy material, for example a plastic, metal or composite such as carbon fiber. In the preferred embodiment, brackets 22 are formed of one-eighth inch (3.175 mm) thick stainless steel.
As shown in FIG. 2, each bracket 22 includes a first end 24 which attaches to belt 16 and a second end 26 which attaches to body armor 12. First and second ends 24, 26 may be generally linear and each defines an axis. The axes of ends 24, 26 are generally parallel, but offset from one another from front-to-back. Ends 24, 26 may be connected by an angled or curved offset 28. Bracket 22 may further include a plurality of spaced-apart notches 30, for reasons which will be explained presently. In one aspect, bracket 22 is about 9 inches (about 22.9 cm) high from one end to the other, with about 6.25 inches (about 15.9 cm) above the offset and about 3.25 inches (about 8.3 cm) below. As shown, offset 28 is angled downwards and may be between about one-eighth of an inch (about 0.32 cm) and about three-quarters of an inch (about 1.9 cm) long, and more specifically, about one-half inch (about 1.25 cm) long, so that, for example, the top of the lower portion of bracket 22 is about one-half inch (about 1.25 cm) higher than the bottom of the upper portion thereof. Bracket 22 may be about 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) wide.
Returning to FIG. 1, since duty belt 16, as conventionally issued, lacks any attachment mechanism to which first end 24 of bracket 22 may be secured, a plurality of holders 32 may be provided which are secured to belt 16. Holders 32 may be of any suitable form, but, for example, may be configured to wrap around belt 16 as seen in FIGS. 3 a-b. As illustrated, holders 32 may be formed of three contiguous panels 34, 36, 38. Middle panel 34, for example, is sized to be at least as large as the height of belt 16 (about 2.5 inches—about 6.4 cm), while lower and upper panels 36, 38 are each slightly longer (preferably about 2.75 inches long—about 7 cm) so that lower panel 36 and upper panel 38 may wrap around belt 16 and meet in the back to close. Also, for example, holder 32 is wider than two widths of a standard MOLLE strap, and is about 4.25 inches (about 10.8 cm) wide. In an embodiment, lower panel 36 and upper panel 38 close with the use of a hook-and-loop fastener. One portion of the hook-and-loop fastener (preferably the hooks) is placed on the exterior (FIG. 3 a) of lower end 36 and the other (preferably the loops) is placed on the interior (FIG. 3 b) of upper portion 38, so that, when wrapped around belt 16, panels 36 and 38 meet and overlap sufficiently to secure holder 32 in place. Other configurations will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and may be substituted without undue experimentation depending upon the particulars of the application. For example, lower and upper ends 36, 38 may be secured by snaps, buttons or any other suitable fastener.
In one embodiment, described in more detail below, the exterior surfaces of middle and upper panels 34, 38 (FIG. 3 a) are also covered with the loop portion of a hook-and-loop fastener.
In FIG. 3 a, holder 32 is configured to receive first end 24 of bracket 22, such as via a sleeve 40. In an embodiment, sleeve 40 includes an opening 42 which mimics the opening in a MOLLE strap, so that brackets 22 may be made in standard sizes, although any custom configuration may be employed, so long as opening 42 is configured to receive first end 24 of bracket 22.
In use, holder 32 may be adjusted along the length of belt 16 so that sleeve 40 may be aligned with a corresponding sleeve in body armor 12, such as sleeve 42 (FIG. 1).
Soldier 14 may use this arrangement to secure body armor 12 in place, by positioning angled offset 28 so that body armor 12 rests therein. With this configuration, the weight of body armor 12 may be carried by belt 16, which distributes that weight on the hips of soldier 14 rather than on the shoulders of soldier 14.
The illustrated embodiment represents the simplest configuration of the inventive support 10 when used in conjunction with a standard-issue duty belt. However, more refined versions may provide additional benefits.
For example, one aspect may be to provide additional support and security for bracket 22 in place on belt 16. To this end, a sleeve 44 may be provided, as shown in FIGS. 4 a-c. Sleeve 44 includes a plurality of MOLLE straps 46 on the exterior (FIG. 4 a) and interior (FIG. 4 b) thereof. Sleeve 44 further includes an upper portion 48 and a lower portion 50. The hooks of a hook-and-loop fastener are, for example, disposed on the interior of lower portion 50 of sleeve 44. MOLLE straps 46 on the exterior of sleeve 44 may be used for allowing soldier 14 to attach various items, such as knives, electronic gear and the like, to sleeve 44, since, as will be described, sleeve 44 covers certain of the MOLLE straps 52 on body armor 12 (compare FIG. 1 with FIG. 6). MOLLE straps 46 on the interior of sleeve 44, however, are used to secure sleeve 44 to body armor 12 and belt 16. Sleeve 44 further includes a strap 54 (FIGS. 4 b and 4 c) secured to the interior of sleeve 44. Strap 54 is fixed to upper end 48 of sleeve 44, overlies one set of MOLLE straps 46 on the interior of sleeve 44, and has an intermediate portion 56 and a tab 58 at the end thereof opposite to where it is fixed to upper end 48 of sleeve 44. The interior side of intermediate portion 56 of strap 54, i.e., the side facing away from strap 44 (FIG. 4 b) is covered with the hook portion of a hook-and-loop fastener, while the interior side thereof, i.e., the side facing sleeve 44 (FIG. 4 c) is covered with the loops of a hook-and-loop fastener. Tab 58 has neither hooks nor loops thereon.
Sleeve 44 may be used as shown in FIGS. 5 a-f. First, bracket 22 is inserted into the bottommost MOLLE strap 46 of the interior of sleeve 44 on the side opposite strap 54, until MOLLE strap 46 rests in offset 28 of bracket 22. Second end 26 of sleeve 22 is then woven through alternating MOLLE straps of, next, the exterior of body armor 12 and then, again, the interior of sleeve 44, repeating the process until bracket 22 reaches the end of all available MOLLE straps (FIG. 5 b).
Next, strap 54 is woven through adjacent MOLLE straps of body armor 12 and the remaining MOLLE straps on the interior of sleeve 44 until strap 54 has completely woven body armor 12 and sleeve 44 together (FIG. 5 c). At this point, the bottom of body armor 12 is positioned in angled offset 28 of bracket 22 (not visible in the drawing), and first end 24 of bracket 22 is not yet placed in MOLLE strap 40 of holder 34, as shown in FIG. 5 c.
Soldier 14 may then position strap 54 on the interior of belt 16 and pull down on tab 58 thereof, aligning first end 24 of bracket 22 with opening 42 in MOLLE strap 40 of holder 32, so that first end 24 of bracket 22 is secured in MOLLE strap 40 of holder 34 (FIG. 5 d). The free end of strap 54 may be wrapped around the front of holder 32 on belt 16 (FIG. 5 e), so that the loops on intermediate portion 56 of strap 54 mate with the hooks on the exterior of upper panel 38 of holder 32 and then lower end 50 of sleeve 44 may be wrapped around the back of holder 32 (FIG. 5 f), securing body armor 12 in place on belt 16.
Once this is complete, as shown in FIG. 6, body armor 12 is secured to belt 16, so that the weight of body armor 12 may be carried on the hips of soldier 14, thereby lessening the strain on soldier 14 and alleviating some of the physical stress to which soldier 14 is subjected by the use of body armor 12.
As illustrated, support 10 comprises a plurality of brackets 22 (four in the illustrated embodiment, only two of which are visible) which may be spaced evenly about belt 16 but near the hips of soldier 14 to provide substantial support with little impact on the body. The sleeves 44 on the obscured (right) side of soldier 14 may be identical to, but mirror images of, those depicted on the left side of soldier 14.
It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications of the disclosed embodiments are possible. For example, although an embodiment for use with a duty belt is shown with multiple holders 32, it would be possible to join those individual holders and have only a single holder which encircles the entire length of belt 16.
Also, although the embodiment for use with a duty belt has described the particular placement of the hooks and loops of various hook-and-loop fasteners, the placement of the hooks and loops could easily be reversed. Additionally, other forms of fasteners, such as snaps, buttons, zippers, cinches or other commonly used fasteners are equally possible, and could be substituted without undue experimentation by one of ordinary skill in the art.
In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, support 10 may be used with a standard issue battle belt 18. Battle belt 18 differs from a standard duty belt, in that it has a plurality of MOLLE straps already disposed upon the exterior thereof, so that there is no need to utilize a holder for attaching body armor 12 to battle belt 18. A variation is caused by the fact that it has been observed through experience that the MOLLE straps in body armor 12 may not line up exactly with the fixed MOLLE straps in a battle belt 18. To accommodate this discrepancy, support 10 may include brackets 22′ (FIG. 8) in which offset 28′ offsets ends 24′ and 26′ of bracket 22′ not only from front-to-back as in the case of duty belt bracket 22, but also side-to-side, for example, about one half inch (about 1.25 cm). This offset in bracket 22′ necessitates a corresponding offset in sleeve 44′, as shown in FIG. 9 a-c. The functioning of the various elements, and their assembly, are substantially the same as previously described.
Another feature of the present invention is that the height of body armor 12 above belt 16 (or 18) may be adjusted by use of a height adjustment bracket 60 (FIG. 2) which fits into opposed pairs or notches 30 in bracket 22 (or 22′), and may be used to raise body armor 12 above belt 16 (or 18) as desired to accommodate taller soldiers.
Additionally, the present invention has been described in an embodiment as though body armor 12 is formed as a unitary assembly. In practice, body armor 12 may comprises different components, such as front and back pieces and/or side panels, known as a cummerbund, and the modular nature of support 12 allows it to be configured to work with any particular assembly of body armor.
It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any visible component of support 10, such as strap 44 (or 44′) or holder 32 (or 32′) is preferably made of a material similar to that of which the exterior of body armor 12 is made, such as ballistic nylon, and may be colored to conform to the exterior of body armor 12, such as, for example, by being sand colored for use in the desert or jungle-camouflaged as appropriate for the environment in which it will be used.
In a further embodiment, shown in FIGS. 10 a-b, bracket 22 includes more than one first end 24 a, b for attachment to two separate MOLLE straps in belt 16, 18, thereby providing additional support and protection against sliding in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of the split. Yet another embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 a-b, combines two first ends 24 a, b with two second ends 26 a, b, for providing still further protection against unwanted movement by body armor 12. In a further embodiment first end 24 or second end 26 may be split independently, so that an embodiment could have two second ends and only one first end. FIGS. 10 a-b show a relatively narrow gap as a result of the split. However, in an embodiment (not illustrated in the Figures), the split is wider and may be centered over the soldier's 14 hip, so as to center the weight of body armor 12 about the hip. The shape of the resulting bracket 22 may be configured to maximize the load-bearing capacity ergonomically over the hip.
In yet another embodiment, bracket 22 may be provided with an anti-crush protector 62, to protect bracket 22 against deformation due to a lateral impact. Anti-crush protector 62 may preferably be made of substantially the same material as bracket 22, and may be triangular in cross-section, so that it may rest between the bottom of offset 28 and first end 24, and be disposed on top of belt 16, 18, as appropriate, in use.
Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A frame for supporting body armor on a belt, the frame comprising:

first and second supports, each of which has a respective first end and a second end, each support being configured for fitting the first end thereof onto the belt and the second end thereof into an opening of the body armor;

whereby each support aligns the body armor so that the weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the belt; and

whereby the supports prevent shifting of the weight of the body armor from the belt, thereby preventing the weight of the body armor from shifting from a position in which it is substantially carried by the belt.

2. The frame of claim 1, wherein the opening in the body armor comprises an opening on a strap on an exterior surface of the body armor, and the second end of each support is configured to fit within the opening in the strap on the exterior surface of the body armor.

3. The frame of claim 1, wherein the belt further comprises an exterior strap, and the first end of each support is configured to fit within an opening in the exterior strap.

4. The frame of claim 3, wherein the exterior strap is a MOLLE strap, and wherein the first end of each support is configured to fit into the MOLLE strap.

5. The frame of claim 1, further comprising a sleeve for covering at least one support, the sleeve including a strap for holding the first end of the support.

6. The frame of claim 5, wherein the sleeve further comprises a second strap, the second strap being longer than the support with which it is used and being sufficiently long that it may wrap around the belt to assist in securing the support to the belt and the body armor.

7. The frame of claim 1 wherein the first and the second ends of each support are configured about respective generally linear axes, and the axis of the first end and the axis of the second end are generally parallel.

8. The frame of claim 7, wherein the axes of the first and second ends of each support are offset from one another.

9. The frame of claim 8, wherein the axes are offset both front-to-back and side-to-side from one another.

10. The frame of claim 1 wherein the belt is a standard government-issue battle belt, and the first end of each support is configured to fit into the standard government-issue battle belt.

11. The frame of claim 1, wherein the body armor is standard government-issue body armor, and the second end of each support is configured to fit into the standard government-issue body armor.

12. The frame of claim 1, wherein each support comprises a bracket having pairs of opposed notches on one end thereof.

13. The frame of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second ends is split.

14. The frame of claim 1, wherein the frame further comprises an anti-crush protector for protecting against distortion of the frame.

15. The frame of claim 14, wherein the anti-crush protector comprises a substantially triangular element positioned adjacent the first end and disposed so that the anti-crush protector will contact the belt when in use.

16. A method of supporting body armor utilizing a belt, comprising:

providing at least two supports each having a first end and a second end;

coupling the first ends of the supports to the belt; and

coupling the second ends of the supports to the body armor;

positioning the supports to align the body armor so that the weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the belt; and

maintaining the weight of the body armor in a position in which it is substantially carried by the belt, through the supports.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising positioning an anti-crush protector in at least one of the first and second supports for protecting against distortion of the frame.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming at least one of the first and second ends with a split; and

disposing each split end in the appropriate one of the body armor and the belt.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

arranging the split of the at least one of the first and second ends so as to center the weight of the body armor about a hip of a wearer of the belt.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

positioning the split of the at least one of the first and second ends so as to prevent shifting of the body armor in a direction substantially parallel to a direction of the split.

21. A frame for supporting body armor on a belt, comprising:

at least two supports each having a first end configured to couple with the belt and a second end configured to couple with the body armor, wherein at least one of the first and second ends is split;

whereby the supports align the body armor so that the weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the belt, and prevent shifting of the body armor from the belt, thereby preventing the weight of the body armor from shifting from a position in which it is substantially carried by the belt.

22. The frame of claim 21, wherein the split of the at least one of the first and second ends is arranged to center the weight of the body armor about a hip of a wearer of the belt.

23. The frame of claim 21, wherein the split of the at least one of the first and second ends prevents shifting of the body armor in a direction substantially parallel to a direction of the split.

24. A method of supporting body armor utilizing a belt, comprising:

providing a support having a first end, a second end and an angle offset therebetween;

coupling the first end of the support to the belt;

coupling the second end of the support to the body armor; and

positioning the offset so that the weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the offset, and the support prevents the weight of the body armor from shifting from a position in which it is substantially carried by the belt.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising attaching an anti-crush protector to the support for protecting against distortion of the frame by means of an impact.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising splitting at least one of the first and second ends.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

positioning the split of the at least one of the first and second ends so as to center the weight of the body armor about a hip of a wearer of the belt.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

preventing the shifting of the body armor in a direction substantially transverse to a direction of the split by positioning the split of the at least one of the first and second ends.

29. A load bearing support for body armor comprising:

at least one support member having upper and lower ends;

the upper end of the support member being removably attachable to the body armor;

the lower end of the support member being removably attachable to a hip support;

wherein at least one of the upper and lower ends of at least one support member is split into at least two spaced apart ends, so that, when assembled, the support provides load bearing support for the body armor on a hip of the wearer of the body armor

30. The load bearing support for body armor of claim 29 wherein the lower end of the support member is split into at least two spaced apart ends.

31. The load bearing support for body armor of claim 29 wherein the upper end of the support member is split into at least two spaced apart ends.

32. A load bearing support for body armor comprising:

at least one support member having a first end and a second end offset from the first end, the first end of the at least one support member being removably attachable to a hip support, and the second end of the at least one support member being removably attachable to the body armor; and

the at least one support member being configured to align the body armor so that the weight of the body armor is substantially carried by the hip support when the support is in use;

whereby the at least one support member prevents shifting of the body armor from the hip support, thereby preventing the weight of the body armor from shifting from a position in which it is substantially carried by the hip support.

33. The load bearing support of claim 32, wherein the support is formed so that the weight of the body armor is carried at the offset between the first end and the second end.