US20160206084A1

US20160206084A1 - Belt System

Info

Publication number: US20160206084A1
Application number: US15/001,882
Authority: US
Inventors: Charlie W. Chiang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-01-20
Filing date: 2016-01-20
Publication date: 2016-07-21

Abstract

A belt system worn by an individual includes a belt having an inner side, an outer side, a first end and a second end, and a belt panel having a first end and a second end. The first end of the belt panel is connected to the outer side of the belt between the first end of the belt and the second end of the belt. The second end of the belt panel has a closure for detachably connecting the second end of the belt panel to the belt between the first end of the belt panel and the first end of the belt.

Description

PRIOR APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/105,348, filed on Jan. 20, 2015, and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/115,637, filed on Feb. 13, 2015. The disclosures of the noted provisional patent applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present application generally relates to a belt system with a belt having an outer panel to hang holsters, equipment, and pouches.

BACKGROUND

For individuals using belts to hang equipment, holsters, and pouches, one of the current problems is that when the belt is unbuckled, the weight of the equipment being hung, can pull the belt free of belt loops and allow the equipment to slide off, particularly on the open end of the belt without a buckle. This would result in damage to that fallen equipment, pouches, and holster. The other problem is that one of the most common ways holsters, pouches, and equipment are attached to belts are closed loops on the back of the equipment that forces the user to slide the equipment onto the belt, they cannot be clipped or hung.
Another problem is that to slide the equipment on and off, the user must unbuckle the belt. This forces the user to hold up his pants which can be heavy with existing equipment on the belt or items in their pants, and at the same time slide on and off additional equipment. It also requires the user to pull the belt out of the belt loops of their pants to slide on and off equipment, and then run the remainder of the belt back through the belt loops, before the belt can be re-buckled, this increases the amount of time this process takes which can be problematic in emergency situations and inconvenient on a day-to-day basis if the user has to frequently go into and out of areas where certain equipment, firearms, etc. are not allowed.
Undercover agents or law enforcement officers in plain-clothes dress need to be able to conceal their equipment. One common restraining device to replace handcuffs are zip ties. But there is a need to conceal these devices on a person due to their dimension and rigidity.
There is also a need in the law enforcement to conceal devices to get out of restraints. A small razor blade or knife can be used to get out of improvised restraining devices such as zip-ties, rope, etc. Therefore, there is a need for a small concealed cavity to hold these devices safely
A common problem with belts is that they come in many different widths, for example 1.5″, 1.75″, 2″, and 3″ are very common belt widths. To compound the problem, holsters and gear use an attachment mechanism called a closed loop. The mechanism is simply a closed loop of plastic, metal, or fabric that the belt feeds through. This closed loop mechanism is more secure because there is no chance that the holster or gear can be pulled off intentionally or accidentally. The problem with closed loops is that, like belts, come in a variety of fixed dimensions, for example 1.5″, 1.75″, 2″, and 3″. The problem is that many times, the belt width and the closed loop width don't match up. This difference adds slack and that allows a lot of up and down movement which makes accessing equipment difficult and becomes uncomfortable when wearing something for a long period of time. There has been effort to make closed loop attachment mechanisms adjustable to reduce that slack and minimize that movement (see U.S. Ser. No. 09/352,452), but nothing for the belt to make that adjustment.
Another factor that adds movement and makes the task of drawing equipment out of a holster or accessory holder more difficult are pant belt loops. Pant belt loops can vary in size depending on pant manufacture. Pant belt loops are another form of closed loops and as referenced above can create similar problems when waring gear.
Hunters, professional shooters, law enforcement officers, and workers are required to carry a lot of additional equipment in pursuit of work and sport. But much of this equipment needs to be switched out or only necessary for a specific task or short period of time. The current limitations of existing equipment and designs make it difficult to change items on and off or necessitates the wearer to have an all or nothing approach which places unnecessary physical burden and cost on the users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts top schematic view of a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 2 and 3 depict perspective views of the belt system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts an angle panel for a belt according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of the belt system of FIG. 1 being worn.

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts a top schematic view of the belt system of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7 and 8 depict a slack panel for a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 9-11 depict attachment mechanisms for use with a belt system.

FIGS. 12-14 depicts several embodiments of slack panels for a belt system.

FIGS. 15-18 depict a belt mount for a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 19-22 depict a belt mount for a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 23-26 depict a duty or load panel for use with a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 27 depicts hardware for sliding the duty or load panel of FIGS. 23-26 onto a panel of a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 28 depicts a belt mount for sliding the duty or load panel of FIGS. 23-26 onto a panel of a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 29-31 depict a belt mount for a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 32-34 depict a load bearing panel of a belt system according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 34-41 depict several embodiments of load panels of a belt system and the use thereof.

FIGS. 42-44 depict several embodiments of equipment support panels of a belt system.

FIGS. 45 and 46 depict a pocket of a razor blade of a belt system according to one embodiment.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures may not be depicted to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 show a belt system according to one example. The belt system of FIGS. 1-4 includes a belt 100. The belt 100 can be made of any material (e.g. nylon, webbing, leather, etc.) and can use any type of closure mechanism (e.g. Velcro®, buckles, etc.). In FIGS. 1 and 3, the belt 100 is shown with a Velcro® closure 101. In FIGS. 2 and 4, the belt 100 is shown with a hardware closure 102 (e.g., buckles, cam locks, locking clips, rivets with screw and post combination, etc.). The belt 100 includes at least one panel 103, configured for use with equipment as described in detail herein that is fixed at a connection point 104 on the belt 100. The panel 103 can also pivot if needed through various methods (i.e. sewn in if fabric, riveted, screw and post combination, etc.) at connection point 104. The opposite end of the panel 103 may have a closure on the other end. The closure may be constructed from Velcro® 105 as shown in FIG. 1, closure hardware 106 (e.g. buckles, snap, etc.) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and/or other types of closure hardware shown as screw and post combination 109 in FIG. 3. The closure of the panel 103 prevents any of the attached equipment from sliding off the panel 103. The closure mechanism used for the panel 103 can also allow the panel 103 to be tightened against the belt 100. Accordingly, the panel 103 may be a load bearing panel in addition to the load bearing capacity of the belt 100. According to one example, the length of the panel 103 may be ¼ of the length of the belt 100. According to another example, the length of the panel 103 may be ½ the length of the belt 100. The length of the panel 103 may be any length relative to the length of the belt 100.
The panel 103 in combination with the belt 100 and closure mechanisms 105, 106, 109 and 110 creates a closed loop around at least one pant belt loop when worn, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. Accordingly, the belt 100 remains closed on the wearer's pants even when the belt closure 101 in FIGS. 1 and 3, or belt closure 102 in FIGS. 2 and 4, is open. By having the closure systems on the belt 100 and the panel 103, a wearer can add and remove equipment from either the panel 103 or belt 100 while keeping the belt attached to the body. In particular, the noted redundancy in the belt 100 and panel 103 allow the belt to bear any load and provide for adding and removal of equipment while performing the function of holding up a wearer's pants.
The panel 103 can be made of the same material of the belt 100 or a different material depending on the intended use and load bearing capacity of the belt 100 and panel 103. Friction material 107 may be added, through various methods such as sewn, glued, etc. to the inner surface of the panel 103 (shown in FIG. 1) and the outer surface of the belt 100 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) at least on the location on the belt 100 that may be under panel 103, to add friction to keep any attached equipment in place. The material 107 can be made of any material that adds friction. For panel 103 in FIG. 3, the attachment point 104 can pivot at one end and on the other end attachment point 109 can be attached to points 110 on angle panel 111, on belt. Angle panel 111 can be the same fabric as the belt 100 and/or panel 103. It can be a part of the overall shape of belt 100 using material such as Hapylon® or leather which can be cold or laser cut to the desired shape, or it can be made as a separate panel that can be permanently attached (e.g. sewn in, rivets, etc.), sew lines are indicated by the dotted line 113 as shown in the embodiment in FIG. 3, or detachable using hardware such as post and screws, snaps, etc. If permanently attached, panel 111 would be semi-rigid or have an area that can fold, at least once along a direction parallel to the length of belt 100, so that angle panel 111 can pass through pant belt loops, as indicated by the dotted line 112 in FIGS. 3 and 4. The panel 111 can be any dimension as long as it allows panel 103 to be attached and detached at a higher or lower position relative to the belt 100 and attachment point 104. Attaching the panel 103 lower on panel 111 would change the angle of any gear attached to panel 103, to allow easier access to item around the user's waist, especially a decreased angle relative to the front of the belt 100, as seen in FIG. 4.
FIG. 4 shows the belt 100 on a pair of pants 108, and the panel 103 going over the belt loops of the pants 108 for illustration. The belt 100 can be buckled around the waist by overlapping Velcro® 101 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) or hardware closure 102 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 4). The belt includes at least one outer panel 103 of any dimension and shape that is most compatible for its intended use or equipment. The panel 103 may be permanently connected at a connection point 104 to the belt 100 at some point along the belt's length. The connection point 104 may be a rotationally fixed or a pivoting connection point. The fixed connection provides the outer panel to be load bearing for carrying equipment on the belt 100 as described in detail herein. The outer panel 103 overlaps one or several of the belt loops of pants 108 when the belt 100 is used with the pants 108 as seen in FIG. 4.
The panel 103 is fixed to the belt 100 at two ends without any attachment points between the two ends. Accordingly, any equipment mounted on or between the panel 103 and/or the belt 100 can slide along the panel 103 while being supported by the panel 103 and/or the belt 100.
According to the belt system discussed herein, the panel 103 allows a user to slide gear that is supported by the belt 100 and/or panel 103 on and off while the belt is worn and supporting the pants of the wearer. In other words, the belt system performs the function of holding up the pants of a wearer while equipment is slid on and off the panel 103. Furthermore, because the connection point 104 may be a pivoting connection, the panel 103 can be pivoted relative to the belt 100 to allow the panel 103 to be oriented a preferred angle relative the waist for loading and unloading gear from the belt system. The belt system also provides for equipment supported by the panel 103 and/or the belt 100 to remain on the panel 103 and/or the belt 100 due to the closed loop connection of the panel 103 to the belt 100. In other words, other mechanisms to prevent any equipment from sliding off the belt system 100 may not be needed. Additionally, the frictional layer or material 107 is configured to hold equipment mounted on the panel 103 and/or the belt 100, in particular when the panel 103 is tensioned and attached to the belt 100 with a closure as discussed herein (e.g., creating a clamping pressure between the panel 103 and the belt 100).
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a belt system according to another example. The belt system of FIGS. 5 and 6 may be similar in many respects to the belt system of FIGS. 1-4. Accordingly, same parts are denoted with the same reference numbers. The belt system of the FIGS. 5 and 6 includes a belt 200 having two layers 201 and 202 that are attached using various methods (glue, heat sealed, sewn, etc.) along the length, the top and bottom of the two layers 201 and 202 as illustrated by the dotted line 204 shown in FIG. 5. Tubular nylon material can also be used to create an internal cavity (shown for example in FIG. 6 as a gap between the layers 201 and 202) that runs along the length of the belt 200. The internal cavity may have at least one opening 203 (shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) on either the outside or inside of the belt. The opening 203 allows the wearer of the belt 200 to slide in or slide out (shown by an arrow 206) one or more zip ties 205 as shown in FIG. 6. The depth of the internal cavity can be of any depth or run the entire length of the belt 200. The belt 200 may include a low friction material (not shown) inside layers 201 and 202 and inside of the interior cavity where the layers 201 and 202 face each other to reduce the friction and ease inserting and removing of equipment, such as zip-ties 205 as shown in FIG. 6. The panel 103 may be attached at connection point 104 on the outer layer 201 before the two layers 201 and 202 are joined 204 as shown in FIG. 6.
FIG. 9 shows a typical attachment mechanism 310 for holsters or equipment with closed loops 302. The attachment mechanism 310 may be generally a curved piece of rigid, semi-rigid, or pliable material such as plastic with two long holes punched out that form the closed loops 302. A belt 312 can be slid through the closed loops 302 as shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 also shows the typical attachment mechanism 310 attached to a holster 311 with a typical belt 312 running through the closed loops 302. FIG. 11 also shows the attachment mechanism 310 with belt 100 running through the closed loops 302. FIG. 11 also shows that the loops 302 may be wider than the width of the belt 100, thereby creating the space 304 between the width of the belt 100 and the width of the closed loops 302 on the attachment mechanism 310. A belt system according to one example may include a slack panel to compensate for the difference between the width of the closed loops 302 and the width of the belt 100. FIG. 12 shows the slack panel 300 attached to the belt 100 to fill the space 304 between the belt 100 and the closed loop 302. A detailed example of the slack panel 300 is shown in FIG. 7. The slack panel 300 may be rigid or semi-rigid. FIG. 8 shows the slack panel 300 being constructed from two layers of fabric 308 with a stiffener 309 which can be made of plastic, metal, etc. sandwiched in between the layers 308. The two layers 308 can be attached by various methods (glue, heat sealed, sewn, etc.). Attachment hardware 301 (e.g. snaps, rivet with screw and post combination, Velcro®, etc.) may be added to panel 300 so that it can be attached to the belt 100 or panel 103 as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 14. The slack panel 300 can also be made from a single layer of material that is semi-rigid in nature (injected molded plastic or rubber, Velcro One®, leather, a polymer infused nylon, etc.).
FIG. 14 shows an example slack panel 300 used with belt loops 303 on pants 306 with the belt 100 put through the belt loops 303 of the pants 306. As shown in FIG. 13, the width of the belt loops 303 of the pants 306 and the width of the belt 100 may vary to create a space 305. FIG. 14 shows the excess space 305 between the belt 100 and the belt pant loops 303 filled by the slack panel 300 attached to the belt 100. Different pant manufacturers may use different sized belt loops. Holster or accessory holder manufacturers may also use different sized closed loops. To adjust and/or compensate for the excess space 304 that may be created between the belt 100 and closed loops 302 from FIGS. 11 and 12 or excess space 305 that may be created between the belt 100 and belt loops 303 in FIGS. 13 and 14, the slack panel 300 can secured higher or lower using hardware 301 (Velcro, multiple rows of snaps, etc.) on the belt 100 and the panel 300. The overall dimensions of the slack panel 300 can also vary depending on the size of the closed loop the slack panel 300 is intended to fill. A large closed loop 302 may require a wide slack panel 300. Additionally, attachment mechanisms 310 with closed loops located further apart from each other may require a slack panel 300 that can span the distance between the closed loops 302 of the attachment mechanisms 310. Alternatively, the slack panel 300 may extend the entire length of the belt 100 if multiple attachment mechanisms 310 are used on the same belt 100.
A belt system according to one example may include a load carrying assembly having a belt mount 400 and a load or duty panel 500 as described in detail herein. FIG. 15 shows a belt mount 400 configured to attach to a load or duty panel 500 (shown in FIG. 23). The belt mount 400 allows the load or duty panel 500 to be connected to or hooked onto any type of belt or off the shelf belt, an example of which is shown as the belt 411 in FIG. 22. Alternatively, the belt mount 400 allows the load panel 500 to be connected or hooked between the panel 103 and the belt 100 at the connection point 104 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. According, a user can connect or hook the belt mount 400 at any position along the user's waist and pants by rotating the belt 100 around the waist, and therefore rotating the position of connection point 104 around the waist, so that the belt mount 400 can be anchored anywhere regardless of whether or not there is a pant belt loop 410. Different pant manufacturers may space their belt loops at different locations around the waist of the pants. However, shooters, hunters and craftsmen typically wear their equipment in the same place for easy location and rapid access. The belt mount 400 allows such equipment to be mounted at the same location around the waist regardless of the location of the pant belt loops. For example, a pant manufacturer may only place belt pant loops 410, on the waist of the pants at the wearer's 2 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 10 o'clock positions (the center front of the user being the 12 o'clock position) as shown in FIG. 26. But, the wearer may wear the duty panel 500 between the 4 o'clock to 10 o'clock position, as shown in FIG. 26. However, the noted pants does not have pant belt loop 410 located at the 4 o'clock position as shown in FIG. 26. That would mean the user would place the connection point 104 of belt 100 at the 4 o'clock position so that the belt mount 400 can be anchored at that location. If the user wants to anchor the duty panel 500 at 8 o'clock, the user could also do so by rotating belt 100 clockwise around the waist so that connection point 104 is at the 8 o'clock position. The belt mount 400 may be semi-rigid and can be made of metal, plastic, or composite. The belt mount can be one single piece as shown in FIG. 18 or made of multiple pieces as shown in FIG. 16. For example, one wall 408 (also referred to herein as the back wall 408) and the opposite wall 409 (also referred to herein as the front wall 409) may be joined on one side using hardware 402 and 403 (e.g. rivets, screws and posts, clamps, etc.) to create the belt mount 400. The belt mount 400 may be configured to be inserted from one side onto a belt 411 as shown in FIG. 22 or onto a panel 103 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. The belt mount 400 includes at least one closed end 404 as shown in FIG. 18. The belt mount 400 may also include at least one hook 405 on the back wall 408 as shown in FIG. 16. Referring to FIG. 19, when the back wall 408 of the belt mount 400 is being pulled (the direction of force is shown a direction arrow 412) toward the direction of the point where the panel 103 joins with the body of the belt 100 at connection point 104, the hook 405 of the back wall 408 is positioned below and past the connection point 104, which prevents the back wall 408 from rising upward. Therefore the entire belt mount 400 is prevented from rising up and off the belt 100. In FIG. 20, the back wall 408 of the belt mount 400 is sandwiched between the panel 103 and the belt 100 with the belt mount hook 405 sitting over the connection points 104. Because the top of the back wall 408 is joined with the front wall 409 at the top 404, downward pressure on the belt mount 400 may be significantly and completely prevented by the belt 100. Accordingly, the belt 100 is trapped between the belt mount closure 404 and the hook 405. The belt mount 400 can also use pant belt loops 410 on any belt as shown in FIG. 22, because the pants belt loop 410 replaces the connection point 104 between the panel 103 and belt 100. As shown in FIG. 22, when the belt mount 400 is under tension as shown by the arrow 412, the back wall 408 pushes against the pants belt loops 410, with the hook 405 extended beyond the pants belt loops 410. As discussed herein, the pushing of the back wall 408 against the pants belt loops 410 stops the hook 405 from rising up. The belt mount 400 can have at least one tab 406 on the back wall 408 and one tab 406 on the front wall 409 as shown in FIG. 16. The tabs 406 on front wall 409 and back wall 408 are inclined toward the opposite wall so that they meet in the center 407 when both the front wall 409 and back wall 408 are parallel as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18. The load or duty panel 500 can be attached to the belt mount 400 on the front wall 409 as shown in FIG. 21. When load or duty panel 500 is tightened and tension 412 is placed on the front wall 409 of the belt mount 400, the force is transferred to the back wall 408 through the tabs 406 at the bottom and at the top closure 404 where the two walls are joined as shown in FIG. 21. The noted joining of the walls 408 and 409 spreads the force of the tension across the top and bottom, front wall 409 and back walls 408 of the belt mount 400 so that no one point or area is taking the entire load.
The belt system may include a load or duty panel 500 as shown in the example of FIG. 23. The load or duty panel 500 may be attached to the belt 100 as described herein. The load or duty panel 500 includes a panel 506 which operates in the same manner as the panel 103 on the glide belt 100 as described in detail herein. The panel 506 allows gear using closed loops (e.g., typical attachment mechanism 310 for holsters or equipment with closed loops 302 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) to slide on and off, with hardware 505 (e.g. snaps, buckled, Velcro®, etc.) attached to panel 506 through various methods (glue, sewn, heat bonded, stamped, etc.) connecting to matching hardware 505 which is joined to the wall of the load bearing panel 500 through various methods, so that gear does not slide off. The load or duty panel 500 can have quick detach hardware 501 that allows the load or duty panel 500 to be separated into at least two pieces 502 and 503 as shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25 respectively. The load or duty panel 500 may also have a belt mount 400 as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, on at least one end with additional hardware 504 (such as a closed loop, D-ring, J-hook, etc.) that allows the load or duty panel 500 to slide onto the panel 103 of the belt 100 as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27. FIG. 27 shows a close up of hardware 504 sliding onto the panel 103 of the belt 100 from FIG. 26. An additional tab 507 made of friction material (such as SlipNot®, Velcro®, etc.) can be sewn on or added to the hardware 504. For example, if the friction material is Velcro®, the tab 507 would match the Velcro® on the inside liner of the panel 103, and possibly also the outer layer of belt 100 to help hold the hardware 504 in place. The hardware 504 is shown in FIG. 27 as an example to be a closed ring. However, the hardware 504 can also be a cam-lock, hooks, or any other hardware.
As discussed herein, belt mount 400 can be used on both ends of the load panel 500. If hardware 504 is replaced with belt mount 400 as shown in FIG. 28, the hardware 504 allows the panel to be attached to any belt. FIGS. 29 and 30 show another example of a belt mount 400, which is similar in many respects to the other belt mounts described herein. The belt mount 400 can have an additional piece 513 that is configured to attach to hardware 504 on the load panel 500 as shown in FIG. 31. FIGS. 29, 30, and 31 show a clip 513, but the hardware 513 can be anything from spring loaded key mods, buckles, screws and post, etc. made of any material as long as it secures the belt mount 400 to the hardware 504. The hardware 513 can also be movable and detachable along at least one surface of the belt mount 500 using mounting hardware 514 (such as screws, snaps, etc.) as shown in FIG. 29. The load bearing panel 500 may also include a semi-rigid body 508 which will be referenced as the hump 508 as shown in FIGS. 32,33, and 34. The hump 508 can be made of any material such as plastic, metal, foam, etc. In FIGS. 32-34 the hump 508 is shown sewn to the body of panel 500 so that the hump 508 falls below the panel 506. However, the hump 508 can be sewn or attached (e.g. glue, heat sealed, stamped, etc.) above as well or both to panel 500. The purpose of the hump 508 is to fill the space between the body of the wearer 510, and any gear 509 that may be attached to the panel 506 as shown in FIG. 34. The hump 508 can stop the attached gear 509 from pivoting toward and away from the body 510 during use or movement. The hump 508 can have any dimension. The load panel 500 and attached panel 503 may be semi rigid and can be made of fabric infused with a polymer, metal, or made completely of plastic, metal, or a composite of different materials. The semi rigid nature of the panel 503 provides additional stability of any gear attached during movement when bent around the curve hip of a human wearer.
The belt system according to one example may include an attachable add on panel 600 as shown in FIG. 34. The add on panel 600 can slide onto the panel 506 of the load panel 500, using attachment hardware 606 (e.g. metal rings, j-hooks, snaps, etc.) that may be sewn onto the panel 600 so that it can be attached to panel 506 as shown in FIG. 36. An attachment mechanism such as Velcro® 607 that may be sewn on or glued, can also be used as attachment hardware, and the matching Velcro®, sewn or glued, on the opposite surface of the load bearing panel 500 and the inner surface of the panel 506 as shown in FIG. 35. The add on panel 600 can have attachment hardware 601 on the panel to add gear, such as rivets, buttons, hooks, straps, etc. as shown in FIG. 34 or multiple rows of attachment hardware 601 if the add on panel 600 is larger as shown in FIG. 38. Additional panels 602, similar to panels 103 and 506, can also be added to panel 600 as shown in FIG. 38. Attachment hardware 601 can also be added to the additional panels 602. In FIG. 38, the additional panels 602 can be added with one connected on a pivot 608 using hardware (such as a rivet, screw and post combination, snap, etc.) and a detachable hardware 609 (such as a screw and post combination, snap, etc.), similar to the panel 103 in FIG. 3. Additional rivets 610 can be added above and below the original rivet 609 so that one side of the panel 602 can be attached higher or lower relative to the pivot 608, similar to the panel 111 in FIG. 3. The noted pivotal attachment can create an incline or decline in angle of the panel 602 relative to the waist of the user as seen in FIG. 39, where the panels 602 are attached on lower hardware 610. The increased incline or decline give users a better angle to access gear mounted on the panels 602 on add on panel 600 as shown in FIG. 40 and FIG. 41.
The belt system may include a weapon support panel 700 as shown in FIG. 42, which is similar in many respect to the support panel 600. FIG. 42 shows the front of the weapon support panel 700. Similar to the other panel 600, the weapon support panel 700 may be semi rigid and can be made of any material or a combination of materials to reach a preferred semi-rigid nature and construction similar to the belt 100, panel 103, panels 400, 500, and 600. The weapon support panel 700 may include hardware 701 (e.g. rings, hooks, snaps, Velcro®, etc.) that allows the weapon support panel 700 to be attached to the panel 103 or the belt 100. The panel can be made of either plastic, polymer, metal, fabric, or a composite of material. The dimension of the weapon support panel 700 can vary depending on how low the holster is to be mounted, the size of the holster, and an y other gear the user made need mounted on the belt 100.
As shown in FIGS. 42-44, The weapon support panel 700 may also include one or more panels 703, similar to the panels 602 as shown on FIGS. 38 and 39. The panel 703 allows a holster 702, shown in FIGS. 42 and 43, to be mounted on the panel 703 lower on the body, instead of at the waist or the belt where the holster may be less ergonomic to draw a weapon, thereby forcing the wearer to twist their torso and raise their shoulder when drawing their weapon. The panel 703 in FIGS. 42 and 43 can also be attached to the weapon support panel 700 using pivot hardware 704 (e.g. rivet, screw and post, sewn, etc.) on one end and detachable hardware 705 (e.g. snaps, hooks, screw and post combination, Velcro®, etc.) on the opposite end. Accordingly, gear can slide on and off the panel 703, but the gear can be stopped from sliding off when the hardware 705 is reattached. Additional hardware 706 (e.g. rivets, snaps, etc.) can be affixed to the weapon support panel 700 above and below the original hardware 705. By mounting the original hardware 705 higher or lower relative to the hardware 706, the angle of panel 703 can be changed relative to the pivot hardware 704 and the waist of the user. Similar to the panel 600 of FIGS. 40 and 41, the further back equipment is placed on the panel 703, the greater the incline is preferable so that the opening of pouches is facing toward the front of the wearer. In the case of the weapon support panel 700, the further back the holster is mounted on the panel 703, and therefore the further to rear of the user's body, the greater the incline of the holster may be for easier draw and return of a weapon. The panel 703 can also be made of two or more pieces with hardware 708 (e.g. snaps, sliders, buckles, etc.) attached (e.g. sewn, glued, riveted, etc.) to allow the overall length of panel 703 to be shortened or lengthened to add or reduce slack. A cover 709 as shown in FIG. 44 can also be added to the surface of panel 700 to protect the holster and other items from getting snagged or damaged. The cover 709 can be made of any material or composite materials. It can be attached by various methods (e.g. sewn, rivets, screws and posts, etc.) along at least two sides. As shown in FIG. 44, the cover 709 is sewn along three sides as the stitching 710 are indicated by dotted lines.
A belt system according to one example may include a pocket 800 that can hold a razor blade 805 as shown in FIG. 46. The pocket may be attached to the belt 100. The pocket 800 may be attached (sewn, glued, etc.) at 806 onto either the inner layer 201 or outer 202 layer of the belt 200. The pocket 800 may be attached prior to the two layers 201 and 202 being attached together as shown in FIG. 45. FIG. 46 shows the pocket attached to a either the layer 201 or the layer 202 of the belt. At least one pocket 800 can be located on either the inner layer 202 or the outer layer 201 of the belt 200. The pocket 800 can be located anywhere along the length of the belt 100 or 200, such as near the back 802 of the wearer and/or near the sides or front 803 of the belt. The belt system can also include multiple pockets 800 along the length of the belt 100 or 200. The pocket 800 may have a separate protective liner 804 made of any appropriate material (Kevlar®, plastic, metal, composite, etc.) or the pocket 800 may be made of a composite material (nylon/Kevlar weave, etc.) made to protect the wearer from the sharp edge of the blade 805. Another protective liner 804 can also be attached to the layer of the belt that the pocket 800 is being attached to. The additional protective liner 804 can protect the belt 100 from the edge of the blade 805 when it is placed inside, taken out, or during dynamic movements. The pocket 800 may be at least 2 inch by 1 inch to accommodate a razor blade 805 as seen in FIG. 46, but can be larger for larger blades.
The use of the word “pant” or “pants” herein refers to any garment that can be worn by an individual that covers at least a portion of the body of the individual below the waist, such as pants, shorts, overalls, pants with suspenders and/or bibs, skirts, or any similar garments. Any of the belts or belt systems described herein may be used on non-garment objects such as backpacks, suitcases, duffle bags, and/or any other object that may be used by an individual to hold or carry equipment.
The terms “and” and “or” may have both conjunctive and disjunctive meanings. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless this disclosure indicates otherwise. The term “coupled” and any variation thereof refer to directly or indirectly connecting two or more elements chemically, mechanically, and/or otherwise. The phrase “removably connected” is defined such that two elements that are “removably connected” may be separated from each other without breaking or destroying the utility of either element.
The term “substantially” when used to describe a characteristic, parameter, property, or value of an element may represent deviations or variations that do not diminish the characteristic, parameter, property, or value that the element may be intended to provide. Deviations or variations in a characteristic, parameter, property, or value of an element may be based on, for example, tolerances, measurement errors, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors. The term “proximate” is synonymous with terms such as “adjacent,” “close,” “immediate,” “nearby”, “neighboring”, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in this disclosure.
The apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein may be implemented in a variety of embodiments, and the foregoing description of some of these embodiments does not necessarily represent a complete description of all possible embodiments. Instead, the description of the drawings, and the drawings themselves, disclose at least one embodiment, and may disclosure alternative embodiments.
Although certain example apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this disclosure is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this disclosure covers all apparatus, methods, and articles of articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A belt system comprising:

a belt having an inner side, an outer side, a first end and a second end;

a belt panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the belt panel being connected to the outer side of the belt between the first end of the belt and the second end of the belt, the second end of the belt panel having a closure configured to detachably connect the second end of the belt panel to the belt between the first end of the belt panel and the first end of the belt; and

wherein at least a portion of the belt facing an inner side of the belt panel or a portion of an inner side of the belt panel facing the belt includes a material configured to increase friction between the belt and the inner side of the belt panel.

2. A belt system as defined in 1 further comprising an equipment attachment mechanism having attachment loops and a slack panel, wherein the equipment attachment mechanism is configured to receive a portion of the belt panel and a portion of the slack panel through the attachment loops, wherein when the belt panel and the slack panel are received in the attachment loops, the belt panel is between between the equipment attachment mechanism and the slack panel.

3. A belt system as defined in 1 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

a load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the load panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach to the belt panel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end of the load panel having a closure;

a belt mount having a first end and a second end, the first end of the belt mount configured to slidably mount on the belt panel, and the second end of the belt mount having a closure; and

wherein the closure at the second end of the load panel and the closure at the second end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach the load carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.

4. A belt system as defined in 1 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

a load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the load panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach to the belt panel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end of the load panel having a closure, a lower portion of the load panel including a thicker portion configured to substantially fill the space between loads mounted on the load panel and a wearer of the belt;

5. A belt system as defined in 1 further comprising a load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the load panel having a first closure configured to attach the first end of the load panel to the belt, the second end of the load panel having a second closure configured to attach the second end of the load panel or the belt.

6. A belt system as defined in 1 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

a first load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first load panel having a closure configured to adjustably attach to the belt panel along a length of the belt panel, and the second end of the first load panel having a closure;

a belt mount having a first end and a second end, the first end of the belt mount configured to slidably mount on the belt panel, and the second end of the belt mount having a closure;

a second load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second load panel having a first closure configured to attach the first end of the second load panel to the first load panel, and the second end of the second load panel having a second closure configured to attach the second end of the second load panel or the first load panel; and

wherein the closure at the second end of the first load panel and the closure at the second end of the belt mount are configured to connect to attach the load carrying assembly to the belt or the belt panel.

7. A belt system as defined in 1 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

a second load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second load panel having a first closure configured to attach the first end of the second load panel to the first load panel, and the second end of the second load panel having a second closure configured to attach the second end of the second load panel or the first load panel, the second load panel comprising a plurality of attachment points configured to receive equipment; and

8. A belt system comprising:

a belt having a first end, a second end, an inner belt portion and an outer belt portion, the outer belt portion being spaced apart from the inner belt portion to define a gap between the inner belt portion and the outer belt portion; and

a belt panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the belt panel being connected to an outer side of the outer belt portion of the belt between the first end of the belt and the second end of the belt, the second end of the belt panel having a closure configured to detachably connect the second end of the belt panel to the belt between the first end of the belt panel and the first end of the belt.

9. A belt system as defined in 8, wherein at least a portion of the belt facing an inner side of the belt panel or a portion of an inner side of the belt panel facing the belt includes a material configured to increase friction between the the belt and the inner side of the belt panel.

10. A belt system as defined in 8 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

11. A belt system as defined in 8 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

12. A belt system as defined in 8 further comprising a load panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the load panel having a first closure configured to attach the first end of the load panel to the belt, the second end of the load panel having a second closure configured to attach the second end of the load panel or the belt.

13. A belt system as defined in 8 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

14. A belt system as defined in 8 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

15. A belt system for use with pants having pant loops, the belt system comprising:

a belt having an inner side, an outer side, a first end and a second end, the belt configured to be inserted between the belt loops and the pants;

a belt panel having a first end and a second end, the first end of the belt panel being pivotally connected to the outer side of the belt between the first end of the belt and the second end of the belt, the second end of the belt panel having a closure configured to detachably connect the second end of the belt panel to the belt between the first end of the belt panel and the first end of the belt; and

wherein the belt panel is movable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position, the second end of the belt panel is detachably connected to the belt and the belt loops are between the inner side of the belt panel and the outer side of the belt, and wherein in the second position, the second end of the belt panel is detached from the belt and the belt panel is pivotable about the belt at the first end of the belt panel.

16. A belt system as defined in 15 wherein at least a portion of the belt facing an inner side of the belt panel or a portion of an inner side of the belt panel facing the belt includes a material configured to increase friction between the the belt and the inner side of the belt panel.

17. A belt system as defined in 15 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

18. A belt system as defined in 15 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

19. A belt system as defined in 15 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising:

20. A belt system as defined in 15 further comprising a load carrying assembly comprising: