US2743446A

US2743446A - Action front armored vest

Info

Publication number: US2743446A
Application number: US348601A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph W Persico; Cugini Louis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-04-13
Filing date: 1953-04-13
Publication date: 1956-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-01

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS ATTORNEY .RZp/z W pers l'co May l, 1956 R. W. PERSlCO ET AL ACTION FRONT ARMORED VEST Filed April 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Shee't 2 zNvENTORs Rap WPersico ATTORNEY Louis CUQJ.

May 1, 1956 R, w. PERslco ET AL ACTION FRONT ARMORED vEsT Filed April 13, 1953 United States PafifQ crIoN FRONT ARMoRED vEsT Ralphv W. Persico and Louis Cugini, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army` i vApplication April 13, 1953, Serial No. 348,601

1 claim. (C1. 2-2.s) (Granit-;d un Tifl'e 35, sl code (1952), sec. 266) disclosed in'the pending application of Russell W. Ehlers,

Ser. No. 291,366, filed on June 2, 1952, now Patent No. 2,640,987 granted June 9, 1953.

In garments of this type the body of the garment iS relatively thick and/ or Stiff so that the wearer is considerably restricted in the movement of his arms, as for in- Stance in the handling of a rifle or the like. It is an object of this invention therefore to so design and construct the garment that certain of the parts are readily movable with respect to each other so that the wearefs arms are relatively free and may be used in a more or less normal manner.

Another object of the invention consists in the formation of an armored garment in which a Vertical flap has one edge secured to the front of the garment at one side of the center opening and is provided with fastening means along its free edge for cooperation with complementary fastening means situated on the garment on the opposite side of the center opening, whereby the front portions of the garment may slide one upon the other in response to movements of the wearer's arms.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved garment in open position;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the armored vest in closed position;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the front panels and their connecting flaps in relative positions which they are caused to take when the arms of the wearer are brought toward each other;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail of the flap and the zippertype fastener used for securing the garment in closed position;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a partly formed blank which is employed in forming the garment shown in the several figures, and,

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

The partly formed blank, which is generally indicated by the numeral 1, is composed of a back section 2 and a front section 3 provided with front panels 4 and a neck opening 5.

Each of the Sections 2 and 3 is formed of a plurality of layers of flexible material of the general type defined ice in the Ehlers application heretofore referred to, and since this structure forms no part of the present invention it need not be described in further detail.

' AS will be obvious the armored vest illustrated in the present disclosure is formed by folding down the front panel portions 4-4 and securing their edges to the back 2 along the seams 6, as shown in Figure 4, and these panels may be provided with pockets 7 if desired. Adjacent their free edges the front panels 4 are provided with Vertical linesl of stitching 8 which provide the free edge portions; 9 Seamed at their edges by lines of stitching as indicated by numeral 10. o

In order to Secure the front panels 4 in closed position a zipper 11 is employed although it will be understood that other types of fastening means could be used. However, if the fastening means Were secured directly to the adjoining edges of the relatively Stiff panels 4, which provide the front opening of thegarment, it will be obviouS that the wearer would have little use of his arms particularly in attempting to bring them toward each other as would be necessary in grasping a rifle or other implement. To obviate this drawback to a garment of this type a Vertical flap 12 has been incorporated in the garment. This flap is relatively thin and fleXible being shown as formed of two layers of material united adjacent their edges, and one edge of this flap is secured to the front face of a front panel 4 at a distance from its free edge as indicated by the numeral 13. The free edge of the flap 12 has secured thereto by lines of stitching 14 a runner 15 which carries a Series of scoops 16.

Secured to the rear face of the other front panel 4 is a runner 17 having a series of scoops 18 mounted on its free edge for cooperation with the scoops 16. In normal positions of the parts, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the panels 4 are slightly overlapped as clearly indicated in Figure 3, it being only necessary to swing the front element 9 Slightly to one side for the Purpose of Operating the slide 19 (Figure 2) which cooperates with the scoops 16-18.

This feature of placing one series of fastening means on the free edge of the Vertical flap 12, which has substantial width, permits relative lateral movement of the panels 4-4 when the wearer moves his arms. This relative movement between these parts of the garment is clearly indicated by comparing elevational views of FigureS 2 and 4 and sectional views in Figures 3 and 5. In Figures 2 and 3 the garment is shown in its normal position with the front of the garment closed; while in Figures 4 and 5 the front of the garment is still closed but the two Sections 4-4 have moved relative to each other so as to be very Substantially -overlapped This movement of the two Sections has been caused by the wearer bringing his arms closer together across his chest which movement has been permitted by reason of the flexible flap 12 reversing its position.

The back Section 2 of the garment if formed of one single piece of heavily laminated fabric would be extremely cumbersome. For instance, if the wearer of Such a garment were to lie prone on the ground there would be a tendency for the upper edge of the back of the garment to be forced against the base of the wearer's head with the attendant possibility of knocking oif his helmet or other headgear which might be worn at the time. In order to overcome this and other such difficulties the present garment is provided with the transversely extending flexible joint 20. This joint is clearly disclosed in Figure 8 in which the back 2 is shown as formed of upper and lower Sections arranged in overlapping condition as indicated by numeral 21, and this sliding joint arrangement is inclosed with the fabric Sheets 22 which are sttched to both sides of the front and back elements as indicated by the numeral 23.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the aceompanying drawings, it Will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have devised an exceedingly simple and inexpenive construction of armored vest which greatly enhances its value due to the faet that while the panels thmselves are quite stff due to the many lay-. ers of material the garment has been rendered considerably more adaptable to movernents of the Wearer than heretofore, due to the, novel arrangernent by which relative movernent between the panels is permitted.

ln accordance with the patent tatutes we have de scribed what we now believe to be the preferred form of construction, but since minor changes may be made in structural details without departing from the spirit of the invention it is intended that all such changes be included within the scope of the appended clairn.

We clairn:

An armored vest comprising a back and front sec.- tions, the front Sections being secured to the back section and overlapping each other a substantial distance with substantially the same as the length of the section, fastener means mounted on and extending throughout the free edge of the fiap, and complementary fastenng means secured to the outer face of the other front section, whereby a transverse sliding movement between the two Sections is permitted. i

References, Cited in the file of thistpatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,792 Yengst t Sept. 21, 1937 2,493,531 Fitches Jan. 3, 1950 2,549,592 Ganz Apr. 17, 1951 2,585',175 Rosenberg Feb. 12, 1952