Armor

Sept. 1, 1936

E. WISBROD

ARMOR

2,052,684

Filed May 15, 1935

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Patented Sept. 1, 1936

2,052,684

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,052,684

ARMOR Elliott Wisbrod, Chicago, HL Application May 15, 1935, Serial No. 21,504 7 Claims. (Cl. 89—36)

My invention relates to armor and particularly to light armor that is especially suitable for application to wearing apparel such as vests.

As made heretofore, such armor has been rela5 tively heavy, readily distinguishable when worn, cumbersome to wear, and difficult to put on, particularly when in a hurry.

It is an object of my invention to provide such a vest that overcomes the objections mentioned 10 heretofore in connection with prior vests.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a fully armored garment such as a vest that may be smartly tailored to fit the wearer and be indistinguishable from an ordinary vest and yet 5 give complete protection against pistol and revolver Are.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a section of armor that may be formed about the body of the wearer and give protection against 2o gunfire, particularly when fired at an angle to the wearer.

Other objects of my invention and their resultant advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description given in 25 connection with the drawing in which—

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an armored tailored vest constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vest laid out in flat 30 position illustrating the integral construction of the vest;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through one section of armor and illustrating the section of armor when in curved position simulating actual 35 wearing conditions;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a section of armor in its container, the container and armor being cut away along an irregular line to illustrate the several features of construction;

and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged portion of a section similar to that of Fig. 4, illustrating slightly different armor strips.

My invention is illustrated as applied to a vest 45 and in accordance therewith the vest Is preferably made as a unitary or single piece garment such as an ordinary vest, that is, having integral front and back sections permanently sewed together and joined by side pieces also integral with 50 either the front or back. All sections are completely armored to give full protection by means of armor that is relatively light, flexible, and particularly protective against glancing shots which might otherwise enter between the layers or strips ; of armor.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that my armored vest resembles a normal tailored vest and comprises a front section made up of right and left fronts I and 2 cut or tailored with the usual 5 V-neck 3 and buttoned down the center by buttons 4 and provided with tiie usual four pockets 5. The fronts are provided with buttons and buttonholes so as to simulate a normal vest and so that they may be unbuttoned to receive the wearer’s 10 tie and then rebuttoned again and not for the purpose of putting on and removing the vest as will later appear. The rear section 6 comprising a single panel is formed as a continuation of the front section and extends from the. tops of the 1δ shoulder ends of the fronts I and 2 and may be formed as a continuation thereof or may be permanently stitched thereto as at 7. The upper end of the rear panel is provided with an opening 8 which with the V-neck provides an opening of 20 sufficient size to permit the head of the wearer to be inserted therethrough. Permanently stitched to the two fronts are two side panels 9, one projecting laterally from each of the fronts and of sufficient length to extend around the sides 25 of the wearer and overlap the rear section to give full and complete protection. For additional protection where desired a groin plate 10 is provided at the bottom of the front sections. The groin plate is so attached that it may be moved up- 30 wardly when the wearer is seated to provide full comfort.

A strap 11 is provided at each side to retain the vest sections snugly against the wearer. In the present illustration, a strap is shown as attached 35 to each side of the rear panel and cooperates with a buckle 12 attached to the side of each of the fronts. Thus the vest may be put on by inserting the head through the opening 8 and V-neck 3 and may be retained in position upon the ^4υwearer by two straps and their cooperative buckles, one at each side.

Each of the vest sections is fully armored by sections of armor arranged in a somewhat similar manner. That is, the sections of armor are constructed and placed in containers for attachment to or incorporation in the vest sections in a similar manner, but the strips of armor are arranged somewhat differently. In the front and side sec- 50 tions, the strips of armor are arranged with their longitudinal edges extending vertically, whereas in the back section the strips of armor are arranged with their longitudinal edges arranged horizontally thus permitting close fitting of the ⁸⁸

2,052,684 vest and at the same time complete and full normal movement of the body. _

In view of the fact that each section of armor which Is attached to the vest sections or is incor5 porated therein is constructed the same except as to shape and outside dimensions, It will only be necessary to describe one section in detail.

Each section of armor is placed within a container or support comprising a pair of backing 10 sheets 15, preferably made of rubberized or otherwise waterproofed material arranged with the warp of one sheet parallel to the weft of the other, thus eliminating stretching of the strips. Relatively long narrow strips 16 of a heavy mateI⁵ rial such as a heavy duck are stitched to the backing sheets 15 to provide overlapping pockets IT for the reception of armor later to be described. It has been found practicable to make the pockets approximately two inches wide and ten inches ²⁰ deep for most uses. The pockets are arranged by stitching both longitudinal edges of the first or marginal strip of duck 16 to the backing members 15 as at 18 (Figs. 3 and 4) to provide a pocket between the backing members 15 and the strips of duck 16. The second and succeeding strips of duck are each sewed by a line of stitching 19 along one edge thereof to the adjacent? strip of duck Intermediate its edges, i. e. slightly inwardly from the adjacent edge and along its other edge to the backing member by a line of stitching 18^a, thus providing a series of slightly overlapping pockets IT. Into each pocket thus formed is inserted one or more strips of armor 21, such as ₃₅ armor steel tempered to the desired degree of hardness and resiliency. In Figs. 3 and 4, there is shown a single strip of such armor in each pocket, whereas in Fig. 5 there is illustrated three such strips In each pocket.

Each strip of armor is previously rolled or ⁴⁰ otherwise formed with its longitudinal edges offset In opposite directions so that the longitudinal edges lie in different planes from the body of the strip. The strips are arranged in the pockets with the marginal edges overlapping in a comple⁴⁶ mentary interlocking fashion with the overlapping edges substantially parallel. This formation of the strips of armor makes it possible to curve or fit the finished section to the contour of the body of the wearer without any substan^υ tial separation of the marginal edges as would otherwise occur. That is, if the strips were perfectly flat or xml-planar and the section was curved to fit the body, the adjoining edges would 55 separate in a sort of V-formation into which V⁰ formation a bullet may enter and possibly project. In accordance with the present invention, the offset or curved edges provide considerable flexibility without any separation whatever of the 60 marginal edges. Thus greater protection is afforded against glancing or angular shots, because projectiles or fragments thereof approaching from the side are not apt to get under the edges as would be the case if they were separated.

₆₅ Prior to placing the strips of armor in their respective pockets, they are preferably coated with a coating of rubber 22 (Fig. 4) preferably plastic which in addition to securing the strips In the pockets provides additional resiliency and also 70 waterproofs the strips so that they will not rust or corrode due to atmospheric or climatic conditions or body perspiration. As additional protection, and to afford longer life of the vest, the edges of the strips of armor may be. bound in a fabric 75 23 (Fig. 4) such as an adhesive tape to prevent the edges and corners thereof from cutting through the pockets after continued use.

In applying the armor sections to the vest sections, the armor sections may be attached to the rear side and groin sections or may themselves 5 constitute the rear side and groin sections as illustrated by being covered with a suitable fabric covering. In the case of the front section of the vest, however, it is preferable to use two sections of armor, an upper and lower, arranged in such a 10 manner that they overlap each other and are free to move vertically with respect to each other. This arrangement permits greater bodily movement by the wearer without undue comfort and also provides additional protection around the 15 region of the heart.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have provided an armored vest that may be fully tailored to make it practically indistinguishable from an ordinary vest. Further- ²⁰more, the unitary integral construction makes it possible to put the vest on very rapidly and with a minimum amount of trouble, the vest being Secured merely by a pair of straps or buckles. The somewhat articulated arrangement of the armor ²⁵strips within the vest is such that the vest will snugly conform to the body of the wearer without discomfort and' yet permit full and normal bodily movement, and afford no restriction against combat or rapid movement. The arrangement ³⁰of and shaping the marginal edges of the strips of armor whereby an over? sp and Interlocking thereof is provided also affords complete protection against gunfire from practically any angle, even though the sections are curved considerably ³⁵to conform to the body of the wearer.

A vest constructed in accordance with the foregoing invention is capable of positively stopping the latest and most powerful pistol ammunition now commercially available, generally known 40 as “.38 super automatic cartridges”. These cartridges are metal jacketed, weight 130 grains and have an approximate muzzle velocity of 1250 feet per second with a muzzle energy of 490 foot pounds. 45

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that minor deviations from the preferred construction and arrangement may be indulged in without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims 50