Front open holster with low mounting

[57] ABSTRACT

A holster of the type designed for removal of a revolver by forward movement of the hand on the grip whereby the revolver exits from the holster through a front slot. Disclosed is a belt loop assembly which is secured to the holster body at three points located near the barrel extremity of the revolver. The belt loop includes metal reinforcement including a Step or offset whereby a slot exists between the holster body and the belt loop assembly throughout most of its length.

Claims, 7 Drawing Figures

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SHEET 2 Of 2

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FRONT OPEN HOLSTER WITH LOW MOUNTING

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is an improvement upon my invention of a front opening holster the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,420 issued Dec. 28, 1971.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION have in my abovc-referenccd patent disclosed a front opening holster designed to prevent the unauthorized removal of a weapon by vertical or normal drawing motion. The holster of my previous invention includes recesses in the inner facings of the body which received the cylinder of the revolver and the recesses include a ledge at the top thereof which restrict the vertical movement of the revolver. The body includes a front opening with a general U shape spring which is secured at the front edge of the front opening in a manner to bias the front opening into a normally closed position then to allow the opening to expand to allow the forward draw of a revolver.

BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

I have found that given the features of my front opening holster that in the normal use a significant force is applied to the body of the holster in expanding the U shaped spring outward. Resistance of the spring to deformation is greatest at the bottom of the holster near the U of the spring and this is at the point farthest from the hand. In my previous holster with a normal belt loop the normal belt loop secured in generally the cylinder region of the holster to the holster body there is little difficulty in opening the upper portion of the holster in proximity to the hand and of greatest distance from the U of the spring. However, the application of the necessary force to expand the lower portion of the opening to allow the barrel to be removed tends to cock or drag the holster. The above-mentioned difficulty is slight but can be annoying to the user. The temporary unbalance or instability during the withdrawal of the holster section of the barrel portion occurs immediately before raising of the pistol to take aim and can be disconcerting. Uniform resistance to withdrawal and freedom from angular or forward displacement of the holster is therefore a desireable objective. I have discovered that by changing the design and placement of the belt loop and attachment that deficiencies can be removed and the resulting holster is a significantly easier draw and also allows greater freedom of the use of the holster in that it may be worn with jackets of the socalled Eisenhower type without interference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The foregoing brief description of the invention may more clearly be understood from the following detailed specification referenced to the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is the side elcvational view of the holster parts of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elcvational view of the belt loop side of the holster in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the holster of this invention in use by an officer while seated in an automobile;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded view of the holster of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a second exploded view of the holster of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the holster of FIG. 2 with a revolver in the process of being drawn; and

FIG. 7 is a prospective view of the metal inserts contained within the belt loop of the holster of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Now referring to FIG. 1 wherein a holster 10 in accordance with this invention is shown including a body 11 belt loop assembly 12 enclosure strap 13 with a snap fastener 14. The strap 13 has an end tab 15 extending beyond this fastener to facilitate,the automatic unsnapping and opening of the strap by movement of the hand in the forward direction in the act of removing a revolver. Unshown in FIG. 1 but located at the front of the holster 10 is a front opening 16 which extends virtually the entire length of the front of the holster. The operation of the holster is best described in my copending U.S. Pat. application No. 11,679 filed Feb. 16, 1970, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,420, but it suffices to say that the revolver is inserted into the holster paired with the strap disengaged by movement in the direction downward or direction A shown in the drawing and removed by movement horizontally forward or in the direction B of the drawing.

The holster of this invention is supported by the belt loop assembly 12 which is better seen in FIG. 2. It comprises an elongated loop of leather having an opening 20 through which an officer’s belt is inserted. The belt loop assembly 12 is relatively broad, for example, twothirds of the greatest width of the holster to provide stability on the belt, and is slightly tapered downward to the area of attachment to the holster body 11. The belt loop is secured to the body 11 at three points by screw fasteners 21, 22 and 23 engaging internal nuts, unshown in the drawing but located in the lower third of the holster body. The remainder of the belt loop assembly is spaced from the body 12 as is illustrated in FIG. 4.

The holster of this invention is illustrated in normal use in FIG. 3. There, an officer seated in a patrol car has grasped the handle of his revolver 30 and is rocking the cylinder and frame portion forward through the front opening of the holster 10 and is in the act of drawing the barrel through the front opening. It is in this step where the advantages of my invention are most apparent. Note in FIG. 3 that the holster 10 is secured to the officer’s belt 31 at his right hip and the holster is overlying the auto seat belt 32 and is free from its interference. The weapon rides high on the officer’s hip but docs not become uncomfortable in wearing because of the secure broad area engagement between the officer’s belt 31 and the belt loop 12 of the holster. Stability during the critical phase of drawing shown in FIG. 3 is accomplished by the additional feature that the belt loop assembly 12 is secured to the bottom third of the holster body and by the multiple or triple point securement as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6. During the step of sliding the revolver barrel through the front opening as shown in FIG. 3, the frictional forces applied to the side walls of the holster front opening arc transferred to the belt loop assembly 12 and then to the belt 31. The holster does not rock but instead provides a uniform resistance to release of the revolver.

One feature of this invention involves the offset belt loop which is visible in the exploded view of FIG. 4.

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The belt loop assembly 12 has a definite offset which spaces the major length of the holster body 11 from the belt loop assembly 12. The offset allows a short or Eisenhower type jacket to be worn without interference from the holster. The jacket rides between the belt loop 12 and the holster body 11 in the offset region. The strap 13 may be secured by snap fasteners 14 and 17 out of the way when not in use.

The features of this holster involved in preventing unauthorized withdrawal arc shown in the partly exploded view of FIG. 5.

The holster body 11 and belt loop assembly 12 as well as the strap 13 are shown in their normal assembled state. The liner 18 of the body 11 is shown removed from the body 11. Clearly visible arc a pair of rectangular openings 27 and 28 which define cylinder recesses with the body 11. The upper edge of the openings 27 and 28 define ledges which prevent the withdrawal of the weapon upward. The sides of the body 11 are mechanically biased in and against the cylinder of the revolver by spring 24 which is a modified U shape. The spring is stitched between the body 11 and liner 18 with one leg on each side of the front opening. The double L shape of the spring 29 allows the lower portion of the spring to flex outward nearly as easily as the top and provides a nearly uniform resistance to opening throughout its length.

The three point mounting of the belt loop assembly 12 is accomplished with the three screw fastners 21, 22 and 23 and their benefit illustrated in FIG. 6. In this figure the barrel is shown just before leaving the holster 10. The tip of the barrel emerges from the holster in the area adjacent to the three fasteners. In fact the barrel muzzle emerges generally along a line passing through the triangle formed by the fasteners 21, 22 and 23. Therefore any frictional forces C applied to the body by the muzzle arc transferred by the fasteners to the belt loop assembly (unshown in FIG. 6).

Likewise if the adversary attempts to remove the officer’s revolver by drawing the weapon upward, the features of the invention of my copending application prevent its withdrawal and the forces D applied to the holster body 11 arc transferred directly to the belt loop assembly. Again such forces applied generally through the triangle formed by the fasteners 21, 22 and 23, and the holster remains stable on the officer’s belt. This stability is enhanced where as shown in the drawing the triangular array of fasteners has sides generally paralleling the top and front openings. The transfer of forces between the holster and belt loop assembly and ridigity in the belt loop assembly is obtained through the use of a steel insert 40 and mating plate 41. The insert is stitched between outer and inner layers of the belt loop while the plate 41 is secured as by cement or glue between the inner and outer layers of the holster body. The insert 40 has the offset 42 which defines the shape of the belt loop assembly. With insert 40 and plate 41 in place and secured together by fasteners 21, 22 and 23 through their respective holes the holster and belt loop becomes a unitary rigid assembly.

One additional feature is also apparent in the case of an attempted removal of the revolver upward and away from the body. The holster body 10 is free within limits to move outward from the wearer’s body by flexing of the belt loop assembly without opening of the holster. This feature is the result of the low mounting of the holster body with respect to the belt loop assembly, the spring metal insert in the belt loop assembly and the rigid connection by the fasteners between the holster body and the belt loop assembly.

Above I have described my improved holster employing a rigid belt loop having an offset and secured below the centerline of the holster body. The belt loop is secured by a plurality of fasteners, such as rivets, so placed that they each transmit forces between the belt loop assembly and the holster body without any tipping or rotating movement occuring upon insertion or removal of the revolver.

The above-described embodiments of this invention arc merely descriptive of its principles and are not to be considered limiting. The scope of this invention instead shall be determined from the scope of the following claims, including their equivalents.