Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Peace officers and other personnel that carry side arms, such as pistols or revolvers, and whose uniforms include tunics, jackets and like garments, are frequently placed in positions of danger when unable to readily draw such weapons from their holsters because the latter and the weapon therein are covered over by the skirt of such a garment. While the field of use may be more general, the present invention has especial importance in the field including the military, policemen, and peace officers, generally.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
It is known to provide holsters with attaching means that hang from the trousers belt of the user. One such holster is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,098, but shows nothing that would enable the holster and its weapon to be disposed outside the skirt of the tunic or jacket for the ready accessibility such as is afforded by applicant's construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises, in combination with a generally conventional pistol holster 5 or the like, of a hanger device 6 attached to the side 7 of said holster that, in use, is in contact with or adjacent to the wearer's side when said hanger device is connected to the user's trousers' belt or to any other means, such as suspenders or portions of the wearers trousers serving the same purpose. The hanger device 6 is so formed that its upper, unattached end is spaced from the holster side 7 affording a space into which the skirt of an outer garment, worn by the user, is adapted to extend, thereby leaving the holster and pistol therein exposed for ready and facile access to the latter.
It is an object of the invention to provide a holster that when suspended from the trousers' belt of the user or any other means serving the same purpose of a trousers' belt, is so spaced from the belt as to freely accommodate the skirt of an outer garment worn over the belt.
Another object is to provide a holster, as above characterized, having belt-engaging means that is substantially rigid and, therefore, form-retaining.
This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.
The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description, which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following specification merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.
In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the side of a pistol holster that is adjacent the user or wearer, the same showing the present improvements.
FIG. 2 is an edge view as seen from the right side of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the elements comprising the trousers belt loop means of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The holster 5 may be variously constructed, the same having an open top through which the handle and the trigger and guard of a pistol or similar weapon, disposed in the holster, is adapted to project so said weapon may be withdrawn, as required. The sides of said holster may be substantially flat, as shown, or may be provided with an outer bulges to accommodate the cylinder of such a weapon if of the revolver type.
The hanger device 6 is formed to have a lower portion 8 that is attached to the holster side 7, as by stitching 9, an intermediate portion 10 extending angularly upwardly and laterally outwardly from said holster side 7, and an upper portion 11 formed as a flattened loop and extending upwardly in parallel-spaced relation to said holster side from the intermediate portion 10. It will be seen that a space 12 is formed between the holster side 7 and the portions 10 and 11 said space being open at its upper end and at both sides.
With more particular reference to FIG. 3, it will be seen that said hanger device 6 comprises a length of material 14, of which leather is typical, a stiffener 15 of sheet metal, and a leather piece 16 that covers the upper end 17 of the stiffener.
The member 14 is elongated and bent intermediate its ends to form a bight 18 that divides said member into an inner portion 19 and a somewhat longer outer portion 20. The ends of said portions are skived, as shown.
The stiffener 15, somewhat narrower than the member 14, is bent intermediate its ends to form a bight 21 that divides said member into an inner portion 22 that is coextensive with the lower end of the leather portion 19, and an outer, longer portion 23 of which the upper end 17 is part. Said leather portion 19 extends between the stiffener portions 22 and 23, as shown in FIG. 3.
One or more rivets 24 fixedly fasten the stiffener portion 23 to the lower end of the leather part 19, and stitching 25 along the side edges and the upper edge of the cover piece, secure the same to the upper portion of the part 19, thereby enclosing the mentioned end 17 of the stiffener.
The described assembled hanger device 10 has all or part of the stiffener portion 22 introduced through a slit in the outer wall of the holster side 7, as shown in FIG. 2, so the same resides between the double wall of said side. Thus, when the stitching 9 is applied the lower portion 8 of device 6 is firmly affixed to the holster. Suitable bends are formed in the stiffener portion 23 between said portion 8 and the portion 10, and between the portion 10 and loop portion 11 to provide the unattached portions of device 6 with the space-defining disposition described above and which is adapted to accommodate the lower or skirt portion 26 of an outer garment of the character above mentioned, when hung from the trousers' belt 27 by the loop portion 11.
While the present construction provides the hanger device both a loop for a trousers belt, the portion 11 may be otherwise formed as with ties, snap fasteners, buttons or button holes to connect with suspenders, belt loops, or any other such means to retain trousers in place.
While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.