Abstract:
A handgun carrier is provided for suspending a handgun. The handgun carrier has a grip to be affixed to a frame of the handgun. A garment attachment device extends from the grip for attaching to a piece of apparel and suspends the handgun from the piece of apparel to a natural body depression formed in a groin area being a junction of a lower torso and upper thigh.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The invention relates, generally, to handgun carriers, and more specifically, it relates to a handgun carrier supported by a garment of the carrier and conceals a handgun.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Many handgun holsters and harnesses strive for ready accessibility of the weapon that they carry. Unfortunately, they often sacrifice concealability in the process. There are many instances, such as in civilian clothed security personnel, undercover police personnel and the like, where it is desirable to conceal and disguise the presence of a handgun by use of a concealment system or holster. Traditional holsters and harnesses, concealed or visible, have often been bulky, uncomfortable to wear, and still do not achieve total concealment.  
         [0005]     A principal object is to facilitate the complete concealment of a handgun, upon ones person. For the purposes of the invention, complete concealment shall mean that a handgun being carried upon ones person is not visible to the casual observer. Furthermore, the handgun is totally hidden from view and is undetectable whether or not the user is wearing a coat or other type of outer garment to cover it. Civilians, law enforcement officers, and military personnel possess and use handguns as a result of personal choice, occupational specialty, or necessity. Most often, when a handgun is deployed, it is carried or transported by a pistol case, or as it is commonly referred to: a holster. Traditionally constructed holsters tend to be objects that are visible when in use and are generally attached or affixed to wearing apparel, or some portion of the torso.  
         [0006]     The state of the art, for methods of concealing a handgun, include but is not limited to: the “Hip-Grip” handgun handle-holster, and the “Belt Clip” frame mounted clip. Both of the aforementioned devices offer a high level of quality in construction and design, and both are superbly crafted after market items; nevertheless, what each of the aforementioned devices lack is the ability to completely conceal a handgun.  
         [0007]     In an armed encounter, conditions may exist wherein the total concealment of a handgun would present a distinct tactical advantage over a handgun that is visible and being carried in a holster. A tactical disadvantage would certainly exist when a handgun is only partially concealed on the body and the weapon is clearly visible. Ones ability to produce and subsequently use a handgun, which has gone unnoticed, and that is concealed from view, until it is needed, could be the difference between life and death in a live fire scenario.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,938 to Wakefield teaches a handgun grip plate appendage for securing a handgun to a belt. The grip plate of the handgun is replaced by a specially manufactured grip plate that has an appendage for attaching to a belt or trousers. An alternative embodiment shows a fastening device that is placed over an existing grip or body of the gun. In all of the embodiments in Wakefield, the handgun is held right at the waistband. Although, the Wakefield device visibly conceals the handgun, the outline of the gun can be seen through the trousers or garment. In addition, the Wakefield taught device would not be compatible with revolver type handguns that are generally bulkier than automatics.  
         [0009]     In summary, handgun concealment has always been constrained by the increased bulk of any system that is added to the handgun making the “print through” or outline of the concealed handgun obvious.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a handgun carrier, which overcomes the herein-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type, which provides greater concealment of the weapon and is ideal for revolver type handguns.  
         [0011]     With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a handgun carrier for suspending a handgun. The handgun carrier has a grip to be affixed to a frame of the handgun, and a garment attachment device extending from the grip for attaching to a piece of apparel and suspending the handgun from the piece of apparel to a natural body depression formed in a groin area being a junction of a lower torso and upper thigh. The handgun carrier thus suspends the handgun well below the garment line and nestles the handgun in a natural depression formed by the lower body at the intersection of the lower abdomen and the upper thigh (e.g. the inguinal or groin depression).  
         [0012]     In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the grip has a storage track and the garment attachment device is stored in the storage track in a stored position. The garment attachment device has an elongated portion and a hook end extending from the elongated portion. The hook end engages the piece of apparel when the garment attachment device is in an extended position. Preferably, the garment attachment device is formed of metal. Ideally, the elongated portion has a first cut-out and the hook end has a second cut-out. The cutouts make the attachment device lighter, more concealable and easier to store. Furthermore, the garment attachment device has a grip point for assisting in moving the garment attachment device from the stored position to an extended position. The storage track has an access hole that receives the grip point and provides greater access to the grip point. Because of the storage track configuration, the bulkiness or thickness of the concealment system is minimized by being totally contained in the grip structure of the handgun.  
         [0013]     In accordance with another feature of the invention, a hinge plate having a hinge sleeve is connected to the grip. A portion of the garment attachment device is housed in the hinge sleeve and functions as a hinge pin. The hinge sleeve and the hinge pin define a hinge, and the hinge allows the garment attachment device to articulate between the stored position and an extended position. The hinge allows the garment attachment device to articulate in both an X-direction and a Y-direction. The hinge has an axis that biases an angle between a surface of the grip and an angle of a center of gravity of the handgun. In this manner, the garment attachment device can both be conveniently stored in the grip when it is in the stored position and hang the handgun from its center of gravity when it is in the extended position.  
         [0014]     In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the grip includes a plate formed of a flexible material and the plate biases the hook end to remain in the stored position when the hook end is in the storage track.  
         [0015]     In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the grip is formed to fit a revolver.  
         [0016]     Other characteristic features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0017]     Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a handgun carrier, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.  
         [0018]     The construction of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is an illustration a handgun being suspended by a handgun carrier according to the invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic, frontal, perspective view of the handgun carrier;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic, rear, perspective view of the handgun carrier;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic, side, perspective view of the handgun carrier;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic, rear-elevational view of the handgun carrier; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic, top plan view of the handgun carrier. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0025]     Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to  FIG. 1  thereof, there is shown a handgun  1  attached to a waist support  2  of an individual  3  by a handgun carrier  4  according to the invention.  
         [0026]     For improved concealment, the invention uses a natural contour depression of the human body  3  and specifically the handgun  1  is concealed in a natural depression formed in a groin area at a juncture of the lower abdomen or trunk and the upper thigh of the individual  3 . Because of the natural depression, the handgun  1  is carried in a more concealed fashioned by the handgun settling into the natural depression. In addition, more bulky types of handguns, such as revolvers, can now be carried less visibly.  
         [0027]     Because the invention dispenses with holster type harnesses, it reduces a thickness of the handgun carrier, and provides a self-contained handgun carrier  4  having a simplistic configuration and construction. The self-contained handgun carrier  4  is integrated into and is a permanent part of the handgun  1 .  
         [0028]     As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the handgun carrier  4  has a garment attachment device  5  formed of a hook end  6  and an elongated portion  7  configured to suspend the handgun  1  significantly below the belt line and to lie within the groin depression providing ultra concealability and at the same time allowing a user to wear a shirt or blouse tucked in behind the belt. When in the open or extended position, as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the hook end  6  faces out or away from the wearer and allows secure suspension from a belt, pants or other garment when positioned on the garment. Both the elongated portion  7  and the hook end  6  have cut-outs  21 ,  22  for saving weight and a reinforcing member  23  separating the cut-outs  21 ,  22  (see  FIG. 2 ).  
         [0029]     The self-contained handgun carrier  4  has a two-piece grip  10  integrated into and is a permanent part handgun  1 . The grip  10  is ideally made of a plastic, rubber, composite or compounds thereof. The grip  10  replaces the original grip of the handgun  1  and attaches to the frame of the handgun  1  as did the original grip. The grip  10  is formed from two-parts  12 ,  18  held together by a grip pin  11  fitting into a slot in the original handgun frame. The grip pin  11  is held in a reinforcement plate  16  made of metal for providing a strong extended point for the grip pin  11 . It is to be understood that the grip  10  replaces the original grip of the original handgun and uses the frame and connection openings in the frame of the handgun.  
         [0030]     Formed in a right-side piece  12  of the grip  10  is a depression or storage track  13  for receiving and storing the garment attachment device  5 . The depression  13  has a hook-end depression part  14  for receiving the hook end  6  and an access hole  15 . The access hole  15  stores a grip point  8  of the garment attachment device  5 . The access hole  15  allows fingertip access to the grip point  8  to pull out the garment attachment device  5  from the stored position and place it in the extended position. The left-side part  18  of the grip  10  does not contain the depression  13  and is simpler in contour and is thinner than right-side part  12  of the grip for increased concealment and is only shown in outline form in  FIG. 5  as it can be of any desired shape. Of course, the depression  13  could symmetrically be formed in the left-side part  18  of the grip  10 , if desired. It should be noted that this asymmetrical configuration does not interfere with the use of the handgun  1 .  
         [0031]     The handgun  1  may be fired with the garment attachment device  5  in the stored position or the extended position. When in the stored position, the contour of the grip  10  is smooth with the garment attachment device  5  being hidden and aligned with an axis of the grip  10 .  
         [0032]     A hinge sleeve  20  is secured to the grip  10  by a suspension bolt  21  as best seen in  FIG. 4 . The hinge sleeve  20  houses a portion of the garment attachment device  5 , which functions as a hinge pin, and allows the garment attachment device  5  to articulate between the stored position and the extended position (i.e. the extended position being shown in  FIGS. 1-6 ). An axis of the hinge sleeve  20  biases an angle between a surface of the grip  10  and an angle of a center of gravity of the handgun. This allows the hook end  6  of the garment attachment device  5  to fall within the depression  13  in the stored position and still articulate to a center line of the center of gravity of the handgun when in the extended position and hanging from the garment. The handgun therefore hangs vertically from a suspension point but is also rotated in alignment with the groin depression. In other words, the choice of the axis of the hinge sleeve  20  allows an articulation in both x and y directions (rotation). Additionally, the flexibility of the hinge permits the suspended handgun  1  to flex and move with the carrier. As shown best in  FIG. 1 , the flexible connection provided by the hinge sleeve  20  allows the handgun to stay in the groin depression as the wearer walks, runs, sits, or stays stationary and improves comfort and concealment. The self-contained handgun carrier  4  holds the handgun  1  much lower than prior art devices and allows the handgun a greater degree of concealment in the nature depression formed by the groin area. The groin area prevents the outline of the handgun from forming on a surface of the covering garment such as a pair of pants or a skirt.  
         [0033]     Accomplishing the proper tilt of the axis of the handgun to match or bend with an axis of the natural depression formed in the groin area is hereby accomplished. As noted above, the hook end  6  of the garment attachment device  5  is mounted on an offset axis (hinge axis) that changes the vector or direction of the hook end  6  to obtain the proper suspension axis providing maximum concealment when in the extended position. But the axis or vector direction changes when the hook end  6  is moved to the stored position and is nestled in the storage track  13  within the grip  10 . The hyperflexibility of the hinge allows for free and easy movement of the handgun, in and out and left or right, to follow the groin depression as the wearer stands, moves or sits. This prevents the prior art problem of “print through” of the handgun outline for maximum concealability. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the axis of the hinge  20  is specifically chosen to be a bisect of the hook end  6  in its extended position and the hook end  6  in the stored position. Thus allowing the hook end  6  to rotate as it is moved from the secured position to the extended position and vise versa. This allows the hook end  6  to be secured in the grip  10  and at the same time to allow the handgun to be suspended in the groin depression with the proper orientation.  
         [0034]     The grip  10  may be formed with concave upper shoulders  30  that help to conceal the outline of the handgun. The shoulders  30  extend out from the handgun and press against the garment and thus obscure the shape of the handgun. The shoulders  30  extend out about ½ inch from the handgun but can be anywhere for ¼-1¼ inches. In addition, only one shoulder may be present.  
         [0035]     The handgun carrier  4  is a self-contained suspension system with an axis change, as regards the movement of the garment attachment device  5 , that allows complete encasement within the grip  10  in a stored position and at the same time allowing a changing in direction of the garment attachment device  5  as it transverses for the stored position to the extended position. The change in position allows absolute perpendicular suspension along the center of gravity of the handgun that allows the carrier to move and at the same time allows the handgun to maintain its concealed position in the groin depression.  
         [0036]     The handgun may be carried on either side with the left side generally giving maximal concealment.  
         [0037]     Ideally, the grip  10  is formed minimally larger than the original handgun grip. The grip  10  is held in place by the previously noted grip pin  11  and by the hinge bolt  21  and associated nuts. The hinge bolt  21  in held in a hinge plate  19  being purposefully disposed at a heel of the grip  10 .  
         [0038]     The reinforcing plate  16  is of a two-piece construction that holds a downward bias on the garment attachment device  5  when it is in the stored or closed position. A second part  17  of the reinforcement plate  16  being formed of a flexible material such as rubber or an elastic plastic for putting a biasing force on the hook end  6  when it is in the stored position.  
         [0039]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the handgun carrier on the handgun  1 .