Abstract:
The invention generally concerns the field of the accessories for fire-arms with which police officers, military men, private armed surveillance services and the like are equipped, More precisely the invention is directed to a system for connecting a holster or also a similar accessory to different wearing harnesses for carrying said holster or accessory. The support comprises a base plate, rotating disc to which the holster is fastened, locking means to releasably fix the disc in a selected angular position, and lever means pivotal with the plate for providing an abutment to said disc that prevents its separation from the plate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a 371 of PCT/IB2012/051970, filed Apr. 19, 2012, which claims the benefit of Italian Patent Application No. FI2011A00080, filed Apr. 20, 2011, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention generally concerns the field of the accessories for fire-arms with which police officers, military men, private armed surveillance services and the like are equipped. More precisely the invention is directed to holsters for housing guns, and even more specifically it regards a system for connecting a holster or also a similar accessory such as a magazine holder, a VHF radio set, a dagger, to different wearing harnesses for carrying said holster or accessory, including thigh straps, belt loops, breast straps, and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is to be understood that in the present description reference will be made for the sake of simplicity to a holster, being it clear that the invention can be applied in a completely analogous manner to any other of the above mentioned accessories. Similarly, even if reference will be made to the connection of the holster to a waist belt, the invention clearly encompasses the engagement with other harnesses, including those already mentioned, but also fixed holders applied to a furniture item such as a table, or to an inner wall face of a vehicle and so on. 
     As known, the holsters used by soldiers, guards, police officers etc. are applied to the service belt through a connection loop. European patent EP1479998, owned by the present applicant, discloses a fastening device for a holster ensuring a wide range of adjustment to the position of the holster adapting to the user&#39;s needs. The device comprises a loop for engagement with the belt, provided with a slide that permits to set the vertical displacement of the holster with respect to the same belt. The loop is connected to a holster attachment via an articulated joint allowing for an adjustment of the slant of the holster closer or farther to the body of the user about an axis tangential to the waist, while the same attachment permits to adjust the inclination of the holster with respect to the plumb line about a radial axis (i.e. substantially orthogonal with the user body surface). To this latter purpose the holster attachment comprises a connection plate housing a disc to which the holster is screwed. The disc can be rotated within the plate, in order to adjust the inclination of the holster, overcoming the resistance of locking means that in normal use conditions prevent the rotation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to provide a holster support which, without jeopardizing the fundamental characteristic of a strong and safe connection for the holster, allows for an easy adjustment of the inclination of the same holster, and at the same time permits a comfortable and simple separation of the holster for connecting the same to other different supports. 
     This object is achieved with the holster support according to the present invention, having the essential features defined by enclosed claim  1 . Other important features are encompassed by the dependent claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features and advantages of the holster support according to the invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, which is given merely by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the holster support according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the holster support of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a diametrical cross section of the holster support taken along line III-III of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view, rotated by 90°, of the holster support; 
         FIG. 5  s a diametrical cross section of the holster support taken along line IV-IV of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view of the holster support with parts removed in order to more clearly show some construction details; and 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the support connected to a holster, the latter being represented only partially. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the above figures, the holster support according to the invention comprises a plate, generally indicated at  1 , to be fastened, through screws  4 , to a loop or other external attachment means, not shown, permitting to carry/wear the holster in different positions. Such external attachment means or harness may thus include a thigh strap, a breast strap, a loop for engagement with the waist belt, etc. The support further comprises a disc, generally indicated at  2 , having a central axis X, coupled with the plate  1  so that the axis X results in a central position also with respect to the plate. The disc  2  is adapted to be connected with a holster F via screws  3  as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The plate  1  consists of a substantially annular flange  10  with an inner wall  11  from which a base  12  of the plate  1  extends over a plane orthogonal with the axis X. A seat  13  is defined by the base  12  for housing the disc  2 . A radial recess  14  is also formed in the flange  10  for accommodating a lever push-button  15 , elastically hinged, via a pivot  16  and a spring  17 , to side walls of the recess  14  outside the seat  13 . The pivoting axis of the push button  15  is therefore parallel with the plane of the disc. In a diametrical symmetry with respect to the recess  14 , two windows  18  are formed in the wall  11  through which two radial tabs  19   a  project towards the common center of the plate  1  and of the disc  2 . The radial tabs are integrally carried by the ends of respective levers  19  arranged inside housings  21  of the flange  10  and pivotally connected, via pivots  20 , to the plate  1  with elastic means (springs, not shown in the drawings) hindering the pivoting. 
     The disc  2  has in turn an annular shape and comprises an inner ridge  22  and a peripheral flat rim  23 . The above mentioned seat  13  of the base  12  of the plate is delimited by a circumferential step  13   a  over which the rim  23  of the disc  2  rests. It is to be noted that in this condition the rim portion  23  is arranged between the step  13   a  and the radial tabs  19   a  that exert an abutment and stop action on the same portion in a direction substantially parallel with the axis X and thus orthogonal with the plane over which the disc  2  generally lies. The levers  19  are kept in this condition by their elastic means, in the absence of an external operation and, as a consequence, the disc  2  is stably secured to the plate  1 . In spite of that, the friction of the flat rim portion  23  on one side with the step  13   a  and on the other side with the flange  10  is such, though exerting a certain resistance, is not such to prevent the rotation of the disc  2  around the axis X. In order to improve the stability of the coupling between the disc  2  and the plate  1  the flange  10  provides, at the diametrically opposed side with respect to the recess  14 , three inwards radial protrusions  24 , and the flat rim portion  23  of the disc  2  is blocked between these protrusions and the step  13   a.    
     In correspondence with the recess  14  the base  12  and the step  13   a  are broken by an opening  25  (visible in  FIG. 6 ) through which a tooth  15   a  of the push-button  15  projects within the seat  13 . A plurality of cavities  26  is formed over the side of the flat rim portion  23  of the disc  2  facing the step  13   a , the cavities being angularly spaced in a regular fashion along the periphery, and being each adapted to engage with the tooth  15   a . When this latter engagement occurs, any possibility of rotation of the disc  2  about the axis X is locked, whereas pushing the button  15  as indicated by the arrow F 1  in  FIG. 3 , the tooth  15   a  is released from the cavity  26  with which it was engaged, allowing for the rotation of the disc  2  without however causing the detachment from the plate  1 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , the base  12  has a polar array of angularly equally spaced holes  27  for engagement with the screws  4  that permit to fasten the support according to the invention to a belt loop or other accessory. Since the screws are normally to be arranged on three vertexes of an equilateral triangle (this being required by the external attachment means or harness), it is preferable that, as in the example, the holes  27  are spaced by 30° (or other lower integer submultiples of 120°), so that it is possible to adjust the angular position of the button  15  and of the levers  19 , depending on the user&#39;s requirements, choosing for the engagement of the screws  4  an appropriate group of three holes  27  mutually angled at 120°. 
     As a result of the rotation of the disc  2 , to which the holster is fixed, carried out as described, it is possible to vary the inclination of the holster itself, locking it in the chosen position by means of the engagement of the tooth  15   a  in one of the cavities  26  formed in the disc  2 . Since the cavities  26  are provided along the whole development of the flat rim portion  23 , the inclination adjustment can be carried out in both directions of rotation throughout 360°. 
     The holster inclination adjustment step can be carried out without being it necessary to detach the holster from the support. Whenever this is instead required, it is sufficient to push radially the free ends of the levers  19 , as indicated by the arrows F 2  of  FIG. 4 , to make the tabs  19   a  at the other ends under the flange  10  of the plate  1  withdraw outwards, permitting to lift the disc on one side so as to disengage the flat rim portion  23  at the opposite side from the protrusions  24 , and finally to remove the disc  2  from the plate  1 . 
     The above description makes it clear that the objects of the invention are fully attained. The holster support according to the invention permits in fact to rotate the disc  2 , and then the holster secured thereto, to a desired position throughout an angle of 360° without making it necessary to remove the holster. It is furthermore possible to arrange the plate  1 , with the rotation-locking button  15  and with the disconnection preventing levers  19 , in the desired position by choosing the appropriate holes, for the insertion of the screws  4  securing the plate  1  to the external attachment means or harness, chosen from the array of holes  27  of the base  12  of the same plate  1 . 
     Variants and/or modifications can be brought to the holster support according to the present invention, without departing from the scope of the invention itself as defined by the following claims.