Abstract:
A quick release device for preventing unwarranted withdrawal of a hand gun from a holster, comprising a thumb actuated hood translatably fixed with respect to and rotatable about a fixed axis between a rearward position overlying the holster opening and a forward position removed therefrom.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to side arm holsters, and is concerned in particular with a quick release device for preventing unwanted withdrawal of the side arms from such holsters. 
     BACKGROUND DISCUSSION 
     Military personnel and law enforcement officers frequently carry side arms contained in holsters. The holsters may be fabricated from various materials, including leather, hard plastics, fabrics, etc. 
     Various devices are employed to secure the side arms against unwanted withdrawal. For example, some devices rely on straps secured by snaps. However, snaps generally function in only one direction, lack durability, are easy to foul, and are difficult to replace when worn or damaged. 
     Some hard plastic holsters have button activated locks which engage the trigger guard of the side arm. This allows easy access to the grip of the weapon, but requires movement of the trigger finger to actuate the release button. The location of the release button is not adjustable to accommodate different sized hands, and it may also be difficult to operate the release on this style of holster while wearing gloves. Moreover, requiring movements of the trigger finger to deactivate the lock could be dangerous if any such movements continue into the draw action and engage the trigger. 
     Other devices, such as for example the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,660 employ a rotatable hood. In its locked position, the hood covers the grip of the side arm. In order to withdraw the side arm from the holster, the hood must first be pushed downwardly to bodily translate it to an unlocked condition, followed by forward rotation to clear it from the grip of the side arm. A drawback with this type of mechanism is that it can be unlocked and rotated open by an inadvertent downward and forward impact against the prominently positioned hood/strap, or worse by a frontal assailant grabbing at the side arm with a “raking” motion. 
     When withdrawing a side arm restrained by this device, the marksman&#39;s hand must land on the top of the hood, push it down and forward then reach back to grip the side arm and draw it out of the holster. This two step procedure is suboptimal when the marksman is confronted with an urgent situation. Another, perhaps faster, procedure is to grip the butt of the side arm and place the thumb on a land fashioned into the side of the hood. To draw the side arm, the thumb first pushes the land down to draw the hood downward into the unlocked position, and then the thumb drives the hood forward, rotating it free of the weapon. This draw method is also suboptimal because the palm of the hand is pulled awkwardly away from the grip of the side arm as the thumb is used to drive the hood forward into the disengaged position. Although the hand remains, generally, in closer proximity to the grip of the side arm, the marksman must still shift the palm of the hand back down to re-grip the side arm, compromising the stability of marksman&#39;s hand at this critical moment. 
     Also, this device positions the pivot point of the hood directly beneath the hood. With this arrangement, the leading edge of the hood moves downwardly as it begins its forward rotation from its location in vertical aligmnent with the pivot point. If the side arm is not fully inserted into the holster and is thus in contact with the hood, the side arm must first be pushed further down into the holster to create enough clearance for the hood to start its rotation. 
     Many known hood retention devices are restricted in application to rigid or semi-rigid holsters. These types of holsters also typically use screw-type clamping devices to establish a fixed amount of frictional retention to stabilize the side arm in the holster when the hood is in the unlocked position. Rigid or semi-rigid holsters are more expensive to produce than those constructed of sewn fabrics and typically are custom contoured to fit only one make/model of a side arm. However, holsters constructed with flexible sewn fabrics do not have the stability to mount easily operated mechanical weapon retention devices. 
     Generally stated, the objective of the present invention is to provide an improved quick release device for preventing unwarranted withdrawal of a side arm from a holster which avoids or at least significantly mitigates the above described problems associated with known side arm retention devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A quick release device in accordance with the present invention is designed for use with a holster having an opening through which a side arm is inserted into and removed from the holster pocket. The device comprises a generally U-shaped hood having mutually spaced legs spanned by a bridge. The legs are arranged to straddle exterior sides of the holster, with the hood being translatably fixed with respect to and rotatable about a fixed axis. The hood is rotatable between a rearward position at which the bridge overlies the holster opening to prevent withdrawal of the side arm, and a forward position removed from the holster opening to permit withdrawal of the side arm. 
     At least one plate is fixed with respect to an exterior side of the holster at a location adjacent to one of the hood legs. The plate defines a slot bordered by an edge leading from a locking notch to a stop. 
     A shaft projects from the one hood legs into the slot. The shaft is shiftable with respect to the one hood leg and within the slot. A spring or the like serves to resiliently urge the shaft into the locking notch when the hood is in its rearward position, with the interengagement of the shaft in the locking notch serving to lock the hood in place. 
     A thumb actuated mechanism is provided for shifting the shaft out of the locking notch and forwardly along the slot edge to the stop to thereby effect rotation of the hood to its forward position. 
     Preferably, the shaft comprises the axle of at least one rotatable wheel with the wheel serving as the thumb actuated mechanism. 
     Advantageously, the fixed axis of rotation is located forwardly of the locking notch, and the slot edge extends from the locking notch to the stop in a direction angularly away from the axis of rotation. 
     The quick release device of the present invention may further comprise a generally U-shaped saddle having arms straddling and fixed to the exterior sides of the holster, with the legs of the hood being mounted on the saddle arms for rotation about the fixed axis. 
     Preferably, the one leg of the hood is sandwiched between two plates, with each plate defining one of the slots, and with the slots having aligned edges, locking notches and stops, and with the shaft projecting into both slots. 
     These and other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a side arm holster with a quick release device in accordance with the present invention showing the hood in its locked rearward position preventing withdrawal of the side arm; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear elevational view of the holster; 
         FIG. 3  is front elevational view of the holster; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged partially broken away side elevation of the quick release device; 
         FIG. 5A-5C  are diagrammatic illustrations showing successive movement of components of the quick release device during movement of the hood from its rearward locked position to its forward position; 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the holster with the hood in its forward position clearing the way for withdrawal of the hand gun from the holster; and 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  are enlarged horizontal sectional views taken respectively along lines  7 - 7  and  8 - 8  of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to the drawings, a typical soft-sided side arm holster  10  has an open upper end  12  through which a hand gun  14  may be inserted into and removed from the holster pocket. A quick release device  16  in accordance with the present invention comprises saddle  18  extending across the front of the holster, with arms  20   a ,  20   b  received and fixed in pockets  22  on each side of the holster. 
     A generally U-shaped hood  24  has mutually spaced legs  24   a ,  24   b  spanned by a bridge  24   c . The legs  24   a ,  24   b  are arranged to straddle the holster, and are mounted on the saddle arms  20   a ,  20   b  by means of screws  26  or the like for rotation about an axis “A”. The hood  24  is thus translatably fixed with respect to and rotatable about axis A between a rearward position (as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 ) at which the bridge  24   c  overlies the holster opening  12  to prevent withdrawal of the hand gun  14  from the holster, and a forward position (as shown in  FIG. 6 ) at which the bridge is removed from the holster opening to permit withdrawal of the hand gun. 
     At least one and preferably two plates  28  are fixed with respect to the holster at locations adjacent to and sandwiching one of the hood legs  24   a  therebetween. The plates  28  are mirror images of each other, and are fixed with respect to each other by one of the screws  26  and by a companion fastener  30 . 
     As can be best seen in  FIG. 7 , a retaining strap  32  is secured at one end by one of the screws  26  and extends around notches  34  in the rear edges of the plates  28  where it is fastened by screws  36  or the like to one of the arms  20   a  of the saddle  18 . The plates  28  are thus fixed with respect to the saddle  18  which in turn is fixed with respect to the holster  10 . A companion strap  38  extends from the other arm  20   b  of the saddle  18  to the screw  26  providing rotatable support for the other leg  24   b  of the hood  24 . 
     Each plate  28  defines a slot  40  partially bordered by ramp-like edge  40   a  leading from a locking notch  40   b  to a stop  40   c  in a direction angularly away from the rotational axis A. As can be best seen in  FIG. 4 , the hood leg  24   a  defines a slot  42  extending transversely with respect to the slot edges  40   a  in the plates  28 . 
     As shown by reference to  FIGS. 4 and 8 , a shaft  44  extends across slot  42  and projects into the slots  40  of both plates. The shaft  44  preferably serves as the axle of at least one and advantageously two thumb engageable wheels  46 . 
     A tube  48  is retained within the slot  42  in the hood leg  42   a . The tube contains a pin  50  loaded by a spring  52 . The pin  50  serves to resiliently urge the shaft  44  into the locking notch  40   b  when the hood  24  is in its rearward position. The interengagement of the shaft with the locking notch serves to lock the hood in its rearward position. 
     The releasable locking mechanism of the present invention is positioned with respect to the side of the holster such that when the butt of a hand gun is gripped, the marksman&#39;s thumb “T” as shown in  FIG. 5A , can readily access and engage the wheels  46 . 
     Then, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the wheels can be pressed against the resilient force of the spring  52  to move the shaft  44  out of the locking notch  40   b . Once out of the locking notch, and as shown in  FIG. 5C , the shaft can be moved along the slot edge  40   a  to the stop  40   c , with an accompanying rotation of the hood  24  about axis A to its forward position, as shown in  FIG. 6 . As this occurs, the wheels  46  rotate in a clockwise direction to allow the thumb T to descend toward an optimal gripping position against the butt of the firearm. Clockwise wheel rotation also allows the thumb to drive the hood  24  forwardly without lifting the marksman&#39;s palm from the butt of the firearm. 
     As can be best seen in  FIG. 4 , the rotational axis A of the hood  24  is displaced forwardly of the locking notch  40   b  by a distance “d”. As the hood is rotated to its forward position, its bridge  24   c  rotates upwardly away from the hand gun, thus avoiding or at least minimizing any contact that would interfere with hood rotation. Additionally, with this spatial arrangement, any attempt to rotate the hood forwardly without first dislodging the shaft  44  from the locking notch  40   b  will only result in the shaft being urged more securely in the locking notch. 
     Also, because the hood is translatably fixed with respect to the rotational axis A in its rearwardly locked position, downward and forward impact either inadvertently by the wearer of the holster or purposely by a frontal assailant will be ineffective in releasing the hood from its securely locked position. 
     Because the slot edge  40   a  extends angularly away from axis A, once the shaft  44  is dislodged from the locking notch  40   b , the resilient force of spring  52  now co-acts with the slot edge to urge the shaft  44  towards the stop  40   c . In effect, this produces a snap action of the hood into its forward position. When securing a hand gun in the holster, the hood  24  need only be rotated back to its locked position. The angular orientation of the slot edge  40   a  will serve to gradually compress the spring  52  as the shaft  44  moves along the slot edge until it is eventually snapped into the locking notch  40   b.