Abstract:
A security holster for semi-automatic handguns in which a locking tag secures the handgun in the holster by engaging the ejection port of the handgun. The locking tab enters the ejection port from the top side of the handgun.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority date of the provisional application entitled Top Lock Security Holster filed by Mike Lowe on Oct. 23, 2006 with application Ser. No. 60/854,057. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to generally to an apparatus for securing a handgun in a holster, and more particularly to a top lock security holster. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Some security holsters are designed primarily for law enforcement officers. For security holster designs for law enforcement officers, the main considerations are easy accessibility and retention in the face of an assault by a criminal. For these purposes, the inventor&#39;s previous security holster utilizes a finger tube, which is built into the shroud around the security holster, to protect access to the handgun release mechanism. By the use of this finger tube, a police officer has enhanced control over his weapon, and the assailant will find it very difficult to gain access to the officer&#39;s weapon. 
         [0004]    The aforementioned device is an injection molded article constructed primarily of plastic or other suitable material. The manufacture of the device requires the construction of a mold for the device and tooling of an assembly line. The cost of establishing a manufacturing site for the aforementioned device is a significant expense for the manufacturer of the device and comprises a large portion of the final cost of the device when sold to law enforcement officials. 
         [0005]    Law enforcement personnel inherently have either left or right hand dexterity which necessitates the manufacture of both left and right handed security holsters. Constructing both left and right handed security holsters for law enforcement personnel previously required tooling a manufacturing facility with both left and right security holster molds and assembly processes. Thus, significant additional expense is encountered when manufacturing the aforementioned device in configurations for both left and right handed law enforcement personnel. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The device is a security holster for an automatic handgun. Automatic handguns conventionally are constructed with a handle, barrel, trigger mechanism, and a shell ejection port on one side of the top of the weapon. The security holster conforms to the design of a conventional automatic handgun by holding the forward barrel portion within a sleeve of the holster and holding the handle of the hand gun in the rear portion of the holster. The holster contains a locking mechanism that securely holds the handgun in the holster by a locking tab that engages the ejection port of the weapon. The locking tab located within the interior surface of the holster engages the ejection port on the top of the handgun. The locking tab is inserted into the ejection chamber from the top of the handgun. In order to remove the handgun from the holster, the locking tab is removed from the ejection port of the handgun by activating a release tab on one side or the other of the holster body. Actuating the release tab moves the locking tab to the top of the weapon and out of the ejection port. One construction of the holster allows user to release the locking tab by actuating the release tab with a digit of the right hand. Another construction of the holster allows user to release the locking tab by actuating the release tab with a digit of the left hand. Another construction of the holster enables the holster to be configured so that the release tab may be actuated by a digit of the left or right hand of the user. 
         [0007]    The security holster is designed such that one or more engagement features are present within the holster to allow operation by the user&#39;s right hand in one configuration, the user&#39;s left hand in another configuration, or a version of the holster which may be configured for use by either a left handed or a right handed user. What all these configurations have in common is that the locking tab moves upward toward the top surface of the handgun to release the handgun. This is in contract to other security holsters in which the locking tab basically enters the ejection port from the side. The holster can contain both left and right hand engagement features so that the release mechanism may be mounted for actuation by a digit of either the left or right hand. 
         [0008]    When the release tab is oriented for use on the right side of the holster, the user may release the locking tab by actuating the releasing tab with er his right index finger or left thumb. When the release tab is oriented for use on the left side of the holster, the user may release the locking tab by actuating the releasing tab with er his left index finger or right thumb. 
         [0009]    The locking tab may be incorporated into a locking assembly, including a swing arm, engagement features, and the locking tab. The engagement features are provided for functional engagement of actuation devices, such as finger trays, thumb trays, and release levers. The swing arm may be attached to the front or rear of the holster body, of generally in the middle of the holster body. A version attaches to the front of the holster body, and the swing arm presses the locking tab toward the ejection port. Another version attaches to the inside of the holster body, and the swing arm may be a v or u shaped spring which presses the locking tab toward the ejection port. 
         [0010]    The locking tab mechanism of the holster is attached to the holster by a swing arm attached to a spring or a flexible member mounted on the top of the holster body above the handgun. Alternatively, the swing arm may be mounted to the inside surface of the holster body top. This swing arm may pivot either forward or rearward of the locking tab. When the handgun is inserted into the holster, the locking tab is designed to move aside and admit the handgun to the holster. 
         [0011]    The security holster of the invention utilizes a locking tab which drops into place into the ejection port of a semi automatic pistol. In its broadest concept, this security holster utilizes a locking tab which is actively moved from an open position to a closed position, and while in the closed position it engages in the ejection port of the handgun. The locking tab is moved out of engagement with the handgun by use of several different methods. For a left handed user, the release mechanism which engages the index finger of the left hand on the left hand side of the gun would lift the locking tab out of engagement with the ejection port. Alternately, the left handed user could utilize the thumb of his left hand on the right hand side of the hand gun to activate a simple lever which lifts the locking tab out of engagement with the ejection port. 
         [0012]    The options for lifting the locking tab out of the ejection port for a right handed user are similar. The right handed user could use the index finger of his right hand on the right side of the hand gun which would lift a lock release block as the finger was inserted into a finger tray or finger channel. The lock release could be lifted by insertion of the finger, or it could require a lateral movement of the finger in order to lift the lock release. The right handed user could also utilize the holster in a configuration so that the thumb of his right hand, on the left hand side of the handgun activated a lever which either by pushing down or pushing up on the lever would lift the locking tab out of the ejection port. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  shows one version of the top lock security holster of the invention in which the locking tab is attached to a bar on the top of the holster body. The front of the bar is attached to a holster body at a hinge, and thus the back part of the bar could be raised and lowered from the hinge.  FIG. 1   a  is a top view of the security holster of the invention which shows projections sticking out from the locking tab on both the right and the left sides which can be utilized for engagement with a release lever or a finger lock release. An advantage of this design is that a single mold could be used to make an ejection molded holster of this design, and after molding, the holster could be configured for either left or right handed users. This would eliminate the need to make a separate mold for left and right handed users.  FIGS. 2 and 2   a  are other views of the security holster of the invention, with  FIG. 2   a  showing the concept of lifting the release tab from the left hand side of the gun either by a left hander&#39;s index finger or by a right hander&#39;s thumb.  FIG. 3  is a view from the rear of the holster showing a hand gun engaged in the holster.  FIG. 4  is a view of the right side of the holster showing the locking tab engaged in the ejection port of the holster. The finger release could be configured so that it is generally over the region of the trigger guard, or could also be configured so that it is positioned closer to the ejection port, depending upon the preference of the user.  FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the top lock security holster, showing the locking tab in place in the ejection port area of the security holster.  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 6   a  are views of a different version of a top lock security holster. In this version, the locking tab still drops vertically in place into the ejection port of the hand gun. Its hinging and hinge and spring mechanism are different in this version however, as the spring and hinge is attached to the holster body above the ejection port rather than being hinged from the front of the holster body. In this version the locking tab is attached to a generally v-shaped spring, with one arm of the spring attached to the holster body and one arm of the spring attached to the locking tab. As the hand gun is inserted into the holster the locking tab is pushed upward until the depression formed by the ejection port is directly below it, at which time it drops into place into the ejection port as shown in  FIG. 5   a . As with the earlier version shown, the ejection port could be lifted by the thumb or finger of either the left or right hand.  FIG. 7  shows another view of this alternative version of the top lock security holster.  FIG. 8  shows another view of this alternative version of the top lock security holster. A commonality with all of these versions is that the ejection port is engaged by an actively moving locking tab, and the locking tab moves vertically in and out of the ejection port. The locking tab can operate with a rebounding device, or without a rebounding device. 
         [0014]    The purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the public, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
         [0015]    Still other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description describing preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive in nature. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the security holster of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is top view of a security holster of the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the security holster of the invention 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a top cut away view of the security holster of the invention 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a front view of one version of the security holster of the invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the security holster of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the release assembly of the invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a hand gun with only the release assembly  50  show positioned on the hand gun. 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  is a side cute away view of one version of the security holster of the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 10  is a detail view of the release assembly one version of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0026]    While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. 
         [0027]    In the following description and in the figures, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The use of “or” indicates a non-exclusive alternative without limitation unless otherwise noted. The use of “including” means “including, but not limited to,” unless otherwise noted. 
         [0028]    Several preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in  FIGS. 1 through 10 .  FIG. 1  shows the security holster  10  of the invention. Also shown in  FIG. 1  is the handgun  12  which has handle  14 , a barrel  16 , and an ejection point  18 . The ejection port  18  is shown better in other figures. The security holster  10  includes a holster body  20 . The holster body  20  includes a top side  22 , a left side  24 , a right side  26 , a bottom side  28 , a forward end  30  and a rearward end of the holster body  32 . Typically the holster body is wrapped by an outer cover to cover the mechanical working of the security holster, and the outer cover of the holster is omitted in the figures, as it is not essential to the working of the holster. 
         [0029]    The security holster  10  includes a locking tab  34 . The locking tab  34  in the version shown in  FIG. 1  is attached to a swing arm  36 , which is attached to the security holster  10 , and is configured to rotate or bend away from the security holster  10 . When the swing arm  36 , with its attached locking tab  34  moves away from the ejection port  18 , the handgun  12  is free to be withdrawn from the security holster  10 . The version of the security holster  10  shown in  FIG. 1  includes an engagement feature  38 . The engagement feature shown in  FIG. 1 , is a post, which extends slightly above the surface of the security holster  10 . The engagement feature  38  is provided so that a release tab, (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) can engage the engagement feature and lift the locking tab  34  away from engagement with the ejection port  18 . 
         [0030]    The advantage of the design shown in these figures is that one security holster can be made which can be modified to fit either left or right handed users. When building an ejection molded security holster for hand guns, the hand gun&#39;s external surface configuration must be closely adhered to by the inside of the security holster, so any particular hand gun fits in the security holster with sufficient accuracy that it has a snug fit and is not loose, but moves freely in and out of the security holster  10 . One way to accomplish this is to have a different ejection mold for the left and the right hand holster. Since each mold is very expensive, this doubles the production cost. The security holster  10  of the invention addresses that problem by providing one security holster  10  which can be modified after it is ejected molded, so it can be operated with either a left or a right handed user. 
         [0031]    The present invention may also be a security holster made for left or right handed users, but which has the locking tab enter the ejection port from the top. This has advantages in that the holster can be made thinner, and the locking tab entering from the top may allow a quicker release of the handgun. 
         [0032]    The swing arm  36  and the locking tab  34  are common to both right and left handed security holster  10 . However, additional features such as a release tab  40  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) can be added to either the left or the right side, to configure the security holster  10  of the invention for either right or left handed use. 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the same security holster  10  as shown in  FIG. 1  and shows the engagement feature  38  on both the left and right side of the security holster  10 . These are attached to the swing arm  36 , and the locking tab  34  is also attached to the swing arm  36 . This view shows the locking tab  34  engaged in the ejection port  18  of the handgun  12 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the same version of the holster shown the swing arm  36 , a hinge  42 , the locking tab  34 , the release tab  40  and the ejection port  18 . An outline is shown of a thumb tray  44  which could be mounted on either the left or the right side of the security holster  10  to enable a right or left hand user to enable his thumb to engage the engagement feature  38 , and lift the locking tab  34  out of the ejection port  18 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  shows another view of the device, which shows a finger tray  44  positioned on the left side  24  of the security holster  10  and an engagement with the engagement feature  38  to lift the locking tab away from the ejection port  18 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  shows another view of the security holster  10  showing the left and right engagement feature  38  with a different structure for lifting the swing arm  36  away from the top of the security holster  10 . This is a release lever  48  which could be configured to be activated by a user&#39;s thumb or a figure and could be positioned on the left or the right side of the handgun  12 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  shows another design of the swing arm  36 , in which the engagement feature  38  is in a slightly different configuration. The engagement feature can also be a threaded hole, a hole into which a closed fits, or any kind of mounting structure to which a thumb tray, finger tray or release lever may be operatively attached. The swing arm  36  and the engagement feature  38  shown in  FIG. 6  form a release assembly  50 , which includes a locking tab  34 , which is not fully visible in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  is a view of the release assembly  50 , with the handgun  12  and the rest of the holster body removed, to more clearly show how the release assembly  50  functions. 
         [0039]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of this particular embodiment of the security holster  10 , with the swing arm  36  clearly visible, one of the two engagement features  38  also visible, and the locking tab  34  and the ejection port  18  shown. 
         [0040]      FIG. 9  is another preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the swing arm  36  is in the form of a “v” or “u” shaped spring  52 . The spring  52  is attached to the inside inner surface of the holster body  20 . There is sufficient room between the top of the handgun  12  and the top inside surface of the holster body  54 , so that when the handgun  12  is inserted into the security holster  10 , the locking tab  34  which is on the end of the v-shaped spring  52 , is forced out of the way by the handgun  12 . As the handgun  12  is further inserted into the security holster  10 , when the ejection port  18  is aligned with the locking tab  34 , the locking tab  34  is pressed into the ejection port  18  by the v-shaped spring  52 . This position is shown in  FIG. 10 , and in this position the handgun  12  cannot be withdrawn from the security holster  10  until the locking tab  34  is lifted from engagement with the ejection port  18 . This is accomplished by use of the engagement features  38 , which can be provided on either side of the locking tab  34 , and can be functionally connected to a thumb tray, finger tray or release lever on either the right or the left side. 
         [0041]    The invention also includes a holster made for right handed users in any of these configurations, in which the locking tab  34  is raised directly upward form the top of the handgun  12 . 
         [0042]    While there is shown and described the present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.