Abstract:
A handgun holster permits sideward extraction of the weapon, and engages with the central portions of the handgun without regard to accessories mounted to the front or beneath the barrel. The holster has a main element which engages the central region of the pistol in a snap fit between two opposed arms. Lateral projections extend from the back wall to restrict the side-to-side displacement of the gun and two resilient flaps extend around the engaged gun, providing additional retention, and covering the on/off switch of any flashlight accessory. The main element is connected to a mounting assembly to permit the main element to be set at any desired angular orientation with respect to the mounting assembly. The mounting assembly has two expandable parts with opposed flanges which permit mounting to either a conventional belt, or to a series of webbing pockets, such as in the military&#39;s PALS webbing attachment system.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to devices for mounting a handgun to a user for ready access. 
     The handgun is a weapon conventionally employed by public safety officers and military personnel in the line of duty. It is also carried by civilians for purposes of self-defense. In order to be readily available to project force when needed, the handgun must be supported on the user in a convenient and accessible fashion. A wide range of belt-mounted handgun holsters are known, as well as holsters supported by other rigs to facilitate concealed carry. A typical handgun holster may have a cup-like receptacle for the weapon. Such a holster requires the handgun to be withdrawn upwardly, requiring that the region above the holster be kept clear of other equipment or accessories. Moreover, vertical draw can be hampered by enclosed situations, and may increase the time required to bring the firearm into action. 
     Handguns may be provided with optional accessories such as flashlights, laser sights, and suppressors, which attach beneath or forward of the gun&#39;s barrel. In many cases, specialized holsters are required to accommodate the handgun with an attached accessory. 
     What is needed is a handgun holster that can readily accommodate firearms with or without accessories, and which permits convenient extraction of the weapon without requiring a vertical draw. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The handgun holster of the present invention permits sideward extraction of the weapon, and engages with the central portions of the handgun without regard to accessories mounted to the front or beneath the barrel. The holster has a nylon main element which engages the central region of the pistol in a snap fit between two opposed arms which project from the back wall of the main element and which are terminated by detents. Two lateral projections extend from the back wall to restrict the side-to-side displacement of the gun within the holster. Two resilient flaps extend from the main element and are connected to each other to extend around the engaged gun, providing additional retention, and covering the on/off switch of any flashlight accessory mounted to the gun. The main element is connected with an array of sector-shaped projections to a similar structure on a mounting assembly, to permit the main element to be set at any desired angular orientation with respect to the mounting assembly. The mounting assembly has two expandable parts with opposed flanges which permit mounting to either a conventional belt, or to a series of webbing pockets, such as in the military&#39;s PALS webbing attachment system. 
     It is a feature of the present invention to provide a pistol holster which allows a user to access the gun without having to draw the gun upward. 
     It is another feature of the present invention to provide a pistol holster which accommodates handguns with or without front mounted accessories such as flashlights and suppressors. 
     It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a pistol holster which provides a cover when not in use for the switch on a light mounted to the pistol, to restrict inadvertent activation of the light. 
     It is an additional feature of the present invention to provide a pistol holster which can attach to either a belt or PALS webbing. 
     It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide a pistol holster which allows the pistol to be mounted at a desired rotational position. 
     It is also a feature of the present invention to provide a pistol holster in which the rotation may be set by adjustment of only a single bolt. 
     Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded isometric view of the handgun holster of this invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the holster of  FIG. 6 , taken along section line  2 - 2 , in a closed configuration. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the holster of  FIG. 2 , shown in an open configuration with the handgun exploded therefrom. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear elevational view of the main element of the holster of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded rear elevational view of the mounting assembly of the holster of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the holster of  FIG. 1  in an open configuration, partially broken away, with the engaged handgun shown in phantom view. 
         FIG. 7  is an isometric view of the mounting assembly of  FIG. 5  connected to a conventional PALS (Pouch Attachment Ladder System) webbing of a modular pouch attachment system element of military protective gear. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring more particularly to  FIGS. 1-7 , wherein like numbers refer to similar parts, a holster  20  for a pistol  22  is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , and  6 . The holster  20  is comprised of a retention assembly  24  which engages the pistol in a snap fit, and a mounting assembly  26  which is connected to the retention assembly at a selected orientation and which permits the holster to be mounted to a belt or a PALS webbing array. 
     The retention assembly is comprised of a plastic main element  28 , best shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 , to which a resilient main flap  30  and secondary flap  32  are mounted. The main element  28  is preferably formed of nylon, which is desirably resilient and lubricious, and which resists compression set and is less likely to be worn away by repetitive insertion and removal of the firearm. The main element is formed to be as stiff as possible without requiring an unacceptable amount of force to remove the gun. The stiffer the part, the more effectively it retains the gun. 
     The main element  28  is designed to accommodate a particular firearm, with engaging structure particularly suited to the dimensions and configuration of that weapon. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the main element  28  has a back wall  34  which extends vertically. A first arm  36  extends frontwardly from the back wall  34 , and a second arm  38  extends frontwardly from the back wall at a location spaced below the first arm. The first arm  36  is terminated by a first detent  40  and the second arm is terminated by a second detent  42 . The detents  40 , 42  extend towards each other across a gap  44 , as shown in  FIG.2 . The first arm  36  and the second arm  38  are deflectable to engage in a snap fit with the handgun, which can be passed through the gap  44 . The first arm first detent  40  engages at the top of the pistol along the upper corner of the slide  46 , while the second arm second detent  42  engages beneath the trigger guard  48  of the pistol  22 . This engagement holds the pistol  22  to the main element  28  of the holster  20 , and restricts the up and down displacement of the weapon. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 , the engaged pistol is restrained from side-to-side displacement by structures which protrude outwardly from the main element  28 . Although these structures might engage various parts of the firearm, in the illustrated embodiment, it is the pistol trigger guard  48  which is engaged. Because the trigger guard  48  rigidly extends from the pistol frame  50 , by limiting movement of the trigger guard, the entire pistol&#39;s position is restrained. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the main element has a first side  54  on the left, and an opposite second side  56  on the right. A first lateral projection  52  extends outwardly from the main element  28  at a location spaced between the first arm and the second arm, and positioned between the first side and the second side. The first lateral projection  52  is generally in the shape of a truncated oval, and is configured to conform to the shape of the rear portions of the opening of the trigger guard  48 . The second lateral projection  58  extends outwardly from the main element  28  at a location spaced laterally from the first lateral projection so as to engage portions of the inserted firearm&#39;s trigger guard  48  between the first lateral projection and the second lateral projection. The second lateral projection  58  takes the form of an upwardly extending lip extending from the first side  54  of the main element alongside the second arm  38 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the narrow, lower left portion of the pistol trigger guard  48  is engaged between the first lateral projection  52  and the second lateral projection  58 , thereby restraining the side-to-side displacement of the pistol from the holster. 
     It should be noted that the second lateral projection  58 , being mounted on the somewhat flexible second arm  38 , is subject to deflection if sufficient force is applied. Thus the holster displays the desirable property of holding the pistol securely in ordinary use, but permitting the pistol to be withdrawn rearwardly if needed. 
     The second side  56  of the main element is clear of lateral projections, thus providing no interference to additional accessories that might be attached to the pistol beneath the gun barrel  59 . 
     A supplementary restraint for the pistol  22  is provided by the flaps  30 ,  32 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The flaps  30 ,  32  are preferably formed of a high durometer TPR (thermoplastic rubber) such as Santoprene® material manufactured by Exxon Mobil Corporation. The flaps  30 ,  32 , although sufficiently stiff to lock the gun clip closed, are still flexible enough to withstand the large deflection required to bring them from the full open position to a full closed and snapped shut position. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the main flap  30  has a protuberant upper bead  60  which is received within a frontwardly facing channel  62  which extends adjacent the upper portion of the first arm  36 . The channel  62  allows the bead to be inserted from one side, and is closed at the opposite end. 
     The main flap  30  extends along an upper ramp  64  formed in the first arm  36 , and passes over the first detent  40  and downwards to overlie the second arm  38  in a closed position, as shown in  FIG. 2 . A first part of a two-part fastener, such as the stud  66  of an easy action snap fastener, is attached to the free end  68  of the main flap  30 . The main flap  30  may be formed with a semicylindrical bulge  70 , as best shown in  FIG. 1 , to effectively cover portions of a protruding flashlight accessory  72  mounted beneath the barrel  59  of the pistol  22 , such as the Surefire X400™ flashlight manufactured by SureFire, LLC of Fountain Valley, Calif. The main element  28  is formed with a corresponding recess  73  opposite the bulge  70  to provide clearance for the flashlight. 
     The secondary flap  32  has a bead  74  which is received within a channel  75  formed in the back wall  34  of the main element  28 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The secondary flap  32  hangs down from the main element, but extends over the second arm  38 . The secondary flap may have the second part of a two part fastener, such as the socket  76  of a snap fastener. The main flap  30  can thus be engaged with and snapped in place with the secondary flap  32  to releasably fasten the first resilient flap to the second resilient flap in a closed configuration. The two-part fastener retains the first resilient flap fixed to the second resilient flap to restrict the movement of a gun engaged with the main element from movement away from the main element back wall. The connection of the flaps  30 ,  32  between the first arm  36  and the second arm  38  also helps to retain the pistol within the holster  20  by preventing the separation or spreading of the arms sufficiently to disengage the detents from the gun. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the secondary flap has a tab  80  which protrudes outwardly beyond the snap fastener, and which provides a convenient access to the secondary flap for separating the two-part fastener. The molded shape of the secondary flap is such that it will extend downwardly from the holster main element  28  when it is in an undistorted condition, as shown in  FIG. 3 . This molded-in shape gives the secondary flap  32  a natural “spring action” which allows it to clear the way for extracting the pistol when the snap fastener is released. The main flap  30  also has a molded-in shape, as shown in  FIG. 1 , which causes it to spring upwardly when the snap fastener is released. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the accessory flashlight  72  may have a light switch  78  in proximity to the trigger guard  48 . Thus the overlapping flaps  30 ,  32 , not only help to retain the pistol in the holster, they also serve to prevent inadvertent access to the light switch  78  by the user or by contact with environmental objects. It is very desirable to avoid unintentionally turning on the light, both to avoid depleting the flashlight&#39;s battery, and to avoid calling attention to the user in a conflict situation. 
     Although a flashlight  72  is shown mounted to the pistol, other accessories such as a suppressor or a laser targeting device could also be mounted to the pistol and still accommodated in the holster  20 . 
     The extraction of the pistol  22  from the holster  20  is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The holster design permits a user to access the gun without having to draw the gun upward. An upward draw can sometimes be difficult under certain conditions such as seated in a vehicle. Furthermore, by extracting the weapon from the holster along a line which extends perpendicular to the back wall,  34 , the user is not limited in what equipment can be carried directly above the handgun. To remove the pistol, the user flicks the protruding tab  80  with his index or middle finger, thereby releasing the two-part fastener and allowing the natural “spring action” molded into the flap to swing it out of the way. Then, gripping the pistol grip in the usual fashion, all that is required is a simple pull or rotation of the gripped pistol about a generally horizontal axis to flex the main element of the holster, freeing the pistol from the detents on the first and second arms, and allowing the pistol to be pulled free of the holster. To insert the handgun  22  into the retention assembly  24 , the handgun is inserted into engagement with the detents. At least one of the detents is then deflected as the handgun  22  passes through the gap  44  into the main element  28 . For example, the pistol may be set into place with the trigger guard engaged within the lower, second detent  42 , and then pivoted about a horizontal axis to engage against and deflect the first detent  40  leading to the secure engagement of the pistol with the holster  20 . 
     The retention assembly  24  of the holster  20  is adjustably connected to the mounting assembly  26  for attachment of the holster to a belt or a PALS webbing array. As best shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5 , the mounting assembly is comprised of an inner part  82  slidably connected to an outer part  84 . A T-nut  86  is held in place to the outer part  84  within a vertical slot  88  by a self-locking external retaining ring  90 , and is fastened to the main element  28  by a fastener  92  such as a socket button head screw with a washer  94 . The mounting assembly inner part and outer part  82  are preferably molded in a glass filled nylon for increased stiffness. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 5 , the inner part  82  and outer part  84  of the mounting assembly  26  each are provided with two hook-like flanges which enable the holster to be connected to horizontal belts of various widths, or to a PALS webbing array. The outer part  84  has a first projecting flange  96  spaced across a flange gap  98  from a second projecting flange  99 , both flanges pointing downwardly. The inner part likewise has a first projecting flange  100  spaced across a flange gap  102  from a second projecting flange  104 . The inner part flanges  100 ,  104  extend upwardly towards the outer part flanges  96 ,  99 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the inner part  82  has upwardly extending side rails  106  that project sidewardly from a body  108 . The side rails  106  are received within upwardly extending guide channels  110  which project from a body  112  of the outer part  84 . The mating of the rails  106  within the channels  110  allows the inner part  82  to engage with the outer part  84  in a telescoping relationship. The outer part  84  body  112  has two parallel protruding strips of serrations  114  which face and engage with two parallel recesses of similar serrations  116  on the inner part body  108 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The mating serrations allow the telescoping inner part and outer part to be positioned at any desired spacing of the flanges. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the inner part body has portions defining an array  118  of frontwardly projecting generally sector-shaped projections. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the main element  28  back wall  34  has a rearwardly facing array  120  of rearwardly projecting generally sector-shaped projections which can mate with the inner part array  118  in a variety or orientations. The slot  88  extends upwardly through the mounting assembly outer part  84  body  112 . The slot  88  is positioned between the outer part first flange and second flange. The T-nut  86  extends through the slot  88  and connects to the fastener  92 , which passes through a hole  97  in the main element  28  and a hole  101  in the inner part  82  thereby connecting the mounting assembly to the holster main element in a selected rotatable orientation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the mounting assembly may connect the holster  20  to a conventional belt  124 , for example one encircling the waist of the user. By loosening the fastener  92  the inner part is made adjustable with respect to the outer part, and the user may choose the flange spacing to suit a particular belt. Moreover, the orientation of the retention assembly with respect to the mounting assembly may be adjusted. Once the spacing and orientation of the parts is as desired, the fastener  92  is secured and the parts are locked in place. To more comfortably conform to a user&#39;s waist, the portions of the mounting assembly which face the belt may be formed to be concave, with a curvature as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The mounting assembly, in addition to cooperating with a belt  124 , may affix the holster  20  to a grid of straps, such as the Pouch Attachment Ladder System or PALS grid of webbing used to attach smaller equipment onto load bearing platforms, such as vests and backpacks, and those used in the MOLLE packs employed by the US military. As shown in  FIG. 7 , a conventional PALS grid  126  has horizontal rows  128  of one-inch webbing which are spaced one-inch apart. Each web is sewn to the backing at 1.5-inch intervals to define a sequence of loops  130  which are closed sidewardly, but are open upwardly and downwardly. The mounting assembly  26  can be adjusted to bring the outer part  84  flanges  96 ,  99 , downwardly into two loops  130  of an upper row  128 , with the gap  98  between the flanges  96 ,  99 , coinciding with the seam between two loops. The inner part flanges  100 ,  104 , extend upwardly into the loops on a lower row  128 . Thus it will be observed that the same mounting assembly  26  can attach the holster  20  to a horizontally extending belt, or to loops which open vertically. 
     It is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.