A multi-faceted photographer's vest (10) includes a half of a typical camera strap (12) extending from the right shoulder area, and a half of a typical camera strap (14) extending from the left shoulder area. Each camera strap half (12),(14) has a material end (16),(18) that is sewn or stitched to the vest (10) in the right and left shoulder areas, respectively, so that they are permanently and securely attached thereto. Each camera strap half (12),(14) also has a free end (20),(22) that lays approximately mid-torso, on the right and left sides, respectively, of a vest wearer (24). The free end (20),(22) of each camera strap half (12),(14) is attached to a camera (42) in a typical manner. The vest (10) also provides several pockets and compartments (44),(62) for storing photography related accessories and other items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to garments having permanently affixed 
article carrying means and, more particularly, to a vest specifically 
designed to permit a wearer to conveniently and comfortably carry cameras, 
camera acoessories, and other photography related articles. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Garments providing permanent means for carrying or securing various 
articles are generally known within a respective variety of arts. For 
example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,272,852 and 4,273,216 each disclose garments 
that provide straps which are permanently sewn or stitched thereto. In 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,852, the straps are used for removably securing a 
knapsack to either the front or the rear of the garment. In U.S. Pat. 
4,273,216, the straps are used for securing a line to the garment for 
purposes of safety. It is clear that both of these garments were 
specifically designed for the purpose of performing their respective 
particular functions. 
Within the arts of photography and cinematography, those closest to that of 
the present invention, it is generally known to provide a strap or harness 
for carrying or supporting a camera, camera accessories, and other 
photography related articles. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,091,974, 
4,125,211, 4,298,149, and 4,158,490 all address various methods of 
employing a strap or harness for carrying or supporting a camera. A brief 
description of these prior art methods is now given. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,974, a camera harness is disclosed that includes a 
collar strap which extends over the shoulders of a user, and an elastic 
band that is threaded through slots in the collar strap so as to be 
arrangeable under the armpits of the user and to be fastenably joined by 
its ends on the back of the user. Such a harness seeks to spread the 
weight associated with carrying one or more cameras that are attached to 
the harness across the user's shoulders and back, thereby relieving neck 
strain that is commonly incurred when one or more single camera straps are 
used. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,211, a camera strap is disclosed which is capable of 
carrying multiple camera units. The camera strap includes two shoulder 
portions whose front ends extend over the shoulders of a user so as to 
allow the multiple camera units to be attached thereto, and whose rear 
ends converge toward one another on the back of the user. The camera strap 
also includes an elastic back portion which has its upper end connected to 
the two shoulder portions where they converge, and its lower end attached 
to the user's pants or belt. The elastic back portion keeps the camera 
strap below the neck of the user, which acts to prevent neck strain that 
commonly occurs when one or more single camera straps are used. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,149, a body harness is disclosed that is 
specifically designed to be used by a motion picture or a television 
Cameraman. The body harness provides support for a single motion picture 
or television camera and its associated components, and is beneficial in 
that it distributes the weight of such an apparatus on the hips and 
shoulders of a user. 
Lastly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,490, a body harness similar to the one 
described immediately above is disclosed. This body harness also seeks to 
distribute the weight of a motion picture or television camera on the hips 
and shoulders of a user. 
Although all of the above-mentioned prior art methods provide certain 
desired benefits in the context of carrying or supporting one or more 
cameras, particularly with respect to stress and strain on a user's body, 
none provide any storage capability for accessories that are commonly used 
with cameras or photographic equipment in general, such as extra lenses, 
spare film, and the like. Furthermore, the above-described garments, 
besides also lacking storage capabilities for accessories, are described 
as having a full upper body length. Such full length garments often lack 
the mobility that is required for certain photographic events. It is 
therefore desirable to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned 
prior art, while providing a convenient and practical means for carrying 
cameras, camera accessories, and other photography related articles. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention contemplates a photographer's vest that is 
specifically designed to permit a wearer to conveniently and comfortably 
carry cameras, camera accessories, and other photography related articles. 
Such a vest is constructed from a standard photographer's or fisherman's 
vest having a plurality of pockets and compartments for accessory storage. 
The vest typically has a half upper body length so as to provide a wearer 
with essentially unrestricted mobility, which is often required for 
certain photographic events. The vest may be fabricated from a variety of 
materials, although materials that are waterproof or made to be water 
and/or soil resistant are generally preferred. 
On the front of the vest just below the right shoulder area there is 
attached a material end of a half of a typical camera strap. Also, on the 
front of the vest just below the left shoulder area there is attached a 
material end of a half of a typical camera strap. The material end of each 
camera strap half is sewn or stitched to the vest so that they are 
permanently and securely attached thereto. Furthermore, each camera strap 
half extends down over the chest area of the vest, whereby a free end of 
each camera strap half lays approximately mid-torso with respect to the 
vest wearer. The free end of each camera strap half is attached to a 
camera in the typical manner. 
The construction of the present invention photographer's vest acts to 
spread the weight associated with carrying the camera across the wearer's 
shoulders and back, thereby relieving neck strain. Also, the present 
invention vest provides numerous pockets and compartments for accessory 
storage. It should be noted that additional camera strap halves may be 
similarly attached to the vest to allow a second or even a third camera to 
be conveniently and comfortably carried. 
From the above descriptive summary it is thus apparent how the present 
invention photographer's vest overcomes the shortcomings of the 
above-mentioned prior art. 
Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a 
convenient, comfortable, and practical means for carrying cameras, camera 
accessories, and other photography related articles. 
Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed 
description and claims, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings 
which are appended hereto.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a front view of a present invention 
photographer's vest 10 having a half of a typical camera strap 12 
extending from the right shoulder area, and a half of a typical camera 
strap 14 extending from the left Shoulder area. Each camera strap half 
12,14 has a material end 16,18 that is sewn or stitched to the vest 10 in 
the right and left shoulder areas, respectively, so that they are 
permanently and securely attached thereto. Each camera strap half 12,14 
also has a free end 20,22 that lays approximately mid-torso on a right and 
left side, respectively, of a vest wearer 24. 
The free end 20,22 of each camera strap half 12,14 is engaged with a strap 
length adjuster 26,28, whereby a loop 30,32 is formed with the free end 
20,22 of each camera strap 12,14. Each loop 30,32 secures a spiral ring 
34,36 that mates with a carrying loop 38,40 on a camera 42. Such mating 
between the carrying loops 38,40 and the spiral rings 34,36, or between 
the camera 42 and the camera strap halves 12,14, in general, are common in 
the photographic arts. 
The photographer's vest 10 is shown with several pockets or compartments 44 
for storing accessories such as extra lenses, spare film, and Other 
photography related items. The pockets or compartments 44 can be made 
specifically for holding certain items or they can be made in general 
sizes. Also shown in FIG. 1 are two D-shaped rings 46,48. These rings 
46,48 are secured to the vest 10 by way of two material loops 50,52, which 
are sewn or stitched to the vest 10 in a manner similar to the camera 
strap halves 12,14. The D-shaped rings 46,48 can be used to carry any 
frequently used camera accessories. 
The photographer's vest 10 is further shown with a snap fastener 54 that is 
used to secure the vest 10 to the wearer 24. The snap fastener 54 is 
comprised of a male component (not shown) and a female component 56 that 
mate together when they are aligned and pressure is applied thereto. The 
female component 56 is attached to a piece of material 58, which is itself 
attached to the left side of the vest 10. The piece of material 58 is sewn 
or stitched to the vest 10 in a manner similar to the camera strap halves 
12,14. The male component is attached to the right side of the vest 10 
and, when mated with the female component 56 (as shown in FIG. 1), is 
positioned under the female component 56. It should be noted that there 
are many alternative means of securing the vest 10 to the wearer 24, such 
as a zipper or buttons. These alternative means are generally known within 
the art and are not critical to understanding the concept of the present 
invention. 
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a rear view of the present invention 
photographer's vest 10 with a zipper 60 extending across its width. When 
the zipper 60 disengaged (open), access is allowed to a large compartment 
62 within the vest 10. This large compartment 62 can be used to store a 
variety of photography accessories and other items, although it is usually 
used to store such accessories and items that are not frequently required 
by the wearer 24 due to the awkward location of the compartment 62 with 
respect to the wearer 24. Also shown in FIG. 2 is a D-shaped ring 64. This 
ring 64 is secured to the vest 10 by way of a material loop 66, which is 
sewn or stitched to the vest 10 in a manner similar to the camera strap 
halves 12,14. The D-shaped ring 64 can be used to carry any number of 
camera accessories or other items, although, like the rear compartment 62, 
such accessories and items are those not frequently required by the wearer 
24 due to the awkward location of the ring 64. It should be noted that the 
D-shaped ring 64 can also be used to hang the vest 10 when it is not being 
used. 
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown a right side view and a left 
side view of the photographer's vest 10, respectively, with the pockets 
and compartments 44 and the D-shaped rings 46,48 and the material loops 
50,52 removed for figure clarity. These views are shown to illustrate how 
the vest 10 is most conveniently constructed. As shown there is a right 
front material section 66, a left front material section 68, and a rear 
material section 70. The right front material section 66 is attached to 
the rear material section 70 by sewing or stitching along a seam 72 and 
along a seam 74. The left front material section 68 is attached to the 
rear material section 70 by sewing or stitching along a seam 76 and along 
a seam 78. It should be noted that the camera strap halves 12,14 can be 
attached either at the seams 72,76, as shown, or just below the seams 
72,76 on the front material sections 66,68, respectively. 
Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a front view of a present invention 
photographer's vest 80 having an alternate embodiment to that of the vest 
10 shown in FIG. 1. This photographer's vest 80 has several pairs of 
camera strap halves 82,84,86 extending from the right and left shoulder 
areas. Such an embodiment is desirable if a wearer 88 needs to carry 
several cameras. The positioning of the pairs of camera strap halves 
82,84,86 are shown to be offset down the front of the vest 80. However, 
the pairs of camera strap halves 82,84,86 may be overlapped, or a single 
pair of camera strap halves yielding three pairs of free ends may be 
alternatively employed. Other aspects of the photographer's vest 80 shown 
in FIG. 5 are similar to those shown in FIG. 1, and therefore are 
numerically identified as such. It should be noted, however, that although 
three pairs of camera strap halves 82,84,86 have been shown in FIG. 5, any 
reasonable number may be alternatively employed. 
Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a front view of a present invention 
photographer's vest 90 having an alternate embodiment to that of the vests 
10,80 shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. This photographer's vest 90 provides quick 
release buckles 92,94 along the camera strap halves 12,14, respectively, 
thereby connecting upper 96,98 and lower 100,102 portions of the camera 
strap halves 12,14, respectively. Both quick release buckles 92,94 are 
comprised of male and female components which snap together to form the 
entire camera strap halves 12,14, respectively. The orientation of the 
quick release buckles 92,94 are reversed with respect to each other such 
that one of the lower portions 100,102 of the camera strap halves 12,14 
has a male component while the other has a female component, and one of 
the upper portions 96,98 of the camera strap halves 12,14 has a female 
component while the other has a male component, respectively. Thus, when 
the quick release buckles 92,94 are unsnapped, a quick release buckle 104 
comprised of the male and female components from the lower portions 
100,102 of the camera strap halves 12,14 may be created, as shown in FIG. 
7. By snapping together the male and female components from the lower 
portions 100,102 of the camera strap halves 12,14, a conventional camera 
strap 106 is formed with the quick release buckle 104 at its center. This 
embodiment of the present invention photographer's vest 90 provides a user 
the benefit of practical versatility with respect to the carrying of 
cameras. It should be noted that the other aspects of the photographer's 
vest 90 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are similar to those shown in FIG. 1, and 
therefore are numerically identified as such. 
The photographer's vests 10,80,90 shown and described above may be 
fabricated from a variety of materials or blends of materials. 
Furthermore, the material of these vests 10,80,90 may be waterproof or 
made to be water and/or soil resistant for outdoor use. Since most 
photographer's vests are used both indoors and outdoors, vest materials 
that are waterproof or made to be water and/or soil resistant are 
generally preferred. 
With the present invention photographer's vests 10,80,90 now fully 
described it can thus be seen that the primary objective set forth above 
is efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the 
above described vests 10,80,90 without departing from the scope of the 
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above 
description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as 
illustrative and not in a limiting sense.