LOAD-BEARING VEST OVERLAY JACKET

A load-bearing vest overlay jacket (“overlay jacket”) is an overgarment configured to be joined with and fastened to a load-bearing vest (“tactical vest”) so that an open front area exists between the front left and front right of the overlay jacket, permitting a user's access to equipment on the tactical vest. Thus, the overlay jacket may provide uniform, comfortable body temperatures in colder weather, to include arm warmth and upper torso warmth, as a function of either optionally-insulated sleeve and/or torso regions of the overlay jacket, or of torso warmth provided by the tactical vest underlying the overlay jacket.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the present invention relate, in general, to outerwear, and more particularly to professional protective garments.

The Figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the sizes of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the sizes of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

DESCRIPTION

Overview

A load-bearing vest overlay jacket (or “overlay jacket”)100, as presented inFIG. 1, joins as an overgarment for a load-bearing vest (or “tactical vest”)110, providing warmth and protection from the elements for a user's arms, sides and back, while also providing the user access to tactical vest equipment120through an open front area180between the left front130and the right front140of the overlay jacket100and the underlying tactical vest110, respectively. Tactical vests110are usually worn over a user's uniform or other clothing, and body armor is often mounted—depending upon the first-responder's role—inside these tactical vests110. The overlay jacket100permits the user to store equipment120on the exterior of the tactical vest110rather than on the user's pants belt, providing better equipment120access and equipment120load distribution while not disturbing the custom fit of the user's body armor. The overlay jacket100of the present invention better accommodates tactical vests110laden with body armor and equipment120, enabling a user to avoid having to periodically don and doff a tactical vest110to address thermal comfort and other environmental concerns, while also permitting the user to gain protection from thermal and other environmental impacts.

Embodiments of the present invention are hereafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying Figures. Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the combination and arrangement of parts can be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

ReferencingFIG. 1, an overlay jacket100, according to one embodiment of the present invention, includes a left front130, a right front140, a pair of sleeves150,160, and a back170. The left front130and right front140are disjoint so that an open front area180is created, exposing a tactical vest110underlying the overlay jacket100. The open front area180permits a user to access equipment120mounted on the tactical vest110. The left front130, right front140and back170are configured to be circumferentially greater than the tactical vest110, accommodating the tactical vest110and forming a gap or space between each of the left front130, right front140, back170and the tactical vest110.

The overlay jacket100, as shown inFIG. 1, can be removably coupled to a tactical vest110, or the like, and configured to accommodate Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment (MOLLE) standards and further configured to use Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) strap-and-loop attachments as shown inFIGS. 3-5. Such uses effectively integrates the overlay jacket100and the tactical vest110into a single tactical equipment system. Securing portions of the left front130and the right front140of the overlay jacket100to near the bottom of the tactical vest110, reduces the likelihood of snagging fence posts, tree limbs, or other potential environmental snags by the overlay jacket100, while presenting a professional uniform appearance. Further, the overlay jacket100can be quickly donned and doffed, yet it can also easily and quickly be secured to a tactical vest110so that the overlay jacket100; does not have lower front portions that flap around loosely and endlessly as the user maneuvers; presents a professional appearance, since these lower portions are secure; better maintains thermal and elemental protection, as a result of a number of factors discussed below; and permits unfettered access to equipment120on the tactical vest110. Thus, the overlay jacket100permits users to maintain uniform, comfortable body temperatures in colder weather—to include arm warmth and upper torso warmth—as a function either of its insulated sleeves150,160for the user's arms or of the torso warmth provided by the tactical vest110underlying the left front130and right front140of the overlay jacket100.

Additional Features

Other embodiments of the overlay jacket100of the present invention, may include other features and advantages. For example, in one version of the present invention the overlay jacket100is designed to be shorter in length than a traditional overgarment (or “traditional jacket”), extending approximately to the length of the tactical vest110, thus allowing the user to access equipment on the user's pants belt, such as firearms, medical equipment or other first-responder equipmentFIG. 7. In another embodiment, the overlay jacket100can be designed to be oversized in the torso to fit a tactical vest110with body armor and/or bulky equipment120, providing easier access to the equipment120while making donning and doffing thermally-protective overgarments likewise easier, all while the user is wearing a tactical vest110.

Further, in contrast to problems generated from the wear of a traditional jacket under the tactical vest110, the overlay jacket100enables a user to avoid being forced to make the choice between wearing a traditional jacket under the tactical vest110for the entirety of a work shift or periodically having to doff and don the tactical vest110to doff and don the traditional jacket throughout the shift, while the user transits through various temperature-regulated and -unregulated environments. While a user may feel comfortable outdoors wearing a traditional jacket under the tactical vest110, transiting into an indoor environment may result in unacceptably warm temperatures for the user. Taking the time to remove the user's tactical vest110to don and doff the underlying, traditional jacket poses obvious undesirable time and safety concerns during typical first-responder shifts. Recall that the tactical vest110holds the user's armor as well as equipment120vital for the user to successfully perform assigned duties; it keeps the user safe. Donning and doffing a tactical vest110within the confines of threat environments is not practical. Additionally, the armor in a typical tactical vest110is custom-fit to the user; wearing a traditional jacket under such an armor-laden a tactical vest110means the armor will not fit the user correctly and may even pose a self-defense problem resulting from armor spacing issues arising from incorrectly-fitting armor. The overlay jacket100obviates each of these concerns, while also providing a less cumbersome option for thermal and elemental protection.

As with problems highlighted above concerning the wear of a traditional jacket under a tactical vest110, wearing a traditional jacket over a tactical vest110poses its own set of problems. For instance, tactical vest110users typically affix equipment120to the tactical vest110for ease-of-access and rapid response; with equipment120attached to the front of the tactical vest110, the user can redistribute weight from the user's hips—where such equipment120would otherwise be attached to a duty belt—onto the tactical vest110, for added user comfort, equipment120access and mobility. But access to equipment120is unavailable to the user if the traditional jacket is zipped. Also, a zipped traditional jacket obscures cameras required in some jurisdictions to be mounted and unobscured on all first-responder tactical vests110. Further, to accommodate a user wearing a tactical vest110, such a traditional jacket must be oversized as compared to a traditional jacket sized for a user not wearing such a tactical vest110. This means that while the torso portion of a traditional jacket may fit the user well while the user is wearing a tactical vest110, the traditional jacket's sleeves will likewise be oversized for the user's arms—which will not be covered with load-bearing material or equipment—and thus expose the user's arms to environmental impacts as a result of the excess fabric around the user's arms as well as the additional spaces arising between the user's arms and the oversized, traditional jacket sleeves. Further, if a user opts to leave the traditional jacket unzipped for better equipment120access, a traditional jacket presents an unprofessional appearance, as the traditional jacket's unsecured, front lower portions of the unfastened traditional jacket flop loosely at the user's sides. Additionally, an open, unfastened, traditional jacket easily permits undesired airflow to flow under the traditional jacket. More critically, as the bottom, front portions of the traditional jacket flop loosely around, these portions often cover the user's critical pants belt equipment, such as a sidearm or other time-critically-needed equipment, preventing timely access to such equipment. Finally, the traditional jacket's flopping, lower portions pose snagging hazards for the user. These are especially of concern when time-critical user mobility is required. Traditional jackets thus pose several problems to users wearing tactical vests110. These and other deficiencies of the jackets of the prior art are addressed by one or more embodiments of the present invention.

The overlay jacket100solves each of these “overwear” problems associated with a traditional jacket. First, the left front130and right front140of the overlay jacket100are disjoint forming an open front area180allowing unfettered access to equipment120mounted on the tactical vest110. Second, the left front130and the right front140each removably fasten, respectively, to the tactical vest110near the lower portion of the open front area180,FIG. 7. Third, by being designed to be oversized for the user's torso region to accommodate a user with a tactical vest110, and being designed to be normally-sized in the user's arm regions, the overlay jacket100accommodates the normal size of a user's arms for a traditional jacket sized to a user not wearing a tactical vest110while simultaneously accommodating the user's wearing a tactical vest110.

As alluded to in the previous paragraph, the overlay jacket100can be removably fastened to the tactical vest110. In one embodiment, the left front130and the right front140each can be fastened, respectively, to the tactical vest110near the lower portion of the open front area180with any fastener or fastening system compatible with a tactical vest110. In one embodiment the tactical vest110and overlay jacket100include a MOLLE configuration, using a PALS strap-and-loop fastening system as shown inFIG. 6. While a PALS fastening systemFIG. 6is not the only means of fastening the overlay jacket's left front130and right front140to the tactical vest110—any of an array of fasteners may be used (e.g., zippers, snaps, buttons, hook-and-loop fasteners, fabric straps, etc.)—PALS-type fasteners are often used on MOLLE-equipped tactical vests110. In a MOLLE system, loops (or “webbing”)400are attached to the outside of a garment (e.g., a backpack or tactical vest110), while other systems (e.g., PALS200,500etc.) or fasteners weave through or hook to the MOLLE webbing400to fasten equipment120. And although in one embodiment the overlay jacket100is attached to a tactical vest110,FIGS. 3-7using a PALS-type of fastener, the overlay jacket100can be used with and fastened to any underlying clothing requiring access to the front-torso, open front area of the clothing. ReferencingFIGS. 3-7, MOLLE webbing400and complementary PALS loops200on the overlay jacket100are joined by threading a strap500through both sets of loops200,400and joining onto itself500using a cap510and socket520fastenerFIG. 6. The fastened set of PALS/MOLLE loops200,400,FIG. 7secures the overlay jacket100to the tactical vest110, joining the two effectively into a single overlay-jacket/tactical-vest systemFIG. 7.

The overlay jacket100may also be designed to be shorter than the length of the tactical vest110so that the lower portion of the back of the tactical vest110is exposed, permitting access to additional equipment mounted on the back of the tactical vest110, as many tactical vests' MOLLE/PALS systems (FIGS. 3-7) extend around to the back portions of such tactical vests. Essentially, such an embodiment would be a “half-overlay-jacket”: The half-overlay-jacket would still cover the user's shoulders and arms but would also provide additional access to back-mounted equipment, should the user desire.

One or more portions of the overlay jacket100can be insulated to accommodate user comfort requirements. For example, the sleeves150,160and/or torso130,140,170of the overlay jacket100may be insulated with either permanent or removable insulating materials, permitting a range of temperatures within which a user may operate. For example, if the temperatures are above 50-degrees Fahrenheit, a user may choose simply to wear any overlay jacket100without insulation. At lower temperatures, the user may choose instead to wear an overlay jacket100having sleeves150,160that are insulated yet with no additional insulation on the left front130right front140or back170. At even colder temperatures, the user may choose to wear an overlay jacket100having insulation throughout the overlay jacket100, including the sleeves150,160and each of the left front130, right front140or back170.

The overlay jacket100may also include a drawstring210that either joins together with itself at the lower portion of the overlay jacket100or remains un-joined as shown inFIG. 2. Additionally, the tension of the drawstring210may be adjusted as the user desires to permit or inhibit airflow entering the lower portions of the overlay jacket100through the space or gap190, as drawstring210tension is loosened or tightened, respectively, according to the user's desires. Additional drawstrings may be added to the overlay jacket100at various torso locations to minimize left front130and right front140bowing, so that the airflow flowing through these potentially bowed regions (depending upon the user's torso and tactical vest110contours vis-à-vis the overlay jacket100) can be adjusted according to user demand.

Various Embodiments and Features

In general, the invention may feature an overlay jacket100comprising a back170, a left front130, a right front140, and a pair of sleeves150,160, joined into an overgarment configured to be joined with a tactical vest110. In this overlay jacket100, the right front140and the left front130are disjoint, forming an open front area180. A front portion of the tactical vest110occupies the open front area180independent of the left front130and the right front140; and the back170, the left front130and right front140are each dimensioned to be circumferentially greater than the tactical vest, forming a gap190between the tactical vest110and each of the back170, the left front130and the right front140. The gap190and the open front area180are configured to permit access to one or more pieces of equipment120removably coupled to the tactical vest, and the sleeves150,160include a optional thermal protection layer to cover a full length of a human arm. Further, the left front130and the right front140each include one or more fasteners configured to removably fasten or couple the left front130and the right front140, respectively, to a left lower portion and a right lower portion of the tactical vest110near the open front area180.

In general, the invention may also feature a method, as illustrated in the flowchart shown inFIG. 8, for manufacturing an overlay jacket100, comprising joining810a back170, a left front130, a right front140, and a pair of sleeves150,160, into an overlay jacket100. The blocks of the flowchart illustrations support combinations of means for performing the specified functions and combinations of steps for performing the specified functions. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purpose hardware and/or hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions or steps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The overlay jacket100may be configured to join with a tactical vest110so that the right front140and the left front130are disjoint, creating an open front area180. Further, a front portion of the tactical vest110occupies this open front area180, independent of the left front130and the right front140; and the back170, the left front130, and right front140are designed to be circumferentially greater than the torso of the tactical vest110, so that a gap190is formed between the tactical vest110and the back170, the left front130, and the right front140. The gap190is further configured to permit access to one or more pieces of equipment120removably coupled to the tactical vest110. A thermal protection layer is to the sleeves150,160and the sleeves150,160cover the full length of a human arm. Finally, one or more fasteners are incorporated into each of the left front130and the right front140, and the one or more fasteners are configured to fasten the left front130and the right front140, respectively, to a left lower portion and a right lower portion of the tactical vest110near (i.e., proximate to) the gap.

The invention may include one or more of the following features, and these features may be used singly, or in combination with each other. The overlay jacket100may be configured to provide unimpeded access to the one or more pieces of equipment120removably coupled to the tactical vest110. The overlay jacket100may have a thermal protection layer, and the thermal protection may be configured to provide protection for temperatures at or below50degree Fahrenheit, and the overlay jacket's100left front130, right front140and back170may be void of the thermal protection layer. The overlay jacket100may include one or more PALS systems and the one or more fasteners500may be configured to couple the overlay jacket100to the PALS systems200,400of the overlay jacket100. The overlay jacket100may include one or more hook and loop fasteners, loop and snap fastener, and/or cap and socket fasteners. The overlay jacket100may include a left front130interior surface and a right front140interior surface, and each of the left front130interior surface and the right front140interior surface may include a PALS system200,500, and the one or more fasteners may be configured to respectively couple the PALS system200,500of the left front130interior surface and the right front140interior surface of the overlay jacket100to the tactical vest110.

The above advantages and features are of representative embodiments only and are not all-inclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding the invention, thus it should be understood that they are not to be considered limitations on the invention as defined the claims. Novel features and additional advantages of the invention will become apparent from the above description, the drawings, and the claims. Many of these features will also become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the entire specification or may be a human arm; and learned through practice of the invention.

For clarity of explanation, the above description has focused on a representative sample of all possible embodiments, a sample that teaches the principles of the invention and conveys the best mode contemplated for carrying it out. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Well known features may not have been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the principles relevant to the claimed invention. Throughout this application and its associated file history, when the term “invention” is used, it refers to the entire collection of ideas and principles described; in contrast, the formal definition of the exclusive protected property right is set forth in the claims, which exclusively control.

The description has not attempted to exhaustively enumerate all possible variations. Other undescribed variations or modifications may be possible. Where multiple alternative embodiments are described, in many cases it will be possible to combine elements of different embodiments, or to combine elements of the embodiments described here with other modifications or variations that are not expressly described. A list of items does not imply that any or all the items are mutually exclusive, nor that any or all the items are comprehensive of any category, unless expressly specified otherwise. In many cases, one feature or group of features may be used separately from the entire apparatus or methods described. Many of those undescribed alternatives, variations, modifications, and equivalents are within the literal scope of the following claims, and others are equivalent. The claims may be practiced without some or all the specific details described in the specification. In many cases, method steps described in this specification can be performed in different orders than that presented in this specification, or in parallel rather than sequentially, or in different computers of a computer network, rather than all on a single computer.