Adjustable carrier

An adjustable carrier in which an elongated band is threaded to a belt-mounted support to provide an adjustable inner span which cooperates with the support to hold an article therebetween and in which the ends of the band are detachably coupled to permit adjustment of the intermediate span and to lock it in tightened condition.

This invention relates to a carrier for carrying various articles, such as 
portable radios, flashlights, tools, and the like, on the person. 
Some occupations require various articles to be carried on the person so 
that they are available on the job. For example, policemen may carry 
portable radios, flashlights and other articles. Electricians may carry 
various tools and testing equipment. It is not always practical to carry 
these articles in hand or in separate cases or containers. 
The present invention provides a novel carrier which can be adjusted to 
accommodate various articles to be securely carried on the person. The 
carrier of the present invention includes a support and an elongated band 
adjustably coupled with the support to a pair of vertically extending band 
engaging members so that when the band is threaded with these members the 
intermediate span of the band cooperates with the support to secure the 
article in the carrier. When the ends of the band are detached, the 
intermediate span of the band can be tightened or loosened. When the 
intermediate span is tightened to secure the article in the carrier, the 
tightened condition can be maintained by locking the ends of the bands 
together. 
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support is provided with a 
horizontal slot to permit it to be engaged with and worn on a belt. The 
elongated band is preferably adjustably coupled with the opposite ends of 
a rigid loop secured within the support. The free ends of the band 
preferably have interlocking surfaces for attaching them in overlapping 
relation.

The carrier includes a support 10, an elongated band 11 adjustably coupled 
with the support and a rigid loop 12 carried by the support and around 
opposite ends of which portions of the band intermediate the free ends are 
threaded to form an intermediate span 11a of the band. The intermediate 
span 11a cooperates with the adjacent surface of the support to provide an 
adjustable carrier in which an article A, shown in phantom lines in FIG. 
1, can be securely held. 
The support 10 is provided with a horizontal slot 13 so that it can be worn 
on a belt. Although the support 10 can be of any suitable design, it is 
shown in the form of a pair of inner and outer panels of leather 14 and 
15, respectively, having upper and lower leather strips 16 sandwiched 
between them. The panels 14 and 15 and the intermediate strips 16 can be 
stitched or adhesively bonded, or secured by any other suitable means. In 
the embodiment shown, they are also held together at the corners by rivets 
17. 
The front panel 15 of the support contains a pair of spaced apart vertical 
slots 18 which communicate with the horizontal slot 13 on opposite sides 
of the loop 12. The band 11 is threaded through one slot 18, around one 
vertical leg of the loop 12 and back out the same slot to form the 
intermediate span 11a. The band then passes through the other slot 18, 
around the other vertical leg of the loop 12 and out through the same 
vertical slot 18 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3. 
The article A to be secured in the carrier is inserted between the outer 
surface of the support 10 and the intermediate span 11a of the band. The 
intermediate span is tightened by pulling the free ends 11b and 11c of the 
band outwardly. When the article has been tightly secured, the free ends 
of the bands are secured in overlapping relation. 
The free ends of the bands can be secured by any suitable means, but they 
are preferably secured by providing opposite surfaces of the overlapping 
ends with interlocking naps 19, 20, such as Velcro or Scotchmate hook and 
loop naps. In this way the one end 11b is wrapped around the article and 
the other end 11c is overlapped with it and secured thereto by the 
application of pressure to interlock the nap surfaces 19, 20. The 
interlocking surfaces can be readily separated by pulling the end 11c away 
from the end 11b to separate the interlocking nap surfaces. 
The carrier of the present invention can be used for various articles, such 
as portable radios, flashlights, tools and the like. One article can be 
readily substituted for another by separating the ends of the band and 
readjusting and retightening the intermediate span 11a. 
The carrier has been used effectively for carrying portable radios. Custom 
made cases for portable radios are expensive. Moreover, they accommodate a 
particular brand of portable radio and become obsolete when one portable 
radio is superseded by a new or different model or brand. The carrier of 
the present invention can be used with any brand or model. If the radio is 
equipped with a separate earpiece, the earpiece can be separately affixed 
to the belt or to a shoulder near the wearer's ear by interlocking nap 
materials, leaving the wearer's hands free. 
The invention is shown in a single preferred form and by way of example, 
and modifications and variations can be made therein without departing 
from the spirit of the invention. The invention, therefore, is not 
intended to be limited to any particular form or embodiment, except in so 
far as such limitations are expressly set forth in the claims.