Abstract:
A rigid holster for retaining a pistol or handgun of specific design configuration has a locking pin that engages into the trigger guard ring area when the handgun is contained in the holster, thus retaining the handgun in place. To release the gun a user pushes a thumb pad which slides forward to release the locking pin. Other release mechanisms are disclosed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention concerns weapons, and particularly a pistol or handgun holster. In particular, the invention relates to a safety gun retention for a rigid handgun holster, requiring a release by the hand of a user prior to retrieving the handgun. 
         [0002]    Rigid pistol or handgun holsters, formed of plastic material and custom-fitted to a particular handgun, are in wide use with police and also tactical military personnel. The holster fits closely over the barrel, trigger and trigger guard of a handgun, leaving the handgun handle or handgrip exposed for gripping. As examples, see European Patent No. EP 1589314, showing a holster with a releasable U-shaped restraining strap that extends over the outer end of the gun. See also the SERPA holster shown on Blackhawk.com, and also in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,784. The latter holster has a gun restraint with a protrusion that enters the trigger guard area of the gun, on a pivoted lever, the lever being released by pushing an exposed end inward with an index finger of the user. This pulls the protrusion out from the region of the trigger guard and allows the pistol or handgun to be below the holster. A problem with the index finger-released retention device is the direction of motion required to release the device, i.e. perpendicular to the direction in which the hand reaches for the gun, and at a point somewhat remote from the gun handgrip. Further, the index finger reaches forward to the trigger area, and some users tend to keep the index finger in place after pushing in the release button, thus leaving the finger dangerously close to the trigger as the gun is pulled free of the holster and the finger can fall onto the trigger and discharge the gun accidentally. See also U.S. published application No. 2006/0226185, showing a similar pivoted-lever-operated gun retention device, operated by a thumb-driven mechanism but requiring a pivoting, swinging motion of a lever by the thumb, rather than a direct sliding motion as in the invention described below. 
         [0003]    An object of the invention is to provide a rigid pistol or handgun holster with a safety retention device that is smoothly and directly operated by a thumb of the user as he puts his hand over the gun handgrip. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    In the rigid holster of the invention, a locking pin, preferably on the end of a rocker arm, engages into the trigger guard area when the pistol or handgun is contained in the holster, the pin being spring-loaded to this position and retaining the holster in place. To release the gun from the holster a user pushes a thumb pad positioned adjacent to the pistol handgrip, which pushes a slide piece or push rod forward to release the locking pin. The thumb pad can be pushed in the same motion in which the user grips the gun handgrip. 
         [0005]    In a preferred embodiment the lock and release mechanism comprises a rocking lever or rocker arm with the pin or protrusion at its lower end, rocking on an axis parallel to the barrel of the gun. The opposite end of this rocking lever has a taper or cam surface, which rotates the lever to a pin-retracting position when the push rod secured to the thumb pad slides forward over this cam surface. The end of the push rod may be tapered as well. Thus, when the user grips the gun handgrip the thumb of the gripping hand can be directly in position to engage the thumb pad and slide the push rod or slide piece forward as the gun is gripped, allowing the locking mechanism to be released in the same motion with the gripping of the gun. 
         [0006]    It is among the objects of the invention to reliably retain a handgun in a dedicated rigid holder, requiring a deliberate release of the lock device prior to removal of the handgun. In particular, the invention achieves this such that a user can release the retention device and grip the handgrip of the pistol in essentially a single motion, pushing a thumb pad inwardly, for fast retrieval of the gun. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, considered along with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a rigid pistol or handgun holster according to the invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view from an opposite side. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a view of the inner side of the holster, with a cover removed, and illustrating a preferred form of mechanism for locking retention and release of the handgun. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a side view showing the holster with a cover plate removed and a pistol contained in the holster, and demonstrating release of the pistol&#39;s retention using a thumb latch. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 4 , showing the handgun released and partially removed. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of the holster, without a handgun, and revealing some details of the gun retention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view, in a slight angle of perspective, showing the inside of the holster at the side having the retention mechanism. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a rigid holster  10  of the invention. The holster has an inner side  12  (here, the left side) which is to be against the wearer/user, and on this side is a thumb pad  14  for releasing a pistol or handgun retention lock by pushing the thumb pad and attached slide piece  16  inward (generally down, as worn). A cover plate  18  covers the mechanism for locking and releasing from the holster a pistol or handgun, not shown in this view, via the trigger guard of the gun. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a view showing the opposite, outer side  20  of the holster of the invention. 
         [0016]      FIG. 3  shows the handgun holster  10  from the inner side  12  and with the cover  18  removed, revealing one preferred mechanism  22  for retention and release of a pistol or handgun. See also  FIGS. 4 and 5 , demonstrating use of this mechanism. The handgun  24  ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ) is retained by a retention pin  26  that protrudes through an opening  28  in the outer side of the holster as shown in  FIG. 3 , to engage in the space  30  circumscribed the trigger guard  32  of the handgun ( FIG. 5 ). This protruding pin  26  can be better seen in the end view of  FIG. 6 . The locking pin  26  is on the lower end of a retention lever  34 , which is pivoted on a pivot axis at  36 . The pivot axis is generally parallel to the path of the gun in this embodiment, i.e. parallel to the path of insertion and removal of the gun in the holster. At the upper end of the retention lever  26  is a cam surface  38 . This cam surface is partially engaged by the far end of the slide piece  16 , which is retained by two preferably integral slide brackets  42  and  44  in the form of the invention illustrated. As illustrated, the thumb pad  14  forms an enlarged end of the slide piece  16 . 
         [0017]    A torsion spring (not shown) urges the locking pin or protrusion  26  toward the locked, retaining position. This torsion spring is advantageously located at the pivot axis  36 , which has an internal pivot pin (not shown). One end of the torsion spring is secured to or engages the retention lever  34  to urge the lower end  26  through the opening  28 , while the other is anchored on the holster body structure. 
         [0018]    As can be seen from  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , the user can easily grip the handle or handgrip  46  of the pistol or handgun with his right hand  48  in the case shown (a left handed model is as a mirror image of what is shown here), such that the user&#39;s thumb  50  engages against the thumb pad  14 . With-the same motion to grip the handgun the thumb pad is pushed to slide the slide piece  16  forward, to engage the cam (tapered) surface  38  of the retention lever to push this end of the lever back into the holster and thus to displace the lower end, with the locking pin  26 , outwardly. This releases the gun, to be pulled out of the holster, as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0019]    The locking pin or protrusion  26  preferably is formed in a specific shape so as to permit the pistol or handgun to be pushed easily back into the holster, without the need for again pushing the thumb release  14 . As can be seen to some extent in  FIG. 6 , the locking pin  26  preferably has an inclined face  52  which itself acts as a cam surface. When the gun is pushed into the holster, the trigger guard  32  of the gun pushes against this cam surface  52 , pushing the locking lever outwardly against the spring force. The lever  34  is free to pivot in this direction, because the slide piece  16  is also spring-biased, toward the outer position, i.e. toward the right as seen in  FIG. 3 . The spring could be a compression spring, tension spring or leaf spring acting at  16   a  ( FIG. 3 ) between the slider  16  and the slide bracket or guide  44 . In fact,  FIG. 5  is schematic to demonstrate release and removal of the handgun, but at this point of gun retraction the slide piece  16  preferably has been moved back to the right by the spring and the lever  34  has also returned to its original position. 
         [0020]      FIG. 7 , showing the outer half or side  12  of the holster, shows the locking pin  26  from a different angle, also showing the inclined surface or cam  52  on this locking pin as described above.  FIG. 7  also shows a pair of elastomeric bushings that act as compressible spacers  54  for a connection between the two sides of the holster. As noted above, the holster in a preferred form is made of injection-molded plastic. The two sides  12  and  20  are connected together at several locations. One location is a long, generally half-cylindrical bridge  56  that preferably is integrally formed with the two sides. The two sides  12  and  20  would thus be somewhat flexibly retained as to their separation, but for the connections at the bushings  54 . These establish the internal width throughout most of the holster, and this width, that is the tightness of the holster on a pistol or handgun held in the holster, is adjustable via these elastomeric bushings. Fasteners, preferably machine screws  58 , shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 6  and indicated in the centers of the bushings  54  in  FIG. 7 , can be tightened down as desired by the user to adjust the separation of the two sides  12  and  20  of the holster. Threaded nut grommets  60  to receive the tensioning machine screws are shown in  FIG. 3  and also in  FIG. 1 , and the heads  62  of the machine screws  58  are shown in  FIG. 2 . The use of two separate fasteners and bushings, spaced apart as shown in the drawings (about ½″ to ¾″ or so) also gives the user control over the gripping of the pistol or handgun by the holster, in that a slight taper or tilt angle can be establish between the two sides of the holster if desired. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  7  show the external cover plate  18  and three fastener holes  64  through this plate and through the inner side or left side  22  of the holster. These fastener are used not only to secure the cover plate to the holster body, but also to secure a desired form of attachment device to the holster. This can be a paddle or a belt slide, both of these well known for securing rigid holsters to the gear of the user. A paddle secures the holster to the user&#39;s pants waist, while a belt slide connects to the belt. 
         [0022]    A variation from the mechanism illustrated would be a different form of retraction mechanism for the locking pin. For example, the locking pin or protrusion could be retracted in a different way from its locking position within the trigger guard space. The thumb pad or slide piece  14 ,  16  could be mounted at a slightly different level on the holster, and the locking pin could be at the end of a simple slide rod which slides laterally in/out relative to the trigger guard (rather than on a rocker arm), mounted in an appropriate barrel or slide channel on the holster. An outer or opposite end of the locking pin could have an L shape such that a cam on the leg of the L shape, or on the end of the slide piece, or both, could be effective when the slide piece is advanced forward to cam the locking pin laterally outwardly, allowing the handgun to be removed. 
         [0023]    The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit its scope. Other embodiments and variations to these preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.