Abstract:
A holder for use on a duty belt comprising a backing portion including a synthetic material coupled to a cover portion including a synthetic material is disclosed. An edging portion at least partially covers an edge of either the backing portion, the cover portion, or both. The backing portion and the cover portion are coupled by stitching, the stitching passing through the backing portion and the cover portion, and the backing portion and the cover portion are substantially flush along a seam at which the backing portion and the cover portion are joined.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   Security personnel, police officers, military personnel, and other personnel may carry a number of items on a duty belt. Such items may include a holster for a firearm, a magazine or speedloader pouch for holding extra ammunition for the firearm, and holders for other items such as mace or pepper spray, a baton, handcuffs, a flashlight, a knife, a radio, a cellular phone, or other items useful to such personnel. 
   Such holders have been made of leather. Leather has been a desirable material because of its durability and appearance. However, leather holders have several disadvantages. For instance, leather is a relatively heavy material, and it may absorb oils or grease causing stains. Even more problematic, leather can be easily contaminated with blood, which in turn is very difficult to remove from the holder. Blood contamination is particularly problematic for police officers who come in contact with injured victims of vehicle accidents and crimes. 
   To avoid such problems, holders have been made from a variety of synthetic material. One such material is trilaminate including an outer layer, a polyfoam layer, and a liner layer commercially available from Emtex Inc., of Danvers, Mass. These synthetic materials may be washable, durable, and/or lightweight. One type of holder made of such a trilaminate material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,868 to Beletsky et al. Trilaminate materials of the type used in holsters have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,947 and 4,485,948 to Cook. However, some methods of making holders from synthetic materials require large investments in equipment, such as heat molding presses and molds, and labor costs. Some of the holders made according to these methods may include a welt about a perimeter of the holder where pieces of material are connected. 
   Accordingly, there is a need for a holder that may be worn on a duty belt, that can be manufactured without large equipment and labor costs. There is also a need for a holder that takes less space on a duty belt. There is still yet a need for a holder without a welt about its perimeter. 
   It would be advantageous to provide a holder or the like of a type disclosed in the present application that provides any one or more of these or other advantageous features. The present holder further relates to various features and combinations of features shown and described in the disclosed embodiments. Other ways in which the objects and features of the disclosed embodiments are accomplished will be described in the following specification or will become apparent to those skilled in the art after they have read this specification. Such other ways are deemed to fall within the scope of the disclosed embodiments if they fall within the scope of the claims which follow. 
   SUMMARY 
   One embodiment relates to a holder comprising a backing portion and a cover portion coupled to the backing portion. An edging portion at least partially covers an edge of either the backing portion, the cover portion, or both. The backing portion and the cover portion are joined by stitching that passes through the backing portion, the cover portion, and at least a portion of the edging. The holder does not include a welt around a perimeter of the holder. 
   Another embodiment relates to a method of manufacturing a holder having a backing portion and a cover portion and a holder manufactured from the method. The method comprises aligning a side of one of the backing portion or the cover portion with an edge of the other of the backing portion or the cover portion and sewing through both the backing portion and the cover portion at an angle of about 30 to about 60 degrees relative to the backing portion. 
   Another embodiment relates to a synthetic holder for use on a duty belt, the holder comprising a backing portion including a synthetic material including a layer of ballistic nylon, a layer of poly foam, and a layer of liner material, and a cover portion including the synthetic material, coupled to the backing portion. A first edging portion at least partially covers an edge of the backing portion and a second edging portion at least partially covers an edge of the cover portion. The backing portion and the cover portion may be coupled by stitching, the stitching passing through the backing portion and the cover portion at about a 45 degree angle to the backing portions such that the holder does not include a welt around a portion of a perimeter of the holder. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a holder. 
       FIG. 2  is a back elevation view of the holder of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of unassembled components of a holder. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the holder of  FIG. 2  taken along line  4 - 4 . 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic cross sectional view of a material segment. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , according to some embodiments, a storage device shown as a holder  10  designed for holding an item  12  includes a backing portion  14 , and a cover portion  16 . Backing portion  14  includes an inwardly facing surface  18 , an outwardly facing surface  20 , a perimeter defined by an edge surface  22 , an edging  24 , apertures  26 , and fastener portion  28   a . Backing portion  14  may include an upper flap portion  30  and a lower flap portion  32 . Cover portion  16  includes an outwardly facing surface  34 , an inwardly facing surface  36 , a perimeter defined by an edge surface  38 , an edging  40 , an upper edging  42  including two apron portions  44   a  and  44   b , and a fastener portion  28   b.    
   Backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  may include edging  24  and edging  40 , respectively, that extends at least partially about the perimeters of backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  to prevent fraying of the material used for backing portion  14  and cover portion  16 . Edging  24  and  40  may be attached to backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  by stitching  46   a  and stitching  46   b , respectively. Alternatively, edging may be attached by adhesive or other attachment method. According to some embodiments, edging  24  and/or edging  40  may comprise a nylon webbing. In some exemplary embodiments, edging  24  and/or edging  40  may be a #4000 ¾ inch nylon webbing of a type made in accordance with military specification Mil-W-4088K. One such nylon webbing is commercially available from Bally Ribbon Mills of Bally, Pa. 
   Backing portion  14  may also include one or more apertures  26 . Apertures  26  may be used for riveting or otherwise attaching a belt loop, paddle, swivel, or other device for coupling holder  10  to a duty belt or otherwise allowing holder  10  be worn by a user or mounted to another object. Alternatively, backing portion  14  may lack apertures such that the belt loop or other device may be attached to backing portion  14  by stitching, adhesive, or other attachment method. 
   According to an exemplary embodiment, upper flap portion  30  of backing portion  14  also includes a fastener portion  28   a  that corresponds to fastener portion  28   b  of cover portion  16 . Fastener portions  28   a  and  28   b  may be mating portions of a snap fastener. The snap fastener may comprise a “hard action” snap socket configuration. An individual in close proximity to a user wearing holder  10  is unlikely to know about the amount of force used to disengage the hard action fastener. Disengaging the “hard action” snap fastener is intended to be difficult and/or time-consuming for one who is not accustomed to the motion of the snap fastener and who is not wearing holder  10 . According to various alternative embodiments, the snap fastener may be a “medium action,” “easy action,” “one directional security snap,” and/or other suitable socket configuration. According to various alternative embodiments, any number of suitable fastening devices may be used for a fastener (e.g., Velcro® brand hook and loop fasteners, clips, etc.). Alternatively, holder  10  may not include an upper flap portion  30  such that holder  10  has an open top for receiving batons (such as expandable batons), or a flashlight. 
   In some exemplary embodiments, edge surface  22  of backing portion  14  may be aligned with inwardly facing surface  36  of cover portion  16  at roughly a 90 degree angle such that the outwardly facing surface  20  of backing portion  14  is substantially flush with edge surface  38  of cover portion  16  about a portion of the perimeters of both backing portion  14  and cover portion  16 . Alternatively, edge surface  38  of cover portion  16  may be aligned with inwardly facing surface  18  of backing portion  14  such that edge surface  22  of backing portion  14  is substantially flush with outwardly facing surface  34  of cover portion  16 . In some embodiments, where edge surface  22  of backing portion  14  is aligned with inwardly facing surface  36  of cover portion  16  at roughly a 90 degree angle such that the outwardly facing surface  20  of backing portion  14  is substantially flush with edge surface  38  of cover portion  16  about the perimeter of both backing portion  14  and cover portion  16 , upper flap portion  30  of backing portion  14  may be wider than the rest of backing portion  14  to provide a neat look wherein the assembled holder  10  has a uniform width. 
   According to some embodiments, lower flap portion  32  of backing portion  14  forms a bottom of holder  10  such that item  12  is retained in holder  10  and does not fall out of the bottom. Alternatively, holder  10  may have an open bottom and/or an open top to accommodate items such as long-handled flashlights or batons. 
   According to an exemplary embodiment, holder  10  may be manufactured according to the following method. Backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  may be die cut from a bolt of synthetic material. Edging  24  may be stitched about the perimeter of backing portion  14 . Edging  40  may be stitched about three sides of cover portion  16 , and upper edging  42  may be attached to a fourth side of cover portion  16  providing apron portions  44   a  and  44   b . Apertures  26  may be made in backing portion  14  to provide anchor points where a belt loop or other device may be riveted or otherwise coupled to holder  10 . Fastener portions  28   a  and  28   b  may be attached to backing portion  14  and cover portion  16 , respectively. 
   Edge surface  22  of backing portion  14  may be aligned with inwardly facing surface  36  of cover portion  16  at roughly a 90 degree angle such that the outwardly facing surface  20  of backing portion  14  is substantially flush with edge surface  38  of cover portion  16  about a portion of the perimeters of both backing portion  14  and cover portion  16 . Alternatively, edge surface  38  of cover portion  16  may be aligned with inwardly facing surface  18  of backing portion  14  such that edge surface  22  of backing portion  14  is substantially flush with outwardly facing surface  34  of cover portion  16 . Backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  may be temporarily secured to one another by glue, cement, or other suitable adhesive. Apron portions  44   a  and  44   b  of upper edging  42  may be folded over outwardly facing surface  20  of backing portion  14  and secured by adhesive, stitching, both adhesive and stitching, or other attachment method. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , backing portion  14  may be more securely attached to cover portion  16  by stitching  48  (show in  FIG. 2 ) that passes through both backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  at an angle of about 45 degrees from outwardly facing surface  20  of backing portion  14 . Such a stitch may be referred to as a corner stitch configuration which creates a French edge. Alternatively, the stitching may pass through both backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  at an angle greater or lesser than 45 degrees depending on the thicknesses of backing portion  14  and/or cover portion  16 . For example, stitching  48  may pass through holder  10  at any angle that allows stitching  48  to pass through both backing portion  14  and cover portion  16 . In some such embodiments, such angles may be as steep as about 60 degrees or as shallow as about 30 degrees. In some embodiments, the angle at which stitching  48  passes through holder  10  may be even steeper or shallower so long as stitching  48  passes through backing portion  14  and cover portion  16 . According to some embodiments, the corner stitch may be made using a Randall lockstitch machine using a modified block to orient holder  10  such that backing portion  14  is at about a 45 degree to needle  50 . According to some exemplary embodiments, a block  52  may be inserted into holder  10  while stitching to maintain the desired shape of holder  10 . According to some of these embodiments, block  52  has rounded or beveled edges to avoid contacting block  52  with the sewing needle during the stitching process. According to some embodiments, needle  50  may be at an angle other than 45 degrees. Two such angles are indicated by lines  54  and  56 . According to some embodiments, backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  are coupled such that holder  10  does not include a welt about a perimeter of holder  10 . 
   According to some embodiments, stitching  48  extends past apron portions  44   a  and  44   b  of upper edging  42 . In some of these embodiments, a second stitching pass is made which passes through one or both of apron portions  44   a  and  44   b  of upper edging  42 . This stitching provides for a strong connection between backing portion  14  and cover portion  16  at the point where apron portions  44   a  and  44   b  are folded over backing portion  14 . This particular location is prone to stress when a user leans on the top of item  12  (such as a baton) when the user is standing at rest. 
   According to some embodiments, a strip of edging material may be placed such that stitching  48  secures the edging about an exterior of holder  10  to covering the seam between backing portion  14  and cover portion  16 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , a material segment  58  that is suitable for use in fabricating holder  10  may include a trilaminate material having a first layer  60 , a second layer  62 , and a third layer  64 . Material segment  58  may have any suitable thickness. In some embodiments, material segment  58  may have a thickness from about ⅛ to ¼ of an inch. In some of these embodiments, material segment  58  may have a thickness of about 3/16 of an inch. First layer  60  may generally be arranged to correspond to the outwardly facing surfaces of holder  10  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). First layer  60  may generally be a synthetic material that is washable as well as tear and abrasion resistant. First layer  60  may be a woven synthetic material such as a woven ballistic nylon. One such material is 1050 ballistic nylon. 
   In other embodiments, first layer  60  may be another synthetic material that mimics the appearance of natural leather. Such synthetic materials may include a patterned surface such as a basket weave surface similar to PARAWEAVE® commercially available from Emtex Inc., of Danvers, Mass. Alternatively, first layer  60  may have a smooth surface, similar to VENTURE®, also commercially available from Emtex Inc., of Danvers, Mass. First layer  60  may have matte or gloss appearance. 
   According to some exemplary embodiments, second layer  62  may be a foam material. Suitable foam materials include closed cell polyethylene foam. Alternatively, other materials including cross-linked polyfoam, or other foam materials may be used. 
   According to some embodiments, third layer  64  may be a relatively soft liner material. Such materials include synthetics such as light woven nylons or nylon fleece, as well as other synthetics and natural materials. Third layer  64  may be oriented to correspond to the inwardly facing surfaces of holder  10 . In some exemplary embodiments, third layer  64  is made from a material selected to reduce wear on exterior surfaces of item  12  that may come in contact with the inner surfaces of holder  10  when item  12  is stored or being placed in or removed from holder  10 . The layers of material segment  58  may be combined to form a laminate by use of any of a variety of adhesives. 
   In some exemplary embodiments, material segment  58  may include a first layer  60  including 1050 ballistic nylon, laminated to a second layer  62  including a cross-linked polyfoam, laminated to third layer  64  including a knit liner layer. 
   Holder  10  is shown as a relatively long, narrow pouch which may be used for items such as expandable batons, folded knives, magazines, and other similarly shaped items. However, holders of other shapes may be fabricated, such as holsters for firearms or non-lethal devices such as a TASER® available from Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., handcuffs, silent key holders, batons, flashlights, chemical sprays, gloves, or almost any other holder for use on a duty belt. Alternatively, holder  10  may be adapted for use on a shoulder holster, ankle holster, tactical vest, or other base on which a user would place holder  10 . 
   It is important to note that the above-described embodiments are illustrative only. Although the holders have been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. For example, different types of devices (e.g., any suitable items to be stored in a holder) and assemblies may be used in addition to or instead of the those described herein. Accordingly, these and all other such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. In the claims, any means-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangements of the preferred and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.