Abstract:
A pocket carried holster of modest outer dimension and novel design is secured to the outer extents of the front pocket in a pair of pants to facilitate the discrete carry of a small caliber semiautomatic pistol and a spare ammunition magazine such that both can be safely removed from the pocket&#39;s confines in an expedited manner without snagging on the garment.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/283,905, filled on Sep. 15, 2015 by the present inventor. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     None. 
     SEQUENCE LISTING 
     None. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention facilitates the carry of a firearm in the pocket of an article of clothing in such a manner that the device is easily and safely accessible from the pocket by virtue of the holster maintaining the firearm in a consistent location in the pocket. The rigid holster of the most minimal outer dimensions further facilitates removal of the firearm from the pocket by extending the pocket&#39;s sides so they do not impede the firearm&#39;s removal. Additionally, the holster&#39;s geometry shields the firearm&#39;s trigger and assists in the placement of a finger behind the trigger to assure against accidental discharges. A cavity in the holster accommodates a space ammunition magazine which is moved to the center of the holster for easy retrieval when the firearm is removed from the holster. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Firearm holsters for the concealed carry of firearms have traditionally been manufactured from flexible materials such as leather, synthetic fabric, rubber, and flexible plastic sheet which allow the holster to flex as the wearer moves to improve the wearer&#39;s comfort, agility, and to disguise the “print” or easily distinguishable outline of a firearm as would be seen when the wearer&#39;s clothing drapes itself over a bare firearm. 
     The lack of guns sufficiently small to fit in a pocket and with the capability of holding and firing a sufficient number of rounds of ammunition to be of use to most concealed carry proponents precluded the pocket carry of most firearms. Larger firearms, traditionally popular with most concealed carry practitioners were typically carried inside the waist band or outside of the pants, and in either instance beneath a draped over shirt. Flexible holsters function admirably in these applications. 
     The recent manufacture of semi-automatic handguns that carry 6+ rounds of 380 ammunition in a minute package tiny enough to fit in the pocket of most common denim jeans created the need for a new type of holster to meet radically different performance criteria&#39;s that cannot be attained by the adaptation of traditional flexible holsters to pocket carry applications. 
     A novel holster of the most minimal dimension and crafted from appreciably rigid material is necessary to facilitate the carry of these new weapons in the relatively small pockets of traditional jeans. The tight fit of jean pockets in conjunction with the movement of the wearer work to distort the dimensions of flexible pocket holsters which can impede the removal of firearms from those holsters. Additionally, the geometry of the pocket itself and excess garment material in close proximity to the pocket can also stymie the removal of the firearm from the pocket. The rigid holster mitigates this by holding the pocket open which tensions fabric which would otherwise flow loosely and catch on the firearm&#39;s geometry. 
     Since pockets do not have universal internal geometry, traditional pocket holsters do not sit at a consistent height in pockets of different depth making the prompt removal of firearms from them an inconsistent and thus difficult and dangerous proposition. Holsters sometimes even significantly alter their orientation in the pocket as there is often sufficient room to do so. Firearms may even invert themselves inadvertently to face the wearer. The rigid holster however is fastened by two clips to the top of the garment pocket so its orientation is consistent regardless of the size of the pocket or how the wearer of the garment might move. 
     Some pocket holsters make no effort to cover the trigger of the firearm or only cover it in such a manner that a finger inside of the garment pocket can easily slide between the flexible holster and the firearm and directly contact the front surface of the trigger risking the accidental discharge of the weapon. Both of these scenarios present obvious safety hazards. The rigid holster covers the area in front of the trigger with a rigid member that cannot be distorted to access the front surface of the trigger while the firearms is full secured in the holster. This is a definite improvement over all flexible pocket holsters. Furthermore, a recess in the rigid member covering the area in front of the trigger works to guide a finger to the area behind the trigger. Thus, when an individual removes the firearm from their pocket they do so with a finger behind the trigger of the firearm. Since the firearm cannot be fired with a finger filling the space behind the trigger. This presents a significant safety improvement over traditional pocket holsters. 
     A recess is formed between the plates surrounding either side of the trigger guard. Since the trigger guard is thinner than the body of the firearm the plate do not to the overall thickness of the firearm holster assembly but additional ammunition which may be stored in the recess. The ammunition magazine stored in this recess is secured by a long, flexible, spring of sorts which fulfills the dual function of holding the magazine firmly to the center of the holster and allowing the magazine to rotate out of the way when a firearm is inserted into the holster. The dual storage locations optimize pocket space by orienting the magazine at an angle closer to the typical dimensions of the front pocket in a pair of jeans. Upon removal of the firearm the magazine spring orients the spare ammunition magazine so that it assumes a position in the center of the holster and closer to the holster&#39;s opening so that it is easier to grasp and extricate from the pocket. 
     In an effort to keep the firearm holster assembly as effectively thin as possible material is only added where there would be a natural recess between the firearm and the wearer&#39;s body. Since the side of the firearm is relatively flat and wearer&#39;s leg has a curvature to it, holster material is added only where the firearm and leg would not naturally contact each other. This results in a holster that appears to have a cavity cut in it nearly as large as the side profile of the firearm. Material lower than the underside of the firearm exists only below the top of the firearm&#39;s slide and the base of the magazine well. A member running across the back of the firearm is contoured to mimic the shape at the rear of the firearm but with a chamfered, beveled, or radiused edge so that the firearm can be drawn over the member which effectively constrains the firearm into the holster. 
     An arrangement of a minimum of two clips or spring plungers secure the holster to the outside edges of the pocket so that the orientation of the holster is consistent not just in the pocket its held in but in its orientation to a variety of different pockets regardless of the varying depths, width, or shape of an individual pocket. The use of spring loaded plungers to press against the inside edge of the pocket has the advantage of hiding the use of the holster and protecting the outer fabric of the garment from damage. Traditional clips work fire for securing the holster to the garment but a form of rotatable clip has the advantage of easier installation and less garment damage. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1 . Top View of Bare Holster 
         FIG. 2 . Exploded View of Bare Holster 
         FIG. 3 . Top View of Holster with Firearm and Spare Ammo Magazine 
         FIG. 4 . Rearward View of Underside of Holster with Portions Relieved and Firearm 
         FIG. 5 . Front View of Holster, Firearm, and Magazine to Convey Smooth Top Surface 
         FIG. 6 . View of Holster Carrying a Spare Ammo Magazine 
         FIG. 7 . Holster Constrained in Front Pant&#39;s Pocket with Firearm 
         FIG. 8 . Holster with Rotatable Clips 
     
    
    
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 DRAWINGS-REFERENCE NUMERALS 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                  2-Rotatable Clips 
                 11-Pocket Lip 
               
               
                   
                 13-Firearm 
                 15-Frame 
               
               
                   
                 16-Top Plate 
                 17-Magazine Retainer Spring 
               
               
                   
                 18-Plungers 
                 19-Push Button 
               
               
                   
                 20-Split Pin 
                 22-Compression Spring 
               
               
                   
                 23-Back Member 
                 24-Side Member 
               
               
                   
                 25-Open Cavity 
                 26-Crimped Pocket Lip 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  depicts the rigid holster as it would be configured to sit in the front right pocket of a traditional pair of denim pants. The frame  15  is machined or molded from a single piece of material. Note the open cavity  25  whose shape mimics that of the firearm  13  which would be inserted into the holster. Only the two side wings  24  and some material below firearm&#39;s  13  trigger guard prevent the firearm from traveling thru the base of holster&#39;s frame  15 . A top plate  16  secures to the frame  15  with rivets, screws, or a press fit and provides the dual purpose of keeping the firearm  13  in the holster while also providing the top half of the cavity into which a spare magazine  22  is held. The back member  23  portion of the frame  15  keeps the firearm from sliding out of the holster and adds necessary rigidity to the holster. Note push buttons  19  which are connected to the plungers  18  which are spring loaded to pinch the user&#39;s pocket&#39;s garment material against the frame  15 . 
       FIG. 2  depicts an exploded isometric view of the holster shown in  FIG. 1 . Note how the flat top  16  presses onto the frame  15 . The channel into which the magazine retainer spring  17  retains on the frame  15  is visible. The compression springs  21  which are located deep inside drilled cavities in the frame  15  are exposed. The compression springs  21  press against the plungers  18 . split pins  20  connect the plungers  18  to the push buttons  19  which must be pressed to retract the plungers  18 . Note cavity generated between top plate  16  and the flat section of the frame  13  above which it presses on. This cavity accommodates a spare ammunition magazine. 
       FIG. 3  depicts the rigid holster with a firearm  13  installed in it. Note the magazine  22  articulated sideways in the holster as facilitated by the distortion of the magazine retainer spring  17 . The magazine rests in the cavity formed between the top plate  16  and the frame below it  15 . The back member  23  follows the curve of the rear of the firearm  13 . The firearm  13  fits snuggly between all sides of the frame  15  and the top plate  16 . Note that the flat top  16  covers trigger of firearm  13  but that area behind trigger and the grip section of firearm  13  is visible. Note that recess in back side of flate top  16  exists to assist user in placing their finger in open cavity. 
       FIG. 4  shows a view from the underside of the holster with the firearm  13  installed and portions of the back member  23  relieved to show that the base of the back member  23  is in plane with the lowest side of the firearm  13 . The side wings  24  do extend below the plane created by the lowest side of the firearm  13 . No other portion of the holster extends beyond the bottom of the firearm  13  for tight fit against a wearer&#39;s leg. 
       FIG. 5  gives a good view of the relationship between the firearm  13  and the top plate  16  which share an appreciably uniform top surface geometry and lie on a common plane. The top plate  16  covers the firearm&#39;s  13  trigger guard and provides a cavity into which the magazine  22  is held by the magazine retainer spring  17 . 
       FIG. 6  shows the holster with without a firearm installed but with the magazine  22  held parallel to the top of the holster frame  15  by the magazine retainer spring  17 . Note that the end of the magazine  22  is roughly centered in the frame  15  for ease of removal from a theoretical tight pant pocket. 
       FIG. 7  shows a pair of denim pants  12  surrounding the holster&#39;s frame  15  which is barely visible above the pocket lip  11 . The crimped pocket edge  26  is pressed by the plunger  18  against the frame  15 . Note the push button  19  which actuated the plunger  18 . 
       FIG. 8  shows an alternative embodiment of the holster fitted with rotatable clips  2  to clamp against the frame  15 . The rotatable clips  2  are ideal for fastening to a frame  15  optimized with thing outer walls which minimizes the overall dimensions of the holster.