Abstract:
An interchangeable cumberbund with integrated wiring to allow for connecting a variety of electronic devices for an intended purpose or mission and exchanging a configured garment for another. The reconfigurable cumberbund allows for multiple quick-disconnect cable harnesses to be weaved into the cumberbund which enables rapid and convenient removal of hardware that incorporates all I/O to a computer. The reconfigurable cumberbund connected to a wearable tactical vest containing a mobile ultra-rugged personal computer is the essential combination that allows hands-free use by the user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/374,367, filed on Aug. 17, 2010, entitled Reconfigurable Electrical Wired Cumberbund, which application is assigned to the same assignee as this application and whose disclosure is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     “Not Applicable” 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK 
     “Not Applicable” 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to devices for mounting items on the body of a person and more particularly to cumberbunds arranged for receipt of electrical cables therethrough to effect the interconnection of electrical components carried on the body of the person. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS), is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,707, and constitutes a grid of webbing, e.g., rows of heavy-duty nylon, which are interwoven and stitched onto a backing to allow for the attachment of various MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment)—compatible pouches and accessories. The PALS system has been used in a variety of equipment such as vests, plate carriers, and body armor for attaching or mounting various items or gear thereon. Typically a cumberbund is provided around the user&#39;s torso to secure the vest in place on the user. 
     The use of body-carried, ruggedized computer gear in the military is gaining wider and wider acceptance for battlefield activities. However, as will be readily appreciated, the electrical connection of such computer equipment to various peripherals and communication devices requires numerous cables and the like. Thus, while it is desirable to be able to mount or support the computer and such peripherals on a PALS vest or carrier, conventional cumberbunds for use with such PALS devices leave much to be desired from the standpoint of ease of use and avoidance cable entanglement. Thus, there presently exists a need for a reconfigurable, interchangeable body-mounted, hands-free operation of computer peripherals to avoid entanglement during operation in the field. The subject invention addresses that need by providing a cumberbund having features enabling rapid reconfiguring connections to peripherals and communication devices when switching between missions. Thus, the subject invention provides the user with the capability to instantly integrate electrical components, computers, or other peripherals on his/her body as a wearable system using their existing tactical vest/armor plate carrier. 
     All references cited are hereby specifically incorporated by reference herein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a cumberbund arranged to be releasably coupled to a garment, e.g., a vest. The garment, e.g., vest, is arranged for supporting a first component of a computer system, e.g., a ruggedized display screen. The cumberbund is also arranged, e.g., includes a PALS system, for supporting a second component of the computer system, e.g., the computer processor. The cumberbund includes at least one internal passageway for receipt of at least one electrical cable device arranged to electrically connect the first and second components of the computer system to each other. The cumberbund is arranged to be rapidly exchanged for a different cumberbund. 
     In accordance with another aspect of this invention there is provided the combination of a garment and a cumberbund, with the cumberbund being constructed as set forth immediately above. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded isometric view of showing a cumberbund constructed in accordance with this invention being substituted for a conventional, prior-art cumberbund, to support a conventional vest and effect the quick and easy interconnection of a computer to various peripheral equipment carried by the combination cumberbund/vest; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged exploded isometric view of a portion of the cumberbund of this invention shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         Fig. 3  is an isometric view of the prior-art cumberbund shown in  FIG. 1  and for which the cumberbund of this invention is substituted; 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric view of an inside portion of the cumberbund of this invention showing its hidden layers for routing electrical cables therethrough; and 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of one end of the cumberbund of this invention showing one exit aperture through which an internally routed cable may exit for interconnection to an externally mounted peripheral. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the various figures of the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, there is shown in  FIG. 1  at  20  a cumberbund constructed in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of this invention. The cumberbund  20  (hereinafter referred to as a wired cumberbund”) is arranged to be releasably coupled to a vest  10  (or some other body-worn item, e.g., an armor carrier). The wired cumberbund  20  is arranged to used alone or to be substituted for a conventional prior-art cumberbund  2  (like shown in  FIG. 3 ), whenever desired. The vest  10  is for illustrative purposes and is representative of various types of vests with which the subject invention can be used. The cumberbund can be used by itself, for some applications, if desired. 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown the vest  10  includes a Pouch Attachment Ladder System (“PALS”) system for mounting Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment (“MOLLE”) components thereon. To that end, the vest  10  includes a MOLLE enabled front pocket  12  for carrying a ruggedized computer display panel (not shown) of a computer system (not shown). The vest  10  and cumberbund  20  together form a support system for supporting the entire computer system on the wearer. The front pocket  12  holding the display is mounted on the vest  10  in a conventional manner, e.g., via the PALS system. The rear of the vest  10  includes an internal pocket  14  in which the processor unit of the computer system is located. A slot  14 A is provided for enable an electrical cable to be extended therethrough for connection to the processor unit. The rear of the vest  10  also includes an openable/closable passageway  16  formed by a pair of VELCRO equipped flaps  16 A and  16 B to form a cumberbund support for accommodating a portion, e.g., the central rear portion  28  of the wired cumberbund  20 , to releasably secure the cumberbund and the vest to each other. 
     The wired cumberbund  20  is preferably fully adjustable for height and girth and is constructed somewhat similarly to a conventional PALS type cumberbund  2 , like shown in  FIG. 2 , except that the wired cumberbund  20  includes layers forming internal passageways (to be described later) through which various electrical cables  4 / 4 ′/ 4 ″ can be threaded for interconnecting various components of the computer system and/or peripherals (e.g., communication devices) to one another without such cables becoming entangled. The common features of the prior-art cumberbund  2  and the wired cumberbund  20  will be given the same reference numbers in the interest of brevity and drawing simplicity. Many of the details of the wired cumberbund are shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 . 
     Thus, as best seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  4 , and  5  the wired cumberbund  20  basically comprises two sections  22  and  24 , which are interconnected by elastic lacing  26  at the rear  28  of the cumberbund. Each of the sections  22  and  24  basically comprises a pair of web-like members. Only two of those members, namely,  22 A and  22 B, forming the section  22 , are shown in  FIG. 2 . It should be understood, that section  24  also includes a similar pair of web-like members to the members  22 A and  22 B, but such members are not shown in the interest of drawing simplicity. The front end portion of each of the web-like sections  22  and  24  of the cumberbund includes respective VELCRO fasteners  30  to enable the cumberbund to be releasably secured to the vest  10  or some other item. 
     Each of the cumberbund sections  22  and  24  comprises a pair of web-like members of similar size and shape and which are secured together. In particular, as best seen in  FIG. 2 , the member  22 A is itself made up of a pair of fabric, e.g., nylon, layers  22 A′ and  22 A″. The layer  22 A′ and the layer  22 A″ are sewn together along their respective top, bottom and side edges to form a hollow interior compartment or passageway  32  between those layers. The entrance to the interior compartment  32  in member  22 A is provided by an eyelet or button-hole opening  34  ( FIGS. 2 and 4 ) on the inner layer  22 A″ of the member  22 A. The exit to the interior compartment  32  is in the form of an eyelet or button-hole opening  36  in the outer layer  22 A′ of that member. One or more electrical cables, e.g., the exemplary cable designated as  4 ′, can be extended through the button-holes  34  and  36  and the interior compartment  32  to facilitate connection between any electrical components carried by the cumberbund  20  and/or vest  10 . 
     The web-like member  22 B also comprises a pair of web-like layers  22 B′ and  22 B″ which are of similar size and shape, except that the inner layer  22 B″ is cut away at its lower corner  40 . The layers  22 B′ and  22 B″ are secured together by stitching along their side and lower edges to form a hollow interior compartment or passageway  42  between those layers. The cut-away lower corner of the inner layer  22 B′ serves as an entrance to the compartment  42  through which another cable or plural cables, e.g., exemplary cable  4 ″ extends. The upper edge of the compartment  42  is open along its entire length so that the other end of the cable  4 ″ can exit from the compartment at any point along the member  22 B to facilitate connection between any electrical components carried by the cumberbund  20  and/or vest  10 . 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 4  the two web-like members  22 A and  22 B of cumberbund section  22  are secured together, e.g., sewn, other along their top and bottom edges to form a space or compartment therebetween. The side edges of those members are arranged to be releasably secured together by use of cooperating VELCRO® strips  44  to seal the compartment therebetween. If desired a web of soft armor  46  may be disposed in the compartment between the members  22 A and  22 B, such as shown in  FIG. 2 . If desired, the inner surface of the layer  22 B″ may be covered by an optional sheet of nylon webbing  48  as best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
     Each of the layers making up the members  22 A and  22 B is preferably formed of nylon fabric, but other materials may be used if desired. Moreover, various thicknesses and densities of the fabric materials may employed to obtain desired durability versus weight of the wired cumberbund  20 . 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 5  the wired cumberbund  20  includes PALS webbing  50 , i.e., rows of heavy-duty nylon, that are stitched onto the outer surface, e.g., fabric layer  22 A′, of the wired cumberbund  20  to allow for attachment of various MOLLE-compatible pouches and accessories. 
     As mentioned earlier, the wired cumberbund  20  is arranged to be interchangeable with any tactical vest (e.g., vest  10 ) or any plate carrier that employs an existing cumberbund used to secure the garment around the user&#39;s torso. This feature allows the user to exchange his/her existing cumberbund  2  with an electrical wired cumberbund  20 , thereby provides the wearer with the capability to instantly integrate electrical components, computers, or other peripherals on his/her body as a wearable system using his/her existing tactical vest/armor plate carrier. 
     To install the wired cumberbund  20  on a tactical vest  10 , it is first populated with the necessary cables, e.g., cables  4 / 4 ′/ 4 ″, and other electronic hardware (not shown) used for the intended application. Next, the existing (prior-art) cumberbund  2  is removed from the tactical vest  10  and replaced with the electronics wired cumberbund  20 . The operation may be repeated in reverse (switching back to original cumberbund  2 ) to rapidly reconfigure the user&#39;s tactical vest for multiple missions or purposes. 
     As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the foregoing the wired cumberbund of this invention has hidden layers of flat, segregated compartments or passageways sewn into the fabric that extend the length of the device. These layers allow electrical cables or other electronics to be routed through the fabric of the cumberbund and to be completely hidden. Button holes and fabric slots or “mouths” are strategically placed for the cables to exit the cumberbund. These passageways or compartments are designed to integrate cables and other electronic components, which can be configured based upon the end user&#39;s preference. By hiding (covering) the cables and electronics within the cumberbund, the total electronics system reliability is greatly increased by reducing wear and snag-hazards. Moreover, the wired cumberbund allows the user to connect essential electronic equipment or computer peripherals to a cumberbund that is connected to a wearable tactical vest containing a computer, e.g., a mobile ultra-rugged personal computer, for ease of motion in the field. Multiple configurations may be exchanged rapidly by a user in such fields as public safety or military when the mission profile requires different objectives and thus a different configuration of electronic equipment or computer peripherals. 
     Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate our invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.