Abstract:
A ballistic panel for use in ballistic apparel having a plurality of layers of ballistic material and a vacuum sealed covering layer surrounding the plurality of layers of ballistic material.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/079,905 filed Jul. 11, 2008. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to protective vests, and more particularly to a vacuum sealed protective cover for ballistic panels for soft body armor. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Ballistic vests have saved the lives of many law enforcement officers in recent years. As a result, law enforcement agencies have made it mandatory for their officers to wear ballistic vests while on duty. 
         [0004]    Ballistic vests are available as a protective panel having overlying layers of a fabric made from woven high tensile strength fibers. Woven fabrics from an aramid fiber known as Kevlar, for example, have been used successfully in ballistic vests because of the high energy absorption properties of the fabric material. Comfort of the ballistic vest is extremely important, especially to law enforcement officers, because of the heat build up that occurs from wearing a heavy and inflexible vest for long hours while on duty. Resistance to projectile penetration is a principle factor in designing a ballistic vest; and added protective layers can offer greater protection against projectiles having the higher threat levels, but added protective layers also add undesirable weight and inflexibility of the vests. 
         [0005]    In addition to woven Kevlar fabric layers, ballistic vests have been made from other high strength fibers and composites to reduce weight and improve flexibility of the vests. However, ballistic vests using the lighter, more flexible materials must offer the required minimum levels of protection against penetration by different types of projectiles. The more flexible the ballistic fabrics are, the more bunching and backface deformation occurs upon impact from a projectile. A vest must not be too flexible where it cannot protect the wearer. 
         [0006]    Typically, the plurality of overlying layers of fabric are contained within an outer cover and the combination is commonly referred to as a ballistics package or protective panel for the ballistic vest. The ballistics package, or body armor protective panel, can become damaged which is caused by flexing over multiple years of wear. The ballistics package also can become damaged through moisture accumulation within the ballistics package from varying ambient temperatures through which the vest is exposed over time. The ballistics package can also become damaged from abrasion against the cover, and the cover material becomes damaged by abrasion from the plurality of layers of ballistic material contained therein, or a combination of both, through extended use. Another problem encountered is that because the ballistics package is flexible it can collapse within its cover thereby reducing the area of coverage to the wearer along with causing damage to the ballistics package due to creasing of the multiple layers of ballistic materials. 
         [0007]    Therefore, there is a need to provide a ballistic vest that is reasonably light in weight, is thin and is comfortable, is also capable of meeting the high performance projectile specifications of certification testing, and is designed for extended use over a prolonged period of time. Providing such a vest at a reasonably low cost for the comparable high performance level also is a desirable objective. Consequently, a need exists for an improved soft body armor design, namely, to improve ballistic performance and comfort and to prevent premature wear due to abrasion from flexing and moisture accumulation. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention provides a ballistic vest of the soft body armor type comprising a plurality of over-laying first flexible layers arranged in a stack on a strike side of the vest, and a plurality of overlying second flexible layers arranged in a stack on a body side of the vest. Each first flexible layer comprises a thin, flexible, woven fabric layer made of high tensile strength polymeric fibers. The individual woven fabric layers form a soft, flexible woven fabric first panel for the vest. Each second flexible layer comprises a thin, flexible imperforate fiber-reinforced sheet comprising an array of fibers embedded in a thermoplastic resin matrix that forms each film sheet. Although this is one example of a ballistics package, any type and number of ballistics packages which meet any threat level are contemplated for use in the present invention. The vests of the present invention preferably is designed to be concealable, however it is to be understood that the inventive concepts are equally applicable to ballistic vests which are worn on the outside of the wearers&#39; clothing or uniforms. The ballistics package of the present invention is equally applicable to other types of protective garments other than vests and can also include non ballistic materials. 
         [0009]    The ballistic vest of the present invention incorporates nylon hook fasteners to fasten the front panel to the back panel, and are attached to strapping or conventional elastic. Vests, or other garments of the present invention can also use buckles, zippers and other fastening systems. 
         [0010]    More particularly, the ballistic vest of the present invention incorporates a cover for the individual layers of ballistic material, wherein the cover is made from materials which can utilize sealing technologies along its perimeter and drawing a vacuum during the sealing process to evacuate air within the panel. The surfaces of the cover are thereby drawn to the ballistic layers contained therein to provide support for the ballistic package, reduce abrasion during flexing, and reduce moisture build-up due to condensation. 
         [0011]    Sealing the perimeter of outer cover for the ballistics package can be by a number of methods. The cover can be constructed of materials made from plastics, woven materials or non-woven materials. The perimeter of the cover can be sealed through ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding techniques, gluing or taping. The vacuum can be applied during or after assembly of the ballistic package to draw the air from within the cover prior to sealing. The ballistics package, or body armor panel, contemplated by the present invention can include a plurality of layers of ballistic material, non-ballistic material, or any combination thereof. Although it is contemplated that the present invention is suitable for soft-body armor, the materials for the ballistic package can be rigid, semi-rigid, flexible, or any combination thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    These and/or other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the drawings and following detailed description wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a ballistic vest of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a back view of the ballistic vest of FIG.  1 .; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a partial cross-sectional view of the front panel of the ballistic vest of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a detail of  FIG. 1  illustrating access to the ballistics panel or package; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a ballistic package of the vest of  FIG. 1  illustrating the sealing and vacuuming process of the cover. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    A ballistic vest  10  of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The ballistic vest  10  is a concealable vest of the soft body armor type commonly worn by law enforcement officers. The ballistic vest includes a front panel  12  and a rear panel  14 . The front panel  12  protects the chest and stomach of the wearer while the rear panel  14  protects the back of the wearer. 
         [0019]    The front panel  12  may include a center panel  16  and hook compatible fabric located on the top  18  and sides  20  of the front panel  12 . Top  18  and sides  20  provide a large area for hook fasteners  22  to secure the front panel and rear panel together around the wearer. Top  18  and sides  20  allow for placement of fasteners  22  at any location to provide an optimal fit for the particular wearer. Straps  24  located at the top and sides of the ballistic vest are attached to the fasteners  22  to secure the front and rear panels together. As seen best in  FIG. 2 , straps  24  for connecting the top of the front and rear panels can be typically sewn to the rear panel, or as with straps  24  located at the sides of the ballistic vests, can be inserted into a pocket  26  which includes a section of hook fasteners  28 , sewn within the pocket, for connection of the straps  24 . The pocket arrangement for the straps can be located at the top, sides or both locations of the vest. As indicated by the direction arrows  30 , the straps  24  provide for multi-directional adjustment. 
         [0020]    As shown as in  FIG. 3 , the front panel, as well as the rear panel, includes a lining material  40  which is adjacent the body  41  of the wearer and extends around the edge of the panel to the outside of the ballistic vest. The material can be perforated or of solid construction and is a moisture absorbing material which wicks moisture away from the body and around to the outside of the vest for evaporation. Contained within the lining material  40  is the ballistic panel or package  42  which comprises the individual layers of ballistic material  44  located within a covering layer  46 . Layer  46  may comprise a top layer  48  and a bottom layer  50  bonded together at internal seam  52 . Layers  48  and  50  can be joined by various methods discussed herein. Air gaps are present between lining material  40  and ballistic material  44  during assembly of the ballistic package. It is these air gaps that create abrasion of and condensation within the ballistic material  44 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the lining material  40  extends around the outside surface of the vest and is sewn to the outside surface of the front and rear panels  18  and  20  to form a seam  54  which allows the ballistics package to extend all the way to the edge of the front and rear panels. 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the front panel  12  includes an opening  56  for access to the ballistics panel  58 . The opening is positioned on the outside of the front panel to produce a smooth surface against the body. A zipper  60  or other suitable closing mechanism extends across the width of the opening. The zipper permits easy access to remove the ballistics panel or package. 
         [0022]    As seen in  FIG. 2 , the ballistic vest includes visual inspection ports  62  positioned on the exterior of the garment. As shown in  FIG. 1 , retention tails  64  and  66  are sewn to the lower edge  38  of the front and rear panels respectively. Preferably the tails are constructed of stretchable fabrics or meshes which are tucked into a wearer&#39;s trousers to hold the vest down during movement. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the ballistic package or panel  42  of the present invention includes covering layer  46  containing one or more layers of ballistic material  44 . The covering layer  46  is constructed such that the top layer  48  and the bottom layer  50  are sealed together along its perimeter  52  in one or more of ultrasonic or radio frequency welding, gluing, or taping, depending upon the specific materials used for the layers. The layers can be made from a woven fabric of aramid fiber or other woven fabric layer of high tensile strength polymeric fibers, or non-woven fabric made of thermal plastic resin either with or without an array of fibers embedded within the thermal plastic resin matrix. In essence, any material made of plastics, a woven or non-woven material can serve as the covering layer. The specific sealing technique utilized would be the one most appropriate for the type of material used for the covering layer. 
         [0024]    Once the top and bottom covering layers are sealed, a vacuum is applied to draw the air from inside the covering layer thereby compressing the covering layer and the plurality of ballistic sheets  44 . For example, vacuum  54  includes a hose  56  attached to a connector  58  to evacuate a prescribed amount of air from inside the ballistic panel. Once the prescribed amount of air is evacuated, the hose is disconnected from the connector  58  and the connector is sealed. The inside surfaces of the top and bottom layers of the covering layer are drawn to the ballistic materials during the vacuuming operation and therefore help support the ballistic panel, reduce abrasion during flexing, and reduce moisture build-up due to condensation as the interior is sealed from moisture. 
         [0025]    Although the present invention has been shown and illustrated with respect to an embodiment thereof, the invention is not to be so limited since changes and modifications can be made therein which are within the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.