Abstract:
In a first-aid system including an ultra compact first-aid pouch configured to fit behind the ballistic plates of a protective vest, the first-aid kit is protected from shrapnel and tearing, is easily locatable and removable and does not effect the user&#39;s freedom of movement. When the first-aid pouch is removed from its protected location, it presents the first-aid equipment in a logical and easily viewable manner.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED MATTERS 
     The present application is a Continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 13/447,621 filed 16 Apr. 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,925,115 issued 6 Jan. 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/475,803 filed 15 Apr. 2011; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to first-aid systems, and more particularly, to utilizing a low profile ultra slim emergency first-aid kit that can be easily stored and carried by a person. 
     BACKGROUND 
     First-aid kits generally contain items intended to be used as a means to quickly and effectively respond to accidents or injuries when away from traditional medical emergency facilities. Such kits are intended to be used either by the injured party or to aid someone else who has been injured. To be effective therefore, a first-aid kit must be lightweight, portable, accessible, and must contain the necessary equipment to treat accidents or injuries that may occur based on the situation and environment. Nowhere is this more critical then in a military or law enforcement environment, where the threat of accident or injury is often severe and access to on site medical treatment limited. 
     Traditionally, military personal have been provided with individual first-aid kits (IFAK) during times of military deployment. Such kits are typically housed in cloth bags or pouches and are designed to be worn on the outside of a uniform. Such IFAKs are intended to increase an individual soldiers capability to provide self-aid or buddy-aid on the battlefield. The kits typically contain first-aid equipment intended to treat sever hemorrhage and inadequate airway injuries, the two leading cause of battlefield fatalities. 
     Current first-aid kits are either deployed on a belt strap, back pouch, or leg strap to allow for freedom of movement and access to the contents of the pouch. This often makes it difficult for a soldier or law enforcement officer to get to the contents of the pouch, for example, when in a sitting position or inside a vehicle. Additionally, if a wounded soldier or officer needs to be dragged out of harms way, having the kit mounted on the exterior of a uniform often results in the kit being torn off and lost in the process. Furthermore, in the event of an explosion, kits located on the outside of a uniform are often blown off or destroyed due to shrapnel and are therefore of no value to the injured person or to those treating them. 
     Another shortfall of the current first-aid kits, is that during times of high stress and rapid combat deployment, it may be inadvertently left behind, as it is one more piece of equipment that a solider or enforcement officer must remember to attach to a uniform. Similarly, because of the lack of uniformity in placement on a user&#39;s person, it is often hard to locate or determine if a victim is in possession of a first-aid kit, as soldiers or law enforcement officer often are deployed with many types of gear in many similar types of pouches and bags. In situations where seconds may determine the chance to save a life, such confusion cannot be tolerated. Further, due to the external and bulky mounting of existing kits, they tend to get in the way of operations and inhibit the wearers ability to quickly and efficiently get into and out of confined spaces and quarters. 
     Finally, existing IFAKs are often disorganized and the contents are simply thrown into a bag. The contents are randomly mixed inside, requiring the entire contents to be emptied during an emergency situation so that a person administering aid can locate the item or items required under the circumstances. This does not allow the user to administer first-aid in a logical order, may lead to confusion and lost time. 
     Accordingly, a need exists for a first-aid kit, that will not be left behind, will not be torn or ripped off during maneuvers or damaged due to shrapnel, is light weight, uniformly deployable, presents the contents in a logical fashion and is easily accessible by both the carrier or another party. The apparatus and systems illustrated address those needs. 
     SUMMARY 
     Typical protective vests are manufactured from “soft-armor” materials such as Kevlar® or other “bullet proof” materials and offer a level of protection to the wearer sufficient to offer protection in many situations. For the additional security required in today&#39;s military and law enforcement applications, however, soft armor is often insufficient against military munitions and shrapnel. Accordingly, many protective vests or body armor vests contain a series of external pockets on the front, back and sides of the vest for adding additional body armor such as metal or ceramic plates, also known as ballistic plates or hard armor. The plates are usually placed to cover particularly vulnerable parts of the body such as the heart, chest, and back regions, thereby providing protection to the vital organs. The pockets may also be provided on internal portions of the vests to allow the ballistic plates to be located between the vest and the user. 
     The vast majority of soldiers in combat and law enforcement personnel now wear some sort of protective vest to prevent bodily injury from bullets and shrapnel. The configuration and protection afforded by such vests can be exploited to remedy the shortfalls of existing individual first-aid kits. By configuring a first-aid pouch to fit behind the ballistic plates in front of or behind the wearer, either in the existing pockets of the vest or between the hard and soft armor or on the inside of the vest itself, adjacent the user, the first-aid kit can be protected from shrapnel and tearing, is easily locatable and removable and does not effect the user&#39;s freedom of movement, and when removed from the vest, presents the first-aid equipment in a logical, easily viewable manner. In order to implement such a system however, IFAKs must be ultra thin and not add any significant bulk to the wearers protective vest. Must be easily accessible and removable and should present the contents in an organized manner. 
     One embodiment discloses a first-aid system comprising a protective vest containing a first ballistic plate to be worn by a user, and a first pouch for holding first-aid equipment, wherein the protective vest contains an internal surface and an external surface, the external surface containing a pocket for locating the first ballistic plate, and wherein the first pouch is located between the ballistic plate and the user, either in the internal pocket on the exterior of the vest or on the interior of the vest, for example, in an internal pocket or attached to the inside of the vest. The first aid pouch may be located in a pocket or attached or connected to the vest or ballistic plate using any type of attachment method, including glue, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, tape, zippers, magnets, springs, clips, fastecs, safety pins, or any other type of connector or attachment mechanism now know or later developed. The first aid system may alternatively or additionally include a second pouch located at the rear of the vest. The second pouch may be attached to the vest or ballistic plate in the same manner as the first pouch or in a different manner. 
     In another embodiment the individual first-aid kit or kits are vacuum sealed into low profile pouches, configured to be deployed in locations between the ballistic plates of a user&#39;s protective vest and the user thereby providing the wearer with an easily locatable, individual protected first-aid kit. 
     In a further embodiment, the kits are releasably attached to the inside of the vest and contain a handle to allow the user or the wearer to quickly and easily locate and remove the kits when needed. Alternatively, the pouches or kits may include a rip cord that when pulled releases the pouch from the connectors or the pocket. 
     In an embodiment, the first-aid kits are releasably attached to the ballistic plates inserted into the pockets of the vest allowing the user or the wearer to quickly and easily locate and remove the kits when needed. 
     In another embodiment, the low profile first-aid kit for emergency medical treatment comprises a sealable pouch, a substantially planar base portion, and a plurality of first-aid items arranged in a prioritized order detachably secured to the substantially planar base portion. Alternatively, the base portion may be malleable so as to conform to the shape of the user at the location of deployment. 
     In yet another embodiment, the first-aid equipment is detachably mounted to a substantially planar board and arranged in a prioritized order to allow the user to administer first-aid in a logical order. Alternatively, the part that the first-aid equipment is mounted to may be malleable so as to conform to the shale of the user at the location of deployment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The system and apparatus, in accordance with one or more embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the following drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict typical or example embodiments. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader&#39;s understanding and shall not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale. 
       Some of the figures included herein illustrate various embodiments from different viewing angles. Although the accompanying descriptive text may refer to such views as “top,” “bottom” or “side” views, such references are merely descriptive and do not imply or require that the embodiment be implemented or used in a particular spatial orientation unless explicitly stated otherwise. 
         FIG. 1  is a view of the exterior front section of a typical protective vest; 
         FIG. 2  is a view of the exterior rear section of a typical protective vest; 
         FIG. 3  is a view of the inside of a front section of a typical protective vest; 
         FIG. 4  is a view of the inside of a rear section of a typical protective vest; 
         FIG. 5  is a close up view of a pocket on the exterior of the protective vest; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a typical first-aid pouch in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a further perspective of the first-aid pouch of  FIG. 6  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are front and rear views, respectively, of a first-aid pouch in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  are front and rear views, respectively, of a first-aid pouch in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  are front and rear views, respectively, of a first-aid pouch in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 11A and 11B  are front and rear views, respectively, of a first-aid pouch in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a top view of a typical ballistic plate showing first-aid Pouch attachment points in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 13  is a top view of a first-aid pouch mounted to a ballistic plate in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a view of the exterior front section of a protective vest; 
         FIG. 15  is a view of the vest of  FIG. 14  with its internal pocket open and a ballistic plate and first-aid pouch installed; 
         FIG. 16  is a view of a plate holder to be worn over the user&#39;s head; and 
         FIG. 17  is an open end view of the user side of the plate holder of  FIG. 16  with a ballistic plate and first-aid pouch installed. 
     
    
    
     The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that the invention can be practiced with modification and alteration, and that it is limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention is described herein in terms of example embodiments. Descriptions in terms of these embodiments are provided to allow the various features of the invention to be portrayed in the context of an exemplary application. As will be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art, the invention can be implemented in different and alternative embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. All patents, applications, published applications and other publications referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. If a definition set forth in this section is contrary to or otherwise inconsistent with a definition set forth in applications, published applications and other publications that are herein incorporated by reference, the definition set forth in this document prevails over the definition that is incorporated herein by reference. 
       FIG. 1  depicts the outside front of protective vest  10 .  FIG. 2  depicts the outside back portion of protective vest  10 . Vest  10  includes chest portion  1 , back portion  2 , shoulder straps  3 , side closures  4 , front ballistic plate pocket  5 , rear ballistic plate pocket  6 , side pockets  7 , and equipment straps  8 . Typical vests are modular in nature and may also include additional ballistic plate pockets, ballistic collars, lower back plates, and/or groin protection portions as well. The inclusion or exclusion of such additional components is not necessary for practicing the embodiments disclosed, however, utilizing the additional areas of protection afforded by these additional features, would be within the spirit of the invention. 
     A user wishing to wear protective vest  10  will typically slip the vest over the head so that chest portion  1  is located on the front of the body and back portion  2  is located over the back of the body. Utilizing side closures  4 , the vest  10  can be adjusted to fit the user snugly. Typically, side closures  4  are held in place with hook and loop type fasteners or the like. Protective vest  10  maybe a cloth vest or may be integrally manufactured with a layer of soft armor such as Kevlar®. 
     In this embodiment, first-aid pouch  20 , as depicted in  FIGS. 5 and 6  may fit inside front ballistic pocket  5  behind ballistic plate  25  and in front of the soft armor or Kevlar® layer of protective vest  10 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , first-aid pouch  20  is protected behind ballistic plate  25  yet is easily removable by the wearer or anyone needing to utilize the first-aid pouch. 
     Likewise, in  FIG. 2 , first-aid pouch  20  is located in rear ballistic plate pocket  6  between the ballistic plate (not shown) and the soft armor layer of protective vest  10  closest to the wearers body. In this location, the first-aid pack is protected from shrapnel and bullets, yet easily accessible as a buddy-pack first-aid kit when required. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, as long as the first-aid pack is located between a ballistic plate and the user or between the hard and soft armor, the location of the pockets in the protective vest can be modified and altered without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
     In another embodiment, the first-aid pouch is located on the inside of the vest adjacent the wearers body behind the hard and soft armor. In this configuration, the first-aid pouch is not within a ballistic plate pocket, but still behind ballistic plate  25  which is inserted in the outside pocket of protective vest  10 . As seen in  FIG. 3 , first-aid pouch  20  can be located on inside front  9  of protective vest  10 . Likewise, as seen in  FIG. 4  first-aid pouch  20  can be located in the inside rear  11  of protective vest  10 . In either configuration, the first aid pouch  20  is located behind the hard and soft armor. First-aid pouch  20  can be attached to the inside of the vest utilizing connectors  12 . Connector  12  can be any type of attachment mechanism that allows first-aid pouch  20  to be releasably connected to inside front  9  or inside rear  12 . Typically, a hook and loop type connector can be used, but other connectors such as magnets, springs, clips, fastecs, or any other suitable connector capable of fastening the pack to the vest may be utilized. 
     As noted in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , first-aid pouch  20  is directly behind the ballistic plate  25  (represented by the dashed line) located on the exterior surface of the ballistic vest in a pocket. In this manner, the first-aid pouch is protected from any bullets or shrapnel while still remaining easily accessible to the wearer. To improve location and ease removal, handle  21  maybe molded or formed in the first-aid pouch by any known methods available. 
     As seen in  FIG. 5 , first-aid pouch  20  is completely protected by ballistic plate  25 , even when it is located on the exterior of the protective vest  10 , by placing it in front ballistic plate pocket  5  of chest portion  1 . In this configuration, handle  21  also allows the user easy access to the first-aid pouch when required. 
       FIG. 6 , shows first-aid pouch  20  containing handle  21 , opener  22 , base,  23 , pouch  24  and first-aid items  26 . Handle  21  may be located on the top, bottom or sides of first-aid pouch  20  and may be integrated in the pouch itself or be attached to the outside of the pouch provided it allows easy and efficient removal of pouch  20  from its stored location. Likewise, opener  22  may be a tear away strip, rip cord, zip seal, tape or any other means that allows easy and quick access to the contents of pouch  20 . Opener  22  may be a single use device or may allow pouch  22  to be resealed after use. Opener  22  may be located anywhere on pouch  20  and is not limited to the location shown. 
     First-aid items  26  are arranged on base  23  in a prioritized order that allows the user to provide first-aid in an orderly manner without having to search through all the first items to locate the required first-aid item  26 . The base  23  made comprise the same material as the remainder of the first aid pouch or may comprise a different material. First-aid pouch  20  is typically composed from plastic that forms a bag  24  over first-aid items  26  and base  23 . Once all the desired contents are placed within bag  24 , the pouch is vacuum sealed to reduce the overall thickness and bulk of the first-aid pouch  20 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 7 , ideally, thickness  27  of first-aid pouch  20  is between about 0.2 and 1.0 inches, with the front first-aid kit pouch ideally being between about 0.2 and 0.4 inches or less and the back first-aid pouch being between about 0.2 and 0.04 inches or less. Bag  24  is typically constructed of clear plastic film, to allow the user to view the contents, however, any plastic film, such as a reflective film (Mylar®) or a tinted film, would be acceptable, as long as it is capable of being vacuum sealed. Reflective film such as Mylar® could potentially offer an additional thermal barrier to the wearer, and act as an ad hoc heat shield to aid with hypothermia, as such films typically reflect heat and light in the infrared spectrum. 
     Front, “self-aid,” and rear, “buddy-aid,” kits can contain similar or different first-aid supplies, based on the expected mission and conditions. Typically, a front first-aid kit could contain combat gauze S-fold dressings, Kerlix cotton gauze S-fold dressings, a HALO dressing, a 14 G IV catheter, gloves, NPA Adjustable airway, pills, dosage information, Tactical Casualty Combat Care (TCCC) card and safety pins. Similarly, a buddy-aid kit could include a piece of hydro-gel, SAMs splints, Kerlix cotton gauze S-fold dressings, 14 G IV catheter, and monofilament line. Additional items such as scalpels, cravats, and elastic bandages may also be included depending on the environment and expected mission. 
       FIGS. 8-11 , depict some kits based on the expected missions. These figures and the accompanying descriptions, however, in no way limit the scope of the claims and are merely included as exemplars of possible first-aid kit combinations.  FIGS. 8 and 9  depict a typical two day or stay over day kit combination which will suit the needs of the majority of military operations. Such a two-day kit combination would be utilized where evacuation of wounded persons could be delayed.  FIGS. 8 a  and 8 b    depict both sides of front kit  30 . Front kit  30  contains two Z-Med combat gauzes  31 , two Kerlix cotton gauzes  32 , four inch elastic bandage  33 , gloves  34 , nasopharyngeal airway (NPA)  35 , Halo dressing  36  and cravat  37 .  FIGS. 9 a  and 9 b    depict front and back views of back kit  40 . Back kit  40  contains 8″×10″ sheet of hydrogel  41 , eighteen inch SAM splint  42 , NPA  43 , oral re-hydrating salt pack  44 , #10 scalpel  45 , 14 G IV catheter wound with wire  46 , combat pill pack  47  (containing for example, medicine, casualty card and safety pins), and two Kerlix cotton gauzes  48 . 
     Another typical kit configuration, includes the single pouch helicopter assault force (HAF) kit depicted in  FIG. 10 . This single pouch is intended for mission profiles with ground evacuation times between one and two hours.  FIG. 10  depicts typical HAF kit  50 .  FIGS. 10 a  and 10 b    depict front and back views of HAF kit  50 . HAF kit  50  is typically a front plate kit but as explained previously, it may be deployed anywhere on the body of a wearer without departing from the spirit of the invention, as long as it is placed behind a ballistic plate and adjacent to the users body. HAF kit contains, two Z-Med combat gauzes  51 , two Kerlix cotton gauze  52 , four inch elastic bandage  53 , Halo dressing  54 , gloves  55 , NPA  56 , cravat  57 , fourteen gauge IV catheter wound with wire  58 , oral re-hydrating salt pack  59  and combat pill pack (CPP)  60 . 
       FIG. 11  depicts another typical single pouch kit intended for short missions of less then 1 hour which might be utilized by law enforcement or a military unit with dedicated air support or other quick evacuation means.  FIG. 11  depicts typical short mission kit  70 .  FIGS. 11 a  and 11 b    depict front and back views of short mission kit  70 . Kit  70  is typically a front plate kit and contains, Z-Med combat gauze  71 , Kerlix cotton gauze  72 , four inch elastic bandage  73 , Halo dressing  74 , gloves  75 , NPA  76 , and combat pill pack (not shown). 
       FIG. 12  shows ballistic plate  120  and first-aid pouch mounting points  122  and  124 . Mounting points  122  and  124  may be any type of fasteners capable of releasably holding a first-aid pouch (not shown) attached to the ballistic plate  120 . For example, mounting points  122  and  124  may include glue, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, tape, zippers, magnets, springs, clips, fastecs, safety pins, or any other type of connector or attachment mechanism now know or later developed that is capable of holding the first-aid pouch to the ballistic plate  120 . It should be understood, that the locations of fasteners as well as the number of fasteners required is not limited to those shown in  FIG. 12 . Fasteners  122  and  124  could be located at the top and bottom of ballistic plate  120 , or a single fastener could be placed in the middle of plate  120 . Similarly, three of four fasteners could be placed around the perimeter of ballistic plate  120  to hold the first-aid pouch. 
       FIG. 13  depicts first-aid pouch  130  containing first aid supplies  132  affixed utilizing fasteners  122  and  124  to ballistic plate  120 . 
       FIG. 14  depicts the user side view of an alternative type protective vest  140 . Protective vest  140  may be worn by the user by placing straps  142  and  144  over the head so that chest section  148  is centered on the front of the wearers body. Protective vest  140  is typically made from cloth or some other pliable material but typically is not constructed from any form of soft or hard armor. Protective vest  140  contains flap  146 , which may be held together utilizing hook and loop materials such as Velcro® or may be held together utilizing snaps, zippers, or any other clips or fasteners that will keep flap  146  closed. 
       FIG. 15  depicts the user side of protective vest  140  with flap  146  in an open position. In operation, a user will slip ballistic plate  154 , first-aid pouch  152  and soft armor layer  150  inside the cavity  156  created by opening flap  146 . As can be seen in  FIG. 15 , first-aid pouch  152  is located between ballistic plate  154  and soft armor layer  150 , In this manner, the first aid pouch  152  is protected from bullets or shrapnel by ballistic plate  154  and the user is protected from any sharp objects or instruments located in first-aid pouch  152  by soft armor layer  150 . 
       FIG. 16  depicts a ballistic plate carrier  160 . Plate carrier  160  is intended to be worn around the user&#39;s neck by strap  162  to offer additional protection to the vital region of the wearer. Pull tab  164  located at the bottom of plate carrier  160  opens pouch  178 .  FIG. 17  depicts an end view of the user side of plate carrier  160  with pouch  178  in the open position. Internal to plate carrier  160  is soft armor pouch  172  which creates pocket  173  and ballistic pouch  175  which creates pocket  177 . In this configuration, first-aid pouch  174  fits into soft armor pouch  172  and ballistic plate  176  fits into pocket  177 . In this manner, first-aid pouch  174  is located behind ballistic plate  176  thereby protecting it from potential damage due to shrapnel or bullets. 
     In operation, a user of plate carrier  160  desiring to gain access to first-aid pouch  174  would pull on tab  164  to open pouch  178 , thereby gaining access to first-aid pouch  174 . 
     While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not of limitation. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other configurations and is intended to aid in understanding the features and functionality that can be included. The discovery is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but the desired features can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Indeed, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art how alternative functional, logical or physical partitioning and configurations can be implemented to implement the desired features of the present inventions. Also, a multitude of different constituent module names other than those depicted herein can be applied to the various partitions. 
     Although, described in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead can be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other embodiments, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. 
     Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or the like; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future. 
     A group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or components of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. 
     The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. 
     As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives can be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples.