Patent Publication Number: US-9833056-B1

Title: Shoulder sling retainer

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a retainer for a shoulder sling or a strap, and more particularly, to a retainer which is worn on a shoulder region of a user&#39;s garment, wherein the retainer secures a shoulder sling or strap to the shoulder region. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     When a shoulder sling, which may be used to hold an object, such as, e.g., a firearm, a fishing rod bag, a camera case, a shoulder bag, and the like, is hung over a shoulder portion of a garment, the shoulder sling frequently slips off of the garment shoulder portion. Every time that the shoulder sling slips off of the garment shoulder portion, it is necessary to put the shoulder sling back in its proper position on the shoulder portion of the garment. This requires time-consuming and tedious hand work, especially when the user who wears the shoulder sling on a shoulder portion of his garment carries articles in both of his hands. Every time that the shoulder sling slips off of the shoulder portion of the garment, in order to put the shoulder sling back into place on the garment shoulder portion, the user must unload the articles from one hand or both hands. Thus, it is quite inconvenient and annoying to put the shoulder sling back into place on the garment shoulder portion. 
     Therefore, what is needed is a shoulder sling retainer that can securely hold a shoulder sling, wherein the retainer easily attaches to a shoulder portion of a garment, and further wherein the retainer has sufficient and effective holding ability, is operable in a simple manner, and which easily can be attached and detached from the garment shoulder portion. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved retainer for a shoulder sling which effectively eliminates the problems in connection with the slipping of the shoulder sling off of a shoulder portion of a garment when the shoulder sling is carried about by a user over the garment shoulder portion. 
     According to the present invention, there has been provided a single molded retainer attachable to the outer garment of a person engaging in a variety of activities, including, e.g., hunting, fishing, and the like that require carrying an object with a strap or sling. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the shoulder sling retainer comprises a substantially planar exterior directed wall flanked on one end thereof by an abutment wall which extends substantially perpendicularly therefrom. The retainer is configured such that the shoulder sling rests atop the exterior directed wall and is prevented from sliding off of the exterior directed wall via the abutment wall. A bottom side of the retainer, which is oppositely situated from the exterior directed wall, is configured to rest securely on a shoulder portion of a garment, and, to that end, has a generally concave configuration. An engagement member that secures the retainer to a shoulder portion of the garment may be integrally formed with the bottom side of the receiver, and provides a means by which the retainer may be easily applied or removed from the shoulder portion of the garment. 
     The advantages to the shoulder sling retainer are many and include the fact that the retainer allows a hunter, fisherman or outdoor person to use both hands so that one hand is not needed to keep the sling on the shoulder. When it is cold the person can utilize pockets to keep their hands warm. Additionally, the retainer is light and small. 
     The above and other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which shows one preferred embodiment of the invention for illustration purpose only, but not for limiting the scope of the same in any way. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic depicting a side elevational view of a top side of an exemplary retainer; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic depicting a planar view of the upper wall, the abutment wall, the top wall, the rearward facing wall of the retainer depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic depicting an elevational view of a distal side of a bottom side of the retainer depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic depicting an elevational view of a proximal side of the bottom side of the retainer depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic depicting a planar view of the forward facing wall and the lower wall of the retainer depicted in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic depicting the retainer depicted in  FIG. 1  worn by a user and positioned on the user&#39;s shirt. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will be now described referring to the accompanying drawings and which show a preferred embodiment of the retainer for a shoulder sling constructed in accordance with the present invention. In these Figures, a retainer  10  comprises a forward facing wall  12 . At an upper edge  13  thereof, forward facing wall  12  turns to form a generally concave shaped upper wall  14 . At an anterior edge  11  thereof, upper wall  14  turns to form an abutment wall  16  which is substantially parallel with forward facing wall  14 . At a lower edge  17  thereof, abutment wall  16  turns in a direction opposite to forward facing wall  12  to form an exterior directed wall  18 . At an anterior edge  19  thereof, exterior directed wall  18  turns in a direction opposite to abutment wall  16  to form a generally concave shaped rearward facing wall  20 . At a lower edge  21  thereof, generally concave shaped rearward facing wall  20  turns towards abutment wall  16  to form an upper interior wall  22  which is oppositely formed with exterior directed wall  18 . At a posterior edge  23  thereof, upper interior wall  22  slopes to form a generally concave shaped lower interior wall  24  which is oppositely formed with forward facing wall  12 . At a lower edge  25  thereof, concave shaped lower interior wall  24  turns in a direction opposite to rearward facing wall  20  to form a substantially concave shaped lower wall  26 . A posterior edge  27  of lower wall  26  is contiguously formed with a lower edge  15  of forward facing wall  12 . 
     A proximal flange  30  is integrally formed with proximal edges  31  and  33  of respective upper interior wall  22  and generally concave shaped lower interior wall  24 . Proximal flange  30  turns to form a generally concave-shaped proximal shoulder  32  that is contiguously formed with rearward facing wall  20 . Proximal shoulder  32  turns towards forward facing wall  12  to form a proximal side wall  34  that is contiguously formed with upper wall  14 , abutment wall  16 , exterior directed wall  18 , rearward facing wall  20 , lower wall  26 , and forward facing wall  12 . 
     A distal flange  36  is integrally formed with distal edges  35  and  37  of respective upper interior wall  22  and generally concave shaped lower interior wall  24 . Distal flange  36  turns to form a generally concave-shaped distal shoulder  38  that is contiguously formed with rearward facing wall  20 . Distal shoulder  38  turns towards forward facing wall  12  to form a distal side wall  40  that is contiguously formed with upper wall  14 , abutment wall  16 , exterior directed wall  18 , rearward facing wall  20 , lower wall  26 , and forward facing wall  12 . 
     Retainer  10  further comprises an attachment member  50 . Attachment member  50  comprises a longitudinally extending body (not shown) embedded between exterior directed wall  18  and upper interior wall  22 . Attachment member  50  further comprises a catch plate  52  contiguously formed with the longitudinally extending body and which is positioned such that upper interior wall  22  is sandwiched between catch plate  52  and the longitudinally extending body (not shown). Attachment member  50  further comprises a coiled element  56  contiguously formed with the longitudinally extending body and which extends from upper interior wall  22  and is in general alignment with catch plate  52 . A pin element  54  is continuously formed with and extends from coiled element  52  and is engaged with catch plate  52  to secure pin element  54  to catch plate  52 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , retainer  10  may be applied to a shirt  100  by directing rearward facing wall  20  towards a neck portion  104  of shirt  100  such that forward facing wall  12  is directed away from neck portion  104 , directing upper interior wall  22  towards a shoulder portion  102  of shirt  100 , and directing lower interior wall  24  towards an upper arm portion  106  of shirt  100 . Retainer  10  may then be attached to shirt  100  via attachment member  50 . Once so positioned, retainer  10  rests comfortably and securely atop a shoulder  202  and an upper arm  204  of a user. A shoulder sling may then be positioned over a neck  200  and shoulder  202  of the user such that the shoulder sling overlaps proximal and distal side walls  34  and  40  and such that a bottom side of the shoulder sling lies on exterior directed wall  18 . Abutment wall  16  acts as a buttress to prevent the shoulder sling from falling from disengaging from retainer  10 . 
     As is clear from the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the retainer of the invention exhibits its excellent practical effects when the retainer is employed in conjunction with a shoulder sling when the shoulder sling is carried about by a user. 
     While only one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that the same is for illustration purpose only and not to be taken as a definition of the invention, reference being had for the purpose to the appended claims.