Patent Publication Number: US-7716748-B2

Title: Ballistic shield

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/812,656, filed Jun. 9, 2006, entitled “SYSTEMS FOR USE WITH PROTECTIVE GARMENTS”, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to protective shields, and more particularly, to ballistic shields. 
     For the purposes of the present application the term “ballistic shield” is intended to refer to a shield designed to minimize the chances of a fatality or serious injury in the event of a bullet strike, shrapnel strike, or the like (but not necessarily to be impenetrable to all types of strikes under all conditions). 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Protective shields are often utilized by law enforcement and military personnel to provide protection against ballistic threats such as firearms. The protective shields available today are reasonably light in weight, and typically provide adequate resistance to projectile penetration. As a result, protective shields have become standard equipment utilized by law enforcement and military personnel in high risk situations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a front view of a protective shield in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2 through 6  illustrate a rear view of a protective shield configured with various accessories in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a foot and attachment mechanism for use in connection with a protective shield in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a front view of a protective shield in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a rear view of the protective shield of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     Among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures. The figures constitute a part of this specification and include illustrative embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention that may be embodied in various forms. In addition, each of the examples given in connection with the various embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Further, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
     In one embodiment, the present invention may provide a protective shield (such as a ballistic shield) that may provide enhanced protection to a user, that may provide the user with increased visibility, and that may reduce exposure of the extremities of the user to potentially lethal projectiles. In one example, the protective shield may include a design configuration that facilitates weapon deployment and/or ambidextrous use of the protective shield. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a front view of a protective shield  10  designed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Since the protective shield  10  may be used as a ballistic shield, it may be made of a strong material (e.g., Level IIIA ballistic material), so as to provide frontal protection to the user. The protective shield  10  includes, in an embodiment, an upper portion  12 , and a lower portion  14 . The upper portion  12  may have a width  13  sufficiently wide to provide coverage and ballistic protection to at least the head of the user. The lower portion  14 , likewise, may provide ballistic protection to at least the torso of the user, and may have a width  15  measurably greater than the width  13  of the upper portion  12 . With such a design, the lower portion  14  may laterally extend beyond the upper portion  12  to form a flange  16  at each side of an intersection between the upper and lower portions. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the upper portion  12  of the protective shield  10 , may be centrally aligned in relation to the lower portion  14 . This configuration facilitates ambidextrous use of shield  10  (e.g., by allowing the user to deploy the shield  10  as well as a firearm, each with either hand). In addition, the firearm may be supported on flange  16  on either side of the upper portion  12 , depending on which hand the user utilizes to hold and operate the firearm. 
     Alternatively, the upper portion  12  of the protective shield  10  may be offset (e.g., aligned with the lower portion  14  along a left or right edge of the protective shield  10 ) thereby creating a single flange  16  on one side of the protective shield  10 . Depending on which side of the shield  10  the flange  16  is located, this configuration customizes the shield  10 , so that it may be utilized by a left-handed user or by a right-handed user. 
     Regardless of the number of flanges  16  on the protective shield  10 , the user may deploy the protective shield  10 , and may support a firearm barrel on the flange  16 , while remaining essentially completely protected behind the shield  10 . In fact, when the firearm barrel is supported on the flange  16 , the hands and arms of the user may be positioned safely behind the lower portion  14  of the protective shield  10 . In other words, the undue risk of harm to the hands and arms of the user from projectiles, which is an inherent danger when reaching around the side of the shield to use a weapon, may be reduced by utilizing the flange  16  as a weapon support. In this example, the user no longer needs to reach around the side of the shield  10  to operate the weapon. 
     In another embodiment, the protective shield  10  may include a viewport  18  that may provide the user with increased visibility. The user may utilize viewport  18  to view an area or potential threat, while being protected behind shield  10 . The viewport  18 , in one embodiment, may be located in the upper portion  12  of the shield  10 . Alternatively, the viewport may be located in the lower portion  14 . In one example, the viewport  18  may include a transparent ballistic material, such as a polycarbonate material, to provide added protection while allowing increased visibility from behind the shield  10 . In contrast to conventional viewports, viewport  18  may be relatively large. In one specific example, viewport  18  may measure about 5.5×10 inches in size. The relatively larger size of the viewport  18  may provide the user with additional visibility. 
     Looking now at  FIGS. 2 through 6 , which illustrate a rear view of the protective shield  10 , there is shown a variety of configurations for accessories and handles arranged in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. 
     The protective shield  10 , in one embodiment, may include a rear surface  20  upon which a fastening combination  21  may be provided for accepting at least one accessory. In one example, the fastening combination  21  may be a hook and loop fastening combination (e.g., VELCRO). In other examples, the fastening combination may be snaps, snap buttons, tie-cords, or other fasteners, so long as the combination may accept an accessory. Moreover, regardless of the type of fastening combination utilized, the rear surface  20  of protective shield  10  may include one or more fastening combinations  21  of varying size. These fastening combinations  21  may be affixed to the rear surface  20  by, for example, gluing, fastening, etc. It should be appreciated that the individual fasteners and fastening combinations  21  may be disposed anywhere on the rear surface  20 , or may be strategically located on the rear surface  20  to accept various accessories. 
     Each accessory may include a corresponding portion of the fastening combination  21 , so that the accessory may be releasably attached to the rear surface  20 . For example, if a hook and loop fastening combination is utilized to releasably attach accessories onto the rear surface  20 , then the rear surface  20  may include (or be covered with) a loop portion of the fastening combination  21 , and the accessories may include the corresponding hook portion. In an alternate embodiment, the rear surface  20  may include (or be covered with) the hook portion, so as to permit the accessories, having the corresponding loop portion, to be placed anywhere upon the rear surface  20 . 
     Potential accessories, components, and mission specific adaptations that may be releasably attached to the rear surface  20 , include (but are not limited to): a gun holster  23 , a utility bag  26 , a forearm pad  28 , a laser (with or without a holster), a taser (with or without a holster), a light illuminator, a trauma kit  27 , a magazine pouch, a night vision device, an additional ballistic plate insert  50 , or any other potential useful components. 
     Depending on the mission or task at hand, customized component arrangements may be implemented, and various accessories may be quickly attached, or interchanged on the rear surface  20  of the protective shield  10 . For example, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a forearm pad  28  may be included as an accessory on the protective shield  10 . Depending on the particular mission, the forearm pad  28  may need to be interchanged with a ballistic insert. Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the forearm pad  28  may be removed to expose the underlying surface having a fastening combination  21 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , a Level IV ballistic insert  50 , may then be releasably attached to the fastening combination  21 , thereby customizing the protective shield  10  for the particular mission. 
     The protective shield  10  may also include at least one handle that may be coupled to the rear surface  20 . In one example, the handles  22 ,  25 ,  31 ,  33 , and  40  (which are depicted in  FIGS. 2 through 4 ) may be affixed to the rear surface  20  by bolting, gluing, or otherwise fastening. These handles may be utilized by the user to carry the shield  10 , and to manipulate the position of the shield  10 . Moreover, various handle arrangements may be provided, including (for example) straight handles  22  (see  FIG. 2 ), and  33  (see  FIG. 3 ), and an adjustable handle  25  (see  FIG. 2 ). In addition, a handle such as handle  31  (see  FIG. 3 ), may be made to swivel, so as to allow greater maneuverability of the shield  10 . Likewise, a handle such as handle  40  (see  FIG. 4 ), may be provided with the ability to have, for example, a 180 degree range of motion. 
     The protective shield  10  may also include at least one connection point  30  for accepting an adapter device, fixture, or other hardware assembly thereon. In one example, each connection point  30  may be coupled to the rear surface  20 . In a specific example, the connection points  30  may be Picatinny rail forends, which are typically utilized as mounting rails for accepting weapon accessories. As shown in  FIG. 7 , adapter devices, such as one or more feet  70 , may be attached to the connection points  30  (e.g., via a latch  71 , or other fastener or clamp). The foot  70  may allow the protective shield  10  to stand unattended (e.g., so that the shield may be deployed on the ground as a fixed barrier to mitigate direct fire of projectiles and ricochets). 
     In one specific example, a protective shield  10  may have dimensions of about 24×36 inches in size, may weigh about 13 pounds, and may be deployed in and from a vehicle. In normal operation, the user may deploy the protective shield  10  to provide frontal protection. The user may position a firearm (e.g., handgun, long gun) barrel onto the flange  16 , and fire at a threat while remaining protected behind the shield  10 . The protective shield  10  may be utilized to provide ballistic protection in a similar manner when the user is on the ground in a prone position or on his side. Regardless of the position the user is in, standing, kneeling, or prone position, the flanges  16  may be utilized by the user to deploy a firearm (either a handgun or long gun), while the user remains protected behind the shield  10 . In addition, when equipped with adapter devices, such as foot  70 , the shield  10  may be configured to stand unattended (e.g., be deployed on the ground as a fixed barrier to mitigate direct fire and/or ricochets). 
     Of course, the protective shield  10  may be adapted for use by military, law enforcement, school, fire, and/or rescue personnel. Specific uses for the protective shield, may include (but not be limited to): active shooter response, dynamic entries, covert searches, officer and victim rescues, hazardous suspect and vehicle approaches, and crowd control. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a front view ( FIG. 8 ) and a rear view ( FIG. 9 ) of a protective shield in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention is shown. 
     As seen in these  FIGS. 8 and 9 , shield  800  may include viewport  802  and lights  804  (in one example Lights  804  may be battery operated and may include one or more spotlights and/or floodlights). Further, handle  806 , strap  808  and padding  810  may be provided to allow a user to comfortably grip and manipulate shield  800 . Further still, Picatinny rail forends  812 A,  812 B may be provided for attachment of corresponding feet to hold shield  800  upright (see  FIG. 7 , showing an example foot  70  and Picatinny rail forends  30  mounted to a shield). 
     As described above, various embodiments of the present invention relate to a protective shield that may provide ballistic protection to a user. The protective shield may include an upper portion, which may be configured to provide ballistic protection to at least the head of the user. The upper portion may have a width at least as wide as the head of the user. The protective shield may also include a lower portion that may be configured to provide ballistic protection to at least the torso of the user. The lower portion may have a width measurably greater than the width of the upper portion, thereby forming one or more flanges at an intersection between the upper and lower portions on the protective shield for supporting a weapon. The described configuration may reduced exposure of the head, hands, and/or arms (particularly during firearm deployment). 
     In one example, the protective shield may include a viewport in the upper portion. The viewport may provide the user with increased visibility. In one specific example, the viewport may include a transparent polycarbonate material substantially resistant to ballistic penetration. 
     Further, the protective shield may include a rear surface upon which a fastening combination, such as a hook and loop fastening combination, may be provided for accepting an accessory. Such accessories include (but are not limited to): a gun holster, a utility bag, a forearm pad, a laser (with or without a holster), a taser (with or without a holster), a light illuminator, a trauma kit, a magazine pouch, a night vision device, an additional ballistic plate insert and/or any other component(s) useful to the user. 
     The protective shield may also include at least one handle coupled to the rear surface. The handle may be utilized by the user to carry the protective shield, and manipulate its position. 
     The protective shield may further include a connection point coupled to the rear surface for accepting an adapter device, fixture, or other assembly. 
     Further, the protective shield may comprise Level IIIA ballistic material. 
     While a number of embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is understood that these embodiments are illustrative only, and not restrictive, and that many modifications may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, while the shield of the present invention has been described principally as bullet or shrapnel resistant, the shield may also (or instead) be designed to be resistant to sharp and/or blunt weapons (e.g., knives, clubs, etc.). Further, a shield according to the present invention may be designed such that certain components are reusable. Further still, shields of the present invention may comprise any desired materials (e.g., aramid fiber; nylon; rayon; cotton, and/or ceramic). Further still, the flange(s) may be configured to support the barrel of a handgun, rifle or other weapon (in this regard, a flange may have one or more indentations or other features to hold and/or steady a barrel of a weapon). Further still, any steps may be performed in any desired order (and any desired steps may be added and/or any desired steps may be deleted).