Patent Publication Number: US-6986164-B1

Title: Tactical shirt for carrying a concealed weapon

Description:
This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 10/455,130, filed Jun. 6, 2003. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to tactical garments for police work and in particular to a shirt with a pocket for containing and allowing efficient retrieval of a concealed weapon, especially a handgun. 
   Garments worn by police and having flaps, pockets and other devices for containing and concealing a weapon are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,131,198, 5,845,336, 5,692,237, 5,689,829, 4,882,786 and 4,545,079. Previous such garments, however, have failed to provide for rapid retrieval of a weapon, particularly a handgun, through use of a comfortable and natural movement and preferably requiring only one hand, in a casual shirt which appears as a normal button-front shirt of linen, cotton, khaki, etc. 
   The assignee of this invention has previously marketed a prior art shirt called the Expedition shirt. That shirt had a pocket in a location generally similar to that of the invention, but with a smaller cavity and with seams which were differently-located and more apparent. The pocket opened in a different manner, and in addition, the fabric of the Expedition shirt had a weight of only about 3.5 ounces per square yard, inadequate for the tactical purposes of the shirt described below. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention disclosed herein helps reduce the weight and bulk of items carried on an officer&#39;s duty belt. With a hidden front pocket that extends essentially from the shirt&#39;s placket to the side seam, the shirt provides a large cavity with an ample vertical opening line that is very conveniently used for a handgun, a telescoping baton, handcuffs, mace, a knife or spare magazines. No seam that would reveal the hidden pocket is readily visible. All of the items listed above are referred to herein as “weapons”. 
   The lateral depth of the tactical shirt pocket enables a weapon such as a handgun to be inserted into the region below the armpit where one typical form of concealed handgun holster is designed to hold a gun. In this location it is comfortable and invisible, held alongside the rib cage, and is readily retrievable. A right hander keeps the weapon in the left hidden pocket, while a left hander keeps it in the right-side pocket. 
   The extra panel forming the hidden pocket preferably supports an outer, exposed pocket which may have a flap closure, and these pockets preferably are provided on both sides of the shirt in the chest area. The hidden panel forming the pocket is substantially disguised because its lateral depth preferably is limited by the side seam of the shirt, under the armpit, and by the seam at the sleeve attachment, while the upper boundary of the pocket preferably comprises the shoulder seam at or near the top of the shirt. At the bottom of the hidden pocket panel, the seam may be visible but is relatively low, approximately at the bottom of the ribs or within about an inch either way. The vertical seam where this hidden pocket opens, although visible, is very near the edge of the placket, preferably a parallel line within an inch of the pocket edge (about one-half inch in a preferred embodiment), and thus the seam line tends not to be noticed. The seam line, which extends higher than and lower than the pocket opening itself, tends to appear as a design feature of the shirt, not a flap for a hidden pocket. 
   The weight of the tactical shirt of the invention is important in serving the purposes of the invention. The shirt&#39;s fabric is preferably woven rather than knitted, and it must be of a weight sufficient that the shirt fabric will stand up to a relatively heavy load of items in the hidden pocket without stretching or significantly bulging. In the Expedition shirt mentioned above, the fabric weight was about 3.5 ounces per square yard. Such weight is insufficient for the purposes of the invention, and it is preferred that the tactical shirt have a fabric weight of at least about 5 ounces, more preferably at least 5.5 ounces. In one preferred embodiment the shirt has a weight in a range of about 5.8 to about 6.5 ounces. 
   Another important feature of the tactical shirt is the manner in which the hidden pocket or pockets open. As noted above, the opening line is along a seam only about one-half inch or so away from the edge of the button placket. This seam line extends from up and under the collar down to where the horizontal seam is located, approximately at the bottom of the ribs as noted above. The pocket opening may be about 7 to 9 inches in length. Importantly, the closure for the pocket opening is made such that a wearer can quickly insert a hand to wedge open the pocket and retrieve a weapon. For this purpose, separate strips of Velcro preferably are used to close the pocket, e.g. about 2 to 2.5 inches of Velcro at the top of the opening area and about 2 to 2.5 inches of Velcro at the bottom area, with a middle gap of about 2 inches to 3 inches in height, preferably about 2.5 inches. The Velcro strips when engaged hold the pocket flap closely against the underlying shirt fabric, appearing from a distance as a part of a seam of the shirt, rather than a pocket opening. This includes the middle portion of the pocket opening, devoid of Velcro or any other closure devices. The fabric edge at this pocket opening, as well as above and along below the seam, is doubled over and stitched, appearing as a reinforced seam somewhat similar to the edge of the placket. 
   When the user needs quick access to the handgun, mace or other weapon in the pocket, he simply jams a hand into the non-fastened region of the pocket opening, using the fingers to wedge open the pocket and spread and disengage the Velcro. If desired, one or two fingers from the other hand can be used to rip open the pocket prior to insertion of the weapon hand, but this is generally not necessary. 
   It is therefore among the objects of the invention to greatly improve tactical clothing, particularly for police officers, with a preferably button-front shirt having one or two hidden pockets which are readily accessible and which will conceal and carry a weapon in the comfortable area under the armpit, alongside the ribs. The pocket has seams which are not readily visible and has a closure that appears as a seam feature of the shirt, and which can be quickly opened with one hand, if desired, to retrieve a weapon when needed. Several relatively heavy weapons or other items can be carried concealed in the pocket, removing some of the weight from the officer&#39;s duty belt. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, considered along with the drawings. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a frontal perspective view showing a person wearing a tactical shirt according to the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view somewhat similar to  FIG. 1  and showing a concealed weapon carried in a hidden pocket of the shirt, the pocket shown in an opened position. 
       FIG. 3  is an angled elevation view showing the opening of the hidden pocket, in a configuration as if held open to retrieve a weapon. 
       FIG. 4  is a frontal view showing a weaver of the tactical shirt retrieving a handgun from the pocket. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a tactical shirt  10  of the invention as worn by a person  11 . The entire shirt is shown, including the shirt tail  12 , which would normally be tucked into the pants of the person&#39;s waist. 
   As shown in the drawing, the shirt  10  comprises a fabric shell  14  generally in the shape of a sleeved shirt, in this case with long sleeves  16 . The shirt includes a collar  18 , and the shirt, woven rather than knitted, has a button-front with buttons  20  generally centered on a placket  22 . The shirt includes an outer panel  24  which lies over the fabric shell  14  and is secured there too at a plurality of seams. The seams, in a preferred embodiment, include an upper seam  26  at the shoulder, approximately at the zenith of the shirt or slightly below, this seem being integral with the seam between the front and back panels of the fabric shell (front panel shown at  28 ). Another seam at which the panel  24  is attached is in a seam  30  integral with the seam attaching the front and back shirt panels; a seam  32  for a sleeve  16  where it attaches to the main body of the fabric shell  14 , again with a common seam so that the panel  24  is less noticeable. At the bottom of the panel  24  is a bottom seam  34 , and this seam is at a level approximately at the bottom of the user&#39;s rib cage or within about an inch or so above or below. This seam  34  is generally about 3 to 5 inches above the user&#39;s belt. 
   The panel  24  forms a hidden pocket, with a pocket opening line at a seam  36  closely adjacent to the edge of the shirt&#39;s placket  22 . The pocket opening itself is defined approximately between points  38  and  40 , with the seam line  36  extending along this pocket edge and also above and below the pocket. As shown, this seam line  36  preferably extends from a position up under the collar  18  down to beyond the point  40 , to meet the bottom seam line  34 . In a preferred embodiment there is included an angled or beveled corner  42 , as shown, the length of this bevel being about 2 to 2½ inches. Only in the vertical slit between the upper and lower points  38  and  40  does the pocket open, and when the pocket is closed, the appearance is of one continuous seam down this edge  36  of the panel  24 . Closure of the pocket is effected by hook/loop fasteners (Velcro), patches of which are indicated at  44  and  46  in  FIG. 1 , although only the stitching for securing these hook/loop fasteners is actually visible from the front of the shirt, the fasteners being located between the panel  24  and the fabric shell  14  beneath. From a few feet away the existence of these Velcro patches is not apparent at all. 
     FIG. 1  also shows that exposed, visible outer pockets  48  preferably are also included, secured to the outer side of the fabric panels  24 . These pockets can depleted, as shown, and can include top enclosure flaps  49 . At the bottom edges of these pockets are, in a preferred form of the shirt, angled or beveled edges  50  the inner one of which is substantially parallel to the beveled corner  42  of the underlining panel, thus complementing the appearance of the panel corner  42  and helping disguise the purpose of the panel seams  36  and  34 , making them appear as part of a design feature for the shirt. 
     FIG. 2  shows the shirt  10  of  FIG. 1  as worn tucked into a belt  52  of the wearer. A handgun is shown at  54  in dashed lines, carried within the hidden pocket and fully concealed. The handgun is carried generally below the armpit area, alongside the ribs in a comfortable position, generally where underarm holsters have typically been placed. The hidden pocket is shown in this view its opening  56  spread open, as would be the case when the user  11  reaches his hand into the pocket to retrieve the gun, which is schematically indicated in  FIG. 4 . In this view patches  58  and  60  of hook/loop fastener material are seen, disengaged from the mating hook/loop fastener patches  44  and  46  indicated in  FIG. 1  and in dotted lines in  FIG. 2 . All of these strips or patches of hook/loop fastener are discrete patches, preferably located substantially at top and bottom of the opening  56 . A space  62  extends vertically between the patches  58 ,  60 , devoid of any fasteners. When the hook/look fasteners are engaged, the appearances of a continuous seam  36  such as shown in  FIG. 1 , since the fasteners hold the entire pocket closure of the panel of  24  flatly against the underlying fabric. This gap or space, as noted above, may be about 2 inches to 3 inches in height, preferably about 2½ inches, while each strip of hook/loop fasteners may be about 2 to 2½ inches. The total height of the pocket opening may be about 7 to 9 inches. As used herein, the term hook/loop fasteners is intended to refer generically to either the hook/loop material, the loop material or both. 
     FIG. 4  shows schematically the user retrieving  54  from the hidden pocket, again with the pockets bent open, and  FIG. 3  shows a close up of the pocket seam in opened configuration. The pocket opening in  56  is of sufficient height that a user&#39;s hand can easily be inserted, and the gap or space  62  between the strips of hook/loop fastener material is large enough to receive several fingers of a hand from the opposite side (see  FIG. 4 ), quickly inserted into this gap in a wedging fashion to spread the Velcro open to disengagement. 
   Although hook/loop fasteners are preferred for closure of the hidden pocket at the opening  56 , other quick-release fastening means can be used. For example, a plurality of snaps could be used, although these are more time-consuming to close and Velcro is preferable. Strips of sheet magnet material could be employed for this purpose if desired. 
   The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit its scope. Other embodiments and variations to this preferred embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.