Patent Publication Number: US-4578821-A

Title: Body armor for women

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to body armor worn for personal protection against small arms fire and the like, the armor being of the general type disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 496,618, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,478, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     Body armor in accordance with the noted patent application comprises a carrier garment, which preferably may be in the form of a standard-style undergarment, such as a T-shirt and the like, and at least one armor panel insert of soft armor construction in the form of a pad, which is removably inserted into a purpose-made pocket formed in the carrier garment. This arrangement allows for standardization of armor components, provides a comfortable form of body armor which can be worn on a day-to-day basis, and which allows the carrier garment to be washed or laundered while the insert panel is used in conjunction with another carrier garment. 
     The present invention is a modification of the armor disclosed in the earlier application which is particularly suited for wear by women. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, for body armor of the type described, an armor insert panel for use in a receiving means in the front of a carrier garment is shaped to conform to a woman&#39;s bust. Further, in a preferred form of the invention, the insert panel includes adjustment means enabling the panel to be shaped to fit different bust sizes. To this end, for example, a flat insert panel of suitable armored material may be formed with a slit extending laterally from each side edge thereof, with complementary VELCRO hook and pile or like tabs secured to opposite faces of the panel on opposite sides of the slit respectively. With this construction, overlapping and engaging the respective tabs causes the panel to assume a cup-shaped configuration, with the degree of overlap determining the cup size. Thus, the panel can be shipped or transported in the flat, in order to conserve space, and can be formed in the required cup size in situ by a user, prior to insertion in the pocket in the front of the carrier garment. Further, the panel can be used flat if required, for example, for use in a man&#39;s carrier garment. An extremely versatile form of insert panel is accordingly provided by the invention. 
     These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a woman&#39;s undergarment incorporating an armor insert panel in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on line 2--2 of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the armor insert panel. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the armor insert panel. 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on line 5--5 of FIG. 4. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A woman&#39;s undergarment 10 in the form of a T-shirt or undervest of any suitable material, such as cotton, polyester, or a blend, and of conventional form and construction, is formed with internal front and rear pockets 12 and 14 for armor insert panels, only the front panel 16 of which is shown. The construction of the pockets and of the armor insert panels, and the manner of insertion and retention of the panels in the pockets may be as described in the above-noted patent application, and will not therefore be described herein in detail, except to note that the pockets may be formed with panel-retaining flaps along their open edges, such as flap 13 in FIG. 2, and the panels may be formed from bullet-resistant material such as multiple layers of &#34;Kevlar&#34; fabric in a suitable sheath. 
     Front panel 16 may, for example, be about 121/2&#34; wide and 111/2&#34; in height. About seven inches up from the bottom edge, the panel may have lateral slits 18, 20 (FIG. 3) extending about two inches in from the side edges, the panel being suitably seamed around each slit. Complementary VELCRO hook and pile tabs 22, 24 and 26, 28 are sewn onto the panel on opposite sides of the respective slits, and the tabs of each pair are positioned respectively on opposite surfaces of the panel. The tabs may be about 13/4&#34; square. This construction allows the edge portions of the panel defining the respective slits to be overlapped as best shown in FIG. 4, and releasably secured together by means of the VELCRO hook and pile tabs, forming the panel into cup-like shape so as to accommodate a woman&#39;s bust. Further, the degree of overlap of the tabs may be adjusted to vary the cup size of the panel. The panel may be shipped flat, and formed into the cupped shape of the required size in situ by a user prior to insertion in pocket 12 of garment 10 
     The invention thus provides a convenient and comfortable form of women&#39;s body armor garment, adaptable as to size, and which has the advantages noted in connection with the aforementioned patent application. 
     The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.