Patent Publication Number: US-7210604-B2

Title: Baton holder

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a baton holder consisting of at least one portion comprising means adjustable into an opened position for insertion in and withdrawing of a baton from the holder and into a closed position for fixing the baton in the holder. The holder is adapted for holding the baton on a belt of law enforcement personnel, police officers etc. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
   Batons represent one of conventionally used devises of the law enforcement personnel. At this time the preferred types of batons are expandable batons having a handle adapted for receiving a telescopic shaft, whereby the dimensions of the handle and the shaft are substantially standardized. Nevertheless, baton holders may occur in various types and with variety of functions. The holders are secured to the belt of the respective person by means of a clip forming a part of the holder or mounted on the holder and optionally releasable therefrom. 
   The U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,619 discloses a baton holder consisting of a cylindrical housing provided at its lower end with a shoulder for engaging a baton handle while enabling a telescopic shaft to extend out of the holder. The upper end of the housing carries a cover flap provided with release securing means such as a snap fastener. With the exception of the cover flap performing a partially fixing function the position of the baton in the housing is not firmly fixed. Before using the baton first the cover flap is to be released so that the action of the officer is delayed, what may cause that he can be exposed to a sudden unauthorized action of an attacker. 
   The U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,772,089 and 6,059,157 are concentrated inter alia to the fixing of a baton in a housing without the necessity to use an upper cover. The housing has on its portion adjacent to the belt a dual wall defining a cavity in which a resilient friction shoe is located. The shoe protrudes in the opened position of the holder into the inner cylindrical space of the housing. Upon insertion of the baton into the housing the shoe is pressed into the cavity and by means of another manually operated means such as a cinch bar is pressed towards the baton handle and thus secures the position of the baton in the housing of the holder. The mere insertion of the baton into the holder interior passage does not provide sufficient grip of the baton by the holder and therefore additional hand operated means shall be used to this effect. Moreover, the baton holder shows a number of components and is thus susceptible to higher manufacturing costs and rather complicated operating. A front side longitudinal slit of the holder housing enables the withdrawal of a telescopic baton in both the axial and radial direction if the baton is in its extended configuration. Nevertheless, upon spreading the slit considerable resistance of the resilient side wall is to be overcome. Moreover, the placing of the baton into the housing laterally in radial direction is impossible and the baton may be inserted in the holder only from its upper end along the longitudinal axis of the holder. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The primary object of the invention is to provide a safe holding of the baton in both retracted and expanded configuration, whereby the position of the baton in the holder is automatically fixed when a baton handle is inserted into the holder. Another object of the invention is to enable the placing and removal of the expanded baton not only along the longitudinal axis of the holder but also laterally in radial direction. Still another object of the invention is that the holder includes minimum construction parts and its operation is easy and comfortable. 
   The present invention provides a baton holder consisting of at least one portion comprising means adjustable into an opened position for insertion in and withdrawing of a baton from the holder and into a closed position for fixing the baton in the holder and into a closed position for fixing the baton, wherein the baton comprises an outer portion and an inner portion mounted for longitudinally motion in the outer portion along the longitudinal axis of the holder whereby the outer portion and the inner portion are provided by mutually cooperating elements permitting the inner portion to open in the opened position of the holder and to close and fix the baton body in the closed position of the holder. Thus the baton may be easily and without any substantial resistance inserted into the holder, the inner portion of which takes its open position while the safe and fixed stowing in the holder is achieved by slightly pressing the baton handle downwardly. The movable inner portion of the holder is so displaced into a position, in which due to the mutual cooperation of said elements the baton handle is firmly gripped by the inner portion and is safely stowed in the holder. 
   More specifically, the inner portion may consist of a cradle having an opened outer and inner cylindrical surface and the outer portion consists of an opened elongated body having an internal cylindrical surface to support said cradle. The opened surface of the cradle and of the body enables the baton to be placed and removed from the holder in radial direction and not only along its axial axis. 
   In other improved features of the present invention, the cradle includes longitudinal margins with opposite situated projections and a head at its upper end while the body includes edges provided by opposite situated cut-outs to receive said projections and a collar to receive said head in the opened position of the holder. 
   Further the cradle has an abutment at its lower end extending into the inner space of the cradle and provided by a recess for receiving a shaft of the baton in its expanded condition and the lower end of the body has a foot with a shoulder extending into the internal space of the body provided by a recess for receiving the shaft of the baton. The collar of the body has an inner shoulder. The above described elements provide for a consistent fixing of the internal portion—cradle in both the opened and closed position. 
   To enable a safe stowing of a telescopic baton with the expanded shaft and to prevent the shaft from a spontaneous release from the handle, when the baton is stowed in the retracted condition, the foot has a slot on its outer surface to receive a clamp having outer arms an resilient inner arms, that are inserted into the opposite situated openings in the wall of the foot slot and protrudes into the inner space of the body and the ends of the inner arms of the clamp are rounded. In placing an expanded baton into the holder the baton shaft is inserted between the resilient inner arms that firmly hold the shaft. When a retracted baton is stowed in the holder the closed arms prevent the baton shaft from its spontaneous release and from extending out of the baton handle. 
   In still another aspect of the invention the inner surface of the slot in the foot is provided by a cut-out and the inner surface of the clamp engaging the inner surface of the slot has a complementary projection to fit in cut-out. The clamp is thus safely positioned with respect to the foot of the body. 
   Other principal features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following drawings the detailed description and the appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG.  1 —is a front perspective view of a holder in the opened position; 
       FIG. 1   a —is a cross-sectional view along the line A—A of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 1   b —is a cross-sectional view along the line B—B of  FIG. 1 ; 
     FIG.  2 —is a front perspective view of a holder cradle; 
     FIG.  3 —is a front perspective view of a holder body; 
     FIG.  4 —is a front perspective view of a holder body clamp; 
     FIG.  5 —is a front perspective view of a holder with a retracted baton schematically illustrated; 
     FIG.  6 —is an axial sectional view of a holder with a belt attachment schematically illustrated; 
     FIG.  7 —is a front perspective view of a holder with an expanded baton schematically illustrated. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4 , a baton holder according to the invention consists substantially of three major parts: a trough-like body  1 , a cradle mounted for longitudinal motion in the body  1  and a clamp  3 . The holder is assigned to hold firmly a baton  5  having a handle  51  and a telescopic shaft  52 , the outer lines of which are schematically illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 7 . 
   As shown in more details in  FIG. 3 , the body  1  takes a shape of a trough with a partially plain back surface  19  and has an inner wall substantially in the form of a cylindrical surface  10 . The longitudinal margins of the body  1  are provided by opposite situated edges  13  and  16  separated by cut-outs  14 . The side walls  12 ,  15  of the edges  13 ,  16  are slanted. At its upper end the body  1  carries a collar  11  with a shoulder  111  and at its lower end the body is provided with a foot  17  ( FIG. 6 ) extending over the inner wall of the body  1 . The foot  17  has at its outer side a slot  18  and in the slot  18  two opposite openings  178  opened to the inner wall of the body  1  are provided. In addition, the bottom wall of the slot  18  has a cut-out  179  ( FIG. 1   b ). 
   The cradle  2  ( FIG. 2 ) has an outer cylindrical surface  201  and an inner cylindrical surface  20  and is supported for longitudinal motion by the inner cylindrical surface  10  of the body  1 . The opposed boundaries of the cylindrical surfaces of the cradle  2  are defined by margins  23 , opposite situated projections  24  and  24   a  with a slanted side walls  25  and  25   a  and by a head  21  at its upper end having the slanted side walls  22  and  22   a . The lower end of the cradle  2  carries an abutment  27 , which is provided with a circular recess, the diameter of which is slightly greater than the diameter of the extended shaft  52  of a standard baton  5 . The inner diameter of the inner wall  20  of the clamp  2  is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the handle  51  of the baton  5 . 
   The whole cradle  2  is made of a resilient material for example of plastics so that if the outer cylindrical surface  202  of the cradle  2  is exposed to an appropriate external pressure the internal diameter of the cradle is reduced to the value, which is lower than the outer diameter of a standard baton handle. Consequently, if the baton handle  51  is inserted into the cradle it may be gripped by the inner cylindrical surface  20  of the cradle  2  when exerting an appropriate external pressure on the cradle  2  ( FIGS. 5 and 7 ). 
   The projections  24  and  24   a  and the head  21  of the cradle  2  are so dimensioned that they may be received by the cut-outs  14  and by the collar  11  of the body  1 , when the cradle  2  is inserted into the body  1  and takes its opened position. In the central plane of the body  1  an opening  102  for a bolt joint  47  for securing the holder to a belt attachment member  4  ( FIG. 3  and  FIG. 6 ) is provided. By means of the member  4 , which is not subject of this invention, or by its clips  41  respectively, the holder may be fastened to the baton user&#39;s belt not shown in the drawings. 
   The clamp  3  ( FIG. 4 ) has a resilient internal arms  38  with rounded top ends  37  and external arms  34 , wherein the link between the internal arms is provided with a projection  39  to fit in the cut-out  179  in the bottom wall of the slot  18 , when the clamp is inserted into the slot  18 . In this position the rounded ends  37  of the internal arms  38  protrude from the openings  178  in the inner cylindrical space of the body  1 , the external arms  34  are disposed between the side walls of the slot  18  and the projection  39  fits in the cut-out  179 . Thus the position of the clamp  3  in the slot  18  is secured in the foot  17  while permitting the transversal motion of the internal arms  38  in the openings  178 . 
   The operation of the holder is as follows: When the baton  5  is not placed in the holder the cradle  2  takes its opened position so that the projections  24  and  24   a  are located in the cut-outs  14  of the body  1  and the head  21  of the cradle  2  is located in the collar  11  and engages the shoulder  111 . ( FIG. 1 ). Upon insertion of the baton into the holder  1  the lower end of the baton  5  first engages the abutment  27  of the cradle  2  and by further pressing the baton downwardly the cradle  2  is together with the baton  5  displaced into a position, where the abutment  27  leans against the foot  17  of the body  1 . During said displacement motion the head  21  leaves the collar  11  so that it engages the opposite situated edges  13  of the body  1  and the projections  24  leave the cut-outs  14  of the body  1  to engage the opposite situated edges  16  of the body  1 . The edges  13  urge the head  21  and the edges  16  urge the projections  24 ,  24   a  inwardly so that the cradle  2  clasps the baton handle  51  to ensure the firm stowing of the baton  5  in the holder. Upon removal of the baton from the holder the operation proceeds in inverse order so that by the motion of the baton  5  upwardly the cradle is displaced in the position where the projections  24 ,  24   a  fit in the cut-outs  14 , the head  21  abuts the shoulder  111  of the collar  11  and the baton  5  is released from the clasping forces of the cradle  2 . The easier displacement of the cradle  2  within the body  1  from the opened position to the closed position and vice versa is achieved by slanted side walls  15  and  12  of the edges  13  and  15 , the slanted side walls  22 ,  22   a  of the head  21  and the slanted side walls  25 ,  25   a  of the projections  24  and  24   a  of the cradle  2 . 
   Another function of the holder of the invention provides for insertion and fixing the baton  5  in the holder when the telescopic shaft extends from the handle  51  ( FIG. 7 ). In this action first the extended shaft  52  is placed into the foot  17  of the body  1  so that by a pressure on the rounded ends  37  of the inner resilient inner arms  38  the arms  38  are urged sideways, whereupon when the shaft wall engages the foot  17  the inner arms  38  surround the shaft  52  of the baton  5  to secure the position of the shaft  52  between the arms  38 . Thereafter the baton handle  51  may be placed in the holder in the manner described above. In its extended configuration the baton shaft  52  may extend from the holder downwardly and the baton user is not required to push the shaft  52  back into the handle  51  and may be free to perform immediately other actions. If the baton is stowed in the holder in its retracted configuration the clamp  3  i.e. its inner arms  38  serve as an abutment for the shaft outer end to prevent it from a spontaneous release out of the handle  51 . 
   All parts of the holder may be made of any suitable material however preferably from a resistant plastic material. The holder may be adapted also for batons with a diameter of the handle substantially different from the standard size, for example by changing the thickness of the cradle wall or other holder dimensions. 
   INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
   The holder according to the invention represents an indispensable accessory of a baton as a conventional equipment of the law enforcement personnel using standard as well as non-standard sized batons, specifically telescopic expandable batons.