Abstract:
An armor plate includes atop surface and bottom surface disposed adjacent to the top surface and comprising a plurality of inflection points defining a first curve, a second curve, a third curve, and a fourth curve. The armor plate may be wearable on the front of a torso or the back of the torso. The bottom s face of the armor plate may include a substantially convex contour. A bottom region of the armor plate may include the first curve and a top region of the armor plate may include the second curve, with the first curve being tighter than the second curve. The bottom region may also be configured follow a contour of an abdomen while the top region is configured follow a contour of a thorax.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/174,413 entitled “CURVED ARMOR PLATE,” that was filed on Jun. 11, 2015, and is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates body armor plates, and more particularly, to body armor plates having multiple curves. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Typical body armor is generally provided in sets. For example, the body armor may be provided with a front plate that attaches and/or covers a user&#39;s chest and a back plate that attaches to and/or covers a user&#39;s back. The front plate is designed to generally conform to the chest and front portion of a torso and typically includes three or less curves and/or points of inflection. The back plate may have a flatter profile. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    An armor plate is provided. The armor plate may include a top surface and bottom surface disposed adjacent to the top surface and comprising a plurality of inflection points defining a first curve, a second curve, a third curve, and a fourth curve. 
         [0005]    In various embodiments, the armor plate may be wearable on the front of a torso or the back of the torso. The bottom surface of the armor plate may include a substantially convex contour. A bottom region of the armor plate may include the first curve and a top region of the armor plate may include the second curve first curve being tighter than the second curve. The bottom region may also be configured follow a contour of an abdomen, and the top region may be configured follow a contour of a thorax. The first curve and the second curve may be defined about a first axis. The third curve may be defined about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The fourth curve may be defined about a third axis perpendicular to the first axis and substantially parallel to the second axis. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The subject matter of the present disclosure is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. A more complete understanding of the present disclosure, however, may best be obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a first top perspective view of an armor plate, in accordance with various embodiments; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates a second top perspective view of an armor plate, in accordance with various embodiments; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom perspective view of an armor plate, in accordance with various embodiments; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates a first side view of an armor plate, in accordance with various embodiments; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates a second side view of an armor plate, in accordance with various embodiments; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  illustrates a top view of an armor plate, in accordance with various embodiments; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  illustrates a bottom view of an armor plate, in accordance with various embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show exemplary embodiments by way of illustration. While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice these embodiments, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical changes and adaptations in design and construction may be made in accordance with the present disclosure and the teachings herein. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not for providing limitations on the scope of the disclosure. For example, the steps recited in any of the methods or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented. Furthermore, any reference to singular includes plural embodiments, and any reference to more than one component or step may include a singular embodiment or step. Also, any reference to attached, fixed, connected or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and/or any other possible attachment option. Additionally, any reference to without contact (or similar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimal contact. Moreover, surface shading lines may be used throughout the figures to denote different parts but not necessarily to denote the same or different materials. 
         [0015]    In various embodiments and with reference to  FIGS. 1-7 , a hard body armor plate  100  may be configured to be worn as a front body armor plate and/or a back body armor plate. Plate  100  may be rigid and anatomically curved to distribute impacts over a greater region of the body. In this regard, the plate may be adapted to cover the front portion of a user&#39;s torso (e.g., the chest and trunk region of a user) and/or the back of the use e.g., to protect the spinal column and surrounding tissue). Plate  100  may be made from ceramic, steel, molded composite materials (i.e., fiber and a cured resin matrix), other metals, or other rigid materials suitable to prevent or limit ballistic penetration of plate  100 . 
         [0016]    Plate  100  may comprise a top surface  110  and a bottom surface  120 . Bottom surface  120  may be the surface that is held against the body when plate  100  is worn by a user. Bottom surface  120  may have a profile or may be a surface that comprises as plurality of points of inflection or curves. For example, bottom surface  120  may comprise four or more curves or inflection points. 
         [0017]    In various embodiments, plate  100  may comprise inflection point  122 , inflection point  124 , inflection point  126 , inflection point  128 , and/or the like. Each of these inflections points may generally define a corresponding curve in bottom surface  120 . For example, the various inflection points may define curve  132 , curve  134 , curve  136 , curve  138  and/or the like in plate  100  and/or bottom surface  120 . The curves may be positioned in plate  100  and/or bottom surface  120  to conform to the chest and trunk region or the back region of the user. In this regard, the various inflection points may define bottom surface  120  in an ergonomic fashion that is suitable ergonomic for both the front chest and trunk portion of the torso and the back portion of the torso. 
         [0018]    In various embodiments, inflection point  122  may define curve  132  along bottom surface  120  in bottom region B. Inflection point  124  and inflection point  126  may define curve  134  and curve  136 , respectively, along a side portion S. In this regard, inflection point  124  and inflection point  126  define curve  134  and curve  136  that span or run across the entire width of plate  100 . Moreover, curve  134  may have a pronounced or dramatic profile in comparison to typical armor plates. In this regard, the curve may be sufficiently pronounced to conform to or match a portion of the torso of a user. Curve  132  as defined by inflection point  122  on the sidewall of plate  100  at bottom region B may be concave as viewed from surface  120  and convex as viewed from surface  110  as viewed in the bottom view of  FIG. 7 . Curve  138  as defined by inflection point  128  on the sidewall of plate  100  at top region T may be relatively flat compared to curve  132  as viewed from the top view of  FIG. 6 . In that regard, plate  100  may be anatomically molded with bottom region B configured to curve tighter than top region T so that top region T may accommodate a chest or upper back (e.g., the thorax) while bottom region B may accommodate a lower trunk an abdomen). The relative term tighter is meant to mean that between two curved surfaces, the one with a smaller radius of curvature is tighter. 
         [0019]    In various embodiments, inflection point  128  may define curve  138  along a top surface T. In this regard, inflection point  128  may create curve  138  that corresponds to the sternum region or spinal region of a user when plate  100  is worn by the user. In the event of an impact from a projectile, curve  138  may more uniformly distribute the load or force of the projectile being stopped by plate  100  to the anatomy of the user. 
         [0020]    In various embodiments, curve  132  and curve  138  may be defined about a first axis that between the top T and the bottom B of plate  100 . In this regard, the avis may extend over the entire length of the first axis. Moreover, inflection point  122  and inflection point  128  may be located on the first axis. Curve  134  may be defined about a second axis that extends across the width of plate  100 . Inflection point  124  may be located along the second axis. Similarly curve  136  may be may be defined about a third axis that extends across the width of plate  100 . Inflection point  126  may be located along the third axis. The second axis and the third axis may be substantially parallel to one another. Moreover, the second axis and the third axis may be substantially perpendicular to the first axis. 
         [0021]    In various embodiments, top surface  110  of plate  100  may have a generally flat profile or may have curves that correspond with the inflection points in bottom surface  120  such as, for example, inflection point  122 , inflection point  124 , inflection point  126 , inflection point  128 , and/or the like. Top surface  110  of plate  100  may also have a substantially convex contour with bottom surface  120  having a substantially concave as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-7 . 
         [0022]    Benefits and advantages have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system. However, such benefits, advantages, and any elements that may cause any benefit or advantage to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the disclosure. Reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. 
         [0023]    Systems, methods and apparatus are provided herein. In the detailed description herein, references to “various embodiments”, “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure in alternative embodiments. 
         [0024]    Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112(f), unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.