Abstract:
A concealed holster for a weapon, characterized by a holster pocket typically mounted on the belt of a user for receiving a weapon such as the barrel of a pistol, a typically resilient grip receiver extending upwardly from the holster pocket for receiving and concealing the pistol grip and action in recessed configuration and a resilient or pivotal auxiliary case attached to the grip receiver for containing or simulating containment of a cellular telephone, radio or the like, wherein the holster pocket is designed to fit inside the slacks or pants of the user, with the auxiliary case and grip receiver extending above the belt, to facilitate quick access to the concealed pistol by forcing the grip receiver away from the pistol grip and action as the auxiliary case is pivoted outwardly, grasping the pistol grip and drawing the pistol from the holster pocket.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of and incorporates by reference prior filed copending U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/466,277, Filed Apr. 30, 2003. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    A concealed holster for a weapon such as a pistol, characterized by a downwardly-extending holster pocket of selected material, size and shape for typically mounting on a belt and receiving the barrel of the pistol, and a preferably resilient grip receiver extending upwardly from the holster pocket and having a face recess or inlay for receiving and recessing the grip and action of the pistol. An auxiliary case is attached to the grip receiver for simulating or actually carrying a radio, cellular telephone, pager, compact disc player or the like. The holster pocket is designed to fit between the lower torso clothing, such as slacks or pants, and the leg, abdomen or side of the user, with the grip receiver and auxiliary case projecting above the belt. This facilitates concealing the holster pocket inside the pants or slacks and the pistol inside the holster pocket and the grip receiver, while revealing only the auxiliary case, ostensibly as a carrier for the cellular telephone or the like. The pistol is accessed by forcing the grip receiver outwardly with the bendable or yieldable auxiliary case to clear the pistol grip and action from the recessed face inlay in the grip receiver and allow rapid withdrawal of the pistol from the grip receiver and the holster pocket by the user. Other weapons such as knives, “stun guns” and the like can be hidden in a concealed holster designed to receive such weapons according to the teachings of this invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SUMMARY  
       [0003]    The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which are illustrative of a concealed holster for concealing a pistol, wherein:  
         [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 is an outside perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the concealed holster of this invention mounted on the belt of a user by means of a belt clip;  
         [0005]    [0005]FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a typical belt clip attached to the holster pocket of the concealed holster and the belt, as illustrated in FIG. 1;  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 3 is an inside perspective view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIG. 1, more particularly illustrating a preferred design of the grip receiver, showing the pistol grip and action recessed in a face inlay provided in the typically resilient grip receiver face, to facilitate rapid access to the pistol by a user;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 4 is a top view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 5 is a front view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and  4 ;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 6 is an inside view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIG. 3;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 7 is an outside view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIG. 1;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3- 7 , with the holster pocket concealed between the slacks or pants of a user and the user&#39;s body, with the auxiliary case exposed and the hand of the user reaching for the concealed pistol;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIG. 8, more particularly illustrating the user gripping the pistol as the grip receiver and the auxiliary case are pivoted outwardly in concert by the user&#39;s hand;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIG. 9, more particularly illustrating further withdrawal of the pistol from the concealed holster responsive to pivoting of the grip receiver and auxiliary case away from the user&#39;s body; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the concealed holster illustrated in FIG. 10, more particularly illustrating complete withdrawal of the pistol from the concealed holster. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]    Referring initially to FIGS. 1-7 of the drawings, in a preferred embodiment the concealed holster of this invention is generally illustrated by reference numeral  1 . The concealed holster  1  is designed to conceal a pistol and is typically constructed of leather, plastic or other resilient material and includes a downwardly-extending, shaped holster pocket  2 , typically having a pocket break  2   a  in the rear surface, or pocket back  6 . The holster pocket  2  is further characterized by pocket sides  3 , joined by a pocket front  4  and the pocket back  6  and terminating at a pocket bottom  5 , as illustrated. A grip receiver  7  extends from the top of the holster pocket  2  and may be constructed in one piece with the holster pocket  2  or connected to the holster pocket  2  by glue, brads or other fasteners, as desired. The grip receiver  7  is further characterized by grip receiver sides  8 , which are typically substantially coterminous with the pocket front  4  and the pocket back  6 , respectively, of the holster pocket  2  and the grip receiver  7  includes a downwardly-tapered grip receiver top  9  that spans the top of the grip receiver sides  8 , as further illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings. A typically resilient grip receiver face  10  is provided in the inside face of the grip receiver  7  and is bounded by the grip receiver sides  8  and the grip receiver top  9 , as further illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. A face inlay  11  is provided in the grip receiver face  10  and is shaped to receive the pistol grip  27  and action  28  of an automatic pistol  26 , as further illustrated in FIG. 3. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the pistol grip  27  and the action  28  of the pistol  26  are recessed in the face inlay  11  of the resilient, typically expanded foam grip receiver face  10 , when the concealed holster  1  is positioned in functional configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, for the purpose hereinafter described.  
         [0016]    Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5- 8  of the drawings a pivot, tilt or hinge line  12  is defined by the resilient (typically leather or plastic) case bottom  16  of an auxiliary case  13  and the top edge of the belt  20 . The auxiliary case  13  is attached to the grip receiver  7  by glue, brads or other fasteners, and may also be similarly attached to the holster pocket  2 , to facilitate pivoting, bending and/or tilting of the case bottom  16  of the auxiliary case  13  and the grip receiver  7  in concert along the hinge line  12  at the belt  20 , upon reaching for and grasping the pistol  26 , as hereinafter further described. The auxiliary case  13  is further typically defined by case sides  14 , a case front  15  and a case flap  17  that extends over the top of the auxiliary case  13  to define a flap hinge and is typically releasably attached to the case front  15  by means of a flap closure  18 , such as a snap or the like.  
         [0017]    As further illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the holster pocket  2  of the concealed holster  1  is attached to the belt  20  by means of a belt clip  21 , having spaced-apart belt legs  22  that extend from a pocket mount  24 , mounted by any suitable means on the pocket side  3  of the holster pocket  2 , across the top and downwardly across the outside face of the belt  20 . The belt clip  21  is further characterized by a pocket leg  23  that also extends from the pocket mount  24  on the holster pocket  2  and projects around the bottom of the belt  20  and upwardly between the belt legs  22 , as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings, to removably mount the concealed holster  1  on the belt  20 .  
         [0018]    In operation and referring now to FIGS. 3 and 8- 11  of the drawings, in FIG. 8 the concealed holster  1  is illustrated in mounted position on the belt  20  of a user, with the pistol  26  in concealed configuration and the holster pocket  2  extended and concealed between the slacks  25  and the torso of the user, with the auxiliary case  13  and grip receiver  7  protruding above the belt  20 . As described above, the holster pocket  2  is typically connected to the belt clip  21  and the belt clip  21 , to the belt  20 . The user&#39;s hand is illustrated in functional configuration moving downwardly as indicated by the arrow, to position the fingers between the grip receiver  7  and the user&#39;s side, with the knuckles located adjacent to the grip receiver face  10 , illustrated in FIG. 3. As illustrated in FIG. 9 the hand is further extended downwardly to project the fingers between the grip receiver  7  and the user&#39;s side or torso and force the grip receiver  7  and the auxiliary case  13  in concert outwardly in the direction of the arrow, as the user&#39;s hand grasps the pistol grip  27  and the auxiliary case  13  bends, pivots and/or tilts along the hinge line  12  (FIG. 8). This movement facilitates gripping of the pistol grip  27  and removal of the pistol grip  27  and the action  28  from the face inlay  11  of the grip receiver face  10 , as the grip receiver  7  and auxiliary case  13  are pivoted or otherwise deflected further outwardly along the hinge line  12 , further illustrated in FIG. 8. The user&#39;s arm is now ready to move upwardly and draw the pistol  26  from the holster pocket  2  of the concealed holster  1 . As illustrated in FIG. 10 of the drawings, the pistol  26  is substantially retrieved from the concealed holster  1 , with the barrel  29  extended from the holster pocket  2  and the grip receiver  7  and auxiliary case  13  further pivoted or deflected outwardly above the belt  20 , as indicated by the arrow, to facilitate upward movement of the user&#39;s arm and allow complete, full and rapid clearance of the pistol  26  from the concealed holster  1 . FIG. 11 further illustrates complete removal of the pistol  26  from the concealed holster  1  with the grip receiver  7  and auxiliary case  13  returned to substantially the same configuration illustrated in FIG. 8 on the hinge line  12 , as a result of the “memory” in the resilient auxiliary case  13 .  
         [0019]    It will be appreciated from a consideration of the drawings and the above description that the concealed holster of this invention is designed for use under circumstances where it is desired to conceal a weapon such as a handgun of any design, the automatic pistol  26  being shown in the drawings for illustrative purposes only. It will be further understood, that depending upon the design of the weapon to be concealed, including a knife, “stun gun”, automatic pistol or revolver or other weapon, the holster pocket  2 , face inlay  11  and grip receiver  7  can be shaped to accommodate any such weapon, as desired. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 8 of the drawings, under circumstances where the concealed holster  1  is positioned in weapon-concealed configuration, only the auxiliary case  13 , the grip receiver sides  8  and the grip receiver top  9  are presented in full view of an observer and since the pistol grip  27  and action  28  illustrated in the drawings are recessed in the face inlay  11  of the grip receiver face  10 , the pistol grip  27  and action  28  are not visible. The holster pocket  2 , containing the barrel  29  of the pistol  26 , is also concealed, as it is extended downwardly between the slacks  25  and the torso of a user, to completely conceal the pistol  26  inside the holster pocket  2  and the grip receiver  7 . Accordingly, the concealed holster  1  of this invention features three-dimensional concealment of a weapon, with quick access to the weapon, without the necessity of wearing additional concealment devices, including clothing.  
         [0020]    Furthermore, the auxiliary case  13  can be utilized to contain a cellular telephone or a radio, pager, compact disc player or the like (not illustrated) or can remain empty, to simulate such containment, as desired. Moreover, the size and shape of the auxiliary case  13  can be varied as desired, to further enhance concealment of the desired weapon. It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that the holster pocket  2  can be shaped and sized as desired to contain a weapon such as a knife having a blade of selected length, a “stun gun” or a pistol  26  having a desired barrel length and design, for example, a revolver having a longer or shorter barrel than the pistol  26  illustrated in the drawings. The holster pocket  2 , grip receiver  7  and/or the auxiliary case  13  can also be typically constructed of leather or other resilient material such as plastic and the like, in non-exclusive particular, according to the weapon size, shape and design and the desires of the manufacturer and the user.  
         [0021]    While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.