Abstract:
A quick-release garment has portions connected about a wearer and held in place by hook and loop fasteners. Quick-release tabs are connected to a rear portion of a hook and loop fastener element so as to extend along it and to project along an opposite end in a position making a loop piece accessible by the wearer. By pulling on the loop piece, the wearer causes the connected fastener to fold on to itself, thereby peeling apart the hook and loop fastener assembly. Such an arrangement is provided in a plate-carrying vest garment at a shoulder and at a cummerbund to allow convenient and rapid doffing of the garment, while being simply reassembled after such removal.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to garments with provision for rapid removal. 
         [0004]    Persons exposed to projectile threats, such as police officers and soldiers, may seek a certain level of protection by wearing armored clothing. Low velocity projectiles such as handgun rounds, fragmentation rounds from a grenade or mortar, and miscellaneous shrapnel may be countered by so-called “soft armor.” Soft armor is worn in the form of jackets, vests, etc. which are composed of assemblies of ballistic fabric such as those formed from DuPont Kevlar® fibers or of Spectra® ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fibers from Honeywell. The soft armor is often fabricated as flexible panels which are received within pockets or pouches formed in fabric vests or jackets. In more serious threat situations, where higher velocity rifle rounds must be countered, soft armor has typically been supplemented with hard armor fabricated of rigid plates of ceramic, polymer, or metal. Vests with pockets for hard armor, known as plate carriers, can also be provided with attachment points for attaching pouches and other elements. A standardized attachment system employed by US military services is the U.S. Army&#39;s PALS (Pouch Attachment Ladder System) arrangement. Commonly, the PALS system is a component of a supporting vest such as those which are a part of the US Army&#39;s MOLLE (MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) system. 
         [0005]    Body armor can contribute to the safety of a soldier in combat situations, but it is important that it not significantly detract from the soldier&#39;s ability to perform combat tasks, and that it not be an impediment to providing assistance to the soldier in the event of injury. Thus, while a body armor system should be securely mounted to the soldier, it should be rapidly removable in an emergency. For example, if the wearer becomes immersed in a body of water, the weight of the vest system and attached supplies can compromise his ability to remain afloat. If a wearer is wounded, the garment should be readily removed without aggravating the injury. In some systems, an emergency release pin is provided which engages with lacing held in place by eyelets which are threaded on the pin. By withdrawing the pin, the body armor can by opened up and the wearer expeditiously extricated. Yet this arrangement can result in the lacing and released eyelets becoming tangled or disarrayed, making reassembly of the armor a time-consuming task. Moreover, a complicated quick-release system involving many specialized parts can add to the cost of the garment. At times a steel cable is used for a quick-release actuator, which is provided with a urethane coating to protect the cable from the environment and to make it slick for ready withdrawal. The cable is narrow, but the thickness of the cable can make it uncomfortable to the wearer if a rifle strap or the like passes over it and can create a pressure point. 
         [0006]    What is needed is a garment system which can be rapidly disassembled and reassembled. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The quick-release garment of this invention makes use of hook and loop fasteners, such as those sold by Velcro Industries B.V. LLC, the Netherlands, under the trademark VELCRO®, to releasably connect portions of a garment. The hook and loop fastener has one fastener element with projecting hooks, and another mating fastener element with projecting loops. These two elements when engaged face to face provide a secure attachment. This attachment generally resists separation by forces applied along the plane of the connection, while being readily separated by peeling the two elements apart. The garment has quick-release tabs which are connected to a rear portion of a hook and loop fastener element so as to extend along it and to project along an opposite end in a position making a loop piece accessible by the wearer. By pulling on the loop piece, the wearer causes the connected fastener to fold on to itself, thereby peeling apart the hook and loop fastener assembly. This arrangement is readily employed where a garment has hook and loop fastener engagement between parts, and can be economically fabricated using conventional sewing techniques. 
         [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a quick release garment which is readily removed in a short period of time. 
         [0009]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for separating the connection between two hook and loop fastener elements wherever found on a garment. 
         [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a quick release arrangement for a garment using sewn fabric and fastener pieces. 
         [0011]    Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art ballistic plate carrier vest. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the prior art ballistic plate carrier vest with a shoulder cover removed and the shoulder straps separated from one another. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of a shoulder quick-release tab module of this invention for attachment to the prior art device of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of a shoulder strap cover of this invention for attachment to the prior art device of  FIG. 2  to enclose portions of the quick-release tab module. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the quick-release vest of this invention, showing the assembly of the shoulder quick-release tab module of  FIG. 3  and the shoulder strap cover of  FIG. 4  with the vest of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the device of  FIG. 5  with the quick-release tab module being assembled for use. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a fragmentary perspective view of the quick-release vest of this invention assembled and ready for use. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a top plan view of a cummerbund quick-release tab module of this invention for attachment to the prior art device of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a bottom plan view of the cummerbund quick-release tab module of  FIG. 8 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the quick-release vest of  FIG. 7 , showing the removal of the cummerbund closure panel for installation of the cummerbund quick-release tab of  FIG. 8 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the device of  FIG. 10 , with the cummerbund quick-release tab attached to the cummerbund closure panel. 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is an exploded perspective view of the device of  FIG. 11  showing final connection of the cummerbund quick-release arrangement. 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a soldier wearing the quick-release vest of  FIG. 12  and engaging the cummerbund quick-release tab assembly prior to actuation. 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the soldier of  FIG. 13  gripping the shoulder quick-release tab assembly after actuation of the cummerbund quick-release tab assembly. 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment quick-release garment of this invention, having a tab restraint strip which positions a quick-release tab. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]    Referring more particularly to  FIGS. 1-15 , wherein like numbers refer to similar parts, a prior art vest  20  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The vest  20  may be, for example, the JUMPABLE PLATE CARRIER™ manufactured by Crye Precision of Brooklyn, N.Y. The prior art vest  20  has a front panel  22  which is connected to a rear panel  24  by shoulder strap assemblies  30  which go over the wearer&#39;s shoulders, and a cummerbund assembly  32  which extends around the wearer&#39;s midsection. The prior art vest  20  may have downwardly opening pockets which can receive removable soft or hard armor, not shown, which serves to protect the wearer from bullets and high speed projectile fragments. The front panel  22  has a hinged front flap  34  which may be provided with horizontal rows of 1″ Mil-W-43668 Type III nylon webbing spaced 1″ apart, and reattached to the backing at 1.5″ intervals, as in the U.S. Army&#39;s PALS (Pouch Attachment Ladder System) arrangement. The cummerbund assembly  32  may be provided with PALS compatible webbing such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 13/005,980, entitled Lightweight Equipment Carrying Garment, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. For clarity, the drawings have been simplified and the individual loops sewn in the webbing have not been shown. 
         [0028]    The invention makes use of two-part hook and loop fastener material, which is comprised of a fastener element of hook fastener material, indicated in the drawings by a pattern of small crosses, and a fastener element of loop fastener material, indicated in the drawings by a pattern of small circles. It should be understood that where hook fastener material is shown engaging with loop fastener material, the locations of the two halves of the hook and loop fastener can be reversed with similar function. 
         [0029]    The prior art vest  20  is reconfigured into the quick-release garment  36  of the present invention shown in  FIG. 12 , by the removal of two stretch shoulder sleeves  38 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , and by the addition of a shoulder quick-release module  40  shown in  FIG. 3 , a shoulder strap cover  42  shown in  FIG. 4 , and a cummerbund quick-release module  43  shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . 
         [0030]    The shoulder quick release module  40  has a quick-release tab  44  which may be a ½ inch wide strip of woven webbing which extends through a rigid plastic loop piece  46 , which provides a readily graspable termination to the module  40 . The narrow tab  44  extends from a wider woven body  48  which may be about  2  inches wide. A hook and loop fastener element  50  is sewn to the body  48 . The tab  44  preferably extends across the entire length of the body  48 . 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the shoulder strap assemblies  30  are disassembled so a front shoulder strap  52  extends rearwardly from the front panel  22 , and a rear shoulder strap  54  extends frontwardly from the rear panel  24 . The rear shoulder strap is a receiving part, which will receive a hook and loop fastener element that will be stripped away, and the front should strap is a stripping part, that will be peeled away from the rear shoulder strap. The front shoulder strap has an attachment section  56  which is sewn to the front panel, and which tapers down to a connecting section which may be about 2 inches wide and to which an upwardly facing hook and loop fastener element  58  is connected, such as by sewing. The shoulder quick-release module  40  is affixed to the front shoulder strap  52  by bringing the downwardly facing fastener element  50  on the body  48  of the module into engagement with the upwardly facing fastener element  58 . The front shoulder strap  52  is then folded, as shown in  FIG. 6 , to cause the shoulder quick release module to underlie the front shoulder strap, and the shoulder quick release tab  44  with its loop piece  46  is passed through a strap opening  60  in the front shoulder strap attachment section  56 , so the loop piece  46  can be readily grasped by the wearer from the front of the garment. 
         [0032]    The shoulder strap cover  42 , shown in  FIG. 4 , has a flexible material body  62  with a first hook and loop fastener element  64  affixed to an interior surface, and a second mating hook and loop fastener element  66  affixed to an exterior surface. The body  62  is hemmed. A strap mounting flap  68  extends from the body  62  and has a third hook and loop fastener element  70  connected thereto. The rear shoulder strap  54  has a downwardly facing hook and loop fastener element  72  configured to mate with the upwardly facing hook and loop fastener element  58  on the front shoulder strap  52 . 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the third fastener element  70  of the shoulder strap cover  42  is engaged with the rear shoulder strap  54  fastener element  72 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the front shoulder strap with attached shoulder quick-release element is received on the shoulder strap cover, and the upwardly facing front shoulder strap hook and loop fastener element  58  is connected to the downwardly facing hook and loop fastener element  72  of the rear shoulder strap  54  thereby connecting the front panel of the garment to the rear panel. The sides of the shoulder strap cover  42  may then be folded over the connected front and rear shoulder straps and the shoulder cover first hook and loop fastener element  64  is engaged with the shoulder cover second hook and loop fastener element  66 . The shoulder strap cover  42  then surrounds the connected shoulder straps giving protection to the assembly from catching on other elements of clothing or gear that might pass over it, as well as giving the shoulder strap assembly a neat appearance. 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIG. 10 , the garment has cummberbund side members  74  or straps which extend from the rear panel  24  to a cummerbund closure panel  76 . The closure panel  76  has a first hook and loop fastener element  78  on its outwardly facing surface, and a second hook and loop fastener element  80  on its inwardly facing surface. The second hook and loop fastener element  80  mates with a frontwardly facing front panel  22  hook and loop fastener element  82 , and the underside of the front element front flap  34  has a hook and loop fastener element which mates with the closure panel first fastener element  78  when it is closed thereon. The front panel is a receiving part, which will receive a hook and loop fastener element that will be stripped away, and the closure panel is a stripping part, that will be peeled away from the front panel. To attach the cummerbund quick release module, the front panel  22  front flap  34  is folded up, and the closure panel  76  is separated from its attachment to the front panel. 
         [0035]    The cummerbund quick release module, as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , has a quick-release tab  84  which may be a ½ inch wide strip of woven webbing which extends through a rigid plastic loop piece  85  which terminates the module. The narrow tab  84  extends across a wider woven body  86  which may be about 2 inches wide. The body  86  is divided into a rear segment  88  and a front segment  90 . A rear hook and loop fastener element  94  is sewn to the rear segment  88  of the body  48 , and a front hook and loop element  92  is sewn to the front segment  90 . The hook and loop fastener elements  94 ,  92  are selected to mate with the inwardly and outwardly facing hook and loop fastener elements  78 ,  80  respectively of the cummerbund closure panel  76 . There is a gap  98  between the rear fastener element  94  and the front fastener element  92  defining a region where the body  86  may be readily folded. The tab  84  preferably extends across a majority of the length of the rear segment of the body  86 . The quick-release tab  84  is not fixed to the body front segment  90 . A small patch of hook and loop fastener material defines a tab fastener element  96  midway along the tab  84 . 
         [0036]    The cummerbund quick-release module  43  is connected to the cummerbund closure panel  76  as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , by pressing the rear segment  88  of the body  48  of the module  43  to the inwardly facing second fastener element  80  of the closure panel. The rear segment  88  extends diagonally across the closure panel  76 , and projects beyond its upper corner. As shown in  FIG. 12 , the body of the cummerbund quick-release module is folded at the gap  98 , to bring the front segment  90  front fastener element  92  into engagement with the outwardly facing first fastener element  78  of the closure panel  76 . The tab  84  then extends along the first fastener element  78  and is lightly retained in a downwardly extending diagonal position by the engagement of the tab fastener element  96  with the first fastener element  78  of the closure panel  76 . The quick-release vest  36  of the present invention is then fully assembled, and ready to be worn by a wearer  102  as shown in  FIG. 13 . 
         [0037]    When the vest  36  is donned by the wearer  102 , and the shoulder straps are connected, the cummerbund closure panel  76  is brought into engagement with the vest front panel  22  and the front flap  34  folded down to complete the entry of the wearer into the vest. In this configuration, the cummerbund module quick-release tab  84  protrudes through an opening between the front flap and the front panel, and the shoulder module quick release tab  44  protrudes through the strap opening  60 . Both tabs  84 ,  44  are accessible from the wearer&#39;s front, and are readily grasped one after the other by his left hand. To quickly release the vest  36  and permit a rapid doffing of the garment, the wearer may grasp and pull the tabs  84 , causing the shoulder and cummerbund hook and loop fastener engagements to be broken, and the garment  36  to be put in a condition where it can be readily removed. 
         [0038]    Looking more closely at the mechanics of operation of the quick release mechanism, consider first the arrangement at the shoulder strap connection, as shown in  FIG. 6 . The garment front shoulder strap  52  has the fastener element  58  attached to an upwardly facing surface of the shoulder strap, whereas the opposite surface of the shoulder strap faces downwardly. The rear shoulder strap  54  extends towards the front shoulder strap, and has a fastener element  72  affixed thereon. The fastener element  58  and the second fastener element  72  are connected as a hook and loop fastener to define a fastener region which retains the front shoulder strap in connection with the rear shoulder strap, the fastener region has a remote margin at a remove from the strap opening  60 , and a near margin spaced from the remote margin near the opening  60 . The quick release tab  44  is connected to the front shoulder strap at the remote margin of the fastener region, and it extends along the downwardly facing surface of the front shoulder strap, across the near margin of the fastener region and through the opening  60 . 
         [0039]    The quick release tab  44  is graspable by a wearer of the quick-release garment assembly, such that a force applied to the quick release tab in the direction extending from the remote margin to the near margin causes the fastener element  58  to peel away from the fastener element  72  to cause the fastener element  58  and the quick release tab  44  to pass across the near margin, and through the opening  60 , thereby separating the shoulder straps. 
         [0040]    In a similar fashion, considering the arrangement at the cummerbund connection, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the garment cummerbund closure panel  76  has the fastener element  80  attached to an inwardly facing surface of the closure panel, whereas the opposite surface of the closure panel faces outwardly, as shown in  FIG. 12 . The vest front panel  22  extends towards the closure panel and has a fastener element  82  affixed thereon. The fastener element  80  and the fastener element  82  are connected as a hook and loop fastener to define a fastener region which retains the closure panel  76  in connection with the vest front panel  22 , and the fastener region has a remote margin at a remove from the bottom corner of the front panel, where the flap  34  defines an opening, and the fastener region has a near margin spaced adjacent the bottom corner of the front panel. The quick release tab  84  is connected to the closure panel  76  at the remote margin of the fastener region, and it extends along the outwardly facing surface of the closure panel, across the near margin of the fastener region. The quick release tab  84  is graspable by a wearer of the quick-release garment assembly, such that a force applied to the quick release tab in the direction extending from the remote margin to the near margin causes the fastener element  80  to peel away from the fastener element  82  to cause the fastener element  80  and the quick release tab  84  to pass across the near margin, thereby separating the closure panel  76  from the front panel  22 . 
         [0041]    It should be noted that the quick-release modules have been disclosed above in a manner permitting the retrofitting of an existing garment with the quick-release functionality of the present invention. However, the garments may also be fabricated to incorporated the quick-release features of this invention, for example by sewing or otherwise fixing the quick-release tabs directly to a hook and loop fastener element, instead of connecting it by another hook and loop fastener element. 
         [0042]    To assist a wearer in repeatably accessing the quick-release tab of this invention, it is helpful to have the quick-release tab repeatably positioned in a common spot with respect to the garment, where the wearer can readily access it when necessary to doff the garment. The function of positioning the quick-release tab is performed by the front shoulder strap opening  60 , but it can also be provided by some other type of releasable engagement between the quick-release tab and the garment. For example, a tab restraining and positioning strip  104  may be provided as shown in the alternative embodiment quick-release garment  106  of  FIG. 15 . The strip  104  is a narrow piece of webbing that is folded across itself to define a loop through which the quick-release tab  108  extends. The strap may be connected to a rear of a vest shoulder strap  110 , for example by sewing, and removably fastened to the front  112  of the shoulder strap by a hook and loop fastener arrangement including a patch  113  of hook and loop material sewn to the front of the shoulder strap. Thus the looped strip  104  defines a front opening  114  through which the quick-release tab  108  extends and by which the tab is held in place for ready access by the user. Other alternative engagements between the tab and the garment might comprise a strip of hook or loop fastener material extending off the tab, and mating with a corresponding loop or hook fastener material on the garment; a looped band of material encircling the quick-release tab which carries the hook or loop fastener element; a simple piece of hook or loop fastener element sewn to a rear face of the quick-release tab, and mating with a correspond loop or hook fastener element on the garment; or a band sewn to the garment extending across the quick-release tab generally perpendicular thereto. 
         [0043]    It is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.