Patent Description:
There is a need for a ballistic cover that can increase the ballistic rating of a shield. More specifically, there is a need for a ballistic cover with a curved profile to fit the curved profile of the ballistic shield. <CIT> discloses a protective shield for police forces. <CIT> discloses a riot shield that has certain ballistic properties. <CIT> discloses a body-protection shield for protecting a user against impact by projectiles. <CIT> discloses a multi-layer curved shield.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a ballistic shield system comprising a shield, an ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene ballistic cover, and a fastening system. The shield has a first curved profile and a first ballistic rating. The shield may have a front and a back. The ballistic cover has a second curved profile and a second ballistic rating, the second ballistic rating being greater than the first ballistic rating. The ballistic cover may have a front and a back. The fastening system is configured to attach the ballistic cover to the shield. For example, the fastening system may be configured to attach the back of the ballistic cover to the front of the shield. The second curved profile of the ballistic cover matches the first curved profile of the shield to provide uniform contact between the shield and the ballistic cover to minimize the occurrence of ballistic voids between the shield and the ballistic cover. The ballistic shield system may further comprise a handle.

In various embodiments, the fastening system may be a fastener assembly. The fastening system may be a two-part system and may comprise a first part and a second part. For example, the fastening system may comprise a first portion disposed on the shield and a second portion disposed on the ballistic cover. Moreover, the fastening system may be at least one of a nut and bolt assembly, hook and loop material, a magnet assembly, a clip, and an adhesive. In various embodiments, the fastening system may be configured to retain at least a portion of the ballistic cover on the shield in response to the ballistic cover cracking.

In various embodiments, the second curved profile may be a concave profile.

In various embodiments, the shield may comprise a first portion, a second portion and a transition. The ballistic cover may comprise a third portion that substantially covers the first portion and a fourth portion that substantially covers the second portion. The transition may be configured to support an item being used by a user of the ballistic shield system.

In various embodiments, a shield assembly may comprise a shield, a ballistic cover, and a fastening system. The shield may comprise a first front and a first back. The shield may also have a first ballistic rating. The first front of the shield may have a first concave profile. The ballistic cover may comprise a second front and a second back. The ballistic cover may also have a second ballistic rating. The second back of the ballistic cover may have a second concave profile. The second concave profile of the ballistic cover may be configured to mate with, cover, and/or attached to the first concave profile of the first front of the shield. The fastening system may be configured to attach the ballistic cover to the shield.

In various embodiments, the fastening system may be two-part system, having a first part and a second part. More specifically, the first part of the fastening system may be operatively coupled to the first front of the shield. The second part of the fastening system may be operatively coupled to the second back of the ballistic cover. In various embodiments, the fastening system may be, for example, a nut and bolt assembly, hook and loop material, a magnet assembly, a clip, an adhesive, and/or the like.

In various embodiments, the shield may be made of a first material and the ballistic cover may be made of a second material.

In various embodiments, a ballistic tile may comprise a body having a front surface and a back surface. The back surface may have a curved profile. The body may be configured to mate with a curved shield to increase the ballistic rating of the shield. The body may be sized to cover at least <NUM> percent of a surface area of the curved shield. The curved profile may be a concave profile.

In various embodiments, the ballistic tile is attachable to the shield with a fastening system. The fastening system may be a two-part system. The fastening system may be, for example, a nut and bolt assembly, hook and loop material, a magnet assembly, a clip, an adhesive, and/or the like.

The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein refers 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 the inventions, other embodiments may be realized, and that logical, chemical and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions. For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not necessarily limited to the order presented. Also, any reference to attached, fixed, connected or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and/or any other possible attachment option.

The present disclosure is directed to a ballistic shield system. The ballistic shield system is generally configured to improve the ballistic capability of a traditional shield by adding a ballistic cover or tile to increase the ballistic capabilities of a traditional ballistic shield. Ballistic shields with generally flat profiles have been used to protect users. However, flat profile shields do not provide the same level of coverage as curved profile shields. Moreover, covers or tiles used to increase the ballistic rating of a shield have not been made with curved profiles, because the materials that are used to make the covers are difficult to process.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, a ballistic shield system <NUM> comprises a shield <NUM> and a ballistic cover or tile <NUM>. The ballistic cover <NUM> may be attached to shield <NUM> by a fastening system. The fastening system may be any suitable system configured to attach and/or retain ballistic cover <NUM> to shield <NUM>. In this regard, ballistic cover <NUM> may be configured to mate with and/or otherwise uniformly contact shield <NUM>. The uniform contact between ballistic cover <NUM> and shield <NUM> may reduce the risk of a ballistic void or penetration zone being present in ballistic shield system <NUM>.

In various embodiments, shield <NUM> may have a curved profile. For example, shield <NUM> may have a concave profile. Shield <NUM> may also have a surface that curves inward similar to the interior of a circle or sphere. More specifically, back <NUM> of shield <NUM> may have a curved profile such that is surrounds the user. Ballistic cover <NUM> may have a complementary shape. In this regard, ballistic cover <NUM> may compliment or mate with shield <NUM>.

In various embodiments and with continued reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, shield <NUM> may have a back <NUM> and a front <NUM>. Moreover, shield <NUM> may have a first portion <NUM> and a second portion <NUM>. First portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> may be defined separately from each other. First portion <NUM> and second portion <NUM> may be joined by a transition <NUM>. Similarly, ballistic cover <NUM> may have a back <NUM> and a front <NUM> opposite back <NUM>. Ballistic cover <NUM> may also have a third portion <NUM> and a fourth portion <NUM> that are defined separately from each other and are operatively connected to one another via a transition <NUM>. In this regard, third portion <NUM> may be substantially the same shape and size as first portion <NUM> of shield <NUM>. Similarly, fourth portion <NUM> of ballistic cover <NUM> may be substantially the same size and shape as second portion <NUM> of shield <NUM>.

In various embodiments, front <NUM> of shield <NUM> may be configured to operatively engage, fasten to, support, and/or otherwise mate with back <NUM> of ballistic cover <NUM>. In this regard, the front <NUM> may have a complimentary profile to back <NUM> such that they mate and/or contact one another. The complimentary profiles insure that there is uniform contact and/or support between front <NUM> and back <NUM>. This uniform contact minimizes the occurrence of ballistic voids between shield <NUM> and ballistic cover <NUM>. A ballistic void is present when there is a gap between the shield and ballistic cover. The gap reduces the ballistic capability of the overall shield system and increases the risk of a penetration of and/or to ballistic shield system <NUM>.

In various embodiments, shield <NUM> may be made of a first material and ballistic cover <NUM> may be made of a second material. For example, shield <NUM> may be made of a bullet resistant steel or a composite material. Shield <NUM> may have a first ballistic rating based on the material that shield <NUM> is made from. Ballistic cover <NUM> may be made from a second material such as, for example, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE, UHMW) (e.g., DYNEEMA® composite material and/or the like), other preimpregnated aramid fibers (e.g., KEVLAR ®, NOMEX®, TECHNORA®, and/or the like) or heat resistant, high strength composite fibers. Ballistic cover <NUM> may also be made of and/or from a composite, metal, ceramic and/or of other suitable heat resistant, high strength materials.

In various embodiments, shield <NUM> may be configured with handle <NUM> in operation. A user may grab and support shield <NUM> in front of her body. The curved profile of shield <NUM> generally provides greater coverage than a shield with a flat profile. Moreover, the user of shield <NUM> may hold shield <NUM> with one hand at handle <NUM> and may hold another device such as, for example, a firearm, camera, and/or the like with the other hand.

In various embodiments and with continued reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, ballistic shield system <NUM> may comprise a fastening system <NUM>. Fastening system <NUM> may be configured to attach, join, fasten, and/or otherwise operatively couple ballistic cover <NUM> to shield <NUM>. In this regard, fastening system <NUM> may be configured to permanently or removably couple ballistic cover <NUM> to shield <NUM>. Fastening system <NUM> may be one or more fasteners or fastener assemblies or fastener systems <NUM>. Fastener assembly <NUM> may include a nut and bolt with one or more washers. Fastener assembly <NUM> may be included in a plurality of locations on shield <NUM> and ballistic cover <NUM> and/or as part of ballistic shield system <NUM>. For example, fastener system <NUM>-<NUM>, fastener system <NUM>-<NUM>, fastener system <NUM>-<NUM>, and fastener system <NUM>-<NUM>, may be disposed over and/or disposed separately from one another and may be configured to pass through portions of shield <NUM> and ballistic cover <NUM> to form a ballistic shield system <NUM>. Moreover, fastener assembly <NUM> may be made of a suitable material such as hardened steel.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, fastener system <NUM> may maybe one or more pieces of a hook and loop assembly. In this regard, fastener system <NUM> may be two-piece assembly, including first piece 220A and second piece 220B. First piece 220A of fastener system <NUM> may be configured in or disposed on shield <NUM>. Second piece 220B of fastener system <NUM> may be disposed on or attached to ballistic cover <NUM>. Moreover, fastener system <NUM> may be disposed at multiple points on shield <NUM> and/or ballistic cover <NUM> to provide appropriate coverage and support when ballistic cover <NUM> is attached to shield <NUM>.

In various embodiments and with continued reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, ballistic cover <NUM> may be retained on shield <NUM> in the event that ballistic cover <NUM> cracks or fractures in response to a high energy event (e.g., a projectile/bullet impact). Because fastener system <NUM> has a distributed engagement, ballistic cover <NUM> may be retained over an area. More specifically, ballistic cover <NUM> may be retained in response to cracking or fracturing because of the disturbed engagement of fastener system <NUM>. In this regard, ballistic shield system <NUM> may maintain some or all of its ballistic capabilities in response to ballistic cover <NUM> experiencing a failure (e.g., the cracking or fracturing of ballistic cover <NUM>) maintaining the performance of ballistic cover <NUM> because ballistic cover <NUM> is retained on shield <NUM> by fastener system <NUM>.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG>, ballistic cover <NUM> may be configured with a structure that facilitates attachment of ballistic cover <NUM> to shield <NUM>. For example, ballistic cover <NUM> may include a hook <NUM> that is formed in ballistic cover <NUM>. Hook <NUM> may be configured to engage and/or overlap shield <NUM> in response to ballistic cover <NUM> being installed on shield <NUM>.

In various embodiments, ballistic shield system <NUM> may have a hybrid fastening system. In this regard, any of the fastening systems described herein may be employed together in whole or in part with other fastening systems and/or structures of shield <NUM> or the ballistic covers described herein. For example, the fastening system may include one or more mechanical fasteners (e.g. a nut in a bolt), a structure formed in the ballistic cover <NUM>, and/or a fastening system like hook and loop device disclosed herein.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG>, ballistic cover <NUM> may be attached to shield <NUM> by one or more alternative methods. For example, shield <NUM> and/or ballistic cover <NUM> may be configured to attach to one another with a fastener system <NUM> that uses adhesive <NUM> that may be disposed on ballistic cover <NUM> and/or shield <NUM>. In response to ballistic cover <NUM> being applied to shield <NUM>, ballistic cover <NUM> and shield <NUM> may form a single assembly and become ballistic shield system <NUM>. Moreover, shield <NUM> and/or ballistic cover <NUM> may be configured to attach to one another with a fastener system <NUM> that uses one or more magnets <NUM>. The other device may be fitted with ferrous metal to create a magnetic connection between ballistic cover <NUM> and shield <NUM>. Moreover, fastener system <NUM> may be disposed at multiple points on shield <NUM> and/or ballistic cover <NUM> to provide appropriate coverage and support when ballistic cover <NUM> is attached to shield <NUM>.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, ballistic cover <NUM> may be operatively coupled to shield <NUM> to form ballistic shield system <NUM> by employing one or more clip structures <NUM>. Clip structures <NUM> may be configured to engage the back of shield <NUM> and the front of ballistic cover <NUM> to operatively engage and/or retain ballistic cover <NUM> on shield <NUM>. For example, clip structure <NUM>-<NUM>, clip structure <NUM>-<NUM>, clip structure <NUM>-<NUM>, clip structure <NUM>-<NUM> and/or the like, may be used to create a fastening system as described herein to operatively couple shield <NUM> and ballistic cover <NUM> to one another.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG>, ballistic cover <NUM> may be any suitable size. In this regard, ballistic cover <NUM> may have a cover profile and a substantially uniform shape. For example, ballistic cover <NUM> may have a shape or profile that is a portion of a cylinder. Moreover, in a first configuration, ballistic cover <NUM> may be sized such that at least <NUM>% of the surface area of shield <NUM> is covered with ballistic cover <NUM>. In a second configuration, ballistic cover <NUM> may be sized such that at least <NUM>% to <NUM>% of the surface area of shield <NUM> is covered with ballistic cover <NUM>. In a third configuration, ballistic cover <NUM> may be sized such that at least <NUM>% to <NUM>% of the surface area of shield <NUM> is covered with ballistic cover <NUM>. In a forth configuration, ballistic cover <NUM> may be sized such that at least <NUM>% to <NUM>% of the surface area of shield <NUM> is covered with ballistic cover <NUM>. In a fifth configuration, ballistic cover <NUM> may be sized such that at least <NUM>% to <NUM>% of the surface area of shield <NUM> is covered with ballistic cover <NUM>. In a sixth configuration, ballistic cover <NUM> may be sized such that at least <NUM>% to <NUM>% of the surface area of shield <NUM> is covered with ballistic cover <NUM>. In a seventh configuration, ballistic cover <NUM> may be sized such that at least <NUM>% to <NUM>% of the surface area of shield <NUM> is covered with ballistic cover <NUM>. In a seventh configuration, ballistic cover <NUM> may be sized such that at least <NUM>% of the surface area of shield <NUM> is covered with ballistic cover <NUM>.

In various embodiments and with reference to <FIG>, shield system <NUM> including shield <NUM> and ballistic cover <NUM> may be used by a user to at least partially surround and/or protect a user. The user may use portion of shield <NUM> (e.g., the transition) as described herein to support various items or portions of the user anatomy during use.

Claim 1:
A ballistic shield system (<NUM>), comprising:
a shield (<NUM>) having a first curved profile and a first ballistic rating;
an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene ballistic cover (<NUM>) having a second curved profile and a second ballistic rating, the second ballistic rating being greater than the first ballistic rating; and
a fastening system (<NUM>) configured to attach the ballistic cover (<NUM>) to the shield (<NUM>),
wherein the second curved profile matches the first curved profile to provide uniform contact between the shield (<NUM>) and the ballistic cover (<NUM>) to minimize the occurrence of ballistic voids between the shield (<NUM>) and the ballistic cover (<NUM>).