Patent ID: 8635714

Claim:
A support belt for use with body armor that has vertical receiving channels on the outer surface thereof, said support belt comprising: a central member having an outer surface that is defined between a top edge and a bottom edge, said central member including two oppositely disposed side members and an upper portion, said upper portion being bounded by the top edge of said central member and configured to interface with an inner surface of the body armor; at least one horizontal strap that is connected to the outer surface of said central member, said horizontal strap extending substantially along a length of said upper portion of said central member that interfaces with the inner surface of the body armor, said horizontal strap being attached to said central member at sequentially spaced-apart intervals to form a plurality of vertical receiving channels; at least two flexible vertical support straps, each of said support straps having first and second ends with each of said first ends being connected to said outer surface of said central member at a location between said horizontal strap and the top edge of said central member, said support straps being separated from each other by a distance and configured to form a releasably interlocking grid by insertion of the second end of each of said vertical support straps into one of said vertical receiving channels of a horizontal strap that is located on the outer surface of said central member between the first end of said receiving strap and the bottom edge of said central member, the second end of each of said vertical support straps also being inserted through a vertical receiving channel on the outer surface of said body armor, wherein in use a support trough is formed by said vertical support straps along an edge of said body armor that supports at least a portion of the weight of the body armor; and a closure device to secure the side members to each other to secure the belt substantially around a wearer's waist.