Apparel – Guard or protector – Penetration resistant
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-27
2001-05-22
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Guard or protector
Penetration resistant
C428S911000, C089S036050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233737
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to protective vests, and more particularly, to concealable body armor commonly known as a ballistic vest.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ballistic vests have saved the lives of many law enforcement officers in recent years. As a result, law enforcement agencies have made it mandatory for their officers to wear a ballistic vest while on duty.
Ballistic vests have been available in recent years as a protective panel having overlying layers of a fabric made from woven high tensile strength fibers. Woven fabrics from an aramid fiber known as Kevlar, for example, have been used successfully in ballistic vests because of the high energy absorption properties of the fabric material. The material is also reasonably light in weight and flexible, which provides improved comfort when compared with previous vests which were made of metal and were therefore heavier and more rigid. The comfort of a ballistic vest is extremely important, especially to law enforcement officers, because of the heat build-up that occurs from wearing a heavy and inflexible vest for the long hours an officer is on duty. Resistance to projectile penetration is a principle factor in designing a ballistic vest; and added protective layers can offer greater protection against projectiles having the higher threat levels, but added protective layers also add undesired weight and inflexibility of the vest.
In addition to woven Kevlar fabric layers, ballistic vests have been made from other high strength fibers and composites to reduce weight and improve flexibility of the vest. However, ballistic vests using the lighter, more flexible materials also must offer the required minimum levels of protection against penetration by different types of projectiles.
Ballistic vests are regularly certified by subjecting them to ballistics testing to measure their ability to protect against different projectiles fired from different types of weapons at various angles. One ballistic test commonly used in the industry is the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Standard 0101.03 Threat Level IIIA, which, in general terms, is a high performance standard requiring that the ballistic vest prevent penetration of specified 0.44 Magnum and 9 mm rounds fired at a velocity of at least 1400 ft/sec. In addition to prevent such projectile penetration, “backface deformation” also is a required test factor in the NIJ Standard 0101.03 Threat Level IIIA certification test. Backface deformation measures the trauma level experienced by a projectile that does not penetrate the test panel. According to this test, the maximum allowable backface signature (bfs) containment for soft body armor requires a maximum allowable bfs of 44 mm for 0.44 Magnum and 9 mm rounds.
There is a need to provide a ballistic vest that is reasonably light in weight, is highly flexible and comfortable, and is also capable of meeting the high performance projectile specifications of, as an example, the NIJ. Providing such a vest at a reasonably low cost for the comparable high performance level also is a desirable objective.
There are other instances where lighter weight vests are more desirable even though they may not meet the Threat Level IIIA standards. Here the challenge is to produce a lightweight vest capable of meeting the certification standards of NIJ Threat Levels II and IIA. An extremely lightweight vest with an areal weight less than one pound per square foot that meets Level II and IIA standards is desirable.
Such a vest design which meets these requirements is disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,748. The disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The vest of the '748 patent is marketed by Safari Land Ltd., Inc. under the trade name Hyperlite and is a concealable ballistic vest.
Problems associated with currently available concealable soft body armor ballistic vests include the vest not being designed to accommodate different body types. Body type
1
is a type wherein the waist measurement is significantly greater than the chest measurement. Body type
2
comprises a chest measurement and a waist measurement which are substantially similar. Body type
3
comprises a chest measurement which is substantially greater than a waist measurement. Previous concealable ballistic vests were designed to accommodate body type
2
. The vests do not optimally accommodate body type
1
and body type
3
wearers. Consequently, standard designs either inadvertently expose areas of the body or provide an uncomfortable fit for the wearer.
Another problem of existing concealable ballistic vests is that they are manufactured from materials which do not facilitate the removal of body moisture produced when wearing the vest for prolonged periods of time. Another problem associated with current vests is that their construction provides for the ballistic package to be contained within a carrier which is sewn around the ballistic packages which prevents the ballistic material from extending to the edges of the carrier thereby preventing the ballistics material from covering the entire body. Another problem associated with prior concealable ballistic vests is that the strapping utilized to adjust the fit of the vest is made from elastic and Velcro which cannot be shaped or contoured, or provide multi-directional movement thereby providing for a less than desirable fit.
Another drawback from currently available ballistic vest designs is the inability to comfortably fit a female wearer. Pleats and darts which create seams were required to accommodate the bust. Added seams detract from comfort and fit. Variation in anatomy among women also prevented a single vest design from uniformly fitting all women wearers.
Consequently, a need exists for an improved concealable vest design which addresses the drawback of previous vest designs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a ballistic vest of the soft body armor type preferably comprising a plurality of overlying first flexible layers arranged in a stack on a strike side of the vest, and a plurality of overlying second flexible layers arranged in a stack on a body side of the vest. Preferably, each first flexible layer comprises a thin, flexible, woven fabric layer made of high tensile strength polymeric fibers. The individual woven fabric layers are secured to each other as a unit to form a soft, flexible woven fabric first panel for the vest. Preferably, each second flexible layer comprises a thin, flexible imperforate fiber-reinforced plastic sheet comprising an array of plastic fibers embedded in a thermoplastic resinous matrix that forms each film sheet. The second layers overlie each other substantially without attachment to one another and as a combination are referred to as a second panel of the vest. The first and second panels are both located in the front and rear of the vest. Although this is a preferred ballistics package, any type and number of ballistic packages which meet any threat level are contemplated for use in the present invention. The vest of the present invention preferably is designed to be concealable, however it is to be understood that the inventive concepts are equally applicable to ballistic vests which are worn on the outside of the wearers' clothing or uniforms.
The ballistic vest of the present invention incorporates a design having a trapezoidal center panel with hook compatible fabric sewn to the sides and top of the trapezoid. Nylon hook fasteners with rounded ends are incorporated to fasten the front panel to the back panel, and are attached to stretch neoprene strapping which is utilized in place of conventional elastic. The ballistic vests of the present invention employs a unique grading method providing improved fit to a wide range of body types. More precise fit improves the wearers comfort, and as a result, more effective body armor is created.
The ballistic vests of the present invention incorporates an improved shape of the ballistic panels and the carrier wherein the radius along the bottom edge of the pa
Carlson Richard
Ditchfield Brad
Leveneur Veronique
Min Roger
Calvert John J.
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Patel Tejash
Safari Land Ltd., Inc.
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