Holster having a removable lockout element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021215454-A1
Application number	US-202117215146-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 29, 2021
Priority date	Nov 9, 2009
Publication date	Jul 15, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A holster for a handgun, having at least some of an at least partial cavity; a lever having a thumb button portion and an engagement portion, wherein the lever includes a locking projection extending from at least a portion of the engagement portion, wherein the lever is pivotally attached or coupled to at least a portion of the holster, approximately between the thumb button portion and the engagement portion; and a lockout element, wherein at least a portion of the lockout element is positionable to block movement of the lever to keep the lever from being pivoted to a disengaged position.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A holster for a handgun, comprising:
a holster body defining an at least partial cavity; a lever having a thumb button portion and a handgun engagement portion, wherein said lever includes a locking projection extending from at least a portion of said handgun engagement portion, wherein said lever is pivotally attached or coupled to at least a portion of said holster, approximately between said thumb button portion and said engagement portion, and wherein said lever is pivotable between an engaged position and a disengaged position by depressing the thumb button; and a lockout element rotatably attached or coupled to at least a portion of said holster such that said lockout element is rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position utilizing a key, and wherein at least a portion of a locking portion of said lockout element limits movement of said lever between said engaged position and said disengaged position when said lockout element is in said locked position thereby preventing the depression of the thumb button.

2 . The holster of claim 1 , wherein said lever is biased to said engaged position.

3 . The holster of claim 1 , wherein if said lockout element is in said locked position, at least a portion of said locking portion of said lockout element extends beneath said thumb button portion of said release lever to keep said release lever from pivoting to said disengaged position, and wherein if said lockout element is in said unlocked position, said locking portion of said lockout element is withdrawn from beneath said thumb button portion of said release lever so as to allow said release lever to be pivoted to said disengaged position.

4 . The holster of claim 1 , further comprising a key, and wherein said lockout element is rotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position by the key.

5 . The holster of claim 1 , wherein the locking projection extends into the handgun trigger guard receiving portion and the lever is pivotable between a trigger guard engaged position and a trigger guard disengaged position.

6 . The holster of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the locking portion of said lockout element is positioned beneath at least a portion of said thumb button portion of said lever when said lockout element is in said locked position.

7 . A holster for a handgun, the holster comprising:
a holster body with a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of opposing sidewalls defining an at least partial cavity, the at least partial cavity including a handgun slide receiving portion at the front wall and a handgun trigger guard receiving portion at the rear wall, the opposing sidewalls comprising a first side wall that is oriented to be worn adjacent the user's body and a second side wall oriented to be worn away from the user's body; a lever having a thumb button portion and an engagement portion, wherein said lever includes a handgun locking projection extending from at least a portion of said engagement portion the engages and blocks the removal of the handgun when holstered, wherein said lever is pivotally attached or coupled to the first side wall and is biased to a handgun engaging and blocking position, wherein the holster body has a lockout aperture or slot proximate the lever and extending in a direction with the first sidewall; and the holster further comprising a lockout element having a portion slidably movable in the lockout aperture or slot and into a blocking position with the lever thereby blocking the lever from pivoting from the handgun engaging and blocking position to a disengaged position, the lockout element movable from the blocking position with the lever to a non-blocking position.

8 . The holster of claim 7 , wherein the lockout element is a rotatable element that is rotatably attached to the first side wall.

9 . The holster of claim 8 , wherein the rotatable element has a slot, and the holster further comprises a key sided to be received by the slot, the rotatable element rotatable from the blocking position to the non-blocking position by way of the key.

10 . The holster of claim 7 , wherein the locking projection extends into the handgun trigger guard receiving portion and the lever is pivotable between a trigger guard engaged position and a trigger guard disengaged position.

11 . The holster of claim 9 , wherein the locking projection extends into the handgun trigger guard receiving portion and the lever is pivotable between a trigger guard engaged position and a trigger guard disengaged position;

12 . The holster of claim 7 wherein the body has the lockout aperture and the lockout element is received in the lockout aperture and is slidingly separable from the holster body.

13 . The holster of claim 12 , wherein the lockout element has a straight portion and is separable from the holster body by slidingly moving the straight portion out of the lockout aperture in the direction with the one of the pair of sidewalls whereby the lever may then be pivoted to the trigger guard disengaged position.

14 . The holster of claim 12 , wherein said lockout element is key shaped with a slender straight portion and an enlarged and flat head portion connected thereto.

15 . The holster of claim 12 , wherein said lockout element is configured as a band.

16 . The holster of claim 12 , wherein the holster has the slot proximate the lever and wherein said lockout element is a locking slider captured within the slot.

17 . The holster of claim 16 , wherein locking slider has a finger engaging portion outside of the slot and projecting only to the left of the body portion.

18 . The holster of claim 16 , wherein said locking slider is frictionally maintained in said locked or said unlocked position unless a sufficient force is applied to slide said locking slider by a user.

19 . A holster for a handgun, the holster comprising:
a holster body with a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of opposing sidewalls defining an at least partial cavity, the opposing sidewalls comprising a first side wall that is oriented to be worn adjacent the user's body and a second side wall oriented to be worn away from the user's body; a lever positioned at one of the opposed side walls having a thumb button portion for receiving a user's thumb, the lever further having a trigger guard engagement portion, wherein said lever includes a locking projection extending from at least a portion of said engagement portion, wherein said lever is pivotally attached or is coupled to at least a portion of said holster, between said thumb button portion and said engagement portion, the lever movable between a handgun withdrawal positon and a handgun blocking position; and a locking slider, slidably attached or coupled to at least a portion of said holster by the finger button portion such that said locking slider is repeatably slidable between a locked position and an unlocked position, and wherein when in the locked position, the slider blocks the lever from moving from the handgun blocking position to the handgun withdrawal position.

20 . The holster of claim 19 , wherein the locking slider has an aperture therein permitting a lock to be inserted therein for maintaining the locking slider in the locked or unlocked position.

Assignees

• Vista Outdoor Operations Llc

Inventors

• Gregory Thomas M
• Kincaid Robert A
• Cook Clifton L
• Yeates Eric M
• Marx Thomas A

Classifications

• F41C33/0263 Primary

  having a locking system for preventing unauthorized or accidental removal of the small arm from the holster (F41C33/0227 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F41C33/0209

  Pouch or pocket like containers for small arms covering all or most of the small arm · CPC title