Ballistic resistant binder insert and plate carrier

Abstract

The present invention is an adjustable ballistic binder insert, which allows the user to customize the level of protection desired by inserting different ballistic defeating materials into the carrier pocket. The components of the invention are a plurality of armor fabric layers that create a pocket, a method of connecting to the binder or folder, and a ballistic defeating material insert that is able to be removed and replaced as well as a temporary method of closing the pocket to contain the inserted panel, which, generally speaking, are configured as described.

Claims

1. A ballistic rated binder insert to cooperate with a standard 3 ring binder comprising: a. a back panel, b. a front panel opposed to the back panel and stitched on at least 2 sides but no more than 3 sides to form a cavity only large enough for the addition of antiballistic inserts, c. a closure flap to connect said back panel and said front panel to fully close the cavity, d. said ballistic binder insert no more than 1 inch thick, when installed, fully contained within the boundaries of said standard 3 ring binder for discreetness, and maintain functionality of the binder, e. said ballistic binder insert comprising a minimum NIJ rating of level IIa f. said ballistic binder insert is secured to a spine of said standard 3 ring binder by encircling said spine thus allowing full use of the binder's rings without interference, g. said spine is comprised of a first wide strap with a hole or a cut out which allows for clearance of a center ring of said 3 ring binder, h. said first strap being of sufficient length to wrap over the top of said spine, then inserted underneath, thus encircling said spine before attaching to said back panel, the width of said first strap is between 7.0 and 8.50 inches wide to support said ballistic binder insert, and fit between the standard spacing of the top and bottom rings of said standard 3 ring binder.

2. The ballistic rated binder insert according to claim 1 further comprising a second strap, a. said second strap of sufficient length to encircle said binder spine before attaching to said back panel by way of common attachment comprising of a D ring, hook and loop, or ladder lock to support said binder insert, b. the placement of said straps in between the top and bottom rings of said 3 ring binder with a distance between the bottom of the first strap and the top of the second strap being between 7.0 and 8.50 inches.

3. The ballistic rated binder insert according to claim 2 wherein said ballistic rated binder insert cooperates with a 2, 3, 4 or 5 ring binder, a. wherein the first strap is affixed to said front panel a maximum distance of 1 inch below the top ring and the second strap is affixed a maximum of 1 inch above the bottom ring, b. said straps are then wrapped around the binder spine before inserting between said binder spine and a back cover of the binder, c. said straps are then connected to said back panel by a D ring, hook and loop, ladder lock or other common connection device.

4. The ballistic rated binder insert according to claim 3, wherein the connection device to said spine is a clip that is made of a hard material comprising of metal or plastic that connects said ballistic rated binder insert to said binder spine, between the binder rings in place of said straps.

5. The ballistic rated binder insert according to claim 4, wherein said front and back panels are comprised of substantially equal numbers of armor fabric layers to achieve the NIJ IIa minimum ballistic rating of said ballistic binder insert.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a back view of the device while closed.

(2) FIG. 2 shows the front view of the device while closed.

(3) FIG. 3 shows the back view of the device open and receiving a plate insert

(4) FIG. 4 shows the back of the device in a 3 ring binder affixed with the spine strap connections under the binder spine and in close proximity to the binder spine rings.

(5) FIG. 5 shows a top view cross section illustrating the plurality of layers in the front and back panels and metal plate in between.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) The present invention is directed to a ballistic resistant binder insert and plate carrier.

(7) In its most complete version the present invention is a ballistic resistant binder insert and plate carrier, which is made up of the following components. 1) A plurality of armor fabric layers divided into substantially equal number to create a front and back panel, then each would be enclosed by a non ballistic fabric for aesthetics and discreetness, and sewn on the bottom and side with closest proximity to the spine of the folder thus creating a semi pocket. 2) The edge opposite the spine would have a method or temporary closure that extended the full length of that side and along the top of the device to complete the full perimeter of the substantially rectangular shape and completing the pocket. The closure method would be by zipper, snap, or hook and loop. This temporary closure around the pocket would allow the insertion of 3) an additional panel of ballistic resistant material either hardened steel, aluminum and its alloys, Titanium and its alloys, pressed armor composites, fiberglass, or additional layers of armor fabric which can be then removed and interchanged if desired. 4) The method of connecting the device to a three ring binder would be directly to the spine to alleviate the potential of the weight, when carrying the metal plates, from accidentally open the rings. This is accomplished by two or more thick strips of fabric extending from the front panel, wrapping around the binder spine in between the rings, then inserted under the spine and affix by hook and loop, snap, D ring buckle, or other common method to the back of the back panel.

(8) The following discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is merely exemplary in nature. Accordingly, this discussion of the present invention in no way is intended to limit the scope of the present invention, or the application of the present invention of the use of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1. The back panel 2 of the back section 3 of the binder 100 of the present invention. Closure flap 30 which may include a flexible portion (or hinge) to pivot between an open position and a closed position. The closure flap 30 when open, exposes the fastener to fasten the closure flap 30 including Velcro having both a Hook side 22 and a loop side 6. The top section 20 refers to the top of the binder 100 of the present invention and the bottom section 21 refers to the bottom of the binder 100 of the present invention (for orientation purposes). The binder spine straps 4, 5 which could be made of armor fabric or other durable high strength fabric, may be labeled as top binder spine strap 4 and bottom binder spine strap 5. These top and bottom binder spine straps 4, 5 can be used to secure the binder 100 of the present invention when carrying a steel insert or other heavy insert by wrapping around a support spine 15 which may be formed from steel, plastic or other type of rigid material of the binder 100 then, the binder spine straps 4 and 5 inserts into a holding device such as D rings 7 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) secured to the back panel 2 by flexible material 8 which could be formed of Nylon webbing, armor fabric, or other strong material and may be looped around the D ring 7 and fastened to the back panel 2 by stitching, welding or other appropriate fastening devices. An additional method of connection to the binder when the insert is not heavy, can utilize rivets or the Grommets 9 to connect to the rings of the binder.

(9) Referring to FIG. 2. the front surface of the front panel 1 is illustrated, with the closure flap 30. Additionally illustrated is loop side and 6 the Hook side 22 of the hook and loop closure system. The top section 20 of the present invention and bottom section 21 of the present invention are shown for orientation purposes. The top binder spine strap 4 and bottom spine strap 5 are affixed or sewn to front panel so that the origin of the strap starts at no less than the width of the device and positions the spine strap in close proximity to the interior side of each binder ring. 1, however they could also be integrated as part of front panel 1 instead of a separate part. The grommets 9 are to align with the spacing of the D rings 7 of the binder 100

(10) Referring to FIG. 3. The back panel 2 is illustrated, with open closure flap 30 that exposes the hook side surface 6 and the loop side surface 22 closure system which engage to close the closure flap 30 to retain the insert 10 securely inside the cavity of the pocket/cavity in which the insert may be positioned into the present invention. The present invention may include the top section 20 being opposed to the bottom section 21 and may include the inner cover 11 of the front panel 1. With the binder 100 of the present invention open, the binder 100 engages the insert 10, which could be, but is not limited to one or more of, a plurality of armor fabric, a rigid composite plate, or a metal or alloy plate or other material. The flexibility of the material of the insert 10, allows the user to find the right balance of weight, protection, and cost to suit their needs. When a heavy insert is used such as metal or alloy, the spine straps 4, 5 should be utilized and secured around the binder support spine 15 instead of using the grommets 9 on the binder rings 7. This would reduce the chance the weight could accidentally open the rings 7 which could allow the binder insert 10 and plate holder and other contents to spill out. This is accomplished by wrapping the top binder spine strap 4, and the bottom binder spine strap 5 around the support spine 15 between the rings 7 of the binder 100. The spine straps 4 and 5 may be inserted into the D rings 7, which are held in place by the flexible material 8, which is securely attached to the back of the back panel 2.
Referring to FIG. 4. The present invention is inserted in and cooperates with a standard, three ring binder, exposing the back of the binder 14. The front of the binder 13, is substantially covered by the present invention, with the top section 20 and bottom section 21 of the present invention been shown for orientation. The Closure Flap 30 is shown open at the top of the present invention exposing the hook 22 and loop 6 sides of the closure system. In this figure, the top binder spine strap 4, and bottom binder spine strap 5 are currently wrapped underneath the binder's support spine 15 between the top binder ring 17, and middle ring 18, as well as between middle ring 18, and bottom ring 19. The orientation of the top binder strap 4 and bottom binder strap 5 are positioned in such a way as to allow full movement and use of the binder rings 17, 18 and 19, and the binder opening tabs 16, for full functionality. The binder straps 4 and 5 would be inserted into the D rings 7 which are securely attached to the back panel 2, by the flexible material 8 which may be made of Nylon webbing, armor fabric, or other strong material. The grommets 9 may be metal or other common grommet material of a diameter size to allow easy insertion and removal from the binders rings 17, 18 and 19.
FIG. 5 illustrates in a cross sectional view from top down which illustrating the plurality of layers 22 between the exterior 1 and interior 11 of the front panel, as well as the approximate equal number of layers 23 between the interior 12 and exterior cover 2 of the back panel. Insert 10, is sandwiched in between. The present invention is affixed to the binder rings, the top ring 17 being shown here. The binder opening tab 16 and support spine 15 which may be metal or other suitable materials are shown in relation to the present invention.
The present invention is an adjustable ballistic binder insert, which allows the user to customize the level of protection desired by inserting different ballistic defeating materials into the carrier pocket. The core components of the invention are a plurality of armor fabric layers that create a pocket, a method of connecting to the binder or folder, and a ballistic defeating material insert that is able to be removed and replaced as well as a temporary method of closing the pocket to contain the inserted panel, which, generally speaking, are configured as follows: The plurality of armor fabric layers are divided into two equal panels which is the front side and the back side of the plate carrier. The front and back panels are affixed on one or more sides but no more than three sides at the edges, creating a pocket into which the additional armor panel of choice can be inserted. Once the panel is inserted, the remaining side or sides would have a method of closure such as by a zipper, snap, or hook and loop. One side will have a method of affixing the invention to the binder spine, three rings of a binder or folder. The invention can be used by students and teachers of all ages to add protection against the ballistic threats most common in previous mass shootings. The ability for the addition and removal of various material inserts will allow a certain level of protection such as NIJ level IIA for preschool age children where the added protection adds very little extra weight, up to a college student or adult, who may desire protection against a high power rifles such as NIJ level III rating which would be accomplished by the addition of a metal plate, which will add considerable extra weight. Furthermore, it should be noted that the insert carrier itself should provide at least a minimum level of protection without an insert added.

(11) While the present invention has been described above in terms of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains, and which are intended to be and are covered by both this disclosure and the appended claims. It is indeed intended that the scope of the invention should be determined by proper interpretation and construction of the appended claims and their legal equivalents, as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the disclosure in this specification and the attached drawings.