MODULAR PAINTBALL HARNESS

Abstract

A modular paintball harness is disclosed, including a backplate extending along the back of a user and releasably engaging with a waist belt to adjustably extend around the torso of the user. A lower pod sleeve releasably engages to the backplate to receive a first subset of a plurality of pods and an upper pod sleeve releasably engaged to the lower pod sleeve, the upper pod sleeve to receive a second subset of the plurality of pods. The modular paintball harness reduces unwanted movement and shaking during use while distributing the weight of the paintball harness and pods when worn. Further, the modular paintball harness allows the selectable configuration of the upper pod sleeve and lower pod sleeve based on the user's needs and playing style.

Claims

1. A modular paintball harness, comprising: a backplate extending along the back of a user and releasably engaging with a waist belt, the waist belt to adjustably extend around the torso of the user; a lower pod sleeve releasably engaged to the backplate, the lower pod sleeve to receive a first subset of a plurality of pods; an upper pod sleeve that may be releasably engaged to the lower pod sleeve, the upper pod sleeve to receive a second subset of the plurality of pods; a plurality of plastic members positioned between the upper pod sleeve and the lower pod sleeve to stabilize the upper pod sleeve and prevent movement during use; and lower supports that extend from the base fabric of the upper pods and are attached directly to the base fabric of the lower pods and prevent movement during use and close off the honeycombs created by the design.

2. The modular paintball harness of claim 1, wherein the lower pod sleeve is releasably engaged to the backplate via a hook-and-loop system.

3. The modular paintball harness of claim 1, wherein the upper pod sleeve is releasably engaged to the lower pod sleeve via a first hook-and-loop system.

4. The modular paintball harness of claim 1, further comprising a second hook-and-loop system extending along the length of the waistbelt to permit the user to selectively tighten and loosen the waistbelt via a right wing and a left wing, wherein the right wing and the left wing include an elastic material to prevent unwanted bouncing of the modular paintball harness and to facilitate sufficient range-of-motion and comfort.

5. The modular paintball harness of claim 1, wherein the upper pod sleeve is releasably engaged to the lower pod sleeve.

6. The modular paintball harness of claim 1, wherein the backplate is comprised of three layers.

7. The modular paintball harness of claim 6, wherein the three layers are comprised of: an EVA foam layer, a neoprene layer, and a memory foam layer.

8. The modular paintball harness of claim 1, wherein the upper pod sleeve include a right wing and a left wing to releasably engage with the waist belt via a third-hook and loop system.

9. The modular paintball harness of claim 8, wherein the right wing and the left wing are each transferrable through a first receiver and a second receiver.

10. A modular paintball harness, comprising: a backplate extending along the back of a user and releasably engaging with a waist belt, the waist belt to adjustably extend around the torso of the user; a lower pod sleeve releasably engaged to the backplate, the lower pod sleeve to receive a first subset of a plurality of pods; an upper pod sleeve releasably engaged to the lower pod sleeve, the upper pod sleeve to receive a second subset of the plurality of pods; a plurality of plastic members positioned between the upper pod sleeve and the lower pod sleeve to stabilize the upper pod sleeve and prevent movement during use; a right wing and a left wing, wherein the right wing and the left wing include an elastic material to prevent unwanted bouncing of the modular paintball harness and to facilitate sufficient range-of-motion and comfort.

11. The modular paintball harness of claim 10, wherein the lower pod sleeve is releasably engaged to the backplate via a hook-and-loop system.

12. The modular paintball harness of claim 10, wherein the upper pod sleeve is releasably engaged to the lower pod sleeve via a first hook-and-loop system.

13. The modular paintball harness of claim 10, further comprising a second hook-and-loop system extending along the length of the waistbelt to permit the user to selectively tighten and loosen the waistbelt via the right wing and the left wing.

14. The modular paintball harness of claim 10, wherein the upper pod sleeve is releasably engaged to the lower pod sleeve via a first hook-and-loop system.

15. The modular paintball harness of claim 10, wherein the backplate is comprised of three layers.

16. The modular paintball harness of claim 15, wherein the three layers are comprised of: an EVA foam layer, a neoprene layer, and a memory foam layer.

17. The modular paintball harness of claim 10, wherein the upper pod sleeve include a right wing and a left wing to releasably engage with the waist belt via a third-hook and loop system.

18. The modular paintball harness of claim 17, wherein the right wing and the left wing are each transferrable through a first receiver and a second receiver.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] A complete understanding of the present embodiments and the advantages and features thereof will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the rearward side of the paintball harness, according to some embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the forward side of the paintball harness, according to some embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a cutaway view of the inner side of the back plate, according to some embodiments;

[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a back side elevation view of the front side of the paintball harness including the adjustable waist belt, according to some embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates a side elevation view of the right side of the paintball harness, according to some embodiments;

[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates a cutaway view of the elastic waist belt of the paintball harness positioned within the back plate, according to some embodiments;

[0019] FIG. 7 illustrates an elevation view of the detachable pod carrier, according to some embodiments;

[0020] FIG. 8 illustrates an elevation view of the paintball harness having the lower pod sleeves removed from the backplate, according to some embodiments;

[0021] FIG. 9 illustrates a detail view of the pod carrier ports, according to some embodiments; and

[0022] FIG. 10 illustrates a rear elevation view of a user wearing the paintball harness, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodiments described herein are to the described apparatus. Any specific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposes only, and no unnecessary limitations or inferences are to be understood therefrom.

[0024] Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of components and procedures related to the apparatus. Accordingly, the apparatus components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[0025] The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodiments described herein are set forth in this application. Any specific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposes only, and no unnecessary limitation or inferences are to be understood therefrom. Furthermore, as used herein, relational terms, such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like, may be used to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship, or order between such entities or elements.

[0026] In general, the embodiments provided herein relate to a harness device for paintball that allows for even and stable distribution of multiple paintball pods and allows various configurations. Each configuration is readily selectable by the user to fit their style of play and refill needs. More specifically, users may gain more comfortable usage and flexibility via the harness device when carrying paintball pods.

[0027] In some embodiments, the paintball harness (also referred to herein as device or the device) includes a backplate comprised of an internal elastic belt that has one or more belt buckles and extends through openings in the front of the backplate, multiple layers, in some configurations 3 layers, which may comprise: EVA foam, neoprene, and memory foam, and loop fabric. Further loop hook-and-loop material is positioned on the back pad. Pod sleeves, which in some configurations comprising of a set of upper pod sleeves and a set of lower pod sleeves, may be optionally attached at multiple points via hook and loop straps that extend through slots the backplate and winged straps attached to the backplate's belt buckles. A padded belt may be constructed of neoprene which may directly attach to the sides of the backplate using a hook and loop. A webbed belt may include nylon webbing, which may attach to the backplate's belt buckles.

[0028] In some embodiments, non-woven and woven fabric is provided through the apertures where the belt exits from.

[0029] During use, the user may first wrap the padded belt around their waist then loop the webbed belt through the back pad's belt buckles. The user then pulls both sides of the webbed belt tight to tighten then back pad's internal elastic belt and the pod sleeve's winged straps to a secure position. The user then loads the paintball harness' pod sleeves with paintball pods. The user may not necessarily fill each pod sleeve with a paintball pod.

[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the rearward side 100 of the paintball harness 101. The pod sleeves include upper pod sleeves 105 and lower pod sleeves 103. In some embodiments, the paintball harness 101 has seven lower pod sleeves 103 and four upper pod sleeves 105 allowing the user to carry a total of eleven paintball pods (not shown). One skilled in the arts will readily understand that the user may select to carry any number of pods sleeves up to eleven in the currently illustrated embodiments. However, upper pod sleeves, lower pods sleeves, and or additional pod sleeve configurations may allow the user to carry other quantities without deterring from the inventive concepts described herein. Each of the lower pod sleeves 103 and upper pod sleeves include elastic sleeves 105 which are capable of forming a friction fit with each pod to retain the pod in position during play. The elastic sleeve 105 secures the pod while allow the user to pull the pod downwards and out of the elastic sleeve 105 as needed. A plurality of plastic members 109 are positioned at the top of the paintball harness 101. Fabric stabilizers are positioned at the bottom portion. When a pod is placed inside the pod sleeve, the fabric stabilizers become taut while preventing movement. Each of the plurality of plastic members 109 act as a support for the upper elastic pod sleeves 105. More specifically, the plastic members 109 prevent the upper pod sleeves 105 from bouncing or otherwise having unwanted movement while the user is wearing the paintball harness 101.

[0031] In further reference to FIG. 1, the lower pod sleeves 103 are positioned nearmost the backplate 111 at the backside 113 of the lower pod sleeves 103. In such, the lower pod sleeves 103 are positioned nearmost the user. The upper pod sleeves 105 are positioned to attach to the tops of the lower pod sleeves 103. The attachment mechanism between the upper pod sleeves 105 and lower pod sleeves 103 is further described in FIG. 5. The upper pod sleeves 105 are attached such that the frontside 115 of the lower pod sleeves 103 and the backside 117 of the upper pod sleeves 105 are nearmost one another.

[0032] In some embodiments, the backplate 111 includes three layers including EVA foam, neoprene, and memory foam.

[0033] In some embodiments, the plurality of plastic members 109 are constructed of a sufficiently lightweight and rigid material such as Tegris. This retains the lightweight capabilities of the paintball harness 101 while providing rigid support for the elastic components of the paintball harness 101.

[0034] FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 illustrate perspective views of the forward side 200 of the paintball harness 101. The forward side 200 includes a waist belt 201 which is configured to extend around the stomach and/or or waist of the user. The waist belt 201 may be at least partially constructed of an elastic material to allow for users of various body sizes and configurations to comfortably wear the paintball harness 101. The backplate 111 has a left side 203 and a right side 205 each releasably engaged with the waist belt 201. The waist belt 201 includes a second hook-and-loop system 207 extending along the length of the waist belt 201 to allow the user to selectively tighten and loosen the waist belt to comfortably wear the paintball harness 101. A left wing 209 and right wing 211 constructed with inelastic fabric on top and elastic fabric on the bottom are adjustably secured by tightening the left wing 209 and right wing 211 to a suitable position using the second hook-and-loop system 207. The waist belt 201 includes a padded belt 213 which contacts the user's torso, while the webbed belt 215 includes the left wing 209 and right wing 211 for adjustability.

[0035] In some embodiments, the webbed belt tightens the left wing 209 and right wing 211. The bottom portion of the left wing 209 and right wing 211 are constructed of an elastic material and the top portion of the left wing 209 and right wing 211 are constructed of an inelastic material. The inelastic material 505 prevents the pack from pulling away from the users back (which creates unwanted bouncing during use), while the elastic material 504 still allows the user sufficient range-of-motion and comfort during certain movements (e.g., crouching, bending over).

[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates a cutaway view of the inner side of the backplate 111. The backplate 111 includes a narrow (approximately 2 inches wide) thermoplastic belt inside the backplate 301. This belt is sewn directly along the middle of the backplate, helping to keep it rigid, but still flexible at the top and bottom of the backplate 111. This ensures the pad can mold to the wearer's back and still move flexibly with the wearer's movements.

[0037] FIG. 5 illustrates a side elevation view of the right side 500 of the paintball harness 101. While the right side 500 is illustrated, the left side (not shown) is identical in form and function to the right side 500. The lower pod sleeve 105 includes a wing strap 501 on each side which extends to engage and loop with a receiver 503. The wing 501 includes a hoop and loop component on the underside which attaches to the waist belt. Once the hook-and-loop is disengaged, the wing 501 is un-looped from the receiver which allow the user to pull apart the hook-and-loop attachment between the upper pod sleeved 105 and lower pod sleeve. This allows the user to selectively use the upper pod sleeve 105 when needed. The attachment mechanism described in FIG. 5 further stabilizes the upper pod sleeves 105 when in use to prevent bouncing or other unwanted movements.

[0038] FIG. 6 illustrates an elevation view of the internal elastic strap 605 of the paintball harness 101. The adjustment mechanism 600 includes a first receiver 601 and a second receiver 603 which may be configured as belt loops (i.e., buckles) which allow for the arms of the waist belt to be inserted therethrough.

[0039] FIG. 7 illustrates an elevation view of the pods detached from the back plate 103. A first component 700 of the third hook-and-loop system 703 is illustrated at each of the right side 500 and left side 701 of the ends of the waist belt. The first component 700 attaches to the right buckle of the internal elastic strap 603 on the internal elastic strap 605 of the backplate (see description and illustration associated with FIG. 6).

[0040] FIG. 8 illustrates an elevation view of the paintball harness 101 having the upper and lower pod sleeves 103 removed from the backplate 111. A third hook-and-loop system 800 releasable attaches the upper and lower pod sleeves 103 to the surface 801 of the backplate 111.

[0041] FIG. 9 illustrates a detail view of the elastic pod sleeves 105 which may be used for any of the upper pod sleeves and lower pod sleeves. The upper pods are sewn directly to the top of the lower pods. The upper pod sleeves are constructed with a non-stretch fabric as the base layer and have supports at the top and bottom of the structure. The upper pod sleeves also include elastic material as a second layer to hold the pods. The top supports are made with a rigid thermoplastic to prevent the top pods from wanting to pull away pack. The lower supports extend from the base fabric of the upper pods and are attached directly to the base fabric of the lower pods. This prevents the pods from sliding upwards during running and doubles as a means to close off the honeycombs created by the design. This ensures a pod is not placed in the incorrect position.

[0042] FIG. 10 illustrates a rear elevation view of a user 1000 wearing the paintball harness 101. The elastic pod sleeves 105 are oriented having an opening 1001 at the top 1003 to allow the user to retrieve the pods by pulling downwards. The bottom 1005 includes a strip 1007 which forms a stopper to prevent pods being inserted in the wrong location.

[0043] Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connection with the above description and the drawings. It will be understood that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to describe and illustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments. Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/or combination, and the present specification, including the drawings, shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of all combinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein, and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims to any such combination or subcombination.

[0044] An equivalent substitution of two or more elements can be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element can be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements can be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination can be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

[0045] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present embodiment is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the following claims.