Boot and Holster Assembly

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention described herein relates to a boot and holster assembly for the containment and transport of a concealed handgun and wherein the holster is indirectly yet permanently attached to the extended upper portion of a boot or, more generally, an article of footwear. The boot and holster assembly is intended to feature a relatively small holster designed to facilitate the concealed-carry of a relatively small handgun. The holster is positioned and indirectly, yet permanently, affixed to the outer side of the extended upper portion of a boot and concealed by the pantleg of the wearer. As positioned, a holstered handgun is readily accessible when needed, but otherwise concealed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The published patent application of Zubyk, Pub. No. US 2011/0225849, dated Sep. 22, 2011, describes a pocket system for a boot, wherein the leg portion of the boot provides an interior space between the leg portion of the boot and the leg of the wearer of the boot. The pocket system is constructed and arranged for the insertion and removal of a PDA (cell phone) which provides for its safe keeping.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,767, which issued Sep. 21, 1993 to Morin, describes a below-the-knee rubber boot having a pocket piece made of vinyl or rubber attached to the outside surface of the boot. The pocket piece is provided for keeping a “float tool” handy for use by a concrete finisher wearing the boot. The pocket is preferably open at the top so that it is readily available for tool storage and access, and open at the bottom so that any concrete loosely adhering to the tool can be allowed to drip off and away from the boot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The boot and holster assembly described herein is an article of footwear, typically a boot, comprising a heel, upper portion, vamp, toe, and an extended upper portion having inner and outer sides with a plurality of generally vertical seams. The extended upper portion provides an area of attachment for a holster assembly for the concealment and transport of a handgun, and the holster assembly comprises a planar backing material and a holster.

The planar backing material generally has a somewhat rectangular shape and is permanently attached to the extended upper portion of the boot. The holster is sized to accommodate a handgun and is permanently attached to the planar backing material and positioned on the outer side of the extended upper portion of the boot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an outer side perspective view of the boot and holster assembly described herein.

FIG. 2 is a frontal perspective view of the boot and holster assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the boot and holster assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an isolated section view of the holster assembly taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3. The extended upper portion of the boot is not shown for the purpose of clarity.

FIG. 5 is an outer side view of a second embodiment of the boot and holster assembly described herein.

FIG. 6 is identical to FIG. 5 but with a handgun, drawn in phantom, securely holstered.

FIG. 7 is an outer side perspective view of the boot and holster assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the boot and holster assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is an inner side perspective view of the boot and holster assembly of FIG. 5.

And, FIG. 10 is an isolated section view of the holster assembly taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8. The extended upper portion of the boot is not shown for the purpose of clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of the disclosed boot and holster assembly 10 is depicted in FIG. 1. The boot portion 12 of the assembly comprises a heel 5, a vamp 7, an upper portion 8, and a toe 6. And, extending above those elements of the boot is an extended upper portion 9, having inner 22 and outer 23 sides (see FIG. 3).

Positioned on the outer 23 extended upper portion of the boot 9, is a holster assembly 15, comprising a holster 16 and a planar backing material 17. The holster is directly attached to a planar backing material, which is, in turn, directly attached to the extended upper portion of the boot. The planar backing material is generally rectangular and is permanently attached to the extended upper portion of the boot during the boot manufacturing process. In the current attachment method, the lateral edges “a” and “b” of the generally rectangularly shaped backing material are attached to the extended upper portion of the boot by stitching vertical seams such as 31 and 32.

For example, in FIG. 2, lateral edge “b” of the backing material 17 is attached and secured to the extended upper portion of the boot along seam 32, which is integral and essential to attaching the row of eyelets 30 to the boot. And, referring again to FIG. 3, lateral edge “a” of backing material 17 is attached and secured to the extended upper portion of the boot along vertical back seam 31, which is integral and an essential means for joining the inner 22 and outer 23 extended upper portions 9 of the boot. Note that edges “a” and “b” are the only points of attaching the planar backing material to the upper portion of the boot. Attaching the backing material 17 to the upper portion 9 of the boot 12 only along edges “a” and “b” provides a desired amount of stretch and flexibility between the backing material and the boot which results in a more comfortable “fit and feel.”

As stated, supra, the holster 16 is attached directly to the backing material 17. The holster, which is typically purchased for the assembly 10, 15, is preferably and conveniently attached to the backing material prior to attaching the backing material to the boot. Referring to FIG. 4, an isolated view of a section of the holster assembly 15 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, the holster assembly is currently constructed by attaching the holster 16 to the backing material 17 by stitching within or along two holster-stitching zones: Stitching zone 36 near the rear perimeter of the holster provides a hinge-like attachment for the holster to the backing material, and stitching zone 37 secures the forward holster portion and stabilizes holster placement. The location of stitching zone 37 can vary somewhat. Placing stitching zone 37 farther from stitching zone 36 will reduce blousing in the holster. A certain amount of blousing in the holster is essential for proper fit, so the precise positioning of stitching is preferably determined empirically.

A different boot style is depicted in FIG. 5, but the boot and holster assembly 10 remains essentially the same. As depicted in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the backing material 17 is again attached to the extended upper portion 9 of the boot 12. In this embodiment, as per FIG. 7, edge “b” of the backing material is attached to the boot by utilizing the stitching of outer side seam 26; and from FIG. 9, it is apparent that edge “a” of the backing material 17 is attached to the boot utilizing the stitching of inner side seam 27. And, to reiterate, the backing material is only attached to the extended upper portion of the boot along its lateral edges “a” and “b.” No other attachment of the backing material is encouraged or desired.

And, as with the laced embodiment of the boot depicted in FIGS. 1-3, the holster of the lace-less embodiment of FIGS. 5-9 is attached to the backing material 17 preferably by stitching zone 36 near the perimeter of the holster and stitching zone 37 more medially, as depicted in FIG. 10. Again, the precise positioning of stitching zone 37 is empirically determined by the amount of holster stability and blousing desired.

Optionally, there is a handgun retaining means 18, which is designed and intended to assist in retaining a handgun, within the confines of the holster. Conventional varieties of retaining means 18 are gratuitously depicted in FIGS. 1 and 5. The retaining means is not novel and can be fashioned from any of a variety of materials and feature any of several mechanisms, including hook and loop or button snaps, to enable the retaining means to retain the handgun in the holster.

The disclosed holster assembly and boot may be constructed or fabricated from an almost limitless variety of materials including, of course, leather, rubber or woven or nonwoven fabric materials derived from natural and/or synthetic fibers. The holster assembly comprising the holster and planar backing material can be fabricated from the same, similar or different materials. And the boot or article of footwear can also be constructed of materials similar to or different from the holster assembly.

The holster is typically sourced from commercially feasible suppliers. It is sized to be appropriate for easily concealed handguns. It is paired with the boot during construction of the boot and attached to the boot via the planar backing material, preferably by stitching along predetermined seamlines, as described, supra.

While the foregoing is a detailed and complete description of the preferred embodiments of the disclosed boot and holster assembly, it should be apparent that numerous variations and modifications can be made and employed to implement the overall purpose of the disclosed boot and holster assembly without deviating or departing from the spirit of the invention, which is fairly defined by the appended claims.