Soft Body Armor Including Reinforcing Strips

Abstract

A body armor panel includes a subpack having at least one reinforcing strip sewn on ballistic material at a location to overlie a specific vulnerable area of the wearer's torso when the panel is worn by the wearer.

1 . A method of making a ballistic panel for use in helping to protect a torso of a wearer of the panel, comprising the steps of:
 providing a plurality of subpacks each including a plurality of layers of flexible ballistic material;   identifying a surface portion of a first one of the plurality of subpacks that will overlie a specific vulnerable area of the wearer's torso when the panel is worn by the wearer, the surface portion being located inward of the outer periphery of the first subpack;   sewing a reinforcing strip to the first subpack to cover only the identified surface portion of the first subpack, by a stitching section that does not extend along the perimeter of the first subpack; and   assembling the first subpack with the remaining subpacks of the plurality of subpacks, to form the ballistic panel;   the reinforcing strip providing added trauma protection at the vulnerable area when the panel is worn by the wearer.   
     
     
         2 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the vulnerable area of the wearer's torso is the sternum/spinal area and the reinforcing strip is sewn on the subpack to extend generally vertically on the panel at a location centered laterally on the panel when the panel is worn by the wearer. 
     
     
         3 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the vulnerable area of the wearer's torso is the lower rib cage area and the reinforcing strip is sewn on the subpack to extend generally horizontally on the panel overlying the lower rib cage area when the panel is worn by the wearer. 
     
     
         4 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the sewing step includes sewing only a single reinforcing strip, which extends generally vertically on the subpack at a location centered laterally on the panel when the panel is worn by the wearer. 
     
     
         5 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the vulnerable area of the wearer's torso is the sternum/spinal area and the lower rib cage area, and the sewing step includes sewing a first reinforcing strip that extends generally vertically on the subpack at a location centered laterally on the panel when the panel is worn by the wearer and a second reinforcing strip that extends generally horizontally on the panel overlying the lower rib cage area when the panel is worn by the wearer. 
     
     
         6 . A method as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the reinforcing strip is a single rectangular piece of plastic extending parallel to and being shorter than a horizontal or vertical extent of the panel. 
     
     
         7 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 6  wherein the reinforcing strip is about three inches wide. 
     
     
         8 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 1  wherein each reinforcing strip on the panel is linear. 
     
     
         9 . A ballistic panel for use in helping to protect a torso of a wearer of the panel, comprising:
 a plurality of subpacks each including a plurality of layers of flexible ballistic material;   a first one of the plurality of subpacks having a portion that will overlie a specific vulnerable area of the wearer's torso when the panel is worn by the wearer, the portion being located inward of the outer periphery of the first subpack;   a reinforcing strip overlying only the identified portion of the first subpack; and   a stitching section that secures the reinforcing strip to the identified portion of the first subpack, the stitching section not extending along the perimeter of the first subpack;   the reinforcing strip providing added trauma protection at the vulnerable area when the panel is worn by the wearer.   
     
     
         10 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the vulnerable area of the wearer's torso is the sternum/spinal area and the reinforcing strip extends generally vertically on the panel at a location centered laterally on the panel when the panel is worn by the wearer. 
     
     
         11 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the vulnerable area of the wearer's torso is the lower rib cage area and the reinforcing strip extends generally horizontally on the panel overlying the lower rib cage area when the panel is worn by the wearer. 
     
     
         12 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 9  containing only a single reinforcing strip, which extends generally vertically on the panel at a location centered laterally on the panel when the panel is worn by the wearer. 
     
     
         13 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the vulnerable area of the wearer's torso is the sternum/spinal area and the lower rib cage area, and including a first reinforcing strip that extends generally vertically on the panel at a location centered laterally on the panel when the panel is worn by the wearer and a second reinforcing strip that extends generally horizontally on the panel overlying the lower rib cage area when the panel is worn by the wearer. 
     
     
         14 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the reinforcing strip is a single rectangular piece of plastic extending parallel to and being shorter than a horizontal or vertical extent of the panel. 
     
     
         15 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 14  wherein the reinforcing strip is about three inches wide. 
     
     
         16 . A ballistic panel as set forth in  claim 9  wherein each reinforcing strip on the panel is linear.