Modular and Scalable Soldier's Garment

Abstract

A soldier's garment includes a hard plate carrier, a concealable carrier that can carry soft armor panels, and separate soft armor panels. The plate carrier can be worn alone, the concealable carrier can be worn alone, the plate carrier can be worn with the concealable carrier, or the plate carrier can be worn with the soft armor panels. The plate carrier has an actuatable quick release system for enabling release of the plate carrier. Each one of the concealable carrier and the soft armor panels is released from the soldier with the plate carrier when the quick release system is actuated.

1 . A soldier's garment comprising a torso portion and accessory garment parts;
 the torso portion of the garment comprising a plate carrier to be worn by the soldier, the plate carrier including front and back plate carrier panels each adapted to carry hard armor panels;   the plate carrier including shoulder straps releasably interconnecting upper portions of the front and back plate carrier panels, the shoulder straps extending across the soldier's shoulders when the plate carrier is being worn;   the plate carrier including side straps releasably interconnecting lower portions of the front and back plate carrier panels, the side straps extending along the soldier's lower torso area when the plate carrier is being worn;   the plate carrier including an actuatable quick release system for enabling release of the plate carrier from the soldier; and   the torso portion of the garment further comprising at least one other garment part that is adapted to carry soft armor panels that are separate from the accessory garment parts, the at least one other garment part being adapted to be worn as two separate armored pieces that can be attached to the plate carrier and that are released from the soldier with the plate carrier when the quick release system is actuated.   
     
     
         2 . A garment as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the at least one other garment part is a concealable carrier that can be worn under clothing without connection with the plate carrier or can alternatively be worn connected with the plate carrier;
 the concealable carrier comprising separate front and back panels that can be releasably joined by left and right shoulder straps and by left and right side straps on the back panel to make the concealable carrier a one-piece garment for doffing and donning without being connected with the plate carrier; 
 each one of the front and back panels of the concealable carrier including a pocket for receiving soft armor; 
 each one of the front and back panels of the concealable carrier including loops for receiving the shoulder straps of the plate carrier; 
 the front panel of the concealable carrier being separable from the back panel of the cc, and the separated front and back concealable carrier panels thereafter being connectable with the front and back panels, respectively, of the plate carrier, whereby the plate carrier and concealable carrier can be worn together as one unit forming the torso portion of the garment, and whereby the front panel of the concealable carrier stays with the front plate carrier panel and the back panel of the concealable carrier stays with the back plate carrier panel when the quick release system of the plate carrier is actuated. 
 
     
     
         3 . A garment as set forth in  claim 2  wherein the concealable carrier left and right side straps have elastic portions and the concealable carrier has protective cover panels for covering the elastic portions of the side straps. 
     
     
         4 . A garment as set forth in  claim 3  wherein the concealable carrier includes a single fabric connector panel connected to the elastic straps on each side, the connector panel being securable by a hook and loop connection to the concealable carrier front panel, and the cover panel covering the elastic straps when thus secured. 
     
     
         5 . A garment as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the at least one other garment part is a set of front and back soft armor panels that do not have shoulder straps or side straps for joining to each other;
 the front soft armor panel including loops for receiving the shoulder straps of the plate carrier to support the front soft armor panel on the front plate carrier panel, and 
 the back soft armor panel including loops for receiving the shoulder straps of the plate carrier to support the back soft armor panel on the back plate carrier panel; 
 the front and back soft armor panels being carried by and releasing with the front and back plate carrier panels, respectively, upon actuation of the quick release mechanism of the plate carrier. 
 
     
     
         6 . A garment as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the at least one other garment part is a cummerbund that is taller than the plate carrier side straps and that attaches to the back plate carrier panel and that stays with the back plate carrier panel when the quick release system of the plate carrier is actuated. 
     
     
         7 . A garment as set forth in  claim 6  wherein the cummerbund includes a portion for receiving a downwardly-depending load coupler for transmitting load from the plate carrier to a load belt worn by the solider thereby to reduce the load on the soldier's shoulders. 
     
     
         8 . A soldier's garment comprising:
 a plate carrier for carrying armor plates, the plate carrier having shoulder straps for extending over the shoulders of the soldier and for transferring load of the plate carrier to the soldier's shoulders, the plate carrier including a quick release system; and   a load belt system for helping to transfer load of the plate carrier from the soldier's shoulders to the soldier's hips;   the load belt system including a load belt that is extensible around the soldier's waist to place the load belt in a position to transfer vertically downward force on the load belt onto the soldier's hips and waist; and   the load belt system also including at least two load couplers removably connectable in a vertical load bearing position between the plate carrier and the load belt.   
     
     
         9 . A garment as set forth in  claim 8  wherein:
 the plate carrier includes front and back plate carrier panels that are releasably interconnected by the shoulder straps and by side straps, all of which straps are released upon actuation of the quick release system; 
 the load belt system further includes a stabilizing cummerbund that is connectable with the back plate carrier panel and the side straps, the cummerbund being releasable with the back plate carrier panel upon actuation of the quick release system; and 
 the load couplers are connected between the cummerbund and the load belt to transmit load from the plate carrier through the cummerbund and the load couplers to the load belt. 
 
     
     
         10 . A garment as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the load couplers stay with the load belt and release from the cummerbund when the quick release system is actuated. 
     
     
         11 . A garment as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the load belt has two pockets, one on each side of center, opening upward and adapted to receive and support vertically the lower ends of the load couplers;
 the upper ends of the load couplers are connected with the cummerbund in a force-transmitting manner; and 
 the downward load of the plate carrier is transmitted from the plate carrier to the cummerbund and thence to the load couplers and thence to the load belt and thence to the soldier's waist and hips thereby relieving load on the soldier's shoulders. 
 
     
     
         12 . A garment as set forth in  claim 8  wherein each pocket in the load belt has three different bottom walls to provide three different height load transmission paths, and wherein each pocket is substantially wider than the lower ends of the load couplers to enable lateral positioning of the load couplers in the pockets. 
     
     
         13 . A soldier's garment comprising:
 a torso portion including a hard plate carrier, a concealable carrier that can carry soft armor panels, and separate soft armor panels, wherein the plate carrier can be worn alone, the concealable carrier can be worn alone, the plate carrier can be worn with the concealable carrier, or the plate carrier can be worn with the soft armor panels;   the plate carrier having an actuatable quick release system for enabling release of the plate carrier from the soldier;   each one of the concealable carrier and the soft armor panels being released with the plate carrier when the quick release system is actuated.   
     
     
         14 . A garment as set forth in  claim 13  further including a plurality of accessory garment pieces including one or more selected from a group including a stabilizing cummerbund, a load belt, a throat protector, thigh pads, side plates, deltoid pads, bicep pads, a back pad, and a groin pad. 
     
     
         15 . A garment as set forth in  claim 13  further including a throat protector that has stiff, resilient flexible tabs that slide rearward into slots in the torso portion of the garment to hold the throat protector in position on the torso portion of the garment. 
     
     
         16 . A garment as set forth in  claim 13  further including two thigh protectors, one for each leg, that can include ballistic material for helping to protect the soldier's thighs, each thigh protector being supported on the torso portion of the garment by a support strap that extends downward from the torso portion, and by a pivotal connection between the strap and the thigh protector. 
     
     
         17 . A garment as set forth in  claim 16  wherein the pivotal connection includes a D-ring on the thigh protector, around which is looped the support strap, the support strap being slidable along the D-ring in a direction between opposite ends of the curved portion of the D-ring, thereby to support the thigh protector on the concealable carrier for pivotal movement relative to the concealable carrier about the point of engagement of the strap and the D-ring. 
     
     
         18 . A garment as set forth in  claim 16  wherein the thigh protector is configured to contain one or more hard plates in pockets of fabric material.