Concealment holsters

Abstract

A holster to support a handgun in a concealed position inside a wearer's trousers includes a holster body with side walls defining an opening to receive the handgun. Interior surfaces of the side walls have yieldable means thereon to engage and yieldably retain a portion of the handgun, when positioned within the holster body, against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude. A tab arrangement includes a downward tab joined to the outer wall by a bight portion to suspend the holster from the trouser waistband. A wing member extends rearward of the holster body and cooperates with the exterior surface of the inner side wall to conform to the rear region of the hip of the wearer. Shaped portions of the holster body maintain a spaced relationship between the interior surface and contact-sensitive regions of a handgun such as a magazine release button, a sight, and so forth.

1 . A holster for supporting a handgun in an at least partially concealed position inside the trousers of a wearer and suspended from a waistband thereof, the holster comprising:
 a holster body that includes a pair of opposed side walls defining an opening through which at least a forward portion of the handgun may be received for positioning the handgun within the holster body;   each side wall having an interior surface, each interior surface including a barrel region and a trigger guard region, with said regions disposed on the side walls in spaced confronting registry for slidably engaging at least a portion of each of the opposing sides of the barrel and the trigger guard of the handgun, respectively, when received in the holster body, thereby guiding the handgun into position within the holster body;   the trigger guard region of one of the side walls having formed thereon a first inwardly convex dimple disposed to protrude into the interior of the trigger guard of the handgun when positioned within the holster body;   the trigger guard region of the other of the side walls having formed thereon a second inwardly convex dimple disposed to bias a portion of the trigger guard of the handgun when positioned within the holster body; and   means supported on the holster to suspend the holster from the trouser waistband of a wearer;   wherein the dimples cooperate to releasably retain the handgun positioned within the holster body against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude and are yieldable to enable withdrawal of the handgun from the holster body responsive to a magnitude of withdrawal force above the predetermined magnitude.   
     
     
         2 . The holster of  claim 1 , wherein the means to suspend the holster include a tab arrangement disposed on a top end of one of the side walls and adapted to engage the top edge of the wearer's trouser waistband. 
     
     
         3 . The holster of  claim 2 , wherein the tab arrangement includes at least one downwardly depending tab joined to the side wall by means of an outwardly-extending bight portion adapted to bridge the upper edge of the wearer's trouser waistband. 
     
     
         4 . The holster of  claim 3 , wherein at least one downwardly depending tab includes an upturned lower end adapted to engage the bottom edge of a wearer's belt. 
     
     
         5 . The holster of  claim 3 , wherein at least part of the bight portion is adapted to bridge both the upper edge of the wearer's trouser waistband and the top edge of a wearer's belt. 
     
     
         6 . The holster of  claim 2 , wherein the tab arrangement is formed integrally with the top end of the side wall. 
     
     
         7 . The holster of  claim 1 , further comprising a wing member extending generally rearward of the opening defined by the side walls and having an inward-facing exterior surface; wherein the wing member cooperates with an inward-facing exterior surface of the inner one of the side walls to conform to the rear region of the hip of the wearer. 
     
     
         8 . The holster of  claim 7 , wherein the wing member is substantially planar and is formed integrally with the inner side wall. 
     
     
         9 . The holster of  claim 8 , wherein the wing member depends at an angle with at least a portion of the inward-facing exterior surface of the inner side wall. 
     
     
         10 . The holster of  claim 1 , wherein the wing member is formed by rearward portions of the side walls with the facing interior surfaces thereof mated together. 
     
     
         11 . The holster of  claim 1 , wherein one of side walls is adapted to overlap the magazine release button of the handgun when the handgun is positioned within the holster body, and wherein said side wall includes a concave pocket formed therein to maintain a spaced relationship between the interior surface of the side wall and the magazine release button when the handgun is positioned within the holster body. 
     
     
         12 . The holster of  claim 1 , wherein the holster body further comprises a forward wall defining a sight channel adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the interior surface of the forward wall and one or more of the top surface of the barrel of the handgun and a sight protruding upward therefrom when the handgun is positioned within the holster body. 
     
     
         13 . The holster of  claim 12 , wherein the forward wall is integral with the two side walls and formed by a bent region connecting the two side walls. 
     
     
         14 . The holster of  claim 1 , wherein the pair of opposed side walls consists of an inner wall configured to abut the wearer and an outer wall configured to be spaced away from the wearer, and wherein the holster further comprises a guard portion extending upward from the inner side wall from the opening, the guard portion adapted to form a barrier between the wearer and the portion of the handgun extending upward from the opening when the handgun is positioned within the holster body. 
     
     
         15 . A holster for supporting a handgun in an at least partially concealed position inside the trousers of a wearer, the holster comprising:
 a holster body including a pair of opposed side walls defining an opening through which at least a forward portion of the handgun may be received for positioning the handgun within the holster body;   means supported on the holster to suspend the holster from the trouser waistband of a wearer;   wherein each side wall has an interior and an exterior surface;   wherein each interior surface includes a barrel region and a trigger guard region, with said regions disposed on the side walls in spaced confronting registry for slidably engaging at least a portion of each of the opposing sides of the barrel and the trigger guard of the handgun, respectively, when received in the holster body, thereby guiding the handgun into position within the holster body;   wherein each interior surface further includes yieldable means adapted to engage and yieldably retain a portion of the handgun when positioned within the holster body against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude; and   wherein each exterior surface is adapted, when the holster is worn inside the trousers of the wearer, to engage and resist movement relative to the portions of the user and/or the user's clothing adjacent to the holster.   
     
     
         16 . The holster of  claim 15 , wherein the means to suspend the holster are adapted to position the opening of the holster body substantially level with the trouser waistband of the wearer. 
     
     
         17 . The holster of  claim 16 :
 wherein the pair of opposed side walls includes an inner wall disposed adjacent to the wearer and an outer wall spaced therefrom;   wherein when the handgun is positioned within the holster body, a rear portion of the handgun extends generally upward from the opening;   wherein the holster further comprises a guard portion formed by a portion of the inner side wall that extends generally upward from the opening; and   wherein the guard portion is adapted to form a barrier between the wearer and the portion of the handgun that extends upward from the opening when the handgun is positioned within the holster body.   
     
     
         18 . The holster of  claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of each exterior surface is textured. 
     
     
         19 . The holster of  claim 15 , further comorising a wing member extending generally rearward of the holster body and having an inward-facing exterior surface;
 wherein the pair of opposed side walls includes an inner wall disposed adjacent to the wearer and an outer wall spaced therefrom; and   wherein the wing member cooperates with the exterior surface of the inner side wall to conform to the rear region of the hip of the wearer.   
     
     
         20 . A holster for supporting a handgun in an at least partially concealed position inside the trousers of a wearer, the holster comprising:
 a holster body including a pair of opposed side walls defining an opening adapted to receive a forward portion of the handgun therethrough for positioning within the holster body, the side walls including an inner wall disposed adjacent to the wearer and an outer wall spaced therefrom;   each side wall having an interior surface disposed in spaced confronting registry for slidably engaging at least a portion of each side of the forward portion of the handgun and guiding the same into position within the holster body;   each interior surface including yieldabie means adapted to engage and yieldably retain a portion of the handgun when positioned within the holster body against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude;   a tab arrangement disposed on the outer wall including a downwardly depending tab joined to the outer wall by means of an outwardly extending bight portion adapted to bridge the upper edge of the wearer's trouser waistband and suspend the holster therefrom;   a guard portion disposed on the inner wall extending upward from the opening and adapted to form a barrier between the wearer and the portion of the handgun that extends upward from the opening when the handgun is positioned within the holster body; and   a wing member extending generally rearward of the holster body and having an inward-facing exterior surface cooperabie with the exterior surface of the inner wall to conform to the rear region of the hip of the wearer.