Armored Belt

Abstract

An armored belt for providing armor protection to a lower torso of a wearer with an armor sheath, soft body armor disposed in the armor sheath, and at least one cinching band section of resiliently extendable material for cinching the armor sheath and the armored belt about the torso of the wearer by an elastic, contractive force of the cinching band section. Plural cinching band sections have proximal ends fixed to the armor sheath, distal ends with fastening mechanisms, and resiliently extendable body portions. Plural cinching band sections can be formed by a cinching band with a central portion fixed to the armor sheath thereby to divide the cinching band into first and second cinching band sections. Fastening portions are disposed on ends of the armor sheath, and a compressible section of the armor sheath and the body armor can be disposed at a mid-portion of the armored sheath.

What is claimed as deserving the protection of Letters Patent: 
     
         1 . An armored belt for providing armor protection to a lower torso of a wearer, the armored belt comprising.
 an armor sheath with an inner surface, an outer surface, a first end portion, and a second end portion;   body armor for being disposed in the armor sheath; and   a cinching band section of resiliently extendable material for traversing the armor sheath and cinching the armor sheath and the armored belt about the torso of a wearer by an elastic, contractive force of the cinching band section.   
     
     
         2 . The armored belt of  claim 1  wherein the cinching band section has a proximal end fixed to the armor sheath, a distal end with a fastening mechanism for being coupled to the armor sheath, and a resiliently extendable body portion. 
     
     
         3 . The armored belt of  claim 2  wherein the cinching band section has a proximal end fixed to the outer surface of the armor sheath. 
     
     
         4 . The armored belt of  claim 2  wherein there are plural cinching band sections, each cinching band section with a proximal end fixed to the armor sheath, a distal end with a fastening mechanism, and a resiliently extendable body portion. 
     
     
         5 . The armored belt of  claim 4  wherein the plural cinching band sections are formed by a cinching band with a central portion fixed to the armor sheath thereby to divide the cinching band into first and second cinching band sections. 
     
     
         6 . The armored belt of  claim 1  wherein the armor sheath comprises a body armor envelope formed by one or more layers of resilient panel material and further comprising body armor received in the body armor envelope. 
     
     
         7 . The armored belt of  claim 6  wherein the body armor comprises soft body armor. 
     
     
         8 . The armored belt of  claim 7  wherein the body armor has a designed ballistic protection to at least a predetermined Ballistic Level and stab protection to at least a predetermined Spike Protection or Knife Resistance Level. 
     
     
         9 . The armored belt of  claim 8  wherein the body armor has a designed ballistic protection to at least Ballistic Level IIA and stab protection at least to Spike Blade Level 1. 
     
     
         10 . The armored belt of  claim 9  wherein the body armor comprises highly-oriented high molecular weight polyolefin fiber material. 
     
     
         11 . The armored belt of  claim 10  wherein the body armor comprises aramid fiber cloth material. 
     
     
         12 . The armored belt of  claim 1  further comprising a first fastening portion retained adjacent to the first end portion of the armor sheath and a second fastening portion retained adjacent to the second end portion of the armor sheath. 
     
     
         13 . The armored belt of  claim 12  wherein the first and second fastening portions comprise portions of hook and loop material. 
     
     
         14 . The armored belt of  claim 12  wherein the first and second fastening portions are disposed on the outer surface of the armor sheath. 
     
     
         15 . The armored belt of  claim 14  further comprising a third fastening portion disposed on the inner surface of the armor sheath adjacent to the first end portion of the armor sheath. 
     
     
         16 . The armored belt of  claim 1  wherein the cinching band section is formed by a cinching band with a portion fixed to the armor sheath. 
     
     
         17 . The armored belt of  claim 16  wherein the armor sheath as a length from the first end portion to the second end portion and wherein the cinching band has an unstretched length that is shorter than the length of the armored sheath. 
     
     
         18 . The armored belt of  claim 1  wherein the armored belt has a compressible section constructed to be compressible in length with a compressible formation. 
     
     
         19 . The armored belt of  claim 18  wherein the compressible section of the armored belt comprises a mid-portion of the armored sheath. 
     
     
         20 . The armored belt of  claim 19  further comprising body armor retained within the armored sheath wherein the body armor has a compressible section. 
     
     
         21 . The armored belt of  claim 20  wherein the compressible section of the body armor comprises a segmented portion of the body armor. 
     
     
         22 . An armored belt for providing, armor protection to lower torso of a wearer, the armored belt comprising:
 an armor sheath with an inner surface, an outer surface, a first end portion, and a second end portion;   soft body armor retained in the armor sheath; and   a cinching band of resiliently extendable material for traversing the armor sheath and cinching the armor sheath and the armored belt about the torso of a wearer by an elastic, contractive force of the cinching band wherein the cinching band has a distal end with a fastening mechanism for being coupled to the armor sheath.   
     
     
         23 . The armored belt of  claim 22  wherein the cinching band has a central portion fixed to the armor sheath to divide the cinching band into first and second cinching band sections, each cinching band section with a proximal end fixed to the armor sheath, a distal end with a fastening mechanism, and a resiliently extendable body portion. 
     
     
         24 . The armored belt of  claim 22  further comprising at least one fastening portion retained adjacent to the first end portion of the armor sheath and at least one fastening portion retained adjacent to the second end portion of the armor sheath. 
     
     
         25 . The armored belt of  claim 22  wherein the soft body armor and the armor sheath have compressible sections constructed to be compressible in length wherein the body armor has a compressible formation.