Garment Pocket Concealed Carry Retention and Telegrafing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Law-enforcement personnel face challenges in carrying concealed protection devices like handguns without telegraphing, especially in casual clothing, where existing holsters fail to minimize visibility and often require separate holsters for different handgun types.

Innovation Solution

A garment pocket design that creates a partially-enclosed space defined by lines corresponding to the hip joint, thigh centerline, and inseam, with a retaining mechanism to adjust the pocket size and orientation, allowing for concealed and accessible carry of various handgun types without compromising movement or increasing visibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a traditional holster is used to carry a handgun, then the handgun is securely retained, but the holster telegraphs the presence of the handgun through the garment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandgun retentionVSAvoidtelegraphing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The holster is nested within the garment pocket, which is itself nested within the garment structure. The pocket contains the holster, and the holster contains the handgun, creating multiple layers of concealment that prevent telegraphing while maintaining secure retention through the pocket's retaining mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The garment pocket is constructed with flexible fabric layers that conform to the body and garment contours, allowing the pocket to adapt to the handgun's shape without creating rigid protrusions that would telegraph the weapon's presence through the garment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Reliability

If a holster is designed to securely carry a specific handgun type, then retention is improved, but the holster cannot accommodate different handgun types

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandgun retentionVSAvoidhandgun type compatibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The pocket's retaining mechanism includes adjustable components such as elastic bands, snap fasteners, or Velcro straps that can be repositioned or reconfigured to accommodate handguns of different sizes, shapes, and weights, allowing the same pocket to securely retain various handgun types through dynamic adjustment rather than fixed geometry

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The pocket is designed with universal characteristics including an open-top configuration, adjustable retaining mechanisms, and sufficient volume to accommodate multiple handgun types, allowing a single pocket design to serve multiple functions of carrying different handguns and other objects without requiring type-specific holsters

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the pocket is positioned to conceal the handgun, then telegraphing is minimized, but accessibility for quick drawing is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovetelegraphingVSAvoidhandgun accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The pocket is segmented into distinct functional zones: an upper accessible opening for quick drawing, a middle retention zone with adjustable restraining elements, and a lower concealed portion that follows body contours. This segmentation allows the top portion to be accessible while the bulk of the handgun remains concealed in the lower portion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The pocket extends in multiple dimensions including vertical depth from the garment exterior to the body contour, horizontal width to accommodate the handgun, and lateral positioning along the garment. This multi-dimensional configuration allows the handgun to be concealed in the vertical depth while maintaining horizontal accessibility through the opening

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Ease of operation

If the garment is worn with only one or two layers of clothing, then comfort and temperature regulation are improved, but the carrying device becomes more evident

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewearer comfortVSAvoidtelegraphing

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The pocket is constructed from thin, flexible fabric layers that add minimal bulk and do not create rigid protrusions, allowing the pocket to remain inconspicuous even when the garment is worn with only one or two layers of clothing, thus maintaining comfort while preventing telegraphing through minimal material presence

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Data Source

PatentUS8307465B2Garment pocket for carrying an object in a concealed state

Publication Date: 2012.11.13 CCW BREAKAWAYS LLC

AI summary

A garment pocket configured to carry, in a concealed and readily-accessible state, a handgun or other object is disclosed. The garment pocket is configured to be folded to yield and maintain at least one additional configuration. The garment pocket can be folded to assume and maintain either a first folded configuration, or a second folded configuration. The garment pocket in the first folded configuration is suitable for carrying, in an ergonomic position, a handgun having, for example, a medium-to-long barrel portion, whereas the garment pocket in the second folded configuration is suitable for carrying, in an ergonomic position, a handgun having, for example, a relatively short barrel portion.