Injection Molded Holster With Living Hinge And Trigger Guard Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current firearm holsters designed for injection molding fail to withstand the snatch test due to joints and mating separations, particularly in the trigger guard area, which are prone to fracture under forceful removal attempts, making them unsuitable for law enforcement use.
Innovation Solution
A single-piece injection molded holster design featuring a living hinge system that allows the holster halves to bend at 90° without fracturing, combined with a trigger guard lock mechanism that provides a strong and secure connection, capable of passing the snatch test without complex mold tooling or excessive bulkiness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate sections are joined to form a holster, then the holster can be manufactured using simpler mold tooling, but the joints and mating separations are prone to fracture under snatch test forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple holster sections into a single integrated injection-molded piece, eliminating all joints and mating separations. The trigger guard is formed as one continuous piece with the holster body, ensuring that snatch test forces are distributed throughout the entire structure rather than concentrated at weak joint areas.
2Strength
If a unitary injection molded holster body is designed to withstand snatch test forces, then the holster can pass the snatch test, but the design results in either unacceptably bulky holster or expensive and complex mold tooling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the holster design into functional zones within a single molded piece: a reinforced trigger guard zone with increased material density and structural ribs, a standard body zone for general holster functions, and a belt attachment zone with reinforcement. This allows the complex reinforced structure to be achieved through injection molding process control rather than complex multi-component tooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing reinforcement only where needed - specifically in the trigger guard area with doubled-up plastic material and structural ribs - while keeping the rest of the holster at standard thickness. This targeted reinforcement approach achieves snatch test resistance without making the entire holster bulky or requiring uniformly complex tooling throughout.
3Reliability
If the holster is designed with zero points of separation to withstand snatch test forces, then the holster can pass the snatch test, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates preliminary reinforcement features directly into the injection mold tooling - such as built-in ribs, gussets, and doubled-up material sections in the trigger guard area - that are formed during the initial molding process. This eliminates the need for post-manufacturing assembly steps or additional reinforcement components, achieving zero separation points without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A holster blank and holster for a handgun formed from a unitary molded body portion having two side holster portions joined to opposite edges of an elongate narrow spine intermediate portion by parallel living hinges. The side holster portions have outer edges brought together by pivoting the side holster portions towards each other via the living hinges so as to form the holster. The body portion includes interfacing elongate male and female locking portions which engage and lock the outer edges together. A method of producing the holster includes molding the body portion and pivoting the sides via the living hinges 90 degrees and providing a lock to interconnect the side portions adjacent the trigger guard of a handgun.