Section B
DOCUMENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF PRIOR SOLUTION ATTEMPTS
II.1 Patent Search
Personal Body Armor
US 6892392 B2
The focus on comfort in this patent is beneficial to our design problem. The addition of a foam interior inside the vest provides an additional degree of comfort to the user by increasing the space between where the bullet strikes and the wearer. Also, air channels are implemented inside the vest material for the cooling of the wearer. Some design issues of this vest include lack of ballistic protection in the center gut area and the ratio of the thickness of the foam insert and the ballistic material as shown in Figure 3 is very large. There is too much foam for the amount of ballistic protection which makes the armor very bulky.
US 6892392 B2
The focus on comfort in this patent is beneficial to our design problem. The addition of a foam interior inside the vest provides an additional degree of comfort to the user by increasing the space between where the bullet strikes and the wearer. Also, air channels are implemented inside the vest material for the cooling of the wearer. Some design issues of this vest include lack of ballistic protection in the center gut area and the ratio of the thickness of the foam insert and the ballistic material as shown in Figure 3 is very large. There is too much foam for the amount of ballistic protection which makes the armor very bulky.
(Image from Howstuffworks.com)
Advanced Body Armor Utilizing Shear Thickening Fluids
US 7226878
The use of a shear-thickening fluid offers several potential advantages to making our vest more comfortable. A shear thickening fluid can make a vest stronger, thereby reducing material needed for adequate protection, and making the vest both lighter and less bulky. Some drawbacks though are the weight of the shear-thickening fluid (see Table 2), which even though a vest could potentially be lighter, the added weight from the fluid could more than make up for the lost weight.
Advanced Body Armor Utilizing Shear Thickening Fluids
US 7226878
The use of a shear-thickening fluid offers several potential advantages to making our vest more comfortable. A shear thickening fluid can make a vest stronger, thereby reducing material needed for adequate protection, and making the vest both lighter and less bulky. Some drawbacks though are the weight of the shear-thickening fluid (see Table 2), which even though a vest could potentially be lighter, the added weight from the fluid could more than make up for the lost weight.
Flexible, Lightweight, Compound Body Armor
US 5804757 A
This design of body armor is intended to deflect bullets as opposed to stopping them completely. The vest uses hard ceramic “pyramids” to turn the bullet when it is entering the vest so that it loses its penetration power. Because of the design of the pyramids, it allows the vest to bend relatively easy to conventional vests. Because the bullet is deflected instead of being stopped completely head on, the vest can also use less material, making it lighter. However, the use of many small “pyramids” would make fabrication of the vest complicated and expensive.
US 5804757 A
This design of body armor is intended to deflect bullets as opposed to stopping them completely. The vest uses hard ceramic “pyramids” to turn the bullet when it is entering the vest so that it loses its penetration power. Because of the design of the pyramids, it allows the vest to bend relatively easy to conventional vests. Because the bullet is deflected instead of being stopped completely head on, the vest can also use less material, making it lighter. However, the use of many small “pyramids” would make fabrication of the vest complicated and expensive.
Layered composite body armor
US5697098 A
This vest design attempts to combine the protection of ballistic vests and stab vests while maintaining flexibility. The vest uses metal sheets intended to stop the penetration of sharp objects like knives and blades. The sheets are not intended to stop bullets and form a solid layer in the vest, with no seams for maximum protection. Though metal layers do offer protection from additional threats, the solid, inflexible layer of metal makes the vest much less flexible and contradicts our design criteria of being comfortable to wear. Metal layers could be used in smaller pieces or areas to add some additional protection while maintaining flexibility and comfort.
US5697098 A
This vest design attempts to combine the protection of ballistic vests and stab vests while maintaining flexibility. The vest uses metal sheets intended to stop the penetration of sharp objects like knives and blades. The sheets are not intended to stop bullets and form a solid layer in the vest, with no seams for maximum protection. Though metal layers do offer protection from additional threats, the solid, inflexible layer of metal makes the vest much less flexible and contradicts our design criteria of being comfortable to wear. Metal layers could be used in smaller pieces or areas to add some additional protection while maintaining flexibility and comfort.
Weight Distribution and Support Device and System for an Armor Vest
US 20110231976 A1
This invention attempts to make armor more comfortable like our product but without remedying the issue of weight. The harness is designed to relocate the weight of the vest onto the hips to distribute weight more evenly. The width of the harness also creates a system for ventilation which would make the vest much more comfortable to wear in hot environments. Many of these aspects could be useful to solving our design problem however because the harness is separate from the vest, that makes putting on the vest more complicated. The separate harness also adds additional weight to the vest and makes the total outfit more bulky.
US 20110231976 A1
This invention attempts to make armor more comfortable like our product but without remedying the issue of weight. The harness is designed to relocate the weight of the vest onto the hips to distribute weight more evenly. The width of the harness also creates a system for ventilation which would make the vest much more comfortable to wear in hot environments. Many of these aspects could be useful to solving our design problem however because the harness is separate from the vest, that makes putting on the vest more complicated. The separate harness also adds additional weight to the vest and makes the total outfit more bulky.
II.2 Competitive Products
Interceptor Body Armor
This vest design combines the normal protections of a ballistic vests while using boron carbide plates to provide the same degree of maneuverability while improving protection. The vest manages to consistently stop 7.62mm rounds, which are the type commonly used in rifles. However, the vest is still very heavy, weighing over 30 pounds when plates are inserted, and causes moderate to severe health issues over months of wear.
This vest design combines the normal protections of a ballistic vests while using boron carbide plates to provide the same degree of maneuverability while improving protection. The vest manages to consistently stop 7.62mm rounds, which are the type commonly used in rifles. However, the vest is still very heavy, weighing over 30 pounds when plates are inserted, and causes moderate to severe health issues over months of wear.
Improved Outer Tactical Vest
The IOTV is a newer variant related to the Outer Tactical Vest and Interceptor Body Armor and is used by the U.S. Army. Some improvements include a higher weight to coverage ratio, a quick release system, etc. With the new E-SAPI plates, it can stop .30-06 Springfield M2 armor-piercing rounds, which correlates to NIJ Standard IV. However, it still weighs 30 pounds and some call this vest a liability, especially in urban environments.
The IOTV is a newer variant related to the Outer Tactical Vest and Interceptor Body Armor and is used by the U.S. Army. Some improvements include a higher weight to coverage ratio, a quick release system, etc. With the new E-SAPI plates, it can stop .30-06 Springfield M2 armor-piercing rounds, which correlates to NIJ Standard IV. However, it still weighs 30 pounds and some call this vest a liability, especially in urban environments.
Uniform Shirt Vest Carrier
The Uniform Shirt Vest Carrier is a product that users can insert their ballistic plates. It is designed so it looks like the shirt of a police uniform, but ballistic plates can be added to the inside of the shirt. While it might be more comfortable and the shirt is useful for situations where the user should appear professional or non-tactical, it is a compromise on protection as the only bullet resistant material is the plates, which don't completely cover the upper body area.
The Uniform Shirt Vest Carrier is a product that users can insert their ballistic plates. It is designed so it looks like the shirt of a police uniform, but ballistic plates can be added to the inside of the shirt. While it might be more comfortable and the shirt is useful for situations where the user should appear professional or non-tactical, it is a compromise on protection as the only bullet resistant material is the plates, which don't completely cover the upper body area.