Garment assembly and release apparatus and method

1. An assembly and release apparatus for a garment, comprising:

a C-shaped clip defining a channel and an open slot extending along the channel, open at opposite ends of the clip, and including at least one element configured for attaching the C-shaped clip to a first location on the garment;

a pin slidably receivable in the channel of the C-shaped clip through either of the open ends to assemble the C-shaped clip and the pin together, the pin having a tab or strip configured to extend through the slot and for attaching the pin to a second location on the garment, the slot being sufficiently small to prevent passage of the pin therethrough, the C-shaped clip and the pin having mating surfaces bounding the channel adjacent to at least one side of the slot, including a mating surface on the C-shaped clip adjacent to one side of the slot that faces away from the slot and toward the channel, and a mating surface on the pin that faces the slot when the pin is located in the channel, the mating surfaces being tapered at less than a 90 degree angle to the slot such that when the pin is located in the channel and a force is exerted against the tab or strip in a direction to pull the pin toward the slot, the mating surface of the clip adjacent to the one side of the slot will be drawn toward the slot to prevent passage of the pin therethrough; and

at least one detent element comprising a tab extending sidewardly from the C-shaped clip centrally between the opposite ends thereof and bounding the slot, cooperatively receivable in a receptacle in the pin for retaining the pin in the channel, and releasable in a predetermined manner by moving the detent element away from the pin to allow slidably removing the pin from the channel through either of the open ends.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein tab extends from the C-shaped clip in cantilever relation thereto between portions of the mating surface on the C-shaped clip adjacent to the one side of the slot.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the tab is separated from the portions of the mating surface on the C-shaped clip by gaps, respectively, to allow the tab to be moved relative thereto away from the C-shaped clip to remove the at least one detent from the receptacle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tab is flat and extends about parallel to the tab or strip of the pin.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tab overlays the tab or strip of the pin when the pin is located in the channel.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the channel of the C-shaped clip and the pin have mating D-shapes when viewed from the end thereof.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the C-shaped clip and the pin have the mating surfaces bounding the channel adjacent to opposite sides of the slot.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one detent element comprises a manually graspable feature connected to the tab and manually pullable away from the C-shaped clip to deform the tab to move the detent from an engaged state cooperatively received in the receptacle, to a release state removed from the receptacle to allow slidably removing the pin from the channel through the open end.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising the garment, wherein the garment comprises a vest, the first location comprises a belt or cummerbund of the vest, and the second location comprises a front panel of the vest.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising the garment, wherein the garment comprises a vest, the first location comprises a shoulder strap of the vest, and the second location comprises a front panel of the vest.

11. An assembly and release apparatus for a vest, comprising:

a C-shaped clip defining a channel open at opposite ends thereof, attached to one of a side element and a side edge of a front panel of the vest;

a pin attached to another of the side element and the front panel, slidably receivable in the channel of the C-shaped clip through either of the open opposite ends thereof to assemble the C-shaped clip and the pin together to connect the side element and the front panel with a tab or strip connected to the pin extending through a sidewardly facing slot bounded by spaced apart edges of the C-shape clip extending between the opposite ends of the C-shaped clip, respectively; and

at least one detent element comprising a tab connected in cantilever relation to a portion of the C-shaped clip defining the channel between the opposite ends thereof, the detent element extending sidewardly between portions of one of the edges of the C-shaped clip beside the slot, and the detent element being cooperatively receivable in a receptacle in the pin when in the channel for retaining the pin in the channel, the detent element including a manually graspable feature and being deformable away from the pin by manually pulling the manually graspable feature to release from the receptacle to allow slidably removing the pin from the channel through either of the opposite ends of the C-shaped clip.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a tab or strip attached along one side of the pin, the tab or strip being configured to extend through the slot when the pin is received in the channel, the tab or strip connecting the pin to said another of the side element and the front panel, and the slot being sufficiently small to prevent passage of the pin therethrough.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a second C-shaped clip defining a channel open at least one end thereof, attached to one of an upper edge of the front panel of the vest and a shoulder strap;

a second pin attached to another of the upper edge of the front panel and the shoulder strap, slidably receivable in the channel of the second C-shaped clip through the open end thereof to assemble the second C-shaped clip and the second pin together to connect the front panel and the shoulder strap; and

at least one detent element associated with one of the second C-shaped clip and the second pin, cooperatively engageable with the other of the second C-shaped clip and the second pin for retaining the second pin in the channel of the second C-shaped clip, and releasable in a predetermined manner to allow slidably removing the second pin from the channel of the second C-shaped clip through the open end thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the vest can be donned by sliding the pins into the channels of the C-shaped clips and engaging the detent elements, respectively, and doffed by releasing the detent elements and sliding the pins from the clips.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a second tab or strip attached along one side of the second pin, and a slot through the second C-shaped clip connecting with the channel thereof, the second tab or strip being configured to extend through the slot of the second C-shaped clip when the second pin is received in the channel thereof, the second tab or strip connecting the second pin to said another of the upper edge of the front panel and the shoulder strap, and the slot of the second C-shaped clip being sufficiently small to prevent passage of the second pin therethrough.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the at least one detent element is separated from the spaced apart edges of the C-shape clip by gaps, respectively, to allow deforming the at least one detent element to a release state removed from the receptacle.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the receptacle comprises a notch in the pin.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the C-shaped clip and the pin are elongate.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the channel of the C-shaped clip and the pin have mating D-shapes when viewed from the end thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the C-shaped clip and the pin have mating surfaces bounding the channel adjacent to at least one side of the slot, including a surface on the C-shaped clip that faces the channel and a surface on the pin that faces the slot when the pin is located in the channel, which are tapered at less than a 90 degree angle to the slot such that when the pin is located in the channel and a force is exerted against the tab or strip in a direction to pull the pin toward the slot, the surface of the clip adjacent to the slot will be drawn toward the slot to prevent passage of the pin therethrough.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , comprising the mating surfaces on opposite sides of the channel, respectively.

22. A method of releasing a ballistic vest from a wearer's body, comprising steps of:

providing a first release assembly including a first C-shaped clip defining and bounding a channel open at opposite ends thereof, attached to a first element of the vest, a first pin attached to a second element of the vest and slidably received in the channel of the first C-shaped clip through the open end thereof connecting the first and second elements of the vest together with a tab or strip connected to the pin extending through a sidewardly facing slot bounded by spaced apart edges of the C-shape clip extending between the opposite ends of the C-shaped clip, respectively, and a detent element releasably retaining the first pin in the channel, the detent element comprising a tab connected in cantilever relation to a portion of the C-shaped clip defining the channel at a location about centrally between the opposite ends thereof, the detent element extending sidewardly between portions of one of the edges of the C-shaped clip beside the slot, and the detent element being cooperatively receivable in a receptacle in the pin when in the channel for retaining the pin in the channel, the detent element including a manually graspable feature and being deformable away from the pin by manually pulling the manually graspable feature to release from the receptacle to allow slidably removing the pin from the channel through either of the opposite ends of the C-shaped clip, the C-shaped clip and the pin having mating surfaces bounding the channel adjacent to at least one side of the slot including a mating surface on the C-shaped clip that faces the channel and a mating surface on the pin that faces the slot when the pin is located in the channel, the mating surfaces being tapered at less than a 90 degree angle to the slot such that when the pin is located in the channel and a force is exerted against the tab or strip in a direction to pull the pin toward the slot, the mating surface of the clip adjacent to the slot will be drawn toward the slot to prevent passage of the pin therethrough;

providing a second release assembly including a second C-shaped clip defining and bounding a second channel open at least one end, slidably receiving a second pin, connecting one of the elements of the vest to a third element, and a second detent element releasably retaining the second pin; and

manually releasing the first and second detent elements and sliding the pins from the C-shaped clips, to disconnect the elements of the vest.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the step of manually releasing the first detent element comprises pulling the detent element transversely relative to the first release assembly.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the C-shaped clip and the pin of the first release assembly are elongate and the step of sliding the pin thereof from the C-shaped clip thereof comprises only longitudinal relative movement of the elements of the vest connected thereby.