Holster, Holster Accessory, and Related Methods

This application claims the filing date benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/225,091, titled Holster, Holster Accessory, and Related Methods, filed Jul. 23, 2021, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

The present disclosure is generally related to holsters for carrying a firearm and, more particularly, to holsters and related accessories that facilitate concealment of the holster and/or firearm carried on the body of a person.

Undercover police officers, security personnel and many common citizens often carry a weapon such as a firearm on their bodies. A known device for carrying a firearm is a holster. One type of holster is one that is designed to be worn at or near a person's waist area, and could be securable to a person's belt, for example. Other known types include holsters intended to be worn near the person's torso, under the armpit, and may—to that end—include a strap allowing securement of the holster around the person's shoulder. Certain types of holsters are designed to be secured to a belt or the pants of the wearer, and is intended to be worn interiorly of the person's waist (these may be known as “inside the waistband holsters”) or exteriorly of the person's waist. Yet other types of holsters may be designed to be secured around a person's thighs or near the ankles, for example.

For those that carry a firearm in a holster, or even an empty holster, a common concern is concealment i.e., the desire to hide the weapon and/or holster from view, for example as a means to minimize the potential reaction of other persons that may be afraid of firearms, or as a means for the weapon-carrier to hide his or her identity as an officer of the law (e.g., undercover police officer). Unfortunately, concealment has challenges that are not easily overcome. For example, concealment by means of an oversized garment such as a very large shirt may look unnatural on the firearm carrier, thereby leading to an assumption by others that the carrier has a firearm and/or holster on his or her body, thereby defeating the purpose of the designed concealment in the first place. Further, normal movement of the person carrying a weapon (i.e., the firearm carrier) in a holster, such as walking, running, leaning, or bending over, may result in undesirable, inadvertent exposure of the firearm and/or holster, particularly when the holster is carried in the person's waist area.

It would be desirable, therefore, to address the shortcomings described above as well as others in connection with the desire of a firearm carrier to conceal his/her weapon and/or holster for carrying such weapon.

In one embodiment, a firearm holster has a holster body that includes a plurality of walls defining an encasement for the firearm and an opening for inserting the firearm into that encasement. The walls include an interior wall, as well as an exterior wall disposed opposite the interior wall. The holster also includes a first magnetic element disposed on the holster body, and a second magnetic element that is configured to cooperate with the first magnetic element to magnetically engage the first and second magnetic elements with one another. The second magnetic element includes a coupler for coupling the second magnetic element to an article of clothing.

The first magnetic element may be disposed on the exterior wall of the holster body. Additionally or alternatively, the first magnetic element may include at least one magnet. The first magnetic element may have a total effective magnetic pull force of less than about 11 Newtons. In a specific embodiment, the first magnetic element has a total effective magnetic pull force of less than about 9 Newtons, or between about 4 and about 9 Newtons, or even less than about 4 Newtons. In certain embodiments, the first magnetic element is free of magnets. The second magnetic element may include at least one magnet. Additionally or alternatively, the second magnetic element may have a total effective magnetic pull force of less than about 11 Newtons, or even a total effective magnetic pull force of less than about 9 Newtons, or between about 4 and about 9 Newtons, or even less than about 4 Newtons.

In specific embodiments, the first magnetic element includes at least one magnet and has a total effective magnetic pull force no greater than about 52 Newtons. Yet in other specific embodiments, the first magnetic element includes two magnets, each having a nominal pull force in the range between about 19 Newtons and about 26 Newtons, while the second magnetic element includes a ferrous metallic plate and a layer of rubberized material disposed on the ferrous metallic plate.

The second magnetic element, in specific embodiments, is free of magnets. At least one of the first or second magnetic elements may include a neodymium magnet. The first magnetic element may be integrally formed with the holster body. Alternatively, the first magnetic element may be permanently attached to the holster body or may be instead releasably attached to the holster body. The holster body may include a holster belt clip that is configured for mounting the firearm holster over a belt, with the first magnetic element being disposed on that holster belt clip. In specific embodiments, at least one of the first or second magnetic elements includes at least one magnet and a layer of plastic material that is disposed over the at least one magnet. The layer of plastic material may be a rigid plastic material and/or include polyurethane.

The coupler of the second magnetic element, in specific embodiments, includes a piercing pin and a clasp, with the piercing pin having a piercing end and being configured to be inserted through a layer of the article of clothing for releasably coupling the second magnetic element to that article of clothing. The clasp in those embodiments is configured to retain the piercing end of the piercing pin when the second magnetic element is coupled to the article of clothing. The coupler may include a biasing element that is coupled to one end of the piercing pin, with the coupler having an open position in which the piercing end is away from the clasp, and a closed position in which the piercing end is retained in the clasp. The biasing element urges the coupler toward the open position of the coupler. The biasing element may, for example, be in the form of a spring. The coupler may take one of various forms and in that regard may include one of a hook and loop fastener, a temporary adhesive, a clamp, or a resilient clip that is configured to releasably couple the second magnetic element to the article of clothing.

In another embodiment, a firearm concealment system is configured for use by a person carrying a firearm in that person's waist area and who is wearing an article of clothing. The system includes a waist mounting device that is configured for securement to the waist area of the person, with that waist mounting device including a device body and a first magnetic element that is disposed on the device body. The system also includes a second magnetic element that is configured to cooperate with the first magnetic element to magnetically engage the first and second magnetic elements with one another. Magnetic engagement between the first and second magnetic elements is effective to secure a position of at least a portion of the article of clothing relative to the device body.

The second magnetic element in that embodiment includes a coupler for releasably coupling the second magnetic element to the article of clothing. In a specific embodiment, the waist mounting device includes a resilient belt clip, with that resilient belt clip including first and second plates that are disposed opposite one another, and which are configured to lie respectively against each of the two opposite surfaces of a belt worn by the person, with the first and second plates being pivotally connected to one another at respective proximal ends of those plates and being biased toward one another when pulled apart.

In another specific embodiment, the waist mounting device includes first and second plates and a connector, with the first and second plates being configured to lie respectively against each of the two opposite surfaces of a belt worn by the person and with the connector being configured to selectively secure the first and second plates relative to the belt and relative to one another. The waist mounting device may include a flexible belt or strap that is configured for securement around the waist of the person, with the device body being coupled to that flexible belt or strap. The first magnetic element may include at least one magnet, and that first magnetic element may have a total effective magnetic pull force of less than about 11 Newtons, or even a total effective magnetic pull force of less than about 9 Newtons, or between about 4 and about 9 Newtons, or even less than about 4 Newtons. The first magnetic element may, alternatively, be free of magnets.

The second magnetic element may include at least one magnet, and the second magnetic element may have a total effective magnetic pull force of less than about 11 Newtons or even less than about 9 Newtons, or between about 4 and about 9 Newtons, or even less than about 4 Newtons. The second magnetic element may, alternatively, be free of magnets. At least one of the first or second magnetic elements may include a neodymium magnet. The first magnetic element, in specific embodiments, is integrally formed with the device body. In other specific embodiments, the first magnetic element is permanently attached to the device body, or may instead be releasably attached to the device body. At least one of the first or second magnetic elements may include at least one magnet and a layer of plastic material that is disposed over the at least one magnet. The layer of plastic material may be a rigid plastic material, and/or include polyurethane.

The coupler may include a piercing pin and a clasp, with the piercing pin having a piercing end and being configured to be inserted through a layer of the article of clothing for releasably coupling the second magnetic element to that article of clothing. The clasp is configured to retain the piercing end of the piercing pin when the second magnetic element is coupled to the article of clothing. The coupler may include a biasing element that is coupled to one end of the piercing pin, with the coupler having an open position in which the piercing end is away from the clasp and a closed position in which the piercing end is retained in the clasp. The biasing element in that embodiment urges the coupler toward the open position of the coupler. The biasing element, in specific embodiments, is in the form of a spring. The coupler may include one of a hook and loop fastener, a temporary adhesive, or a resilient clip that is configured to releasably couple the second magnetic element to the article of clothing.

In another embodiment, a firearm concealment system is configured for use by a person carrying a firearm on that person's body and who is wearing an article of clothing. The system includes a body-mounting device that is configured for securement to the body of the person, with that body-mounting device including a device body and a first magnetic element that is disposed on the device body. The system also includes a second magnetic element that is configured to cooperate with the first magnetic element to magnetically engage the first and second magnetic elements to one another. Magnetic engagement between the first and second magnetic elements is effective to secure a position of the article of clothing relative to the device body. The second magnetic element includes a coupler for releasably coupling the second magnetic element to the article of clothing.

In another embodiment, a weapon holster has a holster body that includes a plurality of walls defining a encasement for the weapon and an opening for inserting the weapon into that encasement. The walls include an interior wall, as well as an exterior wall disposed opposite the interior wall. The holster also includes a first magnetic element disposed on the holster body, and a second magnetic element that is configured to cooperate with the first magnetic element to magnetically engage the first and second magnetic elements with one another. The second magnetic element includes a coupler for coupling the second magnetic element to an article of clothing. The weapon may, for example, be firearm or a knife.

In yet another embodiment, a method is disclosed for concealing a firearm holster that is carried in a person's waist area or some other part of that person's body. The method comprises securing a first magnetic element to the holster, and releasably securing a second magnetic element to an article of clothing being worn by the person. The first and second magnetic elements are moved into proximity with one another and made to magnetically engage one another to thereby overlay a portion of the article of clothing against the holster, and thereby concealing the holster from view.

In another embodiment, a method is disclosed for concealing a weapon holster that is carried in a person's waist area or some other part of that person's body. The method comprises securing a first magnetic element to the holster, and releasably securing a second magnetic element to an article of clothing being worn by the person. The first and second magnetic elements are moved into proximity with one another and made to magnetically engage one another to thereby overlay a portion of the article of clothing against the holster, and thereby concealing the holster from view.

Yet in another embodiment, a firearm holster has a holster body that includes a plurality of walls defining an encasement for the firearm and an opening for inserting the firearm into that encasement. The walls include an interior wall, as well as an exterior wall disposed opposite the interior wall. The holster also includes a first magnetic element disposed on the holster body, and a second magnetic element that is configured to cooperate with the first magnetic element to magnetically engage the first and second magnetic elements with one another. The first magnetic element includes a pair of magnets, each of which has a nominal magnetic pull force between about 19 Newtons and about 26 Newtons.

The second magnetic element is configured for coupling to an article of clothing and includes a ferrous metallic plate configured for magnetic engagement with the pair of magnets of the first magnetic element. The holster may additionally include a restraining feature at the interface between the first and second magnetic elements and configured to hinder sliding movement of the first and second magnetic elements relative to one another when the first and second magnetic elements are magnetically coupled. Additionally or alternatively, a layer of a rigid or flexible plastic material may be disposed over the ferrous metallic plate.

In another embodiment, a firearm concealment system is configured for use by a person carrying a firearm on that person's body. The system includes an article of clothing such as a shirt, for example, and a holster for carrying the firearm, or a body-mounting device that is configured for securement to the body of the person. The body-mounting device includes a device body and a first magnetic element that is disposed on the device body. The system also includes a second magnetic element disposed on or otherwise forming part of the article of clothing and configured to cooperate with the first magnetic element to magnetically engage the first and second magnetic elements to one another.

Magnetic engagement between the first and second magnetic elements in that embodiment is effective to secure a position of the article of clothing relative to the device body. The body-mounting device may, for example, be a waist-mounting device (e.g., a belt, a resilient clip securable to a conventional belt, a flexible strap). Alternatively, the body-mounting device may for example and without limitation take the form of a holster-carrying vest or a flexible strap configured to be worn on a person's torso or other body part.

To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings.

Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. Also, as used herein, the term “releasable coupling,” “releasable attachment,” and related terms refer to a type of coupling/attachment in which the coupled/attached structures may be readily detached, decoupled, or otherwise separated from one another in a simple manner and without causing the destruction or damage of any of those structures.

For the sake of further explanation, a permanent-rather than a “releasable”-type of coupling/attachment may refer, for example, to two structures that are integrally formed with one another, or which are adhesively attached with some type of non-releasable adhesive, such that their separation would necessarily result in at least some level of damage to one or more of the parts being separated from one another. For ease of explanation, and unless otherwise stated, identical numerals throughout this description and figures refer to similar features in the various embodiments herein described, with the structure and functionality of those features as described with respect to a particular embodiment being similarly applicable to the identically-numbered features in other embodiments. It should also be noted that similar features in various embodiments may be identified by different numerals to facilitate understanding of the embodiment being described, notwithstanding their similarity in structure and/or functionality.

With reference to the figures, and particularly to, a firearm concealment systemis shown that permits a person carrying a firearm holster—with or without a firearmin it-on that person's body, in order to hide that holsterand/or firearmfrom view from other persons. Systemincludes first and second magnetic elements,that cooperate with one another to magnetically secure at least a portion of an article of clothing, such as the tail portion of a shirt, being worn by the person, to the holster.

Holsterof the embodiment shown inis an inside-the-waistband type holster that is designed to be worn as suggested by those figures, namely, immediately adjacent the waist area of the person's bodyand interiorly of the waistband(or similar feature) of a pair of pantsworn by that person. It is contemplated, however, that the principles and features described throughout this disclosure are similarly applicable to other types of holsters, even if not shown. Such holsters may include, for example and without limitation, holsters designed to be worn exteriorly of the waistbandand therefore hang on the outside of pants, holsters designed to be supported inside a pocket of the pants, holsters designed to be supported adjacent the torso of body(e.g., below the armpit), as well as holsters intended to be worn in the ankle area of body. For ease of explanation, the description herein will refer to the illustrative embodiment in the figures.

The example holsterinincludes an exterior wallconfigured to face away from body, and an interior wallconfigured to face inwardly i.e., toward bodyof the person. Walls,jointly define a holster bodyof holsterand are joined to one another along seams or front and back wall portions,to define an encasement sized and shaped to support firearmin an interiorof holster. Walls,also define an openingthat provides access to the interiorof holster, as well as a bottom seam or bottom wall portiondisposed opposite openingand which is configured to further support firearmin interiorand face and/or support the muzzle of the firearm. The holsterin the illustrated embodiment further includes a straphaving a snap-type fastenerthat secures the firearmin place in interior, thereby preventing the firearmfrom inadvertently separating from and falling out of holster. Bodyof holsteralso includes a belt cliphaving a pair of oppositely-disposed interior and exterior walls or plates,that are inwardly urged i.e., toward one another, by virtue of a hingeconnecting those plates,.

The first magnetic elementof systemis configured to be releasably or permanently attached to a suitably chosen part of bodyof holster, or may even be integrally formed with that holster body. An example of first magnetic elementbeing integrally formed with holster bodyincludes the holster bodybeing made of an injection-molded plastic material, and at least a plastic material portion of first magnetic elementbeing formed as part of the same injection molding process through which holster bodyis manufactured. An example of first magnetic elementbeing releasably attached to holster bodyincludes-without limitation-first magnetic elementbeing attached to holster bodythrough a male and female hook-and-loop fastener, a snap-type male-female fastener, a releasable pressure-sensitive adhesive or some other kind of releasable adhesive, a strap, an elasticized band, a magnet, or a screw. In the illustrated embodiment, and by way of example only, the first magnetic elementis integrally formed with or permanently attached to the belt clipof holster, although it is contemplated that first magnetic elementmay instead be releasably attached to the belt clipor be releasably attached to, permanently attached to, or even integrally formed with another part of bodyinstead, such as exterior wallof holster body, for example, or even to strap.

With continued reference to, and referring further to, the first magnetic elementin the illustrated embodiment includes one or more magnets, which may be made of neodymium (NdFeB), for example, or from some other magnetic material. While not shown, first magnetic elementmay include a base plate made out of metal, plastic, or some other suitably chosen material capable of supporting the one or more magnets. A layerof a rigid plastic material, a flexible plastic material such as polyurethane, or a natural or synthetic rubber material is disposed over magnetsand provides the exterior of first magnetic elementwith a smooth surface that prevents inadvertent entanglement of magnetswith exterior objects with which first magnetic elementmay come in contact and which may otherwise cause detachment of those magnetsfrom first magnetic element.

Notably, the presence of layerdisposed over magnetslowers the total magnetic effective pull force of first magnetic elementrelative to an embodiment using no coating of any sort over the magnets. The presence of layer, accordingly, may require the use of more powerful and expensive magnetsthan would be otherwise necessary. Further, the presence of layermay lead to a first magnetic elementthat is bulkier than would otherwise be necessary. In embodiments in which first magnetic elementhas a base plate as described above, layermay be secured to that base plate as well in order to further secure the one or more magnets.

In an alternative embodiment, not illustrated in the figures, the first magnetic element is instead releasably attached to the belt clip(or to another part of bodyof holster, such as exterior wallor strap). To that end, a coupling component in the form of a hook-and-loop fastener, a releasable/temporary adhesive, a clamp, or some other type of coupling component may be present and configured to permit selective releasable attachment and detachment of first magnetic elementto/from belt clip. In that embodiment, the one or more magnetsmay be attached to a plastic or metallic plate and may further include a layer such as the layerdescribed above. In that alternative embodiment, the back side of the plastic or metallic plate would interact with the coupling component in order to temporarily (and releasably) secure the first magnetic elementto the bodyof holster.

With continued reference to, and further referring to, the second magnetic elementis configured for permanent or releasable attachment to the article of clothing(e.g., the tail portion of a shirt) worn by the person, and is configured to cooperate with the first magnetic element. The second magnetic element, to that end, includes a thin ferrous metallic platethat is configured to be magnetically attracted to (and engaged with) the one or more magnetsof first magnetic element, to thereby secure a position of at least a portion of the article of clothingrelative to the part of the holster bodythat has the first magnetic elementthereon.

The ferrous metallic platemay be a solid plate or may be, in particular embodiments, a flexible ferrous metallic mesh, the flexibility of which may be desirable to conform with the flexibility of the article of clothing. In alternative embodiments, the second magnetic elementincludes one or more magnets similar to or different from the one or more magnetsdescribed above, but oriented such that the polarity of those one or more magnets is/are the opposite of the polarity of the one or more magnetsof the first magnetic element, such that the magnets of the two magnetic elements attract rather than repel one another.

In embodiments in which a magnet is used to releasably attach first magnetic elementto any part of holster body(or to some other component worn by the wearer adjacent holster), the total effective pull force of that magnet may be higher (e.g., between about 25% and about 300% higher) than the total effective pull force between the first and second magnetic elements,, such that separation between elements,by the wearer, when desired, does not inadvertently result in first magnetic elementdetaching from the holster body(or from any other structure/component carrying to which first magnetic elementis designed to be attached.

With particular reference to, the second magnetic elementin the illustrated embodiment includes a coupler, schematically depicted in that figure, that permits second magnetic elementto be releasably attached to the article of clothing. Notably, the releasable nature of the coupling of second magnetic elementwith article of clothingfacilitated by couplerallows second magnetic elementto be conveniently removed from one article of clothing and reattached, releasably, to another article of clothing.

With reference to, an embodiment is shown of a second magnetic elementthat has no couplerat all, or at least not a coupler that facilitates releasable coupling of that magnetic elementwith an article of clothing. In that embodiment, the second magnetic elementis instead configured to be permanently attached to (e.g., sewn into) an article of clothing. In the exemplifying embodiment illustrated in the figure, second magnetic elementhas been sewn into article of clothingso as to be located between layers of that article of clothing. A variation of that embodiment includes the second magnetic elementbeing sewn or otherwise releasably of permanently attached to the surface or layer of the article of clothingadjacent the bodyof the person, or even interiorly disposed between two layers of the material making up article of clothing. While not shown, the second magnetic elementinmay include one or more magnets and, additionally or alternatively include a layer of rigid or flexible plastic material similar to layerdescribed above in connection with other embodiments.

Referring again to, couplermay take one of various forms. For example, it may be in the form of a hook-and-loop fastener having a first hook-and-loop component(e.g., a hook substrate) disposed on the second magnetic elementand a cooperating second hook-and-loop component (e.g., a loop substrate)disposed-releasably or permanently-on article of clothing. It is contemplated, in that regard, that the second magnetic elementmay include several of the second hook-and-loop componentsthat may be selectively permanently secured to various articles of clothingowned by the person.

Alternatively, second magnetic elementmay include one of a male or female component of a snap fastener, while article of clothingmay include the other cooperating male or female component of that snap fastener, and there may be several shirts (or other articles of clothing) owned by the person, each of which has one of the two snap fastener parts already permanently secured to the shirt and ready to cooperate with the other snap fastener part forming part of second magnetic element. While not shown, the second magnetic elementinmay include one or more magnets and, additionally or alternatively include a layer of rigid or flexible plastic material similar to layerdescribed above in connection with other embodiments.

For such contemplated embodiment having several second hook-and-loop componentsor male/female snap fastener parts, when a person (i.e., a carrier of a firearm) substitutes one article of clothing, such as a shirt, for another, the new/clean article of clothingwould already have one of the second hook-and-loop componentsor snap fastener parts pre-installed and ready to cooperate with the first hook-and-loop components(or other cooperating male/female snap fastener part) of coupler. Alternatively, couplermay take the form of or otherwise include a temporary adhesive that is configured to releasably adhere to cloth or other materials from which articles of clothing are typically made, or include a clamp, clip, snap fastener, or similar device capable of securing second magnetic elementto the article of clothing. Yet in other embodiments, couplermay take the form of holes through the second magnetic elementand which allow a needle and thread to be inserted through them for sewing the second magnetic elementto the article of clothing.

Referring now to, the embodiment illustrated in that figure has a couplerthat includes an elongate piercing pinhaving a piercing endconfigured to be inserted through one or more layers of article of clothingto thereby releasably attach second magnetic elementto that article of clothing. In operation, the piercing pinmay be inserted twice through one or more layers of article of clothing, and the piercing endthen retained in place in a claspof the coupler. In the illustrated embodiment, coupleralso includes a biasing element in the form of a springat a base or proximal endof the piercing pin.

Springurges piercing pintoward an open position of that couplerin which piercing endof piercing pinis away from clasp, which facilitates the process of insertion of piercing pininto the one or more layers of clothing. That urging exerted by springalso frictionally pins piercing endagainst the retaining interior surfaces of clasp, thereby securing piercing endwithin claspand defining a closed position of coupler. While not shown, the second magnetic elementinmay include one or more magnets and, additionally or alternatively include a layer of rigid or flexible plastic material similar to layerdescribed above in connection with other embodiments.

With reference to, an alternative embodiment includes a first magnetic elementthat has a single magnetand which also includes a ferrous metallic plate. In that embodiment, a second magnetic elementis configured to cooperate magnetically with the first magnetic elementand includes, to that end, a single magnethaving a polarity that is the same as that of magnet, as well as a ferrous metallic plate. As the two magnetic elements,approach one another, each of the magnets,is respectively attracted to and ultimately magnetically engages (i.e., couples) with the opposing ferrous metallic plate,, thereby resulting in the first and second magnetic elements,being releasably coupled to one another, and securing a portion of the article of clothingin position relative to holster.

It is contemplated that the first magnetic element (i.e., the magnetic element disposed on the holster), in alternative embodiments, may be free of magnets, and instead have a ferrous metallic plate-similar to ferrous plateof the embodiment described above, configured to be magnetically attracted to and engageable with one or more magnets in the cooperating second magnetic element(i.e., the magnetic element disposed on the article of clothing). In those contemplated embodiments, the metallic plate of the first magnetic element may include a layer of a rigid or flexible plastic material, similar to layerin the embodiment illustrated in, for example.

The number and type of magnets,,as well as the thickness and type of material making up layer, if present, in the first and/or second magnetic elements, are suitably chosen such that the total effective pull force of the first or second magnetic element,,,in some embodiments, does not exceed about 11 Newtons, or so that it is less than about 11 Newtons, such as being less than about 9 Newtons. For example, the total effective pull force may be in the range of about 4 Newtons to about 9 Newtons, be less than about 7 Newtons, less than about 4 Newtons, or even less than about 2 Newtons. Each of the above-identified ranges has particular advantages and disadvantages. For example, a total effective pull force above about 11 Newtons or even above about 9 Newtons may be too strong for the intended purpose and lead to the firearm (or other type of weapon) inadvertently sticking to the first or second magnetic elements,,,during insertion and/or removal of the firearm into the interiorof holster.

A low total effective pull force of e.g., less than about 2 Newtons or even less than about 4 Newtons, conversely, may be too weak for the intended purpose and not provide enough magnetic attraction to secure the first and second magnetic elements,,,to one another. It should be noted that the acceptable range of total effective magnetic pull force may also depend on whether the second magnetic element is configured for coupling with an underside of the article of clothing(i.e., the surface facing away from the wearer's waist), in which case magnetic coupling between the first and second magnetic elements,,,is indirect i.e., it includes the material making up article of clothingbetween the two magnetic elements. In embodiments for which the second magnetic element is configured instead for coupling to the surface of the article of clothingfacing the waist of the wearer, the acceptable range of total effective magnetic pull force may be different.

The specific nominal magnetic pull force of a magnet selected for one or both of the first or second magnetic elements,,,depends on various factors that may lower the total effective pull force of the magnetic element. For example, and without limitation, a magnet may have a layer of plastic, polyurethane, or some other material (such as layerin the embodiment of) disposed over it, and the thickness and/or materials making up that layer will lower the magnet's effective pull force to various degrees. Similarly, a layer of plastic, polyurethane, or some other material may additionally or alternatively be disposed over a ferrous metallic plate forming part of the first or second magnetic element, which would also lower the strength of the magnetic attraction between the magnet being used to magnetically couple the first and second magnetic elements to one another in that type of construction.

Specific embodiments include a first magnetic elementattached to the body of a holster and having two neodymium magnets each rated for a nominal pull force in the range between about 19 Newtons and about 26 Newtons, without any layer of material (such as the layerdescribed above) over the two magnets, for a resulting total effective magnetic pull force in the range between about 38 Newtons and about 52 Newtons. As used herein, the term “nominal” in connection with a pull force refers to the pull force that is identified or otherwise provided for a commercially available magnet, and typically provided in units of pound-force or Newtons as a measure. The nominal pull force is typically measured in a laboratory by measuring the maximum (i.e., peak) value of the pull force generated when separating a magnet being tested from a flat steel plate having an uncoated, even surface; taking that measurement five times (i.e., five samples), and calculating the average value for the five measurements. The measurement of pull force is taken with a digital force gauge that measures the tensile force required to separate the magnet being tested from the steel plate, which records the peak value reached during separation of the magnet and flat steel plate from one another.

The total effective magnetic pull force for a magnetic element having one or more magnets and other components (e.g., a plastic layer thereon) is measured/calculated in similar fashion, by substituting the magnetic element for the magnet in the test described above i.e., measuring the peak force when separating that magnetic element from a flat steel plate having an uncoated, even surface. The total effective magnetic pull force between two magnetic elements each having at least one magnet, for purposes of the present description, is the sum of the measured effective pull force values for each of the two magnetic elements.