US12410992 - Body armor panel for use with personal protective vest and system for assembling same

The patent describes a body armor panel designed for integration into a personal protective vest, featuring a flexible ballistic material panel assembly composed of multiple layered segments, each made from different ballistic materials. The assembly undergoes a series of heat and compression treatments to enhance its protective capabilities while maintaining flexibility.

Claim 1

1. A body armor panel for use with a personal protective vest, comprising: an outer cover defining a panel assembly cavity; and a flexible ballistic material panel assembly positioned within the panel assembly cavity, the flexible ballistic material panel assembly including a plurality of layered material segments defined between a strike face and a wear face, each of the layered material segments including a different ballistic material, the plurality of layered material segments including: a first layered material segment including a single layer of a first ballistic material including Dyneema® HB50 defining the strike face; a second layered material segment adjacent the first layered material segment and including a plurality of layers of a second ballistic material including Dyneema® SB117; and a third layered material segment adjacent the second layered material segment and including a plurality of layers of a third ballistic material; and a fourth layered material segment adjacent the third layered material segment and defining the wear face; wherein the flexible ballistic material panel assembly is formed by: applying a first heat treatment to the plurality of layered material segments; applying a compression treatment to the heated plurality of layered material segments to form a hardened ballistic material panel assembly; applying a second heat treatment to the hardened ballistic material panel assembly; and applying a conditioning treatment to the heated hardened ballistic material panel assembly to form the flexible ballistic material panel assembly. an outer cover defining a panel assembly cavity; and a flexible ballistic material panel assembly positioned within the panel assembly cavity, the flexible ballistic material panel assembly including a plurality of layered material segments defined between a strike face and a wear face, each of the layered material segments including a different ballistic material, the plurality of layered material segments including: a first layered material segment including a single layer of a first ballistic material including Dyneema® HB50 defining the strike face; a second layered material segment adjacent the first layered material segment and including a plurality of layers of a second ballistic material including Dyneema® SB117; and a third layered material segment adjacent the second layered material segment and including a plurality of layers of a third ballistic material; and a fourth layered material segment adjacent the third layered material segment and defining the wear face; wherein the flexible ballistic material panel assembly is formed by: applying a first heat treatment to the plurality of layered material segments; applying a compression treatment to the heated plurality of layered material segments to form a hardened ballistic material panel assembly; applying a second heat treatment to the hardened ballistic material panel assembly; and applying a conditioning treatment to the heated hardened ballistic material panel assembly to form the flexible ballistic material panel assembly.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12410992

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12410992