AU2019201823B2

AU2019201823B2 - Pals adapter system

Info

Publication number: AU2019201823B2
Application number: AU2019201823A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Graeme Noel Bulte; Padraic CRUNDEN-SMITH
Original assignee: Pono Life Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Pono Life Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2018-03-29
Filing date: 2019-03-15
Publication date: 2025-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-15
Also published as: AU2019201823A1; AU2019201823A8

Abstract

A Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) adapter, including: at opposite ends of the PALS adapter, front and rear retaining members configured to allow insertion of the rear retaining members into slots of a PALS fabric or behind a PALS strap of a PALS garment or equipment pack so that the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter whereby the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and an attachment item retaining portion disposed between the opposite ends of the PALS adapter and configured to allow a PALS strap of a PALS attachment item to be fed therebehind in order to removably attach the PALS attachment item to the PALS adapter and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack. 18/18 00 CTT 00 0 LL .. .... ... rN r14 rN C)0 C-

Description

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PALSADAPTERSYSTEM TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the MOLLE and PALS modular attachment systems used by the armed forces for load bearing attachment of pouches and military accessories to military garments and equipment packs.

BACKGROUND

The term "MOLLE" is an acronym for MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, and refers to a modular system of load-bearing garments and equipment packs (including backpacks) used by armed military personnel. A characteristic feature of this system is that it allows items of equipment, accoutrement pouches and the like to be easily attached to and removed via the use of a ladder-like arrangement of loops or slots known as the Pouch Attachment Ladder System or "PALS".

Originally, the PALS system used spaced parallel straps or strips of webbing attached to the garment or backpack only at spaced locations along each strip, so that the portions of each strap between each attachment location effectively provided attachment loops that allowed items to be inserted in the gap or 'loop' between those portions and the corresponding garment or backpack. In particular, an item to be attached to the garment or backpack was provided with a webbing strap having one part of a fastener (e.g., a 'press stud' or 'snap fastener') that could be threaded or woven through the gap and then attached to the other part of the fastener on the garment or backpack so that the item becomes attached to the garment or backpack. Thus the webbing straps on the garment or backpack are interwoven with the webbing straps on the items to be attached.

More recently, the traditional PALS webbing straps on the garment or backpack have been supplemented with a new type of PALS in the form of elongate openings or slots laser cut in a fabric sheet, so that the straps on items to be attached can be threaded into and through one slot, fed behind the fabric sheet, and out through another slot.

Despite the many advantages of MOLLE and PALS, there remains room for improvement. It is desired, therefore, to address or alleviate one or more difficulties of the prior art, or to at least provide a useful alternative.

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SUMMARY

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) adapter, including: at opposite ends of the PALS adapter, front and rear retaining members configured to allow insertion of the rear retaining members into slots of a PALS fabric or behind a PALS strap of a PALS garment or equipment pack so that the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter whereby the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and an attachment item retaining portion disposed between the opposite ends of the PALS adapter and configured to allow a PALS strap of a PALS attachment item to be fed therebehind in order to removably attach the PALS attachment item to the PALS adapter and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack.

In some embodiments, the retaining portion is spaced forward of the rear retaining members to facilitate the feeding of the PALS strap therebehind.

In some embodiments, the rear retaining members are configured to allow a plurality of the PALS adapters to be attached at any adjacent locations of the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack without interfering with one another.

In some embodiments, the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have complementary shapes.

In some embodiments, the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have complementary stepped shapes.

In some embodiments, the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have an interleaved or tongue-in-groove arrangement.

In some embodiments, the retaining portion is in the form of a flat plate. In some embodiments, the retaining portion is in the form of an elongate bar.

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In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a PALS adapter assembly, including a plurality of any one of the above PALS adapters attached to a PALS fabric or garment or equipment pack at adjacent attachment locations, and an elongate PALS adapter clip configured to engage the retaining portions of the PALS adapters.

In some embodiments, the front retaining members of the PALS adapter and the retaining portion define a channel that receives a resilient arm of the PALS adapter clip such that the resilient arm of the PALS adapter clip is substantially flush with the PALS adapter.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method of attaching a Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) attachment item to a PALS fabric or garment or equipment pack, including the steps of: inserting rear retaining members at opposite end of a PALS adapter through slots of a PALS fabric or behind a PALS strap of a PALS garment or equipment pack so that the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter whereby the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and feeding a free end of a PALS strap of a PALS attachment item behind an attachment item retaining portion of the PALS adapter and then forming a closed loop from the PALS strap in order to removably attach the PALS attachment item to the PALS adapter and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method of attaching a Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) attachment item to a PALS fabric or garment or equipment pack, including the steps of: removably attaching a plurality of PALS adapters to adjacent locations of a PALS fabric or a PALS garment or a PALS equipment pack by, for each of the PALS adapters: inserting rear retaining members at opposite end of the PALS adapter through slots of the PALS fabric or behind a PALS strap of the PALS garment or

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equipment pack so that the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter whereby the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and removably attaching an elongate PALS adapter clip to the plurality of PALS adapters by feeding a first arm of the elongate PALS adapter clip under the retaining portions of the attached PALS adapters, whereby a second arm of the elongate PALS adapter clip parallel to the first arm extends over at least two of the retaining portions of the attached PALS adapters; and either: (i) feeding a free end of the second arm of the elongate PALS adapter clip through a loop of a PALS attachment item, or (ii) feeding a free end of a PALS strap of a PALS attachment item behind the second arm of the elongate PALS adapter clip and then forming a closed loop from the PALS strap, in order to removably attach the PALS attachment item to the elongate PALS adapter clip and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) system, including: a PALS garment or equipment pack having PALS straps or a PALS fabric with attachment slots therein; a PALS attachment item including a PALS strap for removable attachment of the PALS attachment item to the PALS garment or equipment pack; and at least one PALS adapter including front and rear retaining members at opposite ends of the PALS adapter, and an attachment item retaining portion disposed between the opposite ends of the PALS adapter; wherein the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter such that the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and wherein the PALS strap of the PALS attachment item extends behind the

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attachment item retaining portion of the PALS adapter to form a closed loop such that the PALS attachment item is removably attached to the PALS adapter and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack.

In some embodiments, the retaining portion is in the form of a flat plate.

In some embodiments, the retaining portion is in the form of an elongate bar.

In some embodiments, the PALS system includes a plurality of any one of the above PALS adapters attached to the PALS fabric or garment or equipment pack at adjacent attachment locations, and an elongate PALS adapter clip configured to engage the retaining portions of the PALS adapters.

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In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon manufacturing data representing any one of the above PALS adapters.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon manufacturing data that, when processed by a 3D printer, cause the 3D printer to produce any one of the above PALS adapters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are hereinafter described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a PALS adapter of a PALS adapter system in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 2 includes plan, side and end views of the PALS adapter of Figure 1;

Figure 3 includes isometric plan, side and end views of a short PALS adapter clips of the PALS adapter system;

Figure 4 includes isometric plan, side and end views of a long PALS adapter clips of the PALS adapter system;

Figures 5 and 6 are images showing (Figure 5) rear retaining members of a PALS adapter being inserted into a slot of a PALS fabric in order to attach the PALS adapter to the fabric sheet, resulting in the arrangement shown in Figure 6;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a PALS sheet with elongate openings or slots therein, the cross-section being taken along a short dimensional direction through the slots;

Figure 8 shows the same view of the sheet of Figure 7, but also showing the rear retaining members of a PALS adapter being inserted into a slot (compare image of Figure 5);

Figure 9 shows the PALS adapter in side view attached to the PALS sheet;

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Figures 10 and 11 are side and plans views, respectively, of two of the PALS adapters attached to the PALS sheet at adjacent locations along a longitudinal direction of the PALS adapters, showing how the rear retaining members at opposite ends of each PALS adapter are configured to avoid mutual interference;

Figures 12 and 13 are images showing several PALS adapters attached to a PALS fabric sheet, and a PALS pouch being attached to two adjacent attached PALS adapters by feeding a strap of the PALS pouch behind retaining members of the two adapters;

Figures 14 and 15 are images showing the short PALS adapter clip of Figure 3 being attached to the two adjacent PALS adapters and the PALS pouch to form a short PALS adapter assembly attached to the PALS fabric sheet, and in this example also a front member of the short PALS adapter clip being fed through a PALS loop of the PALS pouch to further strengthen the attachment;

Figures 16 includes isometric plan, side and end views of the short PALS adapter assembly formed by attaching the short PALS adapter clip to a pair of adjacent PALS adapters (the PALS sheet and PALS pouch not shown for clarity);

Figure 17 is an image showing a strap of the PALS pouch fed behind retaining members of the three adjacent PALS adapters during attachment of the PALS pouch;

Figure 18 is an image showing the PALS pouch attached to the three adjacent PALS adapters, together with the long PALS adapter clip of Figure 4 forming a long PALS adapter assembly attached to the PALS fabric sheet;

Figures 19 includes isometric plan, side and end views of the long PALS adapter assembly formed by attaching the short PALS adapter clip to a pair of adjacent PALS adapters (the PALS sheet and PALS pouch not shown for clarity);

Figure 20 is a flow diagram of a PALS adapter method in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

Figures 21 and 22 are isometric views of PALS adapters of PALS adapter systems in accordance with further embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 23 includes plan, side and end views of the PALS adapter of Figure 21;

Figure 24 includes plan, side and end views of the PALS adapter of Figure 22;

Figures 25 and 26 are respective isometric views of a PALS adapter of a PALS adapter system in accordance with yet another further embodiment of the present invention; and

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Figure 27 includes plan, side and end views of the PALS adapter of Figures 25 and 26.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventors have determined that a significant limitation of existing MOLLE and PALS is that the orientation of the loops or slots determines the orientation of attached items of equipment, limiting it to a single orientation. Specifically, a strap of an item to be attached must be threaded or interwoven in an orientation that is orthogonal to the longitudinal orientation of the slots or loops. Because the orientation of the slots or loops of a wearable PALS garment are always either all horizontal or all vertical, this limits the orientation of items such as accoutrement pouches to being either all vertical or all horizontal.

This limitation can be significant, as it can result in items such as accoutrement pouches that should be mounted in a vertical orientation (i.e., such that the pouch opening is at the top of the pouch) having to be mounted in a horizontal orientation, which is not only inconvenient, but may result in items unintentionally falling from the pouch. Similarly, items such as, for example, an elongate telescopic baton might have to be attached in a vertical orientation whereas it may be more appropriate or necessary for those items to be mounted in a horizontal orientation. In practice, PALS loops or slots are oriented with their longitudinal axes horizontal so that the straps of attachment items are always oriented vertically when attached.

In order to address this limitation, the inventors have developed PALS adapters, as shown in Figures 1, for example, and PALS adapter systems that allow PALS items (referred to herein as "attachment items") to be attached or mounted to a PALS garment or backpack in an orientation that is orthogonal to the orientation of those items when mounted directly, without the PALS adapter.

Although a single PALS adapter can be useful for some attachment items, in a typical scenario multiples of the PALS adapters are attached at adjacent attachment locations of the PALS garment or backpack to form a (vertical) column or (horizontal) row of adjacent PALS adapters. This provides improved attachment for heavy items, or for items having at least one dimension comparable to or larger than a corresponding collective dimension of the adjacently attached PALS adapters.

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To improve the reliability and/or strength of attachment, in some embodiments a PALS adapter clip is provided to couple the multiple adjacent PALS adapters together and form a PALS adapter assembly. The PALS adapter clip can be provided in different sizes to couple different numbers of adjacent PALS adapters together. The embodiments described herein include a "short" PALS adapter clip configured to couple two adjacent PALS adapters together, and a "long" PALS adapter clip configured to couple three adjacent PALS adapters together. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments can include larger PALS adapter clips configured to couple larger numbers of adjacent PALS adapters together. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a PALS adapter system or kit includes a plurality of PALS adapters and one or more PALS adapter clips.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 21 to 27, in the described embodiments each Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) adapter 100, 2100, 2200 includes, at its opposite ends, front retaining members 102, 104 and rear retaining members 106, 108 configured to allow insertion of the rear retaining members 106, 108 into adjacent slots of a PALS fabric (or, in the case of a PALS garment or equipment pack with traditional PALS webbing straps attached at spaced attachment points, behind adjacent PALS straps of the PALS garment or equipment pack) so that the PALS fabric (or PALS strap) is received in gaps 202 (see the side views in Figures 2, 23 and 24) between the front and rear retaining members 102 to 108 at each end of the PALS adapter 100.The corners of the front and rear retaining members 102 to 108 are rounded to reduce catching.

For example, Figure 5 shows a PALS fabric sheet 502 with mutually spaced elongate openings or slots 504 formed therein. Figure 7 is a corresponding schematic cross sectional side view of the fabric sheet 502, with the cross-section being taken along a short dimensional direction through the slots 504 (i.e., along a direction that runs approximately from south-west to north east in the view of Figure 5). The PALS fabric sheet 502 may be part of a body armour carrier, a bag, or another type of PALS item.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, an item is attached to a PALS fabric sheet (or a traditional PALS garment, equipment pack or the like having traditional PALS webbing strips) by a PALS attachment method, as shown in Figure 20. In order to facilitate attachment of a PALS adapter 100 to the fabric sheet 502, at step

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2002 of the attachment method, a user can lift a portion 506 of the fabric sheet 502 away from the remainder of the fabric sheet 502 by inserting a finger into one of the slots 504 and lifting so that the corresponding slot 508 at the other side of the lifted fabric portion 506 becomes wider and at least partially vertical in orientation, as shown in Figures 5 and 8, making it easier for the user to insert the rear retaining members 106, 108 of the PALS adapter 100 into the widened slot 508 and under the lifted fabric portion 506 so that the edge of the fabric portion 506 is received between the front and rear retaining members 104, 108 at that end of the PALS adapter 100 until the edge of the fabric portion 506 reaches the end of the gap 202 between the front and rear retaining members 104, 108.

A similar action can then be used to insert the rear retaining member 106 at the opposite end of the PALS adapter 100 into the adjacent slot 510. When the PALS adapter 100 is released, the adapter 100 and PALS fabric sheet 502 adopt the attached arrangement shown in the image of Figure 6 and the side view of Figure 9. Of course the PALS adapter 100 can be removed from the PALS fabric sheet 502 by reversing these steps. Thus the PALS adapter 100 is removably attached to the PALS fabric 502.

An item to be attached to the PALS fabric sheet 502 can be attached via one or more PALS adapters 100 that are already attached to the PALS fabric sheet 502. For example, a standard prior art accoutrement pouch includes an elongate pocket or pouch portion, and mounting or attachment means in the form of a PALS strap that is fixedly attached (e.g., sewn) to the pouch portion at one of its ends, and is removably attached to the pouch portion at its other end via a press stud, or other form of snap or otherwise reversible fastener, for example, to provide a free end for weaving through a PALS fabric sheet and for forming a closed attachment loop when the free end is attached via the snap fastener.

As shown in Figures 12 and 13, a PALS attachment item 1202 having an attachment strap of this form can be attached (at step 2004 of the attachment method) by operating the reversible fastener at the end of the strap to break the attachment loop and thus provide a free end of the strap that is fed underneath the main body or attachment item retaining portion 110 of each of a plurality of adjacently attached PALS adapters 100 along a direction that is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis that joins the retaining members at opposite ends of the PALS adapter 100. As shown in

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Figure 1 and the side view in Figure 2, in the described embodiments the attachment item retaining portion 110 is spaced forward of the rear retaining members 106, 108 to facilitate the feeding of the strap thereunder. Once the strap has been fed through the gaps or channels between the PALS adapters 100 and the PALS fabric sheet 502, the reversible fastener is used to attach the free end of the strap to the body of the PALS attachment item 1202 and thereby form a closed attachment loop that attaches the PALS attachment item 1202 to the column or row of adjacent PALS adapters 100, and thus to the fabric sheet 502.

It will be apparent from the relative orientations of the attachment strap and the slots in the PALS fabric sheet 502 in Figures 12 and 13 that the attachment item is attached to the PALS fabric sheet 502 in an orientation that is orthogonal to the orientation that the attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric 502.

Although this method of attachment can be sufficient for many items, in some cases (e.g., heavy items) it can be beneficial to strengthen the attachment by using a PALS adapter clip to couple the PALS adapters together (at step 2006 of the attachment method). For example, Figure 14 shows the short PALS adapter clip 300 of Figure 3 being used to couple the pair of PALS adapters 100 shown in Figures 12 and 13 and already being used to attach the attachment item 1202.

As shown in Figure 3, the short PALS adapter clip 300 includes a pair of mutually spaced and parallel resilient arms 302 attached to one another at one end by a coupling region 304, leaving the other end of each arm 302 free. Each arm has a constant thickness for the majority of its length, but is tapered at its free end to facilitate entry of the attachment item retaining portion 110 of each PALS adapter 100 between the two resilient arms 302 as the PALS adapter clip 300 is slid over the PALS adapters 100.

The addition of a PALS adapter clip to a row or column of PALS adapters 100 provides additional reliability and strength of attachment by effectively coupling the corresponding row or column of PALS adapters 100 together to form a more stable and rigid assembly. The resilient arms of the PALS adapter clip apply a clamping force to the front and rear surfaces of each attachment item retaining portion 110 of each PALS adapter 100, inhibiting them from twisting, rotating or otherwise moving independently of the other PALS adapter(s) 100 of the assembly.

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Additionally, the insertion of an arm of a PALS adapter clip between the PALS fabric 502 and the attachment item retaining portion 110 removes any gap therebetween, and presses the rear retaining members 106, 108 of each PALS adapter 100 against the inner or rear surface of the PALS fabric sheet 502, which is effectively stretched taut. Consequently, the PALS adapters 100 cannot be nondestructively removed from the PALS fabric sheet 502 without first removing the PALS adapter clip.

As shown in Figure 15, where the attachment item 1202 has a second attachment loop perpendicular to its longitudinal axis, the frontmost of the two arms 302 of the short PALS adapter clip 300 can be slid through the second attachment loop to further secure the attachment item 1202.

An assembly consisting of the PALS adapters described herein coupled together by and to a PALS adapter clip as described herein is referred to herein as a PALS adapter assembly. The assembly shown in Figure 15 consisting of two adjacent PALS adapters 100 coupled by and to the short PALS adapter clip is referred to herein as the short PALS adapter assembly. Figures 16 includes isometric, plan, side and end views of the short PALS adapter assembly, showing how the front retaining members of the PALS adapter and the attachment item retaining portion define a channel that receives one of the resilient arms of the PALS adapter clip such that the resilient arm of the PALS adapter clip is flush with (or at least substantially flush with) each PALS adapter 100.

For large and/or heavy attachment items, it can be advantageous or necessary to attach the item to the fabric sheet 502 via at least three adjacent PALS adapters 100. For example, Figure 17 is an image showing a column or row of three PALS adapters 100 attached at adjacent attachment locations of the PALS fabric sheet 502, with the free end of the attachment strap of the attachment item 1202 having been fed through the gaps between the PALS fabric sheet 502 and the attachment item retaining portion 110 of each of the three PALS adapters 100. Above, the attachment of the attachment item 1202 to the PALS fabric sheet 502 is secured by operating the fastener located at the free end of the strap to form a closed attachment loop that is retained between the PALS fabric sheet 502 and the attachment item retaining portion 110 of each PALS adapter 100.

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Similar to the example described above, the reliability and/or strength of attachment can be improved by using a PALS adapter clip to couple the PALS adapters 100 together.

As shown in Figure 4, a long PALS adapter clip 400 includes a pair of mutually spaced and parallel resilient arms 402, 404 attached to one another at one end by a coupling region 406, leaving the other end of each arm 402, 404 free. Similar to the short clip 300 described above, each arm 402, 404 has a constant thickness for the majority of its length, but is tapered at its free end to facilitate entry of the attachment item retaining portion 110 of each PALS adapter 100 between the two resilient arms 402, 404 as the long PALS adapter clip 400 is slid over the PALS adapters 100. However, unlike the short PALS adapter clip 300, the arms 402, 404 of the long PALS adapter clip 400 have substantially different lengths. In use, the longer arm 402 is fed under the attachment item retaining portions 110 of the PALS adapters 100 so that arm 402 is longer so as to feed through each PALS adapter 100 used for connecting a PALS attachment item (e.g., a PALS pouch), and arm 404 is shorter so as to not entangle on stitching obstructions found on a PALS pouch strap.

The assembly shown in Figure 18 consisting of three adjacent PALS adapters 100 coupled by and to the long PALS adapter clip 400 is referred to herein as a long PALS adapter assembly 1900. Figure 19 includes an isometric view and views from below and from the ends of the long PALS adapter assembly 1900, showing how the front retaining members of the PALS adapter and the attachment item retaining portion define a channel that receives one of the resilient arms of the PALS adapter clip such that the short arm 404 of the long PALS adapter clip 400 is flush with (or at least substantially flush with) each PALS adapter 100.

As described above, the PALS attachment item 1202 includes a second attachment loop orthogonal to the primary attachment loop formed by closing the strap, the attachment can be further enhanced by feeding the shorter arm 404 of the long PALS adapter clip 400 through the second attachment loop.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure that the PALS adapters described herein can take a variety of different specific forms falling within the scope of the invention. For example, in the embodiment of a PALS adapter 100 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the retaining portion 110 is in the form of a flat plate that

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extends not only between the retaining members at opposite ends of the PALS adapter 100, but also across the full width of the PALS adapter 100. In contrast, the embodiment of a PALS adapter 2100 shown in Figures 21 and 23 has a retaining portion 110 in the form of an elongate member or bar that is relatively narrow in that its width is only a relatively small portion (in the illustrated embodiment, about one quarter) of the width of the entire PALS adapter 2100.

As described above, in the described embodiments the rear retaining members are configured to allow a plurality of the PALS adapters to be attached at adjacent locations of the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack without interfering with one another. In the embodiments respectively shown in Figures 1 and 21, the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have an interleaved or interdigitated or tongue-in-groove arrangement, wherein a member at one end of one PALS adapter fits adjacent to or between the member or members of the opposite end of an adjacent PALS adapter, as shown in Figure 11. The embodiment 2100 shown in Figure 21 has a similar configuration of rear retaining members, but having a different transverse cross-sectional shape. In comparison with the embodiment of Figure 1, the retaining portions 110 of the embodiments of Figures 21, 22 and 26, when attached at adjacent locations of a PALS garment or fabric or PALS equipment pack, have a spacing that mirrors the spacing of traditional PALS slots or loops, thereby allowing a pouch strap (for example) to be weaved or threaded above and under successive retaining portions 110 of adjacent PALS adapters.

In contrast with the embodiments of Figures 1 and 21, each of the embodiments 2200, 2500 shown in Figures 22 and 25 has a different configuration of rear retaining members 106, 108, wherein the rear retaining members 106, 108 at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters 2200 have complementary stepped shapes. Many other specific configurations of retaining members will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, including different combinations of the features described herein.

The PALS adapters 100, 2100, 2200, 2500 and the PALS adapter clips 300, 400 can be composed of a wide variety of different materials, but conveniently may be composed of a strong but lightweight polymer such as a polycarbonate, ABS, or glass filled nylon, for example. The PALS adapters 100, 2100, 2200, 2500 and clips 300, 400 can be manufactured by any suitable method, including 3D printing (e.g., for low

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production volumes) or injection moulding (e.g., for high production volumes), for example. When produced by 3D printing, the PALS adapters 100, 2100, 2200, 2500 may be produced by a standard 3D printer from a digital file containing data representing the relative spatial coordinates and/or instructions for printing the PALS adapters 100, 2100, 2200, 2500. The digital file may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or may be in the form of a signal streamed over a communications network directly to a 3D printer.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

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1. A Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) adapter, including: at opposite ends of the PALS adapter, front and rear retaining members configured to allow insertion of the rear retaining members into slots of a PALS fabric or behind a PALS strap of a PALS garment or equipment pack so that the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter whereby the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and an attachment item retaining portion disposed between the opposite ends of the PALS adapter and configured to allow a PALS strap of a PALS attachment item to be fed therebehind in order to removably attach the PALS attachment item to the PALS adapter and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack.

2. The PALS adapter of claim 1, wherein the retaining portion is spaced forward of the rear retaining members to facilitate the feeding of the PALS strap therebehind.

3. The PALS adapter of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear retaining members are configured to allow a plurality of the PALS adapters to be attached at any adjacent locations of the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack without interfering with one another.

4. The PALS adapter of claim 3, wherein the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have complementary shapes.

5. The PALS adapter of claim 4, wherein the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have complementary stepped shapes.

6. The PALS adapter of claim 3 or 4, wherein the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have an interleaved or tongue-in groove arrangement.

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7. The PALS adapter of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the retaining portion is in the form of a flat plate.

8. The PALS adapter of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the retaining portion is in the form of an elongate bar.

9. A PALS adapter assembly, including a plurality of the PALS adapters of any one of claims 1 to 8 attached to a PALS fabric or garment or equipment pack at adjacent attachment locations, and an elongate PALS adapter clip configured to engage the retaining portions of the PALS adapters.

10. The PALS adapter assembly of claim 9, wherein the front retaining members of the PALS adapter and the retaining portion define a channel that receives a resilient arm of the PALS adapter clip such that the resilient arm of the PALS adapter clip is substantially flush with the PALS adapter.

11. A method of attaching a Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) attachment item to a PALS fabric or garment or equipment pack, including the steps of: inserting rear retaining members at opposite end of a PALS adapter through slots of a PALS fabric or behind a PALS strap of a PALS garment or equipment pack so that the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter whereby the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and feeding a free end of a PALS strap of a PALS attachment item behind an attachment item retaining portion of the PALS adapter and then forming a closed loop from the PALS strap in order to removably attach the PALS attachment item to the PALS adapter and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack.

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12. A method of attaching a Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) attachment item to a PALS fabric or garment or equipment pack, including the steps of: removably attaching a plurality of PALS adapters to adjacent locations of a PALS fabric or a PALS garment or a PALS equipment pack by, for each of the PALS adapters: inserting rear retaining members at opposite end of the PALS adapter through slots of the PALS fabric or behind a PALS strap of the PALS garment or equipment pack so that the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter whereby the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and removably attaching an elongate PALS adapter clip to the plurality of PALS adapters by feeding a first arm of the elongate PALS adapter clip under the retaining portions of the attached PALS adapters, whereby a second arm of the elongate PALS adapter clip parallel to the first arm extends over at least two of the retaining portions of the attached PALS adapters; and either: (i) feeding a free end of the second arm of the elongate PALS adapter clip through a loop of a PALS attachment item, or (ii) feeding a free end of a PALS strap of a PALS attachment item behind the second arm of the elongate PALS adapter clip and then forming a closed loop from the PALS strap, in order to removably attach the PALS attachment item to the elongate PALS adapter clip and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack.

13. A Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) system, including: a PALS garment or equipment pack having PALS straps or a PALS fabric with attachment slots therein; a PALS attachment item including a PALS strap for removable attachment of the PALS attachment item to the PALS garment or equipment pack; and at least one PALS adapter including front and rear retaining members at opposite ends of the PALS adapter, and an attachment item retaining portion disposed between the opposite ends of the PALS adapter;

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wherein the PALS fabric or PALS strap is received between the front and rear retaining members at each end of the PALS adapter such that the PALS adapter is removably attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack; and wherein the PALS strap of the PALS attachment item extends behind the attachment item retaining portion of the PALS adapter to form a closed loop such that the PALS attachment item is removably attached to the PALS adapter and thus to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack, and in an orientation that is orthogonal to an orientation that the PALS attachment item would have if it were directly attached to the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack.

14. The PALS system of claim 13, wherein the retaining portion is spaced forward of the rear retaining members to facilitate the feeding of the PALS strap therebehind.

15. The PALS system of claim 13 or 14, wherein the rear retaining members are configured to allow a plurality of the PALS adapters to be attached at any adjacent locations of the PALS fabric or PALS garment or PALS equipment pack without interfering with one another.

16. The PALS system of claim 15, wherein the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have complementary shapes.

17. The PALS system of claim 16, wherein the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have complementary stepped shapes.

18. The PALS system of claim 16 or 17, wherein the rear retaining members at adjacent ends of adjacent PALS adapters have an interleaved or tongue-in groove arrangement.

19. The PALS system of any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the retaining portion is in the form of a flat plate.

20. The PALS system of any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the retaining portion is in the form of an elongate bar.

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21. The PALS system of any one of claims 13 to 20, including a plurality of the PALS adapters of any one of claims 13 to 20 attached to the PALS fabric or garment or equipment pack at adjacent attachment locations, and an elongate PALS adapter clip configured to engage the retaining portions of the PALS adapters.

22. The PALS system of claim 21, wherein the front retaining members of the PALS adapter and the retaining portion define a channel that receives a resilient arm of the PALS adapter clip such that the resilient arm of the PALS adapter clip is substantially flush with the PALS adapter.

23. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon manufacturing data that, when processed by a 3D printer, cause the 3D printer to produce the PALS adapter of any one of claims 1 to 8.

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Figure 1

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Figure 2