Thumb-actuated locking holster

Abstract

A holster for receiving and withdrawing a handgun has a proximal wall portion with a handgun retention mechanism thereon. The mechanism having a first lever with a tab portion for actuation and release of a trigger guard, the lever having a snap fit into a lever region without a separate pin. A belt engaging member covers the lever region capturing the first lever therein. If a second retention mechanism is used, another lever with a tab portion is positioned so the tabs are stacked, depressing one also depresses the tab behind it, such that both mechanisms are released. Overmolded polymer layers in the holster body provides a softer interior handgun engagement surfaces. The holster body is split forwardly with a threaded fastener for clamping onto the handgun. No holster body is beneath or rearward of the tab portion, configured as a thumb button, allowing smooth transition to gripping the handgun.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A holster for receiving a handgun having a handgun body, a handgrip, a slide, and a trigger guard, the holster comprising:
 a holster body having a plurality of unitary holster wall portions defining a handgun receiving cavity and a rearward opening, the holster body having a handgun receiving and withdrawal axis, the plurality of holster wall portions comprising a user proximal wall portion and a user distal wall portion, the proximal wall portion having thumb button recess with a thumb button edge portion defining the thumb button recess, the thumb button recess extending forwardly from the rearward opening;   a first user actuatable handgun retention mechanism at the proximal wall portion for selectively preventing the handgun, when in the cavity, from being withdrawn from the cavity; the first handgun retention mechanism comprising a first lever pivotally mounted on the proximal wall portion of the holster body with a first axis of rotation, the first lever having an actuation tab rearwardly positioned on the lever and positioned within the recess, the actuation tab having an upper margin, a rearward margin, and a lower margin, the lever further having a trigger guard blocking portion forwardly positioned on the lever, the lever configured and positioned such that depression of the actuation tab rotates the lever about its respective axis of rotation to move the trigger guard blocking portion from a trigger guard blocking position to a non-blocking position, wherein an upper portion of the thumb button recess edge portion extends rearwardly of the actuation tab along the upper margin of the actuation tab and a lower portion of the thumb button recess edge portion extends rearwardly of the actuation tab at the lower margin of the actuation tab.   
     
     
         2 . The holster of  claim 1  wherein the holster has only a single user actuatable handgun retention mechanism and the actuation tab is configured as a thumb button. 
     
     
         3 . The holster of  claim 2  wherein the holster further comprises a pair of thumb guides positioned above and below the thumb button, the thumb guides projecting laterally outward from the holster body proximal wall portion beyond an undepressed position of the thumb button. 
     
     
         4 . The holster of  claim 4  wherein the thumb guides each extend laterally outward from an outward surface of the proximal wall portion a distance of at least 0.35 inches. 
     
     
         5 . The holster of  claim 1  wherein the holster has a second handgun retention mechanism including a pivoting shroud positioned rearwardly of the slide of the handgun holstered in the holster, the second handgun retention mechanism comprising a second lever, the second lever having an actuation tab configured as a thumb button, the actuation tab of the first lever position behind the thumb button whereby depression of the thumb button also depresses the actuation tab of the first lever. 
     
     
         6 . The holster of  claim 5  wherein the holster further comprises a pair of thumb guides positioned above and below the thumb button, the thumb guides projecting laterally outward from the holster body proximal wall portion beyond an undepressed position of the thumb button. 
     
     
         7 . The holster of  claim 6  wherein the thumb guide positioned above the thumb button comprises a housing for the second handgun retention mechanism. 
     
     
         8 . The holster of  claim 1 , in combination with a belt engaging member, wherein the belt engaging member is attached with a plurality of threaded fasteners extending into the holster body, one of said threaded fasteners positioned above the first lever, one of the plurality of threaded fasteners positioned below the first lever, and one of the plurality of threaded fasteners positioned forward of the first lever, wherein the first lever is captured between the holster body and the belt engaging member. 
     
     
         9 . The holster of  claim 3 , in combination with a belt engaging member, wherein the belt engaging member is attached with a plurality of threaded fasteners extending into the holster body, and wherein a column portion of the belt engaging member extends rearwardly, wherein when the handgun is holstered the thumb button is positioned inbetween the handgun body and the belt engaging member, wherein the belt engaging member has a pair of ribs having their elongate dimension extending forwardly and rearwardly and positioned to confront the thumb guides whereby access to the thumb button is restricted on four sides of the thumb button and an access path for the thumb is provided rearwardly of the thumb button. 
     
     
         10 . The holster of  claim 9  wherein the belt engaging member is a jacket slot belt loop having a pair of clamping belt loop portions extending from the column portion, each of the clamping belt loop portions adjustable with respect to the column portion by a respective threaded fastener. 
     
     
         11 . The holster of  claim 6 , wherein the thumb guides each extend laterally outward from an outward surface of the proximal wall portion a distance of at least 0.35 inches. 
     
     
         12 . The holster of  claim 9 , wherein the thumb guides each extend laterally outward from an outward surface of the proximal wall portion a distance of at least 0.35 inches and the ribs extend outwardly from a surface of the column portion a distance of at least 0.15 inches. 
     
     
         13 . The holster of  claim 1 , wherein the first lever is seated in a lever receiving region on the proximal wall portion and has two unitary pivot portions that cooperate with two pivot portions unitary with the proximal wall portion, whereby the pivoting connection is made without metal pins. 
     
     
         14 . The holster of  claim 1 , wherein the first lever is seated in a lever receiving region on the proximal wall portion and wherein the proximal wall portion has three threaded bosses for receiving a holster engagement member dispersed around the lever receiving region, the proximal wall portion further having a plurality of lever region containment wall portions extending from the outer surface of the proximal wall portion and each of the plurality of lever containment wall portions connecting to at least one of the three threaded bosses, the three bosses positioned for receiving a belt engaging member utilizing a plurality of threaded fasteners. 
     
     
         15 . The holster of  claim 7 , wherein the first lever is seated in a lever receiving region on the proximal wall portion and wherein the proximal wall portion has three threaded bosses for receiving a holster engagement member dispersed around the lever receiving region for receiving a belt engaging member, and wherein when the belt engaging member is attached the first lever is captured within the receiving region, and wherein when the belt engaging member is not attached, the first lever may be removed from an engagement with the proximal wall portion. 
     
     
         16 . The holster of  claim 15 , wherein when the belt engaging member is not attached, the first lever may be removed without tools. 
     
     
         17 . The holster of  claim 15 , wherein when the belt engaging member is not attached, the first lever may be removed by simply prying the first lever outwardly from its seated position. 
     
     
         18 . The holster of  claim 14 , wherein when the belt engaging member is attached, the first lever is captured within a first lever containment region, the thumb button extending out of the containment region. 
     
     
         19 . The holster of  claim 1 , wherein the holster body has an upper wall portion having a pair of inclined wall portions defining a joint, a lower wall portion with a slit extending from a forward opening to proximate a trigger guard receiving portion of the holster body defining a pair of forward clamping wall portions, a threaded fastener extending between the pair of forward clamping portions for adjusting the forward clamping portions about a forward portion of the handgun. 
     
     
         20 . The holster of  claim 19  wherein the forward clamping body portions of the holster body are configured to engage the handgun at four corners of the handgun, two upper corners defined by the handgun slide and two lower corners defined by the body. 
     
     
         21 - 73 . (canceled)