The present disclosure relates generally to accessories for ammunition magazines, and more particularly to an adapter for coupling together multiple ammunition magazines.
Standard ammunition magazines hold a set number of rounds of ammunition. Once a magazine is emptied, it is removed from the handgun and a different, loaded magazine is located and installed in the handgun. This process of removing and locating magazines takes time and is inconvenient.
It is desirable to provide a more efficient and convenient way to locate and install a loaded magazine. The concepts disclosed below address these needs and others.
An adapter for coupling ammunition magazines together includes a structure formed to include a first interior pocket having an opening facing in a first direction, and a second interior pocket having an opening facing in a second direction opposite the first direction. The first interior pocket is configured to receive a base of a first magazine, while the second interior pocket is configured to receive a base of a second magazine. To enable receipt of a magazine base by a pocket and a tight, secure fit within the pocket, the first interior pocket may have an interior dimension that is slightly less than a corresponding exterior dimension of the base of the first magazine. Likewise, the second interior pocket may have an interior dimension that is slightly less than a corresponding exterior dimension of the base of the second magazine. The slight difference in dimension between the interior of the pocket and the exterior of the base allows for the magazine to be slid into the pocket using some force, and to be secured therein by a tight, snug fit between the pocket and the base.
In one aspect of the adapter, the first interior pocket is defined by a first pair of opposed sidewalls, a first end wall, and a first floor, and the second interior pocket is defined by a second pair of opposed sidewalls, a second end wall, and a second floor. The first floor and the second floor may be opposite surfaces of a same structure. To enable receipt of a magazine base by a pocket and a tight, secure fit within the pocket, a distance between the first pair of opposed sidewalls defines an interior width that is slightly less than an exterior width of the base of the first magazine, and a distance between the second pair of opposed sidewalls defines an interior width that is slightly less than an exterior width of the base of the second magazine. Accordingly, a magazine base may snugly fit into an opening between the opposed sidewalls and be pushed into and out of the pocket.
In another aspect of the adapter, the first interior pocket is further defined by a plurality of first lips and the second interior pocket is further defined by a plurality of second lips. Each first lip extends inward, toward the center of the first interior pocket, from the top of one or more of the first pair of opposed sidewalls, while each second lip extends inward, toward the center of the second interior pocket, from the top of one or more of the second pair of opposed sidewalls. To enable receipt of a magazine base by a pocket and a tight, secure fit within the pocket, a distance between the first floor and each first lip defines an interior height that may be slightly less than an exterior height of the base of the first magazine, and a distance between the second floor and each second lip defines an interior height that may be slightly less than an exterior height of the base of the second magazine. Accordingly, a magazine base may snugly fit into the space between the opposed lips and floor and be slid into and out of the pocket. Furthermore, each of the first lips is configured to extend over a portion of the base of the first magazine, and each of the second lips is configured to extend over a portion of the base of the second magazine to secure the magazines in place in each of the respective interior pockets.
In another aspect, the first interior pocket of the adapter has an interior contour having a radius of curvature corresponding to an exterior radius of curvature of the base of the first magazine. Likewise, the second interior pocket has an interior contour having a radius of curvature corresponding to an exterior radius of curvature of the base of the second magazine. The interior contours function to mate with the contours of the magazine bases to ensure that the magazines are inserted into the pockets in the proper direction.
It is understood that other aspects of adapters will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various aspects of apparatuses and methods are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, these aspects may be implemented in other and different forms and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
Various aspects of adapters for ammunition magazines will now be presented in the detailed description by way of example, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
With reference to
In the embodiments shown in
The openings 116d, 118d of the respective interior pockets 108, 112 are located on opposite ends of the adapter 100a, 100b so as to be opposite facing. The interior pockets 108, 112 are sized and contoured to slideably receive and secure in place a magazine base. To this end, the interior pockets 108, 112 of the adapters have interior dimensions (length, width, and height) that allow the sidewalls of the adapter 100a, 100b to fit around the sides and front of a magazine base.
One or more of these interior dimensions may be substantially equal to or slightly less, e.g., on the order of one or more microns less, than a corresponding exterior dimension of the magazine base. One or more of these interior dimensions may be slightly greater than e.g., on the order of one or more microns greater, than a corresponding exterior dimension of the magazine base. Ultimately, the differences between the dimensions of the interior pockets 108, 112 and the exterior dimensions of the magazine base are configured to allows for the magazine base to be slid by forced into a pocket, secured in place in the pocket, and subsequently slid by force from the pocket.
In one configuration, the interior dimensions of the pockets 108, 112 may be slightly less than the cross-section dimensions of the magazine base. For example, the interior width Wi of the pockets 108, 112 may be slightly less than the exterior width We of the magazine base. As such, the opposed sidewalls 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b defining the interior pockets 108, 112 of the adapter fit tightly against the sides of the magazine base so that the adapter secures the magazine in place through compression and a friction fit. To aid in receipt of a magazine base, the thickness of the opposed sidewalls 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b and the material from which the adapter is formed, may allow for some flexing or displacement of the sidewalls as the magazine base is slid by force into the pocket.
With continued reference to
The distance between the underside of each lip 124a, 124b, 126a, 126b and the respective floor 116e, 118e of the interior pocket 108, 112 defines the interior height Hi of the pocket. Like the interior width the interior height Hi of the pockets 108, 112 may be slightly less than the exterior height He of the magazine base. As such, the magazine base fits tightly between the lips 124a, 124b, 126a, 126b and floor 116e, 118e of the pockets 108, 112 so that the adapter further secures the magazine in place through compression and a friction fit. To aid in receipt of a magazine base, the thickness of the opposed lips 124a, 124b, 126a, 126b and the material from which the adapter is formed, may allow for some flexing or displacement of the lips as the magazine base is slid by force into the pocket.
With reference to
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The adapter 100a, 100b may be formed of a plastic material using known manufacturing techniques, such as injection molding or 3D printing. The adapter 100a, 100b may be formed as a single contiguous piece. Alternatively, multiple components pieces may be separately manufactures and then fixedly coupled, e.g., bonded, to each other to form an adapter 100a, 100b.
Different configurations of the adapter may be formed, each having interior pockets sized accordingly to receive magazines of different sizes. Thus, the adapter 100a, 100b of the present invention may be formed to fit a variety of magazine handgun models desirous of using extended width magazines without any modifications to the magazine itself.
Thus, disclosed herein is an adapter 100a, 100b for coupling ammunition magazines 104, 106 together that comprises a structure formed to include a first interior pocket 108 having an opening 116d facing in a first direction, and a second interior pocket 112 having an opening 118d facing in a second direction opposite the first direction. The first interior pocket 108 is configured to receive a base 120 of a first magazine 104, while the second interior pocket 112 is configured to receive a base of a second magazine 106. To enable receipt of a magazine base 120 by a pocket and a tight, secure fit within the pocket, the first interior pocket 108 has an interior dimension slightly less than a corresponding exterior dimension of the base 120 of the first magazine 104, and the second interior pocket 112 has an interior dimension slightly less than a corresponding exterior dimension of the base of the second magazine 106. The difference between the interior dimension of the pocket and the exterior dimension of the base may be on the order of one or several microns. This difference is selected to allow for the magazine base to be slid by force into and secured inside the pocket, and subsequently slid by force out of the pocket.
In one aspect of the adapter 100a, 100b, the first interior pocket 108 is defined by a first pair of opposed sidewalls 116a, 116b, a first end wall 116c, and a first floor 116e, and the second interior pocket 112 is defined by a second pair of opposed sidewalls 118a, 118b, a second end wall 118c, and a second floor 118e. The first floor 116e and the second floor 118e may be opposite surfaces of a same structure, e.g., a plate spanning between the sidewalls. To enable receipt of a magazine base 120 by a pocket and a tight, secure fit within the pocket, a distance between the first pair of opposed sidewalls 116a, 116b defines an interior width that is slightly less than an exterior width of the base 120 of the first magazine 104, and a distance between the second pair of opposed sidewalls 118a, 118b defines an interior width that is slightly less than an exterior width of the base of the second magazine 106. Accordingly, a magazine base 120 may snugly fit between the opposed sidewalls 116a, 116b and 118a, 118b and slide into the pocket.
In another aspect of the adapter 100a, 100b, the first interior pocket 108 is further defined by a plurality of first lips 124a, 124b and the second interior pocket 112 is further defined by a plurality of second lips 126a, 126b. Each first lip 124a, 124b extends inward, toward the center of the first interior pocket 108, from the top of one or more of the first pair of opposed sidewalls 116a, 116b, while each second lip 126a, 126b extends inward, toward the center of the second interior pocket 112, from the top of one or more of the second pair of opposed sidewalls 118a, 118b. To enable receipt of a magazine base 120 by a pocket and a tight, secure fit within the pocket, a distance between the first floor 116e and each first lip 124a, 124b defines an interior height that is slightly less than an exterior height of the base of the first magazine 104, and a distance between the second floor 118e and each second lip 126a, 126b defines an interior height that is slightly less than an exterior height of the base of the second magazine 106. Accordingly, a magazine base 120 may snugly fit between the opposed lips and floor and slide into the pocket. Furthermore, each of the first lips 124a, 124b is configured to extend over a portion of the base 120 of the first magazine 104, and each of the second lips 126a, 126b is configured to extend over a portion of the base of the second magazine 106 to secure the magazines in place in each of the respective interior pockets.
In another aspect, the first interior pocket 108 of the adapter has an interior contour or curved corners 130a, 130b having a radius of curvature corresponding to an exterior radius of curvature of the base 120 of the first magazine 104. Likewise, the second interior pocket 112 has an interior contour having a radius of curvature corresponding to an exterior radius of curvature of the base of the second magazine 106. The interior contours function to mate with the contours of the magazine bases 120 to ensure that the magazines are inserted into the pockets in the proper direction.
The various aspects of this disclosure are provided to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications to exemplary embodiments presented throughout this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the concepts disclosed herein may be extended to other magnetic storage devices. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects of this disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the various components of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims.
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/043,123, filed Jul. 23, 2018, for “An Adapter For Coupling Ammunition Magazines,” which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/552,283, filed Nov. 17, 2017, for “Magazine Adapter For A Handgun”, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16043123 | Jul 2018 | US |
Child | 16427726 | US |