Spare magazine carrier with retractable flap

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6202908
  • Patent Number
    6,202,908
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, January 12, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 20, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Cronin; Stephen K.
    Agents
    • Averill, Jr.; Egdar W.
Abstract
A spare magazine carrier for carrying at least one ammunition magazine on a user's person. The spare magazine carrier has a carrier frame for seating and supporting at least one ammunition magazine, and a downwardly retractable flap for covering and retaining the seated ammunition magazine. The flap has an elastic member connecting a lower flap end with an upper flap end. The lower flap end is secured to a lower portion of the carrier frame, and the upper flap end is detachably securable to a top end of the carrier frame by resiliently extending over and around an upper exposed portion of the seated ammunition magazine in a preferably inverted U-shaped configuration. When the upper flap end is released, the elastic member causes the upper flap end to retract down and away from the opening, and thereby allow unobstructed access to the ammunition magazine.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The field of the invention generally pertains to magazine holders and carriers. The invention relates more particularly to a spare magazine carrier for securing ammunition magazines on a user's person by means of a flap capable of retracting down and away from a pocket opening when released from a secured position. In this manner, the user can quickly, easily, and unobstructedly access one or more ammunition magazines seated therein for rapid reloading of a firearm.




With the evolution of 20


th


Century small arms weaponry came the ammunition magazine pre-loaded with multiple ammunition cartridges, and the corresponding need to carry extra ammunition magazines in order to reload a firearm. Consequently, various magazine holders and carriers mounted on the user's person were developed to provide a convenient means for transporting and making available one or more spare ammunition magazines. Magazine carriers function to secure magazines in their place and protect them against damage, malfunction, and/or loss, especially during the rigorous conditions commonly encountered in combat by law enforcement and military personnel.




Moreover, because spare magazines are oftentimes utilized during extreme life-threatening combat situations, magazine carriers must allow rapid and easy access to a full magazine for reloading and resuming fire with minimal delay. In particular, it is often critical for magazine carriers to enable the release, access, and acquisition of a spare magazine with the non-firing free hand, while maintaining a grip on the firearm with the firing hand. For this reason, magazine carriers are typically mounted or fastened on a belt, vest, or other garment worn by the user, where it is within easy reach of the user's free hand. Failure to quickly reload a full magazine while engaged in a gun battle can mean serious injury, capture, and/or death.




One common example of a spare magazine carrier incorporates a top flap which folds down and over an exposed upper portion of a magazine seated within a pouch, much like a button down shirt pocket. Typically, the top flap has one end attached to the back of a pocket or pouch, and a free end which folds down and over a seated magazine and fastens to a front side of the pouch by a detachable snap fastener. The snap fastener has a male (or female) portion on the free end of the top flap, and a corresponding female (or male) portion attached to the front side of the pouch.




Perhaps the greatest problem with the top flap magazine carrier, however, is the numerous movements required to access a spare magazine contained therein. Typically this requires five distinct movements which must be independently executed by the non-firing free hand. First, the user must unfasten the flap from the front portion of the pouch. Second, the user must then raise the flap up to clear the exit path. Third, the user must hold the flap up and out of the way. Fourth, the user then grasps the magazine. And finally, the user withdraws the magazine from the carrier and commences reloading of the firearm. While this design provides sufficient security against loss, it can effectively hinder the rapid access and deployment of magazines for quick reloading of a weapon. Moreover, in addition to the delay caused by the number of movements involved, the interfering presence of the flap in the exit path of the magazine in steps three and four can also sufficiently hinder access to the magazine which can cause mishandling and loss of the magazine.




Additionally, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,582, a load bearing vest is shown having pouches 140 with corresponding flaps 148 which utilize a drawstring 162 to lift and hold the flaps up and away from the pouch while accessing an ammunition magazine seated in the pouch. The problem with this design, however, is that while it eliminates step three in the five step procedure discussed above, the operation of the pouch still requires lifting of the flap, i.e. step two above, by pulling the drawstring. Further, and perhaps more importantly, the flap still obstructs access to the magazine because it is still essentially a top flap magazine carrier as described above. Consequently, even when pulled open using a drawstring 162 , the flap still remains in the exit path of the spare magazine. Under high stress and demanding situations common during combat, the presence of even a fully retracted flap may interfere and hinder the deployment of the fresh magazine, and thereby jeopardize the safety of the user.




In a third common magazine carrier design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,093, the top flap is eliminated altogether which obviates the obstruction problem caused by a top flap, and thus facilitates speedy access. The magazine pouch in the 093 patent utilizes a tensioning bolt 22 to friction fit a spare magazine in a main body portion 10. However, retention of magazines by friction fit can be unreliable, especially in rigorous combat situations. Intense physical movement and activity during combat can cause dislodging and loss of the magazine, which would otherwise have been retained by a protective flap or other catch mechanism. In this arrangement, therefore, security is sacrificed for speed and the magazine is always susceptible to damage or loss.




In summary, there is a need for a spare magazine carrier mountable on a user's person which is capable of securely retaining at least one spare ammunition magazine, and providing simple, immediate, and unobstructed access to the at least one spare ammunition magazine when needed. In particular, while a flap is preferably used to properly retain a spare magazine, it would be advantageous to remove the flap completely away from an access/exit path of the spare magazine when access is desired.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, durable, and reliable spare magazine carrier mountable on a user's person, which is capable of securely retaining one or more spare ammunition magazines in the carrier, and providing convenient, immediate, and unobstructed access to the one or more spare ammunition magazines when desired or needed.




It is a further object of the present invention to provide a simple, durable, and reliable spare magazine carrier mountable on a user's person, for protectively covering one or more spare ammunition magazines to prevent damage, malfunction and/or loss of the magazines prior to use.




It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a spare magazine carrier which is simply and conveniently mountable anywhere on a user's person within easy reach of the user.




The present invention is for a spare magazine carrier securable on a user's person for carrying at least one ammunition magazine. In a preferred embodiment, the spare magazine carrier has a carrier frame including a base wall with a top end and a bottom end, pocket means connected to the base wall for seating at least one ammunition magazine against the base wall through at least one pocket opening, and means for mounting the carrier frame to the user's person. Additionally, the spare magazine carrier has at least one flap member with a lower flap end, an upper flap end, and means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end away from the at least one pocket opening when released. The lower flap end is connected to a lower portion of the carrier frame, and the upper flap end is extendable over an upper portion of the at least one ammunition magazine and detachably securable to the top end of the base wall by detachably securing means. Upon release of the detachably securing means, the means for downwardly retracting the upper flap, preferably a resilient elastic member, operates to retract away the upper flap end from the pocket opening, to thereby provide unobstructed access to the at least one ammunition magazine.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a front perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the spare magazine carrier, shown with an ammunition magazine seated therein and the flap member in a retracted position.





FIG. 2

is a front perspective view of a dual-cell example of the first preferred embodiment of the spare magazine carrier, shown with one ammunition magazine seated in the carrier, and the two flap members in the retracted position.





FIG. 3

is a rear perspective view of the spare magazine carrier illustrating a first preferred embodiment of the means for mounting to the user's person which is a modular mounting assembly.





FIG. 4

is a rear perspective view of the spare magazine carrier illustrating a second preferred embodiment of the means for mounting to the user's person which is a belt loop.





FIG. 5

is a dynamic elevational view of the spare magazine carrier as generally seen from the side, prior to a user releasing the snap fastener.





FIG. 6

is a dynamic elevational view similar to and following

FIG. 5

, showing the user releasing the snap fastener.





FIG. 7

is a dynamic elevational view similar to and following

FIG. 6

, showing the flap member downwardly retracting away from the pocket opening and exit path.





FIG. 7A

is a reversed perspective view of the flap member


22


showing the inner surface of the flap, and illustrating the relationship between the elastic member and the flap member.





FIG. 8

is a dynamic elevational view similar to and following

FIG. 7

, showing the flap member at rest in the fully retracted position.





FIG. 9

is a front perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the spare magazine carrier, shown without an ammunition magazine, with the flap member in the retracted position.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring now to the drawings,

FIGS. 1-9

show the spare magazine carrier, generally indicated at reference character


10


, for securing a spare ammunition magazine


11


on a user's person. The spare magazine carrier


10


generally has two main components: namely, a carrier frame, generally indicated at reference character


13


, and a flap member, generally indicated at reference character


22


. The carrier frame


13


generally functions as the platform of the magazine carrier


10


for seating a spare magazine


11


against the user's person, while the flap member generally functions to securely retain the magazine


11


in the carrier frame


13


.




As can be seen in

FIGS. 1-8

, showing a first preferred embodiment of the magazine carrier


10


, the carrier frame


13


has at least one pocket or cell with at least one pocket opening


21


for receiving a magazine


11


therein.

FIGS. 1 and 2

show exemplary single-cell and dual-cell embodiments, respectively, of the first preferred embodiment. However, the magazine carrier


10


can also be embodied having multiple cells or pockets over and beyond two cells, for seating a plurality of magazines


11


.




The carrier frame


13


of the first preferred embodiment comprises a base wall


14


, a bottom wall


20


, a front wall


18


, and side walls


19


connecting the front wall


18


to the base wall


14


, thereby forming and defining the at least one pocket with at least one pocket opening


21


. The base wall


14


, front wall


18


, side walls


19


, and bottom wall


20


together provide lateral and subjacent support for a seated magazine


11


. The base wall


14


has a generally flat shape with a top end


15


and a bottom end


16


. One side of the base wall


14


abuts against the user's person (not shown), and the opposite side contactedly faces a seated magazine


11


. As can be seen in

FIGS. 1-9

, the top end


15


of the base wall


14


is preferably shaped to form a tab portion


17


. The tab portion


17


is preferably an extension of the main base wall


14


and is preferably constructed of the same material as the main base wall


14


. Preferably, as can be best seen in

FIG. 2

, a separate tab portion


17


coextends from the base wall


14


for each pocket of the carrier frame


13


. Although the tab portion


17


is preferably rigid, it is capable of flexing sufficiently to allow detachment of a first fastener


25


affixed to the tab portion


17


from a second fastener


26


affixed to the flap member


22


, as will be further discussed below.




The front wall


18


and side walls


19


can have a low or high cut, wherein more or less, respectively, of the seated magazine


11


is exposed when seated in the carrier frame. It is notable, that a low cut carrier has a speed and convenience advantage over a high cut carrier by allowing the ammunition magazine


11


to be more easily grasped and withdrawn. In one particular embodiment, the spacing and retention of the walls, particularly the base and front walls


13


,


18


, may also be adjusted, whereby a friction grip may be applied or released on the seated ammunition magazine


11


in order to snugly accommodate the same.




The carrier frame


13


is mountable on the user's person at a conveniently accessible location, such as on a belt, vest, harness, or other garment worn by the user. As can be seen in

FIG. 3

showing a first preferred embodiment of the means for mounting the carrier frame


13


to the user's person, the means for mounting is a modular mounting assembly comprising a back plate


28


and a plurality of fasteners, such as screws


29


, for releasably fastening the back plate


28


to the base wall


14


. Preferably, both the back plate


28


and the base wall


14


have pre-drilled holes through which the fasteners may partially pass when mounting to the user. When fastening the magazine carrier


10


to the user, the back plate


28


is positioned inside the user's vest or other garment, against an interior side of the garment (not shown). Preferably the screws


29


are then partially extended through the pre-drilled holes of the back plate


28


, through the garment, and into the pre-drilled holes of the base wall


14


where they are detachably secured. Alternatively, as can be seen in

FIG. 4

, the means for mounting the carrier frame


13


may be at least one belt loop


30


connected to the base wall


14


, and defining a loop channel


31


. The belt loop(s)


30


may be integrally formed or affixed on the base wall


14


. In any case, the magazine carrier


10


is mounted on the user's person by sliding a belt worn by the user (not shown) through the loop channel


31


.




Construction of the carrier frame


13


can be made of any light weight rigid material. It can be made from natural materials such as leather, or synthetic materials such as the polycarbonate material sold under the trademark “Kydex.” It is notable that “Kydex” retains it shape and resiliency particularly well against heat, moisture, wear, and body chemicals, is economical to produce, and has less bulk and weighs less than leather, and is therefore a preferred material for the carrier frame


13


. It is notable that the carrier frame


13


would function equally as well if constructed entirely of a non-rigid material or fabric. This is due to the tension produced in the base wall


14


by the elastic member


27


, when the flap member


22


is positioned to detachably secure the seated magazine


11


, as will be discussed below.




As can be seen in

FIGS. 1-9

, the retractable flap member


22


is positioned adjacent the front wall


18


. The flap member


22


has a lower flap end


23


connected to a lower portion of the carrier frame


13


, an upper flap end


24


extendable over an upper portion


12


of the seated magazine


11


, and means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end


24


away from the pocket opening


21


when the upper flap end


24


is released from a detachably secured position along the top end


15


of the base wall


14


(see below). Preferably, the means for downwardly retracting is an elastic member


27


(See

FIGS. 2 and 9

) which connects the upper flap end


24


with the lower flap end


23


. The elastic member


27


can be a resilient flap, cord, leash, etc., having a relatively high modulus of elasticity with an ability to recover its size and shape after being biased.




As can be seen in

FIGS. 1-9

, the lower flap end


23


is preferably connected to the bottom end


16


of the base wall


13


. As shown in

FIGS. 1-4

,


7


-


9


, the flap member


22


hangs loosely below the bottom wall


20


when in the fully retracted state, and alongside the bottom wall


20


when in the extended and detachably secured state. However, the elastic member


27


is positioned alongside the bottom wall


20


near the lower flap end


23


, both in the retracted and detachably secured states. This is due to the difference in length between the unbiased elastic member


27


and the flap member


22


, the unbiased elastic member


27


having a shorter length than the flap member


22


. Thus, the slack in the flap member


22


which hangs loosely below the bottom wall


20


when in the fully retracted state, enables the flap member


22


to extend over the upper portion


12


of the seated magazine


11


.




Alternatively, the lower flap end


23


may be connected to a lower portion of the front wall


18


. While the exact attachment location of the lower flap end


23


is not critical, a sufficient distance is maintained between the upper flap end


24


and the lower flap end


23


when in the unbiased, fully retracted state, i.e. when the elastic member


27


remains unstretched. This is to allow greater displacement of the flap member


22


to thereby enable the extension of the upper flap end


24


over the upper portion


12


of the magazine


11


, as well as guarantee complete retraction of the upper flap end


24


away from the pocket opening


21


when detachably released (See discussion below). The point of attachment of the lower flap end


23


will effect the resilient biasing of the magazine carrier


10


: the further away the lower flap end


23


is secured from the upper flap end


24


, the greater the resiliency. And preferably, as can be seen in

FIG. 7

, near the front wall


18


, the flap member


22


is constructed of two layers


35


which togther define a flap pocket through which the elastic member


27


may extend into and secured to the flap member


22


by an anchor


27


′ (FIG.


7


A). This can also be seen in

FIG. 7A

showing a reversed perspective view of the flap member


22


, and particularly showing the inner surface


24


′ of the flap member


22


. The two layers


35


are made of durable, yet flexible material that will bend. As shown in

FIGS. 5-8

, the double layers


35


are not adjacent the bottom wall


20


of the carrier frame


13


because at that point, the flap member


22


and the elastic member


27


are allowed to diverge.




The upper flap end


24


is detachably securable to the top end


15


of the base wall


14


, i.e. the tab portion


17


, by a detachable fastener. The detachable fastener is preferably a thumb-breakable snap fastener capable of detaching with a single snap motion, and having a first snap connector


25


and a second snap connector


26


. The first snap connector


25


is affixed to the tab portion


17


of the carrier frame


13


, and the second snap connector


26


is affixed to the upper flap end


24


of the flap member


22


. Moreover, the fastening portion of the second snap connector


26


is affixed on an outer surface


24


″ of the upper flap end


24


. An inner surface


24


′ of the upper flap end


24


faces the seated magazine


11


, while the outer surface


24


″ is faced in an opposite direction. In this manner, when the flap member


22


is detachably secured to the tab portion


17


by means of the snap fastener, the flap member


22


forms an inverted U-shaped configuration around the upper portion


12


of the seated magazine


11


. This ready-and-poised configuration of the flap member


22


enables simple and quick release of the flap member


22


, as will be discussed below.




As shown in the drawings, the magazine carrier


10


also includes a flap guide


33


which guides the flap member


22


to slide alongside the front wall


18


, between the front wall


18


and a seated magazine


11


, when released. The flap guide


33


is attached to the carrier frame


13


and forms a flap guide channel


34


(see

FIGS. 5-8

) through which the flap member


22


extends. It is preferably constructed from a thin, durable and lightweight material similar to that of the carrier frame


13


. The flap guide


33


functions to guide the withdrawing motion of the detached flap member


22


downward when the snap fastener is disengaged. In this manner, the retracting flap member


22


may be prevented from experiencing an outwardly-directed whipping action that may be caused by a sudden retraction.




The release operation of the flap member


22


to provide an unobstructed exit path for the seated magazine


11


can be best seen in

FIGS. 5-8

. In

FIG. 5

, the magazine carrier


10


is shown in the detachably secured positioned prior to release, with the user's non-firing hand


32


positioned to release the flap member


22


. In this view, the user's thumb is positioned adjacent the tab portion


17


and the upper flap end


24


near the connected first and second snap connectors


25


,


26


. The inverted U-shaped configuration of the flap member


22


enables the user's hand to descend upon the snap fasteners from above in a natural motion, and the user's thumb to be optimally positioned for detaching the snap fastener. As can be seen in

FIG. 5

, the user's thumb applies a pressure in the direction of arrow A which operates to cleave and separate the snap connectors


25


and


26


. This can be best seen in

FIG. 6

following

FIG. 5

, showing the sufficient flexing of the tab portion


17


away from the seated magazine


11


to release the second snap connector


26


. Arrow B indicates the detachment and relative movement of the second snap connector


26


as it is detachably released. Next, as shown by arrows C and D in

FIG. 7

, the flap member


22


is pulled in a downward direction by the contracting elastic member


27


. The upper flap end


24


is pulled clear of the pocket opening


21


and exit path of the seated magazine


11


until the fully retracted position is reached, as shown in FIG.


8


. At this point, the user may grasp the upper portion


12


of the magazine


11


without any obstruction from the magazine carrier


10


.




The advantage of this elastic retracting action is realized during combat situations where a firearm must be reloaded under intensely stressful situations. Typically, the firing hand and the non-firing hand must each perform separate and independent actions to reload a firearm. The firing hand must release the expended magazine from the firearm, which is typically accomplished by a magazine release lever or button mounted on the handgun, while continuing to hold the firearm in the fire-ready position. Concurrently, the non-firing hand must independently reach for, access, and acquire the seated magazine


11


. In the present invention, the combined operation of the snap fastener and the resiliently biased elastic member


27


enables a quick release and retraction of the flap member


22


with a single motion, to thereby provide immediate access and acquisition of the spare magazine


11


without unnecessarily cumbersome additional steps. Moreover, absence of a top flap prevents the possibility of the top flap snagging on an external object or surface, which can cause the opening of the flap, and the subsequent release of the magazine contained therein. The particular inverted U-shaped configuration of the present invention effectively prevents such snagging and inadvertent opening.





FIG. 9

illustrates a second preferred embodiment of the magazine carrier


10


having a similar configuration as the first preferred embodiment, but without a front wall


18


, side walls


19


and a bottom wall


20


of the first preferred embodiment (as shown in FIGS.


1


-


8


). As can be seen in

FIG. 9

, the magazine carrier


10


comprises a base wall


14


with a top end


15


and a bottom end


16


, a flap member


22


, and a lateral restraint


33


, e.g. a flap guide. The flap member


22


has a lower flap end


23


connected to the bottom end


16


of the base wall


14


, an upper flap end


24


adjacent and inner surface of the lateral restraint


33


, and means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end


24


away from a pocket opening


21


of the magazine carrier


10


, which is preferably an elastic member


27


. In this embodiment, however, the flap member


22


contactedly extends between the lateral restraint


33


and a magazine seated in the pocket. Moreover, the elastic member


27


operates as a lower bound and thus provides subjacent support to a magazine seated in the magazine carrier


10


. In this configuration the magazine carrier


10


is capable of sufficiently seating and securing the seated magazine, as well as elastically retracting the flap member


22


, without the need for a rigid carrier frame. The magazine itself provides the rigidity necessary to produce the tension in the stretched elastic member


27


when extended and detachably secured. Thus, even in this second embodiment, the carrier frame


10


may be constructed of a non-rigid material or fabric, without sacrificing the operation of the magazine carrier


10


.




While reference to “top” or “upper” e.g. top end


15


, and “bottom” or “lower”, e.g. bottom end


16


, generally indicates a vertical orientation of the magazine carrier


10


aligning with the upright stance of a user's person, the magazine carrier


10


is not limited only to such. Rather, the magazine carrier


10


can be oriented in a manner which allows convenient, and easy access to the ammunition magazine located therein.




The present embodiments of this invention are thus to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and have been chosen only for purposes of disclosure; the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.



Claims
  • 1. A spare magazine carrier securable on a user's person for carrying at least one ammunition magazine, said spare magazine carrier comprising:a carrier frame having a base wall with a top end and a bottom end, pocket means connected to said base wall for seating said at least one ammunition magazine thereagainst, said pocket means having at least one pocket opening for receiving said at least one ammunition magazine therethrough, and means for mounting said carrier frame to said user's person; and at least one flap member adjacent a front portion of said pocket means and having a lower flap end connected to a lower portion of said carrier frame, an upper flap end extendable over an upper portion of said at least one ammunition magazine seated in said at least one pocket opening, said upper flap end detachably securable to the top end of said base wall by detachably securing means, and means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end away from said at least one pocket opening upon release of said detachably securing means, thereby providing unobstructed access to said at least one ammunition magazine.
  • 2. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 1,wherein said means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end from said at least one pocket opening is an elastic member connecting the upper flap end with the lower flap end.
  • 3. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 1,wherein the upper flap end has an inner surface facing said at least one ammunition magazine seated in said at least one pocket opening, and an oppositely facing outer surface; and wherein said at least one flap member forms a generally inverted U-shaped configuration around the upper portion of a corresponding at least one ammunition magazine when the outer surface of the upper flap end is detachably secured to the top end of said base wall.
  • 4. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 3,wherein said detachably securing means is a snap fastener assembly comprising a first snap connector affixed to the top end of said base wall, and a second snap connector affixed to the outer surface of the upper flap end and capable of matingly and detachably securing to the first snap connector.
  • 5. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 1,further comprising a flap guide connected to said carrier frame and bordering said pocket means to form at least one guide channel therebetween, whereby said at least one flap member may captively slide through said at least one guide channel alongside said pocket means when a corresponding one of said detachably securing means is released.
  • 6. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 1,wherein said means for mounting said carrier frame to said user's person comprises a modular mounting assembly including a back plate and means for releasably fastening said back plate to said base wall, said back plate positioned against an interior side of a garment worn by said user, and said means for releasably fastening partially extending through said back plate and said garment and releasably fastening to said base wall.
  • 7. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 1,wherein said means for mounting said carrier frame to said user's person comprises at least one belt loop connected to said base wall, whereby a belt secured on said user's person may be slidably extended therethrough.
  • 8. A spare magazine carrier securable on a user's person for carrying at least one ammunition magazine, said spare magazine carrier comprising:a base wall having a top end, a bottom end, and means for mounting said base wall to said user's person; a lateral restraint member connected to said base wall for seating said at least one ammunition magazine thereagainst, said lateral restraint member defining at least one pocket opening for receiving said at least one ammunition magazine therein, said lateral restraint member and said at least one ammunition magazine thus seated forming at least one guide channel therebetween; at least one flap member positioned through said at least one guide channel and having a lower flap end connected to the bottom end of said base wall, an upper flap end extendable over an upper portion of said at least one ammunition magazine seated in said at least one pocket opening and detachably securable to the top end of said base wall by detachably securing means, and means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end away from said at least one pocket opening upon release of said detachably securing means, thereby providing unobstructed access to said at least one ammunition magazine.
  • 9. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 8,wherein said means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end from said at least one pocket opening is an elastic member connecting the upper flap end with the lower flap end.
  • 10. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 8,wherein the upper flap has an inner surface facing said at least one ammunition magazine seated in said at least one pocket opening, and an oppositely facing outer surface; and wherein said flap member forms a generally inverted U-shaped configuration around the upper portion of said at least one ammunition magazine when the outer surface of the upper flap end is detachably secured to the top end of said base wall.
  • 11. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 10,wherein said detachably securing means is a snap fastener assembly comprising a first snap connector affixed to the top end of said base wall, and a second snap connector affixed to the outer surface of the upper flap end and capable of matingly and detachably securing to the first snap connector.
  • 12. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 8,wherein said means for mounting said base wall to said user's person comprises a modular mounting assembly including a back plate and means for releasably fastening said back plate to said base wall, said back plate positioned against an interior side of a garment worn by said user, and said means for releasably fastening partially extending through said back plate and said garment and releasably fastening to said base wall.
  • 13. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 8,wherein said means for mounting said base wall to said user's person comprises at least one belt loop connected to said base wall, whereby a belt secured on said user's person may be slidably extended therethrough.
  • 14. A spare magazine carrier securable on a user's person for carrying at least one ammunition magazine, said spare magazine carrier comprising:a carrier frame having a base wall with a top end and a bottom end, a front wall opposite the base wall, opposing sidewalls connecting said front and base walls, a closed lower end, an upper end opposite the closed lower end having at least one pocket opening for receiving said at least one ammunition magazine therethrough, and means for mounting said carrier frame to said user's person; and at least one flap member adjacent said front wall and having a lower flap end connected to a lower portion of said carrier frame, an upper flap end extendable over an upper portion of said at least one ammunition magazine seated in said at least one pocket opening and detachably securable to the top end of said base wall by detachably securing means, and means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end away from said at least one pocket opening upon release of said detachably securing means, thereby providing unobstructed access to said at least one ammunition magazine.
  • 15. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 14,wherein said means for downwardly retracting the upper flap end from said at least one pocket opening is an elastic member connecting the upper flap end with the lower flap end.
  • 16. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 14,wherein the upper flap has an inner surface facing said at least one ammunition magazine seated in said at least one pocket opening, and an oppositely facing outer surface; and wherein said flap member forms a generally inverted U-shaped configuration around the upper portion of said at least one ammunition magazine when the outer surface of the upper flap end is detachably secured to the top end of said base wall.
  • 17. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 16,wherein said detachably securing means is a snap fastener assembly comprising a first snap connector affixed to the top end of said base wall, and a second snap connector affixed to the outer surface of the upper flap end and capable of matingly and detachably securing to the first snap connector.
  • 18. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 14,further comprising a flap guide connected to said carrier frame and bordering said front wall to form at least one guide channel therebetween, whereby said at least one flap member may captively slide through said at least one guide channel alongside said front wall when a corresponding one of said detachably securing means is released.
  • 19. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 14,wherein said means for mounting said carrier frame to said user's person comprises a modular mounting assembly including a back plate and means for releasably fastening said back plate to said base wall, said back plate positioned against an interior side of a garment worn by said user, and said means for releasably fastening partially extending through said back plate and said garment and releasably fastening to said base wall.
  • 20. The spare magazine carrier as in claim 14,wherein said means for mounting said carrier frame to said user's person comprises at least one belt loop connected to said base wall, whereby a belt secured on said user's person may be slidably extended therethrough.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Number Name Date Kind
2763411 Werner Sep 1956
5174482 Rogers et al. Dec 1992
5484093 Hellweg et al. Jan 1996
5617582 Burwell Apr 1997
6050464 Ramsey, Sr. et al. Apr 2000