Police and SWAT teams are deployed to end dangerous, active shooter situations facing heavily armed criminals. Such situations can occur in public areas and put the lives of civilians at great risk. Officers must react quickly to an active shooter situation.
It is known to provide such law enforcement officers with ballistic vests and ballistic shields. It is also known to provide ballistic shields with some provisions for allowing officers to fire weapons while carrying the shield. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,885,539.
The shield and weapon combination described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,885,539 includes a shield having a gun rest and a releasable attachment to allow the officer to support and aim a rifle or long barrel weapon at the active shooter.
While the assembly described in this patent allows officers to fire a weapon at a shooter while holding a ballistic shield, the combination does not alleviate the burden of changing bullet magazines to reload the weapon. Conventionally, such a magazine change requires two hands on the weapon. The officer would be required to release the weapon from the shield, or at least set down the shield to change out magazines.
US Patent applications 2015/0219413 and 2012/0260554 disclose a one hand magazine loading of pistols.
The present inventor has recognized the need for a shield and weapon combination to accommodate the necessary changing of a bullet magazine to reload a weapon without exposing the officer to fire by setting down his shield. The present inventor has recognized the need for an officer under fire to be able to quickly and safely reload his or her weapon by loading a new bullet magazine onto his or her weapon.
A magazine mount includes a mechanism to releasably hold a weapon magazine in a substantially upright orientation, wherein the mechanism to releasably hold the magazine includes a rectangular housing having an open top and sidewalls, and an axle pin that is fit through a spool, allowing the spool to freely rotate on the axle pin, the axle pin is fit at opposite ends into longitudinal slots through each respective sidewall of the housing. At least one spring backed up by a portion of the housing, exerts a resilient force on the axle pin, urging the axle pin and the spool forwardly in the housing to press on a back end of a weapon magazine held in the housing. The housing has a retainer at a forward end having an underlying clearance to receive a forward side lip of a weapon magazine.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a combination ballistic shield and weapon, the combination configured to carry in a fixed position on the shield a reload magazine holding bullets to reload the weapon after the active magazine has been spent and ejected. The embodiment provides a gun rest on the shield and a guide for directing a controlled movement of the weapon from a deployed, shooting-ready, position on the gun rest to a reload position where the reload magazine can be engaged by the weapon to reload the weapon by engaging the reload magazine into a magazine well of the weapon.
The shield holds the reload magazine in a mount, the magazine in a generally upright position, enabling the weapon user to perform a weapon reload in a manner without the need for the user to grasp onto the magazine to be loaded.
The magazine mount holds the base portion of the magazine, without the need for magazine modification, by way of a magazine base fitting into a recess in a magazine mount. The mount includes an attachment device functioning as a latching mechanism, releasably latching the magazine base into the recess.
The mount does not inhibit the weapon from properly seating onto and engaging the magazine for reloading. After engagement of the reload magazine into the weapon, a specific motion, such as a pivot motion of the weapon, releases the magazine from the base mount. Additional actions for magazine release may be configured in other embodiments such as using a user-activated release button to release a latching device to release the magazine from the mount.
One aspect of the invention provides a combination that includes the guide between the gun rest and the magazine mount that defines the movement of the weapon from the deployed, shooting-ready position to the reload position. Once the reload magazine is engaged into the magazine well of the weapon, movement of the weapon in a pivoting motion not only releases the reload magazine but also activates the bolt release of the weapon, loading a round into the chamber. The weapon is effectively shooting ready at this point.
While application of the embodiment to a hand held shield is described, this system can be mounted in a multitude of ways, upon a wide variety of fixed objects, portable objects such as shields as well as personnel worn objects including a belt or a vest.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will be become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, and from the accompanying drawings.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
This application incorporates by reference U.S. Ser. No. 16/559,502 filed Sep. 3, 2019 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/765,593 filed Aug. 31, 2018, in their entireties.
Two springs 170, 172 are located within longitudinal channels 170a, 172a located in the sidewalls 160, 162 respectively and extend into the longitudinal slots 156, 158 respectively. The springs are backed up at the rear end of the sidewalls 160, 162 by stops 174, 176 respectively in the form of plates, wall portions, threaded caps, or the like that closes the longitudinal channels 170a, 172a. The springs 170, 172 exert a resilient force on ends 134a, 134b respectively of the axle pin 134, urging the axle pin and the spool forwardly in the housing. Provisions are made to prevent the axle pin 134 from moving axially once installed.
The housing can be mounted on a bracket 180, shown in
The housing also includes set screws 190, 192 threaded into holes in the sidewalls 160, 162 respectively. Each set screw has a protruding pin portion 190a, 192a The pin portions extend interiorly of the housing and function to hold a magazine in the mount by overlying a side rim 198 of a magazine bottom wall 200 at a front of the magazine 11 (
The spool hub 146, upon the urging of the springs 170, 172 presses a rear of the magazine, urging the magazine forwardly within the housing. The hub 146 and can overly a rear bottom lip 206 of the magazine 11 (
As shown in
The rail 307 is removed from
The gun rest 302 includes a block portion 302c that overlies a front of the shield 1. A fastener hole 302d received a fastener (not shown) that secures the gun rest 302, through the shield 1, and into a tapped hole (not shown) in the shelf 303.
In operation, once a spent magazine 11 is ejected from the rifle, the rifle is pivoted about its longitudinal centerline counterclockwise with the magazine well rotated about 30˜90 degrees form a normal vertical orientation toward a horizontal orientation, depending on the varying curvature of different magazines, passing over the platform 359. The rifle is rolled and lifted out of the gun rest and then lowered and moved forward until the magazine well 10a touches the backstop surface portion 356, and can be slid down along the sloping surface 354. The backstop surface 356 and the sloping surface 354 are positioned to precisely align the bottom opening of the magazine well 10a with a re-load magazine 11 on the magazine mount 305, for a certain and user friendly matchup of the weapon to the reload magazine. Such a user friendly reload is important given the high stress situation of a potential firefight with an armed assailant.
Two springs 170, 172 are located within longitudinal channels located in the sidewalls 160, 162 respectively and extend into the longitudinal slots 156, 158 respectively. The slot 158 can be closed on the outside surface of the sidewall 162. The springs are backed up at the rear end of the sidewalls 160, 162 by wall portions of the sidewalls. The springs 170, 172 exert a resilient force on ends 134a, 134b respectively of the axle pin 134, urging the axle pin and the spool forwardly in the housing. In the embodiments of
The housing 420 is attached to, formed with, or 3D printed with, a base 450. The base can be fastened to a back of the shield 1. In this regard, the attachment block 451 can be fit onto a front surface of the shield 1. The block includes a fastener hole 453 that receives a fastener (not shown) that passes through a hole in the shield and engages a threaded hole in the front of the base 450 that is closest to the shield. The base 450 provides a curved rear surface 458 that acts to deflect an ejected magazine falling from the weapon away from the shield in a rearward direction.
Further, the housing 420 includes a flange 461 with a fastener hole 463 receiving a fastener (not shown) for fastening the housing to the rail 307 and/or through the rail and into a threaded hole in the attachment block 451.
As shown in
The magazine mount 305 provides proper control of the magazine to prevent undesired and uncontrolled movement. The control may be a one piece or a multitude piece design having a variety of magazine mount retainers for proper magazine control.
Other embodiments may have a latching or locking action by way of a spring-loaded ball plunger or similar locking device, or a form fitting base mount conforming to the shape of the magazine, holding the magazine by friction or resilient gripping. The shoulders of the locking device may be one piece or multiple pieces which provide lateral support for the upright mounted magazine that controls the magazine feed area. The magazine upper portion is controlled, resulting in minimal movement, for consistent reloading and weapon placement upon the reload magazine which is held stationary by the locking device.
The guide 304 provides the depressing mechanism or action release activator 370 working in coordination with the pathway required to release the magazine 11 from the magazine mount 5. The guide 304 is positioned between the weapon 10 rested in the high position on the weapon rest 302 (
During this pivoting movement, the weapon's action release button or bolt release button 469 is orbited to be is pressed inward in the direction B (
The final result is a weapon and magazine just freed from the magazine mount, with the weapon in a fully loaded and ready to fire condition.
The drawings illustrate the adjustability in weapon system height with respect to the weapon action release button 469 of which should align with the guide 304. Additionally, the magazine well 10a of the weapon will in most instances be aligned with the upright magazine feed area in order to result in proper magazine insertion immediately followed by correct weapon movement resulting in the weapon action release button to move into the action release guide, to properly release the action forward to charge the weapon.
Some or all of the weapon rest, the weapon shelf, the guide, the rail, and the magazine mount can be composed of metal or plastic or other appropriate material. Some or all of these components can be 3D printed.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein, to the extent that the references are not contrary to the present disclosure.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 16/559,502 filed Sep. 3, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/765,593 filed Aug. 31, 2018.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6050464 | Ramsey, Sr. | Apr 2000 | A |
7780048 | Howell | Aug 2010 | B2 |
9097477 | Mead | Aug 2015 | B1 |
9683798 | Butler | Jun 2017 | B2 |
9933218 | Butler | Apr 2018 | B2 |
10309745 | Messinger | Jun 2019 | B2 |
10551157 | Gargrave | Feb 2020 | B1 |
20060022007 | Hughes | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060242877 | Clifton, Jr. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20120152103 | Testa | Jun 2012 | A1 |
20120260554 | Huffines | Oct 2012 | A1 |
20130248566 | Solomon | Sep 2013 | A1 |
20140223791 | Ruby | Aug 2014 | A1 |
20150219413 | Karimullah | Aug 2015 | A1 |
20150219425 | Beckman | Aug 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20210063119 A1 | Mar 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62765593 | Aug 2018 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 16559502 | Sep 2019 | US |
Child | 17014013 | US |