GB2158045A - Cartridge dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

Cartridges C are accommodated in an elongate box-like container 10 into which they may be introduced by way of longitudinal slot 20, the inserted cartridges being turned to lie side-by-side transversely of the container 10 and in a stack of which the lower-most cartridge A is at the open outlet end of the container 10. This outlet end is obstructed by an angled ejector 48 pivoted by pins 50 between the sidewalls of the container 10 and normally disposed with its second limb 54 across the outlet and preventing egress of the lowermost cartridge A. When a cartridge is required, the ejector is swung in the direction of the arrow to the position shown in Figure 5 where the cartridge A enters the angle of the ejector which, upon release, will swing down under gravity and allow the cartridge A to fall into the user's hand. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cartridge dispenser This invention concerns a cartridge dispenser.

Huntsmen and persons occupied in the pursit of shooting, for example for sporting purposes, usually carry their cartirdges in one of three different ways. The carrying of the cartridges in a bag which has to be opened for retrieval of rounds of ammunition for loading into the user's gun, and thereafter has to be closed up again, is quite commonplace. This can be a nuisance and timeconsuming, involving unnecessary delay perhaps just when the user requires to reload quickly.

It is also known to pre-fit cartridges into a cartridge belt having a successon of adjacent loops each of which serves to receive and hold a respective cartridge which protrudes at each end of the loop to enable it to be retrieved. Such belts have the disadvantages that, in practical use, the user has to find the successive cartridges.ln other words, each time the user removes a cartridge he effectively changes the position from which the next cartridge is to be taken.Moreover, if the cartridges are not used up methodically and successively, the last few cartridges in the belt may be left in widely-spaced dispositions from which they can only be retrieved after time-wasting searching.

A further possibility is for the cartridges to be carried loose in the user's pocket. This is, of course, completely unsatisfactory, since they can bang against one another and become distorted, or even damaged, especially in the case of shotgun cartridges. The bodies thereof, usually of thick card, can become distorted so that the cartridges will not readily fit into the breech(es) of the barrel(s) of the shotgun. Moreover, loose cartridges take up random dispositions, so that care has to be exercised in taking the cartridges by hand out of the pocket for reloading purposes. This, too, can have the disadvantage of wasting time, perhaps at crucial moments when a second or two arising from,fumbling with cartridg(s) upon reloading can make it too late for a sportsman or hunter to make his shot.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge dispenser which will serve to house a plurality of cartridges in regular orientated disposition in a proper arrangement, side- by-side, in a row or stock such that the endmost cartridge or group of cartridges in the row or stack can be dispensed rapidly and reliably into the user's hand, and so that, if desired, the user can dispense a predetermined number of cartridges quickly into his hand for loading or reloading a firearm quickly and with the minimum of delay.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a cartridge dispenser comprising an elongate container shaped to accommodate a pluraliity of cartridges, which may be individual cartridges or may be assembled in groups, in side-by-side disposition extending transversely of the longitudinal direction of the container, one end of the container being an outlet in which is pivotally disposed an angled cartridge ejector a firt limb of which serves to enable the ejector to be swung between a closing position in which a second limb obstructs the outlet to prevent egress of the endmost cartridge or group of cartridges and a cartridge take-up position in which the endmost cartridge or group of cartridges can enter into the angle between the limbs of the ejector after which movement back to the closing position dispenses said endmost cartridge or group of cartridges and brings the second limb back to its position preventing egress of the nest endmost cartridge of group of cartridges.

The cartridge dispenser of the invention may simply be intended to be carried with the outlet lowermost, so that the cartridges will form a row or stack extending to the outlet under the influence of gravity, although this does not mean that arrangements in which the cartridges are resiliently loaded towards the outlet are to be excluded from the invention.

For convenience of manufacture, the container is preferably of box-like form, substantially rectangular in cross-section, and for ease of filling, and/or visual inspection of the contents, one side thereof preferably has a longitudinal opening therein. This opening may serve to permit cartridges to be introduced at a location spaced away from the outlet and may be in the form of a slot extending along the majority of the length of the container, preferably being so dimensioned that cartridges can each be introduced in a disposition extending parallel with the longitudinal direction of the container, whereafter they can be turned to extend transversely to the said longitudinal direction.

To ensure orderly retention of the cartridges within the dispenser, a movable abutment is advantageosuly provided for holding cartridges in position with the endmost cartridge or group of cartridges closely adjacent to the second limb of the ejector in the closing position. This abutment may conveniently be slidable along the slot in the container.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a first preferred embodiment of the cartridge dispenser of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view, to an enlarged scale, illustrating the dispenser of Fig. 1, but with its sling detached, and with fewer cartridges contained therein; Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional side elevation illustrating the lower part of thedispenser of Figures 1 2 and showing the manner in which the ejector thereof obstructs the endmost cartridge from egress from the outlet of the dispenser; Figure 4 is a view comparable with Figure 3 but illustrating the ejector having been moved to a takeup position as a first step in dispensing a cartridge from the dispenser;; Figure 5 is a view comparable with Figures 3 and 4 but showing the ejector having been moved from the take-up position as a second step in dispensing the cartridge; Figure 6 is a front view illustrating a second embodiment of the dispenser of the invention, which is adapted for dispensing rifle cartridges; Figure 7 is a sectional side elevation taken on the line 7- 7 of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a view comparable with Figure 6, but illustrating a third embodiment of the dispenser of the invention which is suitable for accommodating and dispensing cartridges in groups ready for immediate loading, for instance into the chambers of a revolver; and Figure 9 is a sectional side elevation taken on the line 9- 9 of Figure 1., Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings, a first preferred embodiment of the cartridge dispenser of the invention, particularly suitable for accommodating and dispensing shotgun cartridges, comprises an elongate container which is indicated generally by the reference numberal 10. It is of the box-like form, generally rectangular in configuration, comprising a base panel 12, with upstanding sidewalls 14, 16 along its two longitudinal edges, each said sidewall 14, 16 having a respective flange 18, 20, these two flanges 18, 20 being aligned and projecting towards one another so as to define between them a slot 22 the width of which is slightly greater than the maximum diameter of individual cartridges (indicated generally at 34) with which the dispenser is to be used.The height of the sidewalls 14, 16 is also slightly greater than the said maximum diameter, and the spacing between the sidewalls 14 and 16, transversely of the base panel 12 is just greater than the overall axial length of each cartridge 24.

It will readily be understood that the base panel 12, sidewalls 14, 16 and flanges 18, 20 can be made or any suitable material, such as plywood, metal or plastics material. In the latter instances, manufacture can be achieved, for example, by rolling or extrusion.

The lower end of the container 10, as viewed in the figures, is the outlet end thereof and the sidewalls 14, 16 terminate short of the extreme end of the base panel 12, with the flanges 18, 20 in turn terminating short of the ends of the sidewalls 14, 16. Provided across the slot 22 at the terminations of the flanges 18,20 is a stay 26.

At its other end the container 10 is closed off by an end wall (not visible) between the two sidewalls 14, 16, and this is superimposed by a crossstrengthener bar 28.

A stop 30 is provided between the two flanges 18, 20, being slotted on opposite sides to engage with the flanges 18, 20, and this stop 30 can be adjusted by sliding it slong the slot 22 as desired and will remain in its adjusted position by frictional engagement with the flanges 18, 20.

Two buckles 32, 34 are provided on the sidewall 16, on respective plates 36, 38, and these serve to enable a shoulder sling 40 to be connected to the container 10.At one end, the sling 40 engages with its buckle 32 by way of a clasp 42. At the other end, the sling has a plurality of spaced holes 44 and an S-clip 46 is engageable selectively therein and with the respective buckle 34 to enable the effective length of the sling 40 to be varried as may be required.

At the outlet end of the container, and angled or L-sectioned ejector, indicated generally by the numberal 48, is pivotally secured between those parts of the sidewalls 14, 16 which project past the stay 26, by means of a pivot pin 50, and this ejector 48 has a first longer limb 52 which will normally lie against the outlet end of the base panel 12 as shown in Figs. 1,2 and 3 and a second shorter limb 54 which serves as a closure for the outlet end of the container 10 in the position of Figures. 1 to 3.

The manner of the use of the dispenser will readily be understood from the foregoing description.

Initially, the stop 30 is moved as far away from the outlet end of the container 10 as amy be necessary, and cartridges 24 are filled into the container. Since the width of the slot 22 is greater than the diameters of the cartridge 24, the latter can be inserted whilst orientated with their longitudinal directions parallel with the longitudinal extend of the slot 22. After each cartridge 24 is inserted, it is turned through a right angle so as to extend transversely of the container 10 as shown. The first cartridge 24 is moved up to the outlet end to constitute the endmost cartridge, as indicated at A in the drawings, abutting against the second limb 54 of the ejector 48 which serves to obstruct the outlet end of the container and prevent egress of the said cartridge A. The subsequently-inserted cartridges are slid up into their successive positions as indicated at B, C, D and so on.

When sufficient cartridges 24 have been filled into the dispenser, the stop 30 is slid along to abut against the last one as can be seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. The dispenser can then be used for carrying the cartridges, e.g. when hunting or following other shooting pursuits, by hanging the device, by means of the sling 40, over the user's shoulder. This is preferably done so that the whole container slopes downwards in such a disposition that the outlet is disposed towards or near to the user's hand, being the right hand for a righthanded person and the left hand for a left-handed person, of course.

The device can be carried quite comfortably in this disposition, and does not interfere with the user's handling of his gun. When he requires to remove the cartridges 24 from the dispenser for loading his gun, the user swings the ejector 48 from its closing position, illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, to its cartridge take- up position which is shown in Fig. 4 and in which the endmost cartridges A enters into the angle between the two limbs 54, 52 of the ejector 48. Upon the ejector 48 now being swung back towards the closing position, as shown in Fig. 5, the endmost cartridge A rols down the first limb 52 and into the user's hand, whilst the second limb 54 obstructs the next endmost cartridge B from emerging. If the user requires two cartridges, he simply repeats the operation, so that the next cartridge B is dispensed into his hand.In each case, the cartridge is in a predetermined orientation ready for immediate loading into the user's gun which may be effected rapidly and reliably.

Thus, the dispenser provides, in a very simple and easily usable way means enabling the cartridges reliably to be taken one at a time, and avoids the disadvantages of the prior known practices.

Turning now to Figs. 6 and 7, these figures illustrate a somewhat more compact embodiment of the dispenser of the invention, suitable for holding and dispensing cartridges 60 suitable for use, for example, in a rifle. Again, the dispenser comprises a container 61 substantially rectangular in configuration having a rear panel 62 with upstanding sidewalls 63, each of which has a respective confronting flange 64 defining between them a longitudinal slot 65. At one end, the container is closed by end walls, 66; at its other end, which is the outlet end, the sidewalls 63 extend past the ends of the flanges 64 and in turn the rear panel 62 extends beyond the ends of the sidewalls 63.This configuration provides accommodation for L-sectioned ejector 67 which is pivotally held in position by pivot pin 68 extending between the sidewalls 63, in the same way as the ejector 48 in the embodiment described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 5.

The container 61 in this embodiment is conveniently made of sheet metal.

Accommodated within the container 61 so as to abut against the endwall 66 is a resilient presser, in the form of a zig-zag spring 69. The limb of the spring 69 remote from the endwall 66 is provided with a presser plate 70 which extends substantially parallel to the endwall 66.

A clip 71 rivetted or otherwise fixed to the rear plate of the container 61 permits the dispenser to be fixed in place on a user's person, for example by clipping it onto a waist belt or other suitable garment portion.

This dispenser, when filled with cartridges 60, can be used for dispensing the cartridges one at a time into the user's hand in exactly the same way as the embodiment described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 5, and this can be done with the dispenser clipped in place on the user's belt. For loading, the dispenser is arranged in an inverted disposition, with the outlet end and the ejector 67 uppermost. Then, the spring 69 is compressed by manipulation through the slot 65, whereupon the cartridges 60 can be loaded into the container one at a time by operation of the ejector 67 in a reversed sequence compared with that involved in the ejection of the cartridges.

The embodiment of the dispenser shown in Figs.

8 and 9 in very similar in its construction to that of Figs. 6 and 7, and similar reference numerals have been allocated to parts thereof which are similar to those already described. This embodiment differs from the Figs. 6 and 7 embodiment, however, in that it does not include a presser spring, and the overall depth of the container 61 is substantially greater to enable it to accommodate groups of cartridges 60, each group being six in number and assembled into a respective plastic holder 80 in a circular array so that they can be inserted simultaneously into the respective chambers of a revolver, for rapid loading thereof. Obviously, in this embodiment when the ejector 67 is actuated the dispenser will dispense one of the groups of the cartridges and will retain the rest in the container which, of course, is filled in the same way as the preceding embodiment.

The invention is not restricted to the precise details of the embodiments above described, and variations may be made thereto. Naturally in each case the container may be made of any suitable material such as metal or plastics and it may be covered or embellished as may be desired.The dimensions of the containers may be varied according to the particular size of the cartridges it is required to hold, and the number desired to be accommdated therein at any one time. The embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5 may, for instance, be provided with a clip to enable it to be hung upon a belt and likewise the embodiments of Figs. 6 and 7 and Figs. 8 and 9 may be fitted with or adapted to be fitted with a sling or shoulder strap. The spring pusher 66 of Figs. 6 and 7 and the abutment or stop 30 of Figs. 1 to 5 can be adopted or omitted in all embodiments of the invention as may be desired. Other modifications are possible within the following claims:

Claims (11)

1. A cartridge dispenser comprising an elongate container shaped to accommodate a plurality of cartridges, in side-by-side disposition extending transversely of the longitudinal direction of the container, one end of the container being an outlet in which is pivotally disposed an angled cartridge ejector a first limb of which serves to enable the ejector to be swung between a closing position in which a second limb obstructs the outlet to prevent egress of the endmost cartridge or group of cartridges and a take-up position in which the endmost cartridge or group of cartridges can enter into the angle between the limbs of the ejector after which movement back to the closing position dispenses said endmost cartridge or group of cartridges and brings the second limb back to its position preventing egress of the next endmost cartridge or group of cartridges.

2. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container is of box-like form, substantially rectangular in cross- section, with the outlet at one end thereof, the ejector being pivotally located between the sidewalls of the container at the said one end.

3. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in claim 2 wherein one side of the container has a longitudinal opening therein for permitting filling and/or visual inspection of the contents.

4. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in claim 3 wherein the opening is in the form of a slot extending along the majority of the length of the container.

5. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in claim 4 wherein the opening is so dimensioned that cartridges can be introduced in a disposition extending parallel with the longitudinal direction of the container, wherefrom they can be turned to extend transversely to the said longitudinal direction.

6. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a movable abutment is provided within the container for holding cartridges in position with the endmost cartridge or group cartridges closely adjacent to the second limit of the ejector in the closing position.

7. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in claims 4 and 6 or claims 5 and 6 wherein the abutment is slidable along the slot in the container.

8. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in claim 6 wherein the abutment is resiliently loaded to hold the cartridges in position.

9. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the container is provided with a shoulder sling for carrying purposes.

10. A cartridge dispenser as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 wherein the container is provided with a clip to enable a user to clip the dispenser to his person, e.g. to a waistbelt.

11. A cartridge dispenser substantially as herein-before described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, in Figs. 6 and 7 or in Figs.

8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.