Cartridge clip receiving and loading apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A cartridge clip receiving and loading apparatus, comprising:
- (a) an elongated reservoir including an upper holding chamber for receiving and holding therein a multiplicity of cartridges in bulk quantity and random orientations and a lower feed channel having an upstream portion disposed below and open to said upper holding chamber for receiving cartridges therefrom and arranging the cartridges side-by-side one another in a row and a downstream portion open to said upstream portion but not directly to said upper holding chamber for guiding sliding movement of the cartridges in the row thereof along said downstream portion toward a discharge opening of said lower feed channel defined at one end of said reservoir for discharging the cartridges one at a time from the row thereof from said lower feed channel; and
(b) a clip holder fixedly attached to said one end of said reservoir and having opposite open ends and an elongated interior slot extending between said opposite open ends such that said clip holder is adapted to have a cartridge clip inserted into said slot through one of said opposite open ends of said clip holder, being disposed remote from said reservoir, to position an open end of the cartridge clip at the other of said opposite open ends of said clip holder, being disposed adjacent to said reservoir, in alignment with said discharge opening of said lower feed channel of said reservoir for transferring and thus loading the cartridges one at a time into the cartridge clip from said lower feed channel, said clip holder also adapted to be gripped by a user for shaking said clip holder and reservoir in order to cause arranging of cartridges in the row thereof in said upstream portion of said lower feed channel and for raising said clip holder and reservoir to an inclined position in which said reservoir is disposed higher than said clip holder to cause sliding of cartridges in the row thereof along said downstream portion of said lower feed channel through said discharge opening thereof and into the open end of the cartridge clip disposed in said clip holder.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cartridge clip receiving and loading apparatus includes a reservoir and a clip holder fixedly attached to an end of the reservoir. The reservoir has an upper holding chamber and a lower feed channel therebelow for receiving cartridges therefrom and arranging them side-by-side one another in a row and guiding sliding movement of cartridges in the row thereof toward a discharge opening of the lower feed channel at the one end of the reservoir for loading the cartridges one at a time into a clip fully inserted into a slot of the clip holder. The clip holder can be gripped by a user for shaking the clip holder and reservoir in order to cause arranging of the cartridges in the row thereof in the lower feed channel and sliding of the cartridges through the discharge opening and into the clip fully inserted in the clip holder.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A cartridge clip receiving and loading apparatus, comprising:
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(a) an elongated reservoir including an upper holding chamber for receiving and holding therein a multiplicity of cartridges in bulk quantity and random orientations and a lower feed channel having an upstream portion disposed below and open to said upper holding chamber for receiving cartridges therefrom and arranging the cartridges side-by-side one another in a row and a downstream portion open to said upstream portion but not directly to said upper holding chamber for guiding sliding movement of the cartridges in the row thereof along said downstream portion toward a discharge opening of said lower feed channel defined at one end of said reservoir for discharging the cartridges one at a time from the row thereof from said lower feed channel; and
(b) a clip holder fixedly attached to said one end of said reservoir and having opposite open ends and an elongated interior slot extending between said opposite open ends such that said clip holder is adapted to have a cartridge clip inserted into said slot through one of said opposite open ends of said clip holder, being disposed remote from said reservoir, to position an open end of the cartridge clip at the other of said opposite open ends of said clip holder, being disposed adjacent to said reservoir, in alignment with said discharge opening of said lower feed channel of said reservoir for transferring and thus loading the cartridges one at a time into the cartridge clip from said lower feed channel, said clip holder also adapted to be gripped by a user for shaking said clip holder and reservoir in order to cause arranging of cartridges in the row thereof in said upstream portion of said lower feed channel and for raising said clip holder and reservoir to an inclined position in which said reservoir is disposed higher than said clip holder to cause sliding of cartridges in the row thereof along said downstream portion of said lower feed channel through said discharge opening thereof and into the open end of the cartridge clip disposed in said clip holder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for receiving and holding a cartridge clip and loading cartridges one at a time into the cartridge clip, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing an apparatus having a cartridge reservoir and a clip holder fixedly attached to an end of the cartridge reservoir, the cartridge reservoir having an upper holding chamber and a lower feed channel therebelow for receiving randomly oriented cartridges from the cartridge reservoir and arranging the cartridges side-by-side one another in a row and for guiding sliding movement of cartridges in the row thereof along the lower feed channel toward a discharge opening thereof at the one end of the cartridge reservoir for loading the cartridges one at a time into a clip inserted into a slot of the clip holder;
(b) filling the upper holding chamber of the reservoir of the apparatus with a bulk quantity of the cartridges in random orientations;
(c) shaking the apparatus to cause filling of at least a portion of the cartridges from the upper holding chamber into a row in the lower feed channel;
(d) raising the cartridge reservoir and clip holder of the apparatus to an inclined position in which the cartridge reservoir is disposed higher than the clip holder to cause sliding of the cartridges in the row thereof along the lower feed channel toward the discharge opening; and
(e) inserting a cartridge clip into the slot of the clip holder of the apparatus, with the apparatus held in the inclined position, to cause sliding of the cartridges from the discharge opening into the cartridge clip fully inserted in the clip holder. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification