Method and apparatus for orienting and loading rim-fire cartridges

• US 4,739,572 A
• Filed: 09/02/1986
• Issued: 04/26/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vista Outdoor Operations LLC (Vista Outdoor Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ram-Line, Inc.
• Inventors: Brandenburg, Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Application Number:
  US06/902,888
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 42/87, 42/88
• US Class Current: 42/87
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 9/83 Apparatus or tools for reloading magazines with unbelted ammunition, e.g. cartridge clips

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for orienting and loading a plurality of unoriented rim-fire cartridges into a magazine are provided. An orienter apparatus employs gravity to orient rim-fire cartridges by hanging a plurality of cartridges from a number of parallel rails. The orienter is repositioned to a second or vertical configuration so that gravity can be used to feed the columns of oriented cartridges through a chute. The orienter operatively engages with a loader which employs a camming mechanism to move cartridges one at a time into a magazine. The cartridges are placed in a first angular relationship with respect to the magazine opening and are moved through the opening while changing the angular relationship of the cartridge with the magazine opening.

Claims

1. An apparatus for orienting a plurality of unoriented cartridges each having a longitudinal axis and for loading oriented cartridges into a magazine having an open end, comprising:

first means for orienting the plurality of cartridges substantially by means of the force of gravity wherein the longitudinal axes of the oriented cartridges are substantially parallel with each other; and

second means for receiving said plurality of substantially parallel cartridges and loading said cartridges one at a time into the magazine using the force of gravity to move at least some of said cartridges toward the magazine, said second means including cartridge moving means for moving at least a first cartridge, said cartridge moving means moving in a first direction to move the first cartridge in said first direction towards the open end of the magazine and then moving in a second direction to move the first cartridge in said second direction into the open end of the magazine, wherein said cartridge moving means continuously contacts the first cartridge while moving in said first and second directions.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said first means is detachably engaged with said second means.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said second means includes receiving means for detachably engaging the magazine.

4. An apparatus for orienting a plurality of unoriented cartridges each having a longitudinal axis and for loading oriented cartridges into a magazine comprising:

first means for orienting the plurality of cartridges substantially by means of the force of gravity wherein the longitudinal axes of the oriented cartridges are substantially parallel with each other;

second means for receiving said plurality of substantially parallel cartridges and loading said cartridges into the magazine using the force of gravity to move at least some of said cartridges toward the magazine; and

wherein at least one of said first means and said second means is in a first, horizontal position when the cartridges are being oriented and said one is in a second, vertical position when the cartridges are being loaded in the magazine.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

said first means retains at least some of said cartridges in a substantially vertical stack when said one is in said second vertical position; and

said second means comprises means for moving at least one of said cartridges in said vertical stack of cartridges in a substantially horizontal direction into the magazine.

6. An apparatus for loading a plurality of cartridges into a magazine having an open end, comprising:

first means for retaining said plurality of cartridges in a substantially parallel relationship; and

second means for loading said cartridges into the magazine, said second means including cartridge moving means for moving a first cartridge, said cartridge moving means moving in a first direction to move the first cartridge in said first direction towards the open end of the magazine and then said cartridge moving means moving in a second direction to move the first cartridge into the open end of the magazine and wherein said cartridge moving means continuously contacts the first cartridge while moving in said first and second directions.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

said cartridge guide means comprises at least one slot for receiving a cartridge rim portion.

8. An apparatus for orienting a plurality of unoriented rim-fire cartridges each having a longitudinal axis, a body diameter and a rim diameter, comprising:

first means for positioning the plurality of cartridges wherein the longitudinal axes of the cartridges are substantially parallel with each other, said first means including means for supporting the cartridges by engaging rims of the cartridges and wherein each of the cartridges remains substantially stationary in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of each of the cartridges during the entire time of orienting the cartridges and beginning when the cartridges are initially received by said first means and while being positioned parallel relative with each other using said means for supporting the cartridge rims;

second means operatively connected to said first means for using the force of gravity to move at least one of said positioned cartridges in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof, said second means having an opening to permit removal of cartridges; and

latch means operatively associated with said second means for preventing movement of cartridges from the apparatus, said latch means being movable in substantially a straight line to permit movement of at least one cartridge from the apparatus wherein said one cartridge has a longitudinal axis and said longitudinal axis is substantially horizontal when said one cartridge moves out of the apparatus.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

said first means comprises means for using the force of gravity to position said plurality of cartridges.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

said first means comprises at least two substantially parallel rails spaced apart a first distance, said first distance being greater than said body diameter and said first distance being less than said rim diameter.

11. An apparatus for orienting a plurality of unoriented rim-fire cartridges each having a longitudinal axis, a body diameter and a rim diameter, comprising:

first means for positioning the plurality of cartridges wherein the longitudinal axes of the cartridges are substantially parallel with each other;

second means operatively connected to said first means for using the force of gravity to move at least one of said positioned cartridges in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof said second means having a opening to permit removal of cartridges;

first support means for maintaining at least a portion of said apparatus in a first substantially horizontal position while said cartridges are being positioned; and

second support means for maintaining said portion of said apparatus in a second substantially vertical position while said one cartridge is moved in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal axis.

12. An apparatus for orienting a plurality of unoriented rim-fire cartridges each having a longitudinal axis, comprising:

first means for positioning said cartridges to lie in a plurality of columns wherein the longitudinal axes of said cartridges are substantially parallel; and

second means for moving said plurality of cartridges from said plurality of columns through a chute having first and second side walls and an opening while maintaining said plurality of cartridges in substantially parallel relationship.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

said means for moving comprises;

gate means for providing communication between said chute and a first of said columns while preventing communication between said chute and at least a second of said columns while said gate means is in a first position.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

at least one of said side walls of said chute comprises a portion which moves outward from said chute when said gate means is moved from said first position to a second position.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

latch means for covering said opening of said chute when said latch means is in a first position, said latch means being retractable to a second position in which said opening of said chute is uncovered.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

means for detachably engaging said apparatus to a means for loading cartridges into a magazine.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein:

said means for loading cartridges comprises a latch engagement means, and further comprising;

latch means for covering said opening;

latch opening means responsive to said latch engagement means for uncovering said opening.

18. An apparatus for positioning rim-fire cartridges in a magazine, having an open end, comprising:

means for holding a first cartridge and a plurality of oriented subsequent cartridges in a column, each of said cartridges having a rim and said column having a longitudinal axis;

means for receiving said first rim-fire cartridge;

means for holding a cartridge magazine in a predetermined position relative to said receiving means; and

cartridge moving means for moving said first rim-fire cartridge in a first direction, said cartridge moving means moving in a first direction to move said first rim-fire cartridge in said first direction towards the open end of the magazine and then moving in a second direction to move said first rim-fire cartridge in said second direction into the open end of the magazine and wherein said cartridge moving means continuously contacts said first firm-fire cartridge while moving in said first and second directions.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein:

said first direction is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said column.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

means for engaging the magazine to hold the magazine in a predetermined spatial relationship with said cartridge receiving means.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 further comprising:

a slot for guiding said rim of said first cartridge during said movement in said first direction.

22. An apparatus for loading a rim-fire cartridge having a longitudinal axis into a magazine having an opened end, comprising:

first means for receiving a first cartridge having a rim;

second means for moving said first cartridge to position said cartridge with said longitudinal axis in a first angular relationship with respect to said opened end; and

third means for moving said cartridge in a first direction through said opened end while changing the angular relationship of said longitudinal axis to said opened end to an angular relationship different from said first angular relationship.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

a slot for guiding said rim of said first cartridge during said movement in said first direction.

24. The apparatus, as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

a cam and cam follower for controlling the motion of said cartridge receiving means.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 24, further comprising:

a second cam follower responsive to the movement of said first cam follower.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

means for engaging with a cartridge orienting means to provide a column of oriented cartridges adjacent said loader apparatus.

27. In a method for orienting and loading a plurality of randomly oriented rim-fire cartridges comprising:

providing an orienter having rails;

positioning said orienter such that said rails are substantially horizontal;

placing said plurality of unoriented cartridges adjacent to said rails wherein said cartridges move such that the longitudinal axes of said cartridges are substantially parallel; and

positioning said orienter such that said rails are substantially vertical.

28. A method for loading cartridges into a magazine comprising:

providing a first device for orienting cartridges substantially by the use of gravity;

placing a plurality of unoriented cartridges adjacent to said first device;

using said first device to orient said plurality of unoriented cartridges;

positioning said first device to move at least some of said plurality of cartridges to provide a substantially vertical column of substantially parallel cartridges;

positioning said first device in operative engagement with a loading device having cartridge moving means;

positioning the magazine in a predetermined spatial relationship with said loading device;

moving said cartridge moving means in a first direction to move at least a first cartridge in a first direction towards the open end of the magazine;

moving said cartridge moving means in a second direction to move the first cartridge in said second direction into the open end of the magazine; and

contacting continuously the first cartridge with said cartridge moving means while moving in said first and second directions.

29. A method of loading cartridges into a magazine having an opened end, comprising:

providing an apparatus having a movable cartridge receiving means and magazine receiving portion;

placing the magazine in said magazine receiving portion such that the opened end of the magazine is adjacent said movable cartridge receiving means; and

using said movable cartridge receiving means to move said plurality of cartridges one at a time through said opened end into the magazine, said step of using includes moving said movable cartridge receiving means in a first direction to move at least one of said plurality of cartridges in said first direction towards the opened end of the magazine and then moving said movable cartridge receiving means in a second direction to move the one cartridge in said second direction into the opened end of the magazine and wherein said movable cartridge receiving means continuously contacts the one cartridge while moving in said first and second directions.

30. A method for loading rim-fire cartridges into a magazine having an opened end comprising:

providing an apparatus having a movable cartridge holding means and a magazine receiving means;

positioning the magazine in said magazine receiving means such that said opened end is adjacent said movable cartridge moving means;

using said cartridge holding means to move the rim portion of a first of said cartridges through said opened end while the longitudinal axis of said cartridge is in a first angular relationship with said opened end; and

moving said cartridge through said opened end into the magazine while changing the angular relationship of said longitudinal axis with said opened end to a second angular relationship different from said first angular relationship.

31. An apparatus for positioning rim-fire cartridges in a magazine comprising:

means for holding a first cartridge and a plurality of oriented subsequent cartridges in a column, each of said cartridges having a rim and said column having a longitudinal axis;

means for receiving said first rim-fire cartridge;

means for holding a cartridge magazine in a predetermined position relative to said receiving means;

means for moving said first rim-fire cartridge in a first direction while preventing movement of said subsequent cartridges in said first direction; and

a cam and cam follower for controlling the motion of said cartridge receiving means.

32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, further comprising:

a second cam follower responsive to the movement of said first cam follower.

33. An apparatus for positioning rim-fire cartridges in a magazine comprising:

means for holding a first cartridge and a plurality of oriented subsequent cartridges in a column, each of said cartridges having a rim and said column having a longitudinal axis;

means for receiving said first rim-fire cartridge;

means for holding a cartridge magazine in a predetermined position relative to said receiving means;

means for moving said first rim-fire cartridge in a first direction while preventing movement of said subsequent cartridges in said first direction;

a cam and cam follower for controlling the motion of said cartridge receiving means; and

means for engaging with a cartridge orienting means to provide a column of oriented cartridges adjacent said loader apparatus.