Magazine holster

• US 5,174,482 A
• Filed: 03/20/1991
• Issued: 12/29/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Safariland LLC
• Original Assignee: Safariland LLC
• Inventors: Rogers, William H., Clifton, Norman E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Recla, Henry J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACYNA, J CASIMER
• Application Number:
  US07/672,678
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 224/239, 224/236, 224/240, 224/245, 224/196, 224/253, 224/242, 224/246, 224/236, 224/252, 224/231, 224/228, 224/224-226, 224/904, 224/911, 224/912, 224/914, 42/87-89, 221/185, 221/279, 221/198, 221/226, 221/56, 221/58, 221/59, 206/3, 264/257, 220/93, 150/127, 150/129, 150/130, 190/124, 190/125
• US Class Current: 224/239
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 39/02 Cartridge bags; Bandoleers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 224/914 Carrier for handcuffs, blackjack, club, or other equipment carried by policeman

Abstract

A holster for a magazine of an automatic pistol, the magazine being slid into a carrier box that slides longitudinally in the elongated rectangular pouch with a flexible flap cover having a snap fastener to attach the cover to the pouch; the carrier being biased by a coil spring urging the carrier upward to expose the magazine which is contacted by the cover to prevent the magazine from removal until it is handled by the wearer.

Claims

1. A holster for an automatic pistol magazine carrying a plurality of shells which comprises a long rectangular upright rigid hollow pouch having a closed bottom and an open upper end with a closeable top cover, a single magazine carrier having an open upper end and a closed lower end portion and which slides up and down within said hollow of said holster and into which slidingly and snugly fits an upper end portion of a single pistol magazine, and a coil spring means biased between an inside surface of said closed bottom of said pouch and said closed lower end portion of said magazine carrier to urge a downward end portion of a pistol magazine upward against said cover, said closed lower end portion having a bottom surface being positioned substantially in juxtaposition to said closed bottom of said pouch when a pistol magazine and said magazine carrier are fully holstered and said cover is closed, said magazine carrier extending outwardly of said pouch when said top cover is opened and being unremovable therefrom during normal use of said holster.

2. The holster of claim 1 wherein said lower end portion is pyramidally tapered to extend inside of said coil spring means to minimize the length of said pouch, said magazine carrier having a ledge above said bottom surface of said lower end portion forming a seat for said spring means.

3. The holster of claim 1 wherein said magazine carrier open upper end extends spacedly above said open upper end of said pouch when said cover is opened and said spring means has urged said magazine carrier upward to the full extent of its travel.

4. The holster of claim 1 wherein said pouch is made of a molded, abrasion-resistant plastic material and is inlaid with thin sheets of leather over substantially all of its outer surface except for the vertical and horizontal corners of said pouch.

5. The holster of claim 1 wherein said closeable top cover is a stiffly flexible leather-like flap fastened at one end thereof to said pouch adjacent said open end and the other end of the flap having thereon the female portion of a snap fastener for closing said top cover.

6. The holster of claim 5 wherein said flap is fashioned with a permanent bend in it so as to overhang said open end of said pouch when unfastened and to cause said female portion to function as a stop in preventing a magazine of an automatic pistol from moving too far out of said holster.

7. The holster of claim 6 wherein said pouch includes a male portion of said snap fastener to cooperate with said female portion on said flap cover.

8. The holster of claim 1 wherein said pouch includes two longitudinal grooves on opposite internal walls which cooperate with two outwardly projecting lands on outside walls of said carrier to guide the longitudinal sliding movement of said carrier in said pouch.

9. The holster of claim 8 wherein said grooves terminate adjacently below said open end, and said lands have lower ends that are tapered from their full heights to respective said outside walls of said carrier to permit insertion of said carrier into said rigid pouch.

10. The holster of claim 1 wherein said pouch includes a rearwardly disposed passageway for receiving a belt of a user.

11. The holster of claim 1 wherein said carrier additionally includes a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinal lands projecting inwardly from the opposing inside surfaces of said carrier, the dimensions between opposing lands being substantially identical to the corresponding outside dimensions of said magazine.

12. The holster of claim 1 which additionally includes a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinal lands projecting inwardly from one inside wall of said rigid pouch, the dimension from said lands to the opposite inside wall of said pouch being substantially the same as the corresponding outside dimension of said carrier.

13. A holster for a magazine carrying a plurality of shells of an automatic pistol and adapted to be attachable to a waist belt, said holster comprising an elongated rectangular box-like rigid upright pouch of four vertical walls, a closed bottom, and an open upper end with a stiffly flexible flap cover for closing said open end and attached at one end thereof to said pouch while the other end is free and has affixed thereto the female portion of a snap fastener cooperating with the corresponding male portion of said snap fastener affixed to said pouch adjacent said open end;

a single magazine carrier longitudinally slidable inside said pouch and having a closed lower end and an open upper end, and an inside cavity of such dimensions that it will snugly receive the forward portion of a single magazine of an automatic pistol; and

a coil spring positioned inside said pouch between said closed bottom of said pouch and a laterally extending ledge around the outside of said closed lower end of said carrier and being spaced upwardly from its lower end extremity, said spring being biased to push said carrier upward and partially outward of said open upper end of said pouch to expose above said open upper end of said magazine carrier a substantial length of a magazine of an automatic pistol when said flap cover is unfastened.

14. The holster of claim 13 wherein said pouch includes a plurality of longitudinal lands projecting inwardly and forming guides upon which said carrier slides longitudinally.

15. The holster of claim 13 wherein said carrier includes a plurality of spaced longitudinal lands projecting inwardly into said inside cavity and adapted to function as guides for directing the sliding of a magazine into and out of said carrier.

16. The holster of claim 13 wherein said flap cover is fashioned with a permanent bend therein to cause said flap when said snap fastener is open, to overhang said open end so as to form a stop means to prevent a magazine of an automatic pistol from becoming unintentionally separated from said carrier.

17. The holster of claim 13 wherein said pouch is a molded, abrasion-resistant plastic article with the outside surfaces of said walls covered with thin sheets of leather-like material except for the rounded corners at the intersection of said vertical walls.

18. A holster for an automatic pistol magazine carrying a plurality of shells which comprises a long rectangular upright rigid hollow pouch having a bottom end and an open upper end with a closeable top cover, a magazine carrier having an outer side wall surface and a reduced lower end portion in which a magazine is adapted to be received and extending inwardly from said outer wall surface, said carrier being positioned to slide up and down inside said holster and into which slidingly and snugly fits a downward portion of a single automatic pistol magazine, spring means biased between said bottom of said pouch and extending upwardly to engage said magazine carrier to urge said magazine carrier and an automatic pistol magazine carried therein upward against said cover, said spring means engaging said carrier outwardly of said reduced lower end outer surface portion spacedly upwardly from a lower planar surface of said reduced lower end outer surface portion, said lower planar surface being substantially juxtaposed with said bottom end of said pouch when said spring means is fully compressed, and said reduced lower end portion being located within said fully compressed spring means, and means attached to said pouch for attaching said holster to a belt of a user.

19. The holster of claim 18 wherein said closeable top cover is a stiffly flexible leather-like flap removably fastened at one end thereof to said pouch adjacent said open end and another end of said flap having a quick-release fastener for closing said cover over said open end of said pouch, said flap being replaceable to accommodate for longer or shorter automatic pistol magazines.

20. The holster of claim 18 wherein said pouch is made of a molded, abrasion-resistant plastic material, said pouch having a front and side vertical walls with rectangular cavities formed therein, a plurality of thin panels of leather-like material filling said cavities and being flush with outer surfaces of said plastic material of said pouch.