Firearm upper receiver assembly with ammunition belt feeding capability

• US 6,634,274 B1
• Filed: 12/11/2000
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Geoffrey Andrew Herring
• Original Assignee: Geoffrey Andrew Herring
• Inventors: Herring, Geoffrey Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zerr, John W.
• Application Number:
  US09/734,279
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 42/18, 89/332, 89/332.5, 89/331.4, 89/331.6, 89/330.4, 891/910.1, 891/93
• US Class Current: 89/33.14
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 5/26 Arrangements or systems for bleeding the gas from the barrel F41A5/20 - F41A5/24 take precedence

Abstract

A firearm receiver system includes an upper receiver assembly capable of receiving magazine-fed ammunition and belt-fed ammunition. A lower receiver is attached to the upper receiver assembly. The lower receiver assembly is capable of having an ammunition magazine attached thereto for communicating ammunition from the ammunition magazine to the upper receiver assembly. An ammunition belt feeding assembly is attached to the upper receiver assemble for communicating ammunition from an ammunition belt to the upper receiver assembly.

Claims

1. A firearm receiver system, comprising:

an upper receiver assembly configured for receiving magazine-fed ammunition and belt-fed ammunition;

a lower receiver assembly attached to the upper receiver assembly, wherein the lower receiver assembly is configured for having an ammunition magazine attached thereto for supplying ammunition from the ammunition magazine to the upper receiver assembly; and

an ammunition belt feeding assembly mounted completely on the upper receiver assembly, wherein the ammunition belt feeding assembly is configured for supplying ammunition from an ammunition belt to the upper receiver assembly;

wherein the upper receiver assembly is detachable from the lower receiver assembly.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the lower receiver assembly is a registered receiver assembly including a lower receiver body and a trigger group mounted completely on the lower receiver body.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the upper receiver assembly is a non-OEM upper receiver assembly configured for receiving magazine-fed ammunition and belt-fed ammunition;

the lower receiver assembly is a substantially as-manufactured OEM lower receiver assembly configured for receiving magazine-fed ammunition exclusively and including a lower receiver body; and

the lower receiver body has a trigger group mounted completely on the substantially as-manufactured lower receiver body.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the OEM lower receiver assembly includes a lower receiver body and means for triggering a firearm mounted entirely on the lower receiver body; and

said means for triggering the firearm enables at least one of single shot, fully-automatic and semi-automatic firing operations.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the upper receiver assembly is a gas energized, piston-driven upper receiver assembly.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a piston tube assembly attached to the upper receiver assembly; and

a tappet assembly movably coupled to the piston tube assembly, a portion of the tappet assembly engaged with a bolt carrier of the upper receiver assembly.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the piston tube assembly includes a piston tube attached to the upper receiver assembly, an operating rod disposed in a bore of the piston tube, and a piston engaged with a first end of the operating rod.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the operating rod moves from a static position to a displaced position when a combustion gas is exposed to a face of the piston, the tappet assembly moving substantially in unison with the operating rod.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the tappet assembly includes a yoke movably mounted on the piston tube and a tappet rod attached to the yoke, the yoke being attached to the operating rod and the tappet rod being engaged with the bolt carrier.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the bolt carrier includes a bolt carrier lug disposed in a bolt carrier lug channel of an upper receiver body and wherein the tappet rod is engaged with the bolt carrier lug.

11. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

an adjustable pressure regulator coupled to the piston tube assembly.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the adjustable pressure regulator is mounted on a gas block of a barrel assembly.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the upper receiver assembly includes a charging member, a bolt carrier and a bolt mounted on the bolt carrier, the charging member being movable for enabling the bolt carrier to be moved from a closed position toward an open position.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the charging member includes a lug configured for engaging a bolt carrier lug of the bolt carrier of the upper receiver assembly.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the lower receiver assembly includes a bolt catch, the bolt catch being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the bolt catch is automatically moved from the unlocked position toward the locked position when the charging member is displaced such that the bolt carrier is moved to the open position.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the bolt catch is in contact with a contact surface of the charging member, the contact surface included a contoured portion, the bolt catch being moved from the unlocked position to the locked position when the bolt catch is in contact with the contoured portion of the charging member.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the bolt catch includes a spring-loaded contact pin, the spring-loaded contact pin being in contact with a contact surface of the charging member.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the upper receiver assembly includes a bolt carrier and a bolt, the bolt having a cam pin attached thereto extending through a cam slot in the bolt carrier, the bolt having a retaining arm attached thereto, the retaining arm being engaged with the cam pin for retaining the cam pin in a first region of the cam slot when the bolt is in an unlocked position, the retaining member being pivoted for allowing the cam pin to rotate to a second region of the cam slot when the bolt carrier reaches a closed position.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the upper receiver assembly includes a bolt carrier and a bolt, the bolt having a cam pin attached thereto extending through a cam slot in the bolt carrier into a bolt carrier lug channel of an upper receiver body, the cam pin is positioned in a first region of the cam slot when the bolt is in an unlocked position, the cam pin being rotated to a second region of the cam slot and into a corresponding relief in the upper receiver body when the bolt carrier reaches a closed position.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the ammunition belt feeding assembly includes an ammunition belt feeding mechanism coupled to a bolt carrier of the upper receiver assembly.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the ammunition belt feeding mechanism includes a two-stage cam-lever type ammunition belt feeding mechanism.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the ammunition belt feeding mechanism includes a sprocket-type ammunition belt feeding mechanism.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the ammunition belt feeding mechanism is mounted on a cover of the ammunition belt feeding assembly.

25. A belt feed receiver system, comprising:

an upper receiver body detachably attached to a mating lower receiver body having means for triggering a firearm mounted completely thereon and capable of receiving a cartridge magazine therein;

a bolt carrier movably mounted on the upper receiver body; and

an ammunition belt feeding assembly mounted completely on the upper receiver body for enabling ammunition from an ammunition belt to be supplied to the upper receiver body.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein:

the upper receiver body is mountable on a substantially unmodified and registered lower receiver assembly; and

the upper receiver body is an upper receiver body of a non-OEM upper receiver assembly.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a piston tube assembly attached to the upper receiver body; and

a tappet assembly movably mounted on the piston tube assembly, a tappet rod of the tappet assembly engaged with the bolt carrier.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the piston tube assembly includes a piston tube attached to the upper receiver body, an operating rod disposed in a bore of the piston tube, and a piston engaged with a first end of the operating rod.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the operating rod moves from a static position to a displaced position when a combustion gas is exposed to a face of the piston, the tappet assembly moving substantially in unison with the operating rod.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the tappet assembly includes a yoke movably mounted on the piston tube and a tappet rod attached to the yoke, the yoke being attached to the operating rod and the tappet rod is engaged with the bolt carrier.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the bolt carrier includes a bolt carrier lug disposed in a bolt carrier lug channel of the receiver body and wherein the tappet rod is engaged with the bolt carrier lug.

32. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

an adjustable pressure regulator coupled to the piston tube assembly.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the adjustable pressure regulator includes a plurality of orifices, each orifice configured for permitting a different degree of pressure to be exerted on the face of the piston.

34. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a bolt attached to the bolt carrier, the bolt having a cam pin attached thereto extending through a cam slot in the bolt carrier, the bolt having a retaining arm attached thereto, the retaining arm being engaged with the cam pin for retaining the cam pin in a first region of the cam slot when the bolt is in an unlocked position, the retaining member being pivoted for allowing the cam pin to rotate to a second region of the cam slot when the bolt carrier reaches a closed position.

35. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a bolt attached to the bolt carrier, the bolt having a cam pin attached thereto extending through a cam slot in the bolt carrier into a bolt carrier lug channel of the receiver body, the cam pin is positioned in a first region of the cam slot when the bolt carrier is in an open position, the cam pin being rotated to a second region of the cam slot and into a corresponding relief in the receiver body when the bolt carrier reaches a closed position.

36. The system of claim 25 wherein the ammunition belt feeding assembly includes an ammunition belt feeding mechanism coupled to the bolt carrier.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the ammunition belt feeding mechanism includes a two-stage cam-lever type ammunition belt feeding mechanism.

38. The system of claim 36 wherein the ammunition belt feeding mechanism includes a sprocket-type ammunition belt feeding mechanism.

39. The system of claim 36 wherein the ammunition belt feeding mechanism is mounted on a cover of the ammunition belt feeding assembly.

40. The system of claim 25 wherein the upper receiver body is a non-OEM upper receiver body configured for receiving said ammunition from the ammunition belt feeding assembly.

41. A firearm receiver system, comprising:

a non-OEM upper receiver assembly configured for receiving magazine-fed ammunition and belt-fed ammunition;

a mating OEM lower receiver assembly attached to the non-OEM upper receiver assembly, wherein the mating OEM lower receiver assembly is substantially as-manufactured and is OEM-configured for having an ammunition magazine attached thereto for enabling ammunition from the ammunition magazine to be supplied to the non-OEM upper receiver assembly; and

an ammunition belt feeding assembly mounted completely on the non-OEM upper receiver assembly, wherein the ammunition belt feeding assembly is configured for supplying ammunition from an ammunition belt to the non-OEM upper receiver assembly;

wherein the non-OEM upper receiver assembly is detachable from the mating OEM lower receiver assembly.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the mating OEM lower receiver assembly is a registered OEM lower receiver assembly including a lower receiver body and a trigger group mounted completely on the lower receiver body.

43. The system of claim 41 wherein:

the mating OEM lower receiver assembly includes a lower receiver body and means for triggering a firearm mounted entirely on the lower receiver body; and

said means for triggering the firearm enables at least one of single shot, fully-automatic and semi-automatic firing operations.