Magazine aligner for pistol magazine loaders

• US 7,503,138 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2006
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maglula, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Guy Tal, Ran Tal
• Inventors: Tal, Ran, Tal, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): HAYES, BRET C
• Application Number:
  US11/598,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20070107291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 42/18, 42/22, 42/490.2, 42/50, 42/87, 42/98, 421/06, 891/97, 89/331
• 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 magazine aligner is positioned inside a pistol magazine loader for centering the open side of magazines of different widths and depths when mounted into the loader to be in line with a round-inserting plunger of the loader. The aligner comprises an inverted “V”-shaped element adapted to accept the open side of magazines from below and includes a spring for keeping tension on the magazine.

Claims

1. A mechanism for facilitating the aligning of an open side of a firearm magazine inserted into a magazine loader with respect to a projecting member or plunger of said loader which is arranged to force a topmost round in said magazine further inside said magazine so that a new round can be inserted into said magazine, comprising:

an inverted V-shaped member having two inclined-apart spaced legs or wings coupled together, the upper parts of the wings being closer than their bottom ends when said inverted V-shaped member is seen in its inverted V-shaped configuration,

a coupler for attaching said inverted V-shaped member to said magazine loader,

a spring member coupled to said inverted V-shaped member and to said loader and arranged to urge said inverted V-shaped member onto said open side of said magazine when said inverted V-shaped member is attached to said loader and a magazine is inserted into said loader,

whereby when said inverted V-shaped member is attached to said loader and said loader is placed and forced over said open side of said magazine, said open side of said magazine will be aligned by said inverted V-shaped member with respect to said plunger of said loader so that said plunger will be able to force a topmost round in said magazine further inside said magazine.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said legs or wings of said inverted V-shaped member have smooth and symmetrical sloping inner faces.

3. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said legs or wings taper so that their bottoms are narrower than their tops when said inverted V-shaped member is seen in its inverted V-shaped configuration.

4. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said coupler comprises a hinge for operatively coupling said inverted V-shaped member to said loader.

5. The mechanism of claim 4 wherein said hinge includes a pair of holes in said inverted V-shaped member arranged to align with a pair of mating holes in said loader and a pin extending through said holes in said inverted V-shaped member and through said mating holes in said loader, said pin extending through said spring member.

6. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said spring member is a torsion spring having a first arm contacting said inverted V-shaped member and a second arm arranged to contact a body of said loader when said inverted V-shaped member is coupled to said loader.

7. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said legs or wings are coupled together at their top.

8. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said legs or wings are coupled together at their rear.

9. For a firearm magazine loader arranged to receive a firearm magazine and having a projecting member or plunger which is arranged to force a topmost round in said magazine further inside said magazine so that a new round can be inserted into said magazine, an aligner arranged to center an open top of said magazine with respect to said plunger of said magazine loader, comprising:

an alignment member having a top and an open bottom and a pair of walls that slope inwardly from said bottom to said top so as to provide an inverted V-shape,

said walls of said alignment member having smooth and symmetrical inwardly inclined faces adapted to receive and guide said open top of said magazine,

said alignment member having means for attaching said member to said loader,

said alignment member having means for urging said alignment member onto said magazine when said member is attached to said loader and said magazine is inserted into said loader,

whereby when said alignment member is attached to said loader, said alignment member will be able to align said open top of said magazine inserted into said loader with said projecting member or plunger regardless of the size of said magazine within a range of sizes.

10. The aligner of claim 9 wherein said means for urging comprises a spring.

11. The aligner of claim 10 wherein said spring is a torsion spring which has a first arm contacting said alignment member and a second arranged to contact a body of said loader when said alignment member is coupled to said loader.

12. The aligner of claim 9 wherein said means for attaching is a hinge.

13. The aligner of claim 12 wherein said hinge includes a pair of holes in said alignment member arranged to align with a pair of mating holes in said loader and a pin extending through said holes in said alignment member and said mating holes in said loader, said pin extending through said spring member.

14. The aligner of claim 9 wherein said pair of smooth and symmetrical inwardly inclined faces are coupled together at their top.

15. The aligner of claim 9 wherein said pair of smooth and symmetrical inwardly inclined faces are coupled together at their rear.

16. A method of centering or aligning a firearm magazine in a firearm magazine loader for enabling said loader to more reliably facilitate the loading of rounds into said firearm magazine, comprising:

providing a firearm magazine comprising a hollow body with an open top end, said firearm magazine being arranged to hold a stack of rounds therein,

providing a firearm magazine loader having a projecting member or plunger at a top thereof and an open end for receiving said magazine,

said firearm magazine being insertable into said open end of said firearm magazine loader,

providing an aligner within said firearm magazine loader for causing said firearm magazine to be forced to a centered position in said firearm magazine loader when said firearm magazine is inserted through said open end of said firearm magazine loader,

said plunger being arranged to press down a top round in said magazine when said magazine is inserted through said open end of said firearm magazine loader and said magazine loader is operated,

whereby said aligner will center or align said magazine with said plunger so that said plunger will be directly in line with said top round in said firearm magazine when said firearm magazine is inserted into said open end of said loader, regardless of the size of said magazine within a range of sizes.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said aligner comprises an inverted V-shaped member having two inclined and spaced legs or wings, the upper inner parts of said legs or wings being closer than their inner bottom ends when said inverted V-shaped member is seen in its inverted V-shaped configuration.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said aligner further comprises a spring member coupled between said inverted V-shaped member and said firearm magazine loader and arranged to urge said inverted V-shaped member onto said open top end of said firearm magazine.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said aligner comprises at least a pair of smooth flat leafy spring members or wings that can be attached on opposite sides of an internal body part of said firearm magazine loader so that said wings extends inwardly within said loader for forcing said firearm magazine, when placed in said loader, to align and be centered with respect to said plunger of said firearm magazine loader.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein said aligner is constructed to move linearly up and down without a hinge.