U.S. patent application number 14/714183 was filed with the patent office on 2016-11-17 for ammunition monitoring ports for magazine wells.
The applicant listed for this patent is Seth Green. Invention is credited to Seth Green.
Application Number | 20160334177 14/714183 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57275985 |
Filed Date | 2016-11-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160334177 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Green; Seth |
November 17, 2016 |
Ammunition Monitoring Ports for Magazine Wells
Abstract
This invention relates to firearms having magazine wells for the
insertion of ammunition magazines and, in its most basic forms,
combines an appropriately sized and located magazine well
ammunition monitoring port or aperture with either an interfacing
port/aperture on the magazine to be inserted or a substantially
transparent magazine or magazine portion such that the final rounds
of ammunition in the magazine can be monitored. In its preferred
embodiments, a vertical slot with a transparent cover is used, with
the slot having markings to allow the user of the firearm to track
and/or determine the remaining "end" rounds in the magazine.
Inventors: |
Green; Seth; (Green Cove
Springs, FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Green; Seth |
Green Cove Springs |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57275985 |
Appl. No.: |
14/714183 |
Filed: |
May 15, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A 3/66 20130101; F41A
9/62 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F41A 9/01 20060101
F41A009/01; F41A 9/70 20060101 F41A009/70 |
Claims
1. A firearm magazine well system, comprising: a firearm magazine
well with at least one well aperture in a side thereof allowing
viewing and monitoring of end round ammunition in a magazine
inserted into said magazine well.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of: said magazine
has an interior viewing area through which its interior can be
viewed corresponding to said well aperture when the magazine is
operatively inserted into said well, and said well aperture has a
transparent covering.
3. The system. of claim 2, wherein said magazine viewing area
comprises at least one of an opening through said magazine, an
opening through said magazine covered with a transparent substance,
a transparent area of said magazine, and a transparent
magazine.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said well
aperture comprises a vertical slot, said magazine aperture
comprises a vertical slot, well apertures are placed on opposing
sides of said well, and magazine apertures are placed on opposing
sides of said magazine.
5. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said well
aperture comprises a vertical slot, said magazine aperture
comprises a vertical slot, welt apertures are placed on opposing
sides of said well, and magazine apertures are placed on opposing
sides of said magazine.
6. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of said well
aperture comprises a vertical slot, said magazine aperture
comprises a vertical slot well apertures are placed on opposing
sides of said well, and magazine apertures are placed on opposing
sides of said magazine.
7. The system of claim I, wherein markings to gauge the number of
remaining rounds in said magazine are provided on said well
aperture.
8. The system of claim 2, wherein markings to gauge the number of
remaining rounds in said magazine are provided on said well
aperture.
9. The system of claim 3, wherein markings to gauge the number of
remaining rounds in said magazine are provided on said well
aperture.
10. The system of claim 4, wherein markings to gauge the number of
remaining rounds in said magazine are provided on said well
aperture.
11. The system of claim 5, wherein markings to gauge the number of
remaining rounds in said magazine are provided on said well
aperture.
12. The system of claim 6, wherein markings to gauge the number of
remaining rounds in said magazine are provided on said well
aperture.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims an invention which was disclosed in
a provisional application filed May 15. 2014, Ser. No. 61/993,307.
entitled "Ammunition Monitoring Ports for Magazine Wells", The
benefit under 35 USC .sctn.119(e) of this United States provisional
application is hereby claimed, and the aforementioned application
is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable,
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates to ammo magazines and magazine
wells for firearms, and more particularly to magazines and magazine
wells for modern automatic and semi-automatic military and civilian
rifles. Specifically, the invention pertains to modifications to
the magazine and wells of such firearms, particularly the AR-15 and
its variants to allow viewing of the final or "end" rounds of
ammunition therein.
RELEVANT ART
[0005] The AR-15 rifle was designed in 1957 and its record of long
service is a testament to the genius of its engineers. It was a
revolutionary design and one that has lent itself to innovation and
modification since its inception. The modifications to the
individual components of original design are not limited to the
rifle itself. The box magazine that feeds the rifle has been
modified as well. Some modifications are intended to allow the
magazine to hold more rounds, while others have it being built from
various materials. Some materials reduce weight and some are
transparent to various degrees and allow the user to see the rounds
loaded in the magazine. With these types of magazines, the user
can, at a glance, see the remaining ammunition ("rounds")
available, While this "see-thru" design allows the user to see the
rounds that the magazine contains, its limitation become apparent
after it is inserted into the AR's magazine well. The solid sides
of the magazine well conceal a number of the available rounds in
the magazine, from the magazine's feed lips down approximately 2
inches; and it is in these final 2 inches that the most critical
rounds (the "end rounds") can often be found. Changing a suddenly
empty magazine, at a critical time, can often take seconds that
could be better spent in other ways and can result in disastrous
consequences for the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The benefit of the Mag-Port modification of the current
invention is that in a combat situation or shooting competition,
where how many rounds fired and remaining count the most, the
shooter can save time and ammunition by seeing his ammo. The
shooter can save time by cutting out a step in the magazine change
process; he can save ammo by not changing out a magazine with
rounds remaining because he is unsure of what the magazine holds.
Knowing how many rounds you have left can allow planning that could
save your life and that of your comrades or gain needed time in
competitive shooting. This proposed modification of the existing AR
design, which focuses on (1) the creation of an aperture, slot or
window in the magazine well (the "Mag-Port" mentioned above) and
its use (2) in conjunction with an interfacing aperture, slot or
window in the magazine itself or the use of transparent or
semi-transparent magazines, will allow the user to have the
knowledge that he now lacks. It will allow him to know, with a
glance, how many rounds remain in the weapon's magazine, giving him
the knowledge he needs to make critical decisions at critical
times.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The novel features believed to be characteristic of this
invention will be set forth with particularity in the claims to be
filed with the non-provisional application. The invention itself,
however, both as to its organization and method of operation,
together with further object and advantages thereof. may best be
understood by reference to the following description taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 provides a schematic side view of a prior art AR-15
well and standard unmodified magazine;
[0009] FIG. 2 provides a schematic side view of an initial
modification to the well and magazine in the form of a slot in the
well interfacing with a vertical or angled slot in the magazine to
allow viewing of end rounds otherwise hidden from view;
[0010] FIG. 3 provides schematic side view of different magazines
adapted for use in accordance with the teachings of the invention,
namely modified magazines having slots near the top to allow
viewing of magazines therein and a modern magazine formed from
transparent or semi-transparent materials;
[0011] FIG. 4 provides a schematic side view of a modification to
the well in the form of an L-shaped slot with transparent cover
interfacing with a modern semi-transparent magazine to allow
viewing of end rounds otherwise hidden from view;
[0012] FIG. 5 provides a schematic side view of a modification to
the well in the form of a vertical slot with transparent cover
interfacing with a modern semi-transparent magazine to allow
viewing of end rounds otherwise hidden from view;
[0013] FIG. 6 provides a schematic side view of a modification to
the well in the form of a somewhat inclined but generally
horizontal slot with transparent cover interfacing with a modem
semi transparent magazine to allow viewing of end rounds otherwise
hidden from view:
[0014] FIGS. 7A and 7B provide a schematic side view of a preferred
embodiment of my invention wherein markings allowing the user to
better gauge the number of remaining rounds in an inserted
magazine, which are marked adjacent the slot.
[0015] FIG. 7C provides a schematic perspective view of the
preferred embodiment of my invention illustrating the placement of
slots on both sides of the well.
DESCRIPTION
[0016] Turning now to the drawing figures, it will be seen that the
standard well 1 and magazine 2 of a prior art AR-15, which are both
solid and opaque, do not allow the user to be able to visually
monitor the number of rounds remaining and/or how close the user is
to being out of ammunition. An initial modification to correct this
problem in accordance with the teachings of the invention is shown
in FIG. 2, which provides a schematic side view of a well slot 3 in
the well 1 interfacing with a vertical or angled magazine slot 4,
at the top of the magazine 2 to allow viewing of end rounds 5
otherwise hidden from view.
[0017] FIG. 3 provides a schematic side view of three different
magazines adapted for use in accordance with the teachings of the
invention, namely: (a) a first modified magazine 2A having an
L-shaped magazine slot 4A near the top of the magazine; (b) a
second modified magazine 2B having a vertical magazine slot 4B near
the top of the magazine; and (c) a modern magazine 2C formed
totally or almost totally from transparent or semi-transparent
materials. All of these designs allow viewing of "end" rounds 5
therein via the well slots 3 of the invention. However, magazine
slots 4A, 4B having strong vertical components are preferred as
they allow for better tracking of the number of end rounds 5
remaining in the magazine.
[0018] FIGS. 4 through 6 demonstrate the manner in which different
shaped well slots 3A, 3B, 3C allow viewing of end rounds 5 when
used in conjunction with modem transparent or semi-transparent
magazines 2C. In this regard, FIG. 4 shows an L-shaped slot 3A with
transparent cover interfacing with a modern semi-transparent
magazine 2C, while FIG. 5 shows a vertical slot 3B with transparent
cover, and FIG. 6 features a somewhat inclined but generally
horizontal slot 3C with transparent cover. As with magazine slots
4A, 4B, well slots 3A, 3B have a strong vertical component and are
preferred for the reasons stated above, and as they better
correspond and interface with like magazine slots 4A, 4B. In all
cases, as is clear front the figures shown, the magazine slots 4A,
4B, 4C and well slots 3A, 3B, 3C, should--via their placement on
respective parts 2 and 1--overlap, register, correspond and/or
interface as completely as possible when the magazine 2 is inserted
into the well 1 as it is only the proper conjunction of these
components that allows viewing of rounds ("end" rounds 5) that
would otherwise be hidden from view.
[0019] FIGS. 7A through 7C provide further detail regarding the
preferred embodiment of the invention, including graphically marked
preferred dimensions of various component parts (given in inches).
These figures also illustrate the preferred placement of markings
6A, 6B adjacent marked well slots 3D showing the number of rounds
remaining in the magazine when remaining rounds reach the point
marked. (Such markings could also be placed directly on a cover for
slots 3D). As in most firearms there may also be a round in the
chamber--the markings pertain only to the magazine in the preferred
embodiments illustrated. Finally, as will be noted from FIG. 7C,
magazine slots 4 and well slots 3 can and probably should appear on
both sides of the well 1 and magazine 2, allowing for greater
convenience and usage by both right handed and left handed
users.
[0020] As previously mentioned, the benefit of the Mag-Port design
of the current invention is that in a combat situation or shooting
competition, where how many rounds fired can be critical, the
shooter can save time and ammunition by seeing his ammo and knowing
that he has reached his end rounds or round. More specifically,
When speed is essential, this allows the shooter to save time by
cutting out a step in the magazine change process. After the last
round is shot out of an M-16/AR-15 rifle the follower of the
magazine engages the bolt release. The bolt release holds the bolt
carrier to the rear. The shooter then inserts the new magazine into
the magazine well and releases the bolt by pressing the bolt
release on the side of the receiver; the bolt face then catches the
back of the top round of the magazine and pushes the round up the
feed ramps into the chamber. If a shooter, by using the current
invention, knows that his magazine is almost depleted he can then
change his magazine before the bolt is held to the rear by the
follower before the last round is fired.
[0021] In a combat situation or in a shooting competition where the
shooter is not paying attention to how many rounds he has fired and
there is a lull in shooting, if the shooter is in the middle of a
magazine, the shooter must (A) remove the magazine from the firearm
and try to see how many rounds he has or try to tell by weight of
the magazine or (B) change the magazine regardless, therefore
wasting ammo. The Mag-Port system, when used with the appropriate
magazine, allows the shooter to see how many rounds are left in his
magazine in a lull without removing the magazine from the firearm
and make reasoned judgments that may save his life and the lives of
those around him in combat, or make the difference between a win or
loss in competition
[0022] PARTS AND FEATURES ILLUSTRATED IN DRAWING FIGURES: [0023] 1
Rifle Magazine Well [0024] 2 Rifle Magazine [0025] 2A Magazine with
L-shaped Slot [0026] 2B Magazine with Vertical Slot [0027] 2C
Transparent or Semi-Transparent Magazine [0028] 3 Rifle Magazine
Well Slot/Window [0029] 3A L-shaped Rifle Magazine Well Slot/Window
[0030] 3B Vertical Rifle Magazine Well Slot/Window [0031] 3C
Horizontal Rifle Magazine Well Slot/Window [0032] 3D Gauged Rifle
Magazine Well Slot/Window with Round Markings [0033] 4 Rifle
Magazine Slot/Window of Invention [0034] 4A L-shaped Magazine Slot
[0035] 4B Vertical Magazine Slot [0036] 4C Horizontal or Slanted
Magazine Slot [0037] 4D Marked Slot [0038] 5 End Rounds of
Ammunition in Magazine [0039] 6A Upper Slot Marking (Showing 5
rounds remaining in Magazine) [0040] 6B Lower Slot Marking (Showing
10 rounds remaining in Magazine) Generally speaking, the Mag-Port
modification taught herein includes any apertures, openings, ports,
slots, shapes, or design cut through the magazine well of an
M-16/AR-15 lower receiver as well as any other firearms that
utilize the magazine well design of the M-16/AR-15 or any similarly
styled rifle. The slots, shapes, or designs, when used in
conjunction with the appropriate design or altered magazine are
purposed to allow the user to visually determine the rounds
remaining in a magazine inserted into the magazine well of the
firearm. The slots, shapes or designs can be any length, height,
width or angle on any location on the magazine well of the lower
receiver of an M-16/AR-15 style firearm and any other firearm that
uses a magazine well as exemplified by the magazine well of the
M-16/AR-15. However, it is critical to the functioning of the
invention that there be an interfacing opening, window or
transparent surface area in the magazine inserted into the well
that, in conjunction with the overlying opening, window or
transparency at the top of the well allows viewing of the end
rounds in the magazine.
[0041] In view of the foregoing, it should be clear that numerous
changes and variations can be made without exceeding the scope of
the inventive concept outlined. Accordingly, it is to be understood
that the embodiment(s) of the invention herein described is/are
merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the
invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated
embodiment(s) is not intended to limit the scope of the claims,
which will recite those features regarded as essential to the
invention.
* * * * *