U.S. patent application number 15/283685 was filed with the patent office on 2018-04-05 for compact firearm spring arrangement.
The applicant listed for this patent is Steven Corso. Invention is credited to Steven Corso.
Application Number | 20180094886 15/283685 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61757101 |
Filed Date | 2018-04-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180094886 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Corso; Steven |
April 5, 2018 |
COMPACT FIREARM SPRING ARRANGEMENT
Abstract
A compact firearm spring arrangement within a firearm magazine
utilizes two or more springs connected in a linear arrangement by a
connecting cup that allows one spring to compress within the other,
thereby resulting in a free length spring system having a reduced
height when fully compressed. At least one of the springs is a wire
spring coiled in an oblong shape and one of the springs is a flat
spring for providing increased force density for operation of the
firearm. The reduced height of the spring arrangement when fully
compressed, and increased force density from the flat spring(s),
allows for additional bullet storage space within a magazine of
standard size or, alternatively, a more compact system within a
magazine that provides an equal amount of bullet storage space
while reducing the friction of operation of the firearm.
Inventors: |
Corso; Steven; (Jupiter,
FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Corso; Steven |
Jupiter |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
61757101 |
Appl. No.: |
15/283685 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A 9/70 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F41A 9/70 20060101
F41A009/70 |
Claims
1. A magazine for storing bullets for use by a firearm, said
magazine comprising: a tube defining an interior chamber of the
magazine, said tube having a bottom plate and an open top, and said
tube being sized and configured for storing at least one bullet in
position for use by the firearm; a follower for supporting said at
least one bullet in position to be loaded into the chamber of the
firearm, and said follower being sized and configured to move
within the interior chamber; a primary compression spring formed
from a coiled wire having a first end and a second end, the first
end being in communication with said follower, and said primary
compression spring being structured and disposed for compressing
when a bullet is inserted into said tube and expanding when a
bullet exits said tube; a flat spring defining a secondary
compression spring having a first end and a second end, the first
end being in communication with the bottom plate of said tube, said
flat spring having a smaller dimension than an inner dimension of
said primary compression spring so that said flat spring compresses
within a coiled configuration of said primary compression spring,
and said flat spring being structured and disposed for compressing
when a bullet is inserted into said tube and expanding when a
bullet exits said tube; a connecting cup having an interior
compartment surrounded by an outer rim extending from the base of
said connecting cup, and said connecting cup being structured and
disposed for securing the second end of said primary compression
spring against the outer rim of said connecting cup and the second
end of said flat spring in the interior compartment of said
connecting cup; and said flat spring being compressible within the
compartment of said connecting cup and said connecting cup being
compressible within the hollow interior channel formed by the
coiled wire of said primary compression spring.
2. The magazine for storing bullets for use by a firearm as recited
in claim 1 wherein said bottom plate is removable.
3. The magazine for storing bullets for use by a firearm as recited
in claim 2 further comprising a lock plate integrally attached to
said removable bottom plate, and said lock plate being provided for
secured attachment to the first end of said flat spring.
4. The magazine for storing bullets for use by a firearm as recited
in claim 1 wherein the outer rim of said connecting cup comprises a
plurality of flanged prongs extending from the base of said
connecting cup and surrounding the interior compartment of said
connecting cup, and said plurality of flanged prongs being
structured and disposed for bending inwards when engaging the
hollow interior channel of said primary compression spring until
the second end of said primary compression spring snaps into the
outer rim of said connecting cup.
5. The spring arrangement for use in the interior chamber of a
firearm magazine as recited in claim 4 wherein each of said
plurality of flanged prongs are formed of spring steel.
6. The magazine for storing bullets for use by a firearm as recited
in claim 1 wherein said primary compression spring and said flat
spring have unique spring rates.
7. The magazine for storing bullets for use by a firearm as recited
in claim 1 wherein said primary compression spring and said flat
spring have equal spring rates.
8. A spring arrangement for use in the interior chamber of a
firearm magazine, said spring arrangement comprising: a follower
for supporting at least one bullet in position to be loaded into
the chamber of the firearm, and said follower being sized and
configured to move within the interior chamber of the firearm
magazine; a primary compression spring formed from a coiled wire
having a first end and a second end, the first end being in
communication with said follower, and said primary compression
spring being structured and disposed for compressing when a bullet
is inserted into the firearm magazine and expanding when a bullet
exits the firearm magazine; a flat spring defining a secondary
compression spring formed from flat stock and having a first end
and a second end, the first end being in communication with the
bottom of the interior chamber of the firearm magazine, said flat
spring having a smaller dimension than an inner dimension of said
primary compression spring, and said flat spring being structured
and disposed for compressing when a bullet is inserted into the
firearm magazine and expanding when a bullet exits the firearm
magazine; a connecting cup for securing said primary compression
spring and the flat spring; and said flat spring being compressible
within the hollow interior channel formed by the coiled wire of
said primary compression spring.
9. A spring arrangement for use in the interior chamber of a
firearm magazine, said spring arrangement comprising: a follower
for supporting at least one bullet in position to be loaded into
the chamber of the firearm, and said follower being sized and
configured to move within the interior chamber of the firearm
magazine; a primary compression spring formed from a coiled wire
having a first end and a second end, the first end being in
communication with said follower, and said primary compression
spring being structured and disposed for compressing when a bullet
is inserted into the firearm magazine and expanding when a bullet
exits the firearm magazine; a flat spring having a first end and a
second end, the first end being in communication with the bottom of
the interior chamber of the firearm magazine, said flat spring
having a smaller dimension than an inner dimension of said primary
compression spring, and said flat spring being structured and
disposed for compressing when a bullet is inserted into the firearm
magazine and expanding when a bullet exits the firearm magazine;
and said flat spring being compressible within the hollow interior
channel formed by the coiled wire of said primary compression
spring.
10. The spring arrangement for use in the interior chamber of a
firearm magazine as recited in claim 9 wherein said primary
compression spring and said flat spring have unique spring
rates.
11. The spring arrangement for use in the interior chamber of a
firearm magazine as recited in claim 9 wherein said primary
compression spring and said flat spring have equal spring rates.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to a magazine for use in
automatic and semiautomatic firearms and, more particularly, to an
improved spring arrangement within a magazine that allows for
increased storage space of ammunition bullets.
Discussion of the Related Art
[0002] A standard magazine (i.e. ammunition storage and feeding
device attached to a repeating firearm) utilizes a single oval
spring to displace the stored bullets of ammunition after a firearm
action. Due to the length and force required for operation of the
firearm, a conical-style spring cannot be used in a magazine.
Therefore, the approximate height of a fully compressed oval spring
is typically equal to the spring wire diameter multiplied by the
number of winds in the spring.
[0003] Firearms, particularly pistols, are often miniaturized for
decreased visibility when being carried. Typical compact firearms
are designed to sacrifice bullet capacity in order to achieve
sufficient miniaturization. However, whether the firearm is
miniaturized or not, it is often desirable for the firearm magazine
to house as many bullets as possible, while maintaining as small a
size as possible.
[0004] Additionally, firearm magazines are often difficult to load
due to the increase in spring pressure as each bullet is loaded
into the magazine. High spring pressure when fully loaded can also
cause excessive friction as the slide on an automatic pistol
returns to battery after being fired, which can prevent the slide
from completely returning to its firing position.
[0005] In view of the shortcomings associated with existing firearm
magazines, there is a need for an improved magazine design that
utilizes a spring arrangement that allows for more bullet storage
within the same amount of space typically provided in a magazine
and which reduces the friction of operation of the firearm.
[0006] My prior U.S. Pat. No. 8,819,977 discloses and claims a
compact firearm spring arrangement that addresses the shortcomings
in the prior art. Specifically, the compact firearm spring
arrangement in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 8,819,977 utilizes a primary
spring and one or more secondary springs that are connected in a
linear arrangement by a connecting cup that allows each secondary
spring to compress within the primary spring, thereby resulting in
a free length spring system having a reduced height when fully
compressed. The primary spring and secondary springs are all of a
coiled wire configuration, and, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
8,819,977, are of an oblong-shape.
[0007] The present invention proposes to improve the compact
firearm spring arrangement disclosed my prior U.S. Pat. No.
8,819,977 by providing a flat spring in the spring arrangement that
allows for increased spring force density within the same volume of
space. More particularly, the improved compact firearm spring
arrangement of the present invention includes a combination of one
or more coiled wire springs and a smaller dimensioned flat spring
that compresses within the one or more coil wire springs. This
improved spring arrangement provides for increased spring force
density within the same size firearm magazine as compared to the
spring arrangement in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 8,819,977.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention is directed to an improved spring
arrangement within a firearm magazine which utilizes a combination
of a coiled wire compression spring and flat compression spring
connected in a linear arrangement by a connecting cup that allows
all of the springs to compress within the largest coiled wire
spring, thereby resulting in a free length spring system having a
reduced height when fully compressed while providing increased
spring force density for operation of the firearm. The reduced
height of the spring system when fully compressed allows for
additional bullet storage space within a magazine of standard size
or, alternatively, a more compact system that provides an equal
amount of bullet storage space while reducing the friction of
operation of the firearm. Additionally, the use of a flat spring in
the spring arrangement provides for increased spring force density
compared to the compact firearm spring arrangement in my prior U.S.
Pat. No. 8,819,977 which uses exclusively coiled wire springs for
both the primary compression spring and secondary compression
spring(s).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present
invention, reference should be made to the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a firearm magazine with the
compact firearm spring arrangement of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 1A is a magnified view taken from FIG. 1 and
illustrating a connecting cup between a primary compression
spring;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembled magazine, shown
in cross-section;
[0013] FIG. 2A is a magnified view taken from FIG. 2 of the
connecting cup and primary and secondary compression springs;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a loaded magazine, shown in
cross-section; FIG. 3A is a magnified view taken from FIG. 3 of the
connecting cup and primary and secondary compression springs;
[0015] FIG. 4 is an isolated perspective view of a preferred
embodiment of the connecting cup; and
[0016] FIG. 5 is an isolated perspective view of an alternative
embodiment of the connecting cup.
[0017] Like reference numerals refer to like referenced parts
throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Referring to the several views of the drawings, the compact
firearm spring arrangement of the present invention is shown and
generally indicated as 10.
[0019] A hollow, generally rectangular-shaped magazine tube 1
includes a follower 2, a primary compression spring 3, a secondary
compression spring 4, and a spring connecting cup 5. The bottom end
of the tube 1 is closed by an integrally connected or removable
bottom plate 7. The tube 1 defines an interior chamber sized for
storing bullets 8 for use by a firearm. Where the bottom plate 7 is
removable, as shown in FIGS. 1-3A, a lock plate 6 is used for
preventing the bottom plate 7 from inadvertently sliding off the
magazine tube 1. The tube 1, follower 2, and spring connecting cup
5 may each be formed of metal, plastic, or any other suitable
material. The primary compression spring 3 may be formed of
materials commonly known in the art, such as music wire. The
secondary compression spring 4 is a flat spring and can be
manufactured from flat metal (e.g., steel, aluminum) stock. The
flat spring design allows for increased force density in the same
distance (i.e., the distance the spring compresses from the fully
relaxed state to the fully compressed state) compared to a wire
spring.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A, the follower 2 is shaped
generally as an oblong piston that can move within the interior
chamber of the tube 1. The follower 2 serves to support a bullet 8
in position to be loaded into the chamber of a firearm. The
underside of the base of the follower 2 is hollowed out or, in the
alternative, may be flat. The primary spring 3 is wound in an
oblong-shaped coil and includes a first end located under the
follower 2. The opposite second end of the primary spring 3 is
seated in the outer rim 9 of spring connecting cup 5.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a preferred embodiment of the spring
connecting cup 5 is semi-tubular shaped with an outside dimension
slightly smaller than the inside of the primary spring 3 and an
inside dimension slightly larger than the width and length of the
flat spring segments between the bends in the secondary spring 4.
The depth of the connecting cup 5 is approximately equal to the
height of the primary spring 3 in the fully compressed state.
Therefore, when the firearm spring arrangement 10 is fully
compressed, the secondary compression spring 4 and the connecting
cup 5 are located within the hollow interior channel formed by the
oblong-shaped coiled wire configuration of the primary compression
spring 3.
[0022] The spring connecting cup 5 includes a flange partially
closing the top end and extending downwards to form the wall of the
connecting cup 5. The opposite bottom end of the spring connecting
cup 5 includes an outer rim 9 extending outwardly from the wall
which is sized to snuggly receive the wire of one end of the
primary spring 3. The connecting cup 5 receives the wire at the
first bend in the primary spring 3, while the second bend of the
wire is received on the opposite side of the connecting cup 5, and
the connecting cup 5 is sized and configured to enter the interior
channel of the primary spring 3 when the spring arrangement 10 is
compressed.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 5, an alternative embodiment of the
connecting cup 5 is shown, and includes flanged prongs 11 extending
from the base of the connecting cup 5. Longer or shorter flanged
prongs 11 may be used to position the connecting cup 5 within the
magazine tube as required. The flanged prongs 11 are preferably
made from spring steel, or other similar material, which will
permit the prongs 11 to bend inwards in order to engage the
interior channel of the primary spring 3. Importantly, the multiple
flanged prong embodiment of the connecting cup 5, as shown in FIG.
5, permits the use of slightly oversized or undersized springs in
combination with a particularly sized magazine tube 1, as the
prongs 11 can bend inwards in order to engage the interior channel
of a particularly sized spring and allow the primary spring 3 to
snap into the outer rim 9 for securing the spring 3 to the
connecting cup 5.
[0024] The secondary spring 4 is formed from flat stock and has
flat segments between alternating directional bends defining
opposite ends of the flat segments. The flat spring design of the
secondary spring 4 compresses down to a fully compressed
configuration that is of an overall dimension (i.e., length, width
and height) that is slightly smaller than the inside dimension of
the spring connecting cup 5. The secondary spring 4 is received
within the interior compartment of the connecting cup 5 through the
bottom end when the spring arrangement 10 is compressed, and
maintains contact with the closed end of the interior compartment
of the connecting cup 5 due to the spring force of the secondary
spring 4. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3A, the lower end of the
secondary compression spring 4 is in contact with the closed inside
end of the tube 1 or bottom plate 7. A lock plate 6 may be used to
secure the lower end of the secondary spring 4, wherein screws or
other securing mechanisms are used to secure the spring 4 to the
bottom plate 7, which prevents a removable lock plate 7 from being
inadvertently removed.
[0025] When the magazine is unloaded, the compression springs 3 and
4 are slightly compressed to provide adequate force on the first
bullet 8 to be loaded. There is a slight overlap between the bottom
end of the primary spring 3 and the top end of the secondary spring
4 as a result of the offset arrangement caused by the connecting
cup 5. In operation, with each bullet 8 that is loaded, both the
primary spring 3 and secondary spring 4 compress together until the
magazine is fully loaded. In its fully loaded state, the primary
spring 3 and secondary spring 4 may be completely compressed to
approximately the same height as the compressed height of just the
primary spring 3, with the secondary spring 4 residing within the
interior compartment of the connecting cup 5 and the connecting cup
5 residing within the hollow interior channel of the primary spring
3, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A.
[0026] A three compression spring configuration (not shown in the
drawings) allows for a more compact arrangement wherein a third
spring resides within the secondary spring 4 when fully compressed.
In a three spring configuration, the lower end of the secondary
spring 4 receives a secondary connecting cup 5 that is slightly
smaller in size than the inside of the secondary spring 4. The
third compression spring is received within the inside of the
secondary connecting cup 5 and is in contact with the closed
flanged ends in the bottom of the secondary connecting cup 5. The
lower end of the third compression spring is in contact with the
closed inside end of the tube 1 or bottom plate 7. In this three
compression spring configuration, the third compression spring is
of a flat spring design.
[0027] Using multiple spring arrangements, as described above,
permits a degree of flexibility in regards to the spring force
exerted on the bullets 8 by the primary spring 3 and secondary
spring 4 at certain combined lengths (variable according to the
number of bullets in the magazine), as each individual spring can
have a unique spring rate, thereby allowing the spring system to
accurately target specific spring rates at particular heights. The
limit on the number of possible springs used in the spring
arrangement 10 is dependent on the amount of space remaining as the
compression springs 3 and 4 and connecting cups 5 get smaller.
[0028] While the present invention has been shown and described in
accordance with several preferred and practical embodiments, it is
recognized that departures from the instant disclosure and fully
contemplated within the spirit and scope of the present invention
which is not to be limited except as defined in the following
claims as interpreted under the Doctrine of Equivalence.
* * * * *