Patent ID: 6443044
Filing Date: 2002-09-03
Classification: F41A

Abstract:
A feeder and delinker in combination with a gatling gun, the gatling gun comprising a plurality of gun barrels rotatably mounted in a ring, the feeder and delinker comprising:a housing, a drive gear rotationally coupled to the plurality of gun barrels rotatably mounted in the ring, the drive gear extending through the housing; a push rod guide and a plurality of push rods corresponding to and oriented parallel to the plurality of gun barrels rotatably mounted in the ring, the plurality of push rods being slidably received within a corresponding plurality of longitudinal grooves within the push rod guide, the push rod guide being rotationally coupled to the drive gear, a shaft extending through the push rod guide, the shaft being rotationally coupled to the push rod guide, the push rod guide, the plurality of push rods and the shaft being mounted within the housing; means for sliding each of the plurality of push rods forwardly and backwardly, the sliding means being rotationally coupled to the drive gear; a drive subassembly defining a plurality of channels corresponding to and aligned with the plurality of push rods, each of the plurality of channels adapted to receive a cartridge; the drive subassembly being mounted forwardly of the push rod guide; a stripper subassembly defining a plurality of stripper channels corresponding to and aligned with the plurality of push rods, each of the plurality of stripper channels adapted to receive and prevent longitudinal movement of a cartridge link, the stripper subassembly being mounted forwardly of the drive subassembly on the shaft and rotationally coupled with the shaft; an exhaust port for expelling links therefrom; whereby a linked cartridge positioned in one of the drive subassembly channels and the corresponding stripper subassembly channel is urged longitudinally forwardly by the corresponding push rod, the push rod being moved longitudinally by the sliding means, the stripper subassembly retaining the cartridge link thereby stripping the cartridge from the link, the link being expelled from the exhaust port; a feeder sprocket adapted to receive cartridges from the stripper subassembly after the cartridges have been stripped of cartridge links; an end plate adapted to guide cartridges in the feeder sprocket from the stripper subassembly to the gatling gun; a pair of the hatch doors mounted on the housing, the pair of hatch doors being positioned proximate to the drive subassembly and the stripper subassembly, the pair of doors adapted to allow access to the interior of the housing, the pair of hatch doors being separably closable, whereby the pair of hatch doors permits loading of linked cartridges and clearing of jams when open, and, when one of the pair of hatch doors is closed, the closed one of the pair of hatch doors temporarily securing the linked cartridges in the drive and stripper subassemblies until the second door is closed.