Abstract:
A holder for ammunition and, in particular, to a flexible holder that conforms to curved surfaces especially useful for holding shotgun shells. The holder is a flexible band of separate ammunition shell or cartridge holders which enables the wearer to quickly and easily access the ammunition. The band may be attached to the wearer&#39;s arm, belt, or other conveniently accessed location. The band is molded in one piece in a sheet-like configuration and folded to form three-dimensional receptacles and belt loops.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority under 35 USC §119 to U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 62/150,723, filed Apr. 21, 2015. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a holder for ammunition and, in particular, to a flexible holder that conforms to curved surfaces especially useful for holding shotgun shells. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Shotgun shooting for hunting or sport involves numerous variables. In particular, there are many types of shotgun shells available in terms of shot material and weight for the same bore of shotgun. Shells for grouse hunting may not work for hunting quail, and vice-versa. Some holders on the market mount to the shotgun itself, but these are somewhat hard to access and add to the weight of the gun. 
     Thus, there is a need for a more ergonomic and convenient holder for different types of shotgun shells. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application pertains to a flexible band of separate ammunition shell or cartridge holders which enables the wearer to quickly and easily access the ammunition. The band may be attached to the wearer&#39;s arm, belt, or other conveniently accessed location. The band is molded in one piece in a sheet-like configuration and folded to form three-dimensional receptacles and belt loops. 
     A flexible holder band for ammunition shells or cartridges is disclosed that conforms to curved surfaces. The holder band comprises a flexible band of separate ammunition shell or cartridge holders which enables the wearer to quickly and easily access the ammunition, wherein the band is a molded polymer in one piece in a sheet-like configuration and folded to form three-dimensional receptacles and belt loops. Each holder preferably comprises one of the receptacles for partially retaining one end of the shell or cartridge and a magnet outside of the retainer for securing an opposite end. A notch may be formed adjacent the magnet for receiving and retaining therein a rim of the shell or cartridge. The holders are particularly useful for holding shotgun shells. 
     A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features and advantages of the present invention will become appreciated as the same become better understood with reference to the specification, claims, and appended drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a band of ammunition holders of the present application; 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of the band of ammunition holders of Figure with shotgun shells held therein, and  FIG. 2B  is a perspective view showing removal of two of the shells from their respective holders; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial sectional view of the band of ammunition holders of  FIG. 2A  taken through shotgun shells held therein; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the band of ammunition holders with sectional view showing the fit of shotgun shells in the holder; 
         FIGS. 5A-5E  are various orthogonal views of the band of ammunition holders of the present application shown assembled or folded; 
         FIGS. 6 and 6A-6C  are various orthogonal views of the band of ammunition holders of the present application shown disassembled or unfolded; 
         FIGS. 7 and 7A-7C  are various orthogonal and sectional views of one of the ammunition holders; 
         FIG. 8  is a partial sectional view of one of the holders taken through a shotgun shell held therein; and 
         FIGS. 9A-9D  are elevational and sectional views of a backing plate for the holders disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is directed to a holder for ammunition and, in particular, to a flexible holder that conforms to curved surfaces especially useful for holding shotgun shells. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an assembly in the form of a band  20  of ammunition holders  22  of the present application. The isometric view of the band  20  is shown without  3  shotgun shells in each of three separate holders. The band  20  preferably has flanges  23  on either lateral side with slots for receiving a strap or belt  24 , as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . The band  20  of ammunition holders  22  may be held in various places on a person, such as the waist or on the arm, or can be secured to a rifle or other such equipment with the strap or belt  24 . 
       FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of the band of ammunition holders of  FIG. 1  with shotgun shells held therein, and  FIG. 2B  is a perspective view showing removal of two of the shells from their respective holders. Shotgun shells normally include a cylindrical plastic case  25  containing shot and a powder charge and a metallic (typically brass) head  26 . The cylindrical case  25  fits snugly within the holder  22  and small magnets  30  (e.g., Neodymium) hold the head  26  of the shell casing with a normal force. 
     For the purpose of orientation, a vertical or longitudinal direction corresponds to the axis of the cylindrical shotgun shell and each receptacle  28 , while a horizontal or lateral direction is perpendicular thereto and extends across the series of holders  22 . A depth or normal direction is orthogonal to both longitudinal and lateral. 
     The magnets  30  are preferably held in small apertures just behind an upper portion of a concave shaped brace  32  for each shell, adjacent to the metallic head  26  of the shells. The shells fit into lower receptacles  28  and a small horizontal notch  34  at an upper end of the braces  32  receives and retains a rim of each metallic head  26  in conjunction with the holding power of the magnets  30 . The notch  34  provides a positive stop to the shells falling out of the holder  22  without someone pulling the top end with the metallic head  26  normally away from the magnet and out of the notch. 
     The concave curvature of the shaped braces  32  matches the shell diameters to secure the shells against vibration. The shaped braces  32  serve as structural stiffeners. 
       FIG. 3  is a partial sectional view of the band  20  of ammunition holders  22  of  FIG. 2A  taken through different types of shotgun shells held therein. In this view, the first 2 shells are 2¾ inch long so that they don&#39;t extend all the way into the corresponding receptacles  28 , and the 3 rd  shell is a 3½ inch magnum shell that reaches the bottom of the corresponding receptacle  28 , showing that the ammunition holder accommodates all shell sizes. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the band of ammunition holders showing the mating curvature of the shaped braces to the diameter of the shotgun shells. 
       FIGS. 5A-5E  are various orthogonal views of the band  20  of ammunition holders  22  of the present application shown assembled or folded. In  FIG. 5E , living hinges  36  enable modular shell holders to “flex” to match the curvature of the shooter&#39;s arm or other curved object. Three holders  22  are shown for each band  20 , though just one or more than three are of course contemplated. 
       FIGS. 6 and 6A-6C  are various orthogonal views of the band of ammunition holders of the present application shown disassembled or unfolded. Preferably, the band  20  of holders  22  is formed as a single injection molded part to minimize cost and incorporates 3 sections for each holder  22  into one: a shell backing section  40  having the braces  32 , a shell cup retainer section  42  defining the outer wall of the receptacles  28 , and a belt loop/clip section  44  defining belt loop opening clips  46 . Various laterally-oriented living hinges  48  allow flexing or folding of the sections  40 ,  42 ,  44  about lateral axes to facilitate assembly. 
     These three sections  40 ,  42 ,  44  are folded and assembled into the shape as seen in  FIGS. 5A-5E  using integrated snaps to provide a built-in assembly. For instance, positive snaps  50  on each belt loop/clip section  44  snap into small openings  52  formed in the central shell cup retainer section  42 , and positive snaps  54  on each shell backing section  40  snap into small openings  56  also formed in the central shell cup retainer section  42 . In this way, the assembled three-dimensional band  20  may be easily formed from an essentially planar or sheet-like configuration blank. Consequently, the blank is easily molded without resort to multi-part or movable molds. 
     Unfilled polypropylene is the preferred material to provide the necessary flexibility to enable live hinges  36  and  48  that flex without breaking and sufficient stiffness to retain structural integrity needed for the shell retaining features  28 , belt loop  23  and clips  46 . 
     The design includes large draft angles up to 5 degrees as required on the molded surfaces to enable the use of a coarse surface textures in the mold cavities. A coarse surface texture reduces glare that is important for camouflage purposes when hunting live game and aids in maintaining a grip on the part in cold and wet environments. 
     The belt loop opening clip  46  is design for up to 1.75× 3/16 inch tactical belt used in shooting competitions. An offset design creates structural ribs to stiffen belt clips. 
       FIGS. 7 and 7A-7C  are various orthogonal and sectional views of one of the ammunition holders  22  showing the cooperating parts in greater detail. 
       FIG. 8  is a partial sectional view of one of the holders taken through a shotgun shell held therein.  FIG. 8  shows a 45° lead-in angle  60  just before the notch  34  that provides sufficient retention to prevent shell from vibrating loose while enabling effortless removal of the shell by the user. Preferably a metallic washer  64  is used to provide low cost retention of an annular magnet  30 . A rivet  66  retains the washer  64  thus trapping the magnet  30  in a plastic counter bore. 
       FIGS. 9A-9D  are elevation and sectional views of a backing plate for the holders disclosed herein. 
     Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the combination and arrangement of parts can be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, as hereinafter claimed. 
     As used herein, “plurality” means two or more. As used herein, a “set” of items may include one or more of such items. As used herein, whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”, respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims. Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used herein, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.