Abstract:
Integral extensions to aid in the extraction of ammunition magazines from ammunition pouches are provided by permanently attaching a handle to existing or modified floor plates. In one embodiment, a substitute floor plate is molded with a handle projecting from its outer face. In a second embodiment, a handle with a grip and a terminal end is provided with an attachment structure on the terminal end. Floor plates are then either modified by cutting anchoring holes to allow for the attachment of such handles without hindering use in an ammunition magazine or molded with said anchoring holes.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 09/504,646, filed on Feb. 14, 2000, now U.S. Pat. 6,481,136. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the fashioning of extensions on ammunition magazines and more particularly to loop handle extensions that are positioned on the floor end of ammunition magazines by either replacing the floor plate, modifying the floor plate or extending the side magazine walls in order to aid with both the extraction of said ammunition magazine from ammunition pouches and the insertion into a weapon. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The use of loops to aid in the removal of ammunition magazines from a storage compartment is known in the prior art. Likewise, the use of handle attachments or tabs or other extensions to carry ammunition magazines and other objects is also known. These attachments and modifications, while suitable for their individual purposes, are not as suitable for the purpose of this invention, namely providing an extension that is of one piece with an ammunition magazine or with the floor plate of said magazine for the purpose of extraction of said magazine from ammunition pouches worn on the user. For example, the current practice of forming duct tape tabs and cord loops on ammunition magazines; U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,815 to Fitzpatrick; U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,065 to Pearce; U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,962 to Musgrave; U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,991 to Stadelmann; U.S. Pat. No., 2,205,967 to Wise; U.S. Pat. No. 1,797,951 to Gaidos; U.S. Pat. No. 1,245,499 to Orme And U.S. Pat. No. D-33,384 to Thorn are all illustrative of the prior art. 
     Currently, in the field, soldiers use either loops of parachute cord attached to ammunition magazines by duct tape or they form tabs by folding duct tape over the butt end of their ammunition magazines. The loops and tabs aid soldiers in the extraction of said magazines from ammunition pouches carried on the user. However, the duct tape tends to wear and often needs replaced. The duct tape also leaves a sticky residue when removed and provides no other benefit other than the increased friction or fastening a pull loop to the ammunition magazine. Soldiers have also extracted the inside portion of a length of parachute cord, leaving the casing, tied said casing together and positioned the formed loop so that it encircles the floor plate of an ammunition magazine before they replaced said floor plate, with the loop, in the magazine. Thus they have formed a loop, extending from the bottom of the magazine. Unlike the “para-cord loops” the handle according to this invention does not move relative to the magazine, allowing for the entire range of benefits of use of the handles with a lower cost than other handle embodiments. 
     While the aforementioned inventions and modifications accomplish their individual objectives, they do not describe an integral extension that is used primarily for the extraction of ammunition magazines from ammunition pouches, as evidenced by the duct tape modifications used in the field. Handle and loop attachments used in the prior art are mainly used for affixing an ammunition magazine to other objects, such as clothing or vehicles. In one of the two cases where handle attachments are used for extraction, the handle is a simple metal wire forming a loop and is not adapted for use in the various positions a user may wear an ammunition pouch. There are also disadvantages with the duct tape modifications, particularly regarding removal and in the amount of slack in a loop of parachute cord. While the Pearce &#39;065 patent discloses replacement of the floor plate, the enhancer is designed for improving the grip a user has on his gun, not the ammunition magazine, and does not disclose any type of handle extension. The Fitzpatrick &#39;815 patent discloses a handle that is attached to an external sleeve, not an integral handle. In this respect, the extensions according to the present invention depart substantially from the usual designs in the prior art. In doing so, this invention provides integral extensions that are primarily designed for the purpose of aiding the extraction of ammunition magazines from pouches worn on the user. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of attachments and grip extensions, this invention provides extensions for use on the base of ammunition magazines. As such, the present invention&#39;s general purpose is to provide a new and improved integral extensions that will aid in the extraction of ammunition magazines from pouches worn on the user. 
     To attain this purpose, the invention has three individual embodiments. The first embodiment essentially comprises a replacement floor plate, typically molded of a hard plastic or metal, with a tab or loop extending from the replacement floor plate, typically molded from a more resilient plastic or thermoplastic compound. The product would be manufactured by using a bifurcated molding process where the floor plate portion would be molded first and the extension would be molded onto the floor plate in a second molding step. Alternatively, the floor plate may be molded or fashioned with at least one anchoring hole and the handle then either injection molded onto the floor plate or pre-molded with at least one anchoring means and mechanically coupled to the floor plate. The second embodiment would require retrofitting all existing floor plates with at least one anchoring hole along the center of their elongated sides or boring a plurality of holes through a floor plate and either injection molding or mechanically coupling a handle onto the floor plate. In the third embodiment, a plastic magazine would be molded with a resilient loop or tab on its base end or a handle may be attached to the base end by mechanical, ultrasonic welding, or adhesive means. This application will focus primarily on replacement floor plates with loop-type handles extending therefrom. A loop-type handle would be a handle that when attached to the floor plate would be circuitous, i.e. together they form a short cylindrical shape. This would be distinguished from a tab-type handle, which merely extends outwardly from the floor plate. 
     These designs have numerous advantages over the prior art. First, the extensions are integral with the magazine and have a lower incidence of grip failure. Second, the instant embodiment is easily replaceable if and when necessary. Third, the standard means of ejection causes the butt end of the magazine to impact the ground. The molded handle portion acts as a shock absorber for the magazine when it is ejected from the rifle and reduces impact damage to the magazine. Fourth, the extensions abut against the lid of the pouch. This abutment effectively anchors the magazine against the pouch lid and reduces noise caused by the rattling of magazines against pouch when the user is moving. Also, different shapes and sizes of handles may be used to obtain maximum benefit for users with specialized uses (e.g. shorter, non-looped handles for those using the invention in heavy brush situations, used of gloves, location of pouch/holder on user, etc.). 
     The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow. 
     The primary object of the present invention is to provide integral extensions for use on ammunition magazines to aid in their extraction from ammunition pouches. 
     Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views. 
     Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a standard M-16 magazine. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the magazine in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the magazine of  FIG. 1  with the invention installed. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a magazine with a sliding type floor plate with the invention installed. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view, as seen from the bottom, of the invention as a standard replacement floor plate with a loop design. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view, as seen from the bottom, of the invention as a retrofitted floor plate with a loop design. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view, as seen from the bottom, of the invention as a sliding replacement floor plate with a loop design. 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the invention as seen in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the invention as seen in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the invention as seen in  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the new and improved integral extensions for ammunition magazines embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention will be described. Specifically, it will be noted in the figures, especially  FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  7 , that the invention relates to the addition of extensions to the floor plate of ammunition magazines. Before the invention can be explained, a brief description of the structure of an ammunition magazine, shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , is necessary. The generic magazine  2  is a relatively simple structure. The outer casing  4  is suitably sized and shaped to receive ammunition. The casing  4  has a feed end  6  and a floor, or butt, end  8 . The feed end  6  is designed to engage the weapon. Inside the casing, a follower plate  10  is in contact with the follower spring  12 , which is in turn, in contact with the floor plate  14 . Floor plate  14  is designed to associate with the outer casing  4  of the magazine  2  at its floor end  6  and its individual design will vary with the type of magazine.  FIGS. 1 and 2  depict a standard magazine utilizing a tab structure  20  to hold floor plate  14  in place.  FIG. 4  depicts a sliding floor plate design. In either design, floor plate  14  is designed to interface with the magazine  2  and substitute floor plates must be similarly designed. When ammunition is loaded into the feed end  6 , the follower plate  10  compresses the follower spring  12  against the floor plate  14 . This compression is relaxed when a round of ammunition is loaded into the weapon&#39;s firing chamber and the spring  12  therefore raises the follower plate  10 , and associated ammunition relative to the magazine  2  and weapon. The raising readies the next round of ammunition for loading into the weapon&#39;s firing chamber after the first round is used and expelled. 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , is a substitute floor plate  32 ,  42  positioned on the floor end of an ammunition magazine. The floor plate  32 ,  42  is ideally molded from a rigid plastic or metal, with a handle  34 ,  44  protruding from said substitute floor plate  32 ,  42 . The handle  34 ,  44  can be molded onto the substitute floor plate  32 ,  42  by using a bifurcated molding process where the floor plate  32 ,  42  is molded from a rigid plastic and the handle  34 ,  44  is ideally molded from a softer, more resilient material, such as thermoplastic, and attached to the substitute floor plate  32 ,  42 . The two staged molding process may include either molding the handle  34 ,  44  directly onto the floor plate  32 ,  42 , so that the handle  34 ,  44  and floor plate  32 ,  42  are of one piece, or molding the floor plate  32 ,  42  with a plurality of holes and then the handle  34 ,  44  may be injection molded, onto the floor plate  32 ,  42 , shown in  FIGS. 5 and 7 . Alternatively, The handle  34 ,  44  may be molded separately, shown in  FIGS. 8 ,  9  and  10 , having a grip end  31 ,  41  and a fastening end  33 ,  43 . The fastening end should have at least one terminus  35 ,  45 , each with at least one anchoring means, such as the anchoring nodes  38 ,  48  shown in  FIGS. 10 and 12 , and then mechanically coupled to the floor plate  32 ,  42 . The handle may take any shape, such as a loop  34  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The shape of the handle is variable, depending on the user&#39;s preferences and the design of the magazine. 
     Either handle  34  should extend approximately 1.0 to 1.5 inches from the substitute floor plate  32 . This will enable the handle  34 ,  94  to engage the lid of an ammunition pouch. With the loop handle version, the loop  34  is thicker at its apex  37  so as to better withstand the stress of pulling the invention and the magazine out of the ammunition pouch by the loop  34 . The width of loop  34  at apex  37  is less than the rest of loop  34  so that a user&#39;s finger may curl around loop  34 . For ease of fabrication and to increase friction between a finger and the loop  34 , the underside of the apex  37  may be molded in a step-like pattern  39 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . A roughened recessed area  40  should also be provided. The recessed area  40  extends along the length of loop  34 . 
     In the second, retrofitting, embodiment, which  FIGS. 5–10  may represent the floor plate  32  is modified to accommodate the attachment of a handle  34 . Small holes  36 , similar to those molded into the substitute floor plate  32  of the previous embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 8 , may be bored into a floor plate  32 and a handle  34  either injection molded or mechanically coupled onto the modified floor plate as in the previous embodiment. The number of holes  46  and nodes  48  may vary, as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 10 . A specific variation, as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 9 , holes  106  may be positioned along the sides of the floor plate  102 , thus forming notches along the floor plate&#39;s elongated ends and a handle  104  having a grip end  101  and a fastening end  103  is fastened to the floor plate  102 . An attachment means  108  is located at the handle&#39;s fastening end  103  fits around the floor plate  102  at the notches  106 . The attachment means  108  may either be a continuous bracing loop, a plurality of tabs or a plurality of continuous bracing loops, as shown in  FIG. 9 , that are threaded around the notches  106 . The attachment means in either variation may be affixed to the floor plate  102  with some type of adhesive, such as epoxy or glue, or ultrasonically welded, assuming the floor plate  102  and handle  104  are plastic. The attachment structure should be thin enough to not interfere with the normal operation of the ammunition magazine, that is to say not interfere with the follower spring  12  of  FIG. 2 , but thick enough to withstand repeated use, usually  ¼ inch to   ¾ inch.    
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be made and still the result will come within the scope of the invention. No limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred.