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.

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 §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&#39;s magazine well. The solid sides of the magazine well conceal a number of the available rounds in the magazine, from the magazine&#39;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&#39;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  2 A having an L-shaped magazine slot  4 A near the top of the magazine; (b) a second modified magazine  2 B having a vertical magazine slot  4 B near the top of the magazine; and (c) a modern magazine  2 C 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  4 A,  4 B 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  3 A,  3 B,  3 C allow viewing of end rounds  5  when used in conjunction with modem transparent or semi-transparent magazines  2 C. In this regard,  FIG. 4  shows an L-shaped slot  3 A with transparent cover interfacing with a modern semi-transparent magazine  2 C, while  FIG. 5  shows a vertical slot  3 B with transparent cover, and  FIG. 6  features a somewhat inclined but generally horizontal slot  3 C with transparent cover. As with magazine slots  4 A,  4 B, well slots  3 A,  3 B have a strong vertical component and are preferred for the reasons stated above, and as they better correspond and interface with like magazine slots  4 A,  4 B. In all cases, as is clear front the figures shown, the magazine slots  4 A,  4 B,  4 C and well slots  3 A,  3 B,  3 C, 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  6 A,  6 B adjacent marked well slots  3 D 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  3 D). 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:
     1  Rifle Magazine Well     2  Rifle Magazine     2 A Magazine with L-shaped Slot     2 B Magazine with Vertical Slot     2 C Transparent or Semi-Transparent Magazine     3  Rifle Magazine Well Slot/Window     3 A L-shaped Rifle Magazine Well Slot/Window     3 B Vertical Rifle Magazine Well Slot/Window     3 C Horizontal Rifle Magazine Well Slot/Window     3 D Gauged Rifle Magazine Well Slot/Window with Round Markings     4  Rifle Magazine Slot/Window of Invention     4 A L-shaped Magazine Slot     4 B Vertical Magazine Slot     4 C Horizontal or Slanted Magazine Slot     4 D Marked Slot     5  End Rounds of Ammunition in Magazine     6 A Upper Slot Marking (Showing 5 rounds remaining in Magazine)     6 B 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.