Abstract:
A system and apparatus for storing ammunition comprises a hard-bodied capsule for ejectably retaining an ammunition magazine in a substantially water-resistant compartment thereof.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Personal containers for firearms magazines such as those compatible with handguns are well known in the prior art. These containers generally hold reserve magazines for reloading the firearm at a moments notice. Thus, the efficacy of such containers is judged by the speed of access to the magazine, and the ability of the container to keep the magazine in a functionally reliable state. 
         [0003]    Presently prior art magazine containers utilize pouches wherein magazines are held inside the pouches via gravity. In open-top designs, the magazines themselves exposed to the elements, such as water or sand. These elements can contaminate the magazine, potentially causing an undesirable and potentially dangerous malfunction. 
         [0004]    Closed-top designs attempt to fix this problem by providing a roof for the pouch. Such roofs are generally secured to pouch via velcro or button fasteners. To access the magazines, a user must generally open the pouch and retrieve the magazine. This is time consuming and inefficient. Furthermore, the roof does not provide a substantially water-resistant seal with the pouch and therefore is ineffective in situations where near total or complete submersion of the container is necessary. For example, in amphibious or desert combat. 
         [0005]    Thus, there is a demand for an easily accessible and substantially element-resistant container for firearms magazines. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    An ammunition magazine holder herein described overcomes the deficiencies of the present designs noted above. 
         [0007]    The primary objective of this invention is to enhance the convenience of firearm magazine carriers. 
         [0008]    Another objective of this invention is to provide a system and apparatus for ejectably retaining an ammunition magazine in a substantially water-resistant compartment of a capsule. 
         [0009]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the presently described apparatus and method of its use. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0010]    Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s): 
           [0011]      FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  illustrate a side plan view of an embodiment of the present invention in a locked and unlocked state; 
           [0012]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  illustrate a side plan view of an embodiment of the present invention in a locked and unlocked state; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side perspective view of a firearms magazine according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side plan view of an embodiment of the present invention as taken along line A-A of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  illustrates a side plan view of an embodiment of the present invention as taken along line A-A of  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    The above described drawing figures illustrate the described invention and method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it should be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and should not be taken as a limitation on the scope of the present apparatus and its method of use. 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , an ammunition storage unit  10  comprises an ammunition magazine  200 ; and a capsule  100  for ejectably retaining the magazine  200  therein. 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the magazine  200  is preferably a magazine for storing ammunition for a hand gun or other firearm, and may comprise a notch  240  thereon. 
         [0020]    Turing to  FIG. 6 , the capsule may comprise a substantially rectangular vessel  130  having substantially parallel first  102  and third  104  walls perpendicularly adjoined to substantially parallel second  106  and fourth  108  walls. A top wall  110  may be perpendicularly adjoined to the first through fourth walls  102 - 108  to form the vessel  130 . The first through fourth walls  102 - 108  may form a bottom edge  122  opposite the top wall  110 . The capsule is preferably hard-bodied. 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the capsule  100  may further comprise a removable base  120  opposite the top wall  110 . The base  120  may be operable to engage the bottom edge  122  so as to form a substantially water-tight seal therewith. The seal may substantially prevent water, sand and other similar particles from entering the vessel and interacting with the ammunition and/or the magazine. 
         [0022]    The base  120  may be hingedly affixed to the bottom edge  122 . A gasket  124  may be provided adjacent the bottom edge  122  of the capsule to engage the base  120  so as to form the substantially water-tight seal. A latch (not shown) may keep the base  120  and bottom edge  122  engaged. Alternatively, a base periphery may comprise the gasket  124 , the gasket  124  engaging the bottom edge  122  so as to form the substantially water-tight seal. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the base  120  may also comprise a magazine base  220 . The gasket  124  may be provided adjacent the bottom edge  122  of the capsule to engage the magazine base  220  so as to form the substantially water-tight seal therebetween. 
         [0024]    The fourth wall  108  may comprise an inner surface and an annex  150  that extends substantially perpendicular to the inner surface, illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The annex  150  may house an actuator  140  having a tab  142  operable to engage the magazine notch  210  through an aperture  152  on the inner surface so as to retain the magazine  200  within the vessel  130  when the tab  142  and notch  210  are engaged, and to cause the magazine  200  to be ejected from the vessel  130  when the tab  142  and notch  210  are not engaged, as discussed below. 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the capsule  100  may further comprise an ejector  160  operable to provide an ejection force to the magazine  200 . The ejector  160  may be a spring actuated ejector located adjacent the top wall  110  that provides an ejection force to the magazine  200  when the magazine  200  is inserted into the vessel  130 . As the magazine  200  in inserted into the vessel  130 , the ejector spring may be compressed. When the magazine  200  reaches an engagement point, the notch  210  may automatically engage the tab  142  so as to provide a catch for restraining ejection and maintaining the magazine  200  in a locked position. As shown in  FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the engagement point may be such that the magazine base  220  and bottom edge form the substantially water-tight seal discussed above. 
         [0026]    The actuator  140  may be operable to be in an unlocked position, wherein the tab  142  may disengage the notch  210 . Thus, the magazine  200  may be no longer restrained and the ejector  160  may cause the magazine  200  to be ejected from the vessel  130 . In embodiments where the latch (not shown) keeps the base  120  and bottom edge  122  engaged, the ejection force may be sufficient to disengage the latch, thereby causing the base  120  to disengage the bottom edge  122 , permitting the magazine  200  to eject through the bottom edge  122 . In embodiments where the base is the magazine base  220 , the ejection force may be sufficient to overcome the gasket seal between the base  220  and the bottom edge  142 . 
         [0027]    The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the invention and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element. 
         [0028]    The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. 
         [0029]    Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas. 
         [0030]    The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.