Patent ID: 7562482

Claim:
A spare magazine carrier, comprising: (a) a body defining a receptacle open to receive a spare magazine; (b) a latch mechanism associated with said body, arranged to engage said spare magazine and elastically biased to retain said spare magazine engaged with said body; (c) a mounting device capable of attaching said body to a lateral side of a receiver of a firearm laterally alongside an active magazine carried in the firearm; and (d) a latch release mechanism associated with said latch mechanism, said latch release mechanism being operable only wholly independently from operation of any magazine retention mechanism of said firearm while said body is attached to said lateral side of said receiver, said latch release mechanism including a latch release lever, said latch release lever being elastically biased to remain in a first position wherein said latch mechanism engages said spare magazine, and said latch release lever being mounted so as to be able to rock with respect to said body to both a second position and a third position, said second and third positions being found in opposite directions from said first position, said latch release lever causing said latch mechanism to disengage said spare magazine so as to release said spare magazine from said body when said latch release lever is rocked to either of said second and third positions.