Patent ID: 8166691

Claim:
An ambidextrous magazine catch mechanism for a pistol having a magazine, a frame having a magazine chamber to receive the magazine, the magazine catch mechanism comprising: (a) a two-sided button slidably disposed in a lateral aperture in the frame adjacent to the magazine, the button being symmetric about a midpoint of the button, the button having a W-shaped camming surface comprising a pair of U-shaped camming surfaces adjacent to one another and extending longitudinally on the button and connected at a central hump of the W-shaped camming surface, the central hump being at the midpoint of the button; (b) a magazine having at least one catch aperture; (c) a catch, comprising: (i) two upwardly disposed legs connected to one another forming a generally U-shaped body, a first leg of the two upwardly disposed legs having at least one tooth adapted to mate with the at least one catch aperture in the magazine; (ii) said first leg and said second leg forming a spring having an equilibrium position wherein no force is applied to the first leg relative to the second leg, and wherein when the first leg is pressed toward said second leg, an outward force created on the first leg biases the catch toward the equilibrium position; and (iii) said first leg having a W-shaped camming surface thereon, adapted to mate with the W-shaped camming surface of the button; (d) said button having a neutral position, a first depressed position and a second depressed position, wherein, in the neutral position, the W-shaped camming surface of the button mates with the W-shaped camming surface of the first leg and the at least one tooth is engaged in the at least one catch aperture in the magazine to secure the magazine in the magazine chamber; (e) wherein, in the first depressed position, a first side of the button is depressed such that the first side of the button moves laterally inward into the frame, the W-shaped camming surface of the button moves against the W-shaped camming surface of the first leg such that the first leg of the catch is urged toward the second leg of the catch wherein the at least one tooth disengages from the at least one catch aperture in the magazine thereby releasing the magazine from the magazine chamber; and (f) wherein, in the second depressed position, a second side of the button is depressed such that the second side of the button moves laterally inward into the frame, the W-shaped camming surface of the button moves against the W-shaped camming surface of the first leg such that the first leg of the catch is urged toward the second leg of the catch wherein the at least one tooth disengages from the at least one catch aperture in the magazine thereby releasing the magazine from the magazine chamber.