US3190179A

US3190179A - Disconnectable cartridge belt link

Info

Publication number: US3190179A
Application number: US366199A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul H Benoit
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-05-08
Filing date: 1964-05-08
Publication date: 1965-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 1982-06-22

Description

June 22, 1965 P. H. BENOlT DISCONNECTABLE CARTRIDGE BELT LINK Filed May 8, 1964 INVENTOR I Puul H-131 em] 11 BY M- S Mi Z2 u United States Patent DISCQNNECTABLE CARTRIDGE BELT LENK Paul H. Benoit, Chicopee Falls, Mesa, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army I Filed May 8, 1964, Ser. No. 366,199 4 Claims. (CI. 89-35) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to cartridge belt links and pertains more particularly to those links in which the retained cartridges are transferred therefrom into a firearm chamber for discharge and the fired cases are reinserted into the previously emptied links after discharge.

It is the object of this invention to provide such a link which is disconnectable from the cartridge belt during the stripping operation so that the link and the fired case therein are separated from the remainder of the cartridge belt for ejection together from the firearm.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a firearm feedway showing a linked cartridge belt therein with the link positioned at the stripping station disconnected from the belt; and

:FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cartridge link.

Shown in the figures is a cartridge belt 12 comprising a plurality of links 14 joined together by connectors 16, which are parts thereof, and a cooperating gun feedway comprising a track 18 which leads to a stripping station 20 located between a front stop 22 and a rear stop 24.

Each of the links 14 includes a retaining sleeve 26 designed for resiliently holding a case 28 of a cartridge 30. Sleeve 26 is interrupted along the bottom by a longitudinal clearance 32 which provides means for receiving suitable gun structure to strip cartridge 30 from the sleeve and reinstall fired case 28 thereinto. Diametrically opposite clearance 32 at the top of sleeve 26 is a pair of longitudinally disposed, oppositely extending, straps 34 which slidingly engage track 18 for guiding link 14 to stripping station 20' and which cooperate with the track for holding the link against longitudinal displacement relative thereto. When link 14 is in stripping station 20, front stop 22 is contactable by the front edge of sleeve 26 to hold the link against any further forward displacement while cartridge 3G is forwardly stripped therefrom and rear stop 24 is contactable by the rear edge of the sleeve to hold the link against rearward displacement while fired cartridge 28 is inserted thereinto. Front stop 22 and rear stop 24 are spaced sufficiently to permit limited displacement of link 14 in stripping station 2% relative to the next successive link retained by track 18 for a purpose to be fully explained hereinafter.

Each of the connectors 16 is of a square, closed, loop configuration which includes one side 36 which is rotatingly received by a pair of vertically disposed loops 38 formed in one side of sleeve as so that the. connector is hingedly mounted on sleeve 26. A tongue 40 extends integrally from side 36 between loops 38 at right angles to the top and bottom sides of connector 16 and is designed so as to be contactable with the outside of sleeve 26 forwardly of loops 38. With tongue 0 in contact with the outside surface of sleeve 26, connector 1a is positioned at right angles to the outside surface at an extended position. Thus, connector 16 is held against displacement forwardly of the extended position but has free displacement between the extended position and a rearward position lying along the side of sleeve 26.

'3,l%,l79 Patented June 22, 1965 Fixed to sleeve 26 diametrically opposite connector 16 is a spring clip 42 which includes an arcuately bent section 4-4 which curves outwardly and rearwardly to form a channel for receiving the outer side of connector 16 and a linear portion 46 that extends rearwardly and inwardly form the arcuate portion. The free end'of clip 42 is spaced from the outside of sleeve 26 a distance less than the thickness of connector 16 so that the connector is resiliently held by the clip. Clip 42 is fabricated so as to be resiliently displaceable for releasing the inclosed connector 16 only by application of considerable force.

Thus, cartridge belt 12 is formed by joining pairs of links 14 together with connector 16 on one link retained by clip 42 on the other. In operation, when one link 14- is positioned in stripping station 20 and the connected link is retained by track 18, the stripping station link is dsplaced forwardly relative to the connected link on track 18 during the cartridge stripping operation. During this relative movement, connector 16 is held rigidly outward in its extended position by contact of tongue 40 with sleeve 26 whereby, clip 42 is moved relative to the connector with contact of linear portion 46 with the connector serving to cam the free end of the clip resiliently outward for disconnection of the clip from the connector. After disconnection, linear portion 46 snaps back to its normal position. Further forward displacement of link 14, after disconnection, is prevented by the contact of the front edge thereof with front stop 22. During the installation of fired case 28 back into the now disconnected link 14, such link is moved rearwardly with connector 16 being easily swung rearwardly by contact of linear portion 46 therewith to prevent any change of re-engagement of clip 42 on the disconnected link with the connector whereby, link 14 with fired case 28 therein is free for ejection.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended to include such variations.

I claim:

1. A cartridge link including a sleeve for resiliently retaining a shell of a cartridge, a connector hingedly mounted on one side of said sleeve for pivotal displacement between a rear position lying along the side of said sleeve and an extended position respective thereto, means on said connector for preventing pivotal displacement of said connector forwardly of the extended position, and a rearwardly extending spring clip fixed to said sleeve opposite to said connector for releasably engaging said connector of said another link to form a cartridge belt.

2. The link as defined in claim 1 wherein said clip includes an arcuately bent section forming a channel for receiving said connector of said another link, and a linear section extending rearwardly and inwardly from said bent section so that the free end thereof is spaced from the side of said sleeve a distance less than the thickness of said connector.

3. The link as defined in claim 1 wherein said connector is of square closed loop configuration and includes one side hingedly mounted on said sleeve, and wherein said means includes a tongue extending from said one side at right angles to sides of said connector adjoining said one side, said tongue being contactable with said sleeve for preventing displacement of said connector forwardly of said extended position while permitting free displacement between the extended position and the rear-ward position.

4. The combination including a cartridge belt compris ing a plurality of connected links for respectively carrying a cartridge with a case and gun structure including a stripping station, a front stop and a rear stop at said stripping station and tracks leading to said stripping station, each of said links being provided with means for slidingly mounting said link on said track and for holding said link against longitudinal displacement, a sleeve for releasably holding the cartridge case, a connector mounted on one side of said sleeve for hinged 90 displacement between a rearward position along the side of said case and an extended position respective thereto, means on said connector for preventing hinged displacement of said connector forwardly of the extended position, a rearwardly extending spring clip fixed to said sleeve opposite to No references cited.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A CARTRIDGE LINK INCLUDING A SLEEVE FOR RESILIENTLY RETAINING A SHELL OF A CARTRIDGE, A CONNECTOR HINGEDLY MOUNTED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID SLEEVE FOR PIVOTAL 90* DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN A REAR POSITION LYING ALONG THE SIDE OF SAID SLEEVE AND AN EXTENDED POSITION RESPECTIVE THERETO, MEANS ON SAID CONNECTOR FOR PREVENTING PIVOTAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID CONNECTOR FORWARDLY OF THE EXTENDED POSITION, AND A REARWARDLY EXTENDING SPRING CLIP FIXED TO SAID SLEEVE OPPOSITE TO SAID CONNECTOR FOR RELEASABLY ENGAGING SAID CONNECTOR OF SAID ANOTHER LINK TO FORM A CARTRIDGE BELT.