Cartridge clip receiving and loading apparatus and method

Abstract

A cartridge clip receiving and loading apparatus includes a reservoir and a clip holder fixedly attached to an end of the reservoir. The reservoir has an upper holding chamber and a lower feed channel therebelow for receiving cartridges therefrom and arranging them side-by-side one another in a row and guiding sliding movement of cartridges in the row thereof toward a discharge opening of the lower feed channel at the one end of the reservoir for loading the cartridges one at a time into a clip fully inserted into a slot of the clip holder. The clip holder can be gripped by a user for shaking the clip holder and reservoir in order to cause arranging of the cartridges in the row thereof in the lower feed channel and sliding of the cartridges through the discharge opening and into the clip fully inserted in the clip holder.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A cartridge clip receiving and loading apparatus, comprising: 
 (a) an elongated reservoir including an upper holding chamber for receiving and holding therein a multiplicity of cartridges in bulk quantity and random orientations and a lower feed channel having an upstream portion disposed below and open to said upper holding chamber for receiving cartridges therefrom and arranging the cartridges side-by-side one another in a row and a downstream portion open to said upstream portion but not directly to said upper holding chamber for guiding sliding movement of the cartridges in the row thereof along said downstream portion toward a discharge opening of said lower feed channel defined at one end of said reservoir for discharging the cartridges one at a time from the row thereof from said lower feed channel; and    (b) a clip holder fixedly attached to said one end of said reservoir and having opposite open ends and an elongated interior slot extending between said opposite open ends such that said clip holder is adapted to have a cartridge clip inserted into said slot through one of said opposite open ends of said clip holder, being disposed remote from said reservoir, to position an open end of the cartridge clip at the other of said opposite open ends of said clip holder, being disposed adjacent to said reservoir, in alignment with said discharge opening of said lower feed channel of said reservoir for transferring and thus loading the cartridges one at a time into the cartridge clip from said lower feed channel, said clip holder also adapted to be gripped by a user for shaking said clip holder and reservoir in order to cause arranging of cartridges in the row thereof in said upstream portion of said lower feed channel and for raising said clip holder and reservoir to an inclined position in which said reservoir is disposed higher than said clip holder to cause sliding of cartridges in the row thereof along said downstream portion of said lower feed channel through said discharge opening thereof and into the open end of the cartridge clip disposed in said clip holder.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said reservoir includes a pair of upper side walls and a pair of intermediate walls together extending between and each respectively connected with one of said upper side walls so as to form therewith said upper holding chamber having an elongated opening extending along and above said upstream and downstream portions of said lower feed channel, said reservoir further including a platform extending between and interconnecting said intermediate walls above said downstream portion of said lower feed channel so as to close only said downstream portion from direct communication with said upper holding chamber.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said intermediate walls of said reservoir slope inwardly and downwardly from said upper side walls of said reservoir so as to cause cartridges in said upper holding chamber to flow due to gravity force toward said lower feed channel being located along a longitudinal centerline of said reservoir.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said reservoir further includes a cover slidably mounted between upper edge portions of said upper side walls of said reservoir defining an open top on said upper holding chamber, said cover being adapted to undergo sliding movement between opened and closed positions relative to said open top of said upper holding chamber.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said clip holder at said one open end thereof includes a stop element attached along an exterior side of said one open end for engaging a spring-biased plunger in the cartridge clip and causing retraction thereof away from the open end of the cartridge clip as the cartridge clip is inserted through said one open end of said clip holder into said elongated slot thereof and toward said other open end thereof.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said stop element is a screw threadably secured to a pair of brackets attached on and projecting outwardly from said exterior side of said one open end of said clip holder.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said reservoir includes a pair of opposite lower side walls laterally spaced apart and a bottom wall extending between and interconnecting said lower side walls so as to form therewith said lower feed channel, said opposite lower side walls having respective upper longitudinal ribs formed thereon along said upstream and downstream portions of said lower feed channel and protruding into said lower feed channel toward one another such that the cartridges arranged in the row thereof within said lower feed channel fit in generally upright orientations between said opposite lower side walls and said upper longitudinal ribs thereon with annular rims on same one ends of the cartridges disposed above said upper longitudinal ribs.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 7 , wherein said bottom wall of said reservoir has an interior raised and inclined ramp portion formed along said downstream portion of said lower feed channel leading to said discharge opening thereof for assisting in tilting of the cartridges to a preselected inclined orientation as the cartridges move toward and through said discharge opening.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 7 , wherein said reservoir further includes respective lower longitudinal ribs formed on said opposite side walls thereof along said upstream and downstream portions of said lower feed channel and spaced below said upper longitudinal ribs and protruding toward one another such that the cartridges arranged in the row thereof within said lower feed channel fit between said lower longitudinal ribs on said opposite lower side walls of said reservoir.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 7 , wherein said reservoir further includes a pair of upper side walls and a pair of intermediate walls together extending between and each respectively connected with one of said upper side walls so as to form therewith said upper holding chamber having an elongated opening extending along and above said upstream and downstream portions of said lower feed channel.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said reservoir further includes a platform spaced above said upper longitudinal ribs on said lower side walls and extending between and interconnecting said intermediate walls above said downstream portion of said lower feed channel so as to only close said downstream portion from direct communication with said upper holding chamber and still permit the annular rims on the same one ends of the cartridges in the row thereof to pass between said upper longitudinal ribs and said platform of said reservoir as the cartridges move along said lower feed channel toward said discharge opening thereof.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said platform has an underside provided with a raised step so as to define a relief section being spaced above said upper longitudinal ribs farther than the remainder of said underside of said platform is spaced above said upper longitudinal ribs such that the cartridges are permitted to tilt to a preselected inclined orientation toward said discharge opening of said lower feed channel in which the annular rims at the same one ends of the cartridges are disposed closest to said discharge opening as the cartridges are slidable moved along said lower feed channel toward said discharge opening.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , wherein said bottom wall of said reservoir has an interior raised and inclined ramp portion formed along said downstream portion of said lower feed channel spaced below said relief section in said underside of said platform and leading to said discharge opening of said lower feed channel for assisting in tilting of the cartridges to the preselected inclined orientation as the cartridges move toward and through said discharge opening.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said intermediate walls of said reservoir slope inwardly and downwardly from said upper side walls of said reservoir so as to cause cartridges from said upper holding chamber to flow due to gravity force toward said lower feed channel being located along a longitudinal centerline of said reservoir.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said reservoir further includes a cover slidably mounted between upper edge portions of said upper side walls of said reservoir defining an open top on said upper holding chamber, said cover being adapted to undergo sliding movement between opened and closed positions relative to said open top of said upper holding chamber.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a detent ball mechanism provided on an exterior side of said clip holder and being operable to engage a leading one of the cartridges in the row thereof in said lower feed channel of said reservoir so as to block cartridges from exiting from said lower feed channel through said discharge opening thereof when said elongated slot of said clip holder is empty, said detent ball mechanism being further operable to disengage from the leading one of the cartridges in response to engagement with the one open end of the cartridge clip upon the cartridge clip being fully inserted into said elongated slot of said clip holder.    
     
     
         17 . A method for receiving and holding a cartridge clip and loading cartridges one at a time into the cartridge clip, said method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing an apparatus having a cartridge reservoir and a clip holder fixedly attached to an end of the cartridge reservoir, the cartridge reservoir having an upper holding chamber and a lower feed channel therebelow for receiving randomly oriented cartridges from the cartridge reservoir and arranging the cartridges side-by-side one another in a row and for guiding sliding movement of cartridges in the row thereof along the lower feed channel toward a discharge opening thereof at the one end of the cartridge reservoir for loading the cartridges one at a time into a clip inserted into a slot of the clip holder;    (b) filling the upper holding chamber of the reservoir of the apparatus with a bulk quantity of the cartridges in random orientations;    (c) shaking the apparatus to cause filling of at least a portion of the cartridges from the upper holding chamber into a row in the lower feed channel;    (d) raising the cartridge reservoir and clip holder of the apparatus to an inclined position in which the cartridge reservoir is disposed higher than the clip holder to cause sliding of the cartridges in the row thereof along the lower feed channel toward the discharge opening; and    (e) inserting a cartridge clip into the slot of the clip holder of the apparatus, with the apparatus held in the inclined position, to cause sliding of the cartridges from the discharge opening into the cartridge clip fully inserted in the clip holder.    
     
     
         18 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , wherein said shaking and raising steps are repeated until the lower feed channel is filled with a predetermined number of the cartridges.  
     
     
         19 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 prior to shaking the apparatus, opening a cover on the reservoir of the apparatus to facilitate the filling the reservoir with cartridges and then closing the cover after the filling of the reservoir of the apparatus.    
     
     
         20 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 engaging a spring-biased plunger in the cartridge clip with a stop element on an exterior portion of the clip holder and causing retraction of the plunger into the cartridge clip as the cartridge clip is inserted into the clip holder of the apparatus.    
     
     
         21 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 reciprocally moving the cartridge clip along the clip holder of the apparatus toward and away from the discharge opening of the lower feed channel to assist in completing the loading of cartridges from the row thereof into the cartridge clip.    
     
     
         22 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 blocking the discharge opening of the lower feed channel to prevent cartridges in the lower feed channel from exiting the lower feed channel through the discharge opening thereof into the clip holder before the cartridge clip is fully inserted into the clip holder.    
     
     
         23 . The method as recited in  claim 22 , further comprising the step of: 
 unblocking the discharge opening of the lower feed channel to allow cartridges in the lower feed channel to exit the lower feed channel through the discharge opening thereof in response to fully inserting the cartridge clip into the clip holder.