Loading cartridges into a firearm magazine

Abstract

A method to load cartridges into a firearm magazine, where the method provides and utilizes an article of manufacture comprising a hopper comprising at least one rotatable hopper plate, a hopper slide, a funnel, and a slide funnel.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method to load cartridges into a firearm magazine, comprising providing an article of manufacture comprising a hopper comprising at least one rotatable hopper plate, a hopper slide, a funnel, and a slide funnel. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said providing a hopper slide further comprises providing a hopper slide configured to include a plurality of flutes on an inner surface. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said providing a funnel further comprises providing a funnel configured to include a plurality of flutes on an inner surface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting a firearm;   selecting a caliber of ammunition compatible with said firearm;   selecting a cartridge magazine compatible with said selected firearm and caliber;   selecting a cassette compatible with said caliber of ammunition and with said firearm;   mounting said selected cassette onto said article of manufacture;   releasably attaching said selected cartridge magazine to said mounted cassette;   disposing (N) cartridges comprising said selected caliber into said hopper, wherein (N) is between about 6 and about 30;   agitating said hopper plate to place an (i)th cartridge into a desired orientation while in said hopper, wherein said (i)th cartridge is one of said (N) cartridges;   moving said (i)th cartridge from said hopper and into and through said hopper slide, wherein said (i)th cartridge maintains said desired orientation when being moved through said hopper and when being moved through said hopper slide;   moving said (i)th cartridge from said hopper slide and into and through said funnel, wherein said (i)th cartridge maintains said desired orientation when being moved through said funnel;   moving said (i)th cartridge from said funnel and into said slide funnel, wherein said (i)th cartridge maintains said desired orientation when being moved from said funnel and into said slide funnel;   moving said (i)th cartridge from said slide funnel and into said mounted cassette, wherein said (i)th cartridge maintains said desired orientation when being moved from said slide funnel slide and into said cassette;   moving said (i)th cartridge from said mounted cassette and into said releasably attached firearm magazine.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said selecting a cartridge magazine further comprises selecting a cartridge magazine configured to hold six rounds. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said selecting a cartridge magazine further comprises selecting a cartridge magazine configured to hold at least ten rounds. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said selecting a cartridge magazine further comprises selecting a cartridge magazine configured to hold thirty rounds. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said agitating said hopper plat further comprises rotating said hopper plate. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 determining if (i) equals (N);   when (i) does not equal (N), set (i) equal to (i+1);   repeating said agitating operation, said moving operations, and said determining operation.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising;
 when (i) equals (N), determining whether to load another firearm magazine with cartridges comprising the selected caliber;   when electing to load another firearm magazine with cartridges comprising the selected caliber, repeating said releasably attaching operation, said moving operations, and said determining operation.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 when not electing to load another firearm magazine with cartridges comprising the selected caliber, ascertaining whether to load a different caliber of ammunition into a firearm magazine configured to releasably store said different caliber of ammunition;   when electing to load a different caliber of ammunition into a firearm magazine configured to releasably store said different caliber of ammunition, repeating said selecting operations, said mounting operation, said disposing operation, said releasably attaching operation, said agitating, said moving operations, and said determining operation.