Protective cover of a magazine for a firearm
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- AU · AU
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SAKO
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-06
AI Technical Summary
Existing protective covers for firearm magazines suffer from issues such as spring fatigue and damage to retaining lips due to prolonged compression, and they are often difficult to secure properly on the magazine casing.
A protective cover with a groove-rail attachment and cam rails that securely fits onto the magazine casing, using inclined sliding rails and cam rails to distribute the spring's force away from the retaining lips, while also incorporating a rear dust seal for environmental protection.
The solution effectively prevents spring fatigue and damage to retaining lips, ensures easy and secure attachment, and protects the magazine from dust and dirt, maintaining optimal cartridge operation.
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001]Protective cover of a magazine for a firearm Technical field The present invention relates to firearms, more specifically to automatic rifles (AR-rifles). More precisely the present invention relates to a protective cover of a magazine according to the preamble part of the protective cover claim. Background It is well known from prior art that in firearms magazines are used for storing cartridges and for providing cartridges to the firearm’s firing chamber. Typically, a cartridge magazine is formed as a magazine casing, inside of which the cartridges are held and stored. In a common structure in the magazine a spring and a thereto connected follower is used to transfer the stored cartridges to the firing chamber. When cartridges are placed into the magazine, the cartridges push the follower down and thereby compress the spring. In use, when a cartridge is transferred to the firing chamber, the compressed spring releases and pushes the follower and the cartridge upwards towards and to support of retaining lips formed at the upper end of the inside of the magazine receiving the cartridge and the next cartridge is set to be ready for use. The magazines are typically stored filled with cartridges; thus, the spring is in compressed state for a long period and fatigue problems may occur. Further the force effecting the lips may cause damage to the retaining lips, for example the lips may bend and thus, no longer provide support for the cartridge. It is known from prior art that the cartridges can be placed in the magazine in a single column or in a double column. The present invention relates especially to the double column magazines, in which the cartridges are located stepwise in two parallel columns, from which columns a cartridge is alternatingly transferred to the firing chamber and the spring – follower combination provides the movement of each of the columns. In US patent publication 10690427B is disclosed an anti-spring fatigue firearm magazine comprising a lower magazine sleeve that can be positioned into an extended configuration relative to the main magazine body in order to reduce or eliminate spring fatigue from extended storage while fully loaded with ammunition. In EP patent application publication 2208957A2 is disclosed an ammunition magazine, preferably made of a glass fiber reinforced polymer, utilizing a structurally enhancing ridge, angular guide rails and a follower made to interface with said guide rails to. In this publication is also disclosed a protective cover for the magazine and interfacing geometry on a casing of the magazine with which to secure the protective cover, the protective cover is capable of forcing the follower downward and absorbing at least some pressure applied to the magazine by the spring. The protective cover is pressed from above onto the top of the magazine casing. The protective cover comprises an underside spacer absorbing and distributing the forces that would normally be applied to the retaining lips. The objective of the present invention is to provide an improved protective cover of a magazine , especially in view of simple and easy setting of the protective cover to its place on the magazine casing. One objective of the present invention is further to create a protective cover of a magazine, by which problems and disadvantages relating to known protective covers of magazines for firearms are eliminated or at least minimized. Summary In order to achieve the above objects and those that will come apparent later the protective cover of a magazine is mainly characterized by the features of the characterizing part of the independent protective cover claim. Dependent claims present advantageous features and embodiments of the invention. According to the invention in the protective cover of a magazine, the magazine is formed of a magazine casing having an upper opening, which magazine comprises a protective cover configured to cover the upper opening, wherein a groove-rail attachment is arranged between the protective cover and the magazine casing and the groove-rail attachment extends horizontally and is inclined downwards and backwards, i.e. in the fastening direction of the attachment between the protective cover and the magazine casing. According to an advantageous feature of the invention protective cover comprises a top wall, two side walls and a front wall. According to an advantageous feature of the invention the groove-rail attachment comprises locking grooves on each side wall of the magazine casing and the protective cover comprises locking rails located inside the side walls. According to an advantageous feature of the invention the protective cover is a slide-on cover. According to an advantageous feature of the invention the protective cover comprises two cam rails spaced apart and extending longitudinally and the cam rails are formed on the inside of the top wall. Thus, there is one cam rail for each cartridge column. Sometimes the magazine is not totally filled with cartridges, for example there might be 19 cartridges instead of the 20 cartridges constituting the full number, and by the two cam rails spaced apart, the protective cover functions also in those cases. The cam rail meets the respective cartridge column, which delivers the most upper cartridge. According to an advantageous feature of the invention the protective cover further comprises a rear dust seal to cover the rear part of the protective cover. According to an advantageous feature of the invention the protective cover comprises a sliding gap on end of the side walls, to which sliding gap edges of the rear dust seal are placed and pressed down manually to form a rear wall of the protective cover. According to an advantageous feature of the invention the attachment between the rear dust seal and the protective cover is mechanically by integrated stops at lower end of the sliding gap or the protective cover and by locking lugs at edges of the rear dust seal. According to an advantageous feature of the invention attachment of the rear dust seal to the protective cover is a snap-fit installation. According to an advantageous feature of the invention the locking lugs have a propeller shape. According to an advantageous aspect of the invention the protective cover comprises a top wall, two side walls and a front wall forming the main structure of the protective cover, which covers the upper opening of the magazine casing and respective wall parts of the magazine casing, when the protective cover is in its place on the magazine. According to an advantageous aspect of the invention the magazine casing, for attachment of the protective cover comprises locking grooves on each side wall and the protective cover comprises locking rails inside on its side walls to provide a groove-rail attachment. The groove-rail attachment extends horizontally and is inclined downwards and backwards (i.e. in the fastening direction of the attachment) to ensure cartridge compression in the magazine and to provide a secure fit of the protective cover to the magazine casing. According to an advantageous aspect of the invention the protective cover is a slide-on cover, i.e. it is set to its place on the magazine casing by means of a sliding rail – groove attachment configuration, which is in inclined position in view of the vertical direction towards back and down thus providing the force pressing the cartridges downwards inside the magazine casing by means of the cam rails provided on inner, upper surface of the protective cover. According to an advantageous aspect the protective cover comprises two cam rails spaced apart and extending longitudinally, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cartridges, i.e. substantially parallel to the mounting direction of the protective cover, one cam rail for each cartridge column. The cam rails are formed on the upper, inner surface of the protective cover such, that each cam rail, when the protective cover is in its place on the magazine casing, presses respectively one of the cartridge columns. Thus, the cam rails and the protective cover receive the force of the spring – follower combination and the retaining lips are not affected by this force. According to an advantageous aspect of the invention the protective cover provides that no dust or other dirt particles can enter the inside of the magazine casing and thus, the cartridges and the operation of the magazine is not disturbed by dust or other dirt particle and the cartridges, and the operation of the magazine is secured. Further the protective cover provides that the retaining lips are free of the load created by the spring – follower combination and thus they keep their functional form. According to an advantageous aspect of the invention the protective cover comprises a rear dust seal to cover the rear part of the protective cover and respectively the respective part of the upper rear side opening of the magazine. The real dust seal provides for further sealing of the inside of the magazine casing against dust and other dirt particles. The real dust seal is pressed down to its place on the protective cover manually. The protective cover is provided with a sliding gap structure on end of the side walls, to which sliding gap respective edges of the rear dust seal are placed and then pressed down manually to form a rear wall of the protective cover. The attachment between the rear dust seal and the protective cover is mechanically locked such, that the rear dust seal cannot unfasten accidently. Furthermore, the rear dust seal is operable by one hand, for example by pressing with a thump downwards to close and by pressing with the thump upwards and forwards to open. Advantageously, the protective cover comprises integrated stops at lower ends of the sliding gap for locking the rear dust seal to its place. Advantageously, the rear end seal comprises locking lugs, preferably of propeller shape, at edge areas to provide simple snap-fit installation. By the protective cover of a magazine for firearms according to the invention and its advantageous features many advantages are achieved: setting the protective cover to its place is simple and easy, also secure attachment between the protective cover and the magazine casing is achieved. Brief description of the drawings In the following the invention and its advantages are explained in greater detail below in the sense of example and with reference to accompanying drawing, in which in figure 1 is schematically shown a firearm with a magazine, in figures 2A-2C is schematically shown an advantageous example of a protective cover of a magazine, in figures 3A-3C is schematically shown in more detail the advantageous example of the magazine, in figures 4 and 5A-4B is schematically shown in more detail the advantageous example of the protective cover, in figures 6A-6B and 7A-7B is schematically in more detail shown the advantageous example of the rear dust seal of the protective cover and in figure 8 is schematically shown another advantageous example of a protective cover of a magazine. Detailed description During the course of the following description like numbers and signs will be used to identify like elements according to the different views which illustrate the invention and its advantageous examples. In the figures some repetitive reference signs may have been omitted for clarity reasons. In figure 1 is shown a firearm 100 comprising a magazine 10. The magazine is used for storing cartridges and to provide cartridges to the firearm’s 100 firing chamber. The magazine is formed as a magazine casing 10, inside of which the cartridges are held and stored. The magazine casing 10 comprises inside the magazine casing located, a spring and a thereto connected follower forming a spring – follower combination used to transfer the stored cartridges to the firing chamber, known as such by one skilled in the art. It is also known from prior art that the cartridges can be placed in the magazine casing in a single column or in a double column. The present invention relates especially to the double column magazines, in which the cartridges are located stepwise in two parallel columns, from which columns a cartridge is alternatingly transferred to the firing chamber and the spring – follower combination provides the movement of each of the columns. As shown in figures 2A-7B is the magazine comprises a protective cover 20 for preventing dust and other dirt particles to enter inside the magazine casing 10 during times the magazine is not installed with the firearm, for example during transportation and storage of the magazine in a fully loaded condition and to protect the cartridges from environmental impact. The protective cover 20 has a top wall 20T, two side walls 20S and a front wall 20F forming the main structure of the protective cover 20, which covers the upper opening 11 of the magazine casing 10 and respective wall parts of the magazine casing 10, when the protective cover 20 is in its place on the magazine casing 10. The magazine casing 10 for attachment of the protective cover 20 to the magazine casing 10 comprises locking grooves 12 on each side wall and the protective cover 20 comprises locking rails 22 inside on its side walls 20S to provide a groove-rail attachment 12, 22. The groove-rail attachment 12, 22 extends horizontally and is inclined downwards and backwards (i.e. in the fastening direction of the attachment) to ensure cartridge compression in the magazine and to provide a secure fit of the protective cover 20 to the magazine casing 10. The protective cover 20 is a slide-on cover, i.e. it is set to its place on the magazine casing 10 by means of the sliding rail – groove attachment 12, 22 configuration, which is in inclined position in view of the vertical direction towards back and down thus providing the force pressing the cartridges downwards inside the magazine casing 10 by means of the cam rails 25 provided on inner, upper surface i.e. inside the top surface 20T of the protective cover 20. The two cam rails 25 are spaced apart and extending longitudinally, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cartridges, i.e. substantially parallel to the mounting direction of the protective cover 20, one cam rail for each cartridge column. The cam rails 25 are formed inside the top surface 20T of the protective cover 20 such, that each cam rail 25, when the protective cover 20 is in its place on the magazine casing 10, presses respectively one of the cartridge columns. Thus, the cam rails 25 and the protective cover 20 receive the force of the spring – follower combination and the retaining lips of the magazine casing 10 are not affected by this force. As shown in figures 2A-7B advantageously the protective cover 20 comprises a rear dust seal 30 to form the rear wall of the protective cover 20 and respectively to cover the respective part of the upper rear side opening of the magazine casing 10. The real dust seal 30 is pressed down to its place on the protective cover 20 manually. The protective cover 20 is provided with a sliding gap 23 structure on ends of each of the side walls 20S, to which sliding gap 23 of the protective cover 20 respective edges 33 of the rear dust seal 30 are placed and then pressed down manually to form the rear wall of the protective cover 20. The attachment between the rear dust seal 30 and the protective cover 20 is mechanically locked. Advantageously, the protective cover 20 comprises integrated stops 26 at lower ends of the sliding gap 23 for locking the rear dust seal 30 to its place. Advantageously, the rear end seal 30 comprises locking lugs 35, preferably of propeller shape, at edge areas to provide simple snap-fit installation. In the figures 2A-2C shown example of the protective cover 20 of the magazine can also be seen how the protective cover 20 is to be set on the magazine casing 10. In figure 2A is shown the protective cover 20 detached from the magazine casing 10 ready to be attached on the magazine casing 10. By the arrow S1 is indicated direction of the transfer movement in sliding of the protective cover 20 on to its place on the magazine casing 10. As can be seen at this stage the rear dust seal 30 is not pressed to its place to form the rear wall of the protective cover 20 but is in its upper position ready to be closed as soon as the protective cover 20 is in its place on the magazine casing 10. In figure 2B is shown the protective cover 20 placed on the magazine casing 10 with the rear dust seal 30 in its open position, i.e. in its upper position ready to be pressed down manually to its place to form the rear wall of the protective cover 20, as indicated by arrow S2. In figure 2C the protective cover 20 and the rear dust seal 30 are in place on the magazine casing 10 and thus the inside of the magazine casing 10, as well as the cartridges therein, is covered by the protective cover 20. In figures 3A-3C is shown in more detail the magazine casing 10 and its sliding grooves 12 for the sliding rails of the protective cover to locate the protective cover to its place on the magazine casing 10. In figures 4 and 5A-4B is shown in more detail the protective cover 20 with the wall 20T, the two side walls 20S and the front wall 20F forming the main structure of the protective cover 20. The protective cover 20 comprises locking rails 22 inside on its side walls 20S to provide the groove-rail attachment 12, 22 with the magazine. The protective cover 20 is a slide-on cover, i.e. it is set to its place on the magazine casing 10 by means of the sliding rail – groove attachment 12, 22 configuration, which is in inclined position in view of the vertical direction towards back and down thus providing the force pressing the cartridges downwards inside the magazine casing 10 by means of the cam rails 25 provided on inner, upper surface i.e. inside the top surface 20T of the protective cover 20. The two cam rails 25 are spaced apart and extending longitudinally, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cartridges, i.e. substantially parallel to the mounting direction of the protective cover 20, one cam rail for each cartridge column. The cam rails 25 are formed inside the top surface 20T of the protective cover 20 such, that each cam rail 25, when the protective cover 20 is in its place on the magazine casing 10, presses respectively one of the cartridge columns. The protective cover 20 is provided with a sliding gap 23 structure on ends of each of the side walls 20S, to which sliding gap 23 of the protective cover 20 respective edges of the rear dust seal are placed and then pressed down manually to form the rear wall of the protective cover 20. Advantageously, the protective cover 20 comprises to its place integrated stops 26 at lower ends of the sliding gap 23 for locking the rear dust seal 30. In figures 6A-6B and 7A-7B shown the rear dust seal 30 has the edges 33 to be placed in the sliding gap of the protective cover and then pressed down manually to form the rear wall of the protective cover 20. The attachment between the rear dust seal 30 and the protective cover 20 is mechanically locked. Advantageously, the rear end seal 30 comprises locking lugs 35, preferably of propeller shape, at edge areas to provide simple snap-fit installation. In figure 8 is shown another advantageous example of a protective cover 20 for a magazine. This example of the protective cover 20 corresponds to the example presented in the figures 2A-7B but there is no rear dust seal 30 provided and thus also parts 23, 26 of the protective cover for attaching the rear dust seal 30 needed in the example of the figures 2A-7B are not provided in the example of the figure 8. In the description in the foregoing, although some functions and elements have been described with reference to certain features and examples, those functions and elements may be performable by other features and examples whether described or not. Although features have been described with reference to certain embodiments or examples, those features may also be present in other embodiments or examples whether described or not. Above only some advantageous examples of the inventions have been described to which examples the invention is not to be narrowly limited and many modifications and alterations are possible within the invention.
Claims
Claims 1. Protective cover of a magazine for firearms, which magazine is formed of a magazine casing (10) having an upper opening (11), which magazine comprises a protective cover (20) configured to cover the upper opening (11), in which a groove-rail attachment (12, 22) is arranged between the protective cover (20) and the magazine casing (10), characterized in that the groove-rail attachment (12, 22) extends horizontally and is inclined downwards and backwards, i.e. in the fastening direction of the attachment between the protective cover (20) and the magazine casing (10).
2. Protective cover according to claim 1, characterized in that protective cover (20) comprises a top wall (20T), two side walls (20S) and a front wall (20F).
3. Protective cover according to claim 2, characterized in that the groove- rail attachment (12, 22) comprises locking grooves on each side wall of the magazine casing (10) and that the protective cover (20) comprises locking rails (22) located inside the side walls (20S).
4. Protective cover according to any of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the protective cover (20) is a slide-on cover.
5. Protective cover according to any of claims 2 - 4, characterized in that the protective cover comprises two cam rails (25) spaced apart and extending longitudinally and that the cam rails are (25) formed on the inside of the top wall (20T).
6. Protective cover according to any of claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the protective cover (20) further comprises a rear dust seal (30) to cover the rear part of the protective cover (20) and the respective rear part of the magazine casing (10).
7. Protective cover according to claim 6, characterized in that the protective cover comprises a sliding gap (23) on end of the side walls, to which sliding gap (23) edges (33) of the rear dust seal (30) are placed and pressed down manually to form a rear wall of the protective cover (20).
8. Protective cover according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the attachment between the rear dust seal (30) and the protective cover (20) is mechanically by integrated stops (26) at lower end of the sliding gap (23) or the protective cover (20) and by locking lugs (35) at edges of the rear dust seal (30).
9. Protective cover according to any of claims 6 - 8, characterized in that the attachment of the rear dust seal (30) to the protective cover (20) is a snap- fit installation.
10. Protective cover according to claim 9, characterized in that the locking lugs (35) have a propeller shape.