Spent Casing Catch Trap with Pivoting Gate and Removable Pan
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional brass catchers for spent ammunition casings require frequent emptying, disrupting the shooting experience and causing inconvenience for shooters, as they need to be removed and emptied after a limited number of rounds, which interrupts continuous shooting.
Innovation Solution
A trap system that allows spent casings to be captured, collected, and dumped without the shooter needing to attend to it, featuring a receptacle with a housing, upper and lower openings, and a pivoting gate that opens only when the magazine is removed, enabling automatic collection and disposal of casings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional brass catchers are used to collect spent casings, then spent brass is captured and contained, but the shooter must frequently stop to empty the catcher, interrupting continuous shooting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing a removable inner catcher pan inside a larger outer housing. The inner pan can be extracted and emptied independently without removing the entire device from the firearm, allowing continuous operation. The inner pan nests within the outer structure during shooting, then can be separately removed for emptying while the outer housing remains attached.
Solution Approach 2:
The brass catcher is divided into separate functional segments: a removable inner catcher pan for collecting casings, an outer housing for structural support and attachment, and a gate mechanism for controlled emptying. This segmentation allows the inner pan to be emptied without removing the entire device, maintaining continuous shooting capability while preserving containment function.
2Reliability
If the brass catcher is emptied frequently to maintain capacity, then the catcher remains functional, but the shooting experience is disrupted and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The gate mechanism is pre-positioned in a closed state during shooting, automatically containing all spent casings as they are deposited. The gate is designed to be opened only when intentionally activated for emptying, preventing any accidental loss of casings and ensuring all casings are captured before the emptying action occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable inner pan design allows the shooter to quickly extract and empty the pan without requiring complex mechanisms or assistance. The simple pull-out and dump action enables rapid emptying (seconds rather than minutes), minimizing time loss while maintaining reliable functionality through easy replenishment of capacity.
3Productivity
If a larger brass catcher capacity is used to reduce emptying frequency, then continuous shooting is improved, but the device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a dynamic two-tier capacity solution: a permanent outer housing providing structural capacity and attachment points, combined with a removable inner pan that can be exchanged or emptied. This dynamic design allows the effective capacity to be adjusted by the shooter based on shooting duration needs, without permanently increasing the weight of the attached device.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the catcher into a lightweight outer housing and a removable inner pan, the system allows the shooter to carry only the essential structural weight permanently attached to the firearm. The inner pan's weight can be managed separately, allowing flexible capacity adjustments without permanently increasing the moving weight of the firearm assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A receptacle for collecting casings ejected from a firearm applied with a magazine includes a housing having an upper opening, a lower opening, and an interior defined within the housing between and in communication with the upper and lower openings. The upper opening is opened and can be mounted to be spaced apart from the ejection port of a firearm. A gate in the lower opening pivots between open and closed positions; the lower opening is closed when the magazine is received in the firearm and is opened when the magazine is removed from the firearm. A clip couples the receptacle to the firearm.