Western Design Corporation

General Dynamics Corp., Pomona Division

Other

Western Design Howden

Michael D Golden

Lawrence D Bacon

Dino K Yu

Projectile ramming apparatus includes a rammer pawl for engaging the base of a projectile with a rigidizable chain attached to the rammer pawl for providing reciprocating movement thereto. The rigidizable chaining includes a plurality of rows of links having adjacent links pivotally attached to one another. A perimeter of each link enables fixed engagement of adjacent links on each row upon coordinated pivoting of adjacent links in each row and, further, for enabling release of the fixed engagement upon reverse coordinated pivoting of adjacent links. A drive is provided for reciprocally moving the chain and for pivoting adjacent links in order to rigidize the chain as the chain is moved in a forward direction; and unlocking, or unrigidizing, adjacent links as the chain is moved in a reverse direction.

Zipper chain projectile rammer

Ammunition transfer apparatus for movement of ammunition rounds from a magazine to a gun spaced apart therefrom is provided. The apparatus includes a transfer unit for withdrawing ammunition rounds from the magazine and inserting withdrawn ammunition rounds into the gun and a reciprocating drive, disposed between the magazine and the gun, for alternatively moving the transfer unit into a first position for withdrawing ammunition rounds and a second position for inserting ammunition rounds. In addition a carrier is attached to the reciprocating drive, for causing up to approximately a 180.degree. rotation of the transfer unit between the first and second positions.

Compact autoloader

A hinged platform assembly includes a platform having an end member with a lobed surface on one side thereof and a relatively flat surface on another side thereof. A socket assembly is provided for receiving the end member and enabling the member to turn about an axis within said socket means. The socket assembly includes an opening therein for enabling insertion of the member into said socket means at one angular relationship between said member and the socket assembly and preventing separation of the member and the socket assembly at all other angular relationships therebetween. The socket assembly further includes opposing surfaces for preventing turning of the member within the socket assembly past a selected angle therebetween, thus allowing the platform to support heavy loads without the need of additional components or struts of any kind.

Hinge assembly, platform and method of making same

A magazine for storing ammunition rounds includes a plurality of tubular ammunition canisters and a plurality of link assemblies with each link assembly supporting three ammunition rounds in a nested arrangement with longitudinal axes of each of the three supported canisters being approximately equidistant from one another. The link assemblies are interconnected to form a continuous loop and a chassis is supported for supporting the continuous loop in order that the centers of the link assemblies form loci on an oval pattern. The loops and canisters may be moved along the continuous loop by a drive unit and doing such movement the three canisters maintain a fixed spacial relationship as supported by the assembly.

Compact bustle magazine

Ammunition magazine

An ammunition magazine is provided for a large caliber gun installed on a vehicle in which the magazine is attached to the vehicle in a manner enabling the magazine to be moved from the first position at which ammunition can be moved from the magazines from within the vehicle to a second position at which ammunition rounds can be inserted into the magazine from outside the vehicle. The magazine itself is made of a plurality of attached modular canisters, with each modular canister being configured for supporting an ammunition round and including means for attaching each modular canister to other modular canisters to form a monocoque structure.

Ammunition magazine system

Electrical fixture positioner apparatus is provided for enabling the mounting of electrical outlets to a wall mounted electrical junction box with an alignment of the electrical outlet face with a wall surface, despite misalignment of a wall mounted electrical junction box within the wall. The apparatus includes a flat plate with an opening therein sized to enable the body of a conventional 110 volt outlet to pass therethrough along with an aligning portion thereon for engaging per portions of the conventional 110 volt outlet and aligning the face of the electrical outlet with the wall surface when the electrical outlet is mounted to the electrical box with screws extending through the two small aligning holes in the flat plate.

Electrical outlet positioner

A transfer unit for serial re-orientation of plural items comprising an item supply train and a rotatable drum within a cylindrical housing. The items are provided serially to an inlet to the housing by a chain ladder or other mechanical means, and are longitudinally and axially re-oriented in the housing for transfer out of the housing. The drum is rotatable about its axis to provide further re-orientation of the items. All internal components of the rotatable drum are synchronously driven by mechanical means, and positive mechanical control of the serially supplied items is maintained at all times.

Transfer unit

A linkless ammunition magazine for small arms weapons utilizes energy taken from a reciprocating bolt to power the feeding of ammunition rounds into the weapon. No modification of existing small arms weapons is required to utilize the magazine. A spring provides an energy buffer for the power input from the reciprocating bolt and is sized to store only a small amount of energy so that it operates at a low stress level. Since the spring is not required to store sufficient energy to move all of the ammunition rounds into the weapon, a larger number of ammunition rounds may be stored in the magazine, and/or, the magazine may operate at higher rates of fire than otherwise possible with totally spring driven ammunition magazines.

Gun powered ammunition magazine

A drum-type ammunition magazine includes a plurality of concentric ammunition bays therein with each bay having disposed therein a plurality of fixed tiered partitions for supporting linkless ammunition and a rotatably mounted ammunition carrier for moving the linkless ammunition within the bays and between the fixed tiered partitions and toward a port communicating with each ammunition bay. The ammunition carriers may be operated independent of each other, enabling storage of a different type of ammunition in each of the ammunition bays.

Drum-type ammunition magazine

A lightweight ammunition magazine capable of storing a plurality of 'tiers' of ammunition within a semi-monocoque shell without the use of separation partitions between the tiers includes a top and a bottom panel separated by a plurality of partitions to form a plurality of ammunition storage and guiding channels between the top and bottom panels. An endless chain ladder is disposed within the storage and guiding channels for transporting the stored ammunition within the storage and guiding channels to a magazine exit port. The endless chain ladder is configured for holding at least two tiers of ammunition rounds between the top and bottom panels with a longitudinal axis of each ammunition round being approximately perpendicular to the top and bottom panels.

Linear linkless ammunition magazine

A transport mechanism for use in material handling systems whereby a multiplicity of like objects are automatically and rapidly transported from a storage compartment thereof to a predetermined location. Such mechanism receives a plurality of such objects at each of two or more spaced inlet openings, causes the objects to be interleaved in a predetermined sequential manner, and to be successively fed in a single row to said predetermined outlet location. The objects received through each inlet opening are caused to be spaced with respect to each other and with respect to the objects received through the other inlet opening or openings in accordance with the size of each object and in accordance with the number of inlet openings employed, and are then interleaved with the objects from the other inlet openings to come together at the outlet opening in a single row for placement individually and sequentially in a given position at said predetermined location.

Transport mechanism

An apparatus for feeding a plurality of items to a unit having a variable demand. The apparatus includes a frame rotatably supporting a first shaft in a fixed position, and a last shaft rotatably supported in a fixed position, the last shaft supplying items to the unit, the first shaft discharging the items from the apparatus at a variable rate, and at least two rotatable pivotally mounted, intermediate shafts to guide the items between the first and last shafts and accumulate them during load demand. The rate of feed by the last shaft is different from that of the first shaft and is determined at least by the extent of accumulation at the intermediate shafts, and optionally also by the differential in feed rate existing between the first and last shafts.

Growing community of inventors

Corona del Mar, CA, United States of America

Michael D Golden