IP Verse

Universal Multiple Caliber Firearm Magazine Loader

Patent No. US10900731 (titled "Universal Multiple Caliber Firearm Magazine Loader") was filed by Elite Tactical Systems Group Llc on May 18, 2020.

What is this patent about?

’731 is related to the field of firearm accessories, specifically magazine loaders. Manually loading high-capacity magazines, especially double-stack designs, can be difficult and time-consuming due to increasing spring tension and the force required to overcome binding. Existing loaders often cater to specific firearm platforms, lacking versatility across different magazine types and ammunition calibers.

The underlying idea behind ’731 is to create a universal magazine loader capable of handling various firearm magazine types and ammunition calibers. This is achieved through a combination of a specially designed rail that can accommodate different sized cartridges and a body that can align magazines from different firearm platforms with the rail for loading.

The claims of ’731 focus on a magazine loader comprising a rail with two sets of ribs for engaging different caliber ammunition and a body configured to align various magazines with the rail. The rail's design allows it to pick up and hold rounds of different calibers by engaging the extractor groove on the cartridge casing. The body incorporates features to accommodate and align magazines from different firearm platforms.

The loader works by using the rail to scoop up multiple rounds of ammunition at once, capturing them by their extractor grooves. The user then aligns the loaded rail with the feed lips of a magazine held in the loader's body and pushes the rounds into the magazine. The body's design, including its side walls, rear wall, and optional flanges, ensures that magazines of different shapes and sizes are properly aligned with the rail, facilitating smooth and reliable loading.

The key differentiation from prior approaches lies in the loader's universal compatibility . Unlike loaders designed for specific firearm platforms, this loader can handle a wide range of magazine types and ammunition calibers. This is achieved through the dual-ribbed rail design and the versatile magazine well in the body, which incorporates features to accommodate straight, curved, and differently dimensioned magazines.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2010s when ’731 was filed, at a time when firearm magazines were typically designed for specific firearm platforms, magazine loaders were similarly platform-specific, when high-capacity magazines commonly relied on spring tension to feed rounds, and when hardware or software constraints made designing a universal magazine loader non-trivial.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The claims were rejected in a non-final office action. Claims 1-19 and 21 were rejected for nonstatutory double patenting over a prior patent. The rejection was made final. The prosecution record does not describe the technical reasoning or specific claim changes that led to allowance.

Claims

There are 20 claims in total, with claims 1, 9, and 18 being independent. The independent claims are generally directed to multiple caliber firearm magazine loaders comprising a rail and a body configured to engage a magazine. The dependent claims further define and elaborate on the features and configurations of the magazine loader described in the independent claims.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Extraction groove
(Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 18)		“The forward ribs are positioned and dimensioned to engage the extractor groove of the casing of a round of larger caliber ammunition. The rearward ribs are positioned and dimensioned to engage the extractor groove of the casing of a round of smaller caliber ammunition. Together the rear wall, the rearward portion, and the rearward ribs define a channel that is configured to capture rounds of smaller caliber ammunition by the extractor groove.”A groove in a round of ammunition that the forward ribs or rearward ribs operatively engage to allow the rail to carry the round of ammunition for loading into a magazine.
Feed lips
(Claim 1)		“The body has multiple alignment features that align the feed opening of magazines with the rail of the loader in order to receive rounds of ammunition as they are pushed downward along the rail. For wider magazines (e.g., an AK47 magazine), the side walls serve to horizontally center the magazine. This aligns the feed opening of the magazine with the rail allowing rounds of ammunition to be pressed between the feed lips and into the magazine.”Part of a magazine.
Forward ribs
(Claim 1, Claim 18)		“The rail includes a pair of rearward ribs and a pair of forward ribs. The forward ribs are positioned and dimensioned to engage the extractor groove of the casing of a round of larger caliber ammunition. The rearward ribs serve as a stop engaging the end of the round of larger caliber ammunition. Together the forward portion, the rearward ribs, and the forward ribs define a channel that is configured to capture rounds of larger caliber ammunition by the extractor groove.”Ribs on the rail positioned at the end of the forward portion of the side walls, configured to engage the extractor groove of a round of ammunition to allow the rail to carry the round for loading into a magazine, and to receive rounds of larger caliber ammunition than the rearward ribs.
Rear wall
(Claim 1, Claim 9, Claim 18)		“The rail has a generally C-shaped cross section that defines a rear wall and opposing side walls. The rearward ribs are positioned and dimensioned to engage the extractor groove of the casing of a round of smaller caliber ammunition. The inner face of the rear wall serves as a stop engaging the end of the round of smaller caliber ammunition. Together the rear wall, the rearward portion, and the rearward ribs define a channel that is configured to capture rounds of smaller caliber ammunition by the extractor groove.”A wall of the rail that, in conjunction with the rearward portion and rearward ribs, defines a channel configured to capture rounds of smaller caliber ammunition by the extractor groove.
Rearward ribs
(Claim 1, Claim 18)		“The rail includes a pair of rearward ribs and a pair of forward ribs. The rearward ribs are positioned and dimensioned to engage the extractor groove of the casing of a round of smaller caliber ammunition. The inner face of the rear wall serves as a stop engaging the end of the round of smaller caliber ammunition. Together the rear wall, the rearward portion, and the rearward ribs define a channel that is configured to capture rounds of smaller caliber ammunition by the extractor groove.”Ribs on the rail positioned at the end of the rearward portion of the side walls, configured to engage the extractor groove of a round of ammunition to allow the rail to carry the round for loading into a magazine.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
2:25-cv-00747Sep 2, 2025Elite Tactical Systems, LLC v. Ecom Elite LLC et al

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US10900731

ELITE TACTICAL SYSTEMS GROUP LLC
Application Number
US16877283
Filing Date
May 18, 2020
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Jul 22, 2038
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents