Mar 24, 2026

US12584704 - Ammunition feed belt linkage bracket

A guidance tab is provided for separating a cartridge round at its base from an aft linkage bracket within an ammunition chain. The tab includes a plate, a pair of legs and a pair of feet, and is composed of polyamide-imide. The plate has an obverse surface for engaging the base of the cartridge round and a reverse surface for engaging the aft linkage bracket. The plate is oriented along a longitudinal direction of the ammunition train and a lateral direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the cartridge round. The pair of legs extends from flanking sides of the plate in the axial direction towards the aft linkage bracket. The pair of feet extend substantially parallel to the plate. Each foot extends from a respective leg of the pair of legs.

Assignee: United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
Inventors: Carl Emmett Hager, IV, Shawn E. Allen, Matthew D. Lehr, George Arthur Anderson
Filing date: 2024-12-10

ammunitionlinkagebracketfirearm

The patent describes an aft linkage assembly designed to support a cartridge round within an ammunition chain, featuring a guidance tab made of polyamide-imide that separates the cartridge round from the linkage bracket. This assembly includes a plate with surfaces for engaging both the cartridge and the bracket, along with legs and feet that help maintain the cartridge’s position during transport.

Claim 1

1 . An aft linkage assembly for supporting a cartridge round in transport within an ammunition chain, said assembly facing a breech end of a gun into which said cartridge round loads, and comprising: a linkage bracket for supporting the cartridge round within the ammunition chain; and a guidance tab attaching to said linkage bracket and separating the cartridge round at its base from said linkage bracket, wherein said guidance tab is composed of polyamide-imide (PAI) and further comprises: a plate having an obverse surface for engaging the base of the cartridge round and a reverse surface for engaging said linkage bracket, said plate being oriented along a longitudinal direction of the ammunition chain and a lateral direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the ammunition round; a pair of legs extending from flanking sides of said plate in said axial direction towards said linkage bracket; and a pair of feet extending substantially parallel to said plate, each foot from a respective leg of said pair of legs. a linkage bracket for supporting the cartridge round within the ammunition chain; and a guidance tab attaching to said linkage bracket and separating the cartridge round at its base from said linkage bracket, wherein said guidance tab is composed of polyamide-imide (PAI) and further comprises: a plate having an obverse surface for engaging the base of the cartridge round and a reverse surface for engaging said linkage bracket, said plate being oriented along a longitudinal direction of the ammunition chain and a lateral direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the ammunition round; a pair of legs extending from flanking sides of said plate in said axial direction towards said linkage bracket; and a pair of feet extending substantially parallel to said plate, each foot from a respective leg of said pair of legs. a plate having an obverse surface for engaging the base of the cartridge round and a reverse surface for engaging said linkage bracket, said plate being oriented along a longitudinal direction of the ammunition chain and a lateral direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the ammunition round; a pair of legs extending from flanking sides of said plate in said axial direction towards said linkage bracket; and a pair of feet extending substantially parallel to said plate, each foot from a respective leg of said pair of legs.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12584704

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12584704