Dispenser for shotgun shells

Claim 1

A dispenser for shotgun shells and the like comprising: a supply housing of generally rectangular shape having a front wall, a rear wall, and opposed sidewalls with inner surfaces defining an elongated supply passage of a size and shape related to the size and shape of the shells being dispensed to guide a stack of the shells downwardly from a top fill opening through a bottom opening, said supply housing being formed with a straight upper section and a forwardly and downwardly inclined lower section, a closure lid for said fill opening having a generally channel-shaped cross section with a pair of side flanges that turn in from the sides of the lid and slide under a pair of outward flanges projecting out from the top of the sidewalls of the supply housing, said lid having a stop flange at one end that extends down along one side wall, a catch flange at the opposite end, and an up-standing lip projecting up from said catch flange whereby upon the application of a force to said lip the fastening flange is raised to a position to enable the movement of the lid to an open position; an ejecting housing of generally rectangular shape having a top wall, a bottom wall and opposed sidewalls having inner surfaces defining an ejecting passage, there being an opening in the top wall to receive a shell from the bottom of the supply housing and a release opening in the bottom wall, said ejecting housing having an opening in the front, an opening in the rear, and a removable rear end cap closing the rear opening; an ejecting member slidably mounted in and guided by the inner surfaces of said ejecting housing, said ejecting member being in the form of an open grid-like frame and having a front wall, a rear wall, and opposed sidewalls defining a shell-receiving cavity that in its forward position is under the open bottom of the supply housing, said sidewalls extending beyond said rear wall, said ejecting member having a forward extension projecting through the opening in the front wall and shaped to form a receiving socket, and an actuator mounted on the front end of said ejecting member externally of said ejecting housing adapted to be emgaged by the hand of the user to move said ejecting member to the second position, said actuator having a forward upright leg and a lower rearwardly extending leg disposed to extend under said ejecting housing in the second position; and resilient means mounted in said ejecting housing between said rear end cap and the rear wall of said ejecting member for automatically returning said ejecting member from said second position to said first position after a shell-dispensing operation with the then lowermost shell in the supply housing dropping into said cavity in the first position for said ejecting member.