Clearing mechanism for high rate of fire multi-barrel automatic weapon

Claim 1

IN A HIGH RATE OF FIRE AUTOMATIC WEAPON HAVING A PLURALITY OF BARRELS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRANGED ABOUT A COMMON AXIS, AN EXTERNALLY-POWERED ROTOR ASSEMBLY SUPPORTING SAID BARRELS, AND A PLURALITY OF CARTRIDGE-CARRYING BOLTS RECEIVED IN AXIAL WAYS IN SAID ROTOR FOR RECIPROCAL LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT THEREALONG TO AND FROM A CARTRIDGE FIRING STATION, THE IMPROVEMENT OF MEANS FOR CLEARING SAID WEAPON AT CESSATION OF POWER TO THE ROTOR, SAID CLEARING MEANS COMPRISING: A TRIP MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE ROTOR AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY THEREOF; SENSING MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND CAM MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID CAM MEMBERS BEING CONTACTED BY SAID RELATIVELY MOVING TRIP MEMBER WHEN THE ROTOR POWER SOURCE IS ENERGIZED, THE OTHER OF SAID CAM MEMBERS BEING ALTERNATIVELY CONTACTED BY SAID TRIP MEMBER WHEN SAID POWER SOURCE IS DE-ENERGIZED; AN AMMUNITION FEEDER MECHANISM INCLUDING, A PLURALITY OF SPROCKETS A FEEDER SHAFT ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID SPROCKETS ADJACENT THE ROTOR BODY, AND A PLURALITY OF GUIDE MEMBERS COOPERATING WITH SAID SPROCKETS FOR DELIVERY OF LIVE CARTRIDGES FROM A STORAGE AREA TO THE WEAPON; GUIDE MEANS ACCEPTING CARTRIDGES FROM SAID FEEDER MECHANISM, SAID GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING, A BODY PORTION HAVING MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID BODY PORTION TO THE WEAPON INTERMEDIATE THE FEEDER MECHANISM AND THE BOLTS, A PLURALITY OF FINGERS SPACED AXIALLY OF SAID GUIDE MEANS BODY PORTION AND HAVING, RESPECTIVELY, FIRST ALIGNED ARCUATE SURFACES COOPERATING WITH THE RELATIVELY MOVING SPROCKETS TO RECEIVE LIVE CARTRIDGES SUPPORTED THEREBY AND SECOND ALIGNED ARCUATE SURFACES, SAID SECOND AND FIRST ALIGNED ARCUATE SURFACES JOINING AT A POINT ON EACH OF THE FINGERS HAVING ITS LOCUS IDENTICAL WITH THE TRANSFER POINT OF SAID CARTRIDGES FROM SAID SPROCKETS TO SAID FINGERS, AND A CONNECTING SHAFT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID GUIDE BODY PORTION AND LINKED TO SAID CAM MEMBERS; AND A CLEARING SWITCH MEMBER AFFIXED TO SAID CONNECTING SHAFT, SAID SWITCH MEMBER BEING PIVOTABLE THROUGH AN IMAGINARY LINE JOINING SAID LOCI IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID CONNECTING SHAFT CAUSED BY MOVEMENT OF RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID CAM MEMBERS, WHEREBY WHEN SAID ONE OF SAID CAM MEMBERS IS CONTACTED BY SAID TRIP MEMBER SAID SWITCH MEMBER PIVOTS TO A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN LIVE CARTRIDGES ARE DIRECTED TO SAID FIRST ALIGNED ARCUATE SURFACES FOR TRANSMISSION THEREBY TO SAID BOLTS, AND WHEREBY WHEN SAID OTHER OF SAID CAM MEMBERS IS SO CONTACTED SAID SWITCH MEMBER PIVOTS TO A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN SAID CARTRIDGES ARE DIRECTED TO SAID SECOND ALIGNED ARCUATE SURFACES FOR EJECTION OVERBOARD OF SAID WEAPON.