US1421925A - Automatic packaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

U E. ifLn-ER. AUTOMATIC PACKAGING EQUIPMENT.

APPLCAUON FILED AUG,15, 1919.

rammed July 4, 1922.

6 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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3 mm1/woz Zml fader E. B. ELDER.

AUTOMATIC PACKAGING EQUIPMENT.

APPLiCATlON FILED AUG.15. 1919.

` E. B. ELDER. y AUTOMATIC PACKAGING EQUIPNINII; y

-APPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, 1919.

Iatented July 4, 1922.

6 SHEETS--SHEET 3.

E. B. ELDERf AUTOMATIC PACKAGING EQUIPMENT. APPLICATION FILED AUG, I5, 1919.

P mnteauuly 4, 1922.

v6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

/as y E. B. ELDER.

AUTOMATIC PACKAGING EQUIPMENT.

Patented' July 4, 1922.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

AIPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, 1919.

Zie reza i0,"

E. B. ELDER.

.AUTOMATIC PACKAGING EQUIPMENT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG, I5. |919.

1,421,925, Patented July 4, 1922.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

l, 11"' II, [72119/2507 UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.

EARL B. ELDER, or NEW YORK, N.` Y., AssreNoR ro E, D. ANDERS YoiiicN.` Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.-

ON, INC., 0F NEW" AUTOMATIC PACKAGING EQUIPMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.v

Patented July 4, 1922.

V.Application filed August 15, 1919. Serial No. 317,698.

To allwhomz't may concern: y

Be it known that I, EARL B. ELDER, a citizen of the United States,.and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York (whose post-oiiice addr-ess is 52 Broadway,`

automatic means for preventing any un-A desirable action of any of the mechanisms, package agitating mechanisms and package delivery mechanism. y

For a more particular description of my invention, reference is to be had to the ac coinpanyingdrawings, forming a part thereof in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my apparatus with parts in section.

Figure 2 shows a portion of thepackage shifting mechanism and safety devices, and Figure 2a is a section of a detailed construction.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation of the upper portion of the apparatus, theview being taken at right angles to the view shown in Figure 1, and at "the right Side thereof.

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the gate and agitating mechanism connected therewith.

VFigure? is a side elevation, somewhat enlarged vand partially `in section,vof the structure shown iii the upper part ofFigure 1 with certain parts omitted.

taken on the opposite side from'that in which Figure 2 was taken.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 6.

12--12 of f Figure Figure 8 is a detailed view Showing cani and connected mechanism for opening the gate and tilting the weigh pan, the secationbeing taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 10,1Ookingin the direction of the arrows.

Figure 9 is a Side elevation of a portion of the mechanism for shifting the gate, scale, pair-and other parts.

Figure 10 is a plan view of the structure shown in FigureA Figures 11, 12 and 13 show anfelectric safetyfmechanism, which prevents theweigh pan from discharging out of time` Figure 12 being a sectional view taken on/the line 13, looking .iii the direction ofthe arrows, and Figure 11 Shows a portion of the mechanism in ,a different position from that indicated in Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a plan view of the belt conveyoi mechanism for moving cartons towards and away from theloading chute.

Figure 15 is a sectional side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 14, the sec` tion being takenv looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 16 isa sectional view taken on the` line 1616 of Figure 15, looking in the direction of the arrows.

n Throughout the various views of thedrawings, similar reference characters designate similar parts. f

M y improved machine 1 isprovided at its upper portion, with a suitable frame 2, which cai-ries a hopper 3 in which'is placed an agitator et-,and at thel'iottom of thishopper is a gate 5 which extends into a chute 6 which has a scale pan 7 of a scale 8` mounted therein, and this scale pan 7 dumps into the chiite G which delivers into a hopper 9 which is counected to a delivery tubo 10, beneath whichY shifted to a belt 13 by a shifting mechanism Figure 6 is a side 4elevation somewhat en-` larged of the package transferring mechanisin shown in Figure 2, the view being 14:, and further vibrated and these various Vmechanisms are so timed and arranged that they will cooperate together and produce accurate automatic weighing, delivering, filling and compacting in a manner which will be more particularly pointed out in the detailed description which Will now be given. After on the line 15-15 andk the linal compat-ting the packages are delivered by a peculiar delivery apparatus.

The upper hopper with its claimt/ug md gate mechanisms.

In order that the mechanism may function properly it is essential that the upper hopper, which receives all pulverized material from any suitable source, should deliver the same in a. constant stream which is properly shut off when the desired amount of inaterial has been delivered to the weighing mechanism. To perform these functions and to secure the desired results, in the preferred embodiment of my invention, l provide the hopper 3 with one sloping wall 15 and with vertical walls 1G on the other sides. The hopper is supported from the frame 2 by two horizontally disposed crossings 17 and 1S which are provided with bearings 19 in which is mounted the rotary shaft 20, which is kept in place lby means of suitable collars 21 which are fixed on the shaft. rllhe upper end of the shaft 2O is provided with a suitable pulley 22 which is run by a belt 23 that runs over idle pulleys 2a supported from the frame 2 or in any suitable manner, and this belt runs to a pulley 24k mounted on the main shaft 25 of the machine, which is mounted in suitable bea-rings 26 that run from the frame. 2. The shaft 25 is driven in any suitable manner, as by la pulley 28, which carries a belt 29 which runs on a pulley 30 on the armature shaft 31 of a motor 32 which is supported in any desired way and runs from any source of power that may be convenient. The lower end of the shaft Q0 is provided with a collar 38 which has radiating arms 84 fixed thereon and preferably extending radially and adjacent arms are connected by blades 85, as shown in Figure il. These blades rotate near the bottom or bowl of the hopper 3 and prevent any undue accumulation of material in the hopper'. The bottom 3G is circular in cross section. The extent of the opening in the bottom of this part 3G will vary according to the nature of the material, which is being weighed. To permit adjustment for this purpose, I provide the extreme lower end of the shaft 2O with a truncated cone 37, which is connected to this .shaft by screw threads or in any other suitable manner and may be raised or lowered on this shaft by turning. Then lowered it is brought close to the blades and thereby reduces the size of the opening, and when raised it is taken away from these blades and enlarges this opening. From the foregoing it is apparent that when the shaft 2O is rotated, all material in the bottom 36 is stirred by the blades 35 and arms 3-1, and can, at a suitable time, pass between these blades and the cone 37 and through the opening below this cone. It is not necessary to operate this shaft continuously, although this may be done if desired. It is suliicient to operate intermittently and while material is [lowing through the opening.

Mechanism for permitting the free and even flow of material into the bowl 36 and maintaining a substantially even control over the feed parts, will now be described. The crossings 17 and 1S have guides 38 :fixed 'to their lower surfaces, and these guides carry at their free ends, near the inclined wall 15, suitable parallel spindles 39 which may rise and fall in them, but have no other movement. The spindles 39 have brackets l() fixed thereon, which carry a 'vertically disposed partit-ion plate l1 which reaches from one wall 1G across to the other, and has its upper end near the top of the lmpper i5 and its lower end near the bottom of the inclined wall 15. This partition al moves in a vertical direction only and is driven by a pin -12 which is fixed in a spindle 39 and rides in a recess 43 in a bell. crank lever dei, which is fulcrumed at in a bearing lo, which is mounted on the crossing 17'. The bell crank lever la has a recessed lower arm 417 which engages an eccentric A 18 mounted on a. shaft e9 which is supper ed by the bearing nlG and also by a bearing 50, both of which rest on the crossing 1T and is driven by a pulley 51 which is fixed to the shaf 45). rlhis pulley is driven by a belt 52 which runs to the pulley 2li: on the shaft 25.

From this it is apparent that the shaft Li9 rotates, the bell crank lever fle-l is oscillated and the spindles 39 are reciprocated, gv

whereby the partition 4:1 is raised and lowered, and this raising and. lowering of the partition prevents any arching or accumulating of the material in the hopper and causes this material to liow with an even flow into the bowl 3G regardless of the amount of material in the hopper, so as to maintain practically a constant level of material in the bowl 36.

The bowl 36 is closed at its lower end by the gato 5 which .is pivotally mounted ou lugs 53 which extend laterally therefrom and near the top thereof. The gate 5 has lixedly connected therewith, suitable bosses 5i, one about each pivot 53, and fixed to each boss is a plate with integral projecting arms and 57. The arms 56 are connected by a suitable bail 58 from which rises a catch 59 which is connected to releasing mechanism, which in turn is connected to the weighing mechanism '7 as will appear below. The arm 57 is connected to timing mechanism so that the gate can operate only under certain conditions and not discharge the material. out of season. The arm 55 is provided with a post GO which is connected to a tension spring G1 that runs to another post 62 on an arm 63 which is fixed to the pivot 53 by means of a suitable screw Get or in any other desired manner. The spring G1 has with the result that the gate is closedV promptly.

The shaft 25 has a small pulley 65 on which is mounted a suitable belt 66 that runs to a pulley 67 which is loosely mounted on a shaft 68 and this shaft is supported by suitable bearings 69 which are carried by the frame 2 at any convenient locations and preferably on the side opposite that which carries the shaft 26. This pulley 67 is fixed to an annular collar 70 with teeth projecting therein and means are provided for preventing the pulley 67 and collar 70 from moving in the direction of the axis ofthe shaft 68 such as a collar 71 on one side which is fixed to the shaft in any suitable manner, and a larger collar 72 on the other, which has 'a spring pressed dog 73 pivotally mounted therein. The dog 78 and connectedv parts on the shaft 68 constitute a dog clutch of the conventional kind `where the clutch releases the pulley 67 from the shaft 68 while engaged at its free end and not otherwise. This dog` 7 8 engages the lower and inwardly extended end 7 t of the lever 75 and which is provided with a part which engages a lever 76 which will be described below. The lever 75 is fulcrumed at 77 on a bracket 78 which extends from the main frame 2, and the upper end of this lever is pivotally connected at 79 to a link 80 that runs to an arm 81 and is pivotallyy connected therewith. This arm 81 is fixed to they arm 57 and moves with the same.

To make clear the action of the link 80 and its connected parts, it is necessary to describe the cams on the shaft 68 and their connections.

The shaft 68 has fixed thereon, a cam 82 which engages a roller 83 near the end of a slotted link 8d and this link is mounted to slide in suitable guides secured to the frame 2, and at its lower end it is pivotally connected to a lever 85 which is bifurcated at the free end so as to engage two pintles 88 mounted at the ends of crank arms 89 which are fixed on the pivot 90 of the scale pan 7 s0 that when the cam 82 is turned the proper amount, the scale pan 7 is d umped. A coil spring 91 which is secured to the frame 2 and lever 85 causes the roller 83 to closely follow the cam 82 and raises the lever 85 and permits the scale pan to resume its normal position. Another coil spring about the shaft 90 (not shown) causes the scale pan 7 to return to its normal position.

the machine.

The shaft 68 has also fixed thereon, another cam 92, which is adapted to engage a pintle 923 on the end of Vbent link 94. It is bent so as to surround the shaft 68 with an elongated slot and the other end of this link f 91 is pivotally connected to the arm 57 so that `the gate 5 may be swung into its open position under the influence of the cam 92 and when in this position, the catch 59 may engagethe tripping mechanism, which will be described below, and the .gate will be held open` until the tripping mechanism operates, and it is closed by the tension of the spring 61.

Another cam 95 is fixed to the shaft 68 at its extreme end, and this case isan ordinary snail shaped cam, adapted to en gage with a lever 96 pivoted at 97 at a bracket 98 which is fixedto the frame 2, and this lever 96 is pivotally connected to a link 99 that runs to the shifting mechanism 141 so that the shifting mechanism will be properly timed with regard to the other mechanism of this device. The details will be set forth below.

,The weighing mectmzc'sm.

The scale 8 may be any suitable kind of a scale but is preferably a weight scale rather is placed a beam 102 in the conventional manner. The. pan 71s supported from this vbeam 102 at one end and is pivotally mounted, as above described, on a. rod 90 which is Journalled in a suitable bracket 103 which is suitably connected to said beam through a. pivotal connection and below this bracket extends a rod 10d with a stop 105 which is adapted to connect a corresponding check block 106 on thev pedestal 100. The other end of the beam 102 is provided with a weight pan 107 which is mounted in the conventional manner and guided by a rod 108, which also has a stop collar 109 adapted to engage a check block 1110 on the pedestal 100. Any desired weight may be placed in the pan 100 according to ,what weight of material is to be weighed and delivered by F or the `purpose of illustration it will be assumed that the weight is one pound, although it is obvious that any other weight may be employed. The weight beam 102 is also provided with a pointer 111 y of the usual kind and for the usual kpurpose which indicates when the beam is balanced.

Extending upwardly from the pan 107 is a strap 112 which is fixed thereto and adapted to ride over and normally rest upon the free end of a lever 118, which is fulcrumed at 114 on a bracket 115 which is fixed toa projection which extends from the bowl' 86' or is mounted in any other convenient way. The lever 113 is preferably a bell crank lever which has its larger and horizontally disposed arm at the top and this arm is pre'lierably made in two parts so that it may be adjusted. This upper arm is also provided with a projection 11G which is adapted to engage the under surface oit a lever 117 fulcrumed at 11S on the bracket and. provided at its lower' end with a diagonally disposed and downwardly eX- tending catch 119, which is adapted to engage the catch 59 to hold open the gate 5. Enough hasbeen said to show that by adjusting the horizontal arm ot the lever 113, the projection 116 may be moved one way or the other tor a limited distance so as to modify the action of the lever 117 to produce a quick release which may be regulated. The downwardly extending arm oit the lever 113 is provided with a spring 120 wl'iich runs to an adjusting screw 121 so that it may be given any desired tension, and this screwis mounted in an ear 122 which extends trom the bracket 115.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that normally when there is very little or no material in the scale pan 7, the weight on the pan 197 will torce the collar 109 against the check block 110, and then the strap 112 will rest on the lever 113, and this will cause the lower arm of this lever to press the catch 119 against the catch 59 or in the direction of this catch. Vhen the material on the scale pan 7 approaches the predetermined weight, the pan overbalances the weight and thereafter the pan 197 rises and so does the strap 112, whereby the lever 113 is free 'from all restraint which normally prevents it trom moving upwardly in its horizontal extension. The spring 120 then becomes active and draws the vertically disposed and lower end ot the lever 113 towards the ear 122, and this causes a slight disengagement 'from the catch 119 and a slight elevation ot thc project-ion 116, which in turn elevates the lever 117 and causes the catch 59 to disengage. The exact time that it takes these catches to disengage depends upon how much overlap there is and how tar the projection 11G is 'i'rom the lulcrum 114, and the tension ci; the spring 120. By adjusting the tension o t this spring and the location ot this projection, it is possible to regulate the time ot disengagement oit the parts 59 and 119 when the material is being weighed. No two materials have exactly the same weight and exactly the same speciiic gravity with the result that some materials tall through air more readily than others and while Falling absorb more or less air'. By trial the correct positions ot the parts 59 and 119 are determined so that the strap 112 will rise when the pan 7 has received almost the complete load and enough material remains in the air to complete the load. Then by timing, as above described, it is possible to release the catch 59 so that the spring Gl will close the gate 5 and shut oli the material with great accuracy so that in weighing out say one hundred pounds ot a commodity, such as cocoa, each paci-:age will contain a pound ot cocoa with so slight an error in each package as to constitute perfect weights in thc ordinary commercial meaning ot' that term. lV hen once the material is weighed, it is passed to the delivery mechanism which will now be described.

T/ic delivery mechanism..

The delivery mechanism is embraced in the hopper 9 and receives material Yfrom the chute (l. lt may be ot any desired 'in'ni, but, in the preterred embodiment ot my invention, it is provided with a stirring mechanism 1223 which is in substance the same as the stirring mechanism above described which is carried by the vertical shaft .20 and includes the inverted cone 37 and the blades 35 and their connected parts. These are shown in the lower part oit Figure $3. This mechanism is driven by a suitable pulley 121, which derives power 'from any suitable source, not shown. it the lower end ot the hopper 9, is a delivery tube 1() which may be made integrz'il with the hopper, as shown in Figure 1, or as a separate iiistruincnt as shown in Figure ln either case the lower end oit this tube 10 prorided with a contracted inner nozzle which is surrounded by an outer petticoat flange 126, which is pretcrabiy made integral therewith and is no larger than the carton to be tilled and is preterably the shape of the upper end oi? the arton. The reasons 'for this is that when the granular or pulverulent material 'falls into the carton, or container, it carries air, also displ aces air already in the container and this e caping air carries with it the line particles ol' product Vforming a cloud ot dust. As soon as the dust strilres the inneil surface ot the petticoa" 126. vit loses itsvclocity and tails back (p'iictly and without spreadinginto tue space about the carton. This is truc. although there is a slight gap between thc upper inlgii oi the carti'in and thc lower edge ol the tube il). This is the only device that l. know of which avoids physical contact with thc carton while the same is being iilled with cocoa or similar powder and yet prevents any material amount ot dust trom escapingij. 'i

no tar l l-now, this feature is absolutely new both in ilorm and function. and iliorms a very Valuable teaturc ot niy ii'ircntion. T he tube 1() and its connected parts may be run contii'iuously, il so desired, althc gh in the einbodinient oli my invention. herein shown. this tube operates only interruittently, although the stirring apparatus 123 may `run continuously. i

From the chute 10, the material runs to a carton 11 which rests on the delivery belt 12 lli) and remains there until the shifting .mechanism 14 operates to shift the carton after it is loaded. This shifting mechanism will now be described.

Shifting mecha/neem.

rllhe shifting mechanism is provided with upper and lower angle bars 127 each of which has two parts, one adapted to bear against the carton 11 while being filled and shifted, and the other, running at right angies thereto, and adapted to prevent any other carton from'getting' under the chute 10, until after the removal of the first car ton andthe complete return of these bars to their original posit-ion. 1t will be understood that the belt 12 keeps pressing one carton against another while one is held by a stopping device, one of' which will bedescribed below. At this time it is sufficient to state that over the belts 12 and 13 is placed a horizontally disposed stop bar 128 against which a carton 11 rests while being filled. X'Yhen this carton is moved laterally of the belts 12 and 18 under the iniiuence of the angle bars 12?', as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 15, it rubsag'ainst this bar 128 and has its movement finally limited by a guiding' bar 129 which is set longitudinally over the belt 18. A corresponding inner guiding bar 130 is set over the belts 12 and 18 and has overlapping` and laterally extending ends which run parallel to the bar 128. rhere is an additional guiding bar 131 on the outer edge of the belt 12,.and all these guiding bars are located at the bottom of the cartons and close to the belts so that the movement of the cartons on the belts and under the infiuencc ofthe belts is always accurately determined. These guiding bars are supported by suitable brackets 132 which are separated from the table of the machine in any suitable way.

The angle bars 12T are mounted on the laterally disposed shafts 133 which reciprocate in suitable guides 134 which are carried in any suitable way from the frame 185 of the machine. At the angle bars 127 these bars 188 are connected to a crossing` 186 and between the bearings 134 they are connected by a. slotted bar 13T which is liXed to them. This slotted bar has gideway for a pintle 188 mounted on a crank arm 189, which is fined on a shaft 140 which is joru'nalled in a suitable bearing' 141 in the frame 185. This shaft 140 carries an idle sprocket 142 ywhich is lined to a part of a dog` clutch 14S-and has aconnection with a spring pressed bar `or dog of the conventionalkind, which is carried `by this clutch so that when this dogis released, the sprocket wheel 142 .becomes rigidly connected to this shaft 140 andwill rotate the same. The sprockety wheel 142 is continuously driven by means of asuitable sprocket chain. 145 which 1s driven fromany suitable source of power, suchas a sprocket wheel 146 on ashaft 147 mounted in suitable bearings 148. The source from which the power is derived to run the shaft 147 is not shown, but it may be any suitable source, such as anelectricmotor. From any other suitable source of power a chain, not shown, drives a sprocket wheel 149 which is mountedlonav shaft 150 soaszto normally run idle and this shaft is journaled in a suitable bearing 151 whichis mounted from the frame of `the` machine. The sprocket wheel`149 may berfixed tothe shaft 150whenever the dog clutch 152 is released from the pin 153-where itris'normally held. Thepin 153 ismounted on` a. bell crank lever 154, (see Figure 2a) which is fulcrumedat 155, (see Figure2) in a bracket 156 lined tothe frame ofthe machine or `any other suitable support. This bell crank lever 154 is pivotally connected tothe link 99and shifts when the lever 96 is raised by the cam `95,1as vabove described. lhenit is so shifted, the dog'member 152 is separated fromthe pin 158 and free from the same and starts moving inan anti-clock wise direction when yviewed as shown inFigure 2, .and as it `moves the pin .157, which is ixedtherein, engages the Lpivot catch 158 and knocks the same down. This catch 158 is pivoted at oneuend to any suitable support andfatV therother end is` held up by a spring 159 or any-other suitable means. The pivoted catch 158 has an upwardly projecting lug '160 adaptedto engage a pin161on the bell crank lever 154 so that when the bell crank lever makes its movement, it rides up the inclined side of thelug 161, and then falls abruptly and rests againstthe steep side so that the tensionof the spring 159 holds `the `bell crank lever 154 away yfrom` the dog` clutch 152 until the dog' clutchxis free from thepin 153,and then thepin 157 on thedog,` clutch 152 lowers the catch `158 and thereby releases the pin 161 from the projection 160 so thatwhen ,the dog clutch 152 turnsl through 860 degrees it `will come to rest on the pin 153, and this cycle ofop. erations is repeated indefinitely.

When the dog clutch 152 `is free, it locks the sprocket 149 andthe shaft 150 together, and then the sprocket 149 slowly drivesthe shaft 15d-and also the crank 160*L which is fixed thereto andfpivotally` connected to a link 161 which runs diagonally Vand up wardly to a suitable pin on the pivoted bar 162 and ythis bar is connected Vwith a coil spring 163 at its top so thatit may rapidly restore this bar after displacement by the link 161. This bar 162 has two laterally extending ears 164 which serve as ...guides through which the shaft 163 of thestop 144 is passed. This stop 144 is normally kept away from the nearest ear 164 by a coil spring 166 so that the dog,` 143 will be l brought to rest Yon cushion and not .too abruptly.,

This spring 166 also permits a limited swing of the bar 162 towards the shaft 1a() without disturbing the dog 1st-8. lllhen the stop 141 is swung; free of the dog` 143, the clutch operates to fix the sprocket 142 on the shaft 140 and then the shaft is driven from the chain M5 in the manner described above, and when so driven,vthe crank 139 acts to shift the slide 187 and connected parts in the manner above described, and shift a carton 11. This shifting can only occur when the link 161 is passing through a limited portion of its movement, say twenty or thirty degrees of the movement of the crank 160a Vand as this sprocket wheel 119 is timed to have a slow movement as compared with the sprocket wheel 112, it is obvious 'that the dog 1418 is released sometime after the link 99 is shifted say live seconds thereafter or whatever time is required to allow the granular or pulverulent material to be measured, dumped and received in the carton 11. The link 160L and its connected parts might be called a relay mechanism because it acts so as to delay the shifting,` of the carton, as above described. This delay in shifting prevents any carton from being moved before the discharge from the chute 9 is complete. However, this is not suliicient. Additional mechanism must also be provided to prevent any discharge from the chute 10 when a carton is not thereunder, and also until after the filled carton has been shifted and an empty one has taken its place. Such aI mechanism will now be set forth.

The safety mcc/"Lmiism,

The crank arm 139 is adapted to wipe a cam 167 which is fixed to a catch 168 and both these are pivoted from a bracket 169 which is fastened to the fixed guide 184e. The catch 168 is adapted to engage an arm 170 extending from a rocking' lever 171 which is pivotally supported and provided with a contact 172 which is normally kept off another contact 178 by said catch 168, but is allowed to go in contact with the part 17 3 after the releasing` of this catch and the catch releases when the cam 167 is struck by the crank 139. The rocker 171 is pivotally connected to the link 174: and this link runs up to the shaft 68 which it straddles and is provided at its upper extremity with a pintle 1713 which engages a cam 176 fixed to the shaft 68. This cam is so timed that the rocker 171 is thrown down while the catch 168 is' thrown back through the action of the crank 139 which has been described above` and then a circuit may be closed through the contacts 172 and 178.

This lever 171 and link 174 serve no Dun pose except to cause this timely opening4 of the circuit at these points 172 and 178 and so prevent the action of discharging' the conr pleted weight of material from the pan be fore the work of the delivering and carton transfer mechanisms has been completed as will appear as this description proceeds.

This circuit will now be described and will be understood by referring` to Figure 7 and Figures 10 to 1st inclusive. leginning,- with the contact 173, the circuit may be traced through a wire 177 which runs to a binding;l post 178 on a switch box 179, which is fixed. to the frame 2 at any convenientI location and adjacent to the lever 76. From the post 178 a wire 180 runs to a magnet 181 and from there a wire rnns to a movable eontact 183 which may engage a second contact 181 which in turn is engaged by a wire 185 extending` to a binding;` post and from there a wire 187 runs to a battery 188 which is preferably formed by several. dry cells connected together in any suitable way but may be made in any desired manner and from the battery 1,88 a wire 189 runs to a contact 190 at which the circuit may be opened or closed. 1t is opened when a second contact 191 is allowed to swing away and closed when the contacts 190 and 191 are together and from the contact, 191 a wire 192 runs to a second fixed contact 193 which in turn is adapted to engage a movable contact 1941 which corresponds with the movable contact 191 and from there a wire 195 runs back to the contact 172 which can engage the contact 173 and thereby close theicireuit. lllhen the circuit is closed the magnet 181 may be energized and then it will draw its armature 196 against the tension of a suitable spring` 197 which normally keeps the armature away from the magnet 181.

lllhen the armature is raised by the action of this spring' a catch lever 198 which is fixed to a shaft 1,99 journalled at the top of the box 179 cannot swing. The shaft 199, on its exterior end, has fixed thereon a cross arm 200 which has three branches which are arbitrarily numbered 201, 202 and 208. The branch 201 has a coil spring- 2041 which is connected to the top of the box 17 9 or o any other suitable place so that normally the arm 198 is forced against the armature 196 and held there or is over this armature. The

branch 208 has a slotted link 205 pivotally connected thereto and also pivotally connected to the lever 96 so that when this lever is raised, the link 205 will lock the arm 200 against the tension of the spring' 201. The arm 202 is pivotally connected to the lever 76, which is fulcruined at 206 on a suitable bracket extending; from the frame 2 of the machine.

The shaft 199 carries a cam 207 which is fixed thereon and in the box 179, and this cam is preferably shaped as shown in Fie*- ures 12 and 18 and so arranoed and disposed that it can rub against ai rock a lever .208 that carries the Contact 18 This lever 208 is fulcrlllned at 209 on pin which projects from the interior of the box 197. Assuming, for the moment, that the 'contacts are closed at 190`and 1.93 and also at 173 and 181 and the scale pan 7 has been filled in the normal manner and the gate 5 closed as above described, the dog1 73'of the dog'clutch on the shaft G8 is released by the withdrawing of the end 7d ofthe lever 75 and the shaft G8 then becomes attached to the pulley 67 and is driven thereby and the various cams and their connections operateas above described, so that the scale pan is dumped through the agency of the rod 8-1 and its connected parts, and a short time thereafter tlufough the rods 99 and 17d, the carton 11 is shifted and the movement of the belt 1.2 will bring another carton i nto place.

The foregoing is true upon the assumption that. the level` 7b is free of the lever 7 5 as it is under normal conditions because the spring 29-1 keeps it in this position. However, soon after the lever 96 begins to rise under the influence of the 'cam 95, the link 205 is elevated and this overcomes the tension of the spring 2041, and thenthe shaft 199 is rocked and the projection 198 slides over the armature196 and becomesheld thereby, asshown in Figure 13. (Before this and immediately following the dumping of the scale pan 7 the lever 7 5 has been returned to normal with' the end 711 ready to engage the dogg1 73;) The projection becomes released when the magnet 181 is energized, as above described, and at that time the lever 96 has been suiiciently lowered so as not tocause the link 205 to interferewith the arm 200, and then the spring; 204e is strong enough to shift the arm 200 `and the shaft 199 to Cfr fio.

which it is fixed and swing the catch 198 forward over the armature 196, as shown in Figure 12.V At the same time the cam 207 passes on the lever 208, and thereby causes the vcontacts-183 and 184: to part and open the circuit, which openingfdeenergizes the magnet-181and allows the armature 196 to restagainst the catch 198 ina position where the same `will be held as soonas'the link 205 again operates, as above described.

From the foregoing' it is obvious that the lever 7G acts as' a safety device which prevents flooding; or spilling ofthe granular material passing through the hopper 9 through the untimely shifting of a carton l1. lit is lequally important that when a' carton 11 is under the chute 10, 1t should be right side up and ready to be filled.` To insure that it shall be as described, feelers are provided `which .are connected to `the contacts 191 and 194 in a manner which will now be described. There are two feelers at different levels' one, 211, is the first one that the cartons engage and the other 212, is the second oneto be engaged. The feeler at the lowerV level opens the circuit when there is no empty carton,and the feeler at the higher level opens the circuit when the carton has fallen over with the long side up. Each feeler is provided with a pedestal 213, on which itis pivotally mounted, and it is provided with two arms 214i and 215, both of which are spring arms made substantially as shown, andadapted to shift on the pivoted The agz'tatnig mechanism.

Pulverulent material entraine air when delivered through the chutes, as zibove described, and it is essential that this air be gotten rid of so that the mass may be compacted and to dothis itis' desirable that the cartomafterbeingflled, should be well shaken down. This is accomplished by providing the table which carries the belts 12 and 13 with a rotating shaft 216 driven from any suitable source of power, not shown, and this shaft carries la disc 217 from which extend suitable `pins 218 which engage an arm 219 which is'xed to a shaft220 which runs parallel with the shaft `216 and is preferably mounted above the same. The shaft 22() is provided with a number of laterally extending-arms 221' and C222, the former shaking under the belt v12 and thel latter under the belt 13. It is desirable that one of the arms 222-should be provided with a spring 223 which runs to a table leg 2241, where itis secured softhat theprojection 219 will normally be drawn down against the pins 218 and receive movement from the same so that the belts '12 and 13 will receive a number of knocksiinrapid succession, none of which are very severe, although those on the belt 13 are more severe than those on the belt 12. This agitatingmechanismis made suiiiciently long and extensive to produce the desired results. In .the` preferred embodiment of my invention, the two arms 222 and the two arms' 221,7atrtheir extreme ends are connected by slats 225, as indicated which rest against the belts and :lie in corresponding slots -in the table. These belts-.are mounted in the conventional way on pulleys which it is not necessary tofdescribe.

Y i Operation.

In view of the-foregoing,` the operation of my improved apparatus will be readily understood. Assuming that the apparatus has been properly set and suitablecartons have been provided and material of the correct ykindl has been placed in the hopper 3,

this material is passed through the bowl 36 until stopped by the gate 5 in the manner above set forth. immediately thereafter, the pan 7 is dumped and the pulverulent material passes through the hopper 9 and chute 10 to the carton 11. rlhe relay mechanism and sa'lfety devices prevent any dumping oit the scale pan 7 when there is no carton to receive the pulverulent material and also any premature dumping ot this pan 7 so that the carton 11 is always ready to receive the material when it comes. ln due season the carton is iilled and any material which tends to rise into the lower recess ot the chute 10 tails back ot its own weight as above described. After the carton is filled and somewhat shalren down, it is passed from the belt 12 to the belt 13 where a 'turther consolidation occurs and thereafter is delivered as above set forth.

llhile I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that it is not restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures that come within the scope et the annexed claims.

Vilhat l claim is:

1. In an apparatus ot the class described, a hopper with bowl at its lower extremity, a vertically moving partition in said hopper and means for moving the same, a rotary agitating mechanism in said bowl and means 'for closing the lower end oi the bowl when a predetermined amount et material has passed through the same.

2. ln an apparatus oi' the class described, a hopper with. a vertically disposed shaft and means l'or mountingr the same, means 'for driving the same, an adjustably mounted cone on the bottom ot said shaft and adjacent to the hopper walls, whereby the space between the cone and the hopper may be regulated by raising or lowering the cone.

.ln an apparatus ot the class described, a hopper with a vertically mounted spindle therein, means for mounting the spindle, means Ytor driving the spindle and blades fixed to the spindle and adapted to move adjacent to the walls ot the hopper, whereby the accumulation oi' material near the walls of the hopper is prevented, and a vertical partition extending across between spaced walls ot the hopper, said partition being movable in the hopper.

4. In an apparatus ot the class described, a hopper with a vertically disposed spindle mounted therein` means for mounting said spindle, means tor driving said spindle, a cone at the bottom of said spindle adapted to nearly close the lower end of said hopper and bla des fixed to said spindle and adjacent to said cone and hopper tor preventing the accumulation or" material in the lower end oi the same, and means adiustably supporting the cone on said spindle.

5. ln an apparatus oi' the class described,

a hopper with a vertically disposed spindle therein, means for mounting said spindle, means for driving said spindle, a vertically disposed partition plate adjacent to said spindle, means for moving said partition plate in the direction ot its length and a cone at the lower' end of said spindle adapted to nearly close the lower opening oit the hopper.

G. ln an apparatus ot the class described, a hopper, a vertically disposed spindle mounted therein and means for driving the same, means for mounting the same, a vertically disposed partition plate adjacent to said spindle and means vfor mounting` the same, means for driving thc same in the direction ot its length with a reciprocating motion, a cone at the lower end ot said spindle adapted to nearly close the lower end otmsaid hopper and blades mounted on said spindle above the cone and adjacent to the hopper which are adapted to scrape any excess material lodging near the lower end of the hopper.

7. In an apparatus of thev class described, a hopper, a gate to control its outlet, a weighing scale having a dumping pan to receive material from the hopper, devices to retain the gate open. means tor controlling said devices from the scale, means to actuate the dumping pan7 and means controlled by the gate to cause operation of the last named means after the gate has closed the hopper outlet.

S. ln an apparatus of the class described. a hopper with a swinging gate at its lower end` springs for causing said gate to close, mechanism for opening said gate in opposition to said springs, a catch mechanism tor holding` the gate open when the opening mechanism is inoperative, a weighing mechanism having means resting on said catch mechanism and rising tree oit the same when a predetermined amount of material has been placed in the weighing mechanism and means 'for causing the catch mechanism to release promptly thereafter so that the springs may close the gate and prevent iurther delivery oli material to the weighing mechanism until after the gate opening mechanism has operated. l i Y' 9. ln an apparatus ot the class described, hopper with a gate mechanism 'for opening` and closing the lower end ot the sinne and a release tor said gate mechanism which permits the closing ofthe same, said release mechanism consisting of two catches adapted to interengage, one of which is rigidly connected to the gate mechanism and the other to a lever, a second lever adapted to engage the first. a spring for shitting the second lever and causing the lirst lever to release the cate ies when not held down by the weighing mechanism, means for regulating the time of operation of said levers of material has been delivered to the weighmg mechanism.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, a hopper with a rotary spindle mounted therein, means for mounting said spindle, a cone at the lower end of said spindle, means for driving said spindle and blades fixed to said spindle and adapted to rotate with it and near the flaring walls of the hopper and adjacent to the cone, and means adjustably supporting the cone relatively to the hopper and blades, whereby materia-l is prevented from accumulating in the hopper and all material is passed through the hopper with an even and controlled flow.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, a cam shaft with a series of cams thereon and a loose pulley with a dog clutch through which it may be held to said shaft and made to drive the same, a hopper adapted to receive pulverulent material and a gate for closing the lower end of said hopper, a spring mechanism for causing said gate to close when the gate opening mechanism is inoperative; a cam on said sha-ft and connections for opening said gate at a predetermined time and in opposition to said spring mechanism, a weighing mechanism, means connected to said weighing mechanism for releasing said gate when a predetermined amount of material has been delivered from the hopper to the weighing mechanism, means connected to said gate and said dog clutch for causing the clutch to make the pulley drive the cam shaft when the gate closes, a second cam on said shaft and means connected therewith for dumping the scale pan of the weighing mechanism after the closing of the gate, the cam being so timed that all material in the air between the hopper and the scale pan is allowed to accumulate in the pan before such dumping, a chute below said scale pan adapted to receive the pulverulent material therefrom, belts for shifting cartons towards and away from saidV chute and mechanism for registering each carton in its true position under the chute and means connected with said cam shaft for preventing the carton shifting mechanism from operating until sufficient time has elapsed for the material to all get into the carton and also for preventing the pan discharging mechanism from operating so as to cause material to be deposited when no carton is ready to receive it.

12. In an apparatus of the class described, a hopper adapted to hold pulverulent material and a gate for closing the lower end of the same, a weighing mechanism under said hopper which is adapted to receive material from the same until the flow of material is stopped by the gate, a chute for receiving material `from the weighing machine, means for placing a carton under said chute to receive material and means for preventing the gate from opening when a carton is not in proper position to receive material after weighing.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, means for weighing and delivering pulverulent material, means for placing a carton under said delivering means, means for shifting said carton after Vit is lled, removing means for said carton, means for holding said carton after removal, means for agitating said carton while being filled and means for agitating the carton on said holding means after removal from the filling means.

14. In an apparatus of the class described, a bowl with a vertical shaft mounted in the center thereof and adapted to be rotated, means for supporting said shaft, an adjustable cone mounted at the lower end of said shaft and adjacent to the opening at the lower end of the bowl and blades mounted on said shaft independently of said cone and adjacent to said bowl so that the cone may be adjusted without disturbing the relation between the blades and bowl.

15. In an apparatus of the class described, a weighing mechanism, a chute adapted to deliver pulverulent material to the weighing mechanism, a gate adapted to close the lower end of said chute, a spring adapted to close said gate and a tripping mechanism for releasing said gate so that said spring may act, said tripping mechanism involving a bell crank lever with a catch, a catch attached to the gate which engages the corresponding catch on the bell crank lever, a second bell crank lever adapted to actuate the first mentioned bell crank lever and cause the catches to release, a spring mechanism for shifting the second bell crank lever, and a device connecting the weighing mechanism with the second bell crank lever so that when the device rests on the second bell crank lever, the spring cannot actuate the same and as soon as the device is raised by the weighing mechanism oif the second bell crank lever, the spring can and will actuate and shift the .first bell crank lever and release the catch.

16. A weighing machine comprising balancing mechanism, a supply receptacle for material, a gate to control said supply, an arm connected with the gate, means to close the gate, a lever, latch means between the lever and arm to control the latter, and power vmeans connected with the lever to cause the latter to urge the balancing mechanism to overbalance and permitrelease of the gate when a definite quantity of material has been weighed.

EARL B. ELDER.

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