US2198137A - Tablet depositing machine - Google Patents

Description

April 23, 1940. G. s. sUPPlGER TABLET DEPOSITING MACHINE Filed March 27, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 23, 1940.

G. s. suPPrGER 2,198,137

TABLET DEPOSITING MACHINE 4Filed March 27, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 /M/f/Vro': GER/MET 5. SUPP/GER,

Patented Apr. 23a, 1940 UNlTeo STATES attain PATENT OFFICE TABLET nEPosrrrNG MACHINE Gerhart s. suppiger, Belleville, Ill. Application Maren 27, 1937, serial Ne. 133,351

12 Claims. (Cl. 226-2) The present invention has to do with a machine for depositing tablets in specified numbers into receptacles. It has particular reference to a machine of this kind fo-r depositing tablets of salt or seasoning into cans of food being preserved, although as is entirely obvious, the mechanism is not limited to this specific use.

This machine is an improvement on the machine of Letters Patent No. 2,060,645, issued November 10, 1936, of which Letters Patent l'. was a co-inventor. i

In machines of this type, a hopper is provided, at the discharge end of which there is located a separator plate. This plate divides from the mass of tablets within the hopper certain ones which it conveys to a chute, from which chute the tablets are dischargedv at timed intervals into cans or the like located beneath the chute.

In the present structure there is provided a separator wheel rotatable in an. angular plane with the hopper discharging onto the lower part Vone up at some time.

of this wheel. The wheel is provided with openings to pick up individual tablets from the hopper. By rotation. of the wheel these tablets are conveyed to an opposite point where they are released into a chute. Obstruction means are provided in a portion of this. chute releasably` to retain the tablets therein. Power driven means in the form of a plunger reciprocatesin this chute and at the aforesaid timed intervals ejects the tablets therefrom.

Means are provided to insure the presence of a tab-let in the chute at the proper time, even though the separator plate should fail to pick This means comprises a supplemental supply of tablets together with means operable only upon. failure o-i the separator plate to release from the supplemental means one of its tablets into the chute.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tablet depositing mechanism including means for separating tablets from a` mass supp-ly thereof. in combination with supplemental means supplying tablets in the event that the principal separating means shall fail.

It is a further object to provide such a supplemental means automatically operable upon failure of the separating means and rendered inoperable when the sepa-rating means properly Operates. f

additionaloblect is to provide such a supplemental means that is entirely self-contained seltlperatfed." u"It isy a further"objectA of the invention to provide'la newandnovelimans of operating the depositing machine and synchronizing its several` elements.

i Other objects will appear fromthe descrip tion to ensue.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device. i

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. l y

Fig. l is. a vertical section of the supplemental tablet meansI taken. on. the line 4- of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the entire device.

Fig. 6 is a iront view, partly broken away, showing the discharging means in discharging position. l

Fig. '7 is a vertical section taken. on the line l-l of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a. plan View of the supplemental means removed from the machine. Fig. 9 is an elevation of supplemental means.

The machine comprises a supporting bracket l l5 that may be attached to a base I6 of suitable kind by means such as removable bolts l1. Mounted upon the bracket I5 is a gear housing t8. The Ahorizontal portion of the bracket l5, is biiurcated, as shown particularly in Fig. 2. Bolts i8 extend 'through these bifurcationsandl into the gear housing i8 whereby the latter is suplported upon. the bracket I5. The housing I8 includes an angularly disposed portion 20.

A table 2l is mounted upon the angular portion 2D and secured thereto by meansof screws 22. A hopper 23 in turn is` secured to the table 2i by quickly releasable connections 24 disposed at opposite sides thereof. These connections consist of screws 25 pivotally mounted to the hopper by pins 25. Winged nuts 2l with washers 28 are engaged over the screws 24 and may be clamped upon bifurcations 229 on the plate 2|.

Upon loosening of the wing nuts 2l the screws 24 may be swung about their pivots 26 until they are freed from the bifurcations 29 and the hopper then may be readily removed.

A vertical journal 32 is secured` to the gear box i8 by screws 33,` the journal tting between the horizontal forks of the bracket I5. A drive shaft 34 actuated from a suitable power source has thereon a bevel gear 35 that meshes with a corresponding bevel gear 36 secured to a horizontal countershaft 37 journaled at the back in the gear housing I8 and at the front in a suitable bearing in a. closure element 38. This closure element is secured to the housing by screws 39.

gears.

The gear 36 is xed to the shaft 31. Likewise fixed toi this shaft is a bevel gear 40 that meshes with a larger gear 4| that is secured to a shaft 42 by means of a nut 43. The shaft 42 is journaled in a suitable bearing in the table 2|. To its outer end is fastened a. separating plate 44, the two being secured together by screws 45 extending through the plate into a flange on the shaft 42.

The separating plate is flanged as at 46 and has a series of holes 41 extending through it adjacent the flange. These holes are of such size as to receive and pass the tablets to be deposited by the machine. The number of tablets in each hole 41 obviously will be determined by the relative sizes of the holes and the tablets.

Beneath the separating plate 44 and secured to the table 2| is an annular race member 50 located immediately beneaththe severalr openings 41. At its top this race member 50 is provided with a notch 5|, as shown, the purpose of which will become evident.

The lower part of the separating plate'lli ex tends to the lower-most part of the hopper 23. An adjustable baffle wall 52 is held to one wall of the hopper 23 by means of a screw 53 operating in a s lot 54. This baffle wall 52 permits only a restricted number of tablets T to pass beyond it and vdown onto the separating plate 46.

Beneath the passage 5I the housing I8 has a chute 55 therein, the chute extending downwardly and forwardly of the machine. This chute 55 is open at the top, as is shown in Fig. 3. An element 56 is secured to the front of the housing I8`and has an extension 51 of the chute 55, which extension likewise is open at the top. A vertical chute 58 is in turn secured to the element 56 and is provided with an opening 59 that is in communication with the extension 51. Bolts 60 and 6| secure the member 56 to the housing I8. Screws 62 fasten the vertical chute 53 to the element 56. Thus the several members are secured rigidly together.

'Within the vertical chute 59 are provided three spring fingers |54 that are bowed at their bottom ends to be normally sufficiently close together to receive and retain a tablet T; -but which may be separated to permit passage thereof. A plunger 65 reciprocates in the member 59 and its cupped lower end impinges upon the tablet retained by the spring fingers 64, parts them, and ejects the tablets therefrom. f The plunger 65 has a medial s-lot 61 therein with which register corresponding slots 60 in the chut-e member 58. A rocker arm 10 passes through the slots 51 and 69 and, with a pin and slot connectionll, is connected to the plunger 65. The rocker arm 10 is freely pivoted on a shaft 69 supported in a rigid bracket 12 that forms an extension on the element 55.v

Fixedly secured to lthe shaft to rotate therewith is a driving arm 13 having extensions 14 and 15 respectively above and below the rocker arm, 10 and spaced somewhat therefrom. A coil spring 16 extends-from a hole in the projection 14, and abuts the rocker arm 10, and is held It is removable to give access toy the centered by a pin 11 on the rocker arm. A set screw 18 extends through the hole in the projection 14, against the spring', to adjust the tension of the spring. On the projection 15 is located an adjustable set screw 19 having' a lock nut. It will be seen that by this connection, rocking of the shaft 1I from the position of Fig.

2 to that of Fig. 6 correspondingly rocks the bracket 13 which, through the spring 16, forces the plunger 65 downwardly. The distance downwardly is adjusted by means of the set screw 19.

An arm 8| is secured to the end of the shaft 1I opposite the bracket 13. A pitman 82 is pivotally secured at S3 to the actuating arm 8|, and at 84 to a crank 85. The crank 65 in turn is pinned to the shaft 31. Thus upon each rotation of the shaft 31, the plunger will be forced downwardly and retracted once.

It sometimes happens that the separating plate 44does not pick up one of the tablets. The means now to be described takes care of this situation.- A base bar 9|! is secured to the front of. the machine by means of the bolt 6I. This bar extends upwardly, backwardly and then at an angle to the right as will be seen from the drawings, particularly Fig. 8. A second bar 9| overlies the bar and is likewise secured by the screwv 6I. A shaft 92' is journalcd in the two bars and extendsbetween them. A'ratchet wheel 93 isV adjustably secured by aset screw 94 to the shaft 92'. The shaft Vis provided with a fiange 95 to whichis secureda disc 96 having a plurality of tablet-receiving holes 91 therethrough. As is apparent-from Fig. 4, the screws 98 secure the disc to the iiange 95. l Beneath the disc 96 is a plate 99 attached to the bar 90 by screws |00. A notch I9! .(Fig. 8) is provided adjacent the edge of the plateSB. VBy reference to Fig. 7, it will be seen that this notch IOI is located directly above the chute 55. As will be explained, when the disc 96 rotates until one of the. holes 91 containing a tablet comes above the slot I0,|, the tabletwill fall through the slot and into the chute 55. Means .now to. .be described are provided for rotating the disc only when the separating plate 44 failsto pick up a tablet from the main hopper.

A shaft |03. is supported inthe outer end of the bar 90. Acollar |94, held. in position by a set screw, engages the shaft |03 on ,one side of the bar 90. A` sleeveV |05 fits over the-shaft opposite the collar I 04, this sleeve having a flange |06.. Screws Ilextend through the bar 90 and the flange |0|5to support the sleeve |05 onthe bar. A rocker arm |08 is held on the shaft |03 adjustably by aset screw |09. Upon the outer end of the rockerarm |08 is pivoted a rachet dog |I0. An adjustable collar III likewise lits on the rockerarm 03 and between it and the dog H0 is located a coil spring II2 urging the dog IIO inra clockwise direction, viewed in 8. against the ratchet .wheel 93. A bracket IIB extends upwardlyy from Athe plate 99. Between this bracketand the outer end of the rocker arm |08 is va spring II 4 tendingto rock the rocker arm and its shaft in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 8. A spring clip I I5 upon the bar 9| extends downwardly adjacent the ratchet wheel 93 to maintain it against rotation backward. Y v

Upon the end ofthe shaft |03 opposite the rocker arm |08 is a teller arm H6, a set screw I I1 adjustably holding this arm in position. This arm has at its out/arend a small wheel II8, preferablyof resilient material, rotatable .about a screw VI I9 that yengages the teller arm. I I6. This arm extends downwardly over the separating plate 44 andthe wheel II8 rides on this' plate as the latter rotates.

The operation of the device is as follows:

A supply'ofl tablets T is placed` in thel hopper 23. The gate 52 is adjusted to the proper elevaf `tion to permit a restricted quantity of tablets to pass through to the separating plate 44 at a time. The shaft 34 is caused to rotateand it will be understood that this shaft is synchronized in operation with a can-feeding means F by means of the shaft 34 and the gear f, details being omitted. The synchronizing mechanism is so designed (as by the relation of gear sizes, etc.) `that the can conveyor will be advanced a distance to bring a new can beneath the chute 5t each time a new tablet-receiving opening 4l in the plate 44 is brought over the opening 5I to the chute 55. If desired, this arrangement can be modified so that a new can is brought for r eaclrsecond or more openings 4l, which modification will result in the delivery of a correspondingly higher number of tablets to each can.

As the shaft 34 rotates, the countershaft 3l will correspondingly rotate. Through the gears 40 and 4|, the separating plate 44 will be rotated relatively to the rotation of the countershaft in. a ratio of the number of openings 4l in this plate, to one. Thus, as shown here, the plate 44 will `rotate one complete time for every six revolutions of the countershaft 3l and, correspondingly, for every singlet rotation of the countershaft the separating plate 44 will advance one-sixth of a revolution. The separating plate, viewed in 5, rotates in a clockwise direction. As each opening 4? comes above the chute 55, its tablets or i tablet drop through the chute into the spring arms 64 where they are retained. This will occur dur-` ing or shortly before the can `conveyor has moved the distance to bring a` can C beneath the member 58. Shortly thereafter and before the can is removed, the crank 85 will rotate and through `the various arms 82, 8|, T3 and l) will depress the plunger 65 to the position of liig.` 6 which, in turn, will eject the tablet from the spring arms 64, whence it will drop into the can C. The feeding means F will then convey the can away and bring a new can up to position.

Should it happen that one of they openings M d oes notreceive a tablet, the following operation will occur. As the empty opening comes beneath the wheel H8 of the teller arm H6, this Wheel will drop into the hole under urging of the spring H4. Such will cause a fractional rotation of the shaft it and the arm Hit counterclockwise, in Fig. 8, a suiicient distance to permit `the ratchet dog H0, under the action of the spring `I I2, to drop behind the next tooth of the ratchet wheel 93. The ratchet wheel is, during this operation, prevented from rotating backwards by the clip H5. When the teller arm H5 subsequently rides out of the empty hole 4l by virtue of its movement towards the position over the chute 55, the arm will again rotate the shaft |03 `in a clockwise direction, in Fig. 8. This rotation will cause the ratchet dog to advance the ratchet wheel 53 the space of one` tooth. Since the teeth are spaced angularly the same as the openings S7, this will advance a new opening Sl over the notch itil whereupon the tablet in such new opening will drop through the `notch into the chute 55 to supply the tablet missing from the empty opening 4l in the separating plate.

`In the event, however, that the separating plate `opening 41 duly contains` a tablet, the teller arm l `I I6 will not drop to the position` shown in Fig. 4, but will ride over the tablet within the opening. Consequently, the ratchet dog Ht will not be drawn back and the tooth and the disc 96 will not subsequently be advanced.

Thus when, and only when, an opening 1l of the separating plate 44 fails to pick up a tablet, the supplemental 'means will supply this deflciency. Ordinarily the failure will occur only once in ten or twenty thousand times, or even less,

so that it is necessary to have only a relatively small number of tablets in the supplemental supply. The disc 96 is immediately in sight to anyone inspecting the machine. In case the supplemental means is operated, the inspector will observe that a certain number of tablets need to be added to the disc 9B. 'Ihis disc is, of course, of arbitrary size and can be made large enough to contain as many tablets as may be desired.

The separating plate 44 may be synchronized with the plunger by loosening the nut 43, and rotating the plate and shaft 42 relative to the gear ffl. The disc Sti may be synchronized with the teller arm. il@ by loosening either of the set screws lilQ or lll. 'Ihe ratchet wheel, by loosening the setscrew S4, may be adjusted relative to the disc.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a tablet depositing machine, simple in operation, but proof against failure, has been provided. f i

What is claimed is:

l.. In a machine for depositing articles, means providing' a main supply of articles, movable means continually separating in spaced relation a predetermined number of said articles from the main supply. said movable means being operable to convey the articles from the main supply and to deposit them at successive intervals in a receiver, and supplemental supply means having means engaging `said separating means, said engaging means `being movable into and out of spaces in the movable means when said spaces are devoid of articles, discharge means operated by movement of the engaging means to operate the supplemental .supply means to supply the predetermined number of articles in the receiver to take the place of the `deiiciencysaid engaging means causing the discharge means to operate to supply articles from the supplemental supply means into the receiver at substantially the time the space of the movable means that is thus deplemental article supply means comprising an 'i apertured plate, said teller element being adapted to move into and out of any vacant holein said separating plate by an up and down pivotal movement, mechanism operated solely by such up and `down movement of the teller element into and out of any vacant hole to cause the supplemental supply means` to furnish articles in placeV of those missing from the plate, said element being prevented from entering any occupied hole.

3. In a machine for depositing articles, means providing an indeterminate supply of articles, means to receive `the articles,` means to separate articles in predetermined number from the supply, and to convey them in such vnumber to the receiving means, and mechanism `communicating with the receiving means to supply the deficiency when the separating means fails, said mechanism including a supplementary movable element having articles therein in the predetermined number aforesaid, a second element being operatively con- Cil ne'cted with said movablev element bymovable members and being'itselfi pivotally movable, said second'element being normally substantially free of movement, but being oscillatively'movable into and'out of empty spaces in the separating means left empty by the failureV of the separating'means to separate out its articles, and by such movement through its connecting members causing movement of the supplementary article-containing movable element into position to discharge into the receiving means the predetermined number of articles therefrom. l

'4.`- In a machine forv depositing articles, means providing a supply of articles, a wheel having a plurality of holes therethrough and spaced around adjacent the periphery thereof, a chute, movable means voperating to clear the chute, driving'means to move said wheel and cause the'same to pass through said supply and pick up a predetermined number of articles in each hole, an arm overhanging the wheel and normally engaging thc same, means having a supplemental supply of articles and movable to discharge the predetermined number thereof into the chute, and means connected to said arm and said supplemental supply means, whereby when said wheel does not pickup articles inany hole, the arm may drop into said hole, and by further movement of the Wheel be ejected from the hole', and by its moven ment into and out of the hole shift the supplen mental supply means to discharge position, and means connecting said chute clearing means to said driving means.

5. 'In a machine for depositing articles, means providing a supply of articles, a Wheel having spaced holes adjacent the periphery thereof and rotatable through said supply to pick up a'pre determined number of articles in each hole, a chute located adjacent the wheel, opposite vthe supply, and adapted to receive the articles from the wheel, means movable to discharge articles from the chute, power means, said power means lbeing connected to rotate the wheel and to operate' the chute clearing means, a supplemental article supply means located above the chute and including a second wheel having spaced holes therein and adapted to have articles in the predetermined number in said slots, means backingr said holes save at a certain part of said wheel above said chute, and means operable by the rst wheel upon absence of articles in one of its holes to move said second wheel to position where the predetermined number of articles are discharged into the chute at substantially the time the deposit by the movable member would have supplied the articles.

6. In a machine for depositing articles, means providing a supply of articles, a chute, a rotatable separating plate having a plurality of circularly arranged holes therethrough, said plate being out of horizontal and having its lower edge rotatable through the supply of articles to pick one up in each hole, a chute, means to retain articles in the chute, a backing plate below the plate to hold the articles in the holes and having a notch fadjacent the chute, whereby said `plate upon rotation carries articles `to said chute and periodically discharges them therein, an arm over saidplate,

means urging said arm into engagement with the plate ahead of the chute, and on the circle of said holes, a second wheel above said chute having l a plurality of circularly arranged holes to contain an article in each hole, a backing plate beneath said second plate but having a notch directly above the chute, a ratchet for rotating the second wheel to bring successive holes ab'ove the notch, said arm being movable into and out of any vacant hole in the rst wheel, and by saidv movement advancing the ratchet one hole of the second wheel, and means operable after each hole of the first wheel reaches the chute to clear the same, said means including a resiliently driven plunger, and means to adjust the stroke thereof. s

'7. In a machine of the kind described, means providing a main supply of articles, movable means separating a predetermined number' of such articles and transporting them, a receptacle for receiving the transported articles, periodically movable means for discharging said articles from the receptacles, supplemental means for supplying any deficiency in articles caused by the failure of the separating means, and adapted to operate to discharge articles into the receptacle to supply the deficiency, said supplemental means being operable prior to the operation of the periodically movable discharge means.

8. In a machine of the kind described, means providing'a main supply of articles,V a movable means separating a predetermined lnumberof Lsuch articles in spaced points about its area and adapted to transport said articles toa discharge pointat successive intervals determined bythe spacing of the points in the movable means,` sup.- plemental means normallyinoperative `andcon` taining an additional supply'of articles, said supi plemental means including means operable upon deficiencyrof articles in any spaced point on'the moving member and 'adapted to supply the' dfii ciency at the discharge point approximately'at the time such deficient spaced point reaches said discharge point and afterthe previous spaced point has passed said discharge point.

9. In a depositing machine, means providing a main supply of articles, a movable member having spaces to receive articles and separate the same from the main supply, a movable auxiliary supply means, a teller member operating over the movable member and normally in contact therewith, a shaft to which the' teller member 'is fixedly connected,'means connecting the shaft to the auxiliary supply means to move Vthe latter to discharge position upon rotary movement of the shaft, means urging the teller member into lany deficient space presented by the movable member, and further movement ot said member causing it to leave the teller member and move the same out of the space, such movement of the teller member into and out of the space causing rotary movement of the shaft and hence operating the auxiliary supply means. 10. In a depositing machine, means providing a main supply of articles, a movable member having spaces to receive articles and to separate them from the supply, a movable auxiliary supvply means, a shaft for moving 4said auxiliary supply means, a second shaft, a teller member secured to the second shaft and vnormally extending against the movable member, said teller member being adapted to move into and out of any space presented to it by the movable member andv delicient in articles, such movement being transmitted to the second shaft as an oscillation there# of, and a ratchet connection between the two shafts, the dog oi which is displaced relative yto the wheel by one of the movements of the second shaft, and the wheel of which is moved by the dog by the other of such movements.

ll. In a depositing machine, means providing a supply of articles, a chute, a movable member having spaces to receive a predetermined number of articles and to separate them from the supply, and to convey them to the chute, means to clear the chute, power means, means connecting the movable member and the chute clearing means t0 the power means for operation of the clearing means following .each deposit by the movable member of said predetermined number oi articles into the chute, a supplemental article supply means, and means to operate the supplemental supply means upon a deficiency of said predeu termined number of articles in any space of the movable member, said means being operable to deposit the predetermined number of articles into the chute to supply the deficiency at substantially the time the same would have been supplied thereto by the movable member to be ready for the corresponding operation of the chute clearing means.

12. In a machine of the kind described, a support, a main article supply means adapted to receive and transport a continuous supply of articles, and a supplemental article supply means operable upon deficiency of articles in the rst means, said main article supply means and said supplemental article supply means being adapted to discharge into a common receiver, said supplemental supply means including an articlecontaining member `secured to a rotatable shaft for rotary movement, a ratchet'wheel xed to `the shaft, a second rotatable shaft mounted on the support, a teller arm secured to one end of said second shaft and disposed to engage the main article supply means in the article-receiving and transporting area, said teller being movable into and out of empty articleereceiving portions of the main article supply means solely through a pivotal movement about the second shaft as a xed axis, an arm Xed to the other end of the second shaft` having a dog pivotally connected thereto, said dog engaging said ratchet Wheel, said dog being adapted to rotate said ratchet one notch by each pivotal cycle of the teller.

GERHART S. SUPPIGER.

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