US2532913A

US2532913A - Package filling machine

Info

Publication number: US2532913A
Application number: US568307A
Authority: US
Inventors: William E Higginbottom
Original assignee: BENJAMIN C BETNER Co
Current assignee: BENJAMIN C BETNER Co
Priority date: 1944-12-15
Filing date: 1944-12-15
Publication date: 1950-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 1967-12-05

Description

Dec. 5, 950 w. E. HIGGINBQTTOM PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15, 1944 4 SheetS-Sheet l N 1|. MUNIIMHIIIIIL 7M/, fum/4L L wT/Vhw|. Lfl qll@ a a 1 Q l o n., F JUL 1 FIIIII LiL m a o V G F Dec.. 5, i950 W. E. HIGGINBOTTOM PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE 4 Sheeos-Sheel 2 Filed DSC. 15, 1944 wur/ me/wieda' WLJAM Eo HQGNB''TM W. E. HIGGINBOTTOMv Dec. 5, 1950 PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 15, 1944 Dec. 5, 1950 w. E. HIGGINBOTTOM 2,532,913

PACKAGE FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. l5, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 5

WIM

Patented Dec. A, 195.0

UNITED `S TATES GFF'ICE 2.532,913 PACKAGEFILLING MACHINE f WillianrE. Higginottom, Ncwarky-NL J., fassgor tio-Benjamin Cl'Betner Companmr Devon', Pai; a corporationaof .Delaware Application December 15, 1944..v Serial N. 568,307"

1.0'v Claims.

1. It is thev`v primary object of' this inventionto provide a packageiilli'ng machine of' the auger type which will deliver either automaticallyfor at the will' of the operato-r, a charge of pulverulent" material-of predetermined Volume;

It is a further object of this invention to'proe vide a machine of the classaf'oresai'd which will soclosely control theconsistency of the bulk charge delivered as to provide not only accurate volume, but also accurate weight.

It is 'a further object ofV this invention to pro; vide a machine of the class described in'which all parts driving-the auger' are mounted above the level of discharge ofthe spout.l

It is' a further `object of this invention topro; vide a machine of the classaforesaid which isv compact, simple, and inA which all bearings' are shielded fromv contamination by the material being packaged. V

It is a further object of this invention toprovide a machine ofthe class aforesaid in'which the auger, its driving mechanism andall associated parts are simply and easily vertically adjustable toward and away from theflevel7 of the"` table supporting the packages to'be lle'd.

It is a further object of this invention to pros vide a machine of the class aforesaid in. which the hopper may easily be removed and cleaned and in which the removal ofthe hopper-'facili` tates cleaning of theauger'y andV associatedl parts.

The above and other objects willbe made clearv from the following detailed description, taken in connection with theI annexed drawings, inwhich': Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the general organization and mounting of the` machine;

Fig.-2 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1*;

Fig. 3V is a section'on theline 3--3 of Fig. 1; Fig; 4 is a sectionon the line 4-4 of Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is a section' onthey lline"5'-5 of Fig. 4*; Fig. 6 is a section onY the lineY l-G of Fig. 4; Fig. 'ris a section on the line 1-1 of Fig; 4; and Fig. 8 is a View, partly in section, ofthe auger and agitator extending downwardly from the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 5.

The augerk type of packer performs two` dis-1'A material is also controlled, then the weight' ofv material delivered is equally controlled.. A,It 1 is 2 aging operations therefis no'such thing asl alrsoY lute control. v Even themost4 accurate scales' deliver either over`4 lor -under and, regardless'o the method of measure-ment', it isalw'aysstand# ardI practice' toadj-ust the measuring machine todeliver somewhat more than the labeled contents in order tol avoid substanolard deliveries: This overage, ofcourse, is costly', andthe' greater the accuracy ofthe lling machine, the less-over-v age` isl required. Considered-asa matter o-fvpercentage, accu# racy decreases with the'unitqu-antity being measured.- 4This is true irrespective of `the naturel'of the measuring-:meansw lit' is also trueI thatgva's the quantity decreasespthe elilciency of automatic' scales, orI any bulk determiner ofthe corrtai'nenl typef,-in vwhich a receptacleis ill-ledl and then dumpedintofa package, alsoldec-reases. 'he'm'i` mary reason for thi-sv is that, while twenty packe' ages per Iminute-is va tremendous rate'wherrthe' uni-t is' one lhundredl'pounds; forty per minutelis extremely slowwhenthennit-is only one or two ounces. The time' factor works strongly aga-inst the filling of 'type container with a controlled Acharge:r For@ example, three automatic scales arej ample to# pace :twenty one-hundred 'pound units per rnimite;y while `six au-t'orrratick 'scales'v have trouble pacing vforty two-,pound-units 'per minute, although vhand-ling only 4 per' cent-of `the quantity'.'Y The auger packer is perfectly controllable volumetrically. It hasa xedpitch.- It'may't the spout closely, and; it,r therefore.cleliversjaniy almostperectlyxed volume of' material, per revolution-- The" number of revolutions: maybe closely controlled,l and the* Volume delivered" per cycle of operations mayY be'equ'ally controlled. If, then, the densi-ty" of the material passing through"the convolutions of the auger may be o 'ver which the'. packages pass for thelliiig. oper-1,.

ation. When, las ,this case, the` parts mustvvorlfcV rapidly and accurately.. contamination .ofthe parts b-y. the .materialbeing packaged'f hasta very.

serious ele'ct upon the'eciency. of .thefmachiner T'' present invention, therefore, is in large part A ply bin (not shown).

directed to organizing the parts, and mounting them so as to be completely sealed against the ingress of dusty atmosphere, and completely out of the way of material which may be spilled during the filling operation.

In many packaging plants relatively small quantities in a wide variety of materials are put up in the course of a Week or even in the course of one or two days. This situation is apt to occur for example, in the packaging of spices or drugs. In such plants it is impracticable to operate a separate machine for each commodity to be packaged, yet when a single machine is used, it is necessary to clean all of the parts over which the material passes whenever the machine is changed from the handling of one commodity to` the handling of another. The machine disclosed herein is -particularly adapted to facilitate such cleaning operations.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a table over which pass the packages I2 to be lled. The table |0 is supported by legs |4. Above the table I0 is a delivery spout I6 in which an auger I8 rotates. A hopper 20 is above and connected with the spout I6 and receives pulverulent material through a chute 22 from a sup- Standards 26 are mounted adjustably in the legs I4 and in turn support a housing 30 containing the driving means for the auger I8. It is to be noted that the housing 30 lies wholly above the delivery level of spout I6.

A screw lift 2| is connected by a bar 23 with the legs 26 and is operative to adjust the vertical position of the spout I6, the hopper 20 and the drive mechanism 30 toward and from the table I0 to accommodate various heights of packages I2.

Referring now to Figs. l and 5, there is shown a motor 32 the shaft 34 of which enters the housing 30 through a bearing 36. The lower end 38 of the shaft 34 is restrained laterally by a sleeve 40 in a bushing 42. A pinion 44 is mounted on the shaft 34 and is supported on a thrust bearing 46.

The pinion 44 drives a gear 48 mounted to rotate freely about a shaft 50 and also drives a gear 52 mounted on a stub shaft 54. A pinion 56 is also mounted on the stub shaft 54 and is secured to the gear 52 and is driven thereby.

The pinion 56 meshes with a gear 58 keyed to a shaft 60 (Fig. '1) The shaft 60 passes through the housing 30 and has keyed to its lower end a pulley 62.

vThe shaft 50 about which the gear 48 freely rotates, also penetrates the housing 30 and has keyed to itslower end a pulley 64 (Fig. 5).

A belt 66 connects the pulley 62 with the 'pulley 64 and the shaft 50 is thereby driven from the motor 32 via pinion 44, gear 52, pinion 56, gear 58, pulley 62, belt 66 and pulley 64.

0n the underside of the housing 30 and concentric with the shaft 60 is mounted a bracket having a projecting arm 12 at the end of which is a stub shaft 14 on which is rotatably mounted a flat faced pulley 16. On the side of the bracket 10 substantially opposite the arm 12 is a worm gear segment 18. The segment 18 meshes with a worm 80 mounted on a shaft 82. The shaft 82 is supported in bearings 84 attached to the underside of the housing 30 and has as its free end a hand-crank 86.

The flat faced pulley 16 is adapted to bear against the belt 66 and its pressure against the belt may be adjusted by means of the hand crank 86, the worm 80, the segment 18 and the arm 12. The belt 66 is V-shaped in cross section and bears in similarly shaped grooves in the pulleys 62 and 4 64. The effect is that of a reeves drive and prvides a means for making moderate adjustments of the ratio between

pulleys

62 and 64.

The gear 48 meshes with another gear 90 which rotates freely about a bushing 92 on a shaft 94. The gear 90 is keyed at 96 to a clutch member 98.

- A complementary clutch member |00 is slidably keyed to the shaft 94. The clutch member |00 has a central groove |02 which receives the stubs |04 of a yoke |06 which forms one arm of a bell crank. The other arm |08 terminates in an antifriction bearing I I0 supporting a sleeve I I 2. The apex of the bell crank is a boss II4 surrounding a stub shaft ||6 supported by the housing 30.

A spring tends to lift the yoke I 06 and thereby to lift the clutch member |00 away from engagement with the clutch member 98.

The function of the shaft 50 will now be described. This shaft is guided at its lower end by a bearing I and adjacent its upper end by a bearing |40. One member |42 of a one revolution clutch is keyed tothe shaft 50. The other member |44 freely surrounds the shaft 50 and acts as a bushing between it and the bearing |40. The clutch member |44 has secured to its upper end a cam |46 against which the sleeve I I2 of the arm |08 is pressed by the action of the spring |20. As the cam I 46 revolves, its active surface tilts the bell crank to bring the clutch member |00 into active engagement with the clutch member 98 which is driven by the gear 90. This engagement rotates the shaft 94 to which the auger I8 is attached through a chuck (see Fig. 8). This active surface of the cam |46 is formed of two overlapping segments I 46 and |46, the amount of overlap being adjustable by turning segment |46 about the axis of shaft 50 when the adjustment screw |41 is loosened. An opening is provided in the housing 30 to give access to the cam |46 and is closed by a removable cover plate |52.

A supplementary sleeve 200 (Figs. 5 and 8) is bolted to the casing 30. This guides the upper end of sleeve |10 by means of a bushing 20| (Fig. 5) and guides the lower end of sleeve |10 by means of a. bushing 262 (Fig. 8). The open end of sleeve 200 is sealed by means of an oiltight bushing 203 (Fig. 8).

' Whenever the clutch members 98 and |00 are engaged the agitators |16 are rotated around the chuck |50 but at a speed considerably less than that of the auger. These agitators not only insure the availability of material for delivery to the auger but preserve uniformity in the consistency of the material delivered.

If the agitators were not present material descending to the hopper 20 from the chute 22 Would tend to cake and therefore either would not reach the auger I8 at all or would reach it with varying consistency which would destroy the:

desirediconstant relationshinbetween-iveightf and,

voli-.1,111.12 Thefagitator- |16 is nearer-.totheaxis When the,vv clutch member-10.0 is drawn up-v warlm by thersnring 120,1its upper surface-119W; engagesla frton brake which prevents c'ontin-f ned-freevrotation of the shaft 191i. inasmuch as. there is frequent and sharp engagement ofthe Surface tilawi-th" theiriction bra-lie." and inasmuehivas.: the-parts. .are whollyenelosed.; there is considerable 'generation orheatf- For this reason nti-friction :bearing [80.- havingv botlrra-A axial Resistance is aiiXed-LQ the; ulp end of; thelshaft Stande compression spring-18.2 bearstbereonw Any: elongation of the shaft 9.4 under :the effect; of heat is therefore absorbed. tbrouehfcompression of the snrnsf |82.

It; is; to be noted that 'the speed' of rotationof thershaft. :Sais determineddirectly .by .tues-need; qfythemotor 32. Theduration of each cycle of its-,operatonthowever, is capable: of. veryv considerable adjustment throughthe adjustabilityV ofthe .=can1,f |1416. and of minor adjustment byT llflttns;of:pulley 16,. -The one-revolution; clutch members-.15.2 and IM, are cQntiQl-.ledwby a, lat-ch i4 if-.ope ratedv byr linkage |43, controlled, byy feet pedalfi' l(,Fig.; A1). WherraA container lf2-hasbeenfplaced-Lmder thespoutg. I6,v the linkagegiz is operated to withdrawthe-latch lat.. The consequent rotation of the camrldli :engages clutchl members 98 and I causing rotation of the shaft 94 ,and of the? agitators'so .fl'ong as such engagement persists. When the end of the cam surface is reached, springfl disengages the-clutch members and brakes shaft 94'. Shortly thereafter the one revolution clutch re-engages .the'latcn f4.1 and stops the continued rotation of cam ME.'

It is, therefore, evidentv that'the instant invention` provides a packagelllling machine in which there is complete and adjustablefcontrol ofthefvolume delivered at eachfk operation; Vsuch control] ofthe consistency of the-materiahdelivered-that control of volume becomes synonymous withk control of weight; and in which all separatingffparts are located above theilevel of discharge Qfgvthe rfillingspout and are therefore free -of-ycon'- tarnination;..due to leakage and/spillage." The parte areyymoreoven'so compaQthL-arranged as: to be sheltered within a single housing, fully sealed from the outer atmosphere.

In order to permit cleaning of the hopper 2i! and of the rotating parts extending therethrough, the hopper 20 is suspended by means of bolts 200 passing through brackets 202 mounted on the hopper 20, the bolts being pivoted to a ange 204 on Ya split housing 206 which encloses the drive mechanism casing 3i). The bolts 20D may readily swing to disengage from the pivots 292 to permit the hopper 2@ to be withdrawn for cleaning purposes, a step which exposes all of the rotating mechanism connected with the auger I8 to facilitate the cleaning of such parts. A door 2H] is provided in the front of the hopper 20 to give access to the interior of the hopper for correcting any minor operating diiiculties.

The agitators |16 will tend to pile up a quantity of pulverulent material entering the hopper through the chute 22 to a level above the level of the agitators. In order further to perfect the control of the density of the material delivered to the auger, a lip 2I9 is provided which directs the material l.e'r1-tering thrimgh-z` the iehute2=2 Iso" as-to iallfcle'arwof a spillway 22fwhichlis providedfih the 'hopper 2li: yThe spillwayfy 220 limits thef'level to which 'material mayfnbe built-rupby the agita tors. Suchra spillway may-bef provided"v withf an adjustable lip` 1222 for close adjustmentv off-the level .of-material andf cornn'iunica-tes` with any suitable: form of conveyor .-224 to return material passing through the spillwayback to the original sourceoffsupply; w e

I claimufl 1. .Inf a package.iillir'rg` machine, a spout,:' an auger therein, a shaft` connectedfto said auger, a pairof clutchrmembers lfconcentrie with the vaxis of' said shaft', one'of saidmember-s being keyed* to said shaft, a cam for engagingfsaidrclutch inem-2 bersgrsaid 'cam` 'beingl mounted `freely :oni-a. shaft paralle'l'to the' .axisflof said augerfshatgfa gear freely rotatableabout said-.cam bear-ing shaftfan'd driving one of isaid` .clutchfinembersg'a one-retro lutio'n' clutch for driving f :said `-cam `'iromv' saidvcamfbearing shaft,a` motor forr driving all of 'sa-id. partsysaid rnotorbeinggearedto said freelyr tatable; gear, and' dri-ving said cant-'bearing shafti through .a reeves drive. i

2. -In a package -iilling inachine," a spout,-'an auger therein, ay shattconnected to said auger, an? agitator'irotatable.faboutsaid shaft;Vf a; 'counter-- shaft parallelto 'said'v auger shafti 'andicarryingA reductiongearingto drive saidagitator ffrom saidauger. shaft, apairio'f 'clutch members concentric` with said auger`shaf.t,.lone oisaid`v members being freely rotatable. about .said auger-'i 'fshaitgil and the?? other'ibeing keyed theretoefa single, cor'is'tantlyf1 running imotor .for driving! alliloffthe-parts, saidmotor beingrtg'eared directiyto said-freelly/lrot' #-1 able clutch member, and a one-revolution clutclii mechanism.i arranged-Lto actuate the-iother of. said clutch 1. members wherebyfto rotate. said* auger shaf t and*r consequently ysaid agitator;

3. Ina package 'filling 'machina-fa spenti-ani augerstherein.- a shaitconnected itosaidaugerya: pair; of clutchmembers concentriciwith'thetaxis offsaidf shaft,one. of -saidi members 'beingk'eyed to-.said1.sl'xaftf,.av cam'for engaging said clutch;

members, said cam-beingmounted freelyf-oniaone-revolution clutch during which said pair of reduction gearing to drive said agitator from said auger shaft, a pair of clutch members concentric with said auger shaft, one of saidy members being freely rotatable about said auger shaftl and the other being keyed thereto, a single, constantly running motor for driving all the parts, said motor being geared directly to said freely rotatable clutch member, and a one-revolution clutch mechanism arranged to actuate the other of said clutch members whereby to rotate said auger shaft and consequently said agitator, and means for adjusting the portion of each rotation of said one-revolution clutch mechanism during which said pair of clutch members are engaged,

5. AA machine fr delivering pulverulent material, comprising a spout, an auger within said spout, a shaft connected to and coaxial with said auger, a constantly driven auxiliary shaft parallel to said auger shaft, each of said shafts having a pair of clutch members concentric therewith, one member of each pair being secured to its respective shaft, constantly driven means concentric wth said auxiliary shaft for driving the free clutch member of the auger shaftI means connected with the free clutch member of said auxiliary shaft for engaging the clutch members of said auger shaft, and means operable to engage the clutch members of said auxiliary shaft and to disengage the same after a predetermined period of engagement.

6. A machine for delivering pulverulent material,comprising a spout, an auger within said spout, a shaft connected to and coaxial with said auger, a constantly driven auxiliary shaft parallel to said auger shaft, each of said shafts having a pair of clutch members concentric therewith, one member of each pair being secured to its respective shaft, constantly driven means concentric with said auxiliary shaft for driving the free clutch member of the auger shaft, means connected with the free clutch member on said auxiliary shaft for engaging the clutch members of said auger shaft, and means operable to engage the clutch members of said auxiliary shaft and to disengage the same after a predetermined period of engagement, said means for engaging the clutch members of said auger shaft being adjustable to determine the period of engagement of said clutch members within the period of engagement of said auxiliary shaft clutch members.

7. A package filling machine comprising a spout, a rotatable auger within said spout, a hopper connected with and mounted above said spout, an agitator in said hopper mounted to rotate about the axis of said auger, said agitator acting to pile material in said hopper above the level of said agitator, and a spillway in said hopper, ,said spillway having a lip above the level of said agitator, whereby to limit the level of material in said hopper above said agitator.

8. In a package filling machine, a spout, an auger therein, an agitator connected with said auger, a hopper surrounding said agitator, an inlet to said hopper for material to be packed, a

spiuway connected to said hopper above the ievei of said agitator, and an adjustable lip on said spillway. whereby the level of material in said hopper may be closely controlled.

9. In a package lling machine, a spout, an auger therein, a hopper connected to said spout, an inlet to said hopper for material to be packed, a spillway connected to said hopper, and an adjustable lip on said spillway, whereby the level of material in said hopper may be closely controlled.

10,A package lling machine for delivering predetermined quantities of pulverulent material, comprising a table for supporting packages to be filled, supports extending upwardly from said table and supporting thereabove a` mechanism housing, a hopper for pulverulent material detachably secured to said housing and terminating at its lower end in a material delivery spout, a combined auger feed and material agitator shaft assembly supported from said housing and passing vertically through said hopper, a feeding auger on th'e lower end of said shaft assembly lying within said material delivery spout, at least one material agitator connected to said shaft assembly and lying within said hopper, a prime mover and drive mechanism located within said housing, connections between said drive mechanism and the upper end of said shaft assembly for driving the latter from the former for a predetermined number of revolutions, and means for adjusting said drive mechanism to alter the number of such revolutions.

W. E. HIGGINBOTTOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Lakso July 9, 1946',