US784142A - Weighing apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. '7, 1905.

A. L. BUCKLAND.

WEIGHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1904.

l s 1l,

FIG 8l Mmm-0R: .l z? @ME/MM. 5y fui@ .QTTORJYEM' I #77%. Mm.

WIZW'ESSES.'

UNITED STATES Patented March 7', 1905.

PATENT @Err WEIGHING APPARATUS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,142, dated March '7, 1905.

Application filed July 18,1904. Serial llo. 216,941.

To all whom, t muy concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. BUCKLAND,

a citizen of the United States, residing at j Marietta, in the county of Lac qui Parle and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Teighing Apparatus g and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in weighing apparatus designed particularly for the weighing of grain; and it consists of further improvement upon the invention described in my United States Patent No.

721,934, issued on the 3d day of March, 1903.

The main objects of the present improvements are, first, to provide means for shutting off the inlet of grain into the apparatus while the weighed grain escapes; second, to provide means of escape of large objects in the grain, like cylinder-teeth of the threshing-machine or other foreign objects which may get wedged between the wall of the weighing-chamber and the end of the wings fixed on a rotatory shaft and forming alternately the bottom of the chamber; third, to give the operated parts more freedom of motion, fourth, to improve on the various parts, as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed outin the claims. These objects l attain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in vthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l. is a front Ielevation of my improved weighing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a lefthand side View of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is a top view of the same with most of the outside mechanism omitted. Fig. 5 is a vertical section about as on the line a, a, in Fig. 4.

vertical section on the line t in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a detail edge View of the arm l2 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view showing a modified arrangement of the tally or indica- Fig. 6 is aA tor and its operativeconnection inlower part of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings by reference-iinmerals, l represents a spout., which may, if desired, be the delivery-spout of a grain-elevator, but is preferably an independent box provided with ears or hangers 2, by which it may readily be suspended from the spout of any elevator, and is thereby especially adapted to go onto small hand-elevators by which the farmers load grain into thc wagons, so that they may by looking at the tally or indicator of the elevator' see just how many bushels they have inthe load. The bottom 3 of said upper chamber l `is formed like a hopper, with an elongated opening l in its bottom, which at proper times is closed by two wings 5, secured one to each rock-shaft 6, ournaled in the walls of the upper chamber and boing geared together by the mutilated gears 7v` one of which has a horizontal arm S,with a weight 9 held ad justably thereon by a thu mbscrew l0, as best shown in Fig. 3. Said weight El turns the gears and closes the wings 5 against each other tlie moment the eighted arm is allowed to fall; but it is normally supported in horizontal position by the peg ll of the arm l2, so that the wings 5 hang plumb down open, as in dotted lines in Fig. 5. The arm is pivotally still firmly secured by the thumb-screw i3 upon the rear side ol" the weighing-chamber 1,4, which is suspended from the chamber l by the scale-beam l5, having the weight l and the arms 17 of its forked end fulcrumed on scale-pivots 1S, fixed on the chamber l, and beyond such fulcrums engage the pins l), secured in ears 20, fixed upon opposite sides of the weighingchamber, so that when the weighing-chamber has received half a bushel or a bushel of grain, according to predetermined regulation. of the weight 16, the said weight is raised and the weighingchamber lowered, say, about one inch, as indicated by the separation 21, shown to commence in Fig. l and to be greater in Fig. 6, where also is shown a guiding extension 22, secured in one chamber and sliding in the other and always covering said separation of the chambers. llfhen ever the weighing-chamber is thus lowered, the arm 12 withdraws downwardly the supportiiig-peg 11, so that the weight 9 closes the wings in the bottom of the hopper until the weighed grain is discharged from the weighing-chamber. The latter act is performed by the following mechanism:

At each el two opposite sides of the upper chamber is pivotally suspended a strap 23, said strap extending downwardly and having pivotal connection 24 at its lower end with the inner ends ol: horizontal links 25 and 26. The link 25 has pivotal support 27 at its outer end iipon one side of the chamber 14. The outer end ot the link 26 has pivotal-support connection 28 with a vertical lever 29, iulcrumed at 30 upon the chamber 14 and having its lower end formed into a journal lor one end of the transverse roller 31.

Mounted in the bottom ot the chainbei 14 opposite the roller 31 is a shaft 33, to which are secured the radial wings 34. Upon one end of the shaft 33 is 'fixed a star-wheel 35, having one arm Vfor each wing 34. lith the arms of said star-wheel engages a pawl 36, holding the wings in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 6, with the outer end or edge ol one of said wings resting upon the edge ot the roller 31. ln. Fig. 2 the pawl 36 is formed ot the very end of the operating-lever 37 of the indicator 3S, while in the modification in Fig. 8 the pawl 36 is pivoted independentlyT at 3Q and connected by a link 40 to the lever 37X. The latter arrangement is preferable where a small weak indicator is used, as it prevents the rebounding of the wings when they strike the roller 31 from injuring the mechanism of the indicator; but where a strong-built indicator is used the arrangement in Fig. 2 is preferable. lt will be understood that with either ol said two arrangements the indicator is operated by the starwheel S5, and the said wheel is thereafter held by the dog or pawl 36 or 36X to prevent such rebounding of the wings 34 as might allow grain to pass over its free end. A slight rebounding is rather easier, and thus beneficiai to the mechanism, and is provided for by making the pawl 36 a little shorter than an exact lit against each arm of the star-wheel.

From the above description it will be understood that when one el the wings 34 rests upon the roller 31 the next wing behind it closes the large opening41 in the ll'ront of the weighing-chamber, through which the wings are admitted into the said chamber.

Adjacent the roller 31 the lower portion ol the rear side of the chamber 14 is formed into a [lap 42, hinged at its upper corners by pivots 43 and held inwardly to a plumb position against the stop 44 by a spring 45, secured at 46 upon the chamber 14. By this arrangement it a stone or other Vforeign body should be in the grain and get between the end oi the wing and the said .flap the latter wih yield and leave the obstructing objectloose enough to be pulled out at the rear ol the roller without injury to the apparatus or any material inaccuracy in the \\f'eighing, as the operating oi the elevator can be suspended as soon as a leakage oi grain is noticed between the said Hap and the roller.

The operation of the apparatus and its parts is alreadylairly explained. Still it may be added that in use the grain passes into and through the hopper, which is practicall y the same as the upper chamber, into the weighing-chamber until the weight ot the grain within the chamber overbalances the weight 16. The weigliing-chainl)er will then drop sul'liciently to cause the straps 233 to pull on the links 25 26, turning thereby the levers 23 on their pivots, so that the roller 31 swings outward beyond the end of the wing supporting the grain. The weight el the grain on the wing 34 will then turn the shalt B3, allowing tlie grain to pass from the weighingchamber. As soon as the weighing-chamber is thus released lrom its charge ot grain the weight 16 will restore it to its normal position. As the grain passes trom the chamber 14 it will tuin the shalit 33 sul'liciently to bring the next wing into contact with the roller 31 to allow the continued use ol the apparatus. The operation of the indicator 35s and the valves or wings in the bottom of the hopper has already been described.

To cause the wings in the bottom ol the hopper to close with extraordinary speed and accuracy, it is only necessary to move the weight S) taither out to the Vfree end ol its lever and to swing the upper end of the arm 12 in the saine direction suHiciently to maintain the same pressure upon the peg 11 as before moving the weight, so as not to increase or decrease the once predetermined counterbalancing by the weight il against the larger weight 16. The proportionate moving of the weight 9 and the arm 12 is easily determined by moving first one and then adjusting the other, so that the weight 16 is ready to rise while the regular weight ot grain is in the chamber 14.

The sliding joint 47 on the link 26 is to allow accurate adjustment el the roller 3l, so that the weight ot the wing will neither retard nor induce its outward motion to release the wing. The sliding joint 4S on the strap 23 is lor a similar purposenamely, to adjust the height of the joint 24 so exactly in relation to the joints 27 and 28 that the links will not unduly resist nor assist the raising of the strap 23, as such resistai'ice would alter the amount el grain required to trip the vlever 29 and discharge the weighed grain.

Finally, it will be observed that the ears or plates 20 are pivoted at 49, so that they ma)v act as links, and thus permit lree motion ol the chamber 14 upon the extension 22 ol the chamber l, whichY arrangement, as well as IOO the triangular scale-pivots 1S and 19, operate much easier than the slotted holes, round pivots, and fixed plates used in my former .patent referred to.

Having now described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a hopper or spout, of a weighing-chamber arranged below said hopper, counterbalancing means normally holding said chamber raised, mechanism movably connecting said chamber and hopper, wings having rotatable support in said chamber, means actuated from said connecting mechanism to hold one of said wings in horizontal position when the chamber is raised and to release said wing when the chamber is lowered, and a pair of oscillating wings in the bottom of the hopper for closing automatically its bottom opening while the weighing-chamber is lowered and emptied, said wings being operatively associated with the weighing-chamber.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an upper stationary hopper-shaped chamber and a lower verticallymovable counterbalanced chamber suspendedbelow the upper chamber, closing wings in the bottom of each chamber, and mechanisms operatively associated with said wings and chambers to close automatically the wings in the upper chamber and open the closed wing in the lower chamber substantially at the same time.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an upper stationary hopper-shaped chamber' and a lower verticallymovable counterbalanced chamber suspended below the upper chamber, closing wings in the bottom of each chamber, and mechanisms operatively associated with said wings and chambers to close automatically the wings in the upper chamber and open the closed wing in the lower chamber substantially at the same time, said wings in the upper chamber being two in number, each iiXed radially on a horizontal shaft, meshing gears fixed on said shaft to cause the wings to open and to close against each other, a lever proliecting from one of the said shafts, a weight on the lever, an arm secured upon the lower chamber and supporting said lever when the wings in the upper chamber are to be held open.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an upper stationary, hopper-shaped chamber and a lower verticallymovable counterbalanced chamber suspended below the upper chamber, closing wings in the bottom of each chamber, and mechanisms operatively associated with said wings and chambers to close automatically the wings in the upper chamber and open the closed wing in the lower chamber substantially at the saine time, said wings in the upper chamber being two in number each fixed radially on a horizontal shaft, meshing gears 'fixed on said shafts to cause the wings to open and to close against each other, a lever projecting from one of the said shafts, a weight on the lever, an arm secured upon the lower chamber and supporting said lever when the wings in the upper chamber are to be held open, said weight and supportingarm being adjustable, substantially, as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a weighing apparatus of the class described, the chamber having in its bottom a rotatory shaft with wings thereon, each of which in its turn closes the bottom opening of the chamber, a roller supporting the free end of the wing when it closes the opening, said chamber having adjacent said roller a spring-pressed flap formed in its side wall, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a weighing apparatus of the class described, the combination of a weighing-chamber having a rotatory shaft in its bottom end provided with wings, each of which in its turn closes the bottom opening of the chamber, a movable support for the free end of the wing when in the closed position, a star-wheel secured upon the said shaft and having one radial finger for each wing on the shaft a pawl engaging said radial fingers to prevent rebounding of the wings when they strike the support, an indicator secured upon the chainber and having its operating-lever operatively connected with said pawl and fingers.

7. In a weighing apparatus of the class described, the combination of a weighing-chamber having a rotatory shaft in its bottom end provided with wings, each of which in its turn closes the bottom opening of the chamber, amovable support for the free end of the wing when in the closed position, a star-wheel secured upon the said shaft and having one radial finger for each wing on the shaft, a pawl engaging said radial fingers to prevent rebounding of the wings when they strike the support, an indicator secured upon the chamber and having its operatinglever operatively connected with said pawl and fingers by having the pawl formed at the end of the operating-lever.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a hopper or spout, of a weighing-chamber arranged below said hopper, counterbalancing means normally holding said chamber raised, mechanism movably connectingsaid chamber and hopper, wings having rotatable support lin said chamber, means actuated from said connecting mechanism to hold one of said wings in horizontal position when the chamber is raised and to release said wing when the chamber is lowered, and means in the bottom of the hopper for closing automatically the bottom opening while the weighing-chamber is lowered and IIO emptied, said closing means being operatively associated with the Weighing-chamber and said means 'for holdingthe wings in hori- Zontal position in the Weighing-Chamb e1* haw ing parts which are adjustable horizontally and vertically, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I a'HiX my signatuie in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED L. BUCKLANI).

Titnesses A. R. SiLvEnNALE, JOHN SHERMAN.

Images