Patent GB-868794-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in packaging machines
Inventor: JOHNSON REGINALD FRANK
IPC: B65B1/36
Filed: 1956-09-20
Abstract: 868,794. Container-filling machines. ROSE BROS. (GAINSBOROUGH) Ltd. Dec. 19, 1957 [Sept. 20, 1956], No. 28729/56. Class 94(1). A machine for filling containers with measured quantities of small articles, e.g. sweets, or fluent-solid materials, comprises an endless, pocketed conveyer adapted to forward a spaced succession of open-topped cartons or other containers towards a filling station, a rotatable funnel carrier provided with at least two discharge funnels and adapted to move in timed relationship with the conveyer to cause each funnel to move in turn into register with successive pockets in the conveyer as they approach the filling station, a rotatable carrier member provided with a number of open-topped, measuring receptacles greater than the number of funnels and adapted to move in such timed relationship with the funnel carrier as to cause each receptacle to move in turn into register with successive discharge funnels as they reach the filling station, and means for opening the receptacles in succession at the filling station to discharge their contents into successive containers. As shown, cartons 13 are conveyed to the filling station in pockets 10 attached to an endless chain 11 passing over sprockets 12, one of which is supported by a driving shaft 14 which also drives a funnel carrier 16 and a receptacle carrier member 17. The carrier 16 is secured to the shaft 14 and supports two diametrically-opposed funnels 18. The member 17 is freely mounted on the shaft and comprises upper and lower discs 19, 21, the disc 19 having six apertures 38 communicating with upper receptacle parts 39 which telescope into lower receptacle parts 41 secured to the disc 21. The disc 19 is positioned vertically by pairs of rollers 23 on an annular support 24 which is fitted with nuts 28 engaging screw-threaded portions 27 of pillars 20 which support the upper bearing 15 of the shaft 14. The nuts are formed with sprockets 31 and are rotatable simultaneously by a hand wheel 29 and chain 32 to raise or lower the support 24 and disc 19 and thus vary the capacity of the receptacles. The support 24 also forms a feed hopper surrounding the upper surface of the disc 19, sweets being fed on to the surface of the disc by mechanism similar to that described in Specification 729,223. The lower portion 43, Fig. 3, of each receptacle part 41 is formed of channel section to provide access for a movable closure member 44 of similar section having a curved wall 46 which constitutes the base of the receptacle. Such member 44 is carried by an arm 47 which is pivoted at 48 to the disc 21 and is fitted with a roller 49 arranged to engage a cam 51 at the filling station to cause the member to swing outwardly and allow the contents of the receptacle to fall freely into one of the funnels 18. The hubs 22 and 33 of the discs 19 and 21 are coupled by driving dogs 36 slidably engaging recesses 37, and the hub 22 is driven from the shaft 14 by epicyclic gearing 52, 54, 57 and driving dogs 61, the reduction ratio of the gearing being 3 : 1 so that a funnel 18 and receptacle 39, 41 arrive simultaneously at the filling station above a carton 13. Absence of a carton to be filled is detected by a finger 64 which operates mechanism to move the cam 51 out of the path of the rollers 49 so that the receptacle corresponding to the missing carton is not opened.