Patent GB-355829-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in apparatus for sorting articles according to weight
IPC: B07C5/26
Filed: 1930-05-31
Abstract: 355,829. Grading eggs &c. by weighing. BRECKNELL, MUNRO & ROGERS (1928), Ltd., Pennywell Road, and DOLMAN, H. J., Rondray, Church'Road, Staple Hill, both in Bristol. May 31, 1930, No. 16872. [Class 143.] In an apparatus for grading articles according to weight, each article is fed to a weighing-device, adapted when depressed to release or permit the release of the article and provided with an auxiliary balancing device, both weighing and balancing devices being mounted on a moving element, and the said balancing-device being held independently of the weighing-device throughout a part of its travel, but being allowed to act upon the weighing- device throughout another part of its travel, so that articles of different weights are released from the weighing-device at different places. Eggs or other articles are fed, mechanically or manually, each into one of a series of weigh-pans 16, Figs. 1 and 2, each pivotally mounted on the outer end of a weigh-beam 14 that has a counterweight 15 and is rockable about a fulcrum 13 in a bracket 11 depending from a rotatable circular table 1. Tilting of the weigh-pans to discharge their contents is prevented, while the beam is horizontal, by plate springs 34, attached to the pans and bearing beneath a flange on the bracket 11, and the extent of the tilting is limited by steps 32, 33. In the feed position A-A<1> Fig. 1, of the pans, the beams are prevented from rocking by a supporting bar 24. The pans are rotated in a clockwise direction and discharge their contents into compartments 3 .. 7 in descending order of weights. Auxiliary weights 19 carried by bell cranks 18 are dropped in succession upon the beams 14 as the pans pass positions intermediate the compartments 3-4, 4-5, and 5-6, articles of successively less weights being thus enabled to rock the beams and effect their discharge. The weights 18 are controlled by a fixed, stepped, cam-plate 20 against which bear the ends 28 of the supporting bell cranks 18. Articles too light to rock the beams with all the auxiliary weights in action are discharged into the compartment 7 by a wheel 25, that is freely rotatable about a fixed axis and through levers 31 rocks each weighbeam as it passes. In a modified construction, Figs. 5 and 9, in which the rocking of the beam is slight and the tilting of the weigh-pan is positively effected, a knife-edged extension 42 of each weigh-beam 14 passes over or under an arcuate guide 41 according as to whether the beam is horizontal or tilted, the guides 41 being arranged one over each of the compartments 3-6. The pan on a tilted beam is rotated against the action of a spring 44 into discharging position by the engagement of a stop 45 thereon with a fixed cam plate 40, the tilting of the beam being limited by a stop 54 on the bracket 11. The number of articles in each compartment is indicated by a counter 49 actuated bv the extension 42 of each beam that passes under the corresponding guide 41. To minimize shock, the extension 42 is pivoted to the beam 14 and urged forwardly by a spring 52. In weighing articles such as portions of butter, errors due to positioning the article eccentrically of the weigh-pan are avoided by mounting the pan or plate on a support that is vertically maintained by a parallel linkage.