Improvements in Apparatus for Packing Tea or other Substances into Chests, Boxes, or other Receptacles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1895--Accepted, 7th Sept., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Packing Tea or other Substances
into Chests, Boxes, or other Receptacles.
I, SAMUEL CLELAND DAVIDSON of Sirocco Engineering Works, Belfast,
Ireland, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The improvements refer more particularly to the machine described in the
Specification of previous Letters Patent granted to Frederick George MaGuire
and myself, dated 6th February 1894 No. 2608, and which Specification for brevity
of description is hereinafter referred to as the previous Specification.
In the machine described in the previous Specification, the crank shaft which
imparts the vibratory motion to the lever arm of the oscillating table, has the
crank on one end of it, so that the crank shaft itself is at one side of the bed-plate
or foundation frame of the machine; such arrangement has a tendency to produce
a side oscillation in the machine, when working, in addition to the proper to and fro
movement of the table and this side motion detracts from its packing efficiency.
Further in the machine described in the previous Specification, it has been found
necessary in practice to have the foundation frame or bed-plate on which the
vibrating table is mounted, firmly secured to the floor to prevent the vibratory
motion of the table being so imparted to the bed-plate that the actual movement
of the table becomes thereby so far nullified that the tea itself receives insufficient
vibratory motion to pack it properly; consequently the machine as described in
the previous Specification does not work satisfactorily if it be mounted on wheels
so as to move about as a portable machine, without its being attached or made a
fixture in any way to the floor; and in order to meet the requirements of large
bonded and other tea warehouses; any machine used therein for packing must be
portable, so that it can be moved about as required from one pile of tea to another
throughout the warehouse.
The objects of the present invention are therefore to so arrange the crank shaft,
and oscillating connecting block from the crank to the lever arm of the vibrating
table, that the side oscillation above referred to may be obviated; and to so
construct the bed-plate or foundation frame of the machine that when fitted with
wheels, and thus rendered portable, the machine will pack the tea or other
substances satisfactorily, without requiring to be screwed to or otherwise made a
fixture, to the floor; and also to provide on such portable machines suitable
arrangements for driving the crank by an electric motor mounted on the bed-plate.
According to the present invention and with the objects above stated the crank
or excentric is placed between the bearings on which the crank shaft is mounted
and the movement of the crank is communicated therefrom to the vibrating table
by an oscillating connecting block hinged to the end of the lever arm of the said
vibrating table, by which arrangement the crank shaft is brought into more central
position on the foundation frame, and the motion of the crank is communicated to
the lever arm with less friction than in the arrangement described in the previous
Specification. The foundation frame is extended to a sufficient distance on the
opposite side of the crank shaft from that on which the vibrating table to which
the chest to be packed is clamped, to give such increased steadiness to the foundation
frame, when the machine is working, so that when mounted on wheels at each end,

page_text: and without being made a fixture to the floor, the vibratory motion of the crank is
then so efficiently communicated to the tea in the chest clamped upon the table that
it packs the same as effectually as when the machine is made a fixture to the floor.
Further in order to conveniently apply driving power to the crank shaft, an electric
motor is mounted upon this extended portion of the foundation frame and the
motor is connected to the crank shaft, preferably by belt or friction gearing, which
enables these machines to work efficiently as portable packers in large tea ware-
houses, where they require to be wheeled about from place to place, and the
machine can then be worked in any position on the floor, by merely connecting
branch wires to the motor from the electric mains now so generally employed in
the large tea warehouses.
The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate the invention :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine; Figure 2 is a plan;
Figure 3 is a cross section on the line xx of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a front
elevation.
A is the bed-plate or foundation frame. B the vibrating packing table. C is the
crank or excentric shaft from which the table B receives its vibrating motion.
This shaft rotates in the bearings D D and is driven by the pulley E. That
portion of the shaft which is between the bearings D D is excentric to the
remainder of the shaft, and when in motion this necessarily imparts a reciprocating
movement to the oscillating connecting block F which is ringed on the pin Fl
passing through the end of the lever arm G which conveys the vibrating movement
to the table B. F are oil cups contained on the connecting block F. The
table B is carried on pins in the bearings H, which pins form the centre of the
vibrating movement of the table. K is an adjustable stopper for regulating the
position on the table B of the chest to be packed. LL are sliding clamps operated
by means of the hand-wheel M and the right and left hand screw N. O is an
electric motor which drives the machine by means of a belt from the pulley P upon
the motor spindle to the pulley E on the shaft C. R R R are rollers or wheels
upon which the bed-plate A is mounted. For convenience in turning, the front
roller is arranged on a pivot S. A shackle T is attached to the pivot S, to
which may be fastened a rope for hauling the machine from one place to
another.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In the improved packing machine the combination with the oscillating table
and lever arm connected thereto, as described in the previous Specification, of a
crank shaft in which the crank or excentric is mounted between the bearings of the
said shaft and of an oscillating connecting block from the crank to the end of the
lever arm, and of an extended foundation frame or bed-plate on the further side of
the crank shaft from the oscillating table, to give it greater stability, all substantially
as and for the purposes herein before described and represented in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In the improved packing machine the combination with the oscillating table
and lever arm connected thereto, as described in the previous Specification, of a
crank shaft in which the crank or excentric is mounted between the bearings of the
said shaft, and of an oscillating connecting block from the crank to the end of
the lever arm, and an extended foundation frame or bed-plate as referred to in
Claim 1, and of wheels mounted on the foundation frame to render it, portable,
all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and represented in
the accompanying drawings.
3. In the improved packing machine the combination of parts consisting of the
oscillating table and lever arm connected thereto, the oscillating connecting block
from the lever arm to a crank or excentric mounted between the bearings of the
crank shaft, the foundation frame or bed-plate extended on the further side of the

page_text: crank shaft from the oscillating table; and fitted with wheels to render it portable,
and an electric motor on the extended portion of the said bed-plate, for driving the
crank shaft, all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of August 1895.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.