IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PACKING BRAN AND OTHER MATERIALS INTO BAGS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES FOR PACKING BRAN AND OTHER MATERIALS INTO BAGS."
A communication from abroad by William Lord Williams, of San Diego,
in the County of San Dinan State of California United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th September 1880.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PACKING BRAN AND OTHER
MATERIALS INTO BAGS." [A communication from abroad by William Lord
Williams, of San Diego, in the County of San Diego, State of California, United
States of America.]
This machine is intended for use in packing bran into bags, and may also be
used for packing other materials.
The Invention consists in a series of stamps fitted within a cylinder for vertical
reciprocation in succession by a revolving shaft and cam to pack the material, which
is fed through the cylinder into a bag attached at the lower end; also in devices
to permit the upward movement of the stamps as the bag fills without interfering
with their operation by the cams, and devices for arresting the movement of the
stamps when the bag is full; and in certain other novel details of construction
hereafter described.
The cylinder is sustained by arms attached to the frame of the mill, or to a post,
or other convenient support, so that the cylinder is fixed vertically, with its lower
end the required distance above the floor. The cylinder is provided with a feed
spout at one side, having a valve for cutting off the feed when desired. Within
the cylinder is a shaft, which is stepped in a bridge tree fixed near the lower end
of the cylinder, and passes through a bridge tree at the upper end, and has a
bearing in a bracket that is fixed above, so that the shaft passes centrally through
the cylinder. On the upper end of the shaft is a loose pulley for connection of a
belt from suitable power. This pulley has ratchet teeth on its underside, and a
collar connected to the shaft by a groove and feather or other suitable means, which

page_text: will permit its movement along the shaft, is formed as a clutch to engage with said
pulley. A shipper bar is connected with the collar and fitted to slide upon the
outside of the cylinder for throwing the clutch in and out of contact with
the pulley. The stamp shafts are fitted in apertures of the bridge trees within the
cylinder, and provided at their lower ends with circular discs or shoes. Above the
upper bridge tree on each shaft are loosely fitting sleeves provided with pivoted
latches or levers formed for engagement at their upper ends with ratchet teeth
that are formed on the upper portion of the stamp shafts, while the lower end of
the latches project outward in the path of a cam which is fixed on the central shaft
for operation, as hereafter described. There is also a spiral spring fitted behind the
latches tending to disengage them from the stamp shafts. Beneath the sleeves are
rods, each of which is suspended by its enlarged upper end from the upper bridge
tree, and extend loosely through the lower bridge tree.
The stamps are held in the raised position by spring arms which rise from the
upper bridge tree, and have their upper ends bent inward, terminating in the path
of a projection from a collar that is titted on the central shaft. At the inner side
of the arms, near the upper end there are lugs, with which the upper flanged ends
of the stamp shafts engage. The collar is fitted for end wise movement ou the shaft
by a groove and feather, and is raised and lowered by a shipper bar connected
therewith. The sleeves engage with the arms, and are thereby prevented from
turning on the rods, and upon the upper-bridge tree elastic plugs are fitted to
arrest the downward movement of the sleeves and relieve the concussion.
-Semi-circular-straps.are hinged at the lower end of the cylinder so that they
may be closed around the cylinder to clamp the bag. One strap is fitted with-a-
forked latch that may be turned-down-over-flanges-on-the-ends-of-the-straps-to-
hold the ends firmly. The bag is thus held suspended from the cylinder with the
lower ends of the stamps extending to near its bottom. The bottom of the bag will
preferably rest on the Hoor.
To operate the machine the stamp shafts will first be raised and caught by the
lugs on the arins and a bag then attached to the cylinder. The valve in the feed
pipe will then be opened and the shaft set in motion. The shipper will then be
moved to raise the collar on the central shaft, and this by its revolution with said
shaft will press the aruis outward and disengage the stamps in succession, so that
they fall to place for operation by the cam above mentioned. This cam as it
revolves first strikes the latch of each sleeve and forces the upper end of the latch
in contact with the stamp shaft, and then by raising the sleeve lifts the stamp
shaft bodily, which rod drops again as soon as the cam has passed. The stamps
are thus raised and dropped in succession, and the material packed in the bag as it
runs in. As fast as the bag fills the stamps are forced up through the sleeves, but
their operation by the cam as described is not interfered with. When the bag is
full the stamps will be raised sufficiently to engage with the spring arins, and at
the same time the shoes of the stamps will have raised the rods which are suspended
from the upper bridge by contact therewith, and said rods will raise the sleeves
above the cam so that the stamping operation is thereby suspended while the shaft
continues to revolve.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th March 1881.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PACKING BRAN AND OTHER
MATERIALS INTO BAGS." A communication from abroad by William Lord Williams,
of San Diego, in the County of San Diego, State of California, United States of
America.
This improved machine is intended for use in packing bran into bags, and may
also be used for packing other materials. The Invention consists in a series of
stamps fitted within a cylinder for vertical reciprocation in succession by a
revolving shaft and cam to pack the material which is fed through the cylinder
into a bag attached at the lower end; also in devices to permit the upward move-
ment of the stamps as the bag fills without interfering with their operation by the
cams, and devices for arresting the movement of the stamps when the bag is full;
and in certain other novel details of construction, all of which will be hereinafter
particularly described.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section of the machine,
and Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same; Figure 3 is a detail view.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. A is a cylinder of sheet
iron sustained by arms a, a, that are attached to the frame of the mill, or to a post,
or other convenient support, so that the cylinder is fixed vertically and with its
lower end the required distance above the floor; b is the feed spout fitted at one
side of cylinder A, and provided with a valve for cutting off the feed when desired;
c is a shaft stepped at its lower end in a bridge tree d that is fixed within
and near the lower end of cylinder A, passing through a bridge tree d'
at the upper end of the cylinder, and having a bearing in a bracket e that is fixed
above, so that the shaft passes centrally through the cylinder; f is a loose pulley
on the upper end of shaft c for connection of a belt from suitable power. This
pulley is formed on its underside with ratchet teeth; and g is a collar on shaft c,
which collar is formed as a clutch to engage with the teeth of pulley f, and is
connected to the shaft by a groove and feather, or similar device, which will permit
of its movement on the shaft. h is a shipper bar connected with collar g, and fitted
to slide upon the outside of cylinder A for use in throwing the clutch in and out
of contact with the pulley; i, i, i, are the stamp shafts, the same being fitted in
apertures of the bridge trees d, d', within the cylinder A, and provided at their
lower ends with circular discs or shoes; k, k, k, are sleeves fitted loosely one on
each shaft i above the bridge tree d¹. Each sleeve k, as shown most clearly in
Figure 3, is fitted with a pivoted latch or lever k¹ formed for engagement at its
upper end with ratchet teeth that are formed on the upper portion of the stamp
shalts i, while the lower end of the latch projects outward in the path of a cam 1,
which is fixed on shaft c for operation, as hereafter described.
There is also a spiral spring fitted behind each of the latches k tending to
disengage them from the stamp shafts; m, m, m, are rods, each of which is
suspended by its enlarged upper end from the bridge tree d' beneath aleeve k, and
extends loosely through the lower bridge tree d; n, m, n, are spring arms rising from
the bridge tree d', and having their upper ends bent inward, and terminating in
the path of a projection from a collar o that is fitted on shaft c. At the inner side
of arms n, near the upper end, there are lugs n³, and the upper ends of the stamp
shafts & are flanged for engagement with the lugs n' to retain said shafts in a
raised position. The collar o is fitted for end wise movement on shaft c by a groove
and feather; and p is a shipper bar hung on cylinder A, and connected with
collar o for use in raising and lowering the collar.
The sleeves k are shown as engaging with the arms n, so that said arms form

page_text: guides that prevent the sleeves from turning on the rods i, and upon the bridge
tree d' there are fitted elastic plugs q, which arrest the downward movement of
the sleeves, and relieve the concussion; ?, ?, are semi-circular straps hinged at the
lower end of cylinder A, so that they may be closed around the cylinder to clamp
the bag. One strap is fitted with a forked latch s that may be turned down &
over flanges on the ends of the straps to hold the ends firmly; t represents the bag,
which is thus held suspended from the cylinder and with the lower ends of the
stamps extending to near its bottom. The bottom of the bag will preferably rest
on the floor.
To operate the machine the stamp shafts i will first be raised and caught by the 1
lugs n and a bag then attached to the cylinder by the clamping straps r. The
valve in the feed pipe b will then be opened, and the shaft c set in motion by
moving the shipper h to engage the clutch g with pulley f. The shipper p will
then be moved to raise the collar o, and this by its revolution with shaft c will
press the arms n outward and disengage the stamps in succession so that they fall 1
into place for operation by cam l. This cam l as it revolves first strikes the latch k¹
of each sleeve k, and forces the upper end of the latch in contact with the shaft i,
and then by raising the sleeve lifts the stamp shaft bodily, which rod drops again
as soon as the cam has passed.
The stamps are thus raised and dropped. in. succession, and the material packed
in the bag as it runs in. As fast as the bag fills the stamps are forced up through
the sleeves, but their operation by the cam as described is not interfered with.
When-the-bag-is-full-the-stamps-will-be-raised-sufficiently-to-engage-with-the-
_spring_arms_n,_and_nt the same time_the_shoes_of_the_stamps will have raised rods
by contact therewith, and rods m will raise the sleeves k above the cam L, so that ?
the stamping operation is thereby suspended while the shaft continues to revolve
The bag may then be removed, an empty bag put in place, and the operation be
continued as before.
m
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The bran packing machine consisting of feed cylinder A provided with
clamps for receiving a bag, the sliding stamps i fitted within cylinder A, the
sleeves & fitted on stamps i and provided with latches k¹ for engagement with the
stamp shafts and the revolving shaft carrying cam l, all combined for operation,
substantially as described and shown.
2nd. In machines for packing bran or similar materials, the loose sleeves k
provided with pivoted latches and the revolving cam fitted for raising the
sleeves k by contact with the latches ¹, combined with the ratchet shafts of the
sliding stamps, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3rd. In machines for packing bran or similar materials, the spring arms n
provided with lugs n' and the sliding collar o, having a projection combined with
the reciprocating stamp shafts i and operating shaft c, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
4
4th. The rods m suspended loosely in cylinder A beneath the sleeves k in 4
combination with the latches ke, stamps i, and operating cam I, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set