Year: 1896

page_text: I, HENRY EYSTER SMYSER, of Germantown, in the City of Philadelphia, State
of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention introduces certain improvements in weighing machines in which
a granular or powdered material is subdivided into uniform weights, and particu-
larly to that class of such machines in which the material is first measured out
into charges of somewhat less than the full weight desired, and a small stream
of material gradually added until the full weight is reached, whereupon the stream
Weighing apparatus acting on this principle are disclosed in my
following Patents in the United Kingdom:
No. 5589a, dated 31st March, 189.1.
No. 6026 dated 21st Márch 1895.
According to these patents the material is measured in a reciprocating box
which drops the measured charges through a chute to one after another of the
weighing scales. Each of the scales then receives from the supplemental feed
mechanism a small stream of the material, these streams being fed from a hopper,
having bottom openings communicating through chutes with the respective scales,
by a revolving disk in the hopper, having perforations into which the material
falls, and from which when the perforations move over said openings the material
drops through the chutes to the scale-pans. Such a feeding mechanism has been
found to operate very successfully for feeding unground coffee, and is equally
applicable with peas, beans, rice, and coarsely granulated substances in general.
But in operating with sugar, salt, and other finely granulated or powdered sub-
stances, and especially such as are very hygroscopic, difficulty is experienced by
reason of the cohesiveness of the material, which renders the supplemental feed
to the scale pans insufficient or irregular; and by reason of the harsh or crystalline
and in some cases the adhesive nature of the inaterials being weighed, difficulty
is encountered in measuring them by means of such reciprocating measuring
boxes. It is to overcome these difficulties that my present invention is designed.
According to my present invention, the measuring device consists of a stationary
Dox or cell (or preferably a series thereof), open at top and bottom, with a slide or
trap-door for closing the bottom, and a slide for cutting off the supply of material
tending to enter the box from the general reservoir above, the construction being
such that the material may enter in a stream into the box and fill the same to
such extent that it ceases to flow, remaining piled within the upper part of the
box, after which it is cut off by the movement of the upper slide to close the inlet
opening, and subsequently the bottom of the box is opened to discharge its con-
tents. By this means a sufficiently accurate measurement is effected for giving
the initial supply to the scales. For feeding the supplementary streams of
material, my invention provides a hopper with a rotating disk forming its bottom,
and scraping blades for scraping off each a small portion of the material from the

page_text: edge portion or rim of the disk, chutes being arranged to catch the material falling
from the scraping blades to conduct the same to the scales.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is an end elevation of the preferred
embodiment of my invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan thereot
Fig. 3 is a side elevation viewed from the right in Fig. 1, being partly in
vertical mid-section;
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan on a larger scale of the supplemental feed hopper;
Fig. 5 is a vertical section thereof on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section through the measuring
apparatus taken on the line 6-6 in Fig. 7;
Fig. 6 is an elevation showing a cam which is concealed in Fig. 6;
Fig. 7 is a sectional plan cut in the plane of the line 77 in Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 is a plan and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a detail of the mechanism for
operating the scales;
Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section answering to Fig. 6, and showing one
of the measuring boxes in operation.
The drawings show a machine having ten scale pans, and consequently ten
measuring boxes.
The material to be weighed, for example sugar, is conducted downward from
any suitable storage bin or receiving hopper, through a chute A (Figs. 1 and 3)
into a reservoir or supply box B. Preferably the chute A is divided into branches,
as shown in Fig. 3, so as to distribute the material more uniformly throughout
the reservoir. The material descends uniformly in proportion as it is taken away
from the reservoir, the chute being kept full of material. In the bottom of the
reservoir B is a series of supply chutes a a, equal in number to the measuring
boxes, in this case ten. These chutes are closed by slides cc moving freely
beneath them, without touching them. Directly beneath these chutes are placed
the measuring boxes C C, which are open at top and bottom, and have slides b b
(or trap doors) for closing their bottoms. Beneath the measuring boxes C C are
arranged delivery chutes d d, from which extend conducting tubes or chutes D D
which lead downward into the respective scale pans e e of the weighing scales E E
(Fig 3). Preferably the measuring boxes C C and their slides are enclosed in
a box or chamber F, which is conveniently constructed as a downward continua-
tion of the box constituting the reservoir B.
In' operation, the lower slides bb are first moved into position beneath the
boxes CC to close their bottoms, as shown in Fig. 6, and then the upper slides c c
are moved to one side to open the chutes a a, whereupon the material flows from
the reservoir through these chutes into the boxes, nearly filling them, the stoppage
of the flow of material leaving it approximately as shown in Fig. 10, that is to
say, heaped up in a pile of its own natural slope in the upper part of each box
beneath the chute a. The slides care then moved under the chutes a to close
them, as shown in Fig. 6, thereby cutting off the pile of material over each box,
and preventing further flow. Shortly thereafter, the slides are moved out from
under the boxes, thereby permitting the contents thereof to fall through the
chutes d d and D D into the respective scale pans. After a sufficient time to
permit all the material to run out, the slides b bare moved back under the boxes,
the slides c c are then moved out from under the supply chutes, and the boxes are
again filled as before. The slides bc move freely, out of contact with other parts,
so that the sugar or other material is not caught and ground between them, which
would cause a loud noise besides wearing the parts.
The scale pans of the several scales now contain each a measured charge of
material of somewhat less than the desired weight, say for example about nine-
tenths of such weight. To automatically supply enough more material to complete
the full weight, a supplemental feed mechanism is provided. A portion of the
material escapes from the reservoir B through a series of perforations f (Fig. 6)
in the side of the box, and falls thence into a box G, from which it descends

page_text: (Fig. 1) through a chute g, which conducts it into the supplemental feed hopper H
(Fig. 3). This hopper is constructed with a stationary outer wall h (Figs. 4
and 5), and with a bottom consisting of a rotary feed-plate or disk I. Some
suitable means is provided for giving the material in the hopper a tendency to
move outwardly toward the wall h, this result being preferably effected by
forming the feed-plate I with its central portion swelled upwardly in the form
of a cone, as best shown in Fig. 5. The material thus slides down the sides of
this cone, and is thus impelled by its own weight outwardly against the wall h.
This wall is formed at intervals with openings or notches ii in its lower side,
these openings being equal in number to the scales. The weight of the material
as it is impelled outward by the cone, causes it to flow toward these openings,
and it is pushed through each by a scraper K. The material then falls through
an outer opening and stationary chute into a movable chute k carried by the
scale beam m. So long as the weight in the scale pan is less than the full weight
(determined by the counterweight w,) this chute delivers the material into
the pan, as shown in Fig. 5, but as soon as the full weight has entered into the
pan, the descent of the latter by tilting the scale beam throws the chute k so
that it discharges outside the scale pan, the discharge then falling into a receiver J
beneath (see Fig. 3). The mere rotation of the feed-plate I in connection with its
construction as a cone to cause the material to gravitate outwardly, might cause
some discharge of material through the openings i into the chutes j, but the
quantity thus discharged would be difficult of regulation, and might not be uniform.
To provide a uniform and adjustable feed for the respective scales, I arrange in
each opening a scraping blade or plate K, these blades being set tangentially so
that each one stands oblique to the direction of motion of the material as it is
carried around by the rotation of the feed-plate I, so that each blade scrapes off a
portion of the material and causes it to be pushed through the opening and off
the edge of the feed-plate into the chute . The outward gravitation of the
material after passing each scraping blade and before reaching the next, carries
sufficient material in front of the next blade to afford a sufficient supply to be
pushed by that blade through the opening. Preferably the blades all extend
inwardly to an equal distance from the centre, and to provide means for relatively
adjusting the flow of material through the respective openings, the blades are so
mounted that they can be adjusted forward or back so as to vary the area of the
free passage through the openings. To this end each blade is mounted on a
plate n, which is adjustably fastened to the wall h, preferably by setscrews en-
gaging slotted holes in the plates, as shown in Fig. 4. If too much material is
passing through any opening, the blade is moved nearer to the opposite side
of the opening so as to contract the passage through it, thereby reducing the
amount of material which is forced through the opening by the blade. All the
material that is arrested by the blade and cannot pass through the opening, piles
up against the blade and flows over its top, falling back of it and being carried on
to the next blade. By means of this construction of supplemental feed mechanism,
a uniform and continuous stream of material is caused to descend through each of
the scale chutes k.
'
"
The weighing apparatus is constructed to afford a sufficient time after the
dumping of the measured charges of material into the scales to permit the full
weight to be fed thereto by the supplemental feed mechanism, and after all of
the scales have thus completed the weighing operation, they are simultaneously
dumped by means of a ring p, which is raised to engage ears y projecting from
the pivoted front walls of the scale pans, whereby these walls are moved up to
permit the material to flow out from the bottom. The material falls into pockets
or receptacles L L beneath, equal in number to the scales. In order to prevent
the sudden flying up of the scale pans when relieved of their weight by the
running out of the material, a movable weight lifter M is provided, which at
the instant of dumping moves up beneath the counterweights and supports them,
so that their weight is taken off from the scale beams.

page_text: The pockets or receptacles L L revolve intermittently, and as each one reaches
a position over the discharge chute N, its contents are dumped into this chute
by means of a movable arm r (Fig. 1) which lifts and strikes a projecting lug on
the movable outer wall of the pocket, thereby lifting this wall and permitting
the material to run out beneath it into the chute." The pockets are carried 5
around the receiver J, into which is constantly flowing the overflow from the
weighing scales, and the wheel L' which carries the pockets carries a scraper J',
which pushes the accumulated material around until it comes over another dis-
charge chute P, by which it is conducted away to any suitable place from which
it can be again elevated is desired, and conducted back to the reservoir B.
I will now describe the mechanism by which the described parts are operated.
Power is applied through a driving shaft 10 by mitre gears 11 to an upright
shaft 12, which through a sprocket wheel and chain 13 drives an upright shaft 14,
and this in turn by a sprocket wheel drives a chain 15 which runs over a sprocket
wheel 16 (Fig. 5), which is fixed on the hub of the feed disk I, by means of
which the latter is rotated.
The driving shaft 10, through mitre gears 17, drives a horizontal shaft 18
carrying a worm 19 which meshes with a worm wheel 20 (Fig. 1) on a shaft 21
beneath the worm and worm-wheel, being proportioned to turn the shaft 21 at
one-tenth the speed of the shaft 10 (its speed thus corresponding to the ten
weighing scales).
The bottom slides b for the measuring boxes, are mounted on transverse bars s s
(Figs. 6 and 7) fixed on a slide which passes out through the end of the box F,
and is connected by a link 22 to a lever 23 fulcrumed at 24, carrying a roller which
works in the cam-groove of a cam on the shaft 21. The upper slides or cut-off
plates for closing the supply chutes a a, are constructed preferably as trans-
verse plates, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, which are fixed on a longitudinal
slide u, which passes out at the end of the box F, and is connected by a link 25
to a lever 26, fulcrumed also at 24, and carrying a roller which works in the
cam-groove of a cam (Fig. 6). The cams and u are set relatively as shown
in Figs. 6 and 6', their construction being such that the slide u is first moved
to close the chutes a, the slide t is then moved to open the bottoms of the measur-
ing boxes, held for an instant and then returned to close these boxes, after which
the slide u is moved back to open the inlet chutes and permit the boxes to refill.
The dumping ring 7 is operated as heretofore by a cam 2 on the shaft 21,
acting through a lever arm 27, rock shaft 28, and two lever arms 29. The weight-
lifter M is constructed as a disk carried on a sliding sleeve 30, movable freely on
a stationary sleeve v. The sleeve 30 is engaged by a rigid arm 31 (Figs. 8 and 9)
projecting from a vertically moving slide 2, which is operated by means of a
link 33, and lever 34, from a cam fixed on the shaft 21.
The pockets L L, (which constitute no novel part of my present invention) are
advanced intermittently by connection with the shaft 10, which (in a machine
having ten scales) revolves ten times to one revolution of the shaft 21 which
drives the weighing mechanism. The pockets are carried on a wheel L', which
is fixed on an upright shaft c, the lower end of which has fixed on it a wheel w
(Fig. 3) having ten peripheral notches, which are engaged by a propelling bolt
which advances from one notch to the next at each forward movement. This
mechanism (which is not new) is driven through links 35 and levers 36, from
two cams 37 fixed on the shaft 10.
It is desirable to provide some means for varying at will the contents of the
measuring boxes in order to compensate for differences in specific gravity of
different materials. Such adjustment should be made simultaneously for all of
the measuring boxes, and by an operation which can easily be performed while
the machine is in operation. To accomplish this, each measuring box is con
structed with three sides fixed in place, and a fourth side a movable; so that i
may be moved into or out of the fixed sides to thereby vary the capacity of the
box. For simultaneously moving all these movable sides to like extent, they ar

page_text: mounted on cross bars y y fixed to a slide Q, which is longitudinally movable in
the casing F, an adjusting hand-wheel Q being provided for moving it. This
hand wheel preferably engages the slide through some construction of screw adjust-
ment, as for example by forming a screw y' on the end of the slide, and construct-
ing the adjusting wheel as a nut screwing on this screw, and prevented from
moving longitudinally by being engaged by a fixed part entering an annular
groove in the nut, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the turning of the nut propels te
slide longitudinally in either direction.
My invention is susceptible of considerable modification in matters of structural
or mechanical detail, and in the general proportioning and arrangement of the
parts. For example, it is not by any means confined to the use of ten scales and
ten measuring boxes, but any other suitable number of scales and measuring
boxes may be employed. In fact part of the gist of my invention would be
embodied in an apparatus having only one scale and one measuring box, although
such an apparatus could not work rapidly enough to be profitable for the uses for
which an automatic weighing machine is liable to be required. The arrangements
of cams and levers for actuating the moving parts may be greatly varied.
Dated this 26th day of October 1896
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
1, HENRY EYSTER SMYSER, of Germantown, in the City of Philadelphia, State
of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention introduces certain improvements in weighing machines in which
a granular or powdered material is subdivided into uniform weights, and particu-
larly to that class of such machines in which the material is first measured out into
charges of somewhat less than the full weight desired, and a small stream of
material gradually added until the full weight is reached, whereupon the stream
is cut off. Weighing apparatus acting on this principle are disclosed in my
following Patent Specifications in the United Kingdom :-
No. 5589a, dated 31st March, 1891.
No. 6026, dated 21st March, 1893.
According to these l'atent Specifications the material is measured in a recipro-
cating box which drops the measured charges through a chute to one after another
of the weighing scales. Each of the scales then receives from the supplemental
feed mechanism a small stream of the material, these streams being fed from a
hopper, having bottom openings communicating through chutes with the respec-
tive scales, by a revolving disk in the hopper, having perforations into which
the material falls, and from which when the perforations move over said openings
the material drops through the chutes to the scale-pans. Such a feeding mechanism
has been found to operate very successfully for feeding unground coffee, and is
equally applicable with peas, beans, rice, and coarsely granulated substances in
general. But in operating with sugar, salt, and other finely granulated or
powdered substances, and especially such as are very hygroscopic, difficulty is
experienced by reason of the cohesiveness of the material, which renders the
supplemental feed to the scale pans insufficient or irregular; and by reason of the

page_text: harsh or crystalline and in some cases the adhesive nature of the materials being
weighed, difficulty is encountered in measuring them by means of such reciprocat-
ing measuring boxes. It is to overcome these difficulties that my present invention
is designed.
According to my present invention the measuring device consists of a stationary
box or cell (or preferably a series thereof), open at top and bottom, with a slide
or trap door for closing the bottom, and a slide for cutting off the supply of
material tending to enter the box from the general reservoir above, the con-
struction being such that the material may enter in a stream into the box and fill
the same to such extent that it ceases to flow, remaining piled within the upper
part of the box, after which it is cut off by the movement of the upper slide to
close the inlet opening, and subsequently the bottom of the box is opened to
discharge its contents. By this means a sufficiently accurate measurement is
effected for giving the initial supply to the scales. For feeding the supplementary
streams of material, my invention provides a hopper with a rotating disk forming
its bottom, and scraping blades for scraping off each a small portion of the material
from the edge portion or rim of the disk, chutes being arranged to catch the
material falling from the scraping blades to conduct the same to the scales.
Fig. 1 of the drawings left with my Provisional Specification and to which I
will now refer is an end elevation of the preferred embodiment of my invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan thereof;
Fig. 3 is a side elevation viewed from the right in Fig. 1, being partly in
vertical mid-section;
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan on a larger scale of the supplemental feed hopper;
Fig. 5 is a vertical section thereof on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section through the measuring
apparatus taken on the line 6-6 in Fig. 7;
Fig. 6 is an elevation showing a cam which is concealed in Fig. 6;
Fig. 7 is a sectional plan cut in the plane of the line 7-7 in Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 is a plan and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a detail of the mechanism for
operating the scales;
Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section answering to Fig. 6, and showing one
of the measuring boxes in operation.
The drawings show a machine having ten scale pans, and consequently ten
measuring boxes.
The material to be weighed, for example sugar, is conducted downward from
any suitable storage bin or receiving hopper, through a chute A (Figs. 1 and 3)
into a reservoir or supply box B. Preferably the chute A is divided into branches,
as shown in Fig. 3, so as to distribute the material more uniformly throughout
the reservoir. The material descends uniformly in proportion as it is taken
away from the reservoir, the chute being kept full of material. In the bottom
of the reservoir B is a series of supply chutes a a, equal in number to the measur-
ing boxes, in this case ten. These chutes are closed by slides ce moving freely
beneath them, without touching them. Directly beneath these chutes are placed
the measuring boxes C C, which are open at top and bottom, and have slides bb
(or trap doors) for closing their bottoms. Beneath the measuring boxes C C are
arranged delivery chutes dd, from which extend conducting tubes or chutes D D
which lead downward into the respective scale pans e e of the weighing scales E E
(Fig. 3). Preferably the measuring boxes C C and their slides are enclosed in a
box or chamber F, which is conveniently constructed as a downward continuation
of the box constituting the reservoir B.
In operation, the lower slides are first moved into position beneath the
boxes CC to close their bottoms, as shown in Fig. 6, and then the upper slides cc
are moved to one side to open the chutes a a, whereupon the material flows from
the reservoir through these chutes into the boxes, nearly filling them, the stoppage
of the flow of material leaving it approximately as shown in Fig. 10, that is to say,
heaped up in a pile of its own natural slope in the upper part of each box beneath

page_text: the chute a. The slides care then moved under the chutes a to close them, as
shown in Fig. 6, thereby cutting off the pile of material over each box, and pre-
venting further flow. Shortly thereafter, the slides are moved out from under
the boxes, thereby permitting the contents thereof to fall through the chutes d d
and D D into the respective scale-pans. After a sufficient time to permit all the
material to run out, the slides b b are moved back under the boxes, the slides c c
are then moved out from under the supply chutes, and the boxes are again filled
as before. The slides b c move freely, out of contact with other parts, so the sugar
or other material is not caught and ground between them, which would cause a
loud noise besides wearing the parts.
The scale pans of the several scales now contain each a measured charge of
material of somewhat less than the desired weight, say for example about nine-
tenths of such weight. To automatically supply enough more material to
complete the full weight, a supplemental feed mechanism is provided. A portion
of the material escapes from the reservoir B through a series of perforations f
(Fig. 6) in the side of the box, and falls thence into a box G, from which it
descends (Fig. 1) through a chute g, which conducts it into the supplemental feed
hopper H (Fig. 3). This hopper is constructed with a stationary outer wall h
(Figs. 4 and 5), and with a bottom consisting of a rotary feed-plate or disk I.
Some suitable means is provided for giving the material in the hopper a tendency
to move outwardly toward the wall h, this result being preferably effected by
formin the feed-plate I with its central portion swelled upwardly in the form
of a cone, as best shown in Fig. 5. The material thus slides down the sides of
this cone, and is thus impelled by its own weight outwardly against the wall h.
This wall is formed at intervals with openings or notches ii in its lower side, these
openings being equal in number to the scales. The weight of the material as it is
impelled outward by the cone, causes it to flow toward these openings, and it is
pushed through each by a scraper K. The material then falls through an outer
opening and stationary chute into a movable chute k carried by the scale
beam m. So long as the weight in the scale pan is less than the full weight
(determined by the counterweight w,) this chute k delivers the material into the
pan, as shown in Fig. 5, but as soon as the full weight has entered into the pan,
the descent of the latter by tilting the scale beam throws the chute k so that it
discharges outside the scale pan, the discharge then falling into a receiver J
beneath (see Fig. 3). The mere rotation of the feed-plate I in connection with its
construction as a cone to cause the material to gravitate outwardly, might cause
some discharge of material through the openings i into the chutes, but the
quantity thus discharged would be difficult of regulation, and might not be
uniform. To provide a uniform and adjustable feed for the respective scales, I
arrange in each opening a scraping blade or plate K, these blades being set
tangentially so that each one stands oblique to the direction of motion of the
material as it is carried around by the rotation of the feed-plate I, so that each
blade scrapes off a portion of the material and causes it to be pushed through tho
opening and off the edge of the feed-plate into the chute j. The outward gravita-
tion of the material after passing each scraping blade and before reaching the
next, carries sufficient material in front of the next blade to afford a sufficient
supply to be pushed by that blade through the opening. Preferably the blades
all extend inwardly to an equal distance from the centre, and to provide means for
relatively adjusting the flow of material through the respective openings, the
blades are so mounted that they can be adjusted forward or back as to vary the
area of the free passage through the openings. To this end each blade is mounted
on a plate n, which is adjustably fastened to the wall h, preferably by setscrews
ngaging slotted holes in the plates, as shown in Fig. 4. If too much material is
passing through any opening, the blade is moved nearer to the opposite side of
he opening so as to contract the passage through it, thereby reducing the amount
f material which is forced through the opening by the blade. All the material that
B. arrested by the blade and cannot pass through the opening, piles up against

page_text: the blade and flows over its top, falling back of it and being carried on to the next
blade. By means of this construction of supplemental feed mechanism, a uniform
and continuous stream of material is caused to descend through each of the scale
chutes k.
The weighing apparatus is constructed to afford a sufficient time after the 4
dumping of the measured charges of material into the scales to permit the full
weight to be fed thereto by the supplemental feed mechanism, and after all of
the scales have thus completed the weighing operation, they are simultaneously
dumped by means of a ring p, which is raised to engage ears 7 projecting from
the pivoted front walls of the scale pans, whereby these walls are moved up to
permit the material to flow out from the hottom. The material falls into pockets
or receptacles L L beneath, equal in number to the scales. In order to prevent
the sudden flying up of the scale pans when reli-ved of their weight by the running
out of the material, a movable weight lifter M is provided, which at the instant
of dumping moves up beneath the counterweights we and supports them, so that
their weight is taken off from the scale beams.
The pockets or receptacles L L revolve intermittently, and as each one reaches
a position over the discharge chute N, its contents are dumped into this chute
by means of a movable arm r (Fig. 1) which lifts and strikes a projecting lug
on the movable outer wall of the pocket, thereby lifting this wall and permitting
the material to run out beneath it into the chute. The pockets are carrier around
the receiver J, into which is constantly flowing the overflow from the weighing
scales, and the wheel L which carries the pockets carries a scraper J, which
pushes the accumulated material around until it comes over another discharge
chute P, by which it is conducted away to any suitable place from which it can
be again elevated if desired, and conducted back to the reservoir B.
I will now describe the mechanism by which the described parts are operated.
Power is applied through a driving shaft 10 by mitre gears 11 to an upright
shaft 12, which through a sprocket wheel and chain 13 drives an upright shaft 14,
and this in turn by a sprocket wheel drives a chain 15 which runs over a sprocket
wheel 16 (Fig. 5), which is fixed on the hub of the feed disk I, by means of which
the latter is rotated.
The driving shaft 10, through mitre gears 17, drives a horizontal shaft 18
carrying a worm 19 which meshes with a worm wheel 20 (Fig. 1) on a shaft 21
beneath the worm and worm-wheel, being proportioned to turn the shaft 21 at
one-tenth the speed of the shaft 10 (its speed thus corresponding to the ten
weighing scales).
The bottom slides b for the measuring boxes, are mounted on transverse bars s s
(Figs. 6 and 7) fixed on a slide which passes out through the end of the box F,
and is connected by a link 22 to a lever 23 fulcrumed at 24, carrying a roller
which works in the cam-groove of a cam t¹ on the shaft 21. The upper slides or
cut-off plates c c for closing the supply chutes a a, are constructed preferably as
transverse plates, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, which are fixed on a longitudinal
slide u, which passes out at the end of the box F, and is connected by a link 25
to a lever 26, fulcrumed also at 24, and carrying a roller which works in the
cam-groove of a cam u (Fig. 6). The cams t and u are set relatively as shown
in Figs. 6 and 6, their construction being such that the slide u is first moved to
close the chutes a, the slide t is then moved to open the bottoms of the measuring
boxes, held for an instant and then returned to close these boxes, after which the
slide u is moved back to open the inlet chutes and permit the boxes to refill.
The dumping ring p is operated as heretofore by a cam 2 on the shaft 21
acting through a lever arm 27, rock shaft 28, and two lever arms 29. The weight
lifter M is constructed as a disk carried on a sliding sleeve 30 movable freely
on a stationary sleeve v. The sleeve 30 is engaged by a rigid arm 31 (Figs. S
and 9) projecting from a vertically moving slide 32, which is operated by mean
of a link 33, and lever 34, from a cam M' fixed on the shaft 21.
The pockets L L, (which constitute no novel part of my present invention) ar

page_text: advanced intermittently by connection with the shaft 10, which (in a machine
having ten scales) revolves ten times to one revolution of the shaft 21 which
drives the weighing mechanism. The pockets are carried on a wheel L', which
is fixed on an upright shaft v, the lower end of which has fixed on it a wheel w
(Fig. 3) having ten peripheral notches, which are engaged by a propelling bolt
which advances from one notch to the next at each forward movement. This
mechanism (which is not new) is driven through links 35 and levers 36, from two
cams 37 fixed on the shaft 10.
It is desirable to provide some means for varying at will the contents of the
measuring boxes in order to compensate for differences in specific gravity of
different materials. Such adjustment should be made simultaneously for all of
the measuring boxes, and by an operation which can easily be performed while the
machine is in operation. To accomplish this, each measuring box is constructed
with three sides fixed in place, and a fourth side a movable; so that it may be
moved into or out of the fixed sides to thereby vary the capacity of the box. For
simultaneously moving all these movable sides to like extent, they are mounted
on cross bars y y fixed to a slide Q, which is longitudinally movable in the
casing F, an adjusting hand-wheel Q' being provided for moving it. This hand,
wheel preferably engages the slide through some construction of screw adjust-
ment, as for example by forming a screw y¹ on the end of the slide, and constructing.
the adjusting wheel as a nut screwing on this screw, and prevented from moving
longitudinally by being engaged by a fixed part y entering an annular groove in
the nut, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the turning of the nut propels the slide longi-
tudinally in either direction.
My invention is susceptible of considerable modification in matters of structural
or mechanical detail, and in the general proportioning and arrangement of the
parts. For example, it is not by any means confined to the use of ten scales and
ten measuring boxes, but any other suitable number of scales and measuring
boxes may be employed. In fact part of the gist of my invention would be em-
bodied in an apparatus having only one scale and one measuring box, although
such an apparatus could not work rapidly enough to be profitable for the uses for
which an automatic weighing machine is liable to be required. The arrangements
of cams and levers for actuating the moving parts may be greatly varied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The described measuring apparatus for a weighing machine, comprising a
measuring box C receiving material through a smaller chute a above it, so located
that the material assumes a pile at its natural slope, with a freely-moving slide e,
out of contact with the chute, for cutting off this pile, a movable bottom 6 for
the box, a delivery chute leading thence to the scale-pan, and driving mechanism
adapted to first close said bottom, then open said slide c and let the material fill
the box and cease flowing, and then to close said slide and finally to open the
bottom, substantially as set forth.
2. In a weighing machine having a plurality of scales, the described measuring
apparatus comprising a reservoir B for the material to be weighed, formed with a
series of supply chutes a a, slides c c working beneath said chutes for cutting off
the supply, stationary measuring boxes C C arranged beneath said chutes, having
open tops if larger area than the bottoms of the chutes, bottom slides b b movable
to close or open the bottoms of said boxes, a casing enclosing said boxes and
slides, having bottom cpenings under the respective boxes, and chutes D D leading
from said bottom openings to the respective scale pans, operating substantially as
set forth.
3. The simultaneous adjustment of the several boxes by moving their movable
sides by means of the slide Q to which said sides are attached, which is moved
by a screw and wheel Q', substantially as described.

page_text: 4. A supplemental feed mechanism for a weighing machine, comprising a feed-
box having a revolving disk and stationary tangential blades arranged to scrape
the material from said disk and direct it into chutes leading to the several scales,
substantially as described.
5. The supplemental feed-box H having an outer wall and a revolving bottom
disk, and a series of blades projecting through openings in said wall to scrape
material from the disk and direct it out through said openings, substantially as
described.
6. In a weighing machine of the described class, a supplemental feed mechanism
consisting of a feed-box H comprising a stationary wall h having bottom open-
ings ii, and a revolving feed-plate I, with means for directing the material
outwardly toward said wall, a series of scraping blades K K projecting diagonally
through said openings, fastening devices for said blades constructed to permit
adjustment of the blades so as to increase or reduce the effective area of the open-
ings, and a series of chutes arranged to conduct the streams of material from sail
blades to the respective scales, substantially as described.
7. The means for preventing the scale-pans flying up as they dump, consisting
of a weight-lifter M moving up beneath the counterweights w just before the
dumping of the scales, and moving down slowly after the dumping, to slowly
restore the scales, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd July 1897
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.