Counting Apparatus applicable to the Sale or Counting of Needles or the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1898-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Counting Apparatus applicable to the Sale or Counting of Needles or
the like.
I, PETER JENSEN, of 77, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Chartered
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication
to me from abroad by Jens Utne, of Fredrikstad, Norway, Physician, and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:--
This counting apparatus is applicable to the sale or counting of needles and
the like but especially to sewing needles. It consists mainly of a conical funnel
for containing the needles and of a movable part forming the bottom of the
funnel and provided with a notch for receiving the needles.
The drawing is a sectional view of such an apparatus. A and B are the walls
of the funnel for containing the needles which are to be sold or counted. The
wall A is so hung by a lug C on the spindle D that its lower part by its own
weight is pressed against the rotatable cylinder E which forms the bottom of
the funnel. The other wall B is also hung on a spindle F so that it can turn
thereon and by its own weight is pushed against the cylinder E. This latter is
provided with a notch G of such dimensions as to receive one needle at a time.
The cylinder E is moved by means of a double armed lever I having at one end
a pawl K that engages with the cylinder and at the other end a plate or key H
to be acted on by a finger of the operator. The pawl K may conveniently be
held against the cylinder E by a spring L fixed to the latter.
The lever I is acted upon by a spring M which tends to hold it in the normal
position viz. the position in which the cylinder has the needle notch within
the funnel as shown The motion of the lever and thereby also that of the
cylinder is limited in both directions by the stops O and P.
The apparatus is arranged in a box R which below the cylinder is provided
with a slope S which terminates in a horizontal plate T at the front end of the
box; this plate is covered with cloth or the like upon which the needles aurive
from the slope and can easily be caught by the fingers.
Several such apparatus, one for each needle number, may be arranged in one
box and then so as to take up the least possible space, and that the finger plates
or keys each by preference marked with its number are easily accessible.
The arrangement described may of course be modified in several respects as
to the constructive execution; thus for instance a segment or slope with needle
notch may be used instead of an entire cylinder E as funnel bottom. The
cylinder may also be adapted to move in one direction only, in which case it
would have several needle notches.
The action of the apparatus is this, that the needle which, while the cylinder
takes the position shown, places itself in the notch G, the plate or 'key H being
depressed so that the cylinder turns in the direction of the arrow, is brought
under the bottom end of the wall A and free of the 'funnel and then drops
upon the slope S.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
:-
1. Apparatus for selling or counting needles and the like characterized by
a needle container, the bottom of which has a notch for receiving a single needle
and is arranged to move by a connection with a key or the like, so that if the
key is depressed the bottom with the needle is made to pass outside of the one
wall of the container, and while here assuming a slanting position allows the
needle to drop beyond said wall.
2. Apparatus of the kind firstly claimed having the walls of the container
adapted to swing and to assume such slanting position as to rest by their own
weight against the container bottom made as a rotatable cylinder or part of
same.
3 The construction of annaratus shown on the drawing.
Dated this Second day of July 1898.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents