Improvements in and relating to Electrically Controlled Weighing Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Electrically Controlled Weighing
Apparatus.
I, LORENZO HOWARD NUTTING, a citizen of the United States of America,
residing at 512 East Fourteenth Street, in the City of Davenport, County of Scott
and State of Iowa, one of the United States of America, Hardware Dealer, 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 :-
My invention relates to electrically controlled weighing apparatus, especially
designed for the weighing automatically of substances to be put up in packages of
certain sizes, such as tea, coffee, spices, and the like, and adapted to weigh such
substances accurately, from one ounce up to any required weight.
The invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts,
as will be fully hereinafter set forth in the Specification and defined in the
appended claims.
I have illustrated the invention in the accompanying drawings, which form a part
of this Specification, and in which—
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the device, looking slightly from the
rear, and showing the scale in the position for weighing.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, looking from the other side and showing
the hopper in its dumping position.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the hopper showing its connections with its support.
Figure 4 is a detail side view of the hopper showing its attachments thereto, and
Figure 5 is a view, representing diagrammatically the circuits.
Referring to the drawings by letter; A represents the supporting frame-work of
the machine consisting of two upright standards made of iron joined at the top by a
cross-head a, preferably made integral therewith, and securely fastened to a suitable
base or support of wood or other insulating material by bolts or otherwise. At
intervals between the sides of the frame A the same may be braced by cross-barb-
Slightly above the middle of the said frame are secured horizontal extensions or
beams B B, provided with suitable brace-rods bb by which the same are held
rigidly, and formed at their outer ends with bearings, as clearly shown in the
drawings. The hopper C is disposed between the same. This hopper is made sub-
stantially square in cross-section, with an open top, and is provided with doors or
gates cc hinged thereto near the bottom. These doors or gates fit the angularly
shaped ends of the sides of the hopper and are adapted to be opened and closed by
means of the pivoted levers c¹ c¹, and other operating mechanism, to be described
later.
The hopper C is further provided with projecting pins which fit slots d d of
a yoke D upon which the hopper is supported. This yoke is provided with a
horizontally disposed knife-edged rod E which fits into the bearings 6 of
the beams B B.
F represents the scale lever of ordinary construction secured to the yoke D,
extending outwardly therefrom and provided with a weight holder fat its extreme
outer end, whereby the said hopper and lever are balanced upon their trunnion
support. F is a movable weight adjuster, whereby the amount of material to be
weighed in the hopper is regulated.

page_text: Secured to the frame A above the hopper C is the feeding chute or spout G. As
shown in the drawings, this is angularly disposed, its lower end leading into the top
of the hopper, and bolted to a cross-bar a² and its upper end being fastened to the
cross-head a by the strip c³. This chute G is provided with a gate g at its lower
end hinged along its upper edge and adapted to open upwardly. One end of the
shaft to which the door is hinged, and secured, is provided with a lever g¹ having
an elongated slot g² therein, by means of which lever the said door is opened
and closed.
H represents a solenoid or other electro-magnetic device of ordinary construction,
secured to the cross-head a of the frame A in any suitable manner. The core h of the
solenoid reciprocates vertically therein, and has an extension thereon, provided
in turn with a projecting pin which passes through the slot g³ of the lever g'.. It
will thus be seen that the upward or downward movement of the core / will close or
open the door of the chute.
I is a lever fulcrumed at or near its center to hopper C, pivotally connected at
one end to the levers c¹ c' and having a pin at its other end which fits and moves in
a slot of a vertically disposed rod or shaft J whose upper portion moves in
a guide a secured to the hopper C. It will be seen that the upward or downward
movement of the rod J will open or close the doors cc of the hopper. The doors
are kept normally closed by means of the spring a connected at one end to the
hopper C, its free end passing beneath the pivot of the levers c¹ c¹. The rod J
is further provided with a projecting lug J¹ for a purpose which will appear
presently.
KK represent a pair of oppositely disposed metallic supports secured to the
insulated base by proper means, having a horizontal shaft L connecting the same
and journaled in bearings in the top thereof. This shaft L has keyed thereon
a metallic wheel M which is provided at intervals along its periphery with
lugs m m which are adapted to engage, the lug J¹ of the rod J during the
- revolution of the said wheel, and which also form circuit terminals or contact
points. Also keyed to the said shaft L is a gear wheel or pinion N having
peripheral threads cut therein which are engaged by the threads upon the main
driving shaft O of the electric motor P.
.
Qrepresents an electric battery or generator of any suitable construction, having
circuit wires leading therefrom as follows: The wire 1 passes from the dynamo
along the frame A to the solenoid H, the wire 2, leading from said solenoid to the
rod J which constitutes a circuit terminal, the circuit being completed through the
contact point 3 and wire 4 to dynamo. The motor P is in a shunt circuit leading
from the rod J through one of the contact points m, wheel M, shaft L, wire 5 on
metallic support K to motor, and by wire 6 and contact point 3, back to dynamo,
thereby completing the circuit.
My invention has now been sufficiently described, it is thought, to enable its
operation to be readily understood. Starting then with the device in the position
in which it is shown in Figure 1, with the doors cc of the hopper C closed, the
door of the chute G open, the weight adjuster F set for the weight it is desired
to measure or weigh, (say, for example, eight ounces,) and with the electric circuit
open between the rod J and the contact point 3, the operation is as follows:
The
The material to be weighed is fed from a source of supply to the chute G whence
it passes into the hopper C. When the required weight-eight ounces-has been
fed into the hopper the balance is overcome, and the said hopper drops as far as it
is permitted to, carrying with it the rod J. The latter upon reaching the contact
point 3 closes the circuit through the solenoid H and the lug J' makes contact with
the lug m on the wheel M and closes the shunt circuit through the motor.
solenoid H being thus energized, attracts and draws in its core hand through the
lever g¹ and its connections, closes the door g of the chute G. At the same time,
the motor shaft O is actuated and through gear wheel N and shaft L the wheel M
is caused to rotate in the direction of the hands of a watch. The lug m on said
wheel engaging the lug J'elevates the rod J and breaks the electrical contact at

page_text: the point 3, and throws the entire current through the motor. The elevation of the
rod J through the levers I and c¹ c', opens the doors cc of the hopper C, and
the requisite amount, eight ounces, of the substance is dropped out into any proper
receptacle. The wheel M continues its rotation until the lugs J and m pass out of
engagement, which will take place during a partial rotation. When this takes
place, the circuit is broken, and both the solenoid and motor become de-energized.
This permits a dropping of the rod J by gravity, which closes the door of the hopper,"
a dropping of the core h of the solenoid, which opens the door g of the chute, and
a cessation of the rotation of the wheel M. The device is now in its original
position and ready for a continuance of the operation, the hopper C having fallen
back into its balanced position as soon as the charge therein was emptied when the
doors ce were opened.
It will be seen that I have devised a machine that is adapted for weighing
accurately materials from a very small weight to a very large weight, something
which scales of the ordinary construction are unable to perform. The machine is
very effectual in actual operation and can be made at a moderate cost.
(have shown and described the same in the form preferred at the present time,
but it is obvious that many minor changes may be made therein without departing
from the nature or spirit of the invention, or sacrificing any of its advantages. All
such obvious changes are clearly within the scope of the invention, and are intended
to be embraced thereby.
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. In a device of the character set forth, a balanced hopper adapted to receive
the material to be weighed, having outlet doors therein, in combination with means
for shutting off the supply of material when the requisite amount has been inserted,
and of opening the doors and discharging the same, substantially as described.
2. In a weighing apparatus, the combination with a balanced hopper adapted to
receive the material to be weighed having outlet doors therein, and a feeding chute
leading thereto having an outlet gate therein, of means for closing the gate of the
chute and opening the doors of the hopper when the requisite amount of material
has been inserted, substantially as described.
3. In a weighing apparatus, a balanced hopper adapted to receive the material
to be weighed, having outlet doors therein, in combination with electrically controlled
mechanism for shutting off the supply of material when the requisite amount has
been inserted, and of opening the doors and discharging the same, substantially
as described.
4. In a weighing apparatus, the combination with a balanced hopper adapted to
receive the material to be weighed having outlet doors therein, and a feeding chute
having an outlet gate therein, of electrically controlled mechanism for closing the
gate of the chute and opening the doors of the hopper when the requisite amount
of material has been inserted, substantially as described.
5. In a weighing apparatus, the combination of a balanced hopper adapted to
receive the material to be weighed, having angularly disposed outlet doors therein,
a pair of pivoted levers connected respectively at their free ends to said doors, and
connected at their pivot point with a lever fulcrumed in said hopper and having its
outer end engaging a rod, and means for reciprocating said rod to open and close
said doors, substantially as described.
6. In a weighing apparatus, the combination of a balanced hopper adapted to
receive the material to be weighed, having angularly disposed outlet doors therein,
a pair of pivoted levers connected respectively at their free ends to said doors and
connected at their pivot point with a lever fulcrumed in said hopper and having its
outer end engaging a rod, a chute located above said hopper having a pivoted outlet
gate and a crank for opening and closing said gate, and electrically controlled
mechanism for reciprocating said rod to open and close the doors of the hopper and.

page_text: for turning said crank to alternately close and open the gate of the feed chute,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
7. In a weighing apparatus, the combination with a hopper having outlet doors
therein, and a feed chute for said hopper having an outlet gate therein, of electrically
controlled mechanism for alternately opening and closing the doors of the hopper
and the gate of the chute, substantially as described.
8. In a weighing apparatus, the combination with a hopper having outlet doors
therein and a feed. chute for said hopper having an outlet gate therein, of electrically
controlled mechanism for alternately opening and closing the doors of the hopper
and the gate of the chute, the same consisting of a solenoid or electro-magnet, for
operating the gate of the chute an electric motor, a rod for operating the doors of
the hopper and also for closing the circuit through said solenoid and motor, and
connections between said motor and said rod whereby the latter is elevated to open
the doors of the hopper and afterwards break the electric circuit, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
9. In combination, the hopper. C having angularly disposed doors cc connected by
the pivoted levers c'c', lever I, rod. J. having lug J, chute G having gate g and
slotted lever g', solenoid: H having core h and extension ', motor P, having main
shaft. O engaging pinion or gear wheel N on shaft L, wheel M on said shaft provided
with lugs m thereon, and electrical connections from a source of electrical supply
between the solenoid H, rod J, wheel M and motor P, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1895.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.