Improvements in Automatic Feeders for Mills.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
Improvements in Automatic Feeders for Mills.
I, JOHN PETER WEHRER, of La Crosse, in the County of La Crosse, and
State of Wisconsin, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 relates to automatic feeders for mills, and it has for its object to
effect certain improvements in feeding machines of that character that are designed
for use in connection with roller .mills or other machines in a flour mill where an
automatic feed of the stock thereto is necessary. To this end the main and primary
object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful automatic feeder for
mills having all the necessary adjustments for perfect and effective work, while at
the same time having thorough and efficient means for completely extracting all
foreign substances such as bolts, nuts, dough balls and the like from stock that is
run through the feeder onto the rolls of the particular mill being fed. With these
and other objects in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention
is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and
arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with this
invention.
Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof.
Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine with one end of the casing removed.
Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line x-x of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line y-y of Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line z-z of Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a detail in perspective of one of the self-adjusting feed regulating
gates.
Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a substantially rectangular
casing box open at its bottom and adapted to be arranged over a roller flour or
similar mill for the purpose of evenly distributing the stock to the mill by means of
the feeding devices arranged inside of said casing box. The casing box 1 is provided
with door openings at both ends that are enclosed by the hinged glass doors 2, that
admit of convenient access to the interior of the casing for the purpose of adjusting
certain parts of the mechanism while at the same time providing for exposing the
working parts of the feeder to view.
Arranged to work inside of the casing 1, to and away from the opposite ends
thereof is a longitudinally reciprocating or vibrating feed pan 3. The longitudinally
vibrating feed pan 3 essentially comprises the opposite parallel pan sides 4, and
intermediate inclined bottom boards 5, that connect the opposite sides 4 and decline
toward opposite ends of the pan from a central partition board 6, and at its
The
four-corners the said pan 3 is suspended by the spring metal hanger straps 7.
spring metal hanger straps 7 are rigidly secured at their lower ends to the corners
of the pan 3, and at their upper ends are permanently secured to the adjustable
supporting blocks 8. The adjustable supporting blocks 8 are preferably rectangular
in shape and are received between the inner grooved sides 9 of a pair of paraliel
angle clamp plates 10. The clamp plates 10 are bolted to opposite inner sides of

page_text: the casing 1, near the top thereof and are connected together at their inner ends
projecting beyond the blocks 8 by the clamp bolts 11 which are tightened or
loosened to hold the blocks 8 clamped tightly in their adjusted positions, or to
permit such blocks to be adjusted for the purpose of levelling or properly adjusting
the position of the pan 3 with relation to the mill or mills being fed thereby. The
said adjustable supporting blocks 8 have fitted in the upper ends thereof the screw
rods 12 that loosely project through the guide openings 13, formed in the top of
the casing 1, and said screw rods 12 are engaged above and below the top of the
casing by the thumb-nuts 14 which provide means for raising and lowering the
blocks 8 to adjust the position of the pan 3. To elevate the pan 3 it is simply
necessary to first loosen the clamp bolts 11 and then the lower thumb-nuts on the
screw rods under the top of the casing and by then manipulating the thumb-nuts
on top of the casing the desired adjustment of the pan will be secured and the
same may be held in this adjusted position by retightening the bolts 11. To lower
the pan the upper thumb-nuts 14 are loosened and the lower thumb-nuts under the
top of the casing manipulated to effect the adjustment.
The longitudinally-vibrating feed pan by reason of the supports 7 is suspended
within the casing 1 for movement to and from the opposite ends of the casing and
provides means for feeding only one mill at a time or a double mill, and secured
centrally to opposite sides of the said pan 3 are the lower ends of the upright
shaker bars 15 that project through and work in the top slots 16 formed centrally
in the top of the casing at opposite sides thereof. The upper ends of said upright
shaker bars 15 extend above the top of the casing to provide for making the proper
operating connections therewith, and said bars are securely braced together by
means of the transverse tie-rod or bolt 17, bolted at opposite ends to the said bars
and the latter are further braced to the opposite sides of the pan 3, by the diagonal
brace wires 18 secured at their upper ends to the bars 15 near their upper ends and
at their opposite lower ends to the sides of the said pan
The upper projecting ends of the upright shaker bars 15 are adapted to adjustably
receive thercon the adjustable cap plates 19. The cap plates 19 are provided with
the opposite flanged and longitudinally slotted depending strap arms 20, that
embrace opposite sides of the said shaker bars, and the horizontal flanged top
seats 21, in which are securely bolted one end of the spring eccentric pitman 22.
The adjustment of the said cap plates 19 is secured by means of a set screw 23
working through a threaded opening in one end of the eccentric pitmen 22 and the
top of the plates and impinging on the metallic wear plates 24 secured on top of
the shaker bars 15, and said set screws are held fast in their adjusted positions by
means of the jam nuts 25 working thereon on top of one end of the pitmen 22.
The adjustment of the cap plates 19 is rendered necessary so that the eccentric
pitmen may be adjusted correspondingly to the vertical adjustment of the pan 3, in
order that the machine will be steady and regular in operation, and said cap
plates 19 are held clamped in their adjusted positions by means of the clam
bolts 26 that are arranged in bolt openings in the upper ends of the bars 15 and
engaged in opposite ends in the longitudinally disposed slots of the depending strap
arms 20 of said cap plates. The said bolts 26 provide for clamping the plates 19
in their adjusted position while at the same time not interfering with the vertical
adjustment thereof.
The pitmen 22 are made of suitable spring material which is necessary in view
of their rigid connections at one end to the shaker bars 15, and at their opposite
ends the said pitmen are provided with the journal boxes 27 that clamp onto
the shaft eccentrics 28 of the transverse drive shaft 29 that is journalled at its
opposite end in the bearing boxes 30 at the upper ends of the bearing brackets 31,
clamped to the casing at opposite top sides near one end thereof and said drive
shaft 29 has mounted on one end thei eof the belt wheel or pulley 32 which receives
a belt to provide for transmitting motion to the several working parts of the
feeder. The journal boxes 27 of the eccentric pitmen 22 are provided with an
adjustable half-box 33 which is embraced by the U-shaped box clamp 34 bolted

page_text: to the fixed half-box and accommodating in the closed end thereof the adjusting
set screw 35 that works against the half-box 33 to provide for taking up the wear
on the journal boxes 27 in order that the steady and regular running of the machine
can be maintained.
The stock that is fed onto the vibrating feed pan 3 at both sides of the central
partition board 6 thereof is directed by the declination of the imperforate inclined
bottom boards 5 toward the opposite ends of the pan, and said inclined bottom
boards 5 lead up to the inclined separating sieves 36 that form substantial
continuations of the boards 5 and extend out to the extreme ends of the opposite
sides of the pan.
The said inclined front sieves 36 preferably comprise a parallel series of sieve
wires 37 fitted at their inner ends into the outer edges of the boards 5 and clamped
at their outer ends onto the transverse supporting bar 38 connecting the directly
opposite pan sides at their extremities, and said sieve wires are arranged sufficiently
close together so as to form a sieve or screen that will permit the stock or flour to
pass freely therethrough while at the same time serving to separate from such
stock, nails, screws, or any foreign substances that sometimes pass with the stock
into the mill, and these foreign substances are fed over the outer ends of the
sieves 36 by reason of the inclination thereof and the vibration of the pan into the
removable end mote boxes 39. The mote boxes 39 are removably clamped to
the opposite ends of the casing below the doors 2, on the bolts 40 and the upper
open ends of said boxes are disposed directly under the opposite ends of the pan so
as to receive the foreign substances or motes discharged therefrom. The said
boxes 39 are provided in their open bottoms with a separating sieve 41 comprising
a parallel series of sieve wires 42 arranged somewhat closer together than the
wires 37 of the sieve 36, so as to allow all the dust that may accumulate in the
machine to pass through to the rolls of the mill being fed, while at the same time
retaining within the boxes the foreign substances or motes delivered thereinto from
the front sieves 36.
The boxes 39 may be removed from time to time from the casing and emptied.
The stock that will pass through the front sieves 36 falls from the outer ends of
the inclined bottom boards 5 onto the horizontal stops or distributing boards 43
that are disposed below the plane of the boards 5, and are arranged directly
under the front sieves 36 so that all the material that will pass through the said
sieves will be caught by the said steps or distributing boards and evenly distributed
in a thin sheet or stream over the outer rounded edges 43 thereof, onto the rolls of
the mill being fed, this operation being secured by the longitudinal vibrations of
the pan 3, which forces the material or stock to be milled over the outer edges
of the said steps or distributing boards. The said inclined bottom boards 5 that
direct the stock out toward the front sieves and distributing boards therebelow
receive the stock thereon at one side of the central partition board 6 from the
downwardly flared enclosed feed boxes or chutes 44. The downwardly-flared
feed boxes or chutes 44 have their lower open ends projecting into the top of
the feed pan at both sides of the central partition board 6 thereof, and the
upper ends of said boxes or chutes are fitted to the top of the casing under
the top feed openings 45 through which the stock is directed into the boxes or
chutes.
The said boxes or chutes 44 at the lower ends of the opposite sides thereof
are provided with the inner parallel slide grooves 46 that accommodate the slide
blocks 47 to which are secured the upright pointed dividing plates 48 the upper
pointed ends of which extend to the top of the boxes or chutes and provide means
for directing the stream of stock to either side of the dividing plates to provide for
properly distributing the same onto the inclined bottom boards 5 as the character
of the work may demand, and said dividing plates are adapted to be shifted to any
adjusted position between the opposite ends of the said boxes or chutes as may be
required. The said pointed dividing plates 48 have attached to their lower ends
the bottom slide bars 49 that work beneath the lower edges of the said feed boxes

page_text: or chutes and have attached to one end, thereof the adjusting arms 50 that slide on.
the front sides of the boxes or chutes in rear of the longitudinally slotted clamp
strips 51 the slots in which accommodate the thumb clamp. screws 52. that. also
engage the arms 0 to provide means for clamping the same stationary at any
point of adjustment, so as to hold the dividing plates 48 rigid in their adjusted
positions.
The top feed openings 45 of the casing 1 receive the stock from the hopper
box 53 that is mounted on top of the casing. The hopper box 53 receives the
material or stock to be fed to the mill in the ordinary manner through the top
thereof and is provided with the separated bottom openings 54 communicating
respectively with the separate feed openings 45 in the top of the casing, and
supported. for adjustment between the said bottom openings 54 is the pivoted
dividing board or valve 55. The dividing board 55 is secured at its lower end to
the transverse rock shaft 56 journaled transversely of the hopper box at a point
directly above and between the openings 54 to provide means for adjusting the
board, 55 to a position whereby the stock will be fed to only one of the feed boxes
or chutes 44, and therefore to one end of the feed pan or to both ends of the feed
pan if a double mill is being fed. The transverse rock shaft 56 has attached to one
end thereof outside of the box 53 the adjusting arm 57 the free end of which works
under the slotted segment plate 58, and receives the clamp screw 59 working
through the slot of said plate to provide for clamping the arm 57 in any adjusted
position to hold the board 55 properly adjusted. Suitable glass doors 60 may enclose
the opposite sides of the hopper box for the purposes of access and inspection.
The flow of stock over the bottom boards 5 onto the lower distributing
boards 48 is automatically regulated by means of the self-adjusting feed
regulating gates 61. The self-adjusting feed regulating gates 61 are arranged
to work within the feed pan 3 over the bottom boards 5 directly in front of
the feed boxes or chutes 44, and said gates are provided with lower beveled
edges 62 to admit of a free and easy run of the material thereunder, and
have attached at an angle to the inner sides thereof the shorter back boards 63.
The back boards 63 are narrower than the gates 61 and have their lower edges
terminate short of the lower edges of the said gates, so as to allow light stock to
flow under the gates more freely. By reason of the disposition of the back
boards 62 it will be obvious that the full pressure of the accumulations of stock at
the rear of the gates will be exerted on said back boards in a direction tending to
open the gates very easily when a sufficient quantity of stock has accumulated on
the boards 5 directly below the lower ends of the feed boxes or chutes. When the
gates 61 are closed it will be noted that the back boards 63 will allow an even
sheet of stock to lie against the gates directly below their lower edges so that
when the gates open the flow or stream of stock will be easy and steady, and this
prevents bunching of the stock and an irregular flow thereof.
The self-adjusting regulating gates 61 have attached to their upper edges at
opposite ends the U-shaped clamps 64 provided on both sides thereof with the
opposite slide groove 65 and having fitted thereto the lower ends of the screw
rods 66 that are adapted to loosely pass through the aligned guide openings 67
formed in the upper and lower sides of the rectangular nut-boxing 68 formed
integrally on the free ends of the swinging gate arms 69 and depending from the
lower sides of the boxing 68 are the parallel guide straps or arms 70 that embrace
the gates 61 and loosely fit in the opposite slide grooves 65 on both sides of
the U-shaped clamps 64. The said screw rods 66 accommodate thereon within the
boxing 68, the adjusting nuts 71 which provide for raising and lowering the gates 61
to properly adjust the same with relation to the vertical adjustment of the pan 3,
and the said screw rods also accommodate thereon, above the boxing 68, the thumb
clamp nuts 72 that provide for securing the screw rods. 66 against movement after
the gates 61 have been properly adjusted.
The gate arms 69 are provided at their inner ends with the shaft collars 73 that
are clamped tight on the transverse gate shafts 74 journaled transversely of the

page_text: casing 1, between the depending feed boxes or chutes 44. The gate shafts 74 are
journaled in suitable bearings 7 at opposite sides of the casing, and said gate
shafts are projected at one end beyond one side of the casing and have removably
clamped thereou the sleeves 76 that are provided in their outer ends with the
transverse openings 77 to receive a screw rod 78 that is clamped tight therein by
a suitable set screw 79. The screw rod 78 projects beyond both sides of the
sleeve to which it is clamped and accommodates thereon at one side of the sleeve
the adjustable balancing weight 80 provided with a threaded opening 81 to
adjustably engage the screw rod so that the gates 61 may be properly balanced
in order that the same will readily open under the pressure of the stock that
accumulates at the rear thereof and will easily adjust themselves to the varying
conditions of the stock. Each of said screw rods that are connected to one end
of the gate shafts as noted, have clamped thereon closely adjacent to the sleeve 76,
a collar 82 that carries an upwardly-disposed hook arm 83 to which is connected
the upper end of the retractile spring 84 the lower end of which is connected to
the upper end of the adjusting screw 85 that is arranged in aligned guide openings
in an off-standing bracket 86 that is secured to one side of the casing 1.
The said adjusting screw 85 accommodates thereon the adjusting nut 87 that
provides for regulating the tension of the spring and is mounted in the bracket
and a thumb-nut 88 working below the bracket and serving to clamp the screw
tight in its adjusted position to hold the spring to the tension desired and it is to
be noted that said spring serves to return the feed regulating gates quickly to
their normal positions after the same have been elevated or raised by any large
foreign substances passing thereunder.
The screw rods 78 have clamped on one end thereof the stop collars 89 to the
upper and lower sides of which are attached the cushions or buffers 90 and said stop
collars are arranged to work between the upper and lower screw gage rods 91, 92.
The lower of said gage rods 92 is disposed vertically and is arranged to work
in aligned guide openings in an off-standing bracket 93, a duplicate in construction
of the bracket 86 and said gage-rod 92 is adjusted up and down by the adjusting
nut 94 mounted thereon and supported by the bracket and is secured in its
adjusted position by the thumb nut 95 working below the bracket and the said
lower screw gage rods at opposite sides of the casing serve to limit the closing
of the gates 61 and prevent the same from scouring the bottom of the pan 3, when
running empty, and said lower gage rods are ordinarily adjusted so that normally
the lower edges of said regulating gates will be set at about one-sixteenth of an
inch from the inclined bottom boards of the feed pan, so that a thin sheet or
stream of stock will be fed under the gates to the boards 42 from which the stock
is distributed on to the rolls of the mill.
The upper of said gage rods 91 are mounted in the aligned bearing openings 96
formed in the outer ends of the swinging brackets 97, and said upper gage rods
accommodate thereon the adjusting nuts 98 mounted within the brackets, and the
clamping thumb nuts 99 working on top of the brackets. The said swinging
brackets 97 are pivotally secured at their inner ends on top of the casing 1, by
means of the combined pivot and clamp screws 100 that also engage the screw
plates 101, secured to the underside of the top of the casing 1, and by means of
thus mounting the brackets 97, the same may be clamped in a stationary position
with the rods 91 disposed above the collars 89 to limit the opening of the gates 61,
or said brackets may be swung to one side to carry the rods 91 away from the
said stop collars 89, this being necessary as the variations in feeding may demand,
for it is only necessary to adjust the upper gage rods over the stop collars when
there is an overflow of stock caused by a "choke-up" in a preceding machine and
by this arrangement the upper gage rods may be swung into position in a moment
so as to prevent the machine from wasting or feeding an excess of stock. When
swung into an operative position the brackets 97 engage against the stop plates 102
fastened on top of the casing at one side of said brackets. It is to be further
noted that the brackets 97 may be swung out of the way so as to allow any extra

page_text: large substances or materials to pass freely under the gates 61 without binding the
saine.
The screw rods 78 also accommodate thereon at one side of the collars 82 the
smaller regulating weights 103, provided with threaded openings 104 and adapted
to be adjusted to and away from the springs 84 so as to provide means for holding
the gates 61, closed, until a sufficient quantity of stock has accumulated behind
the same to produce an even flow thereunder and by means of the two weights
mounted on the said screw rods and the springs connected therewith, the gates 61
may be adjusted to any degree of sensitiveness so as to open and close quickly
to provide for the feeding of an even stream of stock to the rolls, while at the
same time not interfering with the free passage of foreign substances out to the
end mote boxes 39 and this operation is rendered more effective by disposing
the springs 84 quite close to the gate shaft so as to quickly close the gates after
opening to allow the passage of large foreign substances.
From the above it is thought that the construction operation and many
advantages of the herein-described feeder will be readily apparent to those skilled
in the art and it will be understood that changes in the form, proportion and the
minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the
principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.
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 an automatic feeder of the class described the combination of the casing,
a vibrating feed pan suspended within the casing and provided with inclined
imperforate bottom boards declining from both sides of the centre thereof,
separating sieves forming front extensions of said bottom boards, and horizontal
distributing boards disposed below said front sieves in front of the inclined bottom
boards and the hopper, substantially as set forth.
2. In a machine of the class described, the casing, a longitudinally-vibrating
feed pan arranged within said casing, swinging spring metal hanger straps secured
at their lower ends to the corners of said pan, adjustable supporting blocks
attached to the upper ends of said straps, angle clamp plates secured to the
inner sides of the casing and provided with inner grooved sides embracing said
supporting blocks, clamp bolts connecting the inner ends of said clamp plates
beyond said blocks, screw rods attached to said adjustable supporting blocks and
working through the top of the casing, thumb-nuts engaging said screw rods
above and below the top of the casing and the feed devices for said pan,
substantially as set forth.
3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the casing, the
swinging feed pan suspended within the casing, upright shaker bars attached to
said feed pan and working in slots in the top of the casing, the drive shaft
supported for rotation above the casing, operating connections between said drive
shaft and the upper ends of said shaker bars, and the feed devices for said pan,
substantially as set forth.
4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the casing, the
swinging feed pan adjustably suspended within the casing, upright shaker bars
attached centrally to opposite sides of the pan and projecting through slots
in the top of the casing, a transverse drive shaft journaled on top of the casing
and provided with opposite eccentrics, spring pitmen provided at one end with
adjustable boxes clamped on the eccentrics of said shaft, vertically adjustable cap
plates provided with opposite flanged and longitudinally slotted strap arms
embracing the upper ends of said shaker bars and with horizontal flanged top
seats adapted to have clamped therein the other ends of said spring pitmen, clamp
bolts passed through the upper ends of the shaker bars and engaging the slots
of said strap arms, adjusting set screws working through threaded openings in one
end of the pitmen and the top of said cap plates to impinge against the upper

page_text: ends of said shaker bars, and the feed devices for the pan, substantially as ser
forth.
5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the casing open at
its bottom and provided at opposite ends thereof with mote boxes, a longitudinally
vibrating feed pan supported to swing in said casing and provided with inclined
bottom boards and separating sieves in front of said boards and the feed boxes or
chutes arranged to discharge on to the inclined bottom boards of said feed pan,
substantially as set forth.
6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the open bottom casing
provided at opposite ends with renovable mote boxes having sieve bottoms, the
swinging feed pan suspended within the casing and provided with incline 1
imperforate bottom boards declining from both sides of the center thereof
separating sieves forming front continuations of said bottom boards, and horizontal
distributing boards disposed below said front sieves in front of the inclined bottom
boards, and the feed boxes or chutes arranged to discharge onto the inclined
bottom boards of said feed pan, substantially as set forth.
7. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the open bottom
casing, mote boxes removably clamped to opposite lower ends of the casing and
provided with sieve bottoms comprising a parallel series of sieve wires, the swinging
feed pan suspended within the casing and provided with opposite inclined imperforate
bottom boards, inclined separating sieves extended in front of said bottom boards
and comprising a parallel series of sieve wires supported with their inner ends
fitted in the outer edges of said bottom boards and arranged wider apart than the
wires in the bottom of the mote boxes, and the horizontal distributing boards
arranged directly under said sieves in front of the inclined bottom boards, and the
feed boxes or chutes arranged to discharge onto the inclined bottom boards of said
feed pan, substantially as set forth.
8. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the open bottom
casing, the swinging or longitudinally vibrating feed pan suspended within the
casing and having at both sides of its center inclined bottom boards and separating
sieves beyond such boards, downwardly flared feed boxes or chutes secured within
the casing directly over the inclined bottom boards of the pan, and pointed dividing
plates supported for longitudinal adjustment within said feed boxes or chutes,
substantially as set forth.
9. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the open bottom
casing, the swinging feed pan suspended within the casing and having opposite
inclined bottom boards and separating sieves beyond said boards, downwardly flared
feed boxes or chutes secured within the casing directly over said bottom boards of
the pan and provided at their lower ends with opposite inner parallel slide grooves,
slide blocks mounted to slide in said grooves, upright adjustable dividing plates
working within said feed boxes or chutes and attached to said slide blocks, clamp
strips attached to the front sides of said feed boxes or chutes, a clamp device
attached to said dividing plates and adapted to be adjustably clamped to said
clamp strips, and the hopper arranged on top of the casing, substantially as set
forth.
10. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the casing, the
swinging feed pan having opposite inclined bottom boards and separating sieves,
feed boxes or chutes attached to the top of the casing and depending therein
directly above said bottom boards, adjustable dividing plates mounted within said
feed boxes or chutes, a hopper box mounted on top of said casing and provided
with separated bottom openings communicating with the upper ends of the said
feed boxes or chutes, a dividing board or valve pivotally mounted within said
hopper box an adjusting arm connected to the pivotal support of said board or
valve, and a clamp device for said adjusting arm, substantially as set forth.
11. In an automatic feeder of the class described, the casing, a vibrating feed pan
suspended within the casing and provided with an inclined bottom board and a

page_text: separating sieve, a feed box or chute arranged over said inclined bottom board, and
a self-adjusting feed regulating gate supported over said inclined bottom board in
close proximity thereto in front of said feed box or chute, said gate being provided
with a separate back board disposed at an angle thereto and having its lower edge
terminating short of the lower edge of the gate, substantially as set forth.
12. In an automatic feeder of the class described, the combination of the casing,
a vibrating feed pan suspended within the casing, a feed box or chute arranged
over the pan, a transverse gate shaft loosely journaled in the casing, swinging gate
arms attached at one end to said shaft, and a self-adjusting feed regulating gate
adjustably attached to the other free ends of said arms and arranged to work in
front of the feed box or chute over the feed pan, substantially as set forth.
13. In an automatic feeder of the class described the combination of the casing,
a vibrating feed pan suspended within the casing, the hopper feeding onto said pan,
a transverse gate shaft loosely journaled in the casing, swinging gate arms attached
at one end to said shaft and provided at their opposite ends with an open boxing
having aligned guide openings and depending parallel guide straps or arms, a self-
adjusting feed regulating gate arranged to work within the pan directly over its
haten
སྦུ་པཔ་ས་ Avvetiy receiving a gume straps or arms of the
swinging gate arms, screw rods attached to said U-shaped clamps and arranged to
project through the aligned guide openings of said open boxing, adjusting nuts
mounted on said crew rods within said boxing, and thumb clamp nuts mounted
on the upper ends of said screw rods on top of said casing, substantially as set
forth.
14. In an automatic feeder of the class described, the combination of the casing,
a vibrating feed pan suspended to work within the casing, a hopper feeding onto
said pan, a transverse gate shaft loosely journaled in the casing and having
off-standing swinging gate arms, a self-adjusting feed regulating gate adjustably
attached to said gate arms and working within the pan, said gate shaft projecting
at one end outside of the casing, and automatic gate adjusting devices attached to
the projecting extremity of said gate shaft, substantially as set forth.
15. In an automatic feeder of the class described, the combination of the casing,
the vibrating feed pan within the casing, the hopper, a transverse gate shaft having
swinging gate arms carrying a feed regulating gate, a sleeve clamped onto one end
of said gate shaft, a screw rod clamped to said sleeve, adjustable balancing and
regulating weights having threaded openings engaging said screw rods at both
sides of the sleeve, an adjustable retractile spring connected to said screw rod
adjacent to said sleeve, and upper and lower gages for one end of said screw rod,
substantially as set forth.
16. In an automatic feeder of the class described, the combination of the casing,
the vibrating feed pan within the casing, the hopper, a transverse gate shaft having
swinging gate arms carrying a feed regulating gate, a sleeve clamped onto one end
of said gate shaft, a rod mounted in said sleeve and extending to both sides thereof,
balancing and regulating weights adjustably mounted on opposite ends of said rod,
a hook an attached to said rod near to the sleeve, a spring adjusting device
arranged below said hook arm a retractile spring connected at one end to said hook
arm and at its other end to said adjusting device, and upper and lower gages for
one end of said rod, substantially as set forth.
17. In an automatic feeder of the class described, the combination with the
casing, the vibrating feed pan, the hopper and the gate carrying shaft, of a weight
and spring adjusted rod secured to one end of said gate shaft and provided at one
end with a stop collar, an off-standing bracket secured to one side of the casing, a
lower vertically adjustable screw gage rod mounted in said bracket, separate
adjusting and thumb-nuts engaging said screw gage rod to provide for the adjust-
ment thereof, a swinging bracket arranged above said stop collar, a combined pivot
and clamp screw securing said swinging bracket to the top of the casing and an

page_text: upper screw gage rod similarly adjustable to the lower gage rod and adapted to be
swung in and out of vertical alignment therewith, said stop collar being adapted to
play between said gage rods, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 12th day of March 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.