Improvements in Weighing and Bagging Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1899
Improvements in Weighing and Bagging Machines.
I, ALONZO CEMERRILL BOSWORTH, Manufacturer, of Putnam, in the County of
Windham and State of Connecticut, United States of America, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
The object of this invention is to provide a machine especially adapted for
weighing and bagging grain, to so construct the machine that it can be used in
connection with any platform scale and be so adjusted as to shut off the supply
of grain the moment a certain weight of material is obtained and is indicated by
the scale beam properly balanced; to mount a grain receiving hopper upon the
scale beam, and provide the hopper with means for holding a bag; and also to
provide a support for the bottom of the bag, capable of adjustment to hold bags
of different lengths.
The scale is the usual platform scale and may be of any type. Two uprights
which are supported on the platform of the scale and provided with a series of
apertures carry a hopper at their upper ends, the delivery end of the hopper
being usually contracted. At said delivery end of the hopper a sleeve or collar
is attached, provided with an outwardly extending marginal flange at its bottom,
and with pins which extend upward from the flange, said pins being adapted to
pass through the upper portion of a bag that is to be filled by the material
emptied into the hopper. The bottom of the bag is supported upon a platform
adjustable upon the standards or uprights. At each end of the adjustable plat-
form a pair of braces is located the upper ends of each pair of braces being
attached to a sleeve, and the said sleeves are mounted to slide on the uprights or
standards. Each sleeve is provided with a horizontal casing and in each casing a
spring-controlled bolt is mounted, adapted to enter the interior of a sleeve and
in one of the apertures in the standards or uprights. Under such construction
the platform can be adjusted and held in adjusted position.
A second hopper is mounted upon the upper arm of the scale through the
medium of a suitable standard and a chute is connected at one end with the
hopper, the other end of said chute being supported by a brace extending to
the upright of the scale. The said chute inclines downwardly from the receiving
hopper and is closed at its sides, top and bottom and is provided near its delivery
end with interior vertical side grooves and a corresponding slot in the top, the
said slot and grooves being adapted to receive and guide a gate, the movement of
which gate is effected and regulated through the medium of a screw passed
through a lug secured to one side of said gate, the screw having bearing at its
lower end on a suitable support carried by the chute. The object of the gate
is to regulate the flow of grain from the receiving hopper as some grain runs
much more freely than others. The gate is therefore raised or lowered according
to the character of grain that is to pass through the chute, providing a large

page_text: opening for slowly moving grain and a smaller opening or space for quickly
moving grain.
The supply of grain is cut off at the delivery end of the chute through the
medium of an end gate. This end gate is mounted to slide vertically in the
chute, and when in its open position is adapted to extend out beyond the top of
the chute; furthermore, the said end gate when it is closed, enters a groove in
the bottom of the chute, so as to prevent any possible leakage of material.
The end gate is supported by a lever, and this lever consists of two angular
side sections, fulcrumed at the junction of their members on the sides of the
chute through the medium of suitable pivot pins, and the two side sections are
connected at the back by a cross bar and at the front by a second cross bar, the
latter cross bar being secured to the end gate by bolts or rivets or equivalent
devices.
When the end gate is closed the upper member of each side section of the lever
's horizontal and the other member inclines downwardly, being parallel with
the top and bottom of the chute. An arm is secured to the lower member of a
side section of the lever, which arm extends horizontally beneath the upper
member of the side section of the lever, and a weight is adjustably mounted on
the said arm.
This weight is adapted to regulate the rapidity with which the
end gate shall fall from its open to its closed position. If the weight is brought
quite close to the lever, the gate will fall with its full force of gravity and will
be retarded in its downward movement proportionately as the weight is carried
toward the outer end of said arm.
A latch lever is employed in adjustable connection with the operating lever of
the end gate. This latch lever is of the elbow type, and is fulcrumed upon a
suitable standard secured to the upper arm of the scale. The upper end of the
lever is connected by links with an eye or its equivalent, adjustably connected
with the upper member of the weighted side section of the operating lever. The
upper movement of the upper member of the latch lever is limited by a stop
secured upon the upper portion of the standard, which upper portion of the
standard is inclined. The lower member of the latch lever is provided with a
pivoted finger which is free to move outwardly from the upright of the scale, but
is prevented from moving toward the said upright. This latch lever is used in
connection with a releasing device.
The releasing device usually consists of a block adjustably attached to the heel
portion of the scale arm by a screw provided with a suitable nut, so that the
block may be rocked upon its supporting screw and held in adjusted position,
and a keeper screw is passed upward through the block, the upper end of which
keeper screw is bevelled at opposite sides.
In operation, when the end gate is raised the rear portion of the lever is rocked
downward, and the finger of the latch lever will pass over the bevelled portion
of the keeper screw and rest against its inner bevelled face. When the keeper
screw is straight and the scale beam is brought to a balance, the finger will slowly
pass over the bevelled surface of the keeper screw and will not have a decided
downward bearing on the said screw, and consequently will not tend to force the
heel of the scale beam downward to any appreciable extent. Since the end gate
drops to its closed position as soon as the finger escapes from the keeper screw,
it is obvious that when the keeper screw is straight but little time will elapse
between the actual balance of the scale beam and the dropping or closing of the
end gate. If, however, the keeper screw be inclined outwardly, the finger of
the latch lever will more quickly release itself from the keeper screw, as it will
tend to press the heel of the scale beam downward, and the end gate will close
very quickly. The adjustment of the releasing device may be made in connection
with the adjustment of the weight, and such adjustments are made to adapt the
machine to weighing grain of various kinds. It will be understood that the
scale beam is properly balanced when the parts are set up on the scale platform.
The weight connecting with the gate lever enables the machine to be readily

page_text: adjusted for slight variations of grain in transit. The principal adjustment
however, is made at the releasing device.
Dated this 28th day of December 1899.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
Improvements in Weighing and Bagging Machines. –
I, ALONZO CEMERRILL BOSWORTH, Manufacturer, of Putnam, in the County of
Windham and State of Connecticut, United States of America, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
The object of this invention is to provide a simple, durable and inexpensive
machine, especially adapted for weighing and bagging grain. A further object
of the invention is to so construct the machine that it can be used in connection
with any platform scale and be so adjusted as to shut off the supply of grain
the moment a certain weight of material is obtained and is indicated by the scale
beam properly balanced. Another object of the invention is to mount a grain
receiving hopper upon the scale beam, and provide the hopper with means for
holding a bag, and also to provide a support for the bottom of the bag, capable
of adjustment to hold bags of different lengths.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine, parts being broken away
and the chute being shown closed at its delivery end; and
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the machine, parts being broken away and the
delivery end of the chute being shown open.
The scale A is the usual platform scale and may be of any type. Two up-
rights 10 are supported on the platform of the scale in any desired manner, and
these uprights are provided with series of apertures 11, and at their upper ends
support a hopper B. the delivery end 12 of the hopper being usually contracted.
At said delivery end of the hopper B a sleeve or collar 13 is attached, provided
with an outwardly extending marginal flange 14 at its bottom, and with pins 15
which extend upward from the flange, said pins 15 being adapted to pass through
the upper portion of a bag 16 that is to be filled by the material emptied into the
hopper B. The bottom of the bag 16 is supported upon a platform 17 adjustable
upon the standards or uprights 10. At each end of the adjustable platform 17
a pair of braces 18 is located, the upper ends of each pair of braces being
attached to a sleeve 19, mounted to slide on the uprights or standards 10. Each
sleeve is provided with a horizontal casing 20, and in each casing a spring-
controlled bolt 21 is mounted, adapted to enter the interior of a sleeve and into
one of the apertures 11 in the standards or uprights 10. Under such construction
the platform 17 can be adjusted and held in adjusted position.
A second hopper B¹ is mounted upon the upper arm 22 of the scale A through
the medium of a suitable standard 23, and a chute B is connected at one end
with the hopper B, the other end of said chute being supported by a brace ex-
tending to the upright of the scale A. as shown in Figure 1. The said chute
inclines downwardly from the receiving hopper B'. This chute is closed at its

page_text: sides, top and bottom, and is provided near its delivery end with interior vertical
side grooves 24 and a corresponding slot in the top, the said slot and grooves
being adapted to receive and guide a gate 25, the movement of which gate is
effected and regulated through the medium of a screw 26 passed through a lug 27
secured to one side of said gate, the screw 26 having bearing at its lower end on
a suitable support 28 carried by the chute, as shown in Figure 1. The object
of the gate 25 is to regulate the flow of grain from the receiving hopper B₁, as
some grain runs much more freely than others. The gate is therefore raised or
lowered according to the character of grain that is to pass through the chute,
providing a large opening for slowly moving grain and a smaller opening or
space for quickly moving grain."
The supply of grain is cut off at the delivery end of the chute 132 through the
medium of an end gate 29. This end gate is mounted to slide vertically in the
chute, and when in its open position is adapted to extend out beyond the top of
the chute; furthermore, the said end gate 29, when it is closed, enters a groove 30
in the bottom of the chute, so as to prevent any possible leakage of material.
The end gate is supported by a lever C, which consists of two angular side
sections 31, fulcrumed at the junction of their members on the sides of the
chute 12 through the medium of suitable pivot pins 32, the two side sections 31
being connected at the back by a cross bar 33 and at the front by a second cross
bar 34, the latter cross bar being secured to the end gate 29 by bolts or rivets 35,
or equivalent devices, as shown in Figure 2.
When the end gate 29 is closed the upper member of each side section of the
lever C is horizontal and the other member inclines downwardly, being parallel
with the top and bottom of the chute, as shown in Figure 1. An arm 36 is
secured to the lower member of a side section 31 of the lever C, which arm
extends horizontally beneath the upper member of the side section of the lever,
as shown in Figure 1, and a weight 37 is adjustably mounted on the said arm 36.
This weight is adapted to regulate the rapidity with which the end gate 29 shall
fall from its open to its closed position. If the weight 37 is brought quite close
to the lever, the gate 29 will fall with its full force of gravity and will be re-
tarded in its downward movement proportionately as the weight 37 is carried
toward the outer end of said arm 36.
A latch lever D is employed in adjustable connection with the operating
lever C of the end gate. This latch lever D is of the elbow type, and is ful-
crumed upon a suitable standard 38 secured to the upper arm 22 of the scale A,
as shown in Figure 2. The upper end of the lever D is connected by links 39
with an eye 40 or its equivalent, adjustably connected with the upper member
of the weighted side section of the operating lever C. The upward movement
of the upper member of the latch lever D is limited by a stop 41, secured upon
the inclined upper portion of the standard 38, as shown in Figure 2. The lower
member of the latch lever D is provided with a pivoted finger 42, which is free
to move outwardly from the upright of the scale, but is prevented from moving
toward the said upright. The latch lever D is used in connection with a releas-
ing device E. This releasing device E usually consists of a block 43 adjustably
attached to the heel portion of the scale arm 44 by a screw 45 provided. with a
suitable nut, as shown in Figure 1, so that the block 43 may be rocked upon its
supporting screw and held in adjusted position, and a keeper screw 46 is passed
upward through the block 43, the upper end 47 of which keeper screw is bevelled
at opposite sides.
In operation, when the end gate 29 is raised, as shown in Figure 2, the rear
portion of the lever C is rocked downward, and the finger 42 of the latch lever I)
will pass over the bevelled portion 47 of the keeper screw 46 and rest against. its
inner bevelled face, as shown in said Figure 2. When the keeper screw is
straight, as shown in Figure 2, and the scale beam 44 is brought to a balance.
the finger 42 will slowly pass over the bevelled surface of the keeper screw 46
and will not have a decided downward bearing on the said screw, and conse-

page_text: quently will not tend to force the heel of the scale beam downward to any appreci-
able extent. Since the end gate 29 drops to its closed position as soon as the
finger 42 escapes from the keeper screw, it is obvious that when the keeper screw
is straight but little time will elapse between the actual balance of the scale
beam and the dropping or closing of the end gate 29. If, however, the keeper
screw be inclined outwardly, the finger 42 of the latch lever D will more quickly
release itself from the keeper screw, as it will tend to press the heel of the scale
beam downward, and the end gate will close very quickly. The adjustment of
the releasing device may be made in connection with the adjustment of the
weight 37, and such adjustments are made to adapt the machine to weighing
grain of various kinds. It will be understood that the scale beam 44 is properly
balanced when the parts are set up on the scale platform.
The weight connecting with the gate lever C enables the machine to be readily
adjusted for slight variations of grain in transit. The principal adjustment,
however, is made at the releasing device E.
I desire it to be understood that a friction roller may be placed at the end of the
finger 42 of the lock lever D whenever such addition may be found desirable.
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. A weighing and bagging machine in which there is employed a locking lever
operating in conjunction with the operating lever of the gate, which locking lever
carries a pivoted finger arranged for operation in conjunction with a keeper on
the scale beam of the machine, substantially as described.
2. A weighing and bagging machine in which a locking lever is connected
with a gate lever having an arm secured thereto between its fulcrum and the
gate, which arm carries an adjustable weight, the locking lever being in the
form of a bell crank and having one of its members provided with a pivoted finger
which is arranged to engage with a keeper adjustably mounted on the scale beam,
substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of September 1900.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.