Improvements in Apparatus for Filling Tea or other Substances. into Chests or the like while being Packed.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application. 13th July, 1596-Accepted, 15th Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filling Tea or other Substances.
into Chests or the like while being Packed.
I, SAMUEL CLELAND DAVIDSON of Sirocco Engineering Works, Belfast,.
Ireland, Merchant, 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 refers to apparatus for filling tea into chests or boxes while being
packed by means of a packing machine such as those described in the Specifications
of prior Patents Nos. 2608 of 1894 and 14924 of 1895 in which machines the chest
or box to be packed is mounted on an oscillating packing table. It has been found
desirable in the practical employment of the said machines to have the tea filled:
into the chests that are being packed upon the same in continuous and divided
streams, rather than by shovelling it in as has hitherto been customary. Now
according to the present invention a cone-shaped hopper is placed above the chest
on a vertical stand mounted on the bed-plate of the packing machine, and the
hopper cone itself is carried on arms projecting from the said vertical stand. A
sliding valve is attached to the discharge orifice at the lower end of the cone for
regulating the speed at which the tea may be allowed to fill into the chest and to
this sliding valve are attached small deflecting plates, so as to break up the column
of tea falling from the orifice, into two or more preferably three streams, one of
which falls into the centre of the chest, and the other two near its sides. A quicker
and closer packing of the tea can be obtained in this way than by letting it all
fall in one stream into the centre of the chest; and the vibrations which the
oscillating packing table communicates to the bed plate of the machine are also to
a certain extent communicated to the cone hopper through its stand, on account of
its being mounted upon the bedplate, and this vibratory motion in the cone hopper
prevents the tea "jamming" in it or in its discharge orifice, so that the flow
through the valve opening is steady, even when the valve is only partially open to.
let the tea fill more slowly into the chest.
The accompanying drawings fully illustrate the invention :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly sectional of the tea filling apparatus shown.
mounted in position on a tea packing machine of the kind above referred to.
Figure 2 is a front elevation and Figure 3 a plau.
A is the cone shaped hopper herein before described supported by the projecting
arms B and framework or stand C mounted on the bed plate D of the tea packing
machine E, F is the sliding valve fitted to the discharge nozzle G which is attached
to the lower end of the hopper A, and also to the framework C to give additional
support and strength to the hopper A. Small deflecting plates H are arranged
across the discharge orifice J over and between which the tea falls to the chest K ;.
these deflecting plates are preferably attached to the frame of and move with the
sliding valve F.
The tea to be packed or filled into the chest K is first thrown into the hopper A
and after the packing machine is started, the valve F is opened to the necessary
extent to regulate the speed at which it is required to fill the chest K. The tea.
then falls through the orifice J and comes in contact with the deflecting plates H
which divide the column into three streams, one of which falls into the centre of
the chest K and the other two near its sides; a quick and close packing of the tea.
is thus ensured.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with tea packing machines of the kind herein referred to of
a filling apparatus consisting of a hopper shaped receiver for the tea to be packed,
carried above the packing machine on a stand which is mounted upon and secured
to the bed plate of the packing machine the discharge orifice at the lower end of
the hopper being fitted with a valve and deflecting plates to spread the tea issuing
therefrom so that it falls in divided and separated streams into the box or chest
that is being packed while the vibrations of the packing machine are more or less
communicated to the hopper and thus facilitate the discharge of the tea through
the said orifice, all substantially as herein before described.
2. The general combination of parts constituting the improved apparatus for
filling tea into chests or boxes while same are being packed on a vibrating packing
machine, all substantially as herein before described and represented in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of July 1896.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.