Improvements in Automatic Weighing Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 5th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Weighing Machines.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK BRAUN, of 425, Winchester Avenue, Chicago, Cook
County, Illinois, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 and
accompanying drawings:- -
the
In automatic weighing machines having a shifting weight on the scale beam,
accuracy in weighing out the desired amount of material cannot be attained by
depending upon the impetus or momentum given to the beam by the weight of the
falling column of material to carry it past the position of equilibrium and to cause
the shifting weight to move to the falling end and thus cause
cutting off of the feed. In this action the weight, by reason of
its inertia, does not begin to move until the beam has passed the balanced position
and has inclined in the opposite direction so that the feed will not be cut off when
the beam is in equilibrium but on the contrary it will continue to flow until the
weight is set in motion thus giving an inaccurate, irregular and uncertain measure
resulting in overweight.
In my machine I do not depend on the momentum of the beam to carry it from
one position past the balanced position to the other in order to start the weight
nor to a continuance of the full feed up to the time of cutting off, but I employ an
outside power or force entirely independent of the momentum of the scale beam
and yet controlled as to its exact time of action by the beam when it reaches a
balanced or predetermined position, said outside force or power acting to destroy
the equilibrium of the beam when it reaches said predetermined position and to
cause it to tip in the opposite direction, the inertia of the weight being overcome
at the instant the predetermined position is reached.
In connection with this balance destroying means controlled by an outside power,
I employ a feed device which as the beam approaches its balanced position will
reduce the amount of material passing to the receptacle on the beam so that when
the horizontal position of the beam is reached the exact weight of material desired
will have passed to the receptacle at which time the feed is instantly cut off and thus
the accurate weight will be insured. The outside power then destroys the balance
of the beam and causes it to tip to deliver the weighed material.
. In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a front view of the machine.
Figure 2 is a rear view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a front view similar to Kiouro 1 with the doom

page_text: Figure 6 is a vertical section from front to rear of the machine through the right
hand feeding device and the right hand receptacle and hopper.
Figure 7 is a plan view of the scale beam with its receptacle and part of the
base frame.
Figure 8 is a plan view of the base frame.
Figure 9 is a detail plan view of the scale beam.
Figure 10 is a sectional view longitudinally of the same.
Figures 11 to 13 are details of the bearings.
The material to be weighed is fed by a cap 4 having lateral spouts or branches 5
which direct the material into the automatic feeding device 6, 7, each of which
comprises a pair of movable gates 8, 9, and adjustable walls 10 and 11.
One gate of each pair has a solid curved plate carried on cross pieces 17 while
the other gate has a series of sliding fingers 121 set upon edge and arranged
on bars 12, extending between the gate arms 13. These curved arms are carried on
rock shafts 14. The curved arms 13 of the solid feeding gates are carried on
rock shafts 15. The adjustable walls 10-11 Fig. 6 of the feeding devices have
horizontal extensions 16 to slide in brackets 18 on the feeding spouts.
The slotted fingers of the feeding gate may move freely on the cross pins for a
purpose hereinafter described.
The scale beam, carries pivotally at its ends the receptacles 18', 19¹, into which
the material to be weighed is discharged from the feeding gates.
The beam comprises two side bars, Fig. 7 & 9 and a transverse bar 21, which rests
with its notched lug upon the knife bearings 22, on star shaped blocks held in
sockets 25 of standards 24. When one edge becomes worn another edge may be
brought into use by turning the block.
The front side bar of the scale beam has bearing pins 28 with preferably a
knife edge, Fig. 12 engaging the socketed bearing pins 30 Fig. 6, held in lugs
on the receptacles by the nuts 31. The rear pivot bearings of the receptacles are
formed of the conical pins 32 held in lugs 33, at the ends of the rear bar of the
beam which pins fit into conical sockets of the pins 34 which are held in lugs on the
rear sides of the receptacles in a manner similar to the front bearing pins just
described. By this arrangement of conical bearings on one side of the beam and
knife bearings on the other the receptacle is maintained in the desired position
in which it is set irrespective of expansion or contraction of the metal. Should
there be slight expansion or contraction of the metal the knife edge bearing will
allow this while the conical bearing will insure the proper position of the receptacle
laterally or with respect to the other parts of the machine. The female portions
of the bearing extend downwardly to prevent accumulation of dust in the bearings.
Curved shield plates 35 carried on shanks 36 shouldered at 38 and held by screws
protect the delicate knife edge bearings from injury.
The weight 39 on the scale beam is carried by a frame 40 in which frame grooved
rollers are journalled so as to run upon and between upper and lower rods 41 fixed in
the brackets 42 on the scale beam.
In the position of the parts shown in Figures 1 and 3 the beam is tipped to the
right and the weight is at the extreme right hand end of the track frame. The
feeding gates on the left are open and the material is flowing from the left hand
branch or spout and through the open gates into the receptacle 18 at the left
and when the proper amount has been deposited in said receptacle the force of the
weight with its roller carriage is overcome and the weight beam begins to tip to
its opposite position. During the time the weight beam is in the position shown
however the left hand gate is maintained in open position for the full flow of the
material by a standard 41' Figure 2 adjustably secured to the beam by the nut 86
the beam with a roller
and extending up from
at its upper end
engaging an
14 upon
the rock shaft
which the gate
arms 13 are fixed. This rock shaft has a collar 43 thereon which carries toothed
segment 44 meshing with a smaller toothed segment 45 carried by another collar 46
arın
421 on

page_text: fixed on the rock shaft 15 which carries the arms of the other gate of this pair of
gates so that the two gates of each pair are geared together and so long as the
roller of the standard 41¹ engages this curved arm 421 both gates of the left hand
pair will be held open and the material will flow freely into the left hand receptacle.
As the beam approaches a horizontal position this standard releases the gate arm
and allows the gates under the action of gravity to make a partial closing movement
to reduce the feeding opening. This closing movement however is arrested by a
catch block 49 adjustably fixed on an arm 50 pivoted at 51 Figure 1, said catch block
being in the path of a cross pin 52 carried by arms 53 projecting upwardly from
the gate arm 13 and when said pin engages the catch block both gates of the left
hand pair are held open so that the feed will continue but in reduced quantity.
This action takes place a little before the proper weight of material has been
deposited in the left hand receptacle and consequently before the scale beam reaches
a horizontal or perfectly balanced position. When this balanced position is reached,
however, the electrical controlling devices are actuated and the feed is stopped
quickly and an accurate weight of material is given. It is important that when the
beam arrives at its horizontal position or its position of balance that the feeding
gates be closed instantly and further that the inertia of the weight 39 be overcome
and the balance of the beam be destroyed so that it will tip to the other side. For
this purpose it is necessary to employ an outside force so that the shifting weight
will be sent quickly towards the opposite side of the center of gravity and I prefer
to use electricity and devices operated thereby for effecting this purpose.
The scale beam carries a pair of conical contact points 54, 55 and as the beam
reaches its horizontal or poised position, the contact 54 at the right of the center
touches a contact 56 projecting down from one of the lateral arms 58 of a switch 59
pivoted at 60 so that the circuit is closed between the battery and the electro
magnets 61 and when these are energized they draw up the armature 62 which
through the vertical rod 63 and the laterally extending and upturned arm 64.
guided through the brackets 84 raises the pivoted arm 50 with its catch block 49,
thus freeing the cross pin 52 and the gate arms, thus allowing the gates to close
fully under the action of gravitation both gates of the left hand pair moving
together simultaneously as they are geared as before described to move in unison.
The partial closing of the feed gates as the scale beam approaches its horizontal
or balanced position is of material importance as by this the amount of material
being fed is reduced by reducing the size of the feed opening and the weight of the
falling column of material is also reduced and the scale beam will not be liable
to be forced or given an undue impetus due to the fall of a full column of material,
as such action would cause an underweight to be given.
The series of independently sliding fingers 12' also play an important part in
the action of the feed device as by them I am enabled to stop the feed instantly.
For instance if both feed plates were solid a grain of coffee might be caught between
them at one point and by preventing them from closing together an opening would
be left at all other points through which the material might continue to fall after
the full amount had passed, but with the sliding fingers, acting independently, if
a grain is caught at one point, it will be held by the finger at this point while the
other fingers will close and shut off the feed at all other points where no grains
have been caught.
In order to destroy the equilibrium of the beam when it reaches a balanced
position I employ kicking devices at both ends of the scale beam comprising electro-
magnets 64 held in brackets 65. When the beam assumes a horizontal position
the electric circuit from the battery is closed through the points 54, 56, or 55, and 57,
as will be hereinafter described and the electro-magnets will be energized moving
the rod 66 by means of the armature 67 inwardly to strike against the rod 68 pro-
jecting from the weighted roller frame so that the roller frame with the weight
will be given a quick start towards the opposite end of the beam and this action
will insure the tipping of the beam to its opposite inclined position. The rods 68

page_text: project through bushings 69 adjustable in the brackets 42 by means of nuts 70,
so that the bushings may be set and clamped to adjust the movement of the
weight frame, adjustable screw rods 99 are used for balancing the beam.
The receptacles 18¹ 19 are provided with inclined hinged walls 71-72 resting
at their lower ends against a cross piece 73. These sides are opened automatically
by the rollers 78 of the lateral extensions 74 coming in contact with the sur-
faces 75, 76 on the base frame. As the beam tips to the left in Figures 1 and 2
viewing from the front of the machine and reaches a certain angle of inclination,
the roller of the standard 41" at the rear right hand end of the beam will strike
the arm 42 of the right hand gate mechanism and will thus open the right hand
gates to begin feeding into the right hand receptacle and as the left hand
receptacle is discharging the gates at the right are fully opened and are feeding the
maximum flow of material into the right hand receptacle. The opening movement
of the gates at the right moves the cross pins 52' thereof inwardly behind the right
hand catch block 491 fixed adjustably on a pivoted arm 50¹ similar to the parts 49
and 50 before described so that said pin will be caught and held by said catch when
the right hand gates have partially closed owing to the removal of the standard
and roller 41' from 42 as the beam tips back again to right which it will do when the
left hand receptacle is discharged and the right hand receptacle has been filled
enough to overcome the force of the weight on the beam. As the beam reaches its
horizontal or poised position in swinging back to the right, the right hand gate
being held partly open the same action takes place as before described in connection
with the left hand part of the machine, that is to say, the contact point 55 touches
the contact 57 of the swinging switch, closes the circuit to the electro-magnets 61
which will draw up the armature 62 and this through the arm 64', similar to the
arm 64 before described, lifts the pivoted arm 50 and thus allows the right hand
gates to close under the action of gravitation.
The switch 59 has laterally extending inclined hollow arms 77. These contain
mercury which is free to move from one to the other. In making contact therefore,
the point 54 or 55 as the case may be, not only touches its corresponding contact
on the switch but tilts the switch sufficiently to cause the mercury to flow from one
side of the center of gravity to the other thus causing the said switch to shift from
one extreme inclined position to the other and set itself in proper position for
making contact with the other contact point on the scale beam when said beam tips
in the opposite direction. By this tilting switch I make contact between only one
set of contact points at a time and in alternation. This switch is pivoted on a cross
plate 78 fixed to four rods 79 and these rods at their upper ends have nuts 80 to
firmly clamp the parts.
The cross plate 78 has posts 81 held by nuts 82 to support a frame 83 which holds
the electro-magnets 61.
The base frame 86¹ of the machine has lateral hoppers 87 under the pivoted
receptacles of the scale beam, to receive and direct the material discharged from
said receptacles through the spouts 88 to a bag. When the receptacle is in its
upper position the lower end of the gate mechanism enters it and the material has only
a short distance to fall from the gates to the receptacles, thus avoiding the weight
of a long falling column of material which would tend to give the beam an undue
impetus and send it past its balancing point before the proper weight of material
had passed into the receptacle.
The electrical connections are shown in Figure 1 in which the main standard
is connected with one pole of the battery by the wire 94 and electrical connection
is made through the main base casting, the bearing posts and bearings of the seale
beam with the points 54 and 55. The shifting contact piece is connected with the
other pole of the battery through its pivot, the cross plate 78 which is insulated
from its four supporting rods and the wire 95, said wire including in its circuit
the electro-magnets of the kicking mechanism at the right of the machine. A
branch wire 96 connects the cross plate and the upper electro-magnets while another

page_text: branch 97 connects the said plate with the electro magnets of the left hand kicker
mechanism and these together with the upper magnets are connected with the
wire 95 through the wires 97 and 98 respectively.
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 combination in an automatic weighing machine, a scale beam adapted to
have free and unobstructed movement to its balanced position, having a pan or
receptacle thereon, feeding means for the same, means actuated by a power outside
of the impetus of the beam for destroying the equilibrium of the same when it
reaches a balanced position, and means also actuated by an outside power for
shutting off the feed at the moment the balance of the beam is reached, said
destroying action taking place independent of any movement of the beam from its
balanced position or of any displacement of the pan or its contents relative to the
beam, the said outside power and actuating means being controlled entirely inde-
pendent of the impetus of the beam and without requiring the expenditure of any
power on the part of the beam, substantially as described.
2. In addition to and in combination with the features of Claim 1, the use of
the weight rolling on the scale beam.
3. In combination with the elements of Claim 1, the use of the electric kicking
device for the beam to destroy its balance and the electric device for cutting off the
feed, substantially as described.
4. A double acting scale with a rolling weight and with a pan at each end com-
bined with the electric kicker at each end of the beam and the electric feed device
all controlled by contacts on the beam.
5. An automatic weighing machine comprising a beam, a catch for holding the
feed cut off partially closed electric means acting when the beam is balanced and
independent of the momentum of the beam for releasing the catch to control the
complete operation of the cut off device.
6. In connection with the elements of Claim 5, mechanical means controlled
by the beam for controlling the partial closing of the feeding device as said beam.
approaches a predetermined position to set the catches ready for the electric device
to act.
1
7. A scale comprising the beam, the feed device, the arm on the beam for operating
the feed device, the catch for holding the feed partly open and the electric controller
for the catch, substantially as described.
8. The feeding device for the scale comprising a pair of pivoted gates, arranged
to close by gravity the gear connection between, an arm connected therewith, and
means carried by the scale beam for holding the said arm against the closing
tendency of the gates.
9. In a weighing machine, a receptacle, and a feeding device comprising a gate
having a series of sliding fingers extending from side to side thereof at the point
of discharge with or without the opposing rigid jaw, substantially as described.
10. The pivot block for the scale beam having a plurality of bearing points,
and a socket on the frame for receiving one of said points while the other one acts
as the bearing for the beam, said block being symmetrical and reversible
11. In a weighing machine, pivot hearings for the movable parts, having a conical
point and socket forming the bearing on one side of the beam and the knife edge
and notched piece forming the bearing on the other.
12. A double acting weighing machine comprising a scale beam having a
receptacle at each end, a feeding device for each receptacle, means for each end of
the beam for destroying the balance of the beam and means controlling the action
of said feeding device and balance destroying means arranged to make those for one
end of the beam act alternately with those for the other end, substantially as
described.
13. In a double acting scale in which the feed and weighing takes place at

page_text: opposite ends of the beam, the electrical controlling devices and the shifting
electrical switch operated by the beam to secure the alternate actions, substantially
as described.
Dated this 8th day of November 1897.
For the Applicant,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 5, John Dalton Street, Manchester.