IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING GRAIN AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING GRAIN AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
A communication from abroad by William Henry Allen, of the City, County,
and State of New York, United States of
.Pr.
Sealed the 14th May 1880, and dated the 24th December 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th December 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING
GRAIN AND OTHER SUBSTANCES." [A communication from abroad by William
Henry Allen, of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of
America.]
The object of this Invention is to furnish a machine for weighing grain and
other substances as they flow from a spout, discharging them in uniform quantities
into hoppers or other receivers, and registering the weight of the substances
discharged.
The Invention consists in having the receiving box in which the grain is
weighed, and which is hung upon pivots, divided into two compartments by a fixed
partition, the bottom of each compartment being provided with a valve closed by
a stationary rod, the parts being so constructed and arranged that on the reception
in one of the compartments of a given weight of grain the receiving box will
oscillate, and thereby throw open the bottom of such compartment and close the
bottom of the empty compartment, the ingress of grain to the compartments being
also correspondingly changed by the oscillation of the box.
The machine is mounted on a suitable stand or casing which supports at its
upper part a rectangular frame, to the opposite side bars of which are attached
two hangers having upwardly projecting points to serve as pivots to the rear
part of a forked lever. The ends of the arms of this lever are furnished with
upwardly projecting points upon which rest the ends of arms on a frame, to which
are attached the upper ends of a pair of vertical bars carrying pivots midway of
their length, which enter sockets on the ends of the oscillating box. The top of

page_text: the box is open, and its sides may be curved or inclined outward nearly to their
lower ends and then inclined inward. The box is divided into two equal com-
partments by the fixed partition, and to the lower edges of its sides are hinged the
upper edges of valves, which are made of such a size that their lower edges may
close against the opposite sides of the lower end of the partition. The valves are
supported when closed by stationary rods, as before mentioned, these rods being
attached to the lower corners of the vertical bars. The forward end of the forked
lever passes through a guide slot in a hanger attached to or formed upon the main
supporting frame, and has a screw thread cut upon it to receive balancing weights,
which are made in the form of circular nuts. In the edge of one of the weights
is formed a ring groove to receive a hook'attached to the upper end of a counterpoise
weight. To the forward end of the forked lever is also attached the upper end of
a rod, the lower end of which is attached to the end of a lever connected with the
mechanism of a register, so that the said register may be operated by each
downward movement of the forward end of the lever. To the centre of the
upper edge of the fixed partition is attached a short arm, the upper end of
which rests alternately against the opposite ends of a catch on the lower side of
a cross bar, the ends of which are attached to the side bars of the main supporting
frame.
When the grain or other substance is being received into one of the com-
partments of the box the hinged valve of that compartment is held closed by one
of the stationary rods, but as soon as the amount of grain for which the machine
has been set has entered the box the said box overbalances the counter weight and
descends; this movement releases the arm on the partition from the catch, and
allows the weight of the grain to cillate the box, carries the lower end of the
partition from one to the other of the rods, and allows the valve of the filled
compartment to open and discharge the grain, and closes the valve of the empty
compartment; at the same time, the arm is carried over to the other end of the
catch, and catches upon it as the box is lightened by the outflow of the grain
and rises. These various movements occur almost simultaneously, so that the
measurement will be very accurate, an allowance being made for the small amount
of grain that may pass in while the change of position is taking place.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
June 1880.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING
GRAIN AND OTHER SUBSTANCES." A communication from abroad by William
Henry Allen, of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of
America.
The object of this Invention is to furnish a machine for weighing grain and
other substances as they flow from a spout, discharging them in uniform quantities

page_text: into hoppers or other receivers, and registering the weight of the substances
discharged.
The Invention consists in having the receiving box in which the grain is weighed,
and which is hung upon pivots, divided into two compartments by a fixed partition,
the bottom of each compartment being provided with a valve closed by a
stationary rod, the parts being so constructed and arranged that on the reception
in one of the compartments of a given weight of grain, the receiving box will
oscillate and thereby throw open the bottom of such compartment and close the
bottom of the empty compartment, the ingress of grain to the compartments being
also correspondingly changed by the oscillation of the box, all as will be hereinafter
fully described.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine; Figure 2
is a sectional side elevation taken through the line x-x, Figure 1; Figure 3 is a
sectional end elevation taken through the line y-y, Figure 2; Figure 4 is an end
elevation partly in section; Figure 5, is a sectional elevation showing another mode
of operating the register; Figure 6 is a sectional plan view; and Figure 7 is a
rear view of the register. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts.
A represents the spout through which the grain or other substance enters the
machine;
B is a frame supported in a suitable framework or casing C. To the
opposite side bars of the frame B are attached two hangers D provided with
upwardly projecting points E serving as pivots to the forked rear part of the
lever F, the ends of whose arms bear upwardly projecting points G upon which rests
the ends of arms H of frame I. To the ends of framo I are connected the upper ends
of two frames or bars J, to the middle parts of which are attached pivots K which
entor sockets L on the ends of the box M, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The top
of the box M is open, and its sides may be curved, as shewn in Figure 3, or
inclined outward nearly to their lower ends and then inclined inward. The box M
is divided into two equal compartments by a fixed partition N, and to the lower
edges of its sides are binged the upper edges of valves O, which are made of such
a size that their lower edges may close against the opposite sides of the lower end
of the partition N. The valves O are supported when closed by rods P attached
to the lower corners of the frames or bars J. The forward end of the lever F
passes through a guide slot in a hanger Q attached to or formed upon the frame B,
and has a screwthread cut upon it to receive the balancing weights f which are
made in the form of circular nuts. In the edge of one of the weights f is formed
a ring groove to receive a hook attached to the upper end of the counterpoise
weight R. With the forward end of the lover F is also connected the upper end
of a rod S, the lower end of which is jointed to the end of a lever T connected
with the mechanism of a register U, so that the said register U may be operated
by each downward movement of the forward end of the lever F.
At the centre of the upper edge of the fixed partition N is a short arm V, the
upper end of which rests alternately against the opposite ends of a catch W on the
lower side of a cross bar X which is attached to the side bars of the frame B.
When the grain or other substance is being received into one of the com-
partments of the box M, the hinged valve O of that compartiment is held closed by
one of the rods P, but as soon as the amount of grain for which the machine has
been set has entered the box M, the said box overbalances the weight R and
descends, releasing the arm V from the catch W and allowing the weight of the
grain to oscillate the box M; this movement carries the lower end of the partition N
from one to the other of the rods P, and allows the valve 0 of the filled compart-
ment to open and discharge the grain, and closes the valve O of the empty
compartiment.
At the same time the arm V is carried over to the other end of the catch W and
catches upon it as the box M is lightened by the outflow of the grain and rises.
These various movements occur almost simultaneously, so that the measurement

page_text: will be very accurate, an allowance being made for the small amount of grain that
may pass in while the change of position is taking place.
In the modification shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, the middle part of the case of
the register U has a short shaft a pivotted to its middle part, to which shaft
within the case of the register U is rigidly attached a hook pawl b to engage with
and operate the first or units wheel of the said register. Upon the end of the
shaft a at the rear side of the register case is a crank arm c, the crank pin of
which passes through a V shaped slot d in a lever e pivoted at its lower end to
the lower part of the case of the register U. The upper end of the levere has a
longitudinal slot g formed in it to receive a pin h attached to the oscillating box M.
or to a bar or bracket i on the said box M. The register U is provided with a
holding pawl or spring to prevent the wheels from being turned back by friction,
or turned forward more than the space of one tooth at a time. The register U is
also provided with a series of registering wheels so arranged that each succeeding
wheel may be turned forward through the space of one tooth at each revolution of
the preceding wheel in the usual manner.
With this construction each movement of the oscillating box M will operate the
lever e and move the register forward one unit, however much or little may be the
movement of the box M, the slot d being so arranged as to operate the hook
pawl b as the pin of the crank c passes the angle of the said slot d, and the arms
of the said slot d being made sufficiently long to allow the box M to have any
desired amount of movement.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. In a grain weighing machine the oscillating box M made with a stationary
partition N and binged bottom valves O in combination with the stationary
rods P, substantially as herein shown and described, so that the machine may be
adjusted to receive and discharge grain by the oscillations of the said box M as
set forth.
2nd. The combination with the frames or bars J carrying the box M of the
rods P and the hinged bottom valves O, substantially as herein shown and
described, so that the said bottom valves may be locked and unlocked by the
oscillations of the box M, as set forth.
3rd. In a grain weighing and measuring machine the combination with the
oscillating box M and the mechanism of a register U of the pin h, the lever e
having longitudinal siot g and V shaped slot d, the crank arm c, the shaft a, and
the hook pawl b, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the move-
ment of the oscillating box M in each direction will move the register forward one
unit, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
A. M. CLARK. (LS.)