Improvements in Hoppers for Introducing Dry Substances into Casks and other Vessels.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hoppers for Introducing Dry Substances into
Casks and other Vessels.
We, JOHN WALTER FLOWER, and ROBERT JOHN COUSINS, of the Firm of
Flower, Cousins & Co., of Spring Head Works, Fontinell Magna, Shaftesbury, in
the County of Dorset, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :—
Our invention relates to hoppers for introducing dry substances such as hops into
casks or barrels and for similar purposes, our improvements being especially
applicable to the hopper described in the Specification of former Letters Patent
No. 16864 of 1890.
In this hopper the funnel is rotated through the medium of an elastic band or
belt which in practice stretches so that it does not properly rotate the said
funnel.
Now the chief object of our invention is to provide for positively rotating the
said funnel and to this end we provide a friction wheel the periphery of which
presses against the surface and preferably the inner surface of the funnel and
which is driven by bevel gearing from the shaft through which motion is imparted
to the filling plunger. The discharge end of the funnel is arranged to run upon
antifriction rollers working in a groove or channel in the outlet nozzle.
Dated the 31st day of December 1895.
.G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants..
Improvements in Hoppers for Introducing Dry Substances into
Casks and other Vessels.
We, JOHN WALTER FLOWER, and ROBERT JOHN COUSINS, of the Firm of
Flower, Cousins & Co., of Spring Head Works, Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, in
the County of Dorset, Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to hoppers for introducing dry substances such as hops into
casks or barrels and for similar purposes, our improvements being especially
applicable to the hopper described in the Specification of former Letters Patent
No. 16864 of 1890.
In this hopper the funnel is rotated through the medium of an elastic band or
belt which in practice stretches so that it does not properly rotate the said
funnel.
Now the chief object of our invention is to provide for positively rotating the
said funnel and to this end we provide a friction wheel the periphery of which
presses against the surface and preferably the inner surface of the funnel and
which is driven by bevel gearing from the shaft through which motion is imparted

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to the filling plunger. The discharge end of the funnel is arranged to run upon
antifriction rollers working in a groove or channel in the outlet nozzle.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a hopper having our improvements applied thereto,
the funnel being partly in section :
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the same at right angles to Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.
a is the funnel into which the hops or the like are fed, and b, b are the filling
plungers which press the hops through the outlet nozzle c of the funnel a. These
filling plungers b, b are connected to cranks on a shaft d mounted in the
frame d' of the hopper and actuated by a handle e through the medium of the
gearing f, f¹.
g is the friction wheel which presses against the inner surface of the funnel a,
the said friction wheel g being carried by a spindle h mounted in bearings i, i, the
upper bearing i being pivotally attached to the frame d¹ and the lower one rigidly
attached to a sliding piece k connected to a lug k¹ on the frame by a screw / which
passes through a slot m in the sliding piece k so as to allow the latter to move
relatively with the frame d'. n is a spring connected at its upper end to the
frame dat o and at its lower end to the sliding piece k so as to press the roller g
against the funnel a. p'is a screw for regulating the pressure of the spring
sliding piece k. The upper end of the spindle h is provided with a bevel wheel
which gears with a second bevel wheel r connected to the spur wheel so that the
spindle and friction roller g are rotated by the handle e simultaneously with the
up-and-down movement of the filling plungers b, b.
on the
q
8, s are guide rollers on armas s¹, s attached to the frame d', against which rollers
the funnel a bears when rotating. t, t are the anti-friction rollers mounted in a
ring encircling the outlet nozzle of the funnel a, the said ring being fixed to
downward extensions v, v of the frame d'. wis the groove or channel on the outlet
nozzle of the funnel a in which the antifriction rollers t, t work.
, a¹ are handles for enabling the hopper to be held in position.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-When the handle e is rotated the
filling plungers b, b are worked up and down through the medium of the cog
wheels, and the crank-shaft d so as to force the hops or the like contained in
the funnel a through the outlet nozzle c of the funnel. Simultaneously with the
up-and-down motion of the plungers b, b the friction wheel g is rotated by the
handle e through the medium of the bevel wheels q, r, thereby causing the funnel a
to rotate, the said funnel being held in position by the rollers s, s at the top and by
the anti-friction rollers t, t at the bottom.
.
Having now. particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In hoppers for introducing dry substances into casks and other vessels,
rotating the funnel by means of a friction roller, substantially as described.
2. The manufacture and use of the improved hopper, for introducing dry
substances into casks and other vessels, hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
DA
0041
1
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.