Patent ID: 7645948

Claim:
An apparatus for weighing and dispensing a mass of material, comprising: a) a chamber having a first environment; b) a receptacle disposed in the chamber for accepting a mass of material to be weighed, the receptacle including an internal environment having substantially the same environmental conditions as that of the first environment; c) a scale operatively connected to the receptacle; and d) a conduit disposed for accepting the mass of material from the receptacle, the conduit includes a portion that extends from the chamber and through a second environment, wherein the second environment has different environmental conditions to that of the first environment, and wherein the conduit serves to transfer the mass of material from the chamber without exposure to the second environment; e) a valve connected to the receptacle, and f) a valve actuator movable from a first position wherein the valve actuator is decoupled from the valve while weighing a batch of material to a second position wherein the valve actuator is coupled to the valve to discharge a batch of material.