US1900907A - Bag filling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1933. A BUXTON l,900,907

BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1929 l4 Sheets-Sheet l H. A.BuxroN March M, 1933. H. A. BUXTON 1,900,907

BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 arch M, E933. H. A. BuxToN Y L90907 BAG FILLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1929 4 SheQlZS-,Slleel'l 5 WM WwW/1MM awo/bmg S,

March M, 19533. H. A. BuxToN L900f907 BAG FILLING' AAPPARATUS Filed Deoz. 5, 1929 4 sheets-sheet 4 Patented Mar. 14, 1933 isuxclon, or* cLEvEiANn HEIGHTS, orrro, AssIeNon 'ro THEl CHASE Bae e COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, NY., A. CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE..

' Bae FILLING arana'rus Ap'pncanen mea December s, 1929. serial No. 411,720;

The present invention pertains to a charging and discharging apparatus, and more particularly to an electrical apparatus for charging and filling bags or other receptacles.

5 Thus, my object in general is to provide a simple apparatus for discharging and delivering a predetermined number of ob]ects or articles from a bin or other source of supply into a bag or other holder. The apparatus 10 also embodies means for setting and controlling its operations, whereby any desired or predetermined number of objects or articles may be discharged and dehvered. The apparatus has also been especially designed and ,15 constructed for handling citrus fruits, al-

though it should be understood that other products, either natural or manufactured, may be handledand distributed 1n the same 15h handling citrus fruits, for example, oranges, it has been customary 1n the past to grade and assort the fruit, and then pack and ship the same in boxes or crates. more recent mode of handling such frults mvolves the use of open-mesh shipping bags. Haying a bag of given size and capacity, 1t w1ll hold a greater number of smaller objects or pieces of one grade than larger ones. The fruit is therefore counted and only thesame predetermined number of pieces are shipped or transported in such bafgs. The present apparatus is designed to ll such bags automatically with any desired predetermined number of pieces of fruit, the operator or attendant being only employed to place the bag in position, to start the machine, and to remove the filled bag. The pieces of fruit are delivered, singly and successively, into. the bag, and when the desired number of pieces have been delivered, the discharge movement of the pieces is arrested and stopped automatically to permit the filled bag to be replaced by an empty bag and the operation repeated,'either for the same number of pieces or for a greater -or lesser number of pieces as the operator may elect.

In the accompanying drawings, Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is aside elevation of the apparatus, on a, reduced scale; Fig. 2 a side and sectional View, on line 2 2 of Fig. 3, of the speed governor or brake for controlling the feed movement; Fig. i

3 a sectional view ofthe governor on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 aside view of the commutator switch and Fig. 5 a sectional view of the same commutator switch:

In sheet 2, Fig. 6 is a top view of-the apparatus on the same scale as Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the trough on line 7 7 of Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the electric operating circuit for the apparatus.

l In Sheet 3, Fig. 9 is a, sectional'view on th longitudinal medial line 'of the apparatus; Fig. 10 an enlarged top view of the electric and spring cont-rolled devices for reckoning and regulating the number of pieces to be released and delivered; Fig. 11 a sectional view on line l1 11 of Fig. 10, of the jack switch for controlling the locking solenoid circuit; Fig. 12 a sectional view on line 12--12 of Fig. 10; of the ratchet wheel and switch arm;

and Fig. 13 a sectional View on line 13 13 of Fig. 10, showing the operating and locking pawls for the ratchet wheel and the releasing device for said pawls. In Sheet 4, Fig. 14 is a sectional view transversely of the trough, taken on line 14-14 of Fi 6; and Fig. 15 is a cross sectionalview of the delivery end of the trough provided with a pair of bag holders mounted on a shiftable carrier.

The apparatus comprises an inclined chute or trough A having a flaring receiving end 2 and a downwardly extending delivery end 3. The receiving end 2 has inwardly sloping side walls 4 4 forming a continuation of two inclined bottom,wal1s 5 5 in the main body of the trough, whereby round objects, such as oranges, will be guided and caused to roll by gravity, singly and successively, in a straight line downwardly through the trough when released from a source of supply, such as a bin. The trough or chute may -be open on top or completely closed, but the delivery end 3 is preferably provided with a round discharge opening 6 and a tapered depending spout 7 through which the fruit or other object may be delivered into a bag B sleeved over and suspended from the spout. The sides of the spout flare downwardly and outwardly and the lower edge 8 is ybeaded loo to permit the open upper end of the bag to be removably clamped upon the spout by a loose rinlg C.

he travel of each piece of fruit through the trough is barred or interrupted by a spoked wheel 9 mounted on a rotatable shaft 10 extending transversely through an opening 11 in the bottom of the trough. A ratchet wheel 12 is fixed to one end of shaft 11 outside of the trough, and a locking pawl 14 co-acts with this ratchet wheel to stop the rotatable movement of the interrupter wheel 9 after a predetermined number of pieces of fruit have been released.

The fruit itself causes the interrupter wheel to revolve, each piece of fruit producing a quarter of a revolution of shaft 10, assuming wheel 9 to have four spokes or radial arms adapted to provide four transfer pockets for the successive pieces of fruit rolling downwardly by gravity through the chute or trough. To prevent the fruit from traveling too fast or accelerating the rotatable movement of the interrupter Wheel to an objectionable extent, the speed of rotation of the wheel is controlled or regulated by a friction brake or governor 22. Thus, a housing 15 is secured to one side of the chute or trough, and this housing contains a spur gear 16 fixed to shaft 10 and meshing with a pinion 17 on a short shaft 18 carrying a worm gear 19. A spiral gear 20 and governor shaft 21 is thereby driven at an increased rate of speed, including a centrifugal overnor or braking device 22. When a su den impact or an accelerated movement is imparted to the interrupter wheel, the centrifugal governor 22 is thrown outwardly with frictional braking effect against a stationary friction o drum 23 fixed to housing 15, see Fig. 2.

The locking pawl 14 is normally held apart from ratchet wheel 12 by a spring 24, see Fig. 1, and is connected by a link 25 to the movable core of an electric solenoid 26 mounted upon one side of the chute or trough. When the solenoid winding is energized the pawl is shifted and held in locking position. against ratchet wheel 12. De-energization of the solenoid winding permits the spring to unlock the pawl and ratchet wheel, and that is the condition while the fruit is passing downwardly in the chute or trough and revolving the interrupter wheel and its shaft 10.

To control and determine the number of pieces of fruit to be discharged, the revoluble shaft 10 is provided with a commutator 27 adapted to be engaged by one or more spring contact blades 28-28 connected in an electric circuit a, see Fig. 8. The commutator segments 29 and the spokes or pockets in the interrupter wheel 9 are equal in number so that as each piece of fruit revolves wheel 9, the electric circuit a will be closed and opened, thereby energizing and de-energizing a solenoid winding 30. The movable core of this solenoid is connected by a link 31 to an oscillatory lever 32 carr ing an operating pawl 33 for a rotatable index wheel 34 having peripheral ratchet teeth adapted to be engaged by said pawl and also by a holding Vpawl 35, see Fig. 10. Each intermittent operation of the solenoid rotates the index wheel 34 the distance of one ratchet tooth, and a coiled spring 36 returns oscillatory lever 32 and the operating pawl to pick up the succeeding tooth on the wheel. [he index wheel 34 is connected to one end of a convolute spring 37 which is wound up in increasing degree when the index wheel is ro tated ste by step by the operating pawl. The holdlng pawl 35 prevents a return movement of the index wheel, although a releasing member 38 is provided to dis-engage said holding pawl to permit a reverse movement of the index wheel after the predetermined number of pieces of fruit have been discharged.

Any desired number of pieces of fruit ma be discharged, providing a definite setting 1s lirst established between an electric switch member 39 and a removable indexing pin 40 carried .by the index wheel. Thus, wheel 34 is provided with a circular row of pin receiving openings 41, each ratchet tooth having a corresponding pin opening. Switch member 39 is pivotally supported upon a stationary bracket- 42 above the index wheel and in the circular path of movement of the indexing pin 40. Assuming the pin is seated in any one of the openings 41 more or less remote from switch member 39, and the index wheel is being intermittently operated, the pin will eventually strike the arm and turn it on its pivot, thereby forcing the spring .blades of a jack switch 43 into contact and closing an electric circuit I) containing the solenoid winding 26 for the locking pawl 14. Any suitable switching device may be used in lieu of a jack switch, but as shown when the index wheel is rotated a predetermined distance the indexing pin will operate, the switch andI close the locking circuit l, thereby energizingrthe lockingr solenoid to cause the locking4 pawl 14 to stop further revolution of ratchet wheel 12, shaft l() and interrupter wheel 9. In that way, a measured number of pieces may be discharged automatically, and all further discharge stopped automatically.

The attendant then removes the filled bag, and attaches an empty bag to the spout. This bag may then be charged or filled with an equal number of pieces, providing the setting of the indexing pin on wheel 34 is not changed. Or, any desired number of pieces may be discharged into the bag by re-setting the pin. To start the filling operation, the operator merely pulls or draws the releasing member 38 forward, thereby causing a bev- A sion over the interrupter w addition, when the pin or projection 45onthe index wheel approaches the edge of `bracket 42 it will also strike the pivoted switch member 39, thereby shifting it to open the jack switch and in that way breakin the locking circuit b and releasing the vlo g pawl 14. The pieces of fruit in the chute or trough thenk roll by gravit in rapid succesheel and drive the said wheel to operate the commutator, index wheel, and the electrical devices, until the desired predetermined number of pieces have l stopped automatically as hereinbefore de- .been discharged. and the mechanism is scribed.

In Fig. 15 I show the discharge end of the chute or trough equipped with a cross slide 47 having two spouts 48-48 suspended therefrom and adapted to be laced alternately in register with the disc arge mouth 6 in the chute or trough, whereby while one bag is being filled through the workin spout,

' a second empty bag may be attache to the idle spout. In Fi s. 9 and 14, I also show avertically adjusta le guard or intercepting member 49 mounted at the front edge of the supporting plate 50 for the indexing wheel, whereby over-riding of the interrupter wheel and escape of the rolling fruit is prevented, especially in charging the apparatus or when sudden inrush of fruit occurs. Such inrush is also checked by the governor 22 if the interrupter wheel is unlocked and free to rotate.

What I claim is:

1. In a ba filling apparatus, a gravity delivery chute aving a larn receiving end, a downwardly extending disc arge-end including means for suspending a bag therefrom, a rotatable wheel having spokes extendin into said chute and adapted to rotate sai '.wheel by the objects passing through said chute, and adjustable indexing means for controlling the rotatable movements of said wheel, and the number of objects passing through said chute into said bag.

2. In a charging a paratus, a gravity deliverv chute having a aring receiving end and a discharge end including means for Fsuspending a bag detachably; means for temporarily arrestinlg said objects, singly4 and successively, in t eir travelthrough said chute; and means for stopping the travel of said obects automatically, including an indexing evice for Xredetermining the number of obeli'vered into said bag.

3. In a bag filling apparatus, a gravity de-- livery chute having a Haring receiving endand a downwarly extending discharge end, a series of bag suspending means attached to and shiftably arranged .with respect to said dischargeend, and means for controlling the passage of a predetermined number of objects through said chute -including an indexing device and a'device for locking said indexing device and'stopping the passage of objects through said chute. V

4. In a bag filling apparatus, a chute having a Haring receiving end, a downwardly extending discharge end, a V shaped bottom for guiding objects passing through said chute and rotatable means including a plurality of radial arms extending into said chute through-the bottom thereof, for controlling the passage of objects through said chute. y

5. In a bag illiiig'apparatus, a gravity chute having a flaring receiving end including inwardly sloping side walls, a4 trough shaped main ortion havingv two inclined bottom walls a joining the ends of said slopingsaid walls and forming a V Vshaped bottom for said main portion, a downwardly exj tendin discharge end, and rotatable means includmgfa lurality of radial arms extendving into said main portion of said chute throughv the V shaped bottomtthereof, for controlling the passage of objects through said chute.

6. In a bag filling apparatus, a gravity chute having a flaring receiving end, a trough shaped main portion including a V shaped bottom for centrally guiding objects passing through said portion, rotatable means extending into said main portion through the bottom thereof for controlling the passage of objects through said chute and vertically adjustable guard means o posite said rotatable controlling means an with in preventing overriding of said controlling means by objects passing through said chute. l

7. In a bag filling apparatus, a gravity chute having a Haring receiving end, a trough shaped main portion includin a V shaped bottom for centrally guiding o jects passing thi-ou h said main portion, a downwardly exten ing discharge end provided with a tapered depending spout adapted to support a bag suspended therefrom and rotatable means extending into said main porwhereof I aix m si HERMAN A.' B

cooperating there-

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