Article counting device

• US 3,215,310 A
• Filed: 07/03/1962
• Issued: 11/02/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1962
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Baker Manufacturing Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kerney J. Hurst, Walter G. Pearson
• Inventors: Hurst, Kerney J., Pearson, Walter G.
• Application Number:
  US04/207,305
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• US Class Current: 221/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/02 Pill counting devices

Claims

1. AN ARTICLE COUNTING DEVICE, COMPRISING:

A FRAME;

A SUPPORT CONNECTED TO SAID FRAME, SAID SUPPORT HAVING AM INCLINED UPPER SURFACE;

A MOTOR MOUNTED WITHIN SAID FRAME, SAID MOTOR HAVING A SHAFT PROJECTING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID SUPPORT;

A DISK AXIALLY CONNECTED WITH SAID SHAFT IN FACE TO FACE CONTACT WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT FOR ROTATION WITH SAID SHAFT;

HOPPER MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID DISK, SAID HOPPER MEANS COMPRISING AN UPSTANDING WALL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND HOLD A PLURALITY OF SMALL ARTICLES, SAID DISK HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL ROW OF APERTURES ADJACENT ITS PERIPHERY, EACH SAID APERTURE BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ONLY ONE OF THE ARTICLES THEREIN AS THE DISK IS ROTATED, SAID SUPPORT HAVING AN OPENING DISPOSED BELOW THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE OPENINGS;

CHUTE MEANS CONNECTED AT ONE END WITH THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT AROUND THE OPENING THEREIN AND EXTENDING AT ITS OTHER END OUTWARDLY OF SAID FRAME FOR REMOVING ARTICLES RELEASED THROUGH SAID OPENINGS TO A POINT OUTWARDLY OF THE FRAME;

NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS COMPRISING A MICROSWITCH MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT AND HAVING AN ARM DISPOSED ADJACENT THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE APERTURES IN SAID DISK SO THAT ARTICLES CARRIED BY THE APERTURES IN SAID DISK SUCCESSIVELY CLOSE SAID SWITCH MEANS AS THE DISK IS ROTATED;

AN INWARDLY EXTENDING LIP CONNECTED WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID WEALL, SAID LIP HAVING A LOWER SURFACE SLIDABLY CONTACTING A PORTION OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID DISK OVERLYING THE POSITION OF SAID MICROSWITCH ARM AND THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID OPENINGS AND PREVENTING UPWARD MOVEMENT OF AN ARTICLE WITHIN EACH OF THE OPENINGS AS THE LATTER IS ROTATED ACROSS SAID MICROSWITCH ARM;

AND ELECTRICAL COUNTING MEANS CONNECTED WITH A SORUCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY FOR OPERATING SAID MOTOR, AND ROTATING SAID DISK, SAID ELECTRICAL COUNTING MEANS INCLUDING A SINGLE POLE-ELEVEN THROW SELECTOR SWITCH HAVING A MANUALLY POSITIONED INDICATOR, A SINGLE POLE-ELEVEN THROW RATCHET RELAY HAVING AN INDICATOR BIASED TO STARTING POSITION, WIRING INTERCONNECTING THE INDICATOR AND CONTACTS OF SAID RATCHET RELAY WITH THE RESPECTIVE INDICATOR AND CONTACTS OF SAID SELECTOR SWITCH, A FIRST RELAY AND A SECOND RELAY, MAKE AND BREAK CONTACTS CONTROLLED BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND RELAYS, A NORMALLY OPEN STARTING SWITCH, OTHER WIRING INTERCONNECTING THE SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND RELAYS AND SAID RATCHET RELAY THROUGH SAID STARTING SWITCH AND THE INDICATORS OF SAID RATCHET RELAY AND SAID SELECTOR SWITCH, SAID FIRST RELAY BEING ENERGIZED BY THE CLOSING OF SAID STARTING SWITCH AND IN TURN ENERGIZING SAID RATCHET RELAY AND SAID MOTOR SO THAT EACH TIME AN ARTICLE CARRIED BY SAID APERTURES CLOSES SAID NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS SAID RATCHET RELAY IS ENERGIZED TO ADVANCE THE INDICATOR OF THE LATTER AND SAID MOTOR IS DE-ENERGIZED BY THE BREAKING OF SAID MAKE AND BREAK CONTACTS WHEN THE INDICATOR OF SAID RATCHET RELAY IS ADVANCED TO THE PREDETERMINED SETTING OF THE INDICATOR OF SAID SELECTOR SWITCH ENERGIZING SAID SECOND RELAY AND DE-ENERGIZING SAID FIRST RELAY.