WEIGHING DISPENSER

• US 3,796,349 A
• Filed: 05/18/1972
• Issued: 03/12/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert L. Weber
• Original Assignee: Robert L. Weber
• Inventors: Weber, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bartuska, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US05/254,618
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 222/55,56,77,58,364,450,505,508 177/110,114,115,DIG.5,184,185,187,188,189 214/18.2,17C 292/251.5 24/21B
• US Class Current: 222/55
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/54 Gates or closures for manholes B65D90/10; covers or similar closure members, for pressure vessels in general F16J13/00; valves per se F16K; doors for containers B65D90/008
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/582 having a rotational motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 13/22 by tilting or rotating the weigh receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 177/05 Magnets

Abstract

Apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of granular or other flowable material, including a hopper having a discharge outlet controlled by a valve member biased to outlet closing position, a pivoted latch for holding the valve member in outletopening position but biased to release the valve member, and a tiltable pan for receiving material discharged through the hopper outlet. A pair of mutually attracting magnetic elements respectively carried by the latch and by the pan in spaced relation to each other exert a force that both opposes tilting of the pan and holds the latch in engagement with the valve member after the valve member is moved to outlet-opening position. When the weight of material accumulating on the pan overcomes this force, the pan tips, dispensing the material, and the biased latch is released, allowing the valve member to close the hopper outlet, ending the discharge. A counterweight thereafter returns the pan to its material-receiving position. The weight of material that will tilt the pan may be selected by adjusting the relative spacing of the magnetic elements in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the element carried by the pan moves when the pan tilts.

Claims

1. In dispensing apparatus, the combination of a. a pan for receiving material to be dispensed;

b. means for supporting the pan for movement to and from a material-receiving position in response to absence or presence of weight on the pan; and

c. means for retaining said pan in said position with a force that is overcome, releasing said pan for movement, by a preselected weight of material on the pan;

wherein the improvement comprises d. said retaining means including first and second mutually attracting magnetic elements respectively carried by said pan for movement therewith and connected to said supporting means, said elements being spaced apart, when said pan is in said position, along a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of motion of said first element such that said elements exert on each other an attractive force opposing movement of said pan from said position; and

e. means, mounting at least one of said elements for positional adjustment toward and away from the other along said line, for varying the distance between said elements, thereby to vary the magnitude of said last-mentioned force.

2. In dispensing apparatus, the combination of a. a pan for receiving flowable material to be dispensed;

b. means for supporting the pan for movement to and from a material-receiving position in response to absence or presence of weight on the pan;

c. means for retaining said pan in said position with a force that is overcome, releasing said pan for movement, by a preselected weight of material on the pan; and

d. means for discharging flowable material onto said pan when said pan is in said position, including control means for starting and stopping discharge of material;

wherein the improvement comprises e. said control means including a movable control member normally urged to a position for stopping discharge but movable away from discharge-stopping position for permitting discharge; and

f. said retaining means including first and second mutually attracting magnetic elements respectively carried by said pan and by said control member, said elements being spaced apart by a distance which is at a finite minimum value when said pan is in said material-receiving position and said elements then exerting on each other a predetermined attractive force simultaneously opposing movement of said pan and holding said control member away from said discharge-stopping position, said predetermined force being overcome by said predetermined weight of material on said pan such that said pan moves from said material-receiving position, increasing the distance between said elements and thereby decreasing the attractive force between said elements so as to release said control member for movement to said discharge-stopping position.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said magnetic elements are spaced apart, when said pan is in said material-receiving position, along a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of motion of said first element;

and further including means, mounting at least one of said elements for positional adjustment toward and away from the other along said line, for varying the distance between said elements, thereby to vary the magnitude of the attractive force between said elements.

4. In dispensing apparatus, the combination of a. a container having a downwardly opening outlet for discharging flowable material;

b. a valve member for closing said outlet biased to outlet-closing position but displaceable to a position at which said outlet is open;

c. a pivoted latch for engaging and holding said valve member in outlet-opening position, biased away from engagement with said valve member;

d. a pan for receiving flowable material discharged through said outlet, pivotally movable upwardly to and downwardly from a material-receiving position beneath said outlet in respOnse to absence and presence of weight on the pan; and

e. means for retaining said pan and latch in positions for discharge of material through said outlet onto said pan, said retaining means holding said pan in said position with a force that is overcome, releasing said pan for movement, by a preselected weight of material on the pan, said retaining means including first and second mutually attracting magnetic elements respectively carried by said pan and by said latch, said elements being spaced apart by a distance which is at a finite minimum value when said pan is in said material-receiving position and said elements then exerting on each other a predetermined attractive force simultaneously opposing movement of said pan and holding said latch in position for engaging said valve member, said predetermined force being overcome by said predetermined weight of material on said pan such that said pan moves from said material-receiving position, increasing the distance between said elements and thereby decreasing the attractive force between said elements so as to release said latch for movement away from engagement with said valve member.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4, further including i. pivotal mounting means for said pan comprising a beam mounted for pivotal movement on a horizontal axis and carrying said pan, and ii. a counterweight carried by said beam for opposing downward movement of said pan away from said material receiving position.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 for dispensing flowable solid material, wherein the inner surface of said pan is of conical configuration sloping downwardly at an angle of between about 3* and about 10* to the horizontal when said pan is in material-receiving position, said pan tilting downwardly, for dumping material received therein, when moved from material-receiving position by weight on said pan.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said beam includes a portion, on the side of said axis opposite to said pan, having an outer periphery of arcuate configuration concentric with the axis of beam movement, and further including i. a roller frictionally engaging said arcuate periphery for rotation in response to pivotal movement of said beam, and ii. means for exerting a damping force on said roller to oppose oscillation of said beam incident to pivotal movement of said beam.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, further including means, mounting said roller, for causing said roller to bear with greater force against said arcuate periphery during upward movement of said pan than during downward movement of said pan.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said roller-mounting means comprises a crankshaft pivotally movable about a horizontal axis and supporting said roller for rotation about a horizontal axis spaced from said crankshaft axis, said crankshaft axis and said beam axis being spaced apart in a common plane at a distance greater than the radius of said arcuate periphery but less than the sum of said radius and the distance between said crankshaft axis and said roller axis, said roller axis lying above said common plane.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said damping means comprises at least one blade carried by said roller for rotation therewith and so shaped that air resistance to rotation of said blade exerts a damping force on said roller.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said latch is biased by gravity away from engagement with said valve member, and wherein said valve member is pivotally mounted and is biased by gravity to outlet-closing position.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said latch is biased by gravity away from said valve member, wherein said valve member is mounted for sliding movement between outlet-opening and outlet-closing positions;

and further including i. means for resiliently biasing said valve member toward outlet-closing position;

ii. a cam follower carried by said valve Member; and

iii. cam means including a manually operable handle for engaging said cam follower, upon movement of said handle, to move said valve member to outlet-opening position.

13. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said magnetic elements are so disposed as to be spaced apart, when said pan is in said material-receiving position, along a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of motion, and further including means, mounting at least one of said elements for positional adjustment toward and away from the other along said line, for varying the distance between said elements, thereby to vary the magnitude of the attractive force between said elements.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said element-mounting means comprises means for threadedly mounting one of said magnetic elements on said latch.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said angle is about 5*.

16. In apparatus for dispensing flowable material, the combination of a. a pan for receiving said material;

b. a beam mounted for pivotal movement on a horizontal axis and carrying said pan for pivotal movement upwardly to and downwardly from a horizontal material-receiving position in response to absence and presence of material on said pan; and

c. a counterweight carried by said beam for opposing downward movement of said pan from said horizontal position;

wherein the improvement comprises;

d. said beam including a portion having an arcuate periphery concentric with said beam axis, disposed on the side of said beam axis opposite to said pan;

e. a roller frictionally engaging said arcuate periphery for rotation in response to pivotal movement of said beam;

f. means, mounting said roller, for causing said roller to bear with greater force against said arcuate periphery during upward movement of said pan than during downward movement of said pan; and

g. means for exerting a damping force on said roller to oppose oscillation of said beam incident to pivotal movement of said beam.

17. In apparatus for inhibiting oscillation incident to pivotal movement, the combination of a. a member pivotally movable in either of two opposite directions about a first axis;

b. said member including a portion having an arcuate periphery of given radius concentric with said first axis;

c. a roller engaging said arcuate periphery for rotation in correspondence with movement of said member;

d. a crankshaft mounted for pivotal movement about a second axis parallel to said first axis and supporting said roller for rotation about a third axis parallel to and spaced from said second axis, said first and second axes lying in a common plane and being spaced apart by a distance greater than said radius but less than the sum of said radius and the distance between said second and third axes, for causing said roller to bear against said arcuate periphery with greater force when said member moves in one of said directions than when said member moves in the other of said directions; and

e. means for exerting a damping force on said roller to oppose oscillation of said member incident to movement of said member in said one direction

18. Apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein said damping means comprises at least one blade carried by said roller for rotation therewith and so shaped that air resistance to rotation of said blade exerts a damping force on said roller.

19. Manually controllable apparatus for dispensing metered quantities of flowable material, comprising:

a. a container for the material having a discharge outlet;

b. a valve member for opening and closing the outlet, biased toward outlet-closing position but movable to a position at which the outlet is open;

c. releasable means for engaging and retaining said valve member in outlet-opening position; and

d. means for releasing said releasable means, to permit said valve member to close said outlet, in response to discharge of a predetermined quantity of the material through said outlet following movement of the valve member to outlet-opening position, said releasing means including a pivotally mounted pan for receiving material discharged through said outlet and tippable to dump material received on the pan;

e. an arm connected to said valve member for movement therewith; and

f, a manually controllable valve opening member, separate from and movable independently of said pan and said releasable means, biased to a first position and movable therefrom to a second position along a defined path, said manually controllable member being effective, upon each complete movement from said first position to said second position initiated when the valve member is closed, successively;