Collecting chute for weighed articles discharged from automatic weighing system

• US 4,602,709 A
• Filed: 08/12/1983
• Issued: 07/29/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Ishida KOKI Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Ishida KOKI Seisakusho
• Inventors: Ueda, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Mary Beth O.
• Application Number:
  US06/522,565
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 177/25, 177/58, 177/59, 193/2 R, 193/2 A
• US Class Current: 193/2.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 13/16 Means for automatically discharging weigh receptacles under control of the weighing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/393 using two or more weighing units

Abstract

A collecting chute for collecting weighed articles discharged from an automatic weighing system divided into left and right sections. Each section has an inner article receiving portion and an outer article receiving portion. Two article discharge portions are provided side-by-side at the bottom end of each section. The left and right sections each include an upper, outer chute and a contiguous lower, outer chute, an upper, inner chute and a contiguous lower, inner chute, and a discharge chute contiguous to the lower, outer chute. The left lower, inner chute has an outlet which extends solely into the right lower, outer chute, and the right lower, inner chute has an outlet which extends solely into the left, lower outer chute, thereby communicating the left and right lower, inner chutes with the right and left discharge chutes, respectively. The upper, outer chutes and the upper, inner chutes are capable of being disassembled into plural component parts.

Claims

1. A collecting chute for collecting weighed articles discharged from an automatic weighing system having a plurality of hoppers arrayed in a circle above the collecting chute, said hoppers having inwardly and outwardly opening gates, comprising:

left and right upper, outer chutes, each upper, outer chute having a lower end portion, being of a substantially semicircular shape, including a plurality of detachably connected components, and forming respective halves of an outer article receiving portion;

left and right upper, inner chutes disposed within and detachably connected to respective ones of said left and right upper, outer chutes, each upper, inner chute having a lower end portion, being of a substantially semicircular shape, including a plurality of detachably connected components, and forming respective halves of an inner article receiving portion;

left and right lower, outer chutes detachably connected to respective ones of said left and right upper, outer chutes, each lower, outer chute having an upper opening in communication with said lower end portions of said left and right upper, outer chutes, respectively, having a lower end portion, and being arranged to have confronting sides having an opening with first and second portions;

left and right discharge chutes, each discharge chute having an upper opening in communication with said lower end portions of said left and right lower, outer chutes, respectively, and forming first and second article discharge portions, respectively.

2. The collecting chute according to claim 1, wherein said left and right upper, outer chutes, said left and right lower, outer chutes, said left and right upper, inner chutes, said left and right lower, inner chutes and said left and right discharge chutes may be disassembled from one another.

3. A collecting chute according to claim 1, wherein said chute has a substantially inverted conical shape.

4. An apparatus for collecting articles, comprising:

a first collecting chute including;

a first upper, outer chute having a lower end portion and including a plurality of detachably connected chute components,

a first upper, inner chute, disposed within and detachably connected to said first upper, outer chute, having a lower end portion and including a plurality of detachably connected components,

a first lower, outer chute detachably connected to said first upper outer chute, having an upper opening in communication with said lower end portion of said first upper, outer chute, a through hole having first and second portions and a discharge opening,

a first lower, inner chute, disposed within and connected to said first lower, outer chute, having an upper opening in communication with said lower end portion of said first upper, inner chute and an outlet in commnication with said first portion of said through hole of said first lower, outer chute;

a second collecting chute including;

a second upper, outer chute having a lower end portion and including a plurality of detachably connected chute components,

a second upper, inner chute, disposed within and detachably connected to said second upper, outer chute, having a lower end portion and including a plurality of detachably connected chute components,

a second lower, outer chute detachably connected to said first upper, outer chute, having an upper opening in communication with said lower end portion of said second upper, outer chute, a through hole having first and second portions in communication with said second and first portions of said through hole of said first lower, outer chute, respectively, and a discharge opening,

a second lower, inner chute, disposed within and connected to said second lower, outer chute, having an upper opening in communication with said lower end portion of said second upper inner chute and an outlet in communication with said first portion of said through hole of said second lower, outer chute;

a first discharge chute having an upper opening in communication with said discharge opening of said first lower, outer chute; and

a second discharge chute having an upper opening in communication with said discharge opening of said second lower, outer chute.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first and second upper, outer chutes, said first and second upper, inner chutes, said first and second lower outer chutes and said first and second lower, inner chutes have an inverted, bisected frusto-conical shape so that said first and second collecting chutes have an inverted, bisected frusto-conical shape, and wherein said first and second collecting chutes are connected so as to form an inverted frustum.

6. An apparatus for collecting articles, comprising:

left and right upper, outer chute semi-assemblies, each upper, outer chute semi-assembly having a lower end portion, being of substantially semicircular shape, and including a plurality of detachably connected outer chute components, each outer chute component having a first engaging member;

left and right upper, inner chute semi-assemblies respectively disposed within the left and right upper outer chute semi-assemblies, each upper, inner chute semi-assembly having a lower end portion, being of substantially semicircular shape, and including a plurality of detachably connected inner chute components, each inner chute component having a second engaging member for engaging with the first engaging members of the first outer chute components;

left and right lower, outer chutes, each lower, outer chute having an upper opening in communication with the lower end portions of the left and right upper, outer chutes, respectively, a lower end portion forming a through-hole, a confronting side having an opening with first and second portions, and a cross beam disposed above the opening;

left and right lower, inner chutes, removably disposed within said left and right lower, outer chutes, respectively, each lower, inner chute having an upper opening in communication with said lower end portions of the left and right upper, inner chutes, respectively, an outlet in communication with the first portion of the opening of the right and left lower, outer chutes, respectively, and a third engaging member for engaging with the cross beams of the left and right lower, outer chutes, respectively; and

left and right discharge chutes, each discharge chute having an upper opening in communication with the lower end portions of the left and right lower, outer chutes, respectively, and forming first and second article discharge portions, respectively.

7. An apparatus for collecting articles according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus has a substantially inverted conical shape.