US961741A - Measuring and filling machine. - Google Patents

Description

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R. J; WORKMAN. MEASURING AND FILLING MACHINE. APPLIDATION FILED HAY 18, 1909.

`Pai'fented June 14, 1910.

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. H15 ATTORNEY it NITED STATES 'PATENT ormon- RQBERT J'. WOBKMAN, OF SANl FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB. OF GNE-THIBD TO NOAH W. IYORKMAN, F SAN FBANCISCQ, CALIFORNIA.

HEASURING AND FILLING MACHINE.

Application led lay 18, 1909. Serial No. 498,808.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known that I, Ronnnr J. WORKMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in thel city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Im rovements in Measuring and Filling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for filling cans, jars, and the like with various substances, and particularly pertains to filling machines used in canneries for lacing fruits, vegetables, soups, meats and t e like into cans or other receptacles. i

It is the object of this invention to provide a filling machine that is simple in construction and operation, and in nhich the substances handled are correctly measured so as to insure the pro er amount of material being placed in eac receptacle.

A further object is to provide a filling machine that is automatic and adjustable and which is so constructed that there will be no waste or loss of materials in the filling operations.

The advantages of a machine of this character are numerous, but chiefiy lie in its labor saving and sanitary properties, as well as its rapidity of out ut.

In filling cans an the like b machinery it has heretofore proved a di cult matter accurately to measure the substances so as to de 't an equal-amount in each can, the machines now in use being more or less unreliable in that regard.

In this invention I have devised a machine that is adjustable so that any desired quantit of material may be placed in a can am? which is capable of filling any sizes or style of can or jar now in use.

The machine is designed to have interchangeable parts and attachments so that almost any kind of materials can be handled,

such as liquids' of various consistencies,

powders, grains, or meats.

The invention consists of the parts and the combination and 'construction of parts or their e uivalents as hereinafter more fully descri ed and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawin in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation o the invention with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a section on the line X X Fig. 1, showing the driving shaft in elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is an enlar ed detailed view of the measuring wheel. ig. 5 is a detail of the device for actuating the plungers. Fio'. 6 is a detail in perspective, of the slidab e bearings. Fig. 7 shows 'a square plunger. Fig. 8, (Sheet 1) is a side view of the cam.

In the drawin s, A is an intermittently' rotated filling W eel, mounted on the end of a shaft 3 which carries a ear wheel 2; shaft 3 is mounted in a suite. le bearing 4 on the frame of the machine. The gear 2 meshes intermittentl with a 1inion 5 on the driving shaft G, ig. 3, which latter is rotatable an suitable means through the pulley he engagement and disengagement of gears 2-5 is done by the following means: One end of the shaft 6 is mounted ii. a transversely slidable bearing block 8, particularly shown in Fig. 6; a channel 9 bein provided with grooves 10 in which the ase ot the bearing 8 may slide. An adjustable spring 11 cts against the bearin 8 to retain gears 2--5 normall in mesh. l cam 12 is mounted -n the sha 6 in such manner that as it revolves the projecting cam piece 12 is caused toslide over a stop 13, thereby forcing che bearing 8 along the slide or channel 9 so as to disengage the pinion 5 fromthe gear 2v and .compressing spring 11; spring 1l returning the pinion 5 into engagement with gear 2 after the cam projection 12" passes the in 13. The shaft 6 is of such length that its flexibility will permit of the slight movement required at its machine end to disengage the pinion 5 from. the gear 2. The other end of the shaft 6 may be mounted in a swivel bearingl if required, or a fixed bearinv, loosely fitting the shaft ma be emplo eds, as the mmement of the sha is very sight.

The rim ofthe wheel A is provided with the side rim flange.l i4 :so as to form a peripheral channel which contacts with the inner surface of the fixed band 15. This band is constructed in two parts, one end of each being secured to the frame of the 1 machine, the other ends meeting at 16, where they are connected together, Fig. 1.

The wheel A is provided with diametric- :illy opposed filling arimeasuring chambers 1 the outer ends of which ropen in the peripheral channel and against the cylinder.

as at 20, andlocking the two sections to.

gether after being adjusted by suitable means, as the bolts 20', the object of this adjustment being to ada t the filling chambers to lill cans of dierent sizes. The plungers of each bar are operated in unison and synchronously with the movements of the wheel, so that each time the wheel is stopped the lowerrnost cylinder wil discharge its contents through the open' into the cans or other receptacles 31, w 'le the topmost chamber will receive a predetermined quantity of fresh material from the hopper or other suitable'feeding device represented by 28. The actuation of these plungers is effected as follows: Suitably positioned .with respect to the discharge opening 30 in the rim 15 of the machine is a. sliding bar 22, carrying a roller 21. The

bar 22 is capable of a limited up and down sliding motion and of a limited pivotal motion in a plane parallel with the plane of the wheel in suitably slotted fixed guides 23 on the machine frame. l A spring 24 has one end ixedto the stem 22 and the other end fixed to one of the normally to pull the ro er 21 downward. Another spriner 25 is suitably connected to the roller so that it will exert a backward as well as a downward pull on the roller when the latter is lifted up to a position represented in dotted lines, Fig. 5. This ro ler 21 is suitably positioned with-respect to curved tracks 26 carried onthe arms of the wheel and adjacent to the hub portion,

' so that at each quarter revolution of the wheel one of the tracks 26 will engage underneath the roller 21 and raise this roller upward against the tension of its springs 24 and 25 until the rear or innermost end of this track which -carries the roller is in such position that when the roller rolls oil the track 26 it will strike against a collar 27 on a plunger stem 18, whereu n the spring M will exert a downward pu radial to the wheel to move a pair of plungers and cause the lower lunger to expel the contents of its cham r out through the o s ing 30 and into the receptacle 31 to be li led. In order that the roller will not leave its track sooner than is desired, a suitable detent may be employed, such as represented at 32, which will normally be interposed vthe detent is rocked b ides 23 and actsacross the track so as to form a stop to the com lete traverse of the roller along the trac but which detent will be actuated at the right moment so as to let the roller come down on the collar 27 to actuate the lunger iiithe manner just described. This geteilt may take any suitable form, but as here shown it comprises a latch meniber 32 pivoted at 33 and operated on by a spring 34 normally to carry the detent over the track. As a track carrying the roller 21 approaches a horizontal position, Fig. 4, engaging with a fixed trip mrmber 35, t ereby allowing the roller to run off the track and upon the plunger collar 27.

The materials w be canned are fed to the fllin and measuring chambers 17 from any suita le source of supply, as a hopper 28. through suitable connections as a union an ni le 29 secured to the rim band 15.

e cans or other receptacles to be filled are fed to the dischar 30 by the following means: An adjustaiolgise runway 36` is oonstructed beneath the wheel A insuch manner tat cans, jars or the like may be slid under t e dischar opening 30. The height and breadth of t is runway ma be adjusted to accommodate any size or s ape of can. The cans are fed to the runway throu h a ma azi'ne cylinder 37, which may be led an replenished by an desired means. The magazine cylinder 37 as adiameter a little larger than that of the can -iised, so that the cans stand in a single column within the magazine cylinder. A feed block 38 slides in the runway 36, and under the ma azine cylinder 37, and is reci' rocated b and forth by means of a 39 mounted on a disk l0, rotated by suitable means, such as the sprockets 41' and chains 42 which connect the disaY 40 with the drive shaft 6. The reciprocation of the block 38 across the mouth of the chute 37 is so timed throu h the gearin of the sprockets 41 that t e block will o in its most rearward sition at the moment a can is under the discharge 30 and being filled. The instant the can is filled the block is moved forward against a can 31, which causes the other cans in ad- -vance inthe runway to be moved forward the width of a can which is the length of the movement of the block 88. The next can to be fed to the runway 86 from the cylinder 37 thus rests upon the block 38, which on being moved back allows the can to drop into tharunway 86, there to be moved forward by the returnstroke of the block 38. In this manner a continuous feed of cans to the dismay removed from the runway in any desirfolcll manner. be. I ed r operation power ingy app i 'to t e machine at 7, the substance to be canned is los iis

chare 30 is accomplished. The filled cans 125 deposited in the hopper 28. The wheel A 1313 interval of time required the wheel A is caused to stop by means of the stance flows or is een agement of the is revolved through the gear 2 and pinion 5 until the mouth of a chamber 17 is directly below the inlet pi e 29, whereupon the subrawn into the chamber 17 by the downward stroke of the plungers 19, as before described. The down stioke of the uppermost plunger 19 draws the material into its chamber 1'?, while the down stroke of the opposed plunger discharges the contents of its chamber, previously filled. through the outlet into a can 31. During the small for this operation,

cam 12 throwing the inion 5 out of mesh with the gear 2. The riction of the band 15 is suiiicient to act as a brake and stop the revolution of the wheel A as soon as the dispinion is effected n the construction of this machine, the pinion 5 is so proportioned to the gear 2, that as the latter is revolved once, the former will be disengaged as-man times as there are chambers 17 on'the w eel A. In this manner the wheel A is caused to stop as each pair of chambers 17 becomes vertically opposed to each other, so that one is being fi led while the other is emptied. The close contact of the band 15 to the rim of the wheel A, together with the flanges 14, prevents any leakage from the chambers 17 as the wheel revolves from the point of inlet to the discharge.

The plunger rods 18 being adjustable, permit of the plungers 19 being ar: anged in the chambers so as to increase or decrease the capacity of the chambers as desired. When it is necessary to fill a can of larger capacity than that of the chambers 17, the can feeding mechanism may be so ad'usted through the s rockets 41 that a can will remain under the ischarge 3) until two or more chambers 17 will have emptied their contents therein.

The lun er heads 19 are rounded to corres on wit the peri hery of the wheel A, an stops 45 are provi ed to limit the downward stroke, so that the knife edge of the discharge'opening 30will contact with the plunger head and renove any substance that may adhere thereto. Ihis arrangement insures the complete emptying of the chambers 17, the knife edge also tionable drip so common in machines of this nature.

It is manifest" that this filling machine is readily adaptable to .render it suitable for handling materials requirin a forced feed like mince-meat, or to hande granular dry isibstanoes, such as powders, cereals, and the The machine as. shown in the drawings is designed to fill cylindrical cans, butl it is obvious that square or other formed cans could be as readily handled by changing the shape ofthe plugins 19 and chambers 17 to correspond; su for instance, as seen in Fig. 7,

preventing the objec Having thus described my invention, what` I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent 1s- 1. A filling machine comprising an inter-i mittently rotatable carrier havin filling chambers therein, limi-fers in said c ainbers formin bottoms tiierefbr, means connecting o po plungers, the outer ends of the c ambers open with a fixed segmental closure for said chambers means for rotating the carrier, and means for operating the o posed plungers synchronously therewit said plunger operating means eing adjustable.

2. A filling machine comprising an inter mittently rotatable carrier havin filling chambers therein, lun ers in said c ambcrs formin bottoms t ere or, means connecting opposed plungers, the outer ends of the chambers o en with a. fixed segmental closure for said chambers, means for rotating the carrier, and means for operatin the o posed plungers synchronousl t erewit said operating means for the plungers comprising a reciprocating device mounted indepen ently of the carrier, with means on the carrier for positioning said device to engage the plungei's to move them.

3. In a fillin machine, the combination of an intermittent y movable carrier havin peripheral pockets, plungers in the pocets means connecting opposed plungers so that they move in unison, a fixed segmental rim engaging the periphery of the carrier to close the pockets, means for pending the plungers, said last named meai .cludin a roller member yieldingly sup. -rted in ependent of the carrier, means ci ied by the terrier for lifting said roller n. "iber, and mean's for causing it to act on s when released from said lifting means.

4. In a fillin machine, the combination of an intermittent y movable carrier havin peripheral pockets, plungers in th',` -poc ets, means connecting opposed lv' e-rs so that they move in unison, a fix -egmental rim engaging the periphery c. the carrier to close the pockets, means for operating the p lungers, said last name(J means includin a A 'unger yieldingly supported member mounted in ependent of t e carrier, and track members on the carrier engageable with said member.

5. In a fillin machine, the combination of an intermittent y movable carrier havin peripheral pockets, plungers in the poc ets, means connecting opposed glungers so that they move in unison, a fixe segmental rim engaging the periphery of the carrier to close the pockets, means for operatin the plun rs, said last named means inclu ing a rocks. le sprin actuated, reci rocating rod carrying a rol er, tracks `on e carrier engaging the roller to reciprocate the rod in one direction, and means connected with the lungers engageable by the roller when the atter is released from said tracks.

6. In a tillin machine, the combination of an intermittent y movable carrier havinperipheral pockets, plungers in the poc ets, means connecting opposed plungers so that they move in unison, a fixed segmental rim engaging the periphery of the carrier to close the pockets, means for o rating the plungers, a shaft upon which t e carrier is mounted, a gear on said shaft, a countershaft, and a inion thereon meshing with said-gear, said) counbershaft having a fixed bearing at one end and a movable bearing at the pinion end, the movable bearing c'oxn'- prising a block operating in a suitable slideway, a spring acting on the block to carry the pinion and gear normally into mesh, and a cam memmr 'on the countershat oooperating with means on the gear to disconnect the gear and pinion intermittently.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two mzbscribing witnesses.

ROBERT J. VORKMAN.

Witnesses t s CLARENCE PENFIELD, CHARLES Ennmun.

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