Material feeding

Claim 1

WEIGHTING APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A COUNTERWEIGHT, FULCRUMED WEIGHT BEAM ASSEMBLY HAVING A WEIGHT HOPPER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED THERETO FOR RECEIVING MATERIAL TO BE WEIGHTED IN A CONTINUOUS FALLING STREAM TO SAID WEIGHT HOPPER, GATE MEANS DISPLACEABLE TO INTERCEPT SAID FALLING STREAM FOR CUTTING OFF DELIVERY OF MATERIAL TO SAID HOPPER, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO DISPLACEMENT OF SAID WEIGHT BEAM ASSEMBLY TO A BALANCED POSITION FOR DISPLACING SAID GATE MEANS TO INTERCEPT SAID FALLING STREAM, AND MEAN DISPOSED BETWEEN THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FEED MEANS AND THE REGION WHERE SAID GATE MEANS INTERCEPTS SAID FALLING STREAM FOR PROVIDING A SUBSTANTIALLY STEADY STATE OF FLOW OF MATERIAL INTO SAID HOPPER CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A FIXED POSITION CHANNEL HAVING A BOTTOM WALL DISPOSED BELOW THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FEEDER MEANS TO RECEIVE MATERIAL DESCENDING IN SAID FALLING STREAM AND BEING INCLINED AT AN ANGLE LYING BETWEEN ABOUT 45 DEGREES AND 75 DEGREES WITH RESPECT TO THE STREAM OF MATERIAL DESCENDING VERTICALLY FROM THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID FEEDER MEANS TO DISCHARGE MATERIAL DIRECTLY INTO SAID HOPPER, SAID MATERIAL FLOWING DOWN SAID BOTTOM WALL SOLELY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY, AND SIDE WALLS FORMING A PART OF SAID CHANNEL AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL, SAID SIDE WALLS CONFINING THE FLOWING STREAM AND CONVERGING IN THE DIRECTION OF MATERIAL FLOW ALONG SAID BOTTOM WALL.