Gravity operated apparatus for grading articles by weight

Claim 1

A GRAVITY OPERATED APPARATUS FOR GRADING ARTICLES BY WEIGHT, COMPRISING A ROTATABLE MEMBER IN THE FORM OF A DISC ARRANGED TO ROTATE ON AN AXIS INCLINED TO THE VERTICAL, A PLURALITY OF ARTICLE CARRIERS EACH IN THE FORM OF AN INFLEXIBLE ROCKER ARM CONNECTED TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID MEMBER AND DISPOSED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREOF IN SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANT RELATION, EACH ROCKER ARM BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED BETWEEN ITS ENDS FOR TILTING ACTION RELATIVE TO THE PLANE OF ROTATION OF SAID MEMBER AND HAVING AT ONE END AN ARTICLE-RECEIVING CUP OUTWARDLY DIRECTED FROM THE MEMBER, THE OTHER END BEING FREE AND INWARDLY DIRECTED, THE CUP END OF THE ROCKER ARM EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF THE SAID PERIPHERY AND THE OTHER, END, I.E. THE FREE END OF THE ROCKER ARM POINTING TOWARDS THE AXIS OF THE MEMBER, THE PIVOTAL CONNECTION PERMITTING EACH ROCKER ARM TO MOVE FREELY IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF ROTATION OF THE MEMBER BUT IN NO OTHER DIRECTION, ALL THE ROCKER ARMS BEING UNBALANCED SLIGHTLY SO THAT THEIR FREE INWARDLY DIRECTED ENDS OUTWEIGH THEIR CUP ENDS WHEN UNLOADED, MEANS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES ONE AT A TIME INTO THE CUP OF THE CARRIER THAT IS AT OR NEAR THE UPPERMOST POSITION OF THE MEMBER THUS CAUSING THE MEMBER TO ROTATE BY GRAVITY TAKING THE CARRIER AND ARTICLE WITH IT TOWARDS A LOWER LEVEL, EACH CUP BEING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL WHEN AT OR NEAR THE SAID UPPERMOST POSITION OF THE MEMBER, AND RETURNING TO A NEAR-HORIZONTAL ATTITUDE AUTOMATICALLY AFTER ITS LOAD IS DISCHARGED, FIXED WEIGHTING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CARRIER AT OR NEAR THE SAID UPPERMOST POSITION TO SELECTIVELY DETERMINE THE DEGREE OF TILTING OF THE CARRIER ACCORDING TO THE WEIGHT OF EACH ARTICLE BEING GRADED, SAID WEIGHING MEANS COMPRISING A BALANCE SCALE ENGAGEABLE BY ONE END OF THE ROCKER ARM IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CUP IS LOADED WITH AN ARTICLE AT THE SAID UPPERMOST POSITION AND HAVING A CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH OF A PLURALITY OF GRADUATIONS WITH THE FREE END OF THE CARRIIER BEING BROUGHT INTO REGISTER WITH A CORRESPONDING GRADUATION OF A SELECTOR DURING ITS TILT; AND LOADED CUP ACTUATING SAID SCALE TO AN EXTENT DETERMINED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE ARTICLE AND BRINGING THE FREE END OF THE ROCKER ARM INTO REGISTER WITH THE CONTROL MEANS FOR THE CORRESPONDING GRADUATION OF THE SELECTOR, SAID CONTROL MEANS CONTROLLING THE TILT OF THE CARRIER DURING FURTHER ROTATION OF THE MEMBER AND RELEASING THE FREE END OF THE CARRIER AT A DISCHARGE POSITION CORRESPONDING TO THE SELECTED WEIGHT THEREBY ENABLING THE CARRIER TO TILT DOWNWARD UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE ARTICLE IN THE CUP UNTIL THE ARTICLE IS DISCHARGED FROM THE CUP INTO A RECEIVING MEANS AT THE DISCHARGE POSITION, WHEREAFTER STILL FURTHER ROTATION OF THE MEMBER TAKES THE CARRIER TO THE SAID UPPERMOST POSITION FROM WHICH POSITION THE CYCLE IS REPEATED.