Vibratory hopper feeder

Claim 1

A VIBRATORY HOPPER FEEDER WHICH COMPRISES A FIXED HOPPER AND BASE ASSEMBLY HAVING A BOTTOM OPENING LARGE ENOUGH FOR PREVENTING THE PIECES OF MATERIALS BEING FED FROM BLOCKING EACH OTHER, A MOVABLE APRON POSITIONED UNDER THE HOPPER FOR BEARING THE WEIGHT OF RAW MATERIALS AND ADJUSTING THE AMOUNT OF THE MATERIALS TO BE SUPPLIED, A LOWER FRAME ON WHICH SAID APRON IS MOUNTED, SAID LOWER FRAME BEING SUPPORTED ELASTICALLY ON SAID HOPPER AND BASE ASSEMBLY, AND A TROUGH FOR FEEDING RAW MATERIALS LOCATED BENEATH SAID APRON AND BETWEEN SAID APRON AND SAID LOWER FRAME, SAID TROUGH AND SAID LOWER FRAME BEING CONNECTED TOGETHER ELASTICALLY, SAID TROUGH HAVING AN ABUTMENT ON ITS SIDE, SPRING MEANS ON SAID ABUTMENT, A ROD CONNECTED TO SAID SPRING MEANS, AND VIBRATION MEANS TO WHICH SAID ROD AND SAID LOWER FRAME ARE COUPLED, WHEREBY SAID TROUGH AND SAID LOWER FRAME VIBRATE WITH AN AMPLITUDE IN INVERSE PROPORTION TO THE MASS THEREOF.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF FEEDING A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF LUMP RAW MATERIALS WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF VIBRATORY HOPPER FEEDERS IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATIONSHIP; EACH OF WHICH COMPRISES A FIXED HOPPER AND BASE ASSEMBLY HAVING A BOTTOM OPENING LARGE ENOUGH FOR PREVENTING THE MATERIALS BEING FED FROM BLOCKING EACH OTHER, A MOVABLE APRON POSITIONED UNDER THE HOPPER FOR BEARING THE WEIGHT OF RAW MATERIALS AND ADJUSTING THE ANOUNT OF THE MATERIALS TO BE SUPPLIED, A LOWER FRAME ON WHICH SAID APRON IF MOUNTED, SAID LOWER FRAME BEING SUPPORTED ELASTICALLY ON SAID HOPPER AND BASE ASSEMBLY, AND A TROUGH FOR FEEDING RAW MATERIALS LOCATED BENEATH SAID APRON AND BETWEEN SAID APRON AND SAID LOWER FRAME, SAID TROUGH AND SAID LOWER FRAME BEING CONNECTED TOGETHER ELASTICALLY SAID TROUGH HAVING AN ABUTMENT ON ITS SIDE, SPRING MEANS ON SAID ABUTMENT, A ROD CONNECTED TO SAID SPRING MEANS, AND VIBRATION MEANS WHICH SAID ROD AND SAID LOWER FRAME ARE COUPLED, WHEREBY SAID TROUGH AND SAID LOWER FRAME VIBRATE WITH AN AMPLITUDE IN INVERSE PROPORTION TO THE MASS THEREOF; FILLING EACH HOPPER WITH AN AMOUNT OF RAW MATERIAL EQUAL TO AN INTEGRAL NUMBER OF DAYS REQUIREMENTS OF SUCH MATERIALS; OPERATING THE HOPPER FEEDERS TO DISCHARGE OUT OF THE VIBRATORY HOPPER FEEDERS; WEIGHING AND TRANSFERRING THE DISCHARGED MATERIALS FROM EACH HOPPER FEEDER FOR A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME BY MEANS OF A PLATFORM WEIGHING SCALE HAVING A CONVEYOR THEREON FOR CARRYING SAID RAW MATERIALS; WHEN THE AMOUNT OF ANY OF THE MATERIALS WEIGHED IN THE PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME EXCEEDS THE AMOUNT OF THAT MATERIAL TO BE FED BY MORE THAN ALLOWABLE ERRORS, STOPPING THE OPERATION OF THE RESPECTIVE VIBRATORY HOPPER FEEDER; AFTER THE PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME HAS PASSED, STARTING THE OPERATION OF THE RESPECTIVE HOPPER FEEDER AGAIN; REPEATING THIS PROCESS AND ADJUSTING THE AMOUNT WEIGHED IN EXCESS OF THE PREDETERMINED AMOUNT DURING A NEXT WEIGHING IN A DIRECTION TO BRING THE ERROR DOWN WITHIN THE MAXIMUM ALLOWANCE WITHIN A CERTAIN NUMBER OF WEIGHINGS; AND COLLECTING THE THUS WEIGHED RAW MATERIALS AND FEEDING THEM TO A CUPOLA OR A CONVERTER.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF FEEDING A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF LUMP RAW MATERIALS WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF VIBRATORY HOPPER FEEDERS IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATIONSHIP; EACH OF WHICH COMPRISES A FIXED HOPPER AND BASE ASSEMBLY HAVING A BOTTOM OPENING LARGE ENOUGH FOR PREVENTING THE MATERIALS BEING FED FROM BLOCKING EACH OTHER, A MOVABLE APRON POSITIONED UNDER THE HOPPER FOR BEARING THE WEIGHT OF RAW MATERIALS AND ADJUSTING THE ANOUNT OF THE MATERIALS TO BE SUPPLIED, A LOWER FRAME ON WHICH SAID APRON IF MOUNTED, SAID LOWER FRAME BEING SUPPORTED ELASTICALLY ON SAID HOPPER AND BASE ASSEMBLY, AND A TROUGH FOR FEEDING RAW MATERIALS LOCATED BENEATH SAID APRON AND BETWEEN SAID APRON AND SAID LOWER FRAME, SAID TROUGH AND SAID LOWER FRAME BEING CONNECTED TOGETHER ELASTICALLY SAID TROUGH HAVING AN ABUTMENT ON ITS SIDE, SPRING MEANS ON SAID ABUTMENT, A ROD CONNECTED TO SAID SPRING MEANS, AND VIBRATION MEANS WHICH SAID ROD AND SAID LOWER FRAME ARE COUPLED, WHEREBY SAID TROUGH AND SAID LOWER FRAME VIBRATE WITH AN AMPLITUDE IN INVERSE PROPORTION TO THE MASS THEREOF; FILLING EACH HOPPER WITH AN AMOUNT OF RAW MATERIAL EQUAL TO AN INTEGRAL NUMBER OF DAYS REQUIREMENTS OF SUCH MATERIALS; OPERATING THE HOPPER FEEDERS TO DISCHARGE OUT OF THE VIBRATORY HOPPER FEEDERS; WEIGHING AND TRANSFERRING THE DISCHARGED MATERIALS FROM EACH HOPPER FEEDER FOR A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME BY MEANS OF A PLATFORM WEIGHING SCALE HAVING A CONVEYOR THEREON FOR CARRYING SAID RAW MATERIALS; WHEN THE AMOUNT OF ANY OF THE MATERIALS WEIGHED IN THE PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME EXCEEDS THE AMOUNT OF THAT MATERIAL TO BE FED BY MORE THAN ALLOWABLE ERRORS, STOPPING THE OPERATION OF THE RESPECTIVE VIBRATORY HOPPER FEEDER; AFTER THE PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME HAS PASSED, STARTING THE OPERATION OF THE RESPECTIVE HOPPER FEEDER AGAIN; REPEATING THIS PROCESS AND ADJUSTING THE AMOUNT WEIGHED IN EXCESS OF THE PREDETERMINED AMOUNT DURING A NEXT WEIGHING IN A DIRECTION TO BRING THE ERROR DOWN WITHIN THE MAXIMUM ALLOWANCE WITHIN A CERTAIN NUMBER OF WEIGHINGS; AND COLLECTING THE THUS WEIGHED RAW MATERIALS AND FEEDING THEM TO A CUPOLA OR A CONVERTER.