Apparatus for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weights suspended from shackles

Claim 2

Apparatus for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weight suspended from shackles movable along a path by a conveyor line, comprising: a platform for successively supporting the shackles at a weighing station disposed along the path; a load cell coupled with said platform to generate an electrical signal indicative of the weight of an article carried by a shackle supported upon said platform; sWitching means electrically coupled with said load cell and responsive to the magnitude of signals received from said load cell; a solenoid coupled with said switching means; trip lever means coupled with said solenoid to release an article from the shackle weighed on said platform upon actuation of said solenoid; and wherein said switching means includes a high weight limit comparator circuit including a switch in series circuit with said solenoid, switch actuation means, a manually adjustable rheostat, and a differential amplifier having input terminals coupled with said rheostat and with said load cell and an output terminal coupled with said switch actuation means.

Claim 3

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 comprising a low weight limit comparator circuit including a second switch in series circuit with said solenoid, second switch actuation means, a manually adjustable second rheostat, and a second differential amplifier having input terminals coupled with said rheostat and with said load cell and an output terminal coupled with said switch actuation means.

Claim 4

Apparatus for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weight suspended from shackles movable along a path by a conveyor line, comprising: a platform for successively supporting the shackles at a weighing station disposed along the path; a load cell coupled with said platform to generate an electrical signal indicative of the weight of an article carried by a shackle supported upon said platform; switching means electrically coupled with said load cell and responsive to the magnitude of signals received from said load cell; a solenoid coupled with said switching means; trip lever means coupled with said solenoid to release an article from the shackle weighed on said platform upon actuation of said solenoid; and wherein said switching means includes a time delay circuit comprising a switch in series circuit with said solenoid, switch actuation means, and two multivibrators coupling said switch actuation means with said load cell.

Claim 5

Apparatus for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weight suspended from shackles movable along a path by a conveyor line, comprising: a platform for successively supporting the shackles at a weighing station disposed along the path; a load cell coupled with said platform to generate an electrical signal indicative of the weight of an article carried by a shackle supported upon said platform; switching means electrically coupled with said load cell and responsive to the magnitude of signals received from said load cell; a solenoid coupled with said switching means; trip lever means coupled with said solenoid to release an article from the shackle weighed on said platform upon actuation of said solenoid; and wherein said switching means includes a time delay circuit comprising a switch in series circuit with said solenoid, switch actuation means, and two multivibrators coupling said switch actuation means with said load cell.

Claim 6

Apparatus for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weight suspended from shackles movable along a path by a conveyor line, comprising: a platform successively supporting the shackles at a weighing station disposed along the path; a load cell coupled with said platform to generate an electrical signal indicative of the weight of an article carried by a shackle supported upon said platform; switching means electrically coupled with said load cell and responsive to the magnitude of signals received from said load cell; a solenoid coupled with said switching means; trip lever means coupled with said solenoid to release an article from the shackle weighed on said platform upon actuation of said solenoid; and wherein said switching means includes a set of switches in series circuits with said solenoid, a set of switch activating solenoids coupled with said load cell, first circuit means for causing one of said switch activating solenoids to open one of said switches in response to generation of an electrical signal by said load cell above a preselected maximum level, and second circuit means for causing another of said switch activating solenoids to open another of said switches in response to generation of an electrical signal by said load cell below a preselected minimum level.

Claim 7

Apparatus for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weight suspended from shackles movable along a path by a conveyor line, comprising: a platform successively supporting the shackles at a weighing station disposed along the path; a load cell coupled with said platform to generate an electrical signal indicative of the weight of an article carried by a shackle supported upon said platform; switching means electrically coupled with said load cell and responsive to the magnitude of signals received from said load cell; a solenoid coupled with said switching means; trip lever means coupled with said solenoid to release an article from the shackle weighed on said platform upon actuation of said solenoid; and wherein said switching means includes a set of switches in series circuits with said solenoid, a set of switch activating solenoids coupled with said load cell, first circuit means for causing one of said switch activating solenoids to open one of said switches in response to generation of an electrical signal by said load cell above a preselected maximum level, and second circuit means for causing another of said switch activating solenoids to open another of said switches in response to generation of an electrical signal by said load cell below a preselected minimum level.

Claim 8

Apparatus for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weight suspended from shackles movable along a path by a conveyor line, comprising: a platform for successively supporting the shackles at a weighing station disposed along the path; a load cell coupled with said platform to generate an electrical signal indicative of the weight of an article carried by a shackle supported upon said platform; switching means electrically coupled with said load cell and responsive to the magnitude of signals received from said load cell; a solenoid coupled with said switching means; triP lever means coupled with said solenoid to release an article from the shackle weighed on said platform upon actuation of said solenoid; and wherein said switching means includes a set of switches in series circuits with said solenoid, a set of switch activating solenoids coupled with said load cell, and circuit means for causing one of said switch activating solenoids to maintain one of said switches open a preselected period of time following generation of an electrical signal by said load cell, and to maintain said one switch closed while said electrical signal continues to be generated following the elapse of said preselected period of time.

Claim 9

Apparatus for detecting and dispensing articles of preselected weight suspended from shackles movable along a path by a conveyor line, comprising: a platform for successively supporting the shackles at a weighing station disposed along the path; a load cell coupled with said platform to generate an electrical signal indicative of the weight of an article carried by a shackle supported upon said platform; switching means electrically coupled with said load cell and responsive to the magnitude of signals received from said load cell; a solenoid coupled with said switching means; triP lever means coupled with said solenoid to release an article from the shackle weighed on said platform upon actuation of said solenoid; and wherein said switching means includes a set of switches in series circuits with said solenoid, a set of switch activating solenoids coupled with said load cell, and circuit means for causing one of said switch activating solenoids to maintain one of said switches open a preselected period of time following generation of an electrical signal by said load cell, and to maintain said one switch closed while said electrical signal continues to be generated following the elapse of said preselected period of time.