Vibrating conveyor for use with packaging apparatus

Claim 2

A vibrating conveyor for conveying material comprising: a conveying table, said table having an inlet area disposed generally in the middle of said table for receiving particulate material to be conveyed, a first outlet disposed on a first side of said table and a second outlet disposed on a second opposed side of said table; means for supporting said table for vibratory motion; a first pneumatic linear vibrator coupled to said table on said first side for vibrating said table and for conveying particulate material from said inlet area to said second outlet; a second pneumatic linear vibrator coupled to said table on said second side for vibrating said table and for conveying particulate material from said inlet area to said first outlet; each linear vibrator including a housing and a piston movably carried therein for motion in a linear direction forming the line of impact of a respective piston; means for mounting said first linear vibrator to said table in a disposition such that the line of impact of the first vibrator's piston slants generally upward from said first side of conveying table toward said second side thereof; means for mounting said second linear vibrator to said table in a disposition such that the line of impact of the second vibrator's piston slants generally upward from said second side of said conveying table toward said first side thereof; wherein in each vibrator the piston has a mass at least as large as the mass of the housing; and means for controlling the application of fluid pressure to said first and second linear vibrators whereby the application of fluid pressure to one of said vibrators can be stopped and the application of fluid pressure to the other of said vibrators immediately initiated to quickly reverse the direction of conveying.

Claim 3

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 1 including a cover means for surrounding an upper conveying surface of said conveying table to thereby form a conveying chamber.

Claim 4

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 2 wherein said conveying table is comprised of a generally planar plate and said cover member is comprised of a plurality of side walls extending upwardly from said planar plate and a top wall covering and extending between said side walls.

Claim 5

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 3 wherein a plurality of clamp members secure said top wall to said side walls.

Claim 6

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 4, wherein said top wall is divided into a plurality of cover sections, a first cover section being disposed on the first side of said conveying table, a second cover section being disposed on the second side of said conveying table and a medial cover section being disposed between said first and second cover sections above said inlet area.

Claim 7

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 5 including means for applying negative pressure to said conveying chamber, said last-mentioned means including a conduit in fluid communication with a negative pressure source and in fluid communication with said conveying chamber through an outlet formed in said first cover section and through an outlet formed in said second cover section.

Claim 8

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 2 or 3 including inlet means to said conveying chamber for supplying the particulate material to said inlet area and sealing means disposed between said inlet means and each of said outlet means for preventing the entry of outside air to said conveying chamber upstream of said sealing means when said outlet means is open to the surrounding environment, and wherein said outlet is formed as a slot through said conveying surface, each slot having an outlet edge over which the material being conveyed passes.

Claim 9

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 6 wherein said sealing means is comprised of a resilient flap disposed between said inlet means and a respective outlet means, each resilient flap slanting downwardly toward a respective outlet, resting along the outlet edge of one of said slots and being movable upwardly when said particulate material is being conveyed thereby toward one of said outlets to thereby permit the particulate material to be conveyed past said resilient flap to one of said outlets.

Claim 10

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 2 including means for applying negative pressure to said conveying chamber.

Claim 11

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 1 or 2 wherein said line of impact of the piston of said first vibrator slants generally upwardly from said first side of said conveying table and passes through said conveying table on the second side thereof, and said line of impact of the piston of said second vibrator passes generally upwardly from the second side of said conveying table and passes through said conveying table on the first side thereof.

Claim 12

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 10 wherein each vibrator has an inlet manifold disposed approximately at the middle of said housing and an exhaust manifold adjacent each opposite end of said housing, a plurality of holes being formed through said housing to provide fluid communication between said inlet manifold and the interior of said housing, and a plurality of holes beinf formed through said housing adjacent each exhaust manifold to provide fluid communication between the interior of said housing and each respective exhaust manifold.

Claim 13

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 1 including weighing means supported adjacent each of said outlets for weighing the particulate material being conveyed through each respective outlet.

Claim 14

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 1 including bag holding means supported adjacent each of said outlets for supporting a collapsible bag to be filled with the particulate material being conveyed through each outlet.

Claim 15

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 13 including a frame for supporting said conveying table for vibratory motion, said frame having arm means extending on said first and second sides for supporting bag holding means.

Claim 16

A vibrating conveyor for conveying particulate material comprising: a support frame; a conveying table, said conveying table having an inlet are generally in the middle thereof for receiving particulate material to be conveyed, a first outlet disposed on a first side of said conveying table and a second outlet disposed on a second opposite side of said conveying table; means for mounting said conveying table to said frame for vibratory motion with respect thereto; a first pneumatic linear vibrator, said first linear vibrator including a housing and a piston movably carried therein for motion in a linear direction forming the line of impact of the first vibrator; means for connecting said first vibrator to the first side of said conveying table so that the line of impact of said first vibrator passes through said conveying table on the second side thereof; a second pneumatic linear vibrator, said second linear vibrator including housing and a piston movably carried therein for motion in a linear direction forming the line of impact of said second vibrator; means for connecting said second vibrator to the second side of the conveying table so that the line of impact of said second vibrator passes through said conveying table on the first side thereof; wherein in each vibrator the piston has a mass at least twice as large as the mass of the housing; and means for controlling the application of fluid pressure to said first and second linear vibrators whereby the application of fluid pressure to one of said vibrators can be stopped and the application of fluid pressure to the other of said vibrators immediately initiated to quickly reverse the direction of conveying.

Claim 17

A vibrating conveyor for conveying particulate material comprising: a support frame; a conveying table, said conveying table having an inlet are generally in the middle thereof for receiving particulate material to be conveyed, a first outlet disposed on a first side of said conveying table and a second outlet disposed on a second opposite side of said conveying table; means for mounting said conveying table to said frame for vibratory motion with respect thereto; a first pneumatic linear vibrator, said first linear vibrator including a housing and a piston movably carried therein for motion in a linear direction forming the line of impact of the first vibrator; means for connecting said first vibrator to the first side of said conveying table so that the line of impact of said first vibrator passes through said conveying table on the second side thereof; a second pneumatic linear vibrator, said second linear vibrator including housing and a piston movably carried therein for motion in a linear direction forming the line of impact of said second vibrator; means for connecting said second vibrator to the second side of the conveying table so that the line of impact of said second vibrator passes through said conveying table on the first side thereof; wherein in each vibrator the piston has a mass at least twice as large as the mass of the housing; and means for controlling the application of fluid pressure to said first and second linear vibrators whereby the application of fluid pressure to one of said vibrators can be stopped and the application of fluid pressure to the other of said vibrators immediately initiated to quickly reverse the direction of conveying.

Claim 18

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 15 wherein the housing of each vibrator is comprised of a cylinder and each piston is pneumatically movable along the axis of one of said cylinders, the line of impact of said first vibrator passing along the axis of the cylinder of said first vibrator and the line of impact of said second vibrator passing along the axis of the cylinder of said second vibrator.

Claim 19

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 16 wherein each line of impact extends at an angle of approximately 30° above the horizontal.

Claim 20

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 15 or 16 or 17 wherein said mounting means is comprised of a plurality of coil springs having first ends attached to said conveying table and second ends attached to said frame.

Claim 21

A conveying apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said plurality of coil springs includes a first set of coil springs disposed on the first side of said conveying table and extending downwardly from said conveying table at an angle toward the second side of said conveying table and a second set of coil springs disposed on the second side of said conveying table and extending downwardly from said conveying table at an angle toward the first side of said conveying table.

Claim 22

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 19 wherein each coil spring has a lengthwise dimension which extends at an acute angle above the horizontal.

Claim 23

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 15 or 16 including a cover means for surrounding the conveying surface of said conveying table to form a conveying chamber above the conveying surface and a sealing means disposed between said inlet area and each of said outlets for preventing the entry of outside air from said outlets to the interior of said conveying chamber upstream of said sealing means.

Claim 24

A vibrating conveyor in accordance with claim 15 or 16 including a bag holding means supported adjacent each of said outlets for supporting a bag to be filled with the particulate material being conveyed and a weighing means supported adjacent each of said outlets for weighing the amount of material being filled into a bag held by one of said bag holders.

Claim 25

A vibrating conveyor for use in an apparatus for weighing and packaging particulate material comprising: a frame including upright members for contacting a support surface and extending generally upwardly therefrom, a first pair of arms connected to said upright members and extending generally to a first side of said conveyor, and a second pair of arms connected to said upright members and extending generally to a second opposite side of said conveyor a conveyor table having a conveying surface and a cover means for forming a conveying chamber about said conveying surface, said conveying surface having a generally centrally disposed inlet area for receiving material to be packaged, a first outlet disposed on a first side of said inlet area adjacent a first end of said conveying table, a second outlet disposed through a second opposite side of said inlet area adjacent to a second end of said conveying table; a first sealing flap carried within said conveying chamber for preventing the entry of outside air through said first outlet to an area upstream of said first sealing flap, said first flap being disposed between said first outlet and said inlet area; a second sealing flap carried within said conveying chamber for preventing the entry of outside air through said second outlet to an area upstream of said second sealing flap, said second sealing flap being disposed between said second outlet and said inlet area; a first mounting plate connected to said conveying table on the first side thereof and extending downwardly at an angle toward the second side of said conveying table; a second mounting plate connected to said conveying table on the second side thereof and extending downwardly at an angle toward the first side of said conveying table; first and second pairs of coil springs for connecting said conveying table to said frame for vibratory motion with respect thereto, said first pair of coil springs being disposed on the first side of the conveying table and extending downwardly from the conveying table to said frame at an angle slanted toward the second side of said conveying table, said second pair of coil springs being disposed on the second side of the conveying table and extending downwardly from the conveying table to said frame at an angle slanted towards the first side of the conveying table; a first pneumatic vibrator attached to said first mounting plate, said vibrator being comprised of a cylinder and a piston pneumatically driven along the axis of said cylinder, a line passing through said axis forming a driving line of said first vibrator, said driving line passing upwardly from said cylinder toward the second side of said conveying table and passing through said conveying table on the second side thereof; a second pneumatic vibrator attached to said second mounting plate, said second vibrator being comprised of a cylinder and a piston pneumatically driven along the axis of said last-mentioned cylinder, a line passing through said last-mentioned axis forming a driving line of said second vibrator, the driving line of said second vibrator passing upwardly from the cylinder of said second vibrator toward the first side of said conveying table and passing through said conveying table on the first side thereof; weighing means attached to each of the pairs of arms for weighing the material being packaged at each of said outlets; and control means for stopping the operation of one of said vibrators and starting the operation of the other of said vibrators when a desired amount of material has been packaged by the one of said vibrators.

Claim 26

A vibrating conveyor for use in an apparatus for weighing and packaging particulate material comprising: a frame including upright members for contacting a support surface and extending generally upwardly therefrom, a first pair of arms connected to said upright members and extending generally to a first side of said conveyor, and a second pair of arms connected to said upright members and extending generally to a second opposite side of said conveyor a conveyor table having a conveying surface and a cover means for forming a conveying chamber about said conveying surface, said conveying surface having a generally centrally disposed inlet area for receiving material to be packaged, a first outlet disposed on a first side of said inlet area adjacent a first end of said conveying table, a second outlet disposed through a second opposite side of said inlet area adjacent to a second end of said conveying table; a first sealing flap carried within said conveying chamber for preventing the entry of outside air through said first outlet to an area upstream of said first sealing flap, said first flap being disposed between said first outlet and said inlet area; a second sealing flap carried within said conveying chamber for preventing the entry of outside air through said second outlet to an area upstream of said second sealing flap, said second sealing flap being disposed between said second outlet and said inlet area; a first mounting plate connected to said conveying table on the first side thereof and extending downwardly at an angle toward the second side of said conveying table; a second mounting plate connected to said conveying table on the second side thereof and extending downwardly at an angle toward the first side of said conveying table; first and second pairs of coil springs for connecting said conveying table to said frame for vibratory motion with respect thereto, said first pair of coil springs being disposed on the first side of the conveying table and extending downwardly from the conveying table to said frame at an angle slanted toward the second side of said conveying table, said second pair of coil springs being disposed on the second side of the conveying table and extending downwardly from the conveying table to said frame at an angle slanted towards the first side of the conveying table; a first pneumatic vibrator attached to said first mounting plate, said vibrator being comprised of a cylinder and a piston pneumatically driven along the axis of said cylinder, a line passing through said axis forming a driving line of said first vibrator, said driving line passing upwardly from said cylinder toward the second side of said conveying table and passing through said conveying table on the second side thereof; a second pneumatic vibrator attached to said second mounting plate, said second vibrator being comprised of a cylinder and a piston pneumatically driven along the axis of said last-mentioned cylinder, a line passing through said last-mentioned axis forming a driving line of said second vibrator, the driving line of said second vibrator passing upwardly from the cylinder of said second vibrator toward the first side of said conveying table and passing through said conveying table on the first side thereof; weighing means attached to each of the pairs of arms for weighing the material being packaged at each of said outlets; and control means for stopping the operation of one of said vibrators and starting the operation of the other of said vibrators when a desired amount of material has been packaged by the one of said vibrators.