Material handling apparatus and method

An apparatus for filling packages to a predetermined weight in a production line comprising a means for underfilling a package with a product, means for determining the weight of said package, means for determining the additional product required to fill the said package to its predetermined weight, a feeder for dispensing additional product, an electric eye which signals a computer when product passes therethrough for tabulating the additional product emitted from said feeder, and a hopper to accumulate said additional product and dispense it to said package.

An apparatus for filling packages to a predetermined weight in a production line comprising a means for underfilling a package with a product, means for determining the weight of said package, means for determining the additional product required to fill said package to the predetermined weight, a feeder for dispensing additional product, a means for tabulating the additional product emitted from said feeder, and a hopper to accumulate said additional product, the product being dispensed from said hopper after an electric eye signals a computer that said package is properly positioned thereunder.

A method for filling an open top bag with a multiplicity of substantially similar particles comprising the steps of initially partially filling the upright open top bag with less particles than are known to be needed to fill said bag, weighing said bag to determine the number of particles needed to fill the bag, dispensing particles one at a time from a feeder source into a collection chamber, counting the dispensed particles as they move from said feeder source, shutting off further dispensing of particles after the required number has been dispensed to the collection chamber, aligning said bag with said collection chamber to transmit a signal to open said collection chamber and to discharge the required number of particles into said bag.

A method for filling a package with a multiplicity of discrete average weighed particles comprising the steps of initially partially filling an upright package with less particles than are known to be needed to fill said package, weighing said partially filled package to determine the amount of weight needed to fill the package, computing in a computer the number of average weighed particles required to bring the package weight up to the full predetermined weight, dispensing average weighed particles one at a time from a feeder source into a collection chamber in response to a signal from said computer, counting the dispensed weighed particles as they move from said feeder source, shutting off further dispensing of weighed particles after the computed required number has been dispensed to the collection chamber, moving said package from the weighing station toward a position in alignment with said collection chamber, aligning said package with said collection chamber to transmit a signal to open said collection chamber and to discharge the computed required number of weighed particles into said package and moving said filled package through a package closing station.

In a package filling device, a sensor based computer having an analog input means and a digital input means, a weighing scale connected to said analog input means, electric eye means aligned with a station over said scale and connected to said digital input means, a conveyor aligned with said scale for receiving a package from said scale, a second electric eye aligned with a second station over said conveyor and connected to said digital input means, a vibratory feeder having an outlet aligned with a hopper having a discharge gate, a third electric eye aligned with the path between the feeder outlet and the hopper and connected to said digital input means, means connected to a digital output of said computer for individually actuating said vibratory feeder, said output gate on said hopper and a warning light whereby the weight of a package on the scale is compared in the analog input means with a standard and if found underweight the digital output actuates the feeder to feed the requisite weight into the hopper and which hopper is unloaded into the package when the third electric eye signals alignment of the package with the hopper.