Shaker mechanism for a stack of sieve trays

Mechanism for shaking a stack of sieve trays, comprising:

• a frame including a pair of spaced apart side members and a supporting base;
• a carrier for a stack of sieve trays positioned between said spaced apart side members;
• means mounting said carrier onto inner portion of said frame side members, for horizontal rectilinear translation, said means comprising support rails and anti-friction rollers in rolling contact with said support rails;
• power drive means for translating the carrier and any sieve trays mounted thereon back-and-forth;
• means for securing a stack of sieve trays onto said carrier, comprising a plurality of clamp-down units, each having a lower end which is pivotally connected to a border portion of the carrier and an upper end which is engageable with the upper sieve tray of a stack of sieve trays that is supported on the carrier;
• said frame side members having upper edges which are at a level below the waist of a user, so that the user need not lift the sieve trays an appreciable amount when moving them over a said side member upper edge onto or off from the carrier;
• each said side member including a side wall and a top flange defining its upper edge, projecting laterally inwardly from the upper top of the side wall;
• said anti-friction rollers being mounted on said side wall closely below said flange;
• said support rail being a side border portion of the carrier;
• said carrier including restraining means for engaging the lower portion of the stack of sieve trays and preventing horizontal movement of the sieve trays while on the carrier, said restraining means including a side boundary which is closely adjacent the inner boundary of said top flange;
• said anti-friction roller means comprising a lower set of horizontal spaced apart rollers and an upper set of horizontally spaced apart rollers;
• and
• said support rail being positioned vertically between said upper and lower sets of rollers.

Mechanism for shaking a stack of sieve trays, comprising:

• a frame;
• a carrier for a stack of sieve trays;
• means mounting said carrier onto said frame for horizontal rectilinear translation at a level below the waist of a user, so that the user need not lift the sieve trays an appreciable amount moving them onto or off from the carrier;
• power drive means for translating the carrier and any sieves mounted thereon back-and-forth;
• means for securing a stack of sieve trays onto said carrier, comprising at least one elongated bar-like clamp-down unit at each end of the carrier, each said clamp-down unit having a lower end which is pivotally connected to a border portion of the carrier and an upper end which is engagable with the upper sieve tray of a stack of sieve trays that is supported on the carrier;
• said carrier including stop means for preventing outward movement of each clamp-down unit beyond a predetermined outwardly leaning position;
• and
• each clamp-down unit being overweighted on its outward side, so that when released it will automatically swing outwardly into an outwardly leaning position against its said means.

Mechanism for shaking a stack of sieve trays, comprising:

• a frame including a pair of spaced apart side members and a supporting base;
• a carrier for a stack of sieve trays positioned between said spaced apart side members;
• means mounting said carrier onto inner portion of said frame side members, for horizontal rectilinear translation, said means comprising support rails and anti-friction rollers in rolling contact with said support rails, said anti-friction rollers comprising a lower set of horizontal spaced apart rollers and an upper set of horizontally spaced apart rollers, said support rail being positioned vertically between said upper and lower sets of rollers;
• said rollers being metal cam rollers and each said support rail including a detachable lower bearing strip in contact with the lower rollers and a detachable upper bearing strip in contact with the upper rollers, said bearing strips being constructed from a structural plastic material;
• power drive means for translating the carrier and any sieve trays mounted thereon back-and-forth;
• and
• means for securing a stack of sieve trays onto said carrier.