Dispensing wheel and shaft mounting arrangement therefor

A dispensing device for use with material dispensing apparatus including hopper means for the material, the hopper means having a dispensing outlet and means for mounting said device for metered dispensing of material through the outlet from the hopper means, said device comprising:

• shaft means adapted for journaled support in said mounting means and for connection to rotative drive means;
• and
• dispensing wheel means, said wheel means including a generally C-shaped major part having a transverse shaft-receiving opening therethrough with the free edges of said major part defining therebetween a slot extending from said opening to the outer surface of said major part, and a minor part receivable in said slot and lockably engageable with said major part, the major part defining a major peripheral surface portion of said wheel means and said minor part defining a minor peripheral surface portion so as to complete the peripheral surface of said wheel means when said minor part is fully received in said slot, said minor part and said shaft means being provided with cooperating means including a longitudinally extending V-shaped groove in the outer surface of said shaft means and a pair of converging edge surfaces on said minor part engageable with said V-shaped groove, said cooperating means being engaged when said minor part is received in said slot, thereby achieving a driving connection between the shaft means and said wheel means.

A dispensing device for use in a particulate material dispensing apparatus including a hopper for the material and a dispensing outlet, the device being adapted to be positioned adjacent the outlet for the metered dispensing of material through the outlet from the hopper, the device comprising:

• a drive shaft journaled in the apparatus so as to extend across the outlet, the shaft being provided with a longitudinally and inwardly extending V-groove in the outer surface thereof, the drive shaft being adapted for connection to a suitable power source for rotation thereof;
• and a resilient two-part dispensing wheel, a minor part thereof being engageable with the major part to form a complete wheel, the minor part including a pair of parallel edges for engagement with corresponding parallel edges of an open slot portion of the major part, each of the edges of the minor part including key means engageable with corresponding interlocking keyway means in the edges of the slot opening and at least one edge of the minor part including detent projection means for engagement with corresponding detent recess means on the mating edge of the major part, the radially outermost circumferential surface of the minor part forming a continuation of the circumferential portion of the major part when the two parts are engaged together, the radially innermost portion of the minor part including a pair of converging surfaces engageable with the sides of said V-groove and said surfaces terminating at a radially inwardly curved surface, said major part having a generally C-shape in side elevation with a central through opening to receive said shaft, the width between said parallel edges of said major part being less than the maximum diametral thickness of said shaft but equal to or greater than the minimum diametral thickness of said shaft and the outer circumference of said wheel having a plurality of equally spaced radially projecting metering appendages thereon.