Apparatus for producing weighed charges of loosely aggregated filamentary material from compacted bales of the material

A magazine usable with an apparatus that produces material charges at irregular intervals for receiving the charges and discharging the charges at a substantially uniform rate, comprising:

• a cabinet having the form of a vertically extending tube;
• a plurality of gates mounted on the cabinet to divide the cabinet into a plurality of vertically stacked chambers, each gate at the lower end of one of said chambers and each gate movable between a closed position to retain a charge in the chamber thereabove and an open position to discharge a charge from the chamber thereabove, wherein the magazine is connected to said apparatus to receive charges produced thereby into the uppermost chamber of the magazine;
• and
• magazine gate control means for moving the gate below the lowermost chamber to the open position of such gate each time a charge is introduced into the lowermost chamber and for moving each of the remaining gates to the closed positions of said remaining gates during such times that the chamber below said each of said remaining gates contains a charge of material.

A magazine useable with an apparatus that produces material charges at irregular intervals for receiving the charges and discharging the charges at a substantially uniform rate useable with a source of compressed air and a source of electricity, comprising:

• a cabinet having the form of a vertically extending tube;
• a plurality of gates mounted on the cabinet to divide the cabinet into a plurality of vertically stacked chambers, each gate at the lower end of one of said chambers and each gate movable between a closed position to retain a charge in the chamber there above and an open position to discharge a charge from the chamber there above, wherein the magazine is connected to said apparatus to receive charges produced thereby into the uppermost chamber of the magazine;
• magazine gate control means for moving the gate below the lowermost chamber to the open position of such gate each time a charge is introduced into the lowermost chamber and for moving each of the remaining gates to the closed positions of said remaining gates during such times that the chamber below said each of said remaining gates contains a charge of material, comprising:
• gate biasing means for biasing each gate toward the closed position thereof;
• a pneumatic actuating cylinder connected to each gate for moving the gate to the open position thereof against the gate biasing means in response to compressed air delivered to the pneumatic actuating cylinder;
• a solenoid valve connected between each pneumatic actuating cylinder and the source of compressed air, each solenoid valve having a coil energizable to cause the solenoid valve to transmit compressed air to the pneumatic actuating cylinder connected thereto and deenergizable to cause the solenoid valve to exhaust the pneumatic actuating cylinder connected thereto whereby each gate is controlled by selected one of said solenoid valves;
• a normally closed gate control switch mounted on each of the gates except the uppermost gate, each gate control switch having a switch arm depressible to open and close the gate control switch by material disposed on the gate whereon the switch is mounted and each gate control switch connected between the source of electricity and the coil of the solenoid valve that controls the gate above the gate whereon the gate control switch is mounted, whereby the deposition of a charge of material on a closed gate will cause the coil of the solenoid valve that controls the next higher gate to be deenergized so that the gate biasing means will close said next higher gate;
• and
• means for energizing the coil of the solenoid valve that controls the lower most gate each time a charge is deposited on the lowermost gate.