Weighing machine

Claim 1

A WEIGHING MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING GIVEN QUANTITIES OF FLUENT MATERIAL, WHICH COMPRISES A WEIGHING MECHANISM INCLUDING A BALANCE ASSEMBLY HAVING A SWINGABLE BALANCE PART; A RECEPTACLE TO WHICH FLUENT MATERIAL TO BE WEIGHED CAN BE FED WHICH RECEPTACLE IS SUPPORTED ON SAID BALANCE ASSEMBLY; MEANS FOR FEEDING SUCH FLUENT MATERIAL TO SAID RECEPTACLE; AN ABUTMENT LOCATED IN CO-OPERATIVE RELATION TO SAID SWINGABLE BALANCE PART; AN ADJUSTABLE DAMPING MEMBER OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SWINGABLE BALANCE PART; AND MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID SWINGABLE BALANCE PART FOR INTERRUPTING FLOW OF FLUENT MATERIAL FROM SAID FEEDING MEANS, SAID WEIGHING MECHANISM BEING CHARACTERIZED IN THAT SAID SWINGABLE BALANCE PART SWINGS WITH A SWINGING PERIOD (T) SUCH THAT THE MASS ($M) WHICH, ASSUMING STATIONARY EQUILIBRIUM CONDITIONS, HAS TO BE ADDED TO THE RECEPTACLE TO BRING SAID SWINGABLE BALANCE PART FROM THE STATIONARY EQUILIBRIUM POSITION IN WHICH IT JUST FAILS TO REST AGAINST SAID ABUTMENT TO THE STATIONARY EQUILIBRIUM POSITION IN WHICH IT OPERATES THE INTERRUPTING MEANS, DIVIDED BY SAID PERIOD (T), IS HIGHER THAN SIX-TENTHS OF THE NORMAL AVERAGE FILLING RATE (DM/DT) FOR WHICH THE WEIGHING MACHINE IS DESINGED, PREFERABLY CLOSE TO NINE-TENTHS OF THE SAID FILLING RATE.