THEOREMONTO IN SURING BALANCES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Silvester, of the Firm of George Salter and
Company, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturers,
for the Invantion of " THEOREMONTO IN SURING BALANCES "
C
111
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Silvester at the
Office, of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th August 1867.
I, JOHN SILVESTER,,of, the Firm of George Salter and Company, of West
Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING BALANCES," to be
as follows:-
).
P
11.
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination herein-after
described of the parts of spring balances, principally useful for domestic pur-
poses, by which arrangement or combination the spring balance is made more
compact, and consequently more suitable for the pocket, and is less expensive
than ordinary spring balances.
In arranging or combining the parts of a spring balance according to my
Invention I make the trough-like frame or case of the balance open' at its
front and at its bottom end. The top of the helical spring of the balance is
וי

page_text: hooked to a pin or projection at the top of the case, and the bottom of the
said spring is affixed to a moveable bottom plate, which bottom plate when
the spring is in its contracted or normal position closes the open bottom
described of the case of the balance. To the bottom or closing plate described
a flat plate nearly as long as the balance is fixed; to the top of this flat plate
the finger or pointer of the balance is fixed. The helical spring bottom and
flat plates being fixed together they are placed in the case of the balance, and
the top of the spring is hung to the top of the said case. The parts described
are fixed in their places, and the front of the case covered by means of a dial
plate having a slot in its middle, in which slot the finger or pointer on the
flat plate works. The top of the case carries a ring or loop by which the
balance is suspended, and the moveable bottom plate carries a hook by which
the article to be weighed is hung. On placing a weight on the hook described
the helical spring is elongated, and the lower part of the said spring and the
bottom or closing plate and flat plate connected with the said spring are made
to project from the bottom of the case of the balance. By the elongation of
the spring and the descent of the flat plate the pointer carried by the said
flat plate traverses the slot in the dial plate, and indicates upon the said
dial plate the weight hung on the balance. On removing the weight from the
balance the spring returns to its place in the case and the bottom of the
case is closed by the end plate described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Silvester in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SILVESTER, of the Firm of George Salter and Company, of West Bromwich,
in the County of Stafford, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Silvester, Her special licence that I, the said John Silvester, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Silvester, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPRING BALANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Silvester, my executors or administrators, by an instrument'in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Silvester, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination herein-after
described of the parts of spring balances principally useful for domestic pur-
poses, by which arrangement or combination the spring balance is made more
compact and is less expensive than ordinary spring balances.
In arranging or combining the parts of a spring balance according to my
Invention I make the trough-like frame or case of the balance open at its
front and at its bottom end. The top of the helical spring of the balance is
hooked to a pin or projection at the top of the case, and the bottom of the
said spring carries a moveable bottom plate, which bottom plate when the
spring is in its contracted or normal position closes the open bottom, described
of the case of the balance. To the bottom or closing plate described a flat
plate nearly as long as the balance is fixed; to the top of this flat plate the
finger or pointer of the balance is fixed. The helical spring bottom and flat
plates being fixed together they are placed in the case of the balance, and. the
top of the spring is hung to the top of the said case. The parts described are
fixed in their places, and the front of the case is covered by means of a dial
plate having a slot in its middle, in which slot the finger or pointer on the flat
plate works. The top of the case carries a ring or loop by which the balance
is suspended, and the moveable bottom plate carries a hook to which the
article to be weighed is hung. On placing a weight on the hook,described
the helical spring is elongated, and the lower part of the said spring and the
bottom or closing plate and flat plate connected with the said spring are made
to project from the bottom of the case of the balance. By the elongation of
the spring and the descent of the flat plate the pointer carried by the said flat
plate traverses the slot in the dial plate and indicates upon the said dial plate
the weight hung, on the balance. On removing the weight from the balance

page_text: the spring returns to its place in the case, and the bottom of the case is closed
by the end plate described.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will' proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
my
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, and Figure 2 in side elevation a
spring balance, the parts of which are arranged or combined according to
Invention; Figure 3 is a front elevation of the spring balance without the
dial plate; Figure 4 is a side elevation and Figure 5 an end elevation of the
same; Figure 6 is a longitudinal section and end elevation of the case
separately; Figure 7 is a front and side elevation of the moving parts of the
balance. The same letters of reference are employed to indicate the same
parts in each Figure of the Drawing.
a
is
the trough-like frame or case of the balance open at its front and at
its bottom end; 6 is the helical spring of the balance hooked to the pin or
projection c at the top of the case a. To the bottom of the spring ba
moveable bottom plate d is affixed in the manner best seen in the separate
view, Figure 7. When the spring 6 is in its normal position, as illustrated in
Figures 3 and 4, the said plate d closes the open bottom of the case a; e is a
flat plate to which is affixed the finger or pointer f; the said plate e is secured
by rivetting at e to the loop or eye part d² of the bottom plate d, as seen in
Figures 2 and 7, which Figure 7 represents the spring.b, bottom plate d, d
and flat plate e combined together. The parts b, d, d², and e being secured
together in the manner represented in Figure 7 they are placed in the trough
。 of the case a in the positions represented in Figure 3, and the top of the spring b
is hooked to the top of the said case. The said parts are fixed in the case a,
and the balance is completed by means of a dial plate g fixed to the flanged
sides of the said case a, as represented in Figures 1 and 2. The dial plate g
has a longitudinal slot h in it through which the pointer f works, the said
pointer f, being passed through the sloth before the dial plate g is fixed to
The balance is suspended by a ring i at its top. On placing a
weight on the hook k passed through the eye or loop d² of the bottom or
closing plated the helical spring b is elongated, as illustrated in Figures 1
and 2, the lower part of the said spring and the bottom or closing plate b
As the plate
and flat plate e projecting from the bottom of the case.
descends with the spring 6 and plated from the end of the case a, the
pointer fcarried by the said plate e traverses the sloth in the dial plate g, and
indicates upon the said dial plate the weight hung on the balance. Or
removing the weight from the hook k the spring b contracts and the parts o
the case.
وزاد

page_text: and e resume the positions represented in Figures 3 and 4, the open bottom-
of the case being closed by the bottom plate d. In pocket spring balances
and other similar spring balances of the ordinary kind the case of the balance
is so long that when the spring is elongated the said spring is not exposed to
view. By my Invention I am enabled to make the case of the balance much
shorter than usual, and the balance is consequently more compact than
ordinary spring balances, the spring of my improved balance being protected
and concealed when the balance is not in use, and the bottom of the case
closed by the moveable bottom plate carried by the said spring.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I
claim as my Invention the improvements in spring balances herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say,
combining or arranging the parts of spring balances, substantially in the
manner herein-before described and illustrated, whereby the said spring
balances are made more compact and are less expensive than ordinary spring
balances.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Silvester, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-second day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN SILVESTER. (L.S.)