IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th February
1866. A communication from abroad by George Mayo, of Battle Creek,
Michigan, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES," a communication; to be as follows:-
The said improvements relate to automatic machines for weighing grain
and other analogous substances, and consist chiefly in the means whereby any
desired quantity of grain is alternatly introduced into and discharged from
each one of a pair of boxes or scales, wherein its weight is correctly accertained
and registered. A hopper or garner for receiving the grain is supported upon
standards attached to the framing which carries the operating parts of the
machine. This hopper has a discharge spout divided by a vibrating partition
or valve into two passages communicating with two weighing boxes or scales.
The spindle upon which this valve vibrates is provided with an arm operated
by a rolling weight which travels from end to end of an oscillating slotted
lever, and which answers the purpose of a scale weight for accertaining
the quantity of grain contained in the boxes or scales. By the action of this
weight the vibrating valve is caused alternately to open and close the
communication between the hopper and each of the said weighing boxes.
These weighing boxes are provided with knife edges by which they are

page_text: supported upon vibrating arms hinged or jointed to uprights attached to the
framing. The ends of these arms are connected by links to the ends of short
levers fixed upon a central shaft working in suitable bearings attached to the
standards supporting the hopper. The weighing boxes are thus supported in
equilibrio and in such a manner as to be capable of a free vertical movement
when acted upon by the grain, and the reciprocating weight. The centre of
the slotted lever in which this weight travels is fixed to the end of the central
shaft, and rocks or vibrates as each of the weighing boxes is alternately depressed
and elevated by the receiving and discharging of the grain. Each end of
this lever is provided with an adjustable block or stop operated and secured
by a screw passing through the end of the lever, or by other suitable means.
The rolling weight travels between these blocks, and its motion is increased
or diminished by their adjustment nearer to or farther from the centre of the
slotted lever. Besides acting as the scale weight and the means for opening
and closing the passages between the hopper and the weighing boxes this
rolling weight also serves to actuate the valvular bottoms through which the
grain is discharged from the weighing boxes. These valvular bottoms are
supported upon rods or spindles passing through the sides of the boxes. An
arm is fixed upon one end of each of these rods outside the boxes. These
arms extend upward to the side of the oscillating slotted lever, and the weight
in rolling from one end to the other of the said lever comes in contact with
the end of the said arms; each of these arms will therefore alternatly be
carried with the said weight towards the end of the slot in the oscillating
lever, and thereby open the bottom of the box with which it is connected.
When released from the pressure of the rolling weight. these arms are
returned to the required position to close the bottom of the boxes by springs
The registering is effected by means of a suitable index connected to the
apparatus, a rocking plate is secured to the end of a shaft or spindle working
in suitable bearings fixed on the framing. This rocking plate is operated by
the rolling weight as it travels from end to end of the oscillating lever. The
said rocking plate is provided with a pawl or catch taking into the teeth of
ratchet wheel connected with the band or pointer of an index. By means o
the said pawl and ratchet wheel each vibration of the oscillating lever move
the index hand a certain distance, and the quantity of grain weighed in the
boxes is thereby accurately recorded.