IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING SCALES, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR POSTAL PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING SCALES, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR POSTAL
PURPOSES."
A communication from abroad by S Horn of Offenbach on the
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING SCALES, CHIEFLY
DESIGNED FOR POSTAL PURPOSES." [A communication from abroad by S. Horn,
of Offenbach on the Main, Germany, and M. F. Albracht, of Amsterdam,
Holland.]
This Invention relates to improvements in scales, chiefly designed for weighing
letters, book-post packages or parcels, journals, printed matter, and the like, and
comprises various novel details of construction and arrangement, whereby both the
weight and the amount of postage necessary for the transmission of such articles
may be readily and accurately ascertained without the adjustment of any of the
parts of the weighing apparatus by hand.
In carrying the said Invention into practice, I arrange upon a suitable standard
or support a segmental plate or dial provided with divisions and indications as
hereinafter described. The said standard or pillar also carries an upright or vertical
rod or bar extending above the aforesaid dial. To this bar are pivotted two levers
or bars, hereinafter termed the upper and lower levers; to one end of each of these
levers, that is to say, the end on the left hand side of the upright bar, is pivoted or
connected an upright rod or bar, the upper end of which carries the scale basin or
platform for receiving the article to be weighed. Each of the said levers preferably
consists of a pair of bars pivotted upon pins projecting from the said upright bar.
To the end of the upper lever to which the scale carrying rod is connected, that is
to say, on the right hand side of the upright bar, I connect two weighted rods
which serve as a counter-weight to return the index hand or pointer hereinafter
described to its normal position, and to ensure the proper indication on the dial of
D...All

page_text: the weight of the article in the scale. These rods are provided with suitable
adjustable nuts for correcting or altering the position of the weights when necessary.
The lower lever is pivotted to the bar carrying the platform rod and to the upright
bar, and does not extend beyond the latter.
To one of the aforesaid weighted rods, I connect by a suitable wire or rod the
index hand or pointer which travels in front of the segmental dial.
This segmental dial is provided with a series of parallel arcs intersected by a
series of radial division lines. Within these arcs and radial divisions are indications
representing the amount of postage required for the transmission of letters or other
articles to different countries, and also indications to denote the weight of the
article being weighed. For instance, the divisions on the first and second ares may
indicate the amount of postage required for letters and for book post parcels in the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the third arc, the weight of the
article being weighed; the fourth arc, the amount of postage required for the trans-
mission of letters to countries included in the postal union; the fifth arc, the cost of
transmission of patterns to such countries; and the sixth and seventh ares, the cost
of transmission of printed matter and commercial papers to the same. Suitable
words are arranged at either end or both ends of the said segmental dial to denote
the are in which the indication required will be found on the division of the said
arc over which the pointer rests. The segmental dial may be provided with other
indications than those above referred to when desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
November 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. " IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING SCALES,
CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR POSTAL PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by
S. Horn, of Offenbach-on-the-Main, Germany, and M. F. Albracht, of Amsterdam,
Holland.
This Invention relates to improvements in scales, chiefly designed for weighing
letters, book-post packages or parcels, journals, printed matter, and the like, and
comprises various novel details of construction and arrangement, whereby both the
weight and the amount of postage necessary for the transmission of such articles
may be readily and accurately ascertained without the adjustment of any of the
parts of the weighing apparatus by hand.
In the accompanying Drawing,-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a weighing scale, constructed according to this
Invention, and
Figure 2 is a plan of the same with the scale basin or platform removed.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the said weighing scale on the line x, x,
Figure 1, and
Figure 4 is an end view of portions of the same.
Like letters indicate the same parts in all of the Figures.
F represents a standard or support, preferably of brass, upon which I arrange a
segmental plate or dial F* provided with divisions and indications as hereinafter
described. The said standard or pillar F also carries an upright or vertical rod or
bar a extending above the aforesaid dial. To this rod are pivotted the levers or
bars c, d, to one end of each of these levers c, d, is pivotted or connected an upright
rod or bar b¹, the upper end of which carries the scale basin or platform 6 for
receiving the article to be weighed. Each of the levers c, d, preferably consists of a
pair of parallel bars pivotted upon pointed pins passing through the bars a and b',
as shewn in Figure 3. To one end of the lever d I connect at d¹ two rods e, e,
provided with weights f, f, which serve as a counterweight to return the index
hand or pointer to its normal position, and to ensure the proper indication on the
dial F of the weight of the article in the scale b. These rods are provided
with suitable adjustable nuts at e¹ for correcting or altering the position of the
weights when necessary. The lever c is pivotted to the bar a and to the rod or
bar b¹, but does not extend beyond the latter
To one of the aforesaid weighted rods e I connect by a suitable wire or rod g
the index hand or pointer which travels in front of the segmental dial F*. This
segmental dial is provided with a series of parallel arcs (not shewn in the Drawing)
intersected by a series of radial division lines. Within these arcs and radial
divisions are indications representing the amount of postage required for the trans-
mission of letters or other articles to different countries, and also indications to
denote the weight of the article being weighed. For instance, the divisions on the
first and second arcs may indicate the amount of postage required for letters and
for book post parcels in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The
third arc, the weight of the article being weighed; the fourth arc, the amount of
postage required for the transmission of letters to countries included in the postal
union; the fifth arc, the cost of transmission of patterns to such countries; and the
sixth and sevenths arcs, the cost of transmission of printed matter and commercial
papers to the same. Suitable words are arranged at either end or both ends of the
said segmental dial to denote the arc in which the indication required will be found,

page_text: such indication being read from the division of the said are over which the pointer
rests. The segmental dial may be provided with other indications than those
above referred to when desired.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,-
First. The apparatus consisting of the rods a, 61, and bars c, d, the adjustable
weighted rods e, e, the rod carrying the index or pointer, and the segmental
scale or dial combined and operating as above set forth and for the purposes
specified.
Second. In a postal weighing apparatus, the graduated scale or dial arranged
symmetrically to the rod a, and in combination with the arm g, and index or
pointer, as shewn in the Drawing, for the purpose specified.
Third. In a postal weighing apparatus, the device for adjusting or changing the
position of the weights, as and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)