IMPROVEMENT IN CON- STRUCTION OF WEIGHING APPARATUS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathaniel Richard Hall, of Rosherville, Northflect,
in the County of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENT IN CON-
STRUCTION OF WEIGHING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 17th July 1863, and dated the 26th March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathaniel Richard Hall
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th March 1863.
I, NATHANIEL RICHARD HALL, of Rosherville, Northfleet, in the County of
Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENT
IN CONSTRUCTION OF WEIGHING APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
My Invention is on the principle of the steel-yard, but instead of a weight
sliding upon the long arm, the extremity of the long arm is enlarged sufficiently
to inscribe a dial of any suitable sise, circle, or part of a circle upon it. In
the centre of the dial or circle there is a pin, on which is a hand moving
freely, and the tail end of the hand being heavy, the hand will keep a
perpendicular position when the apparatus is in use. The dial will rise more
or less according to the weight attached to the proper end or short arm, and
one of the various numbers representing weights which are marked upon the
dial will bo in a vertical position with its centre, and as the hand is always
perpendicular from its acting freely upon the pin, it will be directed to that
number, which said number will indicate the weight of the article. In using

page_text: this weighing apparatus the article to be weighed is attached by any suitable
contrivance at the proper end or short arm, then by hanging or holding it up
at the fulcrum point the dial will rise accordingly, and the hand indicate the
weight without requiring any adjustment by the operaters.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nathaniel Richard Hall in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NATHANIEL
RICHARD HALL, of Rosherville, Northflect, in the County of Kent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the. twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Nathaniel Richard Hall, Her special licence that I, the said Nathaniel
Richard Hall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Nathaniel Richard Hall, 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, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION OF WEIGHING APPARATUS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Nathaniel Richard Hall, 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 Offico within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of tho said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nathaniel Richard Hall, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My Invention is on the principle of the common steel-yard, inasmuch that
the article to be weighed is suspended at the short arm of the lever, but
differs otherwise, for instead of ascertaining the weight of an article by shifting
or sliding a given weight upon the long armn until it is perfectly horizontal, I

page_text: allow my weighing apparatus to come to rest in any position, according as the
weight of the article may draw it more or less from the horizontal line, and
then discover the weight of the article sought by means of a hand, which
points to various figures representing weights, which said figures are marked
upon a circle, which said circle is at the extremity of one end of my weighing.
apparatus, and at the centre of this circle or dial the hand moves or plays
freely upon a stationary pin, and the hand having a heavy tail end, it will
always maintain a perpendicular position when in use, and will therefore be
directed to that number which is brought to a vertical position with the centro
of the circle or dial. At the proper end for attaching the article to bo
weighed there is a suitable clip with hooks (or any convenient contrivance
may be used for attaching the article to be weighed), and when this weighing
apparatus is hung or held up for use with the article properly suspended, tho
circle or dial will rise more or less, and one of the numbers marked upon it
will be brought to a vertical position, to which said number the hand will bo
directed, and thereby indicate the required weight of the article.
Figure 1 shows the common steel-yard, where from A to C is the short arm
of the lever or beam, and from B to C is the long arm;- but instead of a
weight shifting or sliding upon the long arm, the long arm is enlarged
sufficiently to inscribe a dial of any suitable sized circle; E, a part of a circle
upon it, with its centre D, at which the hand F plays freely upon a pin. This
Diagram is intended to set forth my application of a circle, or part of a circle,
upon the long arm of the common steel-yard.
Figure 2 again illustrates the common steel-yard A, C, B, with the circle E
on the long arm B, C, with its centre D, and hand F. The circle and other
curved parts that break up the appearance of the common steel-yard,
nevertheless shew that any shape figure whatsoever that is capable of carrying
out my arrangement does not in any way depart from the general principle of
my Invention.
Figuro 3 sets forth the general appearance of my weighing apparatus with
its circle or dial E and hand F on the pin D. The article to be weighed is
seen at G, representing a letter grasped by the clip H hanging from the
point A. The dial E is raised, and the vertical number indicating the weight
of the letter is seen at K, to which the hand F (from its construction, beforo
described,) is directed when the apparatus is hung or held up by the handle
at the fulcrum C. Figure 4 represents the apparatus hung or held up without
anything suspended at tho clip H, and the hand F maintaining its per-
pendicularity points to tho cipher upon the dial E. The weights expressed
from one-quarter of an ounce to four ounces upon the
circle or dial of each

page_text: Figure in the Drawing, do not confine or limit my Invention only to those
weights, for by changing the fulcrum point, or making the apparatus of
various sizes, it becomes applicable to a variety of weights, which said weights
can be expressed or set forth upon the circle or dial; and also for some
purposes of weighing there can be numbers, letters, or words representing
various charges or prices exhibited upon the circle or dial, so that articles
which bear a certain scale of charges or prices according to their weight can
have such charge or price readily ascertained.
I claim as original and now the principle of fixing to or making the
extremity of an arm of a lever or circle, or any suitable shape to inscribe a
circlo or part of a circle thercon, so that when an article to be weighed is
suspended from the end of an opposing arm of the same lever, then tho
circle shall rise more or less in a curve, and coming to rest, the weight of the
article shall be ascertained by a hand pointing to the vertical point of the
said circle, which hand shall work freely at the centre of the circle, and be
constructed so as always to keep a perpendicular position, whether the circlo
be raised above the fulcrum point, or otherwise raised when in use (see
Fig. 1, where the arm B, C, of the lever A, B, has affixed to or contains the
circle E, then the arm A, C, is the opposing arm to the said arm B, C, both
acting at the fulcrum C).
And also as my weighing apparatus is adapted for, and will bo of great
public utility for weighing letters and papers passing through the post office,
I therefore claim my Invention (horo set forth) for this particular purpose as
an entirely new letter and paper weigher, and for all other purposes where it
can be usefully employed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathaniel Richard Hall, havo hercunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in tho
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
NATH RICHP. HALL. (L.S.)