IMPROVE- MENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Wood, of 6 and 7, West Smithfield, in the
City of London,. Weighing Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES."
Sealed the 16th September 1864, and dated the 17th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Wood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th March 1864.
I, HENRY WOOD, of 6 and 7, West Smithfield, in the City of London,
Weighing Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in weighing machines. In
order that these improvements may be carried out two plates of metal are.
provided, each plate having two holes (or, as they may be termed, bearings).
of the same size, each plate being made to correspond in all respects with the.
other. These plates are bolted together with studs, leaving a space. between
them for the action of the parts required to obtain the desired improvements."
On the upper side of the plates is attached a hook or ring, such hook or ring.
being used for the purpose of suspending the machine while in use. A lever
is provided having four pivots, the points of which are in the same plane.
From two of the pivots are suspended links the lower ends of which are made
to receive a bar of metal from the centre of which is suspended the hook or
ring to which is attached the bulk or body to be weighed. The fulcrum of

page_text: this lever is placed between the two pivots from which the links are suspended.
Should the fulcrum be placed in the centre between the two pivots the lever
would equipoise and consequently the desired action could not take place;
but, on the other hand, if the fulcrum is placed at any distance out of the
centre the longer leg of the lever must fall if a weight be attached to the
hook. To obtain this action the fulcrum of the lever. works in the lower holes
or bearings in the plates. On the longer leg of the lever another pivot is
made the point of which takes a bearing in a link, the other end of which is
suspended from a pivot on another lever, or, more properly speaking, the
beam. The fulcrum of the beam takes its bearing in the holes prepared
in the plates, the beam being continued to the desired length. The tail
of the beam is divided and subdivided into divisions representing pounds
and quarters. At the end of the beam is attached a small scale made to
carry weights répresenting cwts. and. tons. A weight sliding upon the beam
over the divisions' shews the number of pounds required to balance the body
suspended on the hook. Upon the shorter end of this lever or beam a small
balance weight is attached, having for its object to counterbalance the weight
of the lever or beam. The above-describeḍ improvements may be made of
any suitable metal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WOOD, of 6 and 7, West Smithfield, in the City of London, Weighing.
Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters,
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of March, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in. the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto him,
the said Henry Wood, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Wood,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Wood, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING

page_text: MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Wood, 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 Henry Wood, do hereby declare
the nature of said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in.and by the following
statement:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in weighing machines. . In
order that these improvements may be carried out two plates of metal are
provided, each plate having two holes (or they may be termed bearings) of
the same size, both plates being made to correspond in shape. These plates
are bolted together with studs, leaving a space between them for the action
of the parts required to obtain the desired improvements. On the
upper side
of the plates is attached a hook or ring, such hook or ring being used to
suspend the machine while in use. A lever is provided having four pivots, or
it may be a less number, the points of which are in the same plane. From
two of the pivots are suspended links, the lower ends of which are made to
receive a bar of metal, from the centre of which is suspended the hook or ring
to which is attached the bulk or body to be weighed. The fulcrum of this
lever takes its bearing in the lower holes in the plates, and to obtain the
desired action is placed at any convenient distance from the centre line
between the two pivots; this lever is connected by means of a link having
suitable bearings to another lever, more properly called the beam. The
fulcrum of the beam takes its bearing in the two upper holes of the plates;
this beam is provided with a balance weight, and the tail is divided and sub-
divided in cwts. qrs. Ibs. and ozs. A moveable weight is made to slide along
the beam, at the extreme end of which a scale is attached, and weights are
used representing tons. cwts. and qrs. A balance weight is attached to the
other end of the beam.
When these machines are required for very heavy weights I prefer to use
only a portion of the above-described machine by dispensing with the smaller
parts and making the parts required of much heavier metal.
And in order the better to explain my improvements I will proceed to
describe the Drawings hereunto annexed. .
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, the front plate being removed. The lever A

page_text: is shewn having four points or pivots b, b, b, b, b¹ being the fulcrum. The
links c, c, are suspended from the pivots 63, 6. The links c, c, carry the pivots
d, d, of the bar e, from the centre of which a hook or ring is attached: The
link connects the lever A with the lever or beam G, the fulcrum of which
is h.. The weight I is made to slide on the beam G, which is divided into parts &
representing weight. At the end of the beam a scale J is attached, and which
carries the larger weights. The balance weight K is adjustable to enable the
beam to be balanced. These machines can be made of any suitable material
or metal.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Wood, have hereunto set my hand I
and seal, this Seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
HENRY WOOD.
L.S.)