AN INSTRUMENT OR MACHINE TO ASCERTAIN THE WEIGHT OF ANY- THING TO THE AMOUNT OF TEN TONS AND UPWARDS, TO BE MADE USE OF INSTEAD OF BEAMS AND WEIGHTS
Year: 1806

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHESTER
GOULD, of the City of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, His United King-
dom, and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of
January, in the forty-seventh year of His reign, did give and grant unto me, the
said Chester Gould, my exors, admors, and assigns, His special licence that
I, the said Chester Gould, my exors, adñmors, and assigns, during the term of
fourteen years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,.
and vend, within England and Wales and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "AN INSTRUMENT OR MACHINE TO ASCERTAIN THE WEIGHT OF ANY-
THING TO THE AMOUNT OF TEN TONS AND UPWARDS, TO BE MADE USE OF INSTEAD
OF BEAMS AND WEIGHTS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said Chester Gould, under my hand and seal, to cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His High Court
of. Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto
had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Chester Gould, do hereby declare that my said Invention is described as
follows (that is to say):-

page_text: My Invention consists in a particular application of the power of the simplo
laver to the purpose of ascertaining the weight of goods, by means of which a
small weight attached to the end of a short laver is made to balance a very
great weight; the instrument compleat, suspended ready for use, is represented
by the Print in the margin.
Figure 1, in said Print, is a plate of sheet iron, cast iron, brass, or other
proper metal, about one eighth part of an inch thick, or more or less, according
to circumstances. Figure 2 is a laver, secured to the plate Figure 1, both of
which joined together make the laver of the instrument. Figure 8 is the
center piece or pivot on which the laver moves. Figure 14, and its fellow on
the opposite side of the laver, are two strong bars of iron, which I call cheeks,
they are firmly secured together by the screw and nutt, Figure 5; their use is
to support the laver by the pivot, Figure 8; they are provided with proper
apertures and bearings to receive the said pivot for that purpose, which rest on
its lower axle. Figure 4 and its fellow are two strong barrs or cheeks, like
the last described, and like them are secured together by the screw and
nutt, Figure 5. Their use is to support the article to be weighed; they are
supported on the upper angle of the pivott Figure 8; they are provided
with proper apertures and bearings for that purpose. The center piece,
Figure 8, is firmly secured in the plate or laver. The apertures in the
cheeks are so large as to admit of the necessary motion without binding.
Figures 6 and 6 are two hooks secured to the instrument by the two pins or
pivots Figures 9 and 9; their use is obvious from inspection. Figure 3 is a
hook by which the weights are suspended which balance the article to be
weighed. Figure 7 is a weight. The lower screw Figure 5 passes through
the plate or laver Figure 1; the aperture or space through which it passes
is made about one fourth of an inch wider than the body of the screw; this
is necessary in order that the lever may turn or move on the lower angle of
its pivot Figure 8. The extent of the aforesaid aperture limits the motion of
the laver. The center pieces or pivot Figure 8, and the bearings in the
cheeks, are all of hardened steel. The pivot Figures 9 and 9, and the eyes
in the hooks, Figures 6 and 6, are also of hardened steel. The pivot,
Figures 9 and 9, are brought to an edge on the side where the hooks bear.
All friction in every part of the instrument must be avoided except at the real
bearings which support the instrument and the article to be weighed; the
cheeks must therefore be so fitted or adjusted on the center piece as not to
touch the plate on each other when in use. The bearings should also be as fine
as is consistent with the necessary strength of the instrument. It appears from
inspection of the Drawing of the instrument that the pivot Figure 8 is so

page_text: placed that the upper and lower angles are not vertical; that is to say, if those
angles were joined by a right line, that line would not coincide with a right
line joining the centers of the pivots Figures 9 and 9. If the upper and
lower angles of the said pivots were placed vertically the instrument would
have no power of action; it must be inclined more or less, and the quantity of
this inclination determines the quantity or proportion of power with which the
small weight Figure 7 acts against the article to be weighed; the proportion
may be as one to ten, or as one to one hundred, or as one to five hundred, or
any other convenient proportion, and the length of the laver may be limited to
a few inches. I provide a set of weights to be attached to the hook Figure 3
at the end of the laver, each weight being marked with the number of pounds
which it answers to. I sometimes make one of the weights to move on the
laver Figure 2 like a steelyard ball, which answers instead of a number of
smaller weights, and diminishes their number.
There are two ways of varying the proportions between the article weighed
and the balancing weight, or rather between the weight applied to the lower
hook Figure 6 and the hook Figure 3. One is by varying the length of the
laver, the other by varying the inclination of the pivot Figure 8. This last
is done by altering the aperture in the laver or plate Figure 1 through which
the screw Figure 5 passes; the adjustment is by actual experiment, as in case
of scale beans or steelyards. The size and proportion of the instrument may
be varied and the principle retained. If the instrument is intended to weigh
one ton, I commonly make the plate Figure 1 nine inches diameter; of three
tons and upwards, twelve inches; if half a ton, seven inches; observing nearly
such proportions amongst the several parts as appear in the annexed print.
The plate Figure 1 need not be round, but I prefer that shape. The laver
should be nicely balanced, that is to say, the part or end Figure 1 should
balance the part or end Figure 2, together with the hook Figure 3, without
any weight acting in favor of either.
In witness whereof, I, the said Chester Gould, Lave hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and seven.
Sealed and delivered, being first duly
stampt, in the presence of
JAMES MORGAN.
THO LAMB,
CHESTER GOULD (L.s.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of February,
in the year of our Lord 1807, the aforesaid Chester Gould came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Talled bor Counth of Rahman in the moon four Land One
Inrolled the Twenty fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord One-
thousand eight hundred and seven.