Improved Combined Truck and Weighing Scale.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1889-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by WILLARD CARLTON JAMES, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Leather Merchant.]
Improved Combined Truck and Weighing Scale.
1 TOWNSEND PERCY of 14 Conduit Street, London in the County of Middlesex,
Financial Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My Invention relates to a combined truck and weighing scale and consists in the
improvement which is hereinafter described and claimed and which has for its object
to secure the platform rigidly upon its supporting frame and to hold the knife edges
or bearing surfaces of the weighing apparatus out of contact with each other, when
the combined device is used merely for supporting or moving a load, and to bring
said knife edges and bearings in contact with each other readily, when it is desired
to weigh the load and to move the platform simultaneously out of contact with the
frame and allow its weight to be supported by the weighing levers, and to conceal
and protect the weight indicating devices, when not in use and to display them when
the combined device is used for weighing.
Such being the nature and object of this my said invention the following is a
complete description of same reference being had to the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1. is an isometric perspective view of a combined truck and weighing scale
provided with my improvement, the parts shown being in the position occupied when
the combined device is used for moving a load and the weight indicating devices are
concealed in the case.
Fig. 2. is a front elevation of the truck frame, the platform and the weighing-levers
(not in position for weighing) and antifriction rolls and the case which contains the
weight indicating devices, the latter being closed.
Fig. 3. is a front elevation of the parts shewn in Fig. 2., the platform and weighing
levers being in position for weighing and the case being open disclosing the weight
indication devices.
Fig. 4. is a plan of the frame and platform a part near the rear end of same being
broken out to shorten the figure and the greater part of the platform being broken
away to shew the weighing levers, the truck wheels and tongue or pole being
omitted.
Fig. 5. is a vertical longitudinal section, on the line az in fig. 4.
Fig. 6. is a vertical longitudinal section on the line y y in fig. 3 of the combined
truck and weighing Scale, shewing the weighing devices the weight indicating devices
and their case and the means by which the platform is moved into and out of the
weighing position, said case being open and the knife edges of the weighing devices
resting upon their bearings.
Fig. 7 is a similar section of the same parts shewn on fig. 6. near the front of the
combined device, the parts being in position they occupy when the device is used
merely as a truck.
Fig. 8. is a section on the line zz in fig. 3 of the case shewing inside elevation one
of the posts which support said case and the means of opening and closing said case,
the door of the case being represented in full lines as closed and in dotted lines
as open.
Fig. 9. is an enlarged front or rear elevation of the central part of the means of
raising the knife edges of the weighing levers off from their bearings and of the spring
cushion.
The truck frame A. is a stout rectangular frame, having side rails a and cross ties a¹
mortised together in the usual manner, said frame being supported upon rear truck

page_text: wheels B turning on a rear axle 6 rigidly secured to the frame A by hangers 2 and
other truck wheels B¹ turning on a front axle 6 preferably arranged to swivel under
the forward part of said frame A in any usual or convenient manner, a tongue or
pole C being secured to the front axle to enable the truck frame to be conveniently
drawn and turned in the desired direction. All of the above named parts of any
usual construction and operation.
The platform D is also a rectangular frame, preferably of hard wood, having side
rails d and connecting cross ties d¹ and is separate from the frame A of the truck.
Said platform is provided on the underside of its side rails d with shoes e which when
the device is used simply as a truck, rest upon antifriction rolls E which turn freely
upon rods F (figs. 2-7), supported on and extending beyond the side rails of the
truck fram A, said rods F being held in grooved plates a³, bolted on the top of the
side rails a of the truck frame-The platform D is provided at its ends with the usual
vertical frames d² d³ or head stakes and tail stakes, connected by horizontal rails d¹ d³
which assist in retaining the load on the platform.
Four brackets are secured to the rods F and are provided with vertical ears f¹
which support horizontal knife edges or round bolts, the links f3f4 hang between
said earson said knife edges or bolts and receive and support other knife edges y y
on the weighing levers V. Y.-The lever V is V shaped and is provided with vertical
slots at its free ends to receive the lower ends of the links f³, said links being
retained in said slots by other knife edges passing through said slots v
horizontally The lever Y is Y shaped and is slotted vertically at y at the free end
of each branch to receive the lower ends of the links of f which are retained in said
last named slots by the horizontal knife edges y, passing through said slots.
The lever V near its inner or closed end is provided with a horizontal knife edge y
which passes through the sides of the lever and through the lower end of the link 3,
the upper end of said link 3 being connected to the lever Y by another horizontal
knife edge y², secured to said last named lever. The levers Y and V might be of
ordinary construction but, as such levers are usually of cast iron, their weight is so
great as to be decidedly objectionable in a device intended equally for transporting
and for weighing loads. Such weight is to a less extent objectionable, even in a
portable scale, but an ordinary portable scale is only occasionally moved and then
without its load-The lever Y being of greater length than the lever V, needs to be
stronger and, if made of the same material would need to be correspondingly
heavier than said lever V. The body of the lever Y is therefore preferably made of
a straight strip Y of steel, extending the whole length of said lever and is straight
except at the front end where at y³ it may be bent for a short distance into parallelism
with the strip y², in order to enable the two strips y y² to be drilled together or to
'facilitate the punching of the strip y for the reception of the bolts y which unite the
two strips. The two strips are separated by a Y shaped block, preferably of cast iron
through which the bolts are driven and which supports a knife edge y², on which
(fig. 5) hangs a link v³ the lower end of which enters a vertical slot in the top of
the rear end of the lever V and is retained in said slot by a knife edge v² which
passes horizontally through said last named slot, in the usual manner.
The rear ends of the lever Y, that is the free ends of its branches, are of cast metal
preferably of cast iron and of the shape shewn in figs. 4 and 5 and are cast upon the
strips yy, the ends of said strips being placed in the stand or mould together with
the steel knife edges y', the latter, after the casting is completed, being driven
.out, hardened and replaced in the usual manner, said knife edges being smoked or
rusted before being placed in the mould to prevent their being moulded to the
cast iron.
The ends of the lever V may be cast on a steel body or strip, substantially as the
ends of the lever Y are cast, but the smaller size of the lever V makes its construction
of less importance and in the drawings said last named lever is represented as formed
or cast in one piece.
: The combination of the lever Y, above described, enables it to combine lightness
and great strength and to have a much greater stiffness than would be possible with

page_text: the same weight of material, if the arms were bent to bring the knife edges y y'¹
parallel with the rod F from which they are supported, or in other words, in the
same straight line with each other and at right angles to the plane in which
the front end of said lever moves, in which position said knife edges evidently
must be.
or
The X shaped lover X, or stand, consists of four wrought iron rods, cast or
screwed into a central post a see Figs. 4 and 5 and, at their ends, into blocks
posts, the flat lower ends of which rest upon the knife edges y of the lever Y and
upon the knife edges of the lever V. The upper ends of said terminal blocks are
provided each with a pair of vertical cars a³, in which turn antifriction rolls a, upon
which rest the shoes, secured to the under side of the platform D when the
platform is in position for weighing.
A pin is driven through the upper end of the post a Fig. 9. and, below said
pin, a spiral spring surrounds said post a within the cylindrical lower part g¹ of the
yoke G, the lower part of said yoke being closed, except for a central orifice g³, just
large enough to allow said yoke to slide freely on said post ., and the lower end of
said spring g resting upon the inside of the bottom of said cylindrical part gå and
said pin being compressed between said pin and the bottom of said part g¹. The
yoke G is provided with two lateral cars 93 and two inclines or cams d' are secured
to the underside of the platform, in such manner that, when the platform is drawn
forward as hereinafter described, out of its position for weighing, said cams d run
under said ears g³ and raise the yoke G, still further compressing the spring g and
raising the post and four armed lever a off from the knife edges y of the
levers V. Y.
Another incline or cam do is secured to the underside of the platform D, by
arms & Fig. 4. extending from said cam do on opposite sides of the lever V Y and
is so arranged as to run under an antifriction roll v', journalled in ears 8, on the
under side of the lever V between the knife edges ², when said platform is drawn
forward, and to raise said lever off from its bearings in the links and against
the under side of the lever Y, thus lifting said lever Y off from its bearings in the
link and in the connecting rod H, hereinafter described. Furthermore the slots
which receive the lower ends of the links f3f3 are so shallow that raising the
levers V Y also raises these links off from the knife edges on which their upper ends
are supported when in position for weighing.
The cams have a greater inclination than the cam 10 in order to lift the lever X
high enough to be out of contact with the levers V Y when the latter are raised to
their greatest height by the cams d¹º.
The scale beam I is of any usual construction, having knife edges i (fig. 3) by
means of which it is supported in a link, in the usual manner, said link being
secured to the top of the case K and the scale beam oscillating in a guide loop ².
The scale beam is provided with other knife edges 3 which support the upper end
of the long link or rod H, which connects the scale beam and the front end of the
lever Y, said last named lever having knife edges y8 which rest in loops at the
lower end of said rod. Raising the lever Y as above described, raises the connecting
rod Hoff from their bearings in the link until said scale beam is supported by
the rod H and the guide loop 2. The scale beam I is graduated and is provided
with a balance ball a sliding poise and a counterpoise i which also serves as a
weight receiver to support additional notched weights in the usual manner. The
notched weights 7, when not in use, are supported on a bracket i³, secured on the
inside of the bottom of the case, as shewn in figs. 3, 7 and 8.
The top, bottom and sides of the case K are secured to vertical posts a', supported
on the truck frame A, but the back k of said case is supported upon the frame or
head stakes d³. The case K is provided with a door k', hinged at its lower end to
the front edge of the bottom k² of said case, and is provided with a down hanging
arm which reaches below the bottom of the case and is struck by a bracket d',
secured to the head stake d³ of the platform, when the platform is drawn forward,
cansing the door to be swung upward into the position shewn in figs. 7 and 8.

page_text: When the platform is pushed backward the door ¹ falls open by its own weight and is
prevented from falling too far by a jointed link k pivoted, at one end to the side of the
case and, at the other end to a bracket Fig. 6. secured to the inner face of the
said door. When the case is closed by the closing of the door k¹ and the forward
movement of the back of said case, the case is purposely so narrow as to require
the front and back of the case to be notched, as shewn in figs. 7 and 8, partly in
dotted lines to contain the counterpoise and notched weights 7, which are thus
prevented from rattling about in the case.
A rack bar D Fig. 6 is secured to the platform D and is engaged by a toothed
lever A which turns upon a horizontal stud as, so that, turning down the free upper
end of the lever A¹ throws the platform backward, causing the shoes to run upon
the rolls and causing the cams d 10 to be drawn backward, allowing the weighing
levers to take their proper bearings on each other and the case to be opened to
expose the weight indicating devices, (see fig. 6). Turning up the free end of the
lever A draws the platform forward, closes the case and lifts the weighing levers
out of their weighing positions.
The lever A is retained in its vertical position by a retaining spring rod or leaf
spring a which springs over a pin a projecting from one of the stakes a¹ (figs. 2
and 3) or which springs into a notch in the end of said pin, said spring being secured
to its lower end to the side off said lever A¹ below said pin when said lever is in a
vertical position and reaching up to or nearly to the upper end of said lever, to
enable the spring to be disengaged from said pin a' by the hand which grasps the
lever A. Check-links (fig. 4) loosely connect the lever or stand X and frame A,
in the usual manner, for the purpose of steadying said lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The combination of the truck-frame, supported on wheels weighing levers and
weight-indicating devices, supported on said frame, a platform, normally resting on
said frame, but adapted to slide off from said frame, on to said weighing-levers, a
case, normally closed to conceal said indicating-devices and adapted to be opened
upon the sliding of said platform on to said weighing-levers and to be closed by
the sliding of said platform on to said truck-frame, as and for the purpose
specified.
2. The combination of the truck-frame, weighing lovers and weight indicating
devices, supported on said frame, a platform, normally resting on said frame but
adapted to be moved off from said frame on to said weighing levers, a case, having
a door, hinged at its lower edge to said case, and provided with a down banging
arm, a bracket or projection secured to said platform and adapted when said platform
is moved from said truck frame on to said weighing levers, to allow said door to
swing open by its own weight and when said platform is moved in the reverse
direction, to strike said arm and to close said door, as and for the purpose
specified.
3. The combination of the truck frame, weighing levers, and weight indicating
devices, supported on said frame and having weights and a counterpoise, a platform,
normally supported upon said frame but adapted to be moved off from said frame
on to said weighing levers, and a case, normally concealing said weight-indicating
devices, the back of said case being. removable therefrom and being secured to said
platform and the other parts of said case being supported on said truck-frame, said
case being provided with a door, normally closed but adapted to open upon the
spring of said platform from said frame to said levers, said case being narrower than
said weights and counterpoise and said back and door being notched to receive
weights and counterpoise and to prevent the same from moving in said case when said
case is closed, as and for the purpose specified.
4. The combination of the truck frame, provided with posts, weighing levers and
weight indicating devices having weights and a counterpoise, supported on said

page_text: frame, a platform provided with head stakes and normally supported upon said frame,
but adapted to be moved off from said frame on to said weighing levers, a case,
normally concealing said weight indicating devices, the back of said case being
secured to said head stakes and the other parts of said case being supported on said
posts, said case being provided with a door, normally closed but adapted to open
upon the moving of said platform from said frame on to said levers, said case being
narrower than said weights and counterpoise and the back and door of said case
being notched to receive the same and to prevent the same from moving in said
case, when said case is closed, as and for the purpose specified.
5. The combination of the truck frame, weighing levers and weight indicating
devices, supported on said frame, a platform, normally resting upon said frame but
adapted to be moved off from said frame on to said weighing levers, a case, having
a door, hinged at its lower edge to said case and provided with a down-hanging
arm, a bracket or projection, secured to said platform and adapted, when said platform
is moved from said truck-frame on to said weighing-levers, to allow said door to
swing open by its own weight and when said platform is moved in the reverse
direction to strike said arm and to close said door and a stop, to prevent said door
from opening so far as to carry the free end of said arm past said projection on said
platform, as and for the purpose specified.
6. The combination of the truck frame, weighing levers and weight indicating
devices, supported on said frame, a platform normally resting on said frame but
adapted to be moved off from said frame on to said weighing levers, a case having a
door, hinged at its lower edge to said case and provided with a downhanging arm, a
bracket or projection, secured to said platform and adapted, when said platform is
moved from said truck frame on to said weighing levers to allow said door to swing
open by its own weight and, when said platform is moved in the reverse direction, to
strike said arm and to close said door, and a jointed stop link, connecting said door
and said case and limiting the motion of said door, to prevent the free end of said
arm from moving too far to be engaged by said bracket, as and for the purpose
specified.
7. The combination of truck frame, supported on wheels weighing levers and weight
indicating devices, supported on said frame, a platform normally resting on said
frame but adapted to be moved longitudinally off from said frame on to said
weighing levers, as and for the purpose specified.
8. The combination of the truck frame, supported on wheels weighing levers and
weight indicating devices supported on said frame, a platform, normally resting on
said frame, but adapted to be moved longitudinally off from said frame on to said
weighing levers, a rack bar secured to said platform, and a lever having its fulcrum
on said frame, and having teeth to engage said rack, to move said platform by the
turning of said lever into either of its positions, as and for the purpose specified.
9. The combination of the truck frame weighing levers provided with knife edges,
and weight indicating devices supported on said frame a four-armed lever or stand
supported on said weighing levers, a platform, normally supported on said truck frame
but adapted to be moved on to said four armed lever, said last named lever being
provided with an upwardly projecting post, a pin driven through said post, a spring
surrounding said post below said pin, a yoke, surrounding said post and spring and
provided with ears, cams or inclines secured to the underside of said platform, and
running under said ears, when said platform is moved off from said four armed lever
and raising said four armed lever, without jar or liability of breaking, said cams, off
from the knife edges of said weighing-levers, as and for the purpose specified.
10. The combination of the truck frame, weighing-levers, provided with knife-edges,
and weight-indicating devices, supported on said frame, a four-armed lever or stand
supported on said weighing levers, a platform normally supported on said truck frame
but adapted to be moved on to said four armed lever, said last-named lever being
provided with an upwardly projecting post, a spring surrounding said post below
said pin, a yoke surrounding said post and spring and reaching under said spring
and provided with ears, cams or inclines, secured to the under side of said platform

page_text: and running under said ears, when said platform is moved off from said four-armed
lever and raising said four armed lever without jar or liability of breaking said cams,
off from said knife edges of said weighing levers, another cam or incline, having
a less inclination than said first named cam, secured to the platform and reaching under
the lower one of said weighing levers and adapted to raise said weighing levers off
from their bearing surfaces but not into contact with said four-armed lever, when
said platform is so moved off from said last named lever, as and for the purpose
specified.
11. The weighing-lever, having arms formed of straight strips of steel, set on
edge, and having ends cast thereon, having said knife edges cast in said ends as and
for the purpose specified.
12. The Y shaped weighing lever, having diverging arms, formed of straight strips
of steel set on edge and having ends cast thereon, and having steel knife-edges
arranged in the same straight line with each other and at angles with said arms
and cast in said ends and removable therefrom as and for the purpose specified.
13. The Y shaped lever, weighing levers, having diverging arms formed of straight
strips of steel set on edge and having ends cast thereon, and having steel knife edges,
arranged in the same straight line with each other and at angles with said arms and
cast in said ends and removable therefrom, and having a Y shaped block arranged
between said arms at the junction thereof, and bolts passing through said arms and
block and a steel knife edge cast in said block parallel with said first-named knife
edge, as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 3rd day of April 1889.
TOWNSEND PERCY.
By his Agent, Walter Brierley,
Town Hall Buildings, Halifax.