CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES AND ALSO IN STEELYARDS
Year: 1845

page_text: GRISSELL AND LANE'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
GRISSELL and JAMES LEWIS LANE, of Regent's Canal Iron Works, Engineers,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of March, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Henry Grissell and James Lewis Lane, our exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said
Henry Grissell and James Lewis Lane, our exors; admors, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Henry Grissell and James Lewis Lane, our exors,
admors, or assigns; should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed should and.
lawfully might make, use; exercise, and vend; within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEIGHING MACHINES, AND ALSO IN STEELYARDS;" in which said Letters Patent.
is contained a proviso, that we; the said Henry Grissell and James Lewis Lane,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner-the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately.

page_text: after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Henry Grissell and James Lewis Lane, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists in so arranging the fulcrum of the steelyard and also
the fulcrum of a beam for a weighing machine, and likewise the bars upon
which the moving weight travels, that the centres or knive edges from which
the moving weight is suspended may be brought up to and even passed beyond
(that is, on the goods side of) the fulcrum or axis of motion of the steelyard or
beam. By this arrangement the necessity for a rod or scale generally used at
the end of the steelyard or beam for receiving shifting weights may be dis-
pened with, as the moving weight alone will indicate from the lighest up to
the heaviest weight of goods which the machine is intended to weigh. To
adjust the steelyard or beam we proceed in the following manner :-
When the weight of the steelyard or beam is too light, or will not balance
the goods scale of the machine to which it is attached, we prefer so weighting
the steelyard that it shall oscillate freely without the moving weight, and when
the oscillation has ceased the indicator shall shew a perfect balance. Now, it
is evident, if the indicator shews a perfect balance without the moving weight,
and the moving weight is then placed upon the steelyard exactly in a line with
the fulcrum or axis of motion (which will be zero), the steelyard will still
remain in equilibrium, as the equilibrium of the steelyard will not be effected
by the moving weight, however great or small, when placed in the position as
above described; but this weight must be so regulated, that when it is moved
from zero to a given point at the end of the steelyard it shall be equivalent to
or balance the greatest weight of goods which the machine is intended to
weigh. The space between these points is to be divided into equal divisions
(as shewn), and each of these divisions represent such denomination of weight
as may be desired, depending upon the power of the machine. When the
weight of the steelyard or beam more than balances the goods scale of
the machine to which it is connected, we, in this case, for the purpose of
simplifying the adjustment, arrange the parts so that the large moving weight
may pass to the goods side of the fulcrum or axis of motion of the steelyard or
beam to such a position as will place the steelyard in equilibrium, which position

page_text: will then be zero or the starting point. In weighing machines to weigh more
than one hundredweight we use two moving weights, as shewn in Drawing B,
and when this arrangement is adopted the beam or steelyard is balanced while
the small weight is at zero on the bar on which that small weight moves, and
this small weight must be so regulated that when it is moved from zero to a
given point at the end of its bar it will indicate or be equivalent to the greatest
number of pounds or any other denomination of weight which this weight is
intended to counterbalance, and the space between these points is then to be
divided into the number of divisions required. Then for regulating the large
moving weight proceed as before described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Drawing A represents a steelyard as applied to an ordinary weighing
machine; Figure 1 is a side view. a is the steelyard; 6 is what we call the
crosshead, one end of which is firmly secured to the side of the steelyard, as
represented, so that the carriage e and the moving weight f may pass the
fulcrum or axis of motion, and also clear the column or support, which is
furnished with V grooves to receive the fulcrum centres, marked C, of the steel:
yard; d is the centre or knife edge, fitted into a projection on the crosshead,
from which is suspended a rod for connecting the steelyard in the usual
manner with the lower beam, which supports the goods scale board of the
machine; e is a sliding or travelling carriage, made in the ordinary manner,
and furnished with a centre or knife edge for carrying the large moving
weight f; g is a rod or link for suspending the moving weight from the sliding
carriage; the form of the link (shewn at Figures 1 and 2) is such that it may
clear the crosshead 6 and pass the fulcrum or axis of motion. Figure 2
represents an end view of the steelyard and parts connected therewith; and
Figure 3 represents a plan of the same.
In order to shew more clearly the manner in which the different parts are
brought together, corresponding parts are marked with similar letters.
Drawing B represents a beam upon the principle of a steelyard, shewing
our Invention as applied to one of Herbert George James' Patent One Ton
Weighing Machines.
Figure. 1.-a is the beam; b, b, are centres or knife edges, forming the
fulcrum of the beam a; these knife edges rest in V grooves fixed on the tops
of the uprights or standards C of the machine. Bosses or lugs are cast on the
beam, into which are fitted centres or knife edges marked d, d, and from these
centres the goods scale is suspended by connecting rods. The cup a³ on the

page_text: .
end of the beam is for the reception of shot or any other articles, for the
purpose of taring the machine. Upon the middle bar a¹ of the beam slides a
carriage, rom which is suspended the large moving weight 2. The cross bar
of the beam, marked a, is curved, as represented, so as to allow the sliding
carriage and weight to come up to or pass beyond the fulcrum or axis of
motion, as before described."
Figure 2 represents a side view of the beam, shewing the top bar or beam,
marked e, supported at each end by an upright or standard; this bar-c. is
divided into one hundred and twelve divisions, each division representing one
pound f small moving weight.
Figure 3 represents a longitudinal section of the beam, for the purpose of
shewing the rack m fixed on the centre bar a', and which is marked with
divisions corresponding with the weight the machine is capable of bearing.
g is the sliding carriage, with a boss at the end, into which is tightly fitted a
pin or axle, marked h; upon this axle is fitted a pall marked k, one end of
which is made to fit the recesses in the rack m. This being a twenty-hundred-
weight machine, the rack is divided into twenty equal divisions, each division
indicating one hundredweight, and at each of these divisions is a recess or
notch, and into these recesses the pall k attached to the sliding carriage is made
to fit, to prevent the carriage from shifting either backwards or forwards while
weighing.
Figure 4 represents a plan of a beam a as applied to a one ton weighing
machine, similar to that shewn at Figures 1, 2, and 3, except that the centre
bar a of the beam is extended much farther beyond the fulcrum or axis of
motion, and the space from c to d is. divided into twenty-eight equal divisions
to represent pounds, and the space from e to f is divided into eighty equal
divisions to represent quarters of a hundredweight. By this arrangement the
two shifting or moving weights slide on the centre bar a¹ of the beam, thus
rendering the small bar, on which slides the light weight over the beam, as
represented at Figures 1, 2, and 3, unnecessary. ¨b, b, are the centres or knife
edges, forming the fulcrum or axis of motion; m, m, are centres or knife
edges, and from these centres the goods scale is suspended by connecting rods,
as before described.
c. Drawing C. Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 is a longitudinal section, of
another of our improvements as applied to weighing machines. a, a, a, a, and
a', a, a, a', are two beams; b, b, b; b, are V-centres, fitted into bosses or lugs
east on the box or frame, for receiving the centres e, e, e¹, e¹, which form the
fulcra of the beams; ff.f, f, are centres or knife edges, on which the scale

page_text: board g, g, rests; on the under side of the scale board is fixed four V centres,
two of which are seen in Figure 2, marked h, and rest on the centres f, f,f,f,
of the two beams. The long arm of the beam a passes over or under the
beam a', as may be found most convenient. At the end of each beam is fitted
a centre c; c¹; these centres 'c, c¹, rest upon the V centres fixed to the bottom of
the rod l, which connects the two beams a, a¹, with the steelyard. The steel-
yard may be constructed and supported on the upright or standard in the
manner represented in Drawing A, Figures 1, 2, and 3, or other description of
beam or steelyard may be applied. The beams a and a¹ being of different
lengths, and the beam a being longer than the beam a¹, the distance from the
centres e, e, to the centre c in the beam a is greater than the distance from the
centres e, e', to the centre c' in the beam a¹; it is therefore necessary that the
distance from the fulcra of each beam to their centres which carry the scale
board should be different, and this difference must be exactly in proportion to
the length of the two beams; thus, if the length of the beam a from the
centres e, e, to the centre c is four feet, and the length of the beam a¹ from
the centres e, e¹, to the centre c¹ is only two feet, then if the distance from the
centres e, e, of the beam a to those f, f, be six inches, the distance from the
centres e, e, of the beam a¹ to those f, f, must be three inches; by which
arrangement, although the two beams differ in length, the weight of any article
placed upon the goods scale presses with the same force upon the connecting
rod l, notwithstanding one beam may sustain a greater amount of the weight of
such article than the other.
Although we have shewn the centres f, ff, f, in Drawing C, Figures 1
and 2, bearing in V centres h, h, h, h, fixed into the lugs, cast on the under
side of the scale plate, we in some cases support these centres upon
swinging bearings called rockers, constructed in the ordinary manner.
Drawing D, Figure 1, is a longitudinal, section, and Figure 2 a plan, of a
similar, machine to that represented in Drawing C, with the scale plate
removed. But in this case.. instead of supporting the scale plate g, g, directly
upon the knife centres f,f¹, of the beams a, a', we introduce between the
centres ff, and the V centres h, h, iron supporting pieces k, k. One of these
supporting pieces is shewn in Figure 3, and they are also seen in their respec-
tive places in Figure 1, k, k, and we prefer that two of such supporting pieces
should be connected together, as shown at Figure 3, though they may be
separate if desired; and one of the ends of each of these connected supporting
pieces k, k, is seen in Figure 2. These supporting pieces are furnished with
V grooves to rest on the knife edges f. f, f', f', of the beams a, a, and the top

page_text: edges are rounded to fit the grooves on the under side of scale plate. It is
evident, that as these supporting pieces have no fixed points, they would be
liable during the operation of weighing to fall from their proper positions.
To prevent this we employ two flat bars or links of iron o, o, as shewn in
Figure 2, with a hole drilled at one end of each to fit on to the pins m, m,
which are fixed into the frame of the machine; at the other end of each of
these bars or links o is a hook to drop on to the pin n, fixed into a lug cast on
'the under side of the scale plate; the flat bars of iron o, o, are seen in their
situations in Figures 1 and 2, and it will be seen that they serve to steady the
scale plate g in the frame of the machine; and it is evident that the sup-
porting pieces.k are capable of being applied to other similar weighing machines
not constructed according to the former part of our Invention.
Having thus described' the nature of our Invention, and the best means of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the details herein given, so long as the peculiar character of either
part of our Invention be retained; but what we claim is,―
First, the beam or steelyard formed so as to allow the moving weight to
come up to or pass the fulcrum or axis of motion, as above described.
Second, the crosshead with the steelyard or beam attached, in the manner
above described.
Third, we claim the mode of securing a correct holding of the weighing
weight on the steelyard, as described in respect to Drawing B.
Fourth, we claim the applying an additional weight sliding on a bar attached
to the beam or steelyard for the purpose of. indicating smaller weights, as
herein described.
Fifth, we claim the supporting the platform of weighing machines on beams
of different lengths, as described with respect to Drawing C.
Sixth, we claim the applying supporting pieces between the scale plate or
platform and beam or beams of weighing machines, as described in respect to
Drawing D.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Grissell & James Lewis Lane,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and-forty-
five
HENRY
(L.S.) GRISSELL.
JAMES LEWIS (L.S.) LANE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventeenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid Henry Grissell and James Lewis
Lane came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.