AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE WEIGHT OF LUGGAGE AND MERCHANDISE
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Gedge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th July 1864.-A communication from abroad by Elisa Catenot, of
39, Faubourg Saint Martin, Paris, France, Widow.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of
No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE WEIGHT OF LUGGAGE AND MERCHANDISE," (a com-
munication to me from abroad by Elisa Catenot, of 39, Faubourg Saint
Martin, Paris, France, Widow,) to be as follows:-
The use of this improved apparatus does not at all slacken the operation of
weighing, because it acts simultaneously with the cursor of the steelyard, and
it will be found specially useful at railway stations.
It is composed, firstly, of a steelyard weighing machine of any description;
with cursor or slide of a form easy to the grasp of the hand; secondly, of a
hollow column supporting a dial plate, on one side of which is traced the
sane number of divisions as there are on the steelyard; thirdly, of an index
turning on the dial as the cursor is moved backwards or forwards on the
steelyard; lastly, of a simple mechanical arrangement putting the steelyard
in direct communication with the index or dial hand.
The luggage or merchandise being placed on the platform of the weighing.
machine, the weight is ascertained as in other portable weighing machines.
The equilibrium of the steelyard is established by means of the cursor, which

page_text: is moved backwards and forwards until the small indexes are well opposite
each other, without paying any attention to the dial, the hand on which
follows the movements of the cursor, unless it be to announce the weight of
the package, which will be indicated by the figure in front of which the dial-
hand will have stopped.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings forming part of this Provisional
Specification, Figure 1 shews a side view of that part of the weighing machine
on which is fixed the checking dial; Figure 2, front view of the entire
instrument, indicating simultaneously on the steelyard and on the dial that
the platform of the weighing machine is loaded with a weight of 110 lbs. or
50 kilogrammes; Figure 3, plan of the part shewn in elevation at Figure 1;
Figure 4, back view of the arrangement which causes the dial hand to move
at the same time as the cursor weight of the steelyard; and Figure 5, side
view of the axle or spindle of the hand or index furnished with all the parts
fixed to it.
A indicates the bottom casing of the weighing machine; B, platform of
same; C, pillar; D, hollow column supporting the dial plate, and the supports
of the axle of the dial hand; E, checking dial; F, Roman balance or steel-
yard, having a number of notches equal to the number of divisions on the
dial plate; G, silk cord encased in metal putting the cursor weight M in
communication with the pulley J, to which it is fixed by means of the stops J
and m, and which may stretch when required by means of the recall screw g;
H, indicating hand of the checking dial; J, pulley receiving in its groove the
cord G, and fixed on the axle of the dial hand; K, spiral spring fixed on one
side to the axle L, on the other at k, and serving to bring back the dial hand
to the point zero on the dial plate, when the cursor weight M is brought
back to the point zero on the steelyard; L, axle of the dial hand; M, cursor
weight, with grasp; N, small friction roller fixed to the scale beam or steel-
yard F, and serving to guide the cord G in the two directions.