Improvements in Spring-balance Computing Scales.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1895-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spring-balance Computing Scales.
We, JOHN HENRY SWIHART, Watch-maker, CHARLES ALBERT HOYT,
FRANK CORLISS HOYT, and GEORGE BENJAMIN HOYT, Dealers in Scales,
all of Dayton, in the County of Montgomery, and State of Ohio, United States
of America, 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:-
The invention relates to improvements in spring-balance computing scales.
The object of the invention is to provide mechanism intervening between the
computing dial and the sliding bars whereby said dial is relieved from any sudden
movement or jerk when goods or other weighty substance is placed or thrown upon
the scale pan, and which tends to impair the efficiency of the scale.
A further object of the invention is to provide means for taking up the tare
weight or the weight of the article or receptacle in which the commodity to be
weighed is placed, and a further object is to provide a dial having a double
capacity for computing units of weight and units of value.
To these ends the invention embodies features that will be fully described in the
Specification and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings hereto annexed and forming a part of the Specification,
Figure 1. is an elevation of the supporting plate having the computing dial
removed to show the mechanism for actuating said dial.
Figure 2. a detached elevation of the mechanism for actuating the dial showing
a rack and pinion which may be substituted for the friction devices shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 3. is a detached view of the devices for actuating the computing dial, as
shown in Figure 1.
Figure 4. is a section on the line X-X of Fig. 1.
Figure 5. is a section on the line Y-Y Figure 1.
Figure 6. is a detached side elevation of the cams and adjunctive devices for
actuating the computing dial, removed from Figure 2.
Figure 7. is a detached detail view showing the use of three cams that may be
substituted in the place of two as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Figure 8. a detached detail view of one of the cams and controlling springs.
Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of the computing dial.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.
A designates the metallic supporting plate having a concavity over which the
sliding bars a b care mounted. The outer bars a and c are secured to a cross plate d
and have their lower ends made secure to a socket piece e. The bar blies parallel
with and between the bars a and c, and has its lower end screw threaded and
inserted in a central opening in the plate e. f¹ designates a thumb nut engaging
with said screw-threaded end and adapted to move in a slot in the bars a c. In
the front or rear of the opening there is a parallel opening e' of smaller diameter,
adapted to provide a seat for a spiral spring ell upon which a round bar h rests,
and is normally pressed against the under side of the nut f. Further mention of
these parts will be hereinafter made. The bars a c are maintained in a normal
upward position by spiral springs B B', and are maintained in a sliding position by
guides, a a' that are screwed to the face of the plate A.
i designates a spindle, the rear end of which is journaled in the inner side of the

page_text: plate A, and the outer end in the price per pound bar C which extends across the
face of the dial and is secured to the rim of the plate A. Further mention of this
bar will be hereinafter made.
designate heart cams rigidly mounted on said spindle one above the other
with their apexes projecting in diametrically opposite directions.
designates a plate rigidly mounted on the outer end of said spindle and to
which the computing dial D is attached. It will thus be seen, the heart cams i¹¹¹
are the only parts of the revolving mechanism in rigid contact with the spindle.
j designates a sleeve that loosely incloses said spindle and upon which is rigidly
mounted a bar ". This bar has projecting therefrom pins kk, to which are
attached fixed springs. These springs have each a pin or lug k²² that
normally presses against the peripheries of the cams, as shown in Figure 8.
Means for revolving said spindle and sleeve consist of a pinion m which is
formed on the sleeve, and a rack bar m' which is pivoted to the upper end of the
sliding barb and normally pressed in gear with said pinion by a spring 1 that is
attached to the upper end of bar b, see Figures 2 and 6, or said sleeve may be
revolved by friction by providing it with a spool n around which is wound a suitable
number of times a cable n' or analogous device, preferably catgut, one end of
which is attached to the lower end of a parallel bar p, and the other end has an
attachment with a sliding bolt q which is mounted in lateral guides u u¹ that
project from the bar p. The bolt 9 has two diameters forming an annular
shoulder against which the upper end of a spiral spring
end of said spring rests upon the lower guide or bracket u.
a normal upward pressure upon the bolt 7 that maintains the
taut for practical purposes.
presses; the lower
This spring c exerts
cable n' sufficiently
The bar is pivoted to a sliding bar in a manner similar to the rack bar m¹
and is maintained in a proper proximity to the sleeve by a spring p² similar to
spring shown in Figure 2. It will therefore be seen that when the sliding bars
are borne downwardly by the weight of the goods placed upon the scale pan, the
sleeve and the spindle are correspondingly moved either by the friction or gear
devices shown and described; the tension of the springs kk being sufficient to
lock the pins 22, in the notches of the cams and compel the parts to move
in unison this is the case whenever a load is not suddenly thrown upon or removed
from the scale pan.
When the scale is handled in a manner contrary to the above, the sudden
impetus given the sleeve will cause the pins k² k² to be withdrawn from the
notches of the cams, thus leaving the dial unmoved for an instant. This relieves
said dial from the sudden jerk, and it is afterwards caused to revolve to its proper
place under the tension of the springs; the pins k2 k² finding their normal position
in the notches in the cams after the sudden momentum given the mechanism has
assumed a more gradual and easy movement. This it is thought will be readily
understood. The strength of the springs kk is greater than the combined
weight of the cams, spindle and dial, and as the pins k² k² are normally locked in
the notches of the cams, the parts so connected will move together under a
systematic or gradual movement of the sliding bars, at which time the dial needs
no protection from sudden jars that tend to wear and loosen the parts. It will be
readily conceived that the positions of the cams and springs may be
changed; that is, the cams may be placed upon the sleeve and the springs k k
upon the spindle or three cams may be used as shown in Fig. 7; the function of
the cams in either event being the same.
Referring to the parts illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. It will be seen that when
a crock or other receptacle is placed upon the scale pan which is depended from
the eye E in the lower end of the plate e, the dial will be revolved to the extent
of the weight of said crock: this tare weight may be taken off by returning the
dial to zero before the article to be weighed is placed in the crock. This is
accomplished by turning the thumb nut to drive the bar up until zero on said
bar reaches the lower rim of the scale plate as shown at S, Fig. 1.

page_text: The pressure of the bar h against one side of said nut acts to lock the latter in
position after being adjusted.
Referring to the computing dial D. This is provided with two outer circles D'
and D containing figures that represent units of weight up to ten pounds. The
figures in the outer circle D¹ are read on the left hand side of the dial and appear
in a contrasting color, while the figures on the inner circle are read on the right of
the dial and are preferably shown in black. The figures in the remaining inner
circles D³ designate units of value of specific quantities of goods sold as per the
price per pound indicated on the transverse bar C. Up to one revolution of the
dial, the indications are read in black figures on the right of the dial, after which
and up to a second revolution of the dial, the indications are read on the left of
said dial preferably in red, thus doubling the capacity of the dial two-fold. To
give an illustration, suppose a purchaser wanted ten pounds of an article selling
for tenpence per pound, said article or goods is placed in the scale pan and the
weight thereof causes the dial to revolve until 8s. 4d. appears just above "10" on
the price per pound bar C which denotes that the dial has made one revolution and
the cost of the article is 8s. 4d. These indications are read preferably in black,
on the right of the dial. Twenty pounds at tenpence per pound would cause a
second revolution of said dial and 16s. 8d. would appear in red on the left hand of
the dial just below "10." The first revolution of the dial may be either indicated
as above described or it may be ascertained from the bar 6 Figure 1.
figure "10" on said bar will appear on alignment with the lower rim of the
plate A when the sliding bars are lowered sufficiently to cause one revolution of
said dial. The spaces between each of the figures in the circles D³ are graduated
to designate one half-penny or may be varied to indicate any desired fractional
part of a unit. The dial may also be arranged differently from that shown, but
the arrangement shown is preferred as the capacity of said dial is increased to a
desirable extent.
The
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination of spring-controlled sliding bars, two of which are movable
together, an intermediate sliding bar movable with said bars or independently
thereof, a rack bar carried by said intermediate sliding bar, a pinion and shaft
rotated by said rack bar, and means for adjusting said intermediate sliding bar to
take off tare, substantially as described.
2. The combination of spring-controlled sliding bars, a rack bar pivoted to one
of said bars, a pinion sleeve movable by said rack bar, cams mounted on and a
shaft inclosed by said pinion sleeve, springs carried by said shaft that normally rest
against the peripheries of said cams, substantially as described.
3. The combination of spring-controlled sliding bars, a shaft, a calculating dial
as herein described, and springs mounted on said shaft, a pinion sleeve with cams
thereon with which said springs normally engage, and a rack bar pivoted to one of
said sliding bars, and means for taking off the tare, substantially as described.
4. The combination of a price and weight indicating dial as described, a vertically
positioned price per pound scale adjacent thereto, a shaft upon which said dial is
fixed, and springs mounted on said shaft, a pinion sleeve, and cams, and means for
rotating said pinion sleeve, substantially as described.
5. The combination of sliding bars, two of which have a fixed connection at
their lower ends, and one of which is movable with said two or independently
thereof, a rack bar pivoted to said independently movable bar, a plurality of
cams fixed to and a shaft loosely inclosed by said pinion sleeve, a plurality of
springs carried on said shaft and normally pressing said cams, substantially as
described.
6. The combination with the supporting plate, of a plurality of sliding bars two
of which are inseparably movable, and one of which is movable with said two or

page_text: independently thereof, springs attached to two of said bars, a rack bar pivoted to
said independently movable sliding bar, a pinion sleeve movable by said rack bar,
a shaft inclosed by said pinion sleeve, and means on said shaft and pinion sleeve
for causing a uniform or independent movement of said parts, substantially as
.described.
7. In a price computing scale, a dial upon which are indicated in circumferential
columns, prices ranging from pence to pounds, and weights ranging from ounces to
pounds, in combination with a shaft upon which said dial is rigidly mounted, spring
bars carried by said shaft, a pinion sleeve inclosing said shaft and upon which a
plurality of cams are mounted against the peripheries of which said spring bars
normally press, a rack by which said pinion sleeve is rotated, and a sliding bar to
which said rack is pivoted, and means for adjusting said sliding bar to relieve the
-scale of tare, substantially as described.
8. In a spring balance scale, a computing dial provided with two series of figures
denoting weight and two series of figures denoting value, each of which series
being indicated at opposite points on said dial, substantially as described.
9. In a spring balance scale, the combination of a bar having figures on both
ends thereof indicating prices per pound, a computing dial with two series of
figures denoting weight and two series of figures denoting value, each of said
series being indicated at opposite points on the dial, and means for revolving said
dial to indicate said weight and value, substantially as described.
10. In a spring balance scale, a computing dial having two outer concentric
circles provided with figures denoting weight, the figures in one circle contrasting
in color with those in the other circle, a series of radial lines of figures inclosed
by said outer circles and denoting values, each alternate line being in contrasting
color, the figures in one color being readable at one point on the dial and those in
the contrasting color being readable at another point on said dial, and a bar
indicating prices per pound adjacent to said dial, substantially as described.
11. In a spring balance scale, the combination with a computing dial, a spindle,
and sliding bars, of cams mounted on said spindle, a sleeve inclosing said spindle, a
spool mounted on said sleeve, and a cable or analogous device for rotating said
sleeve under the action of the sliding bars, substantially as described.
12. In a spring balance computing scale, the combination with sliding bars, and
a thumb nut engaging with one of said bars, of a plate in which the lower ends of
one of said bars is adapted to move, said plate having an eccentric opening therein,
and a spring pressed bar mounted in said opening and adapted to normally press
against the thumb nut, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of June 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agents to Applicants.