IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engincer, for the Invention of “ IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES.”
-A communication from abroad by Fordyce Almon Allen, and
Charles Herman Allen, both of Mansfield, in the State of Penn-
sylvania, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th May 1871.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to indicate the value of any article at
a given rate per pound upon a graduated beam when the beam or one
connected therewith receives. its weight. The graduated balance beam

page_text: is mounted on fulcrum standards fixed on a frame which is capable of
sliding in grooves or dovetail rebates made in the bed or frame of the
machine. The beam with its fulcrum is thus made to slide back and
forth on the bed as may be required for balancing articles of different
weight.
The top edge of the graduated portion of the beam is notched from
one to one hundred, each notch represents say one halfpenny and the
marks and figures on the side of the beam are made to correspond
therewith, this beam being an enumerator and not indicating weight.
The back portion of the beam is forked and made to bear the weight of
the article to be weighed or balanced and at distances from the fulcrum
varying according to the price per pound of the article. Those distances
or points of bearing have a fixed and definite relation to the price per
pound of the article balanced and the forward beam is graduated to
accomplish this object. A price scale per pound is marked on the top
of the bed, and the front end of the sliding frame is the indicator. As
the slide is set on the priced scale the bearing point of the article to bo
balanced is varied in distance from the fulcrum. A weight is hung
on the scale beam by means of which the article is balanced. The
beam is arranged to operate in connection with a balanced-platform on
which the article to be weighed is placed and the back portion of the
beam is forked as before mentioned to connect it with the platform.
The mechanism by which the platform is balanced is similar to that
of the ordinary platform scales. The left side of the balance beam is
graduated to indicate weight or pounds, and ounces.
To ascertain the weight of an article in pounds and ounces, when it
is made to bear upon the beam the slide is drawn out and placed on the
price scale at the number sixteen. When balanced by the weight
on the scale beam the left side of the beam will give the weight.
Office on the 9th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery. Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special liccnice
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward Newton,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES," being a communication to nic
from abroad by Fordyce Almon Allen and Charles Herman Allen, both
of Mansfield, in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
This Invention relates to that class of weighing scales in which the
value of any article at a given rate per pound is ascertained and shown
upon a graduated beam on which or on one connected therewith is
suspended a weight.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents a sectional side
elevation of the improved machine; Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the
same with the balanced platform removed to shew the mechanism below;
Fig. 3 is a front end view of the machine.
A is the bed or foundation of the scale or weighing machine. The
graduated balance beam B is mounted on fulcrum standards D fixed on

page_text: a frame C, which is capable of sliding in grooves or dovetail rebates
made in the bed or foundation of the machine as seen in Fig. 3;
D, D, are the fulcrum stands on the sliding frame C; e is the fulcrum
bar which passes through the balance beam B and rests on knife edge
bearings in the usual manner. The beam with its fulcrum is thus
made to slide back and forth on the bed as may be required for balancing
articles of different weight.
The top edge of the graduated portion of the beam is notched,
each notch represents say one halfpenny and the marks and figures
on the side of the beam as seen in Fig. 1 are made to correspond
therewith, this beam being an enumerator and not indicating weight.
The back portion of the beam is forked and made to bear the weight.
of the article to be weighed or balanced, and at distances from the
fulcrum varying according to the price per pound of the article those
distances or points of bearing have a fixed and definite relation to
the price per pound of the article balanced, and the forward beam is
graduated to accomplish this object. A price scale per pound is marked
at F, Fig. 2, on the top of the bed A, and the front end of the sliding
frame C is the indicator. As the slide is set on the price scale F the
bearing point of the article to be balanced is varied in distance from the
fulcrum. G is a weight on the scale beam by means of which the article
is balanced. The beam is arranged to operate in connection with a
balanced platform H, Figures 1 and 3. The back portion of the beam 13
is forked as before mentioned to connect it with the platform, as seen
at I, Fig. 1. The mechanism by which the platform H is balanced is
similar to that of ordinary platform scales. This part of the mechanism
is enclosed in a frame or case J which is attached by screws or otherwise
to the bed A. The left side of the balance beam is graduated to indicate
weight in pounds and ounces.
To ascertain the weight of an article in pounds and ounces when it
is made to bear upon the beam as before mentioned, the slide C is
drawn out and placed on the price scale F, at the number sixteen.
When balanced by the weight G on the scale beam B, the left side of
the beam will indicate the weight.
To illustrate the operation of the machine for the purposes for which
it is more especially intended (that is to obviate the necessity of com-
puting the cost of an article mentally or by the use of Figures) we will
suppose that a butcher is selling beef at clevenpence per pound.
A

page_text: customer wants a certain piece. The butcher sets the slide at 11, on
the scale F, and balances the beef as before stated, the exact price or
cost of the piece will be given on the beam without making a figure or
any computation whatever, thus avoiding the possibility of making a
mistake besides saving much time. The price scale F is a denominator
while the graduated beam B is an enumerator. The graduation is such
that each notch on the beam indicates such a portion of a pound as is
designated by the position of the slide.
In the arrangement shown in the Drawing the machine is arranged to
calculate the price in English currency, so we have only to set the slide
at the price per pound on the scale F when each notch will indicate
just the weight and value of the article balanced. On the end of the
graduated beam there is a suspended plate J' for holding metallic
weights for balancing articles beyond a certain weight, such metallic
weights indicating one or more shillings each.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and having explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect I claim as the Invention secured to mic
by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the combination of the graduated and
forked balance beam with a platform sliding in the bed or foundation
provided with the price scale F as and for the purpose herein shown
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Ninth day of November,