Year: 1886

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
Dario Bacas of Madrid Spain) and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This machine which is designed to weigh any kind of article is an improvement
in the automatic weighing machine in use up to the present. Like all others it has
two quadrants with hands to indicate the weight, but the whole of the mechanism
does not contain a single spring.
In the annexed drawings
Figure 1 is a front view of the improved weighing machine.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section and Figure 3 a transverse section through the
head showing the form of the helix curve.
Like all other weighing machines this also has a platform B furnished with the
necessary levers and steel prisms or knife edge fulcrums and through the medium
of the lever T the indicating mechanism is operated upon. This mechanism is in a
cast iron column K surmounted by a cylindrical cast iron box or head G with two
graduated faces I. These faces are divided into a number of divisions along their
circumference.
To
The lever T possesses a steel knife edge and operates on the stirrup T¹ when the
platform is charged with the article to be weighed. To this stirrup is fastened a
metallic ribbon S preferably of steel wound round the shaft of the equipoising
sector R and in consequence the sector will turn in the direction of the arrow.
the extreme edge of the sector is fixed a metallic ribbon Q the other end of which
is attached to the drawbar L. To the upper end of this bar is also fixed a metallic
ribbon J which is wound round the shaft of the double helix A. In this manner
the helix A will turn in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 when the platform B
of the machine is weighed down. To facilitate the movement of the helix A its
shaft E is poised in two stirrups C in the shape of triangles which are suspended
on prisms D fixed in the sides of F of the box G. The shaft E carries on each end
a hand H which turns with the helix and indicates the weight on the divisions of
the faces L

page_text: As will be seen from Figure 2 the helix piece A consists of two similar sides,
each of which has the helix form as shewn in Figure 3. Between these which act
as guides and on their inner ledge rests a shaft W which carries a standard
weight P of predetermined value.
From the arrangement of this mechanism the operation of the machine is easily
understood:
When the platform B of the machine is weighted down the helix A will turn in
the direction of the arrow and the shaft W with the weight P will roll on the
helix. In consequence of the curve of the helix the weight P will be removed
from the perpendicular through the centre of the apparatus in proportion to the
weight on the platform and so balances this weight.
To prevent a prolonged oscillation of the weight P two guides V are fixed in the
box G having each a groove Z in which the ends of the shaft W run.
The lever O' serves to hold all the movable parts of the apparatus in place and
is attached to sector O which turns on a pivot and carries on its extreme edge two
steel blades fixed in a double stirrup N. The draw bar L has a small cross head M
whose arms slide in the grooves of the stirrups N. When the lever O¹ is elevated
the stirrups N are lowered and leave the draw bar L free to operate.
When the lever O' is lowered the stirrups N hold the cross head M up and the
draw bar is held rigid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
1. In a weighing machine the drawbar L connected with the mechanisin of the
platform B by a sector R and two metallic ribbons such as S and Q, this draw-
bar L being actuated by said sector which is operated by the platform lever T
substantially as specified.
2. In a weighing machine a double helix such as A the shaft E of which carries
the index hands H the said helix piece being turned by the metallic ribbon J which
connects it with the drawbar L, and carries between its two belix curves the
shaft W with the weight which rolls on the curves and so balances the weight
placed on the platform of the machine, substantially as specified.
3. In a weighing machine a standard weight P, which rolls on a rotary movable
helix, such as A balancing the weight placed on the platform of the machine
through the displacement of said weight P substantially as specified.
4. In a weighing machine a locking system to keep or hold the movable parts of
the machine at rest consisting of a sector O operated by the lever O and carrying
on its edge two metallic ribbons fixed to two stirrups such as N which when
desired uphold the drawbar L by the cross head M substantially as specified.
Dated this 15th day of April 1886.