Improvements in Steelyards and Cattle Weighing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 20th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1891.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steelyards and Cattle Weighing Machines.
I, WILLIAM BEILBY AVERY, of the firm of W. & T. Avery, of Mill Lane,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Weighing Machine Manufacturers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:
My invention relates to the manner in which I construct and arrange steelyard
weighing machines, whereby I am enabled to indicate the amount or weight of the
animal or article being weighed, upon a dial or dials in full public view, and
capable of being read in a distinct manner by any interested person.
In carrying my invention into effect I construct a steelyard weighing machine
with the platform & levers arranged in the usual ordinary manner but I employ a
central pillar or post up which the main rod passes from the transfer compound
levers, to carry a circular case or box within or upon which I place one or more
dials.
14
Through the centre of this circular box or casing I place a spindle and upon
this spindle I sometimes mount one dial having figures thereon for indicating up to
any desired amount upon the circumference of the circle in which the figures are
placed. Upon the spindle I mount or secure a toothed wheel and I arrange a rack
with similar teeth upon it, immediately beneath the toothed wheel; which rack I
employ as the sliding poise for determining the weight of the animal or article upon
the machine. The rack I cause to move backwards and forwards by hand and I
make the outer end of the rack somewhat heavy to form the heavy poise when
very heavy weights are to be indicated or when two poises are to be employed for
recording the adjustment more minutely upon a second dial or indicator.
When arranging two dials upon my improved machine the one to indicate
say stones while the other indicates pounds or any other, suitable division of the
indicator that may be required; I then mount one dial upon a boss or sleeve which
runs upon the spindle carrying the other dial so that one record can be made
quite independently of the other. place a toothed wheel upon the sleeve of the
second dial and I arrange a second sliding rack to act as the light poise weight.
Thus when the heavy poise rack is drawn out along the arm of the steelyard until
the weight is nearly balanced, the dial is set in motion, and records the amount of
load upon the platform of the machine which produces the degree of equilibrium
and upon the second or light poise rack being drawn out until a perfect equilibrium
or satisfactory balance is obtained, the second dial records automatically the exact
load producing that effect.
14
The outer case or front of the dial box I construct with a suitable opening or
hole in order that the figures brought opposite to it by the dials may be distinctly
read. And in order that the front dial may not prevent the index of the back dial
being clearly read and distinguished, I construct the portion of the front dial
which is immediately in front of the second dial figures with a number of
openings or gratings for permitting the figures passing behind to be seen through
them.
+.
I protect the racks by a suitably formed casing arranged upon the central post
opposite to the side of the vibrating arm or lever of the steelyard, and I employ
any ordinary bracket for protecting the vibrating arm and for supporting the end
carrier.
Instead of employing rotating dials to register the amount necessary to produce
equilibrium I sometimes employ rotating arrows or pointers working in front of
a fixed dial or dials the arrows being of varying lengths necessary to indicate

page_text: upon different scales or division's as may be required for any purpose. I cause the
indications to be made by the arrows, by means of the travelling racks and pinions
in the manner before described when actuating the dials.
I sometimes actuate my indicators or dials by means of a chain, band, cord, or
other similar device which I wind round a barrel or barrels carried upon the
dials or indicators, and then lead off over suitable pulleys or guide rollers to
the moving poise or poises to which I secure the end or ends of such coiled
appliance or appliances. Thus when the poise is withdrawn along the arm of the
steelyard it uncoils from the barrel or drum causing it to rotate and indicate the
weight upon the machine.. Within the barrel or drum I place a coiled spring or I
arrange a system of weights against which the poise pulls, in order to keep a tension
upon the chain, cord, or band, when uncoiled.
I do not limit the application of my improved sliding rack poise, or coiled band
or chain, indicator constructed in the several manners hereinbefore set forth, to any
particular form of steelyard or special cattle weighing machine, but I adopt the
same systems of indicator or dial movement as herein before described when
constructing a weighing machine for any usual or ordinary purpose.
:
Dated this 14th day of November 1890.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steelyards and Cattle Weighing Machines.
I, WILLIAM BEILBY AVERY, of the firm of W. & T. Avery, of Mill Lane,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Weighing Machine Manufacturers, 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 :-
My invention relates to the manner in which I construct and arrange steelyard
weighing machines, whereby I am enabled to indicate the amount or weight of the
animal or article being weighed, upon a. dial or dials in full public view, and capable
of being read in a distinct manner by any interested person.
In carrying my invention into effect I construct a steelyard weighing machine
with the platform and levers arranged in the usual ordinary manner but I employ
a central pillar or post up which the main rod passes from the transfer compound
levers, to carry a case or box within or upon which I place, one or more dials.
In order that my invention may be readily understood, I append hereunto two
sheets of explanatory drawings-
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the dial and central pillar, and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is an elevation showing the back of the dials with the operating sliding
racks, and Figure 4 is a plan of the same.
On Sheet 2, Figure 5 is a sectional elevation showing the racks and wheels;
Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation and Figure 7 is a sectional plan of the
same.
Through the centre of the dial box or casing A. I place a spindle B, and upon
this spindle mount one dial C having figures thereon for indicating up to any
desired amount upon the circumference of the circle in which the figures are
placed. Upon the spindle I also mount or secure a toothed wheel E and I arrange
a rack F with similar teeth upon it, immediately beneath the toothed wheel; which
Tack I employ as the sliding poise for determining the weight of the animal or article
upon the machine. The rack I cause to move backwards and forwards by hand,
and I make the outer end of the rack F somewhat heavy to form the heavy poise

page_text: when very heavy weights are to be indicated or when two poises are to be employed
for recording the adjustment more minutely upon a second dial or indicator.
When arranging two dials upon my improved machine the one to indicate say
stones, while the other indicates pounds, or any other suitable division of the
indicator that may be required, I then mount the second dial D upon a boss or
sleeve G which runs upon the spindle B carrying the other dial so that one record
can be made quite independently of the other. I place a toothed wheel G³ upon
the sleeve G of the second dial, and I arrange a second sliding rack H to act as
the poise weight. Thus when the poise rack H, His drawn out along the arm of the
steelyard until the weight is nearly balanced, the dial D is set in motion, and
records the amount of the load standing upon the platform of the machine which
produces a certain degree of approaching equilibrium; and upon the second or
poise rack F, F being drawn out until a perfect equilibrium or satisfactory balance
is obtained, the second dial C records automatically by the rotation of its connected
wheel B the exact load producing that effect. The two indications being given
upon the dials to denote the exact weight upon the machine. The outer case or
front of the dial box AI construct with a suitable opening or hole A¹ in order that
the figures brought opposite to it by the dials may be distinctly read. And in
order that the front dial may not prevent the index of the back dial being
clearly read and distinguished, I sometimes construct the portion of the front
dial which is immediately in front of the second dial figures with a number of
openings or gratings for permitting the figures passing behind to be seen through
them.
Instead of forming one dial with holes for permitting the figures of the other
dial to be seen through, I sometimes construct them with their faces in line with
cach other, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, so that the figures are
distinctly seen without break or interruption between them. I mount each dial
or plate C, D, upon supporting arms or centres, such that one centre is recessed or
led back to permit of the other working in front of it. That is to say, I cause the
outer dial D to be in the form of a ring, and the inner one C to be either a ring or
a disc the external diameter of which is less than the internal diameter of the
outer ring D, so that it may work freely within it.
I protect the racks F, H, by suitably forming the casing A that it may enclose
them as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 the casing being arranged upon the
central post or frame K opposite to the side of the vibrating arm or lever L of the
steelyard, and employ any ordinary bracket for protecting the vibrating arm
and for supporting the end carrier.
Instead of employing rotating dials C, D, to register the amount necessary to
produce equilibrium, I sometimes employ rotating arrows or pointers working in
front of a fixed dial or dials, the arrows being of varying lengths necessary to
indicate upon different scales or divisions as may be required for any purpose. I
cause the indications to be made by the arrows, by means of the travelling racks
and pinions in the manner before described when actuating the dials.
I sometimes actuate my indicators or dials by means of a chain, band, cord or
other similar device, which I wind round or upon a barrel or barrels carried upon
the dials or indicators, and then lead off the chain or other device over suitable
pulleys or guide rollers to the moving poise or poises to which I secure the end or
ends of such coiled appliance or appliances. Thus when the poise is withdrawn
along the arm of the steelyard, it uncoils from the barrel or drum, causing it to
rotate and indicate the weight upon the machine.
Within the barrel or drum I place a coiled spring, or I arrange a system of
weights against which the poise pulls in order to keep a tension upon the chain,
cord or band when uncoiled.
I do not limit the application of my improved sliding rack poise, or coiled band
or chain indicator constructed in the several manners hereinbefore set forth to any
particular form of steelyard or special cattle weighing machine, but I adopt the

page_text: same system of indicator or dial movement as hereinbefore. described when
constructing a weighing machine for any usual or ordinary purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
(1) The combination and arrangement of steelyards and weighing machines
having a sliding rack or racks to give motion by means of a wheel or wheels to
circular dials or pointers, substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
as illustrated in the accompanying drawings..
(2) In steelyards and cattle weighing machines the application and arrangement
of sliding poises for automatically indicating the weight upon the machine,
substantially as hereinbefore described, and as set forth in the accompanying
drawings.
(3) The construction of steclyards and cattle weighing machines having
independent rotating dials or arrows arranged to indicate by the movement of
independent poises substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of August 1891.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.