provements in or relating to Apparatus for Weighing Cotton and other Goods.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Weighing Cotton
and other Goods.
1, EDWARD CUNNINGHAM of 71 Paradise Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Marine Fireman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows.
This invention has for its object to improve the arrangements hitherto in vogue for
weighing cotton and other substances. In the past, the weighing of the cotton at the
ship's sido has been effected by placing the cotton in scales, weighing it and then
transferring the cotton to a truck for carrying away to the warehouse or elsewhere.
Now by my invention, I transfer the cotton direct to the track and then weigh
cotton and truck together, which effects a saving in time and labour
The apparatus
I employ comprises a suitable scale, the platform of which, where the cotton and
truck are weighed, is formed of suitable shape, having at one end a slot or orifice
extending transversely across the platform, thus slot being somewhat narrower than
the diameter of the truck wheels. The slot is filled up by a plate having a limited
vertical travel, being preferably provided with pins which slide in holes in the side of
the platform.
The mode of action is as follows-
The cotton being loaded direct on to the truck, the truck is wheeled on to the scale
platform, in which position the scale platform resting upon the ground causes the
plate to close the transverse slot and he flush with the surface. Immediately, how-
ever, the platform rises in weighing the article, the plate drops down below the lovel
of the platform, leaving a cavity in which the wheels of the tuch fit so that the truck
is locked in place and cannot move away so long as it is being weighed
described my invention more especially in connection with weighing cotton, but it is
obvious that it may equally well be used for weighing other substances.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1895.
I have
WM P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Weighing Cotton
and other Goods.
I, EDWARD CUNNINGHAM of 71 Paradise Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Marine Fireman, 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
-
This invention has for its object to improve the arrangement hitherto in voguo
for weighing cotton and other substances In the past, the weighing of cotton at
the ship's side has been effected by placing the cotton in scales, weighing it, and
then transferring the cotton in a truck for carrying away to the warehouse or
elsewhere

page_text: Now by my invention, as applied to weighing cotton, I transfer the cotton direct
to the truck, and then weigh the cotton and truck together, which effects a saving
in time and labour. The apparatus I employ will be understood from the following
description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is an elevation of that portion of the scale on which the load is 5
placed
In these figues :
A 15 the platform on which the loaded truck is weighed, B the uprights, C the
chatus for suspending the platform from the scale beam. The platform A is formed
of a suitable shape having at one end a slot or orifice D extending transversely across
the platform, this slot being somewhat narrower than the diameter of the truck
wheels D' The slot is filled up by a plate E having a limited vertical travel, being
preferably provided with pins F which slide in holes in the platform. The platform A
may also be provided with transverse hattens G G to form a roughened surface and so
prevent the man slipping when he pulls the truck onto the platform.
The mode of action is as follows'
The cotton being lowered direct onto the truck, the truck is wheeled handles fore-
most onto the scale platform A, in which position the scale platform resting on the
ground causes the plate E to close the transverse slot D and lie flush with the surface.
Immediately however the platform rises in weighing the article, the plate E drops
down below the level of the platform A, leaving a cavity in which the wheels of the
truck drop, so that each truck is locked in place and cannot move away so long as it
is being weighed. In the case of weighing bales of cotton the loaded truck might be
wheeled onto the platform, then upped slightly so that the corner of the bale will drop
into the cavity formed by the dropping down of the drop plate E when the platform
rises, and thus the touch and the bale will be locked in place so that they cannot move
away so long as they are being weighed.
I have described my invention more especially in connection with weighing cotton,
but it is obvious that it may equally well be used for weighing other substances, thus
for example, barrels may be weighed, or other cylindrical objects, being simply rolled
on the platform and then held in place and prevented from rolling off when the
platform rises up by the slot aforesaid.
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 18.-
1. In apparatus for weighing trucks loaded with cotton or other goods, forming the
platform or that portion on which the load is weighed with a tiansverse slot or orifice
rather narrower than the diameter of the truck wheels, said slot being provided with
a movable plato so a ranged that when the platform rises in weighing the load, the
plate will drop down below the level of the platform, so that the wheels will engage in
the cavity left by the dropping down of the plate, whereby the truck is locked in place
and cannot accidentally be shifted until the platform agam descends, when the plate
will close the cavity and he flush with the surface of the platform substantially as
described
2. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming my
apparatus for weighing cotton and other goods substantially as described and shown
in the accompanying drawings.
1000
WM P THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents