IMPROVEMENTS IN BALANCES FOR WEIGHING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Smith, of Mauchline, in the County of Ayr,
North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BALANCES FOR WEIGHING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS."
Sealed the 11th November 1862, and dated the 14th May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
May 1862.
I, ANDREW SMITH, of Mauchline, in the County of Ayr, North Britain,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN BALANCES FOR WEIGHING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS," to be as.
follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of a balance on
the steelyard principle of an exceedingly portable form; and suitable for
weighing letters and documents, and at the same time to indicate the rate of
postage. Under one form of arrangement the improved letter balance consists
of a stem which may be of an elliptical, cylindrical, square, or any other figure
in its transverse section. This stem may be formed of wood, ivory, metal, or
other suitable material, and to one end is attached a small counterweight,
which weight may either be fixed to the stem in the form of a disc, or sus-
pended loosely upon a pivot, and one end of it is. fixed into a counterweight;.
which may be turned in a lathe or otherwise treated to give it. an ornamental:
character. If the-counterweight is formed in wood, it is preferred to hollow

page_text: out a portion of the interior, and fill the cavity with small shot or metal in
any form in order to increase the specific gravity of the weight, and thus
reduce the size as much as possible. The free extremity of the stem is
furnished with a loop of elastic material or with a spring clip for holding the
letter or document. A series of holes are made through the stem at suitable
distances asunder, and these holes are furnished with silk loops, pins, or other
equivalent contrivance for suspending the balance by the hand. The holes
are so disposed as regards their distances from the counterweight, that the
several loops or pins form the proper points of suspension for letters or docu-
ments of different weights, thus obviating the necessity of shifting the counter-
weight or of using separate weights. For example, the loop or pin nearest
the counterweight is arranged for weighing letters or documents not exceeding
a quarter of an ounce in weight, being-the single foreign postage rate. The
next loop is arranged for half ounce letters, and so on in increasing ratios
towards the free end of the stem, for the various rates of postage. The
faces of the counterweight may be conveniently used for tabulating the rates
of Foreign and Colonial postage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Andrew Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th November 1862......
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANDREW
SMITH, of Mauchlin, in the County of Ayr, North Britain, Gentleman, send
greeting...
A.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the, twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself,. Her heirs and successors, give, and grant unto me,
the said Andrew Smith, Her special licence; that, I the said Andrew
Smith, my executors,. administrators, and assigns, or such, others as I, the
said Andrew. Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
timė 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
BALANCES FOR WEIGHING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Andrew Smith, my executors or admis

page_text: nistrators, 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
5 months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Andrew Smith, do hereby declare
the nature of my said 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 arrangement and construction of letter postage
indicator balances or scales for weighing and indicating the rate of postage for
letters and other documents. These balances are arranged for indicating the
weight of articles suspended thereto without the aid of loose weights, and, are
constructed upon a principle which is somewhat analagous to that of the
common steelyard balance.
Under the improved form of this Invention, however, the fulcrum or point
of support upon which the bar is balanced is moveable, and the bar or lever is
graduated from its inferior to its superior end, the former being enlarged to
act as a counterpoise, and the latter being fitted with a looped or other holder
or scale for receiving the letter or other document or article to be weighed.
The moving fulcrum is traversed along the bar to the centre of gravity, when
the graduation thereat indicates the weight. Letter balances formed upon this
principle are of an exceedingly portable form, occupying about the same space
as an ordinary pocket penknife.
Under one form and arrangement these improved letter balances consist of a
metal bar or stem of an elliptical, cylindrical, square, or other figure in its trans-
verse section, the inferior end of which is formed with an ornamental enlarge-
ment, the stem or bar gradually tapering towards the superior end, where it is
perforated to receive an elastic loop, upon which loop a small ball with an
opening in the centre is threaded and slides thereon up to the bar; within the
Joop under this ball the letter or packet to be weighed is placed, the ball is then
passed down the elastic thereto and prevents it from falling out. Along the:
side of the bar are graduations marked,,, 1 oz., &c., or 1, 2, 4, 6d, &c.;.
immediately under these graduations small notches are cut in the bar, and the
sliding fulcrum when moved to the centre of gravity indicates the weight and
rate of postage on one side for the United Kingdom, and on the opposite side
of the bar the corresponding rates for Colonial and Continental postage.
Under another form and arrangement these improved letter balances con-
sist of a bar as before described of wood, ivory, bone, or other material formed

page_text: with a hollow enlargement at the inferior end, the cavity being filled any
suitable substance for increasing its specific gravity, the superior end being
fitted with a loop or other holder as before described; along these bars a
series of holes or perforations are made at the graduated distances, and
through these holes fulcrum loops of silk or cord are inserted for suspending
the balance by the hand; the weight in this case being determined by the
suspending loop of equilibrium. Through these holes, in lieu of loops, fulcrum
pins may be inserted and the weight determined thereby.
.
Other forms of balance may be made by the application of this principle for
general purposes of weighing. The following form or modification of the
foregoing construction will be found to afford a very useful balance or scale
for general household use. A bar of metal of any convenient length of 'a
rectangular or other suitable transverse section is used, one end of which is
formed into a hook, to which a scale may be attached if necessary, the other
end being formed with a solid or hollow cnlargement, as before described,
adjustable by a screw or otherwise, so as to forin an exact counterpoise, with
or without the scale. In place of perforating this bar or graduating it as before
described, the side is marked off into a number of equal divisions, each one of
which divisions is intended to indicate pounds or other units of standard weiglit,
and are numbered from 0, at the inferior end, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, &c., with divisions
between each number; upon this bar an elongated collar is fitted, open at the
sides, so that the graduations and numbers on the bar can be seen there-
through; at the bottom of this collar is-a clamping screw to prevent the bar
from sliding therein when used as herein-after described. Into the top of this
collar a short screw ring bolt, having a "knife edged" fulcrum in its upper
section, is fixed; through this ring bolt a suspending ring is passed.
.
The openings in the elongated collar have their edges chamfered down to
the bar; along the top or bottom chamfer of this collar divisions similar to
those on the bar are cut, answering the purpose of a verneer scale, and indi-
cating standard ounces or other fractional or decimal parts of the units on the
bar; in using this simple balance for ascertaining and indicating the weight of
any articles, the latter are either placed in the scale or attached to the hook,
and the bar is traversed through the collar until an equilibrium is obtained, and
the number of pounds on the bar and the ounces on the verneer on the collar
or other units and fractions of weight are determined and can be read off at a
glance. By varying the graduations of the verneer fractional or decimal parts
of the pounds or ounces, hundredweights, quarters, and pounds, or other units,
can thus be determined with equal facility, and all loose weights entirely
dispensed with. When using a balance of this description for weighing any

page_text: given weight of materials, the collar is adjusted to the weight desired, the
clamping screw before mentioned being turned fixes the collar in position,
when it is only necessary to load the scale to the point of equilibrium.
The Drawing accompanying this Specification shews the balances and scales
as above described.
Fig. 1 is a letter postage indicator balance, with a moveable hand ring or
fulcrum. Fig. 2 is a similar balance with a perforated bar and fulcrum
loops; and Figs. 3 and 4, illustrate the modification last above described as
the household weighing balance. A scale beam weigher, according to the
form of this modification, may be made of sufficient size and capacity for
determining the weights of all articles of commerce, agricultural and mineral
products, without loose weights, while its portability renders it peculiarly
applicable for a number of purposes where ordinary weighing machines could
not be used.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and illustrated the mode of giving practical effect thereto by the accompanying
Drawing (shewing certain applications of the principle), I hereby further
declare that I do not limit myself to the precise forms and modes of applying
the said Invention described and shewn, as the same may be modified in
various ways without departing therefrom.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Smith, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-two.
ANDW. SMITH. (L.S.)