IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEELYARDS FOR WEIGHING MACHINES."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Whitley Stead, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF STEELYARDS FOR WEIGHING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Whitley Stead
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition;
on the 17th June 1873.
I, JAMES WHITLEY STEAD, of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, do, hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEELYARDS FOR WEIGHING MACHINES,” to`
be as follows:-
This Invention is applicable principally to what are called "pit bank"
weighing machines, but it may also be equally applied to machines for
general or other weighing purposes.

page_text: .
I employ a double steelyard formed either as ordinarily of two bars
coupled together at one or both ends or of one bar bent double. One
arm of this bar is marked with divisions to indicate the principal
weights (say hundredweights and tons, for instance) from zero up to
any convenient number, according to the size of the machine and the
length of the steelyard, and is provided with a proportionably heavy
weight, which is movable, but capable of being fixed in any required
position by a thumbscrew or otherwise. The other arm is marked with
two scales, and provided with two lighter weights, one for the tare, which
is set to the average weight of the tub, corve, or other vessel containing
the goods to be weighed, and the other for indicating the exact nett
weight without any mental addition or calculation whatever.
Hitherto this additional scale has commenced at zero, and has been
marked with, say, 4, 1, 4, 1, and so on, so that it has been necessary to take
the indications of the two weights and add them together, for example,
supposing the large weight upon one arm of the steelyard to be fixed at,
say, six hundredweight, and the smaller weight to indicate one hundred-
weight and three-quarters, it would be necessary to add these two indi-
cations together to arrive at the nett weight, which would be seven
hundredweight and three-quarters.
In order to make the nett weight read off direct from the short scale
when the weighing is actually performed without any addition, I have
the figures on this scale movable (like types), and adjust them so that
the figure at the first or zero point corresponds with the minimum figure
at which the large weight is fixed, the said types when adjusted being all
locked by one bar. For example, supposing the minimum weight to be
fixed at, say, seven hundredweight, then zero on the short scale would cor-
respond to seven, and the first principal division would be marked eight,
the second nine, and so on; and it will be evident that the exact nett
weight would be read off direct on the short scale at once. Again,
supposing the range of goods to be weighed averaged from ten "to
fifteen hundredweight, then the minimum weight would be fixed at ten,
and the figures on the short scale would be altered to eleven, twelve,
and so forth.

page_text: Instead of having movable type figures I propose in some instances
to have changeable plates marked with different numbers, say, one
marked 0, 7, 8, 9, and so on; the next, 0, 8, 9, 10, and so forth; and to
change these plates as occasion may require, and as a further modifi-
cation, I also propose in some instances to substitute for these plates a
revolving scale mounted on pivots at each end, the scale being square,
hexagonal, or polygonal in section, and commencing with different
figures upon each face.
Another part of my Invention, applicable to the above or other
steelyards, consists in casting. the divisions so as to project from
the face of the scale, the principal divisions (say, hundredweights)
being longest, the secondary (say, half hundredweights) shorter, and
the next (say, quarters) shorter still, and so on with the smaller
divisions as far as practicable on the short scale, so that the indications
can be read if necessary in the dark, or by a blind person, by applying
the finger to the face of the scale..
Another advantage obtained by raising these divisions is that when
marking them with a dividing engine all the lines, whether for principal
or smaller divisions, may be cut by a tool which traverses the same
length cach time as the tool will pass over the ends of the short
divisions, and thus a great ecenomy in marking the scale is obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Whitley Stead in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WHITLEY STEAD, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Whitley Stead, Her special

page_text: is
position by a thumbscrew c, c, or otherwise. The other arm a*, a*,
marked with two scales, and provided with two weights, one d, d, for
the tare, which is set to the average weight of the tub, corve, or other
vessel containing the goods to be weighed, and the other e, e, for indi-
cating the exact nett weight without any mental addition or calculation
whatever.
Hitherto the additional scale has commenced at zero, and has been
marked with, say, quarter, two-quarters, three-quarters, onc, and so on,
so that it has been necessary to take the indications of the two weights
and add them together. For example, supposing the large weight upon
one arm of the steelyard to be fixed at, say, six hundredweight, and the
smaller weight to indicate one hundredweight and three-quarters, it
would be necessary to add these two indications together to arrive
at the nett weight, which would be seven hundredweight and three-
quarters.
In order to make the nett weight read off direct from the short
scale, where the weighing is actually performed without any addition, I
have the figures on these scales movable (like types) *; *, (see Fig. 2
and detached view, Fig. 2*), and adjust them so that the figure at the
first or zero point corresponds with the minimum figure at which the
large weight b, b, is fixed, the said types when adjusted being all locked
by one bar. For example, supposing the minimum weight b, b, to be
fixed at, say, seven hundredweight (see Fig. 3), then zero on the short
scale would correspond to seven, and the first principal division would
be marked eight, the second nine, and so on; and it will be evident
that the exact nett weight would be read off direct on the short scale at
once. Again, supposing the range of goods to be weighed averaged
from ten to fifteen hundredweight, then the minimum weight would be
fixed at ten (see Fig. 2), and the figures on the short scale would bo
altered to ten, eleven, twelve, and so forth.
I prefer to use an extended scale, say, each division four times the

page_text: And, Fifthly. The casting of the divisions in relief, in the manner and
for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Whitley Stead, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
JAMES WHITLEY STEAD. (L.S.)
Witnessed by
JOHN HUGHES,
Clerk to George Davies, C.E.,
Patent Office,
St. Ann's Sq.,
Manchester.