AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC OR AERO-HYDRAULIC WEIGHING MACHINE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Smith, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman,
and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC OR AERO-HYDRAULIC WEIGHING
MACHINE." A communication from abroad by Jules Deschamps, Junior, of
Rouen, Department of the Seine Inferieure, France, Spinning Mill Proprietor.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Smith at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th August 1879.
THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of 166,
Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents. "AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC
OR AERO-HYDRAULIC WEIGHING MACHINE." (A communication from abroad by
Jules Deschamps, Junior, of Rouen, Department of the Seine Inferieure, France,
Spinning Mill Proprietor.)
According to this new system the weighing is simply effected by means of
ordinary or of colored water, or other liquid, by compressing it either in a tube
closed by a piston, or in a bellows, which causes the water or other liquid to rise iu
a small graduated tube. It may also be effected by placing a hollow body in a
receiver half full of water in such a manner that when pressure of any kind causes
the hollow body to sink deeper in the water the latter gradually rises higher
up a graduated scale placed on the receiver.
This new system of weighing apparatus requires no weights, and further it has
the advantage of being self-indicating or marking the weight of the object weighed,
and also permits the unity to be made between the weight and the metrical measure.
The apparatus can never get out of order, the only variation which may present
itself arising from the evaporation of the water may be easily provided against
either by adding a few drops to the water from time to time so that it is always
maintained at its base line, or by hermetically covering the upper part of the
receiver either by a circular tight fitting band in such manner that the hollow
body or cylinder is only allowed just the space necessary for its action, or by an
india rubber bellows which would envelope the upper part of the receiver and
follow the motion of the hollow body or cylinder.

page_text: In one arrangement the bellows is filled with water and maintained in position
by rods. The water will rise to the same level in a tube, but when a weight or
pressure is applied to the bellows the water will rise in the tube in proportion to
the amount of pressure.
If the bellows has a surface ten times greater than that of the tube, then for each
millimetre of the bellows that is pressed down or lowered by a weight or pressure
a centimetre of water would rise in the tube on which a graduated metrical scale
is marked. Thus, for example, supposing the bellows to be so arranged that one
kilogramme presses it down one millimetre the water would rise one centimetre
above the base line in the tube, thus indicating the weight or pressure to be one
kilogramme, and so on.
In another arrangement a hollow cylinder has half the surface of its receiver, so
that as the weight or pressure causes the cylinder to sink lower in the water the
latter rises in equal proportion in the glass or metal receiver. If the receiver is
of metal an opening is provided for a graduated glass or tube.
The size of the hollow cylinder may be so arranged that its surface sinking in
the water one centimetre would be equivalent to one kilogramme of weight or one
litre of water.
The hollow cylinder is placed freely on the water and kept in the centre by
rollers mounted on guides affixed to the sides of the receiver, the base line or normal
level of the water is then marked on the receiver, and from this a graduated
metrical scale is marked, thus each centimetre of the cylinder which is caused to
sink in the water by the weight or pressure will correspond to one kilogramme of
weight, as indicated by the water rising in the receiver. If therefore the cylinder
by its sinking in the water causes the latter to rise three centimetres it would
indicate that the weight or pressure is three kilogrammes; if it should rise six
centimetres the weight would be six kilogrammes. The lower part of the hollow
cylinder which is flat may also be round or conical.
The combination of the weight and metrical measure systems would thus be
effected, and they would form but one unity, the centimetres indicating kilo-
grammes, the millimetres indicating hectogrammes, and the smaller fractions
indicating decegrammes and even grammes.
In the case of weighing apparatus intended for weighing heavy weights they
may be graduated without fractions, and so that they may indicate up to very
heavy weights.
The second arrangement above referred to may be simplified by substituting for
the glass receiver a receiver wholly of metal; this result may be obtained by the
following various means:-
First. By arranging a small float with indicating needle in such a manner that it
would rise with the water and indicate the weight or pressure on a graduated scale
fixed on the receiver.
Second. By fixing an indicating needle on the upper part of the hollow cylinder,
which needle would mark the weight on a graduated scale fixed on the receiver, as
the hollow cylinder sinks or descends.
Third. By fixing an indicating needle on the receiver and marking a graduated
scale on the upper part of the hollow cylinder, so that as the cylinder descends or
sinks the needle on the receiver indicates the weight on the scale.
• It is evident that the graduated scale should be modified to suit the various
weights and measures existing in any particular country, and by arranging on the
apparatus graduated scales of several different countries, the weight of an object
may be instantly ascertained according to any desired country, thus constiuting an
"universal weighing machine."

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas James Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
February 1880.
THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of 166,
Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents. "AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC
OR AERO-HYDRAULIC WEIGHING MACHINE." (A communication from abroad by
Jules Deschamps, Junior, of Rouen, Department of the Seine Inferieure, France,
Spinning Mill Proprietor.)
According to this new system the weighing is simply effected by means of
ordinary or of colored water, or other liquid, by its compression either in a tube
closed by a piston or in a bellows A, which causes the water or other liquid to rise
in a small graduated tube B (as shown in elevation Figure 1 and the plan Figure 2)
of the annexed Drawings.
It may also be effected by placing a hollow body A in a receiver B half full of
water in such a manner that when pressure of any kind causes the hollow body
to sink deeper in the water the latter gradually rises higher up a graduated scale placed
on the hollow body or the receiver (see section Figure 3 and the plan Figure 4).
This new system of weighing apparatus requires no weights, and further it has
the advantage of being self indicating or marking the weight of the object weighed
and also permits the unity to be made between the weight and the metrical
measure.
The apparatus can never get out of order, the only variation which may present
itself arising from the evaporation of the water may be easily provided against,
either by adding a few drops to the water from time to time so that it is always
maintained at its base line, or by hermetically covering the upper part of the
receiver either by a circular tight fitting band in such manner that the hollow
body or cylinder is only allowed just the space necessary for its action, or by an
india-rubber bellows which would envelope the upper part of the receiver and follow
the motion of the hollow body or cylinder (Figure 2).
In Figures 1 and 2 the bellows A. is filled with water and maintained in position
by rods. The water will rise to the same level in the tube B, but when a weight
or pressure is applied to the bellows the water will rise in the tube in proportion to
the amount of pressure.
If the bellows has a surface ten times greater than that of the tube then for each
millimetre of the bellows that is pressed down or lowered by a weight or pressure,
a centimetre of water would rise in the tube on which a graduated metrical scale is
marked.
Thus for example supposing the bellows to be so arranged that one kilogramme
presses it down one millimetre, the water would rise one centimetre above the base
fine in the tube, thus indicating the weight or pressure to be one kilogramme, and
so on.
In Figures 3 and 4 the hollow cylinder A has half the surface of the receiver B,
so that as the weight or pressure causes the cylinder to sink lower in the water the
latter rises in equal proportion in the glass or metal receiver. If the receiver is of
metal an opening is provided for a graduated glass or tube.
The size of the hollow cylinder may be so arranged that its surface sinking in
the water one centimetre would be equivalent to one kilogramme of weight or one
litre of water.
The hollow cylinder is placed freely on the water and kept in the centre by
rollers mounted on guides affixed to the sides of the receiver, the base line or normal
level of the water is then marked on the receiver, and from this a graduated metrical
scale is marked, thus each centimetre of the cylinder which is caused to sink in the
water by the weight or pressure will correspond to one kilogramme of weight, as
indicated by the water rising in the receiver.

page_text: If, therefore, the cylinder by its sinking in the water causes the latter to rise
three centimetres it would indicate that the weight or pressure is three kilogrammes ;
if it should rise six centimetres the weight would be six kilogrammes. The lower
part of the hollow cylinder, which is flat, may also be round or conical.
The combination of the weight and metrical measure systems would thus be
effected, and they would form but one unity, the centimetres indicating kilo-
grammes, the millimetres indicating hectogrammes, and the smaller fractions
indicating decegrammes and even grammes.
In the case of weighing apparatus intended for weighing heavy weights they
may be graduated without fractions, and so that they may indicate up to very
heavy weights.
The second arrangement above referred to may be simplified by substituting for
the glass receiver a receiver wholly of metal. This result may be obtained by the
following various means :-
1. By arranging a small float a with indicating needle in such manner that it
would rise with the water and indicate the weight or pressure on a graduated
scale b fixed on the receiver (Figure 5).
2. By fixing an indicating needle on the upper part of the hollow cylinder,
which needle would mark the weight on a graduated scale fixed on the receiver
as the hollow cylinder sinks or descends, as in Figure 6.
3. By fixing an indicating needle e on the receiver, as seen in Figure 7, and
marking a graduated scale fon the upper part of the hollow cylinder so that as the
cylinder descends or sinks the needle on the receiver indicates the weight on
the scale.
It is evident that the graduated scale should be modified to suit the various
weights and measures existing in any particular country, and by arranging on the
apparatus graduated scales of several different countries the weight of an object
may be instantly ascertained according to any desired country, thus constituting an
"Universal weighing machine."
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim on behalf of my foreign
correspondent,―
The improved hydraulic or aero-hydraulic weighing machine constructed
according to the arrangements above described and shown in the Drawings, with
the option of varying or modifying the shapes, materials, and dimensions of its
constituent parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and