Improvements in Weighing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Weighing Machines.
We, ALEXANDER WOOD, of 10 Stockwell Street, Glasgow, and THOMAS
DAVIES of 297 Main Street, Bridgeton, Glasgow, Weighing Machine Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
With the ordinary weighing machines a difficulty has always, hitherto, been felt
in weighing vehicles and animals, alternately, on the same machine, as a structure,
forming a pen or enclosure, has to be erected upon the machine whenever animals
have to be weighed and this structure has to be taken down again for the purpose
of weighing carts or other vehicles. The result of this continual fitting up and
taking down of the structure is that much time is wasted and that the structure,
from repeated rough handling, soon becomes, to a certain extent, useless.
To obviate this difficulty we make the weighing machine with a pen or enclosure
formed of gates so arranged and secured together that they are capable of being
opened and closed in such manner that the machine can be used, at minute's
notice and without trouble to the attendant, either for weighing vehicles or for
cattle.
Our invention consists in fitting either permanently or removably in or to each
corner of the platform a standard or pillar. On or to these standards or pillars
are secured the hinges of the gates, of which there are preferably six, one small
one at each end and two larger ones at the sides. The hinges of the gates may be
kept at certain distances apart by means of washers formed of pieces of tubing
threaded on the pillars. On the one pillar at each end of the machine a side and
an end gate is hung and on the other pillar a single side gate, so that, when a cart
is to be weighed, each pair of side gates can be swung or folded close up against
the end gates. The gates are or may be held in the folded position by means of
catches.
After the cart has been weighed the gates can be, again, swung out to their
original position ready to weigh cattle or sheep.
To keep the side gates rigid, when weighing cattle, two wooden or metal bars,
which extend the whole length of the platform, are secured, preferably by a pivot,
at the top corner of one of the gates at each side of the machine. When the side
gates are folded together these bars are in a vertical position but when they are
opened out so as to form the sides of the enclosure the bars are brought to the
horizontal and are held securely in this position by hooks or catches. The bars
lock the sides and render them perfectly rigid. When the side gates are secured
the cattle can be walked in by one of the end gates and be weighed.
Instead of or in conjunction with the side bars, slip bolts or other suitable con-
trivances may be used for holding the gates in position. The pens may be made
of wood and iron or of iron alone. If iron is used it may be of tubular section.
Dated this 24th day of March 1892.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Weighing Machines.
We, ALEXANDER WOOD, of 10 Stockwell Street, Glasgow, and THOMAS
DAVIES of 297 Main Street, Bridgeton, Glasgow, Weighing Machine Makers, 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 :-
With the ordinary weighing machines a difficulty has always, hitherto been felt
in weighing vehicles and animals, alternately, on the same machine, as a structure,
forming a pen or enclosure, has to be erected upon the machine whenever animals
have to be weighed and this structure has to be taken down again for the purpose
of weighing carts or other vehicles. The result of this continual fitting up and
taking down of the structure is that much time is wasted and that the structure,
from repeated rough handling, soon becomes, to a certain extent, useless.
To obviate this difficulty we make the weighing machine with a pen or enclosure
formed of gates so arranged and secured together that they are capable of being
opened and closed in such manner that the machine can be used, at a minutes
notice and without trouble to the attendant, either for weighing vehicles or for
cattle.
Our invention consists in fitting either permanently or removably in or to each
corner of the platform a standard or pillar. On or to these standards or pillars are
secured the hinges of the gates, of which there are preferably six, one small one
at each end and two larger ones at the sides. The hinges of the gates may be kept
at certain distances apart by means of washers formed of pieces of tubing
threaded on the pillars. On the one pillar at each end of the machine a side and
an end gate is hung and on the other pillar a single side gate, so that, when a cart
is to be weighed, each pair of side gates can be swung or folded close up against
the end gates. The gates are or may be held in the folded position by means of
catches.
After the cart has been weighed the gates can be, again, swung out to their
original position ready to weigh cattle or sheep.
To keep the side gates rigid, when weighing cattle, two wooden or metal bars,
which extend the whole length of the platform, are secured, preferably by a pivot,
at the top corner of one of the gates at each side of the machine. When the side
gates are folded together these bars are in a vertical position but when they are
opened out so as to form the sides of the enclosure the bars are brought to the
horizontal and are held securely in this position by hooks or catches. The bars
lock the sides and render them perfectly rigid. When the side gates are secured
the cattle can be walked in by one of the end gates and be weighed.
Instead of or in conjunction with the side bars, slip bolts or other suitable
contrivances may be used for holding the gates in position. The pens may be
made of wood and iron or of iron alone. If iron is used it may be of tubular
section.
And in order that our said invention may be properly understood, we have
hereunto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon
Fig. 1 is an end view of a weighing machine with folding pen.
Fig. 2 is a side view.
Fig. 3 is a plan.
Fig. 4 is a part plan view showing the gates folded together.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view.
On the drawings the same reference letters wherever repeated indicate similar or
like parts.
A
5
au³ are the standards or pillars which are fitted either removably or permanently,

page_text: as desired, at each corner of the platform b. c, c¹, are the gates on one side and
c, c, are the gates on the other side. d, d' are the smaller end gates. One end
gate d' and one side gate is hinged on the pillar a whilst but a single side
gate c' is hinged on the opposite pillar a. A side gate c and an end gated is hinged
on the pillar a whilst the single side gate c is hinged on the opposite pillar a².
e, el, Fig. 2, represent the hinges of the end gate d. f,f represent the hinges of the
side gate c.
Both of these gates being hinged on the one pillar a³ it is necessary,
to ensure their freedom of action and to give stability, that the hinges of the
gate should be kept separate from one another. To effect this, distance pieces or
washers made of tubing are used. A short piece of tube y is threaded on the
pillar and retains the hinges f', e' in their proper relative positions A piece of
tube g is inserted between the hinge e, of the small gate d and the hinge of the
side gate c
A short piece of tube y' is also inserted between the hinges e and f.
A piece of tube g³ may be fitted on top of the hinge f. On the opposite pillar a² a
catchy is threaded. The catch is retained in place by two pieces of tube h, h
which also retain the hinges i, i of the gate e in position. The gates c³ and d
have distance pieces or washers g, g², g², g³, inserted on the pillar a', between their
hinges in the same manner as on the pillar a³. The gate on the pillar, a has
distance pieces
or washers, h¹ inserted between its hinges i, ¹ in the same manner
as the pillar a² of the opposite corner. The washers likewise retain the
catch y', for the end gate d¹, in position.
The side gates c and c³ have, on their lower sides, small rollers j, j'. The
roller of the gate c, when said gate is being folded against the pillar a², runs
on the race or track k which is or may be cast on the platform 6 of the
machine. The roller of the gate c³, when said gate is being folded up against
the pillar a, runs on the race or track k'. A small recess or hole is made in
the platform
at one end of each of the races k, k'. These recesses 1, 1¹
receive the rollers j, j when the gates c, c³ are opened out so as to form an
enclosure. When the rollers j, j fall into the recesses l, the gates c, c are held
firmly in the open position by means of fix studs we which drop into holes made
to receive them when the rollers fall into the recesses. The pillars a and a³ are
preferably fitted into or made with sockets m, m'. The socket-pieces have inwardly
projecting catches or snecks n, n' over which the gates c and c³ ride, when they are
being folded up so as to allow a cart to pass over or on to the platform of the
weighing machine. The snecks n, n' lock the gates c, c³ in their folded up positions.
The side gates c', c² are or may be secured in their open position by means of slip
These gates are folded up by turning them right round, in an outward
direction (as indicated by the dotted lines at o'), until they lie against the end
gates d, d in the manner indicated at Fig. 4. The sockets m³, m³, of the corner
pillars a', a³ are made with snecks or catches n², n³ which project outwardly and
lock the gates c', ² in their folded position.
bolts o.
The end gates d, d' do not require to be folded as they always remain in the
same position.
To keep each pair of side gates c, c² and c³, c³ rigid when weighing cattle, two,
preferably, wooden bars q, q', which extend the whole length of the platform,
are secured at the top corner of one of the gates at each side of the
machine. The bar is pivotted at r to the side gate c. The other bar q¹
is pivotted at to the side gate c³. The bars have or may have a bent
projection or catch t on each of them (see Fig. 5). These projections when the
bars are brought to the horizontal position catch in staples u fitted on each side
gate c', c. Catches v,
vare also made on the side gates. The catches v¹ on the
side gates c¹, c² are or may be bent downwards whilst the catches v on the side
gates c, c³ are bent upwards. When the gates are folded together the bars q, g¹
are swung into a vertical position out of the way. When the gates are opened so
as to form an enclosure the bars are swung into the horizontal position and are held
rigidly in place by the several catches.

page_text: The slip bolts o need not be used if so desired.
are strengthening hoops.
The gates etc., are preferably made of iron of a tubular section or of a combina-
tion of tubular and angular or tee iron.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement and combination of parts of the folding pen or
enclosure for weighing machines substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to the drawings annexed.
2. In weighing machines a pen or enclosure capable of being folded up so as to
allow carts and the like to be weighed, substantially as herein before set forth.
3. In weighing machines a pen formed of side pillars on which gates are
removably secured, said gates being held in their proper relative positions by means
of washers or distance pieces or their equivalent, substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the drawings annexed.
4. The combination, in weighing machines, of folding gates which can be made
into an enclosure or pen and of pivotted side bars q, q' for holding the side gates
rigidly in position, substantially as herein before described with reference to the
drawings annexed.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1892.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.