CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES FOR WEIGHING RAILWAY TRUCKS, ROAD WAGGONS, AND SIMILAR PURPOSES, AS WELL AS BEING PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR WEIGHING COAL TRUCKS, MINERALS, AND OTHER COLLIERY PURPOSES, AND GENERAL MERCHANDISE."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rowland William Brownhill, Manufacturer, of
Walsall, in the County of Stafford, for the Invention of “CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES FOR WEIGHING RAILWAY TRUCKS,
ROAD WAGGONS, AND SIMILAR PURPOSES, AS WELL AS BEING PARTICULARLY
ADAPTED FOR WEIGHING COAL TRUCKS, MINERALS, AND OTHER COLLIERY
PURPOSES, AND GENERAL MERCHANDISE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rowland William
Brownhill at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 1st August 1878.
I, ROWLAND WILLIAM BROWNHILL, Manufacturer, of Walsall, in the
County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES FOR WEIGHING RAILWAY
TRUCKS, ROAD WAGGONS, AND SIMILAR PURPOSES, AS WELL AS BEING PARTICULARLY
ADAPTED FOR WEIGHING COAL TRUCKS, MINERALS, AND OTHER COLLIERY PURPOSES,
AND GENERAL MERCHANDISE," to be as follows (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists of improvements herein after explained in
weighing machines for the above and similar purposes, whereby they

page_text: are made self-acting and self-registering, both as to number of weighings
and accumulated amount weighed. I effect this by the use of a spiral
or other spring or springs, with rack and pinion to work the hand on a
figured dial, by which means the weight is indicated, and I replace the
hand to 0 after the spring or springs have taken the weight off the levers,
and in order to adjust any little variation between the movements of the
springs and the levers of the machine I use a deferential lever, capable
of adjusting the machines as to the expanding and contracting force or
range of the springs or action of the levers.
In machines for weighing heavy weights I use two hands similar to
the hands of a clock dial, the long hand indicates the hundredweights
and pounds, and the short hand the tons; these hands are adjusted with
wheel gear to work from a pinion and rack as herein-before referred to.
Having described my method of ballancing weights and adjusting for
self-acting weighing, as applied to weighing machines, I will now describe
my Invention for self-registering weights for rail, coal, or other loaded
trucks or private weighing machines. I fix above or below the weigh
dial a disc made to revolve a small distance on its axis at each movement
made by the machine in the process of weighing by a ratchet worked
from the rack of the pinion that works the hands of the weigh dial. This
disc has a paper fixed on it, and a blacklead or other marker is fixed
upon the rack rod, and moves up and down upon the paper each move-
ment; the length of the mark on the scale or divisions indicates the
weight of the load passed over the machine, and the number of lines it
makes denotes the number of weighings; and I apply this method for
all machines where it is necessary to indicate the exact weight of each
consecutive load, when only the total weight of the materials passed
over the machine is required, and also the number of weighings for
weight of coal and other materials, where special weights or quantities
are desired to be notified, I adopt in this case the following method
of construction for counting the weighings:-I use a row of cent dials
with wheel gear such as are used for gas meters, and upon the unit
spindle I fix a ratchet wheel with number of teeth corresponding to
the dials, usually ten, this ratchet wheel is moved every weighing by
a catch or pall fixed upon the back rod working the weighing balance,
thus giving the number of weighings.

page_text: My method for indicating or self-registering the total weight passed
over in a given time is by applying a similar range of cent dials as
before described, with the exception of the unit. dial, in this case being
marked for the weights in the same way as the larger weighing dial, the
rack is continued to work in a manner corresponding with each other,
except that by means of a ratchet wheel and spring catch or pall, and
also a friction wheel, the self-registering hand does not return to 0, each
weighing in the same manner as the weigh dial hand herein-before
described, but remains stationary, having no backward movement after
each weighing, by which means the whole weight for any given time
passed over the machine is carried forward, registered, and retained.
The disc method before described for marking the weight on paper
may
be varied, as sometimes I may by preference use a drum with paper,
the drum working horizontally, and receiving the lines in the same
manner as the disc.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Rowland William Brownhill in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 31st January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROWLAND
WILLIAM BROWNHILL, Manufacturer, of Walsall, in the County of
Stafford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of August, 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 suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Rowland William Brownhill,
Her special license that I, the said Rowland William Brownhill,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Rowland William Brownhill, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MAC
ACHINES

page_text: ་
FOR WEIGHING RAILWAY TRUCKS, ROAD WAGGONS, AND SIMILAR PURPOSES, AS
WELL AS BEING PARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR WEIGHING COAL TRUCKS, MINERALS,
AND OTHER COLLIERY PURPOSES, AND GENERAL MERCHANDIZE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Rowland William Brownhill,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 calender months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Rowland William Brownhill, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
My Invention consists of improvements herein-after explained in
weighing machines for the above and similar purposes, whereby they are
made self-acting and self-registering, both as to number of weighings
and accumulated amount weighed. I effect this by the use of a restoring
spiral or other spring or springs, so connected with a rack and pinion as
to work the hand on a figured dial, by which means the weight is indi-
cated, the main hand being replaced to 0 after the spring or springs
have taken the weight off the lever or indicating apparatus, and in order
to adjust any little variation between the movements of the springs and
the levers of the indicating mechanism I use by preference a deferential
lever, capable of adjusting the machine to the expanding and contracting
force or range of the springs and action of the indicator.
In machines for weighing heavy weights I use two hands similar to
the hands of a clock dial, the long hand indicating the hundredweights
and pounds and the short hand the tons; these hand movements are
adjusted with wheel gear to work from a pinion and rack as herein-
before referred to.
Having described my method of balancing and adjusting the said
apparatus for self-acting weighing as applied to weighing machines for
weighing the special and general merchandise herein-before named, I
will now describe my Invention for self-registering each successive
weighings. I fix above or below the weigh diál a disc, made to revolve
a small distance on its axis at each movement made by the machine in

page_text: process
the
of weighing by a ratchet worked from the vertical rack rod
that gives motion to the pinion that works the hands of the weigh dial.
This disc has a paper fixed on it, and a blacklead or other marker is
fixed upon the said rack rod and moves up and down, making a mark
upon the paper at each movement of the machine, the length of the
mark on the scale or divisions radially indicating the weight of the load
passed over the machine, and the number of lines it makes denotes the
number of weighings, and I apply this method for all machines where it
is necessary to indicate the weight of each consecutive load, when only
the total weight of the materials passed over the machine is required,
and also the number of weighings.
Where special weights or quantities are required to be notified for
weight of coal and other materials, I adopt in this case the following
method :—I use a row of cent dials with wheel gear, such as are used
for gas meters, and upon the unit spindle I fix a pinion wheel with
number of teeth corresponding to the dials, usually ten. This pinion
wheel is moved every weighing by a catch or pall fixed upon the rack
rod working the weighing balance, thus giving the number of weighings.
corre-
My method for indicating or self-registering the total weight passed
over the machine in a given time, is by applying a similar range of cent
dials as before described. With the exception of the unit dial, in this
case being marked for the weights in the same way as the larger
weighing dial, the rack is continued to work in a manner
sponding with each other, except that by means of a ratchet wheel and‐
spring catch or pall, and also a friction wheel, the self-registering hand
does not return to 0 after each weighing, in the same manner as the
weigh dial hand herein-before described, but remains stationary, having
no backward movement after each weighing, by which means the whole
weight for any given time passed over the machine is carried forward,
registered, and retained.

page_text: reference being made to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :—
I have not thought it necessary to elaborate or repeat the Drawings
in shewing and defining the various ways and details in which my
improvements may be adapted or arranged for particular or special
requirements as the description of my Invention (aided by the Drawings)
will be sufficient to instruct skilled workmen in the various and general
mechanism required in its realisation or manufacture.
Fig. 1 represents sufficient of the stand of a weighing machine above
the stage on which the merchandise is placed for weighing, which may
be a laden railway truck or wheeled skip, or trolley of coal raised from
the pit, the tare of which have only to be deducted in the ordinary way
to get at the right weight, or multiplied by the number of weighings
made on account of the gang working through the "turn" or hours
of their labour; and such weighing stage as ordinary constructed (and of
which I profess to have made no improvement) is connected with the
vertical and adjustable bar A, having an adjustable cross head screwed
on the same, marked B, its extremities engaging with the two strong
spiral springs C, C, but which springs may be increased in size or
number, so that their joint contracting strength shall be regulated to be
an exact equivalent of the hanging or pendant parts of the weighing
stage that the same may be restored to its position, thereby taking the
weight from the indicating apparatus as hereafter explained. The
springs in this case I have represented attached to a strong plate iron
marked E by pins at D, D. The plate E may form a part of the pillar
proper, or a separate part resting on projections a, a, shewn in dotted
lines, with a general outline of the pillar to which the plate E may be
further secured by strong screws passing through the lugs b, b, b, b.
•
F, F, is an indicating dial secured within the pillar by lugs or clips,
as at c, c, c; the dial has one vertical long hand with a short hand
working on the same centre of action at d; the four cent hands and
corresponding divisional dials, marked e, f, g, h, are divided to indicate
tens, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands, of tons, accumulating
in the same order and by similar mechanism used in indicating the
number of feet of gas passed through a common gas meter, whilst the
four lower radial dials i, k, l, m, records and carry forward, so as to
accumulate the number of each weighing passed over the machine in
-

page_text: any given time; the mechanism actuating these hands is placed behind
the dial, deriving its motion from a vertical rack, marked G, G; the
extreme ends of this rack can only be seen in this view; and this rack
derives its vertical motion from the link H, which is connected to the
extreme end of a regulating or compensating lever I working on an
axis at n; nevertheless I may, by preference, connect the end of the
lever I to the rack G, and place the link at the other end, connecting
it with the axis n, and lengthening the link that it may be secured to
a fixed axis near the top of the plate, by which means a more parallel
lift or reciprocating vertical action of the rack G will be obtained. The
connecting rod J completes the connection between the main bar A
and the compensating lever I, its connection with the latter being
capable of regulation by working on a traversing centre, marked 0,
advanced and retired by the screw p, p, actuated by the knelled head q;
and with this general description we will suppose that a laden truck
has been wheeled on to the floor of the machine, the weight of which
expands the spiral springs downward from their fixed tensional
points D, D, and with the corresponding deflection of the hanging
parts, according to the weight on the machine, so the rack G will be
pulled down, giving motion to the indicator by causing the long hand to
go round and indicate the hundredweights and odd quarters, which is
conveyed to the small hand 8 working round the concentric divisional
dial, each division representing one hundredweight, and each revolution it
makes is taken up by the hand on the dial e, and which hand will have
indicated ten ton when it has made one revolution, the effect of which
will be to move the hand through one division; thus all the hands
are advanced in succession from S to h; S making one revolution
causes e to move through one division, and when S has made ten
revolutions e will have made one, which one will be taken up and
indicated by the hand f; and when ƒ has made a revolution, which will
write off ten hundred tons, the hand g will mark one division, which
will be one thousand; and when g, by the continuous and accumulative
weighings, has made a revolution it will represent ten thousand, and so
on; by the progressive accumulation this hand moving once round will
call upon the hand H, which will move through one division, thereby
recording one hundred thousand tons; and the weighings being still
continued, and each individual weighing being read off by the quarters,
hundredweights, and tons, from the movements of r, 8, and e, if more
than a ton, so the accumulation is being indicated until the hand h

page_text: '
has completed its revolution, thereby indicating a million of tons; and
in like order the hands j, k, l, m, take up and record the number of
weighings, so that no miscalculation may be made in taking the taro
from the gross to define the net result of the merchandize weighed.
The whole of the mechanism is intended to be secured within the 5
pillar by locking, or otherwise, to protect it from interference, excepting
the compound dial, which like a clock face will be protected by a glass
disc, through which to all concerned it discloses the information
required. I have before referred to the similarity of the working and
reading of my self-registering weighing apparatus, to the numeroial 1
indicators applied to gas meters, and like gas meters the reading can
be taken off each day, week, or month, to shew by reduction of prior
readings what has been weighed during the desired interval of time.
'
The order and multiple of the mechanism, as I have before stated,
will be unnecessary for me to show in detail, as it is understood by 1
skilled mechanists accustomed to this kind of employment; but at
Fig. 2 I have represented the reverse side of the dial F, with the
multiplying wheelwork laying between the dial and the diso K, which
is a strong thick plate of brass, capable of carrying the axis of the
several revolving parts; in this view I am enabled to shew more fully ?
the rack rod G, although the rack formed on its side is obscured by
the angular clip L, L; the friction rollers with extended flanges t, t,
and u, u, are merely used to guide the action of the rack rod, whilst
the clip L carries the axis of the wheel M, M, in connection with the
hand, Figure 1, for taking back or replacing the same to 0, after 2
each weighing, and is worked by the reciprocating or up-and-down
action of the rack gearing with a pinion on the axis of the wheel M;
within and below the periphery of this wheel M is a finely toothed
wheel, marked N, in connection with the short hand S, Figure 1, which
revolves only in one direction by the downward action of the rack, and
conveys or gives motion to the wheelwork below in connection with
the accumulative weighing dials, whilst the lever working on the
fulcrum z is elevated by the pall v in the downward course of the rack
rod G, to which the pall is attached by its coming in contact with the
projection w, which throws up the lever, and the pall being attached a
to its lower end coming in contact with the toothed pinion y causes it
to revolve a tooth at each descent of the rack rod G, thereby giving motion
to the hand j, Figure 1, and which also communicates motion to the

page_text: other hands in this series k, l, and m. The voluted hair spring is
introduced merely that its expanding force may have the effect of
carrying the hand back to 0, according to its setting, being more
delicate than the mere counteracting or contracting force derived from
the spiral springs O, C, Figure 1.
Fig. 8 represents a weighing dial as fitted to as much of an hollow
cast stand necessary for my explanation; the dial is divided into
quarters and hundredweights, the hands designed to return to 0 after
each weighing, the one marked a¹ denoting the tons and the one
marked 6¹ denoting the quarters and hundredweights, the rack rod O is
broken off for convenience of space, and for same reason the counter-
acting springs, as described and exhibited at .Figure 1, are also omitted
in this Figure; the rack rod extends up above the dial for carrying the
marking arm P; the disc Q represents a circular piece of cardboard
which may be lined concentrically and printed with the day of the
month or week, they being removed and replaced by unscrewing the
nut R from the washer 8. Underneath this disc is a ratchet wheel
which may be partially seen by the paper disc being torn away for the
purpose of shewing how it is made to revolve a notch at each weighing,
and to exhibit this I have also represented the front of the case above
the weigh dial in like manner is broken away; T is a lever working on
the fulcrum c, and to the short end of this lever the pall U is attached,
the extreme end of which takes into the ratchet of the wheel and is
held in that position by the spring d¹ and the operation of this mode of
registering will be easily understood from the following description:-
the rack rod ascends after the weighing a projecting pin at its upper
end has lifted the lever T from the position shewn in dotted lines to the
one now assumed, and thereby places the pall U in the tooth of the
rack, as shewn, but when the weight for a new weighing is brought on
to the stage of the machine the weight will take down the rack rod, when
the india-rubber spring e¹ will pull down the long end of the lever T
until it rests on the pin f¹ which will have the effect of causing the
pall U to turn the ratchet wheel one notch, to ensure which an
additional double toothed pall marked V is introduced on the other side
working on the axis g, also held to its work by the india-rubber spring
marked h¹ secured to a fixed pin 2, the movement of the disc one notch
will sufficiently shift its surface, that when the weighing goes on the
machine the pencil W, shewn end view secured to the projecting arm P,
-As

page_text: will have made a slight diagonal stroke during the time the disc is
being moved a notch as before stated, but the continuance of the
descent of rack rod according to the weight of the merchandise placed
on the stage to be weighed, so a vertical line will be made by the
pencil, the length of which will to an approximate extent indicate the
gross weight on the machine, its definement being helped by the con-
centric scale lines before referred to, and the material been taken off the
scale, the contracting force of the springs, as at C, C, Figure 1, will
again elevate the rack rod, causing the marker to pass up again
over the same mark for the dial to be turned another notch, as before
described, so that the marker will descend at the next weighing on a
fresh part of the disc, thus not only indicating tolerably accurate the
weight of each load, but also in accurate succession the number of
weighings made in any given time.
Instead of using a paper disc and traversing rack disc, as last
described, the same result may be obtained by using special prepared
printed and divided strips of paper placed around the periphery of a
revolving drum worked by a horizontal ratchet wheel, pall; and suitable
bevelled wheels or other gearing to transpose the motion from a vertical
revolving disc into a horizontal one carrying the revolving drum.
I have not thought proper, as before stated, to elaborate the Drawings
either by details or by varying and adapting my Invention to the
various applications to which it is applicable, or would be a valuable
addition to the operation of weighing consecutive or continuous loads or
quantities of merchandise, as they are too numerous to particularize, but
believe under the care of experience workmen combining the art or
skill of weighing apparatus or machine making to the more delicate and
skilled mechanical knowledge and handicraft appertaining to the
movements for indicating each and accumulative weight passing over a
machine specially arranged for the purpose. I may add that a
machinist or mechanic accustomed to the making of clock or gas meter
movements will well understand how to give effect to my Invention,
which having now described and sufficiently represented without regard
to size, proportion, or prescribed weight, or to the exact details here
represented, as the whole may be generally or separately varied without
affecting the character of my Invention, which Invention consists in
adapting and applying to special or general weighing machines the
movements, single or compound, of self-acting apparatus for defining

page_text: and recording, not only each weighing, but the accumulated weight of
any merchandise desired to be weighed in continuity as well as the
number of separate or individual weighings making up the gross
accumulative weight, and which I claim as of my Invention, whether
used separately or conjointly (that is to say), the movements for
recording the accumulated weight may be used without the indication
of the number of weighings, or the number of weighings may be used
without recording the accumulated weight, and which Invention as
applied to weighing machines and such like apparatus I desire to
protect by these my in part recited Letters Patent.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rowland William Brownhill, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of January
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four
15
ROWLAND WILLIAM BROWNHILL. (L.S.)
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.