Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Weighing and Computing and Indicating Values of Articles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1895-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Weighing and Computing
and Indicating Values of Articles.
I HORACE EDWARD SWIFT of 21 Howe Street, Dorchester in the State of
Massachusetts one of the United States of America, Manufacturer 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:-
This invention has for its object the production of a computing scale to
accurately and quickly indicate automatically the weight of an article, and to
compute and indicate automatically the aggregate price thereof according to a
unit price determined upon.
For every increment in the weight of the article the computing mechanism
indicates with absolute accuracy the corresponding increment in price, the move-
ment of the weighing mechanism and the computing mechanism being always
positive and exact.
The weight of the article actuates the weighing mechanism and the latter
actuates the computing mechanism, whose extent of movement is accurately
determined by the position of a controlling member which is manually operated to
fix its position in accordance with the unit price of the article weighed, and all the
moving parts are mounted to move with a minimum of friction, the whole comprising
a simple, strong and durable contruction.
The paths of the principal moving parts are in right lines, thus eliminating
errors in weighing and computing, and I have provided means for indicating the
number of units in the article measured, and the computed price thereof by
rotatable pointers co-operating with scales delineated on a suitable dial, and the
dial is provided with one or more apertures to permit the display thereat of one or
another character on a character carrier beneath the dial, the said character carrier
being moved proportionally to the price indicating mechanism.
In accordance therewith one part of the invention comprises the use in a
computing scale, of weighing mechanism, price computing mechanism to be
actuated thereby, a controlling member to determine by its angular position the
extent of movement of the computing mechanism, and manually operated means to
fix the angularity of the controlling member.
Also, the use in a computing scale, of weighing mechanism movable in a right
line, price computing mechanism operatively connected to and actuated by the
weighing mechanism, a controlling member to determine by its position the extent
of movement of said computing mechanism, and means to fix manually the position
of the controlling member, substantially as described.
Also, the use in a computing scale, of weighing mechanism, movable in a right
line, price computing mechanism operatively connected to and actuated by the
weighing mechanism, and a controlling member which determines by its angular
position the extent of movement of the computing mechanism, the angularity of
the controlling member being fixed in accordance with the unit price.
Also, in the use in a computing scale, of weighing mechanism, price computing
mechanism so connected therewith as to be actuated thereby, and governed as to
the extent of its movement by the angular position of a controlling member, and
visual indicators for and operated respectively by said weighing and computing
mechanism, substantially as described.

page_text: Various other features of the invention will be pointed out in the following
description, and in the claims.
Figs. 1 to 13 show one form of scale embodying my invention.
Figs. 14 to 21 represent another embodiment of the invention, also, illustrating
the character carrier and its mode of operation, and
Figs. 22, 23 and 24 show yet another form, and the various constructions, all
embodying a unitary invention, will now be described in detail.
Fig. 1 is a front view of a scale with a greater part of the face plate broken out;
Fig. 2 is a similar view with the face partially broken out, and the counter-
balancing portion of the weighing mechanism omitted, the remainder of the
measuring mechanisin and the controlling member being in a different position
from that shewn in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a section on x-x, Fig. 2, looking towards the left;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line ¹ Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged partly sectional detail on the line 2, Fig. 2;
Fig. 6 is a detail of a form of connection between the controlling member and
the mechanism controlled thereby and
Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of one of the keepers.
Figs. 8 to 13 are details to be referred to, drawn to a larger scale than the
previous figures.
The casing consists of a back a, side wall a¹, and face plate or dial a², and posts 6*
attached to the back a, are so located that a flat plate or bridge b secured to the
posts by screws 2 extends across the back above its centre.
Lips or flanges & on the lower edge of the bridge have preferably bevelled edges,
see Fig. 3, to form guides for friction rolls, to be described, and a second bridge b²,
shown separately in Fig. 7 is slotted at 6³ and mounted on a stand 62* by a set
screw 3, an adjusting screw 4 having an eccentric head 5 to enter a hole in the
bridge, both screws entering the stand 62*, so that by loosening screw 3 and
rotating screw 4, its eccentric head 5 will move the outer end of bridge b² towards
or away from the bridge b.
a
The inner end of the bridge 62 is split to form a springs bearing against
keeper secured to a stand by a post projecting therefrom, the spring forcing
the inner end of the bridge 2 towards the fixed bridge b, and the bridge 62 has a
guide thereon for friction rolls.
By the adjusting screw 4 the guide 68 may be brought into exact parallelism
with the guide on the bridge b, the two sets of guides lying in the same plane,
see Fig. 3.
A traveller, shown as a substantially Y-shaped plate C has trough-like parallel
guides cand e fast on its arms to enter between the guide 68 and the guide at the
adjacent end of the bridge b, friction balls c* forming ball bearings for one end of
the traveller, the other end of which is bent up at C*, and has secured thereto a
guide adjacent and parallel to the guide at the right-hand end of the bridge b,
forming with a ball c² another ball bearing for the traveller which is movable back
and forth between the bridges.
A bracket d, attached to the back a, has a sleeve bearing d¹ perpendicular to and
at the centre of the back receiving therein a spindle d', stepped in the back a, see
Fig. 4, and having a pinion d³, the upper projecting end of the spindle receiving
a hand or pointer D adapted to move over and co-operate with a scale D' on the
dial a².
The pinion d³ is engaged by a rack bar e³ pivoted at to the traveller C adjacent
the guide c, the base of the rack bar being split to form a spring s bearing against
the guide c between the pivot c' and the free end of the bar to maintain its teeth in
mesh with the pinion d³.
Movement of the traveller towards the right of Figs. 1 and 2, will through
the rack bar and pinion cause the hand D to move through an
arc on the
dial proportional to the extent of movement of the traveller, and as shown
herein the total movement of the traveller will rotate the hand' D three times.

page_text: A bridge e at right angles to the bridge b is secured by screws 8 to posts e* on
and at the right of the centre of the back a, Figs. 1 and 2 and above it sufficiently
to allow the traveller C to move freely beneath it, guides e' for friction rolls es being
formed on the inner edge of the bridge near its end, and an adjustable bridge e² is
secured at one end to a stand e* by a set screw e passing through a slot eª
in the bridge, and by an eccentric headed screw e entering a hole e', so that
the guide can be brought into parallelisin with the guides e¹ on the fixed
bridge.
The free end of the bridge e is split to form a spring & resting against the
upturned end of a keeper e fast on the post b', the main part of the split end being
sprung under the keeper, see Fig. 3, so that the spring 2 will also act to grip the
keeper.
The bridge is cut away at 610 around the post 6', and the bridge e² is
cut away at e, see dotted lines Fig. 1, to permit movement of the free end of each
bridge.
A carriage F has arms f, f, extended between the bridges e and e², and provided
with guides, respectively, the longer arm 1 having two such guides, forming
bearings for the friction rolls or balls e³, while guide f co-operates with the guide e
and roll f*, the carriage F being thus supported on three ball bearings, and movable
towards and from the centre of the scale, and pins or projections 20 close the ends
of all the grooves or guides to prevent the balls from escaping, but obviously other
means might be used for the same purpose.
A rack bar pivoted at f³ to the carriage is split to form a spring s³, bearing
against a fixed point on the carriage, shown as the guide between the pivot f
and the outer end of the rack, maintaining the teeth thereof in engagement with a
pinion d fast on a sleeve d³, rotatable on the extended bearing d', and resting on
the bracket d, the sleeve carrying at its upper end a band E co-operating with the
scale E¹ on the dial, the scale being graduated to represent pounds and fractions
thereof, travel of the carriage F from one to the other end of its path causing the
pinion and the hand E to make one complete revolution.
A rigid post or stud 7 on the carriage F enters an opening a in a yoke-plate G,
shown in Fig. 1, connected by rods g¹ to usual counter-balancing springs S attached
to the wall al of the casing, the yoke plate being reduced in width at g² and extended
through an opening in the wall to carry at its outer end a hook or other suspending
device for the article to be weighed.
The tension of the springs S normally draws the yoke into the position shown in
Fig. 1, the stud being held against the upper edge of the opening g by a spring st
on the yoke, and permitting the carriage F to return to normal position without
shock upon sudden release of the counter-balancing device.
The weight of an article attached to the outer end of the bar g will draw the
yoke and carriage F down against the action of the springs for a distance
proportional to its weight, the throw of the rack falso varying and causing the
pinion and the hand E to be rotated correspondingly to indicate the weight on
the scale E¹. In Fig. 1 the plate F is shown in its normal position when there is
no weight, and in Fig. 2 in its lowest position as it would appear when pulled down
by the heaviest weight the scale would weigh.
The computing mechanism comprising the traveller C, the revoluble hand D,
and the rack and pinion connection there between is actuated by the measuring
mechanism, but the extent of movement of the computing mechanism is determined
by the position of a controlling member by or through which the movement of the
measuring mechanism is communicated, in a certain ratio, to the computing
mechanism, the angularity of the controlling member being fixed in accordance
with the unit price of the article to be weighed.
The controlling member consists of an L-shaped lever h, ', pivoted at /² to the
traveller C in line with the spindle d² and stud f, the arm carrying the roll ³
which runs on a track i on one edge of a plate i pivoted at 2 to a slide bar i³
longitudinally movable in grooved bearings and held in place therein by

page_text: washers won set screws w while the outer end of the bar i³ passes through the
casing and into the enlargement A, bearing against the evolute shaped periphery
of a plate k, see dotted lines Fig. 1, mounted on a rotatable post having fast
thereon a dial graduated to indicate the unit price, the dial having separate
divisions as shown in Fig. 1.
Rotation of the post k in the direction of arrow 30 by a thumb nut 3 gradually
moves the slide bar inwards, the position of the plate and the bar when at zero
unit price being shown in Fig. 2, and in Fig. 1 as set at the highest unit price
possible.
Movement of the plate i acts upon roll ³ to turn the controlling member on its
pivot to fix its angular position, the said member partaking of the movement of
the traveller C, whatever be the angularity.
An index point k*, see dotted lines Fig. 1, on the dial a² directs the operator in
giving the proper rotation to the dial plate 2, to manually fix the angularity of the
controlling member in accordance with the unit price of the article.
The long arm of the controlling member has on its upper side two parallel flanges h
forming a track in which move two rolls m and m³, pivotally mounted on the under-
side of a plate m², the roll m being mounted on the reduced end of the stud f, see
Fig. 5, and the pivot pin m³ of roll m² extends above the plate m², and through a
curved slot in the plate F, while a spring connected to the pin m³ and the
plate F tends to turn the plate m² on the stud f, so that the roll m bears on one
rail, and the roll m¹ on the other rail, making an anti-friction connection between
the measuring and computing mechanisms.
When the controlling member h, is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 8
corresponding to zero unit price, movement of the plate F by the measuring
mechanism will not move the traveller C, and the computing mechanism will not
be operated, as the arm is in the path of movement of the rolls m, m', and the
scale can be used for weighing without computing.
If, however, the controlling member he moved ever so little to change its
angularity, the arm will be moved out of and at an angle to the path of the
measuring mechanism, and the more the latter is moved from its zero position, of
no pounds, shown in Fig. 1, the greater will be the movement of the traveller C to
the right proportionally operating the computing mechanism.
The rolls mm always travel in one and the same path, extending up through
the centre of the scale and represented in Fig. 9 by the lines 100, 101. The
traveller C is free to move from left to right and vice versa, so that as the rolls are
moved from full line towards dotted line position, Fig. 9, by an article being put
upon the weighing mechanism, the traveller C and the arm thereon will be moved
towards their dotted line position shown in said figure; in other words the traveller
is moved to the right, and the greater the weight the more extensive the movement.
of the rolls in their paths, and consequently the greater the extent of movement of
the traveller from left to right. This extent of movement of the traveller is also
varied by the angularity of the arm / relative to the path of the rolls m and m'.
Fig. 10 shows a portion of the plate F at or towards the lower part of its path,
the arm being iuclined about as shown in Fig. 1.
The function of the rollers m m', see Figs. 6 and 11 is to reduce the friction of
the moving parts. If instead of this mechanism a single roller should be used,
as 300, Fig. 12, of such a diameter that it would touch both of the ledges there
would be increased friction, for if the roll was moving bodily in the direction of the
arrow 301 it would be in opposite directions at the points of engagement with the
two ledges h, and would so cause much friction. If a single roll was employed and
made of less diameter than the distance between the two ledges h', as for instance
at 350, Fig. 13, only one ledge would be engaged by the roll at any one time, and
there would be lost motion when the bodily movement of the roll changed so that
the arm / would not instantly respond to any bodily movement of the roll and
plate F. By the employment of the two rolls m m³ lost motion is obviated,
the arm responds instantly to any movement of the plate F, and an effective

page_text: anti-friction connection between the weighing and computing mechanism is
obtained.
'
The pin on the underside of the arm extends through a slot hº in the
traveller, and is connected to the free end of a moderately strong spring s
attached to the underside of the traveller, keeping the roll 3 against the track i
and maintaining the controlling member in the angular position determined by the
unit price controlling mechanism.
The plate is forked at to receive the eccentric head of a screw i³, rotation of
the latter moving the track i in parallelism with the guide b¹.
The position of the controlling member can be fixed before, after or during the
operation of the measuring mechanism and the final position of the computing
mechanism will be the same, and as the movements of the measuring and computing
mechanisms are in right lines, all error is eliminated.
Any suitable graduations on the scale or scales may be used, the movement of
the co-operating hands or pointers being regulated accordingly.
In the construction so far described, the controlling member is represented as
mounted upon a part of the computing mechanism, to move bodily therewith, but
I will now describe constructions where the controlling member is mounted to move
with the measuring mechanism, or independent of either mechanism.
Regarding now Figs. 14 to 21, Fig. 14 represents in elevation and partly broken
out, a price computing apparatus wherein the controlling member is movable with
the measuring mechanism.
Fig. 15 shows the computing mechanism in inoperative position, with the
controlling member corresponding in position to zero unit price, the counter-
balanced portion of the measuring mechanism being omitted, and the pointer
operating devices thereof being shown in their extreme positions.
Fig. 16 is a sectional detail on the line Fig. 15, showing the guide d¹ and
engaging arm & in elevation.
Fig. 17 is a larger detail of the controlling member and the engaging portion of
the computing mechanism.
Fig. 18 is a sectional detail on the line - Fig. 17, the controlling member
being shewn in position.
Fig. 19 is an enlarged detail on the line - Fig. 14.
Fig. 20 is a partial sectional view of
and
the devices below the line y-y Fig. 19,
Fig. 21 is a sectional view on the line -, Fig. 14, of a portion of the means
for fixing the position of the controlling member.
The casing is substantially as has been described, and the spindle with the
pinion fast upon it, see Fig. 19, is mounted in the back a, and in a tubular
bearing b rigidly held in a bracket 6* secured to the back by a screw 2, the outer
end of the spindle being extended through the face or dial a² and slabbed off at 63
to receive thereon the hub of a total price indicating hand or pointer B, shown
only in Fig. 19.
A sleeve c
having a lateral flange cloosely surrounds the bearing 2 and is
extended through the arms e* of an auxiliary bracket, the inner end of the sleeve
resting on the outer side of the bracket while its outer end receives the spring
hub of a weight indicating hand or pointer C, see Fig. 19, and between the
flange el and the bracket * a pinion c² is fast on the sleeve, and is in engagement
with and to be rotated by a rack c³ pivoted at 4 to a carrier plate D, a spring
acting on a flattened portion of the pivot to force the rack towards the pinion c², a
pin e preventing accidental disengagement of the rack and pinion.
S
The carrier plate D has a laterally extended arm d shaped at its outer end to
embrace a guide d' secured to the back a, the foot of the guide being cut away
at d², and a long guide bar or arm d³ rigidly secured to or forming part of the
carrier plate D extends parallel to the guide d' and has knife edge portions to
bear against friction rolls d³, rotatably mounted in the back a and bracket d
secured thereto, and peripherally grooved to receive the knife edges d', whereby

page_text: the carrier plate and its arms are free to be moved in a right line toward or away
from the center of the case, a pin d* maintaining the knife edges in engagement
with the friction roll.
A buffer spring bears against a stop d' in the path of the carrier plate to take
any shock occasioned by a sudden release of the plate, the stop being slabbed off
at its top to leave a diametrical rib d8 so that turning of the rib in one direction or
the other would permit slight variation in the throw of the carrier plate and its
inward movement, the wall,a' of the casing limiting its motion in the opposite
direction.
The movement of the carrier plate D reciprocates the rack c³, and rotates the
pinion, and consequently the hand C will be moved for an angular distance
proportionally, extreme movement of the rack rotating the pinion once so that the
hand or pointer traverses the scale C' from zero to the highest point indicated,
such scale being shown as divided to represent pounds and ounces.
The counter-balancing device comprises a yoke e connected by rods e to
springs S attached to the casing in usual manner, the end e² of the yoke extending
through the side wall of the casing and being provided with a hook or other
suitable device e³, and the yoke is connected with the carrier plate D
yieldingly, by means of a stud d' rigidly secured to the plate and projecting
through an opening e' in the yoke, the free end of a bent spring s² rigidly held ou
the yoke at bearing against the stud, which is acted upon by the innermost
edge of the opening e* when the yoke is moved outwardly, the spring s² taking up
lost motion between the carrier plate and the yoke when the latter returns to its
normal position, and also obviates any shock.
The counter-balancing device, rack c³, pinion and their connecting parts
constitute measuring mechanism to indicate on the dial by the amount of angular
movement of the hand C the number of units in the article measured.
The controlling member f longitudinally grooved upon its under face at f¹ is
pivoted by a pin to the underside of the arm d³ of the carrier plate, the pin f*
extending through a hub do on the arm d³, the hub being slotted in its side to
permit the movement therein of a hooked lug 2 on the pin, a strong spiral
spring S attached at its ends to the lug and to the arm d³ tending to throw the
controlling member in the direction of the arrow 10, Fig. 17, such outward
movement, being counteracted and regulated by means, manually adjustable
according to the unit price of the article measured, to fix the angular position of
the controlling member.
The slide plate g resting on the inner side of the back is reduced at g' to form
a tongue to enter and be guided by the space d² in the foot of the guide d', a
longitudinal slot g² in the slide plate being entered by a cut-under guide-block g³
secured to the back, while an arm g* secured to or forming a part of the plate has
its inner edge preferably at right angles to the direction of movement of said
plate, to engage a preferably grooved friction roll f³ on the upper side of the
controlling member f, the arm g₁ acting as a stop to limit the throw of the con-
trolling member, due to the action of the spring $¹.
In Fig. 14 the plate g is in position to permit the greatest angularity of the
controlling member f, and in Fig. 15 the plate is at the other extreme end of its
path, bringing the controlling member into parallelism with the path of movement
of the measuring mechanism."
A lever g, pivoted at g' to the casing, bears at one end against a projection g
on the slide plate, the outer arm g' of the lever extending through the wall of the
casing into a chamber formed by a wall a' on an extension as of the back and
covered by a dial F, the movement of the lever go about its fulcrum being governed
manually by a plate h having an evolute periphery between the points 5 and 6 and
secured to an extended hub ', rotatable about a post 15 rigidly secured to the
extension a, the hub having at its upper end a thumb nut 20 while the dial plate F
is secured to and to rotate with the hub and the evolute plate h.
The dial has suitable graduations thereon from zero to any desired number, to

page_text: indicate the price per pound of the article to be measured, the index pointer h*
secured to the wall a being adjacent the periphery of the dial F.
The upturned part go of the arm go bears against the periphery of the plate h,
a pin or projection on the latter at the point 6 bearing against the part go of the
lever when the plate has been rotated in the direction of the arrow 20 into the
position shown in Fig. 15.
"
A disc notched at its periphery corresponds to the graduations on the dial F
secured to the hub ', the notches being engaged one at a time by a spring catch
or finger to lock the evolute plate from accidental rotation..
It will be obvious from an inspection of Figs. 14 and 15 that rotation of the
evolute in one or the other direction will swing the lever so that the slide plate
will also be moved, the lever being moved positively in one instance and swinging
in the opposite direction by the force of the strong spring. S acting upon the slide
plate the controlling member, being pressed at all times in the arm g¹ on the
slide plate.
The thumb nut 20 is turned until the graduation on the dial F corresponding to
the unit price of the article is opposite the index point *, thus fixing the angularity
of the controlling member f, by the intervening connection.
The pinion meshes with the teeth of a rack 64 pivoted at 66 to a portion 66 'of
a carriage, a pin preventing disengagement, while a spring s3 bearing on a
flattened portion of the pivot 65 presses the rack yieldingly against the pinion.
The carriage is shown as a bar 67 extended laterally beneath the rack c³ and
bracket 6* across the central line of the casing, and preferably provided with knife
edges to engage friction rolls 6° rotatable in brackets 610 while the outer end of
the arm 66 slides in a guide-way 12 in a plate ¹³ on the back, a spring controlled
roll 68* acting on the bar 67 to keep it in engageme with the rolls b³, so that
movement of the carriage will through the rack botate the pinion bl a number
of times depending upon the number of teeth in ach, the pinion being shown as
rotatable three times for the full movement of the carriage from one to the
other side.
A roll 15 entering the groove f³ in the catrolling member fis pivoted at 6 to
the carriage, the said pivot having mount thereon between the top of the roll 615.
and the bottom of the groove f¹a pla 16 preferably bent over at one end, see
Fig. 18, and having rotatably mounted therein a roll which enters the groove f',
the diameter of the rolls being greater than the width of the plate 618.
A spring s is connected at one end to a bent pin 618 on the carriage, and at its
other end to a stud 619 on the plate, normally tending to turn the plate on its pivot
and press the roll 6" against the lower side and the roll 6 against the upper side
of the groove f¹ to lessen the friction.
The shoulder 20 on the bar acts against the stud 19 when the controlling
member is in the position shown in Fig. 15 to act as a positive stop therefor.
Movement of the measuring mechanism is thus transmitted to the carriage by or
through the controlling member, movable with one, and the rolls 65, 67, movable
with the other, the extent of movement of the carriage being controlled by the
angular position of the member f, so that if the latter is parallel to the path of
movement of the measuring mechanism, as in Fig. 15, no movement whatever will
be transmitted to the carriage, but if the angularity of the controlling member be
changed to any position between those shewn in Figs. 15 and 14 the bodily move-
ment of the controlling member will correspondingly move the carriage in a path
at right angles to that of the measuring mechanism, the greater the angularity the
greater the movement of the carriage.
The carriage with the rack and pinion constitute computing mechanism to
compute the aggregate price of the article measured according to the unit price,
which is indicated upon the dial face a² by the hand B co-operating with the
graduations B¹.
For convenience in indicating the price, after the hand or pointer B has made
one revolution, the scale B' is divided as shown, into four parts, each part being

page_text: .
graduated into hundredths, so that a price corresponding to four hundred such
graduations will be indicated when the hand has made one complete revolution.
It is obvious that numbers from one to four could be placed upon the dial, one
at the highest division of each quadrant, but as the hand cau make three com-
plete revolutions it would be inconvenient for the operator to add mentally the
number of hundredths after the first revolution, and to obviate such objection a
series of apertures 55 are made in the dial at the quadrantal points, and means
are provided to automatically display at the apertures single numbers or characters
in accordance with the movement of the hand B.
In Figs. 14 and 19 four arms m³, m², m³, and m³, are secured to a base m,
90° apart, a hub m³ on the base slipping onto a spindle n, slabbed off at n³ to
receive a pin me within the hub, so that they will rotate together, the base having
au-opening mo therein, through which the supporting parts of the hands B and
pass, and permitting movement of said base on its pivotal point.
Each arm is enlarged at 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, and the characters are
indicated upon such portion, the said characters being the numbers one to eleven
inclusive and zero arranged in groups of three, see Fig. 14, the lowest number
of each group being at the end of the enlargement, the apertures 55 being
large enough to display one number at a time so that by moving the character
carrier step by step a different number will be displayed at an aperture for each
step.
The spindle n is mounted in the sleeve bearing n¹ fast in the bracket c*, an
annular collar n fast on the spindle resting on the top of the bracket, a pawl n²
fast on the spindle being held against the cam edge of a plate 6 by a light bow
spring connected at one end to the collar n and at its other end to the
bracket e*, the spring tending to turn the spindle and the character carrier in the
direction of the arrow 60 Fig. 20, and arrow 60* Fig. 14.
Normally the position of the character carrier is shown in Fig. 14 the zero and
the numbers one, two and three being displayed at the apertures 55, and such
position will be maintained for any price equivalent to three hundred and
ninety nine graduations, as for one revolution of the hand B the part 636 of the cam
plate is long enough to act upon the pawl n² while the computing mechanism is
being moved to indicate such price, the cam plate being shown as secured to a
part of the computing mechanism movable in a right line, as for instance the
bar 7.
When the price is higher, the cam plate 63 will be moved until the lower part b³7
is opposite the pawl n², permitting rotative movement of the spindle n as the pawl
moves from 3 to 637, such movement being enough to advance the character
carrier one step, displaying the numbers from four to seven inclusive at the
apertures 55, for any price indicated by the second revolution of the hand.
A still higher price will cause the cam plate to be moved until the portion 633
is opposite the pawl, permitting the last advance of the character carrier and
displaying the numbers from eight to eleven inclusive for the third revolution of
the hand.
When the bar b' resumes its normal position, the return movement of the cam
plate automatically resets the character carrier step by step, the pawl being
moved from 8 to 637, and then to 38, the shoulders between the parts being
rounded or inclined for such purpose, the spring s acting to rotate the character
carrier whenever allowed to do so, the pawl n2 acting as a detent, as it were, to
limit the action of the spring so, while the cam plate 635 operates as a releasing
device controlled, in this instance, by the movement of the computing mechanism.
Although the scale B¹ is divided quadrantally, with corresponding apertures as
herein shown, and the character carrier is movable in accordance therewith, the
dial may be provided with one or more apertures, according to the division of the
scale and the number of revolutions which the indicating hand, co-operating there-
with, may make, and the character carrier will be so operatively controlled as to
display one or more characters at an aperture,

page_text: The character carrier may be applied to other mechanism, as measuring or
weighing mechanism for instance, when it is desired to more conveüiently read
the indications of a hand or pointer.
I will row describe a construction where the controlling is independent of the
measuring or computing mechanism, illustrated in Figs. 22 to 24, in which Fig. 22
is an ievation and partly broken,
end
Eg. 23 is an irregular section on the line
- Fig. 22 looking to 'the left,
Fig. 24 is an enlarged detail on the line y Fig. 22.
A spindle having fast on it a pinion is mounted on the back a of the casing,
and extends through an opening in the face a to receive at its outer end the hub b
of a hand or pointer B shown in Fig. 23, and a sleeve c surrounds the spindle b
between a collar b² thereon and the inner side of the face, a pinion e¹ being secured
to the sleeve and also a collar to bear against the inner side of the face, the
sleeve projecting through the face having secured thereto the hub c* of a hand A,
see Fig. 23.
A spindle d rotatably mounted in the back and in a bracket d* has fast 'thereon
a gear d¹ in engagement with a pinion ¹, and a pinion d² in mesh with and to be
rotated by a rack d³ extended at its ends at d' and d³ fig. 22 to slide longitudinally
in fixed guides 6 secured to the back, the extension d' having an annular enlarge-
ment de thereon, reciprocation of the rack rotating the pinion and the hand B
through an angular distance proportional to the throw of the rack, the arrangement
being such that one full movement of the rack will rotate the pinion d once, and
through the gear d' and pinion 61 will cause the hand B to traverse a scale B¹ from
the zero point to the highest division on such scale.
A yoke e is attached to the top of the casing by springs s in usual manner and a
U-shaped rod e¹ is secured at its ends to the said yoke e the bent end of the rod
extending through the side wall of the casing and being provided with a hook or
other suitable suspending device e' see Fig. 22.
Guides e and et supported in alignment by brackets 7 and 8, and a third guide e*
parallel to the other two and held in brackets 9, are extended through bearings
in, and support a substantially triangular, frame f, which is free to slide longi-
tudinally on the guides, its upper corner having upon its outer face à post or
stud/2 loosely extended between cross bars 10 and 12 sccured transversely to the
beut rod e', and permitting slight lateral movement of the stul between thein, so
that reciprocation of the rod e will impart a like movement to the carriage f
sliding it longitudinally upon its guide.
A toothed rack f is secured to or formed on the longitudinal side ƒ³ of the
carriage, to engage the pinion el, longitudinal movement of the carriage through
said rack and pinion rotating the hand to co-operate with the scale A' on the
dial, such scale being shown as divided to indicate pounds and fractions thereof,
complete movement of the rack f in one direction will rotate the pinion c¹ önce to
cause the hand A to travel from zero once around the scale A¹.
The carriage has a cross-bar f' at right angles to the path of movement of the
carriage, and the connection between the measuring and computing mechanisms is
mounted upon and slides longitudinally on said cross-bar.
A base or body 9 has secured thereto oppositely extended arms g¹ and g² parallel
to the path of movement of the carriage and downturned at y³ and respectively
to enter longitudinal slots in like controlling members, shown as links 1, pivotally
supported at their upper ends on posts erected on the back of the casing, and in
their full line position Fig. 22 the controlling members are shewn in alignment with
their slots parallel to the path of movement of the carriage, so that during the
movement of the carriage by or through the measuring mechanism, the base ģ
will move up and down therewith in a right line without any lateral movement.
If, however, the angularity of the controlling members is changed, as for
instance, into the dotted line positions Fig. 22, the travel of the downturned
ends of the arms g¹ and g³ in the slots of the controlling members will cause a
:
B

page_text: lateral movement of the base or actuator g proportional to the angle through
which the members have been moved, in addition to its movement in a right line
parallel to the path of the carriage, and so far as the ultimate position of the
actuator is concerned, it makes no difference whether it is first moved in a path
parallel to the right line in which the measuring mechanism moves, and then is
moved laterally by swinging the controlling members, or whether the latter have
been first swung through a certain arc and the carriage then moved by the
measuring mechanism.
The arm 92 extends through the annular enlargement de on the extension d' of
the rack-bar d³, so that the resultant movement of the actuator will give to the
-rack-bar-a variable throw, dependent not only upon the movement of the actuator
or.connection g parallel to the path of movement of the measuring mechanism, but
also to its lateral movement at right angles thereto, the throw of the rack d³, by
means of the intermediate gearing, causing the hand B to travel over a corresponding
are on the scale B¹.
The movement of the controlling members is governed according to the unit
price of the article to be measured by an adjustable controlling device consisting
of a slide rod h, longitudinally movable in suitable guides h and having rigidly
secured to it a cross bar 2 connected to the members by rods 3, longitudinal
movement of the rod / moving the controlling members simultaneously through
equal arcs.
The post i having a thumb nut n is rotatably supported in an offset portion A*
of the casing, and it has fast thereon a dial plate suitably graduated to indicate
the price per unit of the article to be measured, a suitable index point as I being
displayed on the top of the offset portion adjacent to the periphery of the dial
plate '.
A plate having an evolute periphery between the points 1 and 2 is secured to
the post i, the evolute periphery containing as many notches in practice as there
are graduations on the index plate i².
A bell crank lever m pivoted at m' to the back is connected to the slide rod h
by a pin on the latter extended through a slot m³ at one extremity of the lever,
and the other lever arm has pivoted thereto at m³ a finger m², the free end of
which is held in engagement with the notched periphery of the plate by a
springs, and obviously the lever m will be swung more or less about its pivot as
the notched plate is rotated through a larger or smaller arc, the bevelled end of
the finger m³ entering one notch after another, and acting as a lock to prevent
accidental movement of the controlling device.
The throw of the slide rod h by these devices is such that the controlling
members will be swung through proportionate arcs, so that the indicating hand or
pointer B will be moved by the computing mechanism through an are bearing a
certain ratio to the are described by the hand or pointer A moved by the measuring
mechanism, such ratio being determined by the unit price of the article to be
measured.
Instead of regulating the movement of the controlling members as shown,
other means could be equally well used, as for instance, the slide rod h might be
geared directly to the post of the unit price controller, so that rotation of the
latter through a certain angle would move the slide rod longitudinally a proportional
distance.
The computing mechanism comprises the rack d³ having a variable throw, and
the intermediate gearing between it and the indicating pointer to actuate the latter,
and the controlling member or members comprise essentially the links 1, which are
fixed as to their angularity by manually operated means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The use in a price computing apparatus, of weighing mechanism, price com-

page_text: puting mechanism to be actuated thereby, a controlling member to determine by its
angular position the extent of movement of the computing mechanism, and manually
operated means to fix the angularity of the controlling member, substantially 'as
d. scribed.
2. The use in a price computing apparatus, of weighing mechanism movable in
a right line, price computing mechanism operatively connected to and actuated by
t weighing mechanism, a controlling member to determine by its positio: the
Extent of movement of said computing mechanism, and means to fix manually the
position of the controlling member substantially as described.
3. The use in a price computing apparatus, of weighing mechanism movable in a
right line, price computing mechanism operatively connected to and actuated by
the weighing mechanism, and a controlling member which determines by its
angular position the extent of movement of the computing mechanism, the
egularity of the controlling member being fixed in accordance with the unit
price, substarially as described.
4. The
mechanism
movement by
computing mechan
described.
price computing scale, of weighing mechanism, price computing
is actuated thereby, and governed as to the extent of its.
ngular position of the controlling member, the weighing and
respectively operating visual indicators, substantially as
5. The use in a pr computing scale, of measuring and price computing
mechanisms, each of which includes a member movable in a right line and having
a rack mounted thereon to engage respectively concentric pinions which rotate
suitable pointers, a controlling member connecting the said members in the
two mechanisms, and means to fix the position of the controlling member so that
one mechanisin is moved by and in a fixed ratio to the movement of the other
mechanism, substantially as described.
6. The use in a price computing scale, of weighing and computing mechanisms, a
carriage forming a part of one mechanism and a traveller forming a part of the
other, movable in paths at right angles to each other, a controlling member which
is pivotally mounted on one and co-operating friction rolls on the other to form a
movable connection between the two mechanisms, a change in the angular position
of the controlling member varying the path of the connection, substantially as
described.
7. The use in price computing scale, of weighing mechanism, computing
mechanism operated by movement thereof, and determined in the extent of its
movement by the angular position of a controlling member carried by the
weighing mechanism, and which is manually movable relative to its supporting
mechanism to fix its angularity, substantially as described.
8. The use in a price computing scale, of weighing mechanism having a
controlling member movable therewith and whose angularity may be fixed relative
to the path of movement of said mechanism, computing mechanism including a
carriage movable in a right line, and a moving connection between said carriage
and controlling member, to move the computing mechanism in. a given ratio to the
measuring mechanism, substantially as described.
9. The use in a price computing scale having weighing and computing
mechanisms, connected by a controlling member which determines by its condition
the extent of movement of the computing mechanism, of a unit price dial, a
locking device, and an evolute-shaped actuator so connected as to be simultaneously
rotated, and connections between the actuator and the controlling member to fix
the position of the latter according to the unit price of the article, substantially
as described.
10. The use in a price computing scale of weighing mechanism, and a computing
mechanism operated thereby and determined as to the extent of its movement by
the position of a controlling member, a dial having an aperture therein, a
character carrier having one or more characters thercon adapted to be displayed at
said aperture, and means actuated by the computing mechanism to so regulate the

page_text: movement of the character carrier that a character will be displayed at the
aperture, substantially as described.
11. The use in a price coinputing apparatus, of measuring mechanism movable
in a right line, price computing mechanism actuated thereby in a given ratio to
the measuring mechanism due to the position of a controlling member supported
independently of said measuring and computing mechanisms, and adjustable
according to the unit price, and visual indicators for and operated respectively by
said measuring and computing mechanisms, substantially as described.
12. The use in a price computing apparatus, of measuring mechanism, a carriage
moved thereby in a right line, computing mechanism, an actuator therefor,
laterally movable on said carriage, a controlling member comprising slotted links
supported independently of said. mechanisms, and means to adjust the links in
accordance with the unit price of the article measured, and to lock them in
adjusted position, substantially as described.
13. The improved construction of means or apparatus for weighing and
computing and indicating values of articles consisting of the several mechanisms
co-operating together, substantially as and for the purpose herein before set forth.
TL 1905
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.