Improvements in Coin-freed Automatic Scales.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application. 12th Aug, 1890-Accepted, 13th Dec., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Automatic Scales.
I, OLGA WAGON of No. 38 Alexander Strasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Gentlewoman, 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 relates to such coin-freed automatic weighing apparatus, in which
the weight is printed on a card and presented to the person weighed, and has for its
purpose to provide a machine of this class which has a more perfect and reliable
mechanism ensuring a correct indication of weight and delivering a clearer print than
similar apparatus hitherto known.
The essential feature of the improvements consists in the application of a printing
mechanism actuated by an electromagnet and correspondingly adjusted by the loaded
scale in combination with a commutator adapted to be turned by a counter-poise or
spring and freed during the printing operation, and with an electro-motor serving to
wind, subsequent to the printing, the printing mechanism engaged by the scale and
return the same into its normal or zero position.
Referring to the accompanying drawings Sheet I to III, in which like letters
designate like or analogous constituents of the apparatus,
Fig. 1 illustrates the entire internal disposition and
Figs. 2 to 10 represent details and single mechanisms of the improved scale.
The construction of the whole apparatus resulting therefrom, I proceed to explain
the working of the same.
A coin of predetermined value is dropped in through slot or coin passage a and falls
on the lever a shown in Figs. 5 and 9 in lateral and top view respectively. This
lever, which is loaded at the other extremity with a counter poise a" and bears on an
elastic click or pawl a³ having upward tendency Fig. 9, assumes, through the
ascending coin, the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. Consequently the click a³,
which had been engaged in an indent or notch a provided in wheel a, Fig. 6, leaves
its notch, thereby releasing wheel a'. The latter revolves by transmission gear, the
toothed wheel a which is secured on the same shaft with the cord pulley or drum a².
The cord a wound on said drum carries at its free end a counter-poise a. Prior to
introducing the coin, the person to be weighed has ascended the platform of the scale
and brought the weighing sectors into the position indicated on the right by dotted
lines, while the counter-poise a of cord a" had been arrested till the coin was
dropped in.
When the coin has been supplied to the apparatus and the wheels aa and cord
drum a are thereby released, the counter poise a slowly descends, guided in the
metallic guiding a, until it rests again on the sector s. At this instant the electric
circuit is closed by passing from battery through conducting wire & and guiding
side a to the counter-poise a', hence to the sector scale beams and through the arms
thereof and wire to the electromagnet. After flowing through the latter, the
current passes through wire to the elastic contact plate secured on an insulating
disk and on which bears the revolving hand when in its inoperative position as
shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Hence the current proceeds through the shaft of
said hand to the arm and returns through wire 8 to the other pole of the battery.
The current engaged in the described manner excites the electromagnet and causes

page_text: the armature c to be attracted, which has its fulcrum in c and carries the printing
mechanism c². The latter has previously been properly adjusted by the unrolling of
the cord as from the drum a', the lowermost type indicating the correct weight
corresponding to the rate of inclination which the sector beams has undergone by the
weight of the person. The printing device imprints the correct digit on a card c²
lving below, Fig. 3; simulianeously the numeral signs are adjusted during printing,
Fig. 1, by the armature e actuating on its descent a lever cc and rod c, lever
abutting against the stationary block c'; the rod c thereby enters into corresponding
cavities of wheel c2 (in a similar manner as with the adjusting of the position of the
types in type writers) and a correct position of the printing type is ensured. At the
same time the vertical rod c is moved down by the descending armature which bears
on a latch d² of this rod.
By the descent of the latter, the lever cc is turned as shown in detail in Fig. 7,
and the hand shaft c¹³ Fig. 7 is released from the catch of click-lover c" and revolved
by the action of the counter-poise 14. The revolving hand leaves the contact plate 6º
and moves, in the direction indicated by arrow, past the different contact plates 1,14,16
to be inserted at pleasure. At the moment of the band leaving the contact plate & the
current is interrupted; the armature is raised by spring d, Fig. 8, connected with
rod clo, by aid of the latch d' mentioned above. Simultaneously the angle lever c¹ c³
is returned to its original position by the action of the spiral spring di surrounding
the rod c. The printing mechanism is still disengaged, and when the hand with its
revolution comes in contact with the contact plate an electric current is again
established; this current however does not pass through the electromagnet and
serves to advance the printed card and to place a new card under the printing
apparatus. The circuit for accomplishing this purpose is closed as follows:-
-
The current passes from the battery through wire 18 to the arm, hence to the
shaft of hand, through the latter to the commutator plate 65 through wire 67 to an
electromagnet, Fig. 2, which it excites, thereby causing the armature 6 to be
attracted and roturns through wire 2, Fig. 1, to the battery.
By the attraction of armature through the current, the following effect is
produced
The pin of bar 628 connected with crank is freed by the attraction of the
armature, and the weight which produces a rotating effect on the roller and
thereby also actuates the cog-wheels g³ 1 Fig. 2 comes into action and revolves the
crank in the direction indicated by an arrow in Fig. 2, this motion being allowed
by the freed pin 62. A fly-wheel actuated by toothed gear 9 g serves to obviate
a too rapid descent of the counter poise g'. The movement of crank 124 causes a
card to be advanced from out of the card receptacle 626, as shown in Fig. 3, by
means of bar 623 and slide 25. When the crank 24 has made one revolution, the
pin 22 catches into the corresponding recess of the electromagnet armature, which
latter has meanwhile been drawn up again by the action of spring and is thereby
arrested.
Thus a new card has been placed below the printing wheel c², while the imprinted
card has simultaneously been expelled from the table or register c¹.
During this period, the hand has receded from the commutator plate 61º and
arrives at the plate 6. At this instant the current is engaged and the current
proceeding through wire f from the battery operates an electromotor m of any
convenient construction, thence passes through conducting wire to the commutator
plate 6, then to hand and arm and returns through wire to the element. The
said electromotor revolves by its shaft the pinion which gears into the toothed
wheel a¹, and the latter carrying on its shaft the wheel a and the toothed wheel a¹
gearing into the wheel a, this whole gear is actuated and thereby the counter-poise a
is raised, by the drum a' coiling up the cord af until the wheel has again overcome
its zero position. The notch or indent a of this wheel is so shaped as to allow the
latter to be turned beyond its zero position by the. electromotor, until the hand has
left the contact plate 16 and the current is interrupted at this moment the motive
force ceases to act, and the surplus of revolution of wheel as, that is to say, of ascent

page_text: of counter poise a³, is compensated by the latter re-descending into its zero position,
while simultaneously the printing mechanism resumes its normal position. When
now the person leaves the platform of the scale, the scale beam returns into its zero
position and the weighing operation is terminated.
It is obvious, that, owing to the described disposition of the commutator and of
the rotary band, various other operations can be caused to take place if desired, for
which operations the rest of the commutator plates are provided.
The electromotor is of a known construction and that of the printing mechanism is
not intended to form the subject of a claim in the present Specification; the arrange-
ment of this mechanism is illustrated by the drawing.
P
The main wheel carrying the chief signs is mounted loose on the shaft of the
drun a it is revolved in the known manner by transmission gear through wheel
with lever p' and wheel y Fig. 1. A lever g' is connected with the printing wheel
which carries the types for the indication of the dates so that by means of the lever '
this wheel can be daily adjusted to the day and month.
It is absolutely necessary for the correct action of the improved automatic scale,
that a correspondingly increased weight produces a correspondingly greater deflection
in such a manner, that a certain angle of inclination of the scale corresponds to a
certain unit of weight. Thus an additional kilogramme of charge to a load of 10 kilo-
grammes placed on the scale, produces an equally increased deflection of the scale, as
if one kilogramme were added to a load of 50 kilogrammes. This constant uniformity
of increased deflection is required in order to allow of a uniform disposition of the
types of the printing mechanism and that the latter neod not be previously adjusted.
To attain this end, the inventor gives her scale the approximate shape of a semi-
circle or that of a sector having a very obtuse or hyperobtuse angle. Thereby the
deflection of angle is perfectly uniform, a transposition of the weight of the scale-
beam-ring taking place from the loaded to the other scale beam arm when the scale is
being charged, that is to say, when the charged scale beam descends, and equipoise
ensues when the uncharged side of the sector has gained in gravity so much weight
as corresponds to the charge of the scale.
I am aware of Everitt's Patent No. 16,433 of 1884 and make no claim to anything
therein described and claimed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1) In an automatic scale actuated by the introduction of a coin of predetermined
value and indicating the weight by an expelled printed card, the application of a scale
beams serving as contact medium, in combination with a counter poise a' forming the
counter contact and adapted to be released by the dropping in of the proper coin and
to revolve, when descending, a printing mechanism, until, on its contact with the
scale beam adjusted by the weight of the person, a certain type arrives above a card
and imprints the same by means of the printing mechanism, through the closing of
the current by the said contact and the consequent action of an electromagnet,
substantially as illustrated and described.
2) In the arrangement forming the subject of claim 1, the application of a contact
lever which, being under rotary influence, is normally arrested under contact and
adapted to be released on the descent of the printing mechanism, move past several
contact agents and transmit the current in succession to different conduits provided
with electromagnets, whereby the removal of the printing mechanism from the
imprinted card, the advancing of the latter and the return of the printing mechanism
into its zero position are consecutively admitted and caused to take place, substantially
as set forth.
3) In the combination forming the subject of claim 1, the application of printing
mechanism lodged so as to oscillate, and operated by electromagnet, said printing
mechanism being adapted to be adjusted through a cord-drum a' whose unrolling cord

page_text: serves with a poise as a contact producer for the rings of the sector-shaped or semi-
circular scale beam substantially as set forth.
4) In the combination forming the subject of claim 1, the application of an electro-
motor as a medium for raising the poise a from the scale beam and winding up the
printing mechanism substantially as set forth.
5) In the arrangement forming the subject of claim 1, the application of a centrally
lodged semi-circular or sector shaped scale beam rings for the purpose of ensuring a
uniform deflection of angle with the addition of a determined weight to various rates
of load, substantially as set forth.
151
1008
OLGA
WAGON.
By Huelser & Co.,
Attorneys.