IMPROVE- MENTS IN SCALES OR MACHINES FOR WEIGHING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 32, Essex
Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SCALES OR MACHINES FOR WEIGHING."-A communication.
Sealed the 23rd October 1855, and dated the 25th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux
Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th April 1855.
I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand,
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SCALES OR MACHINES FOR WEIGHING" to be as follows,
viz. :-
This Invention relates, in the first part only, to what are known as platform
scales or weighing machines, and it consists in a novel arrangement of levers
for the purpose of supporting the platform, which enables platform scales or
weighing machines of the largest size to be constructed without trussed levers,
and to be made portable, or in such a manner that no pit or depression is
necessary in putting one of them up for use.
The second part also relates only to platform scales or weighing machines,
and consists in a peculiar manner of connecting the platform to the levers

page_text: which support it, whereby a free lateral and longitudinal motion is allowed to
the platform without injury to the sharp bearing edges.
The third part is applicable to scales and weighing apparatus of almost
every description. It has for its object the increase of the sensibility of the
apparatus for the purpose of facilitating and expediting the weighing operation,
and consists in a peculiar manner of applying a weight or poise to a scale
beam or other balance; whereby the slightest descent of a certain one of the
arms from the position of equilibrium will render the said weight or poise
effective to increase the preponderance of that arm sufficiently to at once
prevent vacillation; and cause the said arm to descend steadily, so that the
turn of the scale or balance shall be at once plainly visible.
The platform frame. is, composed of connected side pieces, end pieces, and
transverse pieces, united to each other substantially and carrying rails. The
base of the scale may be constructed of pieces of timber, framed together in
any suitable manner, and may be made portable or otherwise. A suitable
number of supporting posts rise from the base for the reception of the levers,
from which the platform is suspended. The posts which are near the sides
of the base support a number of short transverse levers, arranged trans-
versely to the platform, nearly opposite to each other, in pairs; and the posts
which are not far from the centre support a single lever, which consists of a
rocking piece and double arm connected rigidly therewith, the ɛaid rocking
piece connecting with all the levers, and therefore requiring to extend the
whole length of the platform, and the double arm projecting laterally beyond
.the side of the base of the scale a sufficient distance to allow of its being
connected to the scale beam in a suitable manner. The levers are forked
at their outer ends to embrace the posts, and a sharp-edged pivot passes
through or across the fork of each, and rests in a concave in the top of its
respective post, the said pivot forming the fulcrum of the lever.
The rocking piece of the lever is provided with a number of sharp-edged
pivots, which are arranged in a longitudinal line with each other to form the
fulcrum of the lever, and which rest in concavities in the tops of the posts.
The inner bnds of the short transverse levers are connected to the rocking
piece by means of links, which connect sharp-edged pivots in the said inner
ends to similar pivots located in the rocking pieces.
The platform is suspended from the transverse levers in the following
manner A short distance inside of the bearing pivot in the outer end of
each of the said levers, there passes through the fork a sharp-edged pivot,
from which series of pivots the platform is suspended by means of stirrups.
The intermediate bearing block and the sharp-edged pivots are constructed,

page_text: arranged, and described as follows:-Each block has its lower side convex
and fits loosely into the opening in a stirrup, with its convex lower side
resting on the edge of the pivot, and the cross bar at the top of the stirrup
is made with a sharp edge to rest in the concavity in the upper edge of the.
said block. Each stirrup has an opening in the shank at right angles to
the opening that receives the block, to receive a sharp-edged pivot, which is
made fast in the side pieces of the platform frame. This connection between
the levers and the platform allows the platform to swing freely in a lateral.
and longitudinal direction upon sharp edges without any danger of straining.
or disarranging them.
The before-mentioned single lever, which consists of a rocking piece and a
double arm, is connected to the shorter arm of the scale beam or balance, and
to the longer arm is applied the counterpoise or power, the amount of which
required to balance the platform indicates the weight upon the latter, the
weight imparting motion to the single lever through the medium of the
transverse levers in the most sensitive manner.
The transverse levers in a scale or weighing machine of the largest size may
be so short that they will not require to be trussed to give them the required
stiffness, which will produce a very great saving in the amount of material
required for the levers. The arrangement of levers will allow the largest
sized scale or weighing machine to be put up and operated without a pit, or, in
other words, to be portable, thereby producing a very great saving of expense.
The length of the platform may be extended almost indefinitely with a properly
increased number of the transverse levers, and by increasing the length of
the rocking piece. For other scales or weighing machines than those
employed to weigh railway carriages and their contents, the platform frame
must be planked or otherwise covered to form a suitable table to receive the
carriage or load to be weighed.
The beam or balance may be of any well-known kind, but it is preferable
to use a beam with the improvement which constitutes the third part of this
Invention before referred to, and which is described as follows:-The beam or
balance is held up by pillars fixed on the base of the machine, and on one
side of its fulcrum the arm from which the scale or substance to be weighed
is suspended, and on the other side the counterpoise is applied; there is a small
stand, which may be cast, forged, or secured to the shorter arm, and standing
above it, for the purpose of carrying the weight or poise, which constitutes the
principal feature in this .Invention. This weight or poise is sufficient to give
the shorter arm a greater effective weight above the line of equilibrium. When,
therefore, the slightest preponderance is given to the said arm, it is increased

page_text: by the action of the poise attached to the small stand sufficiently to make it
descend steadily, and thus prevent all vacillation of the beam. In order that
the beam or balance may retain a proper degree of stability, it is desirable
that the weight or poise last mentioned should be adjusted higher or lower
to bring it to such a position as will only just prevent the vascillation, and
carry the said arm very gradually downwards when it commences to descend,
by reason of the preponderance of the substance or article being weighed ;
and that the said arm would be raised again immediately by a very slight
reduction of the weight on it, or a very slight increase of the counterpoise or
power applied to the longer arm. To allow the above-mentioned adjustment,
the weight on the smaller arm is applied to work on a screw arranged perpen-
dicularly to the beam; by raising it its effect is increased, and by lowering it
is diminished.
It is desirable, if not absolutely necessary, that a horizontally adjustable
balance weight or poise be employed in connection with the weight on the
smaller arm to facilitate the adjustment of the balance in equilibrio, as á
change in the height of the weight on the smaller arm might disturb the
equilibrium. This adjustable balance weight or poise, however, forms no part
of the Invention, as it is commonly applied to scale beams.
Instead of applying the weight or poise above the shorter armi, it may be
applied above the longer arm, where it would produce the same effect, in con-
sequence of the descent of the smaller arm and ascent of the longer arm,
bringing it nearer in a horizontal direction to the fulcrum, and thus, by
diminishing effect on the longer arm, increasing any preponderance of the
shorter arm.
It is only as a matter of convenience that the weight is applied
as described to increase any preponderance of the shorter arm, from which the
substance or article to be weighed is suspended. It might be applied to
increase any preponderance of the longer arm, but as it is almost necessary
to its proper operation that the balance should be prevented from turning in
one direction from the position of equilibrium or rest, & as in nearly all of
the weighing machines now in use the arm which carries the counterpoise
is prevented descending in any very perceptible degree from that position,
and it would be inconvenient to so control the descent of the other arm,
as a general rule it should be applied to increase any preponderance of the
latter arm.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 25th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Augustę Edouard Loradoux Bellford, Her special licence that I, the
said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
my executors, administrators, and 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN SCALES OR
MACHINES FOR WEIGHING," a communication, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, 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 calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, that is to say:-
The first part of this Invention relates only to what are known as platform
scales or weighing machines. It consists in a novel arrangement of levers
for the purpose of supporting the platform, which enables platform scales or
weighing machines of the largest size to be constructed without trussed levers,
and to be made portable, or in such a manner that no pit or depression is
necessary in putting one of them up for use.
The second part of the Invention also relates only to platform scales or
weighing machines. It consists in a peculiar manner of connecting the plat-

page_text: form to the, levers which support it, whereby a free, lateral, and longitudinal
motion is allowed to the platform without injury to the sharp bearing
edges.
The third part of the Invention is applicable to scales and weighing appa-
ratus of almost every description. It has for its object the increase of the
sensibility of the apparatus, for the purpose of facilitating and expediting
the weighing operation. It consists in a peculiar manner of applying a weight
or poise to a scale beam or other balance, whereby the slightest descent of a
certain one of the arms from the position of equilibrium will render the said
weight or poise effective to increase the preponderance of that arm sufficiently
to at once prevent vacillation, and cause the said arm to descend steadily,
so that the turn of the scale or balance shall be at once plainly visible.
.
The accompanying Drawings represent a large platform scale or weighing.
machine, suitable for railways for weighing vehicles and their contents. This.
embraces all the features of the Invention.
:
Fig. 1 is a side view of the scale complete; Fig. 2, an end view of the
same; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the same in the line x, x, of Figs. 1 and 4;.
Fig. 4 is a view of the under side of the platform frame detached from its
supports; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of one of the stirrup connections
between the platform and the levers, upon which it is supported; Fig. 6 is a
side view of the beam on a larger scale than the other Figs. Similar letters
of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figs.
The platform frame is composed of connected side pieces A, A, and D, D,.
end pieces B, B, and transverse pieces C, C, united to each other substantially,
as shown in the Drawings, and carrying rails t, t.
The base of the scale niay
be constructed of pieces of timber Q, Q, and R, R, of suitable size and number,.
framed together in any suitable manner. The said base may be so constructed
as to be portable or otherwise. A suitable number of supporting posts h, h, h',
rise from the base for the reception of the levers from which the platform is..
suspended. The posts h, h, which are near the sides of the base, support a.
number of short transverse levers G, G, arranged transversely to the platform,
Dearly opposite to each other, in pairs, and the posts h', which are not far
from the centre, support a single lever E, F, F, which consists of a rocking
piece E and a double arm F, F, connected rigidly therewith, the said rocking
piece connecting with all the levers G, G, and therefore requiring to extend
the whole or nearly the whole length of the platform, as represented in Fig. 4,
and the double arm projecting laterally beyond the side of the base of the
scale a sufficient distance to allow of its being connected to the scale beam

page_text: in a suitable manner. The levers G, G, are forked at their outer ends to
embrace the posts h, h, and a sharp;edged pivot n passes through or. across,
the fork of each, and rests in a concave in the top of its, respective post,
as shown in Fig. 8, the said pivot n forming the fulcrum of the lever: The
rocking piece E of the lever E, F, F; is provided with a number of sharp-
edged pivots m, m, which are arranged in a longitudinal line with each other,
as shown in Fig. 4, to form the fulcrum of the lever E, F, F, and which rest
in concavities in the tops of the posts h', h', as shown in Fig. 3. The inner.
ends of the levers G, G, are connected to the rocking piece E by means of
links l, l, which connect sharp-edged pivots u, u, in the said inner ends. to similar
pivots v, v, located in the rocking pieces, as shewn, in Fig. 4.
¡
P
The platform is suspended from the transverse levers G, G, in the following
manner :-A short distance inside of the bearing pivot n, in the outer end of
each of the said. levers, there passes through the fork a sharp-edged pivot's,
as shewn in Fig. 3, from which series of pivots the 'platform is suspended, by
means of the stirrups i, the intermediate bearing block k, and the sharp-edged
pivots s and o, constructed and arranged as represented in Figs. 3 and 5; and
described as follows, viz. Each block k has its lower side convex, and fits
loosely into the opening in a stirrup, with its' convex lower side resting on the.
edge of the pivot %, and the cross bar at the top of, the stirrup is made with a
sharp edge to rest in the concavity in the upper edge of the said block. Each
stirrup has an opening in the shank, at right angles the opening that receives.
the block k, to receive a sharp-edged pivot o, which is made fast in the side.
pieces D of the platform frame. This connection between the levers and the
platform allows the platform to swing freely in a lateral and longitudinal direc-
tion upon sharp edges, without any danger of straining or disarranging them.
J is the scale beam or balance, to the shorter arm of which the lever E, F, F,
is' connected, and to the longer one is applied the counterpoise or power, the
amount of which required to balance the platform indicates the, weight upon
the latter, the weight imparting motion to the lever E, F, F,.through the
medium of the levers G, G, in the most sensitive manner.
:
It will be readily perceived that all the transverse levers G,, G, in a scale.or
weighing machine of the largest size may be so short that they will not, require
to be trussed to give them the required stiffness, which will produce a very
great saving in the amount of material required for the levers... It will also
be seen that, the arrangement of levers will allow the largest sized: scale or
weighing machine 'to be put up and operated without a pit, or, in other words,
to be:portable, thereby producing a very great saving of expense in erecting a.

page_text: large sized scale or machine. It will also be readily understood that the length
of the platform may be extended almost indefinitely with a properly increased
number of the short levers G, G, and by increasing the length of the portion
E of the lever E, F, F, in the direction of the length of the platform.
For other scales or weighing machines than those employed to weigh
railway carriages and their contents, the platform frame must be planked or
otherwise covered to form a suitable table to receive the carriage or load to
be weighed.
The beam or balance J may be of any well-known kind, but it is preferable
to use a beam with the improvement, which constitutes the third part of this
Invention, before referred to, and which is described as follows; reference
being had to Figs. 1 and 6, but particularly to the enlarged view of the beam,
Fig. 6; where a is the fulcrum; b, the arm from which the scale or substance
to be weighed is suspended; and c, the arm to which the counterpoise is
applied; d is a small stand, which may be cast or forged with or secured to
the arm b, standing above the said arm, for the purpose of carrying the weight
or poise e, which constitutes the principal feature of this part of the Invention.
This weight or poise e is sufficient to give the arm b a greater effective weight
above the line of equilibrium, which is indicated by red color in Fig. 6, than
it has below. The arc, dotted in red color, described from the falcrum a, shows
that when the arm 6 descends, the poise e must move farther from the fulcrum
in a horizontal direction, and its effective weight is increased. When, therefore,
the slightest preponderance is given to the arm b, it is increased by the action
of the poise e sufficiently to make it descend steadily, and thus prevent all
vacillation of the beam. In order that the beam or balance may retain a
proper degree of stability, it is desirable that the weight or poise e should be
adjustable higher or lower, to bring it to such a position as will only just pre-
vent the vacillation, and carry the arın 6 very gradually downwards, when it
commences to descend, by reason of the preponderance of the substance or
article being weighed; and that the said arm would be raised again imme-
diately by a very slight reduction of the weight on the arm b, or a very slight
To allow the
increase of the counterpoise or power applied to the arm c.
above-mentioned adjustment, the weight is applied to work on a screw f,
arranged perpendicularly to the beam; by raising it its effect is increased,
and by lowering it is diminished.
It is desirable, if not absolutely necessary, that a horizontally adjustable
balance weight or poise 9 be employed in connection with the weight e to
facilitate the adjustment of the balance in equilibrio, as a change in the

page_text: height of the weight e might disturb the equilibrium. This balance weight
or poise g, however, forms no part of the Invention, as it is commonly applied
to scale beams.
Instead of applying the weight or poise e above the arm b, it may be applied
above the arm c, where it would produce the same effect, in consequence of the
descent of the arm b and ascent of the arm c, bringing it nearer in a horizontal
direction to the fulcrum, and thus, by diminishing its effect on c, increasing
any preponderance of the arm b. It is only as a matter of convenience that
the weight is applied as described to increase any preponderance of the
arm b, from which the substance or article to be weighed is suspended.
It might be applied to increase any preponderance of the arın c, but as
it is almost necessary to its proper operation that the balance should be
prevented from turning in one direction from the position of equilibrium
or rest, and as in nearly all of the weighing machines now in use the arm
which carries the counterpoise is prevented descending in any very perceptible
degree from that position, and it would be inconvenient to so control the
descent of the other arm, as a general rule it should be applied to increase
any preponderance of the latter arm.
Having thus fully described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be
understood that what I claim is,--
First, the combination, substantially as herein described, for the purpose of
supporting the platform, of the short transverse levers G, G, which are arranged
at suitable intervals apart, and the lever E, F, F, which extends under the
whole or a sufficient portion of the length of the platform, to connect with
all the transverse levers G, G, by which scales of the largest size may be
constructed without using trussed levers.
Second, inserting a double concave intermediate block k within the opening
of each stirrup i, between the sharp edge of the cross bar of the stirrup and
the edge of the lever pivots, at right angles therewith, for the purpose of
enabling the platform to swing freely both in a lateral and longitudinal
direction without injury to the said sharp bearing edges, substantially as herein
set forth.
Third, the application of a weight or poise e to a scale beam or balance,
substantially as herein described, so that when the slightest preponderance is
given to one arm of the beam or balance which is left free to descend and
the descent of the said arm commences, the said weight will become effective
to increase the said preponderance, and cause the said arm to descend steadily

page_text: i
and visibly without vacillation, thereby facilitating and expediting the operation
of weighing; also making the said weight or poise e adjustable on a screw f
perpendicularly, or nearly so, to the scale beam or balance, substantially as and
for the purposes. herein. set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this 23rd day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
A. E. LORADOUX BELLFORD. (L.S.)