Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 8th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 22nd June, 1888
EMILE ROCHE, of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
The object of this invention is to construct weighing machines in which the dis-
advantages of ordinary weighing machines are avoided, such as loss of time in
finding the proper weights, rapid wear of the cursors, and errors resulting therefrom.
My invention is applicable to various descriptions of weighing machines, for
example, weigh bridges, balances with platforms suspended or otherwise, letter or
paper weighers. The improved machine is constructed with an oscillating or vibrating
beam carrying a cursor or a weight platform, or without either of these devices.
This beam is mounted on knife edges and carries at its lower part a heavy block;
or instead of using a block the beam itself may extend more or less below the line
of the knife edges, or the indicating needle may be placed below the line of the
knife edges so as to constitute a counterweight. The beam is carried by a support.
or frame on which is fixed a curved scale or sector or a straight scale on which
the needle which moves with the beam indicates the weight; or the needle may carry
the scale and in this case there is a fixed indicator on the frame to which the divisions
of the scale would be successively presented.
For even or corresponding loads the adjustment of the cursor or the placing of
representative weights on. the weight platform will bring the needle to zero, but if
there is. not correspondence of the cursor or the representative weights with the
load the excess is indicated automatically on the scale with very great exactness,
that is to say the needle indicates fractions over and above the weight determined
by the cursor or by the representative weights. When the machine has no cursor or
weight platform the whole weight is automatically indicated on the scale up to the
limit of the machine and the greater this limit the more is it necessary to give length
and amplitude to the needle in order that a greater number of legible divisions may
be inscribed on the scale.

page_text: Equilibrium is established spontaneously by the displacement of the centre of
gravity of the beam which is situated below the line of the knife edges and which,
according to the load, moves more or less from the vertical plane passing through the
point of the beam's suspension.
The load to be weighed is suspended from a knife edge on the beam at a certain
distance from the fulcrum or point of suspension of the beam. In cases in which
the load is not freely suspended from the knife edge, as in some balances and weigh
bridges, a small lever ensures that the rod communicating with the ordinary levers
that support the platform or table of the machine shall be always vertical by forming
a jointed parallelogram one of whose sides is fixed and vertical. There is a device
for quickly stopping the vibrations of the indicating needle.
In certain instruments such as letter and paper weighers the unequal divisions of
the scale have hitherto been obtained by the use of standard weights suspended
successively from the hook or platform intended to receive the load. This same
method could be employed to divide or mark off the scales in my machines; not only
however does this operation occupy much time but the method has the disadvantage
of giving a great disproportion to the divisions; some are very small and others very
large and there is consequently considerable irregularity in the sensitiveness of the
apparatus. In letter and such like weighers also the repair of the apparatus is difficult
because it is liable to make the divisions untrue.
I therefore attach great importance to the following method for the determination
of the divisions of the scales because it avoids the drawbacks above referred to. It gives
as it were harmony to the divisions and allows of these being marked beforehand.
I determine the divisions of the scale or sector methodically by the successive inter-
sections of the indicating needle with a straight bar or part divided off into equal
parts and these divisions are strictly in proportion to the weights to be valued. For
this purpose it is necessary, first that the direction of the needle shall pass through
the point of suspension of the beam; second that the bar, divided off into equal
parts, be at right angles to the position the needle occupies when the line of the knife
edges is in the horizontal position; and third that the divisions be marked as starting
from the initial position which the needle occupies when the table or platform of the
instrument is empty or tared.
It will be readily understood that there will be a maximum of regularity in the
sensitiveness of the apparatus when the initial and extreme positions of the needle
are symmetrical in relation to the mean position; in this case the middle of the seale
indicated by the needle will correspond to the horizontal position of the knife edges.
With regard to the heavy block before referred to it should be so much the less
heavy or nearer the line of the knife edges as it is wished to give less value to the
divided part.
It is always necessary to place the cursor or the point of suspension of the weight
platform on the line of the knife edges for without this precaution the travel of
the cursor, or the weights placed on the platform would not be proportional to the
load.
The scale can be placed in any position, that is to say: horizontally above or below
the line of the knife edges, vertically or obliquely, provided it is at right angles to
the direction of the needle when the line of the knife edges is horizontal.
11

page_text: I EMILE ROCHE, of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France, 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:-
The object of this invention is to construct weighing machines in which the dis-
advantages of ordinary weighing machines are avoided, such as loss of time in finding
the proper weights, rapid wear of the cursors, and errors resulting therefrom.
The annexed drawings represent several modifications of my invention which consists
essentially of an oscillating or vibrating beam and methodically arranged divisions of
the scale.
Figure 1 shows in front and side view a machine with a cursor; Figure 2 shows an
arrangement with a weight platform: Figure 3 is an elevation of a machine entirely
automatic without a cursor or a weight platform; Figure 4 shows an apparatus in
which the reading off of the weights can be effected on a scale the divisions of which are
equidistant, the scale being fixed. Figure 5 shows that the movable needle can carry
the scale the divisions of which would be presented successively to a fixed indicator on
the frame.
The apparatus indicates automatically and with absolute exactness on a scale divided
beforehand fractions over and above the weights determined by the cursors as in
Figure 1 or fractions over and above the weights determined by the representative
weights placed on a platform as in Figure 2, or the whole weight up to the limit of the
machine as in Figure 3.
Equilibrium is established spontaneously by the displacement of the centre of gravity
of the beam which is situated below the line of the knife edges and which, according
to the load, moves more or less from the vertical plane passing through the point of
suspension of the beam.
For corresponding loads the cursor C (Figure 1) or the weights placed on the
platform P (Figure 2) bring the apparatus to zero; if there is not correspondence of
the weights with the load the excess is indicated automatically on the scale with very
great exactness. In the apparatus shown in Figure 3 the whole weight is indicated
automatically up to the limit of the machine, and the greater this limit the more is it
necessary to give length and amplitude to the needle in order to inscribe a greater
number of legible divisions on the scale.
My invention is applicable to various descriptions of weighing machines, for example
weigh-bridges, balances with platforms suspended or otherwise, letter or paper
weighers. The machine is composed mainly of an oscillating or vibrating beam with
cursor or platform, or, as shown in Figure 3, without these devices. This beam
mounted on knife edges O carries at its lower part a heavy block M which can be
replaced either by the beam itself by carrying it more or less below the line. --y of
the knife edges, or by the indicating needle by placing this below the line of the knife

page_text: edges so as to form a counterweight. The beam is carried by a support or frame S
on which is fixed a curved scale or sector B (Figures 1, 2 and 3) or a straight scale R
(Figure 4) or a fixed indicator I (Figure 5). The needle D is fixed to the beam and
carries in the case of Figure 5 the divided scale or sector.
In cases in which the load is not freely suspended from the knife edge E, as in some
balances and weigh-bridges, a small lever L insures that the rod T or the bar F shall
always be vertical by forming a jointed parallelogram one of the sides of which is
fixed and vertical; in this case the small lever I carries the rod T communicating
with the ordinary levers which support the platform or table of the machine. Kis
the ordinary device for quickly stopping the vibrations of the indicating needle; it is
a simple L-shaped lever pivoted at its angle to a fixed point; when it presses against
the beam it stops the vibrations and when its outer end is raised the beam is freed.
G is the tare counterweight.
The application of scales divided or marked off beforehand requires a method in the
determination of the divisions as well as certain conditions in the arrangement of the
system. In certain instruments such as letter and paper weighers the unequal
divisions of the scale have been hitherto obtained by the use of standard weights
suspended successively to the hook or platform intended to receive the load. This
same method could be employed to divide the scales in my machines; not only
however does this operation occupy much time but the method has the disadvantage
of presenting a great disproportion in the divisions; some are very small and others
very large and there is consequently considerable irregularity in the sensitiveness of
the apparatus. In letter and such like weighers also the repair of the apparatus is
difficult because it is liable to make the divisions untrue.
I therefore attach great importance to the following method for the determination
of the divisions of the scales because it avoids the drawbacks above referred to. It
gives as it were harmony to the divisions and allows of these being marked before-
hand.
In my apparatus the divisions of the scale or sector are determined methodically by
the successive intersections of the indicating needle with a straight bar or part
divided into equidistant parts and these divisions are strictly in proportion to the
weights to be valued. For this purpose it is necessary: 1st, that the direction of the
needle shall pass through the point of suspension of the beam; 2nd, that this bar,
divided off into equal parts, be at right angles to the position the needle occupies
when the line of the knife edges is in the horizontal position; 3rd, that the divisions
be marked as starting from the initial position which the needle occupies when the
table or platform of the instrument is empty or tared.
It will be readily seen that there will be a maximum of regularity in the sensitive-
ness of the apparatus when the initial and extreme positions of the needle are
symmetrical in relation to the mean position; in this case the middle of the scale
indicated by the needle will correspond to the horizontal position of the knife edges.
With regard to the heavy block M before referred to it should be so much the less
heavy or nearer the line of the knife edges as it is wished to give less value to the
divided part.
It can also be seen that for corresponding weights the cursor C (Figure 1) or the
weights placed on the platform P (Figure 2) will bring the apparatus to zero and
that the apparatus being thus tared afresh gives for excess weights indications as
precise as under a light load. It is always necessary to place the cursors (or the
point of suspension of the weight platform on the line ---y of the knife
edges for without this precaution the travel of the cursors, or the weights placed on
the platform, would not be proportional to the loads.
The weights can be read off on the curved scale or sector (Figure 1) or on the
straight scale (Figure 4) on which the divisions are equidistant, the scale in each
of these modifications being fixed. They can also be read off on the scale fixed to
the needle as in the arrangement shown in Figure 5; in this case the divisions would
be presented successively to the fixed indicator I.
The scale can be placed in any position, that is to say, horizontally above or below

page_text: the line of the knife edges, vertically or obliquely provided it is at right angles to
the direction of the needle when the line of the knife edges is horizontal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a weighing machine, the combination with an oscillating or vibrating
beam and a needle, of a scale, whose middle part, as indicated by said needle,
corresponds to the horizontal position of the knife edges of the machine, as set
forth.
2. In a weighing machine, the combination of the beam A, knife edges O and E,
scale B and needle D, as set forth.
3. In a weighing machine, the combination of the block M with the beam A,
knife edges O and E, scale B and needle D, as set forth.
4. The several arrangements or combinations of parts of weighing machines as
hereinbefore described and represented in the annexed drawings.
Dated this 8th day of May 1888.
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.