IMPROVEMENTS IN STEELYARDS FOR WEIGHING MACHINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Spencer and James Consterdine, both of
Hollinwood, near Manchester, and John Greenwood, of Salford, all in the
County of Lancaster, Weighing Machine Makers and Engineers, for an
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Spencer, James
Consterdine and John Greenwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 16th January 1882.
.
JAMES SPENCER and JAMES CONSTERDINE both of Hollinwood, near Manchester,
and JOHN GREENWOOD, of Salford, all in the County of Lancaster, Weighing
Machine Makers, and Engineers. “IMPROVEMENTS IN STEELYARDS FOR WEIGHING
MACHINES."
Our Invention relates to improvements in steelyards for weighing machines
which are intended to indicate in several distinct national standards or different
denominations of weight, and which have one ог more revolving bars of a
triangular polygonal or cylindrical form in their transverse section, adapted to
turn separately, and consists in having serrated divisions or notches cut on the
faces or edges of the said bars.
"
The bars may be arranged so as to be side by side, or one above another. One
of the said bars (which we term the principal bar) is graduated so as to indicate
the larger denominations of weight, and their equivalents in any foreign scale or
standard; and the other (which we term the secondary bar) to indicate the
fractional parts of the denominations represented by the divisions on the principal
bar, and their equivalents in any foreign scale or standard.
In the improved arrangement we have a sliding carriage or poise weight which
can be moved backward and forward along the principal revolving bar, by a handle,
and secured accurately in position by a catch, which drops into the serrated
divisions or notches, which are cut on the faces or edges, of the revolving bars.
The carriage or poise weight is so arranged that the bar can be freely turned

page_text: into any desired position without moving the carriage or poise weight, whilst the
catch is arranged to drop into any of the serrated divisions or.notches.
The steelyard may be formed as a hollow or open frame in which the principle
revolving bar may be placed. The sliding carriage or poise weight may be
arranged to slide backward and forward on the said frame with the catch fitted so
as to drop into any of the serrated divisions or notches or any of the faces or edges
of the principal revolving bar, and the sliding carriage or poise weight may have a
supplementary or secondary bar secured to it, and supported by brackets projecting
from the sliding carriage or poise weight, and the bar arranged so as to revolve in
suitable bearings.
In this modified arrangement the principal bar may be graduated so as to
indicate the larger denominations and their equivalents, and the secondary bar
graduated into fractional parts and their equivalents.
The secondary bar would be fitted with a sliding poise weight without the catch
as previously mentioned.
In some cases we propose to mount the secondary bar so as not to revolve and
we provide it with (say) three separate and distinct scales to indicate the fractional
parts of the denominations on the principal bar, that is to say, the smaller sub-
divisions of the same national standard.
And in such cases in order to prevent the liability to read off the principal
divisions according to one standard, and the subdivisions according to a different
one, we propose to distinguish the corresponding scales by similar colours; for
example: the face of the principal bar indicating (say) British weights, may be
plated with nickel or silver, and the corresponding scale on the secondary bar may
be similarly plated; the face of the principal bar, and the corresponding face of the
secondary bar, indicating (say) French weights may be plated with copper, and the
third face of the principal bar and its corresponding face on the secondary bar
indicating (say) Indian weights, may be oxidized so as to present a dull or black
appearance, and so on.
The revolving bars before mentioned may be so arranged that they can be
locked in any desired position by a pawl or catch.
In some cases we make the principal bar with three faces, the central one being
horizontal and the others at an angle of about forty five degrees or with three
scales on one face each notched according to a different national standard for the
heavy weights and we mount on it a carriage or poise weight having either three
catches one for each face or scale (either of which catches can be thrown into or
out of gear with its particular face or scale) or we have only one catch movable in
a curved or straight groove so as to be brought to act upon either face or scale as
required. The secondary bar may be either triangular and revolving or it may be
flat and provided with three separate scales as in the last above described
arrangement and marked with the corresponding subdivisions.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Spencer, James Consterdine, and John Greenwood in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th July 1882.
JAMES SPENCER and JAMES CONSTERDINE both of Hollinwood near Manchester
and JOHN GREENWOOD of Salford all in the County of Lancaster Weighing
Machine Makers and Engineers. IMPROVEMENTS IN STEELYARDS FOR WEIGHING
MACHINES.
Our Invention relates to improvements in steelyards for weighing machines
which are intended to indicate in several distinct national standards or different
denominations of weight, and which one or more revolving bars of triangular
polygonal or cylindrical form in their transverse section, adapted to turn separately,
and consists principally in having serrated divisions or notches cut on the faces or
edges of the said bars. The bars may be arranged so as to be side by side, or one
above another.
One of the said bars (which we term the principal bar) is graduated so as to
indicate the larger denominations of weight, and their equivalents in any foreign
seale or standard; and the other (which we term the secondary bar) to indicate
the fractional parts of the denominations represented by the divisions on the
principal bar, and their equivalents in any foreign scale or standard.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention we will now proceed
in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect and in order that the same may be clearly understood
we have annexed hereunto two Sheets of Drawings illustrative thereof and have
marked the same with Figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof.
.
Fig. 1. in the annexed drawing is a side elevation Fig. 2 a plan view Fig. 3, an
end view and Fig. 4 a section of a steelyard constructed and fitted according to one
modification of our Invention, a a being the steelyard.
In this improved arrangement we have a sliding carriage or poise weight bb
which can be moved backward and forward along the principal revolving bar, by a.
handle d d and secured accurately in position by a catch e which drops into the
serrated divisions or notches which are cut on the faces or edges of the revolving
bar c, c.
The carriage or poise weight b, b is so arranged that the bar o c, can be freely
turned into any desired position without moving the carriage or poise weight,
whilst the catch e is arranged to drop into any of the serrated divisions or
notches.
The steelyard a, a may be formed as a hollow or open frame in which the
principal revolving bar may be placed (see Figs. 2 and 4). The sliding carriage or
poise weight b, b may be arranged to slide backward and forward on the said
frame with the catch e fitted so as to drop into any of the serrated divisions or
notches on any of the faces or edges of the principal revolving bar c, c on the
sliding carriage or poise weight may have a supplementary or secondary bar f, f
secured to it, and supported by brackets g, g projecting from the sliding carriage
or poise weight b, b and the bar f, f is arranged so as to revolve in suitable
bearings.
In this modified arrangement the principal bar c, c may be graduated so as to
indicate the larger denominations and their equivalents and the secondary bar f, f
graduated into the fractional parts and their equivalent.
The secondary bar would be fitted with a sliding poise weight h, h without the
catch e as previously mentioned.

page_text: A modification of this arrangement is shown at Figs 5. 6. 7 and 8 this
modification consisting in mounting the secondary bar f, fin brackets carried by
the steelyard a, a instead of attaching it to the sliding carriage or poise weight b, b.
Fig 5 shows the means for raising the catch e out of the notches in the bar c, c so
as to allow of the poise weight being moved.
Inside the handle d, d is a bell crank lever i, i the upper arm of which carries a
stud k projecting through the handle and the lower arm carries a wheel Z, Z running
on the edge of the steelyard. Figs 9 and 10 are end views and sections of the
opposite ends of the steelyards. We sometimes make both bars with four sides as
shown at Fig. 12.
In some cases we propose to mount the secondary bar f, f so as not to revolve as
shown at Figs 11. 13 and 14. and we provide it with (say) three separate and
distinct scales to indicate the fractional parts of the denominations on the principal
bar, that is to say, the smaller subdivisions of the same national standard.
And in such cases in order to prevent the liability to read off the principal
divisions according to one standard, and the subdivisions according to a different
one, we propose to distinguish the corresponding scales by similar colors; for
example, the face of the principal bar indicating (say) British weights may be
plated with nickel or silver, and the corresponding scale on the secondary bar may
be similarly plated; the face of the principal bar, and the corresponding face of the
secondary bar, indicating (say) French weights may be plated with copper, and the
third face of the principal bar, and its corresponding face on the secondary bar
indicating (say) Indian weights may be oxydized so as to present a dull or black
appearance, and so on.
The revolving bars before mentioned may be arranged that they can be locked
in any desired position by a pawl or catch (see Figs 9 and 10).
In some cases we make the principal bar with three faces (see Fig. 15) the
central one being horizontal and the others at an angle of about forty five degrees
or with three scales on one face, each notched according to a different national
standard for the heavy weights, and we mount on it a carriage or poise weight
having either three catches i, i, i one for each face or scale (either of which catches
can be thrown into or out of gear with its particular face or scale) or we have only
one catch movable in a curved or straight groove so as to be brought to act upon
either face or scale as required. The secondary bar may be either triangular and
revolving, or it may be flat and provided with three separate scales as in the last
above described arrangement and marked with the corresponding subdivisions.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention the
several improvements in steelyards for weighing machines intended to indicate
several distinct national standards as such improvements are herein before
particularly described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof I the said James Consterdine (on behalf of myself and
the said James Spencer and John Greenwood) have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Fourteenth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.