IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Pooley, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Ironfounder, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEIGHING MACHINES"
Dantly communi
Sealed the 4th May 1853, and dated the 9th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Pooley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th February 1853.
I, HENRY POOLEY, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES," to be as
follows:
This Invention relates, firstly, to a mode of detaching from and
reconnecting with the steelyard the levers and platform which
carry the load to be weighed, with the object of relieving the knife
edged centres and other delicate parts from unnecessary wear.
Pendent from a knife edged bar, forming the point of impact of
the steelyard, is a loop or ring, which, when the apparatus is in
use, takes on to a hook projecting from the edge of a tumbler,
which tumbler constitutes a part of the rod (commonly called the
suspension rod) connecting the levers with the steelyard. This

page_text: tumbler is slotted to receive a pin, on which it slides very loosely,
and which pin serves not only to keep the tumbler in in an upright
position with the rod, but also prevents the tumbler falling too far
from the rod in either direction. Above the tumbler the suspension
rod is formed into a hooked finger, which at certain times rests in
a loop or ring that hangs from the short end of a cranked hand
lever whose fulcrum is attached to the pillar of the machine, which
also carries the steelyard and its appendages. That portion of the
last-mentioned loop which is in immediate contact with the hand
lever has a projection or tongue on its upper end, which tongue is
received within a spiral spring fixed to the inside of the cap or
cover of the pillar. To detach or ungear the levers and platform
from the steelyard, the hand-lever must be first drawn down, by
which operation the loop hanging from its shorter end takes hold
of the hooked finger at the top of the suspension rod, and raises
that rod with its tumbler from the loop pendent from the point of
impact on the steelyard, which latter loop then detaches itself, and
falls forward out of the vertical position which it retained whilst it
was connected with the tumbler; then the hand lever is allowed to
rise, and consequently the principal levers and platform are lowered
down upon the solid resting bed prepared in the box or frame
within which the levers are fixed. The operation of gearing or
reconnecting the steelyard and levers is performed thus:-In the
operation last described, (i. e.) lowering the platform and levers by
means of the hand lever and suspension rod, the back of the tumbler
presses against a part of the interior of the pillar, which throws, the
tumbler forward. In gearing the hand lever is first drawn down,
which brings up the tumbler into contact with the loop pendent
from the point of impact of the steelyard, which loop, by its own
weight, and its peculiar manner of hanging, falls into the hook
projecting from the edge of the tumbler; then the hand lever being.
allowed to rise, the spiral spring acting upon the top of the loop
which hangs from the end of the shorter arm of that lever, causes
it to drop clear of the hooked finger on the end of the suspension
rod, and leaves the machine in free action.

page_text: The second feature of this Invention is a method of regulating
the amount of acceleration proper to compound lever weighing
machines. For this purpose a weight capable of vertical movement
is placed internally in a part of the steelyard or beam, and may be
contained within the same chamber which holds the concealed
counterbalance, which concealed counterbalance or adjustment
forms part of and is peculiar to a Patent granted to this Inventor,
bearing date June 16th, 1847. By raising or depressing this
acceleration weight above or below the line of the centre of gravity
of the steelyard the action of the balance may be accelerated or
retarded, or the steelyard may have a vibratory action as circum-
stances may require.
The third feature of this Invention consists in providing the
knife-edged centres of weighing machines and scale beams with
lateral knife-edged shoulders of a peculiar kind, which give proper
bearings for the sides of links or suspending pieces, and so prevent
all avoidable friction in those parts. These lateral anti-friction
knife edges are made of steel or other metal of the required form,
and fitted into prepared beds within the levers, beams, or steel
yards, and will fall out of their places when required by backing out
the knife-edged bars or pieces to which they are designed to be
guards and additions. This third and last feature of the Invention
is the part which has been communicated.
All or any of these improvements are applicable to weighing
machines of every construction, and inay also be added to old
machines for their improvement.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Henry Pooley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
HENRY POOLEY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Iron-
founder, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by
Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three, in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her
heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Pooley,
Her special license that I, the said Henry Pooley, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Pooley,
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 WEIGHING MACHINES," being partly a com-
munication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Pooley, 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 is 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 Henry Pooley, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
saine is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
This Invention of "Improvements in Weighing Machines" relates,
firstly, to a mode of detaching from and reconnecting with the
steelyard the levers and platform which support the load to be
weighed. The object of this part of the Invention is to relieve the
knife-edged centres and other delicate parts from unnecessary wear,
when the machine is not in use. Fig. 1, in the accompanying
Drawings is a plan view, and Fig. 2, a side elevation of the machine
complete; Fig. 3, is a vertical section, taken through the upper
part of the standard from which the steelyard is suspended.

page_text: Pendent from a knife-edged bar c (Figs. 3 & 5) forming the
point of impact of the steelyard, is a loop or ring 7, which, when the
apparatus is in use, takes on to a hook p*, projecting from the edge
of a tumbler p, which tumbler constitutes a part of the rod j
(commonly called the suspension rod), and which connects the
levers of the platform below with the steelyard above. This
tumbler is slotted. to. receive a pin d; on which it slides very.
loosely, and which pin d serves not only to keep the tumbler.
in an upright position with the rod j, but also prevents the tumbler
from falling too far from the rod in either direction. Above the
tumbler of the suspension rod j, there is a hooked finger k, which at.
certain times rests in and is suspended from a loop or ring m, that
hangs from the short end of a cranked hand lever l, whose fulcruin.
is attached to the pillar a, of the machine, which also carries the
steelyard b, and its appendages. That portion of the last-mentioned:
loop m, which is in immediate contact with the hand lever 1, has a pro-
jection or tongue m* on its upper end, which tongue is received within
a spiral spring n fixed to the inside of the cap or cover of the pillar a.:
In order to detach or ungear the platform A and its levers from
the steelyard, the hand lever 7 must be first drawn down, by which
operation the loop m hanging from the shorter end of this lever.
takes hold of the hooked finger k, at the top of the suspension rod j
and raises that rod with its tumbler p (as shewn by dots in Fig. 3),
and detaches it from the loop q, pendent from the point of impact
on the steelyard, which latter loop q then detaches itself, and falls
forward out of the vertical position which it retained whilst it was
connected with and hooked on to the tumbler. p; then the hand.
lever is allowed to rise, and consequently the principal, levers and
platform are lowered down upon the solid resting bed prepared in,
the box or frame within which the levers are fixed. The operation.
of gearing or reconnecting the steelyard and levers is performed in
the following manner:-In the operation last described, that is to:
say, lowering the platform and levers by means of the hand lever l,
and suspension rod j, the back of the tumbler p presses against a
part of the interior of the pillar. a, which throws the tumbler

page_text: P
forward. In order to put the several parts on gear the hand lever
is first drawn down, which brings up the tumbler into contact
with the loop q, that is pendent from the point of impact of the
steelyard; and this loop, by its own weight, and its peculiar manner
of hanging, falls back under the hook p* projecting from the edge
of the tumbler, and then the hand lever being allowed to rise, the
spiral spring n, by acting upon the top of the loop which hangs
from the end of the shorter arm of that lever, causes it to drop
clear of the hooked finger k, at the upper end of the suspension
rod j, and leaves the machine in free action. The construction,
arrangement, and operation of the said several parts just described
will be easily understood by referring to the perspective view,
Fig. 4.
The second feature of this Invention is a method of regulating
the amount of acceleration proper to compound lever weighing
machines. This improvement is shewn in the detached sectional
views, Figs. 5, and 6, which represent longitudinal and vertical
sections of this part of the steelyard. The improvement is effected
by the use and application-of a weight u, shewn detached and in
perspective at Fig. 7. This weight is secured in its position by
means of a screw and nut w, shewn detached at Fig. 8, and
is capable of vertical movement for the purposes of adjustment.
It is placed inside the part of the steelyard or beam seen at v,
Figs. 3 and 4, and may be contained within the same chamber which
holds the concealed counterbalance, which concealed counterbalance
or adjustment forms part of and is peculiar to a Patent granted to
me and bearing date June sixteenth, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-seven. By raising or depressing this acceleration weight u,
above or below the line of the centre of gravity of the steelyard, by
merely loosening the screw nut w, the action of the balance may be
accelerated or retarded, or the steelyard may have a vibratory action,
as circumstances may require.
The third feature of this Invention consists in providing the
knife-edged centres of weighing machines and scale beams with
lateral knife-edged shoulders of a peculiar kind, which give proper

page_text: bearings for the sides of links or suspending pieces, and so prevent
all avoidable friction in those parts. These lateral anti-friction
knife edges are shewn at r, r, in Figs. 9, and 10, which represent
two views of the end of one of the levers. These edges r, r, which
are made of steel or other metal of the required form, are shewn
detached and upon an enlarged scale at Figs. 11, 12, and 13. They
are fitted into prepared beds within the levers, beams, or steel-
yards s, and will fall out of their places when required by backing
out the knife-edged bars or pieces t, to which they are designed to
be guards and additions.
Having now described the Invention for which I have obtained
Letters Patent as aforesaid, and the best means with which I am
at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would
here remark, that most of these improvements are applicable to-
weighing machines of other constructions than those shewn and
described, and may also be added to old machines for their improve-
ment, and that one or more may be used without adopting the
remainder; and I will further observe, that I do not mean or intend
to confine myself rigidly to the precise arrangement or construction
of parts herein shewn and described, although I have found by
experience that they answer the purpose exceedingly well, as I
have no doubt but the arrangement of the several parts may be
altered without departing from the nature and object of my
Invention; nor do I intend to claim all the parts of the machine
herein shewn and represented in the Drawings, as I am aware that
some of such parts have heretofore been used for similar purposes.
But that which I consider to be new, and therefore wish to claim
as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is,
First, the means shewn and described, or any mere modification
thereof, detaching or disconnecting the steelyard from the platform
and its levers below, and attaching or reconnecting the same
when required by means of pendent hooks or links, which may
be connected or disconnected by means of a hand lever or other
suitable contrivance.
1

page_text: Second, I claim regulating the acceleration proper for compound
lever weighing machines by means of an adjustable weight.
Third, I claim the use and application of separate or removeable
lateral knife edges for the purpose of diminishing the friction of the
working parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Pooley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
Witness,.
THOS BRADLEY.:
RICH PEARCE.
HENRY POOLEY. (L.S.)