IMPROVED SCALE OR WEIGHING APPARATUS
Year: 1885

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of the firm of Wm Brookes & Son of 55 &
56 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED SCALE OR
WEIGHING APPARATUS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to bo
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to a scale or weighing apparatus, and is embodied in an
apparatus of that kind in which one arm of a scale beam or lever has equal weights
successively applied thereto by the movement of the said lever caused by applying
the article to be weighed to a pan or platform carried by the opposite arm of the
said lever.
'
The apparatus herein shown is especially intended for weighing mail matter. In
scales for this purpose as heretofore commonly made fractions of weights smaller
than a half ounce have been neglected, as for instance, an article weighing a certain
number of half-ounces and a fraction thereof, has been rated as weighing one more
half-ounce than the said number of complete half-ounces.
My invention consists in the combination, with a scale beam or lever having
weight-lifting slotted-plates, and a series of weights adapted to be successively
lifted thereby during the movement of the said beam, and supporting-bars for the
said weights when released by the said lifting plates, of an indicating pointer
actuated by the said scale beam and cooperating with a dial showing the weight of
the article to the nearest half-ounce, and also the official charge for carrying
different classes of mail matter of the weight indicated by the pointer.
The invention consists, also, in the construction of the weights and devices
by which they are successively applied to and removed from the scale beam.
The said weights are made as flat plates provided with supporting arms which
are passed through the slots in the lifting plates and received in corresponding
notches in the weight holding bars. The moveable scale beam is provided with an
inclined weight-lifting device baving slots for the passage of the supporting
arms to the notched weight holding bars and also to receive and lift said
supporting arms, the said slots corresponding in position with those of the weight
holding bars.

page_text: A suitable guide operates to place the weights in proper position when lifted
from the weight holding bars by the weight lifting plates.
Figure 1, is a side elevation of a scale or weighing apparatus constructed in
accordance with this invention.
Figure 2, an end view thereof.
Figure 3, a detail partly in front elevation and section with the dial removed to
more clearly show the weight actuating parts, and the rod which connects the
pointer actuating mechanism with the scale beam, and
Figure 4, a detail illustrating the pointer actuating mechanism.
The scale beam a, pivoted at 2 in a notch at the top of the standard b, is provided
at one end with the usual pan or platform e for receiving the article to be weighed,
the said platform being supported upon a pivot 3, at the end of the scale beam, in
the usual manner, and provided with a standard d guided by a radius bar e in the
oscillations of the scale beam a.
The beam a is provided at its other end with a similar platform f mounted on
the standard g secured to frame h, see Figure 2, suspended from the beam a
on V-shaped bearings connected therewith. The lower end of the frame is
connected with radius bars i which act to retain the frame in substantially
vertical position during the oscillations of the said scale beam.
The said frame work h is provided with two parallel weight lifting plates j
preferably of the form shown in Figure 2, that is to say with horizontal or straight
upper surfaces and inclined lower surfaces and provided with vertical slots of
gradually increasing length from end to end of the plates, all of said slots however
being of substantially the same width.
A line parallel with the horizontal upper edges of the plates will intersect the
upper terminals of the slots, and a second line parallel with the lower inclined
edges or bottoms of said plates will intersect the lower terminals of said slots.
The inclined lower terminals of the slots will be successively brought to a given
level as the frame is raised by the depression of the platform c at the other end
of the scale, such depression being caused by applying to the said platform the
article to be weighed.
The frame work of the apparatus, near the line of movement of the plates j, is
provided with stationary weight supporting bars knotched at their upper edges to
correspond in position and number with the slots in the said plates j.
In the normal position of the scale, the platform c being then unoccupied, the
inclined bottoms of the plates j are maintained wholly below the upper surface of
the weight supporting bars with the lower terminal of the smallest slot of said
plates on a level with or just beneath the corresponding notches at the left of the
Baid bars viewing Figure 2.
The weights m consist of flat plates having projections n, which pass through
the slots in the weight lifting plate j and rest in the notches of the weight
supporting bars k, the said plates being of sufficient width to enter freely between
the weight lifting plates j as shown in Figure 3.
By this construction the projections n cannot escape from the slots in the
plates and whenever by the operation of the apparatus the said projections are
lifted from the notched bars and then lowered they will always be returned to
their respective notches, besides whatever the jar or sudden movement that may be
imparted accidentally or otherwise to the scale the slotted plates will constantly
retain the weights in proper position.
The weights m suspended in a certain pair of notches of the bars k, will have the
projections held in corresponding slots in the plates j. so that when the inclined
bottoms of said plates j are in their normal position below the upper edges of the
bars any tendency of the said plates j. to rise under the action of a weight
placed in the pan c will be resisted by the weight m, first engaged in the smallest
slots of the said plates and will prevent any movement of the scale beam unless
the article placed on the platform c is heavier than the said weight m.

page_text: .
If, however the said article is heavier than one of the said weights m, it will
cause the beam a to turn far enough to lift the said first weight and cause the
plates j. to be moved up to the next weight, and the scale beam will be then held
stationary unless the article placed in the pan c overbalances two of the said
weights.
In this way when an article is placed on the platform c the beam will be moved
until the plates ; lift in succession a sufficient number of weights m to balance the
said article, the last weight applied not however being actually lifted or transferre !
from the bars to the plates j.
The upward movement of the said plates j. under the weight of different articles
applied to the platform c, will, it will be seen, be checked or stopped at certain
definite points according to the weight of the article, the said plates j. gradually
picking up and lifting one weight after another until a sufficient number of said
weights have been lifted to counterbalance the weight of the article on the
platform c.
When the plates j return to their normal position after removing the article just
weighed from the platform c, the holding arms n of the weights m are again
returned into the notches of the weight supporting bars as the inclined bottoms
of the slotted plates j sink from beneath them, and each weight is thus always
lifted from and returned into the same notches in the bars k by the plates j.
The said weights are provided with deep central notches o which straddle a
guide p, mounted on the frame work, the said guide serving to place the weights
in a central position between the bars as they are deposited thereon by. the
depression of the plates j.
A depending connecting rod is pivotted to the scale beam a at a point
between its central pivot 2 and the standard g, and the lower end of said rod is
attached to a pin which is secured to the pointer actuating lever 8¹ and projected
through a slot in the back of the dial case 8.
The pointer actuating lever s' is pivoted at one end within the dial case as at 4
see Figure 4, and is provided at its opposite end with a number of teeth 811 which
engage the pinion on the arbor t to operate the pointer which cooperates with
a dail having a series of concentric graduated circles as shown, the said pointer
thus receiving a movement corresponding with the movement of the beam a and
connected weight lifting plate j when an article is applied to the platform c.
The outermost circle of the said dial is provided with divisions corresponding to
the movement of the pointer that takes place when the plates j are moved a
distance equal to the difference in the level between two of its successive weight
receiving slot terminals, the said divisions thus corresponding to the number of
weights m applied to the plates j.
The pointer is set opposite the first division when the plates ; are in their lowest
position, and will consequently remain indicating one half when any article
weighing less than one of the weights m is placed on the platform c, this being
the proper indication, as any article or letter weighing less than half an ounce
is rated as if it weighed one half ounce.
If the article is sufficient to overbalance one weight the beam will move until
the plates are stopped by the second weight, and the pointer in the said
movement will be brought opposite the second division, thus indicating that the
article is rated as an ounce, although it may weigh only a small fraction over a
half an ounce.
The second circle is provided with figures indicating the amount of postage for
sealed letters, they increasing two cents at each division of the outer circle.
The other circles show the prices of other classes of postal matter, namely, one
cent for an ounce and one cent for each two ounces or fraction thereof.
By making the weights in the shape of flat plates, as shown, a very large.
number can be placed in a small space and be conveniently lifted from the
supporting bars by the lifting plates,

page_text: The apparatus is shown as provided with sixteen weights and the pointer will
consequently indicate any weight less than eight ounces to the nearest half ounce
in excess of the said weight.
If it should be desired to use the apparatus for other articles except mail
matter, the pointer might be set at zero point when the scale is in its normal
position, and the scale would then indicate to the nearest half ounce under the full
weight of the article.
Should it be desired to weigh articles heavier than the entire series of weights m,
additional counterbalancing weights can be placed on the platform f
For instance if a pound weight be placed on the said platform of the pointer u
will indicate the fraction over a pound and by adding successive one pound
weights to the platform f any article can be weighed to the nearest half ounce,
the only limit being the actual strength of the apparatus.
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 scale or weighing apparatus, the combination with the scale beam
provided with slotted weight-lifting plates, of weight supporting bars having
notches corresponding with the slots in the lifting plates, and a series of flat
weights provided with projections passing through the slots in the lifting plates
and resting in the notches of the supporting bars and adapted to be lifted there-
from by the slotted plates in the movement of the scale beam, substantially as
described.
2. The series of flat weights provided with guiding notches, combined with the
slotted weight-lifting plates, and weight supporting bars, and the guide cooperating
with said notches, whereby the said weights are properly lifted from and returned
to the supporting bars by the slotted plates in the movement of the scale beam,
substantially as described.
3. The dial having figures to indicate the amount in half ounces and the number
of postage stamps required to take that number of half ounces of mailable matter
through the mails, a pointer cooperating with the said dial, and a shaft to carry
said pointer and provided with a pinion, combined with a scale beam, and the
pivoted toothed lever, and connecting rod between said scale beam and the pointer
carrying shaft to rotate said pointer in the movement of the scale beam, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
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