Year: 1886

page_text: I, ISAAC GREENBURY of 6 The Arcade in the City of Edinburgh, Jeweller, 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 :-
My invention has for object to provide in conjunction with a pen or pencil
holder a spring balance adapted for weighing letters and small parcels and to that
end it consists in fitting within a tubular holder for a pen or pencil a helical or
other spring to which is connected a rod or wire, or a telescopic tube or like means
for carrying an index or pointer provided with a hook, clip or other device for
suspending the letter or parcel, and forming a graduated scale upon the holder or
telescopic tube to indicate the weight of the letter or parcel in measure corre-
sponding to the degree of tension or compression to which the spring is subjected
by the suspension of the letter or parcel from the hook or other holding device.
As represented in vertical section at figure 1. and in elevation at figure 2 of the
accompanying drawings the combined pen or pencil holder and spring balance
constituting my invention consists of a tube A formed of metal, wood or other
material and adapted to carry in a socket at one end a pen or pencil or a reversible
pen and pencil holder B, and a helical spring C whose lower end is secured within
the tube A while at its upper end is fitted a cap c provided with a pointer which
is carried through a slit in the tube A. The the cap c is attached a rod or wire D
which passes down through the centre of the helical spring and terminates at its
lower end in a hook or clip E whereto the letter or parcel may be suspended, an
ornamental bead or cone F surrounding the wire D being provided to finish off or
stop up the lower end of the tube A. Upon the outside of the tube A a graduated
scale is placed in proximity to the longitudinal slit and the position of the pointer c
on such scale serves to indicate the weight of the letter or parcel which by the
pull on the wire compresses the spring. Adjoining the scale of weights or on the
opposite side of the slit in the tube may be marked a scale of rates chargeable for
postage or porterage of letters or parcels.
As represented in sectional elevation in figure 3 the formation of the combined
pen or pencil holder and spring balance may be modified by forming the scale upon

page_text: an inner tube G which may contain the helical spring and a wire or rod attached
to the lower end of the spring and fixed at its upper end to the outer tube the
spring being in this case also subjected to compression by the weight of the letter or
parcel which is suspended from a hook or clip formed at the lower end of the tube G.
The scale is in this case inverted and the readings are taken at the point where
the lower end of the outer tube A exposes the scale on the inner tube. Instead of
fitting the spring within the inner tube G it may be carried within the pen or
pencil tube or holder A and the inner tube suspended from it in which case the
spring will be subjected to tension and elongation when the letter or parcel to be
weighed is suspended from the hook or clip.
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
The combination with a pen or pencil holder of a spring balance adapted for
indicating the weight of letters and parcels substantially as set forth.
1 of
Dated this Nineteenth day of June 1886.