provements in Weighing Scales or Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Weighing Scales or Apparatus.
I, THOMAS FENN, of 189, Bedford Road, Bootle, in the County of Lancaster,
Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a weighing appliance or apparatus in which
there is an automatically increasing or weight taking up device, in addition to
metal weights of known gravity for determining the weight of the object to be
weighed. This weight taking up device is based on the principle that a body
immersed in a liquid loses part of its weight equal to the weight of the liquid
displaced.
I provide a graduated scale beam or steel-yard, having a knife edge which
rests in a connecting rod depending from the hand lever. The hand lever works
on the knife-edge or bearing. There is a rod by which the weight of the goods
being weighed is transmitted to the scale beam. By pulling down therefore the
hand lever into engagement with the hook, the scale beam is bodily raised together
with the rod which lifts the weighing platform, and puts it into weighing opera-
tion. Conversely the unhooking of the lever from the hook drops the platform
and the scale beam when not required for use. I provide a second scale beam
pivoted to the hand lever and which is also brought into operation simultaneously
with the engaging of the hand lever with the hook on the beam. When so
engaged, the lever and the scale beam work in unison. I provide a weight which
can be slid along the scale beam, the beam being divided into parts showing,
e.g. 14 lbs. each, or other measurement of weight, which are indicated by the
graduations on the beam. At the end of the scale beam there is a depending arm
or rod hung from the knife edge. The usual tray at the bottom of this arm for
holding weights which are so liable to get lost is dispensed with, and in place
thereof a vessel is provided containing a liquid such as water or oil, the level of
which is retained at a certain position to effect the correct action of the machine.
Attached vertically to the weighing instrument is a solid stationary piston or
rod or other body of known area, which dips down into the vessel, and the end
of which is immersed therein to varying depths when the vessel is raised towards
it by the rising of the scale beam. The second scale beam is also divided into
parts each showing e.g. 1 cwt. and which are indicated by graduations on the
beam. It is provided with a weight which can be slid along it, a depending
arm or rod and a vessel containing liquid such as water or oil, while attached
to a fixed part of the weighing instrument is a solid piston or rod dipping down
into the said vessel. A pivoted pointer is operated by the rise and fall of the
rod, and a scale plate is provided with divisions and numerals representing
aliquot parts of the weights on the scale beam. There is a similar scale plate
and a similar pointer operated by the other connecting rod. There are therefore
by this construction two orders of weights, namely two scales of the major order,
and two scales of the minor order, indicated by the scale beam and scale plate.
The scale beam is employed for weighing say from 1 cwt. and upwards, and the

page_text: scale is provided with numerals representing aliquot parts of the weights on the
scale beam, say units of 28 pounds and upwards. Thus I am able by these two
scales to ascertain the true weight of a heavy article by means of the major
weights to within 28 lbs. To ascertain however its weight even more closely is
the object of the minor weights, the scale beam being adapted for a body weigh-
ing from 14 lbs. and upwards, said beam being divided into parts showing units of
14 lbs. each. The scale plate is provided with numerals representing aliquot
parts of the weights on the scale beam, and indicates to single pounds the weight
of a body not exceeding 14 lbs. the indication in each case being obtained by the
end of the pointer which moves over the scale. By the addition therefore of the
scale beam and scale plate, I am able to ascertain the true weight of an article
to within 1 lb. The same arrangement may be applied equally well to balances
of greater or smaller capacity. The hand lever may if desired be dispensed with,
in which case the levers remain permanently in weighing operation.
In action therefore the load to be weighed is placed on the platform and the
traversing weight on the scale beam adjusted in order to determine the weight
of the load to the nearest 14 lbs. or other weight that may be determined upon,
or if the movable weight on the scale beam is less than the weight of the goods,
the weight on the scale beam is also brought into requisition. This determines
the weight to say the nearest hundredweight and 14 lbs. The exact weight of the
goods is obtained automatically, because the rising of the scale beams raises
the vessels, respectively towards the solid stationary plungers or bodies, causing
the latter to effect a displacement of the liquid in the vessels. The bodies by
this immersion therefore lose part of their weight, equal to the weight of the
liquid displaced, consequently the weight of the vessel with its liquid contents
is correspondingly increased. The bodies therefore becoming more and more
immersed as the scale beams rise, lose part of their weight, which is thereupon
automatically taken up by the scale beams, until the weight of the goods on the
platform and the weights carried and taken up by the scale beams are in equi-
poise. The major weights are indicated on the scale beam, and scale plate, while
the minor weights are indicated on the other beam, and scale plate.
It is obvious that the same arrangement may be applied to balances weighing
pounds and ounces or parts of an ounce, or any other required standard of weight,
also that the vessels and plungers may be placed above the beams.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1899.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Weighing Scales or Apparatus.
I, THOMAS FENN, of 189, Bedford Road, Bootle, in the County of Lancaster,
Works Manager, 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:
This invention has for its object a weighing appliance or apparatus in which
there is an automatically increasing or weight taking up device, in addition to
metal weights of known gravity for determining the weight of the object to be
weighed. This weight taking up device is based on the principle that a body
immersed in a liquid loses part of its weight equal to the weight of the liquid
displaced.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference

page_text: being had to the accompanying drawing, which shows a front elevation of my
invention applied to a platform scale.
In this, A is a graduated scale beam or steel-yard, a its knife edge which rests
in the connecting rod C depending from the hand lever B. The hand lever B
works on the knife-edge or bearing b. Dis the rod by which the weight of the
goods being weighed is transmitted to the scale beam. By pulling down there-
tore the hand lever B into engagement with the hook E, as shown in the drawing,
the scale beam A is bodily raised together with the rod D which lifts the
weighing platform, and puts it into weighing operation. Conversely the un-
hooking of the lever B from the hook E drops the platform and the scale beam A
when not required for use. A' is a second scale beam pivoted to the hand lever B
at i and which is also brought into operation simultaneously with the engaging
of the hand lever B with the hook on the beam A'. When so engaged, the
lever B and the scale beam A work in unison. E is a weight which can be
slid along the scale beam A, the beam being divided into parts showing, e.g.
14 lbs. each or other measurement of weight, which are indicated by the gradua-
tions on the beam. At the end of the scale beam A there is a depending arm or
rod hung from the knife edge f. The usual tray at the bottom of this arm for
holding weights which are so liable to get lost is dispensed with, and in place
thereof a vessel is provided containing a liquid such as water or oil, the level
of which is retained at a certain position to effect the correct action of the
machine. Attached vertically to the weighing instrument is a solid stationary
piston or rod H or other body of known area, which dips down into the vessel G,
and the end of which is immersed therein to varying depths when the vessel G
is raised towards it by the rising of the scale beam A. The second scale beam A¹
is also divided into parts each showing e.g. 1 cwt. and which are indicated by
graduations on the beam. It is provided with a weight J which can be slid
along it. is a depending arm or rod and G'a vessel containing liquid such as
water or oil, while attached to a fixed part of the weighing instrument is a solid
piston or rod H¹ dipping down into the said vessel G'. K is a pivoted pointer
operated by the rise and fall of the rod F, and L is a scale plate provided with
divisions and numerals representing aliquot parts of the weights on the scale
beam A. L' is a similar scale plate and K₁ a similar pointer operated by the
connecting rod F.
There are therefore by this construction two orders of
weights, namely two scales of the major order A' and L' and two scales of the
minor order, indicated by the scale beam A and scale plate L. The scale beam A'
is employed for weighing say from 1 cwt. and upwards, and the scale L¹ is pro-
vided with numerals representing aliquot parts of the weights on the scale
beam A', say units of 28 pounds and upwards. Thus I am able by these two
scales to ascertain the true weight of a heavy article by means of the major
weights to within 28 lbs. To ascertain however its weight even more closely is
the object of the minor weights, the scale beam A being adapted for a body
weighing from 14 lbs. and upwards, said beam being divided into parts showing
units of 14 lbs. each. The scale plate L is provided with numerals representing
aliquot parts of the weights on the scale beam A, and indicates to single pounds
the weight of a body not exceeding 14 lbs., the indication in each case being
obtained by the end of the pointer which moves over the scale. By the addition
therefore of the scale beam A and scale plate L, I am able to ascertain the true
weight of an article to within 1 lb. The same arrangement may be applied
equally well to balances of greater or smaller capacity. The hand lever B may it
desired be dispensed with, in which case the levers A and A¹ remain permanently
in weighing operation.
In action therefore the load to be weighed is placed on the platform and the
traversing weight on the scale beam A adjusted in order to determine the weight
of the load to the nearest 14 lbs. or other weight that may be determined upon,
or if the movable weight on the scale beam A is less than the weight of the
goods, the weight on the scale beam A¹ is also brought into requisition. This

page_text: determines the weight to say the nearest hundredweight and 14 lbs. The exact
weight of the goods is obtained automatically, because the rising of the scale
beams raises the vessels G G¹ respectively towards the solid stationary plungers
or bodies H H¹, causing the latter to effect a displacement of the liquid in the
vessels. The bodies H H by this immersion therefore lose part of their weight,
equal to the weight of the liquid displaced, consequently the weight of the vessel
with its liquid contents is correspondingly increased. The bodies H H¹ therefore
becoming more and more immersed as the scale beams rise, lose part of their
weight, which is thereupon automatically taken up by the scale beams, until the
weight of the goods on the platform and the weights carried and taken up by
the scale beams are in equipoise. The major weights are indicated on the scale
beam A¹, scale plate L', while the minor weights are indicated on the 'beam A,
scale plate L.
It is obvious that the same arrangement may be applied to balances weighing
pounds and ounces or parts of an ounce, or any other required standard of
weight, also that the vessels G G¹ and plungers H H¹ may be placed above
the beams A A¹
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
1 claim is:
1. The improvement in weighing machines which consists in providing a
graduated scale beam or beams having sliding weights mounted thereon, and an
automatically increasing or weight taking-up device connected to the said beams,
and weight-indicating appliances, substantially as described.
2. A weighing machine comprising a scale beam or steelyard to which the
weight of the goods to be weighed is transmitted and adapted to indicate up
certain weights, and a second scale beam or steelyard so arranged in connection
with the first as not to commence to indicate until the first beam has indicated
up to a certain weight, substantially as described.
3. A weighing machine comprising a scale beam A to which the weight of the
goods being weighed is transmitted, a hand lever B from which the said scale
beam depends, an auxiliary scale beam A' pivoted to the hand lever B, and a
hook E or its equivalent adapted to hold the hand lever in engagement with the
beam A and enable them to work in unison, substantially as described.
4. In weighing machines of the kind set forth in Claims 2 & 3, the combina-
tion with one scale beam or steelyard of an automatically increasing or weight-
taking-up device and a weight-indicating appliance constituting a minor order
of weight, and with the other scale beam or steel yard of a similar automatically
increasing or weight-taking-up device and weight-indicating appliance but of
larger capacity or dimensions which constitute the major order, the parts being
so arranged that the major order of weights do not commence to indicate until the
minor order has indicated up to a certain weight, substantially as described.
5. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming my
improved weighing apparatus, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 28th day of May 1900.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.