US680796A - Computing-scale. - Google Patents

Description

C. M. MERRILL. COMPUTING SCALE.

Patented Aug. 20, I901.-

(Application filed Dec, 6, 190'0.

3 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

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No. 680,796. v Patented Aug. 20, 1901. C. M. MERRILL.

COMPUTING SCALE.

(Application filed Dec. 6, 1900.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEIQE.

CASSIUS M. MERRILIQOF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

COMPUTING-SCALE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,796, datedAugust 20, 1901.

Application filed December 6, 1900. Serial No. 38,952. (No model.)

To on whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, CAsstUs M. lVlERRILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and'State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Computing scales; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in computing-scales for use by storekeepers and others to secure a practically accurate computation of the price of the material weighed out; and the object of the invention is to provide a scale of this character which is comparatively simple of construction, accurate and compact, and in which the parts are securely housed and protected from injury.

The invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front side elevation of a computingscale embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear side elevation of the same with back plates removed, showing the relative positions of the parts. Fig. 3is a vertical transverse section through the scale-beam and centrally through the poise, showing the cooperating parts of the indicating mechanism. Fig. i is a similar view through the scale-beam and priceper-pound mechanism, illustrating the construction of the setting mechanism. Fig. 5 is a detail-view of the setting mechanism on an enlarged scale, parts being broken away to expose the construction. Fig. 6 is a rear or outer face view of the carriage carrying the gearing for operating the hands on the poise-dial. Fig. 7 is a similar View of the carriage with back coverplate removed. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the inclined actuating-bar. Fig. 9 is a similar View of the counterbalancing pendulum therefor.-

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of the rollerbearing hanger of the poise. Fig. 11 is a detail view of the carriage, showing the spiral spring acting upon the gears which operate the hands on the poise-dial.

Referring now more particularly to the slidably mounted on said scale-beam.

ter what position the bar assumes.

drawings, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 1 represents the scale-beam, and 2 the tare-beam, of the computing-scale, connected at their ends by arms 3 and 3, and 4 designates the poise The scale-beam consists of a comparatively long and narrow casing having a front plate 5, provided with a longitudinal slot or guideway 6 and a removable back plate or cover 7. To

the inner side of this cover adjacent to one end of the beam is pivoted, as shown at 8, one end of an inclined actuating bar or member 9, which is set, as hereinafter described, to regulate the indicating mechanism carried by the poise and is provided at its pivoted end with a tooth or projection 10, engaging a .groove in the hub of a pendulum 11, also pivoted to said back plate, whereby a knucklejoint connection between said parts is afforded to allow said pendulum to swing as the free end of the bar 9 moves up and down. The purpose of the pendulum is to provide a counterweight which moves in unison with the bar 9 and counterbalances said bar. As the bar moves up and down the pendulum swings in harmony therewith and perfectly counterbalances the bar at all times, no inat- It will be readily understood that as the free end of the bar moves downward the pendulum will swing to the right in Fig. 2 proportionately to the extent of movement of the bar, whereby the latter is maintained in perfect balance. The use of the pendulum is necessary to secure this result, as otherwise the bar would obviously be in balance only at one given point and at a determined height. The bar 9 extends longitudinally of the easing and normally inclines downwardly from its pivotal connection at the top of one end of the casing. The free end of the bar is adapted to be raised and lowered to operate the price-indicating mechanism on the poise by setting mechanism, which indicates the price per pound of the article weighed out and adjusts the bar accordingly, as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The poise 4 is composed of a front plate 13, provided with an index or pointer 14 to cooperate with the scale on the front plate of the scale-beam, a hanger or top plate 15, formed with a flange 16 to take over the rear edge of the back plate 7, and having frictionrollers 17 to run along the top of the scalebeam.

18 represents a filling-piece occupying the space in rear of the lower end of the frame or carriage 19, which carries the gears of the poise, and below the lower edge of the back plate 7. This frame or carriage is provided with a vertical longitudinal slot or guideway 20, in which is slidably mounted a combined spring and gravity retracted rack-bar 21, provided at its upper end with a rearward ly-projecting stud 22, which traverses the upper edge of the bar 9 as the poise is slid along the beam and in so doing raises and lowers the rack-bar to a greater or less extent, according to its distance from the pivot 8, in an obvious manner. The toothed side of the bar 21 meshes with a pair of spaced gearwheels 23 and 24, which are in gear with an intermediate pinion 25, mounted upon an arbor 26, which also carries a smaller pinion 27. As the rack-bar slides up and down in its guideway it first meshes with one of the gearwheels 23 and then with the gear-wheel 2%; but on account of the interposition of the intermediate pinion 25 both of said gear-wheels are caused to simultaneously rotate in the same direction and to turn said pinion and its arbor in the reverse direction. By this means a continuous operation of the arbor 26 is secured in one direction or the other without employing a gear of excessive size. The coiled spring 26, which retracts the rack-bar 21, is secured at one end to the arbor 26 and at its other end to the cover-plate 28 and exerts its energy to turn said arbor so as to 1'0- tate the gears in the proper direction to move the rackbar downward and maintain the stud 22 in engagement with the upper edge of the inclined bar 9 as the free end of the latter swings downwardly. The upward movement of the inclined bar 9 winds up the spring 26, which in unwinding draws the rack-bar 21 down. By this means the rack-bar is retracted by the dual action of the force of gravity and the spring, which insures the positive operation thereof. A plate 28 is secured to the front of the carriage upon one side of the slot 20 and covers the gears, and in this plate and the opposing portion of the body of the carriage the arbors of the several gears are mounted. The arbor 26 projects forwardly through corresponding openings in the cover-plate 28 and a transverse bracketplate 29, secured to the outer face of said coverplate, and also through a bearing-sleeve 30 in the front plate 13 of the poise, which is provided with a dial3l,covered bya glass plate or-crystal 32. This dial 31 is provided with two sets of graduations, one (that denoted 32) extending circumferentially around its outer edge, while the other (that denoted 32) extends segmentally above and concentric with the axis of the dial and said set 32. On

each side of the vertical center of the graduations 32 are numerals or suitable designating characters running from O or zero to 90, representing cents, the subdivisions between each numeral 90 and the adjacent zeromark designating the remaining ten digits necessary to make up one hundred marks or graduating-points representing one hundred cents, or one dollar. The graduations of the set 33 are represented by digits from 0 to 6, inclusive, each having the valuation of one dollar, or a total of one-half the graduations of the outer circumferential set 32.

The arbor 26 carries at its outer end a hand 33, which is adapted to sweep around the dial and to cooperate with the graduations 32. Surrounding said arbor is a sleeve 34,which is journaled in the said bearing-sleeve 30 and carries a hand 33, which is adapted to sweep across and to cooperate with the graduations 32. The sleeve 34: receives motion from the arbor 26 through the medium of a gear-wheel 35 and a pinion 36, carried by a common shaft or arbor 37, mounted upon the bracket-plate 29, which gear-wheel and pinion respectively mesh with the pinion 27 and a gear-wheel 38, fixed to said sleeve 34:, whereby the hands are adapted to turn in unison. The bracketplate 29, in addition to supporting the gear wheel 35 and pinion 36, serves as a retainer to hold the rack-bar from lateral movement in its slot or guideway 20. The teeth of the described gearing are so arranged as that while the large hand 33 sweeps once around the dial-graduations 32 the smaller hand 33 moves two points across the face of the set of dial-graduations 32, as will be apparent from the foregoing description.

The parts thus far described constitute the indicating mechanism for giving the total price of the articles weighed out. 111 computing the price of articles per pound it will of course be understood that the multiplier is the pounds, together with the ounces, and that the multiplicand is the price perpound, whether a whole number or a whole number and a fraction. The multiplier in the present instance is shown as five pounds, the poise being set to that point, and the adjusting or setting mechanism of the inclined bar 9, which is influenced by the poise according to its distance to or from the pivot of said bar, is set fora certain price per pound only, this price per pound being the multiplicand, while the product is indicated by the hands 33 33 in connection with the graduations of the dial. Thus it will be clearly understood that as the poise is moved along the scale-beam the rack-bar controlling the gearing of the hands will move up or down, according to the direction of movement of the poise and the position of the inclined bar, and operate said hands to indicate the price in dollars and cents of the article weighed out in conformity with the price per pound indicated by the setting mechanism, now to be described,

which controls the position of the bar. It will be noted that the pivot 8 of the bar extends through a flange 8 on the bar and in line with the upper edge of the bar, so that the stud of the rack-bar will stand over the 'center of said pivot and rest upon a fixed or neutral point when the pointer 14 is at O. The purpose of this isto prevent the operation of the rack-bar and the consequent move ment of the hands of the poise when the outer or free end of the inclined bar is adjusted up or down while the poise is at the startingpoint.

At the outer or free end of the inclined bar 9 is a toothed sector 39, which meshes with a spur-pinion 40 on the outer end of a shaft 41, carrying at its inner end a gear-wheel 42. This gear-wheel meshes witha smaller gearwheel 43, rigidly connected bya common shaft 41 to a rotary setting dial or disk 44, having at equidistant points around its edge four dowel-pins 45, which at each quarter-revolution of said dial or disk are adapted to engage and turn a toothed setting-wheel 46 a distance equal to the distance between adjacent teeth of said wheel. This toothed wheel 46 engages the toothed edge of a second dial or disk 47, which is loose on the shaft 41 in front of and is of smaller diameter than the disk 44 and provided on its front face near its outer edge with a series of numbers from l to 60, which are adapted to be exposed at the front through an observation-opening 61. These numbers represent price-per-pound indicia from one to sixty cents. Cooperating with these numerals are two sets of indexmarks 62 and 63, located, respectively, on the exposed surface of the dial 44 and on the front portion of the casing 64, which forms the inclosure for said setting mechanism, and wherein the observation-opening 61 is formed. The marks 63 are arranged above four auxiliary observation-openings 61, also formed in said casing 64, and denote zero, one-quarter, onehalf, and three-quarters, the fractions representing onequarter, one half, and threequarters of a cent, respectively. The marks 62 constitute pointers which are adapted to be exposed through the openings 61 and to indicate, in connection with the numeral exposed at the opening 61, the price per pound of the goods being weighed. It will be readily understood from the foregoing description that each quarter-revolution of the dial or disk 44 moves the dial or disk 47 one-sixtieth of a revolution, a sufficient distance to bring one of the price-per-pound numerals thereon into View at the observation-opening 61, so that if, for instance, the numeral 1 were exposed at said opening a quarter-revolution of the disk 44 in one direction or the other would bringeither the numeral 2 or the numeral 60 into view at said opening. The fractional indicator-marks 62 are so arranged upon the disk 44 that, supposing one of said marks 62 to be at one of the end observationopenings of the series 60', the movementof the disk 44 in one direction or the other will bring said mark 62 successively into View at each of the other openings of the series 60 without moving the dial 47. The extent of movement of the disk 44 necessary to expose a mark 62 at each of the openings of the series 60 is a quarter-revolution minus the distance between two of the openings 60, so that, supposing the price-per-pound numeral 5, denoting five cents, to be exposed at the observation-opening 61 it will be readily understood that the dial or disk 44 may be moved to bring one of the marks 62 into position to cooperate with either the one-quarter, onehalf, or three-quarter fractional index 63 on the casing 64 without moving said numeral 5 out of view to one side of the opening 61. The arrangement of the marks 62 is therefore such that as one of the marks passes beyond one of the end openings of the series 60 and away from said series as the dial 44 is turned to the left or right another mark 62 will appear at the opposite end opening of said series, and vice versa, simultaneously with the appearance of one of the price-perpound units on the dial 47 at the opening 61. Hence it will be clear that the dial 44 may be moved to indicate, in connection with the dial 47 and according to the present illustration, any amount from one cent to sixty and threequarter cents. To operate the dial 44 to secure this result, the rear end of the shaft 41 is extended backward to the exterior through the rear wall of the casing 64 and threaded to receive a thumb-nut 42. By turning this thumb-nut in one direction or the other the sector 39 will be moved up or down, thus varying the angular position of the bar 9, and simultaneously therewith the dial 44 will be actuated to correspondingly change the position of the price-per-pound indices.

The operation is as follows: It will be assumed that the weight of the article which is being weighed is five pounds, in which event the poise 4 will have been moved to a corresponding point on the scale-beam 1, so that the weight of the article will be indicated by the pointer 14. Assuming that the price per pound of the article is five and a half cents, the inclined bar 9 will be adjusted to the position shown, the price-per-pound mechanism being thereby operated to indicate such amount. In moving the inclined bar in this manner or in sliding the poise along the bar after the latter has. been adjusted the rackbar 21 will be actuated .and will in turn, through the medium of the intervening train of gears, move the hands 33 33, so as to cause them to properly cooperate with the sets of graduations on the dial 31, so that the prodnot of the multiplier-namely, the pounds-- and the multiplicand-namely, the price per pound-will be exhibited and indicated by said hands in connection with the cooperating sets of graduations.

all

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a computing-scale, a chambered scalebeam forming an inclosing casing, a poise, an inclined member upon the interior of said beam, indicating mechanism carried by the poise and influenced by the movements of the inclined member, and setting mechanism for the inclined member, substantially as set forth.

2. In acomputing-scale, the combination of a chambered scale-beam, a poise slidably mounted on the beam and carrying an indicator, a frame or carriage 011 the interior of said beam and connected to the poise and provided with gearing for operating said indicator, an inclined member on the interior of the beam and coacting with the indicatoroperating mechanism, and setting mechanism for varying the inclination of said inclined member, substantially as set forth.

3. In a computing-scale, the combination of a chambered scale-beam having a slot therein, a poise sliding on the beam and comprising a front plate carrying a dial, a back plate, a hanger supporting said back and front pieces, and a base-connecting bridge-piece, an inclined bar in the beam, a carriage upon the interior of the beam and movable with the poise, said carriage-carrying-operating mechanism having members extending through said slot and provided with hands cooperating with the dial, and setting mechanism acting on said inclined bar, substantially as set forth.

4. In a computing-scale, a scale-beam, a poise provided with indicating mechanism, an inclined member cooperating therewith, and setting mechanism for said member, the same comprising a price-per-pound dial carrying indicators representing cents, a second dial actuating the same and carrying indicators to represent fractions of a cent, and means for operating the inclined member and actuating said dials, substantially as set forth.

5. In a computing-scale, a scale-beam, a poise provided with indicating mechanism, an inclined member cooperating therewith, and setting mechanism for said bar, the same comprising a price-per-pound dial carrying in- (licators representing cents, and having teeth, a toothed wheel engaging said teeth, a second dial carrying indicators to represent fractions of a cent and provided with contact devices for operating said wheel, and means for operating the inclined bar and actuating said dials, substantially as set forth.

6. In acomputing-scale, the combination of a chambered scale-beam having inclosing walls forming a casing and provided with a longitudinal slot, a poise slidably mounted thereon, an indicator carried by the poise, operating mechanism on the interior of the beam and connected with the indicator through said slot, said operating mechanism including an inclined member, and setting mechanism for said inclined member, substantially as described.

7. In a computing-scale, the combination, with a scale-beam, of an inclined member pivoted thereto, a poise having an indicator-operating member traversing said beam and adapted to lie coaxially with the center of the pivot of said inclined member when the poise is at zero, a counterbalancing device cooperating with the pivoted end of the inclined member, and means for setting said inclined member, substantially as described.

8. In a computing-scale, the combination, with a scale-beam, of an inclined member pivoted thereto, a poise having an indicator-operating member traversing said beam and adapted to lie coaxially with the center of the pivot of said inclined member when the poise is at zero, a pivoted pendulum movably connected with the pivoted end of the inclined member and acting as a counterbalance therefor, and means for setting said inclined member, substantially as described.

9. In a computing-scale, a scale-beam, a poise movable thereon, computing mechanism, an inclined member pivotally connected at one end to the beam and influencing said computing mechanism, and a counterbalance for said inclined member, substantially as described.

10. In a computing-scale, a scale-beam, a poise movable thereon, computing mechanism, an inclined member pivotally connected at one end to the beam and influencing said computing mechanism, and a pivoted counterbalance jointed to the pivoted end of said inclined member, substantially as described.

11. In a computing-scale, a scale-beam, a poise mounted thereon, a dial carried by the poise, hands cooperating with the dial, an inclined bar, an indicator-actuating mechanism influenced by the bar and comprising a rack-bar, a pair of spaced gears meshing there with, a pinion between said gears and meshing with one of them, a spring for positively retracting said rack-barand gears, and means driven by the pinion for operating the handles, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CASSIUS M. MERRILL.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. GRAVES, GUsr SEE.

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