US247761A

US247761A - William w

Info

Publication number: US247761A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1881-10-04
Anticipated expiration: 1898-10-04

Description

(No Model.)

W. W. HOPKINS.

v GOMPUTINGBALANGE. I No. 247,761 Patented Oct. 4,1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM W. HOPKINS, OF THOBNTOWN, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE HOPKINS IMPROVED SCALE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

COMPUTING-BALANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,761, dated October 4, 1881.

Application filed March 16, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. HOPKINS, a resident of Thorn town, county of Boone, and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Scales, of' which the followiugis a specification, referen e being had to the accompanying drawing.

The object of my invention is to produce a weighing-scale which shall indicate the price of the goods weighed. This object 1 accomplish by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the fignreis a perspective view.

a is a lever, having its fulcrum at b on the base or frame of the scale. The short arm of a is graduated and marked with figures representing dollars or cents, used to indicate price per pound, or unit price. as hereinafter explained. The long arm of ais connected with an index-hand through the medium of a rack and pinion, controlled by a spring, or in any other suitable manner, so that the movements of the lever are communicated to the indexhand.

cis a receiving pan or platform, resting on a knife-edge at o, and arranged to slide therewith along the short arm of the lever a. The casting which supports the knife-edge 0 is proided with a rack, 67, which engages the pinion g, said pinion resting in bearings formed on lever a.

e is a counterpoise, arranged to slide along the long arm of a to balance the pan or plat form 0. It is provided with a raclgf, which also engages the pinion g.

h is a diaLpIate, over which the hand moves. Said dial is graduated and marked with figures representing dollars or cents, said graduations having such a fixed relation to the proportion between the long and short arms of the lever a, and to the figures on theshort arm thereof, that the receiving-pan being slid along the short. arm of a to the figure representing the unit price of the article contained thereon the total price, or price of the whole, is shown on the dial by the index-hand. As the pan 0 is slid along the short arm of a by means of the pinion g and rack 61, the counterpoise 0 moves equally in the opposite direction along the long arm of a, thus preserving the relative weight of the pan or platform.

To illustrate the operation of my scale, suppose that we have a piece of meat to weigh worth five cents per pound, we place the index on the sliding support of the empty receiving-pan at the figure 5 on the graduated lever. The counterpoise is moved ail-equal distance along the lever in the opposite direction, so the scale is still balanced and. the index-hand remains at O on the dial. We now place the meat in the receiving-pan. If its Weight is one pound, the index-hand points to 50. on thedial; it two pounds,the hand points to 100., and so on, the position of the receiving-pan on the lever indicating the price per pound, or the unit price, and the recording mechanism indicating the unitprice multiplied by thenumberof pounds in thcarlicle weighed. 1 use the dial and index'haud in this case simply to illustrate. my invention. It is obvious that weights having figures marked upon them indicating dollars or cents may be used on the long arm in place of the spring and rack, pinion and dial.

By the use of my device the. value of the an ticle Weighed is determined atonce and shown in plain figures, thus saving time and insuring accuracy.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of t-he'lever at, having its short arm graduated and marked in the mannor described, and the sliding pan or platform 0, whereby the unit price of the article weighed is indicated.

2. The sliding platform 0, rack (I, pinion g, rack f, couuterpoisc c, and lever a, when combined in the manner shown, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the sliding platform 0, racks (Z and f, pinion g, counterpoise c, and lever a, the dial-plate h, graduated and marked as described, and an index-hand operated by lever a, substantially in the manner described.

, WILLIAM W. HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

N. M. CROUCH, H. P. H001).