Force measuring apparatus

Claim 1

FORCE MEASURING APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) TWO ELONGATED GENERALLY PARALLEL STIFFY FLEXIBLE MEMBERS; (B) BRIDGING MEANS CONNECTING ONE END OF ONE MEMBER TO THE ADJACENT END OF THE OTHER MEMBER; (C) MEANS FOR APPLYING A FORCE TO BE MEASURED ONLY TO THE OTHER END OF ONE OD THE TWO MEMBERS AND ACTING ALONG A LINE PARALLEL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID MEMBER BUT SPACED THEREFROM; (D) MEANS FOR APPLYING A REACTIVE FORCE ONLY TO THE CORRESPONDING END OF THE OTHER MEMBER AND ACTING ALONG A LINE PARALLEL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID OTHER MEMBER BUT SPACED THEREFROM; (E) SAID BRIDGING MEANS HAVING A CENTRAL APERTUE PARALLEL TO SAID MEMBERS; (F) ONE OF SAID FORCE APPLYING MEANS COMPRISING: (1) A COLUMN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE; AND (2) MEANS CONNECTING THE COLUMN TO THE END OF ONE OF SAID MEMBERS FARTHEST FROM SAID BRIDGING MEANS; (G) THE OTHER OF SAID FORCE APPLYING MEANS COMPRISING A LATERAL EXTENSION ON THE CORRESPONDING END OF SAID OTHER MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO APPLY A RESULTANT FORCE ACTING ALONG THE SAME LINE AS BUT OPPOSED TO THE FORCE APPLIED THROUGH SAID COLUMN; (H) SAID MEMBERS, SAID TWO FORCE APPLYING MEANS, AND SAID BRIDGING MEANS COOPERATING TO STRESS ONE MEMBER IN TENSION AND BENDING AND THE OTHER MEMBER IN COMPRESSION AND BENDING; (I) A PLURALITY OF STRAIN SENSITIVE ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE ELEMENTS; (J) MEANS CONNECTING SAID STRAIN SENSITIVE ELEMENTS TO SAID MEMBERS SO THAT THEIR RESISTANCES VARY AS FUNCTIONS OF THE STRAINS THEREIN; (K) SAID STRAIN SENSITIVE ELEMENTS BEING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION IN AN ELECTRICAL NETWORK SO THAT RESISTANCE VARIATIONS IN THE ELEMENTS PRODUCE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ON AN ELECTRICAL OUTPUT CONDITION OF THE NETWORK.