Egg weighing apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY MEASURING THE WEIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL EGGS OR LIKE OBJECTS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A RECEIVING PLATFORM STRUCTURE FOR RESTINGLY SUPPORTING THE OBJECTS TO BE WEIGHED; RESILIENTLY BIASED SUSPENSION MEANS CONNECTING SAID PLATFORM TO A FIXED EXTERNAL FRAME AND EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN; SAID SUSPENSION MEANS ARRANGED TO MOVE AWAY FROM ITS NORMAL BIASED POSITION IN RESPONSE TO THE WEIGHT OF AN OBJECT UPON SAID PLATFORM; AN ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCER HAVING A BODY PORTION AND A MEMBER MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE SAID BODY TO PRODUCE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF AND HAVING A KNOWN RELATIONSHIP TO SAID RELATIVE MOTION; MEANS CONNECTING SAID MOVABLE TRANSDUCER MEMBER TO SAID SUSPENSION MEANS AND PLATFORMS; A MOUNTING MEMBER COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID BLOCK OF HEAT-CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL SECURABLE TO SAID FRAME, EXTENDING TOWARD SAID PLATFORM, AND ARRANGED TO AT LEAST PARTIALLY ENGIRDLE SAID TRANSDUCER BODY TO FIXEDLY MOUNT THE SAME; SAID MOUNTING MEMBER ACTING AS A HEAT TRANSFER AND DISSIPATION STRUCTURE FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF THE TRANSDUCER; SAID MOUNTING MEMBER BLOCK DEFINING A WELL FOR CONTAINING A VISCOUS DAMPING LIQUID; SAID SUSPENSION MEANS HAVING A MEMBER CONNECTED THERETO AND EXTENDING INTO SAID WELL, SUCH THAT THE MOVEMENTS OF SAID SUSPENSION MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE WEIGHT OF AN OBJECT UPON SAID PLATFORMO ARE DAMPED BY SAID MEMBER MOVING WITHIN SAID DAMPING FLUID; AND MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID TRANSDUCER FOR PRODUCING AN INDICATION OF THE WEIGHT OF THE OBJECT ON THE PLATFORM FROM SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE THEREOF.