Digital readout scale with actuated poise

Claim 2

A digital readout scale comprising a vertically movable platform for supporting a load To be weighed, a pivoted balance beam linked to said platform for pivotal movement in a vertical plane in response to the vertical movement of said platform; a poise movable longitudinally of said balance beam for balancing the weight of said load; drive means supported for longitudinal movement along a path extending generally parallel to said balance beam; an electrical motor coupled to said drive means for driving the same in either direction along said path, said drive means engaging said poise to move said poise along said balance beam without substantially impeding pivotal movement of said balance beam through a limited angle above and below a balance position; upper and lower stops positioned to engage said balance beam and limit its range of pivotal movement; upper, lower and balance sensing means for respectively sensing the position of said balance beam when it is against said upper and lower stops and in said balance position, a motor control circuit connected to said electrical motor and including first control means normally energizing said motor to move said drive means to cause relatively slow forward movement of said poise toward the free end of said balance beam, second control means responsive to said upper sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast forward movement of said poise, and third control means responsive to said lower sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast movement of said poise in a reverse direction toward the pivot of said balance beam, timing control means acting upon said first and third control means to stop the fast reverse movement of said poise and restore its normal slow forward movement after an interval sufficient for said balance beam to move from said lower stop upwardly past said balance point after said balance beam has passed below said balance point; digital position indicating means controlled by said balance sensing means for indicating the position of said drive means; and digital readout means controlled by said position indicating means for visibly displaying numerals indicative of the weight of said load.

Claim 3

A digital readout scale as described in claim 1 wherein said position indicating means comprises digital code means corresponding to graduated units of weight and code sensing means cooperable with said digital code means, said digital code means and said code sensing means being relatively movable in response to the longitudinal position of said drive means.

Claim 4

A digital readout scale as described in claim 2 wherein said digital code means includes an ounce code member coupled to said drive means for rotation thereby through one revolution for each pound of weight of said load, said ounce code member bearing digital ounce codes respectively representing zero through 15 ounces spaced circumferentially around it at intervals of one-sixteenth of a revolution; first detector means for sensing said ounce codes; a pound code member mounted alongside and parallel to the path of said drive means, said pound code member bearing digital pound codes spaced along it at intervals corresponding to the extent of linear movement of said drive means for each pound of weight of said load; and second detector means mounted on said drive means and cooperating with said pound code member for sensing said pound codes.

Claim 5

A digital readout scale as described in claim 3 which includes stop means for stopping the movement of said poise when it reaches the point representing the next integral pound of weight of said load after said balance beam has passed said balance point, and timing control means for actuating said second means to sense the pound code at said point after said stop means has stopped the movement of said poise.

Claim 6

A digital readout scale as described in claim 4 wherein said stop means comprises a pin engaging an opening in said ounce code member, said pin being actuated by a solenoid energized under the control of said control circuit.

Claim 7

A digital readout circuit as desCribed in claim 5 wherein said first detector means is mounted for arcuate movement about an axis coincident with the axis of rotation of said ounce code member to permit calibration of said scale, and wherein said opening in said disc is concentrically arcuate to permit said pin to enter said opening at various times depending upon the adjusted angular position of said first detector means.

Claim 8

A digital readout postage scale comprising a vertically movable platform for supporting a load to be weighed, a pivoted balance beam linked to said platform for pivotal movement in a vertical plane in response to the vertical movement of said platform; a poise movable longitudinally of said balance beam for balancing the weight of said load; drive means supported for longitudinal movement along a path extending generally parallel to said balance beam; an electrical motor coupled to said drive means for longitudinal movement thereof in either direction along said path; said drive means engaging said poise to move said poise along said balance beam without substantially impeding pivotal movement of said balance beam through a limited angle; upper and lower stops positioned to engage said balance beam and limit its range of vertical movement above and below a balance position; upper, lower and balance sensing means for respectively sensing the position of said balance beam when it is against said upper and lower stops and in said balance position; a motor control circuit connected to said electrical motor and including first control means normally energizing said motor to move said drive means to cause relatively slow forward movement of said poise toward the free end of said balance beam, second control means responsive to said upper sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast forward movement of said poise, third control means responsive to said lower sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast movement of said poise in a reverse direction toward the pivot of said balance beam, timing control means acting upon said first and third control means to stop the fast reverse movement of said poise and restore its normal slow forward movement after an interval sufficient for said balance beam to move from said lower stop upwardly past said balance point, and fourth control means responsive to said balance sensing means to stop the movement of said drive means; photosensitive detector means movable in response to the movement of said drive means; a postage code member mounted alongside and parallel to the path of movement of said photosensitive detector means and bearing a plurality of sets of visible digital postage codes representing different modes of shipment and distance zones, each of said sets comprising a group of postage codes spaced along said member at intervals corresponding to units of weight, and said postage code member being laterally shiftable to present a selected set of postage codes for cooperation with said photosensitive detector means according to the mode of shipment and distance zone; a reader control circuit responsive to said balance sensing means for actuating said photosensitive detector means after said balance beam reaches said balance point, said reader control circuit including code sensor disabling means responsive to said third control means for disabling said code sensing means during rapid reverse movement of said poise along said balance beam; decoder means for converting said digital codes into electrical signals for actuating a numerical readout; and readout means converted to said decoder for visibly displaying said numerical readout.

Claim 9

A digital readout postage scale comprising a vertically movable platform for supporting a load to be weighed, a pivoted balance beam linked to said platform for pivotal movement in a vertical plane in response to the vertical movement of said platform; a poise movable longitudinally of said balance beam for balancing the weight of said load; drive means supported for longitudinal movement along a path extending generally parallel to said balance beam; an electrical motor coupled to said drive means for longitudinal movement thereof in either direction along said path; said drive means engaging said poise to move said poise along said balance beam without substantially impeding pivotal movement of said balance beam through a limited angle; upper and lower stops positioned to engage said balance beam and limit its range of vertical movement above and below a balance position; upper, lower and balance sensing means for respectively sensing the position of said balance beam when it is against said upper and lower stops and in said balance position; a motor control circuit connected to said electrical motor and including first control means normally energizing said motor to move said drive means to cause relatively slow forward movement of said poise toward the free end of said balance beam, second control means responsive to said upper sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast forward movement of said poise, third control means responsive to said lower sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast movement of said poise in a reverse direction toward the pivot of said balance beam, timing control means acting upon said first and third control means to stop the fast reverse movement of said poise and restore its normal slow forward movement after an interval sufficient for said balance beam to move from said lower stop upwardly past said balance point, and fourth control means responsive to said balance sensing means to stop the movement of said drive means; photosensitive detector means movable in response to the movement of said drive means; a postage code member mounted alongside and parallel to the path of movement of said photosensitive detector means and bearing a plurality of sets of visible digital postage codes representing different modes of shipment and distance zones, each of said sets comprising a group of postage codes spaced along said member at intervals corresponding to units of weight, and said postage code member being laterally shiftable to present a selected set of postage codes for cooperation with said photosensitive detector means according to the mode of shipment and distance zone; a reader control circuit responsive to said balance sensing means for actuating said photosensitive detector means after said balance beam reaches said balance point, said reader control circuit including code sensor disabling means responsive to said third control means for disabling said code sensing means during rapid reverse movement of said poise along said balance beam; decoder means for converting said digital codes into electrical signals for actuating a numerical readout; and readout means converted to said decoder for visibly displaying said numerical readout.

Claim 10

A digital readout postage scale as described in claim 7 wherein said postage code member comprises a sheet whose opposite end portions are respectively rolled on a pair of drums rotatably mounted on a base member which is removably supported in said scale.

Claim 11

A digital readout postage scale as described in claim 8 which also includes a second electrical motor coupled to one oF said drums for causing linear movement of said sheet to bring a selected set of postage codes into operative position in a flat span of said sheet between said drums for cooperation with said photosensitive detector means, and manually operable switch means for controlling said second motor.

Claim 12

A digital readout postage scale as described in claim 9 wherein said manually operable switch means includes a plurality of keys respectively corresponding to different types of shipment and different distance zones, and wherein said sheet includes coded indicia identifying said types of shipment and distance zones, and wherein said postage scale also includes sensing means for sensing said indicia, and a motor control circuit responsive to said sensing means for controlling said second motor, whereby actuation of said keys will energize said second motor to drive said sheet, and the arrival at said operative position of the set of postage codes corresponding to the selected mode of shipment and distance zone will shut off said second motor.

Claim 13

A digital readout postage scale comprising a vertically movable platform for supporting a load to be weighed, a pivoted balance beam linked to said platform for pivotal movement in a vertical plane in response to the vertical movement of said platform; a poise movable longitudinally of said balance beam for balancing the weight of said load, a lead screw generally parallel to said balance beam for rotation on its longitudinal axis, an electrical motor coupled to said lead screw for axial rotation thereof, a carriage in threaded engagement with said lead screw for movement along said lead screw by axial rotation of said lead screw; arm means extending from said carriage and engaging said poise to move said poise along said balance beam, said arm means extending perpendicularly to a radial line extending from the pivot of said balance beam to permit substantially unimpeded pivotal movement of said balance beam through a limited angle; upper and lower stops positioned to engage said balance beam and limit its range of vertical movement above and below a balance position; upper, lower and balance sensing means for respectively sensing the position of said balance beam when it is against said upper and lower stops and in said balance position; a motor control circuit connected to said electrical motor and including first control means normally energizing said motor to drive said lead screw to cause relatively slow forward movement of said poise toward the free end of said balance beam, second control means responsive to said upper sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast forward movement of said poise, third control means responsive to said lower sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast movement of said poise in a reverse direction toward the pivot of said balance beam, timing control means acting upon said first and third control means to stop the fast reverse movement of said poise and restore its normal slow forward movement after an interval sufficient for said balance beam to move past said balance point, and fourth control means responsive to said balance sensing means to stop the rotation of said lead screw; an ounce code member coupled to said lead screw for rotation thereby through one revolution for each pound of weight of said load, said ounce code member bearing digital ounce codes respectively representing zero through 15 ounces spaced circumferentially around it at intervals of one-sixteenth of a revolution; first photosensitive detector means for sensing said ounce codes; a pound code member mounted alongside and parallel to said lead screw, said pound code member bearing digital pound codes spaced along it at intervals corresponding to the extent of linear movement of said carriage for each pound of weight of said load; second photosensitive detector means movable with said poise and cooperable with said pound code member for sensing said pound codes; a postage code member mounted alOngside and parallel to said lead screw; a time delay circuit interposed between said reader control circuit and said second photosensitive detector means whereby said second photosensitive means is not actuated to sense the pound code at said point until said stop means has stopped the movement of said poise, said postage code member being shiftable in a plane parallel to said lead screw to present a selected set of postage codes for cooperation with said photosensitive detector means according to the mode of shipment; third photosensitive detector means movable with said carriage and cooperable with said postage code member for sensing the selected set of postage codes; a reader control circuit responsive to said balance sensing means for actuating all said photosensitive detector means after said balance beam reaches said balance point; said reader control circuit including means for disabling said code sensing means during rapid reverse movement of said poise along said balance beam; decoder means for converting said digital codes into electrical signals for actuating a numerical readout; and readout means connected to said decoder for visibly displaying said numerical readout.

Claim 14

A digital readout postage scale comprising a vertically movable platform for supporting a load to be weighed, a pivoted balance beam linked to said platform for pivotal movement in a vertical plane in response to the vertical movement of said platform; a poise movable longitudinally of said balance beam for balancing the weight of said load, a lead screw generally parallel to said balance beam for rotation on its longitudinal axis, an electrical motor coupled to said lead screw for axial rotation thereof, a carriage in threaded engagement with said lead screw for movement along said lead screw by axial rotation of said lead screw; arm means extending from said carriage and engaging said poise to move said poise along said balance beam, said arm means extending perpendicularly to a radial line extending from the pivot of said balance beam to permit substantially unimpeded pivotal movement of said balance beam through a limited angle; upper and lower stops positioned to engage said balance beam and limit its range of vertical movement above and below a balance position; upper, lower and balance sensing means for respectively sensing the position of said balance beam when it is against said upper and lower stops and in said balance position; a motor control circuit connected to said electrical motor and including first control means normally energizing said motor to drive said lead screw to cause relatively slow forward movement of said poise toward the free end of said balance beam, second control means responsive to said upper sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast forward movement of said poise, third control means responsive to said lower sensing means to energize said motor to cause relatively fast movement of said poise in a reverse direction toward the pivot of said balance beam, timing control means acting upon said first and third control means to stop the fast reverse movement of said poise and restore its normal slow forward movement after an interval sufficient for said balance beam to move past said balance point, and fourth control means responsive to said balance sensing means to stop the rotation of said lead screw; an ounce code member coupled to said lead screw for rotation thereby through one revolution for each pound of weight of said load, said ounce code member bearing digital ounce codes respectively representing zero through 15 ounces spaced circumferentially around it at intervals of one-sixteenth of a revolution; first photosensitive detector means for sensing said ounce codes; a pound code member mounted alongside and parallel to said lead screw, said pound code member bearing digital pound codes spaced along it at intervals corresponding to the extent of linear movement of said carriage for each pound of weight of said load; second photosensitive detector means movable with said poise and cooperable with said pound code member for sensing said pound codes; a postage code member mounted alOngside and parallel to said lead screw; a time delay circuit interposed between said reader control circuit and said second photosensitive detector means whereby said second photosensitive means is not actuated to sense the pound code at said point until said stop means has stopped the movement of said poise, said postage code member being shiftable in a plane parallel to said lead screw to present a selected set of postage codes for cooperation with said photosensitive detector means according to the mode of shipment; third photosensitive detector means movable with said carriage and cooperable with said postage code member for sensing the selected set of postage codes; a reader control circuit responsive to said balance sensing means for actuating all said photosensitive detector means after said balance beam reaches said balance point; said reader control circuit including means for disabling said code sensing means during rapid reverse movement of said poise along said balance beam; decoder means for converting said digital codes into electrical signals for actuating a numerical readout; and readout means connected to said decoder for visibly displaying said numerical readout.