System for lighting a group of lamps in a personal weighing device

Claim 1

A personal weighing device comprising: a footstool means for supporting persons who respectively stand thereon; a weight indicating means linked to said footstool means for revolving about an axis relative to a stationary index means an amount proportional to the weights of said persons who stand on said footstool, to weight-indicating positions, and thereby indicating the weights of said persons, said weight indicating means including a first electrical contact means which also, simultaneously with said weight indicating means, revolves about said axis; and a weight-excess-or-shortage indicating means including: an array of lamps; an electrical energizing means for selectively energizing said lamps; and a height-setting means which is adjustable to positions corresponding to the heights of said persons who stand on said footstool, at which positions said height-setting means can be compared with said weight indicating means at said weightindicating positions to indicate percentage differences, relative to standard weights (for various human heights), between said indicated weights and said standard weights, said height-setting means including a second electrical contact means for making sliding contact with said first electrical contact means as said weight indicating means rotates and thereby completing electrical circuits between said electrical energizing means and ones of said lamps, wherein adjustment of said height-setting means causes said second contact means to both revolve about said axis and to move axially; wherein one of said contact means comprises a pattern of contact plates which have tapered shapes in the axial direction such that as said height-setting means is adjusted, the area over which said other contact means may contact plates, as said weight indicating means rotates, is varied.