Platform scale for weighing a mass independently of the relative position of the mass on the platform

Claim 2

A weighing scale of the type which has a support member for supporting objects while they are being weighed which is rigidly affixed to an associated leg member which extends downward from said support member in a vertical dimension, and check links which are pivotally associated with both said leg member and an associated support structure and are substantially parallel axially to each other and in lateral direction with respect to said leg member, are all in substantially the same directional orientation with respect to said leg member whereby said support member may move downward against a resistive force means while said vertical dimension of said leg member is substantially uniformly retained in its vertical orientation, characterized by the facts that said support member is affixed at one of its ends to said leg member, and that said support member effectively is in substantially the same orientation with respect to said leg member as are said check links.

Claim 3

A platform scale for weighing a test mass independently of the relative position of the test mass on the platform, said platform scale comprising: a supporting structure having an upwardly projecting leg, a generally horizontal platform, for carrying the test mass during the weighing operation, having a leg rigidly mounted on and projecting downwardly from one edge of said platform; means for relatively reciprocally mounting said platform on said structure for downward displacement when loaded, said means including at least one upper check link, having opposing pivot ends, mounted between said upwardly projecting support structure leg and said downwardly projecting platform leg, and at least one lower check link, also having opposing pivot ends, mounted between said upwardly projecting support structure leg and said downwardly projecting platform leg in generally mutually parallel relation to said upper check link, means exerting a resistive force opposing displacement of said platform when loaded with the test mass, the platform being structurally integrated at one of its ends with the vertically extending leg thereof and extending from said leg in substantially the same direction with respect thereto as do said check link means and the resistive force means being arranged opposite the side of said platform leg as that from which the upper and lower check links coupled to the platform leg extend to cause the resistive force and the platform and test mass to always produce additive moments about these pivots to thereby place the check links in unchanged states of tension and compression whenever the test mass is supported on the platform to maintain the check links in constant length; and means for relating the resulting displacement of the platform when loaded with the test mass to the weight of the test mass to provide linear weight measurement independently of test mass position on the platform.

Claim 4

A platform scale for weighing a test mass independently of the relative position of the test mass on the platform, said platform scale comprising: a supporting structure having an upwardly projecting leg, a generally horizontal platform, for carrying the test mass during the weighing operation, having a leg rigidly mounted on and projecting downwardly from one edge of said platform; means for relatively reciprocally mounting said platform on said structure for downward displacement when loaded, said means including at least one upper check link, having opposing pivot ends, mounted between said upwardly projecting support structure leg and said downwardly projecting platform leg, and at least one lower check link, also having opposing pivot ends, mounted between said upwardly projecting support structure leg and said downwardly projecting platform leg in generally mutually parallel relation to said upper check link, means exerting a resistive force opposing displacement of said platform when loaded with the test mass, the platform being structurally integrated at one of its ends with the vertically extending leg thereof and extending from said leg in substantially the same direction with respect thereto as do said check link means and the resistive force means being arranged opposite the side of said platform leg as that from which the upper and lower check links coupled to the platform leg extend to cause the resistive force and the platform and test mass to always produce additive moments about these pivots to thereby place the check links in unchanged states of tension and compression whenever the test mass is supported on the platform to maintain the check links in constant length; and means for relating the resulting displacement of the platform when loaded with the test mass to the weight of the test mass to provide linear weight measurement independently of test mass position on the platform.

Claim 5

A platform scale for weighing a test mass independently of the relative position of the test mass on the platform, said platform scale comprising: a support structure having a generally vertically extending leg; a horizontally disposed platform, for carrying the test mass during the weighing operation, also having a generally vertically extending leg; means for relatively reciprocally mounting said platform on said support structure for displacement when loaded with the test mass, said means including first and second pivoting check link means each comprising at least one check link having opposing pivot ends, each of said check links being coupled to said support structure and platform legs, with the check link axis extending there between, at said opposing pivot ends, said check link axes being in generally mutually parallel relation, one above the other; means exerting a resistive force opposing displacement of said platform when loaded with the test mass, the platform being structurally integrated at one of its ends with the vertically extending leg thereof and extending from said leg in substantially the same direction with respect thereto as do said check link means and the resistive force means being arranged opposite the side of said platform leg as that from which the check links coupled to the platform leg extend to cause the resistive force and the platform and test mass to always produce additive moments about these pivot ends to thereby place the check links in unchanged states of tension and compression whenever the test mass is supported on the platform to maintain the check links in constant length; and means for relating the resulting displacement of the platform to the weight of the test mass to provide linear weight measurement independent of test mass position on the platform.

Claim 6

A platform scale for weighing a test mass independently of the relative position of the test mass on the platform, said platform scale comprising: a support structure having a generally vertically extending leg; a horizontally disposed platform, for carrying the test mass during the weighing operation, also having a generally vertically extending leg; means for relatively reciprocally mounting said platform on said support structure for displacement when loaded with the test mass, said means including first and second pivoting check link means each comprising at least one check link having opposing pivot ends, each of said check links being coupled to said support structure and platform legs, with the check link axis extending there between, at said opposing pivot ends, said check link axes being in generally mutually parallel relation, one above the other; means exerting a resistive force opposing displacement of said platform when loaded with the test mass, the platform being structurally integrated at one of its ends with the vertically extending leg thereof and extending from said leg in substantially the same direction with respect thereto as do said check link means and the resistive force means being arranged opposite the side of said platform leg as that from which the check links coupled to the platform leg extend to cause the resistive force and the platform and test mass to always produce additive moments about these pivot ends to thereby place the check links in unchanged states of tension and compression whenever the test mass is supported on the platform to maintain the check links in constant length; and means for relating the resulting displacement of the platform to the weight of the test mass to provide linear weight measurement independent of test mass position on the platform.

Claim 7

The platform scale for weighing a test mass independently of the relative position of the test mass on the platform as claimed in claim 3 wherein: said second check link means is at least one flexure member, maintained in tensIon along its axis, having first and second ends tightly clamped to said platform leg and said support structure leg respectively.

Claim 8

The platform scale for weighing a test mass independently of the relative position of the test mass on the platform as claimed in claim 3 wherein: antifriction pivot means are disposed to cooperate with said first check link means, maintained in compression along its axis, each check link in said first check link means having first and second ends interacting with said support structure and platform legs respectively, said antifriction pivot means being positioned at the points of check link-leg interaction.

Claim 9

The platform scale for weighing a test mass independently of the relative position of the test mass on the platform as claimed in claim 5 wherein said antifriction pivot means include: a flexure strip for cradling each end of each of said first check links in said first check link means, permitting the opposite end of each said check links to move upward and downward relative to said cradled end.