Low-profile platform scale

Claim 2

A platform scale comprising: a horizontal base; a primary U-shaped lever having in a unitary construction an elongated mounting member, a pair of lever arms extending horizontally from the same side of said mounting member adjacent its ends, and an intermediate arm extending horizontally from said mounting member in a direction that is normal to the longitudinal axis of said mounting member and from the side of said mounting member that is opposite to the side from which said pair of lever arms extend; a secondary U-shaped lever having in a unitary construction an elongated mounting member and a pair of lever arms extending horizontally from the same side of said mounting member adjacent its ends, said mounting member having an intermediate portion extending horizontally and normal to the longitudinal axis from the side of said mounting member that is opposite to the side from which said pair of lever arms of said secondary lever extend; means connected to said base and to said mounting member of said primary lever to pivotally mount that mounting member at a horizontal axis that is at a lower elevation above the central transverse portion of said base, with the longitudinal axis of that mounting member at a vertical plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and with the distal end portions of said pair of lever arms of said primary lever above the front and rear corner portions of one end of said base; means connected to said base and to said mounting member of said secondary lever to pivotally mount that mounting member at a horizontal axis that is at an upper elevation above the central transverse portion of said base, with the longitudinal axis of that mounting member at a vertical plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and passing through said intermediate arm of said primary lever, with the said extension of said intermediate portion of said mounting member of said secondary lever directly above said intermediate arm of said primary lever, and with the distal end portions of said pair of lever arms of said secondary lever above the front and rear corner portions of the other end of said base; a horizontal platform; force-transmitting support means connected to the corner portions of said platform and to the distal end portions of said pairs of lever arms of said levers to support said platform above said lever arms; force-transmitting means connected to said intermediate extension of said mounting arm of said secondary lever and to said intermediate arm of said primary lever; low cell means mounted on said base adjacent that its said other end and below the distal end portion of said intermediate arm of said primary lever; and force-transmitting means connected to said distal end portion of said intermediate arm and to said load cell means to provide a stress in said load cell means when said intermediate arm is raised.

Claim 3

A platform scale comprising: a horizontal base having front and rear upstanding portions at the central part of the front and rear margins of said base, each upstanding portion providing a vertical mounting post having at an upper elevation a vertical flat surface facing one end of said scale and at a lower elevation a vertical flat surface facing one end of said scale, said upper flat surfaces of said upstanding portions being at one vertical plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and said lower flat surfaces being at another vertical plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base; a primary U-shaped lever having in a unitary construction an elongated mounting member, a pair of lever arms spaced from each other and extending horizontally from the same side of said mounting member adjacent its end portions, and an intermediate arm extending horizontally from said moUnting member in a direction that is normal to the longitudinal axis of said mounting member and from the side of said mounting member that is opposite to the side from which said pair of lever arms extend, side end portions of said mounting member extending axially beyond said pair of lever arms and having coplanar vertical flat surface portions on the same side of the longitudinal axis of said mounting member; a secondary U-shaped lever having in a unitary construction an elongated mounting member and a pair of lever arms spaced from each other and extending horizontally from the same side of said mounting member adjacent its end portions, said mounting member having an intermediate portion extending horizontally and normal to the longitudinal axis of said mounting member from the side of said mounting member that is opposite to the side from which said pair of lever arms of said secondary lever extend and said end portions of said mounting member extending axially beyond said pair of lever arms and having coplanr vertical flat surface portions on the same side of the longitudinal axis of said mounting member; means, including a first pair of flexure plates, pivotally mounting said primary lever on said upstanding portions of said base with said pair of lever arms of said primary lever extending to positions above front and rear corner portions of one end of said base, said mounting means connecting said primary lever at its said coplanar vertical flat surface portions to one of the upper and lower horizontal marginal portions of said first pair of flexure plates and connecting said upstanding portions at their said lower vertical flat surfaces to said first pair of flexure plates at the other of said upper and lower marginal portions of said first pair of flexure plates to provide a common horizontal flexure axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and to provide the end portions of said mounting member of said primary lever vertically spaced from said upstanding portions at their said lower vertical flat surfaces; means, including a second pair of flexure plates, pivotally mounting said secondary lever on said first and second upstanding portions of said base with said pair of lever arms of said secondary lever extending to positions above front and rear corner portions of the other end of said base, said mounting means connecting said secondary lever at its said coplanar vertical flat surface portions to one of the upper and lower horizontal marginal portions of said second pair of flexure plates and connecting said first and second upstanding portions at their said upper vertical flat surfaces to said second pair of flexure plates at the other of said upper and lower marginal portions of said second pair of flexure plates to provide a common horizontal flexure axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and to provide the end portions of said mounting member of said secondary lever vertically spaced from said upstanding portions at their said upper vertical flat surfaces; a platform having a main horizontal portion, with the longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said base and with corner portions above the corner portions of said base, a first pair of downwardly extending legs at the front and rear corner portions of one end of the main portion of said platform below which are located the front and rear corner portions of said one end of said base, a first pair of horizontal feet extending from said first pair of legs to a position below the distal end portions of said lever arms of said primary lever, a second pair of downwardly extending shorter legs at the front and rear corner portions at the other end of the main portion of said platform below which are located the front and rear corner portions of said other end of said base, a second pair of horizontal feet extending from said second pair of legs to a position below the distal end portions of said lever arms of said secondary lever; means connected to tHe distal end portions of said lever arms of said primary lever and to said first pair of feet to provide a part of the support of said platform by said lever arms; means connected to the distal end portions of said lever arms of said secondary lever and to said second pair of feet to provide the other part of the support of said platform by said lever arms; means connected to said intermediate extension of said mounting member of said secondary lever and to said intermediate arm of said primary lever at a location spaced from the distal end portion of said intermediate arm and spaced from said mounting member of said primary lever, said intermediate extension of said mounting member of said secondary lever and said intermediate arm of said primary lever being located on said levers so that said extension is directly above said intermediate arm; load cell means mounted on said base adjacent its said other end and below the distal end portion of said intermediate arm of said primary lever; and means connected to said distal end portion of said intermediate arm and to said load cell means to provide a stress in said load cell means when said intermediate arm is raised.

Claim 4

A platform scale comprising: a horizontal base having front and rear upstanding portions at the central part of the front and rear margins of said base, each upstanding portion providing a vertical mounting post having at an upper elevation a vertical flat surface facing one end of said scale and at a lower elevation a vertical flat surface facing one end of said scale, said upper flat surfaces of said upstanding portions being at one vertical plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and said lower flat surfaces being at another vertical plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base; a primary U-shaped lever having in a unitary construction an elongated mounting member, a pair of lever arms spaced from each other and extending horizontally from the same side of said mounting member adjacent its end portions, and an intermediate arm extending horizontally from said moUnting member in a direction that is normal to the longitudinal axis of said mounting member and from the side of said mounting member that is opposite to the side from which said pair of lever arms extend, side end portions of said mounting member extending axially beyond said pair of lever arms and having coplanar vertical flat surface portions on the same side of the longitudinal axis of said mounting member; a secondary U-shaped lever having in a unitary construction an elongated mounting member and a pair of lever arms spaced from each other and extending horizontally from the same side of said mounting member adjacent its end portions, said mounting member having an intermediate portion extending horizontally and normal to the longitudinal axis of said mounting member from the side of said mounting member that is opposite to the side from which said pair of lever arms of said secondary lever extend and said end portions of said mounting member extending axially beyond said pair of lever arms and having coplanr vertical flat surface portions on the same side of the longitudinal axis of said mounting member; means, including a first pair of flexure plates, pivotally mounting said primary lever on said upstanding portions of said base with said pair of lever arms of said primary lever extending to positions above front and rear corner portions of one end of said base, said mounting means connecting said primary lever at its said coplanar vertical flat surface portions to one of the upper and lower horizontal marginal portions of said first pair of flexure plates and connecting said upstanding portions at their said lower vertical flat surfaces to said first pair of flexure plates at the other of said upper and lower marginal portions of said first pair of flexure plates to provide a common horizontal flexure axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and to provide the end portions of said mounting member of said primary lever vertically spaced from said upstanding portions at their said lower vertical flat surfaces; means, including a second pair of flexure plates, pivotally mounting said secondary lever on said first and second upstanding portions of said base with said pair of lever arms of said secondary lever extending to positions above front and rear corner portions of the other end of said base, said mounting means connecting said secondary lever at its said coplanar vertical flat surface portions to one of the upper and lower horizontal marginal portions of said second pair of flexure plates and connecting said first and second upstanding portions at their said upper vertical flat surfaces to said second pair of flexure plates at the other of said upper and lower marginal portions of said second pair of flexure plates to provide a common horizontal flexure axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and to provide the end portions of said mounting member of said secondary lever vertically spaced from said upstanding portions at their said upper vertical flat surfaces; a platform having a main horizontal portion, with the longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said base and with corner portions above the corner portions of said base, a first pair of downwardly extending legs at the front and rear corner portions of one end of the main portion of said platform below which are located the front and rear corner portions of said one end of said base, a first pair of horizontal feet extending from said first pair of legs to a position below the distal end portions of said lever arms of said primary lever, a second pair of downwardly extending shorter legs at the front and rear corner portions at the other end of the main portion of said platform below which are located the front and rear corner portions of said other end of said base, a second pair of horizontal feet extending from said second pair of legs to a position below the distal end portions of said lever arms of said secondary lever; means connected to tHe distal end portions of said lever arms of said primary lever and to said first pair of feet to provide a part of the support of said platform by said lever arms; means connected to the distal end portions of said lever arms of said secondary lever and to said second pair of feet to provide the other part of the support of said platform by said lever arms; means connected to said intermediate extension of said mounting member of said secondary lever and to said intermediate arm of said primary lever at a location spaced from the distal end portion of said intermediate arm and spaced from said mounting member of said primary lever, said intermediate extension of said mounting member of said secondary lever and said intermediate arm of said primary lever being located on said levers so that said extension is directly above said intermediate arm; load cell means mounted on said base adjacent its said other end and below the distal end portion of said intermediate arm of said primary lever; and means connected to said distal end portion of said intermediate arm and to said load cell means to provide a stress in said load cell means when said intermediate arm is raised.

Claim 5

The scale of claim 2 wherein: said pairs of lever arms of said levers extend normal to the longitudinal axes of the corresponding mounting member of said levers and each lever arm of said primary lever has its longitudinal axis in alignment with that of one of said lever arms of said secondary lever; each of said distal end portions of said pairs of lever arms has a vertical countersunk hole at the longitudinal axis of that lever arm and horizontal threaded holes to the larger diameter portion of the countersunk hole; each of said pairs of feet has a threaded vertical hole located below said countersunk hole in the distal end portion of the lever arm connected to that foot; said means connecting said distal end portions of said lever arms of said primary lever to said first pair of feet and said means connecting said distal end portions of said lever arms of said secondary lever to said second pair of feet comprises: four flexible cable assemblies, each assembly including: a vertical flexible cable; a ferrule rod having a threaded cylindrical bottom portion threaded into said hole in one of said feet and an upper portion with a central vertical hole in which the bottom end portion of said flexible cable is secured; and a ferrule with a stepped cylindrical surface mounted on one of said lever arms in the countersunk hole and having a central vertical hole, in which one end portion of said flexible cable is secured in the portion of smaller diameter and having an intermediate annular recess in the cylindrical surface of larger diameter portion; and screws mounted in said horizontal threaded holes in said distal end portion of the lever arm and engaging said stepped ferrule at its said intermediate annular recess; and said intermediate arm of said primary lever having an inverted countersunk hole below said intermediate extension of said mounting member of said secondary lever and horizontal threaded holes to the large diameter portion of that countersunk hole; said means connecting said intermediate extension and said intermediate arm of said primary lever comprising: another of said flexible cable assemblies in an inverted position with said stepped ferrule being mounted in said inverted countersunk hole of said intermediate arm and with the ferrule rod at the elevation of said extension of said mounting member of said secondary lever; screws mounted in said horizontal threaded hole in said intermediate arm and engaging said stepped ferrule at its said intermediate annular recess; and means mounted on that intermediate extension of said secondary lever and fixedly engaging that ferrule rod; said intermediate arm of said primary lever has at its distal portion a vertical countersunk hole and horizontal threaded holEs to the larger diameter of that countersunk hole; and said means connecting said distal end portion of said intermediate arm comprises: another of said flexible cable assemblies having its ferrule rod threadedly engaging said load cell means and having its stepped ferrule in said countersunk hole; and screws mounted in said horizontal threaded holes in said distal end portion of said intermediate arm and engaging said stepped ferrule at its said intermediate annular recess.

Claim 6

The scale of claim 3 wherein: said intermediate extension of said mounting member of said secondary lever comprises a pair of spaced plate extensions having parallel facing surfaces and coplanar horizontal flat top surface portions; said means fixedly engaging said ferrule rod of said cable assembly connecting said intermediate arm of said primary lever and said extension of said secondary lever comprises: a bracket having at its upper portion lateral extensions fixedly mounted on said coplanar flat top surface portions of said plate extensions and having at its vertical surface facing away from said secondary lever a central recess conforming to one-half of a countersunk hole; a cable clamp member having at its upper portion lateral extensions mounted on said top surface portions of said plate extensions, having a vertical surface that faces said recessed surface of said bracket and that is flat except for a complementary recess that provides the balance of a countersunk hole when said bracket and said clamp member are secured together, the bottom portion of the countersunk hole thus provided having a smaller diameter than the flexible cable to secure said cable between said bracket and said clamp; screws securely mounting said clamp member on said bracket; a cable hanger mounted on said bracket and said clamp member, said hanger having a vertical hole in alignment with the countersunk hole provided by said bracket and said clamp member and having horizontal threaded holes to said vertical hole; screws securing said hanger on said bracket; a bushing having a threaded vertical central hole, a lower portion with a cylindrical configuration and an intermediate annular recess, and an upper portion of larger diameter resting on said hanger, said lower portion of said bushing mounted in said vertical hole of said hanger and the threaded end portion of said ferrule rod of said cable assembly connected to said intermediate arm in said threaded vertical hole of said bushing; and screws in said horizontal holes in said cable hanger securing said bushing by engaging said annular recess of said bushing.

Claim 7

The scale of claim 4 wherein said mounting for one of said cable assemblies on the distal portions of said lever arms of said primary lever and for one of said cable assemblies on the distal end portions of said lever arms of said secondary lever is provided for each by: a cylindrical mounting member having: an annular recess in its bottom surface portion; an eccentric vertical countersunk hole in which is located the stepped ferrule of the cable assembly with the larger diameter portion of the ferrule in the countersunk portion of the hole in said cylindrical mounting member; and horizontal threaded holes in its upper portion to said countersunk hole; and screws in said threaded holes engaging the annular recess in the stepped ferrule, said screws in said lever arm engaging the annular recess in said cylindrical eccentric mounting member.

Claim 8

The scale of claim 5 wherein said eccentric mounting members in the countersunk holes of said lever arms are in the lever arms that are adjacent the front of said base.

Claim 9

The scale of claim 6 wherein: said lower flat surfaces of said upstanding portions of said base face in the direction that said lever arms of said primary lever extend; said upper flat surfaces of said upstanding portions of said base face in the direction that said arms of said secondarY lever extend; said coplanar vertical flat surface portions of said end portions of said mounting member of said primary lever face in the direction that said lever arms of that lever extend; and said coplanar vertical flat surface portions of said end portions of said mounting member of said secondary lever face in the direction that said lever arms of that lever extend.

Claim 10

The scale of claim 3 wherein: said horizontal base having in a unitary construction: a main horizontal portion with a grid construction comprising: front and rear grid members; first and second end grid members constituting said one and said other ends of said base; and transverse and longitudinal grid members within the area defined by said front and rear and said end members to provide with them the grid construction having open spaces at the four corner portions of said main horizontal portion and having a central open space from which two of said transverse grid members extend to the front and rear grid members at the central vertical plane of said horizontal main portion; front and rear vertical plates extending upwardly from the central portion of said front and rear grid members, respectively, and constituting said upstanding portions of said base, each of said vertical plates having a lower lateral extension, toward the transverse vertical plane containing said first end grid member, and an upper lateral extension, toward the transverse vertical plane containing said second end grid member, with the distal end portions of said upper and lower lateral extensions of said plates being thickened to provide sufficient horizontal width at the end surface for mounting of said pairs of flexure plates on said four lateral extensions, and with the end surfaces of these thickened portions of said lateral extensions being vertical and flat to provide said coplanar lower flat surfaces and said coplanar upper flat surfaces transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base, and said lateral extensions have horizontal flat bottom surface portions facing said front and rear grid members; and gussets extending upwardly from said two transverse grid members at the central transverse vertical plane of said base and extending from the front and rear plates towards the central longitudinal vertical plane of said base; said coplanar vertical flat surface portions of said end portions of said mounting member of said primary lever face in the direction that said lever arms of that lever extend; said coplanar vertical flat surface portions of said end portions of said mounting member of said secondary lever face in the direction that said lever arms of that lever extend; said mounting members of said levers between their end portions have lengths less that the distance between said upstanding vertical plates of said base with said pairs of lever arms adjacent and spaced from said plates of said base and with said end portions below said lateral extensions with said vertical flat surface portions of said end portions being below said flat surfaces of said lateral extensions for each of said levers; each of said pairs of flexure plates has a pair of holes on each side of and spaced from the flexure axis and spaced equally from the central transverse axis of the flexure plate; each of said lateral extensions of said plates and each of said end members has at said vertical flat surfaces a pair of threaded holes in horizontal alignment and spaced equally with the spacing of either pair of holes of said flexure plates; and said means pivotally mounting said primary lever and said means pivotally mounting said secondary lever including, in addition to said pairs of flexure plates, screws passing through said pairs of holes of said flexure plates and in said threaded holes in said end portions of said levers and in said lateral extensions of said upstanding plates of said base.

Claim 11

The scale of claim 8 wherein: said end portions of said levers beLow said lower and upper lateral extensions of said upstanding vertical plate of said base have end surfaces that are vertical, flat and normal to the longitudinal axes of the mounting members of said levers; said lateral extensions of said front upstanding vertical plates of said base have coplanar vertical flat front surfaces at their thickened distal end portions parallel to the longitudinal axis of said base; said front grid member has at its central portion a forwardly extending boss having a vertical flat surface that is coplanar with said coplanar vertical flat front surfaces of said lateral extensions of said front upstanding vertical plate of said boss; each of said flexure plates has two additional holes, the center of each additional hole being in alignment with and equally spaced from the centers of one of said pair of holes through which said mounting screws extend, each of said lateral extensions and said end portions of said levers has a similarly disposed additional hole, whereby during assembly of said scale each lever can be supported on said upstanding vertical plates by mounting pins with the mounting screws loosely positioned until the lever is aligned with said vertical surface at the end of the lever coplanar with said vertical flat surfaces of said thickened portions of said lateral extensions of said front upstanding plate and of the forwardly extending boss of said front grid member; said lever arm of said primary lever that is adjacent said front grid member has upstanding bosses at its proximal portion and adjacent its distal portion, said bosses having coplanar top flat horizontal surfaces; said lever arm of said secondary lever that is adjacent said front grid member has upstanding bosses at its proximal portion and adjacent its distal portion, said bosses having coplanar top flat horizontal surfaces; said front grid member has bosses on its top surface at vertical transverse planes passing through said bosses on said levers, said bosses of said front grid member having coplanar flat horizontal surfaces; and said main portion of said base having on said front and rear grid members downwardly extending bosses having coplanar flat horizontal downwardly facing surfaces.

Claim 12

The scale of claim 9 wherein: said intermediate extension of said mounting member of said secondary lever comprises a pair of spaced plate extensions having parallel facing surfaces and coplanar horizontal flat top surface portions; said means fixedly engaging said ferrule rod of said cable assembly connecting said intermediate arm of said primary lever and said extension of said secondary lever comprises: a bracket having at its upper portion lateral extensions fixedly mounted on said coplanar flat top surface portions of said plate extensions and having at its vertical surface facing away from said secondary lever a central recess conforming to one-half of a countersunk hole; a cable clamp member having at its upper portion lateral extensions mounted on said top surface portions of said plate extensions, having a vertical surface that faces said recessed surface of said bracket and that is flat except for a complementary recess that provides the balance of a countersunk hole when said bracket and said clamp member are secured together, the bottom portion of the countersunk hole thus provided having a smaller diameter than the flexible cable to secure said cable between said bracket and said clamp; screws securely mounting said clamp member on said bracket; a cable hanger mounted on said bracket and said clamp member, said hanger having a vertical hole in alignment with the countersunk hole provided by said bracket and said clamp member and having horizontal threaded holes to said vertical hole; screws securing said hanger on said bracket; a bushing having a threaded vertical central hole, a lower portion with a cylindrical configuration and an intermediate annular recess, and an upper portion of larger diamEter resting on said hanger, said lower portion of said bushing mounted in said vertical hole of said hanger and the threaded end portion of said ferrule rod of said cable assembly connected to said intermediate arm in said threaded vertical hole of said bushing; and screws in said horizontal holes in said cable hanger securing said bushing by engaging said annular recess of said bushing.

Claim 13

The scale of claim 10 wherein said platform has a unitary grid construction for its main horizontal portion comprising front and rear grid members, end grid members and intermediate transverse and longitudinal grid members, said end grid members having a length so that said front and rear grid members are generally in vertical alignment with said front and rear vertical plates of said base, said front and rear grid members of said platform having a recessed construction at their central portion in which recesses said upstanding vertical plates of said base are disposed, and said grid construction of said main portion of said platform having on its front and rear grid members upstanding bosses with coplanar flat horizontal top surfaces, said scale further including a platform cover sheet having a flat main portion resting on said upstanding bosses of said platform.