Electronic postage scale

In a postage scale for providing an indication of the requisite postage for a parcel in accordance with the weight, class of shipment and destination zone of said parcel and including weight data generating means for generating a representation of the weight of said parcel upon which postage is determined, memory means for storing postage data representations for each incremental parcel weight for each class of shipment and destination zone;

• and means for reading out one of said stored postage data representations in accordance with a selected class of shipment, a selected destination zone and the weight of said parcel;
• the apparatus comprising:
• data bearing means bearing coded indicia of parcel weight and being mechanically connected to a parcel weighing platform displaceable with respect to a reference position in response to the weight of a parcel loaded upon said platform;
• data pick-up means defining said reference position for sensing said coded indicia;
• said data pick-up means being mechanically connected to expandible coupling means for adjusting the position of said data pick-up means;
• and
• calibration and drive means coupled to said data pick-up means for maintaining said data pick-up means and said data bearing means at a relative zero position with respect to each other when said platform is unloaded and for supplying said expandible coupling means with an energizing current to cause said expandible coupling means to expand within predetermined limits once said platform is loaded and said data bearing means has been displaced to a position of substantial equilibrium.

A postage scale for providing an indiciation of the requisite postage for a parcel in accordance with the weight, class of shipment and destination zone of said parcel, comprising:

• first manually operable switch means for generating, when operated, a signal representing a selected class of shipment;
• second manually operable switch means for generating, when operated, a signal representing a selected destination zone;
• encoding means coupled to said first and second switch means and responsive to said generated signals for producing a coded signal representing a destination address;
• memory means having a plurality of individual storage sections corresponding to said classes of shipment, each of said storage sections including a two-dimensional array of storage locations, a first dimension being defined by said destination addresses and a second dimension being defined by weight increments, and at which storage locations postage data representations corresponding to destination zones and parcel weights are stored;
• data bearing means bearing coded indicia of parcel weight and being mechanically connected to a parcel weighing platform such that said data bearing means is displaceable with respect to a reference position in response to the loading of said platform with a parcel;
• data pick-up means defining said reference position for sensing said coded indicia on said data bearing means and for generating a digital representation thereof corresponding to the weight of said parcel upon which postage is determined;
• said data pick-up means being mechanically connected to expandible coupling means so as to be movable;
• calibration and drive means coupled to said data pick-up means for maintaining a relative zero position between said data bearing means and said data pick-up means when said platform is unloaded and for supplying said expandible coupling means with an energizing current to cause said expandible coupling means to expand within predetermined limits once said platform is loaded and said data bearing means has been displaced to a position of substantial equilibrium;
• means for detecting when said data pick-up means has been driven to a predetermined limit by said expandible coupling means to energize said data pick-up means to generate said digital representation of parcel weight;
• means coupled to said data pick-up means for supplying said digital representation of parcel weight to all of said storage sections;
• means coupled to said first switch means for selecting one of said storage sections in accordance with the generated signal representing said selected class of shipment;
• and
• read-out means coupled to all of said storage sections for reading out the one postage data representation stored in the storage location selected by said first switch means at the location defined by the coded signal produced by said encoding means and the digital representation of said parcel weight.

Calibration control means for a weighing device, said weighing device including weight indicating means that is displaceable with respect to a reference position in response to the weight of an object to be weighed, comprising:

• means for mechanically connecting said weight indicating means to a weight support means;
• data pick-up means defining said reference position and attached to expandible coupling means, said data pick-up means detecting predetermined indicia disposed on said weight indicating means;
• and
• calibrating current supply means coupled to said data pick-up means for selectively supplying a calibrating current to said expandible coupling means when certain indicia are sensed indicating that said weight indicating means deviates from a predetermined juxtaposition with respect to said reference position, thereby to restore said weight indicating means to said predetermined juxtaposition.

A postage scale for providing an indication of the requisite postage for a parcel in accordance with the weight, class of shipment and destination zone of said parcel, comprising:

• data bearing means bearing coded indicia of parcel weight and being mechanically connected to a parcel weighing platform such that said data bearing means is displaceable with respect to a reference position in response to the weight of a parcel loaded upon said platform;
• data pick-up means disposed at said reference position for sensing said coded indicia;
• drive means for causing relative displacement of said data bearing means with respect to said data pick-up means once said platform is loaded until predetermined indicia is sensed by said data pick-up means;
• data generating means for generating a digital representation of parcel weight as sensed by said data pick-up means when said data bearing means has been moved to the position whereat said predetermined indicia is sensed;
• memory means for storing postage data representations for each incremental parcel weight for each class of shipment and destination zone;
• and
• means for reading out and displaying postage data in accordance with a selected class of shipment, a selected destination zone and said digital representation of parcel weight.

A postage scale for providing an indication of the requisite postage for a parcel in accordance with the weight, class of shipment and destination zone of said parcel, comprising:

• weight data generating means for generating a digital representation of the weight of said parcel upon which postage is determined;
• memory means having a plurality of individual storage sections corresponding substantially to said classes of shipment, each of said storage sections including addressable storage locations comprised of plural parts for storage portions of postage data representations corresponding to destination zones and parcel weight;
• first manually operable switch means for generating, when operated, a signal representing a selected class of shipment;
• means coupled to said first switch means for selecting one of said storage sections in accordance with the generated signal representing said selected class of shipment;
• second manually operable switch means for generating, when operated, a signal representing a selected destination zone;
• address means responsive to said selected destination zone and to said parcel weight for addressing an individual storage location in each of plural storage sections;
• and
• multiplex means coupled to all of said storage sections for reading out all of the portions of a postage data representation from all of the parts of an addressed storage location in the one selected storage section in successive time intervals.