Elastic-type clamp for a twin leaf spring scale
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorAnthony Storace
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An elastic-type clamp is used for securing weighing scale flexure plates to a load support. The elastic-type clamp eliminates uncontrolled and unpredictable deflection characteristics of the plates, which were the result of changing boundary conditions and manufacturing differences in the bite of the previously used inelastic clamp. The lips of the inventive clamp are made deformable under load, or as strain develops in the flexure plates. The ability of the clamp to elastically deform prevents slippage of the flexure plates about their point of securement to the load support. This in turn will reduce load measurement errors inherent with the previous inelastic clamping design.
Claims4
An elastic-type clamp for sandwiching a leaf spring to a load support structure of a weighing scale, said clamp comprising two adjacently disposed channel members each having a "U"-shaped cross section with both legs of each "U"-shaped channel member disposed upon said leaf spring, each channel member being on opposite sides of said leaf spring, said channel members being fastened together with said leaf spring disposed therebetween, one leg of each "U"-shaped channel member being relatively much thinner than the other leg of said "U"-shaped channel member, whereby as the leaf spring is caused to deflect, the thinner leg of each "U"-shaped channel member will be caused to elastically deform, thus providing a controlled and predictable deflection characteristic for said leaf spring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.