Computing scale system

A weighing scale system comprising:

• a platter which moves in accordance with the weight of a commodity placed thereon,
• a chart connected to said platter for movement therewith, said chart having a series of weight indicating tracks provided with weight indicating graduations and a parity indicating track with parity indicating graduations arranged for parity verification of the corresponding weight indicating graduations and for identification of weight transition points therein;
• signal generating means for generating electrical weight indicating signals, a parity indicating signal, and a transition signal from said chart graduations,
• parity checking means for checking said weight indicating signals against said parity indicating signal and inhibiting the operation of said scale system whenever a parity error is detected,
• parity check suppressing means for suppressing the inhibiting function of said parity checking means whenever said transition signal indicates chart positioning near a weight transition point, and
• function control means connected with said signal generating means, and parity checking means for sequentially enabling events in the operating cycle of said weighing scale system.

A scale system comprising:

• a platter which moves in accordance with the weight of a commodity placed thereon,
• a chart connected to said platter for movement together therewith, said chart having a series of weight indicating tracks, a parity indicating track, and a transition indicating track, all of said tracks comprising alternate opaque and translucent areas, the areas on said weight indicating tracks being arranged to indicate commodity weight, the areas on said parity checking track being arranged to indicate parity for corresponding areas on the weight indicating tracks, and the areas on the transition indicating track also being arranged to indicate opaque to translucent transition regions between the areas on the weight indicating tracks,
• a light source directed against said chart,
• a series of photocells for detecting light passing through the translucent areas in said tracks,
• means connected to said photocells for generating a digital representation of said commodity weight and parity as indicated by said tracks and detected by said photocells,
• parity checking means for checking the parity of said digital weight representation against the indication of said parity indicating track as detected by said photocells,
• error indicating means connected to said parity checking means for indicating detection of a parity error,
• parity check suppressing means for inhibiting the operation of said parity checking means when said photocells detect a transition indication by said transition indicating track, and
• function control means connected with said parity checking means for sequentially enabling parity checking and predetermined other events in the operating cycle of said scale system.

In a computing scale system which generates a series of weight indications, improved scale motion monitoring apparatus comprising:

• comparing means for comparing a current weight indication with a next preceding weight indication and generating a positive difference indication when said current weight indication exceeds said next preceding weight indication and a negative difference indication when said next preceding weight indication exceeds said current weight indication,
• counting means for counting said negative and positive difference indications, a negative difference indication resetting the positive count and a positive difference indication resetting the negative count,
• motion indicating means for generating a first motion indication when said counting means reaches a predetermined first count of either negative or positive indications and subsequent motion indications whenever said counting means thereafter reaches a predetermined second count of negative or positive indications,
• count adjusting means for causing said second count to be lower in number than said first count,
• timing means for indicating elapsed time since generation of a motion indication by said motion indicating means,
• reset means for resetting said timing means and said counting means whenever said motion indicating means generates a motion indicating signal, and
• motion cessation indicating means for indicating a motionless scale condition when said first motion indication has been generated and said timing means has thereafter indicated a predetermined elapsed time.

A computing scale system comprising:

• a scale providing an output signal indicative of the weight of an article placed thereon,
• means for communicating a price per unit weight of said article to said scale,
• means for multiplying said weight by said price per unit weight to obtain a total value,
• means for indicating said total value,
• means defining a weight dead zone in said scale and inhibiting said indication of total value when said output signal indicates a weight within said weight dead zone,
• manually operable selection means for adjusting the size of said weight dead zone and
• function control means for sequentially enabling events in the operating cycle of said scale system.

Motion detecting apparatus for a weight scale comprising:

• means for periodically generating electrical signals indicative of scale loading;
• first counting means responsive to value increase of said electrical signals over a preceding signal without an intervening smaller signal;
• second counting means responsive to value decrease at said electrical signals from a preceding signal without an intervening larger signal;
• means for excluding from said first and second counting means electrical signals equal in value to preceding electrical signals
• function control means for controlling said motion detecting apparatus;
• and
• motion signal generating means responsive to attaining a predetermined count in said first or second counting means.

Scale apparatus for generating verified weight signals comprising:

• a multiple track encoder member positionable in a plurality of weight indicating positions in response to scale platter weight, coded indications in said tracks identifying each possible position of said encoder member;
• means parity verifying the code indications in said tracks according to a predetermined convention;
• means identifying instances wherein said parity verification and said code indications may be inconsistent;
• and
• function control means for sequentially enabling the operating cycle of said scale apparatus.

Scale apparatus for generating substantiated weight signals comprising:

• a multiple track encoder member positionable in a plurality of weight indicating positions in response to scale platter weight, coded indications in said tracks identifying each possible encoder member position;
• verifying means including a parity data track for substantiating the code indications read from the weight indication tracks in accordance with a predetermined convention;
• means including a predetermined parity data track code at a predetermined weight location on said encoder member for testing the operation of said verifying means;
• and
• function control means connected with said verifying means and said means for testing for sequentially enabling events in the operating cycle of said scale system.

Weighing apparatus comprising the combination of:

• a weight receiving scale platter;
• a multiple track weight encoding member coupled with said platter and movable in response to the weight of articles placed thereon, graduations along said multiple tracks identifying each possible weight value stopping positions thereof;
• transducer means adjacent said encoding member for generating electrical signals representing the graduations proximate said transducer means in each weight value position;
• means parity verifying the correctness of said electrical signals;
• means responsive to said electrical signals for generating a motion signal indicative of mechanical movement of said encoding member, and
• function control means connected with said means for parity verifying and said means for generating a motion signal and sequentially enabling events in the operating cycle of said weighing apparatus.

A method for operating a weighing scale of the type having a platter movable chart with corresponding weight indicating, parity indicating, and weight transition points indicating, graduations comprising the steps of:

• generating electrical weight indicating, parity indicating and transition point indicating signals from said chart graduations;
• checking said weight indicating signal against said parity indicating signal and inhibiting the operation of said scale whenever a parity error is detected;
• and
• suppressing said inhibiting step whenever said transition signal indicates chart positioning near a weight transition point.

A method for detecting motion in a computing scale comprising the steps of:

• generating a sequence of scale deflection signals;
• examining a plurality of said deflection signals for representations of rapid deflection change in accordance with a predetermined fast movement criteria, a first motion signal being generated thereby;
• testing a plurality of said deflection signals for sample-to-sample differences according to a predetermined difference criteria, a second motion signal being generated thereby;
• combining said first and second motion signals in accordance with a predetermined convention to generate a no-motion indicating signal;
• and
• inhibiting weight related computation in the scale until said no-motion signal is received.