US 4,544,929 AGranted

Weighing apparatus and method

OwnerJerome H. Lemelsoninventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing indicia on articles or packages, which indicia is an indication of such variables as identification, destination, weight, cost, postage or a combination of such variables. In one form, an article or container is disposed on a weighing device, such as a scale, and the weight of the article which is indicated when the scale balances, is automatically applied as a bar code, numerical indication or other form of indicia to a select portion of the surface of the article. The indicia may be printed by means of selectively operated printing wheels, an ink jet, a laser or electron beam marking device or other means which operate through an opening in the platform of the scale or from a location at the side of the scale. Xerographic or electrostatic printing means may also be employed, which is located within an opening in the scale platform or at the side of the scale and which is projected or propels particles to print indicia against a select portion of the article or container in accordance with information which was derived from a computer, manual keyboard input, speech synthesized electronic circuitry or other means.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A weighing and marking apparatus comprising in combination with a support including first means adapted to receive an article, second means supported by said support responsive to the weight of an article disposed on said first means for sensing the weight of said article and generating an electrical signal which signal is representative of the article's weight, third means for providing a plurality of visually readable indicia against the surface of an article disposed on said first means, control means for said indicia providing means for varying the operation thereof to cause same to vary the characteristics of the indicia it applies to the surface of said article, said control means being operatively connected to said means responsive to the signals generated by said sensing means sensing the weight of an article and operable to predeterminately vary the operation of said third means while an article is disposed on said first means, fourth means operable after said third means has been predeterminately varied in its operation and detects the weight of an article to permit said third means to provide indicia on the surface of an article disposed on said first means wherein said indicia are indicative of the article's weight, said third means including means for generating a beam of radiation and directing said beam against a select portion of an article on said first means and means for controlling said radiation beam as it intersects said select portion of said surface of said article to cause it to form said indicia in said select portion of the surface of said article.

Article weighing apparatus comprising:

a support including a weighing platform,
first means supported by said support and responsive to the weight of an article disposed on said platform for generating electrical signals representative of the article's weight,
second means including computing electronic circuit means connected to receive the signals generated by said first means,
third means variable by an operator for variably programming said second means to cause said computing electronic circuit means to perform selected computing functions with respect to the weight indicating signals received from said first means and generating further signals in accordance with the programming of said second means which further signals are indicative of the specific value of the variable determined by the weight indicating signals generated by said first means and the variation effected in said computing electronic circuit means by said third means,
fourth means including a printing means for printing characters and a record member positioned to receive printed indicia from said printing means to effect the printing of said indicia thereon,
control means for said printing means connected to the output of said computing electronic circuit means for receiving signals output thereby and operable to control said fourth means to cause said printing means to print characters on said record member which printed characters are indicative of said specific value of the variable programmed into said computing electronic circuit means by said third means times the weight of the article.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/401,116Filed 23 Jul 1982 · continuation in part
Priority: 11 Jul 1980
Granted: 1 Oct 1985
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G01G 19/4148
Using electronic computing means only: for controlling postal rate in articles to be mailed
G01G 19/005
For postal parcels and letters: with electric or electronic computing means
G07B 17/00193
Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office: constructional details of…
G07B 2017/00306
Man-machine interface on the apparatus: acoustic, e.g. voice control or speech prompting