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US Filings by Beusse Brownlee Bowdoin & Wolter, P.A.

Palmscale 6.0 Rechargeable Pocket scale Patent dwngs

Palmscale

DESCRIPTION

HANDHELD ELECTRONIC SCALE

FILED IN USPTO 6/02 // EU CPO 6/02
SN# 60/342,013 (XXC6533219) - Updated to 10/284,852 Granted, Patent # 6,833,515

DRAWING PAGE #1

DRAWING PAGE #2

Background of the Invention
Thepresent invention relates to a scale which possesses a flat ,compactand portable housing construction, and more specifically pertains to ascale lid mechanism which pivots a flat cover of the scale in apredetermined controlled manner between a closed position, where thecover overlays the weighing platform, and an open position, where thecover is pivoted towards the rear of the scale.

Brief Summary of the Invention
[0001]The hand-held scale of the present invention comprises a housing whichis of a generally rectangular, relatively flat, box-like structure andalso including a lid structure hingedly articulated to the housing andincorporating a lid mechanism possessing a flat, plate-shaped coverportion. The housing includes a pair of upwardly extending flangeelements at opposite sides thereof, each of which includes a shortinwardly extending trunnion-like projection. One of the projections isof a circular shape, whereas the other projection is larger indiameter, and projection contains a circular recess including ahorizontal rib extending radially from the bottom of the recess.

[0002] The lidstructure essentially comprises a generally rectangular flat plateportion having an upper edge which curves rearwardly so as to extendinto a tubular portion which is adapted to form a hinge constructionfor articulated connection of the lid structure with the trunnion-likeprojections on the housing flanges.

[0003] The tubularportion is provided with cylindrical blind bores which extend coaxiallytowards each other from the opposite ends of the tubular portion, andare separated by means of a wall forming the bottoms of the blindbores. One of the cylindrical blind bores includes at its bottom a pairof parallel spaced upstanding ribs defining a linear spacing therebetween.

[0004] The oppositeedge of the flat plate portion of the lid structure includes a narrowupstanding flange having an elongated aperture formed therein towardsone end thereof, which aperture is adapted to be engaged by the latchelement of a switch device.

[0005] Insertableinto the blind bore which contains at its bottom the projecting ribsforming the spacing therebetween, is a helical coil spring, which ispreferably constituted of a spring steel, with both ends of the spring,having the end portions thereof extending transversely across thecenter of the diameter of the spring so as to form straight andessentially rigid rod-like elements.

[0006] A dampingdrum, which is of a hollow cylindrical construction having a recess cutin at one open end thereof, and spaced protrusions defining spacestherebetween at the opposite closed end is adapted to be inserted intothe blind bore so as to, in conjunction with the helical coil springform the lid mechanism for effectuating the pivoting movement of thelid structure relative to the housing. The assembly of the componentsof the lid mechanism into the blind bore so as to effectivelyfacilitate the controlled damped pivoting of the lid structurecomprises inserting the helical coil spring into the blind bore havingthe spaced ribs therein, such that the leading end portion of thespring which extends across the diameter thereof is clampingly engagedin the spacing between the two ribs at the bottom of the blind bore,which will prevent rotation of that end of the spring relative to thebore and resultingly the lid structure.

[0007] The other endof the spring which, similarly, possesses a transverse end pieceextending across the diameter thereof, is clampingly engaged in thespace between the protrusions at the closed end of the damping drum,which is of a length so as to axially compress the spring when fullyinserted into the blind bore. Thus, the spring and the damping drumhave their interconnected ends secured against relative rotation.

[0008] The lidstructure containing the spring and damping drum in the bore and theexternal cylindrical surface of the damping drum, wherein the surfaceof the bore in that region may be roughened, serrated or ridged so asto prevent outward leakage of the damping grease, is positioned betweenthe trunnion projections on the flange elements of the housing. Thiscauses the slot or recess formed in the open end of the damping drum toengage over the rib formed in the trunnion which is adjacent thereto.This will prevent relative rotation between the drum within borerelative to the lid structure.

[0009] The closingof the lid structure causes the elongated aperture in flange to beengaged by a projecting ledge or tab of a slideable switch element ofthe switch in the form of a plate member having a projection extendingthrough a slot in the front housing portion, and which is adapted to befinger-actuated in opposition to the biasing latching force of aspring, which is retained in the housing. Thus, upon pulling the switchelement, the tab disengages from the aperture and releases the lidstructure.

[0010] Inasmuch asthe helical coil spring in the bore has been previously torsionallypre-stressed, the release of the switch element by pressing the latterdownwardly against the force of the biasing spring element in thehousing, imparts a torsional or rotational unwinding force to the coilspring, so as to forcibly cause the lid structure to pivot or rotaterearwardly into position.

[0011] The rate ofmovement or speed in the rearward pivoting of the lid structure uponthe release thereof is controlled by means of the damping drum and thedamping grease arranged thereabout in contact with the inner surface ofthe blind bore which, in essence, forms a damping cylinder. Thisstructure will slow down and counteract any tendency for rapid pivotingmovement of the lid structure, which could conceivably cause the scaleto bounce and possibly damage the delicate internal components orelectronics thereof. As indicated, the damping grease may be a highlyviscous oil or grease, or any similar suitable damping material whichwill not readily leak from the open end of the blind bore forming thedamping cylinder.

[0012] In order toclose the scale, it is merely necessary to position the cover plateportion over the scale weigh platform by manually pivoting the lidstructure forwardly about the hinge-forming trunnion elements orprojections until such time as the tab of the switch element engagesinto the aperture of the cover and retains the lid structure in itslatched and closed position, releasing the cover portion and enablingthe lid mechanism to implement the previously described damped andcontrolled pivoting motion into the position in which the cover plateforms a stand for the scale.

[0013] The scalefurther comprises a weighing tray, where the weighing tray comprises anupper surface and a lower surface, and wherein, the lower surfacecomprises a flange element, which is sized to fit about the weighingplatform. The upper surface is shaped such that the outer edge of theupper surface is positioned above the scale housing, such that anobject having a greater surface area that the weighing platform can beweighed.

[0014] All patents,patent applications and publications referred to or cited herein, orfrom which a claim for benefit of priority has been made, areincorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent they are notinconsistent with the explicit teachings of this specification,including: U.S. Patent No. 4,041,289 to Brosh et al., U.S. Patent No.6,085,384 to Bivens, and U.S. Patent No. 6,178,085 to Leung.

Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 depicts a block diagram of a sample digital scale.
Figure 2 depicts a perspective view of the scale of the present invention in the open position.
Figure 3 depicts a perspective view of the scale of the present invention in the closed position.
Figure 4 depicts a top view of the scale of the present invention in the open position.
Figure 5 depicts a side view of the scale of the present invention in the open position.
Figures 6a-6e depict, respectively, front rear, bottom, and end viewsof the scale cover and hinge structure for containing the lid mechanism.
Figures 7a-7b depict, respectively, side and end views of a torsional spring utilized in the lid mechanism.
Figures 8a-8c depict, respectively, a longitudinal sectional view andend views of the damping drum utilized in the lid mechanism.
Figures 9a-9b depict, respectively, a top and side view of the weighting tray.

Detailed Disclosure of the Invention
[0015] As can be ascertained from Figures 2 to 5, the portable,hand-held scale 10 includes a housing 12 which is of a generallyrectangular, relatively flat box-like structure. The Figures illustratea lid structure 14 hingedly articulated to housing 12 and incorporatinga lid mechanism 16 possessing a flat, plate-shaped cover portion 18represented in its closed and latched position over scale weighingplatform 20.

[0016] The lidstructure 14 as illustrated in detail in the drawing Figures 6(a) Ð6(e) essentially comprises a generally rectangular flat plate portion36 having an upper edge which curves rearwardly so as to extend into atubular portion 38, which is adapted to form a hinge construction forarticulated connection of the lid structure 14 with the trunnion-likeprojections 28, 30 on the housing flanges 24, 26.

[0017] The tubularportion 38 is provided with cylindrical blind bores 40, 42 which extendcoaxially towards each other from the opposite ends 44,46 of thetubular portion, and are separated by means of a wall 48 forming thebottoms of the blind bores 40, 42.

[0018] One of thecylindrical blind bores 40 includes at its bottom a pair of parallelspaced upstanding ribs 50 defining a linear spacing 52 therebetween,the function of which is described more specifically hereinbelow.

[0019] The oppositeedge 54 of the flat plate portion 36 of the lid structure 14 includes anarrow upstanding flange 54 having an elongated aperture 56 formedtherein towards one end thereof, which aperture is adapted to beengaged by the latch element 58 of a switch device 60, as describedhereinbelow.

[0020] Insertableinto the blind bore 40 which contains at its bottom the projecting ribs50 forming the spacing 52 therebetween, is a helical coil spring 62,which is preferably constituted of a spring steel, and which isrepresented in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), with both ends of the spring 62,having the end portions 64 thereof extending transversely across thecenter of the diameter of the spring so as to form straight andessentially rigid rod-like elements.

[0021] As shown inspecific detail in Figures 8(a) - 8(c), a damping drum 70, which is ofa hollow cylindrical construction having a recess 72 cut in at one openend 74 thereof, and spaced protrusions 76 defining spaces 78therebetween at the opposite closed end 80, is adapted to be insertedinto the blind bore 40 so as to, in conjunction with the helical coilspring 62 form the lid mechanism 16 for effectuating the pivotingmovement of the lid structure 14 relative to the housing 12. Theassembly of the components of the lid mechanism 16 into the blind bore40 so as to effectively facilitate the controlled damped pivoting ofthe lid structure comprises inserting the helical coil spring 62 intothe blind bore 40 having the spaced ribs 50 therein, such that theleading end portion 64 of the spring, which extends across the diameterthereof, is clampingly engaged in the spacing 52 between the two ribs50 at the bottom of the blind bore 40, which will prevent rotation ofthat end of the spring 62 relative to the bore 40 and resultingly thelid structure 14.

[0022] The other endof the spring 62 which, similarly, possesses a transverse end pieceextending across the diameter thereof, is clampingly engaged in thespace 78 between the protrusions 76 at the closed end 80 of the dampingdrum 70, which is of a length so as to axially compress the spring 62when fully inserted into the blind bore 40. Thus, the spring 62 and thedamping drum 70 have their interconnected ends secured against relativerotation.

[0023] The lidstructure 14 containing the spring 62 and damping drum 70 in the bore40 and the external cylindrical surface of the damping drum 70, whereinthe surface of the bore 40 in that region may be roughened, serrated orridged so as to prevent outward leakage of the damping grease 84, ispositioned between the trunnion projections 28, 30 on the flangeelements 24, 26 of the housing. This causes the slot or recess 72formed in the open end of the damping drum 70 to engage over the rib 34formed in the trunnion which is adjacent thereto. This will preventrelative rotation between the drum 70 within bore 40 relative to thelid structure 14.

[0024] The closingof the lid structure 14 causes the elongate aperture 56 in flange 54 tobe engaged by a projecting ledge or tab 88 of a slideable switchelement 90 of the switch in the form of a plate member having aprojection 92 extending through a slot 94 in the front housing portion,and which is adapted to be finger-actuated in opposition to the biasinglatching force of a spring 96 which is retained in the housing 12.Thus, upon pulling the switch element 90, the tab 88 disengages fromthe aperture 56 and releases the lid structure 14.

[0025] Inasmuch asthe helical coil spring 62 in the bore 40 has been previouslytorsionally pre-stressed, the release of the switch element 90 bypressing the latter downwardly against the force of the biasing springelement 96 in the housing 12, imparts a torsional or rotationalunwinding force to the coil spring 62, so as to forcibly cause the lidstructure 14 to pivot or rotate rearwardly into position as shown inFigure 5.

[0026] The rate ofmovement or speed in the rearward pivoting of the lid structure 14 uponthe release thereof is controlled by means of the damping drum 70 andthe damping grease 84 arranged thereabout in contact with the innersurface of the blind bore 40 which, in essence, forms a dampingcylinder. This structure will slow down and counteract any tendency forrapid pivoting movement of the lid structure 14 which could conceivablycause the scale to bounce and possibly damage the delicate internalcomponents or electronics thereof. As indicated, the damping grease 84may be a highly viscous oil or grease, or any similar suitable dampingmaterial which will not readily leak from the open end of the blindbore 40 forming the damping cylinder.

[0027] In order toclose the scale, it is merely necessary to position the cover plateportion 36 over the scale weigh platform 20 by manually pivoting thelid structure 14 forwardly about the hinge-forming trunnion elements orprojections 28, 30 until such time as the tab 88 of the switch element98 engages into the aperture 56 of the cover and retains the lidstructure 14 in its latched and closed position, as shown in Figure 3,releasing the cover portion and enabling the lid mechanism 16 toimplement the previously described damped and controlled pivotingmotion into position.

[0028] In analternative embodiment, as shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), the scale10, further comprises a weighing tray 100. The weighing tray 100,comprises an upper surface 102 and a lower surface 104, and wherein,the lower surface 104 comprises a flange element 106, which is sized tofit about the weighing platform 20. The upper surface 102 is shapedsuch that the outer edged of the upper surface 102 is positioned abovethe scale housing 10, such that an object having a greater surface areathan the weighing platform can be weighed.

[0029] Figure 1depicts a simplified block diagram of a scale apparatus according tothis invention. Here is shown an object 120 positioned on a weighingplatform 20. The weighing platform 20 is associated with a base member130, which is positioned on a horizontal reference plane. An object 120causes the weighing platform 20 to move downwardly with respect to theplane or base 130. The weighing platform 20 and base member 130 areconventional scale components and many examples of suitable apparatusexist in the prior art.

[0030] As isconventional, the weighing platform 20 responds by moving downwardlyaccording to the weight of the object 120 to exert a force or pressureon a transducer 110 coupled between the weighing platform 20 and thebase 130.

[0031] Thetransducer 110 or load cell can be a number of different devices forconverting a pressure or a force into an electrical signal. As such,the transducer 110 may compromise a Wheatstone bridge configurationemploying piezoresistive elements or other pressure converting devicesto provide a varying electrical signal indicative of the weight of theobject 120 on the weighing platform 20. As such, the transducer 110supplies an analog signal in terms of a voltage or a current having amagnitude which varies according to the weight of the object 120. Theweight of the object 120 is displayed on the digital display 140. Wherethe weight of the object 120 can be selectively 150 displayed in grams,ounces, or other known units of measuring weights.

[0032] While therehas been shown and described what is considered to be a preferredembodiment of the invention, it will, of course, be understood thatvarious modifications and changes in form or detail could readily bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention. It istherefore, intended that the invention be not limited to the exact formand detail herein shown and described, nor to anything less than thewhole of the invention herein disclosed.

Abstract of the Disclosure
[0001] The present invention relates to a scale which posses a flatcompact and portable housing construction, and more specificallypertains to a scale lid mechanism which pivots a flat covers of thescale in a predetermined controlled manner between a closed position,where the cover overlays the weighing platform, and an open position,where the cover in pivoted towards the real of the scale. The presentinvention relates to a scale which posses a flat compact and portablehousing construction, and more specifically pertains to a scale lidmechanism which pivots a flat covers of the scale in a predeterminedcontrolled manner between a closed position, where the cover overlaysthe weighing platform, and an open position, where the cover is pivotedtowards the rear of the scale.

Attorneys on Record:

Haseltine Lake Intellectual Properties
Redcliff Quay
120 Redcliff Street
Bristol BS1 6HU England
Barristor: Louise Ellis

Vermette & Co
Barristors & Solicitors
Box 40, Granville Sq
Suite 230, 200 Granville St
Vancouver BC
V6C 1S4 Canada

Saliwanchik, Lloyd & Saliwanchik
Intellectual Property Division
1000 Legion Place, Suite 1750
Orlando, Florida
32801 USA
Lead Attorney: Christine McLoed

Also please reference the DESIGN PATENTS for the Palmscale 5.0

Palmscale 6.0 Patent posted below (US version)

D521,889