Weighing Scale Having Dual Housings

• US 20080271929A1
• Filed: 05/03/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edlund Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: Edlund Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Whitney, Ryan S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,554,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 177/25.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 21/283 Details related to a user interface

Abstract

An electronic weighing scale that includes an inner housing and an outer housing surrounding the inner housing. In one embodiment, the inner and outer housings are not secured to one another and are spaced apart by shock-absorbing spacers designed to absorb shock of impact loads such as may be caused by the scale being dropped. The inner housing includes a chassis defining a load cell cavity that contains a load cell. The inner housing also includes an electronics compartment closure that together with the chassis define an electronics compartment that contains electronics of the scale, including display electronics and user-controls electronics. In one embodiment, the electronics compartment is hermetically sealed to protect the electronics from moisture.

Claims

1. A weighing scale, comprising:

a force transducer;

user-interface electronics in electrical communication with said force transducer, said user-interface electronics for displaying weighing information to a user;

an inner housing defining a compartment containing said user-interface electronics; and

an outer housing enclosing said force transducer and said inner housing.

2. The weighing scale of claim 1, wherein said inner housing defines a first cavity spaced from said compartment, said first cavity containing said force transducer.

3. The weighing scale of claim 2, wherein said compartment comprises a second cavity that opens in a first direction and said first cavity opens in a second direction opposite said first direction.

4. The weighing scale of claim 1, wherein said user-interface electronics includes a display and said outer housing includes a window for viewing said display.

5. The weighing scale of claim 4, wherein said inner housing includes an opening and said display is mounted at said opening.

6. The weighing scale of claim 4, wherein said user-interface electronics includes a touch-actuated interface and said outer housing further comprises a keypad region that allow a user to actuate said touch-actuated interface.

7. The weighing scale of claim 6, wherein said touch-actuated interface extends into an aperture in said inner housing.

8. The weighing scale of claim 1, further comprising a weight receiver located outside of said outer housing, said weight receiver being in mechanical communication with said force transducer.

9. The weighing scale of claim 1, further comprising a battery compartment, said outer housing including a battery compartment access closure.

10. The weighing scale of claim 9, wherein said battery compartment is defined at least partially by said inner housing and said outer housing.

11. The weighing scale of claim 1, wherein said outer housing includes an upper portion and a lower portion secured to said upper portion.

12. The weighing scale of claim 11, wherein said lower portion is a largely planar body and said upper portion includes sides that extend alongside said inner housing so as to engage said lower portion.

13. The weighing scale of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of feet secured to said inner housing and extending through said outer housing.

14. The weighing scale of claim 1, wherein said inner housing includes an upper portion and a lower portion that engages said upper portion so as to define said first compartment.

15. An electronic scale, comprising:

a chassis that defines a user-interface-electronics compartment and a load-cell cavity spaced from said user-interface-electronics compartment;

a load cell contained in said load-cell compartment;

user-interface electronics in electrical communication with said load cell contained in said user-interface-electronics compartment; and

a housing that surrounding said chassis so as to enclose therein said user-interface-electronics compartment and said load-cell compartment.

16. The electronic scale of claim 15, further comprising a first removable closure sealing said user-interface-electronics compartment, said first removable closure being contained within said housing.

17. The electronic scale of claim 15, wherein said user-interface-electronics compartment and said load-cell cavity are formed on opposite sides of said chassis.

18. The electronic scale of claim 15, wherein said chassis has an upper side and a lower side opposite said upper side, said user-interface-electronics compartment being formed in said lower side, said upper side of said chassis including at least one aperture providing visual access to said user-interface electronics.

19. The electronic scale of claim 18, wherein said housing includes a sealed window region in registration with said at least one aperture so as to provide visual access to said user-interface electronics.

20. The electronic scale of claim 15, wherein said chassis and said housing together define a battery compartment for receiving at least one battery.

21. A scale, comprising:

a weighing mechanism for determining a weight of a mass applied to the weighing scale;

a display in operative communication with said weighing mechanism for displaying said weight to a user;

a chassis supporting each of said weighing mechanism and said display, said chassis having an upper side and a lateral periphery;

an outer housing secured substantially enclosing said upper side and said lateral periphery of said chassis, said outer housing have lateral sides each spaced from said lateral periphery of said chassis; and

a plurality of spacers each extending between said lateral periphery of said chassis and a corresponding one of said lateral sides of said housing;

each of said plurality of spacers secured to one of

     1) said chassis and

     2) said housing.

22. The scale of claim 21, wherein said chassis is made of plastic and each of said plurality of spacers is integrally molded with said chassis.

23. The scale of claim 21, wherein at least some of said plurality of spacers are sacrificial spacers designed to be sacrificed in response to predetermined impact loads.

24. The scale of claim 21, wherein said outer housing defines a cavity that is at least substantially entirely surrounded by said outer housing, said chassis contained within said cavity.

25. The scale of claim 24, wherein said chassis is unfastened within said cavity during normal use of the scale.

26. The scale of claim 21, wherein said chassis defines a user-interface-electronics compartment and a load-cell cavity spaced from said user-interface-electronics compartment, the scale further comprising:

a load cell contained in said load-cell cavity; and

user-interface electronics in electrical communication with said load cell and contained in said user-interface-electronics compartment;

wherein said housing surrounds said chassis so as to enclose therein said user-interface-electronics compartment and said load-cell cavity.

27. The electronic scale of claim 26, further comprising a first removable closure sealing said user-interface-electronics compartment, said first removable closure being contained within said housing.

28. The electronic scale of claim 26, wherein said user-interface-electronics compartment and said load-cell compartment are formed on opposite sides of said chassis.

29. The electronic scale of claim 26, wherein said chassis has an upper side and a lower side opposite said upper side, said user-interface-electronics compartment being formed in said lower side, said upper side of said chassis including at least one aperture providing visual access to said user-interface electronics.

30. The electronic scale of claim 26, wherein said housing includes a sealed window region in registration with said at least one aperture so as to provide visual access to said user-interface electronics.

31. The electronic scale of claim 26, wherein said chassis and said housing together define a battery compartment for receiving at least one battery.