Multi-range load cells

Claim 1

FORCE MEASURING APPARATUS COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO STRAIN-SENSITIVE LOAD CELL ELEMENTS EACH INCLUDING DIFFERENT ELECTRICAL STRAIN GAGE MEANS AND EACH DIFFERENTLY RESPONSIVE TO FORCES APPLIED ALONG AN AXIS THEREOF, MEANS MECHANICALLY INTERCONNECTING ONE END OF ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS AND ONE END OF ANOTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS AND THEREBY MAINTAINING SAID ELEMENTS IN SERIES COLINEARLY ALONG SAID AXIS, MECHANICAL STOP MEANS SHUNTING ONE OF SAID SERIES-CONNECTED STRAIN-SENSITIVE MEANS BETWEEN THE END CONNECTED WITH THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS AND THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF, SAID STOP MEANS INCLUDING COOPERATING STOP MEMBERS ENGAGEABLE TO TRANSMIT FORCES THERETHROUGH WHEN THE APPLIED FORCES IN EITHER DIRECTION ARE IN EXCESS OF A PREDETERMINED VALUE, A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID CASING IN ENCLOSING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID STRAIN-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS, FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID CASING AND EACH OF THE FREE ENDS OF SAID STRAIN-SENSITIVE MEANS OPPOSITE SAID ENDS CONNECTED BY SAID INTERCONNECTING MEANS, MEANS RIGIDLY SECURING SAID CASING WITH SAID INTERCONNECTING MEANS AT A POSITION INTERMEDIATE SAID DIAPHRAGM MEANS AT SAID FREE ENDS OF SAID ELEMENTS, AND MEANS FOR APPLYING TENSION AND COMPRESSION FORCES TO SAID STRAIN-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS IN SERIES ALONG SAID AXIS AND THROUGH SAID FREE ENDS OF SAID ELEMENTS.