FULL CIRCLE
letter scale

Balduin Heller´s Söhne letter scale

This letter scale with the distinguishing full circle chart is a design of Balduin Heller's Söhne, from Teplitz, in Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic. The text pressed into the basis reads: OEST.P.A. UNG.P.56.898 D.R.P.254082 These texts, originally hided under the paint, are patent indications. OEST.P.A. means Österreichische Patent Angemeldet, this is Austrian Patent Applied for. UNG. P. means Hongarian Patent. D.R.P. is the abbreviation for Deutsches Reich Patent. The numbers are the patent numbers. Patents to protect the design were granted in several countries. The patent drawings present this design with the less stalwart frame. The German patent DE254082 was granted on October 24, 1911 by the Kaiser Patent Office to Balduin Heller's Söhne, from Teplitz, Böhmen. The patent was published on November 22, 1912. The Royal-Imperial Patent Office granted the

figure 1 of the German patent of Balduin Heller's Söhne

Austrian patent AT61166. It was applied on October 21, 1911. The patent started on May 1, 1913, and was published only on September 10, 1913. A Hungarian patent HU56898 was applied for on October 24 1911, and granted on August 12, 1912. Therefore this letter scale dates from the period November 1912 - May 1913.
The already presented full circle scale is less old. That specimen has a chart in ounces and the range is 1 Lbs. The applied frame shape was already in patent figures from Heller in 1922. This full circle letter scale with with this more robust frame and the weighing capacity of 16 ounces probably is not older than 1922.
Also already presented is the full circle scale with rolling suspension levers. That design was protected by a Deutsches Reich Patent 376127 in March 1922. See the referred page for further details.
This bilaterally moving mechanism does not need adjusting when placed on a slanting surface, it is automatically self-adjusting. Below some more pictures of this letter scale.
 

a bit loaded

heavier loaded

and loaded even more

at the right part in the base are patent indications

paint partly gone

detail of the patent indications