Improvements in Brakes for Carriages.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 28th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Carriages.
I, FREDERICK SHANKS of the firm of Frederick & Robert Shanks of 70 & 71
Great Queen Street and 30 New Bond Street in the County of Middlesex, Carriage
Builders do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object to provide a brake more especially adapted for use
with carriages having bodies which swing on braces and are not otherwise fixed to
the carriage and it has for its object to provide an arrangement by which the brake
can be readily applied and retained on and released so as not to interfere with the
free swinging of the carriage body.
.
According to my Invention the rope chain or like connection to the levers which
operate the brake blocks is attached to a lever centered to the carriage. This lever is
provided with a projecting portion or rib which is in proximity to a series of ratchet
teeth on a spring bar also attached to the carriage. A rope chain or like connection
is attached to the said lever and is led to a convenient position for operation by the
driver or person who is to operate the brake and can be attached to a lever or its
equivalent for convenient operation. A rope chain cord or the like is also attached
to the spring bar carrying the ratchet and that also is led to a convenient position for
operation by the driver. To put on the brake the connection from the drivers seat is
operated so as to pull over the lever centered to the carriage and the projection or
rib on the said lever rides over the ratchet on the spring bar and when the brakes are
applied the driver can release the connection by which he operated the said lever as it
will be retained in position (with the brake on) by the ratchet of the spring bar
aforesaid. To release the brake the connection to the spring bar is operated when the
ratchet is withdrawn from the projection or rib on the lever which returns under the
action of the return spring and the brakes are thus taken off. I have described
the ratchet as being moved for releasing the lever but it will be understood that
the lever may be provided with a spring and be moved instead of the ratchet if
desired. Further the engaging projection or rib and the ratchet may be on either of
the engaging parts as may be most convenient.
Dated the 12th day of September 1889.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Carriages.
I, FREDERICK SHANKS of the firm of Frederick and Robert Shanks, of 70 & 71
Great Queen Street and 30 New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Carriage
Builders do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My Invention has for its object to provide a brake more especially adapted for
use with carriages having bodies which swing on braces, and also for elliptic-spring
carriages when it is wished to use a treadle brake and avoid the necessity of keeping
the foot on the treadle the said brake being readily applied and being retained on
and released so as not to interfere with the free swinging of the carriage body when
applied to carriages with swinging bodies and so as not to necessitate the keeping of
the drivers foot on the treadle.
According to my invention the rope chain or like connection to the levers which

page_text: operate the brake blocks is attached to a lever centred to the carriage. This lever is
provided with a projecting portion or rib which is in proximity to a series of ratchet
teeth on a spring bar also attached to the carriage. A rope chain or like connection
is attached to the said lever and is led to a convenient position for operation by the
driver or person who is to operate the brake and can be attached to a lever or its
equivalent for convenient operation. A горе chain cord or the like is also attached to
the spring bar carrying the ratchet and that also is led to a convenient position for
operation by the driver. To put on the brake the connection from the drivers seat
is operated so as to pull over the lever centered to the carriage and the projection or
rib on the said lever rides over the ratchet on the spring bar and when the brakes
are applied the driver can release the connection by which he operated the said lever
as it will be retained in position (with the brake on) by the ratchet the spring bar
aforesaid. To release the brake the connection to the spring bar is operated when
the ratchet is withdrawn from the projection or rib on the lever which returns under
the action of the return spring and the brakes are thus taken off.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carriage provided with brake mechanism according
to my invention. Figure 2 is a plan of the under framing. Figures 3 and 4 are
an elevation and a plan respectively of the parts which are operated to put on and
take off the brake blocks and Figures 5 and 6 are respectively an elevation and a
plan of mechanism constructed or arranged according to my invention for putting on
and releasing the brake blocks.
a are the brake blocks connected to levers a² centered at a³ and connected together
by a pin at a*. To this pin one end of a spring b is connected the other end of this
spring being connected to the bracket 62. This spring draws the brake blocks a off
the wheels in the usual manner. One of the levers a² has attached to it one end of
the rope c the other end of which is attached to one arm of the quadrantal or bell
crank lever d centered at d³. To the other arm of this lever d is connected one end
of the rope e the other end of which is connected to the treadle lever f. The
lever d is provided with a rib or projection at d² against which presses the series of
ratchet teeth g2 on the spring arm g the spring thereof pressing the ratchet teeth into
engagement with the rib or projection d². To this spring arm g is attached one end
of the cord / which passes under the guide pulley 2, and is attached to the hand lever i.
When the brakes are to be put on the driver presses down the treadle so that
the rope e draws over the lever d on its centre the rib d³ moving over the ratchet
teeth 92, and this movement of the lever d operates the rope c and draws forward the
inner arm of the brake levers a² and puts on the brakes. When the treadle fis
relieved of pressure the inward spring of the arm g retains the ratchet teeth
engagement with the rib d² and so the brakes are kept on without the driver keeping
his foot on the treadle. To take off the brakes the hand lever i is operated by which
a pull is exerted on the cord / to draw back the spring arm so that the ratchet teeth g²
are withdrawn from engagement with the rib d2 and then under the action of the
brake spring 6 the inner ends of the levers a² are drawn back and the brakes are
taken off the rope c drawing the lever d over into the position in which it was before
the brakes were put on.
in
I have described the ratchet as being moved for releasing the lever but it will be
understood that the lever may be provided with a spring and be moved instead of
the ratchet if desired. Further the engaging projection or rib and the ratchet may
be on either of the engaging parts as may be must convenient.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
First. In brakes for carriages a lever connected with the operating treadle and

page_text: with the brake block mechanicsm and an arm with a series of ratchet teeth capable
of engaging the said lever or a part connected with it so that when the brake blocks
are put on they are retained on by the engagement with the said ratchet teeth of the
said lever or part connected with it which engagement is released when the brake
blocks are to be taken off substantially as herein before described.
Second. A brake mechanicsm for carriages consisting of the lever d with a rib or
projection thereon and a spring arm g provided with ratchet teeth the said lever being
connected by flexible connections with the treadle and the brake levers and the said
arm being connected by a flexible connection with a releasing lever substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Third. The construction and combination of parts constituting a brake for carriages
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1889.
FRED. SHANKS