A New or Improved Brake for Road Carriages and Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 28th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 6th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Brake for Road Carriages and Vehicles.
I THOMAS FLETCHER of Nos. 98 and 99 Great Hampton Street, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick Baker and Confectioner do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of a new or improved brake for road carriages and vehicles
drawn by horses and other animals the parts of the said brake being constructed,
arranged and operated in the manner hereinafter described. My new or improved
brake is put into action by the backing or stopping of the horse or horses drawing
the carriage or vehicle so as to check the speed of or bring to rest the said
carriage or vehicle and to avoid the dead weight of the carriage or vehicle and its
contents. bearing against the horse or horses.
My invention is applicable to two and four wheel carriages and vehicles of
various kinds the pressure necessary to put the brake into operation being applied
by the horses through the shaft tugs and breeching shaft straps, in the case of a
two wheel carriage, and through the pole straps or chains in the case of a four
wheel carriage as hereinafter described.
I will first describe my invention as applied to a two wheel carriage.
Underneath each shaft of the carriage and working in guides thereon is a sliding
rod extending from near the shaft tug to near the front of the wheels of the carriage.
These sliding rods have at their front ends coiled springs which urge them forward
when no back pressure is exerted by the horse. The inner ends of these sliding
rods carry a cross connecting bar to the ends of which the brake blocks are
secured near the front of the wheels. By means of the tug straps and breeching
shaft straps of the harness, the horse is connected to the sliding rods of the
brake.
When the motion of the horse is arrested or retarded, or when the carriage
descends a hill the back pressure communicated by the horse through the tug
straps and breeching shaft straps to the sliding rods of the brake arrests or retards
the motion of the said rods and the advancing motion of the vehicle brings its
wheels against the brake blocks and the motion of the carriage is stopped or
retarded. On the back pressure being removed from the sliding brake rods, the
brake blocks are immediately withdrawn from the wheels by the action of the
coiled springs herein before described, which springs have by the back motion of
the said rods been brought into a state of tension. Thus, the back pressure of the
horse puts the brake into action and the forward motion of the horse, assisted by
coiled springs, takes the brake out of action.
In applying my invention to four wheel-carriages, where a pole is used, one
sliding rod is employed, the said rod extending along the whole length of the
pole to the front of the carriage, and being connected to a cross bar carrying the
brake blocks.
In this case, the pole straps or chains by which the horses are connected to the
pole are also connected to the sliding rod of the brake, the brake being put into
and taken out of action in the manner herein before described with respect to the
brake of a two wheel carriage.
Dated this 13th day of Jul. 1000
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Brake for Road Carriages and Vehicles.
I THOMAS FLETCHER, of Nos. 98 and 99 Great Hampton Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick Baker and Confectioner do hereby declare the nature of
the said 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 consists of a new or improved brake for road carriages and vehicles
drawn by horses and other animals, the parts of the said brake being constructed,
arranged and operated in the manner hereinafter described.
My new or improved brake is put into action by the back pressure, backing or
stopping of the horse or horses drawing the carriage or vehicle so as to check the
speed of or bring to rest the said carriage or vehicle and to avoid the dead weight
of the carriage or vehicle and its contents bearing against the horse or horses...
My invention is applicable to two and four wheel carriages and vehicles of
various kinds the pressure necessary to put the brake into! operation being applied
by the horses through the shaft tugs and, breeching shaft straps, in the case of a
two wheel carriage, and through the pole straps, or chains in the case of a four
wheel carriage as hereinafter described:
1
I will first describe my invention as applied to a two wheel carriage.
Underneath each shaft of the carriage and working in guides thereon is a sliding
rod extending from the shaft tug to near the front of the wheels of the carriage.
These sliding rods, have at their inner ends coiled springs which urge them forward
when no back pressure is exerted by the horse.
The inner ends of these sliding rods are connected through links with the brake
block levers the arms of the said levers being keyed to the same shaft or axis which
extends from side to side of the carriage and turns in bearings on the underside of
the rear end of the shaft.
By means of the tug straps and breeching shaft straps of the harness tlie horse
is connected to the sliding rods of the brake.
When the motion of the horse is arrested or retarded or when the carriage
descends a bill, the back pressure communicated by the horse through the tug
straps and breeching shaft straps to the sliding rods of the brake arrests or retards
the motion of the said rods and the advancing motion of the vehicle brings its
wheels against the brake blocks and the motion of the carriage is stopped or
retarded. On the back pressure being removed from the sliding rods the brake
blocks are immediately withdrawn from the wheels by the action of the coiled
springs hereinbefore described, which springs have by the back motion of the said
rods been brought into a state of tension. Thus, the back pressure of the horse
puts the brake into action and the forward motion of the horse, assisted by the
coiled springs, takes the brake out of action.
In applying my invention to four wheel carriages where a pole is used, one
sliding rod is employed, the said rod extending along the whole length of the pole
to the front of the carriage and being connected to a cross bar carrying the brake
blocks.
In this case the pole straps or chains, by which the horses are connected to the
pole, are also connected to the sliding rod of the brake, the brake being put into
and taken out of action in the manner herein before described with respect to the
brake of a two wheel carriage.
Figure I of the accompanying drawing represents in side elevation one of the
shafts of a two wheel vehicle, portions being broken away (together with portions
of the harness) to which my improved brake is applied, the said brake being repre-
sented out of action;
Figure 2 represents the same view as Figure 1 with the brake in action;

page_text: Figure 3 represents partly in front elevation and partly in cross section a portion
of a vehicle to which my improved brake is applied;
Figure 4 represents a portion of my improved brake in plan, partly in horizontal
section, and
Figure 5 represents a section through the front end of the shaft...
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures.
a is the sliding brake rod working in guides b, b on the underside of the shaft c,
the said sliding brake rod a being terminated at its front or outer end by a vertical
arm a resembling in front elevation the letter Y (see Figure 5) against which the
tug strap d bears. The two arms of the fork of the Y shaped vertical arm a take
a bearing against the underside of the front end of the shaft c. On and near the
front end of the sliding brake rod a is fixed a loop a for the breeching strap e to
pass through. The inner end of the sliding brake rod carries the bearing roller f
which bears against the bearing plate on the underside of the shaft c and is
connected through the link with the arm i of the brake block lever i, 2, 3. The
sliding brake rod a is urged forward by the spring & so as to take the brake out
of action, the said spring bearing at its inner end against the inner sliding brake
rod bearing band at its front end against the collar fixed by the pin m passing
through the sliding brake rod a.
The axis of the brake block levers i, 2, 3 extends from side to side of the
vehicle and turns in bearings n, n on the underside of the inner end of the shafts c
(see Figure 3). Or in some kinds of vehicles the axis may turn in bearings on
the underside of the body of the vehicle. The brake blocks p are carried by the
arms of the brake block levers, the arms of the brake block levers on either
side of the vehicle being keyed to the same shaft or axis 2.
The arrangement of the parts of my improved brake described and represented
are applied to both shafts of the vehicle as seen in Figure 3.
The action of the parts is as follows;-When the motion of the horse is arrested
or when back pressure is communicated by the horse, as when backing or when
descending a hill, through the tug straps d and breeching straps e (or through one
of the last mentioned parts) to the vehicle, the advance of the vehicle when the
horse is arrested or back pressure imparted to it when descending a hill, operates
and moves inwards the sliding brake rods a through the pressure of the vertical
arms a² and loops a³, on and near the front or outer end of the sliding brake
rods a, against the tug strap and breeching strap e respectively. The outer ends
of the links / connected to the inner end of the sliding brake rods a are thereby
made to approach the axis of the brake block levers i,, and the other end of
the links consequently press the arms of the said brake block levers i, 2, 3
downwards and turn them in the direction of the arrow Figure 1 thereby putting
the brake in action as represented in Figure 2, the coiled spring & being compressed.
On the advance of the horse or on the removal of the back pressure, the sliding
rake rods a are urged forward by the compressed springs kk and the brake
blocks p are removed from the wheels, the several parts taking the positions
represented in Figure 1.
When my invention is applied to a four wheel vehicle where a pole is used, one
sliding brake rod is employed under the said pole, the arm of the brake block
levers,, being keyed to the middle of the shaft or axis, the bearings n, n
being secured to the underside of the vehicle at either side.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
ion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention ;-
The new or improved brake for road carriages and vehicles hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the actuating parts of the said brake
being constructed and arranged so that the brake is brought into action by the
back pressure or backing or stopping of the horse or horses or on the carriage or
vehicle descending a hill, the said actuating parts consisting essentially of a

page_text: sliding rod, under each shaft or under the pole of the carriage or vehicle,
-connected at one end with the brake levers and at the opposite end with a portion
or portions of the harness of the horse or horses substantially as described and
illustrated.
Dated the Twenty-fourth day of March 1893.
THOMAS FLETCHER.