Improvements in and relating to Driving and Brake Mechanism for Cycles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Driving and Brake Mechanism
for Cycles.
JOHN FRANCIS LATHAM, of 22, Woodstock Road, Bedford Park, in the County
of Middlesex, Sword Maker, and HENRY WILKINSON LATHAM, of 16, Priory Road,
Bedford Park, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Our invention relates to means of permitting the feet to be held still whilst
the cycle continues running & of checking progress by the application of a brake
actuated by moving the feet backward. Two friction roller clutches of well
combined with
known
rear
are
which
employed
grips
one
when
preferably
the chain
moves
the
thus
type
forward
sprocket
driving the back wheel, but, releases when the back wheel moves at a greater
rate than the rear sprocket. The second clutch is preferably fixed to the
crank axle & is designed to run free when the cranks are moving forward but to
grip & come into action when the cranks are moved backwards. Attached to the
rear forks at a point somewhat behind where the tyre & rim pass them are suit-
able slides along which suitably shod brake blocks are adapted to slide. These
brake blocks are connected & actuated through a spring U shaped member pass-
To the centre of this U shaped
ing round in front and clear of the tyre & rim.
member is attached a block provided with a spring telescoping attachment to the
bottom bracket to enable it to be pulled forward thus pulling the brake blocks
outwards along their slides until they touch the inner sides of the rim. The free
member of the clutch on crank axle is suitably coupled to the block above referred
to, so that when the cranks are moved backwards and clutch comes into action
it may pull forward the brake mechanism and put the brake into action. The
telescoping portion of the block referred to is adjustably attached to the bottom
bracket so that it may be lengthened and shortened to follow the movements of
rear wheel axle, when adjusting for length of chain, and a spring is provided
between inner and outer telescoping parts to thrust the brake backwards out of
action. By disconnecting the brake blocks from their slides and passing them
downwards clear of the rear forks and springing them apart they may be passed
over the rim & tyre to permit the rear wheel to be readily moved in case of
necessity. To facilitate the removal of rear wheel the chain adjusters and
washers on each side are made in one piece suitably slotted to enable them to
grip the fork end when outer nut is screwed up & a lug may be provided upon the
adjuster drilled to carry the mudguard stay which is held firm by the tightening
of the same nut.
1
1
C
1900
JOHN F. LATHAM.
H. WILKINSON LATHAM.

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Driving and Brake Mechanism
for Cycles.
We, CHARLES OSCAR GRIDLEY, 9, Duke Street, Borough, in the County of
Surrey, Hop Merchant, Joux TOLHURST MUSGRAVE, Secretary of The Wilkinson
Sword Company, 27, Pall Mall, in the County of London, and HENRY WILKINSON
LATHAM, of 16, Priory Road, Bedford Park, Engineer, Executors of the late
John Francis Latham and Henry Wilkinson Latham aforesaid, 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;-
This invention relates to that kind of driving and brake mechanism to bicycles
wherein the cranks can be held stationary by the feet during the continued
forward motion of the machine while by a backward rotation of the cranks a
brake is applied to the rear wheel. We will describe our improved construction
of such mechanism with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1
shews a perspective view of the driving mechanism and brake Fig. 2 shews a
sectional side view of the brake gear, Fig. 3 shews a plan of the same.
Figs. 4 and 5 shew details of the friction clutch, and Fig. 6 shews a view of
the crank head.
The sprocket wheel A is connected to the hub of the rear wheel B by means of
a roller friction clutch which may be of any well known construction, but which
we prefer to construct as shewn in part sectional elevation and part sectional plan
at Figs. 3 and 4. The roller C which moves in the notch E¹ of disc E for
wedging the outer ring G in the well known manner has behind it a pin D with
Tshaped head 11 bearing against the roller, the pin being made to fit in a bore
of the disc E so as to be effectually guided, and consequently preventing the
roller C from assuming an oblique position. In the bore of E is provided a
spring which presses the pin against the roller. As is well known by means of
this clutch device the wheel B is driven forward by the pitch chain and sprocket
wheels when driving by means of the pedals, but when the motion of this is
retarded stopped or reversed, the wheel B can continue to run forward indepen-
dently of the driving gear.
A friction clutch device G¹ preferably of the same construction as above
described is secured on the crank shaft H, and serves to work a brake on the
rear wheel of the following construction.
To the fork I of the framing are attached guide plates J along which can slide
plates K that carry brake blocks L adapted to act against the inner periphery of
the wheel rim B, as shewn at Figs. 1 and 3. The plates K. having hooks K¹
formed on their upper ends which hook over and slide along the upper edge of
the guide plates J.
To the plates K are fixed the limbs of a fork M having spring action, the loop
of which is fixed to a socket M¹.
Within this socket slides a plunger N fitted with screw adjustment upon a
threaded rod and between the plunger N and the bottom of the socket M¹ is
a helical spring P. X is a dust cap fitted over the end of the socket M. The
end of the rod O is pivoted to an eye on a piece Q which is suitably secured on
the bottom bracket R of the framing. To a lateral stud M3 on the socket M' is
pivoted one end of a link S the other end of which is pivoted to an eye of the
outer ring of the clutch device G. The latter is so arranged that its central
disc E with its rollers C and guide pins D revolves with the crank shaft K free
in the outer ring of G₁ when the cranks are propelled forward; but when the

page_text: cranks are turned backward, i.c. in the direction of the arrow Fig. 2, the disc E
is clutched in the outer ring of G₁ which is thereby made to exert a pull upon
the socket M' and fork M through the link S, thereby compressing spring P' and
applying the brake blocks L to the wheel rim B.
On relieving the cranks of the back pressure, the spring P pushes the brake
blocks backward out of contact with the wheel. By means of the screw adjust-
ment of the plunger N on the rod 0, the length of the connection between the
clutch G¹ and the brake blocks can be varied to suit the adjustment of the
wheel B in its fork for tightening the chain.
The fixing of the central disc E of the clutch G¹ so as to revolve with the
cranks is conveniently effected by forming a segmental stud V on the disc which
engages with a corresponding notch W₁ formed in the head of the crank W
as shewn at Fig. 6.
It will be seen that with the above construction of the brake gear, this can be
readily removed from the wheel B when this requires to be taken out of its
fork, without requiring to detach the brake.
For this purpose it is only necessary to first raise the fork M so as to
unhook the plates K from the guides and then springing open the fork M so that
the brake blocks L clear the rim of the wheel B, whereupon the brake can be
turned down on its pivotal connection leaving the wheel clear.
The connection of the link S to the socket M¹ and the eye of the outer ring
of G is effected so that these parts can be readily connected and disconnected,
the stud M2 on the socket M¹ being formed with a T head as shewn while the
hole in the link S is correspondingly slotted so that it can be slid over the Ton
to the cylindrical part, where it is held by the slot being at an angle to the T head
when the link is turned into the normal position.
The bent end of the link S is secured in the eye of the ring G by means of a
forked plate S which is slid into two grooves in the projecting end of the link,
as shewn at Figs. 1 and 2.
The plunger N is held in the socket M by abutting shoulders on the two parts
as shewn, the socket being formed of two separate parts screwed together, and
the plunger being inserted through the inner end of the front part of the socket
before it is screwed into the back part.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In brake apparatus for cycles having a free driving wheel, the combination
of a forked arm embracing the rim of the driving wheel and carrying brake
blocks adapted to be applied to the inner surface of the wheel rim by a forward
motion of the forked arm, an elastic and adjustable connection of the said arm
with a pivot on the crank shaft bracket, a friction clutch on the crank shaft, the
outer part of which is connected by a link to the said forked arm while the
inner part rotates with the crank and which is so arranged that on rotating the
cranks in the forward direction, the inner part revolves free in the outer part,
while on turning the cranks backward the outer part of the clutch is carried
round and exerts a pull on the forked arm so as to apply the brakes.
2. In brake apparatus for cycles having a free driving wheel, the combination
of guide plates J attached to the cycle frame, plates K sliding with the hooks K¹
on the said plates and carrying brake blocks L, a fork M with spring limbs
attached to the plates K, and having an elastic and telescopically adjustable
extension pivoted to the bracket of the crank shaft, substantially as described.
3. In combination with the brake apparatus referred to in the second claim a
friction clutch G on the crank axle pivotally connected to one end of a link S
whose other end is pivotally connected to a stud on the socket, M₁ of the brake
fork M substantially as described.
4. In the brake apparatus referred to in the second claim the combination with

page_text: the fork M of a socket M¹ containing a spring 1' and a plunger N which is
screwed on to a threaded rod 0 pivoted to a piece Q adapted to be fixed to the
bracket R of the crank shaft substantially as described.
T1 1
Jase of M... 1900
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.