Year: 1896

page_text: I. JOIN HOPKINSON, of 5 Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object to provide a simple brake which can be applied
with great readiness and power.
According to my Invention I provide spring blades, or arms acted upon by
springs each of the said blades or arms having secured to or connected with its
outward end a brake shoe or pad. The said blades or arms are carried by any
suitable part of the vehicle so that the shoes or pads carried thereby are situated
one at each side of the periphery of the wheel. In the case of wheels provided
with pueumatic tyres the said shoes or pads are preferably situated on either
side of the metal rim carrying the tyre. The spring of the blades or the springs
acting on the arms operate to keep the shoes or pads from contact with the
wheel. The brako is applied by forcing the ends of the blades or arms carrying
the shoes or pads towards each other so that they bear on opposite
side of the rim or tyan and grip it between them. The said blades or arms can
be so forced towards each other by a cord or chain attached to one of the blades
or arms and carried over a guide or pulley on the other blade or arm, and then
over a guide or pulley on the first named blade or arm and then through any
suitable guides that may be necessary to a place for convenient operation by the
rider for instance in the case of a cycle the end of the cord or chain may be
secured to the handle bar and the said cord or chain be provided with a ring or
loop through which the rider can pass his finger and so pull upon the cord or
chain and apply the brake.
A brake constructed as described can be applied to one wheel or to more than
one wheel and when applied to two or more wheels the same cord or chain can be
used to operate all the brakes.
The brakes can be attached to the vehicles so that they can be readily detached
when required.

page_text: .
I, JOHN HOPKINSON, of 5 Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, Engineer,
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 simple biake which can be applied
with great readiness and power.
According to my invention I provide spring blades, or arms acted upon by
springs, each of the said blades or arms having secured to, or connected with its
outward end a brake-shoe, or pad.. The said blades, or arms, are curried by any
suitable part of the vehicle so that the shoes, or pads, carried thereby are situated
one at each side of the periphery of the wheel. In the case of wheels provided
with pneumatic tyres the said shoes, or pads, are preferably situated on either
side of the metal rim carrying the tyre. The spring of the blades, or the springs
acting on the arms, operate to keep the shoes, or pads, from contact with the
wheel. The brake is applied by forcing the ends of the blades, or arms, carrying
the shoes, or pads, towards cach other, so that the shoes, or pads, bear on opposite
sides of the rim, or type, and grip it between them. The said blades, or arms, can
be so forced towards each other by a cord, or chain, attached to one of the biaries,
or arms, and carried over a guide, or pulley on the other blade, or arm, and then
over a guide, or pulley, on the first namen blade, or arin, and then, through any
suitable guides that may be necessary, to a place for convenient operation by the
rider; for instance, in the case of a cycle, the end of the cord, or chain, may be
secured to the handle-bar and the said cord, or chain, be provided with a ring, or
loop, through which the rider can pass his finger, and so pull upon the cord, or
chain, and apply the brake.
In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated two arrangements according
to my invention; but I premise that 1 do not limit myself to the precise details of
the arrangements illustrated.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 is a plan, of one arrangement shewing
the brake arranged for application to opposite sides of the tyre; and Figures 3
and 4 are elevations, at right angles to each other, of a modification shewing the
brake arranged for application to the rim which carries the tyre. Part of the
wheel is indicated' at A, and part of 'the fork which carries the bearings for
the wheel is shewn at B.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2: The brake pads c, are carried on arms C, C³,
connected by springs, to the top of the fork, which can be conveniently done by
means of a long bolt D, and nuts d. The springs, are arranged so that they act
to keep the brake-pads out of contact with the wheel: E is a cord attached, at e,
to the arm C and passed over a pulley f, carried in bearings at the sides of a slot
in the arm C, the said cord being then led aver another pulley f, similarly
carried by the arm C, and then through any suitable guides to a part of the
machine such that the said cord can be readily operated by the rider, as aforesaid.
In the arrangement shewn in Figures 3 and 4, the arms C, Ca, which carry the
lirake pads c,. (secured to brackets fixed to the said arms at ³), are centered to
pins c, on collars c, fixed to each side of the fork B, the springs being connected
to the brake-pad brackets at one end, and at the other end to a collar c', fixed onio
at each side of the fork, these springs tending to keep the brake-pads off the wheel,
and also serving to take strain off the pins e, when the brake is applied. The
arms C, C2, are drawn together by the cord E, passing over pairs of pulleys f
and f, on the arms C, and C2, respectively.

page_text: A brake constructed as described can be applied to one wheel, or to more than
one wheel; and, when applied to two, or more, wheels, the same cord, or chain, (if
that means be used for bringing the outer ends of the arms together and applying
the brake) can be used to operate all the brakes.
If the brakes be attached to the vehicle as illustrated they can be readily
attached and detached as required.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained the nature of my said:
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A brake for cycles, or other vehicles, consisting of spring blades, (or arms
acted upon by springs,) situated one at each side of the tyre, or rim, and each
carrying a brake-pad, or shoe, and means for drawing the blades, or arms, together
to apply the brake substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting brakes for cycles,
or other vehicles, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2; and in Figures 3 and 4; of the accompanying drawings..
Dated this 22nd day of September 1897.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.