An Improved Brake for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Carriages which have Wheels Tyred with India Rubber.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th July, 1893-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Brake for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Carriages
which have Wheels Tyred with India Rubber.
ARTHUR CHARLES ROPER, 21 East Southernhay, Exeter, F.R.C.S.Ed.,
L.R.C.P.Ed., M.R.C.S., England, Surgeon, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
A brake block, made like an ordinary brush, & adaptable to various brake-
levers, rods or other apparatus used for applying brake-power to the periphery
of a wheel.
As wheels vary in size it not possible to specify a precise shape or size of the
brush block, as that would necessarily vary with the circumference, of the wheel, &
the shape & width of the tyre, i.e. for a wheel with a flat tyre the brush block would
be concave longitudinally to fit the circumference of the wheel but flat across-
while for a round tyred wheel, such as a bicycle has, it would be concave in both
directions.
The length of the block would vary with the amount of power & grip required,
as the materials would with the quality.
The back of the brush is made of wood, bone, metal, or other hard material,
and the bristles of the ordinary kind used in brush making or of india-rubber or of
metal wire.
The principle & object of the brake is to isolate the points of friction and so to
prevent
1. The excessive generation of heat.
2. The adhesion to the brake of pieces of stone grit &c. which destroy the
surface of the india-rubber tyre.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Brake for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Carriages
which have Wheels Tyred with India Rubber.
I, ARTHUR CHARLES ROPER, of 21 East Southernhay Exeter, F.R.C.S.Ed.,
L.R.C.P.Ed., M.R.C.S., England Surgeon, 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 relates to an improved construction of brake for use on cycles and
other carriages the wheels of which are shod with rubber tyres, and it consists in
making the brake block or spoon with a brush operating surface, the objects being
to remove grit, pieces of stone, or other material from the surface of the tyre when
applying the brake instead of rubbing them into the tyre as is the case with the
ordinary type of brake block or spoon, and so prevent the destruction of the
surface of the tyre.
I attain this end in the manner illustrated by the accompanying drawing in
which,
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are views in front elevation, side elevation and plan
respectively of my improved brake.
Figure 4 is a view in transverse section of a modification in the construction of
my improved brake.
Figure 5 is a broken view in side elevation, partly in section, showing a further
[Price 8d.]

page_text: modification in the construction of my improved brake, and its application to a
cycle, and
Figures 6 and 7 are views in front elevation and plan respectively of the
modification shown by Figure 5.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
The brake block or spoon consists of a rigid back A of metal or any other
suitable material, to which the operating bar or its equivalent B is fixed or
attached in any convenient manner. To the under or operating side of the block
or spoon A is fitted a series of tufts of bristles forming a brush surface C. The
tufts or bristles may be made of air, fibre, wire, rubber, or any other suitable
material. The brush surface C is shaped to fit the tyre both transversely and
longitudinally, and the block or spoon A may be similarly shaped, in which case
the lengths of the tufts of bristles will be alike, but as an alternative construction
the block or spoon may be made flat, in which case the tufts of bristles will be of
varying lengths.
As the brush surface may after considerable use become worn I provide for its
ready replacement by mounting the tufts of bristles on a stiff back A' of wood,
bone, metal or other hard material, the said back A¹ being adapted to fit in a
shell like shoe A forming the brake block or spoon, the said back A¹ being fixed
therein by means of a screw a as shown by Figure 4 of the accompanying drawing.
As this construction necessitates the removal of the shoe A before the brush
surface C can be removed I prefer to make one end open as shown by
Figures 5 and 6 so that the back A¹ can be slid into the shoe A in which
it is retained in position by the screw a. The rear part of the brush and of the
block or spoon carrying it is made of a cone-shape as shown by Figures 2, 3, 5 and 7,
which assists in throwing the mud and dirt off the tyre, and thus prevent the brush
from becoming clogged.
I am
aware that it has been proposed to use a flexible backed brush in
combination with the brake lever or spoons of cycles and other vehicles and I do
not therefor claim the use of a brush brake broadly, but
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 1
claim is :-
1. The improved form of brush brake constructed, arranged and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawing.
2. A brake consisting of a rigid block or spoon having a brush operating
surface, shaped to fit the tyre, as set forth.
3. A brake consisting of a rigid block or spoon in the form of a shoe adapted to
receive and hold a rigid backed brush the operating surface of which is shaped to
fit the tyre, as set forth.
4. In a brush brake forming the back edge thereof cone-shaped, as and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated thi 20th day of July 1893
20th day of July 1893
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.