Improvements in Cycle Brakes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cycle Brakes.
I, GEORGE M. COLLINS, of Davenport, in the County of Lincoln, Washington,
United States of America, Gentleman, 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 bicycle brakes in general, and more particularly to
that class known as roller brakes, and it has for its object to provide a brake
of this nature, which will be simple in its construction, and which may be
readily applied to and detached from a bicycle frame, and in which; moreover,
the supporting frame will be formed of a single wire or band a consequent cheap-
ness and simplicity.
In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like
numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several views:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a bicycle showing my brake
applied thereto.
Figure 2' is a vertical section of the brake with the friction roller shown in
elevation.
Figure 3 is a section of the friction roller taken through its axis.
Referring now to the drawings, in constructing a brake in accordance with
this invention, a supporting frame is formed of a wire band which is bent midway
of its ends to form a loop 5, the central portion of which at the rear is bent
downwardly and upwardly, as shown at C, to form a second loop at right angles
to the loop 5, through which is passed a set-screw 7 for the attachment of the
frame or bracket, to the stem of the fork crown of a bicycle.
From the ends of the loop 5, the material of the frame is bent outwardly and
then forwardly to lie parallel, as shown at 8, and is then bent to form two co-
axial loops 9 and 10, from each of which the material is then continued upwardly
to right angles to the extension 8 for a distance somewhat greater than the
length of the radius of the friction roller to be supported thereby, from which
upwardly extending portions 11 the material is bent backwardly to lie parallel
with the portions 8, and to project over them, as shown at 13, the ends being then
brought inwardly, and then turned upwardly at right angles to enter a coupling
collar 14.
The axis of the loops 9 and 10 is at right angles to the planes containing the
extensions 8 and 11, and passed through these loops is an axle 15, upon which
is arranged a roller 16 having a frustro-conical depression in each of its faces
adapted to co-operate with cones 17, to form cone-bearings. The cones 17 are
threaded upon the axle 15, for adjustment longitudinally thereof to compensate
for wear of the bearing and are held fixedly, through the medium of clamping
nuts 18, upon the ends of the axle 15, and which nuts impinge the loops 9
and 10 and clamp them upon the bases of the cones. The supporting frame or
bracket described, is of spring material, which permits this operation.
The roller 16 has a peripheral groove 19, which is angular in cross-section,
and in which is seated a similar flange, upon the inner surface of a rubber
tire 21 arranged upon the wheel, although this tire may be of any other desired
material.
Connecting the extensions 13 of the supporting frame or bracket is a plate 22,
having its end curved upwardly and inwardly to form cylindrical eyes, 23, which

page_text: enclose the extensions 13, the plate 22, lying upon the lower side of said exten-
sions and being separated from the roller 16 by a slight interspace.
In practice, the loop 5 is slipped over the stem of the fork-crown of a bicycle,
and a clip 25 consisting of a straight wire having its ends bent to lie parallel
with the body thereof, has its ends engaged with the material of the frame, at
the extremities of the loop, 5, thus preventing spreading of the loop, the shoulders
formed by the outward turning of the material at this point preventing the clip
sliding forwardly of the frame. When the frame is in this position, the clamp
screw 7 is operated to engage the stem of the fork crown and hold the frame fixedly
in place.
The position of the roller supporting frame is such that the roller will project
outwardly and over the front wheel of the bicycle and will be but slightly separated
therefrom. The usual brake-operating rod 26 is then disposed in the coupling 14,
when it will be seen that by pressing said rod downwardly, the elasticity of the
frame of the device will permit the plate 22 to engage the surface of the roller
after the roller has engaged the tire of the bicycle wheel. The first pressure of
the rod 26 bends the extension 11 slightly but bends the extension 8 to a greater
extent and presses the roller 16 into engagement with the bicycle wheel. Con-
tinued pressure engages the plate 22 with the roller. The plate will thus retard
the rotation of the roller 16, which will revolve with the wheel of the bicycle
and will hence retard the rotation of the latter, the slip in the device, due to the
nature of the engaging surfaces, will be substantially all between the roller 16
and the wheel of the bicycle.
It will be seen that the construction is very cheap in its manufacture, while
at the same time, it is simple and effective, is not susceptible to disorder, and does
not wear the tire of a bicycle appreciably.
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 bicycle brake, comprising an elastic frame including a loop, adapted to
receive the stem of a fork crown, arms extending from the ends of the loop and
having additional co-axial loops therein, said frame being continued upwardly
from the second loops and then rearwardly and then inwardly and upwardly
to receive an operating rod, an axle in the second loops, a rotatable body mounted
on said axle, and a plate fixed to said rearwardly extending portion of the frame
and adapted to engage and depress the rotatable body.
2. A bicycle brake comprising a wire the central portion of which is bent to
form a loop and having a downwardly extending portion provided with a threaded
eye adapted to receive a clamping screw, the ends of said loop being bent out-
wardly and then parallel and having additional and co-axial loops at the ends
of said parallel portions, the ends of the wire being then bent upwardly and
rearwardly and then inwardly and having their terminals extending upwardly
and in mutual contact, an operating rod connected with said terminals, an axle
arranged in the co-axial loops, a rotatable body mounted upon the axle, a plate
fixed to the rearwardly extending portions of the wire, and a link enclosing
the wire at the ends of the first named loop.
TY1 11.
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