Improvements in and relating to Brakes for Velocipedes and other Road Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1897
Complete Specification Left 14th Mar 1808 Accented 11th Mov
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Brakes for Velocipedes and other
Road Vehicles.
I, ERNEST MONNINGTON BOWDEN, of 9, Fopstone Road, Earls Court, London,
in the County of Middlesex, Journalist, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to an improved brake mechanism for velocipedes and
other road vehicles, applicable more particularly to the rear or driving wheels of
velocipedes, and it consists of certain improvements hereinafter more particularly
specified, the object being to simplify the construction and generally render such
mechanism more simple and reliable."
Hitherto in brakes applied to the rear or driving wheels of velocipedes the
operating motion has been imparted from the brake lever or other operating
device to the brake block or its equivalent by means either of a series of levers
bell crank and connecting rods, or by bands, chains or cords and bell cranks or
guide pulleys, and in some instances by means of pneumatic or hydraulic tubes.
According to my invention I employ a connection consisting of two flexible
members, one or both being inextensible and the other, or both, incompressible
in length. These members are held together in such a manner as to have a free
and independent longitudinal sliding movement with respect to one another.
convenient construction is one in which the incompressible member takes the
form of a tube made of wire wound in a spiral form with the spirals in close con-
tact with one another, so that although it is incompressible it is also flexible, and
the inextensible member takes the form of a rod or wire preferably made f
stranded wire to retain the requisite flexibility, the said inextensible member
passing through the tubular incompressible member.
A
This transmitting connection can be carried from the operating device to the
brake mechanism by winding or carrying it round the frame of the machine or
in any other convenient manner, the ends of the tubular member being held in
suitable brackets adapted to be fixed one of them to the handle bar or its equiva-
lent, or to the front part of the frame of the machine, either directly or indirectly,
and the other either to the rear part of the frame of the machine or to some part
of the brake mechanism itself, either directly or indirectly, and the ends of the
inner or inextensible member being connected to the operating device and the
brake mechanism respectively.
The brake mechanism may be adapted to act on the tyre of the wheel, on a
drum carried by the wheel or its axle, or in any other suitable place, but on a
pneumatic-tyred velocipede I prefer it to act on the rim of the wheel as such a
brake requires only a small amount of power and removes all risk or damage to
the tyre.
A convenient construction of rim brake for safety bicycles is a pair of ourved
levers pivotted to the frame of the machine and nearly encircling the rim and
tyre of the wheel. The inner ends of these levers are shaped to engage with the rim of

page_text: the wheel and their outer ends overlap a convenient distance. To the outer end of
one lever is connected the tubular or incompressible member of the transmitting
connection and to the outer end of the other lever is connected the inextensible
member thereof, so that when the operating device is actuated to pull on the
inextensible member the said levers are forced apart or their two overlapping
ends are drawn together and thus bring the other ends of the said levers against
the rim of the wheel. This form of rim brake may be used where suitable on
other types of road vehicles, but the flexible transmitting connection can be adapted
to operate a variety of different forms of brake, or two or more brakes
simultaneously.
2008
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I, Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to Brakes for Velocipedes and other
Road Vehicles.
I, ERNEST MONNINGTON BOWDEN, of 9, Fopstone Road, Earls Court, London,
in the County of Middlesex, Journalist, do hereby declare the nature of this inven
tion 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 an improved brake mechanism for velocipedes and
other road vehicles, applicable more particularly to the rear or driving wheels of
velocipedes, and it consists of certain improvements hereinafter more particularly
specified, the object being to simplify the construction and generally render such
mechanism more simple and reliable.
Hitherto in brakes applied to the rear or driving wheels of velocipedes the
operating motion has been imparted from the brake lever or other operating
device to the brake block or its equivalent by means either of a series of levers
bell cranks and connecting rods, or by bands, chains or cords and bell cranks or
guide pulleys, and in some instances by means of pneumatic or hydraulic tubes.
According to my invention I employ a connection consisting of two flexible
members of one or both, being inextensible and the other, or both, incompressible
in length. These members are held together in such a manner as to have a free
and independent longitudinal sliding movement with respect to one another. A
convenient construction is one in which the incompressible member takes the
form of a tube made of wire wound in a spiral form with the spirals in close con-
tact with one another, so that although it is incompressible it is also flexible, and
the inextensible member takes the form of a rod or wire preferably made of
stranded wire to retain the requisite flexibility, the said inextensible member
passing through the tubular incompressible member.
This transmitting connection can be carried from the operating device to the
brake mechanism by winding or carrying it round the frame of the machine or
in any other convenient manner, the ends of the tubular member being held in
suitable brackets adapted to be fixed one of them to the handle bar or its equiva-
lent, or to the front part of the frame of the machine, either directly or indirectly,
and the other either to the rear part of the frame of the machine or to some part
of the brake mechanism itself, either directly or indirectly, and the ends of the
inner or inextensible member being connected to the operating device and the
brake mechanism respectively.

page_text: The brake mechanism may be adapted to act on the tyre of the wheel, on a drum
or disc carried by the wheel or its axle, or in any other suitable place, but on a
pneumatic-tyred velocipede I prefer it to act on the rim of the wheel as such a
brake requires only a small amount of power and removes all risk or damage to
the tyre.
A convenient construction of rim brake for safety bicycles is a pair of curved
levers pivotted to the frame of the machine and nearly encircling the rim and
tyre of the wheel. The inner ends of these levers are shaped to engage with the rim of
the wheel and their outer ends overlap a convenient distance. To the outer end of
one lever is connected the tubular or incompressible member of the transmitting
connection and to the outer end of the other lever is connected the inextensible
member thereof, so that when the operating device is actuated to pull on the
inextensible member the said levers are force apart or their two overlapping
ends are drawn together and thus bring the o, ier ends of the said levers against
the rim of the wheel. This form of rim brake may be used where suitable on
other types of road vehicles, but the flexible transmitting connection can be adapted
to operate a variety of different forms of brake, or two or moro brakes
simultaneously.
In the accompanying drawing which shows by way of illustration this inven-
tion applied to a bicycle,
Figure 1 is a broken view in side elevation of a bicycle fitted with the improved
brake.
Figures 2 and 3 are broken views in side elevation and plan respectively of the
operating mechanism on the handle bar, and
Figure 4 is a broken view in elevation of the brake mechanism adapted to act
on the rim of the wheel.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
The operating mechanism consists of a hand lever A pivotted to a bracket x.
mounted on the handle bar X in the well-known manner. The transmitting
mechanism consists of two flexible members B and C. The former is incom-
pressible and is made of tubular form and the latter is inextensible and passes
through the member B. The flexible incompressible member is made of wire
wound spirally in close contact and the flexible inextensible member consists of a
length of wire preferably made of several strands.
The brake mechanism consists of a pair of curved levers D and D¹ pivotted to
snugs y or their equivalents carried by the fork Y of the frame of the machine.
The lower ends of these levers carry blocks d of any suitable material and are
adapted to engage with the wheel rim. The upper ends of the levers overlap,
the end of the member B of the transmitting mechanism being fixed to the end
of one lever (D) and the end of the member C of the transmitting mechanism being
connected to the end of the other lever (D¹).
The flexible transmitting mechanism is carried from the handle bar to the brake
mechanism by winding it round the members of the frame as shown in Figure 1.
The end of the member B of the transmitting mechanism at the handle bar fits
in a socket in a bracket a¹ thereon. The end of the member C of the transmitting
mechanism at the handle bar is connected to the hand lever A as shown by
Figures 1 and 2.
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) Brake operating mechanism consisting of a pivotted hand lever, and of a
connecting medium whereby the motion of the hand lever is imparted to the brak-
ing mechanism, the said connecting mechanism consisting of two flexible members
one of which is incompressible and the other inextensible, as set forth.
(2) A brake consisting of a pivotted hand lever forming the operating mechanism
a pair of curved levers pivotted so as to act on the rim of one of the wheels of the

page_text: vehicle forming the brake gear, and a pair of flexible members one of tubular form
and incompressible and the other inextensible and adapted to pass through the
tubular member forming the transmitting mechanism, the ends of the tubular
incompressible member being fixed to one of the curved brake levers and to a
bracket fixed to the part to which the hand lever is pivotted respectively and the
ends of the inextensible member being connected to the other curved brake lever
and to the hand lever respectively, as set forth.
(3) The combination of parts herein specified and illustrated by the accompany-
ing drawing forming my improvements in and relating to brakes.
W way of barn O.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I., Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.