Improvements in Brakes, chiefly Designed for Velocipedes, and like Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by ELMER ALVERTUS MILLER, of 242 E. 86th Street,
New York; United States of America, Physician.]
Improvements in Brakes, chiefly Designed for Velocipedes, and like
Vehicles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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: -
The invention relates to improvements in bicycles, and pertains particularly to a
novel brake operable from the crank-shaft under pressure applied in a reverse direction
to the pedals and adapted to be applied to the sprocket-wheel on said shaft, said
wheel being normally free upon the shaft. During the forward travel of the bicycle
the action of the pedals and crank-shaft will, through the intermediate brake
mechanism, connect the sprocket-wheel with said shaft, and hence at such time the
motion of said shaft will be transinitted through the sprocket-wheel and the usual
chain thereon to the sprocket wheel on the rear axle of the bicycle. When it is.
desired to stop the wheel, the pedals will be arrested as nearly as may be when the
pedal-arins are in a horizontal position in order thereby to free the intermediate
brake mechanism from the sprocket wheel, leaving the latter free upon the crank-
shaft, and thereupon the rider will exert a reverse pressure upon the pedals
tending to turn the latter in a reverse direction, whereby with the proper gradual
application of the pressure the brake mechanism will be caused to engage the sprocket-
wheel and again connect it to a greater or less degree, according to the amount of.
pressure applied, with the crank-shaft, whereby the wheel may be brought to a stop
within such distance as the rider may desire, the absolute stoppage of the wheel
being wholly under the control of the rider.
The invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description
hereinafter presented, references being had to the accompanying drawings, in
which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away of that portion of the bicycle to
which the brake mechanism constituting the present invention is directly applied;
and
Figure 2 is a transverse section of same on the dotted line 2-2 of Figure 1.
In the drawings, A designates the usual crank-shaft, B, B, the pedal-arms connected
with the said shaft, and C the sproket wheel, which in the present instance is normally
free upon the crank-shaft A and is in the usual manner connected by the sprocket
chain D with the usual sprocket-wheel on the rear axle. (Not shewn). The sprocket-
wheel C is formed with the rim E, whose inner surface forms an annular shoulder F
to receive the brake-spring G, which at one end is secured by the pin H to the
plate I, which is rigidly connected with the lower rear frame J of the wheel by means
of the bolt K. The plate I projects over the rim of the wheel C in suitable
relation to receive at its upper end the pin H and at its lower end L to form a guide
or protector for the free end of the spring, G, which end is provided with a series of

page_text: ratchet teeth M. The spring G in its normal condition is in close relation to the
shoulder F, formed on the rim E, but is free of said shoulder, and said spring is
retained in position within.the rim of the sprocket-wheel by means of the lugs N or
any other suitable means.
Upon the hub of the sprocket-wheel C is formed the toothed or ratchet wheel O, and
upon the pedal-arm B, adjacent to said ratchet-wheel O, is pivotally secured the
pawl P, having the detents lettered Q, R, the latter being adapted for engagement
with the ratchet wheel O, while the detent Q is intended solely for engagement with
the teeth M on the spring G.
When the wheel is moving forward and the pedal-arm B is moving in the direction
of the arrow shown by full lines in Figure 1, the detent R of the pawl P will, as
illustrated in Figure 1, engage the ratchet wheel and thereby form a connection
between the pedal-arm, crank-shaft, ratchet wheel, and sprocket wheel C, with the
result that the power applied to the pedals will rotate the crank-axle A, sprocket.
wheel C, and, through the chain D, the rear sprocket wheel. (Not shown). When it
is desired to arrest the movement of the wheel, the pedal-arm B will be stopped when
it is about at a horizontal position, and at such time the pawl P will have the forward
pressure relieved from it, and it will of its own weight turn downward upon its pivotal
point S and free its detent R from the ratchet wheel O, thus again leaving the
sprocket-wheel C free upon the crank-shaft. The pressure of the foot is then exerted
in the reverse direction upon the pedal connected with the arm B for the purpose of
causing the pawl P, through its detent Q, to exert a pressure against the free end of
the spring G, one of whose teeth M will be engaged by said detent Q as soon as the
pawl P releases itself from the ratchet O. The downward pressure exerted by the
pawl P against the spring M has the effect of driving the said spring outward in
the line of its circular form and forcing the outer surfaces of the spring firmly against the
shoulder F, thereby braking the sprocket-wheel and pedal-arm together and enabling
the rider by continued pressure on the pedal-arm B to stop the wheel. The reverse
pressure exerted by the rider upon the pedal arm B will be applied gradually in
order not to bring the wheel to an absolutely sudden stop.
The reverse
pressure on the pedal-arm B and through said arm and pawl P against the spring G
and sprocket-wheel C may be applied as gradually as desired and in accordance with
existing conditions. By means of the brake constructed and arranged in accordance
with my invention the rider has absolute control of the wheel and may stop the same
within any desired distance and as suddenly or slowly as may be preferred.
The invention is not limited exclusively to bicycles, but constitutes a brake which
may with propriety be applied to either vehicles or mechanisms.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a brake mechanism, the power-shaft, the normally free driving-wheel thereon,
and the crank for rotating said shaft, combined with ratchet wheels applied to rotate
with said shaft, the spring within the rim of said wheel rigidly held at one end, and the
pawl carried by said crank and adapted during its forward motion to engage said
ratchet-wheel and during its reverse motion to engage the free end of said spring,
substantially as set forth.
.
2. In a brake-mechanism, the power-shaft, the normally free driving-wheel thereon,
and the crank for rotating said shaft, combined with the ratchet-wheel applied to
rotate with said shaft, the toothed spring rigidly held at one end and arranged within
the rim of said wheel, and the pawl carried by said crank and adapted during its
forward motion to engage said ratchet and during its reverse motion to engage the
free end of said spring, substantially as set forth.
3. In a bicycle or other vehicle, the crank-shaft the pedal-arms thereon, and the
driving sprocket wheel normally free on said shaft, combined with the spring arranged
within the rim of said wheel held rigidly at one end and having ratchet-teeth at the
other, the ratchet-wheel applied to rotate with said shaft, and means carried by the

page_text: pedal-arm to engage said ratchet-wheel during the forward motion of said arm and to
engage the teeth of said spring during the reverse motion of said arm, substantially
as set forth.
4. In a bicycle or other vehicle the crank-shaft, the pedal-arms thereon, and the
driving sprocket-wheel normally free on said shaft, combined with the spring arranged
within the rim of said wheel held rigidly at one end and having ratchet teeth at the
other, the ratchet wheel applied to rotate with said shaft, and the pawl having
detents and carried by the pedal arm to engage said ratchet-wheel during the forward
motion of said arm and to engage the teeth of said spring during the reverse motion
of said arm; substantially as set forth.
5. In a bicycle or other vehicle, the crank-shaft, the pedal-arms rigid thereon, and
the driving sprocket-wheel C directly mounted on said shaft but normally free thereon,
said sprocket-wheel comprising in an integral piece the central hub, the toothed rim E
forming the interior annular shoulder F, and the spoke connection intermediate said
rim and hub, combined with the spring G which is rigidly secured at one end and
thence extends along said shoulder to its free end, means for locking said wheel to
said shaft during the forward motion of said arms, and means for applying pressure to
the free end of said spring and in line with the length of said spring thereby driving
the latter to swell outward between its ends and against the inner periphery of said
shoulder F for locking said wheel to said shaft during the reverse motion of said arms;
substantially as set forth.
ated this 6th day of July 1897.
.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.