Year: 1898

page_text: We, ROBERT CLARKE, FREDERICK CLARKE, and JAMES CLARKE, of New Moston
near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Cycle Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is designed to provide an auxiliary back wheel brake for bicycles
which can be employed to assist or supplement the ordinary brake and which when
applied will remain on or in contact with the wheel without requiring to be con-
tinually held or forced by the lever.
To the back fork or back stay or other convenient part of the cycle is pivoted
a brake lever carrying a brake block to engage with the back wheel. This brake
lever is pivoted or mounted in bearings which are formed with clips to embrace the
fork tubes or stays of the machine or they may be brazed or otherwise permanently
fastened thereto.
The brake lever is provided with a lug, arm or lever at one side by which it is
actuated. To this lug or arm a rod or chain is attached or is connected to or
engages with it at one end. The other end of the rod or chain is attached to an
eccentric actuating device by which the brake is applied when required. The con-
necting rod or chain can be adjusted in length to regulate the pressure applied by
or to compensate for wear of the brake block.
The eccentric actuating device may be in the form of an eccentric, crank, disc or
the like, and is so placed that when the brake is applied it has passed over the dead
centre and the pressure of the brake tends to hold it there and prevent the return
of the lever and thus makes the brake constant.
To the eccentric is attached an operating lever which with the eccentric device
is supported by the seat tube or top stay or otherwise either under the saddle or in
any other convenient or desired position.
nated thin 5th dam of Anthor 1900

page_text: 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 is designed to provide an auxiliary back wheel brake for bicycles
which can be employed to assist or supplement the ordinary brake and which when
applied will remain on or in contact with the wheel without requiring to be con-
tinually held or forced by the lever.
It consists essentially of a brake pivoted to the back fork or stay with a connecting
rod attached to an eccentric operating device whereby the brake is held in contact
with the whee! for any desired period of time.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1. Side elevation of part of bicycle showing one arrangement of the brake.
Fig. 2. Side elevation showing another arrangement.
Fig. 3. End elevation of brake and seat tube.
The cycle frame and wheels are constructed of any ordinary or suitable form and
the brake is capable of being applied to any form or construction of bicycle.
We provide or construct a bracket or brackets A to be attached to the back fork or
back stays B or other convenient part of the cycle frame. These are provided with a
pivot or pivots a by these pivots are pivoted a brake lever (or levers) C carrying a
brake block D pivoted at the end thereof to engage with the back wheel.
The brackets A are preferably in the form of clips to embrace the fork tubes B or
they may be braced or otherwise permanently attached or fastened to the frame.
The brake lever C is provided with a lug arm or lever c at one side of which it is
connected to the operating lever and is also preferably connected to a spring D by
which it is drawn or held out of contact with the wheel when not in use.
At any convenient position either on the seat tube F under the saddle or on the
top stay is pivoted by a suitable bracket or clip Han eccentric device K by which the
brake is thrown on or off and held applied as long as desired.
To the lug c on the brake lever C is connected by one end a rod L (or chain or cord)
and the other end of the rod or chain is attached to the eccentric operating lever K.
The connecting rod or chain is provided with a screw to adjust the tension and also
to compensate for wear of the brake block.
The eccentric actuating device K may be in the form of an eccentric crank disc or
lever or the like with the connecting rod so placed as to be raised or drawn forward
by the movement thereof and past, or over the dead centre so as to overcome all
tendency of the tension to draw or force it back and thus when the brake has been
applied the pressure of the brake tends to hold it and thus render the brake
constant.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 the connecting rod is attached to the lever K
at k the lever being pivoted at m to the clip or bracket H. The brake is applied by
raising the lever K until the point k passes over the dead centre of as shown in
dotted lines the tension on the rod L then tending to prevent the return or backward
movement of the lever K.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 the connecting rod L is connected to a bell
crank lever N and a second connecting rod extends from the bell crank lever to the
operating eccentric lever K which is pivoted by the clip M to the top stay. The
operation is the same as before described the lever K is drawn forward until the
point has passed over the dead centre of the pivot m¹ a cranked end in the lever K
resting against the tube to prevent further movement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. A brake for cycles constructed with a brake block and lever to be applied to the
back wheel pivoted to the back stays or otherwise in combination with a connecting
rod (chain or band) and an eccentric operating device whereby the brake can be

page_text: applied and held in contact with the wheel for any desired length of time substantially
as described, and shown.
2. A brake for cycles having the several parts constructed and arranged in combina-
tion substantially as described with reference either to Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 of the
drawings.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, and London, Patent Agents.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, and London, Patent Agents.