Improvements in Breaks for Road Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1893-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breaks for Road Vehicles.
I, ARTHUR EDWARD SMITH of The East Suffolk Carriage Works Halesworth
in the County of Suffolk Carriage Builder do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in breaks for road vehicles.
In ordinary road vehicles in which the break block is carried by rigid arms
which are actuated by levers or other means an undue weight is thrown upon the
horse's back in the case of a two wheeled vehicle when the break is applied and
in the case of a three or four wheeled vehicle a sudden jerk is communicated to the
horse and also to the occupants of the carriage and this necessarily increases
the labour of the horse and is productive of some amount of discomfort to the
passengers.
Now the object of the present invention is to obviate these defects and to enable
the break to be applied without the inconveniences above referred to.
For this purpose in lieu of employing rigid arms or levers to carry the break
blocks and force them upon the periphery of the wheels, I form such arms of spring
steel so as to apply the break with a spring pressure.
The necessary motion may be given to the arms or levers by any well known
means such as levers, screws, chains or other devices employed for such purpose.
The break may be fitted to only one of the wheels of a vehicle or to two or more
of such wheels according to the class of vehicle to which it is applied and it may
be arranged either at the front or rear of the wheel or wheels as may be found
most convenient.
Dated the 3rd day of October 1892.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
R
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breaks for Road Vehicles.
I, ARTHUR EDWARD SMITH of The East Suffolk Carriage Works Halesworth
in the County of Suffolk Carriage Builder 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 improvements in breaks for road vehicles.
In ordinary road vehicles in which the break block is carried by rigid arms
which are actuated by levers or other means an undue weight is thrown upon the
horses back in the case of a two wheeled vehicle when the break is applied and in
the case of a three or four wheeled vehicle a sudden jerk is communicated to the
horse and also to the occupants of the carriage and this necessarily increases
the labour of the horse and is productive of some amount of discomfort to the
passengers.
Now the object of the present invention is to obviate these defects and to enable
the break to be applied without the inconveniences above referred to.
For this purpose in lieu of employing rigid arms or levers to carry the break
blocks and force them upon the periphery of the wheels I form such arms of spring
steel so as to apply the break with a spring pressure.
The necessary motion may be given to the arms or levers by any well known
means such as levers, screws, chains, or other devices employed for such purpose.

page_text: to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hansom cab having my invention applied
thereto.
Figure 2 is a detached view of part thereof.
Figure 3 is a plan thereof.
Figure 4 is a detached view showing the spring levers and connected parts
separately.
Figure 5 is a side view of a two wheeled cart having my invention applied
thereto and
Figure 6 is a similar view of a portion of a four wheeled vehicle illustrating the
application of my invention thereto.
In the several figures in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference Figures 2 and 4 are drawn to an increased scale with respect to Figures 1
and 3..
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 a represents the body of the vehicle b represents the
wheels and c represents the drivers seat or perch.
d represents the break blocks which are mounted upon the outer ends of
horizontal arms or levers d formed of lengths of comparatively thin spring steel
shaped and tempered in the required manner and these arms or levers d' are at a
suitable point in their length mounted upon axes of motion d* carried by brackets a
fixed to the under part of the body a whilst at their inner ends where they meet
they are formed with flats or enlargements d' and one of such parts & carries a
stud whilst the other part is formed with a slot d through which the stud d'
loosely passes thus coupling the inner ends of the arms or levers d' a nut d** being
employed to prevent the accidental separation of the parts d'.
Upon the inner end of one of the arms or levers d' is provided a offset d to
which is pinjointed one end of a link the other end of which is pinjointed to a
vertical lever d' mounted upon an axis of motion d* carried by a bracket d¹º
depending from the underside of the footboard c¹ of the perch c whilst the upper
end of the lever d' is provided with a pedal de adapted to be acted upon at the
times desired by the driver.
By this arrangement of parts upon the driver throwing his weight upon the
pedal da the lower end of the lever d' will be thrown outward or rearward carrying
with it the inner ends of the spring arms or levers d and thereby forcing the break
blocks with a spring pressure against the preripheries of the wheels b a spring d
being employed to restore the parts to their normal positions.
In the example given at Figure 5 which shows my invention applied to a two
'wheeled cart the apparatus is somewhat simplified that is to say the break blocke d'
are carried by the lower ends of the spring arms or levers d which in this case
are vertically arranged or approximately so whilst the spring arms or levers d' are
connected or coupled by a horizontal spindle d* mounted with capability of turning
in suitable bearings carried by the underside of the carriage body a the horizontal
spindle d being provided with a hand lever d furnished with a handle d by the
aid of which the break blocks d can be brought to bear with the necessary pressure
upon the wheels b.
104.1
In lieu of forming the lever d' of a rigid bar of metal it might if desired be
formed of spring steel in a similar manner to the arms or levers d¹ so as to increase
the flexibility of the device.

page_text: In the example given at Figure 6 which represents the application of my inven-
tion to a four wheeled vehicle the arrangement of parts is somewhat similar to that
lastly hereinbefore described with the exception that the break is only applied to
one wheel and the arm or lever d' is prolonged beyond its axis d* and is connected
by a link d with the haud lever which is mounted upon a axis of motion d*
carried by the body a.
It will be evident that in lieu of the means hereinbefore shown and described for
imparting the necessary motion to the spring arms or levers d such motion may be
given thereto by any other well known mechanism such for example as screws
chains or other devices and it will be understood that the break may be fitted to
only one of the wheels of a vehicle or to two or more of such wheels according to
the class of vehicle to which it is applied and it may be arranged either at the
front or rear of the wheel or wheels as may be found most convenient.
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 I
claim is :-
In a break for vehicles to run on common roads the combination of an arm or
lever formed of spring steel a break block carried by such arm and a lever or other
means for acting upon such arm and pressing the break block upon the wheel with
a spring pressure substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1893.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.