Improvements in Brakes for Cycles and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1900-Accepted, 13th Dec., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Cycles and the like.
We, EDWARD CYRIL WRIGHT, of 60, Comeragh Road, West Kensington, in
the County of London, Engineer, and EDWIN JAMES POLKINHORNE, of 8, Comeragh
Road, West Kensington, in the County of London, Cycle Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to brakes for cycles and the like, and is of the type known
as a combined rim and spoon brake. It has for its object to provide a neat,
simple and efficient construction, combining the advantages of the ordinary spoon
brake with those of the rim brake in such manner that both may be caused to
operate simultaneously upon the wheel or singly at their proper times and under
circumstances hereinafter mentioned. It also has for its object to avoid the usc
of guides, bearings, or the like upon the front fork which give a clumsy appear-
ance to the present construction of such brakes.
In carrying out our invention we use the ordinary spoon-brake rod and handle-
bar lever attached to the head of the machine and working in a guide fixed upon
the crown of the front fork. Upon said guide, which may be suitably strengthened
for the purpose, we pivot at or about their centres a pair of small side levers
extending to the rear and front above the spoon brake. In one of the ends of
said side levers are formed slots within which slide pins projecting from lugs
formed on or suitably attached to the rear part of the metal base of the spoon-
brake, whilst to their other ends are loosely connected the ribs or legs of the rim
brake. These ribs or legs work within guiding slots cut out of lugs formed on or
suitably attached to the forward part of the metal base of the spoon-brake and
at their lower extremities carry the usual leather or other pads. The brakes are
The handle-bar lever
brought into simultaneous action in the following manner.
on being raised depresses the spoon-brake upon the face of the tyre in the usual
manner and at the same time the rim-brake is raised through the medium of the
pivotted side levers whilst the forward guides or slots above mentioned prevent
any splaying apart of the ribs due to the curvature of the rim. Thereafter both
brakes are returned to their inactive position by the usual spiral or other spring
and all parts being under perpetual tension owing to said spring rattling and the
like objectionable noises are done away with.
Since application of the rim brake is necessarily injurious to any enamelled
rim, and where the combination of the rim and spoon brakes is required only in
emergencies, we have devised a simple arrangement and adjustment whereby the
spoon brake is caused to operate in the first instance and the rim brake to be
inoperative except where the tyre is punctured. This device consists of an
adjusting nut or nuts upon the brake rod below the guide upon the crown to
which nut or between which nuts a plate carrying the lugs and pins connecting
the slotted ends of the small side levers is suitably attached or secured. This
nut regulates the relative travel of the two brakes so that the application of the

page_text: spoon-brake is not sufficient to bring the rim brake into operation. But upon
the tyre being punctured the consequent further depression of the spoon brake
applies the rim brake in the manner already described.
Dated this 13th day of Decambon 1900
E. C. WRIGHT,
E. J. POLKINHORNE.
Improvements in Brakes for Cycles and the like.
We, EDWARD CYRIL WRIGHT, of 60, Comeragh Road, West Kensington, in
the County of London, Engineer, and EDWIN JAMES POLKINHORNE, of 8, Comeragh
Road, West Kensington, in the County of London, Cycle Manufacturer, 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:
Our invention relates to brakes for cycles and the like, and is of the type known
as a combined rim and spoon brake. It has for its object to provide a neat,
simple and efficient construction, combining the advantages of the ordinary spoon
brake with those of the rim brake in such a manner that both may be caused to
operate simultaneously upon the wheel or singly at their proper times and under
circumstances hereinafter mentioned. It also has for its object to avoid the use
of guides, bearings, or the like upon the front fork which give a clumsy appear-
ance to the present construction of such brakes.
In describing our invention we will refer to the accompanying drawings in
which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a front elevation and Fig. 3 a plan of a
brake made and fitted in accordance with our invention.
A is a plunger or spoon brake provided with a rod a communicating with the
usual handle bar lever attached to the head of the machine, the rod a working in
a guide formed by a bracket & fixed upon the crown of the front fork. Upon said
guide which may be suitably strengthened for the purpose we pivot at or about
their centres a pair of small side levers c. At their rear ends the levers care
formed with slots c¹ by which through pins d the levers are operated from the
plunger or its rod; the operation may conveniently be effected by a plate 1)
attached by nuts e e to the bar a. The other end of the leverse are attached by a
pivot such as f to the upper ends of rods g which pass through guides in the
head of the spoon brake and carry at the lower end the rim brake pads i i.
The spoon brake rod works against a spring such as s in the usual manner and
the operation is as follows:-In operation as soon as the handle bar is raised to
apply the spoon brake the latter is lowered onto the face of the tyre and at the
same time the connection by the plate 1) and pins & cause the slotted end of the
lever c to be depressed thereby raising the front end thereof together with the
rim brake pads. It will then be seen that as the spring is depressed the rim
brake is raised towards same and the adjustment of one brake in regard to the
other may be such that the two brakes may be brought simultaneously into action,
but since application of the rim brake is necessarily injurious to any enamelled
rim, and where the combination of the rim and spoon brakes is required on
emergencies, we have devised a simple arrangement and adjustment whereby
the spoon-brake is caused to operate in the first instance and the rim brake to
be inoperative except where the tyre is punctured. This device consists of an
adjusting nut or nuts e e upon the brake rod below the guide band between these
nuts the plate D is carried with lugs and pins connecting the slotted ends of the

page_text: small side levers c. By these nuts e e the relative travel of the two brakes may
be regulated so that the movement in application of the spoon brake is not
sufficient to bring the rim brake into operation. But upon the tyre being
punctured the consequent further depression of the spoon brake applies the rim
brake in the manner already described.
Both brakes are returned to their normal inactive position by the spring s and
as all the parts are under constant tension any tendency of the parts to rattle is
obviated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is;-
1. The improved combination of plunger and rim brake all constructed
arranged and adapted to operate substantially as set forth and as illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
2. The improvements in brakes for cycles comprising the combination of a
plunger brake, a guide therefor a rim brake carried by arms or rods embracing
the wheel and passing through the guides in the moving part of the plunger
brake, a lever pivotted to the plunger brake guide and connected at one end to
the rim brake and at the other by a slotted connection to the plunger brake or
its rod so that as the plunger brake is depressed the rim brake is raised and acts
in conjunction therewith or as an auxiliary brake substantially as set forth.
3. In brakes of the kind described the combination with the plunger of a rim
brake guided in the head of the plunger brake and operated thereby substantially
as set forth.
4. In brakes of the kind described the combination with the plunger brake,
rim brake and operating levers connecting same, of the means for adjusting the
relative movements of the brake substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this Thirteenth day of October 1900.
For the Applicants,
J. C. CHAPMAN & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.