Improved Brake Apparatus for Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Brake Apparatus for Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS ANDERSON HANSON, of 77, Amersham Road, New Cross, London.
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved rim brake applicable to the rear or driving
wheel of bicycles and the like vehicles for men's or for women's use, though it
may also be applied to the front or steering wheel of such vehicles."
In carrying out the invention, as applied to the rear wheel, I apply to the
back stay or to the chain stay of such wheel, a pair of independent levers, which
are centered to the back part of the back stay or to the upper part of the chain
stay, so as, in each case, to lie against and to be supported by the adjacent stay
when brought into action with the back wheel rim, which rotates towards the
sides of the stay to which the brake levers are applied.
The levers are applied to the stay on opposite sides of the..wheel, and of the
mud-guard if used, and so as to face each other, with their lower or rearward
ends respectively fitted with suitable brake blocks respectively located opposite
the wheel rim, and with their respectively upper or forward ends curved towards
each other and inwards of and between the stay, nearer to the seat pillar or to the
crank bracket, and are acted upon by suitably arranged springs located between
such adjacent ends and the stay sides or otherwise conveniently arranged so as
to tend to keep the brake blocks out of engagement with the wheel rim.
The brake levers are caused to be applied to the wheel rim by means operated,
in each such case aforesaid, from the ordinary hand brake lever applied to the
handle bar, in such a manner as to cause the brake blocks to be closed towards
and against the wheel rim when the hand brake lever is pressed to the handle
bar; the action being effected by means of a pair of cranked levers, a connecting
rod and a guided rod.
The application of the brake levers to the chain stay is equally convenient to a
man's or to a woman's cycle, but the application thereof to the back stay is more
convenient to a man's than to a woman's cycle, and accordingly as they are
so applied, so are the means of actuating them applied. Thus, one of such
cranked levers is centered to the upper or to the lower end of the head of the
cycle frame or to the adjacent end of the connected upper or lower backbone of
the frame (accordingly as the brake levers are applied to the back stay or to the
chain stay) and is linked to the ordinary hand brake lever applied to the handle
bar, while the other of such crank levers is centered to the upper or to the lower
end of the diagonal tube of the cycle frame or to the adjacent end of the upper
or lower backbone or of the connected tube or stay of the frame (accordingly as
aforesaid) and is pivotally connected to said guided rod, which works in guides
applied to the stay to which its brake levers are applied; and all such parts are

page_text: arranged in as close proximity to the frame parts of the cycle as can conveniently
be done so as to conform to the general lines of the cycle frame and not to present
any unsightly or unusual appearance.
The said guided rod is adapted to act directly upon said brake levers, being
guided between and in the line of the centre of the stay to which it is applied,
and is fitted with a conically shaped part or with equivalently operating means
adapted to engage with the ends of the brake levers nearest the seat pillar or
crank bracket, respectively, in such manner as (upon the hand brake lever being
actuated as ordinarily) to be drawn away from the wheel, so as to cause the cone
to separate the ends of the brake levers to which it is applied, and, consequently
to cause their other or brake-block carrying ends to be applied to the wheel rim,
whereupon, the brake levers being supported by the adjacent stay are rendered
eminently effective both for ordinary brake purposes and as an emergency brake.
The brake levers, if applied to the front or steering wheel, may be operated
in like manner, the motion of the hand brake lever being converted by a single
cranked lever and rod: in this application also, the brake levers may be applied
to the fore part of the steering wheel fork in such cases wherein there is not
room to conveniently apply them behind the fork.
1
1
1000
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
I, THOMAS ANDERSON HANSON, of 77, Amersham Road, New Cross, in the County
of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
or
This invention relates to an improved rim-brake applicable to the rear
driving wheel of bicycles and the like vehicles, though it may also be applied
to the front or steering wheel of such vehicles.
I will describe my invention in reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively front and side elevations of my improved
brake fitted to the back stay of a bicycle, and Fig. 3 is a plan of part of same.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a bicycle showing connections for operating the brake.
Fig. 5 shows a modification applied to a front wheel.
My improved brake consists of a pair of independent levers A A which are
centred at and supported upon the back stay or adjacent part of the cycle frame,
for instance as shown on the drawing, where they are mounted and centred at a a
upon clips or clamps ii secured to the back stays b b.
The levers A. A are disposed on opposite sides of the wheel C and of the mud-
guard if used, and so as to face each other as shown, their lower or rearward
ends aa being fitted with suitable brake blocks dd located opposite the wheel
rim c on either side and their upper or forward ends a² ² are curved or inclined
towards each other as shown or towards and nearer to the seat pillar or to the
crank bracket and inwards of and between the stay, and suitable springs such
as ee are provided and arranged so as to act upon the levers A. A and keep the
brake blocks d d normally out of engagement with the wheel rim.

page_text: The brake levers A A are operated by means of a conical or wedge-shaped
parth adapted to receive and engage the inclined ends a² a² of the brake
levers A A in such manner that when said part is withdrawn or moved upwards
it acts upon and separates the inclined ends a²² and causes the other ends a¹a¹
carrying the brake blocks d d to be applied to and brake the wheel rim c.
Where the part h engages the brake levers, one part may be recessed to
receive the other, for instance the part h is recessed at h¹ to receive the brake lever
ends a² ². This construction obviates any liability of the parts to get out of
alignment. The said conical or wedge-shaped part is carried by a suitable
reciprocating rod I adapted to slide in guides and to be suitably operated
from the handle bar of the machine in the usual manner, for instance by the
connections shown in Fig. 4 where the connecting rods jj and bell crank
levers are employed. At X, in this figure, I have shown the brake and
connections as applied to the back stay of a man's machine and the crank levers k¹
which are disposed on either side of the back stays are connected to the rod I
by a pin or bar I¹ whose end moves in a slot in the levers ¹. On operation
of the handle-bar lever m which is arranged to draw up the rod j¹, the wedge-
shaped part is drawn upwards and the brake applied to the wheel rim c as before
described. At Y I have shown the invention as applied to the chain stays as
would be the case in a woman's machine. In this case the operation is similar and
the connecting-rod I is disposed adjacent to the lower tubes of the frame, the
cranked levers being appropriately mounted as shown.
By a modification I may equivalently to the conical part provide the brake
lever ends aa with inwardly inclined slots n n as shown in Fig. 5, adapted
to be engaged by pins pp carried by the operating rod I so that when the said
rod is drawn upwards the slotted ends a² a of the brake levers A A are thrust
apart and the brake blocks at the other ends a a applied to the wheel rim c.
Fig. 5 also shows the apparatus applied to the front wheel in which case the hand
operating mechanism will be arranged to give an upward movement to the recipro-
cating rod g, the latter being mounted in the usual manner and provided with a
spring S which in this arrangement will serve to return both the brake rod g
and brake levers A A. to normal inoperative position, or I may employ flat springs
such as S S (shown dotted) which are also applicable to the construction shown
in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 where space allows.
It will be seen that by the construction and combination of parts described
my improved brake is especially applicable for braking the rear wheel of a cycle
by reason of the movement of the operating rod being upwards or away from the
wheel or brake levers, and so admitting of the operating levers being more easily
connected thereto.
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. The improved brake apparatus for cycles and other vehicles comprising a pair
of pivotted and oppositely disposed spring-returned rim-brake levers having
their upper ends inclined inwardly or towards one another in combination with
and adapted to be engaged and operated by a conical or wedge-shaped part suitably
mounted so that when the same is withdrawn or moved away from the wheel the
inclined ends of the brake levers are moved apart and their lower ends approach
one another and brake the wheel rim, substantially as set forth.
2. The improved brake apparatus comprising the oppositely disposed spring-
returned brake levers A A carrying brake blocks at their lower ends a¹ a¹ and
having slotted upper ends a² a² inclined towards one another in combination
with and engaged by a pin or projection carried by the operating rod in such
manner that when the latter is withdrawn or moved away from the wheel the
slotted ends of the brake levers are moved apart and the brake applied to the
wheel rim substantially as described.

page_text: 3. The combination of parts comprising the improved brake apparatus con-
structed, arranged and adapted for use substantially as described in reference to
Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, subject to the modifications described in reference to Fig. 5 of
the accompanying drawings.
Fourteenth day
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For the Applicant,
J. C. CHAPMAN & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.
OTITA