Improvements in Means for Braking Velocipedes.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Braking Velocipedes.
We, CHARLES CECIL ROBINSON, of Hambly, Streatham Common, Streatham, in
the County of Surrey, Surgeon Dentist, and THOMAS FRANCIS 'HILLPOT, of
23, Lewin Road, Streatham aforesaid, of no occupation, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our said invention has reference to improved means for braking velocipedes
and is specially applicable to the controlling and arresting of bicycles and
tricycles. A feature of our invention is that we actuate the braking or retarding
appliance by the foot, from the foot rests usually applied to the front forks of
bicycles and tricycles.
Ünder a suitable form of our invention we pivot a double lever to the inner
end or to a part attached to the inner end or to any other suitable part of one or
both of the foot rests, usually carried on the front fork of a bicycle or tricycle
for example. The said lever is furnished at one end with a bowl or shoe or brake-
block or other retarding means for application when desired to the wheel rim,
while the other end or tail of the lever is formed so as to come beneath the heel
or foot of the rider, when the feet are on the rests, as in "coasting," for example.
A spring or other controlling means maintains the lever in a position which in
ordinary circumstances keeps the tail of the lever out of contact with the rider's
foot, and the retarding bowl or shoe away from or clear of the wheel rim. When
it is desired to apply the brake the rider tilts his heel downward, which has the
effect of depressing the tail end of the lever and raising the braking end into
retarding contact with the wheel rim. Thus the machine is braked without the
rider requiring to use his hands. The appliance might be fitted on one or on
both sides of the fork.
Our improved apparatus is considerably lighter and cheaper than the ordinary
brake lever and appurtenances and can be applied with much greater force and
certainty.
The herein before described appliance is capable of considerable modification
without departing from the spirit of our invention. For example, instead of
pivotting the brake lever upon the foot rest, we might make the foot rest itself
constitute the lever or a portion of the lever and pivot the same on a pin or stud
secured to the side limb of the front fork. The retarding bowl or shoe is carried
on an extension from the pivotted rest, and by rocking the rest on its pivot by
the action of the foot, the brake is applied or removed.
It will of course be evident that the brake might be applied to the outer
periphery of the wheel tyre instead of to the rim, or the brake might be applied to
the hub of the wheel in a manner now well understood. In such cases the
appliances would require slight modification to suit them to the altered con-
ditions. It will also be evident that instead of pivotting the brake lever directly
upon the foot rest, it might be mounted upon the fork limb or on separate

page_text: attachments secured thereto and in juxta-position to the rest. In this latter case
the invention could be applied to existing machines without disturbing the already
fitted foot rests.
Improvements in Means for Braking Velocipedes.
We, CHARLES CECIL ROBINSON, of Hambly, High Road, Streatham, in the
County of Surrey, Surgeon Dentist, and THOMAS FRANCIS PHILLIOT, of 23, Lewin
Road, Streatham aforesaid, of no occupation, 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 and accompanying
drawings:-
Our said invention has reference to improved means for braking velocipedes
and is specially applicable to the controlling and arresting of bicycles and
tricycles.
Under our invention we actuate the braking or retarding appliance or appliances
by the foot or feet while resting upon the fixed foot rests usually applied to the
front forks of bicycles and tricycles.
To render our invention clearly understood we will now proceed to describe the
same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings and to the letters
and figures marked thereon.
In the said drawings Figure 1 is a side clevation of our improved brake shewn
pivotted upon a fixed foot rest carried in the usual manner on a limb of the front
fork of a bicycle for example,
Figure 2 is a view at right angles to Figure 1 and from the front of the machine,
both foot rests and both limbs of the fork being seen in this figure.
Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the foot rests, having pivotted to it our
improved brake lever.
The limbs of the usual front fork are marked a and the foot rests b. The rim
of the pneumatic or other wheel is marked c. The foot rests are fixed in their
usual position upon the fork, and upon the inner side of each foot rest we pivot a
double lever by means of the pivot stud e seen most clearly, at Figure 3. The
lever d is thus free to rock upon its pivot on the foot rest.
The lever which in plan view is of the curved shape shown at Figure 3,
carries at its forward end a brake bowlf or it might be a block or shoe of suitable
formation, which lies in close proximity to the wheel rim c and so as to come in
braking contact therewith when the lever d is operated with that object.
The opposite or tail end of the lever d, is curved round as clearly shewn in
Figure 3 so as to come beneath the heel of the rider when his foot is placed on
the foot rest. The said tail end is serrated or roughened as at d so as to obviate
slipping when in contact with the riders heel. To preserve the lever d in its
proper normal position when not in use, we connect the front end of the lever by
a helical spring to the bottom of the foot rest as shewn in Figure 1. We might
however use a flat or other spring for the said purpose.
"
The normal position thus maintained by the spring 7 keeps the tail end of the
lever out of contact with the rider's foot. Thus for instance when "coasting i
or running down an incline with his feet on the fixed footrests the tail end of

page_text: the lever is held out of contact with the rider's heel, while the front extension
of the lever is out of line with the foot and cannot possibly be affected. It is
thus impossible involuntarily to operate the brake-as might happen if for in-
stance the foot rest and lever were in one piece or upon a common pivot, in which
circumstances disturbance of the riders equilibrium arising from shocks might
easily cause him to involuntarily apply or release the brake at critical moments,
and thus bring about an accident. In our arrangement with absolutely fixed
foot rests no such accidental manipulation of the brake can occur.
When it is desired to apply the brake the rider tilts his heel or heels down-
wards which has the effect of depressing the tail end or ends of the lever or
levers and correspondingly raising the braking end or ends so as to bring the
bowl or bowls f into retarding contact with the wheel rim.
Thus the machine is braked without the rider requiring to use his hands. On
raising his heels the springs g replace the levers d in their normal position and
remove the brake or brakes from the wheel rim.
The aforesaid braking appliance may be fitted to one or both of the foot rests.
Our improved apparatus is considerably lighter and cheaper than the ordinary
brake lever and appurtenances and can be applied with much greater force and
certainty.
Instead of furnishing the forward ends of the levers & with brake bowls or shoes
as set forth for application to the rim of the wheel we might connect the said
forward ends of the levers by wires or other means to the straps or clips of
suitable hub brakes, and in this instance also the brake levers d might be
applied on one side only or on both sides of the fork.
In our Provisional Specification we proposed to pivot the foot rests to the fork
and make them in one piece with or constitute the canting brake levers but as we
now consider such an arrangement undesirable we have decided to discard the
same and make no claim in respect thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
(1). The general arrangement construction and combination of parts constitu-
ting our improved foot brake for velocipedes as herein set forth and illustrated.
(2). A foot brake appliance for velocipedes consisting of a double lever d
pivotted upon a fixed foot rest secured to the front fork of the machine, and
furnished with brake bowls or other suitable braking means for application to the
rim of the wheel, the brake lever being maintained in position by a spring and
operated by the foot of the rider from the fixed foot rest, substantially as herein-
before described and as shewn by the drawings.
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