IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKES FOR CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Archibald Richard Shaw, of 33, Marina Saint
Leonards, in the County of Sussex, Doctor of Medicine, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKES FOR CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES."
Sealed the 16th March '1866, and dated the 5th October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Archibald Richard Shaw at
V.. :'
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
...5th October 1865.
I, ARCHIBALD RICHARD, SHAW, of 33, Marina Saint Leonards,, in the,
County of Sussex, Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of the
said..Invention: för I";IMPROVEMENTS, IN; BRAKES FOR CARRIAGES AND OTHER..
VEHICLES," to be as follows; that is, to say
My.Invention consists in an improved brake which is rendered-self-acting,
and can be applied to all. kinds of carriages or vehicles. The improved brake
is composed of a shaft with a skidor, retarder at each extremity to press
upon the outer edgenor: tyre of each wheel; a lever, or levers, is or are
attached to the said shaft ;; the lever; or levers is or are-drawn by a strap,,
chain, or other. connection, or straps, chains, or other, connections. passing:
along the pole or poles, or shafts through a pulley or pullies, to the pole,
pieces, chains, or breechings, and fastened to the horse's collars, if for a pair

page_text: of horses, or the breeching when only for one horse; the horse in stopping
acts upon the chains or connections passing over the pullies and thence to
the levers, and thus holds the skids or brake blocks against the wheels with a
force that varies according to the amount of pressure, which pressure will
depend upon the momentum of the carriage, or the gradient of the road.
The brake can be fixed in the ordinary way to the body of the carriage, the
connection depending upon the kind of carriage; in new carriages the brake
may be fixed through the eye of the springs, either at the front or back part,
or to the front or back springs, or by strong ironwork to the under part of
the carriage from the axle or otherwise. The brake blocks are taken off the
wheels by means of a spring acting on the lever.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Archibald Richard Shaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARCHIBALD
RICHARD SHAW, of 33, Marina Saint Leonards, in the County of Sussex,
Doctor of Medicine, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Archibald Richard Shaw, Her special licence that I, the said Archibald Richard
Shaw, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Archibald Richard Shaw, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and. Ireland,:
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN
BRAKES FOR CARRIAGES AND OTHER VEHICLES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Archibald Richard Shaw, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument.in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in;
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed:
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme->
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that-I, the said Archibald Richard Shaw, do hereby declare

page_text: the nature of the said Invention, and in what.manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained.in. and by the following.
statement reference: being had to the Drawing hereunto" annexed, and to.
the figures and letters: marked thereon, that: is to.say:-:
:
My Invention consists in an improved brake which is rendered self-acting,
and can be applied to all kinds of carriages or vehicles.'..The improved brake
consists of a shaft with a skid or retarder. at each extremity to press upon the
tyres, of the wheels';: a lever or levers is or are attached to the said shaft,
which lever or levers.is. or are drawn by a strap, chain; rope, cord, wire, or.
other: connection, passing along the pole of the carriage or other vehicle'; if
applied to a pair-horse carriage, or along the shafts of.a one-horse carriage or.
vehicle, through.or over a pulley, or roller, or crank at the forward part of the
said pole, or, shafts, and connected with the pole pieces or chains, or the
breeching of the harness in such manner that when the horse holds back in
going down hill, or in stopping, the rope, chain, or other connection draws the
lever fixed to the brake shaft forward, and brings the retarder or retarders'.
against the wheel or wheels with a pressure varying with the. momentum of
the carriage or the gradient of the road. The brake can be fixed in the
ordinary way to the body of the carriage, the connection depending upon the
kind of carriage. In new carriages the brake may be fixed through the eye
of the springs, either at the front or back part, or to the front or back springs,
or by strong ironwork to the under part of the carriage from the axle or
otherwise. The brake blocks are taken off the wheels by means of a spring
acting on the lever, and fixed at any convenient part of the under carriage.
The Invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying
Drawing which shews my Invention applied to a four-wheeled carriage, and
in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fore part of a carriage with my
improved brake applied; Figures 2 and 3 details on a larger scale; Figure 4
shews the arrangement for one horse. The same letters of reference are
used in the several Figures to represent parts which are similar. a, a, are the
leather pole pieces running over the rollers or cylinders h, h; b, b, b, chain or
connection fixed on strap or pole pieces a, a, and which connection passes
along the pole i to the lever c, fixed upon the brake shaft e, e, acted upon by
the horses through the chain or connection 6, thus forcing the retarders or
brake blocks f, f, fixed upon the brake shaft e, e, against the tyres of the
wheels k, k, of the carriage; d, d, small lever with spring for throwing the
brake blocks off the wheels when not required; 9,9, guards for preventing
the horses getting unattached from the carriage in case the chain b should
break; h, h, rollers or cylinders, over which pass the leather pole pieces a, a.

page_text: In Figure 4;7 is the 'shaft of: a one-horse vehicle; 6, chain or connection;
9, guard; h, roller or cylinder; m, breeching. The brake blocks can be kept
from the tyres.of the wheels when the carriage fis.backed by a lever caused to.
press upon the lever-c: by any suitable arrangement to be worked by the
coachman from the footboard..
Having thus i described: the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would' wish it to be understood that I do not confine.
myself to the precise details herein laid down, but what I claim is, the:
general arrangement and construction of the improved self-acting brake for
carriages and other vehicles as herein-before described and shown in the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Archibald Richard Shaw, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
ARCHIBALD RICHARD SHAW, M.D. (L.B.) .
Witness,
CHARLES HENRY GANSDEN,
House Agent,
St. Leonards on Sea.