Improvements in and connected with Brakes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Jan., 1898-Accepted, 5th Feb., 1898
Improvements in and connected with Brakes.
I, PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF, of 19 and 20, Holborn Viaduct, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
.
My invention relates to automatic brakes operated by the retardation of the
primary motive power,—that is, in case of velocipedes,-by the resistance applied by
the rider's feet to. the pedals and thereby communicated either to the pedal-shaft
bearings or to the driving hub by means of the chain or other transmitting gear.
Where the brake arrangement is applied in the hub, the pinion is loose on the
bub driving it by a ratchet, stud or other projection which will not allow the pinion
to travel faster, but will allow it to move slower than the hub body. Inside the
latter is a coiled spring or band; oue end of which is attached to the hub body and
the other end of which is attached to the pinion. When the hub moves faster than
the pinion, the spring or band will be tightly coiled round the axle which is stationary
and a brake thereby applied. In order to produce a better grip the axle is
preferably provided with a long sleeve of large diameter, or the centre of the axle
itself may be made to form a hollow drum. "
'
Where the brake is mounted on the pedal-shaft bearings, one end of the coiled
spring or bend is attached to the revolving axle, the other to the front chain or gear
wheel which is loosely mounted on the former; the differential action of these-two
parts will cause the spring or band to expand against the bottom bracket and thus
cause brake friction.
The brake work being thus concealed inside existing parts of the velocipede no
increase in width of tread or splay of the back fork is required, nor are the bearings
narrowed,
The boss of the gear wheel whether on the bracket or on the. hub, may form one
3.side of the bearing and a sleeve to support the other side, or the hub pinion may
operate the coiled band through a slot in the hub body...
:
Improvements in and connected with Brakes.
1, PHILIP LOUIS RENOUF, of 19 and 20, Holborn Viaduct, in the City of London,
Engineer, 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 automatic brakes operated by the retardation of the
primary motive power, that is, in the case of velocipedes,-by the resistance

page_text: applied by the rider's feet to the pedals & thereby communicated either to the
pedal shaft-bearings or to the driving hub by means of the chain or other transmitting
gear. Where the brake arrangement is applied in the hub, the pinion is loose on the
hub, driving it by a ratchet, stud or other projection which will not allow the pinion
to travel faster, but will allow it to move slower than the hub-body. Inside the
latter is a coiled spring or band, one end of which is attached to the hub-body
& the other end of which is attached to the pinion. When the hub moves faster
than the pinion the spring or band will be tightly coiled round the axle which is
stationary & a brake thereby applied. In order to produce a better grip the axle is
preferably provided with a long sleeve of large diameter, or the centre of the axle
itself may be formed out of a hollow drum. Where the brake is mounted on the
pedal shaft bearings, one end of the coiled spring or band is attached to the
retarding axle, the other to the front chain or gear wheel which is loosely mounted
on the former; the differential action of these two parts will cause the spring
or band to expand against the shell of the bottom bracket & thus cause brake
friction. The brake being thus concealed inside either the hub or the bottom bracket
casing, no increase in width of tread or splay of the back fork is required, nor
are the bearings narrowed.
The boss of the gear wheel whether on the bracket or on the hub, may form one
side of the bearing & a sleeve to support the other side or the hub pinion may
operate the coiled band through a slot in the hub-body.
Referring to the drawings,
Fig. 1 shews the section of a hub containing the brake mechanism, Fig. 2 a
transverse section of the same hub on line p q of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 represents the
outer view of the hub.
On comparison of these drawings it will be seen that the hub consists of two
parts: the shell A bearing the flanges for the spoke & containing one of the hardened
ball cases a¹¹; and the hollow barrel B carrying the chain pinion C which may also
form the second ball-case. c¹¹ is a small coned nut locking C to B by the well known
device of right & left hand threads barrel B is furnished with two projections 61 611
which engage in slots of greater width cut on the end of A facing C.
The fixed axle E is enlarged along the central part so as to form a longitudinal
brake drum D. F is a coiled band or spring fixed to A by pin f¹ and to B by
pin f¹¹.
When pinion C is driven forwards the lugs b¹ & 611 press forwards also & against
the corresponding edges of shell A, but when A tries to overrun the speed of C
& therefore of B also the pin 1 will move relatively to the pin f1, whereby the
band F is tightly coiled round drum D and enormous friction created between the
hub and the fixed spindle E & great brake power obtained. It is obvious that where
the spindle revolves as in the bottom bracket and one end of the spring or band
attached to this spindle, the other end to the chain or gear wheel, the brake will be
applied by expansion of the band against an outer stationary shell; in this case the
driving power must be transmitted by parts corresponding to 6' & 611 but connecting
the spindle with the chain or gear wheel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. An automatic and concealed brake mechanism situated between the bearings of
the revolving part and consisting principally of a band contractable on to a fixed
axle or expansible against a fixed casing by the retardation of the driving part,
substantially after the manner described.
2. The combination of a brake band & a brake drum situated within the body of
a hub substantially as described.
3. A brake mechanism for velocipedes operated by the motion of the hub pinion
through connections passing through the centre of the hub, without in the least
altering the distance from the centre of the pinion to the centre of the wheel,

page_text: 4. A spiral brake band situated within the hub of a velocipede wheel & operating
on the axle substantially as described.
5. A hub for velocipedes in which brake friction is applied between the inner
surface of the hub & the axle without alteration of the chain-line such friction being
applied between the bearings.
6. A hub containing automatic brake mechanism in which a hub shell A contains
one part of the ball bearing whilst the relatively movable parts B & C contain the
other half of the bearing, the whole being thus adjustably held together.
7. The combination of hub A, pinion C, brake band F, & drum D operating as
described.