A New or Improved Apparatus for Holding, Securing, and Locking the Brakes of Velocipedes.
Year: 1887

page_text: TOYIDIONAL DIMOITICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Holding, Securing, and Locking
the Brakes of Velocipedes.
We, JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS of Great Charles Street Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Manufacturer, and WILLIAM FISHER of Devonshire Street, London in
the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
The object of our invention, is to automatically fix the brake of a bicycle or other
velocipede, when going down hills; thus, it often happens that velocipedists have to
hold their brake levers, on going down hills, for a considerable time, which is most
fatiguing and distressing to their hands and muscles. To obviate this, we make the
brake lever automatically fix.itself, by means as hereinafter described, which thereby
leaves a rider free.
We will describe our invention in connection with a bicycle.
The apparatus consists of two parts, viz.-a fixed part, and a movable part; the
former is connected to the handle bar of a machine, while the latter, which we call
the movable part, is connected to the shank, or stem part of the brake lover.
The part connected to the handle bar, consists of a body, having passing longitudinally
through its middle a rectangular shaped T opening, whose top, is of the cross section
as the bar of the other part, as hereinafter described.
Working within the lower part of the said opening, is an arm or lever, jointed at its
rear end to the body, and at its front end to a frame, whose opposite inner sides slide
upon the extended front ends of the body.
The frame works upon an upright peg, secured upon the top of the front of the body
part, as aforesaid; and which said frame, is surmounted by a rotating cap or turn,
with a depending cranked arm at its back, which engages under a catch or staple,
carried on the top of the body part; so that the rotation of the said cap or turn, and
the engagement of the cranked arm with the staple, secures the frame in its lowered
position.

page_text: The front top side of the lever, which works within the opening in the body, is
provided with a tooth, which engages with the rack teeth on the bar of the other part;
and disposed between the cap (surrounding the peg) and the top side of the body, is
a coiled or other spring, for always keeping the tooth up to the rack.
The rear underside of the body, has a depending spherical stud, which works within
a like ball joint, or socket, carried at the top of a clip, made up of two semi-circular
halves, with flanged sides, through which screw pins, with turns at their ends, pass.
By connecting the body to the clip, by a ball and socket joint, the parts admit of
varying their positions, as may be desired.
The other or movable part, consists of a bar, with ratchet like teeth upon its under-
side, and which said bar, is connected at its outer end, to a clamp, or other like connection,
for securing it to the stem of a brake lever. The connection of the bar to the clamp,
is effected by a ball and socket, or swivelling joint.
When in use, the tooth which is pressed upwards by the spring, engages with the
rack teeth of the bar; so that when a velocipedist puts on the brake, be grasps the
brake lever by his hand, which draws inwardly the securing device, and so holds
the lever, in its drawn in position, with the brake on.
The brake remains in its acting position, so long as the parts remain in their
respective positions, as aforesaid.
To release the brake lever, it is only necessary to depress the cap and frame, when
the tooth as aforesaid, is removed from the teeth of the rack, when the brake lever, and
rack bar carried by it, resume their normal positions.
The teeth of the rack, incline outwards; so that the pressing inwards of the bar,
depresses the spring tooth, and so automatically secures the bar in any position, it
may have been placed.
When the parts are required not to be in their acting positions, give the cap end,
..a semi-turn, so as to bring the cranked arm underneath the staple or catch.
The appliance may be made if necessary, to be self locking; so that a machine can
be left by a rider, without fear of his machine being removed, as the brake will be
locked in its acting position. We carry this part of our invention into effect, by so
forming and arranging parts, within the cap and frame part, that the action of a key,
shoots a bolt catch or its equivalent, and so prevents the frame from being lowered,
so as to take the tooth from the rack teeth as aforesaid.
The rack teeth instead of being upon the underside of the bar, may be upon
the upper side; so that the releasing will be effected by a pulling action, instead of
a pressing action.
Dated this Twant fourth day of Antahan 1887

page_text: A New or Improved Apparatus for Holding, Securing, and Locking
the Brakes of Velocipedes.
We, JOHN BOULTBEE BROOKS, of Great Charles Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, and WILLIAM FISHER, of Devonshire Street, in the City of London,
Manufacturers, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide means for automatically holding, when
desirable, the brake of a bicycle or other velocipede, in order to relieve the rider from
undue fatigue, or, to guard against the machine being used without authority.
In order that this invention may be readily understood, we will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereof Fig. 1 represents in
side elevation a brake-holder constructed according to the present improvements;
Fig. 2 being a sectional side elevation and Fig. 3 an end view of a portion of the
same.
The improved brake-holder.consists of a box a in which is pivoted a bar or lever a¹
provided with a tooth a²; the latter normally engaging with the teeth on the rack b.
The box a is secured to the handle-bar and the rack to the brake-lever by means of
suitable fastenings or connections (such as illustrated in the drawings) preferably
provided with ball and socket joints, as shown. The forward extremity of the bar or
lever a¹ is jointed to a frame a³ which slides on a peg a secured to the top of the box a.
The peg a is surrounded by a spiral spring a which tends to maintain the frame a³
in the raised position (as in Fig. 1) and the tooth a² in contact with the teeth on the
rack b. A flat spring may, however, if preferred, be substituted for the spiral
spring a. The frame a³ is fitted with a rotating finger-piece a provided with a
depending arm or projection a' adapted to engage, when the frame is in the depressed
position (as in Fig. 2), with a hook or stud as on the box a.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When the brake-lever is pulled towards the
handle-bar for the purpose of applying the brake, the rack b is caused to travel through
the box a and is prevented from receding by the tooth a² on the lever a¹. The brake-
lever is liberated by depressing the frame a³, which causes the tooth a² to be withdrawn
from contact with the rack b. The frame a³ may be maintained in the depressed
position by partially rotating the finger-piece aº until the projection a' is held by the
hook or stud a³.
Where it is desired to guard against the use of the machine by an unauthorised
person, we add to the frame a³ a lock c (of ordinary construction), the bolt of which
is adapted to engage, when the frame is in the raised position, with a stud & projecting
from the side of the box a. When the parts are locked, the tooth a is maintained in
contact with the rack b; the movement of the latter through the box a being hereby
prevented. The lock, instead of being attached to the frame to act on the box, may, if
preferred, be attached to the box to act on the frame. Or, the bolt of the lock may be
arranged to act directly on the bar or lever a¹.

page_text: The rack b, instead of being provided with teeth on the lower surface, may be
provided with teeth on the upper surface or on the side; the position and action of
the lever a carrying the tooth a being correspondingly modified, as will be readily
comprehended. The lever a¹, instead of being a rigid bar pivoted in the box a and
actuated by an independent spring, may be formed of material of a sufficiently resilient
nature to permit the teeth on the rack 6 to individually depress the tooth a² whilst the
said rack is passing through the box a; the independent spring being, under these
circumstances, dispensed with.
As a modification of our invention, we sometimes employ, instead of the rack b, a
spring-drum secured upon the handle-bar and upon the circumference of which a band
or chain is coiled. One end of the latter is secured to the drum and the other end to
the brake-lever. As the brake-lever is pulled towards the handle-bar, the drum rotates,
under the influence of the spring it contains, and takes up the slack that would other-
wise occur in the band or chain. The drum is provided with a ratchet-wheel and pawl
to hold the brake in action by preventing the rotation of the said drum in a backward
direction until the said pawl, which is provided with a suitable finger-piece, is liberated
by the rider of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we claim :-
1. The improved construction of brake-holder arranged and operating substantially
as set forth.
2. A brake-holder provided with a lock substantially as described.
3. In a brake-holder, a rack or equivalent device held, when desired, by means of a
spring-actuated lever or pawl substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of the rack b with the box a, the lever a¹ and the frame a³
substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of July 1888.
JOHN BUULTBEE BROUKS.
WILLIAM FISHER.