AN IMPROVED CARRIAGE BRAKE OR DRAG
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Marc Antoine François Mennons, of the British and
Foreign Patent Offices, 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of
France, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CARRIAGE BRAKE OR DRAG.”—
A communication from Mr. J. L. Simon, residing at Tocqueville, in
France.
Sealed the 6th November 1860, and dated the 17th May 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Marc Antoine François
Mennons at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th May 1860.
I, MARC ANTOINE FRANÇOIS MENNONS, of the British and Foreign Patent
Offices, 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CARRIAGE BRAKE
OR DRAG," to be as follows:-
This apparatus is composed of two levers headed by blocks corresponding
with the fore wheels of the vehicle, and fixed to the axle at their axis of rotation.
To the free extremity of each lever is secured a band or strap, which after having
passed over a set of compensating rollers is fixed to a rod serving as furchel,
which gives and takes according to the movement of the cross bar.
A stop

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, file!
by the said Marc Antoine François Mennons in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th November 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARC
ANTOINE FRANÇOIS MENNONS, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 39,
Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons, Her special licence that I,
the said Marc Antoine François Mennons, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons,
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,
nud vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED CARRIAGE
BRAKE OR DRAG," (a communication from Mr. J. L. Simon, a person resident
at Tocqueville, in France,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Marc Antoine François Mennons, 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Figures of the accompanying
Drawing, and to the letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
The Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a brake or
drag apparatus, to be applied to the two fore wheels of ordinary road carriages.

page_text: Figure 1 represents the application of the mechanism to the right-hand or
"off" fore wheel of the vehicle; the left or "near" wheel being fitted in the:
same manner. L, H, J, is a lever arrangement revolving at H on an axle
placed below the step or foot board M. A strap mounted at L between two
grooved surfaces traverses the support of the step or foot-board between two
rollers f, i, and is firmly secured to the furchel A, B, which moves backwards.
and forwards on the four rollers g,f, i, k. The first of these rollers g is fitted
to the cross bar; the second and third f, i, are placed in the support of the
step; the fourth, at the extremity of the fork, and in two slide pieces, one of
which, C, is situated at the extremity of the cross bar, and the second C', at
the extremity of the branch of the fork. These slide pieces may move round
the furchel as in C, or may leave its upper section free as in C'. It will thus
be seen that the forward or backward movement of the furchel carries the
strap either on the roller i, or on the roller f, raises the point L, and sets on
the brake J.
Figure 2 shews the manner in which the furchel A passes into the slide
piece C. In suppressing the portion of the latter, which is situated above the
prolongation of the line E, the section of the passage of the furchel in the
slide C' would be visible. To prevent the escape of the strap from the slide
pieces, in case of breakage, a tenon or stop should be formed at the inner side
of the extremity A of the furchel. The latter is provided at the point opposite
the extremity of the cross bar (C, Fig. 1), when the brake is completely free,
with a mortice of about three quarters of an inch in depth, seen in the dotted
lines of Figure 2. A bolt V, Fig. 2, bevelled off in front to about one-third:
of an inch, and straight in the remainder of its length working in the cross bar,.
is pushed into the mortice of the furchel by a spring R. When this.spring is
allowed to exert its full action, the furchel becomes securely fixed to the cross.
bar. The bolt V is acted on by a metallic rod m, n, by which, as hereafter
described, it may be drawn backwards. When this bolt passes but a short.
distance (say one-third of an inch) into the furchel, it presents to the back end.
of the mortice a perpendicular surface, so that the horses in moving onwards.
carry the vehicle with them, but, from its inclined or bevelled surface at the
front, it passes completely into the cross bar, whenever the vehicle tends to push
forward on the horses, or when the latter attempt to hold back or stop it..
When the bolt is completely sunk in the cross bar, the horses, either in.
drawing or setting back, lay on the brakes. Advantage is taken of this when
they attempt to run off, or when they are to remain stationary for a certain.
length of time. mn is a connecting piece which places the bolt in communica-

page_text: tion with the spring R and the rod m, n. The extremity m of this rod receives
a chain or cord, which is passed over a roller placed below the pole bolt,
hollowed out for this purpose. One roller is sufficient for two chains or cords.
Figure 2 shows the manner in which the chain at the left side runs over the
roller, surrounds it, and passes with the chain of the right side to the centre of
the pole bolt.
The lower part of the apparatus C, Figure 3, to which are fixed the two
chains or cords, turns on a vertical arbor, so as to render these latter indepen-
dent of the rotatory movement of the fore carriage.
The
Figure 3 represents the apparatus raised to its highest point, in which
position it is maintained by the hook 9, acted on by the spring 9'. The lower
part of the apparatus C is set in a platform socket T; S, S', is a spiral support,
which tends to raise it, while its course is regulated by the slide piece y fitted
with a pivot at the point C. The socket T is provided with a plate X, X,
pressing against X', X", and thus separating the hooks 9 and .
driver of the carriage by pressing his foot on T, separates the hooks, and
causes the apparatus C to fall, partly by its own weight and partly by the
action of the spiral S, S'. The notch is this brought to the hooks,
and C being at the end of the range, the bolt V passes completely into the
mortice of the furchel. When desired that the bolt V should pass but a
short distance (say one-third of an inch) into the mortice, the foot is placed
at p on the lever a, o, d, p; the section o,, oscillates round the axle o, pushed
by the spring ; the section 2, o, d,p, revolves on the axle d, and is maintained
in position by the spring p'. The foot being then placed on the pedal p, the
book rises to the distance of about one-third of an inch; the hook 9 retains
the apparatus in that raised position, while falls back under the pressure of
the spring p'. To raise the apparatus still further, say one-third of an inch
more, the foot is again pressed on the pedal p, and the hooks = and g act as
before; thus, to sink the bolt into the furchel to a distance of, say, two-thirds
of an inch, it suffices to press the foot on T; for half that distance, the foot is
once pressed on p; and to run it completely into the cross bar, the foot should
be twice pressed on p. In ordinary carriages the extremity of the furchel B,
Fig. 1, is hollowed to receive the pole or shaft. In the present case, the pole
or shaft should be hollowed to receive the furchel, and the detached pieces be
united below by an iron plate. For two-horse carriages, the splinter bar
should be fixed to the furchels, while the extremity of the pole which joins the
fore carriage is left moveable in two sockets.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in

page_text: which it is or may be carried into effect, I would have it understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details above laid down, as these may be modified
without departing from the principles or main features of the system; but
what I claim is, the construction and arrangement of a brake or drag apparatus
for scotching, retarding, or stopping carriages on ordinary roads, substantially
as above described aud represented in the Figures of the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Marc Antoine François Mennons, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
M. F. MENNONS. (L.B.)