Improvements in Brakes and Brake Mechanism for Cycles and other Light Wheeled Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: 17
Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1899
14th Cont 1000 Accepted. 3rd Nov., 1900
Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification
eft,
44th Sont
1000 Accented. 3rd Nov., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes and Brake Mechanism for Cycles and other
Light Wheeled Vehicles.
I, CHARLES JOHN PAFFARD, of 31, Heron Road, Stapleton Road, Bristol, in
he County of Gloucester, Cycle Maker and Repairer, do hereby declare the
ature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of improvements in brakes and brake mechanism for
use upon cycles and other light wheeled vehicles.
In carrying my invention into effect, I employ a cord chain or wire upon
the cycle or other vehicle, the cord being attached to a small hand lever at one
end and to the brake proper at the other end, so that upon the said hand lever
being moved through an angle, the cord becomes pulled and actuates the
brake.
The latter may consist of two shoes or blocks, fitted upon their wearing
surfaces with leather, lignum vitae, or other durable substance and pivotted
to brackets clipped or otherwise fastened to the stays or wheel forks so as to
act upon the rim of the wheel, one shoe being upon each side thereof. The
brake shoes are adjustable sideways, so as to always bear effectually against the
rim when in operation, for which purpose the shoes are pivotted in the follow-
ing manner, that is to say: -the brackets which are fastened as before men-
tioned to the stays or wheel forks carry bolts or studs which project inwardly
towards the wheel, and over each of these is passed a bush or sleeve threaded
upon the outside. The latter carries two locking nuts between which the end of
shoe, which is flat and has been provided with a hole, is held upon the bush,
while the bush itself is held upon the bolt or stud by an ordinary nut or other
means. The position of the shoes upon the screwed bushes can be varied by
screwing up the locking nuts in one direction or the other, thereby affording
a side adjustment by which the brake can be caused to act at any desired part
of the rim.
The brake shoes are connected by a U-shaped fork embracing the rim and
tyre of the wheel and joined directly or indirectly to the cord or equivalent
device for pulling the shoes against the rim. I may introduce a spring or such
like device for keeping the brake shoes normally free of the wheel, and at any
suitable point in the cord or the like I may interpose a screwed sleeve or other
well known means for giving out or taking up a part of the length, and thereby
adjusting the position of the brake shoes in relation to the centre of the wheel.
The cord, chain, or wire before named, (which may give place in favour of
light rods where such may be desired) may pass from the U-shaped fork
through a bridge pièce fixed across the stays or wheel fork following the out-
line of the frame to the handle bar, pulleys being provided, or if preferred
levers, at the corners, carried by suitable clips.
The hand lever before mentioned need only be two or three inches in length,
and it is hinged between a pair of circular discs or segments (after the manner

page_text: of a knuckle hinge) fixed by a clip or otherwise upon the handle bar, top tube
or other convenient part of the machine. The cord or equivalent is attached
to the said lever in such a way that it becomes pulled by turning the lever
with the hand or finger through an arc of a circle. The circular discs or seg-
ments (which constitutes practically the leaves of the knuckle hinge) are fur-
nished with ratchet teeth upon their edge, and the lever itself carries a hinged
spring catch or pawl to engage therewith, which can be freed at will. By this
means, the brake may be held in position when the lever is pulled or turned
until such. time as it is released by the raising of the catch or pawl hinged on
same, the spring catch engaging with any tooth of the segment as required
for locking the lever in its extreme or any intermediate position.
I may employ any other suitable form of brake, whether applied at the rim
or hub or at any other point, in conjunction with my brake mechanism, instead
of the form hereinbefore described.
Improvements in Brakes and Brake Mechanism for Cycles and other
Light Wheeled Vehicles.
I, CHARLES JOHN PAFFARD, lately of 31, Heron Road, Stapleton Road, Bristol,
in the County of Gloucester, and now of 112, Oakfield Road, Anerley, in the
County of Surrey, Cycle Maker and Repairer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
My invention consists of improvements in brakes and brake mechanism for
use upon cycles and other light-wheeled vehicles.
In carrying my invention into effect, I employ a cord chain or wire upon
the cycle or other vehicle, the cord being attached to a small hand lever at one
end and to the brake proper at the other end, so that upon the said hand lever
being moved through an angle, the cord becomes pulled and actuates the
brake.
The latter may consist of two shoes or blocks, fitted upon their wearing
surfaces with leather, lignum vitae, or other durable substance, and pivotted
to brackets clipped or otherwise fastened to the stays or wheel forks so as to
act upon the rim of the wheel, one shoe being upon each side thereof. The
pull is transmitted to the brake shoes by means of a U-shaped fork.
The
brake shoes are adjustable sideways, so as to always bear effectually against
the rim when in operation.
The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrates a convenient form of my
invention, Figure 1 being a perspective view of part of a bicycle fitted there-
with. Figures 2 and 3 shew the hand lever in larger detail, and Figure 4 the
brake proper and its attachments. Reference will be made hereinafter to said
drawings and to the letters appearing therein.
The hand lever A, which is only two or three inches in length, is formed at
one end into two discs B, B parallel to one another, enclosing between them
a plain or grooved pulley or disc C of sufficient thickness to carry a cord E
or the like. I also provide a pair of levers, F attachable to the handle bar G
by means of a clip H, and I pivot the lever A to said leaves F by means of a
bolt J massing through said leaves and through the centre of the discs B C B

page_text: aforesaid. Upon the periphery of the discs B B, I form a number of ratchet
teeth K K, and between the two leaves F F (in a suitable position within reach
of the thumb), I pivot a spring pawl catch L having a pair of points L' bridg-
ing over the pulley or disc C and kept normally in engagement with the ratchet
teeth K K on both sides thereof under the action of a spring L². The cord E
is made preferably of stranded wire and is attached to the lever A at a point A¹
(Figure 2) in such a way that it becomes wound up slightly upon the pulley
or disc C when the lever is turned through an are of a circle, producing a power-
ful pull upon the cord E with comparatively trifling effort of the finger or
thumb. The brake proper (hereinafter described) can remain locked in its
extreme or any intermediate position owing to the pawl and ratchet engage-
ment until released by pressing the catch L which then permits the lever A
to return to its original position.
This part of my invention will permit of variation without departing from its
main features. For example, the ratchet teeth K may be upon a small seg-
mental piece fixed to the sides of the pulley C, and in some cases a single set
of ratchet teeth may be sufficient upon one side of the pulley only, a single
pointed pawl being employed to engage therewith.
Again, the pawl and, ratchet aforesaid may, if preferred, be reversed in their
relative positions, the ratchet teeth being formed upon the edge of the stationary
leaves FF and the pawl catch L mounted upon the movable arm A.
The brake proper, namely, that part which acts directly upon the wheel,
comprises two shoes and blocks, previously mentioned, the wearing block M
being held within the metal shoe N N. Brackets 00 are carried by the back
stays P P and upon said brackets are fixed bolts or studs Q Q which project
inwardly towards the wheel, and over each of these is passed a bush or sleeve R R
(Figure 4) threaded upon the outside. The latter carries two locking nuts S S,
between which the end of shoe N, which is flat (as at N¹) and has been provided
with a hole, is held upon the bush R, while the bush itself is held upon the
bolt or stud Q by an ordinary nut R¹ or other means. The position of the
shoes N N upon the screwed bushes R R can be varied by screwing up the lock-
ing nuts S S in one direction or the other, thereby affording a side adjustment
by which the brake can be caused to act at any desired part of the rim.
The brake shoes N N are connected by a U-shaped fork N2 embracing the rim
and tyre of the wheel and joined directly or indirectly to the cord E or equiva-
lent device for pulling the shoes and blocks against the rim. I introduce a
spring T between the fork N2 and an adjustable bridge piece V (clipped upon
the back stays) for keeping the brake shoes_normally free of the wheel.
any suitable point in the cord or the like, I may interpose a screwed sleeve
or other well-known means for giving out or taking up a part of the length,
and thereby adjusting the position of the brake shoes in relation to the centre
of the wheel.
At
The brake may be carried upon the back forks (or compression tubes)
adjacent to the bottom bracket if preferred, or it may be applied to the front
wheel, where deemed expedient.
Other
The cord, chain or wire E before named, (which may give place in favour of
light rods where such may be desired), follows the outline of the frame to the
handle-bar, pulleys being provided, or if preferred levers, at the corners, carried
by suitable clips. As shewn by the drawings-in Figure 1-a pulley W is
0 mounted upon an arm W which is clipped on to the rear of the top tube of the
bicycle, so as to bring the pulley just over the back stays P P.
pulleys X X are shewn, and at the bend of the handle bar I may employ,
instead of a pulley, a swivelled block Y with a cross hole therein, through which
the cord E passes, pivotted to a lug or bracket Y₁ clipped to the handle bar,
5 the pivot pin Z having also a cross hole through which the cord passes, enlarged
outwardly from the centre to the exterior of the pivot pin to permit of slight
oscillation or swivelling. Provision may be made for always keeping the cord E

page_text: taut by fixing a pulley upon the top of the U fork around which the cord may
pass, the end being fitted into a block which may be clipped in various position's
either upon the fork side or upon the cord itself.
In conclusion, I may add that any other suitable form of brake, whether
applied at the rim or hub or at any other point, may be employed in conjunc-
tion with my brake mechanism, instead of the brake particularly above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. Brake actuating mechanism comprising a small lever pivotted to a suit-
able support upon the handle bar or other position, one end of said lever carry-
ing (or being fashioned into) a plain or grooved pulley through the centre of
which is passed the pivot pin and over or around which a cord or equivalent
becomes wound slightly when said lever is turned through an arc of a circle
in combination with pawl and ratchet device for retaining the brake in active
position until released, the whole substantially. as described.
2. A brake consisting of a pair shoes and blocks in combination with brackets
clipped to the forks or stays near to the rim of the wheel, each of said brackets
carrying a bolt upon which is passed a hollow externally threaded sleeve, the
latter carrying a pair of locking nuts between which the end of the brake shoe
is held, the threaded sleeves and locking nuts aforesaid affording a means of
lateral adjustment for the shoes and blocks, the whole substantially as described.
Dated this 11th day of September 1900.
For the Applicant,
STANLEY, POPPLEWELL & Co.,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agents.