IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE APPARATUS FOR PERAMBULATORS AND INVALID CARRIAGES
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS HENRY BROOKE HITCHING of: 19 21 & 23 Ludgate Hill in the city
of London Baby Carriage Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE APPARATUS FOR PERAMBULATORS AND
INVALID CARRIAGES to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in brake apparatus for
perambulators or carriages for children and for invalids or cripples and is designed
to make a simple and efficient arrangement for applying a spoon or like brake to
the wheels of the same and to obviate the necessity of removing the attendants
hands from the pushing handle and so preventing the machine escaping down an
incline or off a side walk.
:
In carrying it out in its application to spoon brake apparatus I attach or connect
the spoons to the ends of a rod capable of oscillating in bearings to put the brake
on or take it off the wheels.
This rod carries an arm projecting from it at right angles or nearly so and has
an opposite arm linked to a check spring secured to the frame of the carriage.
From the projecting rod a leather strap, chain cord or rod passes to a lever
handle fitted on a stop hinge or pivot placed below, or beside the pushing handle of
the perambulator. This pushing handle carries a swinging ring or other suitable
device to lock the brake handle when pulled up and so keep on the brake when
required; for instance, in waiting outside a shop..
Instead of making the brake handle to oscillate from, one end, it may be made
to oscillate on centres on bearings and so be turned instead of being lifted to apply
the brake. The brake rod may be jointed in its length to equalize, the pressure on
the spoons, or instead of spoons, strap brakes placed on the hubs of the wheels may
be actuated by the apparatus before described...
Dated this 18 day of January 1884.
POPPLEWELL, COLTON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I THOMAS HENRY BROOKE HITCHING of 19, 21, and 23 Ludgate Hill in the City
of London, Baby Carriage Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE APPARATUS FOR PERAMBULATORS AND
INVALID CARRIAGES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This Invention has for its object Improvements in brake apparatus for
perambulators or carriages for children and for invalids or cripples and is designed
to make a simple and efficient arrangement for applying a spoon or like brake to
the wheels of the same, and to obviate the necessity of removing the attendant's
hands from the pushing handle and so preventing the machine escaping down an
incline or off a side walk.
In carrying it out in its application to spoon brake apparatus I attach or connect
the spoons to the ends of a rod capable of oscillating in bearings to put the brake
on or take it off the wheels.
This rod carries an arm projecting from it at right angles or nearly so and has
an opposite arm linked to a check spring secured to the frame of the carriage.
From the projecting rod a leather strap, chain, cord or rod passes to a lever
handle fitted on a stop-hinge or pivot placed below or beside the pushing handle of
the perambulator. This pushing-handle carries a swinging ring or other suitable
device to lock the brake handle when pulled up and so keep on the brake when
required, for instance when waiting outside a shop.
Instead of making the brake handle to oscillate from one end it may be made
to oscillate on centres or bearings and so be turned instead of being lifted to apply
'the brake.
:
The brake rod may be jointed in its length to equalize the pressure on the
spoons, or instead of spoons strap brakes placed on the hubs of the wheels may be
actuated by the apparatus before described.
The sheet of drawings hereunto annexed shews a method of carrying my
invention into practice with spoon brakes.
Fig. 1. is an elevation of my apparatus as applied to a perambulator or invalid
carriage
Fig. 2. is a side elevation of the same.
A is the push-bar'or handle secured as usual to the back of the perambulator or
chair and serving to push the'same Ba bracket secured to or fitted on the same,
this bracket B has a pivot on which moves a lever C so as to rise and fall D is a
swing ring fixed to or carried 'by the opposite end of the push-bar A. E is an
oscillating rod carried by bearings F. F. attached to the back or body of the
vehicle. This rod carries at its ends the brake spoons G. G. or the levers connected
to straps passing over pulleys on the hubs of the wheels.
The rod E carries a lever H to which a chain, cord or strap passes to the
lever C.
J. is another arm secured to or carried by the rod E and attached to it is a check-
spring K secured to the body or back of the vehicle.
L. L are the bent rods carrying the handle or push bar A.
To apply the brake as say for example when a perambulator is stopping before
a shop or beside a park or like seat or bench the lever C is raised and its end
slipped in the swing ring D when the brake is kept on the wheels and the vehicle
prevented from running away.

page_text: Instead of the ring D swinging it might be fast and the end of the lever C
jointed or flexible to slip into the ring but this is a mere mechanical equivalent.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I desire to state that I
am well aware that spoon brakes have been before applied to vehicles of the kind
referred to and I make no claim for such but I claim as my invention of Improve-
ments in brake apparatus for perambulators and invalid carriages.
The combination of lever Ċ pivotted to the handle or push bar of the vehicle
with the spring-ring D to lock the same when pulled up to operate the oscillating.
rod carrying the brake-spoons or straps substantially as described.
.
Dated this 17th day of October 1884
.POPPLEWELL, COLTON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.