Improvements in Brakes for Pneumatic Tyred Wheels, and in Means for Operating Brakes generally.
Year: 1895

page_text: his Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c., Act, 1883), as allowed by
the decision of the Chief Examiner of the 17th day of November 1896.
Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st Nov., 1895-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Pneumatic Tyred Wheels, and in Means
for Operating Brakes generally.
1, THOMAS TERRELL, of 15 St. Petersburgh Place, Bayswater Road, London,
Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:―
This invention has relation to brakes to be used in connection with the pneumatic
tyred wheels of cycles and common road vehicles, and in means for operating or
communicating motion to brakes for pneumatic and other tyred wheels for vehicles
generally, and has for one of its objects, the prevention of injury to the tyre,
and for another of its objects, a simple means of communicating motion to brakes.
The brake part of this invention consists in employing as a retarding medium, an
apron, strip or band of leather or fabric, mounted upon the spring arms of a frame,
arranged to circumferentially follow, but normally to stand away from, the
periphery of a tyre, which is braked by the said apron being brought more or less
into contact with it, the drag being put on by a wiping action.
One form of the second part of these improvements consists in employing water,
oil, or like liquid substances as means for communicating motion from a part of a
cycle or vehicle to the brake, the transmission being effected by a piston plunger
and suitable conduits.
In carrying out the first part of this invention in connection with a pneumatic
tyred safety bicycle, a strip of leather of a breadth greater than that of the tyre is
mounted at its opposite edges upon two spring arms, whose inner ends are made fast
to, and turn upon, the cross bracing piece or other part of the back stays of the
framing as a fulcrum, with the other and free ends and the whole of the frame and
the apron carried by it normally standing clear of the tyre.
The apron brake, which may, in cross section, be slightly cambered, is brought
down upon the tyre and made to partly and gradually envelope the same sheet-
wise (roportionally to the pressure applied) by a cross bar near the fulcrum end
being depressed by a plunger rod or equivalent operated by the rider, and according
to the pressure applied, so the angle of the spring frame is varied and the apron
brought down upon a greater or less superficial area of tyre periphery, hence
greater or less drag.
On pressure being relieved, the spring frame of the apron recedes and takes the
said apron from out of wiping contact with the tyre.
An apron resembling in figure a mudguard may be employed and used for two
purposes, ciz., braking the wheel and shielding the rider from dirt.

page_text: It is preferred to employ this part of the invention in connection with the back
wheel of a cycle only, but if necessary, the same may be applied to the front wheel,
or to both wheels.
One form of means for transmitting motion to, or operating, the brake in
accordance with the second part of my invention consists of a closed-ended cylinder
or barrel, mounted trunnion-wise upon the steering post or sleeve of the framing,
and having a piston or plunger working within it, with the rod extending through
an end cap and being jointedly connected to a part of a brake lever. The other
end of the cylinder has in connection with it, a conduit or tube for conveying the
liquid or fluid under pressure to a second cylinder, having working within it, a
plunger, whose rod (or an end of it) passes through one end of a cylinder and
impinges upon a brake, either directly or through intervention of auxiliary rods or
levers.
Located within the last named cylinder, and at the back of the plunger is a coiled
spring for effecting the return of the plunger to its out-of-use position and forcing
the liquid or fluid backwards again into the first-named cylinder and returning the
brake lever to its normal position.
The plungers in both cylinders may consist of a circular disc of rubber secured
between two plates or washers by a small screw passed therethrough and by
screwing up which the rubber may be expanded so as to make a perfect fit to the
inside of the cylinder.
No spring is employed in connection with the brake lever as the spring in the
back cylinder does all that is required for bringing back the parts to their normal
positions.
The junction of the outlet to the front cylinder to the conducting tube may
be made by a flexible or other rubber bend to admit of the turning of the steering
post.
As a modified form of connection between the front pump and the conducting
tube I propose the said pump should be carried either by the sleeve or socket or by
the steering post, but in every event the bearing end of the brake down rod has
a T-shaped foot, with the head curved to the same radius as the sweep which the
end of a brake rod takes when the handle is turned for steering, so that whatever
position the steering bar is in, the brake rod end always comes upon the top of the
piston rod of the cylinder. By this means any flexible connection between the
front cylinder and the conducting tube is dispensed with.
In carrying out another form of the second part of my improvements, in
communicating motion by rods, the brake rod has at its lower end, a quadrant
foot, which comes upon or is connected with, the forward arm of a bell cranked
lever, whose other arm is attached to a pull rod whose other end is connected to
the middle pivot of a knee lever, the upper end of one link of which is jointedly
connected to a fixed part of the framing, whilst the lower end of the other link is
jointedly connected to the brake framing inwards of the joint or fulcrum upon
which it turns, so that on the brake lever being depressed, the bell cranked lever is
rocked, the connecting rod pulled forward, the knee or toggle link straightened
and the brake depressed upon the periphery of the wheel.
The parts are brought back to their normal positions by a spring or springs.
Instead of employing a knee joint, I may use a bell cranked lever and the
connecting rod may be substituted by a connecting cord.
As a further form instead of using the flexible india-rubber tube, I may employ
a hollow link or two hollow links, connected by plug jointed ends (alike unto a
double armed gas bracket) with water ways through them.
Instead of the brake lever being depressed, it may be lifted and the brake
operated rear of or outwards of the fulcrum instead of inwards of it.
As a further alternative the piston rod of the front cylinder may be terminated
by a quadrant slotted plate, of a length equal to the quadrant traverse of the piston
rod when turned with the handle bars on steering. A necked end of the brake rod
passes through the slot, so that a shouldered part of the saine bears on the plate

page_text: and depresses the plunger. Silent washers or bushes come between any of the fitted
parts which may be liable to chatter.
THOMAS TERRELL,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
Improvements in Brakes for Pneumatic Tyred Wheels, and in Means
for Operating Brakes generally.
I, THOMAS TERRELL of 15 St. Petersburgh Place, Bayswater Road, London,
Gentleman, 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 :-
This invention has relation to brakes to be used in connection with the pneumatic
tyred wheels of cycles and common road vehicles, and in means for operating or
communicating motion to brakes for pneumatic and other tyred wheels for vehicles
generally, and has for one of its objects, the prevention of injury to the tyre, and
for another of its objects, a simple means of communicating motion to brakes.
The brake part of this invention consists in employing as a retarding medium, a
pliant or flexible apron, strip or band of leather or fabric, mounted upon the spring
arms of a frame arranged to circumferentially follow and envelope, when in
operation, but normally (and when out of use,) to stand away from, the periphery
of a tyre.
One form of the second part of these improvements consists in employing water,
oil or like liquid substances as means for communicating motion from a part of a
cycle or vehicle to the brake, the transmission being effected by a piston plunger
and suitable passages.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a safety bicycle provided with
brake and brake-operating mechanism constructed and arranged in accordance with
my improvements.
Figure 2 represents the fore portion of the bicycle upon an enlarged scale, showing
the hydrostatic means for communicating motion to the brake through the agency of
fluid forced rearwardly through a pipe into a secondary cylinder, having located
within it a spring for counterbalancing the head pressure of the said fluid when
pressure upon the brake lever is removed.
Figure 3 represents upon the same scale as Figure 2, the rear portion of the
machine, showing the cylinder at the back end of the pipe or passage and the
counterbalancing spring for returning the fluid displaced and the brake lever and
its cognate parts to their normal positions. The said view also shows part of the
brake, which consists essentially of an inner and supported spring metallic frame
with the free ended spring arms secured within the opposite edges of a brake band
or apron made of any suitable material (such as leather or canvas) and adapted,
when brought down upon the tyre, to first only touch the extreme outer circumference
of the same, and then as the pressure increases, for its opposite edges to gradually
fall from the said centre to the sides and thus invest or envelope the tyre periphery
to a greater or less degree proportional to the said pressure applied.
Figure 4 represents a topside plan of a portion of the handle bars, showing the
position of the brake lever and the front liquid-forcing cylinder.
Figure 5 represents a back elevation of Figure 3, showing the apron of the brake
in section and how the bifurcated lower end of the brake rod is made to span the
apron and is connected to the two opposite sides or spring arms of the same, so that

page_text: when the said sides are depressed or descend to a lower plane than the extreme
outer circumference of the tyre, the brake fore part (whose normal breadth is
greater than the inner part) is gathered in laterally and made to fall to and invest
the tyre's periphery.
Figure 6 represents a topside plan of the brake, with one side of the same in
section, thus showing one of the spring arms of the frame which carries the apron.
Figure 7 represents a side elevation of Figure 6, and Figure 8 represents a like
view as Figure 7, but with the brake brought down and its tip or end just touching
the periphery of the tyre.
Figure 9 represents the brake investing or enveloping the tyre to its fullest
extent.
Figure 10 represents a cross section upon the dotted line Figure 7, with some
of the parts removed, and Figure 11 is a section upon the dotted line. Figure 9.
Figure 12 represents a section of Figure 2 upon the dotted line ², showing the
clip for connecting the fluid conducting pipe to the framing member.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
a is the brake, consisting of a strip or apron of leather or other flexible material a¹,
circumferentially following the contour of the outer periphery of the tyre b, and
supported or carried at its outer edges by arms or spring arms a², connected together
by a cross end a³, hinged to side brackets a', affixed by clips or otherwise to the
back forks c', of the general framing c, of the machine. The outer and free end a³,
of the spring framing is much broader than the inner end aⓇ.
Located above and spanning the brake sides, is a bifurcated and dual jointed
end part d', connected to the lower extremity of a brake rod d, and with the
said bifurcated end part, connected by its branches through the medium of
lugs a, to the arms a², of the wire frame, carrying the apron of the brake.
The other end of the said rod d, passes up the middle of a fixed barrel or
cylinder e, made fast by clips or other connection means to the back stays of
the machine, and having leading into its upper end, a pipe or passage f. The
said inner end of the rod d, terminates in a pump-bucket piston d², made up of
a cup leather d³, having located within its cup, an expanding rubber washer d
expanded by the turning of a screw d³, coming upon the top of a metal washer d.
By such an arrangement the piston is made at all times to truly fit the inside of
the barrel.
Located within the said cylinder e, and coming at the back of the piston and
surrounding the piston rod, is a counterbalancing spring g.
The conducting pipe runs along the top tube of the framing and is secured
thereto by clips h, having rubber linings for preventing the contact of metal to
metal, whilst the fore end of the said pipe is fitted with a flexible connection f¹, to
admit of the steering post i, turning within the socket or head, of the machine.
This flexible connection pipe f¹, is secured to the tail end j, of the nozzle k', of a
forcing barrel or cylinder k, trunnion mounted at ", to a bracket i¹, on the post i,
and having working within it, a pump-bucket or other piston m, connected with
and terminating a piston rod m', which works through the end cap 4, and has its
upper end connected to the boss or junction n', of the brake lever n, which is
pivoted at n, to a bracket n³, carried by the handle bars n', surmounting the
steering post i.
By drawing the handle n, upwards, the piston is depressed, the cylinder k,
slightly rocked and the water or other fluid substance o, coming below the said
piston within the said cylinder k, is forced outwardly through the nozzle k¹, and
rearwardly through the connection f¹ and pipe f, from which it enters the barrel or
cylinder e, above the piston d³, and through the pressure exerted by the displaced
fluid, the piston d, is forced down the cylinder e, in opposition to the spring g
carrying with it the brake rod d, which, through its bifurcated end, forces the
opposite sides of the spring frame carrying the apron brake inwards and upon the
inner and fixed end of the said frame as tulerum producing contact first with

page_text: the outer extremity a³ and then, as pressure is continued to be applied up to the
point a and finally entirely wrapping the tyre as illustrated in Figure 9 and thus the
wheel is braked not so much by pressure as by wiper contact and adhesion.
On hand pressure on the brake lever being relieved, the counterbalancing
spring now expends its pent up energy created by its former compression in
returning the whole of the parts to their normal positions, whilst the brake frame
is taken from contact with the wheel by the retrograde movement of the
piston rod.
Figure 13 represents a modified form of the bifurcated bracket, bridging and
carrying the brake and located at the lower end of the brake rod.
d is the bifurcated end made from spring metal, carrying at its free ends
the enveloping brake a, whilst it is jointedly connected to the brake rod d, by
a link d'.
By making the said bifurcated bracket of sheet steel or of spring metal, the
tyre is more efficiently invested by the brake.
Figure 14 represents my investing or enveloping brake, operated by an ordinary
brake rod, and applied to the front wheel of a bicycle.
c is a bicycle frame, n the handle bar, b¹ the front wheel, n the brake lever,
n the brake rod, to the lower end 2 of which, the enveloping brake, which is
fulcrumed and supported at c°, by brackets a, connected to the fork c¹, is jointedly
or slidingly connected, so as to admit of the angular movement of the brake, when
its operating rod moves vertically.
n³ is the spring for returning the brake and its lever to their normal positions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. A brake for pneumatic tyres, consisting of an apron or strip of canvas,
leather or other pliant material supported at the sides by two spring arms a',
hinged at the back a³, and open at their extreme ends, operated at a² by the
arm d', the operation of all of which is to wrap the tyre as shown in Figures 7, 8
and 9 and as pressure is applied increasing the area of contact between the brake
and the tyre without materially increasing the pressure upon the unit of surface
substantially as described and illustrated."
Secondly. The hydrostatic arrangement for operating velocipede brakes con-
sisting of the fore pump k, the tube f, the flexible tube f¹, for the purpose of
allowing rotary motion of the head the rear pump e, and a spring operating on the
rear piston for returning the water and relieving the brake, all substantially as
described and illustrated.
Thirdly. The combination of the brake claimed in the first claim with the
hydrostatic means of operating the same claimed in the second claim substantially
as described and illustrated.
Dated this 20th day of November 1895
THOMAS TERRELL,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.