Improvements in Apparatus for Starting and Stopping Omnibuses or other Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 12th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 15th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Starting and Stopping Omnibuses
or other Vehicles.
I JOHN DARLING of 2 Wharton Street, King's Cross Road, London, W.C.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for starting and stopping
omnibusses or other vehicles, and has for its object to provide efficient means for
aiding the horse or horses attached to a vehicle to start the latter, and also at the
same time to provide means to act as a brake for the purpose of preventing the
vehicle travelling backward when such vehicle has been brought to a stand-still
upon an incline.
In carrying my invention into practice, I fix to, or form integral with, the bush
or hub of each front wheel, a ratchet-wheel, and engaging with this ratchet-wheel
is a pawl mounted upon the forked or branched end of a lever, which lever is
suitably connected at its forward end to the splinter-bar, this said splinter-bar
being adapted to be raised or lowered.
If desirable I may employ an additional splinter-bar or I may attach the forward
ends of the levers aforesaid to the splinter-bar proper, which however, in the latter
The lower
case, must be adapted to be raised and lowered, as before mentioned.
forked or branched end of each lever, is fulcrummed to the underneath of the axle
or to any other suitable part of same.
A suitable spring (or springs) is attached to one end to the movable splinter-bar
aforesaid, the other end of such spring being fixed to any suitable part of the
vehicle, either above or below the lowest level of the splinter-bar, the object of
such spring to raise the splinter-bar (after it has been lowered by the pull of the
horse or horses) into the position necessary to enable the pawl to be brought back
to the correct position to once more operate the ratchet.
Weights or other equivalent means may be employed to effect this said purpose,
in lieu of the spring or springs aforesaid."
A strengthening guide is fixed to, or formed integral with, the movable splinter-
bar, which strengthening guide may pass through an opening in the pole of the
vebicle or be of double form so as to have two vertical depending arms joined at
their lower ends by a horizontal piece, and between which the pole passes.
Each pawl may if found desirable be provided with an eye for the purpose of
attaching a cord or the like to same to enable the driver of the vehicle, to raise the
said pawl out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet.
Dated this 7th day of September 1894
HUGHES, SON & CO.,
38, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Starting and Stopping Omnibuses
or other Vehicles.
I JOHN DARLING, of 2, Wharton Street, King's Cross Road, London, W.C.,
Engineer, 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 relates to improvements in apparatus for starting and stopping

page_text: omnibuses or other vehicles, and has for its object to provide efficient means for
assisting in the starting of such vehicles thereby saving much of the labor and
exertion now necessarily expended in the operation by the horse or horses yoked
thereto, and which means may also be adapted to act as a brake for the purpose
of preventing the omnibus or other vehicle to which the same may be attached
travelling backward when stopped or brought to a stand-still upon an incline.
In accordance with this invention I have affixed to the bush or hub of each front
wheel (or formed integral therewith) a toothed or ratchet wheel, into the teeth of
which when operated a pawl engages as hereinafter will be more particularly
explained. This pawl is mounted upon a suitable lever pivotted upon the wheel
axle, the forward or front end of this lever being connected to the splinter-bar. I
may have for the purpose of this invention a secondary or auxiliary splinter-bar
capable of being raised or lowered to which the lever carrying the pawl aforesaid is
attached, or the ordinary splinter-bar may be employed provided it be capable of
a rising and falling movement which will effect the engaging or releasing of the
pawl with the teeth of the ratchet-wheels, as required.
In starting, the horses pulling will lower the splinter-bar sufficiently to bring
the pawls into gear with the ratchet-wheels upon the hubs of the front wheels
and when the tension is sufficiently released as when the vehicle is in full
motion the pawls are released from gear by the action of suitable springs
provided.
And in order that this my invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe same with reference to the accompanying
sheet of drawings and letters and figures of reference marked thereon that is
to say :-
Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus applied to a wheel.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, but in which the pawl and lever are shewn drawn
away from their proper positions viz. over and against the ratchet-wheel respec-
tively, to enable same to be the more clearly seen.
Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are respectively side, end, and plan, views of the pawl;
is a ratchet or toothed
Both front wheels of a
Figs. 6 and 7 side and end views of the bracket to which the lever carrying the
pawl is fulcrummed and by which it is connected to the axle of the vehicle, and
Fig. 8 shews in end view a strengthening guide preferably attached to or formed
integral with the splinter-bar passing through or around the pole of vehicle.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in each of the figures.
a is one of the front wheels of a four wheeled vehicle.
wheel carried upon the hub or bush of this wheel a.
vehicle are provided with ratchet-wheels in accordance with this invention and
engaging with each of these ratchet-wheels I have a pawl c preferably of the
form shewn more particularly in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 of the drawings, that is to say
having the side projecting lower extremity or catch proper c and a hooked upper
portion fitting over the upper arm of a branched lever d to which latter it is
pivotted at 2. The rearward end of the lever d is of an elliptical or other suitable
shape and its front or forward end is attached or connected to the splinter-bar e.
The lower branch of the rearward end of the lever d is pivotally connected to the
wheel axle f, a convenient means of making this connection being as follows:-I
have a bracket (see particularly Figs. 1, 6, and 7) with a dependent forked end g',
in the upper jaws of this bracket the axle, (preferably made square at that
part), fits.
A plate or cover g³ is then securely attached to the bracket and the whole is
held firmly upon the axle. The bolts h for attachment may be formed in one with
the bracket and the top plate or cover (provided with suitable apertures) is
dropped over same and held in position by nuts i.
The lower branch of the
leverd passes through the dependent bifurcated extension g¹ of the bracket g,
and is pivotted thereto by bolt and nuts k. The top plate or cover 9' is formed
with a vertical stud or pin having an aperture in its upper end. This forms a
bearing for the rod m one end of which passes through the aperture in the vertical

page_text: arm and the other end of which is in pivotal connection at n with the rear end of
lever d. A spring o placed between rear end of lever d and the upright / tends to
keep pawl c out of gear with the ratchet-wheel b. When starting the vehicle the
pull of the horses upon splinter-bar e pulls same downwards, overcomes the action
of spring o and causes pawl c to engage with teeth of wheel and render
the desired assistance in giving momentum to the vehicle.
As soon as the
vehicle runs easily the previous tension upon the splinter-bar e is lessened and
the spring o operates and causes the lever d and with the splinter-bar e to rise-
sufficiently to disengage the pawl from the ratchet-wheel.
As an alternative to the spring o shown, a spring or springs may be connected at.
one end to the movable splinter-bar aforesaid and at the other end to any suitable
part of the vehicle either above or below the lowest level of the splinter-bar, the-
object of said spring or springs being similar to that described with reference to
spring m viz. to raise the splinter-bar (after it has been lowered by the pull of the
horse or horses) into the position necessary to enable the pawl to be brought back
to the correct position to once inore operate the ratchet. Or, if desired, weights or-
other equivalent means may be employed to effect these said purposes in lieu of the
spring or springs aforesaid.
A strengthening guide p (see Fig. 8) may be fixed to, or formed integral with,
the movable splinter-bar e. This guide may be of a loop form as shewn and the
pole y passed therethrough or may be a dependent arm passing through a slot or
opening formed in the pole.
Each pawl e may further be provided or furnished with an eye (see Fig. 1).
for the purpose of attaching a cord, chain, or the like ( Fig. 1) to same to enable
the driver of the vehicle to raise the said pawl c out of engagement with the teeth
of the ratchet.
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 :-
1. The improvements in apparatus for starting and stopping omnibuses or other
vehicles, substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In apparatus for starting and stopping omnibuses or other vehicles the
combination of ratchet-wheel upon the hub of the front wheel of the vehicle, with
pawl carried upon a lever pivotally connected to the wheel-axle and attached at
forward end to a movable splinter-bar, all arranged, constructed, and operating,
substantially as described and shewn.
3. In apparatus for starting and stopping omnibuses and the like the ratchet-
wheel b, pawl c, lever d, movable splinter-bar e, bracket g, top plate or cover g',
vertical arm l, guide rod m, and spring o, combined and arranged substantially as
shewn and described.
Dated this 12th day of November 1894.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.