Improvements in or relating to Brakes, specially applicable to Velocipedes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1900
Improvements in or relating to Brakes, specially applicable to
Velocipedes.
I, CHARLES WALTER HATHAWAY, Works Manager, of Priory Works, Priory
Street, Coventry, Warwickshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to brakes and is specially intended for application to
velocipedes though it may also be applied to other suitable machinery.
I will describe my invention as applied to the driving wheel of a rear driving
safety bicycle. On to the end of the hub, preferably the end opposite to that to
which the driving gear is applied, I fix a drum or the like, the periphery of
which is formed with a concave groove preferably of curved transverse section.
To a clip adapted to slide on the corresponding lower stay of the frame I con-
nect, by a hinged joint or otherwise, one end of a suitable cord or the like, pre-
ferably a flexible stranded steel wire. On to this cord I thread a string of
washers of leather or other suitable material & this string of washers forms the
brake band which is passed round the drum. The cord is then passed through an
eye on the before mentioned clip. Between the end of the string of washers and
the said eye I interpose a suitable spring, such as a spiral spring threaded onto
the said cord. This spring is adapted to normally hold the string of washers
loosely around the drum. The end of the cord passing through the eye is adapted
to be pulled by any suitable connections operated by the hand or the foot of the
rider or otherwise, in such a way that the string of washers is tightened round
the drum, the revolution of which and of the wheel to which it is attached, is
thereby checked and the progress of the machine retarded. But I prefer to acta-
ate the said cord by the well known Bowden mechanism, one end of the flexible
incompressible tube being connected to the further side of the said eye and the
other end of said tube being connected to the hand or other operating device.
The cord on which the leather washers are strung is continued through the said
eye & through the said flexible tube to the said operating device, so that only a
single cord is employed. The cord may be adjusted by drawing the operating
end further or less far through the hand lever or the like & fixing same by a set
screw or otherwise; or an adjustable coupling may be introduced into the flexible
tube. The cord is preferably carried round the drum in such a way that the brake
tends to draw itself on when applied.
In order to facilitate the adjustment of the clip on the frame stay when adjust-
ing the position of the wheel axle in the fork ends I employ a distance piece
reaching from the said clip back to & abutting against the said wheel axle.
I do not confine myself strictly to be above description which is intended to

page_text: indicate the nature of my invention without excluding modifications and other
applications thereof.
Dated this 12th day of October 1899.
DOUGLAS LEECHMAN, M. Cy. E.I.,
Member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
18, Hertford Street, Coventry,
9, Exchange Chambers, New Street, Birmingham, &
Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Brakes, specially applicable to
Velocipedes.
I, CHARLES WALTER HATHAWAY, Works Manager, of Priory Works, Priory
Street, Coventry, Warwickshire, 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:
My invention relates to brakes and is specially intended for application to
velocipedes though it may also be applied to other suitable machinery. And
my invention consists primarily in a flexible band, for a band brake, comprising
a series of washers strung on to a flexible cord, and secondarily in the combina-
tion with such a band of a Bowden actuating mechanism.
And in order that my invention may be properly understood, I will describe
the same, by way of example and with the aid of the accompanying drawings,
as applied to the driving wheel of a rear driving safety bicycle.
Figure I is a side elevation of the said safety bicycle so fitted, and
Figure II is an inside elevation of the drum, band and adjacent parts, drawn
to a larger scale.
The same numerals indicate the same parts in both figures.
On to the end of the driving wheel hub 2, preferably the end opposite to
that to which the driving gear is applied, I fix a drum or the like 3, the peri-
phery of which is formed with a concave groove 4 preferably of curved trans-
verse section. The web 5 of the drum is preferably made of skeleton form to
hinder heat set up by the friction at the periphery reaching and letting down the
hardened parts of the wheel bearing. To a clip 6 adapted to slide on the corres-
ponding lower stay 7 of the frame I connect one end of a suitable cord or the
like 9, preferably a flexible stranded steel wire, by fixing the said end of the
cord in a screwed sleeve 22 which is passed through a lug 8 on the clip 6 and is
locked by nuts 23 and 24. On to this cord I thread a string of washers of suit-
able material, preferably vulcanised fibre 10, leather washers 11 being introduced
at intervals of about inch, to prevent the brake screeching. The cord and string
of washers form the brake band which is passed round the drum. The cord 9
also passes through a preferably tubular eye 12 on the before mentioned clip.
Between the end of the string of washers 10, 11 and the said eye 12 I interpose
a suitable spring, such as the spiral spring 13 threaded on to the said cord. This
spring is adapted to normally hold the band loosely around the drum and to with-
draw it therefrom on the brake being released." The spring 13 is preferably
covered by a sleeve 25, one end of which is partly closed to abut against the
washers 10, 11 and the other end of which telescopes over the tubular eye 12.
A distance piece 21 may be introduced between the other end of the string of
washers and a nut 26 screwed on to the sleeve 22, so that any variation that may

page_text: take place in the length of the said string of washers, may be compensated by
turning the nut 26.
The end of the cord passing through the eye 12 is adapted to be pulled by any
suitable connections operated by the hand or foot of the rider or otherwise, in
such a way that the string of washers is tightened round the drum, the revolu-
tion of which and of the wheel to which it is attached is (thereby) checked, and
the progress of the machine retarded. But I prefer to actuate the said cord by
the well known Bowden mechanism (Patent No. 25325 A.D. 1896), one end of the
flexible incompressible tube 14 being connected to the further side of the eye 12
and the other end of the said tube being connected to the hand or other opera-
ting device, preferably within one of the steering handles 15. The cord 9 on
which the leather washers are strung is continued through the said eye and
through the said flexible tube to the said operating device so that only a single
cord is employed. The cord may be adjusted by any suitable means, such as
drawing the operating end further or less far through the hand lever or the
like 17 and fixing same by a set screw or otherwise; or by an adjustable coupling
introduced into the flexible tube; or by regulating the nuts 23, 24 on the
sleeve 22. The cord is preferably carried round the drum in the direction shown
so that when the brake is applied the drum tends to lap the band around the
said drum.
In order to facilitate the adjustment of the clip 6 on the frame stay when
adjusting the position of the wheel axle 19 in the fork ends 20 I may employ a
distance piece reaching from the said clip, back to and abutting against, the
said wheel axle.
Other applications of my invention may be made in a similar way, and modi-
fications may be introduced without exceeding the fair scope of my invention.
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
1 claim is: -
1. A flexible band, for a band brake, comprising a series of washers strung
on to a flexible cord.
2. The combination with a band, of the kind referred to in the preceding
claiming clause of actuating mechanism constructed on the Bowden system, sub-
stantially as set forth.
3. A velocipede brake, constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substan-
tially as herein described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1899.
DOUGLAS LEECHMAN, M. Cy. E.I.,
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
18, Hertford Street, Coventry,
9, Exchange Chambers, New Street, Birmingham, and
75, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicant.