Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM JAMES COUSINS, of Number 138 Leadenhall Street in the City of
London, Secretary of the New Zealand Red Hill Gold Mining Company, Limited,
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 consists of two primary parts
(1) A Brake (B. Fig. 1.) carried on a double lever or arm (A. A. A. A.) and acting
directly on the outer circumference of the travelling wheel (C. C. C.), pressure being
maintained by a spiral or other spring (D.) pressing on the lever (A) which turns on
the pivot bearing (E).
(2) A Lever (F. F. F.) turning on its pivot (G.) and moving within a radius
determined by a slot or guide (1) and actuated in the case of an ordinary perambulator
carriage by the propelling handle (K); or, in the case of carriages drawn by hand, or
drawn or propelled by horses or other animals, or by electricity, steam, or other
motor, by the draught handle, draught chain, shafts, pole, or other attachment. This
lever (F) is fitted with two fulcrums (H. H¹)-fitted with small side plates or guides
which can not be conveniently shown in the drawing-and which act directly on the
Lever (A), releasing the wheel by forcing back the lever against the spring (D) and
thus removing the Brake from the wheel when the lever (F) moves in either
direction.
When moved forward (towards the body of the carriage shown at L), the Lever (F)
acts through the upper fulcrum (H) as shown by Fig. 2; when moved backwards
the lower fulcrum (H) actuates the lever (A.) as shown by Fig. 3; the result being
identical in either case as to the removal of the Brake from the wheel.
The resistance of the Spring (D.) to the movement of the lever (F) in each several
direction is equalized in the example shewn by the distance between the fulcrums (H. H¹)
being made equal to that between the lower fulcrum and the Pivot (E), the upper
fulcrum being placed twice as far above as the lower fulcrum is below the Pivot (G).
This arrangement is not arbitrary.

page_text: It is intended that this Brake and attachments be applied to one or more wheels
of a carriage, and in the latter instance the Brakes may act independently or coupled,
and, in either case with one or more springs to each Brake or set of Brakes, as
may be found expedient.
The object of this invention is to prevent accidents by carriages running down
inclines or running forward when an injudicious momentum has been produced;
this result is attained by the Brake always remaining on the travelling wheel excepting
when it is automatically removed by the carriage being pushed or drawn in the
proper manner, as shown above.
In this specification the term "carriage" is deemed to apply to vehicles of every
description travelling on two or more wheels.
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. That the application of a Spring Brake to carriages, removable only from the
wheel by the act of propelling the vehicle, and by means of simple levers as herein
described, is novel and original.
2. That I claim by virtue of this patent the sole right to apply to perambulators,
Bath Chairs and every description of band carriages travelling on wheels, and propelled
by handles in the rear, Spring Brakes acting on one or more of the said travelling
wheels, and removed, as described, by the act of propelling the carriage by the handles
in either direction.
3. And I further claim the sole right, in the case of every description of carriage,
wagon, tram-car, railway carriage, or truck, drawn or propelled by hand, by horses
or other animals, by steam, electricity or other motor, to apply spring Brakes acting
as herein described on one ог more of the travelling wheels, and automatically
removed by the act of traction or propulsion.
5.
Dated this Twelfth day of November One thousand eight hundred and eighty-