An Improved Brake for Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1894-Accepted, 23rd June, 1894
An Improved Brake for Vehicles.
I, HERBERT LEONIDAS BAILEY, of No. 207 South Canal Street, Chicago,
County of Cook, State of Illinois, United States of America, Manufacturer 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:―
The subject of the present invention is a brake for use on vehicles that are
driven by gearing which includes a sprocket chain and a pair of sprocket wheels
about which the chain is trained and the invention relates to that class of brakes
that are operated by or through the lateral movement of the normally slack side of
the driving chain, a brake of this class being shown and described in United
States Letters Patent No. 517,996 which were granted to the Bailey Manufacturing
Company on the 10th day of April 1894. In the brake shown in that Patent the
spoon is carried by one of two arms which project from a rock-shaft, the other of
said arms being provided with an anti-friction roller, so located that it will be
'engaged and moved by the normally slack side of the chain whenever the slack is
transferred to the normally taut side of the chain, the movement of the anti-
friction roller thus produced being transmitted to the spoon through the medium
of the arms and shaft aforesaid. In the brake shown in the Patent there is no
provision for adjustment to fit machines in which the distance between the ground
wheel and frame varies, excepting such adjustment as is possible by changing the
location of the clip by which the rock-shaft is supported and attached to the frame
of the machine. The spoon is not adjustable with relation to the arm by which it
is carried, to fit different machines. It is of course understood that in order to
secure a nicety of action it is necessary that the spoon occupy a certain relation to
the periphery of the wheel, and that the anti-friction roller, or other device that
may be substituted therefor, occupy a certain relation to the driving chain.
That
is to say, the spoon should be hung so that only a slight movement is necessary to
bring it into contact with the wheel, and so that when in contact it will bear from
end to end instead of only at or near its outer extremity, and the anti-friction
roller or its substitute should be so located that the maximum lateral movement of
the normally slack side of the chain will move it a sufficient distance to apply the
brake with sufficient force to stop the vehicle as quickly as may be necessary in
any emergency, while at the same time a slight lateral movement of the chain
will not apply the brake at all. With a machine having a frame of any given
construction, it is of course possible to construct a brake in strict accordance with
the Patent aforesaid which will give these results, and as a matter of fact the brake
shown in the Patent, when applied to a machine having a frame of the construction
therein shown, does give these results. It is well known, however, that frames
differ in construction very materially, and that even in those frames of the same
general character the proportions and relative locations of the parts differ.
The object of the present invention is to provide a brake of the character in
question of such construction that it can be made and sold as a separate article of
manufacture, and applied to vehicles having frames differing in construction. It is
essential that such a brake have means for so adjusting the spoon that it will
occupy the described relation to the periphery of the wheel, and means for so
adjusting the anti-friction roller or its substitute that it will occupy the described
elation to the driving chain.

page_text: With this object in view, the present invention consists in the features of novelty
hereinafter described.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood I will describe it with
reference to the accompanying drawings and in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle, and a brake embodying
the invention in its preferred form applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a plan view of said brake on a somewhat larger scale.
Figures 3 and 4 are vertical sections thereof on the lines 3-3 and 4-4,
respectively.
Figure 5 is a detail view of the stop for limiting the movement of the spoon
away from the wheel.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle and of a brake embodying
the invention in a somewhat simpler form applied thereto.
Figure 7 is a plan view of a portion of said brake.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle, and a brake embodying
the invention under still another modification applied thereto.
Figure 9, a detail perspective of holding spring.
I have illustrated the invention in its application to a "safety" bicycle, which
is chain driven and has a frame of the well known "diamond" type, but I desire
to have it understood that this is merely illustrative, and that the invention is not
limited in its application to a vehicle of any particular class.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
:
Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates the frame in
which is journalled the pedal-shaft B carrying the sprocket wheel C; D indicates
the driving wheel to the axle of which is secured a sprocket wheel E and
F indicates the driving chain which is trained about the two sprocket wheels in
customary manner. Upon the upright portion a of the frame is secured a clip G,
having a pair of ears which are located some distance apart and are perforated
for the passage of a bolt G¹, the perforations of one of the ears being tapped to
engage the threads of the bolt. H indicates a stop made of a piece of sheet-
metal having at its upper end a pair of perforated ears h which are located at
such distance apart that they rest against the ears and 1 indicates a sleeve fitting
upon the central portion of the bolt and extending from one of the ears to the
other, this arrangement being such that when the bolt is tightened the ears fare
drawn toward each other, and they in turn draw the ears toward each other
until these latter are brought to a firm bearing against the ends of the sleeve I.
Before the bolt is tightened, the stop may be adjusted to any desired position, and
is firmly held against movement.
arm
by tightening the bolt constitutes the hanger of the spoon K, is bifurcated at its
upper end, and its two prongs are perforated for receiving the sleeve I which
they fit snugly, but without binding, it being the intention that the joint shall
be sufficiently loose to permit the hanger to move by gravity, or under the influence
of the spring J, as desired, the ends of the spring being arranged to bear against
the inner face of the clip G, while a central loop J therein bears upon the arm
or spoon hanger J so as to hold the same in close contact with the stop H.
The lower end of the hanger is provided with a circular enlargement which is
serrated upon one side, and is perforated for the passage of a bolt L by means of
which the spoon is attached, said spoon being provided upon its rear side with a
perforated projection corresponding in size and shape to the enlargement, and
having upon one of its sides serrations for engaging the serrations of the
enlargement j' and upon the other of its sides serrations for engaging corresponding
serrations of the perforated head m of an arm M which carries an antifriction
roller N lying in the vertical plane of the driving chain. The perforations of the
enlargement and projection k are without threads, and the portion of the bolt L
that occupies these perforations is also without threads, while the perforation of

page_text: the arm M is tapped so that by turning up the bolt the parts, k and m are firmly
but adjustably secured together. It is of course necessary that the spoon K and
roller N be located in the vertical planes of the wheel and driving chain,
respectively, and since these planes are a considerable distance apart it becomes
necessary to use the extension arm M or its equivalent.
Very many bicycle frames of the present day have a part which corresponds..
more or less exactly with the part a and which it will be understood, is the post or
upright by which the saddle post is either directly or indirectly supported.
Without alteration, a brake constructed as above described may be applied to any
machine having this upright, regardless of the angle of its inclination, and (within
certain limits) regardless of the distance between it and the wheel. In order to
apply and adjust it, the clip G is first secured to the part a at such a point that the
spoon will come opposite that part of the periphery of the wheel against which it
is desired to have it bear. This done, the spoon should be so adjusted that it will
bear from end to end when brought into contact with the periphery of the wheel;
the stop H should be so adjusted that it arrests the. movement of the hanger when
the spoon has moved the desired distance away from the periphery of the wheel,
and the arm M should be so adjusted that normally the anti-friction roller N is out
of contact with the normally slack side of the chain, but will nevertheless be
engaged by said chain when the latter is moved laterally a predetermined distance.
It is also desirable, to adapt the brake to different machines to have the roller N
laterally adjustable with relation to the arm M by which it is supported, and to
this end I prefer to provide the series of washers M' interposed between the said
roller and the hub N' on the end of said arm, so that by increasing or decreasing
the number or thickness of said washers the distance between the roller N and the
hub of the arm M it may be quickly and conveniently changed, to adapt the brake
for use in connection with machines in which the distance or relative location
between the drive chain and wheel varies materially.
So far as I am aware, I am the first to provide a brake of the character described
with a spoon which is adjustable with relation to its hanger, and an adjustable stop
for engaging the hanger and limiting the movement of the spoon away from the
wheel and an adjustable operating roller or lever, and, therefore, I do not regard
my present invention as limited to the particular embodiment of these features
shown in the drawing.
The brake, shown in Figures 6 and 7 does not differ from the one described,
excepting in that the arm M which carries the anti-friction roller N is straight
instead of being offset so as to form an extension of the hanger. As before stated,
the primary object of this arm is to bring the roller N in the plane of the driving
chain, and the object in forming it with an offset, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, is
to get an increased braking force. Where it proceeds beyond the extremity of the
hanger as here shown, the arm and hanger taken together constitute à simple lever,
and being fulerumed at one end, and arranged to receive the force at the other end
and the resistance at an intermediate point, it becomes a lever of the second class.
In the arrangement shown in the Patent, the rock shaft and its arms constitute a
lever of the first class, and the arrangement shown in Figures 6 and 7 embodies a
lever of the third class. Thus I have embodied levers of all three classes in brakes
embodying my invention, I prefer a construction in which only a single simple
lever of one or the other of these classes is used, still, I desire to have it understood
that my invention is not limited thereto, and in Figure 8 I have shown a brake
having a system of levers. This brake has all of the parts of the brake shown in
Figures 6 and 7, excepting the anti-friction roller; and instead of this it has a
link O pivotally connected at one end to the arm M and pivotally connected at the
other end to an intermediate portion of a lever P whose upper end is fulcrumed
to a clip Qattached to the rear fork R, and whose lower end carries an adjustable
shoe S having a curved surface which is adapted to be engaged by the normally
Black side of the driving chain.

page_text: It will be understood that in all of the several forms of my invention normally
the spoon is held out of contact with the wheel by the gravity of the several
parts.
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. In a brake for vehicles, the combination with a spoon and a hanger therefor,
of an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of the spoon away from the wheel,
and means for setting and releasing the brake, substantially as set forth.
2. In a brake the combination with a spoon and a hanger adjustable with
relation to each other, of an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of the spoon
away from the wheel, and means for setting and releasing the brake, substantially:
as set forth.
3. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with a spoon, of a
device adjustable with relation thereto located in position to be engaged and moved
by the normally slack side of the driving chain when the latter is moved laterally,
and means for transmitting movement from said device to the spoon, substantially
as set forth.
4. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination of a spoon, a device
located in position to be engaged and moved by the normally slack side of the
driving chain when moved laterally, and means for transmitting movement from
said device to the spoon, the spoon being adjustable, substantially as set forth.
5. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with a spoon and its
hanger, of a device adjustable with relation to said hanger and located in position
to be engaged and' moved by the normally slack side of the driving chain when the
latter is moved laterally and means for transmitting movement from said device to
the hanger, substantially as set forth.
6. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination of a hanger, a spoon
carried thereby, and an arm proceeding from the hanger and adapted to receive
movement from the normally slack side of the driving chain when the latter is
moved laterally, substantially as set forth.
7. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination of a hanger, an arm
proceeding from the banger and adapted to receive movement from the normally
slack side of the driving chain when the latter is moved laterally, and an adjustable
stop for limiting the movement of the hanger, substantially as set forth.
8. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination of a hanger, an arm
proceeding from the hanger and beyond the extremity thereof, said arm being
adapted to receive movement from the normally slack side of the driving chain
when the latter is moved laterally, the hanger and arm constituting a lever, and a
spoon attached to the said lever between its fulcrum and the point to which the
power is applied for setting the brake, substantially as set forth.
9. In a brake for vehicles, the combination of a hanger perforated near its free
end, a spoon having a perforated projection, and a bolt passing through said
perforations and adjustably connecting the banger and spoon, substantially as set
forth.
10. In a brake for vehicles, the combination of a hanger perforated near its
free end, a spoon having a perforated projection, and a bolt passing through said
perforation and adjustably connecting the hanger and spoon the meeting faces of
the hanger and projection having interlocking features substantially as set forth.
11. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination of a hanger, a spoon 5
and an arm proceeding from the hanger, and means adjustably securing said parts
together, the arm being adapted to receive movement from the normally slack side
of the driving chain when the latter is moved laterally, substantially as set forth.
12. The combination of the perforated ears, the stop plate H having perforated
ears h, located between and in contact with the ears, the sleeve I bearing at its 5

page_text: ends against the ears h, the hanger suspended loosely from said sleeve and carrying
a spoon, and the bolt G passing through the perforated ears and tube and adapted
to draw the
ears together and clamp them against the ends of the tube,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 4th day of May 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.*