Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A. [of the Agency, for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and
323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad by Gustav Reinke of
Nakel, in the Empire of Germany, Inventor) to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an improved automatic brake for wheeled
vehicles, especially applicable to pair-horse waggons provided with a pole and
perch.
Immediately in front of the front wheels is placed a cross-bar having a brake
block opposite each wheel. Into this cross bar the draw bolts of the swingle trees
are secured, passing through the front bar of the perch in such a manner that the
pull of the horses will lift the brake blocks off the wheels before the impulse is
communicated to the waggon.
The pole is secured to the perch in such a manner as to allow of a certain
amount of motion in a backwards and forwards direction, and its tongue is secured
by a bolt to two jointed levers or lazy tongs fixed on a cross-bar below the perch
in close proximity to the axle whereby the motion of the pole is communicated to
the mechanism. A lever arrangement between the brake cross bar and the front
bar of the perch enables the driver to control the action of the brake by hand if
required.
The operation of this automatic brake is as follows:
The moment the speed of the waggon in motion exceeds that of the horses, as
for instance when going down hill, the horses draw the pole back along the slit in
the tongue of the pole in which the stud which attaches the pole to the waggon,
works, by means of the collar chains which are attached to the hooks on the
pole bar,
The motion of the pole is thus communicated to the draw bars, and the cross bar
connected therewith by means of a screw arranged in the tongue of the pole and of

page_text: the aforesaid lever arrangement. The cross bar is however bound tightly to the
brake bar by means of bars, and it will, consequently, continually move with the
backward movement of the waggon pole.
The brake blocks which are attached to the brake bar, then drop on the wheel
tires and so immediately bring the waggon to a standstill.
It is evident that the arrangement of brake may be such that the collar chains,
in place of acting on the pole, will act on a bar placed under, and which may
extend to the end of the pole. The brake blocks may also be applied to the rear
wheels of the waggon.

page_text: y is an iron shod holding place, fixed on the right side of the waggon pole, for
the purpose of preventing wear of the waggon beam and of the brake bar.
2 is the hook on the front end of the pole for the collar chains.
The operation of this automatic brake is as follows:-
The moment the speed of the waggon in motion exceeds that of the horses, as
for instance when going down hill, the horses draw the pole back along the slit q
in which the stud works, by means of the collar chains which are attached to the
hooks z on the pole bar.
The motion of the pole is thus communicated to the draw bats and the cross
bar h connected therewith by means of the screw g arranged in the tongue of the
pole and of the lever arrangement i which works between the two iron plates ff
on the pins 8 8. The cross bar h is however bound tightly to the brake bar a by
means of bars p p and it will, consequently, continually move with the backward
movement of the waggon pole d.
The brake blocks k, which are attached to the brake bar a, then drop on the
wheel tires and so immediately bring the waggon to a stand still.
It is evident that the arrangement of brake may be such that the collar chains,
in place of acting on the pole d, will act on a bar placed under, and which may
extend to the end of the pole. The brake blocks may also be applied to the rear
wheels of the waggon.
If it be desired to bring the waggon to an instantaneous stand still, without the
horses pulling on the pole, the lever w shown in Figure 6 is placed between both
of the bars a and b so that the wedge or presses the brake bar a and with it the
blocks k against the wheels.
When the brakes are to be placed entirely out of action a pin m is placed in the
openings n of the frames and pole d so that the latter cannot be drawn back.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
An automatic waggon brake consisting of a pole capable of being moved by
nicans of the collar chains or by means of an iron bar placed under the pole and
connected with the collar chains and which bar places the brakes in action
immediately the motion of the carriage is quicker than that of the horses.
Dated this 2nd dox of Docombo: 1998