An Improved Brake for Vehicles adapted to be Propelled by Hand.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Brake for Vehicles adapted to be Propelled
by Hand.
I, SAMUEL SPINKE, of Kingston House, Chippenham, in the County of Wilts,
Printer and Bookseller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
Various constructions of brakes have from time to time been suggested for pre-
venting perambulators, bassinettes, bath-chairs or like vehicles moving when left
by attendants especially on a inclined path or road but most of these have been open
to objection as being cumbersome or complicated or liable to derangement.
Now my invention has reference to a simple and efficient construction and arrange-
ment of such a brake as follows.
To the body or frame work of the vehicle 1 attach in a usual manner rods that carry
the transverse handle by which the vehicle is to be propelled. The said handle rods
are, or one. of them is, made with a recess to receive a spring for a purpose to be
presently mentioned. To the said handle rods are pivotted or articulated a pair of
levers that may correspond at their upper parts in general form to the handle rods
but at their lower parts are curved outward laterally and also downward terminating
in parts that constitute what I will call brake-shoes which, although in other respects
they may be of any convenient form, have straight acting faces the arrangement of
which is tangential to the peripheries of the wheels or tyres against which they are
intended to act, whilst their position is such that they shall always act in a horizontal
plane passing through the axes of the said wheels notwithstanding variations in the
load carried by the vehicle and consequent changes in the amount of compression of
the body springs. The spring or springs in the recess or recesses of the handle rods
will operate to keep the brake shoes normally in contact with the peripheries of the
wheels. The brake levers at their upper parts carry a handle or cross bar arranged in
such a way as to be pressed towards the propelling handle by hand when the vehicle
is being propelled and which may be adapted to enter a longitudinal recess in or to
close up against or partly surround the propelling handle.
Dated this 30th day of May 1980
SAMUEL SPINKE,
Per L. W.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Brake for Vehicles adapted to be Propelled
by Hand.
I, SAMUEL SPINKE, of Kingston House, Chippenham, in the County of Wilts,
Printer and Bookseller, 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 :-
Various constructions of brakes have from time to time been suggested for prevent-
ing perambulators, bassinettes, bath-chairs or like vehicles from moving when left by
attendants, especially on an inclined path or road, but most of these have been open to.
objection as being cumbersome or complicated or liable to deraugement.
Now my invention has reference to a simple and efficient construction and arrange-
ment of such a brake as follows.
To the body or frame-work of the vehicle I attach in a usual manner rods that carry
the transverse handle by which the vehicle is to be propelled. The said handle rods

page_text: are, or one of them is, made with a recess to receive a spring for a purpose to be pre-
sently mentioned. To the said handle rods are pivotted or articulated a pair of levers
that may correspond at their upper part in general form to the handle rods but at their
lower parts are curved outward laterally and also downward, terminating in parts that
constitute what I will call brake-shoes. It is advantageous for these shoes to have
straight acting faces the arrangement of which is tangential to the peripheries of the
wheels or tyres against which they are intended to act, whilst their position is such
that they shall always act in a horizontal plane passing approximately through the
axes of the said wheels notwithstanding variations in the load carried by the vehicle
and consequent changes in the amount of compression of the body springs. The
spring or springs in the recess, or recesses of the handle rods will operate to keep the
brake shoes normally in contact with the peripheries of the wheels. The brake levers
at their upper parts carry a handle or cross bar arranged in such a way as to be pressed
towards the propelling handle by hand when the vehicle is being propelled and which
may be adapted to enter a longitudinal recess in, or to close up against, or partly
surround the propelling handle. The arrangement is such that whilst the brake lever
handle is pressed into or against the propelling handle, the brake shoes will be kept
out of contact with the rims or tyres of the wheels; but when the brake lever handle
is released the aforesaid spring or springs will at once operate to apply the brake shoes
to the wheels.
My invention is illustrated in the annexed sheet of illustrative drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation shewing the application of my improved brake to the hind
wheels of a perambulator, the brake being shewn in the "off" position i.e. that
assumed when the handles are grasped by the attendant.
Fig. 2 is a similar view shewing the brake in the "on" position.
Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation.
Fig. 4 is a cross section to a larger scale, taken through the propelling and brake
lever handles; it shews in dotted lines the position of the latter handle and the upper
ends of the brake rods carrying the same.
To the body 1 of the vehicle are attached in the usual manner the handle rods 2
one only of which can be seen in the drawings. Each of these rods is bent as shewn
at 2 so as to form a recess for the reception of a spiral spring 3. 5, 5 are levers each
provided at a point below the recess 2ª with a projection or part 4 by which it is
pivotted to the adjacent handle rod 2. Each spring 3 is under compression and is
held in place by projections on the rods 2 and 5 between which it is placed, entering its
two ends. The pair of levers 5 are pivotted at the top with a transverse bar or handle 6
arranged parallel to the usual propelling handle 7, and, at their lower ends, terminate
in spoon-shaped braking surfaces or brake shoes 8, 8. The levers at their upper parts
correspond in general form to the handle rods 2, 2 but at their lower parts are curved
or bent outward laterally and downward as shewn in Figure 3 in such a manner as to
bring each brake shoe 8 in close proximity to the rim or tyre of its respective wheel
at a point situated approximately in the horizontal plane passing through the axis of
the hind wheels.
The transverse bar or handle 6 is provided with a knife-like blade 6 that enters a
recess 7ª extending transversely across the handle 7, so as to occupy the position shown
in full lines in Fig. 4 when the handle 6 is pressed towards the handle 7, but is (as
shewn in dotted lines) of such a length as not to leave the recess when the brake shoes
are applied to the hind wheels. The blade consequently serves as a guard to prevent
the passage of an attendant's fingers between the two handles and injury thereto when
the handles are moved toward each other when taking off the brake.
The brake shoes may be faced with material such as leather or india rubber to
increase their holding power on the hind wheels of the vehicle.
It will be readily seen from Fig. 1 that as long as the brake lever handle 6 is, by
the grasp of the attendant, kept up against the propelling handle 7 the brake shoes 8,8
will be kept off the wheels against the action of the compressed springs 3, thereby
allowing of the free movement of the hind wheels and consequently of the vehicle.

page_text: Should however the grasp of the attendant upon the handles 6 and 7 be relaxed the
springs 3 will at once move the levers 5 into the position shewn in Fig. 2, applying
the brake shoes 8 to the wheels and thereby bring the vehicle to a standstill.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
My improved brake for vehicles adapted to be propelled by hand, constructed and
operated substantially as herein described and shewn in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 15th day of January 1890.
SAMUEL SPINKE.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.