Improvements in Brake Mechanism for Bicycles and other like Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 10th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 16th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brake Mechanism for Bicycles and other like
Vehicles.
We, EDWARD GRIFFIN SELDEN, of 164 Saint James Avenue, in the City of
Springfield, County of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America, Clergyman, and GEORGE DUDLEY CHAMBERLAIN, of 198 Florida
Street, in said City of Springfield, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Our objects are to provide improved brake mechanisms for the avoidance of the
constant exertion of the rider to maintain the brake pressures for long periods, as in
coasting; and for the application of the brake pressure to the opposite sides of the
tire instead of against the peripheral tread portion thereof for the avoidance of the
injurious effects of the great pressures upon the periphery of the tire which as
understood are especially destructive to pneumatic tires.
In carrying out the invention two levers are pivotally mounted on the upper
uniting part of the fork-legs for the forward wheel, or upon other suitable
supporting part of the vehicle adjacent a wheel thereof; and the lower arms of
said levers are formed to constitute the bearing members or brake-shoes. These
brake-shoes are held at each side of the tire.
The upper arms of the levers are extended above the points of their pivotal
support standing in suitable separation, and means are provided relative to said arms
for ensuring such movements thereof as to draw the brake-shoes towards each other
simultaneously for their clamping action against the opposite sides of the tire.
With reference to details of construction, the lever-arms have offset studs; and
the plunger or thrust-rod operated by the usual hand brake-lever carries a block
or plate having convergent surfaces which bear upon the approached sides of said
studs, or upon frictional rollers thereon. We prefer to form this plate with two
angularly arranged slots the inner boundaries thereof constituting the impinging or
cam-operating surfaces for setting the brake while the other boundaries of these
slots ensure, as the plate is carried in the reverse direction on the release of the
hand pressure, the reversed movement of the levers for letting off the brake.
Said plate may, however, be in the form of a simple wedge the movements of which
act to positively set the brake-levers, the letting off thereof being ensured, if deemed
necessary, by the application of a suitable spring or springs.
The thrust-rod has guiding bearings in a vertically perforated lug which is formed
on or attached to the supporting and uniting part of the fork on which the levers
are pivoted; the aforesaid plate is provided with a perforated lug or hub through
which the thrust-rod is passed and secured by a screw or rivet and the retracting
spring for the brake may encircle the thrust-rod having one end in bearing against
said lug of the fork and the other against the lug or hub of the plate.
We may substitute other means whereby to operate the levers than the preferred
means stated as consisting of a plate with inclined surfaces, and hence do not desire
to be limited to any particular operating means.
Du do of November 1809

page_text: "COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brake Mechanism for Bicycles and other like
1 Vehicles.
We, EDWARD GRIFFIN SELDEN, of 164 Saint James Avenue, in the City of
Springfield, County of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America, Clergyman, and GEORGE DUDLEY CHAMBERLAIN, of 198 Florida
Street; in said City of Springfield, 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 objects of this invention are to provide improved brake mechanisms for the
avoidance of the constant exertion of the rider to maintain the brake pressures for.
long periods, as in coasting; and for the application of the brake pressure to the
opposite sides of the tire instead of against the peripheral tread portion thereof for
the avoidance of the injurious effects of the great pressures upon the periphery of
the tire which as understood are especially destructive to pneumatic tires.
To these ends the invention consists in constructions and combinations of parts
all substantially as will hereinafter fully appear and be set forth in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which,
}
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the brake-mechanism applied at the head of a
bicycle.
Figure 2 is an elevation of important portions of the mechanism seen at right
angles to Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a view substantially similar to Figure 1, but showing a slight
modification in the construction which as will become apparent, embodies the essentials
of this invention.
While this brake mechanisin is here illustrated as in application for action upon
the forward wheel of a bicycle it may be applied with great advantage to the rear
'wheel.
In the drawing A represents a part of the front fork of the vehicle having the
usual upwardly extended pillar or extension, A', to which the handle-bar, A², is
connected, while B is the tubular head portion of the frame. DD represent levers
pivotally mounted, as at a, on the forward side of the upper uniting part, b, of the
fork-legs, the lower arms, c, c, of the said levers being formed to constitute, or
equipped with, the bearing members or brake-shoes, d, d. These brake-shoes are
held at each side of the tire, C, as clearly seen.
The upper arms, f, f, of the levers are extended above the points of their pivotal
engagement with the fork standing in suitable separation, and means are provided
relative to said, upper arms for ensuring the distension or further outward separation
thereof, and consequently the drawing towards each other of the arms carrying the
brake-shoes for the clamping action by the latter against the opposite sides of the
tire, a desirable-embodiment of which means will be now described:
Each of the arms, f, f, has an offset stud, f, and on the plunger or thrust-rod, h,
operated by the usual. brake-lever, i, is a block or plate, F, having the inclined and
-downwardly converging edge surfaces, j,j, which bear upon the approached sides of
said studs, ff, or upon friction rollers thereon, as seen in Figure 3.
The downward thrust of the brake plunger-rod and corresponding downward
movement of the plate, F, which is practically wedge-shaped, (specifically so as
scen in Figure 3) ensures a powerful cam action on the lever-arms for the setting
of the clamp-brake, which action, as manifest, is derived with comparatively slight
manual force, and the setting, when secured, may be maintained through long
periods without, the painful hand' pressure heretofore found necessary in bicycle
brakes.
More specifically describing the part, F, comprising the two-faced cam, or

page_text: wedge, seen in Figure 1 of the drawings, it will be noticed that the plate is formed
with the two slots, y, y, having downwardly converging directions, the inner
boundary of each slot constituting the impinging surfaces of the wedge, while
the outer boundaries of the slots constitute impingement surfaces for bearing on the
studs, ff, and ensuring,-when the plate moves upwardly, as carried by the
retracting spring, k, on the release of the hand pressure,--the reversed movement
of the levers, D, D, for letting off the brake.
When the plate, F, constructed as seen in Figure 3, is employed, without the
slotted borders, a spring, as seen at w, is applied for ensuring the letting off of the
brake members.
The brake thrust-rod, h, has guiding bearings in the vertically perforated lug, mn,
forwardly extended from the aforesaid uniting part, b, of the fork (Figure 1) or in
the lug, m', of the bracket, m³, secured to such part, 7, (see Figure 3).
In Figures 1 and 2 the plate, F, is shown as provided with the forwardly extended
lug, n, vertically perforated, through which perforation the thrust-rod is passed and
secured by the set-screw or rivet, as indicated at o.
In the aforesaid figures the brake retracting spring is shown as encircling the
thrust-rod and having its ends in bearing against the lug, m, of the fork, and the
lug, n, of the plate.
The aforesaid transverse uniting portion, b, of the fork is formed with a boss or
thickened portion, p, for receiving the screw, or pivotal stud, for each of the
brake-levers, D, D.
While the bearing of each of the brake-shoes is sidewise upon the tire for a
different and more advantageous manner of action than where the bearing is at the
tread, nevertheless these sidewise bearings are not so far extended towards the rim
as to have any contact with the latter or any such engagement with those portions
of the tire surface adjacent the rim as to exert an action for the separation of the
tire from its connection with the rim.
Having now particularly described the nature of our said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
1. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel of a brake-shoe mounted on a
suitable supporting part and having a movement against and away from the side of
the tire and means for operating the brake-member.
2. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel, of a pair of brake-members
mounted on a suitable supporting part and having movements against and
away from opposite sides of the tire and means for operating said members
simultaneously.
3. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel of a pair of pivotally mounted
levers having brake-shoe arms extended at opposite sides of the tire and having
other arms suitably extended, and means for causing the movements of the latter arms
to set the brake-shoes simultaneously against opposite sides of the tire of the wheel,
substantially as described.
4. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel of a pair of pivotally mounted
levers having brake-shoe arms extended at opposite sides of the tire and having
other arms suitably extended and a movable part having a wedge or cam form
adapted for impingement against said second named arms for swinging them.
5. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel of a pair of levers pivotally
mounted on a supporting part of the vehicle having brake-shoe arms extended at
opposite sides of and adjacent the tire and also having arms extended in different
directions therefrom, a movable part adapted to have a cam or forcing action on
said latter arms for setting the brake, and means for ensuring the reverse movement
of said levers for letting off the brake.
6. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel of a pair of levers intermediately
pivotally mounted with arms thereof provided with brake-shoes and other arms
thereof provided with the studs, f¹, f, a movable part having inclined surfaces, j, j,

page_text: for an impingement against said studs and devices for moving said incline-edged
part, substantially as described.
7. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel thereof of a lever intermediately
pivotally mounted having an arm thereof extended into proximity to the tire of
the wheel and having another arm otherwise extended, a thrust-rod having thereon
a part with an inclined edge adapted for a forcing impingement against the latter
named lever-arm, for the purpose set forth.
8. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel thereof, of a pair of levers
intermediately pivoted, an arm of each being extended into proximity to the tire
of the wheel and another arm of each being otherwise extended into proximity
with each other and having the studs, f, f¹, thereon, a part as F, having
the inclined slots, y, y, and a carrier or thrust-rod on which said part, F, is
supported and means for operating it, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
9. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel thereof, and the front fork
having the vertically perforated lug, m of the thrust-rod, h, having a guiding
bearing through said perforated lug and having secured thereto a plate with the
inclined surfaces, j, j, the levers intermediately pivotally mounted upon the fork and
having the upper portions thereof subject to the forcing action of said plate and
having the other arms thereof extended to adjacent the sides of the wheel-tire,
substantially as described.
10. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel thereof, of a pair of levers
pivotally mounted and provided with brake-shoes or bearing-members at opposite
sides of the tire, and a movable part having inclined or cam surfaces for impinge-
ment against said levers for setting the brake, and other inclined or cam surfaces for
impingement against said levers for ensuring the letting off of the brake, substantially
as described.
11. The combination with the wheel and the fork having the united portion
thereof provided with the bosses or enlargements, p, p, of the levers, D, D, inter-
mediately pivoted to said enlarged parts, p, p, and arranged for operation
substantially as described, and the movable inclined part for operating the levers.
12. In a velocipede the combination with a wheel thereof and the front fork
baving the perforated lug, m, of the thrust-rod, h, guided through said lug, the
plate,, having the perforated lug, n, encircling and secured to the thrust-rod and
having the inclined edges, j, j, the levers, D, D, intermediately pivoted and com
prising the brake-shoe arms and the arms subject to the action of said inclined plates
and the spring, k, encircling the thrust-rod and bearing against and between said
lugs, m and n, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of August 1893.
EDWARD GRIFFIN SELDEN.
GEORGE DUDLEY CHAMBERLAIN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.