Improvements in Brakes for Bioyoles and other Pneumatic Tyred Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 6th. Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Bioyoles and other Pneumatic Tyred
Vehicles.
1, WILLIAM LAIRD STEWART, Merchant, of Wilmerding, in the County of
Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 relates to improvements in brakes for bicycles and other pneumatic
tired vehicles, and has for its object to provide a brake of simple and comparatively.
inexpensive construction, which shall be light and strong, and adapted to generate
sufficient friction against a wheel to retard or stop its rotation without injury to.
the material of which the tire is formed.
I will describe a bicycle brake embodying my invention, and then point out the
novel features in the appended claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the views.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a brake embodying my invention, showing the
same as applied to a bicycle wheel;
Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 3;
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a transverse section showing a modified form of brake; and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a block or shoe employed, and showing a
modified construction.
i The brake comprises a metal cylinder 1,, here shown as closed at one end and
having its opposite end 2; removable. As here shown, this end. 2 is provided with
an exterior thread to engage an interior thread in the cylinder 1. The fixed end.
and the removable end are each provided with central openings for the passage of
the trunnions of a bearing block or shoe 3, arranged within the cylinder and
extended longitudinally thereof. This bearing block or shoe 3 has semi-cylindrical.
seats 4 extended longitudinally of it in its lower opposite sides, in each of which
seats 4 is loosely mounted a friction roller 5, which for the purpose of securing
lightness I prefer to make tubular, as indicated in the drawings. These friction"
rollers 5 bear against the inner periphery of the cylinder 1, slightly below its"
longitudinal centre, and they are pressed yieldingly against the same by means of a
spring 6, secured at one end to the block or shoe, and at its free end bearing against
the upper interior surface of the cylinder.
Each end of the bearing block or shoe 3 is provided with a trunnion 7 extended"
outward through the openings in the end pieces of the cylinder 1, and these
extended ends are engaged by the downwardly-extended members of a yoke' 8, to
the central portion of which is attached the lower end of an upwardly-extending
operating rod 9. To prevent a rotary movement of the block or shoe 3 relatively
to the yoke 8, I have here shown the ends of the trunnions as made angular, as
indicated at 7, and the ends of the yoke sections have correspondingly-shaped slots'
formed in them to engage these angular portions. At the outer side of the
downwardly extended members of the yoke the trunnions 7 may be screw-threaded
and provided with nuts 10
יין

page_text: The operating rod 9 will extend upward to a point adjacent to the handle bar
of the bicycle where it may be provided with suitable hand piece, the downward
movement of which will move the brake cylinder 1 into engagement with the tire
of the wheel. Preferably the cylinder i will have a covering 11 of yielding
material, such for instance as canvas or rubber, which will engage with sufficient
friction against the tire to retard or stop the movement of the wheel without injury
to its tire. It will be seen that the openings through the ends of the cylinder 1
are slightly larger in diameter than the trannion 7, and therefore there may be a
slight play between the brake cylinder 1 and the friction rollers 5.
In the example of my improvement shown in Figure 4, the friction rollers 5 are
omitted, and a rectangular block 12 is arranged within the oylinder 1 and is
adapted to engage its transversely curved edges with the interior of said cylinder.
This block or shoe 12 will be provided with a spring 13, similar to and having the
function of the spring 6. before described. As there will be considerable wear of
the block or shoe 12, I may provide it with a removable jacket 14, as indicated in
Figuro 5. For this removable jacket I usually einploy copper, as copper may be
easily bent around the block or shoe.
From the above description it will be seen that the brake is of au extremely
simple and comparatively inexpensive construction, and is well adapted for use on
bicycles and other pneumatic tired vehicles, since the friction employed to retard
the wheel is not applied directly to the veliicle tire, but is applied to the interior
of the brake cylinder, which may rotate more or less by its frictional contact with
the tire.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim.is,-
1. A brake for a bicycle or the like, comprising a brake cylinder, a bearing block
or shoe extended longitudinally therein, a yoke engaging the trunnions extended
from the ends of said block or shoe, and an operating rod attached to the yoke,
substantially as specified.
2. A brake for bicycles or the like, comprising a brake cylinder, u bearing block
extended longitudinally therein, friction rollers supported in said block and engaging
the inner surface of the brake cylinder, a yoke engaging with trunnions extended
from the ends of said block, und an operating rod extended upward from said yoke,
substantially as specified.
3. A brake for bicycles or tlie like, comprising a cylinder, a bearing block or
shoe arranged longitudinally therein and having semi-cylindrical seats formed in its
lower side, friction rollers in said seats, a spring attached to the upper side of said
block or shoe and engaging its free end with the interior of the brake cylinder, and
a yoke having its downwardly-extended members engaged with trunnions extended
from the said block or shoe through openings in the ends of the brake cylinder,
substantially as specified.
4. A brake for a bicycle or the like, comprising a cylinder, a bearing block
arranged longitudinally therein and having transversely curved seats in its lower
side, friction rollers engaging in said seats and engaging the interior of the brake
cylinder, a spring for forcing said block and friction rollers yieldingly downward
with relation to the brake cylinder, an operating rod having engagement with the
trunnions extended from said bearing block through openings in the ends of the
brake cylinder, and a cover of yielding material on the brake cylinder, substantially
as specified.
5. A bicycle brake, comprising a cylinder, a cover of yielding material on the
cylinder, a bearing block or shoo extended longitudinally in said cylinder and
having trunnione extended outward through openings in the ends of said cylinder,
friction rollers loosely mounted in transversely curved seats formed in the under side
of said bearing, block or shoe, a yoke having its downwardly-extended members

page_text: engaged with the trunnions, means for preventing a rotary motion of said blook
relatively to the yoke, and an operating rod extended upward from said yoke,
substantially as specified.
Dated this 20th day of December 1896
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
58 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.