Improvements in Brakes for Vehicles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 19th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH MORRELL of Poole Road Bournemouth in the County of Hampshire
Contractor 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in brakes for vehicles, and has for its object
to enable the driver of a two wheeled vehicle to apply the brakes to the wheels thereof
without throwing any extra weight upon the back of the horse or other animal yoked
to the said vehicle. According to my invention the whole of the brake mechanism
is attached to the axle of the wheels independently of the body of the vehicle so that
the said brakes are used solely to retard the motion of the wheels without interfering
with the horse.
In carrying my invention into practice I fix a bracket upon each axle tree and 1
attach in any suitable manner to those two brackets the two ends of a crank rod so
that the latter may freely turn or pivot thereon. A brake rod or lever is pivoted at
one end to each bracket and is connected by means of a link or bar to the said crank
rod. A foot lever one end of which is upright and projects in the vehicle through a
slot formed in the bottom thereof is articulated in such a manner as to pivot upon
the axle of the wheels while its other end is connected to the crank rod aforesaid by
means of a suitable link. One end of a spring is fixed to the underside of the
carriage body; or to the brackets on the axle its other end bearing against the crank
rod and in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have shown
the same in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sectional olevation of
the vehicle furnished with my improved brake mechanism Fig. 2 being an end view.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the said mechanism. B, B₁ are the two brackets fixed to the
axle tree II supported by the axle A of the wheels W W. To these brackets are
fixed the brake rods R R connected by the links L L to the crank rod C. The
crank rod C is pivoted at its two extremities a a' in the brackets B B and is free to
move or turn freely therein. Upon the axle A pivots the foot lever O connected to
the short upright arm i which carries a foot plate and passes through a slot formed
in the bottom of the body of the carriage-extending a convenient distance in the
vehicle so as to enable the foot of the driver bearing thereon sufficient power for
depressing the arm i and hence operating the brakes. The lever O is connected at
its rear end to the crank rod by means of a link Pa spring S bears at one end
against the underside of the rod and is fixed at the other to the under part of the
body of the carriage. The brake rods R R are provided with brake shoes or
blocks which are placed just clear of the wheel tyres W W.
When the vehicle is travelling down an incline the driver places his foot upon the
plate m and depresses the lever O which in its turn depresses the crank rod C by
means of the link P in consequence whereof the rods R R are pulled down and the
brake shoes ss applied upon the wheels W W. When the carriage reaches level
ground again, the driver releases the plate m and the crank rod is caused by the
spring S to return to its normal position carrying the rods R R¹ up with it and
hence withdrawing the shoes from the wheels WW. My invention is likewise
applicable to four wheeled vehicles.
As my improvements are capable of some modifications without departing from the
principle thereof, I do not restrict myself to materials diurcusions, or to the precise
placement of the several parts thereof.

page_text: Having now fully 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. The improved brake mechanism mounted upon the axle of two wheeled vehicles
and operating in such a manner that by depressing a foot lever, the brakes are applied
upon the upper part of the wheels only without throwing any extra weight forward
or interfering with the animal yoked to the said vehicle substantially as described
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. In brake mechanisin for two wheeled vehicles the combination of a crank rod C
pivoted in brackets B B secured to the axle with the brake rods R R connected
thereto by means of links IL, and with a foot lever O pivoted upon the axle A and
joined to the said rod C by a link P, this lover O having an upright arm i carrying
a foot plate m and extending within the vehicle substantially as and for the purpose
described.
Dated this 17th day of March 1890
RAYNER & CASSELL,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.