Improvements in Brakes applicable to Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 16th Apr., 1898
[Communicated from abroad by HOGAN DOUGLAS COSBY, Ticket Agent, Room 609,
100, Washington Street, Chicago, Ill., United States of America.]
Improvements in Brakes applicable to Cycles and other Vehicles.
´I, JOHN LIDDLE, of 154, St. Vincent Street, in the County of the City of Glasgow,
North Britain, Patent Agent, 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 a brake more particularly adapted to bicycles, its object
being to provide a brake which will effectively check the motion of the bicycle
without acting upon the tyre of the wheel.
In accordance with my invention in the preferred construction I provide a
brake with two tyre-encircling levers pivoted back of the crank hanger and in
front of the rear wheel and above the lower tubes of the bicycle frame with the
braking ends adapted to be pressed against the rim of the rear wheel on both sides
between the tyre and the spokes and with vertical links on the other end thereof
connected with an operating rod in connection with suitable mechanism operated
by a handle lever on the steering head whereby in operating the brake the engage-
ment of the links on the forward end of the brake levers tends to counterbalance
the downward pull of the wheel on the other (brake shoe) ends of the brake levers
to produce thereby an effective, easily operated and reliable braking action.
In order that my invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect I have hereunto appended one explanatory sheet of drawings of which
Figure 1 is a view of a bicycle equipped with the brake of my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the brake showing the tyre and the rim of the wheel
in section.
Figure 3 is a view of the brake attachment from beneath.
Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a side view and Figure 6 is an end view of one of the collars of the
brake operating mechanism.
Figure 7 is a view of the handle for operating the brake.
Figures 8 and 9 are views of a modification in which a sleeve is attached to the
bicycle tube to which the collar is pivoted.
Like letters refer to like parts in the several figures.
The plate a of the brake attachment rests upon the rods 61 61 extending from the
crank hanger b of the frame to the hub of the rear wheel c, which plate a is secured
in position by means of a block a¹ which is clamped against the under sides of the
rods 6' 61 by means of the bolts a² a². A screw a³ passes through the block a¹ and
rests by one end against the crank hanger band by the other end against the cross
piece bª between the rods b¹ 61. A head a' is provided on the screw, whereby it may
be turned to move the plate a back and forth to adjust the same in position and

page_text: accommodate any adjustment of the wheel c and any change in the length of
driving chain that may be made. Upon the plate a are pivoted the brake arms d d¹
adapted to rock upon the journal pin d. To the ends of the arms are pivoted
the links d³ d, the opposite ends of which are pivoted to the operating rod d³.
By depressing the rod do the arms are thrust apart by the links to rock the brake
arms upon their pivot and bring the brake shoes e e¹ into engagement with the
rim of the rear wheel c. The brake shoes may consist of the ends of the
arms dd', or may be separate blocks or rollers secured thereto, or preferably short
tubes of rubber fitting over the ends of the arms and renewed from time to time
as they wear away. The arms d d¹ are curved so as to fit about the tyre c³ without
rubbing against the same. It often times happens that the rear wheel does not
run true, the rim being displaced to the right or to the left of the position
illustrated. The swivelling of the brake arms upon the pivot d² permits the brake
arms to swing back and forth to engage the rim in any position it may occupy.
The rod d is pivoted at the upper end to permit the necessary lateral movement.
The links connecting the ends of the brake arms with the operating rod constitute
a toggle joint whereby any force exerted upon the operating rod imparts a greatly
magnified pressure to the brake arms to press the ends apart and force the brake
shoes into contact with the rim. The friction of the rim upon the brake shoes
tends to force the ends of the brake arms downward at one end while the operating
rod forces the opposite ends downward, thus relieving the brake arms of any
tendency of being thrown out of position and reducing to a minimum all lateral
strain on the journal pin d³.
The upper end of the operating rod is journalled to the collar h surrounding
the tube k of the frame and pivoted thereto at h¹ the pivots h³ and h¹ permitting a
limited lateral movement of the rod do to accommodate the swivelling of the brake
arms, when the rim of the wheel is out of alignment.
When it is desired to throw on the brake, the brake handle is operated; the
collar h is thus rocked upon its pivot to depress the operating rod do and move the
brake shoes into engagement with the rim of the wheel. A spring n may be
provided for maintaining the brake normally out of action.
When it is desired not to put holes in the tube of the frame of the bicycle for
the journal pins upon which the collars are journalled, a sleeve p, Figure 8 may
be clamped about the tube by screws p¹p, the sleeve carrying in the sides
holes pp in which fit the lugs 71 carried on the inner edges of the ring r which
is made in two halves adapted to be clamped together by screws 2. The
lugs act as journals upon which the ring may rotate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a bicycle brake, the combination with the lower tubes of the bicycle frame,
of a pair of horizontal tyre-encircling brake levers pivoted back of the crank
hanger and above the tubes and having the ends or brake shoes arranged to be
pressed upon the opposite sides between the tyre and the spokes of the rear wheel,
and a pair of vertically extending links connected with an operating rod and
connected respectively to the forward ends of the brake levers, whereby the thrust
of the operating rod and links is on the opposite side of the pivot and is in the
same direction as is the pull of the wheel upon the brake shoe ends of the brake
levers, substantially as described.
2. In a bicycle brake, the combination with the frame of the bicycle of a pair of
horizontal tyre-encircling brake levers pivoted back of the crank hanger and above
the lower tubes and having the ends or brake shoes arranged to be pressed upon
the opposite sides between the tyre and the spokes of the rear wheel, and a pair
of vertically extending links connected with an operating rod and connected
respectively to the forward ends of the brake levers and a lever h pivoted to the
upright tubing k the rear end of which lever engages the end of the operating

page_text: rod connected with the links, and the other end of which is connected by suitable
operating mechanism with an operating lever, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of January 1898.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Patent Agents.