Page:United States patent 1309377.pdf/3

2 to. The normal tendency of the lever 23 to move the contact 24 into engagement with the contact 20 is produced by a suitable spring 25, which is connected to the lever and to the arm 16 of the pedal 14. The contacts 20 and 24 are, however, when the pedal 14 is in its inoperative position, held out of engagement with each other by a stop 26, against which the lever and the pedal are forced by a spring 27, which normally tends to move the pedal to its initial or inoperative position.

In operation, when the pedal 14 is depressed about its pivot, it will be moved away from the stop 26, as will also the lever 23. This will permit the contact 24 to move into engagement with the contact 20 under the influence of the spring 25, so as to complete the circuit through the magnet and resistance coils 13. At this preliminary stage of the operation of the pedal 14, the contact 20 will be in engagement with the endmost of the resistance coils 13, so that all of the coils will be cut into the circuit, and, consequently, the solenoid magnet 7 will, at this time, be least effective. As the pedal is first depressed, the coils will be successively cut out of circuit and the magnet rendered gradually more effective to move the lever 5. It will, of course, be understood that this successive cutting out of the resistance coils will have the effect of causing the gradual application of the braking member or members. It will thus be seen that the braking member or members will be applied automatically by a suitable power means, and that the power means will be under the control of the operator.

The pedal 14 may be depressed to such an extent that the arm 18 will engage the lever 5 between its pivot point and the point to which the core 8 of the magnet is attached, so that upon subsequent and further depression of the pedal, the effect of the magnet 7 will be considerably augmented by the positive force transmitted through the pedal 14 to the lever 5 and the connecting means between the lever and the braking member or members.

Of course, it will be understood that should the power operating means become, for any reason whatever, ineffective, the braking member or members may be applied by means of the pedal.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a braking mechanism wherein provision is made for the application of the braking member or members by power operating means, which means is controlled by a suitable means under the direct control of the operator, and that the latter means may be rendered effective to directly apply the braking member or members. The application of the braking member or members may, therefore, be readily accomplished by a person who is physically incompetent to apply the ordinary foot brake.

What I claim is:&mdash;

1. In a brake mechanism, the combination with a braking member, electrical mechanism for operating the same, means for controlling the electrical mechanism to render it effective to various degrees, which means is subsequently operable to augment the braking effect of said electrical mechanism, and means for automatically returning the controlling means to its initial position to render the same inoperative.

2. In a brake mechanism, the combination with a braking member, of an element for operating the same, an electro-magnet for initially actuating said element, and a pedal adapted to close the magnet circuit upon its initial movement and to act directly on the brake operating element to actuate the same after the initial actuation by the magnet.

3. In a brake mechanism, the combination with a braking member, of an operating lever therefor, an electro-magnet for actuating the lever, a pedal having means thereon for closing the magnet circuit and having a projection the same after its initial actuation by the magnet.

4. In a brake mechanism, the combination with a braking member, of an operating lever therefor, a solenoid magnet for actuating said lever, an electrical circuit including said magnet, a rheostat in said circuit, a pedal having a controlling contact for said rheostat, a switch carried by the pedal for controlling the circuit, means on the pedal adapted to contact with the lever to operate the brake directly, and means for returning the pedal to its initial position to release the brake and open the magnet circuit.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 7th day of March, A. D. 1917.

CHARLES R. UNDERHILL.

Witnesses: