Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
285 words
An emergency-stop brake for wheeled vehicles having conventional pedal-operated brakes, comprising: a pad having means normally suspending it under the vehicle, arms hingedly connecting the pad to the vehicle at each side and adapted to lower the pad in contact with the road rearward of the vehicle wheels, plow means and squeegee means being secured to the arms for preceding the pad when lowered for clearing the path of the pad, the pad having an inverted dish-shaped housing, an air seal member secured around the border of the pad and adapted to contact the road, flat-bottomed road-contacting members secured within the housing, air passages between the contacting members, an exhaust chamber secured to the housing, the air passages being connected to the chamber, jet-pump means operatively connected to the chamber for quickly exhausting air from the air passages, electrical means for initiating pumping action of the pump means, the pad suspending means having link means including electrically actuated quick release fasteners connecting the arms to the vehicle, the pad being normally spring-biased downward, the brake pedal being connected to the conventional brakes by means including shear-pin means adapted to disable the conventional brakes when the brake pedal is depressed by a panic-braking force exceeding the wheel locking force adapted to lock the conventional brakes, and switch means operable by the brake pedal when the shear pin means break and adapted electrically to connect the release fasteners and the jet-pumping initiating means with a source of electrical power when operated, whereby panic-braking substantially instantaneously disables the conventional brakes, releases the pad for contact with the road and initiates evacuation of air from the air passages in the pad to force the road-contacting members against the road.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
285 words
An emergency-stop brake for wheeled vehicles having conventional pedal-operated brakes, comprising: a pad having means normally suspending it under the vehicle, arms hingedly connecting the pad to the vehicle at each side and adapted to lower the pad in contact with the road rearward of the vehicle wheels, plow means and squeegee means being secured to the arms for preceding the pad when lowered for clearing the path of the pad, the pad having an inverted dish-shaped housing, an air seal member secured around the border of the pad and adapted to contact the road, flat-bottomed road-contacting members secured within the housing, air passages between the contacting members, an exhaust chamber secured to the housing, the air passages being connected to the chamber, jet-pump means operatively connected to the chamber for quickly exhausting air from the air passages, electrical means for initiating pumping action of the pump means, the pad suspending means having link means including electrically actuated quick release fasteners connecting the arms to the vehicle, the pad being normally spring-biased downward, the brake pedal being connected to the conventional brakes by means including shear-pin means adapted to disable the conventional brakes when the brake pedal is depressed by a panic-braking force exceeding the wheel locking force adapted to lock the conventional brakes, and switch means operable by the brake pedal when the shear pin means break and adapted electrically to connect the release fasteners and the jet-pumping initiating means with a source of electrical power when operated, whereby panic-braking substantially instantaneously disables the conventional brakes, releases the pad for contact with the road and initiates evacuation of air from the air passages in the pad to force the road-contacting members against the road.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
269 words
An emergency-stop brake for use on high speed roads for wheeled vehicles having conventional pedal-operated brakes, comprising: a pad, means normally suspending the pad under the vehicle to the rear of the rear wheels, arms hingedly connecting the pad to the vehicle at each side and securing the pad to the vehicle when the pad is lowered, the pad being spring biased downward, the pad suspending means including link members secured together by quick release means, the pad having an inverted dish-shaped housing, an air seal member secured around the border of the pad and adapted to contact the road, flat-bottomed road-contacting members secured within the housing, air passages between the flat-bottomed contacting members, an exhaust chamber secured to the housing and connected to the air passages, jet pump means operatively connected to the chamber for quickly exhausting air from the air passages, quick-acting means for initiating the pumping action of the pump means, the brake pedal being connected to the conventional brakes by link means including yieldable means adapted to yield to disable the conventional brakes when the brake pedal is depressed by a panic braking force approaching the wheel locking force adapted to lock the conventional brakes, and switch means operable by the brake pedal when the yieldable means yields, the switch means being operatively connected to both the quick release means and the jet pump quick acting initiating means, whereby panic-braking substantially instantaneously disables the conventional brakes, releases the pad for contact with the road and initiates evacuation of air from the air passages in the pad to force the road contacting members against the road.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
269 words
An emergency-stop brake for use on high speed roads for wheeled vehicles having conventional pedal-operated brakes, comprising: a pad, means normally suspending the pad under the vehicle to the rear of the rear wheels, arms hingedly connecting the pad to the vehicle at each side and securing the pad to the vehicle when the pad is lowered, the pad being spring biased downward, the pad suspending means including link members secured together by quick release means, the pad having an inverted dish-shaped housing, an air seal member secured around the border of the pad and adapted to contact the road, flat-bottomed road-contacting members secured within the housing, air passages between the flat-bottomed contacting members, an exhaust chamber secured to the housing and connected to the air passages, jet pump means operatively connected to the chamber for quickly exhausting air from the air passages, quick-acting means for initiating the pumping action of the pump means, the brake pedal being connected to the conventional brakes by link means including yieldable means adapted to yield to disable the conventional brakes when the brake pedal is depressed by a panic braking force approaching the wheel locking force adapted to lock the conventional brakes, and switch means operable by the brake pedal when the yieldable means yields, the switch means being operatively connected to both the quick release means and the jet pump quick acting initiating means, whereby panic-braking substantially instantaneously disables the conventional brakes, releases the pad for contact with the road and initiates evacuation of air from the air passages in the pad to force the road contacting members against the road.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
The brake defined in claim 2 having a vacuum spoiler opening in the exhaust chamber and valve means associated with the spoiler opening, the valve means being operable by deceleration forces to spoil the vacuum within the pad when deceleration exceeds a selected acceptable rate.