Foot brake for axially shiftable handwheel of hand-powered two-speed winch

Claim 1

IN A HAND-POWERED MULTI-SPEED WINCH PROVIDING A DRIVE SHAFT JOURNALED BOTH FOR ROTARY AND ENDWISE MOTION WITH THE ROTARY MOTION SERVING TO POWER THE WINCH AND THE ENDWISE MOTION SERVING TO SELECT THE SPEED, HAVING A HANDWHEEL FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT, AND PROVIDING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SETTING THE DRIVE SHAFT AT AXIALLY ADJUSTED POINTS FOR SELECTING SAID SPEED, THE COMBINATION WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID SHAFT-SETTING MEANS, AND THE HANDWHEEL: A FRICTION BRAKE FOR THE HANDWHEEL COMPRISING A LEVER OF THE FIRST ORDER FULCRUMED TO ROCK ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLELING THE ENDWISE AXIS OF THE DRIVE SHAFT AND ALSO JOURNALED FOR SLIDE MOTION ALONG SAID ROCKING AXIS AND UPON ONE END OF SAID LEVER PROVIDING A SHOE LOOSELY FITTING THE RIM OF THE HANDWHEEL SO AS TO SLIDE IN CONCERT WITH THE HANDWHEEL AS THE LATTER IS SHIFTED IN SAID SPEEDSELECTING MOVEMENT, A FRICTION BRAKING SURFACE PROVIDED BY SAID SHOE, THE OTHER END OF SAID LEVER BEING SUBJECT TO MANUAL PRESSURE FOR FORCING SAID BRAKING SURFACE AGAINST THE RIM OF THE HANDWHEEL, AND YIELDING MEANS EXERTING CONSTANT FORCE UPON SAID LEVER IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE THAT OF SAID BRAKE-APPLYING MANUAL PRESSURE SO AS TO PRECLUDE THE BRAKING SURFACE DRAGGING ON THE HANDWHEEL WHEN THE HANDWHEEL IS BEING MANUALLY TURNED TO POWER THE WINCH.