Automatic screw adjuster

Claim 1

MEANS FOR ADJUSTING FRICTION ELEMENTS OF A BRAKE COMPRISING COOPERATING SCREW AND NUT MEMBERS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID ELEMENTS, TEETH ON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS, A PAWL COOPERATING WITH SAID TEETH, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PAWL TO EFFECT STEP-BY-STEP RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID ONE MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER UPON WEAR OF SAID FRICTION ELEMENTS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE AND EXTENSIBLE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND PARTS, ONE OF SAID PARTS BEING A FLEXIBLE INEXTENSIBLE CABLE AND THE OTHER OF SAID PARTS BEING A YIELDING LINK, MEANS CONNECTING SAID PARTS TOGETHER AT ONE END OF EACH, THE OPPOSITE END OF ONE OF SAID PARTS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID PAWL, AN ANCHORAGE CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE OTHER OF SAID PARTS, AN ABUTMENT ENGAGING SAID CABLE INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, MEANS FOR EFFECTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID ABUTMENT AND SAID ANCHORAGE UPON APPLICATION OF THE BRAKE, SAID ABUTMENT BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED THAT SAID CABLE IS TENSIONED OVER SAID ABUTMENT UPON APPLICATION OF SAID BRAKE TO EFFECT MOVEMENT OF SAID PAWL SO LONG AS THE TENSION IN SAID CABLE IS LESS THAN THE FORCE WHICH THE RESILIENTLY YIELDING LINK CAN TRANSMIT WITHOUT YIELDING.