Friction brake

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A SHAFT ROTATABLE ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS FOR DISPOSITION IN VARIOUS ANGULAR POSITIONS, MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID SHAFT AND FRICTIONALLY HOLD SAID SHAFT IN ANY ANGULAR POSITION TO WHICH IT IS ROTATED, SAID SUPPORTING AND HOLDING MEANS COMPRISING A FIXEDLY MOUNTED GENERALLY U-SHAPED SUPPORT BRACKET HAVING FIRST AND SECOND GENERALLY PARALLEL PLANAR LEG PORTIONS INTERCONNECTED BY A GENERALLY PLANAR BIGHT PORTION, SAID PLANAR BIGHT PORTION EXTENDING PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PLANAR PARALLEL LEG PORTIONS, SAID LEG PORTIONS HAVING COAXIAL APERTURES THERETHROUGH THROUGH WHICH SAID SHAFT EXTENDS IN ROTATABLY SUPPORTED RELATION WITH THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT PARALLEL TO SAID PLANAR BIGHT PORTION OF SAID SUPPORT BRACKET, A DISC MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND BRACKET LEG PORTIONS AND HAVING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH OF LARGER DIAMETER THAN SAID SHAFT, SAID SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID DISC MEMBER APERTURE, A COIL SPRING ENCIRCLING SAID SHAFT AND HAVING ENDS RESPECTIVELY ABUTTING SAID DISC MEMBER AND ONE OF SAID BRACKET LEG PORTIONS THEREBY URGING SAID DISC MEMBER ALONG THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT TOWARD THE OTHER OF SAID BRACKET LEG PORTIONS, SAID DISC MEMBER HAVING A PLANAR EDGE BEARING ON SAID PLANAR BIGHT PORTION OF SAID SUPPORT BRACKET IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SHAFT AXIS THEREBY LOCKING SAID DISC MEMBER AGAINST ROTATION RELATIVE TO SAID BRACKET ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT, MEANS ON SAID SUPPORT BRACKET ENGAGING SAID DISC MEMBER ON THE AXIAL SIDE THEREOF TOWARD SAID OTHER OF SAID BRACKET LEG PORTIONS AND ON ONLY ONE TRANSAXIAL SIDE OF SAID SHAFT WHEREBY SAID DISC MEMBER IS CANTED RELATIVE TO SAID SHAFT BY THE COMBINED ACTION OF SAID SPRING AND SAID LAST NAMED MEANS TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE SAID SHAFT AND RESIST ROTATION OF THE SHAFT ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS, AND STOP MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT AND ENGAGING SAID LEG PORTIONS OF SAID BRACKET TO POSITIVELY PREVENT RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID SHAFT AND SAID BRACKET IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION OF SAID SHAFT.