"Prior to 1898, bicycles had appeared with braking mechanisms... but... did not include coasting or free-wheeling features. The... coaster brake... appeared in the patent applications of Harry P. Townsend, of the New Departure Manufacturing Co. ...in 1898; James S. Copeland, of the Pope Manufacturing Co. ...in 1898; and William Robinson, of Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1899. These issued as patents, respectively, in 1907, 1913, and 1903. It is stated that the Townsend patent, No. 850077, contained the broad and controlling claims. The 1898 catalog of the Pope Manufacturing Co. describes the Columbia New Departure automatic brake... as a device for which a need had long existed. ...[T]he widespread adoption of the coaster brake made the bicycle ...much safer ..."