IMPROVE- MENTS IN BEDSTEADS AND COTS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Brown; of Aston, near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Jewellers' Glass Cutter, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BEDSTEADS AND COTS."
Sealed the 26th May 1877, and dated the 6th December 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Brown at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th December 1876.
EDWARD BROWN, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Jewellers' Glass Cutter. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS AND COTS."
My Invention has for its object to prevent the uncovering of children or other
occupants of the bed or cot by the displacement of the bedclothes; and my said
Invention consists in combining with the bedstead or cot apparatus for that
purpose, constructed and arranged as herein-after described.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a metallic bedstead or cot.
I apply to each of the longer sides of the bedstead or cot a gripping bar situated
parallel thereto, between which bars and the sides of the bedstead or cot the bed-
clothes may be gripped and prevented from being removed from the said bedstead
or cot, the said gripping bars being capable of being thrown out of action by the
occupant of the bedstead or cot when it is required to release the bedclothes.
The said gripping bars may be constructed in various ways, but I prefer to con-
struct them in the following manner :-I fix at each end of the angle iron consti-
tuting the side of the bedstead or cot a short bracket or bearing, in which the ends
of the gripping bar are supported, and in which they are capable of turning through
part of a circle. The outer edge of the bar is jointed to the brackets, while, the
inner edge is free so that the bar can turn upon its outer edge as an axis.
The gripping bar may either be a flat bar or a flat bar with a cross head along its
outer edge. When this bar is in its normal position its inner edge is on nearly the
same level as the outer edge, there being a narrow space between the said inner
edge of the said bar and the angle iron. By turning the said bar in the proper
direction its inner edge may be depressed from the angle iron, so as to increase the
space between it and the said angle iron. On one or on each end of the bar is a
handle for turning the bar into its releasing position.

page_text: The gripping bar is pressed and maintained in its gripping or acting position by
means of coiled or other springs. The said springs may either act directly upon the
gripping bar or bear upon the releasing handle or handles of the bar.
In order to secure the bedclothes by the apparatus described the said bedclothes
are drawn through the space between the inner edge of the gripping bar and the
angle iron of the bedstead or cot; the said gripping bar is thereby depressed and
forced back, the pressure of the springs causing the gripping bar to press upon the
bedclothes and grip or hold them tightly between itself and the angle iron in the
.position to which they have been adjusted. By acting upon the handle or handles
at the end or ends of the gripping bar the latter may be pressed back by turning
through part of a circle, and the bedclothes be released for removing or adjusting
the same.
When the
Instead of a single gripping bar at each side of the bedstead or cot two parallel
gripping bars may be used. In this case the bedclothes are gripped between the
two bars instead of between one bar and the angle iron of the bedstead or cot;
and instead of the gripping bar having a swivelling motion or motion through part
of a circle it may have a sliding motion to and from the angle iron.
sliding gripping bar is pulled outwards the space between it and the angle iron is
increased, and the bedclothes may be passed between it and the angle iron. By
releasing the bar it moves towards the angle iron, and its inner edge grips the bed-
clothes in the manner described with respect to the swivelling bar.
Although my improvements are especially applicable to metallic bedsteads and
cots, yet my said improvements are also applicable to non-metallic bedsteads and
çots.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th June
1877.
EDWARD BROWN, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Jewellers' Glass Cutter. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS AND COTS."
My Invention has for its object to prevent the uncovering of children or other
occupants of the bed or cot by the unintentional displacement or removal of the
bedclothes; and my said Invention consists in combining with the bedstead or cot
apparatus for that purpose, constructed and arranged as herein-after described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
I will describe and illustrate my Invention as applied to a metallic bedstead
or cot.
I apply to cach of the longer sides of the bedstead or cot a gripping bar situated
parallel thereto, between which bars and the sides of the bedstead or cot the bed-
clothes may be gripped and prevented from being removed from the said bedstead
or cot, the said gripping bars being capable of being thrown out of action by the
occupant of the bedstead or cot, or by a person at the side of the bedstead or cot
when it is required to release the bedclothes.
The said gripping bars may either have a swivelling motion or motion upon an
axis or a sliding motion to and from the angle iron of the bedstead or cot.
The said gripping bars may be constructed in various ways, but I prefer to
construct them in the manner herein-after described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, Figure 2 in plan, and Figure 3 in end
elevation a metallic bedstead or cot provided with gripping bars having a swivelling
motion constructed according to my Invention, the said gripping bars being repre-
sented in the said Figures 1, 2, and 3 in their normal or gripping positions.
Figure 4 represents in plan the gripping bars turned out of action for releasing
the bedclothes.

page_text: The same letters indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the Drawing.
At each end of the angle iron a constituting the side of the bedstead or cot a short
bracket or bearing b is fixed or screwed, in which brackets or bearings b, b, the
ends of the gripping bar c are supported, and in which they are capable of turning..
The outer edge of the bar c is jointed to the brackets b, b, while the inner edge is
free so that the said bar c can turn upon its outer edge as an axis.
The gripping bar c may either be a flat bar or a flat bar with a cross head or rib
along its outer edge, as represented in the Drawing. When the bar c is in its
normal position, as represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3, its inner edge is on nearly
the same level as the outer edge, there being a narrow space between the said
inner edge of the said bare and the angle iron a of the bedstead or cot, as best
seen in Figure 3. By turning the said bar c in the proper direction its inner edge
may be depressed from the angle iron a, so as to increase the space between it and
the said anglo iron, as seen in Figure 4, and indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3.
On each end of the gripping bar c is a handle d for turning the said bar c into its
releasing position.
The gripping bars c, c, at opposite sides of the bedstead or cot are pressed into
and maintained in their gripping or acting positions by the coiled springs e, e, or
other kinds of springs may be employed. The coiled springs e, e, are situated under
the sacking of the bedstead or cot, and connecting wires f, f, pass from the said
springs to the gripping bar, as represented. The said springs e, e, may either act
directly upon the gripping bars c, c, or bear upon the releasing handles d, d, of the
bars.
In order to secure the bedclothes by the apparatus described and represented the
said bedclothes are drawn or passed through the space between the inner edge of
each of the gripping bars c and the angle iron a of the bedstead or cot; the said
gripping bar is thereby depressed and forced back, the pressure of the springs e, e,
causing the gripping bar to press upon the bedclothes and grip or hold then
tightly between itself and the angle iron in the position to which they have been
adjusted. By acting upon one of the handles d of the gripping bar c the latter may
be pressed back by turning it upon its axis through the required angle, and the
bedclothes be released for removing or adjusting the same.
Instead of a single gripping bar at each side of the bedstead or cot two parallel
gripping bars may be used. In this case the bedclothes are gripped between the
two bars instead of between one bar and the angle iron of the bedstead or cot;
and instead of the gripping bar having a swivelling motion or motion upon an axis
it may have a sliding motion to and from the augle iron. This arrangement of
my Invention is illustrated in plan in Figure 5 and end elevation in Figure 6.
In this arrangement c, c, are sliding gripping bars having their ends c, c², bent or
turned at right angles; these bent ends pass through holes, and are supported by
the angle irons a, a, of the bedstead or cot. The said sliding gripping bars c, c, are
pressed towards the angle irons a, a, or into their gripping positions by the coiled
springs e, e, connected by the wires f, f, to the bent ends c, c, of the said bars c, c.
When the sliding gripping bar c at each side of the bedstead or cot is pulled out-
wards the space between it and the angle iron a is increased, and the bedclothes
may be passed between it and the angle iron a. By releasing the bar c it moves
towards the angle iron, and its inner edge grips the bedclothes in the manner
described with respect to a swivelling bar.
For the purpose of making the gripping bars c, c, grip or hold the bedclothes
more firmly, rings of india-rubber at g, g, may be applied to the said gripping bars.
In order to hold the gripping bars c, c, out of action for facilitating the placing of
the bedclothes between the said gripping bars and the angle irons, conical wedges or
stops h, h, attached by cords to the angle irons, as represented in Figures 5 and 6,
may be placed between the gripping bars and the angle irons.
Figure 7 represents in side elevation and Figure 8 in end elevation a portion of
a bedstead or cot to which a modification of my Invention is applied. In this
modification the ends of the gripping bar c are connected with and supported by

page_text: the upper arms of lever brackets i, i, jointed at 2 to the end posts or pillars of the
bedstead or cot. By means of springs at k pressing against the lower arms of the
lever brackets the upper arms of the said brackets supporting the gripping bar c
are pressed towards the angle iron a of the bedstead or cot, and the said gripping bar
is thereby made to grip the bedclothes between it and the angle iron.
Although my improvements are especially applicable to metallic bedsteads and
cots, yet my said improvements are also applicable to non-metallic bedsteads and
cots.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention of
improvements in bedsteads and cots, the combination with or adaptation to bed-
steads and cots of apparatus, constructed substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, for gripping the bedclothes of the
bed or cot, and thereby preventing the unintentional removal or displacement of
the said bedclothes; that is to say, applying to each or to one of the longer sides of
the bedstead or cot a gripping bar situated parallel thereto, between which gripping
bar or bars and the side or sides of the bedstead or cot or an additional grip-
ping bar, the bedclothes are gripped or held, the said gripping bar or bars either
having a swivelling motion or motion upon an axis or a sliding motion, substantially
as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Brown, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
EDWARD BROWN. (L.S.)