Improvements in and relating to Wire Mattresses.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Wire Mattresses.
1, JOHN FRANCIS NUNAN, of Nos. 248, to 258, Swanston Street, Melbourne, in
the Colony of Victoria, Furniture Warehouseman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention, to be as follows;-
This invention of improvements in and relating to wire mattresses consists
mainly of novel means for finishing each end of the mattress sheet by securing
it to a slitted tube which is cambered to resist the strain also it relates to means
devised for supporting the mattress in position on a bedstead and for maintaining
it thereon whilst,strained. This mattress and mode of fixing same is designed
mainly for hospital and institution beds as it reduces to a minimum any harbour
for germs, or vermin and it is specially applicable to iron bedsteads although
the improved mode of finishing the ends of mattress sheet is applicable to
type of wire mattress.
any
As a finishing for each end of the woven wire sheet which is to form the
mattress I provide a tube the length of which is just fully that of the width of
mattress and said tube has a longitudinal slot or slit along its whole length
just wide enough to receive the end parts of the woven wire, then to secure said
tubes on each end of the wire sheet I pour into the tube molten metal such as
lead or the like and which passes into the interstices of the woven wire and holds
it firmly in position, or in place of said slitted tubular bar a tapered or dovetail
section iron may be employed and ; the woven wire secured therein in a like
manner with molten metal.
To support the mattress in place upon either a wood or iron bedstead suitable
brackets are provided on the longitudinal rails or bars thereof and the ends of
said tubular bars are seated or secured on said brackets. The said brackets may
be made a fixture on the side rails of bedstead or those at one end of each side
rail may be fixtures and those at the other end be movable, on such as tubular
side rails, and be acted on by a screw or screw nut in order that the mattress may
be strained by the movements of the movable seat brackets. Again for a low
priced bedstead the longitudinal side rails may have a parallel set downwards
in them along their length starting a few inches from each end in order to leave
room for the sagg of the mattress and in this form the end tubular bar of mattress
is secured directly upon shallow seating pieces at each end of said side rails and
the three parts firmly bolted together. To provide for taking up any stretching of
the mattress I have several holes at both ends of the side rails in order that upon
the mattress being re-strained its end tubular bars can be secured by aforesaid
bolts in holes which are further apart.
When the mattress is secured directly on the bedstead it has to be strained by
an independent apparatus prior to being secured in position.
In order to support the wire mattress at its sides on a bedstead having straight
angle irons, a longitudinal wire is threaded through the coil at each side edge of
the mesh after the mattress has been strained in position, then each said side
edges of mattress are secured to the side angle rails by small bolts which pass
071

page_text: through the mesh inside said longitudinal wires and through small holes pro-
vided in the said side rails. This form of mattress lies flush with the side rails.
Dated this Twenty eighth day of June 1898.
JOHN FRANCIS NUNAN,
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
I, JOHN FRANCIS NUNAN, of Nos. 248 to 258, Swanston Street, Melbourne, in
the Colony of Victoria, Furniture Warehouseman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: -
This invention of improvements in and relating to wire mattresses consists
mainly of novel means for finishing the ends of the mattress sheet, by securing
cach end by aid of molten lead or the like, within a slitted tube, also it relates
to means devised for supporting the mattress in position on a bedstead and for
maintaining it thereon whilst strained. This mattress and mode of fixing same
is designed mainly for hospital and institution beds, as it reduces to a minimum
any harbour for germs, or vermin and it is specially applicable to iron bed-
steads although the improved mode of finishing the ends of mattress sheet is
applicable to any type of wire mattress.
The invention will now be described aided by a reference to the accompanying
sheet of drawings in which
1
Fig. 1 shews by a perspective view a portion of the end part of a mattress
finished according to my invention.
Fig. a perspective view of such a mattress secured on the side rails of a bed-
stead, the rails of which are set or bent.
Fig. 3 a side view of the mattress as secured on brackets carried by straight
tubular side rails, and,
Fig. 4 a plan of the end part of mattress shewing the camber provided in the
slitted tube and which camber is somewhat exaggerated.
As a
finishing for each end of the woven wire sheet A, which is to form the
mattress I provide a tube B, the length of which is just fully that of the width
of the mattress and said tube has a longitudinal slot or slit B₁ along its whole
length just wide enough to receive the end parts of the woven wire, them to
secure said tubes on each end of the wire sheet I pour into the tube molten
metal as marked C, such as lead or the like and which passes into the interstices
of the woven wire and holds it firmly in position within the tube, or in place of
said slitted tube a tapered or dovetail section channel bar may be employed and
the woven wire be secured therein in a like manner with molten metal.
To support the mattress in place upon either a wood or iron bedstead, suitable
seating pieces as D, Fig. 2, are provided on the longitudinal rails or bars E
to receive the ends of said slitted tubular bars B, and the latter are secured in
position by screw studs or bolts as G. The said seating pieces D may be made
fixture or cast on the side rails E or those at one end of each side rail as at a
Fig. 2, may be fixtures and those at the other end b, be movable and in the latter
case the seating pieces as well as the slitted tubes are secured on the bed rails
by the bolt or studs G. When the side rails E are straight and tubular as
shewn in Fig. 3 brackets as F1 may be provided one of which is cast on as at a
and the other movable over a screwed end as at b and a screw nut F2 provided in

page_text: order that the mattress may be strained by the outward movement of the mov-
able seat brackets F". In this form the dovetail piece f is cast on the fixed
bracket whilst the dovetail piece f' at other end is formed on a socket which is
screwed on rail E.
For low priced bedsteads the longitudinal side rails E may have a parallel
set downwards in them along their length, starting a few inches from each end
as shewn in Fig. 2 in order to leave room for the sagg of the mattress and in
this form the end slitted tubular bars of mattress are secured directly upon the
shallow seating pieces 1) as before described. To provide for taking up any
stretching in this type of mattress I have several holes in the bed rails at the
end with the movable seating piece in order that upon the mattress being re-
strained its end slitted tubular bar B can be secured by aforesaid bolts G in holes
which are further apart. Also in order to provide for the strain exerted on
central part of mattress the end slitted bar is cambered as shewn in Fig. 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In wire mattresses, forming each end thereof of a slitted tube which is
secured in position by molten lead or the like, substantially as described and
shewn in Fig. 1.
2. Supporting a woven wire mattress which has its ends finished with slitted
tubes upon seating pieces as D secured or cast on the side rails of a bedstead
and securing the slitted tubes in position by bolts as G substantially as described
and shewn in Fig. 2.
3. Supporting a woven wire mattress which has its ends finished with slitted
tubes upon a bedstead having tubular side rails as E, by brackets as F¹ those
at one end being fixed and those at the other end movable and capable of being
strained by screw nuts as F2 substantially as described and shewn in Fig. 3.
Dated this 17th day of February 1890
J. F. NUNAN,
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
J. F. NUNAN,
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.