IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES APPLICABLE TO BEDSTEADS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF FURNITURE
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Peyton, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPRING MATTRESSES APPLICABLE TO BEDSTEADS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF
FURNITURE."
Sealed the 9th April 1869, and dated the 15th October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Peyton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th October 1868.
I, EDWARD PEYTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES APPLICABLE TO BEDSTEADS AND OTHER
ARTICLES OF FURNITURE," to be as follows:-
The chief object of my Invention is to improve the mattress well
known as "the Oriental mattress." Hitherto the frame of this mattress
whether wood or iron has usually been the same height all round, the
top of the springs at each side being very little higher than the top of
the frame, and whatever the height of the frame the springs and chain
next the frame have been attached to it for support.

page_text: My improvement consists in sloping both sides of the frame down
from the two ends so that they are only two or three inches high at the
middle, and for the purpose of supporting the outside spiral springs of
which the mattress is principally formed as effectually as if they were
fastened to the frame commonly in use, but in an unobjectionable manner,
I place at cach side of the mattress an iron, steel, or wood lath running
from head to foot and attached to the springs, and which without being
fastened is supported or held at each end by passing into an aperture or
recess formed in the frame or into a loop of iron, wood, or other suitable
material fastened to the frame, or by some similar contrivance, so that
without being able to come out it is free to work backwards and forwards
In some
as required by the motion of the springs to which it is fixed.
cases I support the spiral springs by using iron, steel, or wood laths
running across the mattress one on the top of each row of springs, but
'this plan is more expensive and in many ways inferior to the one first
described. When a mattress for a wide bed is required for the sake of
portability, and also for the purpose of preventing any movement of the
mattress at one side from being communicated to the other side, I make
two distinct mattresses, each complete in itself, the division being from
head to foot, and I attach these two half mattresses together, or provide
means by which they may be readily attached when required.
My Invention further consists in a mode of framing the mattress
together when the frame is of iron. It has been usual hitherto to make
two rectangular frames connected together, one at the top and the other
at the bottom of the springs, the one at the bottom having bars across
it corresponding in number to the rows of springs counted from head to
foot, that is to say, running across from side to side of the bedstead,
and upon these cross bars the springs have been fixed. By this means
the mattress is made strong, but it is heavy and costly, and it is very
difficult to make it fold. Now I dispense with the rectangular frame at
the bottom, keeping the one at the top and support the springs upon
crossbars or stretchers, the ends of which are bent up and fastened to
the rectangular frame at the top of the mattress, I thus effect a saving
in material, labour, and weight and gain portability. It is obvious that
as there is only one rectangular frame, hinges can be placed at any
point between the cross bars or stretchers so that the mattress can be
folded at the middle, or each end may be folded up on the centre part,
which cannot be done when there are two frames. In some cases I do
away with the rectangular frame altogether and attach the ends of the cross

page_text: bars or stretchers to the ordinary sides of the bedsteads, by which means
a further economy is secured. It is optional whether the frame or sides
are made to fold or not.
Another part of my Invention consists in making the mattress in several
parts, the division between the parts, being across from side to side of
the bedstead, and the number of parts being either the same as the
number of rows of springs or fewer, by putting two or more rows of springs
together in one division, so that when great portability is required all
can be packed closely together. For this purpose I support and connect
together the springs forming cach row by placing them upon a cross
bar or stretcher or upon two or more cross bars, or stretchers the same as
before described. When two or niore bars or stretchers are used they
must be connected together at the top either by the iron (if they are of
iron) being bent so that they are made out of one continuous piece of
metal, or whether of iron or other material by being rivetted or otherwiso
connected to a cross piece. Suitable arrangement must be made for
supporting the springs at the top, as for instance, by having a lath
running the length of each row of springs, but I do, not limit myself to,
any particular method of supporting the springs at the top.
O SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said Edward Peyton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
PEYTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Edward Peyton, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Peyton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Peyton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: "
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING
MATTRESSES APPLICABLE TO BEDSTEADS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF FURNITURE,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Peyton,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Peyton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
The chief object of my Invention is to improve the mattress well-
known as the "Oriental mattress." Hitherto the frame of this mattress
whether wood or iron has usually been the same height all round, the
top of the springs at each side being very little higher than the top of
the frame, and whatever the height of the frame the springs and chain
next the frame have been attached to it for support.
My improvement consists in sloping both sides of the frame down
from the two ends so that they are only two or three inches high at the
middle as shewn at a, a, in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings, and
for the purpose of supporting the outside spiral springs b, b, of which
the mattress is principally formed as effectually as if they were fastened to
the frame commonly in use, but in an unobjectionable manner, I place
at each side of the mattress an iron, steel, or wood lath c, c, running
from head to foot and attached to the springs b, b, and which without
being fastened is supported or held at each end by passing into an
aperture or recess formed in the frame at d, d, or into a loop of iron,
wood, or other suitable material fastened to the frame, or by some
similar contrivance, so that without being able to come out it is free to
work backwards and forwards as required by the motion of the springs
b, b, to which it is fixed. In some cases the ends of these laths c, c, are
supported by conical spiral springs of the form shewn in Figure 2, these

page_text: are wide as usual at the bottom and tapering to the top so as to prevent
the edges of the springs lashing over the lath. In some cases I support
the spiral springs c, c, by using iron, steel, or wood laths running across
the mattress, one on the top of each row of springs, but this plan is
more expensive and in many ways inferior to the one first described.
When a mattress for a wide bed is required for the sake of portability,
and also for the purpose of preventing any movement of the mattress at
one side from being communicated to the other side, I make two distinct
inattresses, each complete in itself, the divisions being from head to foot
as seen in Figure 1, and I attach these two half mattresses together or
provide means by which they may be readily attached when required.
One way in which they are attached from chain to chain is by peculiarly
formed hooks e, one of which is shewn in Figure 3. In some cases I
make for large sized bedsteads a separate half sized mattress; both being
made in exactly the same way as a single one with iron, steel, or wood
laths running from head to foot on both sides, such two mattresses need
not be attached in any way.
My Invention further consists in a mode of making a folding iron
frame. It has been usual hitherto to make two rectangular frames
connected together one at the top and the other at the bottom of the
springs, the one at the bottom having bars across it corresponding in
number to the rows of springs counted from head to foot, that is to say,
running across from side to side of the bedstead, and upon these cross
bars the springs have been fixed. By this means the mattress is made
strong, but it is heavy and costly, and it is very difficult to make it fold.
Now I dispense with the rectangular frame at the bottom, keeping the
one e' at the top, as shewn in Figure 4, and support the springs upon the
cross bars or stretchers f, the ends of which are bent up and fastened
to the rectangular frame at the top of the mattress, I thus effect a
saving in material, labour, and weight, and gain portability. It is
obvious that as there is, only one rectangular frame, hinges g, g, can be
placed at any point between the cross bars or stretchers so that the
mattress can be folded at the middle or each end as shewn in Figure 5.
In some cases I do away with the rectangular frame altogether and
attach the ends of the cross bars or stretchers f, f, to the ordinary sides
of the bedstead h, h, as shewn in Figure 6, by which means a further
economy is secured. It is optional whether the frame or sides are
made to fold or not.
Another part of my Invention consists in making the mattress in

page_text: several parts as represented in Figure 7, the division between the parts
being across from side to side of the bedstead, and the number of parts
being either the same as the number of rows of springs, or fewer by
putting two or more rows of springs together in one division, so that
when great portability is required all can be packed closely together;
for this purpose I support and connect together the springs forming
each row by placing them upon a cross bar or stretcher or upon two or
more cross bars or stretchers the same as before described.
Suitable arrangement must be made for supporting the springs at the
top, as for instance, by having a lath i, i, running the length of cach
row of springs, but I do not limit myself to any particular method of
supporting the springs at the top.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
Firstly. Constructing the frames of spring mattresses with sloping
sides in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. Supporting the outside spiral springs of which the mattress
is principally formed by means of laths in the manner described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. Attaching two half mattresses together by the peculiarly
formed hooks before described and represented in the Drawings annexed.
And, fourthly. I claim supporting the springs upon cross bars or
stretchers in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described
and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, tho said Edward Peyton, have hereunto
hand and scal, this Thirteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
set my
EDWARD PEYTON. (L.S.)