Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 12th Oct., 1888
1, HORACE DOBELL of Streate Place, Bournemouth, in the County of Hants,
Doctor of Medicine do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
My invention relates to beds, mattresses, pillows, cushions, pads, and other similar
supports for the human body; the object of the invention being to render such
articles more durable, portable, and economical, and more easily adaptable to the
configuration of the body and consequently more comfortable, as well as to improve
the sanitary conditions of the patient or occupant.
The invention relates to what may be termed a mobile form of stuffing for beds,
mattresses, pillows, cushions, pads, and the like, and it consists in making the same
of balls (whether spheres, spheroids, and ov-oids) of elastic or non-elastic material,
including the seeds of plants either enclosed in ticks, cases, or troughs, or placed in
open troughs or cases. The balls may be solid or hollow, and in the latter case may
contain air, water, oil, or other suitable matter.
Dated this 20th day of Decembar 1887
H. DOBELL.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Beds, Mattresses, Pillows, Cushions, Pads, and
the like.
I, HORACE DOBELL, of Streate Place, Bournemouth, in the County of Hants,
Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :—
My Invention relates to beds, mattresses, pillows, cushions, pads, and other similar
supports for the human body; the principal objects of the invention being to render
such articles more sanitary, durable, portable, and economical, and more readily
adaptable to variations of pressure and vibration, and consequently more comfortable
than such supports at present in use. A further object of the invention is to render
such articles available as life-buoys or rafts when used on board ship.
The Invention relates to what may be termed a mobile or self-adaptable form of
stuffing or filling for beds, mattresses, pillows, cushions, pads, and the like; and it
consists in making the same of balls (whether spheres, spheroids, or ovoids) of clastic
or non-elastic material, including the seeds of plants such as peas, or other vegetable
products of the desired form, such as gall-nuts for instance which are enclosed in ticks,
cases, or troughs, or placed in open troughs or cases. The balls may be solid, per-
forated or hollow, and may contain air, gas, water, oil, or other suitable matter, and
antiseptics, deodorants, or fumes, may be used with them.
The balls may be made of any suitable materials, or artificial mixtures or com-
binations of such materials, but the following are examples for use under different
circumstances. Dried peas, small glass balls, bullets, or small shot, contained in a
bag or tick of suitable shape, or in an open trough covered by a tick, make a
comfortable bed or pad for use in hospitals, work-houses, and the like, or on the
battle field. Small balls of cork contained in ticks of water-proof or other material,
for ships' beds and mattresses which, by being provided with straps for attachment to
the person, are available as life-buoys in case of need. Hollow india-rubber balls.
For beds and mattresses these would be placed in single files in sheaths formed by
stitching together, by parallel lines of stitching, two plys of waterproof or other
material, the ends of the sheaths being afterwards closed. These beds or mattresses
may be composed of a single layer. Or two, or more, superimposed layers of sheaths
containing rows of balls may be used, the balls in any one layer adapting themselves
to the interspaces in the adjacent layers and the whole forming a single structure.
The hollow rubber balls may be contained in a trough or case of the required size of
wood, metal, or other material, with a flat bottom and upright or slanting sides
wherein the hollow rubber balls may be arranged in single files, the balls being
separated or not by thin slips of wood or other material and a piece of waterproof-or
other ticking being stretched over and secured to the sides of the trough to preserve
their position. Or the balls in the trough may be contained in ticks as above described,

page_text: each layer constituting a thin mattress in itself of which any number may be super-
imposed. The desired hardness or softness of the bed depends upon the size of the
balls and the number of superimposed layers. These mattresses or beds, like those in
which cork balls are used, are also available for use as life-buoys or rafts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
:-
The application and employment as beds, mattresses, pillows, and the like, of balls
or grains of spherical, spheroidal, or ovoid shape including seeds and other vegetable
products of suitable shape, whether enclosed in ticks or other casings, or contained in
open troughs or cases as and for the purposes herein specified.