IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES FOR BEDSTEADS, COTS AND SOFAS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN CLARK of Nelson Street West Ladywood near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES FOR BEDSTEADS, COTS AND SOFAS," to
be as follows:-
My invention consists in constructing arranging and combining the parts of
spring mattresses for bedsteads and cots as hereinafter described, and my said
invention consists in putting the required tension upon the woven wire or other
sacking employed in a simpler and more efficient manner than has heretofore been
adopted. The adjusting tension arrangement is both simple in its construction and
efficient in its action, and there is no danger whatever in putting any required
tension upon the sacking or mattress, by the springing back or recoil of the
winding parts which occur in mattresses of the ordinary construction.
I make the framing of the bedstead in the ordinary way; that is, the bedstead
frame consists essentially of angle iron connected to vertical pillars by usual
dove-tail joints, and at or near the ends of the side angle bars or frame curved
raised brackets or supports are situated; and between the said brackets on the
opposite sides of the frame, fixed or movable rollers or bars are placed over which
the wire or other sacking is stretched. The sacking which is to constitute the
spring mattress is affixed permanently to a fixed bar or roller or bar on the one
end of the frame, while the sacking is passed over a fixed or movable roller at the
other end of the frame, the free or loose end of the sacking having a flat or other
metal bar attached thereto, which gives transverse rigidity or evenness to the
surface of the sacking; and attached at either ends of the sacking bar, stay or
tension rods are hooked or connected; and upon the other ends of these stay or
tension rods, which preferably lie under the top angles of the side framing, is a
cross bar which is made to traverse longitudinally backwards and forwards under
the sacking, which is raised from the framing by the raised brackets before
described. The transverse traversing bar which pulls up the tension or stay rods,
is moved or operated by means of a screw or wormed axis, which takes into a
screw box or hole in the middle of the said transverse tightening bar. The handle
end of the screw passes through the end angle iron which is straightened at that
part by extra thicknesses of metal, and has also a bushed collar, that shall retain
the screwed axis to the framing while allowing it at the same time to rotate.

page_text: When the sacking of the mattress is required to be adjusted or sufficient tension
imparted thereto, so as to properly support and preserve the perfect equilibrium of
the mattress, the handle on the end of the screw is rotated, when the tranverse
tightening bar is drawn forward or towards the end of the frame, thereby pulling
with it, the stay or tension rods, which are hooked to the bar on the loose end of
the sacking; the result is, that the loose end of the sacking is drawn forward
under the mattress, pulling and stretching the said sacking over the fixed or
movable roller supported by brackets at that end of the framing thereby imparting
the necessary tension to the sacking stretched. between the two ends of the frame
of the bedstead cot, or sofa.
Where a cheap mattress is required to be constructed, the tranverse tightening
bar herein before described may have the woven wire or other sacking attached
thereto, so that the winding end of the frame becomes the loose end of the sacking;
thus dispensing with the tension stay rods before described and in order to prevent
the twisting of the sacking the transverse tightening bar is turned up at its ends,
so as to form lateral supports, which work on the inner sides of the angle of the
framing. The said transverse bar through which the screw works is the same bar
to which the end of the sacking is attached.
By arranging and combining the parts as described, the wire or other sacking"
constituting the spring mattress, is adjusted with the requisite amount of tension
that should be put upon it, in supporting and preserving the equilibrium that the
mattress should acquire.
The parts constituting, the mattress and framing when taken to pieces are very
-portable for transit or otherwise; and although I have described the mattress as
applied to a fixed frame, yet my said invention is equally applicable to loose. frames

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN CLARK of Nelson Street West, Ladywood near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES FOR BEDSTEADS, COTS AND SOFAS,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in constructing, arranging and combining the parts of
spring mattresses for bedsteads, cots and sofas as herein-after described; and my
said invention consists in putting the required tension upon the woven wire or
other sacking employed, in a simpler and more efficient manner than has heretofore
been adopted-The adjusting tension arrangement is both simple in its construction
and efficient in its action, and there is no danger whatever in putting any required
tension upon the sacking or mattress, by the springing back or recoil of the winding
parts which occur in mattresses of the ordinary construction.
I make the framing of the bedstead in the ordinary way; that is, the bedstead
frame consists essentially of angle iron connected to vertical pillars by usual dove-
tail joints, and at or near the ends of the side angle bars or frame, curved raised
brackets or supports are situated; and between the said brackets on the opposite
sides of the frame, fixed or movable rollers or bars are placed over which the wire
or other sacking is stretched. The sacking which is to constituto the spring
mattress, is affixed permanently to a fixed bar or roller bar on the one end of the
frame, while the sacking is passed over a fixed or movable at the other end of the
frame, the free or loose end of the sacking having a flat or other metal bar attached
thereto, which gives transverse rigidity or evenness to the surface of the sacking;
and attached at either ends of the sacking bar, stay or tension rods are hooked or
connected; and upon the other ends of these stay or tension rods, which preferably
lie under the top angles of the side framing, is a cross bar which is made to
traverse longitudinally backwards and forwards under the sacking which is raised
from the framing by the raised brackets before described. The transverse
traversing bar which pulls up the tension or stay rods, is moved or operated by
means of a screw or wormed axis, which takes into a screw box or hole in the
middle of the said transverse tightening bar. The handle end of the screw passes
through the end angle iron which is strengthened at that part by extra thickness
of metal, and has also a bushed collar, that shall retain the screwed axis to the
framing while allowing it at the same time to rotate.
When the sacking of the mattress is required to be adjusted or sufficient tension
imparted thereto, so as to properly support and preserve the perfect equilibrium of
the mattress, the handle on the end of the screw is rotated, when the transverse
tightening bar is drawn forward or towards the end of the frame, thereby pulling
with it, the stay or tension rods, which are hooked to the bar on the loose end of
the sacking; the result is, that the loose end of the sacking is drawn forward under
the mattress, pulling and stretching the said sacking over the fixed and movable
roller supported by brackets at that end of the framing, thereby imparting the
necessary tension to the sacking stretched between the two ends of the frame of
the bedstead, cot or sofa.
Where a cheaper mattress is required to be constructed, the transverse tightening
bar berein-before described may have the woven wire or other sacking attached

page_text: thereto; so that the winding end of the frame becomes the loose end of the
sacking; thus dispensing with the tension stay rods before described, and in order
to prevent the twisting of the sacking, the transverse tightening bar is turned up
at its ends, so as to form lateral supports, which work on the inner sides of the
angle of the framing-Tho said transverse bar through which the sorew works, is
the same bar to which the end of the sacking is attached.
By arranging and combining the parts as described, the wire or other sacking
constituting the spring mattress, is adjusted with the requisite amount of tension
that should be put upon it, in supporting and preserving the equilibrium that the
mattress should acquire.
The parts constituting the mattress and framing when taken to pieces are very
portable for transit or otherwise; and although I have described the mattress as
applied to a fixed frame yet my said invention is equally applicable to loose frames
of bedsteads, cots and sofas.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which the same is to be performed.
i
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a spring mattress or bed and tension
appliances and parts of a bedstead constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same, with a portion of the wire sacking removed; the
top part of the bedstead being shown partly in section in order to better exhibit
some of the drawing to parts. Figure 3 is a diagram view upon the dotted
lines A B figure 1 in order to show how the woven wire constituting the spring
mattress is attached to a fixed or immovable part at the one end of the bedstead,
while the woven wire sacking at the other end passes over a pulley or roller
mounted upon an axis. Figure 4 is a section upon a larger scale of the screw and
sacking tightening expedients and parts of the framing of the bedstead. Figure 5
is a section of the screw box part of the transverse bar, which carries, is attached
to the end of the woven wire of the mattress. Figure 6 is a transverse vertical
section of a modification of my invention. In this arrangement the longitudinal
_connecting bars lying under the angles of the frame are dispensed_with_and_the_
transverse bar which carries the end of the wire sacking is caused to travel in the
direction indicated by the arrow; that is, to say, it is compelled to travel from
the handle of the screw, instead of towards it as in the former case. - Figure 6 is a
plan of the same exhibiting the transverse bar which carries the screw box and
the free end of the woven wire sacking, and also the turned up ends which glide
under the top sides.of the angle bars.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
Drawing.
a is the framing of the bedstead made preferably of angle iron, and connected to
the pillars by the usual dove tail joints; and near the said pillars are curved raised
brackets b b which are provided at their outside ends, with the dovetail he joints b³,
which take into she dove tails in the corner blocks. c are the pillars, and c² are
the corner blocks. d is woven wire sacking stretched between the ends c² and
attached to the fixed roller c and passing over the movable roller f at the other end
of the frame. The free or loose end d of the sacking d has connected to it a
transverse bar g which gives rigidity, evenness and also stretches laterally the
sacking; and to the ends of this transverse bar, tension rods h h are hooked or
connected; and connected to the other ends of the said rods hh, is a second cross
bar i carrying or having a screw box at or about its middle through which the
screw works. The said screw is connected, and turns through the end framing a².
Z is a removable winch or handle for rotating the screw for the pulling up of the
sacking; that is tension is put upon the sacking by the bar g and through the
rods connected to the bar i.
When the sacking of the mattress is required to be adjusted, or-sufficient tension
imparted thereto, so as to preserve the perfect equilibrium and elasticity of the
mattress; the handle on the outside end of the screw or mormed axis j-is rotated,
when the transverse tightening bar i is drawn forward or towards the end of the

page_text: frame, and so pulling with it the stay or tension rods which are hooked or
connected to the bar g on the loose end d² of the sacking d. The result is that
the loose end of the sacking is drawn forward under the mattress, thereby pulling
and stretching the said mattress over the roller ƒ supported by the bracket b, and
so imparting the necessary tension to the bedding or sacking stretched between the
two ends of the bedstead frame.
In figures 6 and 7 the screw which forms the expedient for the tightening of the
sacking passes through a screwed box, or screwed hole in the middle of the bar
which is connected to the loose or terminal end of the sacking without the use of
the longitudinal rods which pass under the angle bars. a is the framing, g is the
cross bar or transverse rod to which the loose end of the sacking d² of the sacking d
is attached. The said cross bar is provided with a screw box or screwed hole g
through which the screw j passes, the direction of traverse of the said bar 7 is
indicated by the direction of the arrow. The bar g is turned up at its ends 9³ ³
which glide under and are supported by the sides of the frame. These angle ends g³
form lateral supports to prevent the bar and sacking from twisting or moving
other than in a direct line; so that to put the requisite tension upon the sacking d
it is only necessary to rotate the handle, when the bar is caused to travel in the
direction of the arrow, and so pull up the sacking over the roller f, while the other
end is fixed rigidly to the bar or roller which is immovable.
The application of my invention to cots and couches, differs in no essential
respect from its application to a bedstead as hereinbefore described.
Although I have described that a woven wire mattress is employed, yet I do not
limit myself thereto, as other materials may be substituted therefor with the same
or nearly the same effect,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First-Tightening up or giving the requisite tension to woven wire or other like
spring, or other sackings of bedsteads, cots and sofas by means of a screw or
threaded rod connected at one end to the frame of the bedstead, cot or sofa, while
the other end of the said screw passes through a screw box or screw hole in a
transverse movable bar or rod having connected to it or with it, connecting rods
hooked to a second cross bar affixed to the loose or terminal end of the sacking.
The parts being constructed, arranged and operating substantially in the way and
for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The improvements in spring mattresses for bedsteads, cots and sofas
herein-before described and illustrated in figures 1 to 7 both inclusive of the
accompanying Drawings; whereby tension is put upon the sackings or laths of the
said mattresses, by means of a screw working within a screw box substantially as
described and set forth,
Thirdly. Binding or tightening up the sackings of mattresses herein-before
described and illustrated in figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying Drawings,
Dated this twenty-sixth day of May 1885.
JOHN CLARK.
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham,
Agent to the Applicant.