CERTAIN IMPEMENTS IN PROAL
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Hallen, of Cornwall Rd., Lambeth, in
the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Fallen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
August 1854.
I, EDWARD HALLEN, of Cornwall Rd., Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CHAIRS, CHAIR BEDSTEADS, AND OTHER SEATS AND BEDSTEADS," to be as
follows (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to portable and other chairs and chair bedsteads, and
to other seats and bedsteads constructed of iron or other materials, and consists
in making iron frames and filling the same in with cane, and making the
frames flat horizontally, or flat the flat way of the frame, and fixing the canc
or other materials which form the bottom directly thereto at both sides-and
ends, and in making the flat sides and ends of the said frames to slide or fold
over upon each other, flat side to flat side, and also in making the supports of
the sliding or folding frames flat transversely, so as to shut or fold up with
their flat sides to the flat sides of the frames, or to fit within the same and
flush therewith.

page_text: In fitting together the frames and supports, constructed as above described,
to form a chair bedstead, I make the head frame to slide under the frame
which forms the seat of the chair, and make the back of the chair to let down
and form the foot frame, and to slide or fold over the seat frame when shut, or
folded up for packing. The seat frame is supported on legs, which are flat
transversely, and are made to fold with their flat sides to the flat sides of the
frames (these legs may be made round, and fixed to or fold to the frame, if
required); when they are made to fold, as above described, and are let down,
they are held fast by a stretcher, the two ends of which are pressed into two
holes or grooves in the sides of the legs, forcing them slightly outwards, so as
to bind and increase their stability. The supports of the sliding or folding
frames are fitted as before described (are cach made in one piece when in
iron), and when let down, have a bearing on the floor or carpet the full width;
are held fast in a vertical position by cars and pins, to prevent the frames from
being pushed over. The head frame when drawn out is held fast in the
required position by wedges formed on the end of the frame; the sides of the
head pannel pass through holes in the head frame, and drop into eyes or staples
in the supports. Elbows or arins are attached to the back and seat frames
when used as a chair. I make these arms round, and fit them so as to pack
over the frames and on the top of the whole. These arms may also be made
flat, if required. By making the back of the chair to let down and form the
foot frame, the whole length of the frames is made available for the bedstead.
I make the said frames and fit the same together as herein described in the
construction of portable and other chairs, seats, and bedsteads, with the object
of distributing the weight on the bottom more equally over the sides and ends,
thereby gaining strength and dispensing with extra cross pieces, and at the
same time diminishing the space occupied by the whole in thickness when
shut up for packing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Hallen in the Great Seal Patent Oflice on the 3rd 5
February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
ALLEN, of Cornwall Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord One 3
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,

page_text: did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Hallen, Her special license that I, the said Edward Hallen, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Hallen,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS,
CHAIR BEDSTEADS, AND OTHER SEATS AND BEDSTEADS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Hallen, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, tho said Edward Hallen, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and description thereof, together with the Drawings accompanying
this Specification, and in and by the explanation applying to the said Drawings
herein contained, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to chairs, couches, and other seats, chair bedsteads,
sofa bedsteads, and other bedsteads, cots, and cradles, or other articles for
reclining or sitting upon, constructed of iron or other suitable material or
materials, and made either with folding or sliding frames and supports, (the
said frames and frames and supports being connected so as to slide or fold up
or shut up when not in use, or for packing, or with some of the said frames
and supports and other respective parts only connected,) or when the frames,
supports, and other respective parts of the articles above mentioned are made
to fit together and to separate, and so as to be capable of being wholly or
partially disconnected, when necessary, for packing or portability.
My said Invention further consists, Istly, in making flat iron frames and
filling the same in with a seating, filling, or webbing of cane or other material,
as hereafter specified.
2ndly, in fitting the said frames (either 'filled or webbed with cane or as
herein-after mentioned) together in the manner herein-after described, for the
construction of the articles before mentioned.
3rdly, in making the supports and other parts flat also, so as to fold or shut
with their flat sides to the flat of the frame to which the said supports or other
parts are attached or connected.

page_text: 4thly, in fitting, attaching, or connecting such of the said frames, supports,
and other parts as may be required, so as to render them rigid or fixed when
opened out in the required position to form the article intended.
5thly, in the peculiar arrangement herein-after specified of the frames and
supports and other parts of the said articles before or herein-after mentioned:"<
By making the frames flat, it is to be understood that the sides of the frames
are made flat the flat way of the frame, and not at an angle with the face
thereof. The object which I obtain by this said mode of construction is, that
I am thereby enabled to vary the form of the frames to suit the design of
the article to the formation of which they are intended to be applied, which
I consider to be an advantage that the modes of making the metal frames
hitherto in use do not possess.
"
I attach the cane webbing or other filling directly to the frame at both sides
and ends or all round, without the intervention of internal bearing pieces,
which by this mode of construction are rendered unnecessary.
I adopt the aforesaid mode of constructing the frames, and filling. or
webbing the opening in the same, for the purpose of distributing the weight
or strain (equally as much as practical, over every part of the frame, so that
each side thereof, or cach side and end, shall bear its proper proportion of
the weight or strain it is destined to support.
I adopt this mode of making the frames, and use and apply the same in the
construction of articles of the class herein mentioned, and such other articles
of furniture or household utility as the said frames and other parts may be
suitable for or applicable to, for the further purpose of diminishing the space
occupied by the said articles when the parts thereof are intended to slide, close,
or fold up, or shut or pack together, when not in use, or for portability; and,
lastly, I adopt the peculiar forms and arrangements of the frames, supports,
and other parts of my said Invention, as shown upon the accompanying
Drawings, for the purposes herein explained.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS.
The Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive upon the Drawings accompanying this Specification
are laid down to a scale of one and a half inches to a foot. Figs. 8 a, 9, 10,
11, & 12, are enlargements. The remaining Figs. are drawn to a scale of
one inch to a foot. Fig. 1 shows a flat metal frame as filted in with cane.
a, a, is the frame; and b, the filling. Fig. 2 shows a plan of a frame with the
opening therein filled in with hoops or laths. a, a, is the frame; and b, the
filling, as before. Fig. 3 shows the application of the flat principle to frames
of irregular forin. a, a, is the frame; and 6, the filling. It will be seen-that

page_text: in all cases the filling material is attached to the frame all round, and that no
intermediate or cross franies are necessary. Figs. 4 and 5 show the modes of
connecting the frames for shutting, folding, or sliding; the filling is not shown,
as the same may be varied. Figs. 6 & 7 show an end and side view of one
of the flat folding supports: These supports are connected to the frames, so as
to shut up with the flat side thereto, or to shut up within the frames; these
supports are in one piece. a, a, are the legs; and b, b, the bottom which extends
from side to side, and thereby gives a larger bearing, and prevents the support.
from cutting the floor or carpet. These supports are held rigid in their proper
position by the short arms c, c; which are pinned to ears or staples on the
frames, which thus hold them stiff, and prevent the frames from being pushed
over; these supports may be made of round as well as flat material. Fig. 8
shows a mode of fitting a moveable head to the frames and supports. The legs a
of the head pass through holes b in the frame; the feet of these legs fit into
staples c in the supports. There is a neck or stop d, which projects from the
leg of the head, where it rests upon the frame; this mode of fitting the head
gives further stability to the support. These heads may be fitted to fold
similarly to the supports. The enlargements are herein-after explained. Figs.
13, 14, 15, & 16 shows the modes of fitting the frames and other parts upon
the principle in the construction of a chair bedstead. Fig. 18 is a plan of the
frames opened out as a bedstead. a is the centre or seat frame (for convenience
of reference, the frames, &c. are lettered with similar letters in the last-men-
tioned four Figs.); b, the back and foot frame, which folds over the seat frame.
upon hinges d', d'; e is the head frame, which slides in under the seat frame
(in the same manner as shown at Fig. 5); when drawn out it is held firm by
the ends being formed in a wedge shape, which cause it to bind at the end of
the slide when it is drawn out with a sharp pull; by making the back frame
of the chair to fall and form the foot frame of the bedstead, the full length
of the frames is made available for a bedstead. ff, are the head and foot
supports, which correspond with Fig. 6. The moveable or folding head can be
fitted at either end, or at both, when necessary, provision being made in the foot
frame and support for that purpose. 9, 9, are the moveable or folding heads;
h, h, are the centre or seat frame supports, of round or flat material, which fold
up under the seat, and are intended to be held firm when let down in the
required position by the stop joints i, i, and the stretcher bars or rods k, as
shown the enlargements. When the legs h; h, the joint shown at i, i,
causes it to bind, if the foot of the leg be pressed outwards by the stretcher
k, which is formed with a goose neck at each end, the sides or cheeks of which
fit into an indentation in the leg; or the plan shown at Figs. 11 & 12 may

page_text: be adopted. In this case the ends of the stretcher are fitted with a pin 1, which
drops into a hole in the tie rod P, which also prevents the legs from giving way.
m, mi, are round arms, which are joined to the seat frame at n, n, so as to rise
and fall, and when forming a chair they are attached to the back by the thumb
catch o, see Fig. 15. These arms can be made of flat material if necessary.
Fig. 16 shows the frames, supports, and arms as shut up for packing, the
beads taken out or folded, and the supports folded up. The head frame is slid
under the seat frame, and the back frame folded over it (all flat side to flat side),
and the arms folded on to the top of the whole, which prevents the necessity
for cutting away any of the fillings for the same, as is the case when the
arms fold between the frames.
Having described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and illustrated the same by the
accompanying Drawings, it must be understood that I do not confine myself
to the forms, or dimensions, or proportions of the said frames and other parts,
as the same may be varied, and I therefore include all such variations as the
principle of my said Invention (as herein described) admits.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Hallen, have hereunto set my
hand & seal, this Third day of February, A.D. 1855.
EDWARD HALLEN. (L.8.)