IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING BEDS AND BEDSTEADS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING BEDS AND BEDSTEADS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Frederick Mesbrow Payne and John Spencer
Giles, of the City of New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 19th September 1865, and dated the 2nd May 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd May 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING BEDS AND BEDSTEADS," to be
as follows:-
One part of this Invention relates to folding bed bottoms or mattresses
composed of a folding frame containing or having attached to it a series of
springs overlaid with stuffing. It consists in connecting the two folding parts
or sections of which the frame of the bed bottom or mattress is constructed by
means of a double hinge, so that the parts which fold the one upon or against
the other are permitted to fold parallel with each other without 'injury to the
springs, the stuffing, or the covering thereof, and without straining the
connecting joint..
Another part of the Invention relates to the construction of bedsteads with
attached folding mattresses or bed bottoms, whereby the mattress or bed

page_text: bottom is made to fold up within a casing resembling in its external form
some other piece of furniture which is less unsightly in its appearance, and
which occupies less room than an ordinary bedstead. Under this head of
the Invention are included one construction of the bedstead whereby, when
folded, it is made to resemble a bureau, chiffonière, or étagère; and another
construction whereby the bedstead is shut up into a casing resembling and
in part serving the purpose of a wardrobe.
The double hinge for the connection of the two parts of the frame of a
folding bed bottom or mattress on each side thereof is composed of a plate
pivoted to the parts of the frame at two points at such a distance apart as to
leave room for the stuffing between the parts when folded parallel with each
other. In a recess between the pivots of the double-hinge plate there is a
block which keeps all the parts firm and rigid. When the bedstead is folded
up into its case so as to resemble a wardrobe in external appearance it affords
room above the folded bed bottom or mattress for the putting away of wearing
apparel or other articles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD, NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING BEDS AND BEDSTEADS,"
being a communication to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors or adminis-

page_text: trators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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, andi
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, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby,
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by.
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto.
annexed,. and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
One part of this Invention relates to folding bed bottoms or mattresses-
composed of a folding frame. containing or having attached to it a series of
springs overlaid with stuffing. It consists in connecting the two folding parts.
or sections of which the frame of the bed bottom or mattress is constructed by
means of a double hinge, so that the parts which fold the one-upon.or against.
the other are permitted to fold. parallel with each other without injury to
the springs, the stuffing, or the covering thereof, and without straining the-
connecting joint..
Another part of the Invention relates to the construction of bedsteads with.
attached folding mattresses or bed bottoms,, whereby the mattress. or bed
bottom is made to fold up within a casing resembling in its external.form.
some other piece of furniture which is less unsightly in its appearance, and
which occupies less room than an ordinary bedstead. Under this head of.
the Invention are included one construction of the bedstead. whereby when
folded it is made to resemble a bureau, chiffonière, or etagère, and another
construction whereby the bedstead is shut up into a casing resembling and in.
part serving the purpose of a wardrobe..
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing is a front view of a bedstead folded:
up into the form of a bureau; Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the same.
at right angles to Fig. 1, and a side view of the folded bed bottom or mattress ;.
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section representing the bedstead and bed
bottom or mattress unfolded and extended for use.
Fig. 4 is a front view of a bedstead folded up into a wardrobe-like case;
Fig. 5 represents a vertical section of the case taken at right angles to Fig. 4,
and a side view of the folded bed bottom or mattress; Fig. 6 represents a
similar section of the case and a side view of the bed bottom or mattress
unfolded and extended for use; Fig. 7 is a side view of the folding joint of
the frame or box of the mattress or bed bottom used in both bedsteads; Fig. 8
is a plan of the joint.

page_text: The folding mattress or bed bottom common to both of the bedsteads
represented has its frame made of wood, and divided transversely into two
parts A, A', Figures 2, 3, 5, 6, of equal or suitable size, each part having rigidly.
secured to it a suitable number of transverse slats b, b, Fig. 3, for the support
of the springs C, C, which support the stuffing B and its case or covering of
ticking or other fabric, which is secured by tacks or other suitable means to the
upper edge of the frame. The stuffing and its covering extends continuously
over the joint between the two parts A, A¹. This joint, which is shewn in
Figures 7 and 8, is formed by a double hinge at each side of the frame com-
posed of a plate d of metal pivotted at or near each end by a pin e to one of
two plates c, c, which are rigidly secured by screws or nails one to each of the
parts A, A¹, of the frame at equal distances from their abutting ends. The.
length of the plates & between the centres of the pins e, e, is such as to permit
the part A¹ of the frame, and the attached portion of the bed or mattress
stuffing, to fold over, or against, and parallel with the other part, as illustrated
in Figures 2 and 5, the plates & being then perpendicular to the box or frame..
This length it is obvious should be equal to twice the height or depth from
the centre of the pins or pivots e to the face of the stuffing, or nearly so, so
that in folding what it lacks may be compensated for by such a slight com-
pression as is permissible without injury to the latter or the straining of the
joint. When, the two parts A, A', of the box or frame are straightened out
into a horizontal position for use, and supported under the joint and at both
ends, as shewn in Figures 3 and 6, their connected ends abut against each
other.below the plates, as shewn at e* in those Figures, but above the line of
the lower edges of the plates d the ends are recessed in the manner shewn
at i, i, in Figure 6, and by a dotted line in Figure 7, so that the two recesses
in either side of the frame unite to receive a wooden block d, which is attached
to the plate d on that side by means of screws f,f, or other means, and to
which are attached the portions of the mattress stuffing and its cover which
come over the joint. The blocks d, one on each side of the frame, give
rigidity to the joint when extended, but move out of the recesses i, i, as shewn
in Figures 2 and 5, when one end of the frame is raised relatively to the other,
and so permit the frame to fold with the stuffing between the two parts A, A'.
In the bureau bedstead represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, the part A of the frame
is secured to the inside of the front board E of the case E, F, G, H, H¹, the
external form of which resembles that of a bureau. This board E is hinged
at its lower edge to the base F of the case, as shewn at j, in such a manner
that it may drop down to the horizontal position represented in Fig. 3, and it
has hinged to its upper corners two short legs k, k, which support the front

page_text: edge upon the floor when the board is in the horizontal position. These legs
are enabled by their hinges 1, 2, to be folded down against the front of the
board when the bedstead is folded up and the board is in the vertical position
shewn in Figures 1 and 2; and the legs being carved or made of suitable
ornamental form appear like ornamental projections on the front of the bureau
when thus folded down. The front part. G of the top of the case is hinged as
shewn at m, so that it forms a lid which can be opened to permit the intro-
duction of the bed clothes, pillows, bolsters, &c., after the bedstead and
mattress have been folded up; and this lid piece G is provided with a lug n
at each front corner to lap over the upper edge of the front board E for the
purpose of securing the latter in a closed condition. These lugs, when the
front board E and lid G are closed, bear upon the upper ends of the legs k, k,
as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, and thus secure the legs close against the front
board E. The height or length of the board E is such that when the frame
A, A', of the mattress or bed bottom is extended the abutting ends e* of the
two portions A, A', of the frame comes some distance in rear of the outer
edge of the board, as shewn in Fig. 3, and the rear part of the portion A¹ of
the frame is supported by the board and the legs k. The front end of the
portion A¹ of the frame which forms the foot of the bed has hinged across it
at pa standard I which is capable of folding back against it, as shewn in
Fig. 2, but which, being unfolded as shewn in Fig. 3 supports the end of
the frame upon the floor when the frame is unfolded and let down into the
horizontal position. The frame A, A', when in the latter position, is supported
at j, k, and I, and makes a very firm foundation for the bed or mattress. The
head board J of the bed may be permanently attached to the part A of the
frame. Instead of a portion only of the top of bureau-like case being
hinged & arranged as a lid the whole top may be so hinged, and by that
means greater convenience would be afforded for putting the bed clothes,
pillows, &c., into the case above the folded bed bottom or mattress; but by
hinging only the front portion of the top and making the back portion H¹ a
fixture, fixed standards for the supports of a swinging mirror may be placed on
the back portion. The case is represented in Figures 2 and 3 as constructed
with an open back; the back might, however, be closed, but this is hardly
necessary as it will generally be placed against one of the walls of the room
and out of sight. By the same construction of the bedstead, represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, and herein above described, it may be made to resemble,
when closed up (as shewn in Fig. 1), a chiffonière or etagère, the exterior of
the front board E in such case being panelled to represent doors instead of the
drawers of a bureau, and a shelf or shelves being placed on the back part H' of

page_text: the top. In the wardrobe bedstead represented in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the
back part A of the frame A, A¹, of the bed bottom or mattress is hinged at q,
Figures 5 and 6, to the interior of the base or bottom K of the wardrobe-like
case K, L, M, M, N. The front part of the case is constructed with a flap L
hinged at r, below the hinges 7, to the case or bottom in such manner that it
may drop down, as shewn in Fig. 6, out of the way of the frame A, A¹, before
the latter is let down and unfolded. The exterior of this flap is panelled or
otherwise formed to represent a drawer or drawers when the bed bottom is
folded and turned up within the case, and the case is closed, as shown in
Figures 4 and 5. Above this flap L there are folding doors M, M, like those
of an ordinary wardrobe, which are opened before letting down, unfolding, and
extending the frame A, A', and may be closed again, as shewn in Fig. 6,
after the frame has been let down, unfolded, and extended to place the bed in
condition for use. The frame A, A¹, and attached bed bottom or mattress,.
when folded up within the case, and having the bed clothes and pillows
packed up with it, will not occupy more than about half the height of the
case, and above the part so occupied by the frame the interior of the case is
fitted up with one or more shelves P or other supports on which to place
wearing apparel or other articles. To provide for the support of the middle
of the frame A, A', when let down, unfolded, and extended to a horizontal
position for the use of the bed, a board Q is permanently attached to the
part A of the frame A, A, so that when the frame is so let down, unfolded,
and extended, the board will extend some distance under the part A¹ of the
frame, as shewn in Fig. 6, and there are attached to the board two legs R to
support the board and the joint of the frame upon the floor. To permit the
legs R to be enclosed within the case when the frame A, A², and the mattress
or bed bottom are folded up therein, and the doors are closed, the legs aro
hinged to the board Q so as to fold laterally against the board Q, as shewn in
Fig. 5. The shelves P or other supports in the upper part of the wardrobe-
like case may be used for the wearing apparel or other articles belonging to
the person or persons who occupy the bed, in which case, if the doors are
closed, burglars or other thieves cannot reach the contents of the case without
opening the doors, and so disturbing the sleeper or sleepers; or if desirable,
the upper part of the case may be used for containing wearing apparel or
clothing belonging to other persons, and in the latter case the doors may be
closed and locked after the bed has been let down and made, so that the
person or persons occupying the bed can have no access to the interior of the
wardrobe.
Having now described the Invention of "Improvements in Folding Beds

page_text: and Bedsteads," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent,-
The connection of the two parts A, A', of the frame of a folding bed bottom
or mattress on each side thereof by means of a double hinge, as herein set
forth, so as to make room for the stuffing between the parts when folded
parallel with each other.
Second, I claim the blocks D in combination with the plates & and the
recess i, i, in the connected ends of the two portions A, A', of the box or
frame, as and for the purpose herein specified.
Third, I claim the construction of bedstead shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3,
whereby when folded up it is made to resemble in external appearance a
bureau, chiffoniére, or étagère.
Fourth, I claim the construction of bedstead shewn in Figures 4, 5, and 6,
whereby, when folded up into its case, it is made to resemble a wardrobe in
external appearance, and to afford room above the folded bed bottom or
mattress for putting away wearing apparel or other articles, as herein set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Second day of November, in the year
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)