A NEW AND USEFUL ARTICLE OF FURNITURE, TO SERVE THE PURPOSES OF A BEDSTEAD, A A WIRING Deer
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Richardson Plimpton and James
Leonard Plimpton, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United
States of America, for the Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL
ARTICLE OF FURNITURE, TO SERVE THE PURPOSES OF A BEDSTEAD, A
A WIRING Deer"
m
Sealed the 7th December 1858, and dated the 8th October 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Richardson
Plimpton and James Leonard Plimpton at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 8th October
1858.
We, HENRY RICHARDSON PLIMPTON and JAMES LEONARD PLIMPTON,
of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of our Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL
ARTICLE OF FURNITURE TO SERVE THE PURPOSES OF A BEDSTEAD, A TOILET
TABLE, OR A WASHSTAND, AND A WRITING DESK," to be as follows,―
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, of which Figure 1,
represents a perspective view of the said Invention as it appears when
folded up. Figure 2, is a perspective view of the bedstead part of it as

page_text: it appears when unfolded. Fig. 3, is a perspective view of the toilet
table or washstand part of it. Figure 4, is a perspective view of the
base or stand part of the bedstead. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several Figures.
The nature of our Invention consists in so constructing a bedstead
and toilet table, that when not in..use they can be easily placed in a
small space, and at the same time form to all appearance a secretary,
bookcase, wardrobe, cupboard, or other similar piece of furniture.
The secretary. is, however, the most tasty- and convenient form for
general purposes, the same having a writing table and drawers for
stationery, as well as apartments for containing all the necessary appen-
dages to the toilet table and bed; thus forming a very neat and con-
venient piece of furniture for the sitting room or parlor; and at night
it affords all the conveniences of a bed chamber.
It further consists in so combining the head and foot boards of the
bedstead with the post that supports the bed, as to enable them to be
-turned down upon the bedding in order to aid in securing it in place
when the bedstead is turned and set up in an upright position...
In said Drawings (A, A, Figure 1.) is the base to the secretary
having posts (B, B, Figure 4,) rising therefrom. On the top of these
posts are hinges or moveable joints upon which the whole of the bed-
stead and portions of the secretary are hung so as to turn freely.
(C, C, C, Figures 1, and 3,) is the front of the toilet table, which is slid
in beneath the writing table, and forms a front of the lower part of the
secretary. (D, D, Figures 1, and 3,) are drawers for containing
stationery, &c., and also forni a support for the leaf to the writing table
when the same is turned down. (E, Figure 1,) is the writing leaf:
(F, F, Figure 1,) are false drawers; (G, G, Figure 1) are false doors;
(H, H,) is a view of that portion to which the legs of the bedstead are
attached, the same being hung upon hinges seen below the letters H, H;
(I, Figure 1) is a wide board or door; it is hung upon hinges (J, J,)
and forms a part of the sides of the secretary, and also forms (as seen
in Figure 2) a
portion of the side of the beadstead, and helps support
the same. (K, K, K, Figure 1.) is the cap of the secretary, which is
moveable, and which is turned one half round (see Figure 3); it forms

page_text: the top of the toilet table when placed thereon. (L, Figure 3,) is a
portion (hung upon hinges) forming a part of the side to the toilet table
or wash stand. (M, M.) are false drawers, which turn down, and form
an opening to the apartment which contains the articles of toilet and
bed. (Q, 0, 0, 0, Figure 2,) are scroll posts to which the head and
foot boards P, P, are attached; the posts are hung upon hinges at Q, Q.
R, is a knob or button attached to the foot board. Attached to the head
hoard is another similar knob, to which is fastened a cord.
The bedstead and toilet table being placed so as to form to appear-
ance a secretary (as seen in Figure 1), when wished to be used for a
bed and toilet table, the operation is as follows:-The lower part of the
toilet table is drawn out from beneath the writing table, and the hinged
sides L, fastened out so as to give the table more width. It is then
moved to a convenient place in the apartment. The cap piece to the
secretary is made light, and is removed and turned one half around,
and forms the top to the toilet table when placed thercon. The false
drawers in front are then let down, and the articles of toilet &c., are
taken out and set on the table. This being done, the portion H, on the
top of the secretary is turned over in front, and forms the foot legs to
the bedstead. By putting one hand upon the secretary near the top,
the bedstead & bedding may be turned down until the legs touch the
floor. The front portions of the secretary with the writing table are
brought beneath the bed. The parts I, I, are then unhooked and
turned down. The cord that confines the head and foot boards and
posts upon the bed is next to be undone, and the head and foot posts
and boards are to be turned back in their appropriate places; the
pillows being put in their places, the bed is ready for use.
When not in use for a bed and toilet table, and it is desirable to put
the article in the form of a secretary, the operation is as follows:-
The bed is made up, and one pillow is placed at the head, and the
other at the foot of the bed. The head and foot boards and posts are
turned inwards upon the bed, and confined by means of the cord being
fastened upon the knobs on the foot board. By confining the head
and foot boards the bedding is kept in place when the bed is turned
up endways. The part H, and sides I, I, are next to be turned

page_text: up and may be confined up by suitable contrivances. To the head or
lower end of the bedstead may be attached a box for sand or any
other suitable counterbalance weight. The bed may now be turned
with very little exertion, and confined in place by means of catches
attached to the base of the secretary. The articles of toilet, &c.,
being placed in their appropriate apartment, the top of the table is
next to be removed and turned one half around. It forms a cap to
the secretary when placed thereon. The hinged sides to the toilet
table are next to be turned in, and the toilet table slid into the front of
the secretary beneath the writing table; the whole forming to all
appearance a secretary, and may be used for writing, &c.
We do not wish, however, to confine our claims to forming the secre-
tary alone, as a bookcase, wardrobe, cupboard, &c. may be formed in a
similar manner; neither do we wish to confine ourselves to any parti-
cular form of head and foot posts and boards. We do not wish to
confine our claims to any particular form of either the bedstead, the
toilet table, or the secretary, bookcase, wardrobe, cupboard, &c., as the
mere forms can be varied to suit different tastes and circumstances;
neither do we wish to confine ourselves to the particular forms herein
described; for instance, the toilet table with hinged sides, or using the
cap to the secretary for a top thereto, as, in some instances, a toilet
table with stationary sides and top may be used to advantage, and a
moveable top or cap to the secretary be dispensed with. But what
we do claim and wish to secure by Letters Patent is,―
We claim so constructing a bedstead and toilet table that, when not
in use as such, they can easily be placed together, and form to
appearance a secretary, bookcase, wardrobe, cupboard, or any similar
piece of furniture, substantially as herein specified.
We also claim to so combine the head and foot boards of the
bedstead with the part that supports the bed, as to enable them to be
turned down upon the bedding in order to aid in securing it in place
when the bedstead is being turned, and while it is set or folded up
into an upright position, as stated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Richardson Plimpton and James Leonard
Plimpton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th March
1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
HENRY RICHARDSON PLIMPTON and JAMES, LEONARD PLIMPTON, of the
State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, by Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of October, in the the year of
our Lord Eighteen hundred and fifty-three, in the Seventeenth year of
Her reign, did grant us, the said Henry Richardson Plimpton and
James Leonard Plimpton, our heirs, exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, an exclusive property or right for fourteen years to make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, an Invention of "A
NEW AND USEFUL ARTICLE OF FURNITURE TO SERVE THE PURPOSES OF A
BEDSTEAD, A TOILET TABLE, OR WASHSTAND, AND A WRITING DESK,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Richardson
Plimpton and James Leonard Plimpton, by an instrument of writing
under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of our 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, or Office of Her Majesty's Commissioners of Patents for Inven-
tions, within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Richardson Plimpton
and James Leonard Plimpton, do hereby declare the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following Speci-
fication, and the accompanying Drawings, letters, figures, and references
thereof:
Of the said Drawings, Figure 1, is a front elevation of our said article
of furniture. Figure 2, is a side elevation of it. Fig. 3, is a vertical
central and transverse section of it, as it appears when folded or in an

page_text: upright state. Figure 4, is a side elevation of the bedstead part of it, as
it appears when unfolded or turned down and prepared for being slept
on. Figure 5, is a vertical central and longitudinal section of the bed-
stead part of it under such circumstances. Figure 6, is a front view of
the desk or secretary, as it appears when the wash stand or toilet table
is removed from it. Figure 7, is a rear end clevation of the article when
disposed as seen in Figure 4. Figure 8, is a cross section of the wash
stand. Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, are detailed views to be herein-
after explained.
The nature of our Invention consists in so constructing a bed-
stead and toilet table, that when not in use they can be easily placed
in a small space, and at the same time form to all appearance a
secretary, book-case, or other similar piece of furniture. The secretary,
however, is the most pleasing and convenient form for general purposes,
the same having a writing table, drawers for stationery, as well as
apartments for containing all the necessary appendages to a washstand
toilet table and a bedstead, the whole forming a very' neat and con-
venient piece of furniture for a parlor or drawing room, and which. at
night will afford many of the conveniences of a bedchamber.
or
B, B, Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, represent the two posts on which the whole
structure is supported. These posts are elevated perpendicularly on the
base A, and have on their tops hinges or moveable joints a, by which
the whole of the bedstead and portions of the secretary combined are
hung so as to turn freely from a vertical down to a horizontal position.
C, Figures 1, 3, & 8, denotes the toilet table or washstand which is
slid in beneath the writing table or desk in a suitable chamber X, and
forms a front to the lower part of the secretary D, D. Figures 1, 8, & 8,
are drawers for containing stationery or writing materials. When drawn
out a short distance they serve as a support for the writing leaf E,
when the same is turned down and used for the purposes of writing.
F, F, Figure 1, are representations of drawers, or what are termed false
drawers; while G, G, Figures 1, & 6, are false doors. H, is the top or
cornice part of the secretary which is hinged to the bedstead part as
seen at b, b, (Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5,) and when the article is turned
down to be slept upon, it (the said part H) is made to take the position

page_text: as seen in Figures 4, & 5, and to serve as a foot end of the bedstead. A
wide board or door I, Figures 2, 3, 4, & 5, is hinged to each side of
the bedstead by hinges, as seen as seen at c, c, Figures 1, 2, 4, & 7.
This board, when in position as seen in Figure 2, forms a part of
each side of the secretary, and serves to conceal the bed clothes or
bedding from view. When the bedstead is declined to a horizontal
position, these boards I, I, are turned downwards, as seen in Figures
4, 5, & 7; they, when in such positions, serving to hide from view the
writing table or desk. L, Figures 3, and 8, is a moveable back which
is attached to the toilet table by hinges, and which, when the table is to
be used, can be turned up into the position as denoted by dotted lines
at L', in Figure 8. When in such, position it may there be held by any
suitable contrivanco. The front of the washstand or toilet table is
made with a door M, which is hung on hinges and supports, as seen
at d, in Figure 8, so as to render it capable of being turned from the
vertical down into the horizontal position, as seen at M, Figure 8; the
wash basin or other articles for the toilet or washing being placed in a
chamber K, which such door M, serves to close. 0, 0, are scrolled
posts to which the head and foot boards P, P, are attached, there being
two of such posts to each board, as seen in Figure 7. The said scroll
posts are confined to the bed foundation or frame of the bedstead:
by hinges, as seen at e, e, in Figures 3, & 4, so as to enable said
posts to take the positions as seen in said Figures. Each of the
head and foot boards has a knob or button R, affixed to its middle
or other proper part. A strap S, is secured to these knobs, and serves,
in conuection with the head and foot boards, to hold the bedding in place
when the head and foot boards are in the positions as seen in Figure 8.
T, Figures 3, & 5, is a box applied to the bedstead frame, and made to
contain sand or other proper weight for the purpose of counterbalancing
the bedstead foundation upon the posts B, B. f, in Figures 7, & 9,
denote friction springs upon which the bedstead strikes when raised up
into a vertical position, they being for the purpose of holding it in such
upright position. When the parts H, and I, are in the positions as
seen in Figures 4, & 5, they may be locked together by spring catches,

page_text: which are represented on an enlarged scale in Figures 10, & 11. So
when the article of furniture is placed in an upright position the
parts-I, I, may be kept in place by suitable spring catches, they being
represented at i, Figures 12, & 13; the parts I, being there seen, and
the catches being shown as affixed to the frame or bed foundation U.
These catches constitute no part of our Invention, as any other suitable
or well known means for holding the parts of the article in place when
in an upright position may be adopted. 8, s, s, &c., Figures 3, & 5,
denote the spiral springs of the bed foundation, which may or may not
be employed to sustain the bedding..
The bedstead, washstand, or toilet table being placed so as to
form the appearance of a secretary, as seen in Figures 1, & 8, if
we wish to dispose of them so as to render them capable of being
used as a bed and washstand, the operation is as follows:-The
waslistand is first drawn out from the chamber X, beneath the writing
table, and its flap L, turned upwards, and the whole moved to some
convenient place in the apartment. The door M, is next to be opened,
and the water basin and pitcher, or other articles for washing, or the
toilet, removed from the chamber K, and placed upon the top of the
washstand. Next the part H, on the top of the secretary is to be
turned over in front, so as to form a support for the bedstead when in a
position as seen in Figures 4, and 5. This done the bedstead in next
turned down, so as to bring it into position as seen in said Figures
4, & 5. The parts I, I, are next to be unlatched and turned down-
wards and latched to the part H. The cord or strap S, that confines
the head and foot boards P, P, upon the bedling is next to be removed
from the knobs or buttons R, R, and the head and foot boards turned
up into their appropriate positions, as seen in Figure 4. The pillows
being put in their places the bed will be ready for use.
When not in use for the purpose of the toilet or sleeping, and wo
desire to return the parts to the form of a secretary, the operation is
as follows:-The bedding, which is supposed to rest on the bed founda-
tion U, is to be made up, and the pillows placed on the same in convenient
positions, to be secured thereon by the head and foot boards P, P

page_text: when they are turned down upon them and strapped together. Next
the head and foot boards are to be turned down upon the bedding. The
several parts or catches which confine the parts I, to the portion H, are
next to be unlatched, and the said parts I turned upwards. The whole
bedstead is next to be elevated into an upright position, and the
part H, turned over into place, as seen in Figures 1, 2, & 3. The
wash basin, pitcher, and other articles of toilet may next be removed
from the top of the washstand, and deposited in the chamber K. The
flap L, being turned downwards into the position seen in Figure 3, the
washstand, or toilet table may be run into place under the folding
leaf E, as represented in Figures 1, & 3, of the Drawings. Thus the
whole may be made to present the appearance of a secretary; and when
the leaf E is turned down, and the drawers D, D, pulled out so as to
support it, such leaf may be used as a writing table or desk.
We do not confine our Invention to the particular form or forms of
any one or more of its parts, as such parts are represented in the
Drawings; but what we do claim is, to so construct a bedstead and toilet
table or washstand, substantially as above set forth, that when not use
as such they can easily be placed together and form the appearance of
a secretary or any similar piece of furniture, essentially as herein-
before described.
We also claim to so combine the head and foot boards of the bed-
stead with the part that supports the bed as to enable the said head
and foot boards to be turned down upon the bedding, in order to aid in
securing it in place when the bedstead is being turned, and while it is
set and folded into an upright position as stated.
And in combination with the bed foundation U, we claim the hinged
folding boards I, I, as applied thereto, and made to operate substantially
as described, and so as either to conceal the bedding or desk from view,
under circumstances, as specified.
And we claim the combination of the turning cornice or rest H,
with the bed foundation U, the same being to serve the purposes of
either a cornice of a secretary or a foot rest for the bedstead, as
circumstances may require.

page_text: And in combination with the bedstead, we claim the writing table
or tablet, and the space or chamber X under it, for the reception of
the washstand or toilet table, substantially as specified.
In testimony whereof we have hereto set our hands and seals,
this Twenty-third day of December, One thousand eight hun-
dred and fifty-three.
HENRY RICHARDSON PLIMPTON. (L.S.)
JAMES LEONARD PLIMPTON.
(L..S.)