IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING BED BOTTOMS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine and John Adams Knight, both
of No. 4, Symonds Inn, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING BED BOTTOMS."-Partly
a communication from abroad by Philip Ulmer, of New York.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine and
John Adamıs Knight at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 29th March 1860.
We, GEORGE HASELTINE and JOHN ADAMS KNIGHT, both of No. 4, Symonds
Inn, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING BED BOTTOMS," partly
a communication from abroad by Philip Ulmer, of New York, to be as
follows, that is to say :-
The said Invention consists in the application of india rubber webbing, or
corrugated rubber bands, or strips in combination with laths or slats, to form
an elastic spring bed bottom, and also in various methods of supporting or
suspending the laths or slats by means of metal springs, rubber webbing or
other elastic material. The application is so made as to connect separately
each lath or slat to the rails of the bedstead, thus permitting the independent.
yielding of the bed bottom in that part at which the pressure is applied. The

page_text: form of the metal spring used is elliptical, one end being firmly fixed to the
bedstead rail, while the other end is joined to a lath or slat. The different
methods of connecting the laths or slats with the bedstead rails, when rubber
webbing or elastic strips or bands are employed, render convenient the use of
this spring bottom with any kind of bedsteads. A simple method of sup-
porting the laths or slats is to stretch a strip of elastic material across the head
and foot of the bedstead, and then to lay the laths or slats upon the strips,
which are fastened to props placed between the laths, and the required elasticity
is simply obtained by suspending the laths or slats by means of short strips
of elastic material nailed to the bedstead rails, and to the laths or slats. But
for convenience in detaching the laths or slats from the bedstead, and in
varying the tension of the elastic material used, other ways of joining the
elastic strips to the laths or slats, and sometimes to the bedstead rails, are
adopted. To fasten the strip of elastic material to a lath or slat, a metal link is
secured to one end of each strip of such size and shape as will permit the
link to pass over the end of the lath or slat, the link being retained by a notch
cut in the lath or slat, or the link being made of a triangular shape is held by
a headed pin or screw driven into the under side of the lath or slat. The
latter method may also be conveniently adopted to secure the elastic strips to
the bedstead rails, pins or screws being driven into the upper side of the
rails. To vary the tension of the elastic strips several notches are cut in
the laths or slats or extension links are used. The strips may also be joined
to the bedstead rails by passing each through a slot. made in a strip of timber,
and afterwards fixing this strip to the rails. If required, the laths or slats may
have an elastic support near their centres.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Haseltine and John Adams Knight, in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 28th September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
HASELTINE, and JOHN ADAMS KNIGHT, both of No. 4, Symonds Inn, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
George Haseltine and John Adams Knight, Her special licence that we,

page_text: the said George Haseltine and John Adams Knight, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George Haseltine and
John Adams Knight, our executors administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SPRING BED BOTTOMS," partly a communication from abroad by Philip
Ulmer, of New York, upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the. said
George Haseltine and John Adams Knight, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 we, the said George Haseltine and John Adams
Knight, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in the application of india-rubber webbing or corru-
gated rubber bands or strips in combination with laths or slats to form an
elastic spring bed bottom, and also in various methods of supporting or sus-
pending the laths or slats by means of metal springs, rubber webbing, or other
elastic material. The application is so made as to connect separately each
lath or slat to the rails of the bedstead, thus permitting the independent
yielding of the bed-bottom in that part at which the pressure is applied. The
form of the metal spring used is elliptical, one end being firmly fixed to the
bedstead rail, while the other end is joined to a lath or slat. The different
methods of connecting the laths or slats with the bedstead rails when rubber
webbing or elastic strips or bands are employed render convenient the use of
this spring bottom with any kind of bedsteads. A simple method of sup-
porting the laths or slats is to stretch a strip of elastic material across the
head and foot of the bedstead, and then to lay the laths or slats upon the strips
which are fastened to props placed between the laths, and the required elas-
ticity is simply obtained by suspending the laths or slats by means of short
strips of elastic material nailed to the bedstead rails and to the laths or slats.
But for convenience in detaching the laths or slats from the bedstead, and in
varying the tension of the elastic material used, other ways of joining the

page_text: elastic strips to the laths or slats, and sometimes to the bedstead, rails are
adopted. To fasten the strip of elastic material to a lath or slat a metal
link is secured to one end of each strip, of such size and shape as will permit
the link to pass over the end of the lath or slat, the link being retained by a
notch cut in the lath or slat, or the link being made of a triangular shape is
held by a headed pin or screw driven into the under side of the lath or slat.
The latter method may also be conveniently adopted to secure the elastic strips
to the bedstead rails, pins or screws being driven into the upper side of the
rails. To vary the tension of the elastic strips several notches are cut in the
laths or slats, or extension links are used. The strips may also be joined to
the bedstead rails by passing each through a slot made in a strip of timber,
and afterwards fixing this strap to the rails. If required the laths or slats may
have an elastic support near their centres.
In order to explain this Invention as completely as possible we now proceed
to describe the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into
practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of Drawings here-
unto annexed, and the numeral figures and letters of reference marked thereon
respectively, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bedstead exhibiting one method of con-
structing a spring bed bottom according to this Invention; Figure 2 is an
elevation of one of the end rails of the bedstead detached from the bedstead;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of a single bedstead lath or slat fitted with elastic
loops, according to this Invention; Figure 4, a side elevation of same;
Figure 5, a view of the loop detached, and drawn to an enlarged scale;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a bedstead, exhibiting another
method of connecting the laths or slats thereto, according to this Invention;
Figure 7, a full size side view of the improved spring connecting piece, herein-
after particularly described and referred to; Figure 8, a top plan view of
Figure 7, partly in section; Figure 9, a plan view of an extension link. At
each of the foregoing Figures we employ similar letters of reference to denote
corresponding parts, in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of
such said Figures respectively.
At Figures 1 and 2, A is the bottom end rail of the bedstead; the rail at
the head of the bedstead is similar thereto, but not visible in the Drawing;
these rails are connected to the side rails B, B, of the bedstead in the usual
way. The construction of the end rails A is as follows:-Each rail is of wood,
parts whereof at a are cut away; C is a strip or band of india-rubber webbing

page_text: formed corrugated and fastened by its ends at b, b; D, D, are laths or slats
of wood, the ends whereof rest upon those parts of the corrugated webbing C,
which come over the spaces at a, a; the upper surfaces of the ends of the
laths or slats may, if necessary, be securely held in position by a piece of
common non-elastic webbing, or other suitable material E fastened by its
ends; the effect of thus connecting the laths or slats to the bedstead is as
follows: Suppose a bed or mattrass to be placed thereon, and a person lying
thereon, the webbing at the spaces a, a, will yield to the weight of the person,
and any change of position of the person sideways will cause those laths or
slats which are pressed upon to yield more than the adjoining laths or slats, and
thus present an easy elastic yielding movement of the bed bottom, each lath
or slat having a distinct and separate elastic movement, which constitutes the
leading feature of this method of constructing spring bed bottoms. In adapt-
ing the above described arrangement to iron bedsteads, the end rails A have
simply to be made sufficiently long for their ends to come flush with the side
rails of the bedstead on which they rest, as denoted by the dotted lines at
Figure 6, said end rails being connected to the head and foot posts in any
convenient and suitable manner.
We now proceed to describe the arrangement exhibited at Figures 3, 4, 5,
as follows, observing that the object of this part of this Invention is to
produce a distinct article of manufacture, which can be readily attached to and
detached from the laths or slats of a bedstead, and which may serve both to
give elasticity to the said laths or slats as a support, and also to accomplish
the purpose of suspending the said laths or slats from or connecting them with
the bedstead rails. The loop consists of only three parts, videlicet, the elastic
part A, the loop or eye B, by which to attach to the bedstead rail, and the
coupling link C for attaching it to the lath or slat D. The elastic part A is
made of india-rubber webbing, known in America as shirred cloth. It is
simply inserted through the eye B and link C, and its ends sewed together.
But to give the loop greater strength and compactness it is well to stitch the
two thicknesses together close to the said eye and link, as shown in the Draw-
ings. Instead of sewing the ends together they may be simply passed around
the wire of the eye and link and stitched to the main part. The eye B is
made of wire bent into suitable shape, the triangular form shown in the
Drawings being the most convenient. The ends meet in the middle of the
side, around which the shirred cloth A passes. When the laths or slats are to
be suspended in the bedstead the eyes are hooked over pegs or screws inserted
in the top of the head and foot rails for that purpose, whether the bedstead
be of wood or iron. The coupling link C is also made of wire, and has a

page_text: rectangular form, as represented, the length being a little greater than the
width, and the width somewhat greater than the thickness of the laths or slats.
The side in which the ends meet should be surrounded by the cloth, as in the
case of the eye. Both the link and eye may be cast of malleable iron instead
of making them of bent wire; each loop thus formed is attached to a lath or
slat by simply slipping its link C over the end thereof, and allowing its extreme
side to sink into a notch cut across the slat, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Then
the greater the tension upon the loop the more securely is it held on the slat.
The slat being of suitable length to secure the proper degree of tension upon
the loops becomes a very superior elastic support for a bed or mattrass.
We now proceed to describe the arrangement exhibited at Figures 6, 7, 8, 9,
as follows: A represents the end rail of a bedstead, to which the laths or
slats B, B, are attached by means of springs of elastic rubber webbing, as
below explained. The laths or slats are of the usual and common form and
size; b is the webbing; this in itself is a well-known article of manufacture
and needs no further description. A link of metal (d) serves to connect the
spring or webbing with the lath or slat B by means of the screw (e), which is
a fixture while the lath or slat is attachable, or can be' unhooked and removed
at option. The extension link at Figure 9 may be used, if desired, in place of
the single link (d) for convenience in adapting to laths or slats of different
lengths. These links have their sides nearly parallel for some distance near
the end, that they may be moved upon the hook-screw e a half inch (more or
less) without unhooking, or so that by the sudden withdrawal of pressure from
the spring it may not unhook itself, as might be the case were it constructed
otherwise. The webbing passes through this link, and the two ends thereof
are then joined together so as to form a loop, which is secured as follows:-
a is a strip of wood an inch more or less in width, having its outer surface
convex and its inner surface concave; in length it may compass the entire
series of laths, slats, or only one of them, as at Figure 5. The strip a is
formed with apertures or slots, of the proper size to receive the webbing which
passes through it, and is secured on its inside by means of nails at Figures 7
& 8, or otherwise. The strip a furnishes a ready means of attaching spring
bottoms of this and similar kinds to bedsteads; the strip has only to be screwed
to the bedstead, after preparation, to complete the attachment; it is likewise
exceedingly compact, projecting but slightly beyond the rail, and also conceals
or encloses within itself the ends of the webbing, being adapted in this respect
for different descriptions of fastening. It may be modified in form by using a
flat channelled space, or by a similar space or groove in the rail itself covered
by a flat strip of metal or wood. Should the loops become stretched, so as to

page_text: allow the laths or slats, to sag too much, it is only requisite to cut notches a
little further from the ends thereof for the reception of the loop links and
they will again become sufficiently taught; this applies to Figures 3 and 4;
the same result may be obtained by moving back the screw e at Figure 7,
or using the extension link at Figure 9, and when the laths or slats become
bent they may be turned over and the loops taken off and again replaced, the
sides being shifted. In this case the notches a, a, on opposite sides of the
laths or slats should be arranged, as in Figure 4, so that the distance between
the two loops may remain the same as before the lath or slat was inverted.
The loops are removable from and may be readily replaced upon the laths
or slats.
In adapting this arrangement to ordinary laths or slats it is simply neces-
sary to cut notches across the same near the ends thereof as regards the
construction of the elliptical spring herein referred to; it will be best under-
stood by referring to Figure 10, where a, a, mark elliptical pieces of metal
fixed to the end rails of the bedstead, the laths or slats being separately
connected by their ends to each strip of metal by screws or other convenient
means.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Haseltine and John Adams
Knight, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-eighth
day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty.
GEORGE HASELTINE.
(L.S.)
JOHN ADAMS KNIGHT. (L.S.)