IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF AERIAL. CRADLES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Achille Barthélemy Boyer, Doctor of Medicine,:
of No. 54, Rue St. Lazare, Paris, in the Empire of France, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF AERIAL.
CRADLES."
Sealed the 30th June 1868, and dated the 15th January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Achille Barthélemy
Boyer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 15th January 1868.
I, ACHILLE BARTHÉLEMY BOYER, Doctor of Medicine, of No. 54, Rue
St. Lazare, Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF AERIAL
CRADLES," to be as follows:-
The object of the present Invention is to obviate the necessity of.
removing the infant from its warm bed when it requires nursing, and by..
this means avoiding unnecessary exposure to cold. and its attendant,
consequences both to mother and child.

page_text: screw.
The cradle consists of two elliptical rings united by network, and if
necessary being provided with a guard of the same nature attached
to the cords or rods to which the cradle is suspended, it being hung by a
cord or chain to a bracket or arm mounted on a vertical and cylindrical
shaft made in two parts, one sliding within the other, for the purpose
of heightening or shortening the same, which is done by the aid of a
The chain or cord to which the cradle is swung passes over
pullies fixed in the interior of the bracket or arm and tubular shaft,
the other end is furnished with a balance weight composed of a number
of metal or wooden rings passed over an iron pin or rod, the object of
this weight is to balance the cradle, and if desired additional rings may
be added by removing a bolt which passes through the bottom of the
rod which bears them. The vertical shaft terminates in a foot or pedestal
running on castors for the convenience of moving the cradle where
and when desired.
It will be observed from the foregoing description of the mode of
suspension of the cradle that it can be raised or lowered at will with the
greatest facility.
The modus operandi is as follows:-Supposing the mother in bed, all
she has to do is to put her arm out and drawing the cradle towards her
rests it on her knees, and it being composed of network attached to two
elliptical rings it collapses leaving the bed exposed, placing her hand
between the mattresses glides that on which the child is towards her
breast and having nursed the child reinstates it as before. The
mattresses form an endless band or cushion passing over two rollers,
the object of which arrangement is that in the event of one part being
wet or damp it may be moved round the rollers away from the infant,
and there being a space between the cushions it is soon dried. The
perpendicular shaft supporting the cradle may be curved or otherwise
and furnished with a hook to which the cradle may be hung when not
suspended to the cord or chain, and the cradle may have a wooden frame
instead of the network; in this case the sides at the upper part are made
to move on hinges so that they can be pulled down, and form an incline
on which the mattress bearing the infant will then slide: The bracke
or arm to which the cradle is suspended may be fixed in the wall i
desired, thus dispensing with the vertical shaft and pedestal, this system
would be suitable to hospitals; or a beam may be fixed across the room

page_text: the ends being fastened to the wall and having a longitudinal opening
in which a number of rollers may run, and to each of which a cradle.
is suspended.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Achille Barthélemy Boyer in the Great, Seal
Patent Office on the 13th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ACHILLE
BARTHÉLEMY BOYER, Doctor of Medicine, of No. 54, Rue St. Lazare,
Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Achille Barthelemy Boyer, Her special
licence, that I, the said Achille Barthelemy Boyer, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said Achille
Barthélemy Boyer, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF AERIAL CRADLES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Achille Barthélemy
Boyer, my executors or administrators, 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, 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, the said Achille Barthélemy Boyer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner.
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, and accompanying Drawings,
that is to say:

page_text: The object of the present Invention is to obviate the necessity of
removing the child from its warm bed when it requires nursing, and by
this means avoiding the unnecessary exposure of both mother and child
to cold and its attendant consequences.
The following description of my Invention, aided by the illustrations,
will fully explain its nature.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the support to the cradle a, four
metal rods 6 connect the cradle with the ends of the pieces c, and are
attached by the hooks 7 and rivet d, which latter terminates in a ring
to which the cord f suspending the cradle is tied, this cord after passing
over the pullies e, e, e¹, e¹, is fixed to the end of a metal shaft forming
an axis and support to a number of cylinders g, g, the weight of which
balance the cradle; these can be increased or diminished as desired by
withdrawing the pin i; the counterbalance 9, may be considerably
inferior to the weight of the cradle, the deficiency being made up
by crossing the cord of suspension f over the pullies e', e¹, which by
increasing the friction prevents the cradle moving too rapidly up or
down. The foot of the support to the cradle consists of a table j, the
form of which may vary, and which receives the hollow tube h, which
latter receives another similar tube h', the two forming the upright
support which by this means may be lowered or heightened as desired
by means of the ring K and screw K. The tube h¹ at its upper end
terminates in an elbow which in like manner receives a final hollow
tube, which by shortening or lengthening the same admits of drawing
the cradle from or towards the axis of its support. By this system
the manoeuvring of the cradle is most simple, for instance, the table j
being furnished with wheels it is easy to draw the apparatus to the
side of the bed where the mother lies, who has then simply to draw
the cradle towards her or turn it from her, or lower it on her knees, this
may be effected by acting directly on the weight g by means of the
string. The cradle being formed of two elliptical rings united by a
network the upper one is easily lowered so as to bring the infant even
with the breast, so as to nurse it without disturbing or uncovering it,
and if necessary to avoid bearing the whole weight of the cradle on
the knees the upper ring is supplied with a hook or hooks t, which
fasten in corresponding rings fixed on the lower ring of the cradle,
which will then remain suspended at the desired height. Having

page_text: nursed the infant the cradle is submitted to the action of the weight
to raise it, and it can then be rocked or moved round the support, and
when desired to keep it still, and in order to protect the organs of
suspension from over straining, the rods 6 are supported by the hook m
fixed on the tube h¹, and a guard may also be attached to the rods b.
In lieu of having a hollow support receiving the balance weight of the
cradle I can employ, as shown in Fig. 2, a hollow weight g, sliding the
length of the support h, which fixed to the table j receives, as in Fig. 1,
the shaft so that it can be raised, lowered, or moved round its
vertical axis by the cord f' provided with a ring or tassel. The rods b,
like those c, Fig. 1, serve as supports to curtains, and the hook m sliding
and pivoting on the support h' in supporting the rods 6 gives stability
to the cradle. The movable part of the support can be withdrawn
from that h and be placed in rings A fixed to the wall, which is
convenient for the night.
Fig. 3 represents a cradle having the same advantages as those
previously mentioned. On a plank fixed to the wall I arrange two
rings o, o, serving as pivots to a shaft n, which receives a hollow tube /
for facilitating the placing of the pullies e, e, e¹, e¹, on which the cord f
passes, and to one end of which the weight is attached; the cradle is
suspended, as in Figs. 1 and 2, or consists of two rods b, b, connected
to the cradle a by the rods b', 6', and to a rod c supported by the cord f,
and the cradle is lowered or raised by the cord f attached to the
weight.
Fig. 4 is an arrangement applicable to cribs; a bar a fixed to the wall
receives the axes of the pullies r on which the cord 6 passes; a number
of cradles may be slung on a bar in this manner. -
.
Fig. 5 is one of the most simple modes of suspension, the pullies e', e¹,
on which the cord f passes are fixed to the wall of the apartment, the.
cradle here represented is not elliptical in form, its ends are only
arched, the rods b, b, are connected to the angles of a rectangle,
supported by rods or cords by a shaft c, the end of which is fastened
to the cord fa
If the cradle is made of wood, see Fig. 6, the upper part is made
to move on hinges and the lower part is fixed; when open by means
of the hinges p, p, the upper part forms an inclined plane so as to allow
the infant on its bed to glide towards the mother, the movable part is

page_text: furnished with a pad q of india-rubber or other elastic substance, so that
no injury may occur in closing or opening the side.
Cradles fixed to beds in hospitals would be attached to the transverse
shaft fixed to the rectangle supporting the curtains, for this purpose the
shaft is slightly raised so that the cradle may not impede the movements
of the mother. I can also substitute for the weight a barrel spring, the
spring unwinding by a slight effort lowers the cradle, and in winding
up raises it; furnished with gear wheels the barrel spring is placed
inside the support either at the top or bottom, or it may be placed
outside, in which case the support need not be hollow.
As already mentioned the mother on drawing the cradle on her knees
has merely to press on the upper ring of the cradle to get at the infant,
and in order to facilitate this it is necessary that the bedding should be
as light as possible, and as low; for this purpose I do away with the
ordinary sea weed stuffed mattress, substituting in its place two palliasses
made with chaff or other substance, stitched longitudinally, see Fig. 8,
so as to allow of the hand being placed between the two to draw that
bearing the infant forwards. The bed may also consist of a single
mattress forming an endless pad, Fig. 7, passing over two cylinders x, x¹,
so that in the event of any part becoming wet it may be easily turned
away from the infant, whilst at the same time it sleeps on two
mattresses. I can also substitute carded horsehair for the chaff in the
form of fibre, the advantage of which is that it dries quickly.
Having now described my Invention, what I claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is, the system of aerial cradle, as herein
described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings, the principal
features of which are,-
1st. The mode of suspension, the organs of which are so disposed
that the cradle can be raised, lowered, rocked, or rotated as desired.
2nd. The employment of the balance weight to the cradle, either in
the interior of a hollow support, or by having the weight hollow, and
passing the shaft through it.
3rd. The substitution of the weight for the spring.
4. The construction of a wooden cradle with movable side.
5. The mattresses and other parts, precisely as herein-before men-
tioned, reserving to myself the right to modify the form, dimensions,

page_text: and material employed in the construction of articles forming the
subject of the present Invention.
In witness whereof I, the said Achille Barthélemy Boyer, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-fourth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-