Improvements in Folding Bedsteads.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1892-Accepted, 30th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Folding Bedsteads.
1. Hron STEVENSON of 10, Wall Street, New York City, United States of
America, Attorney and Counsellor at Law, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
An objection to most folding bedsteads is that when folded the bedclothes are
held tightly within the casing of the bedstead and consequently they are imperfectly
aired.
The object of my invention is to improve the construction of various types of
folding bedsteads and provide attachments for the bedstead whereby the bedclothes
and the bed itself will be freely suspended when the bed case or bedstead is folded
thus permitting the air to circulate freely between and around the bed covers.
To this end my invention consists in certain features of construction and
combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the views.
Figure is a broken side elevation, partly in section, of a bedstead embodying
my invention.
Figure 2 is a broken vertical section on the linee in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a broken front elevation of the bedstead when in a raised or folded
position, and
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the same on the line y-y in Figure 3.
The bedstead frame and its support may be of any approved construction, as will
be hereinafter described, but, as shown in the drawings, the bedstead 10 is provided
with side rails 11 which at the foot are joined to the foot posts 12, these having
the usual casters 13 at their lower ends and having their upper portions connected
by the usual foot board 12. The opposite ends of the rails 11 are secured to a
common form of headboard 14 and the head portion of the bedstead is supported
upon a frame 15 having suitable feet 16 to support it. The rails 11 are adapted
to slide longitudinally upon the base or frame 15 and to this end the rails are
provided on the underside with tongues 17 which fit in grooves 18 in the base 15
and as the bedstead when folded has the rails 11 tipped into a vertical position, the
headboard 14 is also provided with tongues 17° which when the bedstead is raised
To raise the bedstend frame it is
fit in the grooves 18, as shown in Figure 4.
pulled out longitudinally from off the base 15 until the head of the bedstead is
near the front edge of the base and the bedstead is then tilted upward. To
facilitate the easy tilting of the bedstead, the base 15 is notched on opposite sides
and near the front edge, as shown at 15, so that the rear ends of the rails 11 may
enter the notches.
The several bedcovers 19 and the mattress 20 are provided at the foot with
rings 21 to which they are firmly secured, but if desired the covers and mattress
may be provided with eyeletted perforations instead, and the rings are held loosely
on the vertical slide rods 22 which are arranged parallel with the foot posts 12 the
lower ends of the rods being secured as at 23 to the rails 11 and the upper ends
The rings 21
being bent inward and fastened to the foot-posts, as shown at 24.
are severally secured to cords 25 there being a cord on each side of the bestend
but more cords and rings may be provided if necessary. Each cord 25 has one
end attached to the foot-po-t, as shown at 26 in Figures 1 and 4, and from the
rings 21 the cord extends upward over a pulley 27 which is journaled in a hanger 28
on the top of the foot-post or hoard and from thence the cord passes downward
through a groove 29 in the back of the foot-post, around n guide palley 30 which

page_text: is pivoted in a recess 31 opposite the rear end of the side rail 11 thence through a
longitudinal bore 32 in the rail, thence around guide pulleys 33 and 34 which are
journaled in the base 15 beneath the head of the bedstead and thence beneath the
base, the cord being secured, as shown at 35, to a spiral spring 36 which has one
end fixed at 37 to the front end of the base or frame 15. The object of the spiral
springs is to take up the slack of the cord when the bedstead is prepared for use,
but other means may be provided or the apparatus may be used without any
means for taking up the slack, as the main feature of the invention is the means
for freely suspending the covers.
When the bedstead is to be used, it is tipped down into the position shown in
Figure 1 and then pushed back until the head-board 14 comes above the back
legs 16 of the base frame 15. This will slacken the cords 25 and permit the
overs 19 to drop to place upon the mattress 20 the slack of the cords being taken
up by the springs 36. When the bedstead is to be folded, the reverse operation is
performed, that is to say the bedstead is drawn out until the headboard 14 is above
the front portion of the base frame 15 and this will move the cords and lift the
rings 21 and the covers into the position shown in Figure 2. The bedstead is then
tilted upward, and the tongues 17" on the head-board will drop into the grooves 18
of the base 15 thus forming a sort of brace for the bedstead and the covers and
mattress will hang loosely from the rods 22, as shown in Figure 4.
I have shown a bedstead and base simply to illustrate that the mechanism
described is operative, but it will be readily understood that this construction may
be greatly modified without departing from the principle of my invention and it
will also be understood that the entire mechanism of the bedstead may be enclosed
in any desired form of case.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is-
1. The combination, with a folding bedstead and the bedding thereof, of a cord
mechanism for separating and lowering the bedding by the rise and fall of the
bedstead, substantially as described.
2. The combination, with a folding bedstead of the bedding held at one end to
move on slide rods and a cord mechanism for separating and lowering the bedding
by the rise and fall of the bedstead, substantially as described.
3. The combination, with the folding bedstead and its stationary base, of the
bedding and a cord connection between the bedding and the base whereby the
bedding will be separated and suspended by the rise of the bedstead, substantially
as described.
4. The combination, with the tilting bedstead mounted on a suitable base, of a
cord extending vertically at one end of the bedstead and connected with the base,
means for tightening and loosening the cord by the movement of the bedstead and
the several pieces of bedding connected at one end to the cable, substantially as
described.
5. The combination, with the bedstead and its supporting base, of slide rods
secured vertically to one end of the bedstead, the bedding having its pieces held
to slide on the rods and a cord connected with the bedstead and the base and also
with the bedding, the cord extending over suitable guide pulleys so as to be
tightened and loosened by the rise and fall of the bedstead, substantially as
described.
6. A folding helstead having its parts constructed and arrangelstantially as
described in the foregoing Specification and shown in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 28th day of June 1892.
H. STEVENSON,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.