IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elisha Thomas Archer, of Great Trinity Lane, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING
MATTRESSES."
Sealed the 25th February 1868, and dated the 3rd September 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elisha Thomas Archer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd September 1867.
I, ELISHA THOMAS ARCHER, of Great Trinity Lane, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPRING MATTRESSES," to be as follows:-
My improvements in mattresses consist in making those supporting surfaces
of a series of wood laths, by preference of pine, these I make of length or
width of the bed as may be required. These laths are about four or five
inches in width and of a reduced thickness towards the middle, say, about
or at the ends and or in the middle. I truss (so to speak) by means of
tension wires or wire cords disposed at the lower level, between which and the
lath I dispose the ordinary springs used in mattresses, placing, say, two near
the middle and one near each end, padding being placed between said springs
and the lath for the purpose of deadening the sound. The ends of the laths
are bound down by webbing or otherwise to bearers to which the wires are
connected at the ends. The wires are kept in tension by stretcher bars
disposed between the bearers so as to give the lath a camber upwards, and so

page_text: that the level of the centre is about two inches above that of the ends or such
other height that it will be depressed about level by persons lying thereon
(a number of laths being disposed side by side in greater or less proximity to
form the resilient surface). The compound laths are supported by suitable
bearers at each end as before mentioned, which bearers rest on the bedstead.
They may be combined in sets to make three or four pieces to form the spring
surface or they may be kept separate. A mattress is placed on these laths
which forms a pleasant resillient surface on which to rest. The wood lath
may be further strengthened by a surface of canvass glued or cemented
thereto more especially if intended as spring surfaces for jumping purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Elisha Thomas Archer in the Great Seal Patent- Office
on the 3rd March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELISHA
THOMAS ARCHER, of Great Trinity Lane, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Elisha Thomas Archer, Her special licence that I, the said Elisha
Thomas Archer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Elisha Thomas Archer, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Elisha Thomas Archer, 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 Elisha Thomas Archer, 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

page_text: statement, reference being. had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto. annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My improvements in mattresses consist in making their supporting. surfaces.
of a series of wood laths, by preference of, pine, these I make of the length or
width of the bed as may be required. These laths are about four or five-
inches in width and of a reduced thickness towards the middle, say, about
five-eighths or three-fourths at the ends, and one-fourth or three-eighths in
the middle. I truss (so to speak) means of tension wires or wire cords.
disposed at the lower level, between which and the lath I dispose the ordinary
springs used in mattresses, placing, say, two near the middle and one near
each end, padding being placed between said springs and the lath for the
purpose of deadening the sound. The ends of the laths are bound down
by webbing or otherwise to bearers to which the wires are connected at the
ends, and the wires being kept in tension by stretcher. bars disposed between:
the bearers the lath is given a camber upwards. and so that the level of
the centre is about two inches above that of the ends, or such. other height:
that it will be depressed about level by persons lying thereon (a number of
laths being disposed side by side in greater or less proximity to form the
resilient surface). The compound laths. are supported by suitable bearers at
each end as before mentioned, and which bearers rest on the bedstead. The
laths may be combined in sets in one or more pieces to form the spring.
surface or they may be separately applied. A mattress when placed on these
laths forms a pleasant resilient surface on which to rest. The wood lath may
be further strengthened by a surface of canvas glued or cemented thereto, more
especially if intended as spring surfaces for jumping purposes.....
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
My Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 of
which shows a transverse section, and Figure 2 a plan of the improved
mattress; Figure 3 is an edge view of one of the laths detached, while
Figure 4 shows a side view of a bedstead with the improved mattress placed
thereon in three sections on a reduced scale. I prefer to make these
mattresses in sections for the sake of portability, to-be- placed transversely-on
the bedstead, or they may be made of increased length and applied lengthwise
thereon if desired.
The supporting surface is composed of a series of laths a, a, by preference
of pine wood of about four or five inches in width and in thickness about
five-eighths or three-fourths of an inch at either end and about one-fourth or
three-eighths at the centre of the lath. These laths a, a, are disposed.in

page_text: more or less close proximity to each other, as seen in the plan Figure 2, and
are firmly bound down at each end by webbing a', a¹, or otherwise to
bearers b, b, to which are connected wires or wire cords c, c, kept in tension
by metal or wood stretcher bars d, d, disposed between the bearers 6 as seen.
Between the wire cords c, c, and the laths a I interpose springs e, e, such as
ordinarily used in mattresses, placing one at or near each end of the lath and
two others at intermediate points e', e¹. These springs are supported by the
bearers 6 and tension wires c, their elasticity being limited by the ties f, f.
By connecting the laths to the bearers in the manner described, and keeping
the whole in tension by the stretcher bars, the laths supported by the springs
will be given a camber or bend in the upward direction so as to raise the
centres of the laths above the level of the ends sufficient to bring them on a
level therewith when depressed by a person's weight. The springs e, e,
immediately the weight is removed return the laths to position and so form
the resilient surface desired. I may if desired strengthen the wood laths by
glueing or otherwise attaching a surface of canvas or material thereon, such
as for jumping boards. The bearers 6 before mentioned form the end frames
of the mattress and rest on the side frames of the bedstead, as shown at 9, 9,
Figure 1. I make these improved mattresses either in one or more parts, or
the laths may even be arranged singly and placed side by side on the bedstead
to form the spring surface.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, constructing
mattresses of a combination of wood laths and springs and accessory parts
arranged and applied in the manner and for the purpose described and as
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elisha Thomas Archer, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
ELISHA THOS. ARCHER. (L.S.)