Year: 1888

page_text: I, ARTHUR CHARLES SMITH, of 2 Vicarage Road, Camberwell in the County of
Surrey Builder's Foreman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a cheap and elastic mattress which may be
used on any ordinary bedstead, or be so constructed as to form a mattress and bedstead
combined.
A mattress constructed on my improved principle is most simple to put together or
take apart, and can be packed in a very small compass, making it most convenient for
storage and transport.
In carrying my invention into practice 1 take a number of elastic wooden laths and
support them on two cross bearers, one placed near each end of mattress. The two
outside laths I make much stouter than the intermediate ones, and from these outsido
laths, between end bearers, I suspend on India rubber or other suitable springs, cross
pieces of wood or metal. These cross pieces by the action of the springs are brought
to press against the under side of the laths, and give a resilient support to the
intermediate laths.
I connect the laths by means of a cord which may pass through their width near
each end, and immediately above the cross bearers, and to keep the laths at a proper
distance from each other I secure them to the cord by a small nail or pin.
The cord which passes through the laths also serves to secure them to the cross
bearers, by means of a simple attachment in the ends of cross bearers.
To prevent any noise being caused by friction, and to give a certain amount of
elasticity to ends of laths, I insert in the cross bearers a number of India rubber studs
for the laths to rest upon.
By merely releasing the cords from the ends of bearers, and detaching springs from
cross supporting pieces, the laths may be lifted off bearers and folded up. The bearers,
with folded laths, may then be packed in a very small compass.

page_text: The above may be so constructed as to form a mattress and bedstead combined, by
simply attaching legs, folding or otherwise, to cross bearers, with or without the
- addition of head and foot pieces.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings :-
Figure 1. is a plan of the mattress.
Figure 2. is an enlarged section on line A. A. showing method of supporting laths,
and suspending cross supporting pieces.
Figure 3. is an enlarged section on line B. B. showing position of rubber studs, and
the method of securing laths by the cord to attachment in end of cross bearer.
Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line C. C. showing position of cross supporting
pieces under laths.
The same letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.

page_text: Improvements in Spring Mattresses.
I. ARTHUR CHARLES SMITH of 2 Vicarage Road Camberwell in the County of
Surrey Builder's Foreman 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:—
-
The object of this invention is to provide a cheap and elastic mattress which may be
used on any ordinary bedstead, or be so constructed as to form a mattress and bedstead
combined.
A mattress constructed on my improved principle is most simple to put together or
take apart, and can be packed in a very small compass making it most convenient for
storage and transport.
In order that my invention may be fully understood and carried into practice I will
describe the same, with reference to the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification
in which similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Fig. I is a plan of a mattress constructed according to my invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged sections on the line A A Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line B B Fig. 1 and
Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line CC Fig. 1.
A number of elastic wooden laths are supported on two cross bearers F one placed
near each end of the mattress.
The two outside laths D are made much stouter than the intermediate ones E.
Between the cross bearers F any convenient number of metal wood or other cross
pieces G are suspended on India Rubber or other suitable springs H. affixed to the
faths D. These springs H are of such a length that the cross pieces G are pressed
against the underside of the intermediate laths E to which they thus give a resilient
support. The laths are connected by means of a cord I which may pass through their
width or be attached thereto in any convenient manner near each end immediately
above the cross bearers F; and to keep the laths at a proper distance from each other
they are secured to the cord 1 by a small nail or pin (not shewn in the drawings). The
ends of the cord I serve to secure the laths to the cross bearers in the following
manner. Each end of the cross bearers F is constructed with a circular or other
shaped recess, into which a pin or screw L is inserted, so that when the end of the
cord I is passed round the pin or screw L the shoulder or abutment on the cross
bearer F will press against the cord I and act as a brake thereon and cause the cord
to firmly grip the pins or screws (see Fig. 3).
To prevent any noise being caused by friction, and to give a certain amount of
elasticity to the ends of the laths a number of India Rubber or other elastic studs K
are inserted in the cross bearers for the laths to rest upon.
By merely releasing the cords I from the ends of the cross bearers F and detaching
the springs H from the cross supporting pieces G the laths may be lifted off the
bearers and folded up. The bearers with folded laths may then be packed in a very
small compass.

page_text: The above may be so constructed as to form a mattress and bedstead combined by
simply attaching legs folding or otherwise to the cross bearers F with or without the
-addition of head and foot pieces as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
(1) The method of fastening the laths by means of pins or screws L and cords 1
passing over shoulders or abutments on the cross bearers F substantially as and for the
purpose herein before set forth and illustrated in Fig. 3.
(2) The cross pieces G with india rubber or other supporting springs H substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth and illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4.
(3) The construction of cross bearers F with india rubber or other clastic studs K
inserted therein for the purpose of supporting the laths substantially as herein before
set forth and illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.
(4) The construction of a mattress substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th dove of sum 1000