CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS AND COUCHES FOR INVALIDS
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN THOMP-
SON, of Albury, near Guildford, in the County of Surrey, Doctor of Medicine,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixteenth day of May, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Thompson, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Thompson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said John Thompson, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS
AND COUCHES FOR INVALIDS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a pro-
viso, obliging me, the said John Thompson, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Thompson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My improvements in bedsteads and couches for invalids consist in certain
peculiar constructions of the parts of a bedstead or couch, and of a frame to
accompany the same, by means of which constructions the bed, mattrass, or
cushion may be withdrawn from under the patient, and replaced again after
adjusting, cleaning, or airing it, without disturbing the limbs or altering the
posture of the body. These objects are effected by making the bedstead or
couch distinct from an outer framing, to the latter of which a sheet is attached
and distended over side rails, for the purpose of occasionally supporting the
patient independently of the bed, mattrass, or cushion. This intention may be
carried into effect in several ways without deviating from the main principle
or leading feature which I have in view, viz., that of separating the sheet on
which the patient rests form the bed, mattrass, or cushion below. This may
be done by raising that part of the outer frame to which the distended sheet is
attached, or by lowering the bedstead or couch on which the bed, mattrass, or
cushion bears, so as to leave the patient supported by the distended sheet
whilst the bedstead or couch, with the bed, mattrass, or cushion, is withdrawn.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the
"bedstead a, a, enclosed by the outer framing; Fig. 2 is a horizontal representa-
tion of the same; Fig. 3 is a similar elevation to Fig. 1; but the two moveable
side rails of the outer frame are in this instance raised up, which would allow
of the bedstead or couch a, a, with its bed, mattrass, or cushion, being drawn
out from the frame as it is partly done in Fig. 2; a transverse section of the
outer framing is shewn at Fig. 4; and at Fig. 5 the bedstead or couch is repre-
sented drawn out and distinct from the framing, Fig. 4. The bedstead or
couch a, a, may be made as a rectangular horizontal frame with transverse rails
or straps or a sacking, and it may be mounted on four legs with castors, as
shown, or it may be in any other convenient manner constructed, so as to support
the bed, mattrass, or cushion, and be rendered capable of sliding in and out of
the external frame. The external frame I propose to form by four vertical
pillars b, b, b, b, firmly connected together by three horizontal rails c and d, d;
the rail c occupies the closed side of the frame, the opposite side being open
that is, without a rail. The two end rails d, d, have each a ledge or bende, e
as seen in Figures 3 and 4, and there are grooves or recesses cut in the end

page_text: rails of the beastead a for the reception of the beads &, &, when the beastead
is slidden into the frame, as shewn in Fig. 3. The two moveable side rails.f,f,
are attached to the outer frame by vertical screws g, g, mounted in the pillars b,
which screws pass through screw boxes h in the ends of the moveable rails f,
as seen in the detached sectional Figure 6. To these moveable rails the two
edges of a sheet i, i, are made fast by loops passed over studs in the under
side of the rail, and being drawn tight, distend the sheet, as seen in Figures 2
and 4. The positions of the parts seen in Fig. 1 represent the bedstead within
the outer frame, with the sheet i, i, attached to the rails f, f, extended over
the bed. When it is required to make the bed, or adjust the bedding, mattrass,
or cushion, without disturbing the patient, a winch is to be applied to the tops
of the vertical screws g, g, when, by turning those screws, the side rails f. f,
will be drawn up, as in Figs. 3 and 6, with the distended sheet I supporting the
patient. This being done, the bedstead or couch a, a, with the bed, mattrass,
or cushion, may be drawn out and adjusted, and on replacing the bedstead, the
side rails f, f, with the distended sheet bearing the patient, may be again
lowered, so as to bear upon the bed, mattrass, or cushion. It must be here
observed, that I do not intend to confine myself to the mode described in the
Drawings of raising and lowering the distended sheet on which the patient
rests, as that may be effected by various mechanical contrivances well known;
nor do I intend to confine myself to the manner of attaching the sheet to the
moveable side rails, as that may be done in several ways, and in some instances
may be desirable to enable a part of the side rail to turn upon a horizontal
axle for the purpose of drawing the sheet up to tension or allowing it to hang
loosely; but in all cases I should so connect the edges of the sheet to the
moveable side rails that they might be readily detached from the rails when
the patient is supported by the bed, in order that when so detached the sheet
may be drawn out from under the patient without disturbing or shifting
his or her reclining position, the patient being by these means transferred
on to a clean sheet upon the fresh made or adjusted bed. The edges of the
clean sheet may be attached to the side rails, as before, ready to support him
or her if required by the means already explained. I would further remark,
that in some cases I may be inclined to keep the side rails f, f, with the dis-
tended sheet i in a fixed position in the outer frame, and to cause the bedstead
or couch to be capable of raising and lowering. by its legs sliding vertically in
sockets, or by some other convenient means which would answer the same pur-
Therefore I desire it to be understood that the particular features of my
Invention are, so connecting an outer framing to a bedstead or couch, that a
sheet capable of supporting a patient may be distended from the outer framing
it
pose.

page_text: over the bed, mattrass, or cushion, and that by such means the patient may be
raised up from the bed, or the bed lowered from the patient, without dis-
turbing or altering his or her reclining position, and that he or she may be
safely supported upon such sheet whilst the bed, mattrass, or cushion is
being adjusted or supplied with fresh bedding.
T1
over the bed, mattrass, or cushion, and that by such means the patient may be
raised up from the bed, or the bed lowered from the patient, without dis-
turbing or altering his or her reclining position, and that he or she may be
safely supported upon such sheet whilst the bed, mattrass, or cushion is
being adjusted or supplied with fresh bedding.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thompson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
J. THOMPSON, M.D. (L.S.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of November, in
the seventh year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said John
Thompson came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and ac-
knowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of
the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.