IMPROVEMENTS CONSTRUCTION AND PRODUCTION OF BEDSTEADS, COUCHES, OR SOFAS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Marshall, of the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
CONSTRUCTION AND PRODUCTION OF BEDSTEADS, COUCHES, OR SOFAS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Sealed the 24th December 1867, and dated the 28th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Marshall at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th June 1867.
I, WILLIAM MARSHALL, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AND PRODUCTION OF BEDSTEADS, COUCHES, OR SOFAS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
Heretofore when a person lies on a bedstead, couch or sofa, or other similar.
article furnished with ordinary rigid or springy laths, his weight depresses the
centre of the mattress, bed, pallet, cushion, or similar article and presses up
its sides so that he may be said to lie or recline in a trough which is often
uneasy and uncomfortable. Whereas in constructing bedsteads, couches,
sofas, or similar articles according to my Invention the laths employed form

page_text: a surface in which the centre stands so much above the sides of the bedstead,
couch, sofa, or other similar article that when the weight of a person rests
thereon the surface of the article will become level or nearly level con-
sequent upon the depression of the laths which support the weight of the
person.
For this purpose I construct the laths as follows:-First, according to
the width of the bedstead, couch, sofa, or other article for which it is intended
I take a length of iron or steel band (or their equivalent) and turn it up at
each end, such turned up ends receive the ends of two wood or other laths,
the lower lath lies next to the iron or steel band, and the upper one will
just touch the lower one at each end only being separated from it by
coiled springs (or their equivalent), and they will thus form a double
bow; half the greatest distance between such bows forms the height at
which the raised centre of the bed, couch, sofa, or similar article stands above
the sides thereof; secondly, I place upon the top of the upper lath before
described a third wood or other lath, riveting or otherwise securing these
two upper laths together at their centre, the surface of each uppermost or.
topmost lath forms a level surface, and its ends are separated from the one
immediately below it by coiled springs or their equivalent. The surface
formed by a number of such laths presents an even and gently yielding
surface for the bed, mattress, or pallet, or other similar article; it does not
form a trough in the centre, and it affords greater ease, rest, and comfort to
delicate persons or invalids, and especially those suffering from spinal affections,
weakness in the back, or affections of the limbs or joints. The above laths
may be of wood, iron, steel, or other pliant or yielding material, and their
ends may be laid upon the rails or in the recess formed for the reception of
laths of wood bedsteads, or the laths may be secured at their ends in sets of two
or more to the other laths or bands before mentioned and be laid upon the
rails of the bed, couch, sofa, or similar article, one or more of such sets of
laths forming the surface upon which the bed, mattress, pallet, or cushion is
placed; or the ends of the laths may be slotted to fall upon pins or studs in the
rails of a bed or similar article, or upon or in rails placed upon or secured to
the rails of a bed or other similar article. I also form the rails of a bed or
similar article of L-shaped, U-shaped, Tor other shaped section, whether
made of iron or other material, and these may be 'specially constructed for or
adapted to the above purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Marshall in the Great Seal.Patent Office on the
27th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MARSHALL, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most, Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of June, 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
William Marshall, Her special licence that I, the said William Marshall, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William.
Marshall, 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 AND PRODUCTION OF BEDTSEADS, COUCHES, OR SOFAS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Marshall, 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 William Marshall, do hereby declare
the nature, of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
4
Heretofore when a person lies on a bedstead, couch, sofa, or other similar
article furnished with ordinary rigid or springy laths his weight depresses the
centre of the mattress, bed, pallet, cushion, or similar article, and presses up
its sides so that he may be said to lie or recline in a trough which is often
uneasy and uncomfortable. Whereas in constructing bedsteads, couches,
sofas, or similar articles according to my Invention the laths employed form

page_text: a surface in which the centre stands so much above the sides of the bedstead,
couch, sofa, or other article that when the weight of a person rests thereon
the surface of the article will become level or nearly level consequent upon
the depression of the laths which support the weight of the person.*
For this purpose I construct the laths as follows:-First, according to the
width of the bedstead, couch, sofa, or other article for which they are intended
I take a length of iron or steel band (or their equivalent) and turn it up at
each end, such turned up ends receive the ends of two wood or other laths.
The lower lath lies next to the iron or steel band, and the upper one will just
touch the lower one at each end, only being 'separated from it by coiled
springs (or their equivalent), and they will thus form a double bow; half the
greatest distance between such bows forms the height at which the raised
centre of the bed, couch, sofa, or similar article stands above the sides thereof.
Secondly, I place upon the top of the upper lath, before described, a third
wood or other lath, riveting or otherwise securing these two upper laths
together at their centre; the surface of each uppermost or topmost lath forms
a level surface, and its ends are separated from the lath immediately below it
by coiled springs or their equivalent. The surface formed by a number of
such laths presents an even and gently yielding surface for the bed, mattress,
or pallet, or other similar article; it does not form a trough in the centre, and
it affords greater ease, rest, and comfort to delicate persons or invalids, and
especially those suffering from spinal affections, weakness in the back, or
affections of the limbs or joints. The above laths may be of wood, iron, steel,
or other pliant or yielding material; and their ends may be laid upon the rails
or in the recesses formed for the reception of laths of wood bedsteads, or the
laths may be secured at their ends in sets of two or more to the other laths or
bands before mentioned, and be laid upon the rails of the bed, couch, sofa, or
similar article, one or more of such sets of laths forming the surface upon which
the bed, mattress, pallet, or cushion is placed, or the ends of the laths may be
slotted to fall upon pins or studs in the rails of a bed or similar article, or
upon or in rails placed upon or secured to the rails of a bed or other similar
article. I also form the rails of a bed or similar article of L-shaped,
U-shaped, T or other shaped section, whether made of iron or other material,
and these may be especially constructed for or adapted to the above
purposes.
1.,
1
Having thus set forth the nature of the said Invention, I proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same with reference to the
'accompanying Drawings.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 a plan of a compound spring lath
constructed according to one arrangement of my Invention. This lath consists
of a length of iron or steel band A turned up at each end; these turned up
ends receive the ends of two wood laths B and C; the lower lath B lies next
to the band A, and the upper lath C just touches the lower lath at each end
only; it is kept from the lower one by the interposition of two or more coiled
springs D placed between them, and also by one or more blocks E secured to
the upper or lower lath; these blocks prevent the springs D from being com-
pressed beyond a certain limit. Upon the under side of the lath B and the
band A at each end thereof is secured a block G; these blocks G form the
points which bear upon the side rails F or head rail and foot rails of the bed-
stead or other article to which the spring laths are applied.
I sometimes form the blocks or bearing points G of the shape shewn in side
view, Figure 4 and Figures 5 and 6, which shew respectively the upper and
lower sides of the same. F is a portion of the rail of the bed or other article,
and G the bearing point or block which has a recess cast in the upper side
thereof; in this recess is riveted one end of the band A, but such recess may
be cast in the lower side of the block instead of in the upper side if preferred.
When the bearing rails of the article are of the section shown at Figure 4
blocks of the shape shown may be used, and blocks of the same shape may
also be employed for applying to bearing rails when made of wood, but when
the bedstead or other article has its bearing rails formed of U-shaped or
T-shaped or inverted angle-shaped iron the blocks are cast with a hook at
the outer eid; such hook is upon a level or nearly upon a level with the
hook which receives the ends of the laths B and C; in this case the bearing
rails F will be prevented from springing outward because they will be
restrained by the hooks of the laths which are hooked upon them.
I also attach these hooked blocks to the framed ends or sides of the series
of laths, shown at Figures 13 and 14, which I will more particularly describe
herein-after, or I attach the hooks or their equivalent to the ends of these
laths or to the ends of other laths employed. Upon three or more of such
laths the bed, mattress, or pallet may be placed, the surface of which will
form an agreeable and gently yielding surface, and it will not sink or form a
recess or trough in its centre.
I sometimes modify this arrangement by using a compound spring lath, as
before described, with the addition of a third wood lath C³, shown in. side

page_text: view, Figure 3'; this lath is riveted or otherwise secured to the upper lath C;
the surface of the uppermost lath C¹ forms a level surface, and the ends of it
are kept from the one immediately below it by the interposition of two or
more other coiled springs D¹ placed between them; the upward expansion of
the springs D¹ is restrained to some extent by bands of webbing H, the laths C¹
forming a level or nearly level surface, upon three or more of which laths the
mattress or other article may be laid.
Again according to another modification the compound spring laths may
be constructed, as shown in Figure 11, side view, where a lower lath B and
an upper lath C are kept apart by a number of springs D and blocks E.
Restraining bands H form the spring lath; the wooden or other laths are of
sufficient thickness and width to be strong enough to bear the bed or other
article placed upon them. Or the iron or steel band A and blocks G, as
described in my first-mentioned modification, may be placed on the under side
of the lath B. In either case, however, three or more of such laths are
placed upon the wooden or metal bearing rails of a bedstead or other like
article, and to the upper laths C are secured a number of thin laths I; shewn
in plan, Figure 12, where two compound laths only are shown, and a portion
only of the lengths of the laths I. The ends of the spring laths are shown
resting upon the angle or L-iron bearing rails F of a bedstead; upon these
laths I the bed, mattress, or pallet is placed.
In the metal frames of bedsteads or other similar articles, as ordinarily
constructed, the metal laths are attached to the bearing rails by studs, screws,
or pins entering in or passed through holes in the laths. This arrangement
necessitates much trouble and inconvenience in separating the parts of such
bedstead or other article for the purpose of cleaning or removal. Now to
obviate this evil I purpose inserting in or attaching to the U-shaped, T-shaped,
inverted angle-shaped or L-shaped bearing rails, wood rails B (shown at
Figures 7 to 10). These rails B. are secured by screws or equivalent con-
trivances, and have recesses cut in them to receive the ends of a number of
laths A.
A portion of this arrangement is seen in plan at Figure 7, in side view
at Figure 8, and it is shewn also in Figures 9 and 10, which are enlarged
views of portions of the arrangement. In each of these Figures A is the lath;
B, the wood rail; and F the metal rail; and when loose laths A are objected
to I employ two or more series of laths, as shown partly in side view at
Figure 13, and plan at Figure 14, where a number of laths A are screwed
to or form part of a grate or slotted framing; these grates or framings rest

page_text: upon the bearing rails F of the bedstead or other article. By this arrange-
ment I am enabled to remove the whole of the laths in two or more series,
whereby they can be more readily cleaned and the article taken to pieces for
removal or otherwise.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim arranging and
combining the parts of bedsteads, couches, sofas, and other similar articles
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Marshall, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
5
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
WILLIAM MARSHALL. (L.B.)