IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS, AND IN APPLIANCES FOR STARDIYA WATOD ROmmove on SLOTY FOR SECURING FALSE BOTTOMS OR SACKINGS IN POSITION
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas William Stidolph, of Dartford, in the
County of Kent, Upholsterer and Bedding Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS, AND IN APPLIANCES FOR
STARDIYA WATOD ROmmove on SLOTYNO THE POSITION"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas William
Stidolph at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 30th August 1872.
I, THOMAS WILLIAM STIDOLPH, of Dartford, in the County of Kent,
Upholsterer and Bedding Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS, AND IN APPLIANCES
FOR SECURING FALSE BOTTOMS OR SACKINGS IN POSITION," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate, firstly, to bedsteads, and consist in so
making the frames or pieces forming the frames that they can be
bolted or otherwise secured together to obtain great strength and
solidity. The second improvement relates to sackings and to appliances
for enabling the false bottom or sacking to be secured with any degree
of tension, so that the bedsteads can be used for invalids if necessary.

page_text: iron or of wood, and
bear against the head
The frames are made preferably of flat bar
the side rails have bent or curved ends to lay or
and foot pillars, and be bolted or rivetted firmly thereto, stay or tie
bars being used where necessary to increase the strength and solidity.
of the structure.
I fit, say, at the foot portion an additional bar of round, flat, or
curved form, over or on to which one end of the sacking can be passed,
and then led up to and over a bar fitted in the head pillars, from which
it descends to another bar under the head cross rail; this latter bar
is in many cases in combination with a square bar, the two being
fixed in sockets, so that they are free to turn together for tightening
the sacking when acted upon by a lever or winch handle from the
outside, there being a ratchet wheel and paul or other appliances to
retain the tension of the sacking and to enable it to be tightened up
again as it becomes slack from use, or the tension can be reduced to
any degree to suit invalids, as desired.
The sacking I propose to employ is of an endless character, and is
of such a nature that it can be used without the addition of mattresses,
but mattresses or a bed can be used in combination if thought
advisable.
In cases of shifting or renewal, the tension of the sacking is
released, the bars withdrawn, and inserted into the ends of the fresh
one, the revolving bar is then turned, and the tension is again
complete.
The upper bar of the head pillars may in some cases be the
tightening up bar, or two bars may be fitted at that part in lieu of
below the head cross rail. .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas William Stidolph in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WILLIAM STIDOLPH, of Dartford, in the County of Kent, Upholsterer
and Bedding Manufacturer, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas William Stidolph, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas William Stidolph, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas William
Stidolph, 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 BEDSTEADS, AND IN APPLIANCES FOR SECURING FALSE BOTTOMS
OR SACKINGS IN POSITION," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas William Stidolph, 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 Thomas William Stidolph, 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 statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
These improvements relate, firstly, to bedsteads, and consist in so
making the frames or pieces forming the frames that they can be bolted
or otherwise secured together to obtain great strength and solidity. The
second improvement relates to sackings and to appliances for enabling
the false bottom or sacking to be secured with any degree of tension.
The frames are made preferably of flat bar iron or of wood, and the
side rails when made in iron have bent or curved ends to lay or bear
against the head frame and foot end, and be bolted or rivetted firmly
thereto, stay or tie bars being used where necessary to increase the
strength and solidity of the structure.
I provide, say, at the foot portion an additional bar of round, flat, or
curved form the length of the extreme width of the frame. This rod is

page_text: placed in one end of the sacking, and are together passed through the
foot, and the rod placed in position in the angle of same at its junction
with the sides; the sacking is then led up to and over a revolving bar
fitted in the head frame, from which it descends to another made
likewise to revolve between the legs, and acted upon by a winch or key
on the square end projecting through the upright. To this bar is affixed
two flanges or clips having in each a hole through which passes easily
a smaller rod. This rod is passed through the other extreme of sacking,
its ends placed in holes of the flanges, and then the winch being turned
both revolve together, bringing the sacking to the utmost tension, there
being a ratchet wheel and pawl or other appliance to retain the same,
'and to enable it to be tightened again as it becomes slack from use.
The sacking I propose to employ is of an endless character, and
of such a nature that it can be used without the addition of mattresses,
but mattresses or a bed can be used in combination if thought advisable.
In cases of shifting or renewal the tension of the sacking is released,
the bars withdrawn and inserted into the ends of the fresh one, the
revolving bar is then turned, and the tension is again complete.
The upper bar of the head pillars may in some cases be the tightening
up bar, or two bars may be fitted at that part in lieu of the one below.
The Invention will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of which show
a bedstead of the stump character; Figure 1 is a side view; Figure 2,
a plan; Figure 3, a head end view; and Figure 4, a foot end view; the
same letters of reference being used to indicate the several parts.
a, a, are the side frames, preferably of flat bar iron; these are bent or
turned downwards as in Figure 5 at the foot, to form vertical straps or
flanges b, b, to enable the foot legs c, c, to be bolted to them in an easy
and secure manner, the foot legs being in a piece with the transverse
bar d, which determine the width of the bedstead at that part. I brace
the two foot legs by a stay rod e either rivetted or bolted thereto to
prevent vibration. The head ends f, f, of the side frames a, a, are bent
upwards to form vertical or nearly vertical straps or flanges to which
the head legs or standards g, g, are bolted or rivetted; these together
with the stays or tie rods h, i, serve to strengthen the structure. . I form
the head legs and the head rail j from one piece by bending a long bar
of metal into the required shape, the same as foot end of stump bedstead,

page_text: 1
as shown in Figure 4. By this means an arched or an eliptical form
of top can be obtained, thus giving great strength with lightness of
effect, making it with the arrangement of sacking described specially
suitable as a bedstead for institutions, schools, asylums, and hospitals, &c.,
or for private use.
Between the head legs g, g, I fit a bar m, shown separately in
Figure 6, whose ends of reduced diameter work freely in the head legs,
and act as axles or journals when the bar is turned by a winch or
handle from the outside. To this bar is attached two clips or pieces 1, 1,
with holes to receive a smaller bar or rod k, which is placed in one end
of the sacking p, as in the sectional view, Figure 7, the other end
embracing an extra bar q placed loosely under the angles of the foot
legs, where it finds an abutment when the sacking is drawn tight by the
rod k, wrapping its end of the sacking round itself and the revolving
bar m which turns it.
The head legs and standards are preferably set at an angle falling to
the rear at the upper part, to resist the strain of the sacking over the
bar r, this bar being somewhat higher than the bar q at the foot to give
the necessary angle to the sacking, as shown, the deflection by the
weight of a person lying bringing the sacking nearly horizontal except
from the shoulders upwards.
In some cases I dispense with the bar and fit the two bars k, m, in
its place as in Figure 8. By this means the sacking may be a little
shorter than in the former case. The two bars, in this instance, as
in the former one are held in position by a pawl t falling into a ratchet
wheelu on one end of m, so that whatever tension is first put upon the
sacking that tension is maintained for any length of time, or until the
sacking becomes stretched, when it can be again put into tension by
turning the bars k, m, and permitting the pawl to fall into another tooth
of the ratchet wheel. I fit hooped stretchers v, w, between the side
frames a, a, in the usual manner to prevent the sides buckling.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The construction of bedsteads and the means of arranging the
sacking thereto, as described and shown, together with the modification
thercof.

page_text: Secondly. The appliances for supporting and for tightening up the
sacking bottoms of bedsteads, whether such bedsteads be of metal or
wood, as described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas William Stidolph, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of 5
February One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
THO³. W. STIDOLPH. (L.S.)