Improvements in Bedstead Bottoms and Mattresses.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr.,
1897
PL
1000
26th Mon
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bedstead Bottoms and Mattresses.
I, GEORGE ALFRED BILLINGTON, of 95, Great Homer Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Wire Mattress Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
This invention has reference mainly to bedstead bottoms or mattresses, in which
the supporting fabric is of the elastic or spring metallic kind, such as the ordinary
intercoiled spiral wire type, stretched and held under tension in its frame by its
ends; and the chief object of the present invention is to provide improvements in
connection with bedstead bottoms of this kind (or analogous kinds) by which the
fastenings or connections of the ends of the supporting material with the frame,
are simpler and less inexpensive than those generally employed, and at the same
time thoroughly secure and efficient.
According to this invention, as applied to a bedstead bottom, the ends of the
fabric are connected and held to the end bars or members of the frame, without
the use or employment of any fixed or rigid connections between the two parts, or
without any special boring or work, or tooling of any kind, upon the end members;
that is to say, the connection or fastening between parts is loose, in contra-
distinction to a fixed connection. Generally, this mode or means of connection
consists of a hook or equivalently formed connecting plate on the bottom fabric,
which in one case hooks on to one end of the edges of the end member or bar of
the bedstead frame, that is under the vertical edge, or over a horizontal edge; while
in another case, as where one end of the bottom connected to the end frame by
adjusting bolts, or the like, there is used in connection with the adjusting bolts,
a hook, cleat, or plate, through which the adjusting bolts pass, and in which the
thread of the bolts work, the plate or hook part of the device lying in the hook or
equivalent formation of the plates connected with the ends of the mattress bottom,
which in the adjusting arrangement would be turned downwards and inwards.
These end plates of the bottom, in some cases, are in the form of V hook or
V shape, or U shape, more or less open; or they may be of these forms at the parts
where they are connected with the other parts of the bedstead or frame, whilst at
other parts they may be in the form of open angles, or of other suitable form.
That is, they are more or less closed at the parts which form the connections, than
at the others; while in other cases, as where they are connected to the end bar or
bars of the frame, they may be of a more or less closed hook form, as a V or U
throughout their length.
These plates or parts to which the ends of the fabric are fixed, are, in one case,
made in the form of sheet metal strips, bent over or doubled, enclosing the ends of
the metal fabric between the folds; one of the edges being serrated or formed with
teeth, so as to pass through the meshes or apertures of the fabric, which, being bent
down and the metal folded upon them, forms a secure fastening. This folded metal
clamp fastening is bent along its whole length to the V, U, or other hook shape, or
at parts to this shape as above described.

page_text: Besides the ends above referred to afforded by this invention, it will be seen,
that no measuring or inter-arranging as to the parts of the bottom and frame which
are to be connected together, is necessary.
Doted this 26th dow of Anvil
1907
I, GEORGE ALFRED BILLINGTON, of 95, Great Homer Street, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Wire Mattress Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention has reference, mainly, to bedstead bottoms or mattresses, in which
the supporting fabric is of the elastic or spring metallic kind, such as the ordinary
intercoiled spiral wire type, stretched and held under tension in its frame by its
ends; and the chief object of the present invention is to provide improvements in
connection with bedstead bottoms of this kind (or analogous kinds), by which the
fastenings, or connections, of the ends of the supporting material with the frame,
are simpler and less expensive than those generally employed, and, at the same
time, thoroughly secure and efficient.
According to this invention, as applied to a bedstead bottom, the ends of the
fabric are connected and held to the end bars or members of the frame, without
the use or employment of any fixed or rigid connections between the two parts, or
without any special boring or work, or tooling of any kind, upon the end members;
that is to say, the connection or fastening between the parts is loose, in contra-
distinction to a fixed connection. Generally, this mode or means of connection
consists of a hook, or equivalently formed connecting plate, on the bottom fabric,
which, in one case, hooks on to one end of the edges of the end member or bar of
the bedstead frame, that is under the vertical edge, or over a horizontal edge; while,
in another case, as where one end of the bottom is connected to the end frame by
adjusting bolts, or the like, there is used, in connection with the adjusting bolts,
a hook, cleat, or plate, through which the adjusting bolts pass, and in which the
thread of the bolt works, the plate or hook part of the device lying in the hook or
equivalent formation of the plates connected with the ends of the mattress bottom,
which in the adjusting arrangement would be turned downwards and inwards.
These end plates of the bottom, in some cases, are in the form of V hooks or
V shape, or U shape, more or less open; or they may be of these forms at the parts
where they are connected with the other parts of the bedstead or frame, whilst, at
other parts, they may be in the form of open angles, or of other suitable form.
That is, they are more or less closed at the parts which form the connections, than
at the others; while, in other cases, as where they are connected to the end bar or
bars of the frame, they may be of a more or less closed hook form, as a V or U,
throughout their length.
These plates or parts to which the ends of the fabric are fixed, in one case, are
made in the form of sheet metal strips, bent over or doubled, enclosing the ends of
the metal fabric between the folds; one of the edges being, serrated or formed with
teeth, so as to pass through the meshes or apertures of the fabric, which, being bent
down and the metal folded upon them, forms a secure fastening. This folded metal
clamp fastening is bent along its whole length to the V, U, or other hook shape, or
at parts to this shape, as above described.

page_text: Besides the ends above referred to afforded by 'this invention, it will be seen
that no measuring or interarranging as to the parts of the bottom and frame which
are to be connected together, is necessary.
The drawings hereto annexed illustrate several modifications under this inven-
tion, and, in all, the same letters and figures of reference are used to denote the
same or analogous parts, wherever they occur.
Generally, the metallic web or mesh work (which, say, is of inter-coiled spiral
wires, running lengthwise of the bed or mattress, as the case may be) is designated a;
bare the metal hooks or fastening devices secured on to the ends of this fabric; and c
are the end bars or members of a bedstead or mattress frame, which are engaged by
the fastening device b, and support the bottom fabric in position in the bed or
mattress.
Figure 1 shews one form and arrangement of fastening parts b, and end frame
parts and Figure 2 shews a slightly modified form. Figure 3 shews a construc-
tion for cases where one end of the fabric is connected to the bed or mattress frame,
through adjusting devices or means for varying the tension in the fabric.
Figure 4 shews in detail the construction of fastening hook or device employed
on the ends of the fabric.
For convenience, I will first describe the form and construction of the hook or
fastening device b, as illustrated in Figure 4. It is made of sheet metal bent into
the form shewn; that is, in its manufacture, the upper end is made in the form of
teeth, 62, as set forth in my former Specification No. 7207 of 1895, and these teeth.
are bent inwards; and while the plate is partially open, the teeth are made to hook
into the wires at the end of the fabric, so as to catch these wires. When this is
done, with the edge of the fabric lying in the partially closed and formed fastening,
the under plate and the upper plate are closed, one upon the other, by suitable
pressure.
In this condition, the fabric is firmly held by the fastening, being caught by
the teeth, and held between the folds of the metal. After this is done, the then
flat metal secured to the fabric, as described, is taken to a bending machine, and
its outer part is turned round or down, as shewn at 'b', into the form of a hook or
angle; in this condition it is ready to be applied and fastened to the end frames a
of the bedstead or mattress.
As stated, this hook or fastening may take various forms, one of which is shewn
in Figure 1, where it engages on to the vertical web of an angle bar c, constituting
the end member of the bedstead frame or mattress.
In Figure 2, the position of the angle bar e is reversed from that shewn in
Figure 1, and the hook or fastener bb' engages with the horizontal part of the
angle bar, ie. it takes directly over it.
In the case of the fastening 6 61 being connected to the bed or mattress frame
through adjusting mechanism, as shown in Figure 3, the hook or part 661 engages
with a cleat or corresponding engaging device d, the upper part of which fits within
the hook portions b 6'; while a bolt e, supported at its head by the frame c, passes
through the lower portion of this device d. Thus it will be seen, that by screwing
the bolt, one way or the other, the device d, and the fabric, will be drawn up, or
let out, and the tension varied.
In most cases, it will be sufficient if two bolts e and devices d be employed; and,
in such cases, according to one construction, the fastening b will only be bent
inwards, as at b¹, where the parts d, in which the part 6 is to be hooked, come, the
rest of the turned down portion 61 being preferably, about vertically disposed, as
shown in dotted lines in Figure 4.
By this construction, the part b b is provided with extra rigidity vertically, in
the manner of an angle bar, as well as having a longitudinal strength. Obviously,
in cases where the fastening device hooks over the end member of a mattress or
bed frame, vertical stiffness is generally not required.
In some cases, the teeth of the fastening part b are provided in the upper plate,

page_text: and sometimes in the lower, accordingly as may be most suitable under the circum-
stances of its use; and the sheet metal from which it is made, may be of any
suitable thickness; and bent over as to lie in single thicknesses, or in two or more
thicknesses.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
-
1. The herein described improvement in or connected with bedstead bottoms and
mattresses, namely a bedstead bottom or mattress comprising a metallic fabric,
such as referred to, having at its ends (or cne end) fastening means, by which it is
held to and supported from the bedstead or mattress frame, in the form of an angle,
or hooked shaped bar or plate, extending across its width, and adapted to fit over
bars or holding parts of or on the frame, and constituting loose connections of the
mattress or bed bottom with the frame; substantially as set forth.
2. A bedstead bottom or mattress comprising the metallic meshwork a, and hook
or angle bars or plates 6 61 thereon, of the construction described, and bars c, or a
bar c and devices d; substantially as set forth with reference to the drawings.
3. The construction and arrangement of parts of bedstead bottoms or mattresses,
particularly as shewn in and set forth with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 26th day of January 1898.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
Applicant's Patent Agents, 15, Water Street, Liverpool.