IMPROVEMENTS IN WIRE FABRICS CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR MATTRESSES, BEDSTEADS, AND COUCHES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN WIRE FABRICS CHIEFLY DESIGNED
FOR MATTRESSES, BEDSTEADS, AND COUCHES."-A communication from
abroad by Samuel Rogers, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 2nd May 1871, and dated the 9th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
9th February 1871.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patents Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WIRE FABRICS
CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR MATTRESSES, BEDSTEADS, AND COUCHES," a communication,
to be as follows:-

page_text: weaving, treble weaving, or in general terms compound weaving, such
fabrics having principally been used in the manufacture of mattresses,
bedding supports, chairs, and other articles of furniture. These fabrics
are composed of a series of spiral springs lying side by side parallel to
cach other, and the convolutions of the spirals on the left interlock the
convolutions of the adjacent spiral or spirals on the right, while in turn
those on the right interlock their fellows adjacent in the manner known
as single, double, treble, or in some of the ways which may be described
as compound weaving, the whole resulting in a fabric having a uniform
appearance, in which the coils or spirals have their axes parallel to but
at greater or less distances from each other according to the quality
of the fabric woven.
The said improvements consist in introducing courses or lines of extra
or additional spiral coils or helical wire springs forming compound coils
into the said fabrics which greatly increase the strength of the fabric
and also greatly improve its general appearance; these extra coils are
introduced simply by turning or screwing them into the coils to be
strengthened in a manner similar to that by which the original or
primary coils forming the fabric are combined and interlocked with
one another. The fabrics having these improvements instead of pre-
senting a uniform plain appearance throughout the whole width appear
with cords of compact concentric spirals running lengthwise, or if two
or more of these concentric compound spiral coils or cords are placed
near together the appearance is that of a striped or ribbed fabric having
alternately different kinds of work or color. The spiral coils being
combined concentrically with each other the quantity of material in
the compound coil resulting from such combination is increased with
a corresponding increase of strength while at the same time a single
compound coil has the same diameter and occupies the same space as
one of its composing elementary spirals.
.
The coils are preferably formed of wires of different colors to further
improve the appearance of the fabric.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent,
Office on the 9th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, 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 WIRE FABRICS CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR MATTRESSES, BEDSTEADS,
AND COUCHES," a communication to me from abroad by Samuel Rogers,
of the City and State of New York, United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake,
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 Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification.
This Invention relates to fabrics made of helical wire springs which
are combined in the various ways known as single weaving, double
weaving, treble weaving, or in general terms compound weaving, such
fabrics having principally been used in the manufacture of mattresses,

page_text: bedding supports, chairs, and other articles of furniture. These fabrics
are composed of a series of spiral springs lying side by side parallel to
each other, and the convolutions of the spirals on the left interlock the
convolutions of the adjacent spiral or spirals on the right, while in turn
those on the right interlock their fellows adjacent in the manner
known as single, double, or treble weaving, or in some of the ways
which may be described as compound weaving; the whole resulting in a
fabric having a uniform appearance, in which the coils or spirals have
their axes parallel to but at greater or less distances from each other
according to the quality of the fabric woven.
The said improvements consist in introducing into the said fabrics,
courses, or lines of extra or additional spiral coils or helical wire springs
forming compound coils which greatly increase the strength of the
fabric, and also greatly improve its general appearance. The fabrics
having these improvements instead of presenting a uniform plain
appearance throughout the whole width appear with cords of compact
concentric spirals running lengthwise, or if two or more of these con-
centric compound spiral coils or cords are placed near together the
appearance is that of a striped or ribbed fabric having alternately
different kinds of work or color. The spiral coils being combined con-
centrically with each other the quantity of material in the compound
coil resulting from such combination is increased with a corresponding
increase of strength, while at the same time a single compound coil has
the same diameter and occupies the same space as one of its composing
elementary spirals. The coils are preferably formed of wires of different
colors to further improve the appearance of the fabric.
The double, treble, and some other kinds of compound weaving may
be properly described as diagonal weaving from the fact that the appear-
ance of the fabric upon one and to a certain extent on both sides of it is
such as to lead the observer to think that the wires extend diagonally
across the fabric, while in fact they all extend longitudinally across the
same.
Woven wire fabrics of single weaving consist of parallel lines or
courses of spiral coils, each of which simply interlocks the convolutions
of one other adjacent coil on either side.
Woven wire fabrics of double weaving consist of parallel lines or
courses of spiral coils, each of which interlocks the convolutions of two
adjacent coils on either side.

page_text: Woven wire fabrics of treble weaving consist similarly of parallel lines
of spiral coils each of which interlocks the convolutions of three adjacent
coils on either side, and in general compound weaving in woven wire
fabrics is a combination of single, double, treble, or quadruple weaving
in the same fabric.
Corded woven wire fabrics may be produced by introducing extra
coils forming cords into any of the original or primary coils forming the
body of the fabric of single, double, triple, or compound weaving. These
cords are most important at the edges of the fabric, and serve to form a
strong and finished selvage to the same. These cords are also useful in
the central part of wide fabrics, especially such as are used for mattresses
to give additional strength and to improve the appearance of the fabric.
The cords themselves may be colored or plain. The cords themselves
may be described as composed of concentric spiral coils, which must
be of the same diameter and pitch as the other coils forming the fabric.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a single woven wire fabric consisting of single primary
coils a into which are introduced the extra or additional spiral coils 6
forming cords or compound coils c employed as a selvage, and also
centrally either to strengthen or ornament the fabric.
Figure 2 shews a double diagonal woven wire fabric, into the primary
coils a of which are introduced the cords or compound coils c.
Figure 3 shews a triple diagonal woven wire fabric whose primary
coils a are also provided with the cords or compound coils c.
Figure 4 shows one of the said cords or compound coils separate from
the fabric.
Figure 5 shows a piece of the woven wire fabric w secured by clamp
pieces X, X, to the cross pieces z, z, of the framework upon which the
fabric is stretched. g are the side rails, which by means of the corner
irons i are kept at any desired distance from the fabric.
Figure 6 shews the fabric with its frame having differently formed
corner irons which permit the fabric to be stretched close to the side
rails to save space in camp mattresses or mattresses for berths of vessels,
and in other cases where economy of space is an object.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim, a spiral wire fabric in which

page_text: the primary wire coils or springs are interwoven or interlocked with
extra or additional coils or springs in the manner and for the purpose
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)