An Improvement in Bedsteads.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 16th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Bedsteads.
We, FREDERICK JAMES MIDDLETON, of Victoria Iron Foundry, Rolfe Street,
Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Managing Director, and FREDERICK
HARKER, Victoria Iron Foundry aforesaid, Secretary and Manager, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
"
This invention has reference more particularly to metallic bedsteads of that
kind which are made with what is known as an Italian head" the two pillars
extending for some distance above the top rail of the bedstead head and carry-
ing projecting swinging side wings or arms with curtain rods for the side cur-
tains. Heretofore owing to the length of the said two pillars it has been
customary to make them separate from the bedstead end and to make the side
wings or arms separate from the pillars and fitted thereto so as to turn about
the same.
By our construction of the said bedsteads as hereinafter described the cost of
manufacture is reduced as there are fewer separate parts. Our invention is
applicable to some kinds of wooden bedsteads as well as to metallic bedsteads.
In carrying out this invention we make each of the two tubular pillars at the
head of the bedstead in two parts which we call the upper part and the lower
part. The lower part of each pillar is cast with the bedstead head and extends
up to the top rail. The upper part of each pillar is made to turn in the lower
part by the bottom of the upper part being made with a downwardly projecting
spigot end which may be a short piece of tube fixed in the pillar by a chill
casting round the joint and which takes into the open top of the bottom part
of the pillar so that the upper part of the pillar is free to turn in the lower part.
Cast with the upper part of the pillar is the side wing or bracket or arm which
carries the brass curtain rod for the side curtains. Thus the upper part of the
pillar with the side wing or bracket will turn together in the lower part of the
tubular pillar to lie either flat against the wall or to turn outwardly parallel
with the sides of the bedstead. The top ends of the two upper parts of the
pillar are secured together by the usual cross bar which is made with eyes to
take on to the vase pins which are cast on the tops of the pillars and thus form
bearings for the same.
Instead of the upper parts of the pillars being made with spigot ends to take
into the open tops of the tubular lower parts of the pillars which are cast with
the bedstead end this arrangement may be reversed, that is to say, the top ends
of the lower parts of the pillars may be made with tubular or other spigots to
take into the open bottom ends of the upper parts of the pillars.
Our invention can be similarly applied to those bedsteads which are made
chiefly of wood in imitation of metallic bedsteads. In this case the spigot will
be a stout metal pin or peg which is fixed in one part of the divided pillar and
takes into a corresponding hole in the other part of the same.
Dated this 15th day of November 1897.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants,

page_text: An Improvement in Bedsteads.
We, FREDERICK JAMES MIDDLETON, of Victoria Iron Foundry, Rolfe Street,
Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Managing Director, and FREDERICK
HARKER, of Victoria Iron Foundry aforesaid, Secretary and Manager, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has reference more particularly to metallic bedsteads of that
kind which are made with what is known as an
"
"Italian head the two pillars
extending for some distance above the top rail of the bedstead head and carry-
ing projecting swinging side wings or arms with curtain rods for the side cur-
tains. Heretofore owing to the length of the said two pillars it has been
· customary to make them separate from the bedstead end and to make the side
wings or arms separate from the pillars and fitted thereto so as to turn about
the same.
By our construction of the said bedsteads as hereinafter described the cost of
manufacture is reduced as there are fewer separate parts. Our invention is
applicable to some kinds of wooden bedsteads usually known as composite wooden
and metallic bedsteads as well as to metallic bedsteads.
We will describe this invention by referring to the accompanying drawings
on which Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section of one of the pillars and other
portions of the head of a metallic bedstead constructed according to this inven-
tion; Fig. 2 shews the same parts as Fig. 1 but with the upper part of the pillar
removed from the lower part of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on an
enlarged scale of the top of the lower part of the said pillar and
Fig. 4 is a. sectional elevation on an enlarged scale of the bottom
of the upper part of the said pillar; Fig. 5 is a sectional eleva-
tion of portions of the said pillar on a larger scale than Figs. 1
and 2 to illustrate a slightly modified arrangement of our invention; Fig. 6
is a sectional elevation of portions of one of the head pillars of a wooden bed-
stead constructed according to this invention and Fig. 7 is also a sectional
elevation of portions of one of the head pillars of a wooden bedstead constructed
according to this invention as hereinafter described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all
the figures of the drawings.
We will first refer to Figs. 1 to 5 both inclusive and describe how our inven-
tion is applied to a metallic. bedstead.
In carrying out this invention we make each of the two tubulars pillars of the
head of the bedstead in two parts which we call the upper part A and the lower
part B. The lower part B of each pillar is cast with the bedstead head and
extends up to the top rail b¹. The upper part A of each pillar is made to turn
in the corresponding lower part B, by the bottom of the upper part A being made
with a downwardly projecting spigot end a¹ which, as shewn in Figs, 1, 2 and 4
may be a short piece of tube fixed in the pillar by a casting a³ round the joint.
This spigot part a¹ takes into the open top 62 of the bottom part B of the pillar
so that the upper part A of the pillar is free to turn in the lower part B. Cast
with or fixed to the upper part A of the pillar is the side wing or bracket or
arm a³ which carries the brass curtain rod c for the side curtains.
Thus the upper part A of the pillar with the side wing or bracket a³ will turn
in the lower part B of the pillar and lie either flat against the wall where the

page_text: bedstead stands or turn outwardly parallel with the sides of the bedstead. The
top ends of the two upper parts A of the two pillars are secured together by the
usual cross bar D which as usual is made with an eye dat each end to take
on to the vase pins a' which are cast on to the tops of the parts A of the pillars
and thus form bearings for the same. On our drawings we have only shewn
one of the pillars of the bedstead head but it will be understood that our invention
is similarly applicable to the corresponding pillar at the other side of the bed-
stead head.
Instead of the two upper parts A of the two pillars being made with spigot
ends a to take into the open tops of the two tubular lower parts B of the pillars
which are cast with the bedstead end, this arrangement may be reversed, as
shewn for instance by Fig. 5, that is to say, the top ends 62 of the lower parts B
of the pillars may be each made with a tubular or other spigot 63 to take into
the open bottom ends a of the upper parts A of the pillars.
As the spigot part a fits somewhat loosely in the tubular part B the latter is
by preference provided with a set screw E at the back of the bedstead which
bears against the spigot part a sufficiently to prevent the same from shaking in
the tubular or socket part B.
Our invention is similarly applied to those bedsteads which are made chiefly
of wood in imitation of metallic bedsteads and are known as composite wooden
and metallic bedsteads. In this case (see Fig. 6) the spigot a (made tubular or
solid) is formed with or fixed in the upper part A of the wooden pillar and takes
into a corresponding socket like hole 62 formed in the top of the lower part B
of the wooden pillar, this hole 62 being by preference strengthened by an inner
tube as shewn in Fig. 6 for the spigot part a to take into. Or, as in the arrange-
ment shewn by Fig. 7, the spigot part 6 of the wooden pillar is formed with or
fixed in the top end of the lower part B of the wooden pillar, and arranged to
take into a tubular socket like part at in the bottom of the upper part A which
latter has fixed to it the side wing or bracket or arm for carrying the brass cur-
tain rod for the side curtains so that the bracket or arm and the upper part A of
the pillar will turn in the lower part B in the same way as hereinbefore described
with reference to the metallic bedstead illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1
1. A metallic bedstead having each of its two head pillars made in two parts
fitted together spigot and socket wise, the two lower parts of said pillars being
cast with the bedstead head and the two upper parts of said pillars being cast
with or fixed to the curtain rod side arms or side brackets so as to turn there-
with in or on the said lower parts of the pillars, substantially as described and
illustrated.
2. A composite wooden and metallic bedstead having each of its two wooden
head pillars made in two parts fitted together spigot and socket wise, the two
lower parts of said pillars being fixed to the bedstead head and the two upper
parts of said pillars being fixed to the curtain rod side arms or side brackets so
as to turn therewith in or on the said lower parts of the pillars, substantially
as described and illustrated.
Dated this 15th day of Au 1900
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.