Improvements in the Methods of Applying and Securing the Ends of Mattress Frames for Application to Bedsteads, Couches, Ships' Berths, and other Analogous Structures and Articles,
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Methods of Applying and Securing the Ends
of Mattress Frames for Application to Bedsteads, Couches, Ships'
Berths, and other Analogous Structures and Articles,
We ISAAC CHORLTON of 19 Blackfriars Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Spring Mattress Manufacturer and GEORGE LAMB SCOTT of the same
place, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows
Our said Invention relates to the application and securing of the end members of
mattress frames directly to the side members without the aid of bolts, studs and
similar attachments. The invention is particularly applicable to mattress frames
having ends of angle iron and tubular sides although it is to be distinctly understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the sectional shape of the ends nor to the tubular
form of the sides as the former might be of other suitable sections and the latter
instead of being round tubes might be square, polygonal or of other sectional forms.
Referring however to a mattress frame having the usual angle iron or steel ends and
tubular sides, we bore or punch the downwardly projecting flange of the angle irons
so as to slip easily upon the tube taking care however to bore the angle iron flange in
such a manner or at such an angle that when the angle iron is slipped upon the ends
of the tubes the horizontal flange will lie at a slight angle to the tubular sides and to
the pull of the elastic mattress. The pull of the mattress thus tends to cant the
angle iron slightly and causes it to grip the tubular sides so fast as to be immovable
and the greater the strain or weight placed upon the mattress the more firmly do the
angle iron ends grip the sides. To prevent unskillful persons from slipping the
angular ends too far upon the tubular sides when putting the mattress frame together,
we might place stops upon the tubular sides which would determine exactly the
position of the angular ends, but we would not always make use of such stops. The
open ends of the tubular sides would be plugged or filled up in any suitable manner
or we might apply caps of ornamental or other shape which would be secured to the
angle iron ends and would mask the ends of the tubes. Another mode of applying
the angle iron ends to the tubular sides would be to slightly reduce, check or taper
the ends of the tubes and to have correspondingly bored or tapered holes in the angle
iron ends. Such an arrangement would in itself do away with the necessity or
advisability of having stops as aforesaid. Another arrangement combining in itself
a stop and masking cap for the tube ends would be to place thimbles over the ends of
the tubular sides, the bottoms of the thimbles covering in the tube ends and the tops
being formed with rings or lips which would act as stops when the angle ends were
placed over the thimbles and the mattress strained between them. In some cases we
might recess the angle iron ends opposite to the tube ends, sufficiently to receive the
tube ends, the dished projecting parts of the recess on the outside serving as caps to
cover and conceal the ends of the tubular sides. We might obtain the canted position
of the angle iron ends by slightly bending or dipping the ends of the tubular sides,
the angle iron ends being tbus thrown into a plane which is not parallel with the pull
of the mattress. The angle iron ends are thus locked upon the ends of the tubular
sides. Mattress frames constructed as aforesaid may be used in conjunction with
bedsteads, couches, ships berths and other similar structures and articles.
Dated this 15th day of March 1889
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Methods of Applying and Securing the Ends
of Mattress Frames for Application to Bedsteads, Couches, Ships'
Berths, and other Analogous Structures and Articles.
We ISAAC CHORLTON of 19 Blackfriars Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Spring Mattress Manufacturer and GEORGE LAMB SCOTT of the same
place, Engineer, 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 and accompanying drawings:-
Our said Invention relates to the application and securing of the end members of
mattress frames directly to the side members without the aid of bolts, studs and
similar attachments. The invention is particularly applicable to mattress frames
having ends of angle iron and tubular sides although it is to be distinctly understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the sectional shape of the ends nor to the tubular
form of the sides as the former might be of other suitable sections and the latter
instead of being round tubes might be square, polygonal or of other sectional forms.
Referring however to a mattress frame having the usual angle iron or steel end and
tubular sides, we bore or punch the downwardly projecting Hange of the angle irons
so as to slip easily upon the tube taking care however to bore the angle iron flange in
such a manner or at such an angle that when the angle iron is slipped upon the ends
of the tubes the horizontal flange will lie at a slight angle to the tubular sides, and to
the pull of the elastic mattress. The pull of the mattress thus tends to cant the angle
iron slightly and causes it to grip the tubular sides so fast as to be immovable and
the greater the strain or weight placed upon the mattress the more firmly do the angle
iron ends grip the sides. To prevent unskillful persons from slipping the angular
ends too far upon the tubular sides when putting the mattress frame together, we
might place stops upon the tubular sides which would determine exactly the position
of the angular ends, bat we would not always make use of such stops. The open
ends of these tubular sides would be plugged or filled up in any suitable manner or
we might apply caps of ornamental or other shape which would be secured to the angle
iron ends and would mask the ends of the tubes. Another mode of applying the
angle iron ends to the tubular sides would be to slightly reduce, check or taper the
ends of the tubes and to have correspondingly bored or tapered holes in the angle
iron ends. Such an arrangement would in itself do away with the necessity or
advisability of having stops as aforesaid. Another arrangement combining in itself
a stop and masking cap for the tube ends would be to place thimbles over the ends of
the tubular sides, the bottoms of the thimbles covering in the tube ends and the tops
being formed with rings or lips which would act as stops when the angle ends were
placed over the thimbles and the mattress strained between thein. In some cases we
might recess the angle iron ends opposite to the tube ends sufficiently to receive the
tube ends. the dished projecting parts of the recess on the outside serving as caps to
cover and conceal the ends of the tubular sides. We might obtain the canted position
of the angle iron ends by slightly bending or dipping the ends of the tubular sides,
the angle iron ends being thus thrown into a plane which is not parallel with the pull
of the mattress. The angle iron ends are thus locked upon the ends of the tubular
sides. Mattress frames constructed as aforesaid may be used in conjunction with
bedsteads, couches ships' berths and other similar structures and articles.
In order that our said invention may be properly understood we will now proceed
to describe the same with reference to the annexed sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a mattress frame composed of metallic tubular sides a, angle
iron or steel ends and a woven wire or chain or other elastic metallic mattress
surface c.
The ends bare supposed to be applied to the tubular sides a in a manner
which is comprised under our present invention. This improved manner of applying
the ends may be varied and certain of the modifications are shown to a larger scale in
Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 7 and 8 of the drawings.

page_text: C
Referring to Fig. 2 the tubular sides a are cut off to the proper length and the
angle iron or steel ends bare bored or punched to lie at about the angle shown in
Fig. 2 or practically at a somewhat less angle, as the tilt of the ends relatively to
the sides a is a little exaggerated in the drawing so as to illustrate the principle more
clearly. The diameter of the holes through the angle ends is the same as the
diameter of the tubular sides so that the angles can be slipped on the ends of the
sides a into the position shown at Fig. 2. The elastic metallic surface c is then fixed
and strained between the ends b. the pull on the ends b tending of course to drag the
top flanges of the angle ends into a position parallel with the longitudinal axes of
the sides a. This tendency to cant the ends into an upright position is resisted at the
points of contact d and e, the edges of the holes through the angle irons biting
the tubular sides at these points. The two ends thus grip the tubular sides at eight
points and effectually prevent the ends 6 from being pulled along the sides, in fact the
greater the pull of the elastic mattress surface the more firmly do the ends bite the
tubular sides and the more strenuous is their resistance to being displaced. We are
thus enabled to apply the ends direct to the tubular sides without making any special
provision other than boring or punebing the angle iron or steel ends in the manner
described. To prevent the ends from being slipped too far on to the sides we might
use stops f. In order to close the ends of the hollow tubes we might insert plugs g
of wood metal or of any other suitable material and the said plugs may carry
ornamental terminations so as to give a finish to the ends of the mattress frame.
Instead of filling in the ends with plugs we might apply caps h to the angle irons as
shown on the right hand side of Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 we illustrate another mode of
applying the angle ends to the tubular sides. In this case we slightly check or
reduce the ends of the tubular side a and bore or punch the angle ends & to fit these
reduced ends. The shoulders presented by the checked ends prevent the angle irons b
from being pulled along the tubular sides a by the strain of the mattress surface c.
Fig. 4 shows a modification of Fig. 3. In this case the end of the tubular side instead
of being checked or reduced as in Fig. 3, is slightly tapered and the hole in the angle
end is also tapered so that it is prevented from going further than the position
shown in the drawing. In Fig. 5 the angle iron or steel ends are mounted upon
the tubular sides a according to the principle of Fig. 3 but in a modified manner.
Instead of reducing the tubular sides a we provide caps or thimbles i of thin sheet
metal closed at the top which we slip upon the ends of the tubular sides. The caps
or thimbles are formed with slight ruffs or ridges which act as stops so that when
the angle ends (which are bored to fit the caps) are placed over the caps when in situ
the caps are prevented from slipping forward on the tubes by reason of their closed
ends while the ridges on the caps act as stops to prevent the ends from overriding the
caps. The closed ends of the caps or thimbles cover in the hollow ends of the tubes
and so make a finish to the ends of the mattress. In Fig. 6 we dish or recess the
angle ends so as to receive the ends of the tubular sides a. This dishing of the
angle iron or steel ends may be effected by stamping or passing the ends & when cut
off; or the said recesses might be formed in the angle iron during the process of
rolling. Fig. 7 is a back view of one extremity of our angle iron end which has
been dished in the manner shown in section in Fig. 6. In the modification the angle
iron itself masks the ends of the tubular sides. Fig. 8 may be described as illustrating
a modification of the principle more particularly described with reference to Fig. 2.
In this case the tilt instead of being given to the angle iron ends is imparted to the
tubular sides the ends of the sides a being slightly drooped as shown in the Fig. The
angle iron ends may be bored or punched straight and the pull of the mattress surface
binds and locks them on the slightly inclined ends of the tubular sides.
Although we have in this Complete Specification and in the attached drawings
described and illustrated a mattress frame having angle ends and tubular sides it is to
be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the sectional shape of the ends nor
to the tubular form of the sides as the former might be of other suitable sections and
the latter instead of being round tubes might be square polygonal or of other sectional

page_text: forms. The frames constructed as aforesaid. might be used in conjuction with bedsteads,
couches, ships berths and other similar structures and articles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
(1) The improved methods of connecting the ends of mattress frames to the sides
without the aid of studs, bolts, brackets and similar means substantially as described
and shown.
(2) Connecting the ends of angular or other section to the tubular or other sides of
mattress frames by boring or punching the holes in the angular or other ends in such
a manner or at such an angle that when the mattress surface is strained between the
ends the said ends are caused to grip and adhere to the tubular or other sides and
so withstand the strain substantially as described and shown in Fig 2 of the
drawings.
(3) Checking or tapering the ends of the tubular or other sides of mattress frames
and boring the angular or other ends to fit the said checked or tapered side members,
for the purposes and substantially as described and shown at Figs. 3 and 4 of the
drawings:
(4) In applying angular or other ends to the tubular or other sides of mattress
frames, the employment of caps or thimbles for application to the ends of the side
members the said caps or thimbles being formed with closed or restricted ends and a
ridge or collar acting as a stop to retain in position the angular or other end which
is bored to fit the cap or thimble and is placed thereon substantially as described and
shown at Fig. 5 of the drawings.
.
(5) In the connection of angular or other ends to side members of tubular or other
section, recessing or dishing the ends so as to receive the extremities of the tubular
or other sides for the purposes and substantially as described and shown at Figs. 6
and 7.
(6) Connecting the angular or other ends of a mattress frame to the tubular or
other side members by slightly bending or dipping the ends of the side members and
thus so tilting the applied ends that they resist the strain of the mattress surface
substantially as described with reference to Fig. 8 of the drawings.
(7) In mattress and other frames having the ends attached in the indicated manner,
plugging, covering and masking the open ends of the tubular sides by the means and
in the respective modes hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this 14th day of December 1889
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.