An Improved Pillow Holder for Bedsteads and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 1st July, 1895-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Pillow Holder for Bedsteads and the like.
ANNIE LAURIE BARLOW MCNAIR Bonnie Doon Clarence Park Weston-
super-Mare Somerset, Spinster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
:-
To provide a comfortable easy pillow for invalide or others either for lying
down or sitting up in bed. For this purpose I place a large full soft pillow or
pillows in a pliable support, made of flexible wire mesh or any other suitable
material with inversions, which permanently grasp the pillow or pillows and hold
them in place. This pillow holder can be hung upon knobs or otherwise, from two
arms or rails about the height of the pillow or a little higher which are fixed to the
bedstead one on each side of the bed at the pillow end in such a way that the pillow
holder can be attached or detached at will & raised or lowered. Or it may be
suspended from the top of the canopy of the bed by strong detachable rods or
straps or it may be hung upon a separate expanding & contracting frame to suit all
sizes & moved from one bed to another. The size of the pillow holder should be
a little wider than the bedstead in one direction & a little narrower than an
ordinary pillow in the other: The pillow holder may be lined on one or both sides
or only partially so, with leather, American cloth calico or such like fabric or
fabrics, for the preservation of the pillow; but this is not absolutely necessary.
The pillow holder can also be made with or without extra springs arranged so as
to rise & fall with the movement on the pillow.
The pillow holder may be arranged to hang horizontally, but I prefer it being
inclined slightly forward, so that the pillow or pillows may also have a slight
downward inclination towards the feet of a person reclining on the bed.
The advantages of this invention I consider to be the following-
1st. The pillow holder can be used by a person either lying down or sitting up
in a bed.
2nd. It dispenses with a bolster which often gets hard & lumpy.
3rd. It keeps a few inches under the pillows free for ventilation. This will in
some cases be more sanitary:-though the space can be filled up with an eider-down
or something soft (which will not interfere with the free movement of the pillow
holder) if greater warmth is desired.
4th. It can easily be adjusted to a single or double bedstead, sofa, couch, swing
or anything with which a pillow, or cushion would be used.
5th. The space underneath the pillow holder will be found a convenient receptacle
for a book, watch, handkerchief etc.
6th. This pillow holder keeps the head cool and comfortable and does away
with the necessity of so constantly shaking up the pillows, and re-adjusting them.
Dated this 26th day of November 1894.
ANNIE LAURIE BARLOW MNAIK,
Bonnie Doon, Clarence Park, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, Spinster.

page_text: An improved Pillow Holder for Bedsteads and the like.
I ANNIE LAURIE BARLOW MCNAIR, of Bonnie Doon, Clarence Park,
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, Spinster, 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:-
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a comfortable easy
pillow for invalids or others when either lying down or sitting up in bed. For this
purpose the invention consists in a pliable support made of flexible wire mesh or
any other suitable material with inversions, which permanently grasp the pillow or
pillows placed on said support and hold them in place. This pillow holder can be
hung upon knobs or otherwise from two arms or rails about the height of the pillow
or a little higher, which are fixed to the bedstead one on each side of the bed at
the pillow end in such a way that the pillow holder can be attached or detached at
will and raised or lowered, or it may be hung upon a separate frame which can be
moved from one bed to another. The size of the pillow holder should be a little
wider than the bedstead or than the pillow in one direction and a little narrower
than an ordinary pillow in the other. The pillow holder may be lined on one or
both sides or only partially so with leather, American cloth, calico or such like
fabric or fabrics for the preservation of the pillow; but this is rot absolutely
necessary.
The pillow holder may be arranged to hang horizontally, but I prefer it to be
inclined slightly forward, so that the pillow or pillows may also have a slight
downward inclination towards the feet of a person reclining on the bed.
In the annexed drawing
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the pillow holder constructed as hereinafter described.
Fig. 2 is a front or edge view thereof.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the frame for supporting the pillow holder.
Fig. 4 is a side view showing a bedstead with side arms or bars for supporting
the holder without the use of the frame shown in Fig. 3.
In the practice of my invention, I secure to the head posts A of a bedstead and
the side bars B thereof, curved arms C which may be detachably and adjustably
connected with the head posts and side bais if desired. At suitable intervals on
the arms C, I provide or form knobs or projections D, E, F and G which are
adapted to support the pillow holder proper as hereinafter described. The pillow
holder proper consists of an oblong strip H composed of flexible wire mesh or
woven or interlaced wire springs such as are used for wire mattresses, or any other
material which may be suitable, and each end thereof is preferably provided with
inwardly directed flexible and spring inversions or clips J which are adapted to
hold the ends of the pillow or cushion as shown in Fig. 2. To carry these clips
the strip H is preferably connected to end bais H to which the clips J are
attached. These clips may be made of stout steel wire bent to form a loop as
shown on the drawing and terminating at each end in coils fastened down on the
bars H by strong staples or the like as at H³, the extremity of each coil being
fitted into or under a recess punched up or cut in the metal or material of the end
bars Has shown at H³.
The flexible holder H or its bars H¹is or are provided at each corner with hooks,
eyes or loops H* adapted to be attached to or connected with the knobs or
projections formed on the arms C as shown in Fig. 4 and the holder may be thus
connected with said armis or removed therefrom whenever desired.
The length of the pillow holder when suspended in the manner shown and
described should be a little greater than the width of the bedstead, and it should

page_text: be a little narrower than an ordinary pillow so that the upper and lower edges may
be covered by the pillow when placed thereon; of course any number of pillows
may be employed and the holder may be lined on one or covered on one or both
sides or
partially so in order to protect the pillow but this, as will be apparent, is
not absolutely necessary.
When it is desired to use the pillow in an upright position the corners of the
holder will be connected with the knobs D and F which may be placed higher on
the arms C if desired and when it is desired to be used in a reclining position, the
helder may be connected with the knobs E and G as shown in Fig. 4. It will also
be apparent that the arms C may be dispensed with under certain circumstances
and the holder will still constitute a convenient support for a pillow and may be
thus used independently of bolsters or similar articles.
When simply laid upon the bolster, or upon a couch or the like with the pillow
held in it, the holder operates to give support to different parts of the pillow and
to keep its surface distended.
In place of using arms C as shown in Fig. 4, similar arms of different forms of
curvature may be used or these arms may be wholly dispensed with and the
frame K used. This frame is of a width to suit the bedsteads on which it is
intended to be used and it comprises any suitable back portion K' with one or more
depending bars K' and the two side frames K³ having the bars K' with knobs
thereon, answering the same purpose as the aims C aforesaid. On one of the
bars K of each side frame level with the lowest knob G is a knob G¹ so that the
holder H may be suspended horizontally upon the knobs G, G¹. The lowermost
bars K of the side frames may rest upon the mattress.
This frame may be
constructed of any suitable material, such as metal tubes.
The advantages of this invention I consider to be the following.
1.) The pillow holder can be adjusted to support a person either lying down or
sitting up in bed.
2.) It dispenses with a bolster which often gets hard and lumpy.
3.) It keeps a space of a few inches under the pillows free for ventilation. This
will in some cases be more sanitary, though the space can be filled up with an
eider-down or something soft (which will not interfere with the free movement of
the pillow holder) if greater warmth is desired.
4.) It can easily be adjusted to a single or double bedstead, sofa, couch, swing,
or anything with which a pillow or cushion would be used. This can be done by
simply laying the pillow holder (without suspending it) with the pillow on it
wherever required for comfort.
5.) The space underneath the pillow holder will be found a convenient receptacle
for a book, watch, handkerchief etc.
6.) This pillow holder keeps the head cool and comfortable and does away with
the necessity of constantly shaking up the pillows and readjusting them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1.) A pillow holder consisting of a flexible strip with end connections or
extensions adapted to hold a pillow substantially as shown and described.
2.) A pillow holder consisting of a flexible strip and end connections or
extensions adapted to hold a pillow, said holder being supported on and connected
with a bedstead substantially as shown and described.
3.) The combination with a bedstead of curved arms connected with the head
posts and side bars thereof and a pillow holder consisting of a flexible strip with
pillow holding clips adapted to be connected with the said arms substantially as
shown and described.
4.) The combination with a bedstead of curved arms connected with the head
posts and side bars thereof, said arms being provided with knobs or projections
and a flexible pillow holder adapted to be connected with said kuobs or projections,

page_text: said flexible pillow holder having pillow holding clips substantially as shown and
described.
5.) The construction of pillow holder consisting of wire mesh H, end bars H¹
and clips forming inversions to hold the pillow in the manner described.
6.) The frame K constructed as set forth for support of a pillow holder consisting
of a flexible strip.
Dated this 1st day of July 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agents to Applicant.