Improvements in the Method of and Means for Connecting Spring Fabrics to the Frames of Mattresses, Couches, Seats, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 15th May, 1894-Accepted, 23rd June, 1894
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Connecting Spring
Fabrics to the Frames of Mattresses, Couches, Seats, and
the like.
We, JOHN HENRY KNOWLES of 6 Lovely Lane, Mattress Manufacturer,
DAVID MUCKLEY of 93 Bewsey Road, Tube Works Manager, and FREDERICK
WILLIAM MONKS of Brooklands, Iron and Steel Manufacturer, all of Warrington
in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to the method of and means for connecting spring fabrics
to the frames of mattresses couches seats and the like articles, and its object is to
enable the spring fabric to be more readily connected or disconnected and stretched
or relaxed.
The spring fabric is attached to a frame which is preferably tubular and which
may either be placed upon a bedstead or such other similar support as may be
employed, or constitute the side and end bars of the bedstead couch seat or the
like.
These bars may be screwed or otherwise secured together at the ends, or may
there be provided with dovetail blocks such as are used in ordinary metallic
bedsteads.
The side bars each carry at one end a sliding bracket, and at the other end a
fixed one.
In a preferred form of construction, when tubular side bars are used,
each side bar is slotted at one end and contains a sliding barrel furnished with a
bracket projecting through the slot and formed with a seat for the end bar or
tube to which one end of the spring fabric is connected. The other end of each
side bar has secured to it a similarly formed fixed bracket to which the end bar
carrying the other end of the spring fabric is attached. The sliding barrels are
each drilled and tapped and engage with a bolt or screw which passes through the
head or foot of the bedstead or other similar support and down the side bar. By
the rotation of the screws or bolts, the sliding brackets may be moved in one
direction or the other and the spring fabric will be tightened or relaxed. As an
alternative method of construction, the sliding brackets may, instead of being
contained with tubular side bars, be formed to move upon suitably shaped side
bars and be similarly operated by a screw and nut.
The end bars, to which the ends of the spring fabric are connected, may be of
any convenient cross section but are preferably tubular and slit longitudinally.
The ends of the spring fabric are flattened or grooved to pass into the slits of the
tubes which are flattened or compressed to grip the fabric. The ends of the end
bars are placed upon correspondingly formed seats upon the brackets and may be
held in place by the tension of the spring fabric alone, but it is preferred to
additionally secure them by means of projections from the seats engaging with the
end bars or by other equivalent devices.
Dated this 20th day of March A.D. 1894.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Connecting Spring
Fabrics to the Frames of Mattresses, Couches, Seats, and
the like.
We, JOHN HENRY KNOWLES of 6 Lovely Lane Mattress Manufacturer
DAVID MUCKLEY of 93 Bewsey Road, Tube Works Manager, and FREDERICK
WILLIAM MONKS of Brooklands, Iron and Steel Manufacturer, all of
Warrington in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the method of and means for connecting spring fabrics
to the frames of mattresses couches bedsteads seats and the like articles, and its
object is to enable the spring fabric to be more readily stretched or relaxed.
The spring fabric is attached to a frame which may constitute the side and end
bars of the bedstead couch seat or the like, or be placed. thereon or upon any
other suitable support. The frame is preferably constructed of tubular bars or
tubes which are provided with dove-tail blocks such as are used in ordinary
bedsteads.
The side bars each carry at one end, a sliding bracket and at the other end a
fixed bracket. In a preferred form of construction, when tubular side bars are
used, each side bar is slotted at one end and contains a sliding barrel furnished
with a bracket projecting through the slot and forined with a seat or bearing for
the end bar or tube to which one end of the spring fabric is secured. The other
end of each side bar has secured to it a similarly formed fixed bracket, to which
the end bar carrying the other end of the spring fabric is attached.
The sliding
barrels are each drilled and tapped and engage with a bolt or screw which passes
through the head or foot of the bedstead or other similar support and down the
side bar. By the rotation of the screws or bolts, the sliding brackets may be
moved in one direction or the other and the spring fabric will be tightened or
relaxed. As an alternative method of construction, the sliding brackets may,
instead of being combined and arranged with tubular bars, be formed to move
upon suitably shaped side bars and be similarly operated by a screw and nut.
We will more particularly describe our said invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation,
Figure 2 a plan,
Figure 3 a vertical longitudinal section, and
Figure 4 a transverse section of one corner of a bedstead to which our
improvements are applied.
A is the spring fabric which is firmly secured at each end to an end bar B which
is preferably tubular, the tube being slit longitudinally for the reception of the
fabric which may be clipped between the edges of the slit tube by means of cross
bolts b. The end bars B are carried in brackets one pair of which is fixed and
not shewn in the drawings, the other pair being adapted to slide in or upon the
side bars of the bedstead or other support. In the drawings, only one end of one
of the side bars C is shewn, both of them being constructed in a precisely similar
The upper part of the bar has a slot e formed in it in which the neck d
of the bracket can move longitudinally. The bracket has an enlarged base or
barrel approximately fitting within the tubular side bar where it is bored and
provided with an internal screw thread fitting the bolt E arranged in the axis of
the side bar and having its head F with or without the interposition of a washer,
abutting upon the end of the frame. It follows from this construction that if the
bolt be rotated, the spring fabric will be stretched or relaxed according to the
direction of rotation.
manner.
C

page_text: The side bars may be connected with the posts G by the usual dove-tail blocks
through which a hole is cast or formed for the passage of the bolt, but it will be
understood that other methods of securing the side bars to the posts may be
adopted.
We do not limit ourselves to any particular type of side bars, nor of the end
bars to which the spring fabric is secured.
When the preferred tubular end bars or cross bars B are employed, it is
preferred to fit them in circular recesses in the brackets, and to prevent their
rotation by means of a small projection e fitting into a corresponding recess in the
end of the bar.
We are aware that it has already been arranged to provide for the stretching
and relaxing of spring fabrics in similar cases by means of bolts working in nuts
connected with the cross bar to which one end of the fabric is attached, but in
such cases the side bars have formed part of the mattress framing and have been
wholly independent of the bedstead or of the framing of the couch or seat,
whereas according to our invention we dispense with the side bars of the mattress
or the like and employ in their place the side bars of the bedstead or the like
support. We are also aware that the side bars of bedsteads and the like have
been used for similar purposes, but in such cases the stretching and relaxation of
the fabric has been brought about by an effective lengthening or shortening of the
side bars or by a lengthening or shortening of the whole bedstead or similar
support whereas in the case of our improvements the length of the side bars and of
the bedstead and the like is always unaltered.
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 :-
Means for enabling the spring fabrics of mattresses bedsteads seats couches and
the like to be stretched and relaxed and which consist of bolts arranged in the
frame work of the bedstead or other support for the spring fabric and engaging in
nuts formed in or upon brackets carrying one end of the spring fabric, the other
end of the fabric being fixed; all constructed and arranged and operated
substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 10th day of May A.D. 1894.