Improvements in the Manufacture of Metallic Bedsteads and Ships' Berths.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 22nd July, 1891-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1891
PROVIDIUNAI DIMITIVATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metallic Bedsteads and
Ships' Berths.
We ISAAC CHORLTON of 17 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 manufacture of metallic bedsteads and ships
berths and particularly to the head and foot ends of bedsteads composed usually
of wrought iron tubing as is well understood and to the means for attaching
side members to such ends. The said ends are usually made from tubing or bar
iron bent to the proper shape and having cross, vertical or other stays or end
members attached thereto by means of casting the attached ends of the said
stays or members being fixed to the outer frame of tubing by cast metal chills.
The corner blocks and dovetails on the ends are formed in the same manner
namely by being cast on in chills. The aforesaid chill castings form bulky
heavy and sometimes unsightly excrescences on the bedstead ends and in addition
being fixtures on the ends if a corner block or cast on part should be acci-
dentally broken, which frequently happens the end must be sent back to the
manufacturer to have the part re-cast on in position. The object of our present
invention is to produce bedstead ends formed from tubes or other suitable sections
of metal and having the stays or other usual members and also the corner dove-
tail or other blocks secured to the ends by means other than casting, the manu-
facture being effected in such a manner that the bedstead ends when completed
present a remarkably neat and graceful appearance combined with a strength
lightness and consequent cheapness which is unattainable under the present system
of cast on chills.
According to our invention when making our improved bedstead ends we first
when requisite bend the tubular or other material to the proper shape. In applying
the usual stays instead of effecting the junction by means of a chill casting as
usual, we bore the end to receive the ends of the stays which are then secured in
position by means of cross pins or other suitable fixings. The corner dovetail or
other blocks are formed separately and preferably of cast malleable iron although
they might be of other metal. The cast blocks are cored or bored to fit the tubes
or bars composing the ends and are slid upon the ends to their proper height or
position. When adjusted the blocks might be fixed in position by means of pins
driven through the blocks and ends or we might split or cut the blocks at one side
and form them with snugs to receive set screws, bolts or pinching pins, which
serve to bind the blocks upon the ends. The latter binding means are more
convenient for easily adjusting the blocks to the requisite positions than when
cross pins are used and driven through both blocks and tubular or other ends. We
do not however bind ourselves to the precise means for fixing the said blocks to
the ends.
As the blocks are preferably made of cast malleable iron and their concentricity
with the tubular or other uprights absolutely insured, they can be made of con-
siderably less bulk and weight and of greatly improved appearance as compared
with the ordinary cast on blocks. The said corner blocks might be made with the
ordinary dovetail attachments or with any other suitable means for connecting the
blocks to the side members of the bedstead. The head and foot ends might each
be made of a continuous length of tube or bar bent to the proper shape or of
uprights connected by stays or members as aforesaid. In some cases instead of

page_text: casting the corner blocks with tubular cores or sleeves to slide on the ends as
described we might form the said blocks with a concave face and apply them to the
uprights securing them thereto by pins or other suitable fastenings passing through
the blocks and the uprights. On the opposite side from the blocks we might apply
washers or plates to take the strain of the rivets, pins or fastenings. The blocks
might be cast with plugs above and below and the head and foot ends or the
uprights applied to the blocks in two parts, the blocks serving as uniting pieces to
join the component parts into a complete head or foot end. Under a further
simplification in the mode of joining the bed bottoms to the foot and head ends,
we dispense altogether with the aforesaid corner blocks on the uprights and apply
the brackets to which the side and end members of the bed bottom are attached
directly to the uprights of the head and foot ends.
In such a case we form the face of the brackets of a concave or saddle shape so
as to fit upon and partly surround the uprights. A square necked stud is secured
to and projects from the upright, the said stud being screwed at the projecting end
and carrying a nut. The saddle shaped face of each bracket has a square hole to
fit the stud, the said hole opening out of another hole large enough to admit and
pass the nut on the end of the stud. The two holes together present the appearance
of an inverted keyhole.
This arrangement is preferred to avoid removing the nut when securing together
or taking down the bedstead as by simply slackening the nut the stud can be
displaced from the square hole and moved opposite to the centre of the larger
hole which permits the passage of the nut and the separation of the parts. We
might however make a simple slot in the bracket extending to the foot to admit
the stud or we might core or bore the bracket in which case the nut would have
to be removed each time the stud was inserted or withdrawn. The brackets thus
applied direct to the uprights may be secured in any suitable manner to the side
and end members of the bed bottom. The general result of our improvements is
that we are enabled to produce a stronger bedstead of less weight and bulk than
heretofore which can be cheaply manufactured and which possesses a more graceful
and attractive appearance than bedsteads of the ordinary manufacture owing to
the absence of the usual cast on or applied portions. Portions of the hereinbefore
described improvements are applicable in the construction of ships berths especially
when the said berths are arranged in tiers.
Dated this 21st day of October 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metallic Bedsteads and
Ships' Berths.
We ISAAC CHORLTON of 17 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 manufacture of metallic bedsteads and ships
berths and particularly to the head and foot ends of bedsteads composed usually of
wrought iron tubing as is well understood and to the means for attaching side
members to such ends. The said ends are usually made from tubing or bar iron
bent to the proper shape and having cross, vertical or other stays or end members
attached thereto by means of casting, the attached ends of the said stays or members
being fixed to the outer frame of tubing by cast metal chills. The corner blocks and
dovetails on the ends are formed in the same manner namely by being cast on in
chills. The aforesaid chill castings form bulky, heavy, and sometimes unsightly,

page_text: excrescences on the bedstead ends and in addition, being fixtures on the ends it a
corner block or cast on part should be accidentally broken, which frequently happens,
the end must be sent back to the manufacturer to have the part re-cast on in
position. The object of our present invention is to produce bedstead ends formed
from tubes or other suitable sections of metal and having the stays or other usual
members and also the corner dovetail or other blocks secured to the ends by means
other than casting, the manufacture being effected in such a manner that the
bedstead ends when completed present a remarkably neat and graceful appearance
combined with a strength lightness and consequent cheapness which is unattainable
under the present system of cast on chills.
To render our invention perfectly clear we will now describe the same more
particularly with reference to the annexed sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bedstead made in accordance with our
invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the corner fittings of the bedstead shown at
Fig. 1.
Figs. 3 and 4 are separate views of the parts of the fitting shown at Fig. 2.
Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 84, illustrate modifications of our invention.
First as regards the manufacture and production of head and foot ends without
the ordinary cast on chills, we take a suitable length of tubing or bar and bend the
same into the shape of the head and foot ends A and B in Fig. 1. In applying the
usual stays a instead of effecting the junction by means of a chill casting as usual
we bore the tube ends A and B to receive the ends of the stays a which are then
secured in position by means of cross pins b or other suitable fixings. The corner
dovetail or other blocks c are formed separately and preferably of cast malleable
iron although they might be of other metal. The blocks c are formed on one side
with a concave face as clearly shown at Fig. 3. The block c is applied to the
upright A, its concave face fitting the cylindrical contour of the upright. The
block is secured to the upright by means of rivets d d which appear in dotted lines
in Fig. 2 or the blocks might be secured by other suitable fastenings. In some
instances to give a better hold to the rivets we might apply a washer on the
opposite side of the upright from the part c. The opposite sides of the blocks e
from the concave sides are formed to receive the brackets e which are connected to
the side members of the bedstead. This opposite side might either be of the
ordinary dovetail form as at Figs. 5 and 6 or it might be formed as shown in
Figs. 2 to 4 with a flat or recessed fitting surface. The bracket e has a face
similarly formed and in order to render the joint more secure we make the parts
with inclined or hook shaped formations c¹ e' which assist to hold the parts c and e
more firmly together. A bolt cast into or projecting through the block c has a
square neck which enters a slot or it might be a hole in the bracket e and a nut
serves to bind the two parts firmly together. A plug e² projecting from the
bracket e enters and sustains the tubular side y and a cross pin g¹ keeps the tubular
side in position.
Under a modification of our invention and as illustrated at Fig. 5 of the
drawings the corner blocks c are cast in malleable iron of a cylindrical form and
are cored or bored to fit the tubular uprights or ends upon which the blocks are
slid to their proper height or position. When adjusted the blocks c are fixed in
position by means of pins d driven through the blocks and tubular uprights.
Another mode of applying and securing the blocks e to the uprights A. is shown
at Fig. 6. In this case the block c is slit at hand is formed with a lug i on each
side of the slit. A bolt or screw j passes through the lugs and affords means for
binding the block e firmly to the upright. This latter mode of binding the blocks
to the uprights or ends is a more convenient mode in some respects for easily
adjusting the blocks to the requisite positions than when cross pins are used an 1
driven through both blocks and tubes as for example in Fig. 5. As the alore-
said cylindrical blocks are preferably made of cast malleable iron and their

page_text: concentricity with the tubular or other uprights absolutely insured they can be
made of considerably less bulk and weight and of a greatly improved appearance
as compared with the ordinary cast on blocks. Although we have shown both
of these cylindrical slid on blocks with the ordinary dovetail recess it. will be
understood that they may be made with any suitable means for connecting the
side members thereto. The head and foot end might either be made of the
shape and in the manner set forth with regard to Fig. 1 or they may be composed
of uprights connected by stays or members in the manner aforesaid.
Fig. 7 shows another modified form of our invention. Here, the corner block c
instead of being mounted or slid upon the tubular upright is formed with an
extension or plug e at both ends. The lower part A of the tubular upright or end
is slipped over the lower plug and the upper part A' of the tubular upright is slid
over the upper plug. The block c forms a continuity or connection between the
upper and lower portions of the tube the whole forming a complete head and
foot end.
Rivets dd secure the tubes to the plugs. The face of the block c may either
be fashioned as shown in the drawing with a flat face to receive the bracket carried
by the side or it may be made with a dovetail recess or with other means to receive
the bracket of the side member.
In some cases we might dispense entirely with the corner block and apply the
bracket e of the side member directly to the tubular upright. Such an example is
shown at Fig. 8 of the drawings. The inner face of the bracket e is made concave
so as to fit the tubular upright. A bolt k projects from the tube and enters a slot
or hole in the bracket e. A nut screws upon the bolt k and securely binds the
bracket e to the upright. The slot in the bracket might be straight as shown or it
may be formed with an enlargement towards the foot as shown at Fig. 8A to admit
the nut on the bolt k so that the bracket can be placed in position on the upright
without removing the nut.
The general result of our improvements is that we are enabled to produce a
stronger bedstead of less weight and bulk than heretofore which can be cheaply
manufactured and which possesses a more graceful and attractive appearance than
bedsteads of the ordinary manufacture owing to the absence of the usual cast-on or
applied portions. Portions of the herein before described improvements are applicable
in the construction of ships berths especially when the said berths are arranged
in tiers.
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. Constructing the head and foot ends of bedsteads without the usual chill and
corner castings by bending a tube or rod to the required shape and afterwards
inserting the stays in holes formed for their reception in the ends and securing the
stays by pins or other fastenings and also by making provision for the application
of separately cast corner blocks or for applying the brackets on the side members
directly to the head and foot ends substantially as hereinbefore described and
shown.
2. In the construction of bedsteads forming the corner blocks separately and
of such a shape that they can be mounted upon or applied to the members of the
head and foot ends or uprights and secured thereto by pins, rivets, bolts, or
other fastening means substantially as described and as illustrated in Figs. 1. 2.
and 3.
3. The complete corner fitting consisting of the block e separately cast and
secured to the upright in combination with the bracket e bolted to the other part c
both part being formed with inclined or hook shaped surfaces which engage with
each other and more firmly secure the two halves of the fitting together substantially
as described and shown in Figs. 2 to 4.

page_text: 4. The improved corner blocks separately cast and slid upon the uprights or
members of the head and foot ends and secured thereon by pins as in Fig. or by
slitting the block and securing the same by means of a compressing bolt or screw
as in Fig. 6 and substantially as described.
5. The improved corner block consisting of a casting with plugs or extensions to
carry the upper and lower portions of the uprights or head and foot ends substan-
tially as described and as illustrated by Fig. 7.
6. Applying the brackets carrying the side members directly to the uprights or
head and foot ends and without any interposed block or casting substantially as
described and as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 8^.
D
011
1001
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.