IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BEDSTEADS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES TO RECLINE OR BIT ON
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Hallen, of Cornwall Road, Lambeth, in the
County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 26th January 1858, and dated the 28th July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Hallen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th July 1857.
I, EDWARD HALLEN, of Cornwall Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BEDSTEADS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES TO
RECLINE OR BIT ON," to be as follows:-
I make the frame of the bedstead or similar articles to recline or sit on
in two or more parts, to slide under or over each other, so as to occupy less
space when not required for lying or sitting on; and when required for that
purpose, these frames are with facility drawn out to tho required length, and
as readily restored to the smaller space when no longer wanted. They can
also be packed in a small compass for transport.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Hallen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
HALLEN, of Cornwal Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Hallen, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Hallen, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Hallen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF BEDSTEADS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES TO RECLINE OR SIT ON," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Hallen, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Hallen, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The first part of my improvements in the construction of bedsteads consists
in an improvement in a barrack bedstead now used by the British Govern-
ment, called "Hall's bedstead," by making the head frame of a piece of iron
on its edge bent round at the corners at the head of the bedstead, and at the
other end a cross bar f is rivetted or fixed, which has its under edge partly
rounded to fall into a notch in the bottom frame (similar to that now in use
in the above-named bedstead), when the lower frame is drawn from under
the head frame to its full extent; at each corner of the head frame where it
is bent, a hole is made to allow a pin similar to those now used in "Hall's

page_text: bedsteads to pass through it as well as through a leg, and fastened with a
wedge driven into the pin, which leg is shown at Figure 1, where a front and
side view of this leg is shown; these two legs thus support the bent or head
end of the head frame, and may be fixed to the sides of the frame in a similar
manner. The head board or pannel O consists of a piece of sheet iron, fixed
to half round or other shaped iron at top & bottom, at the ends of which
eyes are formed, which drop over the upper part of the legs, as shown in
Figure 8, and thus form a head board or pannel, which can be removed from
the legs at pleasure.
The second part of my improvements consists in making the foot frame of
the above bedstead in one entire piece on its edge, bent at each of the four
corners, with holes at these corners of the ends to admit a pin to go through
each and the upper part of the legs (which legs are shown at Figure 2), &
a wedge is driven through these pins to fasten the legs to the frame; to
these legs rollers are fixed; these legs may be fixed to the sides instead of the
ends of the frame, & in a similar manner. In the sides of this frame
notches are made, with an inclined plane & check similar to those in " Hall's
bedsteads," to receive the cross bar f of the head frame, when this frame is
drawn from under the head frame to its full extent. This frame has a bar
g, Figure 3, fixed to it, to fasten the hoops thereto; to these frames hoops
are rivetted, lapped one over the other, as shown in plan, Figure 3, or may be
single as now used.
Figure 1 shows a front & side elevation of the legs for the head frame;
Figure 2 shows a front & side view of the legs of the foot frame; Figure 3
shows a plan of the bedstead when drawn out; and a, a, a, a, show the upper
part of the four legs, with the pins and wedges driven in to fasten them to
the frame; b, b, show the two legs fastened to the head part of the head
frame, with the pins & wedges as before described; Figure 4 shows the foot
frame rolled under the head frame; & Figure 5 shows a plan of the head
frame folded over the foot frame, with the legs and head board packed!
between them; Figure 6 shows a side view of the head & foot frames when
folded together, with the legs and head board or pannel O fitted in between them.
to form one package; Figure 7 shows a side view of my before-mentioned
improved bedstead, when the foot frame is rolled under the head frame, &
the dotted lines show the foot frame when rolled out to its full extent to form
a bedstead; Figure 8 shows how the head board is dropped over the legs b, b;
Figure 9 shows another way of making the ends of the foot frame (when it
is connected with the head frame so as to save material), which shows at C
one end of the foot frame turned round, so as with two bends to form a

page_text: recess for the legs to be fixed to it with pins & wedges, as before described;
Figure 10 shows another way of terminating the end of the foot frame with
only one bend, and the leg fastened to it as in Figure 9; Figure 11 shows
also another plan of terminating the ends of the foot frame, where at C the
leg is fixed to the side of the foot frame without any bend, with pin & wedge,
ns before described; Figure 12 shows a plan of terminating the ends of the
head frame next the head board, instead of bending it round, by having a
cross bar & fixed into the side bar e of the frame, to which the hoops are
rivetted. At the ends of the side e a nipple is formed, which runs through a
hole in the loose leg b, & is fastened thereto with a wedge driven through
the nipple; these nipples may be of any shape, or on the flat or edgeways, as
shown at Figures 13 & 14; Figures 15, 16, 17, & 18, show various modes
of terminating the sides e of a head frame, to which the legs b, b, b, b, are
fastened by pins & wedges, as before described.
i a
The third part of my improvements in the construction of bedsteads consists
in making a bedstead as shown in Figures 19, 20, & 21, where Figure 19
shows a plan of an improved bedstead, where h, h, are two pieces of angle
iron fixed to two flat bars i & j, which flat bars have returned ends fixed to
them, to stiffen the frame where fixed to the angle irons h, h; this frame A
forms the head frame of the bedstead, and at the corners of the flat bar i
hole is formed to allow the head legs b, b, to go through, which are secured
to the bari by driving wedges through holes in the legs b, b, and over the
tops of these legs b, b, a loose head board is dropped, as shown at Figure 8
in my improvements on "Hall's bedsteads;" the flat bar j has two holes k, k,
in its returned ends, which are continued through the top of the angle iron
h, h; these holes are for the purpose of allowing the projection 2 of the upper
part of the middle leg of the foot framo B to catch in, to prevent the foot
frame B being drawn out too far; the part m of the foot frame B is bevelled
in its upper edge, which lies under a similar bevil in the lower edge of the
bar of the head frame A, so that when the foot frame B is pushed under
the head frame A, no impediment is offered; the back of the hole k, and the
projection of the upper part of the middle leg a of the foot frame B are
bevilled also, so as to offer no resistance when the foot frame B is rolled under
the head frame A. To the foot frame B four legs with rollers are fixed by
pins & wedges to fit universally; the two legs a, a, next the head frame A
alluded to before
are made as shewn at Figure 24, where the projecting part
is shown on an enlarged scale, fastened to the side of the foot frame B by a pin
& wedge, and there is also a steady pin n fixed in the top part of the upper
piece of the leg a, next the head frame A, which fixes into a hole n in the

page_text: bevilled edge of the bar m of the foot frame B, which keeps the projection /
always in its proper place; the outside legs a of the foot frame B are as
shown in the details at Figure 25. Figure 20 shows a side view of my im-
proved bedstead when rolled out to its full extent, and the dotted lines show
the position of the foot frame B when rolled under the head frame A; Figure
21 shows a plan of the head frame A, with the four legs a, a, a, a, and legs
b, b, & head board or pannel O packed between it and the foot frame B to
form one compact package; Figure 22 shows a side elevation of the bedstead
when made into a single package; Figures 23 & 24 show a plan & side view
of the details of the head frame A, the foot frame B, the middle & outside
legs of the foot frame B, and legs b, of the head frame A.
Ottomans, sofas, and similar articles to recline or sit on, with or without
backs, can be made on the same principle, and the backs and legs of cach
kind fitting universally, packed between their respective frames in similar
manner.
Having described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it clearly understood
that I do not claim the parts separately as my Invention, nor do I confine
myself to the size, proportion, or relative position of the several parts, provided
such variations as may be made in the same carry into effect the peculiar
character of my said Invention; but that what I do claim are the following:-
Making bedsteads as described in the foregoing Specification and accom-
panying Drawings, and similar articles to recline or sit on.
Making the legs & head boards or pannels to fit universally the frames of
the bedsteads, & in separate parts, so as to pack between the hoops of the
frames forming them, & similar articles to recline or sit on, and thus form
cach bedstead, or other said similar article, into one compact package, instead
of two or more as hitherto in use, whereby storeage room and labour in
removing them from place to place are saved.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Hallen, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
EDWARD HALLEN. (L.s.)