IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDS, MATTRESSES, AND APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO BEDSTEADS, COUCHES, AND CHAIRS
Year: 1840

page_text: HALL, of Glasgow, Upholsterer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-first day of January, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Hall, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said James Hall, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said James Hall, my exors, adññors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDS, MATTRESSES, AND
APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO BEDSTEADS, COUCHES, AND CHAIRS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said James Hall, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of the Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Hall, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-

page_text: My Invention consists in certain arrangements of appendages attached to
feather beds, mattresses, &c. &c., as named above, &c., all applicable to repose
and comfort, by which a greater degree of ease is imparted when the body is
in a recumbent posture, and by which the position of the body may undergo
various changes with less trouble and inconvenience.
But in order that my Invention may be most fully understood, I will
describe the intention of the same, and the Drawings hereunto annexed, which
will shew that these beds &c., &c., may be made up suitable for the palace,
down to the cottage, infirmary, &c., &c. The intention of the Invention is to
supersede all common bed pans which have been long in use, but have never
fully answered the purpose for which they were intended. I have been a
mournful witness to this for years in my own family, and others under heavy
afflictions, and frequently have ended in death. I one instance I witnessed
a friend taken out of bed in a weak state, desirous of a stool, but in a few
minutes died out of bed. Mattresses and feather beds in general fall down in
the centre, and prove very disagreeable to all who are confined to bed; but the
mattresses, &c. &c., referred to here are made up in a different manner from
the common mode now in practice, so that they cannot fall down in the centre
as others do, notwithstanding the person often sits up on the bed. The feather
bed and mattresses have apertures in them; they are closed up with cushions
air-tight. The feather bed is divided internally into six divisions or cushions,
making a complete bed, so as to prevent the feathers from flying off to either
side, or to the head or foot of the bed, which will supersede the necessity of
troubling the patient to have the bed made for comfort.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

page_text: Figure 6, plan of bed with apparatus. D, bed chair. E is a portable soft
cushion round the side of the pan for sitting on. F, the bed table top.
G, the bed pan.
Figure 7 shows the bed table pillar, and how easily it may be made high or
low to suit the desire of the patient. The pillar is put down by the side of the
apertures, and is fixed firm in a few moments, with the screw at the end of the
pillar, into a support on the bed bottom.
Figure 8 is a separate view of the portable bed chair, with the sides for
resting the head, &c.
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a bedstead with curtains. There are two
soft fancy ropes fixed at the head and foot of the bed roof for assistance
to the patient in rising up.. They are simply taken down and hung up in a
few moments. G is the top. of the bed pan. H, the lower part, of stuffed
cushion, which fixes on top of pan with sliders. I shows the top of a
comfortable cushion, which may be used in or out of bed. J is the aperture.
K, the border of cushion, which may be made from six to ten inches deep.
L, the pan for ditto. M is a plan and side view of the apparatus, as applied
to an hospitable bedstead, with soft ropes for assisting the patient to rise up.
N is a separate view of the pan for the above bed. O is a perspective view of
an invalid chair, with a cushion stuffed or spring bottom. P, the aperture for
the pan, which is closed up neatly with a corresponding soft cushion. The
same is applicable to all kinds of invalid chairs, sofas, &c.
The apertures may
be made round, square, oval, or any shape whatever that may be wished.
For accommodating all classes of people I have made up models of straw
mattresses, hair mattresses, feather beds, any one of which may be used by
itself for a bed, with an aperture for a pan with a bottom, and should the
mattress be but thinly stuffed, yet it will answer all the intentions according to
the model, with a corresponding pocket attached to the lower side of the mat-
tress to receive the pan, which, when not wanted, is closed up with a cushion.
There will no air come up through the aperture notwithstanding of the pockets
falling down a few inches beneath the bottom of the bed. The same is
applicable to a chaff bed for the poor. The bed chair can be made low
in price, and answer all the purposes intended for the afflicted poor. I have
now in my room in London a handsome large-sized bedstead, with curtains,
straw and hair mattresses, feather bed, &c., &c., with apertures in them, neatly
closed up with cushions, air-tight, and made up so as to prevent any want of
comfort when lying on them. The bed sheet has also an aperture in it. The
chair for this bed is so formed in shape that the whole of the person's back
will rest on it with much comfort. The support of the chair back is placed.
into a socket fixed on the head-board, and turns on two hinged pivots fixed to

page_text: the back of the chair, which moves easily on the conductor nearer the head-
board or farther from it, at pleasure, as may be required by the patient, and is
so fixed by a screw pin on the support that it will prevent any risk of the chair
falling to either side, or moving from the desired position placed in. This
chair is so adapted for the afflicted that in the event of the patient not being
able to lay down he may rest comfortably, and sleep supported safely by
moving the foot or top of the back of the chair, which will bring it to the
desired position for ease and comfort; the sides for the support of the head
and arms are easily placed into their proper positions. There is a cloak lined
with blanketing suited for comfort when sleeping on the chair, and the patient
will run no risk in catching cold. There is a cushion for the breast to rest
upon, with straps attached to each side of the chair, and will prevent the
person from falling out when awakening out of sleep. There is a spring seat
which the person may sit upon in bed, and the table being fixed in bed right
before the patient, and placed in a suitable position, he can take any meals
required, or use it for any other purpose, wished for, such as reading, writing,
&c. For evacuation the cushions are removed, the conducting bed pans placed
into the apertures, the chair back is placed close behind the pan, the case with
the receivers being beneath the bed; the nurse, with the handle of the case,
moving it to the right within the stoppers, will bring one of the receivers (right
below the bed pan; the patient will then make use of the ropes as formerly
stated, and, sitting on the proper place, will find the seat pleasant to sit on.
After the patient has used the pan the handle of the case must be moved to
the left, which brings the other receiver right below the bed pan which receives
the water that washes it. In lifting out the pan a coarse towel ought to be
held beneath it to prevent any drops of water falling on the sheet; the cushions
are then placed into the apertures, the back of the chair taken out, which lifts
off the socket with ease, and the patient can then lay down. Should the
patient at any time be requested, or desirous to bathe himself with cold
or warm water, in bed, the pan will answer all the purposes of a bedit, as there
is a stopper which fixes in the pan and prevents the water from escaping; tho
stopper has a small brass chain attached to it, and when more water is wanted
the chain is lifted, the water runs into the receiver; the stopper being, put in
again more water can be poured in to be used; in lifting out the-pan-the towel
to be used as formerly stated. The case is drawn out, the nurse removing the
receivers from it, emptying them, washing and drying them up, places them in
their former position, which prevents all smell or dampness whatever. All the
privileges with the above bed may be had without the case or receivers being
used, with this exception, the pan for the apparatus must have a bottom, and
placed into the apparatus.

page_text: This bed, with all the apparatus, can be shewn to any medical man or other
gentleman who may favor the Inventor with a call; às also the bed for an
infirmary, &c., &c. The bed and watercloset cushions are well adapted for the
nursery, and will be found most useful and comfortable for young people
confined to bed.
I intend, in disposing of my licences for the above Invention, to attend
those upholsterers who may purchase them, to give them all the information
necessary, and wait on them till they are perfectly satisfied that they understand
how to make up the whole apparatus agreeably to the foregoing descriptions.
Having thus described the nature and intention of my Invention, and
the manner of constructing and using the same, I beg to say that the Inven-
tion in all its parts is the product of years of much patient thought and anxiety;
and I now hope I have found out in this Invention a means of great relief and
comfort to the afflicted of all classes, that will, if used, prove a blessing not only
now, but in ages yet to come. The Invention is particularly adapted for relief
and comfort to the patient when troubled with the following diseases, videlicet:
-Fevers in all their stages, debility, consumptions, water on the chest, asthma,
gout, dropsy, and all complaints confining young people, &c., to bed, &c., &c.,
as well as particularly useful for all those confined in childbed.
Should any improvement be made upon the Invention, I should be most
happy to hear of it for the sake of suffering humanity.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty.