IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC FRAMES FOR BEDSTEADS, CHAIRS, LOUNGES AND OTHER ARTICLES OF FURNITURE AND IN THE SPRING BOTTOMS AND BACKS FOR THE SAME 33
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernard Joachim La Motho M.D. of the City and State
of New York, United States of America for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN METALLIC FRAMES FOR BEDSTEADS, CHAIRS, LOUNGES AND OTHER ARTICLES
OF FURNITURE AND IN THE SPRING BOTTOMS AND BACKS FOR THE SAME
33
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernard Joachim La Motho
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd October 1882.
BERNARD JOACHIM LA MOTHE, M.D. of the City and State of New York, United
States of America "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC FRAMES FOR BEDSTEADS, CHAIRS,
LOUNGES AND OTHER ARTICLES OF FURNITURE AND IN THE SPRING BOTTOMS AND
BACKS FOR THE SAME,"
The frames that I employ are made of tubes and bars of metal jointed together
at the places where they fold or turn; One of the special features of my improve-
ments relates to a hinge formed with straps, one of which passes into the end of
the tubular leg frame the other passes into the tubular rail and is rivetted; the rail
rests upon the leg when the parts are opened for use.
With bedsteads the frame, receiving the spring bottom hereafter described, is
generally quadrangular and hinged at one end to supporting legs, the other end is
hinged either to supporting legs or to hinges fastened to the wall; the bed being
capable of folding up against the wall, out of the way. The hinges are not directly
over the legs but at one side so as to allow the frame portion to rest upon the top
of the legs.
Another feature of my invention is the spring bottom for the bed, which also is
available for the bottoms or backs of chairs, sofas, lounges or other articles of
furniture.
The spring bottom or back is made of wires or small rods preferably of steel,
slightly arching upwardly, a number being placed side by side and having transverse
connections, and at the ends the wires are coiled and rods or bars passed through
the coils; usually two of these spring wires are in one piece with the coils made
where the wire has a sharp bend; and there are intermediate coils to keep the spring
wires at a proper distance from each other. The transverse connections are usually

page_text: '
short links with eyes at their ends placed in alternate positions between the
longitudinal spring wires.
With bedsteads the said spring bottom is usually beld within the frame by
supports and tightened by screws. With chairs the rails or portions of the frame
pass through the coils.
With chairs I sometimes interlace ornamental tapes or strips of fabric across the
springs of the bottom or back, and in other instances upholstery or padding is
added.
The frame of the chair or other article of furniture is composed of the legs and
tubes, and the back frame is usually hinged. to the bottom frame and may be
inclined more or less, the arms being constructed so as to hold the back at the
inclination.
The foot or leg rest that slides out from below the chair seat, is a metal frame
sliding on a metal bar, and drawn in or out by the action of a revolving shaft and
the flexible fabric or covering is drawn back by a spring.
The spring wires, that stand side by side, are usually bent with a bow or loop for
a bar at the place where the back and seat come together, the wires of the seat
extending up into the back and aiding in holding up the back.
With bedsteads there is a frame of wirework that is raised or lowered to
elevate the pillows. Some portions of the frame can be made of wood in place of
metal and the spring bottoms and backs can be used on various kinds of bedsteads,
chairs and other furniture.

page_text: angle pieces c. and united by cross-tubes l. m. and strengthened by the pillow
guards p. p. that pass in a curved line from the head guard down and into holes in
the side rails.
The tubes h. may be made with stop hinges at r. so that the top part of the head
guard may be folded forwardly when the bedstead is turned up as seen in fig. 3.
Another feature of my invention is the spring bottom for the bed which also is
available for the bottoms or backs of chairs, sofas, lounges, or other articles of
furniture.
This improved bottom is shown in figs 1. and 2. as applied to a bedstead Fig. 5.
is a perspective view of a portion of said spring bottom.
Fig. 9. is a vertical section and Fig. 10. a sectional plan of a reclining chair with
the spring bottom and back applied thereto; only a few of the wires are shown in
fig. 10. so as not to obscure the other parts of the figure.
I will first describe the spring bottom for the bedstead.
The spring-bottom is made of parallel longitudinal wires 8. 8. preferably of steel,
slightly arching upwardly, at the ends of which there are coils or short helices 2. 2.
threaded upon transverse rods t. which receive support from the hooks u. v. at
the respective ends passing through the end tubes b. b. The hooks v. v. are pro-
vided with nuts 3. by which tension can be applied for straining the bed bottom.
The hooks u. may also have nuts but usually they will be rivetted up.
As an additional means for straining the bed-bottom I make the tubes a. in two
parts as shown in the detached section fig. 4. and provide screws a². with right and
left hand threads thereon entering nuts at the ends of the divided tubes. By
turning these screws by means of a pointed lever entering a hole in the screw, the
divided tubes a. may be extended or shortened in their length and thereby give
the desired tension to the bed-bottom. I prefer to use a short section of tube' aº. to
slide upon the tube a. and cover the division in said tube.
To stiffen the frame a. b. and prevent the tubes b. bending by the weight upon
the bed-bottom, I make use of a tube a³. that extends from one tube b. to the other
at the middle of the bedstead, see fig. 1. The ends of this tube are flattened and
bent so as to partially surround the tubes b. see detached view fig. 6. and said
tube a is kept in place by the pins u. v. passing through holes in the flattened
ends of the tube.
In order to keep the longitudinal wires 8. 8. parallel and to distribute the strain
I make use of transverse connections in the form of short links q', with eyes at
their ends and these links are arranged to connect the wires alternately in pairs as
shown.
The longitudinal wires might have crimps in them to receive a transverse wire
that extends the entire width of the bed bottom as shown at q. figs 1. and 2. to
connect the longitudinal wires and keep them in proper position, but I prefer the
short links q¹. for this purpose.
The spring bottom for the seat and back of a chair lounge or other article of
furniture is composed as aforesaid of longitudinal wires s. connected by transverse
links q'. In figs. 9. & 10 which represent a chair with this spring bottom
applied to the seat and back, two of the longitudinal wires 8. are in one piece; the
two ends of the wire are passed from below through holes in the front rail b'. of
the chair and then over and around the bottom rail b2. of the back of the chair and
then the wires are carried upward to form the spring back and are secured to a
cross-bar be, in said chair back.
I provide coils of wire upon the rail 62. between the coils in the wires 8. to keep
said wires in their proper place on said rail.
The frame of the chair is made of the front rail b¹. back rail 6³. side rails bª. b³,
and angle blocks c¹. these rails are made of metal tubes. The side rails and back
rail may be of one piece of tubing bent into an shape with the ends secured in
the angle blocks, but I have shown the back rail 65. as a separate tube with its
ends secured in the ends of the rails-63. This back rail has upon it the blocks c³.
into which the rear legs c. are secured; the front logs c* are socured in the blocks c'.

page_text: The back of the chair is made of a tube e³. bent into the desired shape to form the
sides and top of the frame and the bottom rail 6. is shown as a separate tube with
its ends inserted in and secured to the ends of the tube e³.
This rail 6. forms the pivot upon which the chair back swings, as said rail
passes through holes in the blocks e².
The arms for the chair are each formed of a rod or tube f. supported by the
block c'. and of a larger tube f³ that receives the end of f. and said larger tube ƒ³.
is connected by a wire loop f* to the chair back. The under part of the rod or
tube f. where it enters the tube fa is flattened and notched and there is a catch fo
made as a ring or loop passing through a hole in the tube f. This ring is flattened
at the part within the tube so that when the flat portion is parallel with the flat
portion of the tube f the tube f³ can move back and forth over f³. as the back
of the chair is moved to incline it, but when the ring is turned to the position
shown in fig. 9. the flattened part will enter one of the notches in f." and hold the
part of the arm and prevent the back changing position.
The foot or leg rest that slides out from below the chair seat is a metal frame h³.
sliding beneath and supported by a metal bar h³. and said frame is drawn out by
revolving the shaft . which winds up a cord h. that is connected at he. to the metal
frame h. The flexible fabric or covering . of the foot or leg rest is connected at
one end to a wire that is in front of and secured to the tube b¹. and the other end
of said flexible fabric is secured to a rod P. that is guided by the side rods of the
frame h. One end of the spring . is connected to said rod P. and the other end
of said spring is connected to the metal frame h².
When the foot rest is drawn out, the flexible fabric is drawn out against the
action of the spring, hence when the foot rest is pushed in the spring draws back
the flexible fabric-In figs. 9. & 10. the foot rest is shown as partially drawn out.
The shaft his provided with a handle by which it can be turned and said shaft
is supported by wire loops secured to the front legs.
With bedsteads there is a frame of wire work that can be raised or lowered to
elevate or lower the pillows: this device is shown in figs. 1. and 2. and it consists
of a secondary frame composed of the bow shaped rod or small tube 5. pivoted at
its ends 6. to the tubes a. and having cross-wires 7. and diagonal wires 8. This
secondary frame usually lies flat upon the bed bottom beneath the mattress and
pillows, but when it is desired to raise the head of the person reclining on the bed,
the said secondary frame may be drawn up into an inclined position as seen in
fig. 2. a cord or chain 10. from the same passing over the head of the bed being
used for this purpose and the end thereof is fastened to a cleat or hook at 20.
This secondary frame can be removed when not needed for use or replaced at will.
To hide the bed-stead from view when turned up against a wall as in fig. 3. I
make use of a frame made of a rod a. bent into a curved or bow form and with
the ends of the rod bent downwardly to enter brackets a³, secured to the wall. A
curtain a. is suspended from the rod so that it can be drawn around to cover the
bedstead when folded up as shown in fig. 3. The head and foot guards and legs
may be dispensed with in cases where the frame and spring bottom are employed
as a bed-bottom or mattress upon an ordinary bedstead.
The frame a. b. and angle pieces c. may be of strong wood instead of metal
especially in cases where the spring bottom is used as a mattress. This spring
bottom is adapted to lounges as well as beds. It is very cleanly as there are no
places in which vermin are likely to lodge or dust to accumulate and the cost of
manufacture is but little.
When this spring bottom is applied to chair seats or backs, the ends of the longi-
tudinal wires may be connected to screw eyes secured in the seat or back frame of
the chair, and a spring bottom of the character herein described is much lighter,
cleaner and more durable than those in which coiled springs are used.
I claim as my Invention,
First. The combination with a frame a. b. of an elastic bottom made of longi-
tudinal wires coiled at their ends, transverse rods passing through such coils the
•

page_text: hooks u. and v. and the nuts 3. to place the longitudinal wires under tension,
substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination with the bed-bottom of wires and the tubular frame
a. b. the legs d. and e. and the metallic" joint pieces i. connecting the legs to the
tubes a. as and for the purposes set forth.
Third. In combination with the bed bottom of wires and the frame of tubes a. b.
the secondary frame 5. 7. 8. pivoted at 6. and the cord or chain 10. for elevating
the secondary frame, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. In combination with the tubes b. bed bottom of wires and means for
connecting the same to the tubes b, the divided tubes a. screws a³. and nuts at the
ends of the divided tubes, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The combination in a bed or furniture bottom of longitudinal wires, trans-
verse links for connecting the wires in pairs, transverse rods for receiving the ends
of the longitudinal wires, and supporting hooks for connecting the bottom to the
end rails, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Sixth. A spring bottom for bedsteads, lounges, chairs and other articles of
furniture, consisting of longitudinal wires connected by short links, a frame for
said wires, and means for connecting the wires to the frame, substantially as and
for the purposes specified.
Seventh. The combination with the tubes 61. 63 & 6° angle pieces c². blocks c².
and legs, of the back frame formed of the tube c³. and bottom rail 6. substantially
as and for the purposes specified.
Eighth. The combination with the tubes b'. b³ & b. angle-pieces c¹ blocks c². legs
and back-frame, of the two part arm f.2 f.³ connecting loop f.* and catch fo
substantially as and for the purposes specified
Ninth. The combination with a chair, of the foot-rest composed of the sliding
frame h. supporting bar h³. flexible covering . cord and shaft h. and spring
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Tenth. In a reclining chair, a spring seat and back formed of longitudinal wires
connected at one end to the front rail of the chair seat, then passing around the
pivot rail of the chair back and extending upwardly and connected near the top of
the chair back, in combination with transverse links for connecting said longitudinal
wires, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Bernard Joachim La Mothe have hereunto set
my hand and seal this 14 day of March A.D 1883
Witnesses
CHA' H. SMITH 140 Nassau St. New York
J. STAIB 140 Nassau St. New York
BJLA MUTHE
(L.B.)