Improvements in and connected with Bedsteads, Cots, and Back Rests.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1899-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1899
Improvements in and connected with Bedsteads, Cots, and Back Rests.
I, THOMAS EDMUND WALE, of the Firm of T. E. Wale and Sons, Oozells Street,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mattress Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention has for its object improvements in bedsteads and cots and in the
manufacture of the same by which I provide a bedstead or cot consisting mainly
of wood and having side rails which allow of being easily attached and detached
so as to permit of a child being readily put in or taken out also a back rest for
invalids which can also be quickly attached or detached to the cot or other bed-
stead and which can be adjusted in a cheap easy and simple manner.
My invention also refers to an improved metallic bedstead or mattress bottom
by which I am enabled to more equally distribute the links over the surface and
thereby obtain a more even strain of the links over the whole area of the fabric
or mesh.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practice, I have appended hereunto a sheet of drawings upon which, I have
fully illustrated the nature of my said improvements applied to a cot and from
which their application to bedsteads and other articles will be readily understood.
Figure 1 is a view of the component parts of a cot shewn in their relative
positions but not attached together.
Figure 2 is an enlarged plan of part of the fabric or mesh of the bottom.
Figure 3 is an enlarged plan of the link.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is an elevation of one end of the cot side shewing a modification in
the attachment and fastening.
Figure 6 is a plan of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a view of the bed rest.
In carrying my invention with regard to the wooden cot into effect I provide
the pillars A which are preferably turned or shaped in a wood turners lathe to
any suitable design, and upon the top end of each of these I form the shoulder a²
and projecting screw A¹. An elongated recess B is also formed in each pillar as
shewn and below this I form the round hole C which passes right through the
pillar A. These pillars are then connected together in pairs by the cross rails A²
and intermediate upright rails A+ thus forming the head and foot ends of my
cot as seen in Figure 1. In making the bottom frame of the cot I secure the
ends of the cross rails D into the sides E the ends of the sides being first pro-
vided with the screws F which are formed sufficiently long to pass through the
holes C and are preferably formed out of the solid wood of the side E. Upon this
frame I stretch and make fast my improved wire fabric G Figure 2 the seperate
links of which instead of being made of the ordinary V shape are made as shewn
in Figure 3 with the rounded projecting corners g and hooks g¹ formed on the
ends as shewn in Figure 4 the whole being connected together by the hooks g¹ of

page_text: one row of links taking over the rounded projections g2 of another row of links
the hooks being closed to secure them. This particularly shaped hook link has
the advantage of more equally distributing the wire as also the open spaces
between the hook links than in the case of the ordinary V shape mesh and at
the same time increases the elasticity of the bed bottom. Although described and
illustrated in connection with a cot bottom the mesh may be used for bedstead and
mattress bottoms or any other article for sitting or reclining upon with equal
effect and I may use a part of my improved mesh with a part of the ordinary V
or other kind. The side rails of the cot consist of the top and bottom bars K¹
and K2 connected together by several upright bars K³ a vertical hole being
bored through each end of the top bar for the purpose of allowing it to be dropped
over the screw A¹ on the cot pillar while the bottom bar is made slightly shorter
than the top bar but of sufficient length so that when the holes of the top bar are
in their place upon the pillars the ends of the bottom bar may also be in their
place viz. in the slotted hole B into which they are made to fit loosely. In fitting
the various parts of the cot together I take the rectangular bottom and thrust the
screws F through the holes c of the head and foot ends of my cot, and secure them
(rather loosely) on the outer side of the cot pillars by a suitable knob or nut M
made to fit on the projecting screw F.
I next take the cot sides K¹ and insert the ends of the bottom rails K2 into
the holes B at head and foot of cot after which I make firm the head and foot to
the bottom by screwing up the nuts M more tightly thus enabling me to lift up
the cot sides on to the pillars, the holes in the top rails dropping over the
screws A¹ which are made sufficiently long to project above the top rail. I then
make the sides secure to the pillars by a suitable knob or nut N which is secured
to the screw A¹. In order to lower the cot side the ends of the bottom rail being
pivoted in the holes B in the pillars it is only necessary to unscrew the knobs or
nuts from the screws A', slightly raise the side off the screws and then lower it
down on its pivots until the side hangs in the pillar holes B as shewn in dotted
lines in Figure 1 from which it is readily replaced in position again by lifting
up and on to the screws A' on the pillars where it is secured again by the knobs
or nuts as before described.
Instead of the vertical screw A¹ I may round the tops of the pillars and use
a screw W bent at right angles as shewn in Figures 5 and 6. This screw is fixed
horizontally into the cot pillar at i and instead of making vertical holes through
the top rail of the cot side at h I make horizontal holes at v which enables the top
rail to be secured to the angle screw W by a nut so as to fit and rest in between
the cot pillars instead of on the top of them.
Instead of the holes B in the pillars I may make holes in the sides of cot
bottom and fix pegs K at a corresponding distance apart in the bottom rail, or
holes may be made in the rail and the pegs put at in the sides of the cot bottom.
In fitting up these cot sides I first drop the pegs K of the bottom rail into the
holes of the cot bottom and then push the holes von to the horizontally pro-
jecting arms of the angle screws where they are secured in position by suitable
nuts by the unscrewing of which the sides can be readily removed. I also pro-
vide a simple and inexpensive back rest which is commonly known as a bed rest
and which has usually consisted of a bottom frame, back frame and front frame
with arms attached to the front frame, the bottom frame being hinged to the
bottom of the front frame and having several notches in it on which the bottom
of the back frame rests for the purpose of securing the front frame in position and
regulating the angle of inclination. In my improved back rest as shewn in
Figure 7, I do entirely without the bottom frame and make the back and front
frames each the same width and hinge them together or I make the back frame
to fit inside the front frame and hinge or pivot it to the inner sides of the front
frame by a screw or other suitable means. For adjusting the inclination I pro-
vide a pair of arms R with several notches or grooves on their under side and

page_text: rather loosely rivet or otherwise secure these to the back frame. Upon the outer
edges of the front frame I fix a projecting rivet or pin, and thus regulate the
pitch or inclination of the front frame by the arms, as will be readily seen, the
pitch or inclination of the front frame (that against which a person would lean
against when sitting up in bed), depending upon which of the notches in the arms
are resting upon the pin. The front frame may be covered with any yielding
metallic or other elastic mesh or fabric. The back rest may be secured to the cot
or bedstead by hinges one flap of which is screwed on the outside of the legs of the
back frame at S and the other flap screwed on the bed bottom cross rail D at d¹
or it may be screwed by the hooks P shewn on the cross rail of the back frame
which hook on to the bottom cross rail of the head of the cot or bedstead or in
any convenient way and preferably so as to be readily removed and as readily
refixed to any other bedstead so as to be of more general use and when not in use
it may be closed up against the head rail of the cot or bedstead in which position
it occupies a space of not more than two inches in thickness.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1st In a cot or bedstead and in the manufacture of the same the connection
of the side bars of the cot or bedstead bottom to the pillars of head and foot rails
by means of a screw formed on the ends of the side bars and in combination with
holes in the pillars and the outside tightening nuts and knobs substantially as
and for the purpose herein set forth and illustrated.
2nd In a cot or bedstead and in the manufacture of the same the connection of
the side rails to the head and foot pillars by the ends of the bottom bar being in-
serted in the slotted recesses of the pillars and the top bars secured in position
by screw and nut or knob substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth
and illustrated.
3rd In a cot or bedstead and in the manufacture of the same the angle screw
in head and foot pillars and nuts for supporting the side rail which is secured
by suitable nuts in combination with the pegs and holes for retaining the bottom
rail in position substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and illustrated:
4th In a cot or bedstead or mattress bottom the mesh or fabric made up of links
having the two projecting curved corners substantially as and for the purpose
herein set forth and illustrated.
5th For use in combination with bedsteads and cots and other purposes the
back rest having the pitch or angle of inclination governed by notched arms R
in combination with a slot or pin r substantially as and for the purpose herein
set forth and illustrated.