Improvements in Sofa-bedsteads.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 18th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 11th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sofa-bedsteads.
I, AUGUSTE EMANUEL ELIAERS, of 71 Boulevard Voltaire Paris, France,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
==
My invention relates to sofa bedsteads in which the seat frame is reversible in order
that it may also be used as a seat and as a spring mattress.
According to my invention, the joints or links by which the adjustment of the seat
frame is effected are entirely independent of the outer or main frame in which it is
fitted so that the whole of the mechanism is removable together with the seat.
Further improvements relate to the means of jointing the back to the seat whereby
the back is retained either in the folded position when converted into a bedstead or in
the raised position when used as a sofa.
The sofa-bedstead comprises the ordinary outer framing, the reversible combined
seat and mattress frame mounted within the outer frame and the seat back frame.
The several frames are all upholstered in the usual manner.
The reversible frame is jointed to the ends of the outer frame in the following
manner; To the inside of each of the end cross bars of the outer frame are removably
bolted iron bars to the upper and lower ends of which are jointed radius links whose
opposite onds are jointed to the end of the reversible frame at two different points in
the width. In this manner, by simply unscrewing the bolts which fix the bars to the
end frames, the seat and its link work can be completely removed, thereby greatly
facilitating the handling of the furniture in case of removal or otherwise as well as
enabling repairs to the joints to be more easily effected.
The seat frame of the sofa is supported at the front by resting upon the outer frame
and at back by the radius links whose contres of motion are so arranged that one of
the links resists thrust in the vertical, and the other in the horizontal, direction.
When converted into a bedstead, the seat frame is also supported partly by the same
links and partly by means of lugs, attached to the ends of the reversible framing,
which rest upon correspondingly lugs fixed on the head and foot frames and, in order to
avoid any liability of the reversible frame tilting on any pressure being applied upon
its front edge, bolts are provided at the front edge of said frame which are engaged
with holes in the head and foot frames. Theso bolts may also be employed to lock the
seat frame when used as a sofa.
The back is jointed, by pivot joints, to arms fixed to the end of the reversible seat
frame, the motion being limited by a stud on the one part engaging with a stop on the
other for the purpose of holding the back at the proper inclination. The back when
folded down over the seat frame is retained by a spring fixed to one of the arms on
which the back pivots engaging with the stop on the seat back so that the whole may
be rotated together to bring the spring mattress uppermost.
Dated this 20th day of December 1889.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sofa-bedsteads.
I, AUGUSTE EMANUEL ELLAERS, of 71, Boulevard Voltaire, Paris, France, Manu-
facturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to sofa-bedsteads in which the sent frame is reversible in order
that it may be used as a seat and also as a spring mattress.
According to my invention, the joints or links by which the adjustment of the seat
frame is effected are entirely independent of the outer or main frame in which it is
fitted so that the whole of the mechanism is removable together with the seat.
Further improvements relate to the means of jointing the back to the seat whereby
the back is retained either in the folded position when the sofa is converted into a
bedstead or in the raised position when used as a sofa.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specifi-
cation, in which
Figures 1 and 2 are front and end elevations of the article arranged as a sofa.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views of the article arranged as a bedstead.
Figures 5 and 6 show details of the joint of the seat back.
The sofa-bedstead comprises the ordinary outer framing, composed of longitudinal
bars A and end frames A supported on castors, the reversible combined seat and
mattress frame B mounted within the outer frame, and the seat back frame C. The
several frames may either be upholstered or caned in the usual mannor, as shown at
the right and left hand of Figure 1 respectively.
The reversible frame B is jointed to the ends A2 of the outer frame A in the following
manner; To the inside of each of the end cross-bars A' of the end frames are
removably bolted iron bars E to the upper and lower ends of which are jointed radius
links F, G, whose opposite ends are jointed to plates D screwed to the end of the
reversible frame B, the relative positions of the centres of motion of the radius links
being as shown in the drawings. The bars E being bolted to the inner sides of the
cross-bars A³, it is only necessary to unscrew them in order to remove the mattress
frame and its link-work from the outer frame thereby greatly facilitating the handling
of the furniture in case of removal as well as enabling repairs to the joints to be more
easily effected.
As a sofa, the seat frame B is supported at the front by resting upon the front rail A
of the outer frame and at back by the radius links F, the centres of motion of the
links F G being so arranged that one of the links resists thrust in the vertical, and i
the other in the horizontal, direction.
As a bedstead, the frame B is also supported partly by the same links and partly by
means of lugs m attached to the ends of the frame B which rest upon corresponding
lugs n fixed on the end frames A³.
In order to avoid any liability of the frame B tilting under pressure upon its front
edge, bolts V are provided at the front edge of said frame, which are engaged with
holes in the end frames A³. These bolts may also be employed to lock the seat frame
when used as a sofa by providing additional holes in the end frames to receive them.
Springs are applied to these bolts, to prevent their being accidentally shot or
withdrawn.
The back is jointed by pivot joints h to arms I fixed to the ends of the reversible
seat frame B, the motion being limited by a stud K on the pivot plate H attached to
the back C engaging with a stop i on the arm I for the purpose of holding the back
at the proper inclination, as shewn in Figure 5. The back when folded down over the
seat frame B, as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2, is retained by a spring L fixed to
one of the arms I engaging with the stud K on the seat back, the spring, which is of
the shape shewn in Figure 6, being provided with an aperture in which the stud K is

page_text: received when the seat back C is completely folded down, the end face of this stud
being suitably bevelled so that at the beginning of the turning down motion of the
back it will come in contact with, and force outwards, the end of the spring L and
finally snap into the hole therein, as before mentioned. The whole may then be rotated
together to bring the spring mattress uppermost, as shewn in Figure 4.
To reconvert the bedstead into a sofa the seat frame and back are again reversed
after which the spring L is pressed back so as to release the stud K when the back can
be raised to its upright position, as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
1st. In a convertible sofa-bedstead, the combination of the radius links F, G, of the
seat frame B with the bars E fixed to the inside of each of the cross-bars A' of the
outer frame A, whereby the seat frame, together with its link-work, may be easily
detached from the outer frame, as described.
2nd The combination of the pivot h and arm I with stud K and stop i for retaining
the back C in the raised position, as described
3rd The combination of pivot h, arm I, stud K, and apertured spring L, for retaining
the back in the folded position upon the seat frame B, as described.
4th The spring bolts V for locking the seat frame B both when used as a bedstead
and as a sofa, as described.
Dated this 10th day of September 1890.
353
WAS LOOK day of September 1890
A. E. ELIAERS.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.