IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FASTENINGS OF BEDSTEADS AND OTHER FRAMES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CHARLES HOWELLS, of Hay, in the County of Brecon, Gentleman, 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 February, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Charles Howells, Her especial licence, full power; sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Henry Charles Howells, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Charles Howells, my exors,
adiñors, 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, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FASTENINGS OF
BEDSTEADS AND OTHER FRAMES," communicated to me by a certain foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,
the said Henry Charles Howells, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of the said 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Charles Howells, do hereby declare that the nature of the Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):-
Figure 1 shews parts of two bed posts and one rail combined, according to
one of the improvements, and various Figures at the right and left hand of
Figure 1 shew different views of the parts separately. In this arrangement
the parts will require to be reversed at the right and left hand ends of a rail,
which thus renders it necessary to have plates and bolts of different patterns at
the opposite ends of a rail; but in some of the cases hereafter given this will
not be necessary, as the parts allow of the rail to be turned in either way for
securing the rail to the posts. a, b, are the two posts; c is one of the rails;
d is the plate, which, together with the bolts, hereafter described, may be made
of iron or other metal. This plate d is affixed to the post with an opening
through it; on the back of this plate d are two curved inclined surfaces e, e,
up which the parts of the instrument, hereafter described as affixed to the rail,
move, and draw the post in secure contact with the end of the rail, and it will
be evident that the direction of the inclines e, e, will be reversed at the
opposite end of the rail. f is the bolt or instrument affixed to each end of the
rails, and it is fastened into the rail by forming a cylindrical hole therein and
making lateral grooves to receive the projections (1), (1), there being a hole
through the stem of the bolt at (2) through which a wedge-shaped metal or
other pin (3) is passed, as is shewn, the holes in the rail being filled with
wood at (4), (4), after the pin (3) has been introduced. The bolt f has a
projection g, g, on either side, with surfaces inclined or otherwise to come against
the inclined surfaces e, e, when, through the plate d, by which means when
the bolts are passed through the plates d of the two posts a, b, by turning the
rail partly round the two posts will be drawn tightly against the ends of the
rail by the surfaces on the projections g, g, they being properly formed for that
purpose, acting against the inclined surfaces e, e, and the cylindrical part (5) of
the bolt fentering a corresponding hole in the post, assists in keeping the parts
in the proper position, and increases the strength of the fastening, though this
part (5) is not absolutely necessary. And it will be evident that the plate d
may be affixed to the rail, and the bolt f to the post, but I prefer the contrary
arrangement.
Figure 2 shews other arrangements according to the improvements. In

page_text: this case the fastening shewn on either end of the rail is different, the parts for
the left-hand end being shewn separately to the left of Figure 2, and the parts
for the right-hand end being shewn separately to the right hand of Figure 2.
At the left-hand end the bolt has only one protection 9, and there is only
one curved incline e at the back of the plate d, which will readily be understood
on examining the Drawing; and in case it was desired to have similar parts at
the other end of the rail, then the direction of this incline e would be reversed.
In other respects the description above given will apply to this Figure. At
the right-hand end of the rail the bolt has three projections 9, 9, 9, and
there are three inclines e on the back of the plate d; and in this case also, if it
were desired to use this fastener at both ends of a rail, then the direction of
the inclines e would be reserved, and also those on the projections g. In other
respects the description above given will apply to this fastener.
Figure 3 shows other arrangements of fastenings in which it would not
require to have difference of inclines at the two opposite ends of the rail.
In the cases shown at Figure 3 the bolt at the left-hand end has only one
projection g, whilst that at the right-hand end of the rail has two projections g,
consequently there is only one projection g on the bolt, with a double incline
at the back of the plate d at the left-hand end, whilst at the other end the bolt
has two projections g, and there are two double inclines e at the back of the
plate d, and it will be seen that the stems of the bolts have projections or ribs
and plates for fixing them with screws or nails to the ends of the rail.
Figure 4 shows part of one post and part of a rail with a fastener of a
somewhat different construction to those above described. In this instance the
bolt has two projections g, g¹, one shorter than the other, and the plate d at its
back has a double incline e, e, so that the projection 9 may fasten by turning
in either direction after that projection is through the plate d; and in addition
to such double incline e there are two other inclines e' one on each side of the
hole through the plate d, which are so arranged that the lowest parts of each of
those inclines e' comes towards the highest point of the double incline e, and
the highest points of the inclines e¹, e', come towards the lowest points of the
double incline, so that the projections g, g', may fasten by turning in either
direction after the projections are through the plate d. By this arrangement I
make a strong fastener, and dispense with plates and bolts of different patterns
at the opposite ends of a rail.
Figure 4 shows another arrangement of fastener. In this arrangement a
male screw f, having one or more threads, is fixed into one end of the rail, and
a nut or female screw d, to correspond therewith, is fixed into the post. A

page_text: similar arrangement is used at the other end of the rail, with this difference,
that the threads of the screw and nut are made to wind round the cylinder on
or in which they are formed in a reverse direction, so that by turning the rail,
after having inserted the screws of the rail into the nuts of the posts, the posts
are drawn tightly to the rail. Such screws, with reversed action, are commonly
called right or left-handed screws, and so far there is no novelty in the arrange-
ment; but that which constitutes the Invention is the application of such a mode
of fastening to bedsteads either of wood or metal and also to wooden frames.
And further, the Invention consists in so shaping the end and threads of the
screw, and making the entrance and threads of the nut to correspond therewith,
that as soon as the rail begins to turn, after the screws and nuts are brought
together, the thread or threads of the screws shall take hold of and move upon
the thread or threads of the nuts at both ends of the rail simultaneously, and so,
without difficulty or delay (which would exist with screws of the ordinary
construction) draw the parts of the frame regularly and firmly together.
In the above description I have described various arrangements of fasteners
which have the common property of requiring the rail to be turned partly
round when drawing the parts of bedsteads or other frames together, and it is
the peculiar arrangements of these fasteners which constitutes the first part of
the Invention.
Figure 5 shows another arrangement of fastener, which simply slides without
turning in order to draw the parts of a bedstead or other frame together. In
this Figure, a is the post, and c a rail; d is a plate which is to be affixed to
the post; this plate has a projection e on the back, on either side of the opening
through the plate d; and the bolt f, which is fastened to the rail, has a
projection g, g, on either side, with inclined surfaces acting against the inclined
surfaces e, e; and thus far there is no novelty in the arrangement. But in order
to keep the rail correct, and insure it to take its proper central position, the
sides of the projections g are inclined to the bolt f, and the sides of the inclines
e upon the plate d are formed to correspond with the inclines upon the stem of
the bolt. And it is this peculiarity which constitutes the second part of the
Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Charles Howells, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
ENRY CHAS (L.S.) HOWELLS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Henry Charles Howells came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Linnelled the Counter first day of Ammunt in the roor of our Lord On
Enrolled the Twenty first day of August, in the
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
ur Lord One-