Improvements in and relating to Folding Mattresses and Folding Seats.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 8th Jan., 1897-Accepted. 3rd Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Folding Mattresses and Folding
Seats.
We JAMES DOUGLAS RICHARDSON of 12 Kingsley Place Heaton, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, Northumberland Salesman and FREDERICK HENRY YOUNG of
561 Stratford Road Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Commercial
Traveller do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the production of a folding mattress out of
flexible wire netting, such wire netting being so connected to frame-work that the
flexible netting can be folded into a small space when not required for use as a
mattress and will when unfolded into a horizontal position be in a stretched state
ready for use.
Our invention is suitable for use under several modifications.
The first modification relates to folding-hedsteads.
In carrying out the first modification of our invention we provide two vertical
head-posts of a suitable height to receive the hinged folded-up side rails, the two
vertical head-posts are connected together by means of an horizontal head-rail, to
each of the head-posts is also connected a short horizontal supplementary side-rail
about 12 inches in length more or less, such short side rails being supported in its
horizontal position by means of suitable short under-legs.
We next provide the folding part which consists of an horizontal foot-rail
supported by two short feet-posts, and we also provide two side-rails each about
six feet six inches in total length more or less, such side rails are jointed in one or
more places so that when folded up against the head-posts the height of such folded
up part will be about level with the top of head-posts.
The front ends of the folding side-rails. are next pivotted to the horizontal
supplementary side-rails of head-posts, the pivot pins may pass through the
supplementary side-rails thence through the bedstead-side-rail in such a manner
that the pivot will be central with the depth of side-rail, or the pivot may pass into
a circular hole or slot situated above or below the side-rail.
It will be readily understood that the folding bedstend-frame as hereinbefore
described could be folded up against the vertical head-posts, or lowered into the
horizontal position.
In connection with the folding-bedstead as herein before described we provide and
utilize the folding wire mattress.
We next provide the mattress foot-rail which consists of a piece of timber, tubing
or other suitable material, the length of which would correspond with the length
of the bedstead foot-rail.
We next provide a piece of woven wire of suitable length and width to form the
mattress, one end of such wire mattress would be lapped over the mattress foot-rail
and secured thereto in a similar manner or equivalent manner to that by which
woven wire is usually secured to the inside foot-rail of a self-contained movable
wire-mattress.
Our mattress foot-rail would next be placed in position near the foot-rail of
folding bedstead and connected thereto by means of the two tightening screws
usually used in the construction of self-contained movable wire mattresses.
We next provide the mattress head rail, which consists of a piece of timber,
tubing or other suitable material the length of which would correspond with the

page_text: length of bedstead-head-rail; over our mattress head-rail we fold and secure the
front end of wire mattress and then secure the mattress head-rail to the bedstead
head-rail, the complete combined folding bedstead and folding mattress would then
be ready for use.
In using our improved combined folding bedstead and folding wire mattress we
proceed in the following manner :-
The raising of the end legs of bedstead would carry and fold the flexible wire
mattress into the desired folded position against the head-posts of bedstead.
The crucial and important part of our invention consists in lowering the end legs
of folded bedstead and at the same time stretching the wire mattress taut ready for
use as a bed or couch, or ready to receive an ordinary wool or feather bed.
The wire mattress secured to the head end aud to the feet end of folding bedstead
is lowered into the usable horizontal position and the required amount of tension
given to the wire mesh by means of the adjusting screws provided on feet-rail of
bedstead taking into nuts secured to feet-rail of mattress.
The constant tension is secured by means of the difference in the chords of the
ares described by the radiation of the bedstead side-rails on their fulcrum, the chord
of arc described by the bedstead side being 12 inches shorter (more or less) than
the chord of are described by the wire mattress from the head-post as a centre,
consequently after the mattress has conformed to the set length of the bedstead
side there is an extra foot of mattress (more or less) and this extra length enables
us to stretch the wire mattress taut.
Although we prefer to secure the woven wire mattress to the mattress foot-rail
and to a mattress head-rail, nevertheless we can in some cases fold the ends of the
wire mattress direct on to the head-rail and foot-rail of bedstead.
The providing of axial pin as the centre of radiation of bedstead sides above the
said sides instead of centrally linably there with is the means whereby the stretched
mattress is prevented from rising.
We utilize our improved system of folding mattress in the construction of self-
contained folding couches and chairs of every description and also in the construction
of seats that are not self-contained and movable but that form folding fixed seats
in rooms and vehicles, in each case the system of stretching the wire mattress part
is the same, namely the head folding part of the couch-frame or chair-seat frame,
or bench seat-frame or carriage-seat frame radiates on a separate and distinct
pivotal central pin to that on which the back or head part of wire mattress or seat
radiates, the radius of the wire part being greater than the radius of the folding
frame of wire part and therein consists the essential novelty of this our invention.
Dated this 7th day of April 1896.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Folding Mattresses and Folding
Seats.
We JAMES DOUGLAS RICHARDSON of 12 Kingsley Place, Heaton, Newcastle-
on-Tyne Northumberland, Salesman and FREDERICK HENRY YOUNG of
561 Stratford Road Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Commercial
Traveller 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 :-
This invention has for its object the production of a folding mattress out of

page_text: flexible wire-netting, canvas or other equivalent yielding substance, connected to
a frame, such mattress and frame being so connected together that the frame and
mattress can be utilized as a bedstead on which to place the usual sleeping-clothes,
or the mattress and frame can form a folding chair or a folding fixed seat, in either
case the stretched mattress or seat part could be folded with its frame into a
vertical position occupying but a small space, and as quickly unfolded into a
horizontal stretched position ready for use.
Our invention is suitable for use under several modifications and we will now
proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the manner in
which the several modifications are constructed and used.
Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of mattress lowered into its stretched position
ready for use.
Figure 2 represents a side elevation of mattress-in its folded up position.
Figure 3 represents an isometrical view of combined legs and shoe, the legs
supporting the shoe and the shoe carrying the mattress head-rail.
Figure 4 represents an isometrical view of side-rail hinge-bracket.
Figure 5 represents a side elevation of mattress and frame at that point in its
radial path when the slack of wire-mesh is taken up and the tension about to be
exerted on the mesh.
Figure 6 represents a broken side view of mattress fitted with a hinged-bracket
taking flat on to the surface of side-rail.
Figure 7 represents a plan of Figure 6.
Figure 8 represents an enlarged elevation shewing a shoe-part similar to the
upper part of Figure 4 connected to a hinge-bracket, the centre of which is
situated above the mattress and side-rails.
Figure 9 represents similar parts to those shewn at Figure 8 excepting that the .
centre of mattress edge is lineable with the centre of hinge.
Figure 10 represents similar parts to those shewn at Figure 8 excepting that the
centre of hinge-bracket is below the wire mesh.
Figure 11 represents a mattress and frame radiating on a hinge secured over
the mattress side-rails.
Figure 12 represents an isometrical view of shoe with one short leg such shoe
being secured inside a moveable cabinet.
Figure 13 represents a plan of Figure 1.
Figure 14 represents the central joint of side-rail strutted by means of a hinge
with strut-piece and chain.
In carrying out the first modification of our invention we provide two vertical
head-posts and we prefer to form each of such head-posts in the shape of a bracket:
with two short legs supporting a short horizontal supplementary side-rail forming
a shoe, two of such structures as shewn at Figure 3 are utilized to support the
folding mattress and such structures are connected together by means of a
horizontal mattress-head-rail secured to the shoe part by means of connecting pins.
We next provide a folding part which consists of a horizontal foot-rail e supported
by two short posts d connected to two side-rails e of any suitable length, such side-
rails may be joined in one or more places but we prefer to make one folding joint
only as shewn at f.
The head-end of each folding side-rail e is secured to a hinge-bracket as shewn
in detail at Figure 4, and as shewn at g Figures 1 2, 5 and 13, and the main side-
rails e are next pivotted to the supplementary side-rails by passing the boss-part gl
of hinge-bracket g between the cheeks h of shoe, a pivot pin j is passed through one
cheek & thence through the boss g' and out through the other cheek A.
The folding-frame constructed as hereinbefore described could be folded up in a
vertical position to occupy a small space as shewn at Figure 2, or lowered into the
borizontal position for use as shewn at Figure 1.
In connection with the folding-frame as hereinbefore described we provide and
utilize a mattress made of wire-mesh, canvas or other equivalent yielding material;

page_text: we next provide the mattress foot-rail k which consists of a piece of timber, tubing,
or other suitable material, the length corresponding with the frame foot-rail e; we
next provide the mattress material of suitable length and width to form a mattress
one end of such mattress would be lapped over the mattress foot rail, or passed
between such foot-rail k and a supplementary securing-rail m, and secured to the
foot-rail k in a similar or equivalent manner to that by which woven-wire or other
mattress substance is usually secured to the inside foot-rail of a self-contained non-
folding moveable mattress.
Our mattress foot-rail k carrying the mattress I would next he placed in position in
front of the foot-rail e and connected thereto by means of the tightening screws n
usually used in the construction of ordinary wire mattresses.
We next utilize the mattress head-rail o to secure the head-end of mattress,
connection being made between the head rail o and the supplementary securing-strip p..
the complete combined folding-bedstead or folding-frame with its folding-mattress
would then be ready for use.
In lieu of the combined legs and shoe as shewn at Figure 3 suitable for screwing
direct to the floor of a room by means of screws taking into holes in the lugs q;
we prefer in some cases to provide a shoe and leg of the configuration shewn at
Figure 12, for use inside a moveable cabinet, in such cases the securing-pin would
pass through the vertical back r of cabinet and so secure the mattress front-rail o to
the vertical back of cabinet, the foot-lug q' being secured to the bottom of cabinet,
and it will be readily understood that by withdrawing the securing-pins from the
back of the cabinet out of the rail-holes the complete mattress could be removed from
the cabinet.
In lieu of the shoe shewn at Figure 3 with its cheeks à taking over the bossy of
side-rail hinge-bracket Figure 4 we in some cases prefer to form the radial-joint by
an equivalent hinge as shown at Figures 6 and 7, in such cases the supplementary
side-rail u is equivalent to the shoe-part of Figure 3 carrying the cheeks A, and the
cheeks Figures 6 and 7 are equivalent to the cheeks 'A of Figure 3, the inside
cheeks being also equivalent to the hinge-bracket Figure 4, the fulcrum-pin
Figure 7 being equivalent to the pin j shewn at Figures one 5 and 13; the
radiation of the folding mattress part of Figures 6 and 7 on the joint fulcrum j
acting in an exactly similar manner and producing the desired stretching of the
mattress as described in relation to the shoe Figure 3, and in a like manner we in
some cases prefer to utilize an ordinary flat h.nge over the supplementary
side-rail cc and the side-rail d d, the action of the hinge ee on its axis f
being precisely the same as that hereinbefore described in relation to
Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7.
The folding-hinge over the folding-joint f may be an ordinary flat hinge as shewn
at Figures and 5, or such ordinary hinge may have connected "thereto an
additional member w as shown at Figure 14 to form a strut, the strut being connected
by means of a chain & and radiating on the axis of the hinge and moving with the
sides e when the mattress is folded.
The distance stretcher-bar y is provided to brace and connect the sides e together
and also to support the mattress when collapsed into the vertical position shewn at
Figure 2.
In using our improved combined folding-bedstead and folding mattress we proceed
in the following manner :-
The mattress as shown at Figure 1 would be stretched to the required tension by
means of the tension-screw the raising of the end-legs d of the bedstead as shown
at Figure 5 would carry and fold the flexible mattress into the desired position as
shewn at Figure 2, the constant tension is secured by means of the difference in the
chords of the arcs described by the radiation of the bedstead and the mattress on
their fulcrums, the radius described by the bedstead side-rails being 12 inches shorter
(more or less) than the radius described by the mattress from its junction z as a centre
or fulcrum, consequently after the mattress has conformed to the set stretched
length over the Ledstead-sides there is an extra foot of mattress (more or less) behind

page_text: the fulcrum-pin j and this extra length of mattress enables the user of the mattress to
stretch the mattress when commencing to fold the side-rails into the position shewn
at Figure 2.
The providing of the fulcrum-pin j as a centre of radiation for bedstead sides above
the said bedstead-sides e as shewn in detail at Figure 8 is the means whereby the
stretched mattress is prevented from rising, nevertheless providing the centre of
fulcrum-pin is situated centrally with the central horizontal plane of stretched
mattress as shewn at Figure 9 the mattress could not rise, but when the central
horizontal plane of mattress is strained at a distance considerably above the centre of
radiation as shewn at Figure 10, the tendency of the strained mattress a a would be
to raise the bedstead-frame bb and we shew the illustration Figure 10 as a means of
demonstrating the action of the mattress as illustrated at Figures 8 and 9.
We utilize our improved system of folding-mattress in the construction of self-
contained folding-couches and chairs of every description and also in the construction
of seats that are not self-contained and moveable but that form folding fixed-seats in
rooms and vehicles, in each case the system of stretching the mattress-part is the
same, namely the head-folding-part of the couch-frame, or chair-seat-frame, or
bencli-seat-frame, or carriage-seat-frame, radiates on a separate and distinct pivotal
fulcrum-pin to that on which the back or head-part of mattress or seat radiates,
the radius of the mattress-part being greater than the radius of the folding-frame or
seat-part.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1st. A folding bedstead made by the combination of a folding frame connected to
a sheet of wire-mesh, canvas, or other suitable material in the manner illustrated and
described in relation to Figures 1, 2, 3, 5 and 13.
2nd. In the making of a folding bedstead or folding mattress, the providing of the
fulcrum on which the mattress-frame radiates 12 inches (more or less) in front of the
fulcrum on which the sheet of wire-mesh, the sheet of canvas or other material
constituting the mattress radiates, as a means of folding the front part of the frame
against the back-part to radiate the folded frame and folded mattress into a collapsed
vertical position occupying a small space.
3rd. In the making of a folding bedstead or folding mattress the providing of the
fulcrum on which the mattress-frame radiates with the centre of such fulcrum either
centrally situated with the central horizontal plane of stretched mattress, or above the
central horizontal plane of such stretched mattress, for use in preventing the stretched
mattress from lifting or rising by the action of its secured head-end.
4th. In the making of a folding-bedstead or folding-mattress the combination of a
direct end-to-end stretched mattress with a foldable-frame.
5th. In the making of folding-couches, folding-chairs and folding non-removeable-
seats, the providing of the fulcrum pin on which the seat-frame radiates in front
of the fulcrum on which the flexible seat radiates, so that the seat-part will be in a
stretched position suitable for use when lowered into the horizontal position, and slack
and foldable when the frame of seat-part is raised into the vertical un-usable
position.
1005
ALFRED W. TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, 67 Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicants.