AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF FOLDING CHAIR BEDSTEAD
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wren, of Tottenham Court Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Iron Bedstead Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF FOLDING CHAIR BEDSTEAD."
Sealed the 16th June 1854, and dated the 15th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wren at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th February.
1854.
I, JOHN WREN, of Tottenham Court Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Iron Bedstead Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF FOLDING CHAIR BEDSTEAD" to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to an improvement on folding chairs which are
capable of conversion into a bedstead, and consists in an arrangement whereby
the arms of the chair may be folded inwards. By this means the chair is
rendered more portable than heretofore, as considerable space is saved in
packing it away. Instead of securing the arms to the frame of the seat by a
hinge joint, I attach to the inner face of the side bars of the seat frame a
bearing rod lying in the direction of the bars, which rods run through eyes.
formed in the lower extremity of the arms, and form centre pins for the arms
to turn and to slide on. The other ends of the arms are slotted to receive

page_text: respectively a button on the back frame of the chair, which buttons connect
the arms and back frame together. When the arms are thus in position they
will hold the back frame firmly in its raised position, but on turning the buttons
the arms will be free to slide back, and fold over the frame which forms the
seat of the chair, and the back frame may be folded over or turned down
to form the head of the bedstead.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Wren in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WREN, of Tottenham Court Road, in the County of Middlesex, Iron Bedstead
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Wren, Her special license that I, the said John Wren,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Wren, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF
FOLDING CHAIR BEDSTEAD," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Wren, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent. : .
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Wren, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being, had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
This Invention relates to an improvement in the construction of folding
chairs which are capable of conversion into bedsteads, and consists principally

page_text: in an arrangement 'whereby the arms of the chairs may be folded inwards.
By this means the chair is rendered more portable than heretofore, as con-
siderable space is saved in packing it away.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan
view of my improved folding chair bedstead; a, a, are the arms; b, b, the
frame of the seat; c, c, are the legs which are jointed so as to fold back when
required; d, d, is the inclined support for the back, but which may be let
down into a horizontal position as shewn by dots in Fig. 1, when a bed or
couch is required. When this is done the part marked y must be raised into
the position shewn by dots in Fig. 1; it will then be at about right angles to
the back d, and will thus forin the head piece of the couch.
Instead of securing the arms a to the frame 6 of the seat by a hinge joint,
as has heretofore been done in articles of a similar kind, I attach to the outer
face of the side bars of the seat frame bearing rods e e, lying in the direction
of the bars of the seat frame, which rods run through eyes formed in the
lower extremity of the arms a, a, and form centre pins and guides for. the
arms to turn and slide on. The upper and back end of the arms.are slotted
as at h, to receive respectively flat buttons f, f, on the back frame of the
chair, and which buttons connect the arms a, and back frame d, together.
When the arms a are thus in position they will hold the back frame d firmly
in its raised and inclined position as shewn in the Drawing; but on turning
the buttons the arms may be detached from the back frame d, and will be free
to slide back and fold over the frame, which forms the seat of the chair as
shewn by dots in Fig. 2, and the back frame d may be turned back and
down to form the horizontal part of the bedstead as shewn by dots in Fig. 1.
A part of the frame of the seat of the chair may be also made to turn back,
and lengthen out the bedstead as shewn by dots in Fig. 1, if required.
A bar with legs i is jointed to the hinder part of the back frame d, and
when this latter is turned down to form a couch the bar with its legs i must
be brought into the position shewn by dots, so that it may assist in support-
ing this part of the couch. The framing of the article constructed and
arranged in the manner just described may be covered in any manner
that may be desired, and it must also be provided with cushions or pads as
usual.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improved Construction of
Folding Chair Bedstead," I would observe that I am aware that portable articles
of furniture, serving the purpose both of a chair and a couch or bedstead,
have been heretofore made, in which certain of the parts are made to fold
down, so as to economize space in packing, or to facilitate the conversion of

page_text: the article into another shape or form, according to the purpose for which it
may be required. I do not, therefore, mean to claim the exclusive right to
manufacture portable chair bedsteads, in which some of the parts are made
to fold over others, either for the convenience of transport or for other pur-
poses; but that which I consider to be new, and therefore wish to claim as
the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is, the mode of
adapting or applying the arms of the chair to the seat frame, whereby I am
enabled, when required, to fold the arms down on to or under the seat for
the convenience of packing, thereby effecting a considerable economy of
space.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wren, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
J.. W. MOFfatt,
66, Chancery Lane.
JOHN WREN. (L.S.)