Improvements in or Additions to Metallic and other Bedsteads, Cots, and Couches.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 26th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 2nd May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Metallic and other Bedsteads,
Cots, and Couches.
We EDWARD LAWSON, trading as R. L. Crosbie and Company of No. 36
Charlotte Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick Metallic Bedstead
Manufacturer and RICHARD GEORGE HODGETTS, of No. 61 Coventry Road,
Birmingham aforesaid Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
Our said invention consists in the adaptation to metallic and other bedsteads cots
and couches of a clock or timepiece or alarum in such a position that the occupant
of the bed, cot, or couch can inspect the dial and fingers of the same without
leaving the bed, cot or couch. In the case of an alarum, the proximity of the
alarum to the occupant of the bed, cot or couch makes it more effectual than when
it is situated at a distance from the bed, cot, or couch.
We will describe our invention in connection with a metallic bedstead. In the
head or foot rail of the bedstead and preferably at the middle of the said rail we
form a ring like recess or frame of a size and shape suitable for the reception of the
clock or alarum. We prefer to employ clocks and alarums having cases of a circular
figure. The said recess or frame has a ring like cover which when the clock or
alarum has been put into the recess or frame described is screwed or otherwise fixed
to the said recess or frame and secures the clock or alarum in its place. The clock
or alarum is so placed in its recess or frame that its face is turned towards the
occupant of the bed, cot or couch. The back as well as the front of the clock or
alarum is exposed so that ready access is afforded to it for winding, adjusting or
otherwise.
In order to prevent the ticking of the clock from disturbing the occupant of the
bed, cot or couch we prefer to support it in the recess in the head or foot rail by
means of india rubber, or felt or other imperfect conductor of sound. This we
effect either by placing a jacket or covering of india rubber or felt on the case of
the clock or time piece, or by interposing blocks or supports of india rubber or felt
between the case of the clock and the interior of the recess or frame in which it
is fitted.
In the case of a bed suitable for two persons the clock or alarum may be fixed
unsymmetrically; that is, nearer to the head or foot of a person occupying one side
of the bed than to the head or foot of a person occupying the other side. Or two
clocks or alarums may be employed one near one side of the bed and the other near
the other side. But this is seldom required.
In the case of non-metallic bedsteads cots and couches we fix the clock or alarum
in the head or foot boards preferably in ornamental metallic or non-metallic frames
in the head or foot boards, in which frames the clocks or alarums are inserted and
fastened.
Dated the 18th day of July 1890.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Metallic and other Bedsteads,
Cots, and Couches.
We EDWARD LAWSON trading as R. L. Crosbie and Company of No. 36
Charlotte Street, Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Metallic Bedstead
Manufacturer and RICHARD GEORGE HODGETTS of No 61 Coventry Road,
Birmingham aforesaid, Manager of Works do hereby declare the nature of our
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our said invention consists in the adaptation to metallic and other bedsteads, cots
and couches of a clock or timepiece or alarum in such a position that the occupant
of the bed, cot or couch can inspect the dial and fingers of the same without leaving
the bed cot or couch.
In the case of an alarum the proximity of the alarum to the
occupant of the bed cot or couch makes it more effectual than when it is situated at
a distance from the bed cot or couch.
In the
We will describe our invention in connection with a metallic bedstead.
head or foot rail of the bedstead and preferably at the middle of the said rail, we
form a ring like recess or frame of a size and shape suitable for the reception of the
clock or alarum. We prefer to employ clocks and alarums having cases of a
circular figure. The said recess or frame has a ring like cover which when the
clock or alarum has been put into the recess or frame described is screwed or
otherwise fixed to the said recess or frame and secures the clock or alarum in its
place. The clock or alarum is so placed in its recess or frame that its face is
turned towards the occupant of the bed cot or couch. The back as. well as the
front of the clock or alarum is exposed so that ready access is afforded to it for
winding, adjusting or otherwise.
In the case of a bed suitable for two persons the clock or alarum may be fixed
unsymmetrically; that is, nearer to the head or foot of a person occupying one side
of the bed than to the head or foot of a person occupying the other side. Or two
clocks or alarums may be employed one near one side of the bed and the other near
the other side. But this is seldom required.
In the case of non-metallic bedsteads, cots and couches we fix the clock or alarum
in the head or foot boards preferably in ornamental metallic or non-metallic frames
in the head or foot boards in which frames the clocks or alarums are inserted
and fastened.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in perspective a metallic
bedstead to the head rail of which a clock or timepiece (or alarum) is adapted
according to our invention, the said clock or timepiece being placed at the middle
of the rail and carried by a separate metallic frame connected to the said rail;
Figure 2 represents in front elevation; Figure 3 in side elevation and Figure 4 in
horizontal section the clock and its frame drawn to a larger scale detached from the
bedstead rail. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1,
2, 3 and 4 a is the metallic frame in which the clock is placed and fixed. The
said frame a has at top and bottom fixing car pieces provided with holes for
fixing the frame and clock fitted in it to the bedstead rail d; that is, the parts of
the bedstead rail dat c c. Figure 1 are provided with screwed holes into which
screws passed through the holes in the ear pieces cc are screwed. Or the ear
pieces cc may be provided at back with screwed pins which are passed through
plain holes in the bedstead rail d and fixed by screw nuts screwed onto the
protruding ends of the screwed pins. We do not however limit ourselves to any
particular way of connecting the separaté frame a to the bedstead rail. For the
purpose of securing the clock in the frame a we provide the latter at its back
with the screwed pins e, e and fly nuts f, the said fly nuts having single wings.
The clock is passed into the frame a from the back thereof the wings of the nuts
being turned outwards so as not to obstruct the passage of the clock into the frame.

page_text: By then advancing the nuts on the screwed pins and causing the wings of the said
nuts to bear upon the back of the clock case as seen in Figure 4, the clock is firmly
clamped in its place.
By turning the nuts so as to bring their wings outwards the clock can be with-
drawn from the frame.
It will be seen by an examination of Figure 1 that the clock is so mounted in
the bedstead rail that the occupant of the bed can inspect the dial and hands of the
clock without leaving the said bed.
The method described of mounting the clock in the head rail d may also be
applied to the foot rail y the clock being so placed in the frame a that when the
latter is fixed to the bedstead rail y the clock dial is presented to the occupant of
the bed. In this case the back of the frame in which the clock is fixed may be
provided with an ornamental cover as shown at Figure 1.
Figure 5 represents in elevation a bedstead rail in which the clock is mounted in
a frame connected to the bedstead rail by chill casting: Figure 6 represents in front
elevation; Figure 7 in side elevation and Figure 8 in horizontal section the frame
carrying the clock detached from the rail drawn to a larger scale; Figure 9 repre-
sents a back elevation of a portion of the same.
In these Figures the frame connected to the bedstead rail by chill casting is
marked and the clock placed and fixed in the said frame is marked the said
frame when fixed in its place constituting a recess for receiving the clock. In
this arrangement the clock is fixed in the frame or recess by the ring like cover a
the said cover being fixed to the said frame or recess by the fly nuts p, working
on the screwed pins, q cast in the frame k. By means of slots r in the cover it
can be passed over the nuts when the said nuts are made coincident with the slots
and the nuts afterwards turned away from the slots onto the cover as seen in
Figures 8 and 9.
Instead of fixing the clock in a frame or recess fixed to or cast upon the bedstead
rail the clock case itself may be connected to the rail in the manner illustrated in
Figure 10. That is to say, the clock cases is arranged symmetrically in the ring t
of the rail and connected to the said ring by the ornamental pieces being cast
upon the clock case and upon the ring by chill casting. In this arrangement the
clock case s forms an integral part of the rail and is incapable of removal.
The method of mounting described with respect to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 may be
applied to non-metallic bedsteads the clock frames in this case being inserted and
fixed in openings formed in the head or foot boards of the bedstead.
In order to prevent the ticking of the clock from disturbing the occupant of the
bed we prefer to support it in the frame or recess in the head or foot rail or board
by means of india rubber or felt or other imperfect conductor of sound.
This we
effect either by placing a jacket or covering of india rubber or felt on the
case of the clock or by interposing blocks or supports of india rubber or felt between
the case of the clock and the interior of the frame or recess in which it is fitted.
Alarums in place of clocks or time keepers are mounted in the head or foot rails
or head or foot boards of bedsteads in the manner herein before described and
illustrated with respect to clocks.
We apply our invention to cots and couches substantially in the manner described
and illustrated with respect to bedsteads.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as our invention of "Improvements in or additions to metallic and other bedsteads
cots and couches ":-
The adaptation to or combination with the head and foot rails and head and foot
boards of bedsteads and cots and with the end or ends or sides of couches, of clocks
or time keepers or alarums substantially in the several ways hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings; that is to say, mounting the clocks
or time keepers or alarums in frames or recesses fixed to or cast upon the head and

page_text: foot rails or fitted in the head and foot boards of the bedsteads or cots or fixed to
or cast upon or fitted in the ends or sides of the couches; or fixing the cases of the
clocks or time keepers or alarums by chill casting to the head and foot rails of
metallic bedsteads or cots or to the ends or sides of metallic couches substantially
as described and illustrated.
Dated the 21st day of March 1901
EDWARD LAWSON.
RICHARD GEORGE HODGETTS.