IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC BEDSTEADS, COTS, SOFAS, AND COUCHES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lewis, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Metallic Bedstead Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
METALLIC BEDSTEADS, COTS, SOFAS, AND COUCHES."
Sealed the 6th February 1880, and dated the 9th August 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lewis at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th August 1879.
JAMES LEWIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Metallic Bedstead
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC BEDSTEADS, COTS, SOFAS, AND
COUCHES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in those parts
of metallic bedsteads, cots, sofas, and couches to which the sacking is connected.
For convenience of description 1 will describe my Invention as applied to a
metallic bedstead.
Instead of connecting the sacking to the ordinary frame of angle iron I construct
and arrange the parts of the said frame in the following manner :-
According to one of my improvements I use the ordinary side angle bars of the
framing and corner blocks and dovetail joints, but instead of placing the end angle
bars of the framing on the same horizontal level as the side angle bars I place the
said end angle bars at a considerably higher level than the said side angle bars, and
to these raised end bars I connect the sacking. I prefer to place the said end angle
bars of the framing about five inches above the level of the side angle bars, but I do
not limit myself thereto. I fix the said end angle bars to the pillars of the bedstead
at or about the level indicated, either by a casting process effected in chill moulds,
or by dovetail connections or otherwise.
The sacking I prefer to use consists of a series of longitudinal wooden strips,
bound together preferably by webbing, the said strips having coiled metallic springs
at their ends, the said coiled springs being connected to the raised end angle bars
of the bedstead frame, but metallic laths and coiled spring may be used in place of
the wooden strips described.
By this construction the sacking is raised a considerable height above the level of
the horizontal side angle bars, and the ordinary palliasse is rendered unnecessary.

page_text: My Invention consists further of the following improvements in constructing an
independent frame for carrying the sacking of the bedstead, the said independent
frame being supported upon the ordinary frame of the bedstead, and being capable
of ready attachment to and detachment from the said bedstead frame :—
The said supplementary or sacking frame consists of four flat bars made to rest
upon the horizontal webs of the angle bars constituting the ordinary framing of the
bedstead. The end of each of the side bars of the sacking frame has a cylindrical
upright or peg, upon which pegs holes in the ends of the cross bars take. The
ends of the cross bars of the sacking frame are turned down at right angles,
and when the cross bars are engaged with the pegs on the side bars the said turned
down ends clip the side bars of the bedstead frame, and bind the parts of the
sacking frame together. Above each cross bar of the sacking frame is a second
cross bar, to which latter bars the ends of the sacking are connected. The sacking
frame may be made of wood instead of metal.
The raised or higher cross bars have on the underside of their ends tubes of a size
proper to fit upon the pegs at the ends of the side bars of the sacking frame. When
the second cross bars are dropped upon the pegs described raised cross bars at the
ends of the bedstead are provided, to which the sacking is connected, as herein
before described with respect to the first part of my Invention.
Or the ends of the sacking frame may be connected together by dovetail joints,
and the dovetail blocks may carry cylindrical uprights or pegs, upon which the
raised cross bars carrying the sacking are dropped; or the raised cross bars may be
cast upon the uprights or pegs on the dovetail blocks.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Lewis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th February
1880.
JAMES LEWIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Metallic Bedstead
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC BEDSTEADS, COTS, SOFAS, AND
COUCHES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in those parts
of metallic bedsteads, cots, sofas, and couches to which the sacking is connected.
For convenince of description I will describe my Invention as applied to a metallic
bedstead.
Instead of connecting the sacking to the ordinary frame of angle iron I construct
and arrange the parts of the frame in the following manner :-
According to one of my improvements I use the ordinary side angle bars of the
framing and corner blocks and dovetail joints, but instead of placing the end angle
bars of the framing on the same horizontal level as the side angle bars I place the
said end angle bars at a considerably higher level than the said side angle bars, and
to these raised end bars I connect the sacking. I prefer to place the said end angle
bars of the framing about five inches above the level of the side angle bars, but I
do not limit myself thereto. I fix the said end angle bars to the pillars of the
bedstead at or about the level indicated, either by a casting process effected in chill
moulds, or by dovetail connections or otherwise.
The sacking I prefer to use consists of a series of longitudinal wooden strips,
bound together preferably by webbing, the said strips having coiled metallic springs
at their ends, the said coiled springs being connected to the raised end angle bars of
the bedstead frame, but metallic laths and coiled springs may be used in place of
the wooden strips described.
My Invention consists further of the following improvements in constructing an
independent frame for carrying the sacking of the bedstead, the said independent
frame being supported upon the ordinary frame of the bedstead, and being capable
of ready attachment to and detachment from the said bedstead frame:-
The said supplementary or sacking frame consists of four flat bars made to rest
upon the horizontal webs of the angle bars constituting the ordinary framing of
the bedstead. The end of each of the side bars of the sacking frame has a cylindrical
upright or peg, upon which pegs holes in the ends of the cross bars take. The ends
of the cross bars of the sacking frame are turned down at right angles, and when
the cross bars are engaged with the pegs on the side bars the said turned down
ends clip the side bars of the bedstead frame, and bind the parts of the sacking
frame together. Above each cross bar of the sacking frame is a second cross bar,
to which latter bars the ends of the sacking are connected. The sacking frame may
be made of wood instead of metal, and two side bars only may be used.
The raised or higher cross bars have on the underside of their ends tubes of a size
proper to fit upon the pegs at the ends of the side bars of the sacking frame. When
the second cross bars are dropped upon the pegs described raised cross bars at the
ends of the bedstead are provided, to which the sacking is connected, as herein
before described with respect to the first part of my Invention.
I will now describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner
in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a metallic bedstead constructed according
to the first part of my Invention; Figure 2 represents in side elevation a portion
of the same drawn to a larger scale; and Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
a is one of the side angle bars of the bedstead framing, and b, b, are the corner
blocks with which its ends are engaged in the ordinary manner. The other side
angle bar of the framing is similar to the side angle bar marked a; c, c, are the end

page_text: angle bars of the bedstead framing, to which the sacking is connected. The said
end angle bars c, c, instead of being arranged on the same horizontal level as the
side angle bars a, are placed at a considerably higher level than the said side angle
bars, as represented in the side elevations, Figures 1 and 2. The said raised end
bars c, c, are permanently connected to the pillars d, d, by casting the blocks c², c²,
upon the said pillars and upon the ends of the said bars c, c, by chill moulds; or
the raised end bars c, c, may be connected to the pillars d, d, by dovetail connections
or other connections. The sacking carried by the raised end bars c, c, consists of a
series of longitudinal wooden strips e, e, bound together by cross webbing f, f, the
said wooden strips being connected to the end bars c, c, by coiled metallic springs g, g,
which are hooked upon the hooks , secured to the raised end angle bars c, c, as
represented in the Drawing. I do not however limit myself to the kind of sacking
represented, as the sacking may be composed of a continuous woven webbing, with
or without longitudinal wooden strips; or a metallic sacking composed of woven
wire or of metallic laths or other sacking may be used in conjunction with the
raised end bars c, c, of the framing.
By the construction described and represented of the bedstead framing the sacking
is raised a considerable height above the level of the horizontal side angle bars, and
the ordinary palliasse is rendered unnecessary.
Figure 4 represents in side elevation a metallic bedstead provided with a supple-
mentary or independent sacking frame constructed according to the second part of
my Invention; and Figure represents a side elevation of a portion of the same
drawn to a larger scale."
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 4 and 5.
a, b, is the metallic framing of the bedstead, composed of angle bars a and dovetail
joints of the ordinary kind. Upon the said metallic framing the independent
sacking frame is supported. The said sacking frame carried by the ordinary frame
consists of wooden side bars c, c, resting upon the side angle bars a of the bedstead
frame and raised end angle bars d, d, supported upon the ends of the said wooden
side bars. To these raised end bars d, d, the sacking e, f, constructed in the manner
before described, or otherwise constructed, is connected. The wooden side bars c, c, are
secured in their places on the side angle bars a by clips g, g, or by buttons or by
other convenient fastenings. Each of the ends of the wooden side bars c, c, of the
sacking frame has fixed upon it or formed upon it a wooden block i provided with
a hole for receiving the peg 1, the said peg having cast upon it a head or enlarge-
ment m, which head or enlargement m is also cast upon the end angle bars d, d, to
which the sacking is connected. The end angle bars carrying the sacking are thus
made separable from the under frame c, i, but the said end or sacking bars may be
readily connected with or disconnected from the said under sacking frame c, i.
In applying the supplementary or independent sacking frame described to the
bedstead the wooden side bars c, c, are laid upon and fixed by the clips g, g, or
otherwise to the side angle bars a, a, of the bedstead framing, amd the pegs 1, 1, of
the sacking bars d, d, are dropped into the holes k, k, in the blocks i, i, on the
under bars c, c. A sacking frame is thus connected to the ordinary frame of the
bedstead, the said sacking frame being raised considerably above the ordinary
frame.
By lifting the sacking bars d, d, from the socket blocks i, i, of the under frame,
and unfastening the side bars c, c, the independent sacking frame may be separated
from the ordinary framing of the bedstead.
The head or enlargement m and peg 7 may be dispensed with, and the angle bar d
made to rest directly on the wooden block i, the vertical web of the angle iron
either being inserted in a recess in the block i or bearing against the outer vertical
side of the said block.
Instead of making the side bars c, c, of the sacking frame of wood, the said parts
may be made of metal; or two end metallic bars and two side metallic bars may
be used, and the blocks i, i, be dispensed with. In this case the end and side

page_text: metallic bars of the under framing may be connected together by clips or otherwise.
The end metallic bars of the under sacking frame near their junction with the side
bars may carry vertical tubes, into which the pegs of the sacking frame may
drop; or the end bars d, d, carrying the sacking may be furnished on their under-
sides with tubes, which take upon pegs fixed to the end bars of the under sacking
frame.
I apply my improvements to metallic cots, sofas, and couches substantially in
the manner hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to metallic
bedsteads.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
of "Improvements in Metallic Bedsteads, Cots, Sofas, and Couches,"-
First. The improvements in constructing those parts of metallic bedsteads, cots,
sofas, and couches to which the sacking is connected, herein before described and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, placing
the end angle bars of the bedstead or other framing at a higher level than the
side angle bars of the said framing, and connecting the sacking to the said raised
end angle bars, substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. The construction herein before described and illustrated in Figures
and 5 of the accompanying Drawings, and the modifications described, of an inde-
pendent frame for carrying the sacking of the bedstead or other article, the said
independent sacking frame being supported upon the ordinary metallic frame, and
applied substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lewis, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirty first day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JAMES LEWIS. (L.S.)