IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS, COUCHES, AND CHAIRS, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE USE OF INVALIDS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO PURPOSES " OTHER
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Welton, of 40, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS,
COUCHES, AND CHAIRS, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE USE OF INVALIDS,
PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO
PURPOSES
"
OTHER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Welton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th May 1882.
THOMAS WELTON, of 40, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex
IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS, COUCHES, AND CHAIRS, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE
TO THE USE OF INVALIDS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
TO OTHER PURPOSES
"
My invention relates to bedsteads, couches, or chairs, the position and shape of
the parts of which can be readily altered, adjusted, and fixed as may be desired,
without trouble or inconvenience to the person using them, so that they are
especially adapted for the use of invalids, and for the cure of diseases or surgical
cases in which it is desirable to cause as little disturbance as possible to the body of
the Patient.
It has for its objects novel methods of constructing and arranging the parts of
such bedsteads, chairs, or couches, so that the relative position of such parts may
be readily, and quickly altered, and adjusted without injury or inconvenience to
the persons using them.
Assuming that my invention is to be applied to a bedstead used by an invalid,
I form a horizontal framework of light and strong material, preferably metal pipes
screwed together rectangular in shape and of a size about corresponding with the
bedstead to which it is to be applied, and at each end of this framework I form or
fix vertical toothed racks gearing into corresponding toothed pinions fixed upon a
shaft extending from end to end of the bedstead, and revolving in bearings formed
upon or attached to the latter. If, therefore, the shaft is made to revolve by means
of a wheel or handle upon one or both of its ends the entire horizontal frame can
be steadily raised or lowered to any desired position; and I provide a ratchet
Dinn 17

page_text: wheel and pall, or other device of any of the well known kinds, by which the
framework can be securely retained in such position.
Across the framework constructed and arranged as described, I arrange a
sufficient number of transverse strips of strong flexible webbing or sacking, having
eyelet holes at their extremities by which they can be attached to the sides of the
framework and tightened more or less as may be desired.
By the novel arrangement described, therefore, the patient or person supported
upon the flexible transverse strips can be gently raised or lowered as desired to any
desired height, and whilst raised the bedding beneath can be removed, changed, or
adjusted, without inconvenience to the patient.
An opening may be made through one of the strips of sacking for the insertion
of an invalid's bedpan, if necessary.
Instead of racks and pinions as described, vertical screws, or chains or cords
passing over pulleys by which they can be wound up, may be used for the purpose
of raising and lowering the frame.
The bedstead arranged as described may have iron or wooden slats or strips of
the kind ordinarily known and used laid upon it, or spring or other mattrasses
may be used.
Or a series of transverse wooden slats may be fixed by rivets or
other convenient means to the surface of a sheet of webbing or canvas or other
sufficiently strong and flexible material so that the support so formed is flexible
upward or downward in the direction of its length. And in order to retain such
flexible support in the position into which it has been adjusted to suit the patient
or person reclining upon it, I prefer to arrange under the flexible support a sufficient
number of adjustable bars which can be bent or adjusted into the desired curved
or other shape and can then be fixed in such shape, until the latter is required to
be again altered.
I make these flexible bars of a succession of short hollow joints, preferably of
metal, each joint having a more or less cylindrical or hemispherical convex shape
at one end and fitting into the corresponding cylindrical or hemispherical concave
end of the next adjoining joint. Through each joint a longitudinal opening is
made of size sufficient to admit the free passage, with sufficient play, of a flexible
chain, cord, or wire, provided with a screw or nut at one or both ends by which
it can be lengthened or shortened as desired. If therefore, such nut be loosened,
the separate joints described can be adjusted into any desired shape or position, in
which they are retained by tightening the nut, the friction between the respective
convex and concave surfaces of the several joints being sufficient when the nut is
tightened to prevent them from altering their position.
If the ends of the joints described are cylindrical in shape, the compound bar
will only be flexible into any shape vertically, and the internal chain may be of
metal having flat links also only vertically flexible, and this method of construction
is especially suitable to the bedstead described.
The method of construction of the flexible bars described is also applicable
to other purposes, as for instance for music stands, or reading desks, or other
purposes where it is required to alter the position of any object and to fix it in any
desired position, and in such cases I make the convex and concave ends of some
or all of the several joints described spherical in shape instead of cylindrical, in
which case an internal chain, cord, or wire, flexible laterally as well as vertically,
must be used, and the bar itself may be then bent and adjusted laterally as well as
vertically before it is fixed by tightening the nuts.
Apparatus constructed according to my invention is cheap, simple, and effective,
for the purposes described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Welton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th November 1882.
THOMAS WELTON, of 40, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS COUCHES AND CHAIRS ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE
TO THE USE OF INVALIDS PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
TO OTHER PURPOSES
"
This invention relates to bedsteads, couches, or chairs, the position and shape of
the parts of which can be readily altered, adjusted, and fixed, as may be desired,
without trouble or inconvenience to the person using them. They are especially
adapted for the use of invalids and for the treatment and cure of diseases or
surgical cases in which it is desirable to cause as little disturbance as possible to
the patient.
It has for its objects novel methods of constructing and arranging some of the
parts of such bedsteads, chairs, or couches, so that their relative position may be
readily and quickly altered and adjusted without injury or inconvenience to the
persons using them.
Assuming that my invention is to be applied to a bedstead used by an invalid, I
form a horizontal framework of sufficiently light and strong material, preferably
metal pipes screwed together, or partly metal and partly wood, rectangular in
shape and corresponding in size approximatly with the bedstead to which it is to
be applied, which may be of any ordinary kind. At each end of this frame I
form or fix a vertical toothed rack gearing into corresponding toothed pinions
fixed upon a shaft extending from end to end of the bedstead and revolving in
bearings formed upon or attached to the latter. The ends of the shaft are
provided with fixed or moveable handles by which it can be turned round, the
entire horizontal frame being thus steadily raised or lowered to any desired height.
I provide one or more ratchet wheels and palls by which the framework can be
securely retained at the height to which it has been so raised.
Across the framework constructed and arranged as described I arrange a strong
sheet, or a sufficient number of transverse strips of strong flexible webbing, sacking,
or other flexible material, having eyelet holes or other means by which they can
be attached to the sides of the horizontal frame and tightened more or less as may
be desired, and I make the frame preferably so that it can be extended or widened
6 transversely, by screws or other equivalent means, in order to sufficiently stretch
the sheet or strips described.
By the novel method of construction and arrangement described, therefore, the
patient or person supported upon the sheet or transverse strips can be gently
raised or lowered to any desired height, and whilst so raised the bedding beneath
can be remade, changed, or adjusted, without inconvenience or injury to the patient
who can also be in this way easily and conveniently examined and treated by a
medical attendent or surgeon. An opening may be made through the sheet or
strips for an invalids bedpan, if necessary.
In the accompanying drawings, which are in illustration of my invention,
Figure 1 is a side view, figure 2 an end view, and figure 3 a plan of a bed fitted
and arranged in the manner described. Figure 4 is a view of the apparatus
in use.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in these several figures.
a is the frame of the ordinary bedstead and b is the mattress. c is a rectangular
frame carrying transverse strips of flexible material d, d, as shewn in figures 1, 2,

page_text: and 3, or a flexible sheet as shewn in figure 4, the frame being supported at its
ends by the toothed racks e, e¹, which work in guides in the ends of the bedstead
and may be arranged inside or outside the end rails of the bedstead.
ff, are toothed pinions upon the shaft g which turns in bearings on the
bedstead frame, and can be turned round by a handle as shewn at one or both
ends, in order to raise or lower the toothed racks e, e¹ which carry the frame c.
A moveable ratchet pall or other equivalent device is provided to retain the
frame at any desired height, as indicated in figure 4.
Instead of racks and pinions as described and shewn, vertical screws and nuts,
or chains or cords passing over pulleys by which they can be wound up, may be
used for the purpose of raising and lowering the frame c.
The bedstead arranged in the manner described may have iron or wooden slats
or strips, of the kind ordinarily known and used, laid upon it, or spring or other
mattresses may be used. Or a series of transverse wooden slats may be fixed by
rivets or other convenient means to the surface of a sheet of webbing or canvas or
other sufficiently strong and flexible material, so that the support so formed is
flexible upward or downward in the direction of its length; and the frame itself
or a second frame above it may be jointed so that part of its length may be
adjusted and fixed at any desired angle in relation to the remainder. Or it may
be curved to fit and support the body of the person using it, and in order to retain
and fix such flexible support in the position into which it has been so adjusted to
suit the patient or person reclining upon it, I prefer to arrange under the flexible
support one or more flexible adjustable bars capable of being bent or adjusted into
the desired curved or other shape, and which can be then instantaneously fixed
until it is required that their shape should be again altered.
I make these adjustable flexible bars of a successive series of short hollow joints,
preferably of metal, each joint having a more or less cylindrical or hemispherical
convex shape at one end and fitting into the corresponding cylindrical or
hemispherical concave end of the next adjoining joint.
I make through each joint a longitudinal opening of size sufficient to admit the
free passage, with sufficient play, of a flexible chain, cord, or wire, provided with a
screw and nut at one or both ends by which it can be lengthened or shortened as
desired. If, therefore, such nut be unscrewed the separate joint described can be
adjusted into any desired shape, curve, or position, in which they are then retained
by screwing up the nut, the friction between the respective convex and concave
surfaces of the several joints being sufficient when the nut is tightened to prevent
them from altering their position.
In figures 5 and 6 such a flexible bar is shewn, consisting of a succession of short
hollow joints, h, h, h, cach joint being convex at one end and fitting into the
corresponding concave end of the next adjoining joint. Through each joint is a
longitudinal opening i of a size sufficient to admit the free passage, with sufficient
play, of a flexible chain k, provided at one or both ends with a screw and nut (not
shewn in the drawing) by which it can be lengthened or shortened as desired.
If the ends of the joints described are cylindrical in shape at their ends, as
shewn in figures 5 and 6, the compound bar will be flexible into any shape or
curve only vertically, and the internal chain may be made of metal having flat
links as shewn, also only flexible vertically, and this method of construction is
especially suitable to the bedstead herein before described.
The method of construction of the flexible bars described is also applicable for
other purposes, as for instance for music 'stands, or reading desks or other purposes
where it is required to alter the position of any object in any direction and to fix
it firmly when adjusted, and in such cases I make the convex and concave ends of
some or all of the several joints described spherical instead of cylindrical, as shewn
in figure 7 at h, h, h, in which case an internal chain, cord, or wire, & flexible
laterally as well as vertically must be used, and the bar itself may then be bent or
curved and adjusted laterally as well as vertically before it is fixed by tightening
the put or nuts,

page_text: Apparatus constructed according to my invention is cheap, simple, and effective
for the purposes described.
Having now described my invention and the manner in which it is to be
performed, I claim :-First, the combination of the frame carrying a support for
the person using the apparatus, with the toothed racks and pinions or screws and
nuts or their equivalents, substantially as and for the purposes described and shewn
in figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. Second, the method of making flexible bars the shape of
which can be altered and fixed as desired, for use in combination with the
apparatus just described, or for other purposes, substantially as described and
shewn in figures 5, 6, and 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Welton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this 14th day of November in the year of our Lord 1882.
THOMAS WELTON (L.S.)