Improvements in Metallic Bedsteads, Cots, and Couches.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st Apr., 1892-Accepted, 2 st May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Metallic Bedsteads, Cots, and Couches.
I EDWARD JAMES SMITH of the firm of Hoyland and Smith of Soho Works
Heath Street South Spring Hill Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manu-
facturers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to effect the connection of the side and end
tubes or bars of metallic bedsteads cots and couches without the use of the ordinary
dovetail junctions and also to make the head and foot ends or rails of the said
articles separable from the frame carrying the mattress so that all the parts may
be packed flat when the articles are in store or in transit.
My invention is especially applicable to metallic bedsteads for public institutions
but is also applicable to metallic bedsteads cots and couches generally.
I will describe my invention in connection with a metallic bedstead.
In forming the frame of the bedstead I connect the four tubes or bars
constituting the frame of the mattress by casting upon and thereby securing
together the ends of the said tubes or bars.
The said casting or corner block is hollow or tubular and has a wrought iron
tube cast in it; the tubes of the head and foot ends of the bedstead frame may be
so placed in the mould that in the finished frame the said head and foot tubes or
bars are at a somewhat higher level than the side tubes or bars of the said frame.
The legs and top pillars are made and connected to the corner blocks in the
following manner. The leg consists of a tube which fits in the tube cast in the
corner block the said leg tube having fixed on it a collar which permits of the leg
sliding in the corner block to such a height that its top is flush with the top of the
tube cast in the corner block. The pillar is made as follows. I form by casting
a rod or cylinder having near one end a neck or shallow depression for the purpose
hereinafter described. On the other end of the said rod I fix the tube constituting
the top pillar by a chill casting the said casting not only fixing the pillar on the
rod but forming a flange which limits the distance to which the said rod carrying
the pillar can descend in the part of the leg which is situated in the corner block.
Or the said rod having a neck may be cast in a mould in which the pillar has been
placed and the said rod cast and joined to the pillar at the same time. Upon the
neck or contracted part of the rod described a spring clip is placed the said clip
being formed of a strip of steel bent around the said contracted part or neck.
The said spring clip in its relaxed state is of slightly larger diameter than the
internal diameter of the leg. The lower end of the said rod that is the end
carrying the spring clip is introduced into the leg by compressing the spring clip
so as to reduce its diameter sufficiently to permit of its passage into the leg. The
said rod is pushed home until the flange on it abuts on the top of the corner
block. The elasticity of the spring clip preserves the rod of the pillar in its place
in the leg but permits of its withdrawal for transit or storage by the application
of a moderate force. By the construction described the parts of the bedstead
can be put together and separated without skilled labour or the use of tools.
The application of my invention to cots and couches differs in no essential respect
from its application to a metallic bedstead as herein before described.
Dated the 21st day of A woust 1801
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Metallic Bedsteads, Cots, and Couches.
I EDWARD JAMES SMITII, of the firm of Hoyland and Smith, of Soho Works,
Heath Street South, Spring Hill, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My invention has for its object to effect the connection of the side and end tubes
or bars of metallic bedsteads, cots and couches without the use of the ordinary
dovetail junctions and also to make the head and foot ends or rails of the said
articles separable from the frame carrying the mattress, so that all the parts may
be packed flat when the articles are in store or in transit.
My invention is especially applicable to metallic bedsteads for public institutions
but is also applicable to metallic bedsteads, cots and couches generally.
I will describe my invention in connection with a metallic bedstead.
;
In forming the frame of the bedstead I connect the four tubes or bars constituting
the frame of the mattress by casting upon them corner blocks and thereby securing
together the ends of the said tubes or bars. Each of the said castings or corner
blocks is hollow or tubular and has a wrought iron tube cast in it; the tubes of
the head and foot ends of the bedstead frame may be so placed in the mould that
in the finished frame the said head and foot tubes or bars are at a somewhat higher
level than the side tubes or bars of the said frame.
The legs and top pillars are made and connected to the corner blocks in the
following manner. The leg consists of a tube which fits in the tube cast in the
corner block, the said leg tube having fixed on it a collar which permits of the leg
sliding in the corner block to such a height that its top is flush with the top of
the tube cast in the corner block. The pillar is made as follows.
I form by
casting a rod or cylinder having near one end a neck or shallow depression for the
purpose hereinafter described. On the other end of the said rod I fix the tube
constituting the top pillar by a chill casting the said casting not only fixing the
pillar on the rod but forming a flange which limits the distance to which the said
rod carrying the pillar can descend in the part of the leg which is situated in the
corner block. Upon the neck or contracted part of the rod described a spring
clip is placed the said clip being formed of a strip of steel bent around the said
contracted part or neck. The said spring clip in its relaxed state is of slightly
larger diameter than the internal diameter of the leg. The lower end of the said
rod, that is, the end carrying the spring clip is introduced into the leg by com-
pressing the spring clip so as to reduce its diameter sufficiently to permit of its
passage into the leg. The said rod is pushed home until the flange on it abuts on
the top of the corner block. The elasticity of the spring clip preserves the rod of
the pillar in its place in the leg, but permits of its withdrawal for transit or
storage by the application of a moderate force. By the construction described
the parts of the bedstead can be put together and separated without skilled labour
or the use of tools.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in perspective a metallic bedstead having separable parts,
which are constructed and combined together and connected to the bedstead frame
according to my invention;
Figure 2 represents in perspective the separable parts of the bedstead detached
from the bedstead frame for transit or storage;
Figure 3 represents in vertical section and Figure 4 in horizontal section one of
the tubular corner blocks of the bedstead frame with the leg and top pillar
connected together and to the said corner block;

page_text: Figure 5 represents in section and Figure 6 in plan, the tubular corner block
separately;
Figure 7 represents in elevation and plan a portion of the leg separately and
Figure 8 in elevation and cross section a portion of the top pillar separately, the
said Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 being drawn to a larger scale than the corre-
sponding parts in Figures 1 and 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
The frame of the bedstead consists of the two side bars or tubes a, a and the
two end angle bars (or tubes) b, b, the ends of the four bars or tubes a, a and b, b
being connected together by the tubular castings or corner blocks c, C, C, C
each casting or corner block having a wrought iron tube cast in it as seen in the
enlarged views Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6. It will be seen by referring to Figures 1
and 2 that the angle bars b, b (or tubes) of the head and foot ends of the bedstead
frame are at a somewhat higher level than the side tubes or bars a, a of the said
frame. To the raised foot bar b (or tube) of the frame the wire mattress is attached
as indicated by the dotted lines at d, d, the other end of the wire mattress being
attached to the stretcher bar e supported on the side tubes or bars a, a and
adjusted by screws passed through the raised head bar as represented. The
mattress is thus supported at a somewhat higher level than the side bars of
the frame.
I wish it to be understood that the supporting of the wire mattress on the ends
of the bedstead frame at a higher level than the side bars of the said frame
constitutes no part of my invention and is not claimed by me. When required,
such as when using ordinary sacking laths, the head and foot ends of the bedstead
frame may be cast in the tubular corner blocks at the same level as the side bars or
tubes. The separate legs of the bedstead are marked f,f, each leg consisting of a
tube which fits in the tube cast in the corner block c (see the section Figure 3).
At the bottom of the leg tube is a castor and at about midway between the ends
of the tube, a collar g is fixed on it. This collar permits of the leg sliding in the
corner block to such a height that its top is flush with the top of the tube in the
corner block as seen in Figure 3. The tubular top pillars of the end rails are
marked h, h, each tubular top pillar having on its end a rod or cylinder i of a size
proper to fit in the tubular leg f. This rod or cylinder i is fixed onto the tube
of the top pillar by chill casting thereon, the collar or flange k (see Figure 3)
which flange limits the distance to which the said rod or cylinder can descend in
the leg f. In the rod or cylinder i is a neck or shallow depression for receiving
the spring clip l.
Instead of connecting the rod or cylinder to the top pillar by chill casting the
collar or flange k thereon, the said rod or cylinder, having a neck may be cast in a
mould in which the top pillar has been placed and the said rod cast and fixed to
the pillar at the same time.
The construction of the spring clip will be best understood by referring to
the enlarged views Figures 3, 4 and 8. The said spring clip 1, placed in the neck
or contraction in the rod i, consists of a strip of steel bent around the said neck.
The said spring clip in its normal or relaxed state is of slightly larger diameter
than the internal diameter of the leg and the said clip is for the purpose of
binding or preserving the top pillar in the leg, while permitting of the withdrawal
of the top pillar by the application of a moderate force. It is necessary to
compress the spring clip / so as to reduce its diameter to permit of its passage into
the leg.
In order to secure the legs ff and the pillars h, h of the end rails to the corner
blocks c, c, c, c of the bedstead frame 1 proceed as follows ;-The legs f, fare first
fitted in the tubes of the corner blocks c, c so that the bottoms of the corner blocks
rest upon the collars g, g of the said legs, the ends of the legs being flush with the
tops of the tubes in the said corner blocks. The rods or cylinders i, i of the top
pillars h, are next introduced into the tubes of the legs. On introducing the

page_text: said rods, the convex outer sides of the spring clips bearing against the interior of
the tubes of the legs causes the said clips to be compressed and so reduced in
diameter that they pass into the said legs. The ends of the top pillars are then
pushed home in the tubes of the legs until their flanges k, kabut on the tops of
the corner blocks as represented in the complete bedstead Figure 1 and in the
enlarged sectional view of one of the pillars, legs and corner blocks Figure 3.
By the elasticity of the compressed spring clips I, they are forcibly pressed
against the interior of the leg tubes and thereby bind the top pillars to the legs
and preserve them in their positions in the corner blocks, the several parts of the
bedstead now occupying the respective positions represented in Figure 1.
it is wished to separate the parts of the bedstead for transit or storage, it is only
necessary to exert a moderate upward force upon the top pillars h, h when they
can be withdrawn from the leg tubes ff and the latter withdrawn from the corner
blocks as represented in Figure 2. In this way the parts of the bedstead can be
put together and separated without skilled labour or the use of tools. For packing
or transit the separated legs and combined top pillars and end rails may be laid flat
upon the bedstead mattress connected with the frame.
When
Although I prefer to use the spring clips described and represented for
connecting the legs and top pillars together and to the corner blocks, yet other
analogous spring or snap fastenings may be employed. For example, one or more
round ended spring bolts may be carried by each top pillar and snap into a shallow
groove or depression in the leg pillar when the top pillar has been pushed
home therein.
The application of my invention to cots and couches differs in no essential
respect from its application to a metallic bedstead as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention of “ Improvements in metallic bedsteads, cots and couches
"
Connecting together the four tubes, rods or bars forming the frame of the
bedstead, cot or couch by means of tubular coruer blocks, and the combination
with the said tubular corner blocks of separable legs and top pillars so constructed
that they can be fitted within the corner blocks and fastened or bound together
for completing the bedstead, cot or couch for use, the said separable legs and top
pillars being made capable of ready detachment from each other and from the
corner blocks for packing or transit, the several parts being constructed and
arranged or combined substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Twentieth day of April 1892.
EDWARD JAMES SMITH.