IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CAMP FURNITURE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Gregory, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Bedding Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF CAMP FURNITURE."
Sealed the 8th February 1856, and dated the 13th August 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Gregory
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th August 1855.
I, WILLIAM JOHN GREGORY, of Leeds, in the County of York, Bedding
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CAMP FURNITURE" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a novel construction of folding bedstead,
which admits of being folded to form a couch or a chair, with or without arms,
and permits of the addition of a canopy to the head of the bed.
The horizontal frame which carries the mattrass consists of three parts,
jointed together as usual. To the middle part I attach reversing jointed arms,
and to the head end of the bedstead frame I connect jointed frames, which
form the head of the bedstead, and serve to carry a canopy. These frames may
be folded down-when not required for usc.
When the bedstead is to be used as a couch, I bend up into a vertical
position the part of the frame to which the head frame is attached, and secure
it in that position by means of the jointed arms; it then forms the head of

page_text: the couch. By folding back the foot end of the horizontal frame the bed-
stead takes the form of an easy chair, and the arms being reversible, they may
be bent backwards out of the way if required.
This Invention relates, secondly, to the means of packing the folding bed-
stead for transport, and of rendering the chest which receives the bedstead
available for camp use. The chest I make rectangular, and brace the bottom
and the sides of the lower half together in any suitable way. The upper half
I form by hinging two end pieces to the lower part of the chest, and connect-
ing these hinged parts together by removable side pieces, and the attachment
of the top or lid I effect by means of locks or bolts. To the under side of
the chest lid I fit sockets to receive table legs, and I am thus enabled to
convert the lid into a table. The other part of the chest I at the same time
convert into a cupboard, making shelves of the removable side pieces by slip-
ping them onto ledges formed in the chest, and using the hinged end pieces
as doors.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William John Gregory in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th February 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JOHN GREGORY, of Leeds, in the County of York, Bedding Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William John Gregory, Her special licence that I, the said William
John Gregory, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William John Gregory, 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CAMP FURNITURE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William John Gregory, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain.
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be

page_text: performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William John Gregory, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Camp Furniture
relates, firstly, to a novel construction of folding bedstead, which admits of
being folded to form a couch or a chair, with or without arms, and permits
of the addition of a canopy to the head of the bed.
The horizontal frame which carries the mattress consists of three parts,
jointed together as usual. To the middle part I attach reversing jointed arms,
and to the head end of the bedstead frame I connect jointed frames, which,
when unfolded and placed in an erect position, form the head of the bedstead,
and serve to carry a canopy. These frames may be folded down when not
required for use; and when the bedstead is intended to be used as a couch, I
first fold up this framing, which forms the support of the canopy, and then
bend up into a vertical position the part of the frame to which the head frame
or canopy framing is attached, and secure it in that position by means of
suitable struts, jointed to the upper end of the hind legs; it then forms the
head of the couch. By folding back the foot end of the horizontal frame the
bedstead takes the form of an easy chair, and the arms being reversible, they
may be bent forwards out of the way if required.
My Invention relates, secondly, to the means of packing the folding bed-
stead for transport, and of rendering the chest which receives the bedstead
available for camp use. I make the case rectangular, and brace the bottom
and the sides of the lower half together in any suitable way. 'The upper half
I form by hinging two end pieces to the lower part of the chest, and connect-
ing these hinged parts together by removable side pieces, and the attachment
of the top or lid I effect by means of locks or bolts. To the under side of
the chest lid I fit sockets to receive table legs, and I am thus enabled to con-
vert the lid of the chest into a table. The other or lower part of the chest I
at the same time convert into a cupboard, and the removable side pieces of
the chest which have been taken out are converted into shelves by slipping
them on to ledges formed in or fixed on the inner sides of the chest, the
hinged end pieces of the chest being employed as doors to close or shut in
the closet. . .

page_text: In order, however, that my Invention may be perfectly understood, I have
shewn in the accompanying Drawings various views of the several parts of my
improved camp furniture. The Figures in Sheet I. represent various views of
the folding or portable bedstead, shewing the manner of converting it into a
couch or an easy chair.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the bedstead extended, as when in use for sleeping
upon; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3, an end elevation;
Fig. 4 is a side elevation, shewing certain of the parts folded up, and the bed-
stead converted into a couch. a, a, is the central and main frame of the
bedstead, and is supported by feet b, b, provided with castors; c, c, is the end
frame for supporting the legs and feet. This frame is jointed to the frame a, a,
and is supported by feet d, d, which are capable of being folded up. The head
frame is shewn at c, e, and is also jointed to the central or main frame a, a,
and is supported at the outer end by feet f, f. To the extreme end of the
frame e, e, is hinged the jointed frame g, g, which is capable of folding up, as
shewn in Fig. 4; but when extended, as shewn in Fig. 2, serves to support the
canopy for the bed furniture, and is maintained in a vertical position by means
of the struts or arms h.
When it is required to convert the bedstead into a couch, as shewn in Fig. 4,
the canopy frame g is to be-folded up, as indicated by the red segmental lines
in Fig. 2, and when thel egs f and the struts h are also brought into a line
with the head frame e, the latter must be raised up into a vertical postion, as
indicated by the red lines in Fig. 2, and will be supported in that clevated
position by means of the short strut pieces i, the upper ends of which take into
notches near the inner end of the head frame e. The pieces j, j, form rever-
sible arm rests for the couch or for the easy chair, and are connected to the
part e, which forms the back of the couch or chair, by means of a slot k, which
passes over a button on the sides of the frame e. When it is desired to
convert the couch into an easy chair, all that is required is to fold the legs d
of the foot frame c under, and turn over the foot frame c onto the central
frame a, as indicated by the segmental red lines, and shewn by dots in Fig. 4.
It is scarcely necessary to remark that the legs or feet d and f, and also
the several parts of the canopy frame g, g, must be kept up by means of
pins or studs, which will prevent these parts from folding up in the wrong
direction.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9, in Sheet II., represent different views of the case
in which the bedstead is intended to be packed for the convenience of trans-
port from place to place. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the case,
shewing the bedstead and other articles of bed-room furniture packed therein.

page_text: A is the bedstead above described, folded up and placed at the bottom of the
case; Bis the mattress belonging thereto; C, C, represent the blankets, sheets,
coverlet, and other similar articles; D is a sponging bath or shallow vessel,
made of sheet metal, gutta percha, or other suitable material; E is a washing
basin; F, a water jug or ewer; G, a sponge; II, the towels; I is a box
containing various other articles for the toilet or other purposes; J, a pair of
shoes or slippers. Of course other articles may be included if room can be
found for them, or some omitted and others admitted in their place. Fig. 6
is another sectional view of the case, with the various articles above enume-
rated removed, in order that the construction of the case may be more clearly
seen; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the case. m is the bottom of the case, and n, n,
the fixed halves of the sides thereof, the parts m and n being firmly secured
together and strengthened by means of sheet-iron corner pieces; o, o, are two
movable halves, which form the upper continuation of the sides n, n, and these
parts o, o, are fitted on to the top of the parts n, n, as shewn in the Figure,.
and are secured in that position by means of hooked metal pieces p, p, which
fasten on to buttons attached to the other moveable sides q, q, which are hinged
to the lower fixed halves n*, n*, and thus the several parts are secured
together. It will be seen that the hinged parts q, q, are provided with a lock r,
for the purpose herein-after mentioned. The case is closed in at top by means
of a moveable lid or cover s, which may be secured in its place in any con-
venient manner.
..
When the case has been emptied of its contents, and if it be desired to
employ the case for some useful purpose, the lids may be removed and con-
verted into a table, as shewn at Fig. 10, by simply screwing legs t, t, into
sockets prepared on the under side of the lid or covers for the purpose.
These legs may be packed into the case with the rest of the articles shewn
in Fig. 5. Having removed the lid and converted it into a useful article of
furniture, I next proceed to remove the parts o, o, which form half of two of
the sides. The box or case may then be turned down onto one of its sides,
as shewn in the perspective view, Fig. 8, and then the parts o, o, may be placed
inside on the ledges u, u, and made to serve as shelves; the hooked metal
pieces p, p, serving to assist in securing the shelves in their places. The
hinged portions q, q, of the other two sides will then form the doors of the
case, and being provided as before mentioned with a lock or fastening, the case
will thus be converted into a roomy lock-up closet or wardrobe, as seen in
the perspective view, Fig. 8, and the vertical sectional view, Fig. 9.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Construction
of Camp Furniture," and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would

page_text: observe, that although I have described the box or case shewn in Sheet II. as
being employed for containing or receiving the improved construction of bed-
stead above shewn and described, together with its appurtenances, and other
articles of the toilet, yet I do not mean or intend to confine myself to such
an employment of the case, as it is evident that it may be employed for
receiving other articles; and I would further observe, in conclusion, that I am
aware that portable folding bedsteads have heretofore been constructed in such
a manner that they may be converted into chairs or other articles of furniture.
I do not therefore mean or intend to claim the exclusive right of converting
such articles to various uses except when constructed substantially in the way
herein shewn and described. But that which I claim as new in the above
described improvements, and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured
to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is,-
First, the mode herein shewn and described of constructing the arms of
chair bedsteads, and also the adaptation of a canopy frame to a folding or
portable bedstead for the purpose of supporting or carrying bed curtains, as
above described.
Second, I claim the mode herein shewn and described of constructing the
chest or box for containing a folding bedstead, its appurtenances, and other
camp furniture for transport, whereby such box or chest is convertible to
the uses above indicated when not required to be used as a packing case.
In witness whereof, I, the said William John Gregory, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
WILLIAM JOHN GREGORY. (L.S.)