IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING BED BOTTOMS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING BED BOTTOMS."
-A communication from abroad by Robert Barker, Stephen Albro
Barker, and Louis Fisher, all of Providence, Rhode Island, United
States of America.
Sealed the 24th June 1870, and dated the 3rd February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd February 1870.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING
BED BOTTOMS," a communication, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the employment of yielding spring bars
or equivalent devices in combination with the frame of a bedstead and
the gridiron frame of spring slats commonly used as a support for the
mattress, the whole apparatus being so arranged that while it yields

page_text: readily to the weight of the occupant of the bed it will not be tilted to
one side in case it is occupied by two persons one of whom is much
heavier than the other.
A gridiron frame of narrow board slats has for a long time boen used in
combination with a bedstead as a support for a mattress, and this is
frequently the only spring bottom employed. This slat frame has also
before this Invention rested on coiled springs at the corners, but not to
my knowledge in the way herein-after explained, which will prevent the
frame from. being tilted to that side upon which there is an excess of
weight.
'
In carrying this Invention into practice one of the common form of
bedsteads is used. To the inside face of each of the side rails of the
bedstead is attached a spring bar made by preference of tough wood and
firmly secured near its middle to 'the side rail. These bars are nearly as
long as the distanco between the head and foot rails of the bedstead.
To allow these bars to spring freely they are made taper from their
middle section, where they are fastened-to the side rails. toward their ends,
and are worked down thin enough to spring casily. They should also be
cut away on their side next the rail to the extent of about a quarter of
an inch from. near their points of attachment to the side rails to their
ends to prevent their-rubbing against the rails in springing. A frame
with slats of tough wood secured to cross strips near each end in form
like the common mattress supporter is to be placed in its ordinary
position inside the bedstead, the ends of the head and "foot cross strips
being made to extend about two inches beyond the slats and take their
bearing near the ends of the spring bars attached to the side rails of the
bedstead. It is quite evident from the foregoing description that the
mattress when placed upon the slat support will yield readily to the
weight of the occupant of the bed, but will not be uncomfortably
depressed upon one side by reason of the form and arrangement of the
side springs.
"
I do not limit myself to the employment of springs of the precise form
described, but may use any equivalent arrangement of springs in com-
bination with the slat supporter, which admit of the springing of the:
latter upward and downward from near the middle line toward the ends
without permitting a tilting movement to one side.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME,. I,. WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton.
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of February,. in. the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give-
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence-
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my exccutors, administrators, and.
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
SPRING BED BOTTOMS,' a communication to me from abroad by Robert
Barker, Stephen Albro Barker, and Louis Fisher, all of Providence,.
Rhode Island, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors. or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be 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 Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 accompanying
Drawing, forming a part of this Specification :-
This Invention consists in the employment of yielding spring bars or
their equivalents in combination with the frame of a bedstead and the
gridiron frame of spring slats commonly used as a support for the

page_text: mattress, the whole apparatus being so arranged that while it yields
readily to the weight of the occupant of the bed, it will not be tilted to
one side in case it is occupied by two persons one of whom is much
heavier than the other.
i
A gridiron frame of narrow board slats has for a long time been used
in combination with a bedstead as a support for a mattress and is
frequently the only spring bottom employed. This slat frame has also
before this Invention rested on coiled springs at the corners,
but never
to my knowledge in the way hercin-after explained, which will prevent
the frame from being tilted to that side upon which there is an excess
of weight.
The Drawing is a perspective view of a bedstead having my improvements
adapted thereto.
In carrying this Invention into practice any one of the common forms
of bedsteads is used. To the inside face of each of the side rails A
of the bedstead I attach a spring bar B made by preference of tough
wood, and firmly secured near its middle to the side rail. These bars
are nearly as long as the distance between the head and foot rails of the
bedstead. To allow these bars to spring freely they are made taper
from their middle section a, where they are fastened to the sido rails
towards their ends and are worked down thin enough to spring easily.
They should also be cut away on their side next the rail to the extent
of a quarter of an inch or so from near their points of attachment to the
side rails to their ends to prevent their rubbing against the rails in
springing. The bars B are shewn in dotted lines. A frame O with 1
slats 6 of tough wood secured to cross strips D near each end (in form
like the common mattress supporter) is to be placed in its ordinary
position inside the bedstead; the ends of the head and foot cross strips
being made to extend about two inches beyond the slats, and take their
bearing near the ends of the spring bars B attached to the side rails of
the bedstead.
It is quite evident from the foregoing description that the mattress
when placed upon the slat support will be able to yield readily to the
weight of the occupant of the bed, but will not be uncomfortably
depressed upon one side by reason of the form and arrangement of the
side springs.
I do not mean to be limited to the employment of springs of the
précise form described, but may use any equivalent arrangement of

page_text: springs in combination with the slat supporter which admits of the
springing of the latter upward and downward from near the middle line
towards the ends without permitting a tilting movement to one side.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
mo by my foreign correspondents,-I-wish-it-understood that I claim, a
spring bottom for a bedstead which consists of the gridiron slat frame C
and spring bars B arranged as shown in combination with the frame of
a bedstead, all substantially as described.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
W. J. LOWE.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)