IMPROVE- MENTS IN IRON BEDSTEADS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James John Stevens, of Darlington Works, South-
wark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN IRON BEDSTEADS."-A communication from abroad by George
Henry Faulkner, of Madras.
Sealed the 1st March 1861, and.dated: the 4th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James John Stevens at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th September 1860.
I, JAMES JOHN STEVENS, of Darlington Works, Southwark, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON BEDSTEADS," (communicated to me from abroad by
George Henry Faulkner, of Madras,) to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is the construction of iron bedsteads which will
pack into little space. It consists in constructing the side and head and foot
frames of angle iron, the side frames being formed in two lengths, and united
by a hinge joint, to enable the parts to fold over on each other. Tapped
sockets are connected to the frames for the reception of six supports, which
screw into the sockets. The head rail terminates at bottom in two plugs,
which fit into two sockets made for their reception, either in the side or head
frames, or the supports for the head are made hollow, and the plugs fit.
into them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James John Stevens. in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
JOHN STEVENS, of Darlington Works, Southwark, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James John Stevens, Her special licence that I, the said
James John Stevens, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James John Stevens, 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 IRON BEDSTEADS," (a communication from
abroad by George Henry Faulkner, of Madras,) upon the condition (amongst
others) that 1, the said James John Stevens, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 James John Stevens, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed
(that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is the construction of iron bedsteads which will
pack into little space. It consists in constructing the side and head, and foot
frames of angle iron, the side frames being formed in two lengths, and united
by a hinge joint, to enable the parts to fold over on each other. Tapped
sockets are connected to the frames for the reception of six supports, which
screw into the sockets. The head rail terminates at bottom in two plugs,
which fit into two sockets made for their reception, either in the side or head
frames, or the supports for the head are made hollow, and the plugs fit
¡nto them.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a plan of so much of the under
side, and Figure 2 a longitudinal section through the line x, y, of Figure 1, of
an iron bedstead made according to this Invention, as will be necessary to
illustrate the manner in which it is carried into effect.
a is one of the side, and b, the foot or head frame of the bedstead, made of
angle iron; c is a hinge or joint, part of which is shewn detached at Figure 3,
for uniting the two lengths of which the side frame is made, so that the lower
end may be folded on the upper, as shown in Figure 4; d, d, are tapped
sockets connected to the under side of the angle iron frames; e, e, are the legs
or supports for the bedstead, one of which is shown detached at Figure 5, they
are preferably made hollow, and are threaded at their upper ends to screw into
the sockets d, d; fis the head rail, part of which is shown at Figure 6, the
bent ends of which fit into the hollow legs at the head of the bedstead, or into
sockets specially formed for their reception; 9, 9, are the transverse laths, but
in some cases longitudinal laths are also used. The latter instead of being
made the whole length of the bedstead may, for the sake of portability, be
hinged at or about the centres h, h. Figure 5 shews stays connecting the two
central legs; Figure 7 shows, in section, the half jaw and leg socket detached;
and Figure 8 shows, in plan, part of a frame suitable for a cot, in this case the
central legs are dispensed with, in other respects it is similar to that before
described.
Instead of laths sacking may be employed, but neither laths nor sackings
form any part of this Invention. To fold up the bedstead, unscrew the supports,
remove the head rail, place them on the upper half of the bedstead, and fold
the lower half over them. A strap or cord keeps them as well as the bedding,
if required, in a compact form.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the construction
of iron bedsteads which will pack into little space, substantially in manner
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James John Stevens, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.
J. J. STEVENS. (L.S.)