Improvements in Portable Metallic Beds, Cots, and other like Metallic Furniture.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 30th June, 1893-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Metallic Beds, Cots, and other like
Metallic Furniture.
I, FREDERICK HOSKINS of the Firm of Hoskins and Sewell of Bordesley, in the
City of Birmingham Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to metallic bedsteads, cot, couches and other articles of a
like manufacture and has for its object primarily, portability combined with
lightness, and stability when in use.
By my invention, the said articles admit of being packed or stowed away into a
small compass, for, or in, transit.
Thus, in far-distant countries, unprovided with roads or railways, merchandise
comprehending such articles as before enumerated, has to be carried upon the backs
of mules and draught animals, hence restrictions are put upon the weights and
dimensions of their burdens.
Although the bedsteads and such articles are rendered portable primarily for the
above purposes, yet I wish it to be understood that the portability may be for
further purposes.
In carrying out my invention, I may make the said articles in loose and attach-
able sections, or loose and attachable and part folding sections, which, when fitted
together, form strong and durable articles, without their stability or utility being
lessened.
In carrying out one form of my invention in connection with a bedstead, both the
head and foot ends are made separate, and so also are the legs or other supports,
whilst the sides, which are also attachable and detachable, are made in sections,
adapted to be fitted together for use, and taken apart, when desired to be made
portable.
The head and foot ends are provided with a bottom angle rail of the breadth of
the bedstead, and with the corners having chills with horizontal she-dovetails
formed within them. The tops or summits of the legs have chills or corner blocks
cast around them, with horizontal he-dovetails upon the tops of the said chills,
which take into the she-dovetails, at the lower corners of the head and foot
rail ends.
The said leg chills have also vertical he-dovetails upon their inner sides, upon
which vertical she-dovetails, carried at the ends of the end sections of the side
framings take.
Each of the side framings, or sides of a bedstead are made up of three separate
or independent segments, viz., a middle member and two other members. The
middle member has bracket chills surrounding and depending from the middle and
end parts of it, and with axially directed tube bearings extended beyond the middles
of the bosses of the said end chills, and upon which the inner ends of the tubular
end sections take telescopically, and are prevented from rotating by a gap or gaps
at the extreme inner ends of the said outer members, engaging with coincident lugs
or projections on the outer sides of the chills, when the said outer members have been
slid home.
Directed at a short distance from the underside of the middle member, and with
its middle and ends taking within the chill brackets, is an understay or rod, which
forms, with the top middle member, a trussed frame.
Swivelly connected to the lower parts of the end bracket chills, are stay rods for
the end members, and which stay rods turn or fold about the said chills as centres
of motion, whilst the free ends of the said stays of the outer members, pass

page_text: through the middles of depending eyes formed with and on the undersides of end
chills of the said outer segments, and which said last named chills, have vertical
she-dovetails as aforesaid, which take upon vertical he-dovetails, projecting from
the chills of the lugs.
Thus we have each of the sides made up of three segments, each of which is
trussed in its constitution, and with the ends of the stay rods fixed in position by
nuts taking from their ends at the backs of the eyes.
When the parts are taken apart, the whole are of even length, and the stay or
tie bars of the outer segments, are folded inwards, and parallel to the parts of the
inner segment.
Instead of three segments being employed two or other number may be used.
The sacking is preferably of a spring organization, or of the woven mesh type,
and with connections or hook ended attachments, taking over the boundary edging
of the framing of the bedstead when put together.
The resilient sacking keeps the component parts of the frame together, after the
manner of inwardly pulling stays or ties.
When the parts of the bedstead are separated, they fold to a uniform size, and it
is understood that the sides are kept in their bound positions by the nuts at the
ends of the outer stay rods.
The underwork or stay rods of the said sides, may be eyed and screwed. Thus
the ends of the brackets may be screwed, or screws laid in, whilst the ends of the
tie rods may be eyed, which take over the screws and are affixed into position by
nuts taking onto the said screwed ends.
In this last arrangement, the tie rods may come away, instead of folding.
The stretcher of the bedstead is passed into position by a rotary movement, and
its ends made to lock to the inner middle parts of the sides.
Thus, the middle inner parts of the sides have studs, with horizontally
directed cross heads, whilst the stretcher ends are vertically slotted, so that in
fitting the stretcher, the slots or eyes of it are first threaded over the heads of the
studs, when the said stretcher is horizontal, or the curved ends are in the same a
plane as the sides. Then by turning down the said stretcher to its assigned position,
the same becomes locked to the sides, by the stud heads and the extended gaps being
non-coincident.
In carrying out a further form of my invention, I make the end rails of the
ends, separate from the ends, legs and sides, and with the said legs hinged, jointed 3
or quadrant-jointed to the said end rails, and on the said legs taking an upright
position, their upper ends, which are socketed or hollow, become coincident with
vertical holes through end chills of the said rails, and within which holes, the lower
ends of the end branched members of the ends or end framings, rise and fall, so that
when the bedstead or other article has its legs placed erect, the same are affixed in 4
position, by the sliding of the end branched members downwardly through the
chills, and into the hollow interiors of the tops of the legs, hence the fitting up of a
bedstead composed of sections or interchangable component parts.
When the end rails have been removed from their assigned positions, when in use,
the whole of the said component parts can be separated and the bedstead made 4
portable.
The stop lugs in the first arrangement not only prevent the sections from turning,
but also make the parts take their relative positions.
The application of my invention to other metallic articles of a like manufacture,
differs in no essential respect from its application to a metallic bedstead, as herein 5
described.
Dated this 6th day of October 1892

page_text: COME LEIE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Metallic Beds, Cots, and other like
Metallic Furniture.
I, FREDERICK HOSKINS, of the Firm of Hoskins and Sewell, of Bordesley, in the
City of Birmingham, Bedstead Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to metallic bedsteads, cots, couches and other articles of a
like manufacture, and has for its object primarily, portability combined with
lightness, and stability when in use.
By my invention, the said articles admit of being packed or stowed away into a
small compass, for or in transit.
Thus, in far-distant countries, unprovided with roads or railways, merchandise,
comprehending such articles as before enumerated, has to be carried upon the backs
of mules and draught animals, hence restrictions are put upon the weights and
dimensions of their burdens.
Although the bedsteads and such articles are rendered portable primarily for the
above purposes, yet I wish it to be understood that the portability may be for
further purposes.
In carrying out my invention, 1 may make the said articles in loose and
attachable sections, or loose and attachable and part folding sections, which, when
fitted together, form strong and durable articles, without their stability or utility
being lessened.
In carrying out one form of my invention in connection with a bedstead both the
head and foot ends are made separate, and so also are the legs or other supports,
whilst the sides, which are also detachable and attachable, are made in sections,
adapted to be fitted together for use, and taken apart, when desired to be made
portable.
The head and foot ends are provided with a bottom angle rail of the breadth of
the bedstead, and with the corners having chills, with horizontal she-dovetails
formed within them.
The tops or summits of the legs have chills or corner blocks cast around them,
with horizontal he-dovetails upon the tops of the said chills, which take into the
she-dovetails at the lower corners of the head and foot rail-ends.
The said leg chills have also vertical he-dovetails upon their inner sides, upon
which vertical she-dovetails, carried at the ends of the end sections of the side
framings take.
Each of the side framings, or sides of a bedstead are made up of three separate
or independent segments, viz., a middle member, and two outer members. The
middle member has bracket chills surrounding and depending from the middle and
end parts of it, and with axially directed tube bearings extended beyond the
middles of the bosses of the said end chills, and upon which the inuer ends of the
tubular end sections take telescopically, and are prevented from rotating by a gap
or gaps at the extreme inner ends of the said outer members, engaging with coincident
lugs or projections on the outer sides of the chills, when the said outer members
have been slid home.
Directed at a short distance from the underside of the middle member, and with
its middle and ends taking within the chill brackets, is an understay or rod, which
forms, with the top middle member, a trussed frame.
Swivelly connected to the lower parts of the end bracket chills, are stay rods for
the end members, and which stay rods turn or fold about the said chills as centres
of motion, whilst the free ends of the said stays of the outer members, pass through
the middles of depending eyes formed with and on the undersides of end chills of
the said outer segments, and which said last named chills have vertical she-dovetails

page_text: as aforesaid, which take upon vertical he-dovetails, projecting from the chills of
the legs.
Thus we have each of the sides made up of three segments, each of which is
trussed in its constitution, and with the ends of the stay rods fixed in position by
nuts taking from their ends at the backs of the eyes.
When the parts are taken apart, the whole are (or may be) of even length, and the
stay or tie bars of the outer segments are folded inwards, and parallel to the parts
of the inner segment.
Instead of three segments being employed, two or other number may be used.
The sacking is preferably of a spring organization, or of the woven mesh type,
and with connections or hook ended attachments taking over the boundary edgings
of the framing of the bedstead when put together.
This resilient sacking keeps the component parts of the frame together after the
manner of inwardly pulling stays or ties.
When the parts of the bedstead are separated, they fold to a uniform size, and it
is understood that the sides are kept in their bound positions by the nuts at the
ends of the outer stay rods.
The underwork or stay rods of the said sides, may be eyed and screwed. Thus,
the ends of the brackets may be screwed, or screws laid in, whilst the ends of the
tie rods may be eyed, which take over the screws, and are affixed in position by
nuts taking onto the said screwed ends.
In this last arrangement the tie rods may come away, instead of folding.
The stretcher of the bedstead is passed into position by a rotary movement, and
its ends made to lock to the inner middle parts of the sides.
Thus, the middle inner parts of the sides have studs, with horizontally directed
cross heads, whilst the stretcher ends are vertically slotted, so that in fitting the
stretcher, the slots or eyes of it are first threaded over the heads of the studs, when
the said stretcher is horizontal, or the curved ends are in the same plane as the
sides. Then by turning down the said stretcher to its assigned position, the same
becomes locked to the sides, by the stud heads and the extended gaps being
non-coincident.
In carrying out a further form of my invention, I make the end rails of the ends,
separate from the ends, legs, and sides, and with the said legs hinged, jointed or
quadrant jointed if necessary to the said end rails or corners, and on the said legs
taking an upright position, their upper ends, which are socketed or hollow, become
coincident with vertical holes through end chills of the end rails, and within which
holes, the lower ends of the end branched members of the ends or end framings,
rise fall and fit, so that when the bedstead or other article has its legs placed erect,
the said legs are affixed in position, by the sliding of the end branched members
downwardly through the chills, and into the hollow interiors of the tops of the legs,
hence the fitting up of a bedstead composed of sections or interchangable
component parts.
When the end rails have been removed from their assigned positions when in
use, the whole of the said component parts can be separated, and the bedstead made
portable.
The stop lugs in the first arrangement not only prevent the sections from turning,
but also make the parts take their relative positions.
The application of my invention to other metallic articles of a like manufacture,
differs in no essential respect from its application to a metallic bedstead, as herein
described.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in perspective, a bedstead
made up of loose and attachable and detachable members, or of attachable and
detachable part-folding members, constructed, arranged and fitted and provided
with improvements made according to one form of my said invention, whereby the
said bedstead is made extremely portable for transit or for storage.
In the said Figure 1, the head and foot end framings are shown detached from
their corner blocks, or from the dovetails carried at the summits of the detachable

page_text: legs, which are affixed or secured by dovetail connections to the terminations of the
sides or the side members when put together, which are composed respectively of
three separate parts, fitted in manner so as to constitute a complete and rigid side.
Figure 2 represents the three component or integral parts separated, constituting
when put together, a single side.
Figure 3 represents like views as Figure 2, but with the under-rods or stays of
the middle member folded, so as to make the same uniform in length with the
middle portion of the primary framing member.
Figure 4 represents one of the detachable legs and Figure 5 represents the
detachable leg of the other side.
Figure 6 represents upon an enlarged scale, a complete side of the bedstead
framing, with portions of the component parts broken off or broken away.
Figure 7 is a cross section of Figure 6, upon the dotted lines A B, showing how
the tubular end members are prevented from rotating by gaps or cut-away parts.
of them taking over or engaging upon snugs or their equivalents carried by the
fixed part, so that on the parts being put together, the same become rigid, and are
prevented from turning one upon another.
Figure 8 is an underside plan of one of the terminals of the tubes of one of the
end members, showing the gap taking upon the lug as aforesaid.
Figure 9 represents upon the same scale as Figure 6, the half of a side of a
bedstead, but with the component parts of the same detached or separated.
Figure 10 represents a view, partly in section, of an end of the stretcher, and
Figure 11 is a front view of the same.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
of the drawings.
a and b are the head and foot end detachable and attachable framings, consisting
of frames having a bottom rail or angle rail a', 6', between which, and from which,
the mesh, distensible or other sacking or bottom is hung and supported, and which
ends are provided with corner chills a, b, having horizontally disposed she dove-
tails a, b, formed within them.
c and d are detachable legs, disposed at the respective corners of the bedstead,
and fitted at their summits with chills or corner blocks c, d, having upon their
top sides, horizontally disposed he-dovetails c, d, adapted to take and fit within
the horizontal and underside she-dovetails a³, b³.
The primary sides of the bedsteads are each built up of three component parts,
viz., a middle sectional part e, and outer sectional parts f, g, which, when put
together as in Figures 1 and 6, constitute a side and are fitted by dovetails at
their ends engaging with dovetails within the inner presented faces of the chills at
the summits of the legs.
Thus, the middle sectional part e, is composed of a top tubular member e¹, and
an under rod stay member e², united together and supported by bracket chills *,
depending or directed as tie-chills from the upper to the lower members.
Directed axially with the upper middle member'e, are outwardly directed rod or
tubular end extensions or stalks e, upon which the tubular ends f¹, g¹, of the
tubular members f³, g of the end sectional parts f and 9, take and slide
longitudinally into position, and with the undergaps f, of them respectively
engaging with feather snugs e, located upon the outer sides of the end bracket
chills e
Upon the outer ends of these said detachable end sectional parts come dovetail
blocks f, g, having she dovetails f, g, formed within them, which take upon
vertical he dovetails c, d, extending from the faces of the dovetail blocks c, d,
respectively.
The under rod e³, of the middle sectional part is rigid, whilst jointedly connected
to the lower portions of the end bracket chills e³, are folding stay rods h and i,
jointed at their inner ends by studs or pivots 2,, whilst their other and outer
ends,, are screwed, and take through eyes or holes, of depending brackets k,
carried from the undersides of the chills f, g³, respectively.

page_text: The said Outer screwed ends, outside the brackets x, are noted with nuts m, 10г
tightening up the said stays h and i, and thereby affixing the whole of the parts
rigidly together and in position.
In fitting the parts together, the nuts m are removed, and the screwed ends h³,,
slid through the eyes k³, of the brackets k, and then by screwing up of the nuts
upon the offsides of the said brackets (relative to the tie rods) the necessary
tension and rigidity is given to the rods, and the whole of the parts are drawn up
as in Figures 1 and 6.
The inward pull of the mesh keeps the end rail fittings in their proper relative
positions.
Instead of the tie rods h and i, being made to swivel and fold, they may be made
to swivel and slide into and out of position (alike unto a vice handle) for folding
and unfolding.
The trussed frame sides of the bedstead frame are separated, or kept at given
distance apart at their middles or their figure preserved by a stretcher cross bar n,
having long vertical slots n³, at its ends, which engage with T or cross headed
studs n', directed inwards from the opposite inner sides of the trussed framings.
When the stretcher is placed in position, the long slots n³, are brought coincident
with the cross head of the said stud n³, when the same admit of being passed into
position, and when turned down, the same become locked.
Figure 12 represents a further form of my invention, in which lower and stalk
extensions of the end framing constitute the means of affixing the legs in position,
and erect to the end rails, which have end corner blocks chilled to them.
a is a separate and detachable end railing or frame, with lower extensions or
stalks a², which slide and pass through holes or passages c³, in the corner chills c,
carrying end rails c', from which the mesh of the mattress is slung.
e are trussed
or other framing sides, united at their outer ends to the said ends c, preferably by
dovetails. care legs, having socketed upper parts c, hinged at c, and jointed to
the end chille¹, of the composite or trussed side e, so as to admit of the said leg
folding with the end parts of the said sides, hence their portability. Or the said
legs may be hinged or jointed at right angles to that shewn, so as to lie or fold
under the end rails, in their longer directions.
Thus, assuming that the component parts are put together, and with the socketed
ends of the legs c, coming coincident with the holes c', of the corner block c, the
passing home of the said extensions a', up to the stop castings a³, and with the said
extensions taking through the said corners c, and down the sockets, those
component parts of the bedstead are rigidly held together.
It will be observed that the framings e', are cambered or curved upwards about
their middles, so as to increase or enhance the rigidity of the sides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. In a portable bedstead or cot, making the same up of loose and attachable
and detachable sections, that is to say, making the end rails or end framings
detachable and attachable, and also the legs and sides detachable and attachable
substantially as described and set forth in Figures 1 to 9.
Secondly. In a portable metallic bedstead or cot, the combination with the
attachable and detachable legs c, having sectional sides, of a head end a, with a
cross bar a¹, and a foot end b or an end bar b', with end chills and means of
attachment such as dovetails, substantially as described and set forth in Figures 1
to 9.
Thirdly. In the sides of portable bedsteads and cots, forming the same of a
trussed or girder construction, and each made up of two, three or more sectional or
segmental parts, and with some of the parts or tie rods capable of folding or
sliding upon one or more of the said parts, substantially as and for the purpose as
described and set forth in Figures 1 to 9.

page_text: Fourthly. In the sides of portable bedsteads and cots, the general construction,
arrangement and fitting of the said sides, and in the means of bringing up taut the
tie rods, and preventing the members from rotating, substantially as described and
set forth in Figures 1 to 9.
Fifthly. In a portable bedstead or cot, the general construction, arrangement
and combination of the parts, substantially as described and set forth in Figures 1
to 11.
Sixthly. In portable bedsteads or cots, the general construction, arrangement
and combination of the parts substantially as described and set forth in Figure 12.
Dated this 28th day of June 1893.
FREDERICK HOSKINS,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.