IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES AND BEDSTEADS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Frederick Redfern, of the General Patent Office,
4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, and 10, Rue de la
Fidélité, Paris, in the Republic of France, Patent Agent, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES AND BEDSTEADS." A communication
from abroad by Eugène Domercq, of No. 10, Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, in the
Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Frederick Redfern at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th January 1880.
GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, 4, South Street,
Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, and 10, Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES AND
BEDSTEADS." [A communication from abroad by Eugène Domercq, of No. 10,
Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, in the Republic of France.]
The Invention communicated to me consists in the manufacture of a wooden or
metal mattress constructed of two boards or plates placed on each side of the
mattress lengthwise. On these side pieces spiral or other springs support two other
boards or plates slightly curved. From one of these curved pieces to the other are
placed tight cross pieces, and the two ends are joined together at each end of the
mattress in such a manner as to form a frame. A number of bands or strips of
webbing complete the mattress, over which a covering may be placed or not.
The principle of this mattress being the placing of the points of support of the
cross pieces on the sides or edges of the length of the bed, and not on the ends, as
has been hitherto done, this mattress may be adapted to any kind of bedstead by
suitably arranging it; but the principal object of this Invention is to form a bed-
stead of it by causing each end of the mattress to rest on two ends or uprights, foot
and head, with or without casters, such end being made of wood or metal suitably
arranged to form a complete bedstead, easy to put up or take to pieces, and
occupying but little space.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Frederick Redfern in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
July 1880.
GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, 4, South Street,
Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, and 10, Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES AND
BEDSTEADS." A communication from Eugène Domercq, of 10, Rue de la Fidélité,
Paris, in the Republic of France.
The Invention communicated to me consists in the manufacture of a wooden or
metal mattress constructed of two boards or plates placed on each side of the
mattress lengthwise. On these side pieces spiral or other springs support two other
boards or plates slightly curved. From one of these curved pieces to the other are
placed tight cross pieces, and the two ends are joined together at each end of the
mattress in such a manner as to form a frame. A number of bands or strips of
webbing complete the mattress, over which a covering may be placed or not.
The principle of this mattress being the placing of the points of support of the
cross pieces on the sides or edges of the length of the bed, and not on the ends, as
has been hitherto done, this mattress may be adapted to any kind of bedstead by
suitably arranging it; but the principal object of this Invention is to form a bed-
stead of it by causing each end of the mattress to rest on two ends or uprights, foot
and head, with or without casters, such end being made of wood or metal suitably
arranged to form a complete bedstead, easy to put up or take to pieces, and
occupying but little space.
But to make the Invention communicated to me better understood I will proceed
to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figures
1 and 2 represent a part plan and elevation of a spring mattress constructed
according to this Invention.
The elastic band or plate C passing from the two sides of the bedstead is sup-
ported by the springs G, having their fulcrum on a lower iron T piece, where they
enter by means of a hole; the other ends of the springs pass through the elastic
plate, and form projections for receiving and retaining the cross piece, as shewn in
Figure 16, where G is the spring, and a and b the ends thereof. The cross pieces
shewn in section at E, Figure 14, are placed not only above the springs, but in the
spaces between them. Having been placed in position, they are connected to the
bedstead longitudinally by means of the bands or straps of webbing D, extending
from one end of the bedstead to the other. The ends of the two longitudinal series
of bands are then adapted to the legs or uprights of the bedstead when employed
to form a complete spring bedstead, or to two simple cross bars when the improved
spring mattress is to be applied to wooden or other bedsteads already in use.
Figures 1 and 2 shew the adaptation of the system to an iron bedstead. On the
ends of the longitudinal pieces P, Q, which support the springs, are small wooden
or metal frames, in which take screws terminated with nuts in the form of buttons
or knobs. The iron ▼ piece is itself provided with a hook F, which hooks on to
the end or upright of the bedstead. The hook takes into the upright, and the bed-
stead being set up, the button A is screwed in such a manner as to make the
upright and the mattress firm. In place of this button and of this hook two
buttons may be employed. Figure 3 shews one of the iron. ends of a bedstead con-
structed of a perimeter A, provided with casters and connected by a lower cross
bar B, which is itself connected to the feet by the curved or straight pieces M.
Vertical bars complete the whole. C and B shew the arrangements employed, the
former for holding the hook F, Figure 2, and the latter for receiving the screw and
the nut. Instead of forming two separate pieces only one may be employed, forming
a kind of window in which the pieces F and A, Figure 2, successively engage, as

page_text: shewn at B¹, C¹. A knob K allows of hooking along the front of the bedstead a
plate or moulding forming the front or face of the bedstead.
To insure the firmness of the mattress and the uprights a hook, Figure 9, is
employed. This hook is placed at B" in a shoulder made on the crosspiece A
close to the upright C. When the hook B is thus placed it is passed over a screw
placed in the framework at the four corners of the mattress, and by means of the
thumb screw D the whole is screwed up in place.
Figure 4 shews a modification of the uprights of the bedstead to allow of
facilitating the taking to pieces of the bedstead. These uprights are formed by
means of two pieces A consisting of a bar of iron or other metal doubled on itself,
as shewn, carrying at bottom the caster, and provided with two tie rods, and of
the arrangement B, C, see B¹, C', allowing of the fixing of the mattress.
The maximum width of these pieces is the width of the plates or bands C,
Figure 1, of the mattress. Two cross bars n, n, keep them separate by means of
four screw nuts, and these cross bars, which are perforated with holes, receive the
vertical bars m, m, m, m, which slide freely therein and are retained by means of
Bcrew knobs. All these pieces are shewn separately in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8.
When it is desired to apply the improved mattress to an existing bedstead the
arrangement shewn in plan at Figure 12 is employed. The difference between this
Figure and Figure 1 consists in adapting the two cross pieces m, n, for terminating
the mattress and maintaining the firmness and separation of the pieces containing
the springs. These cross pieces are placed from one frame to the other, as shewo,
in the shoulder or hollow provided for the purpose. They are held in place by
means of screws or wing nuts B, shewn in Figure 12, or by any other suitable
means.
For holding the plates or bands during the taking to pieces they are united to
the iron piece, as shewn in Figure 15. Two holes a and b are pierced in the
bands, and two shallow slits e, f, are made in the edges of the iron T piece; a
string or a wire is then passed through, as shewn in the Figure, and retained by
knots e, f.
In place of employing wood and iron the improved mattress may be made
wholly of wood or wholly of iron painted, varnished, or coated with different
metals, such as tin, lead, or zinc; Figure 13 shews how it can be made of sheet
iron. The bottom piece forms, as shewn, a kind of tube, the upper part is flat and
the lower part curved so as to give the maximum resistance, and is hooked on the
whole of its length; Figure 14 shews how the ends of this kind of tube are
united to the plate which forms the framework of the corners. Two small cramps
previously rivetted in the interior form projections and pass through two holes in
the plate, over which they are screwed by means of small nuts or rivets.
Figure 11 shews the means employed for consolidating the union of the frame-
work of the corners and the base of the springs in order to prevent the parts
coming to pieces. A small cramp is rivetted on the iron T piece at n, and a flat
iron bar is rivetted on one side to this cramp, and on the other side at O, as shewn
in Figure 11.
Any number of springs may be employed, and they may be either flat blade
springs or spiral springs, and of round, square, oval, or half flat section. In this
latter case they may be bent either on the flat or chamfered side, so that they may
be made to work either on their line of least or greatest resistance at will.
The hereinbefore described mattress may be made to fold hingewise or other-
wise, so as to occupy but little space. For packing the two spring bands or plates,
the bottom parts and the framework of the corners are placed together, as shewn
in Figure 10, after having first taken away and placed aside the springs. The
pieces of the uprights, Figure 5, are laid on the iron T pieces or their equivalents,
as shewn by the dotted line Figure 2. As they are four in number, and their
length does not exceed half the length of the mattress or in width the width of
the bands or plates, they can all be placed in the space marked Figure 10 by the
juxtaposition of the two principal elements of the mattress. The two uprights of

page_text: the head and foot of the bedstead when taken to pieces from four cross pieces,.
Figures 6 and 7, and eight bars, Figure 8; by joining thereto the wooden cross
pieces E, Figure 1, and the webbing D, Figure 1, as well as the springs, it will be
seen that the mattress or the spring bed will take up but little room for transport.
The improved spring bed may also be constructed so as to serve as a child's toy.
Having now described the said Invention and the best means with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that what
is claimed and desired to be protected by the herein-in-part recited Letters
Patent is,
The improvements in spring mattresses and bedsteads, substantially as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Frederick Redfern, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.