IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING AND FOLDING BEDS AND BEDSTEADS, AND SPRINGS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Gardner, trading as Messieurs Robertson, Brooman,
and Company, No. 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING AND FOLDING BEDS AND
BEDSTEADS, AND SPRINGS FOR THE SAME." A communication from abroad by
Daniel Carmichael Otis and Cyrus Gregory Clark, of the City of New York,
and Ethel Curtiss Hine, of the City of Brooklyn, all of the United States of
America, Merchants.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gardner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th November 1881.
23
HENRY GARDNER, trading as Messieurs Robertson, Brooman, and Company,
" IMPROVEMENTS IN
No. 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent.
REVOLVING AND FOLDING BEDS AND BEDSTEADS, AND SPRINGS FOR THE SAME."
A communication from abroad by Daniel Carmichael Otis and Cyrus Gregory Clark,
of the City of New York, and Ethel Curtiss Hine, of the City of Brooklyn, all
of the United States of America, Merchants.
This Invention relates to a bed mounted at its head and foot upon pivots, said
pivots being so arranged as to enable the bed to be turned upon edge, whereby it
will occupy very little space, the weight of the bed and bedding being so arranged
as to require very little power to balance them.
A spring is employed by preference to put the bed properly in counterpoise,
and by preference a spring of india rubber is used, one end of which is attached to
the back rail of the bed and the other end to the standard in which the bed proper
is rotatively mounted. Or the end of the spring may be attached to the floor or
base board of the room.
The revolving bed proper is hung between low standards which are connected
together and mounted on the casters.
The head and foot boards of the bed are interchangeable so that either end may
be made the head. They are hinged to strips which slide in keepers in the bed

page_text: frame, and when slipped down the lower edges of the boards are held in these
keepers and thus sustained upright. But when they are lifted, until the hinges
rise above the head and foot rails and above the keepers, the head and foot
boards may be turned over on the bedding and serve to keep it in place when the
bed is turned up and at the same time be out of the way. They are when down
on the bedding secured to the side rails of the bed by means of buttons or hooks.
The bottom of the revolving bed proper has hung in its center a mirror which
may be tilted on its pivots, and the other portions of the bottom may be neatly
paneled or finished to suit the taste.
As the bed when folded up is to represent a wardrobe or other similar piece of
furniture, a cornice or ornament is hinged to the front rail to turn up on edge
when the bed is folded, and thus present an ornamental appearance, while it may
be turned down when the bed is in use to form a shelf.
Hinged to the short standards are wings which fold in and present the appearance
of a base with drawers when the bed is turned up, and when it is turned down
these are swung out and form a support for the bed, one standing under each end.
These also serve to prevent the standards from tilting over as the bed is turned
down, as it is liable to do when a spring attached to the standard is employed as a
counterpoise.
The spring upon which the bedding rests is formed with the bed and consists of
cross slats hung on rubber rings attached removably to the side rails inside.
Strips of webbing or its equivalent extend lengthwise of the bed and rest on said
cross slats.
The ends of these strips of webbing are also hung to the end rails by
means of rubber rings.
This bed may be made to occupy a very small space when folded up, and is well
suited to small and narrow rooms, and as it has no permanent overhanging structure,
as in most turn_up_or_folding_beds, it may be-when-down-moved-out-anywhere-
into the floor. It is also very light and easily operated or moved.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th May
1882.
"
HENRY GARDNER, trading as Messieurs Robertson, Brooman, and Company,
No. 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REVOLVING AND FOLDING BEDS AND BEDSTEADS, AND SPRINGS FOR THE SAME."
(A communication from abroad by Daniel Carmichael Otis and Cyrus Gregory
Clark, of the City of New York, and Ethel Curtiss Hinc, of the City of Brooklyn,
all of the United States of America, Merchants.)
This Invention relates to a bed mounted on pivots at its head and foot between
short standards, and arranged to be turned upon its edge, so as to represent a
wardrobe or other piece of furniture. The weight of the bed and bedding is so
arranged with reference to the pivot points that it is almost in equipoise, and it is
preferred to employ a rubber or other spring or springs to effect a complete balanco
of the parts.
In the Drawings which serve to illustrate the Invention, Figure 1 is a plan of
the revolving bed when turned down and ready to receive the bedding; Figure 2
is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 2, 2, in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end
view of the bed when folded up, the position when down being indicated by dotted
lines; Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4, 4, in Figure 2.
A, A, are the standards which are made by preference of cast iron. These are
made low and inconspicuous, and are connected by means of a wooden bar or
bars B, B, the ends of which fit into dovetail sockets in the bases of the standards
The standards are usually mounted on casters.
C, C, are swinging wings which are hung to the front edges of the standards on
hinges and arranged to close the front between the standards, each extending half
way across. These when folded in represent drawers, and when swung out at
right angles serve as legs or supports for the revolving or folding bed. These
wings are also supplied with casters.
The
The bed proper or revolving portion consists of the side rails a, a, end rails b, b,
and the bottom c. This bed is hung at its ends between the standards on
pivots d, d, so ne to turn down or up at will. To aid in counterbalancing the bed
it is by preference provided with springs e, e, of strong rubber, the one ends of
which are secured to the bar B and the other ends to the back side-rail a.
springs may however be attached to the floor or base board of the room by means
of temporary fastenings. Where fastened to the bar B there is a tendency when
the bed is turned down to tilt the standards, and this is counteracted by the
wings C, C.
In the centre of the bottom c is arranged by preference a tilting mirror f, which
serves admirably for a dressing mirror when the bed is turned up. The remaining
portion of the bottom c may be neatly paneled, as shown. To provide a finish for
the bed when turned up au ornamental frontispiece g is hinged to the outer side
rail a and arranged to turn up when the bed is closed up, as in Figure 3, and to
In caso
stand out and form a shelf, as in Figure 1, when the bed is turned down.
a shelf is not required this frontispiece may be turned up close against the rail so
as to be out of the way.
D is a head board, and E the foot board. As these are mounted and operated
alike it will only be necessary to describe one of them. In the corners formed by
the junction of the side and end rails a and b are formed grooves or keepers, and
to the lower edge of the board D is hinged a strip h of the same length of the
board. On the board a little distance above its lower edge is secured a strip or
moulding i. The strip h and the lower edge of the head board are passed down
into the keepers at the corners of the bed and permitted to descend until the

page_text: strip rests on the end rail b. The board is now held firmly upright, but if it be
lifted until its lower edge is above the top of the rail a and b (see Figure 2) the
hinges permit it to be turned over on to the bedding to hold the latter in place,
the strip remaining still in the keepers. A simple strap or cord j may be
attached to the lower edge of the strip h and to the rail b to prevent the strip
from lifting out of the keepers. When the head and foot boards are turned down
upon the bedding they may be secured to the side rails a by means of straps k.
The spring which supports the bedding is constructed as follows:-Strips are
secured to the inner faces of the side-rails a in which are inserted pins m. Cross
slats n, n, are provided at their ends with rubber rings o which take over the
pins m. Across the bed at the ends are arranged strips p provided also with
pins m' and flexible strips n¹ of some textile material are provided with rubber
rings o' which take over the pins m'. These form a very light, oheap, and elastic
support.
It will be seen the pivots d upon which the bed is mounted are arranged near
the bottom c, whereby the main part of the weight is above the pivot point, and
this in connection with the pivoting of the bed at its end or the largest way
perinits of nearly balancing the bed on its pivots. And it may be so nearly
balanced by raising the pivot points higher than shown that springs will be
Metal springs may if desired be substituted for the rubber
unnecessary.
springs e.
A bed thus constructed is very light and easily moved and operated, and
occupies very little room when turned up. This adapts it to small and narrow
rooms, and as there are no fixed overhanging frames or portions, the standards
being very short it is easy to see that the bed may be set in any part of the room.
The head and foot boards may also be readily interchanged so as to change the
head of the bed to the foot without the necessity of turning it around, or the head
and foot boards may be removed entirely for the time. The spring upon which
the bedding rests forms a part of the bed, is very cheaply constructed, and will
save the expense of a separate spring.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. A revolving bed mounted rotatively at its head and foot between standards
connected together below the bed, substantially as set forth.
Second. The revolving bed provided with folding and interchangable head and
foot boards, substantially as set forth.
Third. The revolving bed provided with a spring for the bedding to rest upon,
constructed substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The revolving bed provided with rubber springs to counterbalance it,
substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The standards provided with hinged wings to serve as a support for the
revolving bed, substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The cast metal standards provided with dovetail sockets to receive the
connecting beams, substantially as set forth.
Seventh. The revolving bed provided with a tilting mirror in its bottom.
substantially as set forth."
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Gardner, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of May, in the year of our Lord 1882.
HENRY GARDNER. (L.S.)