Improvements in Combined Bedsteads and Mattresses.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 17th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 17th May,
1890
Improvements in Combined Bedsteads and Mattresses.
I WILLIAM PARISH HOSKINS of the Neptune Works, Upper Trinity Street,
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Bedstead Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My said Invention relates to the class of combined bedsteads and mattresses in
which the bedstead is adapted to receive a strained mattress made of woven wire
or of chains or links or combinations of springs and wire or springs and chains or
links as is now well understood. The invention relates particularly to the more
expensive class of bedsteads such for example as French bedsteads but the invention or
modifications thereof may also be applied to the cominoner type of combined bedstead
and mattress. In the said higher class of bedstead the supporting surface to receive the
mattress has usually been composed of laths either of wood or metal and is situated at
no great distance from the floor. Upon the supporting surface, thick soft mattresses
have been laid which have raised the sleeping surface to the requisite height. Now it
will be apparent that if a strained elastic metallic surface is used in conjunction
with this type of bedstead the yielding nature of such a mattress surface renders
the said thick soft mattresses no longer necessary and a single thin soft mattress
may very well be substituted. But with this diminution of the superimposed
mattresses the objection would arise that the height of the sleeping surface would
be reduced to an unusual and an unsightly degree. To meet this objection I
raise the height of the said strained elastic metallic surface to the requisite extent;
so that when the thinner soft mattress or palliasse is laid on the said elastic metallic
surface the ordinary height of the sleeping surface of the bed will have been
obtained. To effect this raising of the metallic mattress without altering the
position of the corner blocks or castings and without affecting the design of the
bedstead ends I form strong girder shaped sides which are carried in dovetails or
other suitable supports either formed in the usual corner blocks or in blocks carried
on bars which are in turu supported in dovetail or other joints in the said corner
blocks. In the latter case the sides are arranged at some distance in from the sides
of the bed or mattress and some distance below the same so as to distribute better the
strains of the mattress surface and to keep the mattress quite clear of the sides in the
event of its sagging or yielding at the edges. The aforesaid girder shaped side is
composed of a bottom bar or tube or member which extends between the supporting
dovetail or other castings. Upon the ends of the bar or upon the said dovetail
or other castings I arrange upwardly projecting supports or struts which terminate
in castings suitable for the holding or the adjustment of the strained elastic
metallic mattress surface. These two elevated castings are connected by a bar, member
or tube which may either be made curved so as to approach the lower member of the
side at or near the centre of the length of the bed or the said connecting member may
have the central portion straight and the ends inclined or tilted upwards towards the
elevated castings. The upper and lower members of the side may be connected by
ties or struts to stiffen the side, the whole forining a strong girder shaped structure
well suited to withstand and support the strains brought upon it by the mattress or
When the said sides are
by the weight of the occupant or occupants of the bed.
brought some distance within the width of the bed as described the corner dovetails
on the bedstead ends would be specially arranged to take the end supporting bars
which carry the dovetails to take the sides but when the sides are brought out to the
full width of the bed, ny improved sides could be applied to existing bedsteads.
Even where the sides are required in existing bedsteads to come within the width of
the bed the dovetail castings at the ends of the lower members could be cranked
inwards to some extent. In soine cases also the upper members of the sides might be
made straight instead of curved or inclined so long as the required elevation was

page_text: given to the castings supporting the mattress surface. The metallic mattress could
either be strained between the two elevated castings or provision could be made in one
set of the elevated castings to strain and adjust the tension of the mattress by means
of bolts or screws. The end bars of the mattress could be attached to the mattress
by cheese headed studs engaging with correspondingly formed castings attached to
the bars or by other suitable means; or the end bars of the mattress night be fixed
to or the adjusting bolts pass through lugs or attachments formed upon or attached to
the said elevated castings; or otherwise the mattress could be hooked or attached to
an angle iron or other member extending between the said elevated castings. In
certain cases where it is desirable to have the mattress surface low, the dovetail
attachments at the ends of the sides could be formed on the top brackets of the sides
or they might be attached or cast on the ends of the sides in any intermediate position.
The aforesaid improved means for elevating the mattress surface are partly applicable
in the manufacture of combined bedsteads and mattresses of a commoner type.
such beds are not usually of so large a size as the types already indicated the strong
girder side in its entirety is not so necessary. I however utilise the aforesaid elevating
struts and cast or attach them to the dovetails which engage with the dovetail corner
blocks on the bedstead ends. The upper ends of these elevating struts are furnished
with the castings already described which take the end bars of the metallic mattress
or carry the members which hold the mattress or serve as means for adjusting the
The elevating struts or the castings carried on the top thereof are connected
by side members which may be arranged at any distance from the mattress surface
and which complete and stiffen the structure.
saine.
Tinted this cit
1000
As
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Combined Bedsteads and Mattresses.
I WILLIAM PARISH HOSKINS of the Neptune Works, Upper Trinity Street,
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, 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 and accom-
panying drawings
My said Invention relates to the class of combined bedsteads and mattresses in
which the bedstead is adapted to receive a strained mattress made of woven wire or
of chains or links or combinations of springs and chains or links as is now well
understood. The invention relates more especially to the better class of bedstead but
the invention or modifications thereof may also be applied to the commoner type of
combined bedstead and mattress. In the said better class of bedstead the supporting
surface to receive the mattress or inattresses has usually been composed of laths
either of wood or metal and is situated at no great distance from the floor. Upon
the supporting surface, thick soft mattresses have been laid which have raised the
sleeping surface to the requisite beight. Now it will be apparent that if a strained
elastic metallic surface were used in conjunction with this type of bedstead the
yielding nature of such a mattress surface would render the said thick soft mattress
or mattresses no longer necessary and a single thin soft mattress may very well be
substituted. But with this diminution of the superimposed mattresses the objection
would arise that the height of the sleeping surface would be reduced to an unusual
and an unsightly degree. To meet this objection I raise the height of the said
strained elastic metallic surface to the requisite extent so that when the thinner soft
mattress or palliasse is laid on the said elastic metallic surface the ordinary height
of the sleeping surface of the bed will have been obtained. To effect this raising of
the metallic mattress without altering the position of the corner blocks or castings
and without affecting the design of the bedstead ends I form strong girder shaped
sides which are carried in dovetails or other suitable supports either formed in the

page_text: usual corner blocks or in blocks carried on bars which are in turn supported in dove-
tail or other joints in the said corner blocks. In the latter case the sides are or may
be arranged at some distance in from the sides of the bed or mattress and some
distance below the same so as to distribute better the strains of the mattress surface
and to keep the mattress quite clear of the sides in the event of its sagging or
yielding at the edges. The aforesaid girder shaped side is composed of a bottom
bar or tube or member which extends between the supporting dovetail or other
castings. Upon the ends of the bar or upon the said dovetail or other castings [
arranged upwardly projecting supports or struts which terminate in castings suitable
for the holding or the adjustment of the strained elastic metallic mattress surface.
These two elevated castings are connected by a bar, member or tube which may
either be made curved so as to approach the lower member of the side at or near
the centre of the length of the bed or the said connecting member may have the
central portion straight and the ends inclined or tilted upwards toward the elevated
castings. The upper and lower members of the side may be connected by ties or
struts to stiffen the side, the whole forming a strong girder shaped structure well
suited to withstand and support the strains brought upon it by the mattress or by the
weight of the occupant or occupants of the bed. When the said sides are brought
some distance within the width of the bed as described the corner dovetails on the
bedstead ends would be specially arranged to take the end supporting bars which
carry the dovetails, to take the sides but when the sides are brought out to the full
width of the bed, my improved sides could be applied to existing bedsteads. Even
where the sides are required in existing bedsteads to come within the width of the
bed the dovetail castings at the ends of the lower members could be suitably formed
or cranked inwards to some extent. In some cases also the upper members of the
sides might be made straight instead of curved or inclined so long as the required
elevation was given to the castings supporting the mattress surface. The metallic
mattress could either be strained between the two elevated castings or provision
could be made in one set of the elevated castings to strain and adjust the tension of
the maitress by means of bolts or screws. The end bars of the mattress could be
attached to the mattress by cheese headed studs engaging with correspondingly formed
recessed castings attached to the bars or by other suitable means; or the end bars of
the mattress might be fixed to or the adjusting bolts pass through lugs or attachments
formed upon or attached to the said elevated castings; or otherwise the mattress
could be hooked or attached to an angle iron or other member extending between
the said elevated castings. In certain cases where it is desirable to have the mattress
surface low, the dovetail attachments at the ends of the sides could be formed on the
top brackets of the sides or they might be attached or cast on the ends of the sides
in any intermediate position. The aforesaid improved means for elevating the mattress
surface are applicable in the manufacture of combined bedsteads and mattresses of
all types.
As the commoner classes of beds are not usually of so large a size as the
types already indicated the strong girder side in its entirety is not so necessary.
however utilise the aforesaid elevating struts and cast or attach them to the dovetails
which engage with the dovetail corner blocks on the bedstead ends. The upper ends
of these elevating struts are furnished with the castings already described which take
the end bars of the metallic mattress or carry the members which hold the mattress
or serve as means for adjusting the same. The elevating struts or the castings
carried on the top thereof are connected by side members which may be arranged at
any distance from the mattress surface and which complete and stiffen the structure.
To render my invention perfectly clear will now proceed more particularly to
describe the same with reference to the annexed three sheets of illustrative
drawings:
I

page_text: ON SHEET 2 OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a bedstead similar to the example in Sheet 1 having
inclined upper parts on the top bar of the sides instead of a curved upper bar as in
Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view shewing the elastic mattress surface lowered to about
the ordinary level. Fig. 5 shews an intermediate form of attachment to the dovetail.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one end of a bedstead with my improved girder sides
brought out to the full width of the bed and having corner projections to take the
attaching or adjusting bolts. Fig. 7 is a similar view in which the ends of the girder
sides are connected by an angle iron bar.
Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 are views of methods (differing slightly in detail) of elevating
the elastic metallic mattress surface from the level of the corner castings of an
ordinary bedstead.
Referring in the first place to Sheet 1 and to Figs. 1 and 2 the bedstead ends a are
of an ordinary type. The corner blocks which are cast on the posts are connected
by end bars c and are formed with female dovetails looking inward as clearly seen at
Fig. 2. Angle iron or tubular bars d d have male end castings e which engage
with the female corner dovetails, and the bars d d have also female dovetail blocks f
cast on them at a certain distance in from the corner blocks.
The improved elevating sides of the bedstead consist of side bars or tubes which
have cast on each end male dovetail blocks h, which engage with the aforesaid female
dovetails on the bars d d' the two bedstead sides being thus supported in position.
It will be observed from the plan Fig. 2 that as hereinbefore set forth the sides of
the bedsteads are not in line with the corner posts but are considerably within the
full breadth of the bed. There is thus no danger of the occupant of the mattress
coming in contact with the sides of the bedstead however inuch the edges of the
mattress may sag. From the dovetail castings h at the ends of the side bars gg, there
rise four elevating supports i. At the foot of the bedstend the upper ends of these
supports terminate in castings j which are furnished with pins or other holdfasts to
retain the end bar of the elastic metallic mattress which is indicated by a dotted
line in Fig. 1 and by a series of dotted lines in Fig. 2. At the head of the bedstead
the castings m are formed as slides with snugs through which the threaded adjusting
bolts pass, the said bolts engaging with nuts q rivetted or otherwise secured to the
lower side of the head end bark of the mattress. The castings and m are
connected at each side by a curved top bar or tube o as clearly shewn at Fig. 1.
Three or any other suitable number of intermediate supports or struts are arranged
to connect the straight under bars g g to the curved upper bars oo these inter-
mediate struts being preferably cast on in position. By adopting this construction
of bedstead side I am enabled to raise the level of the elastic metallic mattress
surface to any desired height above the level of the corner blocks or above the
side framing without interfering in the smallest degree with the design of the bedstead
ends or altering the position of the corner blocks.
The girder like construction of the sides makes a strong and stiff structure which
is well calculated to resist the strains of the mattress. The method of connecting
the mattress frame to the corner posts inay be varied. For example in Fig. 2ª the
ordinary corner blocks b are utilised and the castings e are formed with male dovetails
which engage with the female dovetails in the corner blocks b. The castings e have
also female dovetailed recesses which receive the male dovetails which carry the
sides g.
The castings e support the end bars d. In Fig. 2 the casting e is cranked
in and the end bars are supported from dovetails in the corner blocks on the
posts.
Fig. 3 Sheet 2 is a side elevation of my improved combined bedstead and mattress
frame which is in all respects similar to the bedstead shown in Sheet 1 with the
exception that instead of having the upper bar o curved as shown in Fig. 1 the central

page_text: portion of the said bar is straight as shown in Fig. 3 and the ends are inclined
upwards in a straight line towards the castings on the top of the elevating
supports i, as clearly shown in the drawing. Fig. 4 shows a modification of my
invention to provide for cases in which it is desirable to have the mattress surface / at
a lower level from the floor than usual or at a lower level than that illustrated in the
foregoing Figs. the requisite distance between the mattress surface and the side frames
being however maintained. In this case the castings ; or it might be m are formed
with inale dovetails which engage with the female dovetail castings which have
already been referred to as cast on the bars d d' (see Fig. 2). In other respects the
form and construction of the sides remain unaltered. It will be seen that the
lower member g of the side is just above the level of the floor. Fig. 5 illustrates
another modification of the form of the sides and the method of attaching them
to the dovetails. The lower members y are bent round and upwards at the ends
and are connected directly to the dovetail blocks j. The dovetail block his
cast or fixed in any suitable intermediate position to the upwardly projecting part
of the member 9. The attachment of the sides to the dovetails is thus effected
at an intermediate point, the mattress surface being higher than in Fig. 4
but not so high us in Figs. 1 and 3. The object of the constructions in
Figs. 4 and 5 is to vary the height of the mattress surface from the floor, while
preserving the distance between the mattress surface and the sides. Figs. 6 and 7
are perspective views of the ends of bedsteads to which my improved mattress
elevating sides are applied but subject to the modification hereinbefore referred to
whereby the improved sides are brought out to the full width of the bedstead as is
usual. This modification might be applied in the case of existing bedstead ends in
which the corner dovetail blocks 8 are fashioned in the ordinary manner that is to say
as illustrated at Figs. 6 and 7 in contradistinction to the new disposition shown
most clearly at Fig. 2. The construction of the girder sides is precisely similar to
that already shown in Fig. 3. Both to secure the end bar of the mattress surface
and to provide means for taking the adjusting bolts when such are used I cast or
form or attach brackets or lugs on the brackets j as in Fig. 6 or I extend an angle
iron bar between the brackets as in Fig. 7 the adjusting bolts when such are
used passing through the holes v.
Although I have instanced my invention as particularly applicable to the better
class of bedsteads it will be understood that I do not confine myself to such bedsteads
as the invention is either wholly or partly applicable to the commoner types of beds.
The drawings on Sheet 3 are chiefly intended to be illustrative of my invention as
applied to a commoner type of bedstead. In these types it is sometimes of importance
to have the mattress surface at a considerably greater height than usual. The
means which I use to obtain this increase of height are in their nature similar to
what I have already described with reference to the foregoing drawings, but as the
sizes of this description of bedstead are usually smaller than those of the better
classes of bedstead I do not find it requisite to employ the built up girder side which
I illustrate in Sheets 1 and 2 but use a form of side on the same principle but
less elaborate than those previously referred to. I use the elevating supports which
appear standing at an incline in the foregoing figs. but which in Figs. 8 to 11 are
shown perpendicular. These elevating supports i are carried on lower dovetailed
blocks which engage with the corner blocks b on the posts as usual. The supports i
carry castings j m. In Fig. 8 the side member or tube g is fixed to and extends
between the said brackets j m and being situated midway between the level of the
mattress surface and the dovetail connections to the corner blocks, affords the
requisite support to the mattress frame while at the same time a sufficient space is
left between the mattress surface and the sides. In Fig. 9 the side g (which might be
of angle iron) has bends rx cast on or secured thereto which bends being formed
with male dovetails engage with the castings j m carried by the supports. The
bends zz lower the side g down to the requisite distance from the mattress surface l.
In Figs. 10 and 11 blocks z z are cast on or secured to the elevating supports i and
are formed with dovetails to engage with dovetail blocks carried on the ends of

page_text: the side member or tube g. In all of the foregoing examples the mattress surface is or
may be made adjustable with regard to its tension by means of screws, but this
adjustability is not a necessity as the end bars of the mattress surface might he fixed
and the mattress strained thereon while being attached.
Although I have throughout this description referred to the component parts of the
bed as being connected by means of the ordinary dovetails it will be understood that
any other suitable or well known modes of connecting the parts may be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The general arrangement construction and combination of the improved
combined bedstead and mattress frame, substantially as described and as illustrated
in Sheets 1 and 2 of the drawings.
2. In the manufacture of combined bedsteads and mattress frames the improved
constructions of mattress frame sides for elevating the mattress surface to the required
height while at the same time preserving a suitable space between the said mattress
surface and the top of the sides, substantially as described and shewn.
3. The improved sides for elevating the mattress surface to the required height
consisting of the end elevating supports i fitted with castings which carry the end
bars of the mattress or the means for adjusting the same, in combination with top
and bottom bars, struts and ties such for example as go and p or other suitable
bracing parts to connect and strengthen the elevating supports i and so enable them
and the side to withstand the strain of the mattress substantially as described and
shewn.
4. In the manufacture of combined bedsteads and mattress frames placing the
sides which support the mattress, some distance within the width of the bed or
mattress for the purposes by the means and substantially as described and as illustrated
more particularly in Figs. 2, 2 and 2b of the drawings.
5. The improved construction and application of bedstead or mattress frame sides,
not intended to elevate the mattress surface but adapted to preserve a space between
the mattress surface and the top of the side substantially as described and as illustrated
by Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.
6. The general arrangement construction and combination of the improved
combined bedstead and mattress frames substantially as described and as illustrated
in Sheet 3 of the drawings.
7. In a combined bedstead and mattress frame of the type illustrated in Sheet 3 of
the drawings, the employment of end elevating supports i connected by dovetail or
other blocks to the ends of the bed and carrying castings with which engage the end
bars of the mattress or the adjusting mechanism, the said elevating supports or the
top castings being connected by sides, bars or tubes such as g so situated as to give
the required powers of resistance to the said elevating supports and enable them to
withstand the strain of the mattress surface substantially as described and as
illustrated.
Dated this 16th day of April 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.