An Improved Adjustable Bed-table or Bed-rest.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 10th Aug., 1900-Accepted, 29th Sept., 190()
An Improved Adjustable Bed-table or Bed-rest.
I, JOHN HENRY PIKE, Master of and residing at the Norwich Workhouse, in
the Hamlet of Heigham, in the County of the City of Norwich, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention comprises a new form of adjustable table or shelf for the use
of invalids or other persons in bed or for the use of doctors nurses or others in
attendance upon persons in bed and a new method of fixing or supporting a
table shelf or rest over or alongside a bed. It consists in its simplest form of au
arm or support of suitable material (as for example iron) of suitable length and
thickness hinged by a socket and pin or other suitable hinge to another and
shorter piece of iron (or other material) which is fixed to one of the pillars of
the bed. This second piece of iron or other material may be fixed by a clamp
or bolt and nut or in any other mechanical way or if the bedpillar is of metal
may be cast in one piece with it or brazed on to it. The arm or support is
strengthened by a stay suitably bent one end of which is fixed to the under side
of the arm and the other let into a socket fixed to a lower part of the bed pillar
or to the framework of the bed or into a socket made in such framework itself
or otherwise suitably hinged at some point vertically below the hinge of the
arm or support.
The arm or support so hinged and stayed forms a bracket which can be moved
round into any desired position from one against the wall (if the pillar of the
bed is against the wall) to one extending partly over the bed in front of the
person lying there. The pin which forms part of the hinge and on which the
arm works can with advantage be made with a screw thread at one end so that
by means of a nut or otherwise the bracket can be tightly fixed when it has been
moved into any desired position.
To this arm can be fixed by means of one or more bolts and nuts by a clamp
or clamps or in any other similar manner a tray or shelf of any description desired
so as to form a table, shelf, leg or arm rest, book rest or the like.
The bolt or bolts clamp or clamps may be made to slide along the arm in a
slot in the arm or round the arm as the case may be the position of the tray
or shelf can thus be adjusted before the screw or clamp is tightened to any position
required by the person using it.
If desired the arm or support can be jointed with one or more suitable joints
thus still further increasing its adjustability.

page_text: 1, JOHN HENRY PIKE, Master of and residing at the Norwich Workhouse, in
the Humlet of Heigham, in the County of the City of Norwich, 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:-
My invention comprises a new form of adjustable table or shelf for the use
of invalids or other persons in bed or for the use of doctors, nurses or others in
attendance upon persons in bed and a new method of fixing or supporting a table,
shelf or rest over or alongside a bed.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practise I have appended hereunto two sheets of drawings upon which I
have fully illustrated the nature of my improved bedtable and from which its
application to various forms of bedsteads and the like will be readily understood.
Figure 1 is a view of a bedstend with my bedtable shewn when in one position
alongside the bed.
Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 but shewing the bed table in another
position -e over and across the bed.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the bracket support and table.
Figure 4 is an inverted plan of the table and connections.
Figure 5 is a section through Figure 4 on the line 1-2.
Figure 6 is a sectional plan of the modified bracket attachment to pillar shew-
ing means whereby such table may be attached to existing bedsteads.
In carrying my invention into effect the arm or support A is hinged or pivoted
at a to the connecting pieces B which are either chilled on to the pillar or
connected thereto by any suitable means such as the loose flange 6 and nuts
and bolts & Figure 6. The pivots a² of the arm or support are so arranged that
by the removal of the screw knobs a the whole device may be readily dis-
connected from the bedstead when not required while the arm or support A thus
forming the bracket may be tightly fixed in any position by screwing the knobs
or nuts tightly down.
The extended portion of the bracket A supports the tray or shelf C which
may be of any desired shape so as to form a table, shelf, leg or anu rest, book
rest or the like, and is preferably attached thereto by the pivot pin D and knob d¹
the head of the said pin being provided with a square shank for sliding in
the slot as of the extension a'.
The arm or support A with extension a' is strengthened by the supporting
stay suitably bent at e and the one end of which is attached to the underside
of the arm a or preferably to the underside of the table by means of the stay E
being adjustable in the slide c or its equivalent slot while the other end is
provided with the socket e which is shaped to fit any suitable part of the bed-
tead frame F and is pivoted or hinged upon the stay so as to accomodate itself
to, and be supported by any convenient part of the frame E when in either of
the positions shewn by Figures 1 and 2 thus enabling the positions of the tray
or shelf C to be adjusted by the pivots a and D) and by sliding the pivoted sup-
porting stay to any position required by the person using the table after which
the screws or clamps can be tightened and the whole device is thus made
thoroughly secure and rigid.
I may vary the particular form and construction of the attachments, joints,
and connections, and if desired the arm or support A may be provided with one
or more suitable joints at a point such as as for still further increasing the
adjustability.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what mannor the same is to be performed I declare that what
1 claim is:-
1st. Improved adjustable bedtable or bedrests characterized by the combina-
tion of a pivoted supporting bracket A, a table or rest C pivoted thereto, and a
supporting stay E substantially such as and for the purpose herein set forth and
illustrated.
2nd. Improved adjustable bedtables and bedrests characterized by a pivoted
supporting bracket having a slot, a table or rest pivoted to slide therein and a
supporting stay E such as and for the purpose herein set forth and illustrated.
Dated this 9th day of August 1900.
LEWIS WM. GOOLD,
Agent for Applicant, 5, Corporation Street, Birminghamı.