Improvements in Apparatus and Means for Stretching and Mounting Elastic Metallic Mattress Surfaces and Woven Wire Fabrics.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1990
Complete Specification Left, 19th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 24th Oct.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus and Means for Stretching and Mounting
Elastic Metallic Mattress Surfaces and Woven Wire Fabrics.
We ISAAC CHORLTON of 17 Blackfriars Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster Spring Mattress Manufacturer and GEORGE LAMB SCOTT of the
same place Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our said invention relates to apparatus for stretching or extending elastic
metallic mattress surfaces, composed of woven wire or of other similar or extensible
metallic mattress surfaces, materials or fabrics and for mounting the same upon
mattress frames, bed bottonis or other frames or bodies as is well understood by the
trade. In most cases and especially in the case of woven wire fabric, when
stretched from one end only, as is at present the usual practice, the fabric is apt to
be strained more at the stretching end than at the fixed end and this unequal
distribution of the strain is injurious to the goods, besides which the operation
occupies considerable time. Our apparatus is intended to obviate this disadvantage
by stretching the mattress surface or fabric from both ends simultaneously and in
addition to this our improvements comprise certain advances in the modes of
clamping and releasing the mattress surface and generally of working the apparatus
in a more speedy, economical and advantageous manner.
According to our invention we provide a frame composed of two parallel sides of
tubing or rods connected at each end by cross stays, thus forming a rectangular
frame. About the centre of the length of the frame there is another cross stay,
and a shaft extends from end to end in the centre of the frame, the said shaft
finding its bearings in the said three cross stays. At one end of this shaft we cut a
right hand screw thread and at the other end a left hand screw thread. These
right and left screws pass through nuts projecting from sliding cross heads which
slide upon the tubular or other sides of the frame so that when the screw shaft is
turned by a hand wheel or handle, the two sliding cross heads are either simul-
taneously traversed out towards the ends of this rectangular frame or simultaneously
moved inwards towards the centre of the length of the frame according to the
direction of revolution of the shaft. The said two sliding cross heads carry beds
and clamping screws fitted to receive and hold the angle iron or steel ends of the
woven wire mattress surface or fabric. The said beds and screws might however
be adapted to receive any other form of end, such for example as tubular or other
sections or wooden ends. When using the apparatus constituting our invention we
clamp both of the angle iron or other ends of the mattress surface to the sliding
beds by means of the clamping screws and then operate the right and left screw
shaft so as to move the sliding beds simultaneously outwards towards each end of
the frame, thus stretching the woven wire fabric equally and simultaneously from
both ends. When the mattress surface or woven wire fabric has been stretched
to the requisite extent, the tubular or other side members of the mattress frame are
connected to the ends and secured in their proper relative positions. The mattress
frame being thus complete the clamping screws may be slackened and the mattress
frame removed. The stretching frame may stand upon independent feet or it may
be mounted upon or associated with a wooden structure or nest containing the tools
and materials used in putting the mattress frames together. Owing to the double
action of our improved stretching apparatus and the improved means for clamping,
the work can be performed more expeditiously and under more favourable conditions
than heretofore. The construction of the stretching frame might be varied in many

page_text: ways so long as the right and left hand screw and duplex kliding and clamping beds
are employed.
The improved apparatus is not restricted to the stretching and application of
mattress surfaces to mattress frames but may be used for extending and applying
woven wire and other elastic metallic fabrics to other classes of goods than
mattresses and mattress frames or bed bottoms and the like. We might construct
an apparatus or stretching frame of the indicated description with one of the
clamping beds fixed and the other moveable. In such a case we would use a screw
shaft supported in two bearings and carrying a single screw either right or left,
the said screw engaging with a nut carried by the sliding clamping bed.
In some
instances the double screw shaft might be divided into two lengths the screw on
each length engaging with a sliding bed, and the said lengths being independently
operated one after the other or simultaneously by separate operators or by gearing
from one end..
Dated this 18th day of December 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus and Means for Stretching and Mounting
Elastic Metallic Mattress Surfaces and Woven Wire Fabrics.
We ISAAC CHORLTON of 17 Blackfriars Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster Spring Mattress Manufacturer and GEORGE LAMB SCOTT of the
same place Engineer 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 accompanying drawings:-
14
Our said invention relates to apparatus for stretching or extending clastic
metallic-mattress-surfaces composed of-woven wire-or-of other similar or extensible
metallic mattress surfaces, materials or fabrics and for mounting the same upon-
mattress frames, bed bottoms or other frames or bodies as is well understood by the
trade. In most cases and especially in the case of woven wire fabric, when
stretched from one end only as is at present the usual practice, the fabric is apt to
he strained more at the stretching end than at the fixed end and this unequal
distribution of the strain is injurious to the goods, besides which the operation
occupies considerable-time.-Our-apparatus-is-intended-to-obviate this disadvantage.
by stretching the mattress surface or fabric from both ends simultaneously and in
addition to this our improvements comprise certain advances in the modes of
clamping and releasing the mattress surface and generally of working the apparatus
in a more speedy, economical and advantageous manner.
To render our invention clearly understood we will now proceed to describe the
same more particularly, reference being had to the annexed sheet of illustrative
drawings.
Finside vi
According to our invention we provide a frame composed of two parallel sides a
of tubing or rods connected at each end by cross stays & thus forming a rectangular
frame of about the width of a spring mattress. About the centre of the length of
the frame there is another cross stay c and a shaft d d extends from end to end in
the centre of the frame, the said shaft finding its bearings at e. ee in the said
three cross stays. Throughout one half of this shaft for example the half marked d
we cut a right hand screw thread and on the other half d' a left hand screw thread.
These right and left screws pass through nuts f1 g projecting from sliding cross
heads which slide upon the tubular or other sides a of the frame so that when

page_text: the screw shaft d d¹ is turned by a hand wheel h or handle, the two sliding cross
heads are either simultaneously traversed out towards the ends of the
rectangular frame or simultaneously moved inwards towards the centre of the
length of the frame according to the direction of revolution of the shaft. The said
two sliding cross-heads f g carry beds and clamping screws (as most clearly
shown at Fig. 4) fitted to receive and hold the angle iron or steel ends k (shown in
black section) of the woven wire mattress surface or fabric 1. The mattress
surface is indicated by the dotted line 7. The said beds and screws might however
be adapted to receive any other form of end such for example as ends of tubular or
other sections. When using the apparatus constituting our invention we clamp
both of the angle iron or other ends of the mattress surface to the beds on the
sliding cross heads fg by means of the clamping screws j. j, and then operate the
right and left screw shaft d d so as to move the sliding beds simultaneously
outwards, towards each end of the frame, thus stretching the woven wire fabric
equally and simultaneously from both ends. When the mattress surface or woven
wire fabric has been stretched to the requisite extent the usual tubular or other
side members of the mattress frame are connected to their ends k and secured in
their proper relative position. The method of connecting the ends k to the side
members will vary in accordance with the section of the sides or the construction
of the mattress frame. For example the tubes might be slipped into sockets
connected to the ends; or stumps connected to the ends might be slipped into the
tubular sides The mattress frame being thus completed the clamping screws may
be slackened and the mattress frame removed. The stretching frame may stand
upon independent feet or it may be mounted upon a wooden framework m the
divisions between the stays of which may contain the tools and materials used in
putting the mattress frames together. Owing to the double action of our improved
stretching apparatus and the improved means for clamping, the work can be per-
formned more expeditiously and under more favourable conditions than heretofore.
The construction of the stretching frame might be varied in many ways so long
as the right and left hand screw and duplex sliding and clamping beds are
employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
(1) The general arrangement, construction and combination of parts comprising
the improved apparatus for stretching and mounting elastic metallic mattress
surfaces and woven wire fabrics substantially as described and shown.
(2) In apparatus for stretching elastic metallic mattress surfaces and woven wire
fabrics the employment of a right and left hand screw for simultaneously stretching
the mattress surface from both ends substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 17th day of September 1891.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.