Improvements in the Construction of Bedsteads and Cots to Facilitate Packing for Transit.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Bedsteads and Cots to Facilitate
Packing for Transit.
I, ROBERT PERCY TAUNTON, Managing Director of John and Joseph Taunton
Limited, of Sherbourne Road, in the City of Birmingham, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
This invention relates to detail improvements in the construction of bedsteads
and cots whereby the packing or nesting of the same into crates or cases for
transit or transport is greatly facilitated as the end angle bars are removably
fitted to the head and foot end rails whilst the corner blocks and other castings
are so set out of the way as to admit of the bedsteads packing away pillar to
pillar, so that a given number of bedsteads will take up a much less space than
heretofore when stowed away in a crate or case.
In carrying out one form of my invention, the end rail, which may be ex-
tended or otherwise is made fast to the corner pillars, each of which is provided
with a corner block having a pair of dovetail sockets, adapted to respectively
receive the male dovetail ends of a loose side angle iron and a loose end angle
iron, so that the bedstead is provided both with detachable side angle irons and
detachable end angle irons with the latter disposed on the inner sides of and close
up to their respective end rails, whilst the dovetail sockets of each corner block
come inwards of the pillars.
As another form, each corner block is provided with a couple of she dovetail
sockets as before, but with one of them coming on the inner side of the pillar
to receive the male part of the end angle iron and the other adapted to receive
the dovetail of the side angle, whilst in order to admit of the members of the
head and foot end rails coming in the same vertical plane as the corner pillars,
the detachable end angle bars are set inwards a short distance towards the centre
of the bed and their male dovetails are carried by curved castings or blocks:
also cranked inwardly towards the centre of the bed. Or the said male element
of the dovetail connections may be carried upon ordinary end castings whilst
the outward end parts of the detachable end angle irons may be curved or cranked
in order to bring them the desired distance inward's of the head or foot rails.
Or the she sockets of the corner blocks may both come inwards of the pillars,
with the one to receive the end bar being contiguous to the said pillar, whilst
the male element of the dovetail connection is carried or disposed near or at
one corner of the end block or casting of the detachable angle bar or out of line
with the longitudinal centre of the said bar, which is thereby set inwards of the
end rail. If necessary the dovetail blocks of the detachable angles may also be
slightly curved or cranked to bring the bars further inwards, whilst as a further
modification, the male parts of the dovetail connections may be carried upon the
outer faces respectively of the end blocks of the two angle irons and engage with
inwardly presented sockets of the corner blocks or extended parts thereof; that
is to say, the end blocks of each end angle iron have the male parts of the dove-

page_text: tails projecting from their outer sides and at a right angle to the general length
of the rail.
According to another form of my invention, each head and foot end rail of a
bedstead may be provided with fixed angle irons, with the horizontal webs thereof,
or equivalent parts, gapped or recessed at the two outer ends, adjacent to the
corner pillars, thereby providing recesses or clearances in each bedstead end,
into which the pillars or one of the pillars of the next superimposed bedstead
may take and lie when a number of such ends are nested or packed upon one
another in a case.
In carrying out a further form of my invention, each of the chill corners of the
pillars may be round in cross section with a lug extension directed inwardly
therefrom towards the centre of, and lying in the plane of, the end rail and with
the inner side of it, or that side which is presented towards the centre of the bed,
made flat and set back to come within the width of the corner block, whilst the
opposed sides of end blocks or castings of the detachable rails are shaped to
conform to the contour of the round corner blocks of the pillars, so that the said
parts seat or nest themselves one into another. The opposite side of the outer
end of each of the side rail castings has a she dovetail socket adapted to receive
the he dovetail end of the detachable side bar. Or the dovetail parts may be
arranged the reverse order to that described. By this means, the chilled end
of the detachable rails are made to lie in nearly the same plane as, and to take
up very little more room than, the rails themselves, and further, when packed,
the extensions of a pair of pillar blocks admit of lying one against the other but
to take up no more width than would be occupied by a single pillar.
As a further modification, each corner pillar block is provided with a he dove-
tail coming nearly on the inner-most edge of the block which is provided with
a pair of inclined facets or flats coming respectively on the opposite side of the
dovetail, which engages with a she socket formed in a presented part of an end
casting of a detachable end rail, which end casting is shaped to fit or seat itself
as close as possible up to the corner pillar, and has facets or flats corresponding
to and bearing against those on the said pillar blocks, whereby rocking is pre-
vented and the connection made for more rigid.
Or instead of disposing the opposed facets on the corner block and end rail
casting at an inclination or angle relative to one another, they may both come in
the same plane with the he dovetail proceeding from the middle of one of the
extended flat bearing surfaces thereby formed and engaging in the she dovetail
in the middle of the other flat.
As a converse arrangement, the several forms of end castings or blocks as
previously described nesting or seating close up to the pillar corner blocks may
be fitted to or carried by the ends of the detachable side rails and have male or
female dovetail elements at parts inward of the corner pillars which correspond-
ing dovetails on the detachable end rails engage.
1
AL 1
1
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Bedsteads and Oots to Facilitate
Packing for Transit.
I, ROBERT PERCY TAUNTON, Managing Director of John and Joseph Taunton
Limited, of Sherbourne Road, in the City of Birmingham, do hereby declare the

page_text: 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of the end rails
and side and end angles of bedsteads and cots, and has for its object the econo-
mising of space when packing or nesting same into crates or cases for transit.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a portion of a bedstead end,
the pillar of which is provided with a corner block, having a pair of dovetail
sockets adapted to receive respectively the male dovetail ends of a loose side
angle iron and loose end angle iron. The bedstead is thus provided both with
detachable side and end angle irons, with the latter disposed on the inner sidea
of, and close up to the end rail, whilst the dovetail sockets of each corner block
come inwards of the pillar.
Figure 2 represents a portion of an end of a bedstead with the corner block
thereof provided with a couple of she dovetail sockets as before, but one of them
coming on the inside of the pillar to receive the male part of the end angle iron,
and the other adapted to receive the dovetail of the side angle, whilst in order to
admit of the members of the head and foot end rails coming in the same vertical
plane as the corner pillars, the detachable end angle bars are set inwards a short
distance towards the centre of the bed, and with their male dovetails carried by
curved castings or blocks, which are also cranked inwards.
Figure 3 represents a modification of Figure 2, but with the dovetail connect-
ions carried upon ordinary end castings, and with the outward end part of the
detachable end angle iron curved or cranked inwards.
Figure 4 represents another form, in which the she sockets of the corner blocks.
are disposed inwards of the pillar, and with the one to receive the end angle con-
tiguous to the pillar, whilst the male element of the dovetail connection is carried
or disposed near the corner of the end block or casting of the detachable_end
angle, or out of line with the longitudinal centre of the side angle, which is
thereby set inwards of the end rail. I wish it to be understood that the male
element of the dovetail .connection illustrated in Figure 4 may be carried at
one corner of the end block or casting.
Figure 4 represents a modification of Figure 4 in which the male element
of the dovetail of the detachable end angle is slightly curved or cranked, thus
bringing the bars further inwards.
Figure 5 represents a portion of a bedstead end with the male parts of the
dovetail connections carried upon the outer faces respectively of the end blocks
of the two angle irons, and engaging with inwardly presented sockets of the
extended parts of the corner blocks, thus the block of each end angle iron has the
male parts of the dovetails projecting from its outer sides, and at right angle
to the general length of the rails.
Figure 6 represents another form of my invention, in which the end rail of
a bedstead is provided with fixed end angle irons, and with the horizontal webs
of their equivalent gapped or recessed at the two outer ends adjacent to corner
pillars, thereby providing recesses into which the pillars or one of the pillars
of another bedstead may take when a number of bedsteads are nested or packed
one upon another in a case.
Figure 7 represents another form of my invention in which each of the chill
corners of the pillars are round in cross section, but with a lug extension directed
inwardly therefrom towards the centre of the end rail, and with the inner side
of it made flat, and set back to come within the width of the corner block, whilst
the opposed sides of the end blocks or castings of the detachable rails, are so
shaped to conform to the contour of the round corner blocks of the pillars, thus
the said parts seat or nest themselves one into another. The opposite side of the
outer end of each of the side rail castings is provided with a she dovetail socket.
adapted to receive the he dovetail end of the detachable side bar. I wish it
to be understood that the dovetail parts may be arranged the reverse order to
that illustrated in Figure 7. The chilled ends of the detachable rails are made

page_text: to lie in nearly the same plane as the rails themselves, and moreover, take up
very little extra space, and further, when packing the extensions of a pair of
pillar blocks, admit of lying one against the other, whilst still taking up no more
space than would be occupied by a single pillar.
Figure 8 represents a further modification, in which each corner pillar block
is provided with a he dovetail coming nearly on the innermost edge of the said
block, which is provided with a pair of inclined facets or flats, coming respectively
on the opposite side of the dovetail which engages with a she socket formed in
the presented part of the end casting of detachable end rail. This end casting
is shaped to fit or seat itself as closely as possible up to the corner pillar, and
is provided with corresponding facets or flats to those on the pillar blocks, thus
making a rigid connection.
Figure 9 represents an end angle provided with she dovetail elements accord-
ing to this form of my invention, whilst Figure 10 represents a sectional plan
of an end rail of a bedstead showing the pillars provided with corner blocks of
the contour described in Figure 8, whilst Figure 11 shows a portion of a bedstead
end with the pillar provided with a similar corner block, and showing the end
and side angles connected thereto.
Figure 12 shows another form, in which, instead of the opposed facets on the
corner block and end rail castings being at an inclination or angle relative to
one another, they both come in the same plane, and with the he dovetail proceed-
ing from the middle of one of the extended flat bearing surfaces thereby formed,
and engaging in the she dovetail in the middle of the other flat facet. As a
converse arrangement, the several forms of end castings or blocks may be fitted
to, or carried by the end of the detachable side rails, and have male or female
dovetail elements at parts inwards of the corner pillars, with which corresponding
dovetails on the detachable end rails engage.
The several letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the drawings:
A-Is the end rail of a bedstead.
B The pillar thereof.
CThe corner block.
D-The detachable side angle, and D' the dovetail casting thereof.
E The detachable end angle, and E¹ the dovetail casting.
Having now ascertained and described the nature of my invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that:-
:―
Firstly. In a pillar of a bedstead, cot, or like article, providing the corner
block thereof with two she dovetail sockets disposed inwards of the pillars,
within which, the respective male members of side and end angle irons are dis-
posed or engaged, which permit of the latter coming close up to the end rail, as
set forth in Figure 1.
Secondly. The combination with the corner block of a pillar of a bedstead, cot,
or like article, provided with two she dovetail sockets, of a detachable side angle
and detachable end angle, and with the dovetail casting of the latter cranked
inwards, as represented in Figure 2.
Thirdly. The combination with the corner block of a pillar of a bedstead, cot,
or like article, of a detachable aide angle and detachable end angle, with the
angle part of the end angle curved or cranked inwards, as represented in
Figure 3.
Fourthly. The combination with the corner block of a pillar of a bedstead, cot,
or like article provided with two she dovetail sockets, of detachable side and
end angles, the latter of which has its male dovetail connection disposed at, or near
the corner of the dovetail casting, as represent in Figure 4.
Fifthly. The combination with the corner block of a pillar of a bedstead, cot,
or the like, of detachable side and end angles, the latter of which has its male
dovetail connection slightly curved or cranked, as represented in Figure 4.
Sixthly. Casting the corner block, or equivalent, of the pillar of a bedstead,

page_text: cot, or the like, in the manner represented in Figure 5, whereby the detachable
end angle is disposed or carried inwards of the rail of a bedstead.
Seventhly. In the end of a bedstead, cot, or the like, the combination with the
corner block or casting of a detachable end angle having its dovetail casting
shaped as represented in Figure 5.
Eighthly. Providing the end angle iron of a bedstead, cot, or the like, with
gaps or recesses, as represented in Figure 6, wherein the pillars of another bed-
stead may take, or be disposed, on packing.
Ninthly. Providing a corner block or casting having an inwardly extending
lug as represented in Figure 7, and which lug is provided with a she dovetail
socket, with a detachable end angle iron, the dovetail block of which is provided
with he and she dovetail members which engage with, or take within, correspond-
ing members in the corner block and side angle respectively.
Tenthly. Providing the corner block or casting of the pillar of a bedatead, cot,
or the like, with inclined facets or bearings, at the extreme edge of which the
male dovetail is disposed, and with the casting of the detachable end angle iron
also provided with corresponding inwardly directed inclined facets or bearings,
as represented in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11.
Eleventhly. Providing the corner block or casting of the pillar of a bedstead,
cot, or the like, with facets or bearings, which come in the same plane, and are
disposed against, like facets in the detachable end angle, as set forth in Figure 12.
Dated this Sixth day of December 1899.
ROBERT PERCY TAUNTON.