Improvements in or connected with Spring Mattresses, Stretchers, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Spring Mattresses, Stretchers,
and the like.
I, THEODOR VILHELM SVANE, of Fästningen, Christiania, in the Kingdom.of
Norway, 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:
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with spring mattresses,
canvas stretchers and the like, and has for its object to provide means whereby the
surface. of the mattress or, stretcher is caused to preserve its convex form, .so that .the
sinking in of the same, which is very disadvantageous, especially for surgical purposes,
and which results from the use of the central part.of.the mattress or, stretcher, will be
avoided.
According to my invention I provide an arrangement of bars, spiral springs,
screwed rods and straps which may have their tension regulated as desired by any
suitable means such as nuts.
In the accompanying drawing:-
17737
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a spring mattress having my improvements
applied thereto.:
Figure 2 is a plan; and,
Figure 3 is an end view of the same:
Figure 4 is a plan shewing a slightly modified, form of my invention designed
more especially for use with broader mattresses:
Figure 5 is an end view of the same:
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are views of details:
Figures, 9, 10 and 11 are plans of the details shewn in Figures 6, 7 and 8
respectively:
Figure 12 is a side view of a stretcher with my improvements:
Figure 13 is an underside view of the same:
Figures 14 and 15 are end views of the same.
A is the mattress or stretcher, and, as, above described, it is the object of my
invention to preserve the convexity of the surface of the mattress.
To the central part of this mattress A is fixed a number of bars or supports a
(Figures 1, 2 and 3) each provided at the top and bottom, with a small, plate b;
each of these plates,b, which are preferably square, is provided with a hole in each
corner, so that the upper plates can be connected by, wires and thus form a part
of the mattress A. The lower plates are also connected together by means of wires c.
The outermost or corner plates, 61, 62, 63, 6 of the bottom series are secured to spiral
springs preferably at their corners, as shewn in Figure 2. These springs are
connected to bars, e, the outer ends of which project beyond the frame of the mattress
and are screw-threaded and provided with nuts g. The spir
springs'd and the bars e
are advantageously arranged longitudinally with respect to mattress, and it will be
obvious that the spiral springs d will be put more or less in tension by screwing or
unscrewing the..nuts g.and this will cause the rods.a, to act on the bottom of the
mattress with a greater or less pressure so that the said bottom A can be raised to the
desired extent should it become sunk through use. Side bars with spiral springs i
(Figures 2 and 3) serve to keep the arrangement in position laterally and also assist
the mattress to support heavy loads. The spiral springs d and i serve consequently
to give the requisite elasticity to the arrangement.
4
Figures 6 and 9 shew a support a with plates b. When the mattress is of more

page_text: than the usual breadth I provide central angular supports a (Figure 7) with one lower
plate and two upper plates, the said supports being connected with the other supports
as above mentioned and as shewn in Figures 4, 5, 7 and 10.
Figures 8 and 11 shew a special form of support a by means of which greater
elasticity is obtained. The support a with its upper plate 6 can in this case move up
and down in a sleeve a', fixed to the lower plate b; the support a, which passes
through the lower plate 6, has a collar a² and between this collar and the lower plate b
a spiral spring a³ is arranged. Pressure on the bottom of the mattress will cause
the spring to move downwards, even if the spiral springs d or i are not affected
thereby.
In stretchers (Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15) the bottom A is usually formed of canvas,
which is not elastic in itself and which will naturally sink in the centre, even if not
used. My invention therefore can be very advantageously applied to such stretchers.
In the arrangement shewn for convenience of packing the wires c are replaced by
chains and instead of the bars e and nuts g I use straps provided with holes
and the arrangement is regulated by stretching the straps more or less tightly over
the hooks m to which hooks the canvas bottom is also fixed. The side straps n are
attached, as shews in Figure 15, to the side-bars o of the stretcher.
The upper plates are provided on the top with large leather discs or plates p,
which are advantageously connected together by means of leather or other straps.
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. A support for spring mattresses, stretchers or the like consisting of a number of
vertical bars or supports the upper ends of which are connected with the mattress
and the lower ends of which are connected together and are provided with suitable
means which tend to stretch or pull them outwards substantially as, and for the
purpose, herein before described.
2. A support for spring mattresses, stretchers or the like of the kind described in
Claim 1, wherein the upper ends of the bars or supports are provided with plates
attached to the mattress and the lower ends to plates connected together by means
of wire and to bars by means of spiral springs, the said bars being advantageously
arranged longitudinally and provided with adjusting nuts substantially as, and for
the purpose hereinbefore described.
:
3. In supports for spring mattresses, stretchers or the like of the kind described in
Claims 1 and 2, forming the bars or supports angular in shape so that they carry two
upper plates and one lower plate substantially as, and for the purpose, hereinbefore
described.
4. In supports for spring mattresses, stretchers or the like of the kind described in
Claims' 1 and 2, replacing the bars by straps and the wire by chains substantially as,
and for the the purpose, hereinbefore described.
5. The manufacture and use of the improved spring mattress hereinbefore described
and illustrated in Figures 1 to 11 of the accompanying drawing.
6. The manufacture and use of the improved stretcher hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 12, 13 14 and 15 of the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 4th day of Aria 1906.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
+4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.