IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS, SEATS,, COUCHES, AND OTHER ARTICLES FOR. SITTING, AND RECLINING ON
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lamb Hancock, of Tipton, in the County
of Stafford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS, SEATS,,
COUCHES, AND OTHER ARTICLES FOR. SITTING, AND RECLINING ON."
Sealed the 10th April 1866,. and. dated the 14th, October 1865..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lamb Hancock
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th October 1865..
I, JAMES LAMB HANCOCK, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, do
hereby, declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BEDSTEADS, SEATS, COUCHES, AND OTHER ARTICLES FOR SITTING AND RECLINING ON,"
to be, as follows
My Invention, consists in novel arrangements of springs, as hereafter
described, to form beds, mattrasses, and other like spring surfaces. I take
a lath, and rivet on, to it strips of steel, the two ends of which strips are
brought under the body, as that with the lath, each bent strip forms an
elliptical spring, the ends being more rounded than in an ordinary elliptical
spring built up of several plates; and Jemploy as many of these bent
stripsjas may be, necessary. The bent strips on one lath break joint with
those on the next adjacent laths, that is, the bent strip on one lath comes

page_text: in a line with the space between the bent strips on the next, and so on. I
employ stops to prevent the ellipses being flattened beyond a fixed extent.
Sometimes I cover the ellipses by a lath extending over them from end to
end, which lath is also sometimes connected to a spring at one or both
ends. In other cases I use a connecting strip carried from one ellipse to
the next, and I use transverse laths or not, as may be required. I prefer
that my strips of steel be rolled curved in cross section to impart greater
strength, and to prevent a cutting edge being exposed by them. Again,
I form my bedsteads, mattrasses, cushions, or seats of lengths of laths
supported at each end upon a spring, or simply curved round with the
ends undermost, and in some cases I also apply spiral springs under such
láths. For beds and couches I connect some of my ellipses to a frame
connected at one end to a rack free to move upon a hinge or joint at the
other end, in order to afford a raised part for the head.
My Invention also consists in the employment of metal laths for beds,
cushions, and other like articles curved in cross section, and with the ends.
flattened to enable them to be held by the ordinary end fastenings. Again,
I apply a raised edge on or to the side and end frames of bedsteads, for
the purpose of protecting the bedding from the ends of the laths and from
the fastenings for retaining the laths.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Lamb Hancock in the Great Seat Patent Office
on the 14th April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES LAMB
HANCOCK, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said James Lamb Hancock, Her special licence that I, the
said James Lamb Hancock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Lamb Hancock, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of

page_text: Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEDSTEADS, SEATS, COUCHES, AND
OTHER ARTICLES FOR SITTING AND RECLINING ON," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Lamb Hancock, my executors or adminis-.
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Lamb Hancock, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the. same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in novel arrangements of springs; as hereafter
described and represented in the annexed Drawings, to form beds,
mattrasses, and other like spring surfaces.
I take a lath, as represented at A, Fig. 1, and rivet on to it strips of
steel B, B, the two ends of which strips are brought under the body as
shown, so that with the lath A each bent strip forms an elliptical spring,
the ends being more rounded than in an ordinary elliptical spring built up
of several plates, and I employ as many of these bent strips as may be
necessary. The bent strips on one lath break joint with those on the next
adjacent laths, that is, the bent strip on one lath comes in a line with the
space between the bent strips on the next, and so on. I employ stops C, C,
to prevent the ellipses being flattened beyond a fixed extent. Sometimes
I cover the ellipses by a lath extending over them from end to end, as
represented at D, Fig. 2, which lath is also sometimes connected to a spring
D at one or both ends. In other cases I use a connecting strip carried
from one ellipse to the next, as at E, Fig. 3, and I use transverse laths or
not, as may be required. I prefer that my strips of steel be rolled curved
in cross section to impart greater strength, and to prevent a cutting edge
being exposed by them. Again, I form my bedsteads, mattresses, cushions
or seats of lengths of laths, supported at each end upon a spring, as repre-
sented at F, Fig. 4, or simply curved round with the ends undermost, as
at G, Fig. 5; and in some cases I also apply spiral springs under such
laths, as at H, Fig. 6, with a pin riveted to the upper lath and passed
through the spring and through the lower lath as shewn, so as to prevent
the spring from bending laterally. For beds and couches I connect some

page_text: of my ellipses to a frame, as represented at I, Fig. 7, connected at one end
to a rack J, and free to move upón a hinge or joint K at the other end,
in order to afford a raised part for the head. According to which tooth of
the rack the frame I is supported by, so is the frame more or less raised.
The rack J is hinged at L.
My Invention also consists in the employment of longitudinal or trans-
verse metal laths for beds, cushions, and other like articles curved in cross
section, as seen at M, Fig. 8, and with the ends flattened, as at N, to
enable them to be held by the ordinary end or side fastenings, or these
laths curved in cross section may be constructed without the ends being
flattened, but secured to a curved bolster or saddle. Again, I apply a
raised edge-on or to the side and end frames of bedsteads and other articlés
with laths, as represented at O, Fig. 9, for the purpose of protecting the
bedding from the ends of the laths, and from the fastenings for retaining
the laths. P-is-one of the fastenings for retaining the laths; it is made
as usual with an overhanging projecting part, which is below the level of
the raised edge O when the fastening is turned round-after the slotted end
of the lath has been passed over it.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my improve-
ments in bedsteads, seats, couches, and other articles for sitting and
reclining on,-
First, the arrangement of elliptical springs formed of strips of steel, the
ends of which are brought under the body and secured to a láth; substan-
tially as herein-before described and represented in Figs. 1 and 7 of the
accompanying Drawings, whether such strips be curved in cross section
or not.
Second, the arrangement représented in Fig. 2, and herein-before
described, whether such arrangement be employed with or without the
springs D at one or both ends of the lath.
Third, the arrangement represented in Fig. 3, and herein-before
.described.
Fourth, the employment in connection with the elliptical springs of
stops to prevent the ellipses being flattened beyond a fixed extent, sub-
stantially as herein-before described, and represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 7.
Fifth, the several arrangements represented in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, and
herein-before described.
13
Sixth, the employment of metal laths curved in cross section substantially
as and for the purpose herein-before 'described with reference to Fig. 8.

page_text: Seventh, constructing the side and end frames of bedsteads and other
like articles with a raised edge, substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described with reference to Fig. 9.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lamb Hancock, have hereunto
set my hand, and seal, this Fourteenth day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. L. HANCOCK. (L.S.)