Improvements in Bedsteads adapted for use in Lunatic Asylums, and for Cognate Purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bedsteads adapted for use in Lunatic Asylums,
and for Cognate Purposes.
I, ISAAC CHORLTON of 17 Blackfriars Street, Manchester in the County of Lancaster;
Spring Mattress Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My said Invention relates to bedsteads suitable for use in lunatic asylums or for
occupation by persons or patients subject to physical paroxysms or illnesses such for
instance as epileptic or other fits in which self injury often occurs.
In constructing such beds it is customary to close the ends of the bedstead and
this is usually done with wood or sheet iron. Such hard substances are however
liable to cause injuries to the patient during his voluntary or involuntary struggles,
and my invention has for its object to obviate this disadvantage. I close the bedstead
ends with sheets of elastic woven wire or other similar flexible metallic structure,
which while cheap and almost indestructible, will by its elastic qualities entirely
obviate all danger of injury by sudden contact therewith. In order that there may
be no gaps between the woven wire and the bedstead ends, I insert or otherwise
secure the woven wire in or to the tubular or other members of the bedstead end..
For instance if the bedstead ends are made of tubing, I slit the tubing throughout
its length. To the ends of the woven wire sheet, I rivet metal strips or rods and
slip the tubes along the said ends, the woven wire sheeting passing through the
slit while the rivetted on strips or rods keep 'the ends of the sheet in the tubing.
I also slip rods through the coils at the margins of the woven wire sheeting and..
slip the slit side end tubes along the margins so as to enclose the rods and thus'
retain the wire sheeting in position. The tubes are connected together by curved
or other shaped corner pieces, hollow or solid. In putting the bedstead ends
together the woven wire sheeting is strained to the desired extent and when the end
is complete and in position, the bedstead ends are entirely closed without any gaps
or loose edges to entangle or injure the patient and presenting a surface which
while practically indestructible is nevertheless so soft and resilient that the patient
cannot possibly injure himself even by coming into the most violent contact with
the ends.
The form or material of the bedstead ends and the method of securing the
woven wire sheeting to the said ends are not material to my invention so long as
the bedstead presents closed ends of elastic woven wire or other equivalent elastic
metallic fabric substantially as set forth.
Dated the 11th
T1007

page_text: Improvements in Bedsteads adapted for use in Lunatic Asylums,
and for Cognate Purposes.
I ISAAC CHORLTON of 17 Blackfriars Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Spring Mattress Manufacturer, 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:-
My said Invention relates to bedsteads suitable for use in lunatic asylums or for
occupation by persons or patients subject to physical paroxysms or illnesses such
for instance as epileptic or other fits in which self injury often occurs.
In constructing such beds it is customary to close the ends of the bedstead and
this is usually done with wood or sheet iron. Such hard substances are however
liable to cause injuries to the patient during his voluntary or involuntary struggles,
and my invention has for its object to obviate this disadvantage. I close the bedstead
ends with sheet of elastic woven wire or other similar flexible metallic structure,
which while cheap and almost indestructible will by its elastic qualities entirely
obviate all danger of injury by sudden contact therewith.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood I will now refer to the
annexed two sheets of illustrative drawings.
In the said drawings.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved bedstead for the indicated purposes,
the head portion of the bedstead being constructed in accordance with my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the head portion of the improved bedstead.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of Fig. 2.
Figs. 4 to 8 are detail views showing the method of applying the elastic surface
to the bedstead.
Figs. 9 to 12 indicate modifications of the method of carrying my invention into
effect.
Referring in the first place to Figs. 1 to 8 of the drawings, in order that there
may be no gaps between the woven wire and the frame of the bedstead end I insert
'the woven wire within the tubular members of the bedstead ends.
The bedstead end is formed from two vertical members A and two horizontal
members B. The vertical members A are formed with a slit a for a greater portion
of their length and extending from the top towards the bottom of the members
as plain "y indicated in Fig. 5.
Each horizontal member B is also provided with a slit b along the entire
length as shown in Fig. 6.
To the top and bottom ends of the woven wire sheet c I rivet metallic or other
strips c¹. These metallic strips c¹ are first introduced at the ends of the horizontal
members B and slid along the length of the same as indicated in Fig. 4.
Corner blocks d (see Fig. 7) are then rivetted or otherwise secured to the
upper horizontal member B.
The plugs d of the corner blocks d are cut or recessed to accommodate the edges
of the elastic surface as shown in the end view of the block, Fig. 7.
A plug e is also introduced at each end of the lower horizontal member B and
secured by rivets or pins as indicated in Fig. 8. The sides of the elastic wire
surface are turned over, or a rod fe passed through the coils as indicated in
Figs. 4 and 7. The upper portion of the vertical members are then slipped along
the side of the elastic wire surface and are secured by rivets or the like to the
plugs of the corner blocks d as plainly shown in Fig. 7.
The elastic wire surface may then be strained by means of the lower

page_text: horizontal member B the sides of the elastic wire surface sliding in the slits of
the vertical tubes A. When sufficient tension has been attained the lower
horizontal tube B is secured in position by means of pins, screws or rivets g,
introduced through the vertical tubes A into the plugs e as shewn in Fig. 8.
The bedstead end is thus entirely closed without any gaps or loose edges to entangle
or injure the patient, and presenting a surface which while practically indestructible
is nevertheless so soft and resilient that the patient cannot possible injure himself
even by coming into the most violent contact with the ends.
Although I have shown the elastic woven wire surface to the head only of the
bedstead it will of course be understood that the foot may also be provided with a
similar surface if desired. In some instances also the elastic woven wire surface
may also be applied to the sides of the bedstead as indicated in dotted lines in
Fig. 9. This constuction would be particularly applicable to a child's cot.
In Fig. 9 I indicate in full lines a metallic or other frame to which a sheet of
elastic woven wire has been secured by suitable means. These frames could be
readily applied to existing bedstead ends.
In Fig. 10 I show in cross sectional view a modification of the method of carrying
my invention into effect.
The tubular frame h is provided at the top and bottom with angle iron members i i
carrying a sheet of elastic woven wire j. By operating the nuts k on the bottom
bolts the elastic surface j is easily stretched.
In Fig. 11 the elastic woven wire surface k² is clamped between semi-circular
cross bars l.
The upper cross bar is secured to the frame m whilst the lower cross bar is
slidable and the requisite tension can be given to the elastic surface k² by operating
the hook bolts n passing through the angle irons n¹ by means of the nuts n².
A further modification indicated in Fig. 12.
In this case the tubular or other bedstead end m is provided with an elastic sheet
of woven wire secured to angle iron side pieces o, which are stretched between and
bolted or rivetted to the frame of the bedstead end.
The form of material of the bedstead ends and the method of securing the
woven wire sheeting to the said ends are not material to my invention so long as the
bedstead presents a closed end or ends of elastic woven wire or other equivalent
elastic metallic fabric substantially as set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
(1) In bedsteads for use in lunatic asylums, or for occupation by persons subject
to voluntary or involuntary physical paroxysms, providing the bedstead with sheets
of elastic woven wire, for the purpose, in the manner and substantially as described
and shown.
(2) The improved bedstead for use in lunatic asylums and for cognate purposes
constructed and arranged to in the manner and substantially as described and
illustrated in the drawings.