IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO SPRING BEDS, MATTRESSES COUCHES AND THE LIKE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Ellisdon of Liverpool in the county of
Lancaster for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO
SPRING BEDS, MATTRESSES COUCHES AND THE LIKE
"
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Ellisdon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1883.
FREDERICK ELLISDON of Liverpool in the county of Lancaster " IMPROVEMENTS
"
IN AND APPERTAINING TO SPRING BEDS, MATTRASSES, COUCHES, AND THE LIKE
Spring mattrasses as ordinarily constructed are either very cumbrous or apt to
sag to one side, or have hard sides that are undesirable. Now my invention is
designed to obviate these evils; to prevent sagging I have at one or more
convenient points a pillar (or rod) and guides or other parallel motion; one plan of
doing this is to fix the pillar to the upper frame hereafter described working
downwards between guide rollers shaped to fit pillar or rod, through a socket set
in the bottom frame; another plan is to have at the corners or centre of the top or
bottom edge or both, pillars projecting upwards through holes in the top frame or
between guide pulleys in the top frame, when this latter method is adoptod to
increase steadiness of parallel motion, a short tubo fitted to the side of upper frame
may work through a slightly larger one in lower frame, by theso means all useless
sagging motion is avoided without impeding the ordinary working of the springs,
which are of the ordinary spiral shape.
I further form my mattresses in two or more interchangeable pieces, each of
which in that case can have a parallel motion, although if they are firmly laced
together one without a parallel motion can be kept parallel to one with, theso are
hinged together in such a manner that the hinged rod (or connecting rings made
to remove) can be drawn out and the positions of the parts reversed and the
hinges or connection again inade by inserting the rod, eyes being placed on both
sides of the pieces of bedding for the purpose.
I form the upper surface in the following manner, a frame of strong wire of the
shape and size of the lower frame is connected to the edges of the outside springs,
and then wires or laths of iron or other pliable material runs across the centre of
I Drine S21

page_text: cach row of springs from side to side, and end to end and firmly attached to each
spring and the outer edges or frame by staples or other means, thus keeping the
springs at equal distances from one another or lacing the springs by wire passing
from edge to edge in any firm way to keep them equally apart, the ends of the
wires being bent round the outside skeleton wire frame. I sometimes place a pair &
of diagonal wires interlaced through the others, and of rather stouter gauge so as
to take off the sagging strain direct to the parallel motion or pillar, and I sometimes
make the centre wire both along the length and breadth of rather thicker gauge
for the same reason. The upper frame I then tie down to the required distance or
shape of Mattress desired by cords or webbing attached to edges of upper and 1
lower frames and firmly secured, the middle being kept at proper distance by a
collar or other projection at bottom of pillar.
Ordinarily springs are placed in parallel-rows-of-equal-number,-thus_when_a
mattress is made in more than one piece, the two rows of the parts that join coming
close together causes the mattress to be more obdurate to external pressure than 1
elsewhere, to obviate this I place the springs in rows diagonally across the frame,
thus giving a more equal resistance throughout.
The lower frame I make of wood or a wood or iron frame with wire strained
across to carry the springs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Ellisdon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th December 1883.
FREDERICK ELLISDON of Liverpool in the county of Lancaster
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND APPERTAINING TO SPRING BEDS, MATTRESSES, COUCHES, AND THE LIKE
"
Spring mattresses as ordinarily constructed are either very cumbrous or apt to
sag to one side, or have hard sides that are undesirable. Now my invention is
designed to obviate these evils.
It is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings in which, Fig. 1 is a
plan, and Fig. 2 a section of my improved bed. In these, A A are ordinary steel
springs, and B a series of wires crossing each other and joined at their intersections
by steel clip rings or smaller wire wound round them and the whole galvanized, or
by any other secure and convenient manner of junction To prevent sagging, I
have at one or more convenient points a pillar (or rod) C and guides or other
parallel motion; one plan of doing this is to fix the pillar C to the upper frame
hereafter described working downwards botween guide rollers D (shaped to fit
pillar or rod C) through a socket set in the bottom frame; another plan is to have
at the corners or centre of the top or bottom edge or both, pillars projecting
upwards through holes in the top frame, or between guide pulleys in the top frame.
To increase steadiness of parallel motion, a short tube fitted to the side of upper
frame, may work through a slightly larger one in lower frame, by these means all
useless sagging motion is avoided without impeding -the ordinary working of the
springs, which are of the ordinary spiral shape as shown.
To further steady the upper frame and to prevent the outer edge sinking too
low, I place blocks of wood fixed to the lower frame in the outside springs at
intervals as shown in dotted lines at Fig. 2. These blocks can be of any desired
height as required.
I further form my mattresses in two or more interchangeable pieces, each of
which in that case can have a parallel motion, although if they are firmly laced
together one without a parallel motion can be kept approximately even with one
with.
The mode of fastening I prefer is by clamps or clips made to approximately fit
the edge wires, and having a bolt and thumb-screw to tighten it up so as to firmly
hold the two wires or bars together immovable one on the other.
One advantage of this interchangeability of parts is that by intorchanging at
intervals the wear can be distributed all over.
I form the upper surface in the following manner: a frame of strong wire of the
shape and size of the lower frame is connected to the edges of the outside springs,
and then wires or laths of iron or other pliable material run across the centre of
each row of springs from side to side, and end to end, and are firmly attached to
each spring that they pass over, and to the outer edges or frame and outer springs
by staples or other means, thus keeping the springs at equal distances from one
another. In place of this I may sometimes lace the springs by wire passing from
edge to edge in any firm way to keep them equally apart, the ends of the wires
being bent round the outside skeleton wire frame and outside springs. I sometimes
place a pair of diagonal wires interlaced through the others, and of rather stouter
gauge so as to take off the sagging strain direct to the parallel motion or pillar,
and I sometimes make the centre wire both along the length and breadth of rather
thicker gauge for the same reason. The upper frame I then tio down to the
required distance or shape of mattress desired by cords or webbing attached to

page_text: edges of upper and lower frames and firmly secured by flexible attachments to the
centres of the wood blocks, the middle being kept at proper distance by a cotter,
collar, or other projection at the bottom of the pillar.
Ordinarily springs are placed in parallel rows of equal number, thus when a
mattress is made in more than one piece, the two rows of the parts that join
coming close together cause the mattress to be more obdurate to external pressure
at that part than elsewhere; to obviate this I place the springs in rows diagonally
across the frame as shown, thus giving a more equal resistance throughout. In
some cases I form two half beds with the rows arranged so that the rows shall be
continuous across both, but this is little more than a theoretic advantage, and in
the drawing I have adopted the simpler plan of both halvos being made alike.
Having now described my invention and the best manner known to me of
Tcarrying it into-effect,-I-wish-it-to-be-understood that what I claim as new and
:desire to protect under the letters patent is :-
1st. The construction of spring beds, mattresses, couches, or the like with a rigid
bottom frame and pliant upper frame, and with a parallel motion mechanism so
attached to or working in the two, that the upper frame shall be incapable of
motion except in a direction practically perpendicular to the lower frame.
2nd. The various improvements in the manufacture of spring beds, mattresses,
¿couches, and the like, substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Frederick Ellisdon have hereunto set my hand
and seal this eighteenth day of December in the year of our Lord, one thousand
eight hundred and eighty threo.
FREDERICK ÉLLISDON
(LA)