Improvements in or Additions to Wire Fabrics.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 6th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 6th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Wire Fabrics.
We, WILLIAM WATERHOUSE and THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN, trading
as The Birmingham Woven Wire Mattress Company of Acocks Green, near the
City of Birmingham, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates first to improvements in wire fabrics, or in the formation
or fabrication of the strengthening stripes or edgings, technically known in.
commerce as cables, and secondly, to the body meshes of bed bottoms, and is
an improvement or an advance upon Letters Patent granted to us, and bearing
date the 21st day of May 1891 No. 5076, and also upon an application for Letters
Patent made by us and bearing date the 20th day of October 1893 No. 19728, in
which closely coiled or closely wormed spirals are passed up the sheds or hollows
of the fabric, or up the axes of the hollow strands, and which added spirals may,
if necessary, be internally supported by additional coils passed up them.
In carrying out one form of our present invention, we take a breadth of woven
wire fabric made up of a series of intercoiled spirals, and forming an open worked
mesh, with one side distinguished from the other side by the said one side having
parallel and obliquely directed grating-like mounds separated by furrows, and with
the longer directions of the mounds running at right angles to the bars forming the
grating-like structure. The other side of the fabric has grooves, corresponding to
the mounds on the one side, and with ridges separated by grooves or channels.
These obliquely directed ridges are thrown up by the continuous spirals
overlapping each other wave-like, or lying upon each other scale-like.
The coils of this fabric are then collectively gathered or bunched together,
forming a skeleton cable, with a single helical channel running circumferentially.
from end to end of it, within which a closely coiled or wound binding or tying
spiral is laid by spiral winding, hence the fabrication of a skeleton or open-work
cable, which may be used either as an edging or body strengthening stripe for a
mattress, or as a metallic belting or rope for communicating motion from or to a
distance, or as a flexible internal support for various articles in lieu of whale bone
or springs.
Instead of a plain breadth of fabric, formed by the intercoiling of a series of
helices, a fabric made into the form of a cylinder, without an internal support, may
be employed, which cylinder is gathered or bundled up and tied by a wire binding
spiral, lain within the helical channel and there affixed by tying the ends.
In applying these cables to the edgings of mattresses, the adjacent or contiguous
spirals of body mesh and cable are picked up by a union coil, or by lacing, or by
other means.
The collecting or gathering together of the united or infibulated coils makes an
open-work or skeleton pattern, which may be varied according to the character of
the weaving.
In ordinary cables, the depth of the helical channels is considerable, and
generally the binding coil, which may be either metallic or textile, when in position,
lies below the body part of the cable, but to this we do not limit ourselves, as the
laid-in binding coils may stand above the open work patterned body coils.

page_text: As a further form of our invention, we make up a cable or strengthening stripe
in manner following:-
A series of coils or helices of the sanie pitch are taken, and interwoven or
interwormed one with another, forming a compound spiral, with the walls of the
same separated by a running helical space, into which space, a supplementary close-
wound binding coil is laid, after a core-coil has been passed up the axis of the
compound coil.
Thus, the cable edge or stripe is made up of a series of interwormed or inter-
screwed spirals, coming together helically in block, and with the said solid block
parts of the helix being separated by helical spaces, filled up by the winding or
laying therein of a supplementary coil, band, ribbon or the like, the whole being
internally supported by a hollow or solid core, made either of wire or of textile
material.
The binding or tie coils may, if necessary, be of textile material, and we propose
that the compound body coil should be of large diameter, and that the coils laid
in the intervening spaces should stand above the surface of the body coil.
The wire fabric of a mesh is united to a cable which may form either an edging
or strengthening stripe, by union spirals, which pick up and join together the
adjacent parts of fabric and cable.
As a still further form of our invention, we take a length of closely coiled or
wormed spiral, and fabricate the same into a series of continuous and overlapping
running loops, whose edges fall scale-like upon each other. These loops are
connected together at their side intersecting points by single or compound binding
spirals or coils, interwormed over and under, so as to unite or tie the formed loops
together at opposite points.
A band so constituted is both flexible and elastic, and can be advantageously
used both as a ventilated edging for mattresses and other wire fabrics, and also as
beltings and for other purposes.
When applied to the body fabric of a mattress, then the said edging and band
may be united by a running and binding coil or coils.
Cables constructed according to our invention may be employed in substitution
for wire ropes for ships' and like purposes.
In carrying out our invention in connection with bed or mattress bottoms or
sackings, we employ two series or sets of closely wound or wormed helices, of either
of the forms as herein described, or we take two series or sets of cables, and distend
them obliquely across the frame of the mattress or bed-bottom, and with the same
crossing and interlacing with each other, and forming a diamond pattern, and with
the ends of the said helices, strands or cables united by tying or otherwise to both
the ends and sides of the frame.
The said helices, strands or cables are situated at such distances apart that they
in themselves constitute the mesh, distensible bed-bottom or sacking.
Dated this 7th day of June 1894.
WILLIAM WATERHOUSE,
THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.

page_text: 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 first, to improvements in wire fabrics, or in the formation
or fabrication of the strengthening stripes or edgings, technically known in
commerce as cables, and secondly, to the body meshes of bed bottoms, and is an
improvement or an advance upon Letters Patent granted to us, and bearing
date the 21st day of May 1891 No. 5076, and the 20th day of October 1893
No. 19728.
According to one form of our invention we make up a cable or strengthening
stripe in manner following.
A series of coils or helices of the same pitch are taken, and interwoven or
interwormed one with another, forming a compound spiral, with the walls of the
same separated by a running helical space, into which space, a supplementary
close-wound binding coil is laid by wrapping, either after or before a core-coil has
been passed up the axis of the compound coil.
Thus the cable edge or stripe is made up of a series of interwormed or inter-
screwed spirals, coming together helically in block, and with the said solid block
parts of the helix being separated by helical spaces, filled up by the winding or
laying therein of a supplementary coil, band, ribbon or the like, the whole being
internally supported by a hollow or solid core, made either of wire or of textile
material.
The binding or tie coils may, if necessary, be of textile material, and we
propose that the compound body. coil should be of large diameter, and that
the coils laid in the intervening spaces should stand above the surface of the
body coil.
The wire fabric of a mesh is united to a cable which may form either an edging
or strengthening stripe, by union spirals, which pick up and join together the
adjacent parts of fabric and cable.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a portion of a strengthening
stripe, cable or edging made according to this part of our invention.
Figure 2 represents a cross section of the same upon the dotted line a, showing
the relative dispositions of wires of the helices.
Figure 3 represents the said strengthening cable or edging prior to the laying
and wrapping of the supplementary close-wrapped binding coil into the running
helical space separating the solid walls of the compound spiral formed by the
screwing or interworming of the helical wires.
Figure 4 is a cross section of Figure 3 upon the dotted line A.
Figure 5 shows an elevation of the compound body coil having a running helical
space around it, separately.
Figure 6 represents a portion of a core coil or of the supplementary binding coil
separately.
Figure 7 represents the application of our cable as a strengthening edging of a
mattress, whilst Figure 8 represents the same applied to the centre of a mattress,
forming a strengthening stripe only.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 8.
a is a compound body coil, formed of a series of closely interwormed or inter-
screwed spirals a', and having a helically running space or gap a', wherein a closely
wrapped binding coil b, is laid or run. Running axially up the middle of the body
coil is the core coil or axial support c.
In carrying out our invention in connection with bed or mattress bottoms or
sackings we employ a number of series or sets of closely wound or wormed helices,
or we take a number of series or sets of cables, and distend them obliquely across
the frame of the mattress or bed-bottom, and with the same crossing and interlacing
with each other, and forming a diamond pattern, and with the ends of the said
helices, strands or cables united by tying or otherwise to both the ends and sides
of the frame.

page_text: The said helices, strands or cables are situated at such distances apart that they
in themselves constitute the mesh, distensible bed-bottom or sacking.
Figure 9 represents a mattress or sacking made according to this last described
part of our invention.
Figure 10 represents an enlarged view of two of the crossing strands a, each
made up of closely coiled interwormed helices a¹.
Figure 11. represents a section, on au enlarged scale, upon the dotted lines.
Figure 9 and e represents the connection screw hooks, with their open sides turned
outwards and round which the side strands are passed, as also represented in
Figure 9.
Figure 12 represents one of the cord strands separately, and also a section
thereof.
Instead of employing cords or strands made of a number of helices closely inter-
wormed, cords may be made from a single close coiled helix, as represented in
elevation and section in Figure 13.
The cord strands represented may be in a number of single lengths or in one
continuous length, secured, in the former case, by nailing and covered by strips of
wood at the ends of the mattress framing, or, in the latter case, by passing the
length round the heads of nails or through the eyes of staples.
Figure 14 is a diagrammatic view of a mattress, the mesh of which is formed from
three laced lengths of cord strands. The dotted lines a³, represent the one strand,
the chain dotted lines a, another continuous strand, and the broken lines a
represent the third strand."
Figure 15 is a section of Figure 14, upon the dotted line A, and upon an
enlarged scale, whilst Figure 16 is a back end view of Figure 15, with the strip
removed, showing the cords passing around the stems and under the heads of the
securing nails.
As a still further form of our invention, we take a length of closely coiled or
wormed spiral, and fabricate the same into a series of continuous and overlapping
running loops, whose edges fall scale-like upon each other. These loops are
connected together at their side intersecting points by single or compound binding
spirals or coils, interwormed over and under, so as to unite or tie the forined loops
together at opposite points.
A band so constituted is both flexible and elastic, and can be advantageously
used as a ventilated edging for mattresses and other wire fabrics, and for other
purposes.
When applied to the body fabric of a mattress, then the said edging and band
may be united by a running and binding coil or coils.
Figure 17 represents a ventilating or open work edging or stripe, such as last
described.
fare the overlapping loops which lie scale-like one upon another, and made from
a continuous length of cord strand formed from closely interwormed helices.
g and h are the laced binding or tie cords.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
First. Making the cables or strengthening stripes of wire mattresses up of a
compound body coil, formed from a series of intercoiled helices, and having
a running helical space, wherein a coiled helix or textile cord is run and lain, the
whole being internally supported by a core coil, and which said components a,
and. c are arranged and combined substantially as described and set forth in
Figures 1 to 8.
b
Secondly. Making the meshes of mattresses from a series of crossing metallic
cord strands, interlaced one with another, the crossing lengths being made from a
number of single strands or from two or more continuous strands, substantially as
described and set forth in Figures 9 to 16.

page_text: Thirdly. A ventilated or openwork edging or strengthening stripe for mattresses,
consisting of a continuous strand, formed into a series of overlapping loops,
connected together by longitudinal laced binding or tie cords, substantially as
described and set forth in Figure 17.
Dated this 5th day of March 1895.
WILLIAM WATERHOUSE,
THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.