Improvements in or connected with Bedsteads, Ships' Berths, and similar Frames or Articles to Hold Woven Wire Mattresses.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Feb., 1895-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Bedsteads, Ships' Berths, and
similar Frames or Articles to Hold Woven Wire Mattresses.
I, THOMAS HILTON, of Moss Side Works, Great Western Street, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Wire Mattress Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:―
One object of this invention is to obriate or dispense with the necessity of
drilling the holes to receive the stretching or supporting bolts accurately opposite
one another in the mattress and bedstead or other frame designed to stretch the
mattress, and to provide an improved bedstead particularly suitable for wire bolster
mattresses or sackings.
It is intended to be applied to bedsteads for sackings or bed bottoms of woven
wire or other distensible material, combined with or without wire bolsters ships
berth and ordinary mattress frames also to so called combination bedsteads and
three part bedsteads.
It consists essentially in constructing the frame which bears the tension of the
mattress with two bars placed together between which the bolts or screws are
passed, instead of the usual single bar with hole or slot bored or punched
therein and in the combination therewith of suitable chills or castings for holding
the same placed either on the, sides or ends of the bedstead or framing.
In carrying out the invention as applied to bedsteads for sackings, on each of
the sides at the top and bottom ends, I provide chills or chilled castings by which
the said sides can be connected or attached to the ends by a dovetail bracket such
as is commonly employed, the projecting part of the dovetail being preferably
attached to the end. These chills or another chill on the same end are prepared to
receive the ends of two flat or other shaped bars which are stretched across from
one side to the other. These bars are placed about one half inch or five eighths of
an inch apart to allow of a bolt or screw passing between them at any place along
their length, except where a small washer to maintain them the required distance
apart may be inserted in the centre or other out of the way position in the case of
wide bedsteads or frames.
These chills may be so formed that the bars can be slid or placed in position
and also removed when desired, or the bars may preferably be placed in position
in the moulds and the chills cast on them as fixtures, or the bars may be distanced
apart by chills with a dovetail end. fitting into a socket in the chill on the corner
pillar of bedstead or frame, so that the pair are removable together. Similar bars
and chills are placed at both ends. The sides to which the chills are attached may
be either of an angle, U or other cross section.
For mattress, cot and ships berth frames and the like where no uprights are
employed or where chills are not desirable the two cross bars for the tightening
bolts or screws to pass through, are secured to the sides by being rivetted, bolted or
screwed thereto the sides being of any suitable section.
If the sides are curved of half U or similar shape one bar may be placed above
and the other below or a special form of U may be employed with a flange or ledge
at one side to which one of the bars is attached.
In the case of ordinary mattress frames, instead of employing two separate bars
or plates, the ordinary block end as it is called may be modified and have long
mortice like slots almost its whole width, giving the desired distance to obviate

page_text: any inexact drilling of the stretcher bar carrying the wire fabric, or it may be of
two bent bars formed so as to give more slots than one in their width and
rivetted or otherwise held together where the flat surfaces come together and thus
give great strength.
For combination bedsteads, the chills are attached to the end or corner pillars
and the two bars secured in position therein, the side angles may socket or dovetail
into the same or other chills as usual, or preferably the sides may be made tubular
or with tubular ends and the chills are provided with projecting studs or the like
which fit into the tubular ends of the sides, and when the tension of the screws is
applied to the mattress the whole bed is held firmly together.
For three part beds the mattress frame is constructed similar to a ships berth
or other iron frame but the corner chills carrying or holding the two stretcher
bars at each end will also have the usual dovetail to socket into that on the head
and foot rail of bedstead as usual or if the head and foot rails of bedstead have the
two bars fixed apart, the mattress frame may have suitable lugs, studs or set
screws projecting from the ends of the frame, going through the gap end bars
of bedstead and secured by a nut or other known contrivance. In this latter modi-
fication the usual dovetail chills on the bedstead pillars would be dispensed with as
regards the side bars.
It will be seen that by this arrangement any inaccuracy of drilling of the holes
in the stretcher bar of the mattress to which the woven or distensible material is
attached is at once compensated for by the long slot between the two bars whereby
the screw or bolt can be moved or placed in any desired position. No nicety or
accuracy in setting out for drilling or punching will now be required as was formerly
the case where it was necessary for both pair or sets of holes to be of equal distance
apart and also equally distant from the sides.
A similar advantage is obtained in cases where the mattress is stretched from
side to side instead of end to end of bedstead, and in such cases the stretcher
bar of the bedstead may be arranged as a stay to accurately thickness out the
two gap side bars and prevent their expanding or collapsing owing to their
greater length.
Where a bolster mattress or sacking is to be applied I provide the foot end
of bedstead with the two bars for the stretching bolts, and on the angle or
other side bars at a suitable distance I rivet or otherwise attach Z shaped pieces
or clips to hold the stretcher bar carrying the mattress and bolster wire fabrics
in position and thus dispense with bolts usually employed for this which do not
always adjust themselves to the proper distance and thus spoil the proper shape or
curve of the bolster. I also provide at the head end two elastic or rigid curved bars
fixed or detachable whichever are most convenient, arranged to span from the side
angle or bar of bedstead to the corner pillars at either side, and to which the ends
of the wire bolster fabric are attached in some known manner either by the spirals
being threaded on to the bars or secured by rings or rings combined with
spiral springs arranged to give an elastic conuection the object being to hold
the edges of the wire bolster distended and in position and protect them from
damage when in use.
The webbing whether for mattresses, sofas, couches, chairs or pillows may be
woven with the wires running in three directions each interlacing or interlocking
with the others and also with the top edge of vertical coiled springs either formed
round, triangular or square for the purpose so as to securely fasten the vertical
springs to the wire web. These springs may be placed between two wire webs
resting on one and supporting the other or they may rest upon laths, struts or the
like. The edges may be finished off with a cord of twisted wire or the like passed
through the interstices formed by the coils of wire.
Dated this 1st dar of May 1904
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Bedsteads, Ships' Berths, and
similar Frames or Articles to Hold Woven Wire Mattresses.
I, THOMAS HILTON, of Moss Side Works, Great Western Street, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Wire 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:-
One object of this invention is to obviate or dispense with the necessity of
drilling the holes to receive the stretching or supporting bolts accurately opposite
one another in the mattress and bedstead or other frame designed to stretch the
mattress and to provide an improved bedstead particularly suitable for wire bolster
mattresses or sackings.
It is intended to be applied to bedsteads for sackings or bed bottoms of woven
wire or other distensible material combined with or without wire bolsters ships
berth and ordinary mattress frames also to so called combination bedsteads and
three part bedsteads.
It consists essentially in constructing the frame which bears the tension of the
mattress with two bars placed together between which the bolts or screws are
passed instead of the usual single bar with hole or slot bored or punched therein
and in the combination therewith of suitable chills or castings for holding the same
placed either on the sides or ends of the bedstead or framing.
The invention will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which several applications and modifications are illustrated.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the invention is shown applied to an ordinary woven
wire or spring mattress. The end of the frame A which carries the woven wire
fabric or sacking B is constructed of two bars C and D placed side by side with a
space between them to form a slot for the greater part of their length between
which the tightening screws E can be passed instead of boring holes to receive
them. A small washer d may be placed at each end to maintain the bars the
desired distance apart and a similar washer may be placed at any position along
the length of the bars C and D to give greater rigidity thereto. Instead of
employing two separate bars or plates the ordinary block end as it is called may
be modified and have long mortice like slots almost its whole width giving the
desired distance to obviate any inexact drilling of the stretcher bar carrying the
wire fabric.
Referring to Figs. 3 to 8 the invention is shown as applied to bedsteads which
carry the wire fabric or sacking B without loose or removable frames. On each
of the sides F at the head and foot of the bedstead I provide chills or chilled
castings G by which the said sides F can be connected or attached to the ends by
a dovetail bracket such as is commonly employed the projecting part of the
dovetail being preferably attached to the end. These chills G (or another chill
on the same end) are prepared to receive the ends of the two flat or other shaped
bars C and D which are stretched across from one side to the other. These bars
are placed about one half inch or five eighths of an inch apart to allow of a bolt
or screw passing between them at any place along their length except where a
small washer d to maintain them the required distance apart may be inserted in
the centre or other out of the way position in the case of wide bedsteads or
frames.
The chills G may be so formed that the bars can be slid or placed in position
and also removed when desired but the bars C and D are preferably placed in
position in the moulds and the chills cast on them as fixtures or the bars may be
distanced apart by chills with a doretail end fitting into a socket in the chill on

page_text: the corner pillar of bedstead or frame so that the pair are removable together.
Similar bars and chills are placed at both ends. The sides to which the chills are
attached may be either of an angle U or other cross section. The bars C and D may
be of any convenient cross section such as flat angular or curved to permit of the
desired space being provided between them and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show three suitable
forms of bars. Further instead of the bars C and D being flat longitudinally they
may be so bent or formed as shown in Fig. 5 as to give more slots than one in the
width of the bedstead and be rivetted or otherwise held together where the flat
surfaces come together and thus give great strength.
Referring to Figs. 9 to 12 the invention is shown applied to mattress cot and
ships berth frames and the like where no uprights are employed or where chills are
not desirable. The two cross bars C and D for the tightening bolts or screws to
pass through are secured to the sides F by being rivetted bolted or screwed
thereto the sides being of any suitable section. Where the sides F are of angle
iron see Fig. 10 the desired distance apart of the bars may be obtained by a small
washer e inserted above the lower bar. Where the sides are curved of half U or
similar shape as in Fig. 11 one bar may be placed above and the other below or a
special form of U section may be employed as in Fig. 12 with a flange or ledge e
at one side to which one of the bars is attached or the sides F may be tubular or
of other form of cross section.
Referring to Fig. 13 a special construction of chill is shown for applying the
invention to what are known as combination bedsteads. The chills G are attached
in the ordinary way to the end or corner pillars H and the two bars C and D
secured in position therein the sides F may be made tubular or with tubular ends
and the chills are provided with projecting studs g or the like which fit into the
tubular ends of the sides and when the tension of the screws E is applied to the
mattress the whole bed is held firmly together.
For three part beds the mattress frame is constructed similar to a ships berth or
other iron frame but the corner chills carrying or holding the two stretcher bars at
each end will also have the usual dovetail to socket into that on the head and foot
rail of bedstead as usual.
Referring to Figs. 14 and 15 the invention may be applied to mattresses which
are stretched from side to side instead of end to end of the bedstead and in such
cases the stretcher bar J of the bedstead may be arranged as a stay to maintain
the two gap side bars F¹ the desired distance apart and prevent their expanding or
collapsing owing to their greater length.
It will be seen that by this arrangement any inaccuracy of drilling of the holes
in the stretcher bar of the mattress to which the woven or distensible material is
attached is at once compensated for by the long slot between the two bars whereby
the screw or bolt can be moved or placed in any desired position. No nicety or
accuracy in setting out for drilling or punching will now be required as was formerly
the case where it was necessary for both pair or sets of holes to be of equal distance
apart and also equally distant from the sides.
Referring to Fig. 16 a modified bolster mattress is shown that is a mattress
combined with a bolster both made of the woven wire fabric or sacking. The foot
end of the mattress is provided with the two bars for the stretching bolts in one of
the forms already described. On the side bars F at a suitable distance from the
head I rivet or otherwise attach the clips K to hold the stretcher bar L carrying
the mattress B and bolster A' in position and thus dispense with the tightening
bolts which have hitherto been employed for stretching the mattress and bolster
which do not always adjust themselves to the proper distance and thus spoil the
proper shape or curve of the bolster or the bar L may be bolted to the sides F.
provide at the head end two elastic or rigid curved bars M fixed or detachable
whichever are most convenient arranged to span from the side angle or bar F of
bedstead to the corner pillars H at either side and to which the ends of the wire
bolster fabric are attached in some known manner either by the spirals being
threaded on to the bars M or secured by rings or rings combined with spiral

page_text: springs arranged to give an elastic connection the object being to hold the edges
of the wire bolster distended and in position and protect them from damage when
in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In conjunction with a woven wire mattress the combination with the frame
which bears the tension of the mattress of two bars placed together between which
the stretching bolts or screws are passed substantially as described.
2. A framing for carrying woven wire fabrics constructed with two bars between
which the stretching screws pass substantially as described with reference to either
of the figs. of the drawings.
3. In
woven wire mattress formed with a wire bolster the combination with
the bolster of rods such as M substantially as and for the purpose described and
shown.
1005
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, and London, Patent Agents.