CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MATTRESSES AND OTHER SURFACES FOR LYING, RECLINING OR SITTING UPON
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS CAPPER of Northwich, in the County of Chester, Auctioneer do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF MATTRESSES AND OTHER SURFACES FOR LYING, RECLINING OR
SITTING UPON, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of mattress which is composed of longitudinal
cane stretchers secured to frame work by metallic fixings and for which Letters
Patent were granted to James Thomas Lockey on the 1 day of November 1881
N° 4765.
The present improvements in such mattress or other surface designed for sitting
or reclining upon, will not only increase the durable and flexible properties of the
same but will in the construction of mattresses enable them to be reduced in bulk
when required for shipment or removal and again readily prepared for use.
In order that these improvements may be easily understood, I will as an example
describe them as applied to mattresses or articles of a like nature.
The canes forming the bearing surface of the mattress are secured to the top and
bottom frame work by means of wedges, spiral twists or enlargements formed on
the ends of the canes, fitting in adjustable tube holders or their equivalent.
The top and bottom portions of the framing are kept distended when in use, by
side longitudinal stretchers and are provided with joints, in a manner which will
enable such portions of the framing to be folded up, so that when the side framing
or stretchers are removed, the whole of the parts composing the mattress, can be
placed side by side, so as to occupy very little room, and thus enable the whole to
be stowed away for warehousing, shipping or removal.
THOMAS WRIGLEY,
36, High Holborn,
Agent to the Applicant.

page_text: I THOMAS CAPPER of Northwich in the County of Chester do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF MATTRESSES AND OTHER SURFACES FOR LYING, RECLINING OR SITTING UPON,
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 to that class of mattress which is composed of longitudinal
cane stretchers secured to frame work by metallic fixings and for which Letters
Patent were granted to James Thomas Lockey on the 1st day of November 1881
N° 4765.
The present improvements in such mattress or other surface designed for sitting
or reclining upon will not only increase the durable and flexible properties of the
same but will in the construction of mattresses enable them to be reduced in bulk
when required for shipment or removal and again readily prepared for use.
In order that these improvements may be easily understood I will as an example
describe them as applied to mattresses or articles of a like nature. The canes
forming the bearing surface of the mattress are secured to the top and bottom
framework by means of wedges, spiral twists, adjustable tube holders or their
equivalent and the top and bottom portions of the framing kept distended when in
use by side longitudinal stretchers, are provided with hinge joints-in-a-manner
which will enable such portions of the framing to be folded up so as to occupy with
the other portions of the mattress very little room when the whole are stowed away
for warehousing shipping or removal, such being the general features of these
improvements I will proceed more minutely to give illustrations with description
of the manner in which I carry the Invention into practical effect letters of reference
being marked on corresponding parts on all the Figs. alike.
In the various Figs. hereafter referred to a. a*. and a' a' is the framework-
a. a*. being the top and bottom portions thereof and a¹ at the longitudinal side
stretchers b. b. are the canes and c. c. the transverse tapes or bands which separate
the canes and keep them at equal distances apart all being well known parts of the
mattress described in the Specification of the Patent hereinbefore recited, but in
order that the improved means adopted for fixing the canes to their framing a. a.
and also the manner of constructing such mattress so as to give it the property of
being reduced in bulk when required for stowing away or for conveyance may be
well understood I have shewn on the Drawings annexed various arrangements, and
modification enabling me to carry out the Invention into practical effect.
Fig. 1 represents a general plan view of the mattress in its simplest form the
longitudinal cane stretchers in this view being shewn permanently fixed to the
framing a. a*.
Fig. 2 represents a detached sectional portion of the frame a shewing the manner
in which the canes are permanently fixed thereto by means of wedges d.-In this
arrangement the lengths of cane b. are first fixed to the bottom frame a, and then
passed through holes in the top frame a* through which they are pulled and
2

page_text: secured in their distended state by wedges d. which are driven in and covered by
discs or plates, the canes when thus fixed are further secured in their place by pegs
or rivets driven through them as seen at Fig. 1.
According to this arrangement when it is required to reduce the bulk of the
mattress for stowing away or for conveyance I hinge the top and bottom portions
of the framing to which the canes are permanently fixed so that when such frames
are disconnected from their side stretchers a¹ a¹ they can be folded with the canes
but when this method is adopted the ends of the stretcher a¹ a¹ will be constructed
so that while the bottom frame, a remains a fixture the top frame a* will be capable
of sliding so that it can be drawn up for tightening the canes by means of the
screws i shewn at the detached views Fig. 2a and 2ª.
Fig. 3 represents a similar view to that shewn at Fig. 1, in this view the
manner of securing the canes b. is effected by means of slotted tubes e. e. a
section of the tube with the end of one of the canes placed therein is shewn in detail
at Fig. 4 According to this arrangement the top and bottom portions of the
frame aa* are hinged so as to make them capable of being folded as shewn at Fig. 4ª,
in which condition they are ready for stowing away or for removal but when the
mattress is required for use the ends of the canes provided with enlargements or
balls vide Fig. 4 are slipped into the slotted tubes e. e. at which time the said tubes
are gripped by the holdfasts or hooks g¹ g¹ connected to the frames a a* which are
then secured to their side stretchers aa¹ in their distended position as shewn at
Fig. 3, the hooks g¹ being fixtures to the frame "a" at one end and adjustable to the
frame a at the other end so that when the two frames are secured to their
stretchers a¹ a¹ as shewn the canes b. b. can receive their full stretch by means of
the adjustable hooks g¹ which are screwed and drawn through the framing a* by
the wing nuts 92, this arrangement offers a ready means for disconnecting the parts
of the mattress so as to reduce its bulk for storing away or removal.
Figs. 5 and 6 represent detached plan and end sectional views of the manner of
securing the canes to bars or rods which are designed as a modification for the slotted
tubes shewn at Figs. 3 and 4.-In these (Figs. 5 and 6.) the canes b. b. are twisted
or coiled so as to form eyes at their ends which will allow the bar or rods e¹ e¹
easily to pass through them.-When the canes are so placed on their rods such rods
are secured to the top and bottom frame work a a* by the fixed and adjustable
holdfasts or hooks g. g¹. in manner similar to that described in connection with the
slotted tubes shewn at Figs. 3 and 4.-Fig. 7 represents a further modification of
the manner in which the canes can be fixed to their frames a a*. In this view it
will be seen that the ends of the canes when passed through their respective frames
have a portion of their protruding ends split and turned back so as to bed against
the frame the ends so split and turned over are then covered with a binding plate
screwed to the framing or other similar and equivalent modes of fixing the canes
may be employed without departing from the essential features of this Invention.
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 :-
First. The novel method of permanently securing the cane stretchers to the
framing as substantially shewn and described at Figs. 1. 2 and 7. of the Drawings
hereto annexed.
Secondly. The novel arrangement construction and adaptation to mattresses of
the description herein described of tubes, bars or rods to which the canes are attached
and which will enable such canes to be readily removed from or placed in position
together with the means employed for tightening such canes in the manner as herein
substantially described set forth and illustrated in the Drawings annexed at
Figs. 2. 3. 4. 5, and 6, and,
The general arrangement construction and combination of the parts composing
the mattress which will enable the same to be disconnected and folded up so as to

page_text: be reduced in bulk when it is desired to stow the same away for warehousing
shipping or removal in the manner as herein substantially described setforth and
illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
1000
THOMAS WRIGLEY,
36, High Holborn, W.C.,
Agent to the Applicant.