IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE BEDS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for foreign
patent solicitors 6, Lord Street Liverpool in the County of Lancashire and
323, High Holborn London in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE
BEDS (a communication from abroad by François René Rétif of 2 Boulevard
de Strasbourg Paris in the Republic of France, Merchant,) to be as follows:-
"
The subject of the present application for Letters Patent is an improved portable.
bed applicable for hospital and military purposes, as well as for hotels, country
houses and the like, and generally for all places where it is desirable that the bed
should take up but little room when not in use, that it shall be easily taken down
and set it, and that any given segment of it shall be capable of removal.
The bed is composed of a series of frames, (preferably three in number) which
when dismounted fit within each other. The transverse pieces of each frame are
curved or hollowed out sufficiently to prevent any contact with the body of the
sleeper when the bed is in use. The sides of the frames are strengthened by small
aide pieces forming ribs which prevent the inclination to bend transversely; to
these ribs are fixed two strong pieces of canvas or the like, each of which has a lath
fixed in the hem and preceded by a row of eyelets. These are laced together by
passing a cord round them and through the eyelets with which they are provided.
The portions destined to support the head and the feet respectively, are provided
upon one of the transverse sides with a button attached to the end of a string
passing through two eyelets. The sides of the middle piece have eyelets for the
fastening of these buttons, and it is strengthened by doubling at these points. The
portion intended to support the head has no button holes in front, but simply an
eyelet to keep the cloth stretched. The end piece is formed in like manner.
The first section of the bed which encloses the other two when the bed is
dismounted has two rings, one at each side, through which pass two supports for a
small cloth which forms the pillow of the bed. These supports are preferably
wooden posts arranged to fit firmly in the rings, they can be instantly removed
when the rings fall down and do not increase the width of the frame. Any section
of the bed can be removed by simply detaching it and taking it out without
disturbing the rest. When not in use the portions of'the bed fold up close, so that
there is no space wasted.

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the County of Lancaster and
323 High Holborn London in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad by
François René Rétif of 2 Boulevard de Strasbourg Paris in the Republic of
France, Merchant) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The portable bed which forms the subject of the present application for Letters
Patent is applicable as an ambulance or camp bed for army or navy use, for
hospitals, for hotels, country houses and so forth, and in general whenever a bed is
required occupying little space when not in use, easy to set up and take down and
which can be divided at any given point of its length; whilst practically fulfilling
these conditions, this bed has the further advantages of light weight, say about five
kilograms, of easy transport (20 beds occupying about a cubic metre), of cheap first
cost and little liability to need repairs. It carries moreover its pillow with it, and
offers every desirable comfort.
Referring to the accompanying drawings;-
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 1—2 of plan Figure 2 of the
bed set up.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on line 3-4 of said Figure 2.
Figure 4 shows the bed folded up, and shows how the elements A. B. C.
composing it are packed up together.
Each of these elements consists of a wood frame comprising the longitudinal
sides a. b and the transverse sides c. d bent or hollowed out sufficiently to prevent
them coming in contact with the body of the person using the bed.
The long sides a and b are stayed by the short pieces e f which form ribs and
increase the resistance to the transverse strain. To the sides are fixed two pieces
of strong canvas or other suitable fabric g and h, which are united by a sort
of lacing by means of a cord or string k passed from one to the other through the
eyelets. It should be remarked that the pieces g and h are edged by laths h h¹
fixed in the hem and preceded by a row of eyelets. It results from this arrange-
ment that the pieces of canvas are kept stretched, even should the eyelets break
away or tear by means of the laths. The pieces A and C are each provided
upon one of the transverse sides of the cloth g with a button v fastened to the end
of a string passed through two eyelets i i. The transverse sides of the middle
piece B are provided with button holes m to correspond with the buttons vand
suitably strengthened. The piece A designed to support the body and the head has
not in front the button hole m, but only an eyelet for the purpose of securing the
stretched cloth to the side c. The last piece C has also simple eyelets to secure
the cloth to its side d.
The first part A which encloses the two others B and C when the bed is
dismounted has in front the edges a and b the rings n n into which fit the
supports p p¹ of a small cloth t forming the pillow of the bed. These supports p p¹

page_text: which are simple pieces of round wood are retained in the rings by projections
formed for this purpose. The supports can be taken out instantly whereon the
rings fall down against the sides a and b, and thus do not increase the width of the
frame. The cords o o¹ securing the cloth t to the supports are fastened to the edging
slats g g so as to extend the stretching action over the whole surface of the said
cloth. The bed being set up as shewn in Figures 1 and 2 proves extremely
comfortable in every direction, the whole body being supported by it from head to
foot, no matter what kind of ground the bed stands on. The cloth gives a little
under the weight of the body, but as the ribs ef have their edges deeply cut out or
chamfered, the body does not come in contact with them. Should it be requisite
to divide the bed during use, at either of the joinings the buttoned parts are
unfastened and the piece can then be removed.
When the bed is packed up there is no room wasted whether it be packed in a
box for travellers or otherwise for soldiers. In a box the bed clothes may be used
to fill the interstices. Designed for a military bed, it may be packed so as to be
carried in slings or even in the knapsack. For greater convenience these beds may
have the separate parts united by bands or straps fixed to the smaller sides of the
interior compartment C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination of parts forming the portable bed constructed in several
pieces or "elements" substantially as above described.
2. In portable beds and the like, the method of attaching the separate cloths by
lacing them together by a tension cord passing through eyelets, the edges of the
cloths being strengthened by laths also the use of wooden strengthening pieces
along the longitudinal sides of the frame for the purpose of strengthening the same,
and securing them more firmly to the cross pieces, also the method of securing the
cloth of each section to that of the next, also the arrangement of parts designed to
support the head of the user and serve as a pillow the whole substantially as
above described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of February 1886.
WP. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.