Improvements in Wardrobe-beds.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd July, 1892-Accepted, 27th Aug., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE GUNN FOLDING BED COMPANY, of Grand
Rapids, in the County of Kent and State of Michigan, U.S.A., Manu-
facturers.]
Improvements in Wardrobe-beds.
I, REGINALD WALTER BARKER, of Monument Chambers, King William
Street, London, Middlesex, Patent Agent, 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 :--
My invention relates generally to combined articles of furniture-such as ward-
robe-beds, book-cases, folding-beds, cabinets, and the like-and particularly to a
structure in which one or more wardrobes or similar articles, a bed-casing, and a
bed frame, or like articles are normally stationary and arranged in rear of one or
more cabinets or like articles which are constructed and arranged to be reciprocated
laterally and immediately in front of the structure first named upon a stationary
track, whereby access can be readily obtained to the front or inner portion of said
structure; and it consists of the novel construction and arrangement or combination
of parts hereinafter fully disclosed in the description, drawings, and claims.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification, in which the
same reference-letters indicate the same or corresponding parts,
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my invention, the several parts thereof
being shown in closed condition;
Fig. 2, a vertical section of the bed-casing and the bed-frame, the latter being
shown in its raised or vertical position in dotted lines and in its lowered or horizontal
position in full lines;
Fig. 3, a horizontal section through the lower parts of the bed-casing the two
wardrobes, and one of the cabinets, the other cabinet being shown in top plan view,
while the bed-frame, which is shown in its lowered or horizontal position, is also
shown in top plan view; and
Fig. 4, a broken longitudinal section of one of the cabinets and the grooved sill
and also side views of one of the peripherally-grooved rollers, the stationary rail,
and one of the adjustable or extension rails.
In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, A indicates the bed-
casing A', the two wardrobes; A", the doors of the latter, and B the bed-frame.
The bed-casing is arranged intermediate of the wardrobes, its sides forming the rear
walls of said wardrobes. Within this bed-casing, near the lower front portion
thereof, the bed-frame is pivoted upon the sheaves D, which are attached to the
backs of said wardrobes, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and project into the slots E,
which are formed in the side rails of said bed-frame near their front edges and
along their lower portions. These sheaves and slots guide the bed-frame in
lowering and raising it, and also permit it when down or in horizontal position to
be drawn forwardly, so that its pillow or head board G will be nearly in line with
the front of the cabinets and in proper position for allowing free circulation of air
laterally over the head portion of the bed. To the rear side of the lower end of
this bed-frame are secured the weights F, the purpose thereof being to counter-
balance the weight of the front side thereof when in its vertical or raised position
and to assist in overcoming its weight in raising it from its horizontal or lowered to
its vertical or raised position. The foot end of this bed-frame is provided with a
cross piece O, to which is hinged the cross piece P, which is provided with the
legs Rand which is held in place by the catch Q.
In front of the lower portion of the two wardrobes A' and the bed-casing A,
which are normally stationary, is secured a stationary track, which consists in this

page_text: instance of the grooved sill I, the rail J, secured therein, the extension-rails J',
hinged to the outer ends of said rail J, as at U, provided with the legs J and
held пр in place against the outer ends of the cabinets by springs V, and the
sills H, secured to the bottoms or base-frames of said wardrobes and provided with
the rollers M at their front ends. The two cabinets C and C¹ are mounted upon
this track, are sidewise or laterally moyable back and forth thereon, are arranged
in front of the wardrobes, the bed-casing, and the bed-frame when the latter is in
its vertical or raised position, and are provided near their lower ends or bottoms
with the rear sills L and the front sills N, as shown more plainly in Fig. 3, but in
which only one of said cabinets C is illustrated as provided with these parts,
whereas as constructed and used the other cabinet C is provided with the same
parts. The sills L have journalled in bearings attached to their rear sides the
peripherally-grooved rollers K, which rest and are movable back and forth upon the
rails J and J, while the front sills N are movable or capable of being reciprocated
upon the rollers M.
These cabinets as thus constructed and mounted upon the
stationary track and the rollers are capable of very casy lateral or endwise
movement from and to the front of the bed-casing for allowing the opening and
closing of the same and for permitting access thereto for lowering and raising the
bed-frame and bed.
The bed-casing A has fastened to its top the long strip T, which projects beyond
its front edge and is formed on its under side for its full length with a tongue that
fits within the grooves S, which are formed in the tops of the cabinets C and C¹.
This tongue and the grooves guide the cabinets as they are moved back and forth
over the stationary track and hold them firmly in place when they are in front of
the bed-casing and wardrobes. This means for connecting, guiding, and holding
together a stationary and a movable article of furniture of the character described
is very effective and desirable and also simple in construction, but, as is obvious, it
can be greatly varied in the latter respect and in the arrangement without departing
from the principle of this part of my invention. When the stationary and movable
articles are placed together, an article of furniture results having the appearance
represented in Fig. 1.
While I have thus described and shown two wardrobes and an intermediate bed-
casing which are stationary and two cabinets which are arranged in front thereof
and movably supported on rollers upon the stationary track, it is obvious that a
single stationary and a single movable article of furniture can be substituted for and
used in lien of these combined stationary and movable articles without having to
resort to other than mere mechanical skill or expedients.
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:
1. The combination, with a stationary article of furniture, a bed-frame pivoted
therein, and a stationary track arranged in front thereof, of a movable article of
furniture and rollers for supporting the same upon said track.
2. The combination, with a bed-casing, a bed-frame pivoted therein, and a
stationary track provided with rails and arranged in front thereof, of an extension-
track and a cabinet laterally movable on said track.
3. The combination, with a stationary article of furniture, a bed-frame pivoted.
therein, and a stationary track arranged in front and at the base thereof, of a
movable article of furniture and rollers for supporting the same upon said track,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
4: The combination, with a stationary article of furniture, a bed-frame pivoted
therein, and a stationary track arranged in front and at the base of the lower portion
tliereof; of a movable article of furniture and rollers for supporting the same and
permitting of its sidewise or lateral reciprocation upon said track, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
5. The combination; with a bed-casing, a bed-frame pivoted therein, and a

page_text: stationary track secured in front and at the base of the lower portions thereof, of
the cabinets and the rollers for supporting the same and permitting of their side-
wise or lateral reciprocation upon said track, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
6. The combination, with the bed-casing, the bed-frame pivoted therein, the
wardrobes, and the stationary track secured in front and at the base of the lower
portions thereof, of the cabinets and the rollers for supporting the same and
permitting of their sidewise or lateral reciprocation upon said track, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
7. The combination, with a bed-casing, a bed-frame pivoted therein, and a track
secured in front and at the base of the lower portions thereof and comprising a
stationary rail and extension rails at the outer ends thereof, of the cabinets and the
rollers for supporting the same and permitting of their sidewise or lateral recip-
rocation upon said track, substantially as and for the purpose described.
8. The combination, with the bed-casing, the bed-frame pivoted therein, the
wardrobes, and the track secured in front and at the base of the lower portions
thereof and comprising the stationary rail and extension rails at the outer ends
thereof, of the cabinets and the rollers for supporting the same and permitting of
their sidewise or lateral reciprocation upon said track, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
9. The combination, with the bed-casing, the bed-frame, the wardrobes, and the
track comprising the stationary rail, the extension rails hinged to the outer ends
thereof, and the forwardly projecting sills having rollers at their front ends, of the
cabinets and the rollers secured thereto for supporting the same and permitting of
their sidewise or lateral reciprocation upon said track, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
10. The combination, with the bed-casing, the bed-frame, the wardrobes, and the
track comprising the stationary rail, the extension rails hinged to the outer ends
thereof and provided with legs at their outer ends, the springs for holding said
extension rails in raised position, and the forwardly projecting sills having rollers at
their front ends, of the cabinets and the rollers secured thereto for supporting the
same and permitting of their sidewise or lateral reciprocation upon said track, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described.
11. The combination, with the bed-casing, the bed-frame, the wardrobes, and the
track comprising the grooved sill I, the stationary rail J, the extension rails J,
hinged to the outer ends thereof, and the forwardly projecting sills II, having the
rollers M at their front ends, of the cabinets C C', each provided at its lower end
with the front sill N and the rear sill L, the latter having the peripherally grooved
rollers K journailed upon its rear side, whereby said cabinets are permitted to be
reciprocated sidewise or laterally upon said track and in front of said bed-casing,
bed-frame, and wardrobes, substantially as described.
12. The combination, with a stationary article of furniture, a bed-frame pivoted
therein, and a stationary track arranged in front and at the base thereof, of a
movable article of furniture, rollers for supporting the same upon said track and
means for connecting, guiding, and holding said articles of furniture together, sub-
stantially as described."
13. The combination, with a stationary article of furniture, a bed-frame pivoted
therein, a stationary track arranged in front and at the base thereof, a laterally
movable article of furniture, and rollers for supporting the same upon said track,
of means for connecting, guiding, and holding said articles together, substantially
as described.
14. The combination, with the bed-casing A, provided on its top with the long
strip T, which projects beyond its front edge and is formed with a tongue upon its
under surface, of the bed-frame B, pivoted in said casing, the cabinets CC¹, formed
in their tops with the grooves S, into which said tongue projects, the rollers for
supporting said cabinets, and the track secured in front of the lower portion of said
casing, whereby said cabinets are accurately guided as they are moved back and forth

page_text: over said track and held firmly in place in front of said bed-casing, substantially as
described.
15. In a wardrobe-bed the combination, with the bed-casing A, having the
sheaves D attached to its sides near its lower front portion, of the bed-frame B,
formed with the slots E near the front edges and along the lower portions of its
side rails and provided on the rear side of its lower end with the series of weights F,
with the head-board G above the same, and at the front of its upper end with
the cross piece O, the cross-piece P, hinged thereto and having the legs R, and the
catch Q for holding the latter cross piece in place, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
D
2
T
ו.
1000
REGINALD W. BARKER.