IMPROVEMENTS ON BEDSTEADS AND APPARATUS TO BE USED WITH OR FOR BEDSTEADS
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
BARRON, Brass Founder, and EDWARD THOMAS, Workman to James Barron,
both of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the sixth year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said James Barron and Edward Thomas, His especial license, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that we, the said James Barron and Edward
Thomas, our exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James
Barron and Edward Thomas, our exors, adñors, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS ON BEDSTEADS AND APPARATUS TO BE
USED WITH OR FOR BEDSTEADS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that we, the said James Barron and Edward Thomas, or one of us,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said 'Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Barron, on behalf of myself and the said Edward Thomas, do hereby
declare the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is
to be performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following
description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thercon (that is to say):-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a portion of the interior of a post of a bedstead having
part of our improvements applied. Figure 2 is the section of a post with
the combination of the parts of which it is composed, showing the manner of
applying the improvement. Figure 3 shews a plan of one corner of a bedstead.
Figure 4 shows middle folding joint of this bedstead, all which Figures are
full size. Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a bedstead, having the
improvements shown in detail in the other Figures applied thereto. In each
of these Figures the same letters indicate similar parts. a is a projecting
plate affixed on each of the posts of the bedstead. The projecting plates a
are intended to support the inner frame which carries the mattress and
bedding, and it will be desirable to remark that such inner framing has been
heretofore supported by straps of leather and sometimes by rings of metal
passing round the side rails of the bedstead. 6, 6, are projecting plates forming
part of the folding joints of the bedstead, and c, c, are holes drilled through the
projecting plates a, b, through which pins are passed in order to affix the inner
frame to the outer frame; and it is the application of such projecting plates a
and 6 for supporting the inner framing of metal bedsteads, which constitutes the
first of our improvements. Figuro 3 also shows the second of our improve-
ments, which consists of the mode of connecting the cross rails which constitute
the inner frame. c, c', are studs with heads affixed on the frame. d, d, and
e, e, are slits or slots cut or formed in the cross rails f,f; by this means it will
be evident that when the cross rails are in their places they will be securely
retained by the heads or upper parts of the studs c, c, and the cross rails being
interwoven, similar to the warp and weft in weaving, the surface thus produced
will be suitable for supporting the mattress and bedding, and the various cross
rails or plates may readily be removed when it is desired to fold the bedstead,
by sliding each cross rail from under its studs.
Having thus explained the second object of our Invention, we would have
it understood that what we claim as the said second improvement is the con-
structing the cross metal rails with slits, and having suitable studs to retain
them in their places, as above described.

page_text: I will now proceed to describe the third part or object of our Invention,
which is shown at Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and consists in the means of
applying the side rails to the stretcher bars of metal stretcher bedsteads,
whereby the bedstead when put together will be of greater length by some
inches on the inner surface than it would be if made of the same outer
length of the old construction; and this results from the formation of the
recesses 9, 9, in the stretcher rails h, h, into which the side rails i, i enter, and
they are retained in such recesses g,g, by the screw j.j, by which the posts k, k,
are affixed at the head and foot of the bedstead, all which will readily be
understood by an examination of the various Figures now under description,
the parts being marked by the same letters of reference wherever they occur.
Having described the third improvement, we would have it understood that
what we claim is the mode of combining the side rails with the stretcher rails
and the posts as above described.
The fourth of our improvements consists in constructing the folding joints
of metal bedsteads of maleable iron; by this means the cost and facility of
making such parts are reduced. This improvement is shown separately at
Figures 1, 4, 9, 10 and 11; according to the ordinary construction of these
joints for metal bedsteads they are forged from wrought iron, but in conse-
quence of the peculiarity of forms the forging is an expensive and difficult
process, at the same time there is a considerable toughness and strength
required in the joints. In order to carry this part of our Invention into effect
we prepare moulds to the same figures and shapes of the various parts as if
the same were to be cast in brass, but in place thereof they are to be cast
in what is called maleable iron, which is a process well understood, and forms
no part of our Invention, but the castings thus obtained have all the tough-
ness and strength required for the purpose of the various joints of the metal
bedsteads; and I would remark that we do not confine ourselves to the exact
forms or shapes of the folding joints here shown, as it will be evident that
they may be varied; but our fourth improvement consists in the application of
folding joints of maleable iron to metalic bedsteads in place of similar joints
of wrought iron.
I will now describe our fifth improvement, which consists in a mode of
constructing the posts of wooden bedsteads by combining a number of parts
together. Figures 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, show various views of parts of a
post for a bedstead; in each of these Figures the same letters indicate similar
parts. is the part called the plinth, it consists of a quadrangular frame
having the block m affixed therein; but it should be remarked that the grain
of the wood of this block runs horizontally, and the object of having the grain

page_text: of the wood to run in that direction is, that the screws by which the castor is
affixed will hold more securely than if the grain were to run vertically and
not at right angles to the axis of the screw. The part of the post from m to
n is constructed hollow, as is shown in the Drawing; these parts may be
made of common mahogany, or deal or other wood veneered with more
expensive wood, according to fancy. The construction of the parts o, p, consist
of portions of the post formed of the wood desired, and bored out to receive
the rods and screw nuts for affixing those parts to the part n of the post. q is
a pin which enters into recesses formed in the blocks m, r. These recesses
being larger at the points s, s, in order that when the pin is expanded at the
two ends by means of the wedges t, t, entering the same when the parts are
being driven together, by this means and by the aid of glue the parts m, n,
will be held securely together, and this is further aided by the pins v, which
enter into suitable holes drilled for that purpose, as is clearly shown in the
Drawing, particularly at Figure 12 and 13.
w, w, are plates against which
the wedges are forced. x, a, are rods, each having a head at one end and a
screw at the other. y is a nut by which the rods x, x, are securely drawn toge-
ther, and the parts of the post held together. is a pin similar to that at Fig. 9,
but it is only expanded by wedges at one end, and as is clearly shown in Figure
12, and same with the other parts are to be glued. Having thus described our
fifth improvement, we would have it understood that what we claim is the
mode of combining the parts of the post for bedsteads by the pins 1 and 2,
and the wedges and the screw rods and nuts as above described.
Our sixth improvement is shown at 12, 18, and 19, and consists in applying
the plate A (having a dovetail slot or opening to receive the dovetail tenon
affixed to the side and end rails) of maleable iron, brass, or wrought iron, in
place of forming it of common cast iron as heretofore. By this means tho
plate A will be more tough, and by no nicans so liable to injury as when made
of common cast iron. And we would remark that such descriptions of
connections for the parts of bedsteads is not new, but they have not been so
generally employed as they would otherwise have been, owing to the insecurity
of the plates A when made of common cast iron, which, owing to its brittle-
ness is liable to give way. And our sixth improvement consists in the appli-
cation to bedsteads of the plate A of maleable iron, brass, or wrought iron.
Our seventh improvement consists of an apparatus for the use of persons
lying in bed, and particularly in berths in the cabins of ships or vessels, and
such apparatus may be in the form of a table or tray, or may be a frame to
contain a basin or other vessel. B, in Figure 20, is a curved plate forming a
screw, which may be affixed to the foot or other convenient part near the bed

page_text: or berth to which it is applied. C is the frame which carries the table, or
tray or vessel required; this frame (the construction of which will be more
clearly understood by examining Figure 21) has an opening with friction
rollers D, which, working against the curved plate or screw B, guides the
frame up and down, and thus is the action made easy. E is a cord affixed to
the frame C, passing over pulleys F, F, which are conveniently placed to guide
the cord to the spring catch G, the construction of which will readily be
understood by an examination of the Drawing. This catch is conveniently
affixed to enable a person lying down to move the catch from bottom to top of
its rack, by which operation the frame C, which was before out of the way, is
by passing along the screw B caused to come to the person, and it will be
evident that when the frame C is no longer required, the person can return
it out of the way by passing the spring catch again along the rack which
retains it in any position to which that catch is left. What we claim as our
seventh improvement consists in the combining of the screw B, the frame C,
and the other parts, as above described, for the purpose of constructing an
apparatus such as has been explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Barron, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord