An Improvement on Stuffed or Air Mattresses, Invalid Beds, Stretchers, Cradles, and Invalid Chairs.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 6th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement on Stuffed or Air Mattresses, Invalid Beds,
Stretchers, Cradles, and Invalid Chairs.
I GUSTAV RITTERSHAUS Surgical Appliances Maker 15 Little Goodge Street,
St. Pancras, London W. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The subject of my invention is an improvement of stuffed or air mattresses by
which a patient or person when placed on or in this mattress he can not sheft from
his horizontal position so that neither the uper nor lower extremitats of the body,
neither will there be any chance of the patient falling off or out of the mattress.
The patient or person is in all his position softly in beded and neither shocks nor
swings can desturb his position thereby ensuring complete rest for the wound.
It can be used as a mattress for all kind of bedstades, as well as an ordinary, or
an invalid bed, or as an hanging bed, or stretcher, being made to inflate it will
appear, in weight and shape, as an ordinary sanitary field stretcher. When made
in small demention it will replace a cradle and especialy prevents children falling
on the floor.
It's prinzipal advantage is that severaly woundet can be placed on or
in the mattress without splints being needet. A patient taken from the operation
table placed in or on the mattress, prepared as a stretcher or hanging bed, can
start traveling either on rail road or ship etc. without the person filling the orcilotion
or jolting.
It also will be a preventitive to sea sickness. It can as well be constructed to be
used as a chair, to attached to a bedlift of stand, chair stand etc.
The prinzipal parts of the invention when constructet are, india rubber, india
rubber cloth (mackingtosh), stuff of varius kind, leather, felt, stuffing compost of
varius matirials, air, wood, metal, string, etc.
The nature of the invention is a recess the exact shape and form of the human
body constructed 6, 9 and 12 inches deep into which the patient or person can rest
lie or be placed. The above mentioned apparatus is made in two parts joined
together one to rest or lie on and the other being the recess whish surrounds the
body.
Dated this 6th day of January 1892.
GUSTAV RITTERSHAUS..
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement on Stuffed or Air Mattresses. Invalid Beds,
Stretchers, Cradles, and Invalid Chairs..
I GUSTAV RITTERSHAUS Surgical Appliances Maker of 15 Little Goodge Street
St. Pancras London West, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the sane is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My invention has for it's object an improvement upon the ordinary mattresses,
invalid beds, chairs, stretchers and cradles now in use.
The nature of the invention is a "recess " the natural shape of the human body,
worked in the mattress & etc. in which it lays softly inbeded and surrounded.
The principal atvantages of the recess are, to secure the human body from con-
cussions etc. To keep it in an anatomical position. To allow rest for the wounded.
To save the application of splints. And to transport badly wounded with (safety).
Invalids etc. can be transported either on rail, roads, or ships etc. without feeling
077

page_text: the oscilation or jolting, they can sit in a chair without bending the body or parts
of it forward or sidewards.
When constructed for, or as a cradle it specialy prevents children falling out on
the floor.
I will now describe my invention reference being made to the accompaning
drawings. In which
Fig. 1. shows a complete double chamber recess stretcher, made to be inflated, of
india rubber cloth (mackintosh); the inflating tubes are on the side where the head
lays as Fig. 8 shows.
Fig. 2. shows a top view, the shape of the human body and formly represents the
recess, with straps attached, which in some cases are useful to apply.
Fig. 3. & 3 are two sections of the upper & lower part of the recess, 5-6 inches
deep.
Fig. 4. shows the soft layer (underneath camber) inflated with a centre opening
in lower chamber.
Fig. 5. shows the top recess chamber inflated with a hole in centre to match the
opening in lower chamber.
Fig. 6. shows the two chambers in combination cemented with india rubber
solution, it fully represents now a recess mattress and Fig. 14. shows how it is
placed on a bedstead.
Fig. 7 represents the part on which the mattress is placed when constructed as a
stretcher.
This part is made of stout canvas folded double. 9, or any amount of narrow
lathes, made of any suitable material, are cemented or fastened between. Two of
them have a semi circle opening which matches the opening for passing convenience
into the mattress.
The lathes do not reach the edges of the mattress so that jolts etc. have no effect
on the patient, the carrying bars, made of any suitable materials, passes through
the canvas which have loops on each side, the cross bars slip over the carrying bars
keeping them in position, now the mattress is constructed as a stretcher.
Fig. 8. shows an inflated double chamber recess mattress when completely con-
structed as a stretcher.
Fig. 9. shows a stretcher non-inflated or collapsed, two straps keeps it in a compact
position for transport.
Fig. 10. is an ordinary inflater for air mattresses.
Fig. 11. shows a stand and it's construction to lift the stretcher when in the field
and the ground is wet, also in or on top of ships etc.; to have it in a swing. The
four rings fastened on chains, cords, or spiral springs are slipt over the bars, when
the rope is pullet the stretcher moves from the ground.
The chains forming the square prevents the sticks from slipping outwards, the
stand sticks are jointed like the carrying bars, but may be jointed in any length.
Fig. 11 shows a collapsed stand:
Fig. 11 shows top part of stand and how the sticks, made of any suitable
material, are fastened.
Fig. 11° is a pulley.
Fig. 12. are the carrying bars in full length & part in half.
Fig. 12 are the cross bars.
Fig. 13. shows a stretcher attached to a stand for field use & etc. In railway
carriges, or ships & etc. a stretcher may be hung on a suitable attachment which is
fixed to the roof.
Fig. 14. shows a bedstead with an inflated double chamber recess mattress on it,
the inflating tubes are not visible.
Fig. 15. shows a cradle with an inflated recess mattress, inflated tube on
foot end.
Fig. 16. shows an recess chair with inflated double chambers.
Fig. 17. shows an inflated double chamber recess mattress with articulation for
seat and knee joints.

page_text: Fig. 17 snows the same placed on a chair.
Fig. 17 shows Fig. 17 attached to a stand or bed-lift.
It is well understood the recess mattress & etc. can be made to be inflated with
air, gas etc. or to be filled with water or stuffed with various kind of stuffings.
To be inflated I prefer to use mackintosh. To be filled with water, lined single
or double rubber sheets. To be stuffed, the ordinary upholsterers materials.
In some way's the mattress & etc. is made of two parts or chamber, therefore the
recess part appears like a frame and can be put over the patient and fastened down
with ribbon's or straps all round the mattress etc., or it can be made in one piece so
that the recess and soft layer form one chamber or pillow.
But this way of making I only use for stuffed mattresses & etc. because inflated
or filled mattresses etc. could not be filled or inflated completely when the body lays
on it, neither could the recess part be emptied separatly so that it collapses,
to leave the patient laying on the levil of the lower chamber for examining
wounds & etc.
The mattress & etc. can as well be constructed that the underneath chamber is
filled with water and the recess with air etc. Or the underneath chamber is stuffed
with horse hair etc. and the recess is inflated or filled with water. The recess also
may have the shape as shown in Fig. 15 for large, and the shape of Fig. 2. for small
mattresses & etc.
A layer of felt or flannel I place into the recess, the same shape, in case the
rubber cloth etc. is to cold for the patient. The ordinary bedcloth can be used for
covering.
In short will now describe the manner as I prefer to construct a double
chamber recess mattress etc. The soft layer or underneath chamber consists of two
sheets, one long strip, and flaps of india rubber cloth (mackintosh). The strip &
sheets are used in widths and lengths according to the size of mattress. Cotton
ribbon strips, the same length as depth of the long strip. Rubber tubing, a loop &
valve. Valvetaps I use for mattresses etc. to be inflated and filled.
.
The long strip is cemented with rubber solution around the edge of a sheet, the
ends of the strip will meed now and are cemented together, then the other sheet is
cemented to the strip so that the whole now appears as a pillow.
To prevent the pillow, called a chamber, from bulging when inflated, small cuts
are made vertical in both sheets, through which the small ribbon strips passes, the
ends of them are cemented on both surfaces of the sheets, then the flaps are placed
and cemented over the ends of the strips and cuts, to keep the chamber air
tight.
On the broad head side of the chamber a hole is cut over which the tube is
cemented, the valve is fastened into the tube and a loop attached to the side of the
mattress, through which it passes.
The recess chamber is constructed in the same manner, with the exception that
the top sheet has the natural, or a surrounding, shape of the body cut out; a long
strip like the one which goes allround the chamber is cemented on the body shape
and vertical to the bottom sheet. The small ribbons and flaps are cemented and
placed alike also the tube, valve and loop.
Shoulder, arm, leg and waist straps are placed according to requirements.
The two chambers are cemented now together the recess on top of the soft layer.
To perforate the mattress & etc. holes are cut through both sheet and lined rubber
tubes are used instead of ribbons and flaps, which are cemented on both sheets and
have the same length as the width of the long strip.
In the same manner tubes cross the chambers in length and breadth to have them
well ventilatet.
The construction of the filled recess mattress etc. are the same, except lined single
or double rubber sheets are used, for stuffed I use ordinary upholsterers materials.
The system to ventilate the chambers can be applied to recess water and stuffed
mattresses etc. as well.
The recess mattresses & etc. are made of any demention, lengths and widths, for

page_text: the whole body, or parts of it; in it's straight or bent position. Inflated, filled, or
stuffed perforated with single or double chambers as described.
A recess mattress, inflated, filled, or stuffed, attached or cemented onto the
carrying part (Fig. 7,) represents the stretcher (Fig. 8. & 1).
To constructed as a recess chair (Fig. 16) it is fastened and cemented to a chair
frame.
For a cradle it is made the shape of such, or worked into the frame as Fig. 15
shows.
To fit a chair or bed lift it is constructed as Fig. 17. shows.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is.
I. In mattresses, invalid beds, chairs, stretchers, & cradles, "a recess
of the human body.
"the shape
II. The manner of constructing, inflating filling and stuffing mattresses & etc. as
described.
III. The system of ventilating, water, air, and stuffed mattresses & etc.
IV. The combination of the variously constructed chambers as described.
V. The shape of the recess as represented by Fig. 2 & 15.
VI. The manner in which the recess can be applied to chairs, invalid beds, bed:
lifts, stretchers, cradles, and pillows.
VII. The method to prevent bulging.
VIII. The method of making a recess frame only, to be inflated & etc. for fixing
on an ordinary bed or mattress.
IX. The system of attaching the recess stretcher & etc. to the roof by four spiral
springs as described.
Dated this 6th day of October 1892.
GUSTAV RI
RITTE
HERBIAU
US.