IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES AND BED- STEADS, ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE SEATING OF SOFAS, CHAIRS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Welch (of the Firm of Welch and
Company), of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanician,
for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES AND BED-
STEADS, ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE SEATING OF SOFAS, CHAIRS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES.”
Sealed the 3rd February 1875, and dated the 5th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Welch at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th August 1874.
I, WILLIAM WELCH (of the Firm of Welch and Company), of Salford,
in the County of Lancaster, Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES AND BED-
STEADS, ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE SEATING OF SOFAS, CHAIRS, AND OTHER
BIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
-

page_text: springs, and is designed to obviate the tendency which exists in spring
mattresses to sink in the centre.
As applied to form a spring mattress I arrange the upright spiral or
india-rubber depression spring to work in a socket formed in a central
leg, herein-after described, this central leg being secured beneath a
metallic plate of a circular, oval, or other shape; from the central
metallic plato a series of extension springs connected together by suitable
wire links radiate outwards to the sides and ends of the framework of
the bedstead or mattress, to which sides and ends they are secured in
any convenient manner.
I prefer to construct the extension springs of an oval shape in cross
section, and so connect them together that the flat side shall be upper-
most, by which there is less wear on the bedding. The central india-
rubber depression spring may be of an oval form and placed in the
socket of the central leg with its major axis vertical. By this arrange-
ment of depression spring a greater range of elasticity is obtained.
My improvements in the metallic framework of spring mattresses and
bedsteads have for their object the strengthening of such framework in
order to overcome the tendency to bend inwards when the pull of tho
springs is brought to bear upon such framework; and consists in the
use and application of a central leg, the upper part of which carrics a
number of dovetailed sockets, corresponding to the extremities of a
number of stays (by preference four), which extend from such sockets
to each end and side of the bedstead, to which ends and sides they are
secured by having their ends turned up in such a manner as to grasp
the vertical portion of the angle iron and there be secured by a bolt.
The form of mattress herein-before described may be applied to other
constructions of framework than the one described; and the improved
framework may also be used for supporting other descriptions of spring
mattresses than the form hercin-before described.
As applied to the scating of sofas, chairs, and other similar articles I
employ the samo combination, but instead of having a single depression
spring working in a central leg I dispense with such leg and use several
depression springs, connected together by extension springs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Welch in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th February 1875. ¨*
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WELCH, of the Firm of Welch and Company; of Salford, in the County
Lancaster, Mechanician, send greeting.
4
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-seventh yeaṛ
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Welch, Her special licence that I, the said
William Welch, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as
I, the said William Welch, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time, and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and. Ireland; the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MATTRESSES
AND BEDSTEADS, ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE SEATING OF SOPAS, Chairs, and
OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Welch, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar monthis next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: As applied to form a spring mattress I arrange the upright spiral or
india-rubber depression spring to work in a socket formed in a central
leg, herein-after described, this central leg being secured beneath a
metallic plate of a circular, oval, or other shape. From the central
metallic plato a series of extension springs connected together by suitable
wire links radiate outwards to the sides and ends of the framework of
the bedstead or mattress, to which sides and ends they are sccured in
any convenient manner.
I prefer to construct the extension springs of an oval shape in cross
section, and so connect them together that the flat side shall be upper-
most, by which there is less wear on the bedding. The central india-
rubber depression spring may be of an oval form and placed in the
socket of the central leg with its major axis vertical. By this arrange-
ment of depression spring a greater range of elasticity is obtained.
My improvements in the metallic framework of spring mattresses and
bedsteads have for their object the strengthening of such framework in
order to overcome the tendency to bend inwards when the pull of tho
springs is brought to bear upon such framework, and consists in the uso
and application of a central leg, the upper part of which carries a number
of dovetail sockets corresponding to the extremities of a number of stays
(by preference four), which extend from such sockets to each end and
side of the bedstead, to which ends and sides they are secured by having
their ends turned up in such a manner as to grasp the vertical portion
of the angle iron and there be secured by a bolt.
The form of mattress herein before-described may be applied to other
constructions of framework than the one described; and the improved
framework may also be used for supporting other descriptions of spring
mattresses than the former, herein-before described.
As applied to the seating of sofas, chairs, and other similar articles I
employ the same combination, but instead of having a single depression
spring working in a central leg I dispense with such leg and use several
depression springs, connected together by extension springs.
In order that this my said Invention may be the more readily under-
stood, and carried into practical effect, I have hereunto annexed a Sheet
of Drawings illustrative of several modifications of my Invention ;
similar letters marked on the several views being used to denote similar
parts.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a top view or plan, and Fig. 2 a side sectional view of a
spring mattress supported upon a framework, both constructed in
accordance with this Invention, and drawn to a scale of about 1 inches
to the foot.
Fig. 3 is a full size side sectional view and Fig. 4 a transverse section
shewing the method of securing the strengthening stays (in the frame-
work illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2) to the usual angle iron sides and ends
of the framework of an iron bedstead.
Figs. 5 and 6 represent respectively a top view or plan of my improved
construction of seating for a sofa and chair.
Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are side views of three kinds of india-rubber depression
springs, cither of which may be used for the purposes of this Invention,
as herein-after described, and drawn to a scale of about half size.
Fig. 10 is a full size plan and Fig. 11 a transverse section of one of
the oval metallic extension springs used in the construction of my
improved form of spring mattress or seating for sofas, chairs, or other
similar articles.
In Figs. 1 and 2 the framework of the bedstead contains no featuro
of novelty, but is formed of the usual angle-iron sides A and ends B; the
latter may however be arranged at a higher level than the sides by
fitting them into sockets upon the pillars at a higher level and thus
raise the metallic network, to be presently described, higher at the head
and foot than at the sides; the central leg C which forms a part of my
Invention is constructed with four dovetail sockets, as seen dotted, into
which sockets the inner extremitics of the strengthening stays D are
socketed, whilst their outer extremities D³ are turned up or shaped as
scen best in Figs. 3 and 4, so as to grasp the vertical portion of the
angle iron, in which position they are then secured by the bolts D³;
these strengthening stays are preferred to be constructed of malliablo
cast iron. This method of bracing the angle-iron sides and ends together
and to a central leg prevents the tendency which has hitherto existed in
such sides and ends to bend inwards when the weight is brought to bear
upon the spring mattress stretched upon the ordinary framework of an
iron bedstead.
As the construction of the network forming the spring mattress in
Figs. 1 and 2, and the seating of the chair bottom, illustrated in Fig. 6,
is substantially the same, the samo description and letters of reference

page_text: may be applied to both. E is a metallic plate pierced with holes all
round, and near its outer edge, from each of these holes the wiro links F
radiate, and the outer extremities of these links are connected to tho
series of spiral metallic extension springs G and wire links H (or plates,
scc Fig. 6) which converge from the sides and ends of the framework, as
illustrated. These series of extension springs and links are again con-
nected by the concentric links I.
These special form of extension spring which I prefer as offering tho
minium of friction to the bedding placed upon this description of spring
mattress is illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, and for this purpose in using
these springs I arrange that the flattest sides of these oval springs shall
be uppermost. In order to prevent the tendency to sink in the centre
I apply beneath the metallic plate E one of the oval india-rubbor
depression springs J, illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, which only differ
from each other in the number of their ribs J', as seen in the adjoining
sectional plan beneath cach Figure; this form of oval india-rubber
depression spring is held in position by the metallic cup plates K, tho
lower one being bolted upon the upper end of the central leg C, as
illustrated, so as to cover the socket joints and thus lock the strengthening
stays D in position. In applying one or more of these india-rubber
depression springs J beneath the seating of a sofas or chair, the lower
cup plates will be supported upon the cross bars of the framework.
In Fig. 5 the construction and arrangement of the metallic spring
surface or network only differs from that described in reference to Figs.
1, 2, and 6, in the number and shape of the central metallic plates L,
which in this case are of a longitudinal form, and cach of which is
supported upon one or more of the oval india-rubber depression springs J,
herein-before described, these longitudinal plates L being connected to
the framework M by the flat metallic extension springs N and wire
links O, arranged in a divergent direction, and secured together by the
wire side links P, as illustrated.
Instead of the india-rubber depression springs, herein-before described,
I sometimes employ a spiral, helical, or other suitablo construction of
depression spring.
It will be readily apparent that my improved construction of frame-
work or arrangement for strengthening the angle iron framowork of iron
bedsteads is equally useful for supporting other descriptions of metallic
network on spring mattresses upon iron bedsteads.

page_text: Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
my said Inventing, together with the best methods with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details, relative
proportions, or dimensions illustrated on the accompanying Drawing,
and herein-before described, as the same may be considerably varied
without departing from the Invention; but what I claim is,―
1st. The general construction and arrangement of metallic network,
and especially the oval form of extension spring, for imparting elasticity
to spring mattresses, seating of sofas, chairs, and other similar articles,
substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated on the accom-
panying Drawing.
2nd. The improved method of strengthening the framework of iron
bedsteads, strengthening stays, and a central leg, substantially as and
5 for the purpose herein-before described, and illustrated on the accom-
panying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Welch, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Fourth day of February, in the year of