IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING BEDS AND COUCHES IN SLEEPING APARTMENTS. HOSPITALS. CARS, AND VESSELS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ebenezer Leo Roberts, of Plainfield, in the State
of New Jersey, United States of America, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING BEDS AND COUCHES IN
SLEEPING APARTMENTS. HOSPITALS. CARS, AND VESSELS,”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ebenezer Lee Roberts
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th August 1874.
I, EBENEZER LEE ROBERTS, of Plainfield, in the State of New Jersey,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING BEDS AND
COUCHES IN SLEEPING APARTMENTS, HOSPITALS, CARS, AND VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
The exhalations from the body and the impurities of the breath soon
vitiate the atmosphere which immediately surrounds the head of the
occupant of a bed, for the breath is ejected but a short distance from

page_text: the face at each expiration, and a large portion of the exhalations of the
body oozes out from under the bed clothing about the neck; therefore
the atmosphere Surrounding the head is the first to be vitiated, and
continues to be more unhealthful than the atmosphere in any other
portion of a room, as these exhalations constantly accumulate and are t
always more or less detrimental and prevent healthful sleep.
In cases of sickness the impure atmosphere is very serious in retarding
recovery, and it often happens that by reason of re-inhaling these
accumulated exhalations the patient dies.
I make use of a ventilating flue mouth located near the pillows or 1
head rest, and this mouth is open to a flue in which is maintained an
exhaust current of air, so that the breath and exhalations of the body
will be continually drawn into this flue and conveyed away.
In carrying out this Invention I sometimes provide a graded register
or damper to regulate the extent of current passing away, and in 1
sickness and contagious diseases a hood is applied above the head of the
person and the flue mouth so as to prevent these exhalations from being
scattered into the room when the air is agitated by persons moving
around in the room, also to retain and direct to that flue mouth the
exhalations of the person. This hood is usually nearly horizontal, and 2
may be provided at the outer edge with a lace curtain or netting to
keep off insects, and the hood may fold or swing up out of the way when
not in use.
When this improvement is applied to a bedstead it will usually be the
most convenient to have the horizontal mouth opening into a trunk at 2
the back of the head board, and this unites with a trunk or flue in the
wall, through which the air is exhausted by being rarified by heat or
otherwise, as circumstances may require.
The portions of the flue or trunk attached to the head of the bedstead
which join the trunk or flue in the wall are provided at their junction g
with india-rubber or other elastic edges or facings to make tight joints,
and there should be guides upon the skirting board or floor to ensure
the proper position of the bedstead when returned after it has been
moved away for sweeping the floor.
In sleeping berths or couches in steamboats or other vessels the-3
ventilating flue mouths are to be of the same general character, and the

page_text: flues through which the air is drawn away may lead to a blower or to
any exhausting device, such as a chimney or flue, that is heated
sufficiently to cause the atmosphere to ascend.
With sleeping couches or berths in railway cars the ventilating mouths
are placed contiguous to the head rests and pass into the flues in the
partitions or walls of the car, and the dampers are constructed with
reference to the closing of such flues as are not contiguous to the head,
especially when the person may lie with the head towards either one end
or the other of the couch or berth, and the motion of the car may
availed of to exhaust the air from the flues.
be
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ebenezer Lee Roberts in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EBENEZER
LEE ROBERTS, of Plainfield, in the State of New Jersey, United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Ebenezer Lee Roberts,
Her special licence that I, the said Ebenezer Lee Roberts, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Ebenezer Lee Roberts, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR
VENTILATING BEDS AND COUCHES IN SLEEPING APARTMENTS, HOSPITALS, CARS, AND
VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Ebenezer
Lee Roberts, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,

page_text: and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ebenezer Lee Roberts, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being made to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
The exhalations from the body and the impurities of the breath soon
vitiate the atmosphere. which immediately surrounds the head of the
occupant of a bed, for the breath is ejected but a short distance from the
face at each expiration, and a large portion of the exhalations of the
body ooze out from under the bed clothing about the neck, therefore the
atmosphere surrounding the head is the first to be vitiated, and continues
to be more unhealthful than the atmosphere in any other portion of a
room, as these exhalations constantly accumulate and are always more
or less detrimental and prevent healthful sleep.
In cases of sickness the impure atmosphere seriously retards recovery,
and it often happens that by reason of re-inhaling these accumulated
exhalations the patient dies.
I make use of a ventilating flue mouth located near the pillows or
head rest, and this mouth is open to a flue in which is maintained an
exhaust current of air, so that the breath and exhalations of the body
will be continually drawn into this flue and conveyed away.
In carrying out this Invention I sometimes provide a graded register
or damper to regulate the extent of current passing away, and. in
sickness and contagious diseases a hood is applied above the head of the
person and the flue mouth so as to prevent these exhalations from being
scattered into the room when the air is agitated by persons moving
around in the room, also to retain and direct to that flue mouth the
exhalations of the person. This hood is usually nearly horizontal, and
may be provided at the outer edge with a lace curtain or netting to keep
off insects, and the hood may fold or swing up out of the way when not
in use.
Where this improvement is applied to a bedstead it will usually be
the most convenient to. have the horizontal month onening into a trunk.

page_text: flue that is either distant or near as most convenient.
0
One or both of
the edges or surfaces contiguous to these openings are provided with
india-rubber or other yielding substance, as at h, to form a facing that
makes the joint tight when the parts are brought together, but the bed-
stead can be moved away and replaced whenever desired for sweeping or
otherwise; and to facilitate the positioning of the bedstead I make use
of the guide cleats f,f, that are fastened to the floor or to the skirting
board, and their curved or inclined faces are towards each other so as to
guide the legs of the bedstead as the bedstead is moved back to its
proper position.
Hooks or other attaching devices may be used to connect the bed-
stead to the base board and hold it in position.
It is to be understood that a current of air is maintained in the flue o,
preferably by a gas burner or lamp; and in order to ensure an uniform
ourrent of air to the trunk from both sides of the bed, I employ a graded
mouth made with the opening near the escape flue c narrowest, and
becoming wider towards the ends, as seen at 1, Fig. 3, and in front of
this graded mouth are the register plates m, one sliding upon the other,
so as to open or close the inlet openings for the atmosphere.
By the foregoing devices the extent of the current passing horizontally
or nearly so over the pillows or head rest r can be regulated according
to the wants of the person and the condition of the atmosphere; but
under some circumstances the pillows may be piled up, and would close,
or partially so, the register mouth. To prevent this the openwork
guards & of woven or other wire or suitable material is placed in front
of the register mouth so as to keep the pillows away from the register
and allow the air to enter freely and be drawn down from above, and I
remark that the object I have in view is to ensure à perfect ventilation
around the head rest and the person's head thereon, hence, if the flue
mouth is slightly below the person's head it will not be detrimental, &
because the bedding prevents the air drawing up from below the bed, so
that the circulation is above the bed and pillows.
The hood x is shown as made with bows or wire frames t, t, swinging
on the joints 4, 4, and these are upon bars that set into sockets v
attached at the sides of the bedstead. The positions of the joints 4 are 8
such that the front part of the hood swings freely forward, or is. easily
pushed back out of the way, and by locating the parts as shown, the

page_text: Seventh. The guard or grating's applied at the head of the bedstead
in combination with the ventilating flue, substantially as set forth.
Eighth. The hood x made of bows t jointed to bars u.that are received
into sockets so as to be removable in combination with the ventilating
flue and bedstead, as set forth.
Ninth. The netting or lace curtain wo applied to and combined with
the hood x and ventilating mouth at the head of the bedstead, sub-
stantially as set forth.
Tenth. The guide cleats f secured to the floor or skirting board in
combination with the bedstead and ventilating flue trunk thereon, for
the purposes set forth.
·
b
Eleventh. The ventilating flue c in the building and the trunk 6 upon
the bedstead in combination with hooks or equivalent means for
securing the bedstead and its trunk in position, as specified.
"
:
In witness whereof, I, the said Ebenezer Lee Roberts, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this 22nd day of January, A.D. 1875.
Witnesses,
EBENEZER LEE ROBERTS. (L.S.)
N. WHYTE,
of West Hoboken,
State of New Jersey.
HAROLD SERRELL,
121, Nassau St.,
N.Y.