US1524719A - Folding camp bed - Google Patents

Description

- E. E. MQGREW FOLDING- CAMP BED dN 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet, 1

EAR M Ga -5 INVENTOR. I9

TTORNEY FOLDING CAMP BED Filed Nov. 11, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EARL E. wofi zw IINVENTOR.

I BY

TORNEY Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL E. MGGREW, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO MCGREW MACHINE COM- PANY, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, A CORPORATION NEBRASKA.

FOLDING CAMP BED.

Application filed November 11, 1922. Serial No. 600,412.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL E. MoGREw, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Folding Camp Beds, of which the following is a specifica tion.

My invention relates to beds, and particularly to the portable folding beds which are used in camping and automobile trips.

The rapid introduction of the automobile and the uses towhich it is put in long tourist strips and in short camping trips have created a need for a camp bed which differs radically from the beds used in the home and also from those which were fornicrlyused in camping. The cots formerly used 1n permanent camps are not compact enough for easy transportation in the automobile, The

army cots are foldable into a small space i but they are single, and when the sleeping accommodations are considered, their bulk and weight are objectionable, besides their being awkward to set up and to take down,

and uncomfortable in use. The bed which the automobile tourist demands must be light in weight, compact when folded, and comfortable in use. It must be integral, with no loose parts which are apt to be lost. It must be easily set up and taken down in the minimum of time. It must be very rugged in construction to wlthstand the rough usage to which it must necessarily be subjected.

' The object of my inventlon 1 s the provision of a bed which complies with all of these conditions, and which at the same time can be made and sold at an attractive price.

Having in view these and other objects which will appear in the description, I will now refer to the-drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an isometric view of mybed as it appears when set up and read for use.

Figure 2 is a detail view of tie toggle joint and lock which I use on the side rails of my bed.

Figure 3 shows the abutment for the leg, as viewed from above.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the bed corner as it appears. when looking toward the end of the bed.

Figure 6 is an isometric view of the same bed corner.

Figure 7 shows the construction whereby I adjust the tension of the canvas of my bed. Figure 8 is a detail showing the construction of the foot of the bed leg.

Figure 9 shows one of the side rails of my bed in partly folded position, the legs being shown in full lines in folded position, and in dotted lines as they appear when the bed is in use.

Figure 10' is an edge view of theend of the canvas which is supported by the springs, and shows the manner of fastening that end of the canvas to the end rail.

Figure 11 is a view of. the fastening means shown in Figure 10, but as it appears from the under side of the bed.

Figure 12 is a view in isometric projection of a corner of the bed,'and shows the manner of fastening the canvas to the end rail at the end opposite the end rail shown in Figures 10 and 11.

Figure 13 is a view of a portion of the bed frame, the parts being shown in their folded position.

Figures 14 and 15 are details showing the method of securing the legs to the bed frame.

The end rails 10 of my bed are constructed preferably of angle iron. At each end of the end rails 10 is a. downwardly projecting U-shaped strap 11 which is suitably braced by means of the brace 12. The braces 12 are secured at one of their ends to the end rail, whence they pass diagonally underneath the U-shaped straps 11.

The side rails are articulated, the hinges being at or near the middle points of the side rails. As shown in Figure 2, a round channeled strip 14 is rigidly secured to one of the side rail sections and pivotally se cured to the other of the sections. The pivotall connected section has its end bent into the orm shown in Figure 2 and the pivot pin is ositioned near the open edge of the channe ed strip 14 or rather sufficiently re mote from the curved edge of the strip to afford ample clearance for the inne end of the section to permit the section to swing on its pivot through an arc of suit stantially half a revolution. The inner end of the rigidly connected section is bevelled on its 1111".

der side so as not to interfere with the foldin of the two sections on each other into substantial parallel relation.

The portion 13 of the side rails are preferably made from iron or steel pipe. At the extremities of the side rails I secure strips of channel iron 15 and 16 on the upper and under sides respectively. The upper strip 15 has its ends bent into horizontal parallelism with the intermediate portion serving as a brace and as' a spacing member. The strip 16 is straight and rests on the bottom leg of the U-shaped strap 11. The free ends of the strips 15 and 16 are connected to the end rail by means of a pivot 17 passing through bothle s of the U-shaped strap 11, through the on rail 10, and through the ends of the strips 15 and 16.

T will now explain the manner in which the bed frame is folded, reference being had particularly to Figures 1, 9 and 13. The toggle locks on both sides of the bed are first broken by merely lifting up on the side rails 13 near the joints. The frame then assumes the appearance in side elevation as shown in Figure 9. This lifting is continued until the two halves of each side rail are substan tially parallel, at which time the end rails will be in juxtaposition, with the pivots 17 in alinement with each other, as shown in Figure 13. When this pos'tion is reached, but not before, the folded side rails 13 can be swung on the pivots 17 and folded over against the end rails. When thus folded, the bundle will have the same length as the length of the end rails, or in other words, it will-be as long as the bed is wide when set up. The width of the bundle will be that 0 two end rails placed side by side, while the thickness of the bundle is the thickness of one end rail. It should be here noted that despite the extreme compactness of the bed when folded, it is absolutely rigid when set up. The pivotal joints of the side rail sections lie in a different plane from that of the pivots 17, and the pivotal joints of the side rail sections are toggle locked. The toggle joints further provide means for quickly and easily stretching taut the cult vas top of the bed. The bed frame is further provided with means for altering the length of the side rails, for use in case it is desired to have the top of the bed lighter or looser. I provide a series of apertures 18 in the side rails 13, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. The bolts which secure the channel iron strips 15 and 16 to the side rails pass through a pair of the apertures 18. When the bed is partly folded, the adjust ment can be easily made by removing the bolts, shifting the side rails 13 with respect to the strips 15 and 16, and then inserting the bolts to hold the parts in adjusted position. To avoid warping and unnecessary strains, the adjustment of the two side rails should be equal.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the two sections of each side rail are in alignment when the bed is set up but the pivot is slightlyout of alignment with the sections. Were the tension of the bed top exerted in a horizontal plane below the pivot, the toggle latch would open under the tension of the bed top. The bed top is however positioned appreciably above this point and its tension is therefore exerted to hold the sections of the side rail in latched relation. This tension, especially when the bed is occupied, is powerful enough to eliminate all possibility of the accidental opening of the latch, but this arrangement of parts has a still greater advantage in connection with the folding and unfolding of the bed. The first step in the folding of the bed is the unlatching of the toggles, and as before explained, this will be resisted by the tension of the bed top. This resistance will continue until the pivotal points of the side rail sections reach the level of the bed top, at which point the side rail sections will be in dead center relation. After this position is passed, the tension of the bed top will spend itself in assisting in the further folding of the side rail sections on each other. Likewise in setting up the bed the tension in the bed top increases until the dead center position has been reached, after which the side rail sections snap into their latched position under the tension of the bed top.

My bed is supported on four legs 19. lit is essential that the legs be foldable into the space occupied by the bed when folded, and it is important the folding structure be of the utmost simplicity. On the upper surface of the channeled strip 15 T secure an l. shaped bracket 20. preferably by means of a weld or rivets. To the upstanding arm of the bracket 20 T secure a pivot pin 21 which passes through the upper end of the leg 19, the structure being clearly shown in Figures 14: and 15. To the under side ofthc side rail I secure a notched plate 22, shown best in Figure 3. The plate 22 serves as an abutment for the leg when the bed is set up. li also provide a resilient clip 23 for guiding the movement of the leg when setting up or when folding the bed. As shown in Figure 6, the clip 23 is so bent near both its ends that the leg will be rcaleasably latched in both of its normal positions.

The leg 19 is preferably constructed out of sheet steel whichis rounded into channel form, being til-shaped in cross section. lit is so mounted that its curved edge rests in the notch of the plate 22, the notch being designed to prevent any side play in the leg when the bed is in use. The foot 24 is made by bending over one of the sides of the U- lit) ' shaped leg with the foot projecting past the other side. This gives ample footing on soft or wet ground.

The bed top is made of canvas reinforced with inelastic webbing, as shown in Figures 1 and 11. One end of the canvas is secured directly to the end rail while the other end is spring mounted on the other end rail, and in both mountings I have added several novel. features of considerable importance. In many of the camping beds at present on the market, the springs give a great deal of trouble, owing to the tendency of the connections to kink. To avoid this and other troubles, I provide the structure shown in detail in Figures 10 and 11. The clip is made from two similarly shaped pieces of metal, preferably sheet steel. Both pieces have apertures 26 for the reception of the end of the spring. I prefer to spot wold the two pieces together at theend which pro jects beyond the edge of the canvas. The portion of each piece 25 which overlaps the canvas is provided with apertures for the reception of bolts or rivets and with inward-- 1y pressed teeth, as shown in Figure 11. The clips are secured to the folded edge of the canvas and are posit-ioned'centrally on the end edge of the reinforcing web. The rivets or bolts hold the two parts of the clip 25 tightly together, and the inwardly extending teeth grip the fabric at practically all points of the clip, thus avoiding the warping and the tearing of the fabric through unequal strains. The opposite end of the spring is secured through an aperture 27 t0 the hinge 28 which is bolted to the end rail 10. While the securing means here used might be varied, I prefer the use of bolts or other suitable separable fasteners.

On the opposite end rail, which for this purpose I designate by the numeral 10 in Figure 12. I employ a somewhat different form of fastening device for the canvas. The canvas at this end is lapped to form a loop, and in the loop I insert-a rod or piece of wire 29, and I then clamp the end of the canvas against the upper surface of the end rail 10' by means of the bar 30. The bar 30 is secured to the rail 10' by means of bolts or other fasteners which can be released when desired. It sometimes becomes desirable after the bed has had considerable usage, that the fabric be cleaned, and for this reason I have purposely made the whole top or cover of the bed removable so that it can easily be'washed. I

After the bed frame is folded, the loop of canvas is wrapped around the folded frame a nd-is held in position by straps or cords. I

prefer however to insert straps'31 of suitable length under the bar 30, where they will be tightly clamped. Like every other part of the bed, the strap .is thus secured to the bed where it cannot be lost, misplaced, or

left behind when breaking camp. Because there are no detachable parts and there is nothing to unfasten, and because of the WVhen the bed is folded, the bundle is 48 inches long and occupies a space of less than one cubic foot, weighing about forty five pounds, Because of the various novel features in the construction, the rigidity of the bed increases with the weight that is placed upon it. It will thus be seen that the bed is compact, exceedingly strong, and very convenient in use.

Having thus described my invention and its advantages, what I believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A folding camp bed comprising 'end and side members, and a. top secured to the end members and adapted to be stretched between the same when the side members are extended, each of "saidside members comprising a pair of tubular sections arranged when extended to-lie substantially in relative coaxial alinement, one'of said tubular sections being bent at an angle at its end, a

channel member for the pair ofsections secured to the other section and adapted to receive the bent portion of said first section. and a. pivot connecting said bent'port-ion of the first section to the channel member near the open side thereof, said bed top beingadapted to maintain the sections of the side members undertensi'on when the bed is set up and to maintain the sections 'of each side member in coaxial alinement at one side of the pivot thereof and adjacent the closed side of the channel member for locking the side sections in extended position.

2. In a folding camp bed, a corner con 'struction comprising an end rail, a. spacing member secured to the end portion of the end rail, a side rail, diverging connecting members on the endof said side railprojecting into said spacing member, and a normally vertical pivot securing the connecting members in the spacing member to admit the free swinging of said side rail into position beneath the end rail.

3. A folding camp bed comprising a pair of end members,'a pair of side members.

the upper horizontal extension resting on' the upper edge of said endrail, an upwardly and outwardly inclined bracket secured to the side rail with its upper or outer end resting against the under surface of said end rail, a bar secured to said side rail and ex tending in alignment therewith with its outer end resting against the lower horizontal extension of the first said bar, a ve-r tical pivot pin through both of the horizontal extensions of the first said bar and through said end rail and said bracket and said second bar, and a leg secured to said bracket.

5. A bed corner including an end rail and a side rail, said end rail being positioned above and beyond the extremity of said side rail, an upwardly and outwardly inclined bracket uniting said end and side rails, a leg connected by a horizontal transverse pivot to said bracket, an abutment for said leg when the leg is in its supporting position, and a guide for confining the movements of said pivoted leg, said guide including an abutment for the leg when in its folded position and including also releasable latches for holding the leg in both its supporting position and in its folded position 6. A bed corner including an end rail and a side rail, said end railbeing positioned above and beyond the extremity of said side rail, bars pivotally connected to said end rail adjacent its extremity and underneath thereof, one of said bars having its inner end resting on the upper surface of said side rail, the other of said bars having its inner end resting against the under surface of said side rail, aligning apertures in the portions of said bars which overlap said side rail, a series of apertures in said side rail, and a bolt passing through the aligning apertures of said bars and through any one of the series of apertures in said side rail for adjusting the length of the bed and for securing the end and side rails in adjusted position.

7. In a folding camp bed, a, side rail, legs pivotally connected to the upper portion of said side rail with the pivotal connections spaced from the extremities of said side rail, said legs being adapted to swing in a vertical plane which is'parallel to the side rail, a plate secured to the under side at each end of the side rail, said plates having notches in their inner edges, said notches being positioned in the paths of the pivoted legs whereby the plates serve as abutments for the legs when the legs arein their supporting position, a guide at each end of said side rail for preventing lateral displacement of said legs each of said guides being spaced laterally from said side rail and having its ends secured to said side rail, said guide including an abutment for said leg when the leg is in its folded position and including also latches for releasably holding the leg in either its supporting or its folded position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EARL E. MCGREW.

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