US178747A - Improvement in book-supports or table attachments for bedsteads - Google Patents

Description

A. M. EASTMAN. BOOK-SUPPORTS 0R TABLE ATTACHMENTS FOR BEDSTEAD'S.

No.178.747. Patented June 13, 1876.

N. PETERS, FNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. Dv C4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW M.

EAsTMAN, OF soMEEvILLE, ASSIGNOR To TUCKER MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,747, dated June 13, 1876; application filed May 1, 1876. V

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW MURRAY EASTMAN, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Apparatus to be Applied to a Bed, to Serve as a Table, Book- Support, 850. and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

In such drawing, Figure 1 denotes an end elevation of my invention as applied to a bedstead, or one of the side rails thereof, (the dark lines showing the stand or table in a horizontal position, and the dotted lines representing it as inclined.) Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device as detached.

My invention is specially designed as an attachment to bedsteads for the use and convenience of invalids, and consists in the peculiar construction and combination with a bedstead of an adjustable table or book-support, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing, A denotes the stand or table, which is made of wood and of rectangular or other desirable shape, such table having a ledge or flange, a, projecting upward and extending entirely around the same. B is a metallic segment, having arms 11 b projecting backward at right angles to the plane of the segment, and connected by screws to the under surface of the table. O is a cylindrical metallic rod disposed underneath the table, and extending longitudinally and centrally thereof, and through brackets c c, affixed to the under face of the table. One end of the rod is rigidly affixed to an adjustable slider, D, which embraces a cylindrical standard or rod, E, whose foot is supported in a metallic clamp-frame, F, provided with arms at d and d, which extend down from opposite sides of the frame, the arm d having a set-screw, c, by which the frame may be firmly secured to the side rail G of a bedstead, as shown in the drawings. The slider D is provided with a justed and clamped at any desirable altitude.

The segment B has a series of radial teeth or notches,f f, 860. formed on its outer edge to engage with the vertical standard E. H is a coiled spring, one end of which rests against the bracket 0, its other end resting against a pin, g, passing transverselythrough the rod O, on which the table is fulcrumed, the object of such spring being to maintain the notches of the segment in impingement with the rod in whatever position the table may be set, the

spring also allowing the table to be readily moved outward, so as to throw the notches of the segment out of contact with the rod E, and thus enable the table to be readily moved into any desired position, whether horizontal or inclined.

I would remark that by my peculiar construction'and arrangement of parts the device may be applied to either side rail of a bedstead, as may be desirable, the series of notches extending around the segment allowing the table to be tipped to any desirable extent in either direction.

From the above it will be seen that in the application of my improved device to a bedstead the clamp-frame F may be affixed at any desired point on the bed-rail, and adjusted as circumstances may require. This having been effected, the desired altitude of the table may be effected by moving the slider D on the standard E, theset-screw e maintaining it in such position. If it is desirable that the table should be horizontal, we have simply to press the table outward or away from the rod E,

and bring the middle notch of the segment so as to embrace such rod, the resilient action of the spring H maintaining it in such position. If the table be in a horizontal position, and we desire to impart any required inclination thereto, we press the table outward, as before, and tip-it into the desired angle, when the corresponding notch of the segment will be caused to embrace the rod E, which will lock it securely in such position. It will also be obvious that when the table is not required for use it may be detached from the bed by simply unscrewing the clamp-screw e; or, by

unscrewing the screw 11, the table may be rotated through an arc of one hundred and eighty degrees, so as to be located entirely outside of the bed.

Thus it will be apparent that the above-described invention constitutes a convenient and useful appendage to the bed of an invalid, as it not only serves as a table to support his food in a desirable position, but as a Writingdesk, and also to'support a book at any re quired angle While he may be reading.

Having described my invention ,What I claim is-

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