US413773A - Territory - Google Patents

Description

' (No Moden.)

T. J. BAKE-R.

, v n l vBEnGLVoTHEs, GLAMP.

.N0.413,77 3.\ Patented Oct. 29, 1889.l

@i 4 .Z0 O EN l' WILT/eases 'UNITED ASTATES .PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE J. BAKER, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY.

BEDCLOTH ES-CLAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming' part 0f Letters Patent N0. 413,773, dated October 29, 1889.

Application tiled March 13, 1889. Serial No. 303,086. v(ITO model.)

.To all whom t 1v1/ty concern:

Beit known that I, THEODORE J. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City,'in the county of Salt Lake and Territory of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bedclothes- Clamps; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such yas will enable others xo skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in `bedclothes-clamps; and it has for its object .to provide a device for securely holding the t5 bedclothes at the foot of the bed which will combine efficiency and facility of operation, cheapness of man ufacture,ready applicability to ordinary bedsteads, and the presentation of a neat and attractive appearance.

With these ends in view my invention consists of an adjustable clamping-board arranged transversely across the foot of the bedstead and 4connected to the foot-board thereof, and one or more spring holding devices inter- 235 mediate of the foot-board and clamping-board for holding the latter iirmly upon the bedclothes, and thereby clampthe same between v itself and the mattress. These holding devices, of which two are preferably employed, 3o are arranged so as to be concealed from view from the inside of the bed when the adjustable clamping-board is raised to an upright position, and when the bed is unoccupied, as during the day-time, and the clamping-board 3 5 adjusted on the clothes said holding devices are likewise concealed from view from the outside of the bedstead. These holding devices each consist 4of a spring-rod bent into the arc of a circle and having rack -teeth 4o formed thereon, one end of each rod being connected to the free edge of the clampingboard and the other end of said rod passing through an aperture in the foot-board. The spring-racks are each held in place by means of a suitable locking or holding device, which preferably consists of a sliding bolt which operates in a keeper' Xed on the foot-board.

To enable others to understand my invention, I will now proceed to describe the same 5o in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichu Figure 1 is a perspective View of so much of a bedstead as is necessary to show the application of my improved clothes-clamp thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the foot-board and the clamp, showing the latter adjusted to hold the bed* clothes. Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view with the clamp raised. Figs. -i and 5 are detached detail views.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings, referring to which* l designates the horizontal clamping-board of a bedclothes-clamp, constructed in accordance With my invention, which board is arranged transversely across the foot of the bedat its lower edge, as at 2, to the foot-board 3 of the bedstead. This clamping-board is of such length as to fit neatly between the side posts of the foot-board and of such width as to resemble a panel when it is coinpactly folded in an upright position against the foot-board, thus presentinga neat and attractive appearance on the inside of the bed; but when this clamping-board is lowered into a position substantially horizontal and forcibly pressed and held down it is capable of so firmly clamping the bedclothes that they cannot be withdrawn without considerable effort.

4 designates one of the spring holding-rods, which are arranged at or near opposite ends of the clamping-board, one end of each rod being connected to the unconfined edge of the hinged board, while the other end of each rod passes through an aperture 6, made at a suitable point in the foot-board 3f. These rods are made of spring metal, and I have provided devices for positively holding or gripping these rods to prevent them from endwise movement when the clamping-board is forced downward on the bedclothes, thus causing said rods to exert a'pressure on the clamping-board, Which'tends to promote efficiency of the board as a clamping medium. These spring holding-rods are curved longitudinally and provided with a continuous seeach rack is adapted to engage a locking or holding device 8, that is supported on the foot-board in close proximity to the aperture 6 therein.

Each locking or holding device consists of stead and is hinged or pivotally connected ries of rack-teeth 7, and with the teeth of ICO a sliding bolt 9 and one or more keepers 10, which keepers are fixed to the footfboard on opposite sides of and in the same horizontal plane as the aperture 6 in said foot-board, and in one edge of the sliding bolt is provided a deep recess or notch 1l, through which the spring-rack can freely pass without hinderance from the locking or holding device, when it is desired to raise the clamping-board, and thus fold the latter against the foot-board. rlhe locking or holding device is very narrow and lies close to the footboard. The apertures 6 are protected from wear by means of washers 14, which likewise impart a neat appearance to theoutside of the foot-board when the rods are drawn down by the unfolding of the clamping-board, the free ends of the rods having a knob l5, that fits against one of the washers when the spring-rods are withdrawn.

The operation of my invention is as follows: To adjust the clamp for use, the clampingboard is lowered into a horizontal posit-ion and pressed iirmly upon the bedclothes at the foot of the bed, and the spring-rods hold the board in the position to which it is adjust-ed, as the rods themselves are prevented from retrograde movement by the positive action of the bolts of the holding or locking devices. It will be noted that teeth on the rods readily clear the bolts of the holding or locking devices when the rods are drawn downward by the clamping-board, but that the rods cannot slip or return back. To fold the clamping-board, the bolts are moved so that the deep notches therein are immediately over the spring-racks, and the board is now lifted or raised against the foot-board, while the racks pass through the apertures in the foot-board without hinderance from the detents.

Changes in the form and proportion of parts and details of construction can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a bedclothes-clamp,tl1e combination of an adjustable clamping-board adapted to be hinged to a foot-board, the rods connected to the clamping-board and adapted to pass through apertures in the foot-board, and locking devices supported by the foot-board and arranged to engage the rods to positively hold them against endwise movement, arranged and combined for service substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with a perforated footboard, of an adjustable clampingboard hinged to the foot-board, the spring-rods secured to the clamping-board and passing through the apertures in the foot-board, and devices on the foot-board in proximity to the apertures therein for engaging the rods to hold them against eudwise movement, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combina-tion of an adjustable clamping-board hinged to the perforated foot-board of abcd, spring-racks secured to the board, and adjustable notched bolts supported in suitable keepers on the foot-board in proximity to apertures therein, through which the spring-racks are passed, and adapted to fit into the notches in said racks, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE J. BAKER.

\Vitnesses:

W. CHAs. PAvEv, J. R. WALDEN.

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