Collapsible bed

Nov. 6, 1934.

1,979,566

R. K. MORSE

COLLAPSIBLE BED

Filed Feb. 1, 1933

<img file="US1979566A_D0001.tif" />

Patented Nov. 6, 1934

1,979,566

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,979,566 COLLAPSIBLE BED Reginald K. Morse, Clackamas County, Oreg.

1933, Serial No. 654,652 (CI. 5—285) forces tending to displace the fabric laterally from the horizontal members. The two elements &amp;' and &amp;2 which make up each horizontal member are of different lengths, the element b' being substantially longer than the element &amp;2 and the element &amp;2 is notched at its ends to accommodate legs e. Said legs are preferably glued in said notch and to the overlying element &amp;' and are further connected to said latter element by nails /, as is shown in Fig. 3. 65

The horizontal members have a leg at each end and thus function as integral structures. At each end of said fabric base, and engaging the horizontal members, are end members g. Said end members are notched, as at g’, and engage the 70 extending ends of the elements b', as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Said end members abut against the ends of the elements &amp;2, which thus tend to limit their movement inwardly of said base. The end members g are proportioned with re- 75 spect to the width of the fabric case a, so that when said end members are arranged in place said fabric base is taut. To aid said end members in being seated in place, the ends of the members b' are snipped off, or form incline surfaces, as at h, 80 so that said end members can be wedged in place by forcing them along said inclined snipped surfaces until they are in abutment with the ends of the horizontal member elements 62.

Vertical side members i overlie the horizontal 85 side members b and are provided with notches i' at their ends, which engage and interlock with the notches g2 on said end members g. The engagement and interlocking of said notches V and g2, respectively, tends to prevent the out- 80 ward movement of the end members g, from abutmentagainst the elements 62. Two spaced ties preferably are arranged to join the vertical side members with the horizontal side member which it overlies. Said two ties preferably are formed 05 by a looped flexible element j, such as heavy cord or tape, which passes thru the longitudinally spaced eyes fc in the vertical side members and two vertically spaced but registering eyes fc' in. the horizontal members, respectively. Said loop 100 preferably is joined by a knot /' and the size of the loop may be regulated by the location of the knot in said flexible element.

The loops preferably are proportioned so as to be of such small size so that when the vertical 105 side members i are arranged with their notches i’ arranged in engagement with the notches g2 in the end members g respectively, that the horizontal side members are upwardly bowed as is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 5. This 110

Application February 1.

Claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a collapsible and highly portable bed or sleeping tray for infants. It has particular utility in serving as a bed or support for an infant when taking 5 sun baths or a tray for supporting infants when being dressed. The device thus used is not truly a bed, but for convenience in terminology will hereinafter be referred to as a bed.

More particular objects of my invention are to 10 provide a collapsible bed of this character, which is adapted to fold into a compact rectangular self-containing package, which bed can be set up firmly and rigidly without the aid of screws or other fastening devices, and a bed in which the 15 parts are proportioned to give maximum strength and rigidity with minimum weight.

Details of construction and the manner in which the parts are arranged in operative and inoperative position are hereinafter described 20 with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention with the parts shown set up; .

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of said parts arranged in a compact package and disengaged from each other;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on the line 3—3 in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of a portion 30 of one of the ends of said device; arid

Fig. 5 is a more or less diagrammatic view illustrating the manner in which camber is induced in the horizontal side rails of said bed to induce rigidity and stiffness in the vertical side wall 35 members.

My improved collapsible bed comprises a fabric base element a, which is carried between two longitudinally extending horizontal side members b. These side members lie at opposite sides of 40 the edges of said fabric base. They are secured to said edges by glue c, as well as nails d. The glue fastens each individual strand of the fabric firmly in place to both of the members b which extend along the edges of said base and thus as 45 long as said glue adheres to the base and to the horizontal members no sagging is permitted in the individual portions of said fabric base. The nails further said connection between the fabric and the horizontal members. They have addi50 tional function, however, in that they serve to clamp the two elements making up each horizontal member to said fabric to resist any force which tends to separate said members from each other and from said fabric. The glue thus is re55 quired to perform the sole function of resisting

1,979,566 cluding two flat horizontal elements securing the side edges of said flexible base between them, the elements of said side members being of different lengths, one extending beyond the other, one member extending thru notches in said end mem- 80 bers respectively, and another abutting against the face of said end members.

4. In a collapsible bed comprising a flexible base, a frame including side members and end members bordering said base and leg members 85 supporting said frame, said side members including two flat horizontal elements securing the side edges of said flexible base between them, the elements of said side members being of different lengths, one extending beyond the other, one 90 member extending thru notches in said end members respectively, and another abutting against the face of said end members, said extending members provided with inclined faces respectively, to guide said end members into abutting rela- 05 tion:with the shorter elements of said side members.

5. In a collapsible bed comprising a flexible base, a frame including side members and end members bordering said base and leg members ioo supporting said frame, said side members including two flat horizontal elements securing the side edges of said flexible base between them, the elements of said side members being of different lengths, one extending beyond the other, one χο5 member extending thru notches in said end members, respectively, and another abutting against the face of said end members, said extending members provided with divergent faces respectively to guide said end members into abutting no relation with the shorter elements of said side members.

6. In a collapsible bed comprising a flexible base,, a frame including side members and. end members bordering said base and leg members nj supporting said frame, said side members comprising flat elements arranged normal to each other and engaging said end members, the elements of said side members being spaced from each other and joined by a pendent element ar- j₂0 ranged at the longitudinal middle thereof, the flexible element joining the elements of the side members spacing said elements apart a distance less than the spacing of the ends thereof, thereby bowing said horizontally arranged element to- 125 ward said vertical element thereof.

7. In a collapsible bed comprising a flexible fabric base, a frame including side members and end members bordering said base and leg members supporting said frame, said side members 730 comprising flat elements, one of said elements being arranged generally in a vertical plane and another arranged in a horizontal plane and engaging said end members, the elements of said side members being spaced from each other and 735 joined by a pendent element arranged at the longitudinal middle thereof, said side members including two flat elements secured to the side edges of said flexible base, being glued thereto, whereby the· separate strands of said fabric base 143 are individually secured to said side member elements, the elements of said side members being of different lengths, one extending beyond the other, one member extending thru notches in said end members respectively, and another abut- 145 ting against the face of said end members.

8. In a collapsible bed, a frame comprising side and end elements, removably secured together, each side element including a pair of flat separated longitudinal members arranged normal to 150 causes the vertical side members to be held tightly in position and induces camber in the horizontal side members. Said horizontal side members are quite flexible, being preferably made of strips of 5 wood, and the camber thus produced induces stiffness for said fabric base. Thus in a device made in accordance with my invention of plywood elements &amp;' and b2 a quarter of an inch thick and approximately thirty inches long, a weight 10 of thirty to fifty pounds can be supported without bowing the horizontal side members downwardly and without injury to the parts. This is accomplished with a bed which weighs approximately two and one-half pounds and thus said bed 15 is strong but portable.

The device is separated into its elements in the reverse manner to that in which the parts are arranged in operative position, and all of said parts are joined together except the end mem20 bers g. As is shown in Fig. 2, the legs e are approximately three-fourths of an inch shorter than the width of the end members g. Thus when the members are arranged as shown in Fig. 2, the ends of the legs are in abutment with 25 the under surface of the opposed horizontal, side member b and lie flatwise upon each other.

The end members g are arranged so as to lie upon the edges of said horizontal side members with their longitudinal edges in substantial regis30 tration with the face of this horizontal member b opposite the leg elements e. The vertical side members i are arranged upon the top of the end members and the entire bundle is held in place by an elastic band I at each end. The fabric 35 : base is folded back upon itself several times and lies between the legs, e and the end members g. The package is thus formed into a solid self-contained elongated rectangular package, which may be stored away in a small; space, and.is light and 40 compact for handling. The ends of the legs are each preferably protected by a strip of resilient material e' such, for example, as rubber or leather. Such strip of material tends to prevent slippage and to protect highly finished surfaces .is upon which said collapsible bed may be placed.