Means for suspending bedclothes, &c.

(Application filed Oct. 29, 1898.)

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THE NORRIS PS-TERS CO , PHOTO-LlTHO., WASHINGTON, O. C.

No. 649,900.

Patented May 22, 1900.

C. M. BRENNAN.

(No Model.)

MEANS FOR SUSPENDING BEDCLOTHES, &amp;c.

I Application, filed Oct. 29, 1898.)

Sheets-Sheet 2.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO , PHOTO-LITHO . WASHINGTON. D. C.

United States Patent Office.

CHARLES M. BRENNAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MEANS FOR SUSPENDING BEDCLOTHES, &amp;,c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 649,900, dated May 22, 1900.

Application filed October 29, 1898. Serial No. 694,905. (No model,)

To all whom It may concern:

Be it known that I, Charles M. Brennan, a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Suspending Bedclothes, &amp;c., of which I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention has for one object io primarily to provide an improved means whereby the bedclothing may be suspended in such manner as to relieve the occupant of the bed from the weight of the clothes.

A further, object of the invention is to pro15 vide means whereby a hot-water bag, an icebag, or the like may be suspended in proximity to the body of the occupant of the bed, thereby relieving the occupant from the weight of such articles.

The invention consists in the features of improvement hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my invention as applied in supporting the bedclothing of a bed. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section through the supporting-post and the suspension-arms, parts being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail plaft view of one form of supporting-frame whereon the bedclothes will rest. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing how my invention may be applied to one of the side rails of an iron bedstead. Fig.

5 is an enlarged detail view of the bracket shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan view of a supporting-frame, showing a hot-water bagsuspended thereby. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of the needle and the needle-hold40 ing socket. Fig. 8 is a detail view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, of the needle. Fig. 9 is a detail view, in vertical section, showing a modified means for retaining the needle in the socket.

A designates a supporting-post that is held in vertical position preferably by means of a standard B, that rises from a base C, the standard being hollow to permit the post A to move telescopically therein and to be held 50 in any desired elevation by means of the setscrew a, that passes through the threaded opening at the top of the standard B. Upon the supporting-post A are mounted the suspension-arms D, (of which one only may be used, if desired.) The lower suspension-arm 55 is provided at one end with a coupling cZ, through which the supporting-post A passes, the coupling cZ being provided with a threaded opening adapted to receive a set-screw tZ', whereby the arm D can be fixed at any de- 60 sired elevation upon the post A. At the end of the upper arm D a coupling cZ³ is fitted, and this coupling is provided with a eap (Z³, that will rest upon the top of the supporting-post. The coupling cZ³ is formed with a threaded 65 opening to receive a set-screw cZ⁴, whereby the upper suspension-arm D can be fixed rigidly with respect to the post A after the arm has been swung to the desired position. Each of the arms D carries means for suspending the 70 bedclothing, a hot-water bottle, or the like. Manifestly a single arm may be used without departing from the invention; but I prefer to employ two arms, as by this means the bedclothing may be suspended at different points 75 above the body, or if there be two occupants of the bed the clothing may be suspended above each. It is preferable when two suspension-arms I) are employed to form one of these arms somewhat longer than the other. 80

Each of the suspension-arms carries a socket or catch adapted to engage a needle that passes through the bedclothing, the head of the needle resting beneath and supporting the bedclothing. It will be within the spirit 85 of the invention to employ any suitable means for connecting the needle-holding socket to the suspension-arm; but I prefer the means hereinafter described. Upon each suspensionarm D is mounted a coupling e, adjustable at 90 different points along the arm by means of the set-screw e!. To the coupling e is connected the upper end of a suspension-rod E, the lower part of which rod is provided with a socket/, adapted to receive the pointed end of 95 the needle G. The socket/ is preferably coneshaped at its mouth, so as to insure the easy entrance of the needle. Any suitable means may be employed for retaining the needle G . within the socket /. Thus, for example, in 100 Fig. 7 of the drawings I have shown the needle as provided with an annular groove &lt;/ below its point, with which groove will engage the inwardly-extending end h of the

649,900 pivoted latch II, the opposite end of the latch H being thrust outward by coil-spring Ίι', that serves to hold the pin h within the groove g of the needle G. Hence it will be seen that when the needle is forced into the socket f the point of the needle will ride beneath the pin li of the catch Η until the catch enters the groove g of the needle and securely holds the needle in the socket. When, however, the catch H is turned about its pivot-point h², by depressing its upper end against the coilspring h' the pin h will be freed from engagement.with the needle, and the latter will be permitted to drop from the socket. Another suitable means for holding the needle within the socket is illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings. In this modified form the socket is formed with a slot, through which will pass an eccentric K, having a handle k, the eccentric being forced into engagement with the needle by a spring k² as the needle is pushed into the socket. The eccentric will prevent the accidental slipping of the needle from the socket; but when the handle k is depressed the eccentric will be shifted so as to allow the needle to be readily withdrawn.

The needle will be passed upward through the bedclothing to be supported, and the weight of the clothing will be sustained by the head g' of the needle. Preferably a spreader-frame M will be placed above the needle so as to afford a more extended support for the bedclothing. The spreader-frame shown in Fig. 3 consists of bent wire arms m, that are united to the central diskm/, having a hole m², through which the needle will pass. The shape of the spreader-frame may be varied as desired. So, also, the spreader-frame may· be employed as a means for supporting a hot-water bag, an ice-bag, or the like, as illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, where a hot-water bag 0 is shown as attached by tapes 0 to the spreader-frame M.

Γη order to prevent the needle dropping from the spreader-frame when the needle has been released from the socket, I prefer to provide the needle with a spring &lt;/, (see Fig. 8,) one end of which is fixed to the needle, while the other end sets within a groove in the needle, so as not to permit the ready passage of the needle through the bedclothing. The spring g^s is bowed and extends at such distance beyond the side of the needle as to prevent the slipping of the needle through the hole m² of the spreader-frame when the needle is released from the socket, although by slight pressure the needle can be forced through the hole of the spreader-frame, as the spring g^swill yield sufficiently for this purpose.

By preference the suspension - rod E is formed of two sections that are telescopically connected together, the lower section of the rod sliding into the upper section and being held at any desired position therein by means of a set-screw e⁵, that passes through a threaded opening in the coupling e⁶ at the lower end of the upper section of the connecting-rod.

The object in forming the suspension-arm E of telescopic sections is to enable the bedclothing to be held at a higher or lower ele- 70 vation, as the occupant of the bed may desire, and it is manifest that by this means the occupant of the bed can, without any change of the main suspension-arms D, simply adjust the lower section of the suspension-rod E, so 75 as to hold the clothes at the desired elevation. Instead of employing a base 0 for sustaining the standard B this standard may be connected, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, to a base-bracket R, adapted to be at- 80 tached to one of the side rails s of a bed-frame. The side rails of ordinary bed-rails—such as are used in hospitals, for example—are of angular shape, as shown, and the bracket R is formed with a reverted arm ?,having athread- 85 ed opening therein to receive a set-screw T, whereby the bracket will be fastened in the desired position upon the bed-frame, the upper arm of the bracket extending outside the bed-frame, so that the standard B will be free 90 from the mattress.

It is obvious that the details of construction above set out may be varied within wide limits without departing from the spirit of the invention and that features of the inven- 95 tion may be employed without its adoption as an entirety.