AU762631B2 - Precast concrete interment crypts - Google Patents

Description

S F Ref: 462524

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: Catholic Cemetery Trust, Necropolis P.O. Box Lidcombe New South Wales 2141

AUSTRALIA

Bowden Design Associates Pty Limited Suite 2 Clifford Street Spit Junction New South Wales 2088 AUSTRALIA S..

Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL [31] Application No(s) PP3404 Harold Raymond Joseph O'Keeffe and William Bruce Bowden Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Precast Concrete Interment Crypts APPLICATION DETAILS [33] Country

AU

[32] Application Date 7 May 1998 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815 Precast Concrete Interment Crypts Technical Field The present invention relates to precast concrete interment crypts.

Background of the Invention With increased pressure being placed on land available for burial purposes, greater demand is anticipated for mausoleums.

It is known to construct mausoleums so as to include a building structure within which there is stacked precast concrete interment units, so as to form crypts. These precast concrete units include a floor, two walls and an end wall, with the end opening being sealed when a casket is located within the precast unit. These precast units are intended to provide a sealed chamber within which the casket is located.

A disadvantage of the above discussed previous structures is that it is not uncommon for leakage to occur despite the attempts made to provide a sealed chamber within which the casket is located.

Object of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, the invention provides a precast concrete interment unit that is vertically stackable with like units, including: an open top; a floor of generally rectangular configuration; .i a pair of side walls extending upwardly from the floor; an end wall extending upwardly from the floor and extending between the two side walls and being located at an end of the unit; a drainage passage extending through the end wall adjacent said floor; and i wherein said interment unit is stackable; and wherein said floor has an internal surface which when located to receive a casket, slopes downwardly toward said end wall so as to drain liquid to said drainage passage, and said interment unit when stacked has the floor closing the open top of the next below unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings i A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example S.with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic section side elevation of a wall structure within a 35 mausoleum; Figure 2 is a schematic front elevation of the wall structure of Figure 1 viewed in the direction of the arrow 2; [N:\LIBTT]01444:caa V 2 Figure 3 is a schematic front elevation of the wall structure of Figure 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow 2 with front panels removed from the interment units; Figure 4 is a schematic top plan view of the wall structure of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a schematic side elevation of an interment unit shown in the previous drawings; Figure 6 is a schematic sectioned side elevation of the interment unit as illustrated in Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a schematic end elevation of the interment unit of Figure Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a wall structure which would be part of a mausoleum and intended to provide a crypt. The wall structure 10 extends upwardly from a floor 11 of the mausoleum, with the floor 11 providing a drainage trough 12. The mausoleum would also be provided with an intermediate floor 13 and a ceiling or further floor 28.

Stacked between the floor 11 and ceiling 28 are precast concrete interment units 14. Each interment unit 14 includes a floor 15 which when viewed in plan, is of a rectangular configuration. Extending upwardly from the floor 14 are parallel side walls 16. Also extending upwardly from the floor 15 is and end wall 17, while the unit 14 has a front aperture 18. The aperture 18 is closed by means of an inner end wall 19 and a face plate S. The rear corner 21 of each unit 14 is stepped so that the units 14 form a secure stack.

If so required, one or more of the units 14 may be of additional height to accommodate two caskets, with metal rods 22 separating two chambers. In this 25 additional height unit 14, a front wall 23 is provided, with the aperture 18 thereabove.

The metal rods would be inserted after the lower casket is located within the unit 14.

The above discussed units 14 are stacked so as to pass through an aperture 24 formed in the floor 13.

Each of the above discussed units 14 has provided in its end wall 17, adjacent the 30 floor 15, a drainage passage 25. In one embodiment, the drainage passage 25 is provided by a conduit which extends outwardly beyond the wall 17 so that liquid exiting from within the unit 14 falls under gravity to the trough 12. Alternatively, each .of the passages 25 may be provided with a pipe which joins a downwardly extending pipe 26 extending to the trough 12 or to a further horizontal pipe.

Each end wall 14 is also provided with a ventilation passage 27.

IN:\LIBTT]01444:LAM To ensure liquid is drained towards the rear of each unit 14 so as to exit via the passage 25, the floor 15 of each unit 14 has an internal surface 33 that slopes toward the wall 17, when the units 14 are stacked ready to receive a casket.

Each of the units 14 is formed of reinforced precast concrete.

After a casket has been inserted in one of the units 14, the internal end wall 19 is sealingly located in position and the face plate 20 also placed in position. In this regard it should be appreciated that when stacking the units 14, the unit 14 rests on resilient seals located on the upper edges of the unit 14 below so that the lower unit 14 is generally sealingly closed apart from the drainage passage 25 and ventilation passage 27.

Up until the unit 14 receives a casket, the passages 25 and 27 are sealingly closed and an internal plastics liner provided.

As best seen in Figure 6, the passages 25 and 26 are downwardly sloping from the internal surface 29 of the end wall 17.

As shown in Figure 7, the end faces 30 of the side walls 16 are provided with cast ferrules 30 to enable the fixing of stone panels to the end of the units 14, and ferrules 31 for crypt handling.

.iooo IN:\LIBTT101444:LAM

Claims (7)

1. A precast concrete interment unit that is vertically stackable with like units, including: an open top; a floor of generally rectangular configuration; a pair of side walls extending upwardly from the floor; an end wall extending upwardly from the floor and extending between the two side walls and being located at an end of the unit; a drainage passage extending through the end wall adjacent said floor; and wherein said interment unit is stackable; and wherein said floor has an internal surface which when located to receive a casket, slopes downwardly toward said end wall so as to drain liquid to said drainage passage, and said interment unit when stacked has the floor closing the open top of the next below unit.

2. The interment unit of claim 1, wherein said unit is open at an opposite end to said end wall, which open end is to be closed by a further end wall secured in position when a casket is located within the unit.

3. The unit of claim 1 or 2 wherein said side walls have end portions having means enabling the securing of said further end wall thereto to close said opening.

4. The unit of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the unit is adapted to be stacked with light units.

5. An interment unit according to any one of the previous claims wherein the end wall is provided with a ventilation passage located above the drainage passage.

6. An interment unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A wall structure of a mausoleum including a plurality of interment units, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 6 May, 2003 Catholic Cemetery Trust, Necropolis 35 Bowden Design Associates Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [R:\LIBD]03464.doc:caa