EP1076139A1

EP1076139A1 - Funeral monument, in particular for the external finishing of a tomb

Info

Publication number: EP1076139A1
Application number: EP99202610A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giulio Travi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-08-10
Filing date: 1999-08-10
Publication date: 2001-02-14

Abstract

With the purpose of reducing costs, the funeral monument, in particular for the external finishing of a tomb, comprises basically one first (2) and one second (3) element. The first element (2) may be founded on the ground (4) in order to form a stable base for said second element (3), which coats the first element (2) and supports the typical accessories of funeral monuments. The second element (3) is a prefabricated structure preferably made of wood, which can be applied to the first element by superposition. The wood of said structure is treated chemically so as to present adequate resistance to the weather.

Description

The subject of the present invention is a funeral monument, in particular for the external finishing of a tomb. Funeral monuments at present basically comprise a base coated with marble or granite or other high-quality materials. The base mainly performs the function of fixing the monument to the ground so as to constitute a stable support, whilst the coating mainly has the function of ennobling the monument as a whole and of supporting the traditional accessories of funeral monuments, such as inscriptions, votive lamps, photographs, vases and the like. Usually, the base is made in situ using brick tiles or a concrete casting or using a combination of said building materials. In view of the weight and brittleness of the materials used to make the coating, this is obtained by combining a number of parts cut to size and subsequently transported in situ, and then applied to the base with usual building techniques. Finally traditional funeral accessories are applied to the coating.
The making of the aforesaid funeral monuments requires the intervention of labour of various specializations (masons, workers in marble, electricians, decorators, etc.), and hence also the co-ordination of their activities. It is therefore understandable that at present the execution of such funeral monuments involves costs of execution and waiting times that are relatively high.
The purpose of the present invention is therefore to reduce the costs of execution and the waiting times connected with the said monuments, without, however, altering the characteristics that at present make the said monuments particularly requested.
These purposes are achieved by a funeral monument according to Claim 1, to which reference is made for reasons of brevity.
In brief, the idea that is at the basis of the invention is that of prefabricating at least the second element, using a material designed to resist atmospheric agents, sufficiently light but not brittle, so that the said second element, when built, may be conveniently transported in situ ready for being applied on one first element, which is fixed to the ground by means of a foundation or other constraint. The fixing between the first element and the second element (preferably of a mechanical and not of a masonry nature) and the possible electrical connections for supplying votive lamps remain the only and easy activities to be carried out in situ to associate the two elements of the monument.
The dependent claims regard further embodiments of the invention endowed with particular effectiveness.
In particular, the use of wood as a replacement for stone materials, in addition to containing costs, also has ecological purposes in that, as is known, the extraction of marble and granite involves a high environmental impact, in so far as it entails irreversible alterations to the environment, whereas wood is a normally renewable material.
For example, by making also the first element using prefabrication techniques, it is possible to reduce costs further independently of the materials used for said second element. The advantages so far mentioned are not limited to the phase of execution alone of the monument, but there are also advantages in the case of it being necessary to remove the said monument whether for maintenance of for reorganization of the cemetery or for expiration of the lease on the site, or alienation, etc.
Simply to provide an example, in what follows one of the possible embodiments of the invention is described. The description is made with reference to the figures of the attached drawings that illustrate said possible embodiment.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a monument according to the invention.
Figure 2 is a section according to the line II-II of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an exploded view of a detail of the monument.
With reference to the above-mentioned figures, the funeral monument 1 is of the type laid on the tomb (not shown) for the external or top finishing of the same. It basically comprises one first element 2 and one second element 3. The first element 2 may be founded on the ground 4 or may be fixed to the ground 4 in another way so as to constitute a stable base for the said second element 3. With particular reference to Figure 2, the second element 3 is fixed to the first element 2 by fixing means 15, preferably of the screw type, and equally preferably by means of the interposition of a metal frame 18. The expression "fixing means" is to be understood in the widest sense of the term. The following may, for example, be used: screws, whether through bolts or otherwise, anchor bolts, nails, rivets, and possibly adhesive compounds or glues. The first element 2 is a prefabricated element that comprises a perimetral portion 5 designed to accept some form of ballast 6. If the perimetral portion 5 has a sufficiently heavy weight or is adequately founded on the ground 4, it is possible to avoid associating ballast thereto. In the case where it is desired that the said perimetral portion 5 be relatively heavy, unalterable and economical, it may be made of concrete, using the ordinary techniques of prefabrication. The perimetral element 5 thus obtained is therefore a concrete prefabricated element that preferably comprises opposite parallel pairs of walls 7, 8 of different height so as to form a seat for the stable containment of the ballast 6. The ballast 6 preferably consists of a prefabricated slab also made of concrete. The concrete slab 6 has one first pair 9 and one second pair 11 of opposite edges. The first pair of opposite edges 9 rests on the edges 10 of the walls of the perimetral portion of smaller height 7. The second pair of opposite edges 11 of the said concrete slab 6 is contained between the edges 12 of the walls 8 of greater height of the perimetral portion 5. With the purpose of facilitating its execution, transportation and laying in place, the concrete slab 6 is made up of a number of elements preferably equal to one another. If the perimetral element 5 is a prefabricated concrete element and the ballast 6 is a prefabricated concrete slab, in the event of removal of the monument they may be easily recovered and thus re-used, with considerable reduction in costs, such as those resulting from long waiting times, and, not least, ecological advantages in that any waste of material is avoided.
The second element 3 is a prefabricated wooden structure that may be applied to the first element 2 by superposition. The second element 3 comprises one first board of wood 13 to which an edge 14 is applied underneath, which surrounds and coats the part that rises from the ground 4 of the perimetral portion of the first element 2. The second element 3 is preferably made of laminated wood or wooden laths and/or wood having another structure, in that it is the one that has demonstrated excellent characteristics of stability to weather and a relatively contained cost. It is possible to use any type of wood. On top of the board of wood 13 is applied perpendicularly a second board 16 also made of chemically treated wood. The first wooden board 13 and the said second wooden board 16 comprise housings 17 designed to receive the typical accessories of funeral monuments, such as tombstones, inscriptions, lights, photographs, vases and the like, so ennobling the monument 1 as a whole. The wood with which the second element 3 is made is treated chemically so as to withstand the weather adequately. Preferably the second element 3 is coated with a number of layers of bicomponent epoxy and polyurethane paints. At least one of the said layers contains additives suitable for neutralizing the action of ultraviolet radiation. To provide an example, one of the possible chemical treatments for protecting the wood of the second element 3 is indicated hereinafter. This treatment, which is a method of coating the element 3 by painting, should guarantee an adequate protection for approximately ten years. The said method envisages:

a first phase of spreading with a paint-brush or a paint-spray gun a coat of water primer with a bactericidal, fungicidal and/or staining function;
a second phase of drying and subsequent sanding of the previously treated surfaces;
a third phase of spreading with a paint-brush or roller a first coat of colourless bicomponent epoxy resin with the prime function of protection against damp;
a fourth phase of drying and subsequent sanding of the previously treated surfaces;
a fifth phase of washing with water and removal of the layer of amine that forms on the surface;
a sixth phase of spreading with a paint-brush or roller a second coat of colourless bicomponent epoxy resin with the prime function of protection against damp;
a seventh phase of spreading immediately, using a roller or spatula, a layer of glass textile preferably having a consistency of 135 grams per square metre, with the prime function of protecting against the mechanical action of settling of the wood;
an eighth phase of sanding the previously treated surfaces;
a ninth phase of washing with water and removal of the layer of amine that forms on the surface;
a tenth phase of spreading one first coat of bicomponent polyurethane paint containing additives that neutralize UV radiation;
an eleventh phase of sanding the previously treated surfaces; and
a twelfth phase of spreading one second coat of bicomponent polyurethane paint containing additives that neutralize UV radiation.

For the assembly of the funeral monument 1 illustrated in the above-mentioned Figures 1-3, the procedure is as follows: the first element 2 and the second element 3 produced in the factory are transported to the place where the monument is to be erected. The perimetral portion 5 is laid on the ground 4 via a foundation, etc. The slab 6 or ballast, if envisaged, is laid on the edges 10, 12 of the walls 7, 8 so as to obtain one first element 2 ready to receive the second element 3. The second element 3 is laid over the first element 2 and fixed to it by fixing means 15. Any required electrical connection is made, and any funeral accessories, which, as a precaution, have not been installed on the second element 3 already in the workshop, are now installed. The second element 3 could also be a prefabricated structure made of polymeric material possibly treated on the surface.

Claims

Funeral monument (1), in particular for the external finishing of a tomb, characterised in that it comprises one first element (2) and one second element (3) in which: the first element (2) may be founded on the ground (4) so as to constitute a stable base for said second element (3), which coats the first element (2) and supports the typical accessories of funeral monuments, such as inscriptions, lights, photographs, vases and the like, so ennobling the monument (1) as a whole, and in that said second element (3) is a prefabricated structure that may be applied to the first element by superposition.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 1, characterized in that the second element (3) is a prefabricated wooden structure.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 1, characterized in that the second element (3) is a prefabricated structure made of polymeric material.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 1 and Claim 2, characterized in that the material of the second element (3) is treated chemically so as to withstand the weather adequately.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 1, characterized in that the said first element (2) is a prefabricated element that comprises a perimetral portion (5) designed to accept some form of ballast (6).
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 5, characterized in that the perimetral portion (5) is a prefabricated concrete element which comprises pairs of opposite walls (7, 8) of different height so as to form a seat for the stable containment of the ballast (6), the ballast (6) consisting of a concrete slab in which one first pair of opposite edges (9) rests on the edges (10) of the walls of the perimetral portion of smaller height (7), and the second pair of opposite edges (11) of the said concrete slab (6) is contained between the edges (12) of the walls 8 of greater height of the perimetral portion (5).
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 6, characterized in that the said concrete slab (6) is made up of a number of elements.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 2, characterized in that the said second element (3) comprises at least one first board of wood (13) to which is applied underneath an edge (14) which surrounds and coats the part that rises up from the ground (4) of the perimetral portion of the first element (2).
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 1, characterized in that the second element (3) is fixed to the first element (2) by means of screws (15).
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 8, characterized in that on the top of the wooden board (13) is applied perpendicularly one second wooden board (16).
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 10, characterized in that the said first wooden board (13) and second wooden board (16) envisage housings (17) designed to receive the accessories of funeral monuments, such as tombstones, inscriptions, lights, photographs, vases, and the like.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 2, characterized in that the said second element (3) is made of laminated wood or wooden laths or of wood having another structure.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 1, characterized in that the said first element (2) and second element (3) are fixed together by the interposition of a metal frame (18).
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 2, characterized in that the said second element (3) is coated by means of a process of painting with layers of bicomponent epoxy and polyurethane paints.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 14, characterized in that at least one of the said layers contains additives designed to neutralize the action of ultraviolet radiation.
Funeral monument referred to in Claim 14 and/or Claim 15, characterized in that the said process of painting envisages:

a first phase of spreading with a paint-brush or a paint-spray gun a coat of water primer with a bactericidal, fungicidal and/or staining function;

a second phase of drying and subsequent sanding of the previously treated surfaces;

a third phase of spreading with a paint-brush or roller a first coat of colourless bicomponent epoxy resin with the prime function of protection against damp;

a fourth phase of drying and subsequent sanding of the previously treated surfaces;

a fifth phase of washing with water and removal of the layer of amine that forms on the surface;

a sixth phase of spreading with a paint-brush or roller a second coat of colourless bicomponent epoxy resin with the prime function of protection against damp;

a seventh phase of spreading immediately, using a roller or spatula, a layer of glass textile preferably having a consistency of 135 grams per square metre, with the prime function of protecting against the mechanical action of settling of the wood;

an eighth phase of sanding the previously treated surfaces;

a ninth phase of washing with water and removal of the layer of amine that forms on the surface;

a tenth phase of spreading one first coat of bicomponent polyurethane paint containing additives that neutralize UV radiation;

an eleventh phase of sanding the previously treated surfaces; and

a twelfth phase of spreading one second coat of bicomponent polyurethane paint containing additives that neutralize UV radiation.