GB2114498A

GB2114498A - Coffins

Info

Publication number: GB2114498A
Application number: GB08234978A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Frederick Papenfus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-02-01
Filing date: 1982-12-08
Publication date: 1983-08-24
Also published as: ZA824345B

Abstract

Low cost coffins have been made of cheap wood, cardboard, hard board, or other like materials, often in kit form. it has also been proposed to make coffin kits of sheet metal components and from integral skin polyurethane. These coffins result in undertakers assembly costs and often have costly connecting components. They often have limited preservative ability. The present invention provides a cheap, lightweight and easily transportable coffin of simple construction and with preservative characteristics similar to robust wooden coffins. This is made by forming a jacket (28) of suitably reinforced hard setting material, such as a glass fibre reinforced plastics, and moulding a lining (40) of expanded material, such as polyurethane foam, onto the inner surface of the lining. The coffin lid (14) can be similarly made. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Coffins This invention relates to coffins and to a method of making coffins.

In the past, coffins have customarily been made of wood, although some low-cost coffins and cremation coffins have been made of cardboard, hardboard or other like materials. There has also been a tendency towards the use of coffins which are made in kit form and which are relatively easy to assemble prior to use. Such coffins have been made with sheet metal components, suitably thick chipboard, plywood, or similar materials. In USA Patent Specification 3 879 818, it has also been proposed to make coffin kit parts of self-skinned urethane foam.

These coffins are not always acceptable and have the disadvantage that assembly is required, with the associated labour, and that suitable connecting formations must be provided with each kit.

The present invention aims to provide a coffin which is of relatively simple construction, which is acceptably cheap to make, which is lightweight and can be easily transported and which has the preservative characteristics of robust wooden coffins.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of making a coffin having a lid and a base, including making the coffin base by forming a jacket from suitably reinforced hard-setting material, and moulding a lining of expanded material onto the inner surface of the jacket.

The jacket may have a bottom, a foot end and a head end, two longer walls diverging away from the foot end and the bottom, and two shorter walls diverging away from the head end and the bottom and merging with the longer walls. It may also be subtantially impervious to water. The lining may cover substantially the whole of the inner surface of each end, each wall and the bottom, and may form a subtantially continuous layer over the inner surface of the jacket. The resultant coffin base may have a shape similar to that of a normal wooden coffin base.

The jacket of the coffin may be formed as a layer in a a suitably shaped mould, and may be made of glassfibre reinforced plastics material. The mean thickness of the layer may be less than about 5 mm and may, for example, be about 1,5 mm. This layer may be sprayed into the mould and may be rolled to provide it with a suitably flat inner surface. The material may include colouring to provide the jacket with the required colour appearance, and the surface of the mould may be selected to provide a desired surface effect on the jacket.

The lining may be of expanded plastics material and may be formed by inserting a mould core into the cavity defined by the walls, ends and bottom of the jacket, to form a mould cavity between the core and the jacket, and by then introducing material into the mould cavity and allowing it to expand and set, as necessary, to form the lining on the inner surface of the jacket. The lining and jacket thus form a laminate.

The lining material may be a hard-setting polyurethane foam, which may include suitable colouring material. The thickness of the lining may be sufficient to provide the coffin base with a robust appearance. For this purpose, the lining may have a thickness of at least 1 cm, and preferably of at least 1,5 to 2 cm.

During the formation of the lining, anchoring elements may be retained by the mould core in pre-set positions with respect to the mould cavity and adjacent to that part of the base which is to form the upper edge of the base. When the lining mateial is introduced into the mould cavity, the elements are thus moulded at least partly into the lining for facilitating attachment of a lid to the base.

After the lining material has set, the core can be removed and, if desired, a further layer of hardsetting material can be formed on the inner surface of the lining. This further layer may also be formed of glassfibre-reinforced plastics material which can be sprayed onto the lining and then rolled. The thickness of this layer may be varied, as required, but may be similar to that of the jacket.

Whether or not the further layer is included, an inner lining of satin, paper or other material may be secured in the base for decorative purposes.

in order to provide a seal between the lid of the coffin and the base, a sealing means, such as a sealing strip, may be provided along the upper edge of the base for engaging the lid or a sealing means on the lid.

Handles may be attached to the base by forming holes in the walls of the base at suitable locations and bolting the handles to the base walls by bolts passing through the holes in a conventional manner, sealing washers being used to provide a seal adjacent to the bolts.

The lid may be made in a similar manner to the base, by forming a lid jacket from suitably reinforced hard-setting material, such as glassfibre-reinforced plastics material, and moulding a lid lining of expanded material onto the inner surface of the lid jacket.

The surface of the lid lining which is to form the bottom of the lid, in use, may be generally flat and may be provided with sealing means, such as a sealing strip, for engaging the coffin base or sealing means on the coffin base. The lid may be attached to the base by fasteners, such as screws, which may co-operate with fastening elements moulded into the base.

The present invention also extends to a coffin formed by a method of the invention.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a coffin including a coffin base comprising a jacket of suitably reinforced hard-setting material, and a lining of expanded material laminated onto an inner surface of the jacket.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a coffin base according to the invention; Figure 2 is an under-plan view of a coffin lid for use with the coffin base of Figure 1; Figures 3 to 6 illustrate successive stages in the manufacture of a coffin base by the method of the invention; Figures 7to 9 illustrate successive stages in the formation of a coffin lid; and Figure 10 is schematic cross-section through a coffin according to the invention.

Referring firstly to Figures 1,2 and 10, a coffin 10 comprises a coffin base 12 and a coffin lid 14 which, in the closed condition of the coffin, are held together by screws 16, two of which are shown in Figure 10.

The coffin base has a bottom 18, a foot end 20, a head end 22, longer side walls 24 diverging away from the foot end and the bottom, and shorter side walls 26 diverging away from the head end and bottom, and merging with the longer walls. The ends 20 and 22 may diverge away from one another as they extend upwardly from the base 18.

The coffin base 12 may be made by the method illustrated with reference to Figures 3 to 6. In this method, a jacket 28 is initially formed as a layer of glass-fibre reinforced plastics material in a suitably shaped mould 30, the jacket having a bottom, foot and head ends, longer walls and shorter walls merging with one another to form the outside of the base 12. The mean thickness of the layer is less than 5 mm and in the embodiment shown is preferably about 1,5 mm. The material includes a suitable brown colouring but may be of any other colour, if desired.

Once the jacket 28 has been formed and has set, an inner mould 32 is located on the base mould 30 so that it provides a mould core extending into the cavity defined between the walls, ends and bottom of the jacket 28. A mould cavity 34 is formed between the mould core and the jacket.

When the inner mould is located in position, anchoring blocks 36 are located in pre-set positions with respect to the inner mould and are retained in those positions, for example by a weak adhesive.

Once the inner mould and anchoring blocks are in position, a material such as a hard-setting polyurethane composition containing a foaming agent is introduced into the mould cavity 34 through inlet sprues 38 and is allowed to expand and set within the mould cavity to form a lining 40 (Figure 5) laminated onto the jacket 28. The means thickness of the lining 40 is from 1,5 to 2 cm.

Once the lining 40 has set, the inner mould 32 is removed, the inner mould being shaped at locations 44 to prevent interference of the mould with the blocks 36 as the inner mould is removed. The jacket and lining are then removed, asa single unit, from the mould 30.

Sealing means, such as a sealing strip 46 of rubber or other suitable material, is bonded to the upper peripheral edge of the laminated unit which has been removed from the mould 30 Holes are drilled into the walls of the unit and handles 48 (Figure 1) are attached to the walls in a conventional manner by bolts 50 passing through the walls, sealing washers being provided to form a seal around each hole.

The lid 14 is formed in a lid mould 52 by spraying a layer of glassfibre-reinforced plastics material onto the inner mould surface, rolling it so that it is suitably smooth, and allowing it to set to form a lid jacket 54.

A mould cover 56 is then located on and secured to the lid mould 52 and a suitable polyurethane composition containing a foaming agent is introduced into the resultant mould cavity through a sprue 58 and allowed to expand to form a lining within the lid jacket. The arrangement may be such that the resultant lid has a substantially flat lower surface 60.

Once the lining has set, the lid unit comprising the jacket and lining may be removed from the mould and a sealing strip 62 may be bonded to a peripheral region of the unitto complete the lid.

the lid is dimensioned so that it will fit relatively accurately onto the base with the sealing strips of the lid and base in engagement with one another, and screw holes will be formed in the lid at suitable locations to ensure that the screws 16 are correctly located for screwing into the blocks 36 when the lid is screwed onto the base.

Instead of providing handles after the coffin base has largely been formed, it is possible to mould handles during the formation of the jacket. This can be done by providing suitably located recesses in the mould 30 and applying the jacket 24 so that it extends into the recesses to form handgrips (as shown in chain lines at 64 in Figure 6). The handgrips may be formed wholly of the same material as the jacket or may be partly filled with the material of the lining 40.

Claims

1. A method of making a coffin having a lid and a base, including making the coffin base by forming a jacket from suitably reinforced hard-setting material, and moulding a lining of expanded material onto the inner surface of the jacket.

1. The method of Claim 1, wherein the jacket has a bottom, a foot end and a head end, two longer walls diverging away from the foot end and the bottom, and two shorter walls diverging away from the head end and the bottom and merging with the longer walls.

3. The method of Claim 2, wherein the lining covers substantially the whole of the inner surface of each end, each wall and the bottom, and forms a substantially continuous layer over the inner surface of the jacket.

4. The method of Claim 2 or 3, wherein the jacket of the coffin is formed as a layer of glassfibrereinforced plastics material in a suitably shaped mould.

5. The method of Claim 4, wherein the mean thickness of the layer is less than about 5 mm.

6. The method of any one of Claims 2 to 5, wherein the lining is of expanded plastics material and is formed by inserting a mould core into the cavity defined by the walls, ends and bottom of the jacket, to form a mould cavity between the core and the jacket, and by then introducing material into the mould cavity and allowing it to expand and set to form the lining on the inner surface of the jacket.

7. The method of Claim 6, wherein the lining material is a hard-setting polyurethane foam.

8. The method of Claim 6 or 7, wherein the thickness of the lining is at least 1 cm.

9. The method of Claim 8, wherein the thickness of the lining is 1,5 to 2 cm.

10. The method of Claim 6,7,8 or 9, wherein anchoring elements are retained by the mould core in preset positions with respect to the mould cavity and adjacent to that part of the base which is to form the upper edge of the base during the formation of the lining, and the elements are thus moulded at least partly into the lining for facilitating attachment of a lid to the base.

11. The method of any one of Claims 6 to 10, wherein, after the lining material has set, the core is removed and a further layer of hard-setting material is formed on the inner surface of the lining.

12. The method of Claim 11, wherein this further layer is formed glassfibre-reinforced plastics material which is sprayed onto the lining and then rolled.

13. The method of any preceding claim, wherein a a sealing means is provided along the upper edge of the base for engaging the lid or a sealing means on the lid.

14. The method of any preceding claim, wherein handles are attached to the base by forming holes in the base at suitable locations and bolting the handles to the base by bolts passing through the holes, sealing washers being used to provide a seal adjacent to the bolts.

15. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the lid is made by forming a lid jacket from suitably reinforced hard-setting material and moulding a lid lining of expanded material onto the inner surface of the lid jacket.

16. The method of Claim 15, wherein that surface of the lid lining which is to form the bottom of the lid, in use, is generally flat and is provided with sealing means for engaging the coffin base or sealing means on the coffin base.

17. A coffin formed by the method of any preceding claim.

18. A coffin including a coffin base comprising a jacket of suitably reinforced hard-setting material, and a lining of expanded material laminated onto an inner surface of the jacket.

19. A coffin, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.