GB2576879A

GB2576879A - Casket

Info

Publication number: GB2576879A
Application number: GB1814316.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Marcus Atkinson Julian
Original assignee: J C ATKINSON AND SON Ltd
Current assignee: J C ATKINSON AND SON Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-04
Filing date: 2018-09-04
Publication date: 2020-03-11
Also published as: GB201814316D0

Abstract

A casket 1 comprises a lid 6 and a body 2 with a base and at least four side panels 5. Each panel 5 comprises a board of MDF material with a decorative laminate on at least one surface. An upper edge region of each panel 5 includes a unitary top edge. The coffin 1 has at least one ledge facing towards the inside of the body 2 and spaced downwardly from the uppermost edge of the panels 5 by a distance equal to the thickness of the lid 6. The lid 6 fits within the edge region of the panels 5, supported by the or each ledge. The panels 5 may be attached to a framework of the coffin 1. Decorative features 7 may be provided at the top or bottom edges of each panel 5. The casket 1 looks like a wooden casket but has lower manufacturing costs.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

J.C. Atkinson and Son Limited

Sedling Road, Wear Industrial Estate, WASHINGTON,

Tyne and Wear, NE38 9BZ, United Kingdom (56) Documents Cited:

GB 2517280 A

DE 003608461 A1

US 5548880 A

KR 20000036503

GB 2440734 A SK 000098093 A3 (72) Inventor(s):

Julian Marcus Atkinson (58) Field of Search:

INT CLA61G

Other: EPODOC, WPI (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

Stevens Hewlett & Perkins

St Augustine's Place, BRISTOL, BS1 4UD, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: Casket

Abstract Title: Casket of mouldable fibrous cellulosic material (57) A casket 1 comprises a lid 6 and a body 2 with a base and at least four side panels 5. Each panel 5 comprises a board of MDF material with a decorative laminate on at least one surface. An upper edge region of each panel 5 includes a unitary top edge. The coffin 1 has at least one ledge facing towards the inside of the body 2 and spaced downwardly from the uppermost edge of the panels 5 by a distance equal to the thickness of the lid 6. The lid 6 fits within the edge region of the panels 5, supported by the or each ledge. The panels 5 may be attached to a framework of the coffin 1. Decorative features 7 may be provided at the top or bottom edges of each panel 5. The casket 1 looks like a wooden casket but has lower manufacturing costs.

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FIG. 1

FIG. 2

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FIG. 3

FIG. 4

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FIG. 5

4/6

5/6

FIG. 10

FIG. 11

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CASKET

Field of the Invention [001] The present invention relates to a casket or coffin suitable for use in burial and cremation. Use of the term casket herein is not limited to any particular shape of burial and cremation containers. The term casket is used herein to refer to any and all shapes of burial and cremation containers including, but not limited to, coffins.

Background to the Invention [002] Conventional funeral caskets are made from wood which is often carved and polished so as to present a highly decorative outward appearance. However, the material and manufacturing costs of such conventional solid wood caskets is very high. As a result, laminated board, formed from thin layers or veneers of wood bonded together, is often used nowadays in the manufacture of caskets such as the casket illustrated in Fig. 1.

[003] Materials other than wood or laminated board have also been used in the manufacture of caskets and an example of an alternative casket design is shown in GB2440734. The casket design described in GB2440734 employs environmentally sustainable materials. The casket generally comprises a wooden framework to which panels are attached forming an enclosed space. The panels of the casket are made of a woven natural material such as willow or wicker. Whilst such environmentally friendly caskets are very popular with some people, many people dislike the outward appearance of the caskets favouring more traditional wood finishes such as that illustrated in Fig. 1.

[004] Manufacture of a conventional casket using solid laminated board generally involves the following manufacturing stages: CNC cutting of the ~2 ~ lid, base, ends and sides from flat laminated board; edging the cut component parts with veneer tape and moulding; CNC finishing and panelling; jig assemble; hand finished and polished. The cycle time for these manufacturing steps to produce a basic casket is approximately 2 hours with the machining taking up around 50% of the cycle time. Casket furniture is attached to the casket after manufacture either by the manufacturer or later by the funeral director.

Summary of the Invention [005] The present invention seeks to provide a casket involving significantly lower material and manufacturing costs whilst having an outward appearance similar to the appearance of a conventional wood casket.

[006] The present invention therefore provides a casket comprising a casket body and a lid, the casket body including a base and at least four side panels, wherein each one of the at least four side panels comprises a board of mouldable fibrous cellulosic material having a decorative laminate on at least a first surface, each one of the four side panels including an upper edge region with a free uppermost edge unitary with the remainder of the side panel, and the casket further comprising at least one ledge facing towards the interior of the casket body, the at least one ledge being spaced downwardly from the free uppermost edge of the edge regions a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the casket lid and wherein the casket lid is sized to fit within the periphery of the edge region of the at least four side panels supported by the at least one ledge.

[007] In a first embodiment a second surface of the at least four side panels, opposite to the first surface, is cut or moulded to provide the at least one ledge.

[008] In a separate second embodiment the casket further comprises a casket body framework to which the at least four side panels are attached and the at least one ledge may be provided by an upper surface of the ~3~ framework. The framework may further include a ledge located along a lower edge of the at least four side panels, the ledge facing towards the interior of the casket body a having a depth sufficient to support the base panel of the casket body.

[009] Ideally the first surface of the upper edge region of each side panel comprises a moulded decorative feature. Moreover, the casket may further comprise additional decorative features moulded in the first surface of the at least four side panels.

[0010]The casket lid may also comprise a board of mouldable fibrous cellulosic material having a decorative laminate on at least a first surface and may include one or more moulded decorative features.

[0011]The mouldable fibrous cellulosic material is preferably medium density MDF.

[0012]The decorative laminate may be a wood veneer or paper printed with a decorative image.

[0013] In an alternative aspect the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a casket comprising the steps: providing a casket lid; providing at least four side panels each comprising a board of mouldable fibrous cellulosic material, each side panel having an upper edge region with an uppermost free edge unitary with the remainder of the side panel; attaching a plurality of sheets of a decorative laminate to a first surface of each of the casket side panels; pressing each of the at least four casket side panels in a die to adhere the decorative laminate to the first surface; providing at least one ledge facing away from the first surface of the casket side panels, the at least one ledge being spaced downwardly from the free uppermost edge of the upper edge regions a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the casket lid; and providing a casket base and attaching the at least four side panels to the casket base, whereby the casket lid rests on the at least one ledge within the periphery of the upper edge regions of the casket side panels.

~4~ [0014] In a preferred embodiment the method further comprises providing casket framework and attaching the casket base and the at least four side panels to the framework. In a particularly preferred embodiment the at least one ledge is an uppermost surface of the framework.

[0015]The method may further comprise the step of moulding at least one decorative feature in the first surface of each of the upper edge regions of the at least four side panels. The method may additionally comprise moulding at least one decorative feature into the first surface of at least one of the at least four side panels. The method may also additionally comprise moulding at least one decorative feature into an uppermost surface of the casket lid.

[0016] Thus, the side panels of the casket of the present invention have an integral edge feature which has the appearance of being the edge of a conventional casket lid. In this way the casket has the overall appearance of a conventional casket but at significantly lower material and manufacturing costs. These and other benefits and advantages of the present invention are discussed below.

[0017] It is to be understood that reference herein to “fibrous cellulosic material” includes, but is not limited to, plywood, fibreboard, low, medium and high density MDF as well as other fibrous plant material that is capable of being moulded. Furthermore, reference herein to “mouldable” is reference to a material the shape of which can be altered under pressure to conform to the internal shape of a mould when exposed to appropriate environmental conditions.

Brief Description of the Drawings [0018] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an illustration of a traditional casket not in accordance with the present invention;

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Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a casket (excluding handles and other casket furniture) in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of corner region A in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a casket frame in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of corner region E of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the casket of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 illustrates section A-A of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of edge B of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative casket (excluding lid, handles and other casket furniture) in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 10 is an enlarge perspective view of corner region A of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the casket of Fig. 9 with its lid in place; and Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the side of the casket and lid of Fig.

11.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment [0019] The casket 1 in Figs. 2 and 4 generally comprises an open box 2 having a framework 3, base panel 4 (see Fig. 7) and side panels 5 and a lid

6. In addition, decorative features 7 are provided along the top and bottom edges of the side panels 5 of the box 2. In normal use the casket 1 would additionally include handles and other casket furniture or fittings (not shown) mounted to the exterior of the casket.

[0020] In Fig. 3 the corner region A of the casket in Fig. 2 is enlarged to more clearly show an upper edge region of the side panels and unitary therewith which has a decorative feature 7. Fig. 3 also shows that the uppermost surface of the lid 6 is flush with the uppermost edge of the decorative feature 7. This results in the surface of the peripheral edge 8 of the lid 6 not being visible as the lid 6 is mounted within the boundary of the upper edge region of the side panels 5.

~6~ [0021] The framework 3 of the casket 1 is shown in Fig. 4. The framework 3, which is preferably made of wood, has cut-outs forming an open framework on to which the casket base panel 4, side panels 5 and lid 6 are mounted. The framework illustrated in Fig. 4 comprises two opposing end portions 9 with each end portion 9 joined along opposing side edges to the corresponding side edges of two opposing side portions 10. For a conventional rectangular casket the junction between the end portions 9 and the side portions 10 is substantially orthogonal. However, for the casket illustrated in Fig. 2 which is wider at a shoulder region intermediate the two ends of the casket, the internal angle between each side portion 10 and an end portion 9 is greater than 90°. For the framework to provide the wider shoulder region, each side portion 10 has a plurality of substantially vertical cuts 11 at the shoulder region providing flexure or bending of the side portion 10.

[0022]The framework 3 further includes an inwardly projecting ledge 12 along the lowermost edge of the end and side portions 9, 10 (see Fig. 5). The casket base panel 4 is shaped to fit within the framework 3 so as to be mounted on and supported by the peripheral ledge 12. Ideally the casket base panel 4 includes a rebate so that the bottommost surface of the base panel is substantially flush with the bottom of the framework 3. The position of the side portion 10 of the framework 3 relative to the side panel 5, the lid 6 and the base panel 4 is more clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

[0023] In Figs. 9-12 a second casket embodiment 13 is shown. Like reference numerals have been used to identify elements of the casket 13 which are common with the casket 1. The casket 13 generally comprises an open box 2 having a base 14 and sides 15 and a lid 6. Unlike the earlier casket 1, the casket 13 has no framework, instead the sides 15 are thicker, structurally stronger panels which are joined together and joined to the base 14 using conventional joinery techniques. Decorative features 7 are provided along the top and bottom edge regions of the side panels of the box 2. In normal use the casket 13 would additionally include handles and ~7~ other casket furniture or fittings (not shown) mounted to the exterior of the casket.

[0024] In Fig. 10 the corner region A of the casket in Fig. 9 is enlarged to more clearly show the decorative feature 7. Fig. 10 also shows that the uppermost surface of the lid 6 is flush with the uppermost edge of the upper edge region of the side panel which has the decorative feature 7. This results in the surface of the peripheral edge 8 of the lid 6 not being visible as the lid 6 is mounted on an inwardly facing ledge within the periphery of the upper edge regions of the side panels. As may be more easily seen in Fig. 12, the inside of the upper edge regions of the side panels have a rebate positioned a distance down from the free upper edge of the side panels substantially equal to the thickness of the casket lid 6. The rebate supports the edge of the lid 6. With regards to the base panel 14, the inwardly projecting ledge of the first embodiment is omitted and instead the base panel 14 is attached directly to the side panels 15.

[0025] Although the decorative features 7 of the two embodiments illustrated in the figures, are limited to top and bottom edge features, the present invention is not limited to the decorative features appearing solely at the edges of the casket sides. Rather it is envisaged that decorative features may be provided anywhere on the outermost surface of the casket sides as well as on the casket lid 6. For example, the sides and lid may include decorative features in a central region of the panels, similar in appearance to those illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0026]The casket embodiments described above are manufactured using medium density fibreboard (MDF) panels. With the first embodiment the MDF boards are preferably 3-4 mm thickness whereas for the second embodiment slightly thicker MDF boards, e.g. 6 mm or above, are preferably used. Visible outer surfaces of the MDF boards have a wood veneer applied which may have a thickness of between 0.5 and 6 mm, but more preferably the veneer has a thickness of between 1 and 3 mm. The ~8~ caskets may, of course, be manufactured using boards of alternative mouldable fibrous cellulosic material and decorative laminates other than wood veneer, such as printed paper may be used on the visible outer surfaces of the casket.

[0027] For the caskets of the embodiments described herein to have a traditional casket appearance, the first surfaces of at least some of the casket panels are pressed in a die to incorporate moulded decorative features in the first surfaces. Conventional moulding processes, such as those described in WO98/48992 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, are used to form the decorative features in the first surfaces of the casket panels. In the moulding process, the panel is initially heated and exposed to steam to soften the panel. The softened panel is then transferred to a die having top and bottom heated moulds shaped to define the resultant desired shape and surface pattern of the panel. The softened panel is laid over the bottom mould and the upper mould is lowered to overlie the panel. The upper mould is then moved towards to bottom mould and in doing so applies pressure to the panel which causes the panel to plastically deform to the desired shaped of the upper and/or lower mould. The decorative features moulded in the first surface of the panels may result in the thickness of the panel being different at different positions across the surface of the panel. The differences in panel thickness may be as little as 1-2 mm or as large as 2 cm, 6 cm, or more.

[0028]Thus, manufacture of the casket embodiment illustrated in Figs. 2-8 involves the following basic steps:

a. the framework 3 is constructed using conventional joinery techniques with square or rectangular cross-section timber such as, but not limited to, pine;

b. the panels are cut to size;

c. a layer of adhesive, such as PVA, is applied to the first surface of each of the cut panels and optionally applied to any exposed panel edges and/or to decorative laminate sheets;

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d. the decorative laminate sheets are laid over the whole of the first surface of each of the cut panels and optionally over the exposed panel edges so that the pattern or wood grain in the decorative laminates is aligned but with the edges of individual sheets overlapping;

e. the cut panels with the sheets of decorative laminate are then placed in a press and exposed to heat and pressure to glue the sheets to the panels and to mould the decorative features into the first surface of at least some of the panels;

f. the pressed panels are then removed from the press and the edges of the decorative laminate sheets are trimmed;

g. the laminated panels are returned to the press for a second press to glue any trimmed edges of the decorative laminate sheets securely;

h. the laminated panels are removed from the press and attached to the framework in any suitable manner, e.g. using pins or staples, to form the casket body; and

i. the external surfaces of the resultant casket are polished.

[0029] For the casket embodiment illustrated in Figs. 9-12, manufacturing step a. is omitted and in step h. the laminated panels are joined to one another to form the casket body.

[0030] Where, as illustrated in the figures, the shaped of the resultant casket is non-rectangular having, for example, a shoulder intermediate the two ends of the casket, vertical grooves 11 are cut into the second surface of the side panels and into the framework. The vertical grooves 11 enhance the flexure of the side panels and the framework so that both the framework and the side panels are capable of bending sufficiently to form the shoulder region of the casket.

[0031] With both of the illustrated embodiments, the decorative laminate sheets are fixed to the surface of the panels simultaneously with the first pressing of the panels. Thus, the whole of the first surfaces of the panels including the moulded decorative features are veneered with the grain of the wood or decorative pattern continuous over the first surface. In a ~ 10~ preferred embodiment the grain of the wood or decorative pattern is continuous across the first surface of the side panels. However, it is also possible for the grain of the wood or decorative pattern to be discontinuous over the first surface of the side panels, so that the grain or pattern provides a further decorative feature to the side panels.

[0032]As described above a decorative edge feature may be moulded into an upper edge region of the first surface of each of the side panels. The decorative edge feature is thus unitary with the side panel. This decorative edge feature 7 preferably mimics the appearance of the decorative edge of a conventional casket’s lid. Also, with the second embodiment the second surface of the upper edge region of the side panels, i.e. the edge region of the second surface opposite to the decorative edge feature, is shaped to provide an inwardly facing ledge to engage with and support the edge of the casket lid. The inwardly facing ledge may be formed during the initial cutting stage of the MDF panels but, more preferably, is formed by the press during the moulding process. Thus, the decorative edge feature 7 of the side panels of the caskets described herein falsely appear to be the decorative edges of the casket lid. In reality the decorative edge feature is a unitary part of the side panels of the casket body and the casket lid sits within the periphery of the decorative edge feature.

[0033] With the manufacturing method described above the resultant casket is generally traditional in appearance but the manufacturing costs are significantly reduced in comparison to conventional manufacturing methods.

[0034] Although the illustrated casket bodies have four side panels, the caskets of the present invention are not limited to this. The casket body may comprise four or more side panels. Similarly, whilst the illustrated caskets do not include casket furniture such as handles, the caskets of the present invention may include casket furniture. Furthermore, not all of the component parts of the caskets described herein need be made of a mouldable fibrous cellulosic material; the casket lid and the base of the ~ 11 ~ casket body may be formed of alternative materials for example solid wood. Also, the decorative laminate may be applied to only the outer surface of the MDF panel or may be applied to both inner and outer surfaces. In the preferred embodiments described herein the patterning or wood graining of the decorative laminate is continuous across the whole first surface of the panels. However, it is envisaged that the sheets of decorative laminate may be arranged so that the patterning or wood graining is discontinuous.

[0035]The inwardly facing ledge which supports the casket lid may be continuous around the second surface of the casket side panels or a plurality of discontinuous ledges may be employed whilst remaining sufficient to securely support the casket lid. These and other differences to the specific features of the casket embodiments described herein are envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

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Claims

1. A casket comprising a casket body and a lid, the casket body including a base and at least four side panels, wherein each one of the at least four side panels comprises a board of mouldable fibrous cellulosic material having a decorative laminate on at least a first surface, each one of the four side panels including an upper edge region with a free uppermost edge unitary with the remainder of the side panel, and the casket further comprising at least one ledge facing towards the interior of the casket body, the at least one ledge being spaced downwardly from the free uppermost edge of the edge regions a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the casket lid and wherein the casket lid is sized to fit within the periphery of the edge region of the at least four side panels supported by the at least one ledge.

2. A casket as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second surface of the at least four side panels, opposite to the first surface, is cut or moulded to provide the at least one ledge.

3. A casket as clamed in claim 1, further comprising a casket body framework to which the at least four side panels are attached.

4. A casket as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one ledge is provided by an upper surface of the framework.

5. A casket as claimed in either of claims 3 or 4, wherein the framework further includes a ledge located at a lower edge region of the at least four side panels, the ledge facing towards the interior of the casket body and having a depth sufficient to support the base panel of the casket body.

6. A casket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the upper edge region of each of the at least four side panels includes a decorative feature.

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7. A casket as claimed in claim 6 further comprising additional decorative features moulded in the first surface of the at least four side panels.

8. A casket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least four side panels each comprise an MDF panel.

9. A casket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the decorative laminate is a wood veneer.

10. A casket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the casket lid comprises a mouldable fibrous cellulosic material with a decorative laminate on a first surface.

11. A casket as claimed in claim 10 wherein the casket lid includes a moulded decorative feature.

12. A method of manufacturing a casket comprising the steps:

providing a casket lid;

providing at least four side panels each comprising a board of mouldable fibrous cellulosic material, each side panel having an upper edge region with an uppermost free edge unitary with the remainder of the side panel;

attaching a plurality of sheets of a decorative laminate to a first surface of each of the casket side panels;

pressing each of the at least four casket side panels in a die to adhere the decorative laminate to the first surface;

providing at least one ledge facing away from the first surface of the casket side panels, the at least one ledge being spaced downwardly from the free uppermost edge of the upper edge regions a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the casket lid; and providing a casket base and attaching the at least four side panels to the casket base, whereby the casket lid rests on the at least one ledge within the periphery of the upper edge regions of the casket side panels.

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13. A method of manufacturing a casket as claimed in claim 12 further comprising providing a casket framework and attaching the casket base and the at least four side panels to the framework.

14. A method of manufacturing a casket as claimed in claim 13 wherein the at least one ledge is an uppermost surface of the framework.

15. A method of manufacturing a casket as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14 further comprising the step of moulding at least one decorative feature in the first surface of each of the upper edge regions of the at least four side panels.

16. A method of manufacturing a casket as claimed in claim 15 further comprising moulding at least one additional decorative feature into the first surface of at least one of the at least four side panels.

17. A method of manufacturing a casket as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 16 further comprising the step of moulding at least one decorative feature into an uppermost surface of the casket lid.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB 1814316.4

Examiner: Mr Patrick Lucas