US1306457A - Bahdolph h - Google Patents

Description

B. H. ALMIROTY SEALING MEANS FOR BURIAL GASKETS, 6L0. APPLICATION FILED DEC 26. 1918.

1 ,306,457 Patented June 10, 1919.

RANDOLPH H. ALMIRQTY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEALING MEAN S FOR BURIAL-CASKET'S, (inc.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10, 1919.

Application filed December 26, 1918. Serial N 0. 268,237.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RANDOLPH H. ALMI- ROTY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Sealing Means for Burial-Caskets, &c., of which the following is a specification.

\Vhile applicable to analogous uses, my in vention is designed more particularly to'afford an automatically locking and hermetically sealing device especially adapted for use as a means of closure for burial caskets. The invention consists essentially in forming the rim of the casket with a continuous circumscribing mortise groove having a relatively narrow entrance in conjunction with a coincident continuous circumscribing shouldered tenon on the cover adapted to be positioned in said mortise groove in the rim of the casket when the cover is applied to the latter and to be embedded and rigidly secured therein by means of a waterproof sealing compound substantlally as hereinafi ter set forth, whereby a hermetically sealed joint is efiected between the parts which is practically indestructible, in that a rigid, integral, unitary structure is attained.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1, isa sectional projection of a simple form of casket made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2,1s a sectional detail on a larger scale showing the parts of the joint before copulation;

Fig. 3, is a like view, showing the copulation of the parts and thecompletion of the seal; v

Figs. 4: and 5, are diagrams illustrating variations in the cross sections of the mortise groove.

B, represents the body portion of a casket of plain design, the rim b, of which is formed in accordance with my invention, 6., with a continuous circumscribing mortise groove m, extending around both the sides and ends of the body. This mortise groove m, opens through the top of the rim, the opening or mouth m, being of less width than the cross area of the groove m, below. By preference the width of the mouth or opening m, of the mortise-groove m, is but slightly greater than the width of the lateral extension 0, on the lower portion of the coupling flange or tenon 0', which is protuberant from the under side of the edge 0 of the lid or cover C,only suificient margin of width being provided in the entrance m, to said mortise-groove an, to admit of the insertion of said coupling tenon a, when the lid C, is applied to body B, of the casket.

In other words the mouth of the mortisegroove is undercut and of increased area in cross section, so as to afiiord ample space for a suitable quantity of sealing compound 8.

The lid C, is formed with an external circumscribing register flange 0', which fits the rim 6, of the casket body B, and thereby centra lizes the coupling tenon c, c, with relation to the mortise-groove m.

The contacting faces of the flange and rim are correspondingly beveled, as shown, so that when thelid is placed down in po sition a wedge action is produced that tends to draw the parts together and form a tight joint.

A preferred configuration of mortisegroove m, is shown in the first three figures of the drawing, although I do not restrict myself thereto, nor to any specific shape thereof except that the entrance to the groove m, must be contracted as related to the portion of the groove below to form inturned shoulders m m", which confine and prevent the withdrawal of the mass of sealing compound .9, when set. Thus in the modification shown diagrammatically in Fig. 4, which is only one of many that might be resorted to with like result, the upper side walls of the groove m, simply converge upward and inward centrally to the mouth m, of the mortise-groove m, forming nevertheless suitable retaining shoulders m*, m", which lock the mass of cement s, permanently in position when set, as before stated. In the configuration of cross section of mortise groove m, shown in the first three figures of the drawings, one or the other of the shoulders m", guarding the mouth or opening m, into the said mortise-groove m, is made of less depth than the other to facilitate the insertion of the fiukes c, and shank c, of the coupling tenon on the lid C, (when the latter is applied) by providing for the flow upward and outward of the surplus of semi-liquid sealing compound .9, displaced by said coupling tenon c, c, as positioned in said groove I The shape of the coupling tenon c, c, in cross section is also obviously of secondary importance provided it is adapted to perform the function of an anchor or looking means whenembedded in the hardened sealing compound. Thus, any suitable lateral flaring, extension, or enlargement of the, lower portion of the shank 0, of the tenon that will afford adequate fluke surface adapted to insure a firm and rigid hold of the coupling tenon in and to the hardened cement 8, in which it is embedded, will answer the purpose,the positive and permanent union of the congealed cement s, and of the coupling tenon c, 0, thus anchored therein resultin in a sealed joint between casket body and 11d that is practically indestructible in that the joint is as strong, if not stronger, than any other portion of the unitary structure thus attained.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the fluke extension 0, protrudes on one side only of the shank c, of the coupling tenon, and the mouth of the mortise-groove m, is formed with only one opposed retaining shoulder m*, but it is obvious that a like result may be attained also by this configuration of interlocking parts.

The area and capacity of the mortisegroove m, as related to the size and displacement of the coupling tenon c, c, is such as to accommodate a quantity of sealing compound slightly in excess of that required to fill the groove when said coupling tongue is positioned therein, so that sufficient of such sealing compound will be forced out of the said groove and between the opposed surfaces of lid and cover adjacent thereto to insure the hermetical sealing of the joint as a whole when the cement has set and hardened.

It is to be understood that the sealing compound 8, when introduced into the mortise-groove m, prior to the sealing operation is substantially of the consistency of heavy cream, so that it will flow readily and be readily displaced in part to fill the interstices incident to the contactual surfaces between lid and casket rim, thereby hermetically sealing the joint between said surfaces.

While I do not claim the use of any particular compound of cement, nor confine myself to any formula, a sealing compound is preferable consisting of extremely fine ground cement of a clay or rock base, thoroughly \vat/erproofed in the manufacture, and the crushing strength of which is approximately two hundred pounds to the square inch when thoroughly set. Such a composition for instance, of the consistency of heavy cream may be poured into the mortise-groove m, shown in the first three figures of the drawings, until the level .indicated by the line ww (Fig. 2), is attained, or even above the plane of that line, as any excess will simply be made to exude through the joint during the sealing operation. The cover C, being then properly positioned and alined above the casket body B, and lowered, the protrusion of the coupling tenon 0, 0', into the mortise-channel m, owing to the fluid condition of the cement s, displaces the surplus or excess of cement and forces a sufiicient quantity of it into any and all spaces and interstices between the opposed cont-actual surfaces of the lid and casket rim to expel all air and completely fill all spaces that would otherwise be void, thus hermetically sealing the joint as soon as the sealing compound sets and hardens.

It will thus be seen that I attain automatically locking and hermetically sealing means of great simplicity and efi'ectiveness, and that the locking and sealing are accom plished simultaneously in one operation, 2'. 6., that of simply positioning-the lid on the casket after the sealing compound has been introduced into the mortise-groove in the rim of the latter. Furthermore the operation is so simple and the registration of parts necessarily so true owing to the overlapping flange 0', on the outer edge of the lid C, that skilled labor is not essential to its successful performance; and all screws, bolts, or other extraneous securing devices are entirely dispensed with. Thus the easket may be'designa-ted as self-contained in so far as the locking and sealing means are concerned, because they are internal and are rendered inaccessible by the mere act of applying the lid to the casket body, so that reopening of the casket by the removal of the lid is rendered practically impossible. The seal is both air and water tight and will remain so perpetually.

l/Vhat-l claim as my invention and desire I to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. In combination with a casket of the character designated, means for automatically locking and hermetically closing the same, comprising the rim of the casket-body formed with a circumscribing mortisegroove, the opening into said mortise-groove being of less width than that of the cross section of the groove below said opening,

a coincident coupling tenon on the lid of less width than said opening to the mortisegroove in the body rim of the casket, the shank of said coupling being of less thickness than a lower portion thereof, a centralizing register flange on the lid engaging the inner and outer walls of the rim of the casket and positioning the said coupling tenon with relation to said mortise groove in the rim of the casket, and an airand water-proof sealing compound interposed between the said parts, whereby the coupling tenon on the lid is positively and rigidly embedded and anchored with the hardened sealing compound in the mortisegroove in the rim of the casket body and the joint is hermetically sealed, for the purpose described.

2. A casket having its body 1 portion formed with a cil'cumscribing mortise groove openingthrough the top of the rim jlifllpar imgemfi'iliibeingcorrespondingly bevmouth of less Width than ttrejrossirea of -eled; and a hardening sealing material in the groovefzflidhavinga depending tenon said groove, surrounding said tenon and i with coupling flange but slightly narrower flange and filling the groove and the space 15 BFHaE t he width of said mouth, said lid being between the opposed contactual surfaces of formed with an external circumscri-bing regsaid lid and rim.

' ister flange fitting said rim and centralizing the coupling tenon with its coupling flange R H ALMIROTY' to the mortise groove and embracing the Witnesses: 10 rim snugly upon both ofits inner and outer GEO. WM. MIATT,

walls, the outer contacting faces of said DOROTH MIAT

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