US2588445A - Casket placer - Google Patents

Description

March 1l, 1952 J. P. wlLKlRsoN 2,588,445

GASKET PLACER Filed De'C. 28. 1949 INVEN TOR.

J. P WILKIRSON AT TORNEY ffm Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GASKET PLACER Jim P. Wilkirson, Waco, Tex.

Application December 28, 1949, Serial No. 135,439

This invention relates to casket placers or casket lowering apparatus.

In my Patent No. 2,012,367, dated Aug. 27, 1935, I disclosed'a casket lowering apparatus which has been in commercial use for many years. The construction of that apparatus however is not lwholly satisfactory, as the end of a casket which is being moved endwise over the apparatus may hit the rst strap I5 or the rst set of rollers on the short arms I'I or Ila, which will stop further movement of the casket and compel the undertakers assistants who are handling the casket to move the casket backward, swing its forward end up to clear the strap and arms, and then resume forward movement. This invention is an improvement over the construction of said patent as it makes the described operating difficulty impossible. ,v

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved casket placer;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 but on a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a detail on a still larger scale, being a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view; and

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective of certain parts on a larger scale.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the improved casket placer has the conventional rectangular frame I adapted to be positioned over the grave surrounding the opening, and having end bars II, I2 and rotatable extensible shafts I3 extending along the two sides and operatively connected with gears (not shown) in the housings or casings I4 at the four corners of the frame. Canvas or other strong straps I have their ends wound on the side shafts I3 and extend transversely of the frame parallel to each other and to the end bars II, I2 and lie almost horizontal when stretched across the frame to receive the casket. A roller I6 is rotatably supported on end bar I2, by clamps ISa, and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the top of said roller` is above the frame end so that the casket will engage it and roll over the frame. Winding up of the straps is accomplished by a crank (not shown) engaged with the end of a crankshaft C (Fig. 1) fixed to one of the gears. The casket itself unwinds the strap as it descends into the grave. Each side shaft I3 also supports a pair of short arms II, I'Ia on each of which a roller I8 is rotatably mounted. As disclosed in the aforesaid pat- 6 Claims. (C1. 27-32) ent, these arms Il, I'Iya normally extend horizontally when the straps are taut and aid in preventing the end of the casket from striking and being stopped by one of the straps, since they support the casket end at points intermediate the straps. To guide the casket on to the farther pair Vof arms, a pair of guide rods 39 are secured in a slightly inclined position (Fig. 2), one end of each guide rod being fixed below an arm I1 while the other end is fixed above the arm I'Ia which is on the same side of the frame. These guide rods are described and claimed in the aforesaid patent and need not be further discussed.

Sometimes the described construction will give trouble as there is nothing to prevent inattentive or hurried or inexperienced attendants from thrusting the end of the casket against the edge of the strap I5 near roller I6 or against the first pair of arms I'I. A heavy casket striking the rst strap or the first pair of arms may shift the entire casket placer relative to the grave, as the casket placer is comparatively light in weight and is not anchored but merely rests on the ground. Distressing scenes may ensue if a casket placer is shifted over an open grave: such incidents naturally reect on the mortician in charge of the funeral.

To prevent the possibility of striking the first pair of arms with the end of the casket, I have devised the improvment which will now be de scribed. Secured to the end bar I2 are a pair of clamping collars 20 each of which consists of a pair of complementary members which are hinged together at one end 2l and are united by a screw or stud 22 at the other end. The clamping collars 2li surround and are clamped upon end bar l2 so as to be immovable thereon. A pivot pin 23 having an enlarged head 24 at one end and a lug 25 projecting radially from the opposite end is received in a cylindrical bearing 2'I provided adjacent hinge end 2I. A slotted sleeve 28 may be slid over the pivot pin 23 when its slot 29 registers with the lug 25, and said sleeve will lie outside of bearing 2l and be freelyrrotatable on the pivot pin, while the pivot pin is held against endwise or axial movement by engagement of its head 24 with bearing 2l (Fig. 5) and by engagement of its lug 25 with the outer end of sleeve 28. If preferred the bearing 21 by slightly changing its dimensions may become a clamp to secure the pivot pin against any movement. Fixed to the slotted sleeve at right angles and hence pivoted on pivot pin 23 is a guide rod 3U having its outer end reduaed as at 3| and underlying the rst strap I5, as shown in Fig. 3. This guide rod extends longitudinally of the frame and lies in an upwardly inclined plane, with its extremity resting on a projection 32 fixed to the end of arms I1. Projection 32 may have a concavity 33 (Fig. 4) on its top to receive the extremity of the guide rod. Both guide rods 30 are exactly alike and are positioned alike. If the first.strap l5 is not wound very tight, it may be supported in its middle by the two parallel guide rods 30, as will be clear from the drawings.

When the trip handle 40 is moved to permit lowering of the casket, the extremities of the guide rods 30 will slide oil the projection 32 and the guide rods will then drop down by gravity out of the way of the casket before the arms I1, IIa are clear of the casket. The sleeves 28 which are fixed to the ends of the guide rods are freely rotatable on the pivot pins 23 to permit this gravity fall of the guide rods. When the casket placer is first set up over the grave the attendant merely swings the guide rods upwardly by hand and rests their extremities on the projections 32. The guide rods are of uniform diameter except for the reduced end portions 3| and are designed to t against the edge of the rst strap as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the casket slides over the guide rods it can not strike the first strapon its edge.

The described construction will obviate all incidents involving hitting the rst strap or the first set of rollers with the end of the casket,

hence will enhance the dignity of an interment.

Obviously many changes of minor importance may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having described one embodiment of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a casket placer of the type having a frame having a roller at one end and a pair of flexible substantially horizontal straps upon which the casket is to be placed before lowering into the grave, said straps being wound upon rotatable members forming parts of said frame, and a pair of short roller arms extending horizontally toward each other from opposite sides of the frame with their tops in a plane slightly above the plane of said straps, that, improvement which consists in the provision of a pair of guide rods, means for pivotally supporting the guide rods at one end upon the roller-carrying end of the frame, and means fixed to and projecting from the short roller arms adapted to lie under and directly support the free ends of the guide rods, the supported guide rods extending longitudinally of the frame but swinging downwardly out of the way when support from the means which project from the short roller arms is withdrawn.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the guide rods are inclined upwardly from their pivotal supports and have strap-receiving reduced portions adapted to lie under and partly support the strap which is nearer to the frame end which supports the guide rod.

3. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the means fixed to and projecting from each short roller arm consists of a projection having a recess on its top providing a seat for the extremity of the guide rod, said projection being so located that the top of the guide rod extremity is practically at the top of the roller on the short roller arm, the pivoted end of the guide rod being however below the level of the roller which is at the frame end.

4. The invention dened in claim 1, wherein the means fixed to and projecting from each short roller arm consists of a projection having a recess on its top providing a seat for the extremity of the guide rod, said projection being so located that the top of the guide rod extremity is practically at the top of the roller on the short roller arm, the pivoted end of the guide rod being however below the level of the roller which is at the frame end, the guide rods each having a strapreceiving reduced portion adapted to lie under and partly support the strap which is nearer to the frame end which supports the guide rod, the remaining portion of the guide rod including a part which lies adjacent the side edge of said strap and extends as high as the top surface of the strap when the strap is substantially horizontal, so that the casket is carried over the top of the strap without danger of hitting the side edge thereof.

5. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the means for pivotally supporting each guide rod consists of a clamp adapted to be removably secured to the frame end below the roller, a pivot pin carried horizontally by said clamp, a radial lug on the end of the pivot pin, a slotted sleeve adapted to be slipped over the end of the pivot pin when its slot registers with the lug and adapted to be locked against axial movement along the pivot pin during normal operation of the casket placer by its engagement at its opposite ends with the lug and clamp, the guide rod being rigidly secured to the slotted sleeve at right angles thereto.

6. A casket placer comprising, in combination, a frame having two ends and two sides, a pair of casket-supporting straps wound upon the frame, and casket-guiding and supporting members each pivotally mounted at one end upon a frame end and extending longitudinally of the frame under one of the straps but extending from a level below the frame end where it is supported to a level as high as the top surface of said strap when said strap is substantially horizontal, each casketguiding and supporting member being shaped so that at its highest point it lies adjacent the edge of the strap which is toward the aforesaid end of the frame and means supported on the frame to temporarily support the outer ends of the casket-guiding and supporting members.

JIM P. WILKIRSON.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Wilkirson Aug. 27, 1935 Number

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