US2705828A - Casket or vault construction - Google Patents

Description

April 12, 1955 J. l., HALLEY 2,705,828

GASKET OR VAULT CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 4, 1952 Flan? United States Patent O CASKET R VAULT CNSTRUCTION James Leo Halley, San Francisco, Calif.

Application August 4, 1952, Serial No. 382,583

1 Claim. (Cl. 27-35) This invention relates to a receptacle for containing a human corpse and particularly to improvements in such a receptacle.

It is conventional practice when burying a human corpse to place the same within a receptacle such as a casket or a vault, which when properly closed is not only impervious to the passage of liquid through the walls thereof, but is also substantially hermetically sealed. Since the human corpse is approximately 85% water or liquid, and this amount is further augmented by a quantity of embalming fluid, it is evident that during decomposition of the body a large quantity of liquid is released therefrom but is trapped Within the receptacle. Needless to say, the contents of the casket after partial decomposition, with the result of the release of fluid, is in an extreme state of putridity, the liquid decidedly augmenting and prolonging the fetidness of the contents. Therefore, when it is necessary to disinter the body, the persons performing the operation find the contents so offensive to sight and to their olfactory nerves, that their work, which is not particularly pleasant in any event, is rendered unnecessarily repulsive and repugnant, and the Workers frequently become nauseated.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a receptacle, such as a casket or a vault, wherein a drainage system is provided for draining the liquid contents from the receptacle so that when it is necessary to disinter the body, the contents of the receptacle will be in a much less oiensive condition to both the sight and olfactory nerves of the person or persons performing the disintering operation.

A more particular object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement as above described wherein there is provided a septic tank for receiving the discharged liquid from the receptacle, said tank being provided with a valve operable to prevent reverse ow of liquid from the tank upwardly into the casket or vault such as might occur with a rising water table.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement as above described wherein there is included a conduit communicating at its lower end with the receptacle adjacent the drain outlet, and having its upper end capped and disposed at approximately ground level. This construction enables the upper end of the conduit to be uncapped and an odor test of the receptacle taken to determine the state of decomposition of the body, and permits blocking of the outlet, when the body has obtained a predetermined state of decomposition, by pouring a settable material, such as cement, down the conduit and into the drain outlet.

Various other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

. Fig. l is a side View in elevation, partly in section, of an arrangement embodying the concepts of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the septic tank.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of the arrangement showing the drain outlet as having been blocked.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, Fig. 1 shows a receptacle for a human corpse, said receptacle being either a casket or a vault or similar case generally entitled 9. The receptacle is of the type having walls impervious to the passage of water and which receptacle is hermetically sealed after the corpse has been placed therein. In accordance with conventional practice, the receptacle is placed in the soil beneath the ground level. Also disposed beneath the ground level and below receptacle 9 is a septic tank 11 connected by a conduit 13 to the receptacle so as to be in communication therewith. The upper end of conduit 13 forms a drain outlet from the receptacle and preferably extends above the oor of the receptacle and/or is provided with a screen to prevent clogging of the conduit by loose solid or semisolid matter within the receptacle.

Septic tank 11 is of conventional construction, being opened at the bottom and partially iilled with granular material 15. As the body within the receptacle decomposes, liquid is released and is discharged through conduit 13 into the septic tank and through the granular material into the soil.

In order to prevent an upward flow of liquid through conduit 13, such as might be caused by a rising water table during a rainy spell, a ball float mechanism 17 is provided and mounted on the lower end of conduit 13 for closing the same during a contingency such as above mentioned. The valve mechanism includes a slide valve 19 adapted to be forced to the left as the parts are depicted in Fig. 2 when the water level within the septic tank rises close to the top thereof to close a passage 21 provided in a valve body 23 (which passage forms a continuation of conduit 13).

It is desirable, after the liquid contents in the receptacle have been drained therefrom, i. e., after substantially complete decomposition of the body, to close 0E and seal the drain outlet of the receptacle. In order to perform this operation, it is necessary to determine the state of decomposition of the body. In the present invention, a conduit 25 is provided and connected at its lower end to conduit 13 at a place close to the drain outlet from the receptacle 9, and extends upwardly into a well 27. The upper end of conduit 25 is closed by a cap 29. By periodically removing the cap, odor tests can be taken, said tests giving an indication of the state of decomposition of the body and thus the degree of liquid remaining in the receptacle. When it is determined that the body has become substantially completely decomposed, a quantity of cement or equivalent settable material can be poured down conduit 25 to dispose the same in the drain outlet. the drain outlet is permanently sealed. Since all the liquid contents have been discharged from the receptacle, the sealing operation will not cause said contents to become repulsive and offensive to sight and smell as would occur if liquid were trapped in the receptacle.

By the present invention a casket or vault construction has been provided which insures that the liquid contents of the vault or casket will be discharged therefrom, and enables the casket or vault to be permanently sealed after the complete discharge of the liquid.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A device of the class described comprising: a hermetically sealed receptacle for containing a human corpse and being disposed in the soil beneath the ground level thereof; said receptacle having a conduit connected at one end with the lower portion thereof, said conduit extending downwardly below the lower portion of said receptacle and then upwardly to approximately the ground level; the lower end of said conduit being provided with a drain and said conduit being arranged so that it can be sealed olf at its lower end by the introductiondof a settable material through the upper end of said con uit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,108,011 Shone Aug. 18, 1914 1,174,867 Jenkins Mar. 7, 1916 1,242,344 Gorman A Oct. 9, 1917 1,986,931 Krehbiel Ian. 8, 1935 2,584,423 Collison Feb. 5, 1952 When the material hardens or setsy

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