US2804675A - Burial casket - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 3, 1957 F. R. HOSTETLER BURIAL. CASKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 19, 1955 Fig.1.

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Sept. 3, 1957 F. R. HOSTETLER v BURIAL CASKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 19, 1955 INVENTOR. Fumes ZHQs EmLiR BY 6m ATTQQNEYs BURIAL CASKET. Francis'R. Hostetler, Alexandria, Ind. Application Angust 19, 1955, Serial No. 529,561 2 Claims. (Cl. 2'7 -2) This invention relates to caskets, and more particularly to an improved burial casket of the type provided with a removable top cover which makes a moisture-tight connection with the main body of the casket.

A main object of the invention is toprovide a novel and improved burial casket which is simple in construction, which is moisture-tight, which is completely Varmint proof and sealed against entry by insects, which will not decay, and which is easy to transport.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved burial casket which may be used either with or without an associated vault or auxiliary box, said casket being relatively inexpensive to manufacture, being durable in construction, providing a moisture-tight an airtight seal, and being provided with conveniently accessible handle means to facilitate the lifting and transportation thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational View, partly in vertical cross section, of an improved burial casket constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the component parts of the improved burial casket of Figures 1 to 4, said parts being shown in separated positions, a portion of the cover of the casket being broken away to illustrate structural details thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the improved casket is designated generally at 11 and comprises a main body 12 in the form of a generally rectangular receptacle having a bottom wall 13, side walls 14, 14 and end walls 15, 15. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the side and end walls may be bowed outwardly, whereby said walls define concave inside surfaces, and vertical brace ribs 16 may be provided internally of the walls to strengthen said walls. The external surfaces of the side walls 14, 14 are formed with spaced ribs 17, to strengthen the walls externally, and said ribs are formed at their intermediate portions with lugs 18 through which extend longitudinal handle rods 19 of suitable metal or other rigid material. The end walls are formed with parallel vertical lugs 20, 20 through which extend handle rods 21 which may be made of the same material as the rods 19. Thus, the main body 12 is provided with the longitudinal handle rods 19 at its opposite sides and with the transverse handle rods 21 at its opposite ends, facilitating the lifting and transporting of said main body.

The main body 12 is formed with an outwardly extending horizontal flat peripheral flange 22, said flange projecting from the upper portions of the side walls 14 nited States Patent and end walls 15 and extending continuously around the receptacle defined by the main body 12, the outer surfaces of the side and end Walls above the flange 22 being inclined upwardly and inwardly, as shown at 23, to define an externally upwardly tapering n'm 24 around the receptacle defined by body 12.

Designated at 25 is an arched cover member shaped to fit about upwardly tapering rim 24, the cover member 25 being formed with a flat peripheral horizontal base flange 26 which is sealingly engageable on the top surface of the peripheral flange 22 of the main receptacle body 12. As shown in Figure 2, the bottom surface of the flange 26 makes intimate surface contact with the top surface of the flange 22, and the inside surface of the cover adjacent the flange 26 makes intimate sealing contact with the sloping surfaces 23 of the top rim 24.

The cover member 25 is formed above the flange 26 with a rib 25' extending completely around the cover member, serving as a means to grasp and hold the cover member when the cover member is to be lifted or transported.

The longitudinal side portions of the flange 22 are formed with a plurality of spaced recesses 27 over which are secured apertured locking plates 28, defining underout looking cavities beneath the apertures of the plates.

Secured to the flange 26 of the cover 25 are respective depending, laterally yieldable resilient prong members 30 having their resilient depending prong portions located to engage through the apertures in the plates 28 and to be received in the undercut recesses defined therebeneath, as shown in Figure 3. Thus, the prongs 30 may comprise threaded shanks 31 threadedly secured in the flange 26 and formed with respective diamond-shaped loops 32, said loops being laterally compressible to engage through the apertures in the plates 28 when the cover 25 is lowered onto the peripheral flange 22 of main body 12, the loops 32 expanding in the undercut recesses to lockingly secure the cover on flange 22. It is to be noted that the apertured plates 28 on the receptacle flange 22 and the resilient prong members 30 on the cover flange 26 constitute releasable interlocking means on said receptacle and cover flanges for holding the cover 25 in position on the receptacle 10.

The cover 25 is centrally formed with an opening in which is threadedly secured an internally threaded bushing 33 adapted to receive a threaded plug 34. The plug 34 is removed when the cover 25 is placed over the rim 24 on the flange 22, to allow air to pass freely through the bushing 33. After the cover is in sealing position, the plug 34 is engaged in the bushing 33 and is tightened to completely seal the casket with respect to the external atmosphere.

It will be understood that the plug 34 is removable when the cover 25 is to be disengaged from the main body 12 of the casket, to allow free movement of air through the cover under these conditions.

The upper portions of the inner surfaces of the side and end walls of body 12 are formed to define a plurality of continuous internal V-shaped grooves spaced one above the other. A flexible shield is disposed Within and extends around the interior of the receptacle 12. The shield embodies a pair of flexible sheet segments 36 and 37 arranged in confronting end to end relation, the shield segment 36 being fabricated of flexible opaque material and the shield segment 37 being fabricated of flexible transparent material. The segment 36 has extending along the confronting end an upwardly facing channel 38 which is interengaged with a smaller upwardly facing channel extending along the confronting end of the segment 37. The bounding edge portions of the segments 36 and 37 and of the interengaged channels are seated in the base wall of one of the grooves 35. As will be readily apparent, the transparent shield section 37 provides a view of the interior of the receptacle when the shield sections are in place.

As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the top cover 25 has a generally arched shape and is provided on its inside surface with a plurality of brace ribs 40 extending transversely thereacross to strengthen the top wall of the cover.

The main body 12 of the casket and the cover 25 may be formed of any suitable material, such as plastic, glass, enamelware, porcelain, copper, stainless steel, or any other suitable material, including ceramic material. The handle rods 19 and 21 may be formed of any suitable non-corrosive metal, and may be chromium plated or galvanized, to prevent corrosion thereof.

While a specific embodiment of an improved burial casket has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art, Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention, except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A burial casket comprising a receptacle having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls rising from said bottom wall, and an end wall extending between each of the adjacent ends of said side walls and secured to said side walls and said bottom wall, an upstanding rim extending continuously about the top edges of said side and end walls, said rim having the exterior surface sloping upwardly, a horizontal flat flange extending exteriorly continuously about said side and end walls adjacent to and below the lower end of said rim, an arched cover member shaped to conformably fit about said rim and having a fiat horizontal flange extending about the perimeter thereof positioned upon said receptacle so that it sealingly engages said rim with the base of the flange engaging with said receptacle flange, releasable interlocking means on said receptacle and cover flanges for holding said cover in position on said receptacle, the inner surface of said side and end walls having a continuous V-shaped groove, said groove being located below and adjacent the top of said rim, and a flexible shield disposed within and extending around the interior of said receptacle, said shield embodying a pair of flexible sheet segments arranged in confronting end to end relation, one of said segments having extending along the confronting end an upwardly facing channel and the other of said segments having extending along the confronting end a smaller upwardly facing channel interengaging with said first named channel, the bounding edge portions of said segments and of the interengaged channels being seated in the base wall of said groove.

2. The casket according to claim 1 in which one of said segments is fabricated of flexible opaque material and the other of said segments is fabricated of transparent material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 384,701 Mahon et al. June 19, 1888 417,619 Woodard Dec. 17, 1889 1,012,863 Killian Dec. 26, 1911 1,421,018 Mesker June 27, 1922 1,833,959 Wells Dec. 1, 1931 2,511,871 Paden June 20, 1950

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