US771729A - Corpse-adjuster. - Google Patents

Description

No. 771,729. PATBNTED 001244, 1.904. L- E. HOOKER & W. M. SHARP. GORPSE ADJUSTBR.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 12, 190g. RENBWBD APR. 9, 1904,

N0 MODEL, 2 SHEETS-SHEET l..

No. 771,729. PATENTED 007.14, 1904.

L. E. HOOKER & W. M. SHARP.

.GORPSE ADJUSTBR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1902. RENEWBD APB.. 9, 1904.

N0 MODEL` 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented October 4. 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

LESLIE E. HOOKER AND INARREN M. SHARP, OF BINGHAMTON, NEr YORK; SAID SHARP ASSIGNOR TO'SAID HOOKER.

CORPSE-ADJUSTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,729, dated October 4, 1904. Application filed February 12, 1902. Renewed April 9, 1904. Serial No. 202,442. (No model To ft/ nimm t may concern.-

Be it known that we, LESLIE E. HOOKER, a

citizen of the United States, and VARREN M. SHARP, a subject of King Edward, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Corpse-Adjusters, of which the following is a specification. Our invention relates to a device for raising or lowering the whole or any part of a corpse to put it in acofiin or when it is lying in a coin to make it assume the desired position.

The simple and novel construction used by us in carrying out our invention is fully described in this specification and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of a casket with our device attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective of la fragmentof the same. Fig. 3 is a detail section showing one of our elevators. Fig. 4 isa detail plan of one of the keepers. Eig. 5 is a detail plan of a fragment of the head of a casket with a rnodied form of our device attached thereto.

Like numerals of reference designate like parts in the different views of the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates a casket devoid of trimmings or upholstering and having sides 2, a head 3, and a foot 4. Rigidly secured to the sides 2 are a series of elevators 5, arranged in pairs opposite each other. Five pairs are shown in Fig. 1, but more or less may be employed, depending on the length of the casket. Each of the elevators 5 comprises an endless belt 6, passing through slotted keepers 7 and 8, rig'idly secured near the top and bottom edges, respectively, of the sides 2 of the casket. The keeper 7 bears perforated ears 7 1, which enable it to be readily secured by screws, and is traversed by a slot 7lb to accommodate the belt 6. The keeper 8 bears perforated ears S and is traversed by a slot 8b to accommo-V date the belt 6. The keepers 8 are rounded out at 8c to form bearings for a shaft 9, which extends the whole length of the casket. There are two shafts 9, one on each side of the casket l. The belts 6 pass around the shafts, which form rollers for the same. bearing cranks 10, are mounted vertically and secured to the sides 2. The crank-shafts 10 are connected to the shafts 9 by a fiexiblc shaft 11. By means of this arrangement the shafts 9 can be operated by turning the cranks 10a to lower the corpse.

Spanning the interval between each pair of elevators 5 is a slat 12, which extends transversely the casket and forms a support for the corpse. These slats 12 are attached to the belts 6 by means of ears 13, carried-by the belts and secured to the slats 12 by rivets 13. Each of the belts is provided with an car 14, attached by stitching, which serves as a handhold to operate the belts to raise the slats 12.

In order to hold the slats 12 against sidewise movement, a wire frame 13h is secured to each of the slats 12 by staples 14a. This wire frame is iiexible enough to permit variation' in the heights of the slats 12.

When in use, the elevators 5 are secured to the sides of the casket in the manner shown and the slats 12 placed in position and attached to the belts 6. When the casket is ready, the ears 14 are grasped in pairs in the two hands and the corresponding slat 12 raised. This is repeated until all the slats 12 have been brought up to their elevated positions. The corpse is then placed on the slats 12 and the cranks 10n operated to lower the body. It should be noted that operating the cranks 10a in the opposite direction will not drive the belts 6 to raise the slats, as the belts would slip freely on the shaft 9, since the driving of the belt by the shaft 9 depends on the friction between it and the shaft, and as the slats 12 are very light there is no pull on thebelts, and therefore little friction between the belt and the shaft. For this reason the belts 6 are easily pulled up by hand. In the case of the downward movement the friction of the contacting portions of the belt 6 is so great that the belt cannot be operated bylneans of the ear; but when weight kis applied to the slats 12 and the cranks 11L then operated the body is lowered. The lowering of the slats may also be accomplished when there is no weight thereon by simultaneously pulling down on Crank-shafts 10, J

the ears 14 and operating the cranks 10a. It should also be noted that the rounded seats 8C prevent the upward movement of the shaft 9 and the consequent binding of the belts against the keepers S-that is, against the upper side of the slot 8". Ihen it is required to close the casket, the HeXible connection 11 will permit the cranks 10iL to be depressed into the dotted position shown in Fig. Q and engaged on hooks 15, seated in the sides 2.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 5 both shafts 9 are connected to be operated by the same crank. This is accomplished by using flexible connections 16, which are attached to opposite sides of a crank 17, located at the head ot' a casket. By operating the crank 17 through half a revolution the slats 12 may be lowered as readily as before and by the use of but one crank.

IVe do not wish to be limited as to details of construction, as these may be modiiied in many particulars without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device for raising and lowering corpses, the combination of an endless belt, an upper keeper having a slot therein through which one side of said belt passes, a lower keeper having a slot therein through which both sides of the belt pass, a shaft journaled in said slot and engaging said belt, and means for operating said shaft, substantially as described.

2. In a device for raising and lowering corpses, a series of endless belts arranged in pairs and mounted to be driven, slats connecting said belts in pairs, and means for operating said belts either simultaneously or separately to lower said slats, substantially as described.

3. In a devicel for raising and lowering corpses, the combination with a casket, of endless belts mounted on the sides or' said casket, slats connected to said belts and located to support the corpse, substantially as described.

L1. In a device for raising and lowering corpses, the combination with a casket, of keepers mounted on the sides of said casket, two endless belts mounted to travel in said keepers and arranged opposite each other, a slat connected to said belt, and means for operating said belts to raise and lower said slat, substantially as described.

5. In a device for raising and lowering' corpses, the combination with a casket, of slats located to support the full length of a corpse, and independent means for raising and lowering each of said slats to adjust the position of the corpse, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence oi' two subscribing' witnesses.

LESLIE E. HOOKER. WARREN M. SHARP.

Witnesses:

R. B. RICHARDS, MAY E. LYNCH.

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