US876031A - Burial-casket. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

P. N. WATT & H. C. KEELOR.

BURIAL GASKET.

ArPLIoATIoN FILED 1m14.190s.

2 SHBBTS-SHEBT l.

Humm' .lllmul 11 INI/ENTDRS;

ATTORA/EX No. 876,031. PATBNTED JAN. 7, 1908.

' P. N. WATT @L H. 0. KEBLOR.

BURIAL GASKET.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY4. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WTNEBSES @11M 65cm/V14 y w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK N. WATT AND HARRY C. KEELOR, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

BURIAL-GASKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed May 4:. 1906. Serial No. 315.171.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK N. VA'rT and HARRY C. Knapen, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of Richmond, in the county of layne and State of lndiana, and doing business in said city under the iirm naine of Vatt & Keeler, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial- Gaskets of which the following is a full, clear, and comprehensive specification.

Our invention consists in a burial-casket having a top hinged at the back, a front panel portion hinged at the bottom, and means for indirectly connecting the top and the movable panel whereby the top and said panel may operate coincidently, or if desired independently of each other,the former being accomplished by simply operating` the top, the panel operating automatically; and in the other instance by simply placing ones hand against the panel, to hold in place, the

-top may be operated independently of and Without actuating the panel.

The construction and operation of our invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a casket closed, in which is incorporated our present invention; Fig. Z shows a front elevation of a casket exhibited in open position, simulating what is recognized by the trade as a couchcasket; Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the face of the cam, which cam is formed on the head of the barrel of .the telescoping arm Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the casket closed, same being taken on the line XM1( of Fig. 1, and in the direction indicated by the arrows on said. line; F 5 is a transverse sectional view of the casket open, as taken on the line YY of Fig. 2, and as looking in the direction indicated by the arrows of said line; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the casket, showing the top partly open and the 'front closed; Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal detail Vsectional view of the telescopic arm Fig. S is a detail plan, showing a portion of the casket partly in section, and Fig. Q is a detail view of the head and cam, which is a part of the telescoping arm mechanism.

Similar indices denote like parts throughout the several views.

The casket proper comprises the bottom A; the vertical back B; the permanent portions of the front C; the ends D and D; and the top E, substantially as indicated, al-

as desired in order to meet varying condi' tions.

The numeral 1 designates the movable panel or front which is adapted to lit and close the aperture therefor `formed in the front C, and this panel forms the greater portion of the Vfront of the casket. The panel 1 is mounted by the hinges 2 to the front C whereby it may be opened out and down, operative between the limits indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, and also in Figs. 4 and 5. The top E is mounted by hinges F to the upper edge of the back B whereby it may be opened and closed as indicated in the drawings.

The essential requisite to the success of our invention is the lever, shown most clearly in Fig. S, which lever comprises three particular portions: The shaft or central por-- tion 3;l the Vflattened strap portion' and the arm portion 3, the said strap and arm portions are oppositely disposed and are formed approximately at right angles to the central portion with which they are integral. The strap portieri of the lever is secured to the inner face of the right-hand end of the panel 1 by screws or the like, as shown in Fig. S; the shaft portion of said lever projects to the right from said strap portion and it is mounted in. a channel formed therefor in the front C, whereby said shaft is alined with the hinged. edges of the members C and 1, as shown. An aperture 4 is 'formed through the extreme right-hand end of the member C for the arm of the lever to operate in, as shown in Figs. (S and S. Said aperture 4 and the lever of course being covered by a carving or by the casket trimmings, when the casket is completed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. From the above it is evident that the panel 1 maybe opened and closed by the movement of the arm of said lever.

The numeral 5 designates the barrel of the telescopic arm, on the lower end of which is attached the head carrying integrally therewith on its inner face the cam 7. The extreme upper end of the barrel 5 is flattened and is provided with an eye formed centrally therethrough for the pivot S. The pivot S is secured to the inner `face of the right-hand end of the top E, being located at the proper predetermined point, substantially as shown, to hold the upper end of the barrel 5 pivotally in place.

The numeral 9 denotes the wrist member though these parts may be variously changed or wrist-rod member of the arm, being in fact mary of the operation,

a rod adapted to snugly operate in the interior space of the barrel 5. The outer end of the wrist member 9 is flattened with a pivot eye therethrough to register with the pivot eye of the arm of the lever above referred to. The said pivot eye of the arm of the lever and the like pivot eye of the Wrist member 9 are brought into registering position and they are then pivotally connected by the rivet 10.

From the above it will be observed that we now have the top E and the panel 1 indirectly and flexibly connected, and the remainder of the mechanism shown is contributed simply to assure the operation of said parts positively and in their proper sequence.

The numeral 1 1 has reference to a track for the cam 7 to impinge against and be led in the desired curvature when in the upper course of its travel, the function thereof being made more clear in the following sum- Said track is secured by screws to the inner face of the end D at the place substantially as shown, its contour being approximately as indicated.

The numeral 12 denotes a coil spring which may be considered a nonessential, but its employment precludes all possibility of the parts failing to operate when called into action. For the utilization of the spring 12 the inner end of the rivet 10 should be provided with an eye in which the mov able end of said spring is secured, as indicated in Fig. 8, after which the spring is eX- tended to give it the desired force, and its permanent end is then secured to the inner face of the end D at a point approximately as shown. The torsion of the spring 12, and the point where it is secured to the end D, is such as to, normally, cause the panel 1 to open out from its closed position, and then after the panel has passed its horizontal point in opening then the spring counteracts the tendency of the panel to drop to its o en limit, but rather acting as a cushion wrhereby the weight of the panel on the parts is practically nil.

Suppose for instance that the casket is closed, as in Figs. 1 and 4, now by lifting up the lidit is apparent that the barrel 5 will be drawn rearward endwise, at the same time pulling the wrist member or rod 9, by reason of the tightness of said wrist member in said barrel, assisted by the spring 12, which in turn will pull upon the arm of the lever 3 thereby turning the lever and forcing, or at least allowing, the panel 1 to turn outward and downward upon its hinges. In turning back the top when the cam 7 reaches the rear portion of the track 11 -it will be deflected upwards thereby to the vorteX of the track, which point it will reach simultaneous with the top reaching the perpendicular, and which will lock the top from further move- .ment backward, and when the top 'has reached this last named position the panel will have moved to its transposed open position. And again, suppose the casket to be closed, now if one hand of the operator be placed against the face of the panel to hold it from movement, it is apparent that the top may be opened and closed with the other hand without actuating the panel, as is represented in Fig. 6, in which instance the barrel 5 will be moved back and forth over the wrist member 9. In closing the casket it will be seen that the head 6 will be conducted downward at the proper curvature,

by reason of the cam 7 being caused to operate against the forward portion of the track 1,1, and thereby preventing the wrist member 9 from telescoping into the barrel 5, which precaution is not necessary after the cam has been conducted some distance downward, as by that time the weight of the panel will incline to cause the wrist member to frictionally grasp within the barrel, and the cam will leave the track of its own accord.

We desire to accentuate the fact that wev are not limited to the specific details of construction herein set forth, but that we may make various changes and modifications in the details without departing from the spirit and principles of our invention.

Having now shown and described our invention and the best method for its construe-- tion to us known at this time, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theb United States, is

1. In a burial casket the combination, of the body having a hinged top and a hinged front, a lever connected to one of the lower corners of the hinged front and with its arm adapted to describe the segment of a circle inside the casket as the front is opened and closed, a telescopic arm pivoted to the inside of the top and to saidarm of the lever, a cam carried on said telescopic arm, a permanent track against which said cam may engage, and a spring adapted to draw inwards on the arm of said lever, all substantially as shown and described and for the purposes set forth.

2. A burial casket comprising in combination a receptacle having a hinged top, and an outwardly and downwardly swinging front, a barrel pivoted at one end to the inside of the top, a lever connected to said front the arm of said lever being operative inside the casket, a Wrist-rod secured at one end to said lever and tightly operative in said barrel, and a spring also secured to said lever and having a permanent point of attachment inside the casket, all substantially as shown and described and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a burial casket comprising the receptacle, an upwardly and backwardly swinging top, an outwardly and downwardly swinging front, a lever connected to said front by which the front may be opened and closed, and a telescoping arm pivoted to said lever and to said top whereby the lront will normally open and close automatically with ated independently thereof. the opening and closing ot' the top, and In testimony whereof we have hereunto whereby thev top may be opel ed and closed subscribed our naine@` to this specification in 15 if the front be held closed., all substantially l the presence of two subscribing witnesses, as Shown and deseribed. this the 30th day ol April, 1906.

4. The Combination in a burial easlet, a i VFRANK N. l/VATT, swinging top, a swinging front, and means HARRY C. KEELOR. for indirectly connecting the top and thel front whereby the lront will normally be y operated by the operation ol the top7 or if l the liront be held closed the top may be oper- Yitnessesz Y A,lNniA BALLENGER, ROBERT W. HANDLE.

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