Burial service assembly and methods

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6393679
  • Patent Number
    6,393,679
  • Date Filed
    Monday, November 22, 1999
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 28, 2002
    21 years ago
Abstract
A burial service site assembly and method for viewing a casket at a specified location in a cemetery, remote from the grave site, prior to interment into a grave. The assembly comprises a base, a seating area, and a casket display and placing device. A casket is placed and secured on the casket display and placing apparatus during the burial service. Subsequent the service, the apparatus is moved and positioned over the opening of a burial vault. The casket is lowered into the burial vault and arranged for transport from the burial service site to a grave site. The apparatus is moved to its original position for a subsequent burial service.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates generally to a burial service assembly and method. Particularly, this invention relates to burial service assemblies and methods to transfer and position a casket for a burial service at a cemetery and to subsequently transfer the casket into a burial vault for interment at the grave site.




As part of a funeral proceeding it is common, subsequent a service at a church, synagogue, or funeral home, to have a service or ceremony at the cemetery. The burial service at the cemetery is typically attended by family and friends of the deceased. Preferably, the service at the cemetery is performed at a comfortable and pleasing location.




Several problems exist when providing burial services at a cemetery. A burial service provider typically sets up a service area for placement of the casket during the service and to provide a lowering device at the burial site. Several personnel are usually necessary to move the casket from the hearse to the casket viewing area and then for placement of the casket into the burial vault. Personnel are also necessary for subsequently lowering the vault into the grave. In summary, the service provider must present a burial service site that is both efficient for the servicing personnel and which is comfortable and pleasing to those attending the service.




Apparatus have been proposed and developed in the past relating to burial services at cemeteries. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,625 to Young et al. provides a method and apparatus for lowering a vault into a grave. The method uses a two unit apparatus and suggests the use of a specialized casket design in the method. U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,636 to Schneider provides a device that holds the vault above ground so that a casket can be placed into the vault. Schneider further provides a display platform for the vault lid and a mechanism for lowering the vault into the grave. U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,390 to Blase et al., discloses a generally rectangular-shaped casket-placer and casket lowering apparatus for supporting a casket over a grave opening during a graveside service.




These prior art references do not provide a comprehensive solution to the burial service problems discussed above and, as far as is known, no such assemblies and methods have been proposed or developed to provide an assembly and method for burial services at a cemetery which is economical, efficient and pleasant to both the provider and the service attendees.




An object of the present invention is to provide a centralized location for a burial service, comprised of an assembly and method that can efficiently be operated by a small number of personnel and which is pleasing and efficient to the service attendees.




The above objectives are accomplished in accordance with the present invention, by providing centralized locations for burial services at a cemetery. At the centralized location the casket is displayed, the burial service is performed and the casket is lowered into the burial vault. The vault with casket is then moved from the burial service site to the grave site. This efficient procedure allows for another burial service to be performed shortly after the vault is removed from the burial service site.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The invention relates to a burial service assembly and method. The burial service site assembly may be placed at a centralized location in a cemetery or several such assemblies may be located at preselected sites in a cemetery. The service site assembly comprises a casket display and placing apparatus which may be placed on a rigid base having a canopy and a seating area. Preferably, a burial vault is placed on the rigid base or in a lowered pit area of the rigid base. The casket display and placing apparatus is constructed and arranged so that a casket may be placed and secured on the apparatus for display during a burial service. The apparatus is also constructed and arranged so that the casket can be aligned over the vault and lowered therein. The assembly of the invention allows the burial service and the placement of the casket into the vault at the burial service location.




The casket display and placing apparatus includes a movable cart structure having a lowering mechanism assembly. The movable cart structure is constructed and arranged to transport and align the casket over the vault opening. The lowering mechanism assembly, positioned on top of the movable cart structure, has means to lower a casket that is placed on the lowering mechanism assembly, through the interior of the frame structure and into the vault. The lowering mechanism assembly further provides means to aid the operator when placing the casket on the display surface. The assembly and method of the invention permits generally one attendant to perform the entire operation of placing the casket for display and lowering the casket into a vault. These and other benefits of this invention will become clear from the following description by reference to the drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of the burial service site assembly of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is another perspective view of the burial service site assembly of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a front perspective view of the casket display and placing apparatus of the assembly of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is an end view of the apparatus of

FIG. 3

;





FIG. 5

is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus of

FIG. 3

;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of another embodiment of the burial service site assembly of the present invention;





FIG. 7

is a perspective view of the casket display and placing apparatus of the assembly of

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 8

is a front perspective view of the casket display and placing apparatus of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 9

is a side perspective view of the casket display and placing apparatus of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 10

is a perspective view of the front portion of the casket display and placing apparatus;





FIG. 11

is a perspective view of the apparatus of

FIG. 10

;





FIG. 12

is a perspective view of a front corner of the assembly of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 13

is a rear perspective view of a side portion of the assembly of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 14

is a perspective view of the lowering mechanism;





FIG. 15

is a front perspective view of the casket stop plate;





FIG. 16

is a rear perspective view of the casket stop plate;





FIG. 17

is a perspective view showing the rail/wheel arrangement of the assembly of FIG.


6


and

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 18

is a perspective view showing the wheel locking mechanism;





FIG. 19

is a perspective view of the wheel track;





FIG. 20

is a perspective view of another embodiment of the casket display and placing apparatus of the present invention;





FIG. 21

is a front perspective view of the apparatus of

FIG. 20

; and





FIG. 22

is a perspective view of the embodiment of the wheel locking mechanism of the apparatus of FIG.


20


.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




The present invention relates to burial service assemblies and methods. The burial service assemblies and method of this invention are particularly useful for burial service providers at cemetery sites and particularly in cemeteries having a large volume of burials. The invention permits burial services to be performed at a designated cemetery site or a plurality of sites in an efficient manner and by a small number of personnel. The assembly of the invention provides an efficient centralized location and can be easily prepared for burial services. The assembly and method provide mechanisms and methods of operation that can be operated by a single person if necessary.




Referring to

FIGS. 1-5

, a burial service site assembly


10


is shown having a rigid base structure


11


. A canopy


12


having support members


13


and a roof is shown fixed to and covering a portion of the base structure


11


. A seating area


14


comprising a plurality of chairs is shown on base structure


11


below canopy


12


. A casket display and placing apparatus


15


is shown positioned on rigid base


11


and within the confines of the canopy


12


.




The casket display and placing apparatus


15


includes a movable frame structure


16


having wheels


47


which are placed for movement on spaced rail members


51


. The rail members


51


are shown fixed to the rigid base


11


and extend from a first position under canopy


12


to a sunken vault pit area


66


wherein vaults


67


are positioned.




The casket display and placing apparatus


15


is constructed and arranged to receive a casket from a hearse for display and securement during the burial service. Thereafter, the apparatus


15


is moved on rails


51


and positioned over a vault


67


. The apparatus


15


is next activated to lower the casket into vault


67


, the cover


68


is placed onto vault


67


and the casket and covered vault are removed form the pit area


66


and transported to the grave site.




As further shown in

FIGS. 1-5

, the movable frame structure


16


is comprised of a lower horizontally disposed side frame member


17


, an upper horizontally disposed side frame member


21


, lower and upper horizontally disposed front frame members


18


,


22


, lower and upper horizontally disposed rear frame members


19


,


23


and which are connected to front vertically disposed frame members


24


and rear vertically disposed frame members


27


. A U-shaped base plate


28


is shown fixed to the tops of the vertically disposed frame members


24


and


27


. Held between the U-shaped base plate


28


and the upper horizontal frame members is skirt or drapery


75


which decorates the casket display and placing apparatus


15


.




The apparatus


15


is further shown to have an upper portion or lowering mechanism assembly


26


connected to the top of the U-shaped base plate


28


and on which the casket is placed for display. The upper portion is shown comprised of corner head units


29


and between which front rail member


32


, rear rail member


33


and rotatable side rail members


34


are positioned. As shown, straps


37


are wrapped around and extend between the rotatable side rail members


34


. As will be further described this upper mechanism is known in the art as a casket lowering device and sold by Frigid Fluid Company of Chicago, Ill., for example. These casket lowering devices are constructed whereby an arrangement of gears, shafts, brakes and governors are disposed within the hollow rail members


32


,


33


and


34


which permit an operator to activate a lever on one of the corner head units to automatically lower a casket on straps


37


. It is within the purview of the invention that other lowering mechanism assemblies may be adapted to be used with the cart frame structures shown herein. As further shown a pair of removable roller units


38


are positioned over the rotatable side rail members


34


. Each roller unit


38


is shown comprised of a roller unit base


53


having an indented lower area at each end to engage the opposing side rail members


34


. A roller member


52


is positioned above each base


53


. Although removable roller units


38


are shown herein, it is within the purview of the invention to utilize other roller and securement assemblies which are positioned on the casket display and placing apparatus and which may be temporarily moved away from the display surface to permit the casket to be supported by the straps


37


for subsequent lowering into a vault


67


.




Shown particularly in

FIGS. 2-4

, a roller member


36


is positioned above front rail member


32


and a stop plate


35


is shown fixed to the U-shaped base plate


28


in front of the rear rail member


33


. The stop plate


35


may be secured to or formed as part of the base plate


28


. In operation, a casket is removed from hearse and rolled on front roller member


36


, removable roller units


38


and placed against stop plate pads


44


mounted to the casket stop plate


35


. As shown in the drawings, a platform


54


may be placed on the removable roller units


38


so that a cremation urn may be placed thereon for the ceremony at the cemetery. Further structural details of the invention will be further discussed below with respect to other embodiments of the invention.




The burial service assembly of the invention is shown in several embodiments which include various cart frame structures supporting the casket display and placing apparatus. The latter apparatus including the casket lowering device. The various cart frame structures include frames of varying heights and having varying side openings to permit a predetermined alignment position for lowering the casket into the vault. The various cart frame structures also include differing movement means.




The cart frame structure


16


of the first apparatus embodiment


15


, for example, includes vertical frame members


24


and


27


which have a predetermined height whereby the apparatus


15


has a horizontally disposed working plane which aligns with the rear of a hearse for casket movement and which aligns with the seating area


14


and the top of the vault


67


for lowering of the casket therein.





FIG. 6

is a perspective view showing the burial service assembly


20


. The assembly


20


is shown to have a rigid base


71


, a seating area


14


, a canopy


72


including support members


73


, and a casket display and placing apparatus


25


. As further shown in

FIG. 7

, the casket display and placing apparatus


25


is comprised of a cart-like structure


74


and lowering mechanism assembly


26


. As shown in

FIG. 6

, a vault


67


having a vault lid


68


is shown placed on rigid base


71


. The casket display and placing apparatus


25


is guided across the rigid base


71


on wheel guidance tracks


51


as shown in FIG.


6


.




The cart structure


74


, as shown in

FIGS. 7-9

is shown comprised of generally rectangular frame members


17


-


19


and


21


-


24


,


27


preferably made of steel or like material, and which form the generally rectangular frame structure of the frame


74


. The rectangular cart frame structure


74


is shown to have a side opening to allow vault


67


to be positioned within the confines of the structure


74


. The structure


74


is constructed and arranged to allow the casket to be lowered between the top frame members


21


-


23


and into the confines of vault


67


.

FIGS. 6-19

show embodiment


25


of the casket display and placing apparatus having cart structure


74


.

FIGS. 20-22

show another embodiment


30


of the casket display and placing apparatus having the cart-like structure


65


, which will be further discussed below. The cart embodiments permit the frame structure to be moved and positioned over an open vault whereby a casket can be lowered into the confines of the vault.





FIG. 7

shows embodiment


25


of the casket display and placing apparatus of the present invention having frame structure


74


, which has an open side which permits the frame


74


to be positioned over vault


67


. Lower horizontal frame member


17


can be seen supporting frame


74


. Lowering mechanism assembly


26


is shown atop frame structure


74


. Lowering mechanism assembly


26


is shown having U-shaped base plate


28


, corner head units


29


, and casket stop plate


35


.




As also shown in

FIG. 7

, the corner head unit


29


has a lowering release mechanism


41


which allows the side rail members


34


to be rotatable and thereby permit the casket lowering straps


37


to be utilized to lower a casket.





FIG. 8

shows casket display and placing apparatus


25


comprising cart frame structure


74


and lowering mechanism assembly


26


. The lowering mechanism assembly


26


is fastened to the top of cart frame structure


74


by means of corner head units


29


being placed over mounting pins (not shown) attached to vertical support members


69


and


70


. Rear vertical frame support


70


can be seen supporting frame structure


74


and having rear wheels


47


. For placement over a vault, casket display and placing apparatus


25


is moved along guidance track


51


on rigid base


71


with front wheels


46


and rear wheels


47


. Wheels


46


and


47


may be constructed of any material known in the art such as metal, plastic, rubber, and the like.




The cart frame structure


74


may be constructed in a variety of ways to provide an aesthetically pleasing display structure for the burial service. As shown, skirt or drapery


75


is fixed around the cart frame structure


74


by skirt fasteners


31


to provide an aesthetically pleasing structure. The skirt


75


may be constructed from any drapery-type material known in the art such as nylon, velvet, and like materials. The skirt


75


may also be a solid panel attached to the casket display and placing apparatus


25


such as plastic, wood, or metal paneling and the like, and may be attached by any means known in the art. The corner head units


29


may have any desired shape, such as round, square, cylindrical, sculpted shapes, and the like and may be constructed of any material known in the prior art such as chrome plated steel and the like.





FIG. 9

shows a side perspective view of cart frame structure


74


and lowering mechanism assembly


26


. Cart frame


74


is shown supported by lower horizontal frame members


17


and


19


on the side and rear, respectively, and upper horizontal frame members


21


and


23


on the side and rear, respectively. Upper and lower frame members of the front, side and rear of cart frame


74


are connected by vertical frame members


69


and


70


to form a generally rectangular frame shape with an opening on one side for placement around a vault. Vertical frame members


69


and


70


are connected to wheels


46


and


47


, respectively. As shown, wheel


47


is positioned on wheel guidance rack


51


for movement to the vault.




The lowering mechanism assembly


26


is shown in

FIGS. 9 and 10

comprised of two fixed end rail members


32


and


33


and two rotatable side rail members


34


. The end and side rail members are connected at their ends with corner head units


29


. Although round cross-sectional members are shown, the rail members may have other cross-sectional shapes and may be made of any material commonly known in the art such as chrome-plated steel and the like. The rail member


32


is secured to cart frame structure


74


by an anchoring member


39


although other securement means may be used. Casket lowering straps


37


are releasably attached to the rotatable side rail members


34


at each end of straps


37


and are preferably made of flexible nylon material or the like. The side rail members are rotated to wind straps


37


around the rail members


34


until straps


37


are stretched tightly between side rail members


34


. The straps


37


are tightened until they can support the weight of a casket to be lowered into vault


67


.




The lowering assembly


26


preferably has a conveyor means comprising an upper conveying portion preferably having a plurality of roller members. Removable roller units


38


preferably may be placed spanning between the side rail members


34


. The removable roller units


38


are removed prior to lowering the casket into vault


67


. The removable roller units


38


consist of at least one roller member


52


, preferably cylindrical in shape, connected to a base roller unit


53


. The roller unit base


53


is shown in

FIG. 10

to be of a length to securely rest on both rotatable side rails


34


. The base


53


preferably is constructed with indentations on each end that engage side rails


34


to aid in securing roller units


38


to the top of assembly


26


.




Front roller member


36


is shown in

FIGS. 10 and 11

. Front roller member


36


is attached to front end rail member


32


and is shown cylindrical and elongated in shape. Front roller member


36


is aligned with and used in conjunction with roller members


38


to ease the movement of the casket on lowering mechanism assembly


26


. The roller


36


may be free rolling. The roller members


36


and


52


are shown constructed of rubber, however other compositions such as plastic, metal, or the like may be used.

FIG. 11

further shows part of U-shaped base plate


28


atop upper horizontal front frame member


22


.





FIG. 12

shows skirt


75


fixed around the cart frame structure


16


and secured to the cart by capturing the top of skirt


75


between the top frame members of the cart frame structure


74


and the U-shaped base plate


28


. The U-shaped base plate


28


is preferably an ornamental structure, constructed of aluminum, but may be constructed from any materials known in the art such as metal, wood, plastic, and the like. The casket is lowered by releasing the lowering release mechanism


41


, whereby the rotatable side rail members


34


are freed at their ends to rotate, thereby unrolling and extending straps


37


and lowering the casket resting thereon. Subsequent the lowering process, the straps


37


are rewound and retightened using reset mechanism


40


.





FIG. 13

shows a rear view of the side of lowering mechanism assembly


26


. Lowering mechanism assembly


26


is shown comprising front rail member


32


, side rail member


34


and rear rail member


33


connected by corner head units


29


. Casket lowering straps


37


are shown stretched between and connected to side rail member


34


. Front roller member is shown on front rail member


32


. Removable roller units


38


are shown resting on side rail member


34


and comprising roller member


52


and roller unit base


53


.




The vault


67


is typically provided with a plurality of spaced pegs or supports extending from the vault bottom to space or elevate the casket from the bottom of the vault. The flexible straps


37


attached to and wound about the rotatable side rails


34


are spaced and aligned whereby when the casket is lowered into the vault the straps are positioned outside the spaced vault supports to permit slidable removal of the straps around the opposite ends of the casket. Subsequent the strap movement, the respective straps are rewound, tightened and locked about the side rails


34


.





FIG. 14

shows the rotatable side rail member


34


supporting the removable roller unit


38


. The removable roller unit


38


has a base member


53


with a cutout portion on the bottom of its ends which rest on the rail member


34


. A stop member


43


is shown attached to the rail member


34


to fix the roller unit


38


with respect thereto. The base member


53


is shown to have a lock knob


42


attached thereto and which is in communication with the roller member


52


. The roller member


52


is immobilized by means of lock knob


42


after a casket is placed thereon and to thereby prevent the casket from moving. The lock knob


42


may be connected to a shaft which when turned engages the roller member


52


to thereby brake the rolling motion of the roller member


52


. The removable roller units


38


with bottom indents to engage the rail members and are removed therefrom to thereby allow the casket to be lowered with respect to the cart frame structure


74


.





FIGS. 15 and 16

show a front and rear views, respectively, of the casket stop plate


35


of the lowering mechanism assembly


26


. The casket stop plate


35


retains placement of the casket on the lowering mechanism assembly


26


. Casket stop plate


35


is shown extending upwardly from the lowering mechanism assembly


26


and is positioned at the rear end of casket display and placing apparatus


25


to ensure that the casket is properly positioned on lowering mechanism assembly


26


. The stop plate structure


35


is shown to have pads


44


to prevent damage to the casket during positioning. The stop plate


35


is preferably made of a rigid material, such as metal or the like and stop plate pads


44


are preferably made of plastic, foam rubber, or the like. Also shown in

FIGS. 15 and 16

are casket lowering straps


37


, rear anchoring member


45


, corner head units


29


, U-shaped plate


28


, side rail member


34


and rear rail member


33


of lowering mechanism assembly


26


and skirt


75


, upper horizontal side and rear frame members


21


and


23


, lower horizontal side and rear frame members


17


and


19


, and rear vertical frame support member


70


of cart frame structure


74


.





FIGS. 17-19

show an embodiment of a wheeling device that can be used with casket display and placing apparatus


25


.

FIG. 17

, shows wheel


46


having a centrally disposed peripheral groove to engage and roll on wheel guidance track


51


. A wheel stop plate


48


may be placed at one or both ends of each wheel guidance track


51


to maintain the casket display and placing apparatus


25


on tracks


51


. Preferably, wheel stop plate


48


is constructed of metal, such as steel or the like. The wheels


46


and


47


may be constructed of any material known in the art such as metal, plastic, rubber, and the like.





FIG. 18

shows wheel


46


for moving along wheel guidance track


51


. Wheel


46


has a locking mechanism having a locking pin


49


and a lock


50


. The locking pin


49


passes through apertures in vertical support member


24


positioned on either side of wheel


46


and through aligned aperture in wheel


46


. The lock


50


may then be placed through an aperture in locking pin


49


to keep pin


49


in place. A locking mechanism enables the casket display and placing apparatus


25


to be temporarily fixed in a position on track


51


when placing the casket onto the apparatus


25


and to provide a fixed display platform. The locking mechanism may be any suitable locking mechanism known in the art.

FIG. 19

shows wheel


46


attached to vertical support member


24


and in position along wheel guidance track


51


in rigid base


71


.





FIGS. 20-22

show embodiment


30


of casket display and placing apparatus. Casket display and placing apparatus


30


is comprised of cart-like frame structure


55


and lowering mechanism assembly


26


. Cart frame structure


55


has a generally rectangular structure and is comprised of upper and lower horizontal side frame members


57


and


56


, respectively, upper and lower rear frame members


59


and


58


, respectively, and front and rear vertical frame support members


60


and


61


, respectively. The frame members


56


-


61


are generally rectangular and are constructed of steel or like material. The generally rectangular cart frame structure


55


has a front opening to allow vault


67


to be positioned within the confines of structure


55


.





FIG. 20

is a front view of casket display and placing apparatus


30


showing lower horizontal frame members


56


and front vertical support members


60


comprising cart frame structure


55


. Lowering mechanism assembly


26


is shown comprising corner head units


29


, side rail members


34


, casket stop plate


35


, casket lowering straps


37


, roller members


52


, and roller unit bases


53


.

FIG. 21

is a front view of casket display and placing apparatus


30


showing lower horizontal side and rear members


56


and


58


, respectively, and front vertical support members


60


. Wheels


63


and


64


are shown attached to the bottom end of the vertical support members


60


and


61


. Cart frame structure


55


is further shown to have a skirt or peripheral drapery


62


. Corner head units


29


and front roller member


36


are also shown.





FIG. 22

shows an alternate embodiment of a wheel structure that may be used in the casket display and placing apparatus


30


. Wheel


63


and


64


do not have a groove and are not guided by a track system. Wheels


63


and


64


are rotatable and can therefore be used to position casket display and placing apparatus


30


in any way desired. The wheels


63


and


64


preferably have a locking mechanism such as wheel stopping member


65


which is releasable. Releasable wheel stopping member


65


is pressed against the surface of wheel


64


or


63


to frictionally hold the casket display and placing apparatus


30


in position.




In summary, the burial service assembly is constructed and arranged to provide a display area for a casket at a cemetery and to transfer and place the casket into a burial vault. As shown in the drawings, the display area includes a rigid base, a canopy having support members, and a seating area. The rigid base may be constructed of such materials as prepared ground, wood, concrete, stone, or the like. The canopy may be constructed from textiles such as nylon, canvas or plastic and its support members may be constructed of metal, stone, wood, or the like. The seating area is preferably large enough to provide placement of an adequate number of chairs for service attendees and enough space for a speaker to perform a burial service. The vault and vault lid may be constructed of any material known in the art, such as concrete, for example. As described above, the casket display and placing apparatus is wheeled across the rigid base of the burial assembly. Preferably, the wheel guidance tracks are constructed of metal, such as steel or the like.




The method for conducting a burial service according to this invention is comprised of conveying a casket onto a display surface on a casket display and placing apparatus


15


,


25


or


30


. The display surface is comprised of roller members


36


and


52


. Alternatively, casket lowering straps


37


may provide the display surface. The casket is aligned on the display surface and secured by placing the end of the casket against casket stop plate


35


. The casket display and placing apparatus


15


,


25


or


30


is temporarily fixed by a locking mechanism in a first position on the rigid base. The casket is then displayed during the burial service. After the service, casket display and placing apparatus


15


or


20


is moved by a wheeling device to a second position on a rigid base, in alignment over burial vault


67


. If removable roller units


38


or other removable roller members are used, the units are moved out of the path of the casket prior to lowering the casket. The casket is then lowered by casket lowering straps


37


into burial vault


67


.




Once the casket has been lowered into vault


67


, straps


37


are loosened and pulled outward from under the casket. Straps


37


are then rewound, tightened and locked and casket display and placing assembly


15


,


25


or


30


may be moved back to its first position on the rigid base in preparation for the next burial service.




As many changes are possible to the embodiments of this invention utilizing the teachings thereof, the descriptions above, and the accompanying drawings should be interpreted in the illustrative and not in the limited sense.



Claims
  • 1. An assembly for displaying and placing a casket into a vault comprising:a) said vault positioned on a rigid base; b) a movable frame structure having an upper conveying portion constructed and arranged to have said casket placed thereon; c) means to move said frame structure on said base, wherein said means to move said frame structure permits said frame structure to be positioned over said vault, thereby aligning said upper conveying portion with said vault; d) stop means connected to said frame structure and being in alignment with said upper conveying portion to position said casket over said frame structure; and e) lowering means mounted to said frame structure to permit said casket to be lowered into said vault.
  • 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said rigid base has a surface and a lowered pit area and wherein said lowered pit area is constructed and arranged to hold at least one said vault.
  • 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said rigid base further comprises a base platform selected from the group of platforms consisting of a wooden platform and a concrete slab.
  • 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said means to move said frame structure is comprised of a plurality of wheels mounted to said frame structure.
  • 5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein said rigid base has a track system mounted thereto and wherein said wheels are adapted for rolling on said track system.
  • 6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein said rigid base includes a lowered pit area therein and wherein said lowered pit area is constructed and arranged to hold at least one said vault, and wherein said track system is mounted adjacent said lowered pit area to align said casket with said vault.
  • 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper conveying portion is comprised of a plurality of rollers connected to said frame structure that are removable from a lowering path of said frame structure.
  • 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said stop means is comprised of a plate member mounted on said frame and a roller member in communication with said frame having means to immobilize said roller member.
  • 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said lowering means is comprised of a plurality of extendible straps connected to said frame structure.
  • 10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said frame has an outer periphery and wherein drapery is attached to said outer periphery.
  • 11. A method for displaying and placing a casket into a vault comprising:a) conveying said casket onto a display surface of a casket display and placing apparatus, said apparatus being positioned on a base having said vault positioned thereon; b) aligning and securing said casket on the display surface of the apparatus; c) displaying the casket on the display surface; d) aligning the casket display and placing apparatus over the vault; and e) lowering the casket from the display surface into the vault.
  • 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the casket display and placing apparatus is a movable cart frame structure having a plurality of wheels constructed and arranged to move the apparatus on the base and a lowering mechanism assembly.
  • 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said display and placing apparatus is in a first position when it is aligned and secured.
  • 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said casket display and placing apparatus is aligned over the vault by conveying the apparatus to a second position on the base and in alignment over the vault.
  • 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the casket is lowered by means of straps connected to the casket display and placing apparatus.
  • 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the casket display and placing apparatus is returned to said first position after the casket is lowered into the vault.
  • 17. The method of claim 11, wherein said base has a lowered pit area therein and wherein said lowered pit area is constructed and arranged to hold at least said one vault.
  • 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said casket display and placing apparatus is moved over said lowered pit area prior to lowering the casket from the display surface into the vault.
  • 19. A burial service ceremony site assembly for displaying and placing a casket into a vault comprising:a) a base and said vault positioned thereon; b) a display and placement apparatus having a conveyor means thereon for placing and positioning said casket upon said apparatus; c) a means to move said apparatus on said base; and d) a lowering means to place said casket into said vault.
  • 20. The site assembly of claim 19, wherein said display and placement apparatus is comprised of a movable cart assembly constructed and arranged to be positioned over said vault and said lowering means, said lowering means including a lowering mechanism assembly.
  • 21. The site assembly of claim 20, wherein said movable cart assembly has means to immobilize said cart for temporarily fixing said cart in a specified position on said base.
  • 22. The site assembly of claim 19, wherein said lowering means is comprised of a lowering mechanism having lowering straps.
  • 23. The site assembly of claim 19, wherein said base has a lowered pit area therein and wherein said lowered pit area is constructed and arranged to hold at least one said vault.
  • 24. The site assembly of claim 19, wherein said means to move said apparatus is comprised of a set of wheels mounted to said display and placement apparatus, wherein said base further comprises opposing tracks mounted thereto, wherein said base further has a lowered pit area therein and positioned between said opposing tracks and wherein said pit area is further constructed and arranged to hold at least one said vault.
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Number Name Date Kind
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2249687 Eshleman Jul 1941 A
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4716636 Schneider Jan 1988 A
5809625 Young et al. Sep 1998 A
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
Frigid Fluid Company; Casket Lowering Device; Parts List, 1 page. (undated).