Patent Application
20250084662
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure relates to burial devices and more particularly pertains to a new burial device for vertically stacking decedents in a cemetery. The device includes a burial vault that has a plurality of stacking channels that are vertically oriented with the burial vault is buried. A plurality of caskets is provided and each of the caskets is comprised of a translucent material to facilitate a decedent in each casket to be visible. Each of the plurality of caskets is vertically stacked in a respective stacking channel until each of the stacking channels is filled with caskets.
The prior art relates to burial devices including a variety of above ground burial vaults that have horizontally oriented storage slots for storing caskets and a modular burial system involving rectangular burial spaces being attachable together. In no instance does the prior art disclose a burial vault device that includes a vault with vertically oriented stacking channels and a plurality of caskets that are stackable in each of the stacking channels for reducing the footprint of the caskets in a cemetery.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vault that has a plurality of stacking channels structurally integrated into the vault. The vault is buried beneath the ground having the plurality of stacking channels being vertically oriented. A plurality of caskets is each stackable in a respective one of the plurality of stacking channels in the burial vault to facilitate the decedent in each of the plurality of caskets to be buried. A plurality of casket lids is each attachable to a respective one of the plurality of caskets for closing the respective casket. A plurality of vault lids is each positionable over a respective one of the plurality of stacking channels in the vault for closing the respective stacking channel.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A plurality of caskets 26 is provided and each of the plurality of caskets 26 can contain a decedent 28. Each of the caskets 26 is comprised of a translucent material, including but not being limited to polycarbonate, to facilitate the decedent 28 to be visible in the casket in which the decedent 28 is positioned. Each of the plurality of caskets 26 is stackable in a respective one of the plurality of stacking channels 14 in the burial vault 12. In this way each of the plurality of caskets 26 facilitates the decedent 28 in each of the plurality of caskets 26 to be buried.
Each of the plurality of caskets 26 has a lower wall 30 and a perimeter wall 32 extending upwardly from the lower wall 30 and the perimeter wall 32 has an upper edge 34 defining an opening 36 into a respective casket 26. Each of the plurality of caskets 26 is elongated between a front side 38 and a back side 40 of the perimeter wall 32. Additionally, the perimeter wall 32 of each of the plurality of caskets 26 has a plurality of fastener wells 42 each extending into the upper edge 34 of the perimeter wall 32. Each of the plurality of fastener wells 42 associated with a respective casket 26 is positioned on a respective one of a first sidelong side 44 and a second sidelong side 46 of the perimeter wall 32 of the respective casket 26. Furthermore, each of the plurality of fastener wells 42 associated with the respective casket 26 is spaced from a respective one of four corners 48 of the perimeter wall 32 of the respective casket 26 and each of the plurality of fastener wells 42 has a bounding surface 50 that is threaded.
A plurality of casket lids 52 is provided and each of the plurality of casket lids 52 is attachable to a respective one of the plurality of caskets 26 for closing the respective casket 26. Each of the plurality of casket lids 52 is comprised of a translucent material, including but not being limited to polycarbonate, to facilitate the decedent 28 to be visible through the casket lids 52. The plurality of caskets 26 may be manufactured in a large size for adults and a medium size the children and a small size for infants. The large size may have a length of approximately 2.0 meters and a width and height of approximately 1.0 meter and the perimeter wall 32 associated with the large size caskets 26 may have a thickness of less than 5.0 cm. The medium size may have a length of approximately 1.5 meters and a width and height of approximately 0.5 meters and the perimeter wall 32 associated with the medium size caskets 26 may have a thickness of less than 2.5 cm. The small size may have a length and a height and a width of approximately 0.5 meters and the perimeter wall 32 associated with the small size caskets 26 may have a thickness of less than 1.3 cm. Furthermore, the vault 12 may be structured in various dimensions to accommodate either the large size caskets 26, the medium size caskets 26 or the small size caskets 26.
Each of the plurality of casket lids 52 has a plurality of fastener holes 54 each extending through a top surface 56 and a bottom surface 58 of the casket lids 52. Each of the plurality of fastener holes 54 associated with a respective one of the plurality of casket lids 52 is spaced apart from each other and is distributed along a respective one of a first lateral edge 60 and a second lateral edge 62 of the respective casket lid 52. Furthermore, each of the plurality of fastener holes 54 in the respective casket lid 52 is aligned with a respective one of the fastener wells 42 in the perimeter wall 32 of a respective one of the caskets 26 when the respective casket lid 52 is positioned on the respective casket 26.
A plurality of fasteners 64 is provided and respective ones of the plurality of fasteners 64 is extendable through a respective one of the fastener holes 54 in a respective one of the plurality of casket lids 52. Additionally, the respective fasteners 64 threadably engages the bounding surface 50 of a respective one of the plurality of fastener wells 42 in the perimeter wall 32 of a respective one of the caskets 26 for attaching the respective casket lid 52 to the respective casket 26. Each of the plurality of fasteners 64 may comprise a screw or other type of threaded fastener. Additionally, each of the fastener holes 54 in each of the plurality of casket lids 52 may be chamfered to facilitate a head 66 of each of the fasteners 64 to lie flush with the top surface 56 of the respective casket lid 52. A plurality of vault lids 68 is provided and each of the plurality of vault lids 68 is positionable over a respective one of the plurality of stacking channels 14 in the vault 12 for closing the respective stacking channel. Each of the plurality of vault lids 68 is comprised of a translucent material, including but not being limited to polycarbonate, to facilitate light to pass through the vault lids 68.
In use, a hole is dug in the ground, typically located in a cemetery, which has sufficient dimensions to accommodate the vault 12 and the vault 12 is lowered into the hole. A decedent 28 is positioned in a respective casket 26 and a respective one of the casket lids 52 is attached to the respective casket 26. The respective casket 26 is lowered into a respective stacking channel 14 in the vault 12 and subsequent caskets 26 are stacked atop one another in the respective stacking channel 14 until the respective stacking channel 14 is filled with caskets 26. The process of placing caskets 26 in the stacking channels 14 is repeated until the vault 12 is filled with caskets 26. In this way the vault 12 and the plurality of caskets 26 reduces the footprint occupied by the plurality of caskets 26 in a cemetery thereby increasing the number of caskets 26 that can be buried in the cemetery.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
