Information
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Patent Grant
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6419440
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Patent Number
6,419,440
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Date Filed
Wednesday, May 2, 200123 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, July 16, 200221 years ago
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Inventors
-
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Examiners
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 414 460
- 414 461
- 027 32
- 027 27
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A trailer for transport, positioning and removal of grave-site supports by one workman provides a U-shaped base frame supporting an upstanding peripheral frame that carries an upstanding storage bin for tools and accessories required for set up of the grave-site support and supports a hoist structure. The U-shaped base frame defines a rearwardly opening medial space within which the grave-site support is carried for transport while allowing trailer positioning over the grave-site support for removal and placement. The hoist provides a depending tension element interconnecting plural connector elements which interconnect the grave-site support for vertical motion for positioning and transport.
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Related Applications
There are no applications related hereto heretofore filed in this or any foreign country.
Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to article handling and more particularly to a load bridging vehicle for transport of grave-site supports, tools and accessory materials.
IIC. Background and Description of Prior Art
The disposal of human remains and the processes and practices associated therewith have a sophisticated historicity, probably about as long as human life itself. Through that historical period the associated practices and procedures have changed quite materially. Ground burial in individual rigid containers such as caskets, vaults or the like has been and remains a popular method for such disposal. In the more recent history of ground burial, it has become common to encase a rigid coffin within a burial vault formed of some rigid durable material such as concrete, plastic or the like as this practice benefits cemeteries in preventing grave subsidence and also benefits the aesthetic tastes and psychological needs of a decedent's survivors.
Both caskets and burial vaults are relatively large heavy structures that are difficult to manually move and manipulate. Responsively various mechanical devices have heretofore been developed to aid in accomplishing these functions. As such devices were developed and came into use, they tended to offend the aesthetic and psychological sensitivity of a decedent's survivors when the devices were present at grave-site funerary services, probably because they demonstrate rather graphically the nature of death and the disposal of human remains, which in general tend to upset the human psyche.
Responsively the more massive unconcealed transportation and lowering devices for vaults and caskets fell out of popularity at grave-site services and smaller more concealable grave-site supports have become popular in the present day. The smaller grave-site supports in general provide a relatively flat base configured to extend smaller about the periphery of a pre-formed grave excavation and support an upstanding pedestal type base for the ultimate support of a casket. The support may be covered partially or completely with drapery, grass mats or the like for at least partial concealment to lessen the impact of its significance while yet allowing the device to be used to lower a casket into the grave excavation therebeneath, which generally already contains at least part of a pre-placed burial vault, after grave-site funerary service participants have left the grave-site. Such grave-site supports of the present day marketplace are still relatively large, bulky and relatively heavy devices that present problems for transport, establishment and removal. The instant invention provides a trailer for transport, placement and removal of such supports which additionally provides facilities for transport and storage of tools and accessory materials required for use with the supports or at the grave site.
Though smaller concealable grave-site supports have been known and used for some time, they generally have been transported, positioned and removed partially manually and partially by use of general vehicular material handling machinery that is not specifically designed for nor adapted to use with grave-site supports. Such activity generally has required the services of at least two workers in addition to the machinery involved. The expenditure of substantial time and effort in dealing with concealable grave-site supports tends to make grave-site burial services difficult and not particularly economically viable for the service providers, though such services still are often desired by a decedent's survivors. The instant invention seeks to provide a trailer type vehicle to aid in resolving this problem.
The instant trailer provides a U-shaped base frame having the back of the āUā forwardly positioned to attach a tongue while leaving an open rearward portion so that a grave-site support may be carried within the void defined by the frame and yet the trailer may be moved in an elongate direction over a ground supported grave-site support for either placement or removal. This type of U-shaped base frame is distinguished from prior devices for transport and placement of burial vaults and caskets which have provided a completely closed peripheral frame defining a medial void wherein a casket or vault is supported and through which they may be vertically moved. With such prior devices, the casket or vault remains on or in the device and is lowered vertically therefrom for placement in a grave-site so that the mechanism does not need to be moved horizontally over or away from any ground supported structure such as grave-site support that remains on the surface of the earth after placement. The instant type of peripherally defined U-shaped base frame allows the creation of a smaller, more compact trailer that yet provides greater utility at an established grave-site during grave-site support placement and removal than has been provided by prior methods and devices. The instant trailer also allows the supporting wheels of the trailer to be maintained laterally outwardly of the grave excavation so as not to put any substantial supportative force directly on the peripheral edges or side walls defining the grave excavation to cause collapse of that area into the grave excavation.
The base frame supports an upstanding peripheral frame carrying a relatively large five sided box-like storage bin for transport and storage of tools and ancillary materials required at a grave-site for establishment, use and removal of a grave-site support. The medial portion of the storage box supports a winch carrying a tension element depending downwardly through the storage box and therebelow to carry plural cables for attachment to a grave-site support to interconnect the support, maintain it within the void defined by the peripheral frame and move it vertically for placement on or removal from a grave-site.
My invention resides not in any one of these features individually, but rather in the synergistic combination of all of its structures that give rise to the functions necessarily flowing therefrom as herein specified and claimed.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The instant trailer for grave-site supports provides a U-shaped base frame having the back of the āUā forwardly positioned to attach a hitch for interconnection with a propelling vehicle and rearwardly extending legs to define a partially enclosed medial void within which a grave-site support may be carried. Each leg of the frame carries a laterally extending wheel truck journaling a supportative wheel. The opposed legs of the base frame support two elongately spaced sets of laterally spaced opposed upstanding posts, each pair of which are connected in their upper end portions by laterally extending beams which support an elongate storage bin. The storage bin supports a laterally extending beam to interconnect the tension elements for vertical motion and carry an electrically powered winch having a tension element depending through and below the storage bin to interconnect plural tension elements that connect the grave-site support for vertical positioning and motion. The forward portion of the base frame carries a forwardly extending hitch to interconnect with a propelling vehicle and support within the medial void defined by the base frame.
In providing such an apparatus, it is:
A principal object to create a trailer particularly adapted for transport, positioning and removal of smaller concealable grave-site support devices of the modern funerary arts.
A further object is to provide such a trailer that has a wheel supported U-shaped base frame carrying an upstanding peripheral frame supporting an elongate storage bin spacedly above the base frame.
A further object is to provide such a trailer that has a powered winch, supported on a beam carried by the storage bin, with a tension element depending through and below the storage bin to releaseably interconnect and support a grave-site support between the rearwardly extending legs of the trailer base frame for vertical positioning responsive to hoist operation.
A further object is to provide such a trailer that has plural adjustable supports to maintain the carried grave-site support between the lateral legs of the base frame and spacedly distant therefrom.
A still further object is to provide such a trailer that has a storage bin to carry hand tools and ancillary materials required to establish a grave-site support for use at a grave-site.
A still further object is to provide such a trailer that is of new and novel design, of rugged and durable nature, of simple and economic manufacture and one that is otherwise well suited to the uses and purposes for which it is intended.
Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following specification and accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. In carrying out the objects of my invention however, it is to be understood that its features are susceptible of change in design and structural arrangements with only one preferred and practical embodiment being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specified as is required.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein like numbers of reference refer to similar part throughout:
FIG. 1
is a somewhat generic isometric view of a typical grave-site support having fastening structures to adapt the support for use with the instant invention.
FIG. 2
is an oblique rearwardly looking isometric view of the right side of my trailer showing various of its parts, their configuration and relationships.
FIG. 3
is an enlarged partial isometric view of the hoist structure of the trailer of
FIG. 2
, showing details thereof.
FIG. 4
is an enlarged partial isometric view of an adjustable support device of the trailer of
FIG. 2
for positional maintenance of a grave-site support in the trailer.
FIG. 5
is an oblique forward looking isometric view of the right side of the trailer of
FIG. 2
, showing its parts, their configurations and relationships from this aspect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
My grave-site support trailer generally comprises base frame
10
carrying depending wheel trucks
11
and supporting upstanding peripheral frame
12
which supports storage bin
13
which in turn supports hoist structure
14
to vertically move a grave-site support
15
carried by the trailer.
As illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 5
, base frame
10
is a U-shaped structure formed by similar opposed lateral legs
16
interconnected in their forward portions by back beam
17
. The legs
16
and back beam
17
preferably are formed from box type beams structurally interconnected at their immediately adjacent portions by welding to provide the structural integrity required of the frame. The rearward portion of the undersurface of each leg
16
carries similar opposed bumpers
18
providing a housing to movably carry pugs
18
a
biased to an inward position, but movable by applied force, or manually by ring
18
b
, spacedly outward against their bias to aid in stabilizing and positionally maintaining a grave-site support carried by the trailer spacedly distant from each of the legs
16
. The under surface of back beam
17
carries at least one bumper
19
having structure similar to bumpers
18
to maintain the forward portion of a grave-site support spacedly distant from the rearward surface of back beam
17
. Such bumpers are known in material handling vehicles and are commercially available. They therefore are not described in detail because they do not constitute an essential part of the instant trailer per se.
Elongate tongue
20
extends forwardly from the forward surface of back beam
17
to carry hitch
21
at its forwardmost portion to interconnect with a propelling vehicle. Similar angulated tongue supports
22
extend rearwardly from the medial portion of each side of tongue
20
to interconnect with back beam
17
to provide additional strength and support for the tongue structure. The tongue structure elements in the form illustrated comprise box beams structurally interconnected at their intersecting portions by welding.
Wheel trucks
11
are carried by the rearward medial portion of each base frame leg
16
to depend therefrom to support the trailer on a surface therebeneath. The wheel trucks
11
provide supports
23
structurally carried by the undersurface of leg beams
16
to depend therefrom to support wheel bearings
24
in their lower extension. Each wheel bearing
24
rotatably supports a jack shaft (not shown) which in turn supports wheel
25
carrying tire
26
. Fenders
27
are supported by the laterally outer sides of each base frame leg
16
to prevent debris from moving upwardly and either forwardly or rearwardly from the rotating tires
26
. This wheel truck structure is well known, commonly used in many trailer-type vehicles and therefore not described in ultimate detail.
Peripheral frame
12
provides two elongately spaced sets of paired opposed upstanding posts
28
with a first post of each set supported on the upper surface of one leg beam
16
and the second post of each set support upon the upper surface of the other leg beam. The upper ends of each set of posts
28
are interconnected by laterally extending peripheral frame beams
29
. Similar paired opposed angled supports
30
extend from the lower portion of each forward and rearward side of each post
28
to the upper surface of the adjacent leg beam
16
and upper angulated supports
31
extend between the inner facing surface of each post
28
and the lower surface of the adjacent laterally extending peripheral framed beam
29
. In the instance illustrated, these peripheral frame members are formed of box beams and the immediately adjacent portions of the box beams are structurally joined by welding to provide a peripheral frame having the required strength, rigidity and durability.
Secondary peripheral frame elements
32
extend spacedly upwardly from the upper surface of lateral peripheral frame beams
29
to structurally interconnect and support storage bin
13
. The storage bin
13
is a five sided open top rectilinear box defined by similar longer sides
33
interconnected by shorter ends
34
supported on bottom
35
. The lower lateral sides of the bin
13
are reinforced by similar angle beams
36
extending over the laterally outer surface of each side
33
and the adjacent lower surface of the bottom
35
. The angle beams
36
are supported on and interconnected with laterally extending box end beams
37
carried therebelow in a position with their elongately outer surfaces parallel with the outer surfaces of the box ends
34
. The storage bin is configured with an elongate length greater than the distance between the distal surfaces of lateral peripheral frame beams
29
and a width less than the length of those beams. The horizontal legs of angle beam
36
are supported on the elongately paired spaced secondary supports
32
carried by each lateral peripheral frame beam
29
. The adjacent surfaces of the angulated beams and secondary supports are structurally joined by welding.
Similar paired opposed hoist posts
38
extend upwardly from structural support on the outer vertical surface of the medial portion of each angle beam
36
spacedly above the uppermost edge of storage bin sides
33
. Hoist beam
39
extends laterally between the hoist beam posts
38
and is structurally joined to the posts to support hoist structure
14
. The storage bin bottom
35
defines tension element orifice
40
beneath and immediately forwardly of hoist beam
39
to allow passage of a hoist tension element through and beneath the storage bin. Preferably box channel element
41
is supported on bottom
35
about orifice
40
to extend upwardly approximately to the level of hoist beam
39
to protect the hoist tension element within the storage bin containment chamber.
Hoist structure
14
provides bracket
42
structurally carried by the medial portion of the upper surface of hoist beam
39
to mount hoist
43
powered by electric motor
44
. The hoist
43
carries elongate tension element
45
, in the case illustrated a cable. The hoist
43
is so positioned that the tension element
45
depends without interference downwardly through the channel of box channel element
41
and orifice
42
to a position spacedly beneath storage bin
13
. The tension element
45
in its depending end carries connector ring
46
which in turn carries four separate flexible connector elements
47
attached by hook-type connectors
48
. In their depending outer end portions the connector elements
47
interconnect with grave-site support
15
. The length of the connector elements
47
is substantially the same so that when those elements are interconnected between a grave-site support therebeneath and ring
46
of tension element
45
the grave-site support will be substantially oriented horizontally. The one particular configuration of bracket
42
for mounting the hoist structure that is illustrated is operative in performing its desired function, but this element may assume various other configurations that are operative with my invention and those variants are within the spirit and scope of my invention. Various known releaseable connectors may be provided at either or both ends of connector elements
47
rather than at the upper end only as illustrated and these variants are within the ambit, spirit and scope of my invention. Hoist motor
44
preferably is electrically powered either by the electrical system of a transport vehicle associated with the trailer or by a separate battery power source carried on the trailer, preferably within the chamber defined by the storage bin
13
(not shown). Control mechanism
49
, of known type commonly used in material moving vehicles is provided to regulate motor operation for starting, stopping and reversing to responsively regulate vertical positioning of tension element
45
. The control mechanism
49
preferably is carried on the outer surface of storage bin
13
for easy location and access, though this is not necessary or essential to the trailer structure.
From the foregoing description of the structure of my trailer, its operation and function may be understood.
A somewhat generic view of a typical grave-site support
15
available in present day commerce is shown in
FIG. 1
of the drawings. Flat elongate base
50
, often formed of expanded metal, defines elongate medial orifice
51
of a size somewhat greater than the size of a casket to be lowered therethrough. The base normally extends approximately 18 to 24 inches outwardly from the orifice to define an area that is supported on the surface of the earth about a grave excavation. The base
50
supports an upstanding casket channel element extending upwardly about the casket orifice
51
. The casket channel element is formed by upper peripheral frame
53
covered externally by sheet material
55
, generally comprising sheets of expanded metal, supported on the upper surface of base
50
to define medial casket channel
52
communicating with orifice
51
in the base.
The upper peripheral frame
53
carries an upstanding casket support formed by four similar upstanding corner pylons
57
carrying rod-like similar side rails
58
and end rails
59
to define medial casket channel
52
communicating with orifice
51
in the base. The side rails
58
are journaled in the supporting pylons
57
for adjustable rotation so that they may be rotated to lower a casket through the casket channel
52
and casket orifice
51
into a grave excavation. Each side rail carries two spaced flexible bands
62
having their ends rolled somewhat equally on each side rail
58
and a length sufficient to allow a casket supported thereon between the side rails to be lowered into a grave excavation upon unrolling the rolled ends of each band. The flexible bands are formed of woven fabric banding, such as nylon of appropriate strength to support a casket during its positioning in a. grave excavation. At least one end rail
59
a carries a roller
60
that may be moved to upstanding position to aid in moving a casket onto the casket support structure. Each side rail carries two perpendicularly extendable side rollers
61
that may be moved to a horizontal position to further aid in moving a casket in an elongate direction onto the casket support and in supporting the casket for positional maintenance thereon. These side rollers
61
are releasably journaled on the side rails carrying them to provide the casket support required of them when fixedly engaged but yet when released to allow rotation of the side rails for lowering of the casket downwardly therepast and into a grave excavation.
With this grave site support structure then, a casket may be supported for viewing at a grave excavation during a grave side service and thereafter may be lowered by the grave-site support into the grave excavation for ultimate burial. Most such grave-site supports have reasonably standardized peripheral configuration and dimensioning and a trailer of the instant invention may be used for transport and positioning of many such grave-site supports of present day commerce produced by different manufacturers.
Such grave-site supports are modified for use with my invention by attaching thereto four connectors
63
to releasably attach the hooks
48
of the connector elements
47
or by directly attaching the connector elements themselves. Connectors
63
preferably are metallic bands connected to the opposed end portions of each side element of the peripheral frame
53
of the casket channel to extend spacedly above the peripheral frame where each band defines orifice
64
to receive hooks
48
of the connector elements
47
. Similar connectors may be used to permanently attach one end of each connector element
47
to the grave-site support when the other end of the connector may be releaseably attached to connector ring
46
of tension element
45
. The connectors may be provided at various positions on the grave-site support and be operative, but they tend to provide more stable and convenient support if positioned symmetrically spacedly distant from both ends of each side of the casket channel
52
.
To move such a grave-site support
15
as described with my trailer, the grave-site support is positioned on some supportative surface, generally not substantially higher then the height of base frame
10
of my trailer above the supportative surface, and the trailer is moved in an elongate direction over the grave-site support with a trailer wheel
26
on each side of the base
50
of the support. Normally the trailer will be interconnected with a propelling transport vehicle such as a pick-up truck and moved by that vehicle, but if fine control of the trailer is required during the trailer positioning operation, the trailer may be manually moved by a workman to a position over the grave-site support. After positioning of the trailer over the grave-site support, winch
43
is operated, if necessary, to lower tension element
45
to provide sufficient slack to allow the four connector elements
47
to be interconnected in holes
64
of connectors
63
or with connector ring
46
as the case may be to interconnect the tension element
45
with grave-site support. The winch
43
then is operated to raise the interconnected grave-site support
15
to a level with its base
50
substantially coplanar with base frame
10
of the trailer. The bumper supports
18
,
19
then are moved to positionally maintain the base
50
of the grave-site support, if required, and the trailer is ready for transport to a grave-site.
At the grave-site the trailer is moved in an elongate direction over the grave excavation (not shown) with tires
26
supported on the earth spacedly adjacent the sides of the grave excavation. This trailer motion is usually accomplished by use of the propelling vehicle, but if fine control of the motion is required that cannot be provided by vehicular motion, the trailer may be detached from its propelling vehicle and manually moved by a workman. When the grave-site support
15
is in position over the grave excavation winch
43
is operated to lower the grave-site support to the earth about the grave excavation. The connectors
63
are released from the tension elements
41
and the tension element is raised to a storage position. The trailer then is moved from the grave-site and the grave-site prepared for grave side services in the traditional fashion heretofore known. After the grave side services and subsequent casket lowering have been accomplished, the trailer is moved back over the grave-site support, the tension element
45
is reattached to the grave-site support by the connector elements and is picked-up in the same fashion as it was initially from its storage area to be taken back to that storage area where it again is deposited in the same fashion as over a grave site for its next use.
The foregoing description of my invention is necessarily of a detailed nature so that a specific embodiment of its best known mode might be set forth as required, but it is to be understood that various modifications of detail, rearrangement and multiplication of parts might be resorted to without departing from its spirit, essence or scope.
Having thusly described my invention, what I desire to protect by letters patent, and
Claims
- 1. A trailer for transporting, positioning and removing grave-site supports having a base incrementally larger than a grave excavation, defining a medial orifice incrementally larger than a casket to be placed in the grave-site and carrying plural connectors, comprising in combination:a U-shaped base frame having a forward laterally extending back beam carrying similar laterally spaced rearwardly extending leg beams to define a medial open ended space therebetween that is incrementally larger than the grave-site support to be carried by the trailer and a tongue having a forwardmost hitch extending forwardly from the back beam; wheel trucks carried by the medial portion of each leg beam with tired wheels depending from the wheel trucks to support the trailer for motion on an underlying supportative surface; an upstanding peripheral frame carried by the base frame to extend spacedly thereabove; a storage bin carried by the upstanding peripheral frame spacedly above the base frame at a height greater than the vertical height of the grave-site support to be carried by the trailer, said storage bin carrying two laterally opposed upstanding hoist posts supporting a hoist beam extending laterally between the hoist posts above the storage bin; and hoist structure carried by the hoist beam including a winch to vertically move a tension element depending from the winch, through the storage bin and therebelow to interconnect plural connector elements having first means to interconnect first ends of the connector elements to the tension element and second means to interconnect with second ends to the grave-site support, with at least one of said first and second means providing releaseable interconnection, to vertically move the grave-site support for loading and unloading and positionally maintain the grave-site support for transport.
- 2. The trailer of claim 1 further having at least one bumper carried by at least one base frame beam to extend into the medial open ended space to maintain a grave-site support spacedly distant from the at least one base frame beam supporting the bumper.
- 3. The trailer of claim 1 further having a tubular tension element channel carried by the storage bin to surround a portion of the tension element within the storage bin to protect the surrounded portion of the tension element.
- 4. The trailer of claim 1 further having four connector elements of length relative to each other to interconnect the grave-site support in substantially horizontal orientation when the grave-site support is suspended from the tension element.
US Referenced Citations (11)