Patent Application
20120060334
The subject matter herein relates generally to caskets, and more particularly to that type of casket known as a cremation container.
Caskets have traditionally been employed for burial of the dead, both for in-ground burial and above-ground interment. Caskets are normally fabricated from fine furniture-grade wood or from highly polished/finished sheet metal for aesthetic reasons. So-called cremation containers, on the other hand, may be fabricated of cardboard, hardboard, oriented strand board (“OSB”), medium density fiberboard (“MDF”), plywood, etc., and as such are usually much less ornate than wood or metal caskets and therefore much less expensive. Cremation containers have been employed as containers for the deceased for which the family has chosen cremation as the means for ultimate disposition of the body. Both caskets and cremation containers traditionally include a lower shell or body portion and an upper cap or lid portion closeable on the lower portion. Due to their size and shape neither caskets nor cremation containers are cost-effectively shipped.
Efforts at increasing the cost-effectiveness of shipping caskets and cremation containers have been directed toward the design and development of so-called “knock-down” or “ready-to-assemble” caskets, that is to say, caskets which are shipped in a non-erected, compact package which are then erected at the shipping destination. A major goal of designers of such knock-down caskets has been to produce designs which are relatively quickly and simply erected with few or no tools being required. Success in this area has been more readily achieved in the case of cremation containers rather than in caskets, as cremation containers are by their very nature much less expensive than caskets and as such the fabrication techniques employed in knock-down designs detract from their appearance to a much lesser degree than do they from caskets.
One example of a knock-down casket is disclosed in the assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,016, hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety. Examples of knock-down cremation containers are disclosed in the assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,202,270, 6,571,440, and 6,557,221, all hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in their entirety. It is desirable to improve upon the casket and container designs of these patents.
A cremation container foldable into a compact configuration for shipping comprises a bottom, a pair of side walls connected to the bottom, a pair of end walls connected to the bottom, and a lid removably positioned atop the pairs of side walls and end walls. Each wall of the pairs of side walls and end walls comprises an upper panel and a lower panel hingedly connected together. The upper panels of the pair of end walls are foldable downwardly toward the bottom, and the upper panels of the pair of side walls are foldable downwardly atop the upper panels of the pair of end walls to thereby compactly configure the container for shipping. Each upper panel of the pair of end walls includes a block attached at each end thereof with at least one hole therein. Each upper panel of the pair of side walls includes at least one through hole at each end thereof. The block hole aligns with the side wall upper panel through hole when the upper panels of the side and end walls are erected. A fastener is positioned in the aligned holes to secure the upper panels of the pairs of side walls and end walls in an erected state.
Each lower panel of the pairs of side walls and end walls can include a groove formed therein adjacent a lower edge thereof for receiving peripheral side and end edges of the bottom in the grooves. Each block can include a pair of holes therein and each upper panel of the pair of side walls can include a pair of holes therethrough. The two block holes align with the two side wall upper panel through holes when the side and ends walls are erected. A fastener can be positioned in each pair of aligned holes. The fasteners can be wooden dowel pins. The container can further include at least one handle mounted to each lower panel of the pairs of side walls and end walls. The lower panels can include a pair of through holes for each handle, and the handle can comprise a length of rope passing through the pair of holes, the rope being knotted on opposite ends thereof interior of the container. The lid can include a cleat adjacent each corner thereof which cooperates with a respective corner formed by adjacent ones of the upper panels of the side and end walls to prevent the lid from sliding off of upper edges of the pairs of side walls and end walls. The container can further include a spacer positioned between and abutting the blocks of each upper panel of the pair of end walls. The blocks and spacers can be secured to the upper panels with adhesive. The blocks and spacers can be fabricated of wood. The edges of the bottom can be retained in the grooves in the lower panels of the side and end walls with adhesive and/or staples. The upper panels can be hingedly connected to the lower panels with cardboard living hinges. The side walls can be fabricated of ¾ inch thick birch plywood. The end walls can also be fabricated of ¾ inch thick birch plywood. The lid can be fabricated of ¾ inch thick medium density fiberboard. The bottom can be fabricated of ½ inch thick oriented strand board. Alternatively, the lower panels of the side walls and end walls can be fabricated of pine, and the upper panels of the side walls and end walls can be fabricated of chipboard or particle board. Further, the side walls, end walls, and lid can have an attractive poplar veneer applied to exterior surfaces thereof as by adhesive for aesthetics.
The side walls and end walls can be about 12.375 inches tall. The lower panels of the end walls can be about 3.183 inches tall and the lower panels of the side walls can be about 4.5 inches tall. The exterior surfaces of the side walls, end walls, and lid can have a poplar veneer applied thereto.
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In a preferred form each block 32 includes a pair of holes 34, 34 therein, each upper panel 20 of the pair of side walls 16, 16 includes a pair of holes 36, 36 therethrough, and a pair of fasteners, for example wooden dowel pins 40, 40 are positioned in the aligned holes 34, 36.
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Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3A-3C, the upper panel 24 of each of the pair of end walls 16, 16 can further include a spacer 70 positioned between and abutting the blocks 32 to prevent the blocks 32 from becoming dislodged when dowel pins 40 are driven into holes 34, 36 (which may require a lightweight mallet or the like). The blocks 32 and spacers 70 can be fabricated of wood and can be secured to the upper panels 24 with adhesive, while the edges 44, 46 of the bottom 12 can be retained in dado groove 42 with adhesive or staples or adhesive and staples. The upper panels 20, 24 are hingedly connected to the lower panels 22, 26, respectively, with cardboard living hinges 80.
With respect to materials, the side walls 14, 14 can be fabricated of ¾ inch thick birch plywood, the end walls 16, 16 can be fabricated of ¾ inch thick birch plywood, the lid 18 can be fabricated of ¾ inch thick medium density fiberboard, and the bottom 12 can be fabricated of ½ inch thick oriented strand board. The spacers 70 can be 1″×4″ lumber (i.e. “one by four”). The corner blocks 32 can be 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch wooden blocks. Other materials can be used. For example, the lower panels of the side walls and end walls can be fabricated of pine, and the upper panels of the side walls and end walls can be fabricated of chipboard or particle board. Further, the side walls, end walls, and lid can have an attractive poplar veneer applied thereto as by adhesive for aesthetics.
The side walls 14, 14 and end walls 16, 16 can be about 12.375 inches tall. The lower panels 26 of the end walls 16, 16 can be about 3.183 inches tall and the lower panels 22 of the side walls 12, 12 can be about 4.5 inches tall. This enables the container 10, when knocked down for shipping, to be about 50% of its erected height. The overall length and width of the container 10 is about 79.25 inches long by about 22.75 inches wide.
The embodiments shown and described are merely for illustrative purposes only. The drawings and the description are not intended to limit in any way the scope of the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate various changes, modifications, and other embodiments. All such changes, modifications and embodiments are deemed to be embraced by the claims. Accordingly, the scope of the right to exclude shall be limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/382,713 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61382713 | Sep 2010 | US |
