Patent Application
20150328076
This invention relates generally to caskets, and more particularly to decorative hardware for caskets.
Caskets are generally of the pivoting bar variety or the stationary bar variety. In pivoting bar type caskets, the elongated handling bars are mounted to the side walls and end walls of the casket shell via “swing arms.” One end of the swing arm is pivotally mounted to the shell wall and to the other end of the swing arm the handling bar is fixedly mounted. The pivotal connection of the swing arm to the shell wall is designed such that for display the handling bar lies adjacent the shell wall, and for use, i.e. transporting the casket, the handling bar pivots upwardly and outwardly so as to be easily grasped by the hand.
Stationary bar or “non-swing arm” caskets have their handling bars fixedly mounted to the shell walls. The fixed spacing from the shell walls is such that the handling bar can be easily grasped by the hand.
For both types of caskets, decorative covering hardware or a plate, sometimes called an “escutcheon” or “ear”, disguises the connection point of either the swing arm or the handling bar to the shell wall. For stationary bar caskets, the decorative covers can have a pair of holes, one in each side of the cover, which requires the decorative cover to be “threaded onto” the stationary bar by passing the bar through the holes in the cover. While traditionally fabricated of such metals as steel, stainless steel, bronze, etc., decorative covers may now be fabricated of, for example, plastic. Nevertheless, as used herein, the term “hardware” shall embrace all decorative plates/covers/escutcheons/ears, whether fabricated from metallic material or nonmetallic material.
It would be desirable to provide decorative hardware for stationary bar caskets that eliminates the need to “thread” the decorative cover onto the stationary bar.
In one aspect, a casket comprises a casket shell adapted to receive a deceased, a casket lid closeable on the shell, a handling bar non-pivotally attached to the shell with a first attachment mechanism, a decorative cover overlying the first attachment mechanism and operably attached to the shell with a second attachment mechanism, the second attachment mechanism having a first portion mounted to the shell and a second portion mounted to the decorative cover, the first and second portions of the second attachment mechanism resiliently cooperating to operably removably attach the decorative cover to the casket shell.
The decorative cover can be slotted on opposite sides thereof such that an upper portion of the decorative cover is positioned above the handling bar and a lower portion of the decorative cover is positioned below the handling bar, and such that an inward most edge of the decorative cover is positioned inwardly of an inward most edge of the handling bar.
The first attachment mechanism can comprise a rail with an outwardly extending C-shaped bracket thereon, the rail mounted to the casket shell, the C-shaped bracket slidingly accepting the handling bar, the handling bar having a cross-section that mates with the C-shaped bracket such that the handling bar does not rotate in the bracket. The second attachment mechanism first portion can comprise a pair of legs attached to at least one wall of the casket shell, a pair of generally vertically oriented side walls each of which is associated with a respective one of the legs, each side wall including a generally vertically oriented rib thereon. The second attachment mechanism second portion can comprise a pair of generally vertically oriented side walls each of which includes a generally vertically oriented slot therein. The pair of second attachment mechanism second portion side walls resiliently cooperates with the pair of second attachment mechanism first portion side walls such that the ribs are received in the slots.
The second attachment mechanism first portion can include a pair of vertically spaced apart vertical locators preventing vertical movement of the second attachment mechanism second portion beyond a predetermined amount. The second attachment mechanism first portion can also include a horizontal locator horizontally spaced apart from one of the side walls of the second attachment mechanism first portion, the horizontal locator and the one side wall preventing horizontal movement of the second attachment mechanism second portion beyond a predetermined amount. In a preferred embodiment, each side wall of the second attachment mechanism first portion includes a pair of the vertically spaced apart vertical locators, and each side wall of the second attachment mechanism first portion includes a pair of vertically spaced apart horizontal locators. Each upper edge and lower edge of each side wall of the second attachment mechanism second portion can include a notch therein receiving a respective one of the vertically spaced apart vertical locators.
The side walls of the second attachment mechanism first portion can be connected with a front wall. The side walls of the second attachment mechanism second portion can be cantilevered from a front wall of the decorative cover, and each of the side walls of the second attachment mechanism second portion can further be connected to the front wall of the decorative cover with a pair of vertically spaced apart gussets. In a preferred embodiment, the upper gusset of each pair of gussets can be positioned above an upper end of a respective one of the generally vertically oriented slots and a lower gusset of each pair of gussets can be positioned below a lower end of a respective one of the generally vertically oriented slots.
The first and second portions of the second attachment mechanism can be preferably molded from plastic. Further, the decorative cover and second attachment mechanism second portion can be integrally molded from plastic. The legs of the second attachment mechanism first portion can be fastened to the casket shell walls with plastic Christmas tree fasteners. The casket can be fabricated from either wood or metal. The first and second attachment mechanisms can be integrally formed as one.
In another aspect, a casket comprises a casket shell adapted to receive a deceased, a casket lid closeable on the shell, a first handling bar non-pivotally attached to a side wall of the shell and a second handling bar non-pivotally attached to an end wall of the shell, and a decorative cover overlying adjacent ends of the first and second handling bars, the decorative cover being slotted on opposite lateral sides thereof from an inward edge outwardly such that an upper portion of the decorative cover is positioned above and inward of the ends of the handling bars and a lower portion of the decorative cover is positioned below and inward of the ends of the handling bars.
The casket can further comprise a support mounted to the shell for supporting the adjacent ends of the handling bars, and an attachment mechanism having a first portion mounted to one of the shell and the support and a second portion mounted to the decorative cover for attaching the decorative cover to the casket shell. The support can comprise a right angle rail having a pair of legs with an outwardly extending C-shaped bracket on each leg, the rail mounted to the casket shell, each C-shaped bracket slidingly accepting a respective end of a respective one of the handling bars, each handling bar having a cross-section that generally mates with the C-shaped bracket such that the handling bars do not rotate in the brackets.
The first and second portions of the attachment mechanism can be configured to resiliently cooperate to attach the decorative cover to the casket shell. The attachment mechanism first portion can comprise a pair of legs, a pair of generally vertically oriented side walls each of which is associated with a respective one of the legs, each side wall including a generally vertically oriented rib thereon. The attachment mechanism second portion can comprise a pair of generally vertically oriented side walls each of which includes a generally vertically oriented slot therein. The pair of attachment mechanism second portion side walls can resiliently cooperate with the pair of attachment mechanism first portion side walls such that the ribs are received in the slots.
The attachment mechanism first portion can include a pair of vertically spaced apart vertical locators preventing vertical movement of the attachment mechanism second portion beyond a predetermined amount. The attachment mechanism first portion can include a horizontal locator horizontally spaced apart from one of the side walls of attachment mechanism first portion, the horizontal locator and the one side wall preventing horizontal movement of the attachment mechanism second portion beyond a predetermined amount. Each side wall of the attachment mechanism first portion can include a pair of the vertically spaced apart vertical locators. Each side wall of the attachment mechanism first portion can include a pair of the vertically spaced apart horizontal locators. Each of an upper edge and a lower edge of each side wall of the attachment mechanism second portion can include a notch therein receiving a respective one of the vertically spaced apart vertical locators. The side walls of the attachment mechanism first portion can be connected with a front wall. The side walls of the attachment mechanism second portion can be cantilevered from a front wall of the decorative cover, and each of the side walls of the attachment mechanism second portion can be further connected to the front wall of the decorative cover with a pair of vertically spaced apart gussets. An upper gusset of each pair of gussets can be positioned above an upper end of a respective one of the generally vertically oriented slots and a lower gusset of each pair of gussets can be positioned below a lower end of a respective one of the generally vertically oriented slots.
The first and second portions of the attachment mechanism can be molded from plastic. The decorative cover and the attachment mechanism second portion can be integrally molded from plastic. The legs of the attachment mechanism first portion can be fastened to the casket shell wall with plastic Christmas tree fasteners. The casket can be fabricated of wood or sheet metal.
In another aspect, a casket comprises a casket shell adapted to receive a deceased, a casket lid closeable on the shell, a handling bar non-pivotally attached to the shell, and a decorative cover overlying the handling bar, the decorative cover being slotted on opposite lateral sides thereof from an inward edge outwardly such that an upper portion of the decorative cover is positioned above and inward of the handling bar and a lower portion of the decorative cover is positioned below and inward of the handling bar.
The decorative cover can be either a shell side wall decorative cover, a shell end wall decorative cover, or a shell corner decorative cover.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the summary of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
Referring first to
Referring to
A support 40 in the form of a right angle rail has a pair of legs 42, 42 each of which are bolted or screwed or welded to a respective one of the shell side walls 18 and end walls 20 with a bolt or screw 44. Each leg 42 has an outwardly extending C-shaped bracket 46 which slidingly accepts a respective end of a respective one of the handling bars 22, 24. The handling bars 22, 24 each have a cross-section that generally mates with the C-shaped brackets 46 such that the handling bars 22, 24 do not rotate in the brackets 46.
Referring to
The second attachment mechanism portion 54 can take the form of a pair of generally vertically oriented side walls 80 each of which includes a generally vertically oriented slot 82 therein. The pair of attachment mechanism second portion 54 side walls 80 resiliently cooperate with the pair of attachment mechanism first portion 52 side walls 62 such that the ribs 70 are resiliently received in the slots 82. Each of an upper edge and a lower edge of each side wall 80 of the attachment mechanism second portion 54 includes a notch 84 therein receiving a respective one of the vertical locators 72 of the attachment mechanism first portion 52. The forward upper and lower portions of each side wall 80 of the attachment mechanism second portion 54 are received between the horizontal locators 74 and their respective side wall 62 of the attachment mechanism first portion 52. The side walls 80 of attachment mechanism second portion 54 are cantilevered from a front wall 86 of the decorative cover 30, and are further connected to the front wall 86 of the decorative cover 30 with a pair of vertically spaced apart gussets 88. An upper gusset 88 of each pair of gussets 88 is positioned above an upper end of a respective one of the generally vertically oriented slots 82 and a lower gusset 88 of each pair of gussets 88 is positioned below a lower end of a respective one of the generally vertically oriented slots 82.
To enable resilient connection between the first 52 and second 54 portions of the attachment mechanism 50, the first 52 and second 54 portions of the attachment mechanism 50 can be fabricated of plastic, for example molded from plastic. Other resilient materials having a degree of flexibility could also be used, for example stamped sheet metal such as carbon steel, stainless steel, bronze, copper, etc. To simplify the manufacturing process, the decorative cover 30 and the attachment mechanism second portion 54 could be integrally molded from plastic, and the support 40 and attachment mechanism first portion 52 could be integrally molded from plastic. Alternatively, the decorative cover 30 and the attachment mechanism second portion 54 could be integrally stamped from sheet metal, and the support 40 and attachment mechanism first portion 52 could be integrally stamped from sheet metal, for example sheet metal such as carbon steel, stainless steel, bronze, copper, etc. Alternatively, the support 40 and attachment mechanism first portion 52 could be separately fabricated, with the support 40 being fabricated of metal for structural strength and stiffness in supporting the ends of the handling bars 22, 24, and the attachment mechanism first portion 52 being molded from plastic to resiliently cooperate with the attachment mechanism first portion 52 also molded from plastic or being stamped from sheet metal to resiliently cooperate with the attachment mechanism first portion 52 also stamped from sheet metal. The decorative cover 30 and attachment mechanism 50 could be used on either wood caskets or sheet metal caskets.
To attach the decorative cover 30 to the casket shell 12, the first 52 and second 54 portions of the attachment mechanism 52 are aligned and the decorative cover 30 and first portion 52 are pressed forwardly onto second portion 54 causing ribs 70 to snap into slots 82. To remove the decorative cover 30 from the casket shell 12, the side walls 80 of second portion 54 are deflected slightly outwardly, which may require a tool, for example screw driver, causing ribs 70 to withdraw from slots 82.
Advantageously, the decorative cover and decorative cover attachment mechanism of the present invention can be utilized to mount decorative covers to the shell side walls, to the shell end walls, and to the shell corners.
The various embodiments of the invention shown and described are merely for illustrative purposes only, as the drawings and the description are not intended to restrict or limit in any way the scope of the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate various changes, modifications, and improvements which can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details and representative apparatus and methods shown and described. The invention resides in each individual feature described herein, alone, and in all combinations of any and all of those features. Departures may therefore be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept. Accordingly, the scope of the invention shall be limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/992,591 filed May 13 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61992591 | May 2014 | US |
