US3344494A

US3344494A - Casket trim with spaced side member stiffeners

Info

Publication number: US3344494A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph T Mcclive
Original assignee: EASTERN FABRICATING CO Inc
Current assignee: TAMOR INDUSTRIES Inc A CORP OF NY
Priority date: 1965-03-08
Filing date: 1965-03-08
Publication date: 1967-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-03

Description

R. T. M CLIVE CASKET TRIM WITH SPACED SIDE MEMBER STIFFENERS Filed March 8, 1965 4 Oct. 3, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet l V 4 so 4 FTEUJJ: "3hr I NVENTOR.

Oct. 3-, 1967 3,344,494

I CASKET TRIM WITH SPACED SIDE MEMBER STIFFENERS Filed March 8, 1965 R. "r. MQCLIVE 4 Shets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR. WW

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Oct. 3, 1967 Y MccLlvE 3,344,494

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Oct. 3, 1967 3,344,494 CASKET TRIM WITH SPACED SIDE MEMBER STIF'FENERS Fi led March 8,1965

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,344,494 CASKET TRIM WITH SPACED SIDE MEMBER STIFFENERS Ralph T. McClive, Kenmore, N.Y., assignor to Eastern Fabricating Co., Inc., Buffalo, N .Y. Filed Mar. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 438,018 2 Claims. (CI. 27-19) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to the trim or decorations used in connectionwith the interiors of caskets. Particularly the disclosure deals with upholstery for casket top interiors which are made so as to fit the interiors of a number of different caskets made by different manufacturers and which can be installed by unskilled persons and without requiring any special implements or tools. The frame members are made of a material which can be readily flexed to fit various sizes of casket tops without premolding or shaping the frame members. The installation also includes side frame members formed to fit against the edges of a casket lid and which are made short to leave spaces or openings between the ends of the frame members at their ends at the corners of the casket top, which are filled by the padding and decorative covering of the frame members.

This invention relates to caskets and more particularly to the trim or decorations used in connection with the interiors of caskets.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide installations or upholstery for casket top interiors which can be readily installed by unskilled labor and without requiring special implements or tools.

Another object is to provide frame or edge members formed to fit the edge of a casket top or lid which are made short so that the ends of adjacent frame members are spaced apart, leaving spaces at the corners which are filled with padding or other flexible covering of the frame members, thus avoiding the need for accurate fitting together of the meeting ends of the frames.

A further Object is to make the frame members of a resilient material that can be readily flexed to install the same in a casket top without premolding 0r shaping the same to fit the casket top.

It is also an object to form the trim or upholstery mostly in flat pieces to facilitate handling and shipment of the same.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a casket having an interior decorative unit embodying this invention installed therein.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the head end of the casket as seen along the line 2 2, FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view thereof on line 3-3, FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view thereof on line 44, FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective detached view of one end frame member of the upholstery covering of the lid or top.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the structure of the end frame member before the material is bent into its final shape, as shown in FIG. 5, on a reduced scale.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary sections thereof on lines 77 and 88, FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a view of the resilient stiffener of an end frame member before being bent into final shape.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 except that the upper edge of the stiffener is shown bent over to reinforce the edge, and padding is shown applied to the stiffener.

ice

FIG. 11 is a side view of the cardboard stiffener forming a side of the interior trim of the top of the casket.

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 except that the upper edge of the stiffener is shown bent over for reinforcing this edge and padding has been applied thereto.

FIG. 13 is a face view of the upholstery or interior trim for the lid of the casket before the same is installed therein.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are side views of two parts of an elongated edge member of the upholstery or interior trim of an elongtaed lid or cover.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the upholstery showing the two parts shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 to form a frame member of greater length for use in the event that the lid or cover extends through the full length of the casket.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary section thereof on line 1717, FIG. 16.

In the drawings which show by way of example one embodiment of this invention, 20 represents a casket of usual type having a hinged top or lid 21. My improvements are intended for use in lining or upholstering the interior of the dome-shaped top 21. In the construction shown the casket and top are formed of sheet metal and the lid has ornamental sides 22 terminating in an upwardly extending flange 24. My improvements however are also applied to caskets of wood or other suitable material.

The interior unit or upholstery includes a flat, generally rectangular base member 25 which may be formed in any suitable or desired manner, for example, by means of a relatively rigid cardboard sheet 27 over which may be stretched a flexible cushioning, fibrous sheet material, such as Wadding 28, and a cover 29 of any suitable decorative material.

The interior trim or upholstery includes opposite

side frame members

30 and 31 and

end members

32 and 42. These members are formed of a resilient sheet material of paper or cardboard 27, preferably of the type commonly referred to as chip board, which is resilient, in that it may be bent into arc-shape and sufficiently resilient to tend, after bending, to return to flat shape when not restrained. This resilient sheet material or stiffner 27, which imparts the rounded form to the frame members, has one of its edges turned over and stitched or stapled in any suitable manner to the edges of the base member 25, and before installation in the lid the side frames may be folded flatly against the base member 25, thus providing a compact, flat unit which can be readily shipped and handled. If desired the stiffener may be folded into fiat form for shipment to a dealer, which he himself may assemble the stiffener to the base member 25.

The resilient stiffeners 27 of the

frames

30, 31 and 32 have applied theretoa suitable cushioning, flexible, fibrous material, such as wadding 34, preferably made of wood fibers in sheet form. Upon this fibrous material or wadding is placed the decorative covering fabric 35. This wadding or cushioning material and the finishing fabric need not be secured to all edges of the resilient stiffener 27 but will of course be secured to the edges of the base member, preferably by means of some stitching or fastenings which hold the stiffener on the base.

When the upholstery is installed in the casket top 21, the base member 25 is first placed into the top adjacent to the domed portion 21 thereof, and the outer edges of the stiffeners of the

frame

30, 31 and 32 are flexed into rounded or arc shape, as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the outer, free edges of the same are placed under the inwardly extending flanges 24 of the casket top so that the frames then are approximately in the shape shown in FIG. 4. The resilient stiffener members 27 will consequently press the other two layers of material against the flanges 24 and thus hold them in place. At the right of FIG. 4 the cushioning material and the decorative covering both extend under the flange 24 and at the left of FIG. 4 only the stiffener 27 extends under the flange 24. This side of the cover or lid is hinged to the body portion of the casket, as shown at 38, and the cushioning layer 34 and covering material 35 are consequently permitted to extend along the exterior of the inwardly turned flange 24 so as to cover the hinge. The decorative fabric and the fibrous material along the edge of the side frame member 31 may be stitched together as shown at 39, either by thread stitching or by staples.

The end frame member 32 is installed in the lid of the casket in the same manner as the

side members

30 and 31.

At the other end of the lid or cover I have provided an end frame member 42 which is also made of an inner layer of resilient stiffening material covered by cushioning fibrous material and a decorative sheet material. Since there is no flange on this end of the cover or lid I have bent the resilient stiffener into the shape shown at the right in FIG. 3, to form a rounded panel 43 ending in two straight panels which converge toward each other and which have flanges 45 arranged parallel to each other and secured together by means of stitching or stapling 46. This stitching or stapling 46 also extends through the base member 25 so that this frame member is securely held in place.

One of the features of this invention which has proven very desirable is the fact that I form the resilient stiffeners of the frame members shorter than the cushioning and decorative sheets so that the ends of the resilient stitfeners do not come together because of the way in which the edge of the resilient stiffener members 27 are supported by the flanges 24 of the lid or cover, so there is no need for securing together the ends of these stiffeners, and consequently slots or gaps are formed between the adjacent ends of the stiffeners. These slots or gaps can be filled by folding the flexible cushioning material 34 and the covering material 35 downwardly into the slots or spaces between the frame members, as clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. These folded-down portions of the decorative fabric and cushioning material can be smoothly arranged at these corners to avoid creases or folds and thus provide a very neat appearance of the interior construction. This feature of my invention also has the advantage that the careful interfitting of the stiffeners 27 of the frame members is entirely eliminated. Since the cushion material may be compressed to any desired extent, the width of the slots or spaces at the ends of the frames of the top is not critical.

In FIG. 5 I have shown how the construction of the end frame member 42 is readily adaptable to fit the shape of the casket top 21. FIG. 6 shows the blank on a reduced scale from which the stiffener of the end frame member is formed and showing score lines on which it is folded.

The manner in which the cushioning, fibrous material 34 and the decorative covering material 35 extends into the spaces between the ends of the resilient stiffeners 27 is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. The formation of the frame members to leave slots in the corners of the frame members of the casket top makes it possible to provide well formed corners by pushing the fibrous material and decorative covering into the slots or gaps between the resilient stiffeners 27 of the frame members.

In FIG. 13 I have shown my interior trim or upholstery assembled and ready to be applied to the casket top, except that the decorative fabric covering has been omitted in this figure to avoid confusion. When this completed unit is placed in a casket top, the stiffeners of the three

frames

30, 31 and 32 are flexed to permit the outer edges thereof to engage the flanges 24, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the resilience of the stiffeners urges the base or center piece 25 against the dome-shaped portion of the lid or top and thus holds the base together with the frame member 42 fastened thereto, securely in place. It is also obvious that this assembled interior trim may be readily removed from the casket top and replaced by another if desired. Since the trim is not tacked or otherwise secured to wooden strips, such as are frequently employed in casket tops.

By making the stiffeners of a resilient cardboard or the like, any edges thereof that require reinforcement may have such edges formed by doubling the same, for example, by bending or folding the edges over as shown at 48 in FIGS. 3 and 4. Thus FIGS. 8 and 9 show parts of the end frame 32, FIG. 8 showing the stiffening in flat form and FIG. 9 showing the upper edge of the stiffener folded over at 48 to reinforce the same, and covered with cushioning material 34. Similarly, in FIG. 11 is shown the stiffening member forming a part of one of the side frames 30 or 31 in flat or unfolded form, and in FIG. 12 these members are shown with the upper edge 48 folded over for reinforcement and covered with a layer of cushioning material 34. V-shaped notches 49 form a point of weakness in the stiffening fold 48 to permit more easily insertion of the frame members into the casket top.

In FIGS. 14-17 I have shown parts of an elongated side frame for use in caskets in which the top or lid extends throughout the length of the casket. In FIGS. 14 and 15

stiffeners

60 and 61 are shown with their upper edges folded over and covered with

cushioning material

62 and 63. These two parts of a side frame may then be secured together as shown in FIG. 16 by overlapping them and then securing them together with staples or other fasteners 64, which are also shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in which the edges of the cushioning material of the two parts are shown abutting. The

stiffeners

60 and 61 may be provided with notches 49' to provide weakness points for ease of bending and insertion into the casket lid. In the full length lid, the end frames employed are identical with the frame 32.

The construction shown has the advantage that it avoids entirely the premolding of the stiffeners and other parts of the frame members, so that they can be shipped in flat form from a factory and can be installed by unskilled persons. The end frame member 42 may also be shipped flat and scored, as shown in FIG. 6, so that it can be readily bent into the shape shown in FIG. 5 with the extensions of the same stapled together. By making the corners of the frames as described, no interfitting of the same is required, since the ends of the stiffeners are spaced apart to provide grooves or slots into which the cushioning material and decorative cover may be inserted. When the resilient stiffeners are made of a sheet material, generally referred to as chip board, then the same provides a resilient surface which can be flexed inwardly under pressure to avoid the rigid appearance and feeling of similar side frames made of corrugated cardboard or other premolded material. The use of a cushioning material also provides a soft and yielding feeling. Since none of the interior upholstery requires any nailing or tacking to wood strips or pieces arranged within the casket cover, the entire assembly as shown in FIG. 13 can be readily inserted into a casket cover as shown in FIG. 2 and removed therefrom and replaced by another if desired. Because of this easy replacing of the interior upholstery on a casket, a reduced inventory of caskets is required by any dealer since different interior trims may be shown to customers on a single casket.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An interior decorative unit for insertion into a casket top having inwardly extending flanges at its periphery, including a substantially flat base member fitting into the casket to and formed of relatively rigid sheet material,

a plurality of side frame members disposed along the sides of the base member and including normally flat stiifeners of resilient sheet material hingedly secured to edges of the base member,

said stifieners of said side frames being bent about their connections with said base member against their inherent resiliency and engaging said flanges and forming bowed surfaces resiliently supporting said base in said casket top, said stiffeners of said side members being spaced apart at their adjacent ends to form between them slots, a layer of resilient material and a covering of decorative material overlying said padding material and said stiffener and extending beyond the ends of said stitfeners and into said slots..

2. An interior decorative unit for insertion into a casket top including a substantially flat base member fitting into the interior of the casket top,

and side frame members attached to edges of said base member and having their ends disconnected from the ends of adjacent frame members and each including resilient stifiening members incorporated in said side frame members and flexible into arcs of various curvatures in cross section and resiliently supporting said base member in said top,

the ends of the stiffening members being spaced apart to form gaps at the corners of the base member, said side frame members having a cushioning member and a layer of decorative material covering the exposed surfaces of said stifiening members and extending beyond the ends thereof to be inserted into said gaps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,664,615 1/1954 Hillenbrand et al 27-19 2,867,030 1/1959 Hillenbrand 27-19 X 3,077,016 2/1963 White 27-19 3,233,302 2/ 1966 Ross 27-19 X RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

W. E. KAMM, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. AN INTERIOR DECORATIVE UNIT FOR INSERTION INTO A CASKET TOP HAVING INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES AT ITS PERIPHERY, INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BASE MEMBER FITTING INTO THE CASKET TOP AND FORMED OF RELATIVELY RIGID SHEET MATERIAL, A PLURALITY OF SIDE FRAME MEMBERS DISPOSED ALONG THE SIDES OF THE BASE MEMBER AND INCLUDING NORMALLY FLAT STIFFENERS OF RESILIENT SHEET MATERIAL HINGEDLY SECURED TO EDGE OF THE BASE MEMBER, SAID STIFFENERS OF SAID SIDE FRANES BEING BENT ABOUT THEIR CONNECTIONS WITH SAID BASE MEMBERS AGAINST THEIR INHERENT RESILIENCY AND ENGAGING SAID FLANGES AND FORMING BOWED SURFACES RESILIENTLY SUPPORTING SAID BASE IN SAID CASKET TOP, SAID STIFFENERS OF SAID MEMBERS BEING SPACED APART AT THEIR ADJACENT ENDS TO FORM BETWEEN THEM SLOTS, A LAYER OF RESILIENT MATERIAL AND A COVERING OF DECORATIVE MATERIAL OVERLYING SAID PADDING MATERIAL AND SAID STIFFENER AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE ENDS OF SAID STIFFENERS AND INTO SAID SLOTS.