US3852856A - Casket structure and method of making it - Google Patents

Abstract

A casket main body structure and a method for manufacturing it. Each side and end wall of the casket structure is made from three horizontal sections of material, preferably metal. The upper and lower sections of each wall are decorative extrusions of an extrudable material, preferably metal. The center sections of the walls are formed of a flat surfaced material, preferably metal which may be harder and stronger than the material of the upper and lower sections. The upper and lower sections, as well as the center section may be made in many interchangeable designs and styles to provide a variety of casket structures.

Description

United States Patent [191 Christian [111 3,852,856 Dec. 10, 1974 abandoned.

CASKET STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Francis R. Christian, River Forest, Ill. i

Assignee: The Merit Company, Chicago, Ill. Filed: Jan. 25, 1974 Appl. No.: 436,433

Related US. Application Data Continuation of Ser. No. 248,659, April 28, 1972,

Inventor:

US. Cl. 27/6, 29/155 R Int. Cl. A6lg 17/00 Field of Search 27/3, 6, 7, 35, 2, 19;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1859 Shuler 27/6 3,676,905 7/1972 Mack 27/6 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-G. F. Dunne Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kinzer, Plyer, Dorn &

McEachran 57] ABSTRACT 'A casket main body structure and a method for manufacturing it. Each side and end wall of the casket structure is made from three horizontal sections of material, preferably metal. The upper and lower sections of each wall are decorative extrusions of an extrudable material, preferably metal. The center sections of the walls are formed of a flat surfaced material, preferably metal which may be harder and stronger than the material of the upper andlower sections;

. The upper and lower sections, as well as the center section may be made in many interchangeable designs and styles to provide a variety of casket structures.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures abandoned.

CASKET STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT This application is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 248,659, filed Apr. 28, 1972, now

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION tially formed from extrusions of bronze, aluminum or other extrudable material whether metallic or nonmetallic.

Another object is the casket structure having side and end walls which may be assembled from preformed sections of varying designs and shapes some of which may be ornamental and others plain.

Another object is a casket structure having side and end walls which may be assembled from preformed sections of various materials formed by such diverse methods as extruding, stamping, roll forming-molding, etc.

Another object is a casket structure having side and end walls of ornamental designs and shapes which cannot be obtained using formed steel.

Another object is a casket structure having side and end walls formed from decorative extrusions and a-planar connecting panel.

Other objects may be found in thefollowing specification, claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS modified form of casket structure. i

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A casket structure or main body 11 made in accordance with the teachings and methods of this invention is partially shown in perspective in FIG. 1 of the drawings. A typical casket body 11 includes side walls 13, end walls 15 and a bottom wall 17. Conventionally, the walls of a metal casket body have been each formed from a single stamping or extrusion of metal. Because of the size of the walls, it was necessary that they be formed of steel. The use of steel limited the intricacies of ornamental design that could be formed in the walls. Further, the expense of extruding steel prevented the extensive use of steel extrusions as structural parts of casket bodies.

These problems have been overcome by the casket structure and 'method of producing-the casket structure disclosed herein. In this invention, each side and end wall is formed from at least two and preferably three horizontally extending sections of material which may be metal or non-metallic and'which are joined and con-,

nected together in the manner shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. While I prefer that at least the upper and lower horizontally extending sections be formed as extrusions, it is also within the scope of my invention to use sections that have been molded, stamped or otherwise formed by known processes.

In one embodiment of this invention, shown in FIG. 2, the top and bottom sections 19 and 21 of the end wall 15 are formed from extrusions, either of aluminum, bronze, or other suitable materials and the center section 23 is a channel-shaped piece of material, for example steel, which may be a readily available'stock item. The extruded top and bottom sections 19 and 21, while shown in the drawings as having rather simple configurations for purposes of illustration, may, in fact,

have shapes and configurations sufficiently intricate that they can not be obtained from stampings of sheet metal or extrusions of steel, or could not be economically obtained from steel extrusions. However, it may be desirable to form the top and bottom sections from rolled steel and a construction of this type is within the scope of this invention.

The adjoining edges of the top and bottom sections 19 and 21 are formed with channels 25 and 27 respectively which engage and receive the legs 29of the center section 23 to form joints between the sections. Since the materials of the three sections may be formed of different metals spaced apart in the electromotive series, an adhesive 31 is provided in the joints to separate the metals and prevent electrolysis. Additionally, the adhesive functions to seal the joints between the sections 19, 21 and 23 and form a unitary body section.

The bottom section 21 of the end wall 15'is formed with a second channel-shaped'edge 33' which receives a turned-down lip 35 of the bottom wall 17. An adhesive may also be applied to this seam for the reasons previously mentioned. To provide additional strength, one or more cross braces 37, for example of steel, may be welded to the steel bottom wall 17 and steel center panel 23 of the end wall 15. The side walls 13 of the casket body, while not illustrated in cross-section, are formed in the same manner.

A modified form of construction for the end and side the side and end walls permits decorative effects that could not be obtained if these walls were stamped from sheet steel. Further, the use of extruded sections reduces the cost of construction of caskets having decorative side and end walls. It also permits the construction of various designs of caskets using standardized component parts. Additionally, this construction permits the finishing of the parts of the casket body before assembly. Another modification of this invention is to form the three sections of each wall from the same ma terial, for example, an aluminum extrusion.

Whereas, the preferred forms of the invention have been described and shown, it should be understood that there are modifications, alterations and changes which may be made without departing from the teachings of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be only limited by the claims attached hereto.

1 claim:

1. A casket body having side walls, end walls and a bottom wall, each of said side and end walls being formed of three horizontally extending sections which are fastened together, one above the other, the top and bottom sections of the end and side walls being formed as extrusions of an easily extrudable material selected from the group consisting of aluminum and bronze, so that ornamental designs may be formed therein, and the center section being formed of ferrous sheet mateanother and to prevent electrolysis.

Claims (3)

1. A casket body having side walls, end walls and a bottom wall, each of said side and end walls being formed of three horizontally extending sections which are fastened together, one above the other, the top and bottom sections of the end and side walls being formed as extrusions of an easily extrudable materIal selected from the group consisting of aluminum and bronze, so that ornamental designs may be formed therein, and the center section being formed of ferrous sheet material, which is stronger and harder than the extrusions of the top and bottom sections.

2. The casket body of claim 1 in which channels are formed in the top and bottom sections adjacent the center sections and the upper and lower edges of the center sections are received in the channels.

3. The casket body of claim 2 in which adhesive is positioned in the channels to secure the sections to one another and to prevent electrolysis.

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