Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2069277
CREMATION URN BURIAL APPARATUS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for use in
the burial of a cremation urn.
BACKGROUND
Conventional burial takes place in a vault or
crypt or in a relatively deep hole. It is necessary therefore
to lower the relatively heavy casket from the ground surface
into the vault or hole in the ground and therefore a number of
proposals have been made for devices useful for mechanically
lowering the casket in this way. Examples are shown in United
States patents 3,068,621 (O. P. Dale), 2,901,812 (E. A.
Meewes), 4,716,636 (Schneider), 680,528 (J. Herwig) and
2,589,882 (J. B. Sinner et al.). Each of these devices
provides a pair of straps onto which the casket is placed so
that the straps cradle the casket and act to lower the casket
into the ground or into the vault. The above patent of Meewes
provides flexible straps and cables for supporting both the
casket and a vault for simultaneously lowering into the ground
and at the same time lowering the casket into the vault.
Over the years cremation has become much more
acceptable and widely used. It is necessary however, after
cremation to deal with the ashes in a suitable manner. One
technique which has become more widely used is that of burying
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the urn containing the ashes in a small burial plot. This has the
advantage of reducing the quantity of land used for the burial plots but at
the same time providing a piece of land which acts as a burial site. The
burial takes place only at a relatively shallow depth of the order of two to
three feet since of course the burial does not include any bodily remains.
Until now basically the urn containing the ashes has simply
been placed into the hole manually. This however detracts from the
solemnity of the service involved leading to a need for a device for
mechanically lowering the urn into the opening.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, therefore, there is provided an
apparatus for use in burial of a cre,-,alion urn comprising an urn support
platform having a horizontal support surface dimensioned and arranged
to support an urn placed thereupon, a frame including side frame pieces
defining an opening therebetween, the platform being located within the
opening therebetween, the platform being located within the opening, the
side frame pieces being arranged for resting upon a ground surface at
least partly surroundirlg a hole for burial of the urn, support means for
supporting the platform from the frame for movement vertically relative
to the frame from a first position in which the horizontal support surface
is positioned at a height substantially aligned with the frame with the urn
resting thereupon and projecting upwardly therefrom for viewing to a
second position moved into the hole for burial and drive motor means
actuable to drive said support means in said movement, said support
means comprising a first pair of flexible elements connected to the
platform at one side, a second pair of flexible elements connected to the
platform at an opposed side, the flexible elements including means for
releasing a connection between the flexible elements and the platform, a
first connecting bar and a second connecting bar, the first connecting bar
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being connected to the first pair of flexible elements and the second
connecting bar being connected to the second pair of flexible elements,
the rele:~sAble coupling means being arranged between the connecting
bar and the platform.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is
provided an apparatus for use in burial of a cremation urn comprising an
urn support platform having a horizontal support surface dimensioned
and arranged to support an urn placed thereupon, a frame including side
frame pieces defining an opening therebetween, the platform being
located within the opening therebetween, the platform being located
within the opening, the side frame pieces being arranged for resting upon
a ground surface at least partly surrounding a hole for burial of the urn,
support means for supporting the platform from the frame for movement
vertically relative to the frame from a first position in which the horizontal
support surface is positioned at a height substantially aligned with the
frame with the urn resting thereupon and projecting upwardly therefrom
for viewing to a second position moved into the hole for burial and drive
motor means actuable to drive said support means in said movement
wherein the support means comprises four flexible support elements with
two of the support elements arranged on one side of the platform and
two of the support elements arranged on an opposed side of the
platform, means for simultaneously winding the support elements and
first and second guide bar means each arranged on a respective side of
the platform such that two of the support elements engage over the first
guide bar the other two of the support elements engage over the second
guide bar, the guide bar being arranged adjacent an upper surface of the
support frame; wherein the frame includes a first frame piece and a
second frame piece parallel to and spaced therefrom such that the hole
can be located between the first and second frame pieces, each of the
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frame pieces being substantially rectangular in cross section so as to
define the horizontal lower surface for resting upon the ground surface, a
horizontal top surface defining a top surface of the frame and two
vertical sides, means interconnecting first and second frame pieces, said
first and second guide bars extending across the opening from the first
frame piece to the second frame piece at positions thereon spaced apart
to define said opening therebetween and a first and second winding shaft
each extending from the first frame piece to the second frame piece at a
position thereon spaced outwardly from a respective one of the guide
bars, the drive motor means being mounted within the first frame piece
and including drive means for communicating drive form the drive motor
means to each of the first and second shafts, the drive means extending
along the interior of one of said first and second frame pieces.
Preferably the platform comprises simply a horizontal planar
surface so that the horizontal surface constitutes the uppermost surface
of the platform and preferably this surface is aligned with the top surface
of the frame in the initial raised condition so that the device appears as a
flat surface onto which the urn is placed. In order to achieve this the
support arrangement includes guide bars and cables with the guide bars
located at the top of the frame.
Preferably the platform is arranged so that it can be released
when the platform reaches the bottom of the hole simply and
automatically allowing the cable-lowering system to be retracted from the
hole and hole filled with the device in place. In some types of service
this is necess~sry since the service basically completes the burial of the
urn during the service. In other cases there is imply a token burial by
one or two small amounts of soil so that the platform can remain at the
bottom of the hole while the token burial takes place and subsequently
the complete burial can be completed out of the sight of the mourners.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be
described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus
according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along lines
2-2 of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through the
platform section only when lowered to the base of the hole: and
Figure 4 is a plan view of the platform at the
base of the hole showing the disconnection of the hook and eye
fastener allowing the platform to be discarded at the base of
the hole.
In the drawings, like characters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The cremation urn is generally indicated at 10
and is shown in Figures 2 and 3 but is omitted from Figures 1
and 4 for convenience of illustration. The apparatus is
provided in order to bury the cremation urn within a hole 11
provided in the ground, the hole having a relatively small
dimension of the order of 18 inches to 2 feet across simply to
receive the urn as a token or symbolic burial.
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The apparatus for lowering the cremation urn 10
into the hole 11 is generally indicated at 12 and comprises an
outer frame 13, a platform 14 and a support and lowering system
15.
The frame 13 comprises a front transverse rail
16, a rear transverse rail 17 parallel to the front rail 16, a
first side rail 18 and a second side rail 19 parallel to the
first side rail, the rails being arranged mutually at right
angles to form a rectangular frame structure and the the rails
defining an opening between the rails to be placed over the
hole 11. Each of the rails is formed from a rectangular
tubular member as best shown in Figure 2 defining a hollow
interior, the tubular member being provided as a tube or being
fabricated as required. The spacing between the front and rear
rails is substantially equal to the width of the hole whereas
the space in between the side rails is slightly greater so that
the frame structure is rectangular and slightly elongate as
shown in Figure 1.
The platform 14 simply comprises a flat board of
wood or similar material which is manufactured sufficiently
inexpensively that it can be abandoned in the hole if required
with the urn 10. On top of the platform 14 is provided a
fabric covering 20 for example of a green or brown felt-type
material to provide an attractive appearance of the top of the
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platform. Each side of the platform carries a pair of eye
bolts 21 which as best shown in Figure 4 comprise a loop
attached to a shank 22 with the shank screw-fastened into a
side edge of the platform 14 so that the loop 21 lies in a
horizontal plane.
As shown in Figure 2 the frame 13 and the support
and lowering mechanism 15 are covered by a fabric layer 23
which extends across the frame from a position contacting the
ground around the frame to a position adjacent the platform 14.
The fabric covering 23 has a central rectangular or square
opening through which the fabric 20 of the platform is exposed
and through which the urn passes as it is lowered into the
hole. The fabric 23 and the fabric 20 are preferably formed of
the same material to provide the appearance of a flat surface
covering the hole in the initial condition shown in Figure 2
and then for the central portion of that fabric to simply be
lowered on top of the platform in a solemn and professional
manner. The support and lowering mechanism 15 comprises a pair
of shafts 24 and 25 each arranged adjacent a respective one of
the side rails 18 and 19 and lying parallel thereto. The
shafts 24 and 25 are mounted approximately halfway up the
inside wall of the tubular members forming the front and rear
rails 16, 17. The shafts are mounted on bearings 26 so they
can freely rotate about the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
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A guide bar 27, 28 is associated with each of the
shafts 25 and 26 and is positioned spaced slightly inwardly
from the respective shaft away from the respective side rail
toward the platform. The guide bar 27, 28 comprises a plastics
bar which is formed as a flat strap and is connected across
from the front rail to the back rail in fixed position with the
flat surface of the strap inclined downwardly and inwardly
towards the opening of the hole. One side edge of the strap
indicated at 27A is located in the plane of the top surface of
the side rails which forms a common horizontal plane for the
top of the frame. From that side edge 27A, the strap inclines
downwardly and inwardly.
Each shaft carries a pair of cables 29 and 30
which is wrapped around the shaft so that it can be paid out
and drawn in by rotation of the shaft about its axis in the
bearings 26. The cables 29 and 30 are spaced apart from a
center line of the platform so that the platform is balanced by
all four of the cables, two connected to one side of the
platform and two connected to the opposed side of the platform.
The cables are attached to the platform by a connecting bar 31
which extends along a respective side of the platform to a
length just greater than the spacing between the cables. The
bar 31 is formed from a circular rod of a plastics material
with the cables attached to the rod along one side thereof.
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From an opposed side extend a pair of hooks 32 shown in side
elevation in Figures 2 and 3, the plane of the hook being
vertical.
The shafts can be rotated about their respective
axes by drive motors 35 and 35A receiving power from a battery
source 36 and actuated by foot-operated switches 37 and 37A.
The motor 35 can be driven in forward direction by the switch
37 to pay out the cables by rotation of the shafts in the
required direction. The motor 35A drives in the reverse
direction under control of the switch 37A. Rotation of the
shaft 24 is communicated to the shaft 25 by a chain or timing
belt drive system 38 at the rear frame element 17.
In the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the
shafts have been rotated by the motor and drive system so that
the cables are fully pulled in to a position in which they are
tensioned. In this position as shown in Figure 2, the cable is
taut so that it extends in a straight line from the top edge
27A of the guide bar to the connecting bar 31 with the hook 32
extending outwardly on the opposed side of the connecting bar
in a similar straight line from the cable 30 into the eye 32.
This tensioning of the cable thus tends to lift the top surface
of the platform into a horizontal plane which is common with or
substantially common with the horizontal plane defined by the
top surface of the frame structure. In this position
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therefore, the fabric and the platform are held in a horizontal
condition over the frame providing an attractive professional
appearance.
At the requisite point during the service, the
person responsible actuates the switch 37 to drive the motor 35
in a direction to release the cables 29 and 30 so that the
platform is lowered while maintaining a horizontal orientation
by the common pay out of each of the cables 29 and 30 on both
sides of the platform. The hook and eye are maintained in
connection as the platform is lowered while the hook tends to
twist from its initial position projecting toward the platform
as shown in Figure 2 to a more vertical orientation as the
depth of the platform increases.
When the platform reaches the lowest position so
that it engages the surface 40 at the base of the hole 11, the
platform is halted and the hook 32 thus tends to swivel by the
weight of the connecting bar 31 and the weight of the hooks so
that the hooks are suspended vertically downwardly on the cable
30. This acts to release the hooks from the horizontal eye 21
allowing the connecting bars 31 to swing outwardly away from
the platform to fully release the platform at the base of the
hole.
If required for the service that the urn be fully
buried at this time, the person responsible can then actuate
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the switch 37A to reverse the direction driven by the the motor
35A to pull the cables and the connecting bars back out of the
hole and up to the guide bars 27 and 28. In this position the
soil can be placed into the hole through the opening in the
fabric 23 to substantially fully bury the urn at least to a
position where it is no longer visible.
The apparatus therefore provides an arrangement
for solemnly and professionally lowering the urn in a manner
suitable for religious service while providing an appearance
which can be rendered inconspicuous by the placement over the
horizontal surface defined by the apparatus of a suitable
covering fabric material.
Since various modifications can be made in my
invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely
different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope
of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it
is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying
specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not
in a limiting sense.
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