Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Background of the inventions
This present invention relates to a novel form of adjustable support bracket
for erecting
monuments a.nd other grave site markers in cemeteries, comprising: an
adjustable support bracket
having a lower and upper section. 'The lower section having a vertical support
plate and an integral
ninety degree foot plate. The ninety degree foot plate is supported by the
firm soil at the bottom
of the grave. The front end of the casket or casket box will rest on the foot
support plate adding
weight on the foot support for firmness. The upper section of the support
bracket is adjustably
supported by the bottom section and has an outwardly ninety degree support
plate for supporting a
monument or other grave site markers. The monument support plate has gussets
to strengthen the
plate for supporting the monument. The monument support bracket will be
installed during the
preparation of the grave site.
Variom types of monument supports have been used in cemeteries, most of them
have
sophisticated structures and are complicated and expensive to construct. It is
common for newly
dug soil to settle over a period of time making it difficult to erect a
monument base and monument
for at least one year. Most monument bases are constructed from poured
concrete which will add
extra weight to the loose soil and cause ii to sink even more. If a monument
is erected during this
critical period of time damage could occur by the monument base causing the
monument to lean
and possibly fall over.
The monument support bracket in the present invention will solve the problem
of having to
wait several months,or a year, or more for the soil to settle around the grave
site before erecting a
monument. T'he monument support bracket will be installed during the time the
grave site is being
prepared for burial, allowing the monument or other grave site markers to be
erected during the
day of burial. The soil adjacent to the monument base is for appearance only
and if it settles or
washes away it will not affect the security of the monument.
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Referring to United States Patent 4,175, 363 wherein a primary object of the
invention is
to provide a footer for installation in a grave for supporting monuments which
has a capacity for
ease of assembly having enhanced stability providing maximum safety. A
fiirther object of this
invention is to provide a footer for supporting monument foundations in
cemeteries which is
adaptable for installation in a grave. A further object, of this invention is
to provide a footer for
supporting manuments for eetneteries which is adaptable to permitting the
monument to be erected
immediately following backfilling of the grave. The footer as shown in Fig. 1
of U. S. Patent
4,175,363 has a two piece L-shape frame work interlocking with each other
forming a rigid footer
around the casket. When this stage of installation is completed the soil is
backed filled to the level
of the top of the footer and than tamped in the usual manner. The next stage
of back filling is to
mount concrete blocks on the horizontal cross member of the footer to a height
slightly below
ground level. At this point of installation an upper plate or cap is supported
by the concrete blocks
for mounting the monument or other grave site marker, the soil will than be
back filled to ground
level. It is also suggested that if desired the grave may be initially back
filled and tamped to ground
level completely covering the footer. At a later date the soil above the
horizontal support member
may be excavated preparatory to installing the monument or other grave site
marker. If this latter
procedure is followed, concrete blocks can be substituted for poured concrete
to fill the gap
between the upper surface of the horizontal support member of the footer, and
the lower surface
of the monument or other grave site marker.
The object of the present invention is to have an easy and cost effective
method for
supporting and mounting a monument or grave site marker. This method in the
present invention
is a lot less complicated, less time consuming and less expensive than the
procedure in US patent
number. 4,175, 363. In the present invention the monument mounting bracket is
easy to install, it
is delivered in two pieces having a lower section and an upper section. The
upper section having a
support plate for supporting a monument, the upper section is shorter than the
lower section.
When the grave is dug the lower section having a foot support plate is rested
firmly to the front
wall of the grave, the foot support plate is rested on the bottom of the grave
slightly below ground
level and covered with soil, when the casket box or casket is laid in place it
will sit on top of the
foot rest. The lower section of the support bracket supports the upper section
of the support
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bracket and monument support base by a back plate having integral side rails,
and threaded bolts
secured by fixedly mounted threaded nuts tluough a plurality of adjusting
holes in the vertical
portion of the upper section of the support bracket. The monument support base
is pressed firmly
into the loose back filled soil. 'The lower section of the vertical support
bracket having its top end
approximately one foot below the grave grade level for easy access to the
adjusting bolts if
necessary. Different monuments and other grave markers can be easily
interchanged with the
bottom section of the monument support bracket if so desired. This is by far
the easiest and less
time consuming method of supporting a monument or other grave site markers.
There is no heavy
lifting of concrete blocks or pauring concrete for monument foot supports. The
monument
support bracket is constructed from stainless steel and will be everlasting.
Other metals can be
used if desired
Brief Description of The Drawings:
Fig. l is a perspective view looking generally from the front of a preferred
embodiment of the
monument support bracket.
Fig. 2 is an inverted view of the upper section in Fig. l showing gussets 20.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the upper section of the
monument support
bracket.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the monument su~ort
bracket.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the monument support
bracket.
Fig. 6 is a back view of Fig. 5 showing the holes for the threaded bolts and
the sight holes. Fig. 6
also shows an inverted view of the upper section of Fig. 5, showing gussets
b5.
Fig. 7 is a perspective back view of the lower section of the monument support
brackets as shown
in Figs. l and 3 showing the bolt holes and sight holes.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of figs. 1 and 2 showing a cut away section
of"the side rail showing
the bottom edge of the upper front plate.
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Detailed Description of the Invention:
Reference is made firstly to Fig. l which illustrates a monument support
bracket preferably
fabricated from stainless steel having a lower section and an upper section.
Said lower section
having a back support plate 2 having integral side rails 4for adjusting and
supporting said upper
section. Said lower section having a ninety degree bend outward at its bottom
end forming a foot
support plate ~ for supporting the weight of a monument. The bottom end of
said integral side
rails 4 are fixed to said foot support plate 6 for extra strength. The top
portion of said integral side
rails 4 having holes in the front and aligning holes in said backplate 2 for
accommodating threaded
bolts 8 for supporting said upper section. Said aligning bolt holes are shown
in a back view in Fig
7. A fixed nut I0 is aligned over said holes in said integral side rails 4 for
said threaded bolts 8 to
be threaded through said fixed nuts 10, and through said holes in said
integral side rails 4, and said
holes in back support plate 2. Said upper section having a front support plate
I2 having a plurality
of holes 14 for adjusting and supporting said upper section to a desired
height. Said front support
plate 12 having a ninety degree bend outward and a ninety degree bend downward
forming a base
18 for supporting a monument. Said side rails having a hole 16 strategically
located above said
fixed nuts 10 as a sight hole for the alignment of said threaded bolts 8, to
be threaded through the
appropriate holes for proper adjustment in said front support plate 1Z for
supporting said upper
section. Said sight holes 16 further accommodating a bolt and nut for added
strength. Said sight
holes 16 are shown in Figs. l, 3, 4, and 5. Said monument base 18 has gussets
20 for added
support for supporting heavy monuments. Gussets 20 are shown in Fig. 2. Said
upper section is
adjusted to a desired ground level for placing a monument.
Another embodiment of the invention as shown in Fig. 3 is a monument 22 being
supported by the lower section of the monument support bracket shown in Fig.
1. Said
monument 22 is interchangeable with the upper section of the monument support
base 18 shown
in fig. 1. Said monument 22 is formed by a front support plate 24 having a top
plate 26 integral to
said front support plate 24. Said top plate 26 is bent outwardly on an incline
from the top of said
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front plate 24. Said top plate 26 having an integral back plate 28 bent
downwardly and parallel to
said vertical front plate 24. A left and right side plate 30 is fixed to said
vertical front plate 24, said
integral top plate 2G, and said integral back plate 28. Said top plate 26
having engravings to suit a
persons needs. For supporting light weight monuments said front plate 12 shown
in Fig.l, and
said front plate 24 shown in Fig. 3 having a plurality of holes for adjusting
and supporting said
front plates can be substituted for vertical front plates without adjusting
holes. Said vertical front
plates will be adjusted and supported by the toque of said threaded bolts 8
against said plates.and
said side rails.
Another embodiment of the invention as shaven in Fig. 4 is a monument support
device
having a lower section and an upper section. Said lower section 32 having a
rectangular shape,
having a bottom 34 and an open top end 36. Said upper section 38 having a
rectangular shape,
having an open bottom end, and an open top end. Said upper section 38 snugly
fits into said
lower section 32. Said lower section 32 having holes not visible in the
drawing to accommodate
threaded bolts 40 for supporting said upper section 38. A fixed nut 42 is
aligned over said holes in
the front portion of said lower section 32 for said threaded bolts 40 to be
threaded through said
fixed nuts 42 and an adjustment hole in said upper section 38. Said lower
section 32 having sight
holes 46 strategically located above said fixed nuts 42 for the alignment of
said treaded bolts 44 to
be threaded through the appropriate holes for proper adjustment in said upper
section 38. Said
upper section 38 having an open top end 48 for filling said lower section 32
and said upper section
38 with soil or some other substrate for extra weight, keeping the monument
support device firmly
in place while the grave is being backfilled. Said soil or said other
substrate is filled through said
top end 48 of said upper section 38. Said top end 48 of said upper section 38
having a grid 50 for
supporting a stone type monument. Sand monument support device and integral
grid is filled with
soil or some other substrate to the top end 48 of said upper section 38 for
supporting a monument.
Said upper section 38 having a plurality of adjusting holes 44 for adjusting
and securing said
upper section 38 to a desired ground level for placing a monument.
Another embodiment of this invention as shown in Fig. 5 is a monument support
bracket
having a foot plate 54 supporting a left and right square tubular vertical
support 56. Said vertical
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tubular supports 56 accommodate two smaller vertical supports 58 causing a
telescopic action for
adjusting the height of a monument support base. Said vertical supports 56
having a hole in their
top portion not visible in the drawing to accommodate threaded bolts for
supporting said vertical
supports 58. A fixed nut 60 is aligned over said holes in the top portion of
said vertical supports
56. Said threaded bolts 62 are threaded through said fix nuts 60 and through
the appropriate
adjusting holes in vertical supports 58 for adjusting said vertical supports
58 and a monument
support base G4. Said vertical supports 56 having a hole 66 strategically
located above said fixed
nuts b0 as a sight hole for aligning threaded bolt's 62 to be threaded through
the holes in said
vertical supports 56 and 58 for supporting said vertical supports 58.. Said
sight holes further
accommodating a bolt and nut for extra strength. Said vertical supports 58
having a plurality of
holes 68 for adjusting and securing said vertical supports 58 and monument
support base 64 to a
desired ground level for placing a monument. Said square tubular vertical
supports can be
substituted far round tubular vertical supports. Said vertical supports 58
having a plurality of
adjusting holes can be substituted for vertical supports without adjusting
holes. Said vertical
supports 58 will be adjusted and secured by tile torque of said threaded bolts
62 in said vertical
supports 56 against the front wall of said vertical support 58. Said fixed
nuts 60 and said threaded
bolts 62 located on the front walls of said vertical supports S6 as shown in
Fig. S, can also be
located on the outer or inner side walls of said vertical supports S6
providing more clearance for
lowering a casket in the grave.
