Untitled record

Application filed June 27,1885. Serial No. 169,975. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John Cooper, of Mount. Vernon, in the county of Knox and State of Ohio, have invented certain Improvements in 5 in Burial Caskets and Vaults; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which— io Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a casket made after my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the joint of the sections. Fig. 3 is an elevation of my improved interior automatic lock. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate modifications of the locking device.

The object of my.invention is to produce a sectional water and air tight burial casket or. vault which shall be proof against the attacks 20 of resurrectionists or robbers; and to this end my invention consists in a sectional struck or stamped metal casket, vault, or similar device having the edges of the sections joined by a novel interlocking joint, whereby the recep25 taele for the corpse may be made air and water tight.

My invention further consists in a new and improved locking device, whereby the sections are secured together at the maximum press30 ure with which they are brought in contact.

Myinvention also consists in providingone section with a permanently-attached gasket to rest within the joint,and having an interiorlyprojecting edge, to which is secured the trim35 mings of the casket or vault.

In order that those skilled in the art may make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

;o In the said drawings, A B are two sections forming a burial-receptacle, and are constructed by die-presses or other convenient means for stamping or pressing each of them from a single piece of metal, so that the only seam in 45 the structure will be where the sections join.

In making burial-caskets I should prefer to use, say, about one-sixteenth of an inch thick plate-steel, while the metal used for the vault structure would be much heavier. However, 50 I do not confine myself or the spirit of my invention to any particular kind or thickness of metal.

The sections A and B are in the press given the general desirable conformation for the use designed, and are provided with abutting 55 flanges as follows: Section A is provided along its entire edge with a flange, a, bent out at an angle which will be the same as that in which is bent flange b on section B, so that the faces of the flanges will come truly and snugly to- 6c gether. The edge of section B is given a short return-bend, d, then projects into the flat or horizontal flange δ, and the extreme outer edge being turned up into, a vertical flange,e,which has an alternative use, as will be hereinafter 65 '' fully described. The short return-bend given the metal at d makes aslight projection above the plane of flange δ, and serves to lock behind the inner edge of flange a, the outer end of which rests against the inner side of the 7c vertical flange e, so as to prevent any tendency of flange a to move off of flange δ. The retnrn-bend d and the heel / of the flange of section A also form a curved or biting bearing on the gasket or packing inserted between the 75 flanges and insuring an air-tight joint.

The upwardly-turned flange e may be made to perform a dual office in using my invention. If the structure be a casket, or made of thin metal, the flange e may be allowed to remain 8c in a vertical position, as seen on the right side of Fig.l, and form a trough for cement or wax to seal the joint with; or the flange e may be turned down over the edge of flange a and further secure the joint, as seen to the left in 85 Fig.l, and at g, Fig. 2.

The gasket/ is preferably permanently secured to flange δ, and when the parts are put together it projects slightly within the casket or vault iu order that it may be the medium, 9c directly or indirectly, of securing the trimmings to the interior of the casket or vault by sewing, tacking, or any convenient meth- od. A wooden strip may be first secured to the inwardly-projecting edge of the gasket, 95 and to this strip the trimmings may be secured.

The interior automatic - locking device is constructed as follows: At intervals around one section, A, adjacent to the edge, are se- 100 cured a series of pairs of sockets, i i, into which fit short bars i'. Depending from said bars i' i' are pairs of spring holders or legs h h, provided on their inner sides with a series

328,291 of teeth or projections, // //, raking upward. The distance between the outside surface of one of the legs h and the end of bar i' is greater than the distance between the outer 5 surface of the other leg and the other end of said bar i'. By this construction I am enabled to place the bars i' in the sockets i by an endwise movement, the longer end, I, of the bar being passed first into its socket,aud then io reversing the movement so as to thrust the shorter end, V, into its socket until the leg i' adjacentto the shorter end,ΐ,brings up against the socket, in which position the legs are in position for locking.

At intervals around the interior of section B corresponding in position and number to bars i^r, and adjacent to the edge, are riveted or otherwise secured a series of studs or projections, D, which maybe of any desired form 2o and provided with downwardly-raking teeth m m, to engage with the teeth K // on the legs h. h. The sides η n of the projection D are diagonal, so that the descending legs h h will with certainty properly straddle the stud or 25 projection D, and to further insure this operation the lower ends of the legs are made flaring, as seen at 0 0. The extreme upper end, p, of projection D passes slightly above the edge of section B, and is curved inwardly, as 30 seen aty, Fig. 2, to serve as a guide to bring the edges and flanges of the sections to place at the various points of attachment.

Iu interior automatic coffin-fastenings heretofore made the catches or locking devices 35 have been only provided with some one predetermined fastening-point,which may fail to secure the edges of the sections hermetically, because of the distortion of the sections from cooling or handling, leaving one catching40 point too loose and another too tight. In such cases, to avoid the difficulty named, special fitting of each locking device would be required. In my invention, it will be observed, no such difficulty will arise, for the 45 reason that the series of progressive locking points hold the sections together at the maximum point of compression at each lock,so that the flanges can be forced together throughout their extent and be so held, and no rebound 50 can take place.

In the modification of the locking device shown in Fig. 4 the spring serrated fasteninglegs spring over a cylindrical stud, E, having serrations cut in its face on opposite sides of 55 a vertical line.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the locking device is divided, as it were, into two parts. A single leg, q, is fastened to bar i', and the stud has a single serrated face. These 60 fastenings, as an entirety, are arranged in pairs, as shown, the spring on each leg holding bars i’ steadily in place.

In the modifications of my improved locking device shown in Fig. 6 the spring is transferred from the depending legs to the projec- 65 tion or lug. This is done by making the legs rigid and serrated, and dividing the projection or stud vertically, leaving two swinging hinged portions, having an interposed spring, t, whereby the two swinging sections act as 70 pawls having teeth, which engage with each of the rigid legs.

The manner of connecting the locking-legs h h and bars i' to the section through the medium of the sockets i i enables me to keep 75 said bars and legs separate from the coffinsection during handling and transportation, and readily apply them when the sections are about to be locked together, thus avoiding any accidental locking. 80