Untitled record

Application filed March 1,1889. Serial No. 301,713. (No model.)

To cM whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Silas A. Scofield, a citizen of the United States, residing at Morenci, in the county of Lenawee and State of 5 Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casket-Lid Fastenings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to i o which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the manner of securing the lid to the top of biirial-caskets; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts whereby the lid may be readily and firmly secured to the top of the 20 casket without the use of nails or screws, making a. cheap and serviceable fastening, and one that greatly facilitates the placing or removing of casket-lids, all of which will be fully hereinafter set forth, and the essen25 tial features of my device pointed out particularly in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, Figure 1 is a perspective of a casket and lid, (thebottom of the .30 casket beingbroken away,) the lid of the casket being removed and inverted, showing the fastenings bn the under face of the lid, as they correspond with the engaging plates on the top of the casket. Fig. 2 is an enlarged 35 detail of one of the foot-end fastenings drawn apart, the edge of the lid being broken away, showing the shape and manner of securing the tongue-plate to the lid. This view shows the parts in their relative positions as they 40 are about to engage in the act of securing the lid to the casket. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of same, showing position of parts when the lid is secured to the top of the casket. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail showing 45 the head-end fastening drawn apart in position before engagement. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section in detail showing the position of the head-end, fastening when the lid is locked to the top of the casket. Figs. 6, 7, 50 8, and 9 arc details to be referred to.

As indicated in the drawings, B represents the top of a casket, and A the lid thereof; C C', the engaging plates; D D', the groovecavities under said plates; G, the tongueplates, and’H the spring locking-plates. 55

The top of the casket is provided with the elongated groove-cavities D D' on opposite sides thereof. Over these cavities the plates C C' are placed and secured by means of screws (see Fig. 1) secured to the under face 6c of the lid, and so as to correspond with the plates C 0' on the top of the casket are the tongue-plates G G and the right and left hand spring-plates Η H, (see Fig. ,1,) the plates G G having the side wings 2 2, through which 65 the screws pass when securing said plates to the under face of the casket-lid, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) the plates G G also having the wedgeshaped tongue a', adapted to engage under the plates C' when fastening the lid A to the 70 top of the casket B. (See Fig. 3.)

The spring-plates II H are provided with the wedge-shaped tongue a and extended spring end 4, having the projecting lip s and depending nose c. Said plates are so shaped .75 that when secured to the under face of the lid A (by means of screws passing through the wings 3 3, see Figs. 1 and 4) the springend of said plates will hang down or stand away from the under face of the lid, as shown 80 in Figs. 1 and 9. The recess 0 (see Fig. 8) is cut in the under face of the lid immediately over the spring ends 4 of the plates Η H, for purposes hereinafter described.

The operation is as follows: The lid and 85 top of the casket being provided with the fastenings and plates, respectively, as shown in Fig. 1, the lid is then placed on the casket, so that the tongues a and a' of the fasteningplates G and H, secured to said lid, will reg- 90 ister with and lie in the groove-cavities D D' in the top of the casket. (See Figs. 2 and 4.) In this position the depending nose c of the spring end 4 of the plate H will rest on the plate C of the casket-top, whereby the spring 95 end of the plate II will be forced back or up into the recesses 0 in the under face of the lid. The lid is then slid rearward, which causes the forward ends of the tongues a' of the plates G to engage under the plates C'. 100 Said tongues being wedge-shaped, as they pass rearward under said plate' C' the lid is

404,873 drawn tightly down to the top of the casket, as shown in Fig. 3. At the same time the tongues a of the spring-plates II engage under the plates C, the nose or catch c sliding 5 on top of said plate. These parts are so arranged that (in sliding the lid back in the act of securing it to the top of the casket) when the base of the tongue a comes in contact with the front end of the plate C the nose or io catch c will have just passed the rear end of said plate, when the propensity of the end 4 to spring down will cause the nose or catch c to snap over the rear end of the plate C, (see Fig. 5,) thus firmly locking the lid to the 15 casket.

To remove the lid, the depending lip s of the spring-plate II, which hangs slightly below the under face of the lid on either side and extends beyond the edge of the casket, 20 (see Fig. 7,) (by the finger of the operator) is pressed into the reccss O in the under face of the lid, (see dotted lines, Fig. 6,) whereby the nose c is disengaged from the end of the plate C, when the lid may be drawn forward 25 and removed from the casket.

This improved fastening may be made of any material suitable for the purpose, springbrass, however, being preferred.

It will be observed that the herein-described fastening is simple, durable, and cheap, and 30 that it will readily and firmly fasten the lid to the top of caskets, obviating the use of nails or screws.