Untitled record

Application filed February 8,1895. Serial No. 537,714. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Charles A. Ruebekam, a citizen of the United States, residing at Owosso, in the county of Shiawassee and State g of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lids for Burial-Cas-. kets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed io drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The present invention has relation to that class of burial-caskets provided with hinged or sliding lids, and the object thereof is to 13 improve the construction of the lid, as will be hereinafter described and subsequently pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a portion of the top of a burial-casket in perspec2 0 tive, showing the sliding and hinged lid partly open; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section with the lid closed; Fig. 3, a transverse section taken on line x x of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a detail view in perspective showing one of the guides upon 25 the under side of the lid. Fig. 5 is a perspec³ tive of a casket, showing the cover complete.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a portion of the top of a burial-casket, which may be of any suitable design and or30 namentation, and, if desired, covered with black cloth or other material, as found preferable. This top, as shown in the drawings, is located at the head of the casket and has the usual face-opening, in which slides the 35 hinged lid-sections B C, said opening having the usual glass face-plate D, which is secured in place in any well-known and desirable manner. The top A upon the sides of the opening has longitudinal grooves a to receive 40 guides b, secured to the underside of the lidsection C, whereby said section is held in position when closed and also guided in its sliding movement.

Any suitable guides or arrangement of 43 grooves or recesses may be provided in place of those shown, and to lock the lid-section B in position when closed the end of the section is provided with a pin c, which engages a hole d in the end of the casket-top A, as 50 shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The lid-section B is made thinner than the section C, in order to enable a raised nameplate to be used without interfering with the glass face-plate D, so that when said section is thrown up and back into position the plate 55 will be exposed.

Suitable flexible connections e, of black ribbon, cloth, or other material, may join the two lid-sections at the point where they are hinged, to serve as means in preventing the 60 section B from being thrown too far back and hold it in an inclined position.

The hinged lid-section C is secured in its closed position by means of a suitable catch E, which is spring-actuated and is. preferably 65 provided with a cord/ for operating it and a spring g for retaining the catch in engagement with the keeper h, which may be of any well-known'form, as may also the spring-actuated catch. When it is desired to open the 70 lid, the catch is raised by the cord until it is out of engagement with the keeper, which will also raise the end of the section C to a slight degree. In this position the lid-section C, as well as the section B, is moved forward until 75 the stop i upon the under side of the section C strikes the abutment or portion of the top A, as shown at k. The lid-sections will now be brought forward to their greatest extent, after which the section B is thrown up and 80 back in position to expose the face-plate D nearly its entire length. When closing the lid, the knob Ϊ is taken hold of and the lidsection to which it is connected is lowered and the two sections moved back in a closed po- 85 sition, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the pin c of the section B engaging with.the hole d to lock the section and prevent its being raised except when both sections are moved forward. 9^C

Any suitable means may be employed, for automatically locking the lid-section B in a closed position., although in the present instance the pin is considered the most simple means for attaining this result. 95

The sections B C may have an ornamental bead m around their edges and projecting therefrom a sufficient distance to overlap the upper side of the casket-top A, and thus form a support for said sections. The inner ends of ioo the sections B C, which are hinged together,

I are cut in the form shown, or may be curved,

545, semicircular, elliptical, octagon, or anj^T other preferred shape found most desirable.