Abstract:
A metal casket shell will includes sides, ends, bottoms and lids blanked and formed from pre-painted or pre-finished material. Corner connectors fasten the sides thereby eliminating the need to weld and grind these joints.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS 
     This application is an improvement over commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,810 granted Sep. 12, 1995. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As disclosed in the foregoing patent, metal caskets are expensive because manufacturing and assembling the parts is labor intensive and also requires many manipulative steps to finish and trim the assembled unit to meet consumer satisfaction and acceptance. Normally, steel, bronze or copper is utilized and the sides, ends, lid and bottom are stamped from sheet material and then pressed into the desired configuration. The sides, ends and bottom are welded together and the lid hinged and latched to the sides. The welds and joints are subjected to a grinding operation to enhance their appearance and then the sides, ends and lid are spray painted. The interior of the thusly formed shell is trimmed in one of many styles. Obviously, if any one or more of the assembly steps is eliminated or rendered more efficient, assembly time will be reduced and the cost of manufacturing metal caskets could be significantly reduced. 
     Another peculiar attribute of present and prior art caskets is that with cutting, stamping, welding, grinding and painting, caskets that should be of the same style or kind coming off an assembly line, will, in fact, not be the same nor identical. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a principal object of the present invention to blank and form the casket sides, ends, bottoms and lids from pre-painted and pre-finished material which are thereafter connected by corner connectors of this invention without the need for welding and grinding. 
     Another object is to provide a casket of the foregoing type having novel corner connectors for connecting the sides and ends. 
     A further object is to provide pre-painted and pre-finished casket parts of exact dimensions that may be assembled with mechanical fastening so that each casket is the same; and, consequently, such parts may be shipped at low cost for eventual assembly into identical caskets at another selected location. 
     Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description which is to be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of casket parts including sides, ends, bottom and corner connectors incorporating the teachings of the present invention with a lid shown schematically and fragmentarily; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing parts of the side, end and corner connector prior to being connected to form a corner; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the corner connector of this invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the corner connector in the direction of the line 4--4 of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 7 is a top view of the corner connector in the direction of the line 7--7 of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8--8 of FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the interior of the corner connector. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the drawings, a metal casket shell 10 according to this invention will include corner connectors of this invention and sides, ends, bottom and lid blanked and formed from pre-painted or pre-finished material. In this connection, cutting, welding, grinding and painting at an assembly or manufacturing plant normally employed in making a metal casket shell need not be performed. 
     Towards that end, ends 12 and 14, and sides 16 and 18 will be firmly coupled by corner connectors 20. The bottom 22 is connected to the ends 12, 14 and sides 16, 18. 
     Reference is now made to corner connector 20, which may be advantageously molded from a suitable plastic such as a polycarbonate, but this invention also contemplates connection of metals such as zinc. The connector will be formed with a top part 24, bottom part 26 and central stem 28. A slot 30 will be formed in connector 20 having a shape corresponding to the outline of the end 32 of casket side 18. This slot extends into top part 24, bottom part 26 and central stem 28 and will receive end 32 of casket side 18. 
     The connector will also be formed with a slot 34 having a shape corresponding to the outline of the end 36 of casket end 12. This slot extends into top part 24, bottom part 26 and central stem 28 and will receive end 36 of casket end 12. 
     Any suitable enclosing means may be employed for securing the ends 32 and 36 of casket side 18 and casket end 12, respectively, to connector 20 such as adhesive or a mechanical connection employing dowels, screws, rivets, etc. In this regard, the drawings show an exemplary embodiment in which holes 32a and 36a extend from the respective ends 32 and 36 of casket side 18 and casket end 12, respectively. Holes 32a are adapted to align with opening 32b of connector 20 and then a nut and bolt may be used to complete the connection of end 32 to connector 20. Similarly, holes 36a are adapted to align with openings 36b of connector 20 and then a sheet metal screw or nut and bolt may be used to complete the connection of end 36 to connector 20. Holes 32a and 36a may be tapped or internally threaded to receive a threaded screw or bolt or the holes may be replaced by bendable prongs that align with holes 32b and 36b, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2A, prongs 36a&#39;, when aligned with openings 36b, are bent or twisted inwardly to complete the connection of end 36&#39; of end 12&#39; to connector 20. If needed, a suitable adhesive may be applied to each bent prong and opening, or any other strategic location, to enhance the connection. 
     The remaining corner connectors 20&#39;, 20&#34; and 20&#34;&#39; are connected to the ends of the associated sides and ends in similar fashion. 
     Thereafter the base 22 can be connected to the sides and end in any suitable fashion, as for example, in a manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,810. 
     Suitable casket hardware may be applied over connectors 20 or the connectors themselves may possess sufficient ornamentation for serving this purpose. 
     Accordingly, by forming the sides, ends, bottoms and lids with mechanical and adhesive joints as described in the above, the need for welding and grinding is eliminated. This advantageously permits the use of materials that are pre-painted and pre-finished without destroying the outside surface of the casket, which material may be shipped substantially flat thereby minimizing space requirements. Thus, the invention eliminates the need to paint or finish a casket shell in a separate operation, and also permits the assembly of a casket shell at a location remote from that at which the parts are pre-painted and pre-finished. 
     Thus, the several aforenoted objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although several somewhat preferred embodiments have been disclosed and described herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.