Patent Publication Number: US-3879818-A

Title: Coffin kit

Description:
United States Patent Rowland Apr. 29, 1975 COFFIN KIT 2.974.390 3/1961 Nelson 27/7 3.164.880 l/l965 Hotchkiss.. 27/7 [75] Inventor: William Arnold Rowland, Toronto. 3523918 8/1970 oonzalesw 260/25 Omar), Canada 3,541,747 11 1970 015611 27/3 Assigneez Rowco o o. O Pare v. Canada Prin1ar E.\&#39;aminerR1chard A. Gaudet [22] Fled: July 51 1973 Assistant Examiner-Rick Opitz [21] Appl. No.: 376,732  
 [57] ABSTRACT 30 Foreign Application priority Data A coffin is made by assembling coffin kit parts of selfkinned urethane foam decorative] moulded at 10 to 1 1- 11 1972 0 2d; 146805 S y u) 1 50 pounds per square mch. The coffin k1t has seven 52 us. c1 27/7- 27/10 Swims namely a base Section onepiece [51] Int Cl A A61g 17/00 side sections, two one-piece end sections and two one- [58] Field of fi 3 10 2 piece lid sections. The tray has raised sides and ends 4 b c 5 4 and is preferably made in one piece. The side and end h sections may have mitred ends which fit one against [56] References Cited another to form corners or alternatively additional corner mouldings may be included, the side and end UNITED STATES PATENTS sections constituting a tub portion of the coffin. 1.903.198 3/1933 Scott 27/7 2.697.266 12/1954 Raper 12 Claims, 15 a ing Figures P/ATENTEUAPRZ 91975 sum 3 pg 4 L E l-Q 660 PATENTEDAPRZBIQYS 3,879,818 sum u [15 g COFFIN KIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a coffin kit.  
 2. Description of the Prior Art It is known to make coffins of wood or metal. Generally such coffins are expensive. Wooden coffins are usually of straight dimensions. though their lids may be vaulted. Although wooden coffins are often decoratively finished with intricate hand-carved scrollwork such decorative finishing requires skilled craftsmen and further increases costs. Also, Wooden coffins tend to rot after they have been interred. Metal coffins can be made with curved sides but it is difficult to add further decorative features of the type that can be handcarved in wood. Also, metal coffins are usually heavy and although rust proofed they tend to rust. Most funeral directors do not employ skilled craftsmen to make coffins and they generally purchase coffins from manufacturers who are often located far away. Since coffins are bulky and contain a great deal of empty space they are expensive to ship.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to this invention there is provided a coffin kit having parts which can be easily assembled to make a coffin. Although the coffin kit may contain standard coffin accessories such as handles, hinges, interior coverings and a pillow, the main parts of the coffin kit are of rigid moulded plastic material having a low density core and a high density mar resistant skin. A preferred material is self-skinning urethane foam of the type marketed under the trade mark Rubicast by Rubicon Chemicals Inc., a US. company owned by Imperial Chemical Industries Limited and UNIROYAL, Inc. This material is easy to work with and can be moulded at pressures of about IO to 50 pounds per square inch although pressures of about 20 to 30 pounds per square inch are preferred. Using this material it is possible to produce coffins having several desirable features. Firstly, they are inexpensive to make and can compete with coffins of wood or metal. Although they are strong and will not rot they are lightweight. They will burn and therefore can be used by crematoria. Minor flaws can be touched up using a conventional filler.  
  A simple coffin kit according to this invention has a one-piece tray, two one-piece side sections, and two one-piece end sections which can be assembled together to form the tub portion ofa coffin. Conventional epoxy glue has been found suitable to join the various plastic coffin kit parts together. The unassembled parts can be packaged without unnecessary wasted space so that the cost of shipping an unassembled coffin kit is significantly lower than the cost of shipping a finished coffin. Also, if one of the plastic coffin kit parts is severely flawed it is only necessary to replace that particular part rather than for example the entire tub portion so that the amount of waste is minimized.  
  Since moulds are used to make the plastic coffin kit parts it is a simple matter to make parts having decorative features by incorporating the decorative features directly into the moulds. For example, it is possible to make parts having the curved sides characteristic of metal coffins and also the intricate scrollwork characteristic of wooden coffins. It is also possible to make parts having an artificial wood-grain finish. Apart from the initial cost of the moulds the cost of making an ornate coffin is therefore not significantly different from the cost of making a modest coffin. Also, once the decorative features have been incorporated into the moulds the need for skilled craftsmen is reduced and the unassembled coffin kits shipped by the manufacturer can be assembled by unskilled workmen available even at funeral homes far away from the manufacturer. It is only necessary to join the plastic parts together, install the standard coffin accessories and, if desired, paint or otherwise coat the resulting coffin if this was not done to the parts by the manufacturer. No special tools are required since self-skinning urethane foam can be worked using conventional woodworking tools. Therefore the reduction in shipping costs achieved by shipping unassembled coffin kits rather than finished coffins need not be achieved at the expense of the quality of the finished product.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings wherein the same reference numerals indicate the same elements throughout and:  
  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment and shows coffin kit sections before they have been assembled to make a coffin;  
  FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the sections of FIG. 1 after they have been assembled to make a coffin;  
  FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the coffin of FIG.  
  FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line IV IV of FIG. 2;  
  FIG. 5 is a fragmentary end sectional view of another embodiment and shows one means of joining a coffin kit side section and tray together;  
  FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 and is a fragmentary end sectional view of yet another embodiment showing another means ofjoining a coffin kit side section and tray together;  
  FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of a further embodiment and shows generally straight sided coffin side and end sections joined together by a corner moulding and inserted in a tray-like base;  
  FIG. 8 is a fragmentary end elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 7;  
  FIG. 9 is a partly exploded top plan view of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8 showing the side and end sections and corner mouldings being assembled together to form a tub before insertion in the tray which is not shown;  
  FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a curved side section and a corner moulding therefor;  
  FIG. 11 is an end sectional view of an embodiment having corner mouldings and curved side sections of the type illustrated in FIG. 10;  
  FIG. 12 is an end sectional view of an embodimen similar to the one illustrated in FIG. 6 but having a tra consisting of more than one part;  
  FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view of anothe embodiment showing a supplemental moulding for in creasing the rigidity of the structure;  
  FIG. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view of anothe embodiment showing supplemental means for securin; sections of a coffin together; and  
  FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view showin means for securing hardware to sections of the coffin DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The coffin kit parts shown in FIG. 1 are a one-piece base section or tray 20, two one-piece side sections 22, two one-piece end sections 24 and two one-piece lid sections 26. The tray 20 has raised side and end portions 28 and 30 respectively. All of the sections are of rigid moulded plastic material such as self-skinning urethane foam. The sections can be made using only three moulds. The tray 20 is made in a base section mould. The identical side sections 22 are made in a side section mould. The end sections 24 are made by cutting side sections 22 into smaller pieces. Alternatively, the end sections 24 can be made by placing inserts into the side section mould to divide it into smaller lengths. Of course it would also be possible to make the end sections 24 in a separate end section mould. The identical lid sections 26 are made in a lid section mould. To make a coffin the side and end sections 22 and 24 are assembled in the tray 20 with their bottom outer surfaces 32 and 34 respectively fitting snugly against the raised side and end portions 28 and 30 respectively of the tray 20. The side and end sections 22 and 24 have mitred ends 36 and 38 respectively and when the side and end sections 22 and 24 are assembled together adjacent mitred ends 36 and 38 fit one against another to form corners. These ends can be mitred by including suitable inserts in the mould or alternatively by merely cutting sections after they have been made in the mould. The sections 22, 24 when assembled constitute a tub fitting snugly within the tray 20 between the raised sides and ends 28, 30 of the tray. The upper edges 39 of the sections 22, 24 are thickened to add stiffness to the tub. The lid sections 26 provide identical halves of a lid for the coffin. The lid sections 26 shown in FIG. 1 are of a conventional vaulted shape. For the particular coffin kit shown in FIG. 1 the order of assembling is not important except of course that the lid sections 26 would not be added until the side and end sections 22 and 24 had been assembled. The standard coffin accessories included with the coffin kit will generally includes hinges and screws which can be used to attach the lid sections 26 to a side section 22.  
 Although the standard coffin accessories included with the coffin kit will generally include handles to be affixed to the side sections 22 these handles are usually not very strong and are more decorative than functional. The tray 20 is therefore formed so that it can be easily lifted without using these handles. As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 the tray 20 is formed with side and end ridges 40 and 42 which rest on the ground and support the main body of the tray 20 off the ground so that there is sufficient room between the ground and the bottom outside edges 44 of the sides of the tray 20 to allow insertion of ones fingers to lift the tray. As best seen in FIG. 4 finger grooves 46 are provided along the sides of the bottom surface of the tray 20 to make the tray 20 easy to grip.  
  The various sections can be joined together using a conventional epoxy glue that sets over a period of about 12 hours. It has been found that the bond which forms is very strong and that it is not really necessary to provide additional joining means. Nevertheless additional joining means may be provided if desired for extra stability while the glue is setting or merely for aesthetic reasons. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a  
 moulding 47 may be set into the tray 20 and glued in place with epoxy glue to assist in holding the side and end sections 22, 24 against the raised sides 28 and ends 30 of the tray, or instead of the moulding 47 conventional angle irons held in place by screws may be added or, as shown in FIG. 5, decorative fasteners may be added. In FIG. 5 a bolt 48 passes through the raised side portion 28 of the tray 20 and through the side section 22 and is held in place by a washer 50 and a nut 52. The head 54 of the bolt 48 is recessed in a hole 56 and a decorative plug 58 is added to hide the hole 56.  
  FIG. 6 shows a coffin kit side section 22a and tray 20a joined together with a tongue and groove 60a. Joints with a tongue and groove will generally have increased stability but care should be exercised when adding tongues and grooves to the coffin kit parts of this invention or problems may be encountered in assembling the parts together. For example, if tongues and grooves similar to the tongue and groove 60a were to be added to the parts of the coffin kit shown in FIG. 1 it would not be possible to use a tongue and groove for every joint between the side and end sections 22 and 24 and the tray 20 because a projecting tongue would interfere with the positioning of the last side or end section 22 or 24 in the tray 20. Of course this problem could be overcome by using a tongue and groove only for those joints between the tray 20 and the side sections 22 or only for those joints between the tray 20 and the end sections 24. However this would mean that the side and end sections 22 and 24 could not be made so conveniently using a single mould.  
  FIG. 12 shows an alternative construction which uses tongues and grooves and which is similar to the construction shown in FIG. 6 except that the tray 20b consists of more than one part. The tray 20b consists of a bottom section 62b, two side mouldings 28b and two end mouldings which are not shown but which are similar to the side mouldings 28b. These side and end mouldings provide raised side and end portions of the tray 20b and they have mitred ends which fit one against another to form corners of the tray 20b. The side mouldings 28b are joined to the bottom section 62b with tongues and grooves 64b and to the side sections 22b with tongues and grooves 60b which are similar to the tongue and groove 600 shown in FIG. 6. The end mouldings are joined to the bottom section 62b and to the end sections with similar tongues and grooves. This construction allows the side and end sections to be positioned on the bottom section 62b without interference whereupon it is then a simple matter to align the side and end mouldings and move them into position. The side and end mouldings can be made using a single side moulding mould, the end mouldings being made by cutting extra side mouldings 28b into smaller pieces.  
  A simple method of providing additional joining means is to staple the various coffin kit parts together while the glue is setting. Epoxy coated staples have been found to be particularly suitable for this purpose. The epoxy coating meltsas the staples are inserted into the coffin kit parts and then resolidifies to form a strong bond between the staples and the coffin kit parts.  
  FIGS. 7 and 8 show an embodiment of the invention wherein the side and end sections 22c and 240 do not have mitred ends. Instead, four corner mouldings 66c are provided with verticalsots 66e to receive adjacent ends of the side and end sections 220 and 24c. The corner mouldings 66c&#39;rest on the side andend portions 28c and 30c of the tray 20c at the four corners 68c of the tray 200. The corner mouldings 660 are made in a. corner moulding mould. When the side and end sections 22c and 240 are generally straight sided as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 the various coffin kit parts need not be assembled in any particular order. For example, the four corner mouldings 660 may be placed in position at the four corners 680 of the tray 20c and the side and end sections 220 and 240 may then simply be aligned and dropped into position from above. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the four corner mouldings 66c and the side and end sections 220 and 24c may first be assembled together as a single tub unit 700 which may then be inserted into the tray 200.  
  For a coffin kit having curved side and end sections with mitred ends the order of assembling is not particularly important and would be similar to that for the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 having generally straight sided side and end sections 22 and 24 with mitred ends 36 and 38. However when, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, corner mouldings 66d are used with a one-piece tray 20d and curved side and end sections 22d and 24d the order of assembling is more important. For example, it is not possible to insert the ends of the side and end sections 22a and 24d into the corner mouldings 66d from above and it is therefore necessary to assemble the side and end sections 22d and 24d and the corner mouldings 66d into a single tub unit similar to the unit 700 shown in FIG. 9. This unit is then inserted into the tray 20d. However care should still be exercised because if the unit is assembled in a stepwise manner, as for example starting with a corner moulding 66d and proceeding in order around the periphery of the unit, problems may be encountered in fitting the last corner moulding 66d into the unit. Generally the plastic side and end sections 22d and 24d are flexible enough to allow them to be distorted to accommodate the insertion of the last corner moulding 66d into the unit. Nevertheless, according to a preferred order of assembling it is not necessary to distort the side and end sections 22a and 24d. Two corner mouldings 66d are fitted to opposite ends of the same side or end section 22d or 24d. The other three side and end sections 22d and 24d and the other two corner mouldings 66d are then assembled together. The unit can then be assembled without distorting any of the parts by aligning the parts and moving them together in a manner similar to that indicated in FIG. 9.  
  As described above, the parts of the coffin kit illustrated are of rigid moulded plastic material having a low density foamed core and a high density mar resistant skin. Where the sections of the coffin are to be connected together using screws, or for connecting hardware to the coffin with screws, it is possible to provide the coffin sections with screw-receiving inserts as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. In FIG. l4the raised side 28 of the tray 20 has, within its cellular foamed core, a plate 70 running longitudinally of the side 28, and selftapping screws 71 driven through the side section 22 and into the plate 70 are firmly anchored therein. The plate 70 may be a thin metal strip or a perforated metal plate or a block or strip of wood that assists in holding the screws. The plate 70 can be set in the tray-forming mould before the foamable ingredients for the tray are poured into the mould. Similar plates may be embedded in sections of the coffin that are to receive hardware. As illustrated in FIG. 15, a  
 side section 22 and a lid sectiony26 have plates 73, 74 set therein to receive screws 75 that affix a hinge 76 to the coffin lid and side.  
 What I claim as my invention is:  
  l. A coffin kit comprising a base in the form of a tray having raised sides and ends, a tub that fits snugly within the tray between the raised sides and ends thereof, and a lid for the tub; the tray, tub and lid all being of rigid moulded plastic material having a low density core and a high density mar resistant skin; the base and its raised sides and ends comprising a onepiece section, the tub comprising two one-piece side sections and two one-piece end sections, and the lid comprising two one-piece lid sections; the side and end sections having mitred ends, adjacent mitred ends fitting one against another to form corners when the side and end sections are assembled together.  
  2. A coffin kit comprising a base in the form of a tray having raised sides and ends, a tub that fits snugly within the tray between the raised sides and ends thereof, and a lid for the tub; the tray, tub and lid all being of rigid moulded plastic material having a low density core and a high density mar resistant skin; the base and its raised sides and ends comprising a onepiece section, the tub comprising two one-piece side sections and two one-piece end sections, and the lid comprising two one-piece lid sections; four one-piece corner mouldings with which the side and end sections can be assembled to form the tub, the corner mouldings being adapted to rest on the raised sides and ends of the tray at corners of the tray.  
  3. A coffin kit comprising a base in the form of a tray having raised sides and ends, a tub that fits snugly within the tray between and against the raised sides and ends thereof, and a lid for the tub; the tray, tub and lid all being of rigid moulded plastic material having a low density core and a high density mar resistant skin; the tub comprising two one-piece side sections and two one-piece end sections, the side and end sections having mitred ends, adjacent mitred ends fitting one against another to form corners when the side and end sections are assembled together.  
  4. A coffin kit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plastic material is self-skinning urethane foam.  
  5. A coffin kit as claimed in claim 4, assembled with epoxy glue holding the sections of the tub together and to the base.  
  6. A coffin kit as claimed in claim 3, wherein a plurality of the sections are decoratively moulded.  
  7. A coffin kit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the base and its raised sides and ends comprise a one-piece section.  
  8. A coffin kit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the tray has, at its underside, supporting means which elevate the bottom outside edges of the sides of the tray sufficiently to allow insertion of ones fingers to lift the tray.  
  9. A coffin kit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the side sections and end sections of the tub have thickened upper edges to stiffen the tub.  
  10. A coffin kit comprising a base in the form of a tray having raised sides and ends, a tub that fits snugly within the tray between and against the raised sides and ends thereof, and a lid for the tub; the tray, tub and lid all being of rigid moulded plastic material having a low density core and a high density mar resistant skin; the tub comprising two one-piece side sections and two one-piece end sections and four one-piece corner mouldings interfitting with the side and end sections at 12. A coffin kit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the the corners of the tray to form corners of the tub.  
  11. A coffin kit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the base and its raised sides and ends comprise a one-piece section.  
 corner mouldings have slots into which the side and end sections fit in assembling the tub.