Patent Publication Number: US-11021889-B2

Title: Saturated burial construction system and method

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to the field of burial construction and methods. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Presently, plots of land available for burial are running low near any densely populated city; Jerusalem, ISRAEL, for example. The residents of the city prefer to bury their loved ones near their places of residence, and therefore planners are now required to plan and implement denser burial structures, such as 1500-3000 graves per 1,000 square meters. These structures are called “saturated burial constructions”. Such constructions are expensive because of the soil, precast elements of graves which are usually made of pre cast concrete, the heavy gravestones, and the visitors which add up to a very heavy load. 
     According to Jewish religious rulings (“Halacha”), burial can be carried out on flooring, provided that each deceased is placed on soil, and the soil connected to the “world” (ground). In addition, horizontal and vertical distances are permitted, and there are many halachic rulings on the subject. In underground systems, for instance, plates are placed above the deceased&#39;s body and soil is filled there above. 
     The following burial structure types are common: 
     Field burial, which is an underground burial in an area of 2-2.5 square meters for each deceased person; 
     Family burial, which is underground burial of two or more deceased persons on an area of 2-2.5 square meters for the number of deceased, usually a couple; and 
     Multi-story crypt burial, which is a burial in buildings above the ground, creating horizontal burial cavities with an opening in front for the entrance of the deceased. Following interment, the front plate is sealed. 
     In all underground systems, the horizontal distance between the center of a grave and the center of the nearby grave ranges from 80-150 cm in width, and 200-300 cm in length. In the Multi-story crypt burial, the horizontal distance between the center of a grave and the center of the nearby grave ranges between 85-120 cm, and the vertical distance between the center of a grave to the center of the grave above it is 70-90 cm. 
     Throughout the world, similar use of burial structures is made, while building density is adapted according to local needs and customs. 
     The Israeli Ministry of Religious Services issued the following opinion on this matter: 
     “Due to the shortage of land reserves for burial in the State of Israel, the Ministry is working to find effective solutions for the issue of burial in Israel and promotes the issue of saturated burial and the establishment of regional cemeteries. 
     Saturated burial: Until recent years, deceased were buried in the State of Israel in a field burial. With the natural increase of the country&#39;s population and the depletion of land reserves for burial, the ministry is required to find alternative solutions in existing and new cemeteries. Today there are a number of burial possibilities that are saturated/laminated according to Orthodox Jewish law, including: 
     Double burial: This burial takes place deep in the ground. The burial company “Hevra Kadisha” digs a grave deep in the ground. The first deceased will be buried at the bottom of the grave, he will be covered with the stones and the soil according to the Halacha requirements, and the second deceased will be buried on his back. 
     Sanhedrin burial (floors): This burial takes place in burial halls built according to the Halacha. The deceased is placed by a special bed into a niche like the Sanhedrin&#39;s graves, which were exposed in Jerusalem and elsewhere in the country. 
     Multi-level burial: This burial is carried out in a multi-story building, with each floor bringing the deceased to burial in a field burial or in a couple or family burial.” 
     (From the Website of The Israeli Ministry of Religious Services http://www.dat.gov.il/DeathAndInterment/Pages/BurialSatura tion.aspx) 
     The following publications are considered by the Applicant as the closest prior art:
         U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,899,045, 6,370,745, and 5,381,591; and   Israeli Patents 108493 and 201598.       

     As mentioned above, the structures for the burial of previous knowledge are expensive because the soil, the graves made of pre cast concrete, the heavy gravestones and the people who visit the cemetery are very heavy and therefore these structures are expensive to plan and build (Up to 10 tons per square meter). 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to the above mentioned and other problems of the prior art. 
     Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     “Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a rigid and tough, closed-cell foam with a normal density range of 11 to 32 kg/m 3 . It is usually white and made of pre-expanded polystyrene beads. EPS is used for many applications e.g. trays, plates, bowls and fish boxes. Other uses include molded sheets for building insulation and packing material (“peanuts”) for cushioning fragile items inside boxes. Sheets are commonly packaged as rigid panels (size 4 by 8 or 2 by 8 feet in the United States). 
     Due to its technical properties such as low weight, rigidity, and formability, EPS can be used in a wide range of applications.” (From Wikipedia) 
     In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a burial system comprising: one or more rectangular burial spaces, each confined by grave walls generated by cutting with a filament from a block of foamed polystyrene or other expanded polystyrene substance, thereby enabling reducing weight of burial elements of the burial system by at least 90% in comparison to concrete burial elements (the prior art), and providing ease of construction effort in comparison to concrete burial systems, and suppose to sustain for hundreds of years. 
     Preferably, each of the grave walls comprises a recess on its four parallel corners, for allowing integrating the grave wall with an adjacent grave wall. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the grave walls is used as a longitudinal wall of a grave space, and the latitudinal wall of the grave space is derived from the longitudinal wall by means of filament cutting. 
     Preferably, each of the grave walls is coated by concrete reinforced by a fiberglass or polymeric network or polymer fibers, for preventing collapse thereof due to bending loads. 
     The burial system may be applied on a single burial arrangement, as well as on a double burial arrangement, and a multi-story crypt burial arrangement. 
     The burial system may be applied in a plurality of floors, wherein in each floor is installed a horizontal matrix of burial spaces, thereby requiring a less massive and lightweight construction in comparison to precast and conventional concrete burial systems. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, the burial spaces are covered by a concrete layer having cavities correspondingly to the burial spaces, for enabling access to each of the burial space. 
     Preferably, the inner side of each of the grave walls is used for deriving thereof additional construction blocks of the system. 
     The burial may further comprise a shaft for each burial space, the shaft being generated between two adjacent graves or via a vertical hole in each of the grave walls, to be filled by soil for generating a connection between the graves and the earth in order to correspond with Jewish burial regulations, or to be filled by reinforced concrete for strengthening the construction thereof. 
     In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a saturated burial method, comprising the steps of:
         providing expanded polystyrene blocks in a box form, each weighing up to 70 kg/m 3 ;   cutting each of the blocks to sub-blocks comprising connection means to each other in a form of a prismatic recesses; and   placing the sub-blocks in the form of a matrix of burial places where the blocks are integrated to each other for preventing the movement of one block relative to the other.       

     According to one embodiment of the invention, the cutting is carried out by means of a filament movable by computer means. 
     The method may be applied on a single burial arrangement, as well as on a double burial arrangement, and a multi-story crypt burial arrangement. 
     An expanded polystyrene grave wall weighs only 3% of a pre cast concrete grave wall. As such, the use of expanded polystyrene as a substitute for a concrete structure results in an obtained structure weighing significantly less than concrete burying technology, possibly only 50% of the weight of a concrete burying building. It is easy and quick to assemble, and cheap in terms of construction. The reduced weight in relation to the prior art enables the construction of burial systems on floors (such as the Israeli Yarkon cemetery), which are much less heavy and there for economical. 
     The present invention meets all requirements of Jewish law, and has received halakhic approval from rabbis specializing in Jewish burial. 
     All burial systems performed according to this invention are structurally correct and carried out by elements of EPS (Expanded polystyrene) containing approximately 97% air, and their spatial weight ranges from 20-70 kg/m 3 . 
     The present invention allows the replacement of all graves that presently are made of concrete or concrete building materials such as blocks, cast concrete on site and prefabricated concrete elements. 
     The use of expanded polystyrene elements that are lightweight (as mentioned above, up to 70 kg/m 3 ) makes it possible to install a grave system by manual working without any devices or cranes. 
     The present invention allows for a significant improvement of the performance and cost of saturated burial, especially in the use of a floor structure, such as the Israeli Yarkon cemetery. 
     The weight of the novel elements is up to 3% of the weight of prefabricated precast elements from reinforced concrete, and therefore represents a revolution in the execution of saturated burial. 
     The use of these lightweight blocks enables significant savings in the construction of the building, such as foundation, columns, and ceilings. 
     As mentioned above, the present invention enables substantial savings during assembly, use of cranes, safety and accuracy of the proposed systems, flexibility in the design of the systems in varying sizes, as required. 
     Since burial systems based on the present invention are designed to use EPS blocks, the special geometry being performed by a rectangular block of EPS and precise and computerized cutting with filament, the invention enables flexibility in relation to the methods in current use with the performance of prefabricated elements. 
     Presently, any request of a customer or architect as to a specific size of a grave requires the manufacturer of the prefabricated elements to design and build expensive steel molds. According to the present invention, the adaption to a new module is rapid and requires only generating new CNC files. 
     After making an appropriate infrastructure, all the elements are placed on top of the infrastructure, connect to each other and form a strong structure suitable for the content module. Cover plates consist of the ready-made protrusions and add the amount of ground required above the plates. A concrete plate is poured over the entire system, which distributes all the upper loads, including tombstones and people, throughout the system. 
     At the head and foot, an opening can be made to connect the land according to Jewish law. 
     In cases wherein the thickness of a long block does not satisfy the needs of the construction to withstand the loads of the tombstones and the public, a concrete column can be poured at the junction of each product, enabling the reduction of all usable loads to the ground/existing ceiling. 
     In the applying of multi-story crypt structure, the planned structure is designed to be structurally based on castings Reinforced concrete inside and above the block (the long wall). The other parts of a multi-story crypt, the back of the multi-story crypt, and the facade of the multi-story crypt are glued to the main block and the base plate. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Preferred embodiments, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention are described herein in conjunction with the following drawings: 
         FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a grave wall, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2 a    schematically illustrates a single burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2 b    is a latitudinal cross-section schematically illustrating a single burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a grave wall, according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view thereof. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view thereof. 
         FIG. 6  schematically illustrates a stage in assembling a burial space in a double burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7 a    schematically illustrates a double burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7 b    is a latitudinal cross-section schematically illustrating a double burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  schematically illustrates a double burial system, according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  schematically illustrates a grave wall, according to yet another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 10  schematically illustrates a multi-story crypt burial system during a construction state, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 11  schematically illustrates a single floor of a multi-story crypt burial system during construction, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 12  schematically illustrates a multi-story crypt burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments (“best mode”), which are meant to be descriptive and not limiting. 
     For the sake of brevity, some well-known features, methods, systems, procedures, components, and so on, are not described in detail. 
     The reference numbers have been used to point out elements in the embodiments described and illustrated herein, in order to facilitate the understanding of the invention. They are meant to be merely illustrative, and not limiting. 
     The following embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated in conjunction with systems and methods thereof, which are meant to be merely illustrative, and not limiting. 
     Single Burial System 
       FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a grave wall, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     The grave wall, which is marked herein by reference numeral  10 , is made of expanded polystyrene. This novel feature provides benefits to any burial system, such as relatively light weight, easy transportation (can be moved by a single worker without mechanical engineering equipment), and more. 
     The grave wall  10  can be shaped, for example, as a block in a box form, its four corners  14  in a form of a quadratic prismatic recess, in order to lock adjacent grave walls to each other, and spare measurements while constructing a burial system. 
     Since a burial space of a grave is in a form of a box (i.e., a rectangular cuboid), blocks  12  may be used as latitudinal walls of the burial space, while grave wall  10  is used as a longitudinal wall of the space. 
     In order to enable separation of blocks  12  from block  10 , a cutting  16  may be performed in block  10  by a filament (not illustrated). The cutting  16  may be in form of a dovetail, in order to prevent the dissection parts from separation from each other when the space of the removed parts  12  is filled with soil. 
     It should be noted that the length of a longitudinal wall  10  is about twice the length of a latitudinal wall  12 . 
     Each block  12  is in a form of a Π. Thus, when approaching two blocks  12 , a space is generated therebetween. 
       FIG. 2 a    schematically illustrates a single burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     The burial spaces  18  are generated by longitudinal walls  10  and latitudinal walls  12 . The latitudinal walls  12  are placed such that their corners are integrated into the recess of corners  14  of blocks  10 , as illustrated in the figure. 
     Spaces  20 , which are generated by two adjacent latitudinal blocks  12 , may be filled with soil, up to the earth. Thus, according to the halachic regulations, the grave is placed on the earth. The spaces  22 , which are of the removed elements  12 , may also be filled with soil up to the earth. 
     It should be noted that the single burial system is dipped into the earth. On the expanded polystyrene walls a cement “hive” is casted. The fact that the single burial system is dipped into the earth prevents separation of the walls. 
       FIG. 2 b    is a latitudinal cross-section schematically illustrating a single burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     The burial spaces  18  are dug underground. Each grave space is confined by expanded polystyrene blocks  10 , and a soil frame  44 . On each of the grave spaces a grave cover plate  34  is placed. A soil layer is disposed over the graves matrix, and above the soil layer is disposed a concrete layer  48 , which comprises spaces in a matrix form, on which gravestones are disposed. The graves&#39; infrastructure is marked by numeral  52 . 
     Double Burial System 
       FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a grave wall, according to another embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view thereof, and  FIG. 5  is a top view thereof. 
     The grave wall, which is marked herein by reference numeral  10 ′, is made of expanded polystyrene. As mentioned, this novel feature provides benefits to any burial system, such as relatively light weight, easy transportation (can be moved by a single worker without mechanical engineering equipment), and more. 
     The difference between grave wall  10  of the single burial system to grave wall  10 ′ of the double burial system is that grave wall  10 ′ also comprises two supporters: an upper supporter  24  and a lower supporter  26 . 
       FIG. 6  schematically illustrates a stage in assembling a burial space in a double burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     The latitudinal foamed polystyrene blocks  12  are placed in the recession  14  of a longitudinal block  10 ′. 
     The bottom (not illustrated) of the upper burial space is placed on lower supporter  26  of the latitudinal grave wall  10 ′. 
       FIG. 7 a    schematically illustrates a double system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 7 b    is a latitudinal cross-section schematically illustrating a double burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     As illustrated, the cover  34  of the lower grave space  18  uses a floor for the lower grave space  18 . Between the upper and lower grave spaces soil  44  is disposed. Each grave space is confined by expanded polystyrene blocks  10 . 
     Over the graves matrix a soil layer is disposed, and above the soil layer a concrete layer  48 , which comprises spaces in a matrix form, on which gravestones are disposed. The graves&#39; infrastructure is marked by numeral  52 . 
       FIG. 8  schematically illustrates a double burial system, according to another embodiment of the invention. 
     According to this embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal grave walls are not adequate for driving the latitudinal grave walls therefrom, and as such they are derived from other blocks (not illustrated in this figure). 
     Cavities  32 , which are generated between two walls of adjacent grave spaces, may be filled with soil for providing soil sequence from the earth to the burial space  18 , according to Jewish law. Horizontal cavity  28  may also be filled with soil for providing soil contact to the deceased buried therein. 
     Alternatively, the cavities may be filled with reinforced concrete, for strengthening the construction. 
     The entire burial system is protected from any possibility of movement. 
     Multi-Story Crypt Burial System 
       FIG. 9  schematically illustrates a grave wall, according to yet another embodiment of the invention. 
     The grave wall, which is marked herein by reference numeral  10 ″, is made of expanded polystyrene. 
     Each of reference numerals  34 ,  36 , and  38 , denotes a grave construction block, derived from block  10 ″. 
       FIG. 10  schematically illustrates a multi-story crypt burial system during a construction state, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     Block  36 , which is derived from block  10 ″ (as illustrated in  FIG. 9 ), is used as a front block of the burial space  18 , and block  38  is used as the rear block of the burial space  18 . 
     Blocks  34 , also derived from block  10 ″, are used for covering the burial space  18  from above. 
     Spaces  22  may be used for filling with soil in order to generate a soil sequence to the ground, or filled with reinforced concrete in order to strengthen a matrix of multi-story crypt graves. 
     Reference numeral  28  represents a cavity that may generate a soil sequence to the earth, according to the Jewish law. 
       FIG. 11  schematically illustrates a single floor of a multi-story crypt burial system during construction, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     In this figure the burial spaces  18  are ordered in line. 
       FIG. 12  schematically illustrates a multi-story crypt burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     As illustrated, the burial system comprises a plurality of burial spaces  18 , arranged in a vertical matrix form, in floors. 
     Columns  40  are used for strengthening the construction, and block  42  is used as separator between the levels (i.e., floors). 
     In the figures and/or description herein, the following reference numerals (Reference Signs List) have been mentioned:
         numeral  10  denotes an expanded polystyrene grave wall of a single burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention;   numeral  10 ′ denotes an expanded polystyrene grave wall of a double burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention;   numeral  10 ″ denotes an expanded polystyrene grave wall of a multi-story crypt burial system, according to one embodiment of the invention;   numeral  12  denotes a block extracted from a grave wall;   numeral  14  denotes a quadratic recess of a grave wall;   numeral  16  denotes a cutting in a grave wall;   numeral  18  denotes a burial space in a burial system;   numeral  20  denotes a space in a burial system which reaches the earth;   numeral  22  denotes a space in a grave wall, content of which has been extracted for use as a latitudinal wall of a burial space;   numeral  24  denotes an upper supporter of a grave wall;   numeral  26  denotes a lower supporter of a grave wall;   numeral  28  denotes a horizontal cavity in a grave wall;   numeral  30  denotes a vertical cavity in grave walls;   numeral  32  denotes a vertical cavity generated between two grave walls;   numeral  34  denotes a cover plate;   numeral  36  denotes a front block;   numeral  38  denotes a rear block;   numeral  40  denotes a vertical construction column;   numeral  42  denotes a level separator;   numeral  44  denotes soil;   numeral  46  denotes a corpse;   numeral  48  denotes a concrete layer used as a gravestone foundation;   numeral  50  denotes a gravestone; and   numeral  52  denotes graves&#39; infrastructure.       

     In the description herein, the following references have been mentioned:
         U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,899,045, 6,370,745, and 5,381,591; and   Israeli Patents 108493 and 201598.       

     The foregoing description and illustrations of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the above description in any form. 
     Any term that has been defined above and used in the claims, should to be interpreted according to this definition.