Abstract:
Apparatus by which screw-in and self digging burial containers may be picked up, maneuvered into a desired position and pressed, rotated and or agitated for the purpose of interring such burial containers at nearly any angle into earth, sand, snow or other receiving material on dry land, wet land or under water.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application 12/586,991, filed 30 Sep. 2009, titled Easy Inter Equipment. 
     
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       NAMES OF PARTIES TO JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
       [0004]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    My U.S. Pat. No. 7,591,404, issued 15 Dec. 2009 and titled Easy Inter Burial Container discloses several types of screw-in and self digging coffins and illustrates the need for special interring apparatus. The present invention supports the interment of the screw-in and self-digging coffins disclosed in Patent 7,591,404 and other related items disclosed in Continuation-In-Part applications Ser. No. 12/587,550, titled Edged Non Horizontal Burial Containers, and Ser. No. 12/587,829, titled Non-Horizontal Burial Methods. 
         [0006]    Current practice for interring burial containers, often called coffins, which are placed horizontally, is to dig a hole approximately seven foot deep, by four feet wide by eight feet long and store the removed receiving material for later filling of the hole. A crypt is usually placed at the bottom of the large hole and the coffin is lowered into the crypt. The crypt lid is set in place and a portion of the removed material is placed and tamped around and on the crypt. Grass and other such covering is placed over the top to restore the original appearance of the area and the surplus material is removed from the site. All of which is time consuming and expensive. 
         [0007]    A particular problem usually occurs when an installation is in a high water table area. A hole soon fills with water, presenting a near impossible problem for a proper horizontal grave site. Screw-in or self digging burial containers solve the problem by using the apparatus of the present invention for vertical interments. These interments do not require large pre-dug holes as these burial containers can be screwed or self-bored directly into the damp ground by this invention. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention relates to apparatus for interring screw-in and self digging burial containers. It relates to apparatus which, when attached to a suitable vehicle, can pick up such a burial container from a horizontal or other position and reposition it to a different position in a different location. With a shaped wrenching device over a matchingly shaped end of such a burial container the wrenching section rotationally screws, drills or reams the burial container into a receiving material. 
       RELATED ART 
       [0009]    Large cranes, back-hoes, tractors and similar vehicles are often fitted with various types of augers for boring holes in earth into which are inserted piles and building anchors. The same types of equipment are also fitted with rams for forcefully inserting heavy pilings, posts and building anchors where the inserted item is forced into the ground and left. Many of these machines have drives that fit into a receptor in the item to be inserted. None of this type of apparatus pick up an item and transport it to the place where it is to be placed in the ground, maneuver it into position, engage the item with a socket wrenching device, rotate it to cause it to enter the ground and move a section of the apparatus out of the way so that the top of the interred item can be set to ground level. The same types of vehicles used in the boring and ramming of post holes and pilings are often fitted with clamshell buckets or other digging devices and used to dig the large holes required for current horizontal burial containers. These large holes require removal of a large amount of dirt. After burial, about half of the dirt is replaced to fill the hole and for ground cover and the rest is transported to another location requiring several vehicle trips. The present invention is designed to handle screw-in and self digging burial containers, such as those in U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,404, plus the items in Continuation-In-Part application Ser. No. 12/587,550, titled Edged Non Horizontal Burial Containers, to replace horizontal burial containers and the large holes and large land area required. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    It is a main object of this invention to provide apparatus with which to easily inter screw-in and self digging burial containers, thus greatly reducing the land area usage of each grave site. 
         [0011]    It is an object of this invention to reduce the time and cost of a burial by interring bodies in screw-in or self digging burial containers thus eliminating the digging of a large hole as well as reducing the labor required to handle the left over dirt and clean up and restore the burial site. 
         [0012]    It is yet another object of this invention to solve the problem of water filling an initial hole for burial containers in high water table areas, by providing a means to non-horizontally screw, agitate or press burial container into the ground or other receiving material. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    An apparatus of the present invention is mechanically fitted to a vehicle and the power supply of the vehicle is hooked up to the apparatus. The operator moves the apparatus over a screw-in or self digging burial container lying in a horizontal or other position, setting the shaped socket wrenching device of the apparatus firmly on the matchingly shaped head of the burial container. The operator closes the holding arms of the apparatus over the burial container, raises the burial container off of the ground and turns it to its interment position. The operator then maneuvers the burial container over and down onto the spot where it is to be interred. The operator slightly loosens the holding arms from around the burial container and begins rotation of the wrenching device, in the correct direction, while pressing the burial container downward. 
         [0014]    The preferred embodiment of this invention incorporates the use of hydraulic, electric, air or mechanical powered equipment to inter screw-in and self digging burial containers. Regularly available backhoes, tractors, cranes, loaders, forklifts and the like are fitted with the apparatus of the present invention. This apparatus is made using common metal working practices as it is composed of fabricated metal frames, to which are attached metal fabricated holding, wrenching and rotating sections, along with commonly available motors and power supplies. Together, these components make up a POSITIONING AND ROTATING APPARATUS FOR INTERRING SCREW-IN AND SELF DIGGING BURIAL CONTAINERS, to handle and maneuver the aforesaid types of burial containers into position and then screw, self dig, agitate and or press them into ground or other receiving material. The invented apparatus is used to inter said types of burial containers into water covered, swampy, muddy and high water table areas, using the water to assist interment. The invented apparatus is also used to quickly and easily place hollow screw-in or self digging units, in this case called coffers, containing food, water, hardware, information and or other materials safely and securely into dirt, sand, mud, snow or even under water. Other embodiments, ramifications and combinations of the design shown herein are equally preferred. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention, with its holding arms in a down and opened position and with the apparatus ready to be fitted onto a vehicle  100  is a vehicle such as a backhoe or tractor;  101  and  105  are cylinders;  102  is a support arm;  103  is a first support member which attaches to a vehicle;  104  is a motor;  106  is a second support member which can be made to rotate;  107  is a cylinder to control rotation of  106 ;  108  is the output shaft of motor  104 ; is the pivot shaft of the gripping arms;  111  is the extending end of the member on which are mounted the gripping arms;  112  and  113  are the front gripping arms;  114  are the cylinders moving the front gripping arms;  122  is a socket wrench. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention, with its holding arms in an up position and open and with the apparatus ready to be fitted onto a vehicle.  101  and  105  are cylinders;  112  and  113  are front gripping arms;  114  and  115  are gripping arm cylinders;  119  and  121  are rear gripping arms;  122  is a socket wrench. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a view looking up from below of a burial container with the holding arms of the present invention closed around the burial container.  113  is a front gripping arm;  114 ,  115  and  126  are gripping arm cylinders;  131  is a burial container. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the present invention holding a screw in type burial container in a vertical position.  100  is a vehicle on which is mounted the apparatus;  101  is a cylinder controlling the position of the gripping arms;  103  is the mounting frame which mounts on a vehicle;  104  is a motor;  106  is the second support frame;  107  is a cylinder controlling the rotation of the second support frame;  113  and  121  are front and rear gripping arms;  122  is a socket wrench;  131  is a screw-in coffin or coffer. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a view looking up from below of a burial container with the holding arms of the present invention opened away from the burial container.  112  and  113  are front gripping arms;  119  and  121  are rear gripping arms. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a front view of the present invention holding a screw in type burial container in a vertical position. Only the upper portion of the burial container is shown.  101  is a cylinder,  103  is the first support member;  104  is the motor;  107  is the cylinder controlling rotation of the second support frame;  112  is a front gripping arm;  122  is the socket wrench;  131  is a screw-in coffin or coffer;  140  is the head piece of a coffin or coffer. 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a front view of the present invention holding a screw-in type burial container in a horizontal position. Only the upper portion of the burial container is shown.  103  is the mounting frame which mounts on a vehicle;  107  is the cylinder controlling rotation of the second support frame;  131  is a screw-in coffin or coffer. 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with an apparatus of the present invention which is rotated to a horizontal position and is about to pick up a screw-in coffin.  100  is the front end of the arm of a vehicle;  113  is a front gripping arm;  122  is a socket wrench;  131  is a screw-in coffin or coffer,  140  is the head piece of the coffin or coffer. 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with an apparatus of the present invention in a horizontal position, moving a screw-in coffin.  112  is a front gripping arm. 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with an apparatus of the present invention positioning a screw-in coffin over its interment point  145  is the spot where the coffin is to be interred. 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with an apparatus of the present invention with a partially interred screw-in coffin.  112  is a front gripping arm;  142  is the screw-in coffin or coffer being interred. 
           [0026]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with an apparatus of the present invention with its holding arms pivoted upward to clear the ground for the socket wrench to fully inter a screw-in or self digging coffin or coffer.  112 ,  113  and  119  are gripper arms raised;  122  is a socket wrench;  142  is the fully interred coffin or coffer. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0027]    The apparatus of the present invention is basically characterized by a first support frame,  103 ,  FIG. 1 , which attaches to a powered vehicle,  100 ,  FIG. 1 , and which has a horizontally extending tubular member,  116 ,  FIG. 4 , over which a second tubular member,  106 ,  FIG. 1 , is mounted with bearings between the two members. The second tubular member rotates around the first tubular member as a second support frame. An extendible and retractable linear actuator,  107 ,  FIG. 1 , is mounted on an arm,  102 ,  FIG. 1 , which is attached to the second support frame, and is attached at its opposite end to the first support frame to control the relationship between the first and second support frames. This arrangement provides for the second support frame to be rotationally controlled between a horizontal and a vertical position. A bi-directional motor,  104 ,  FIG. 1 , is mounted on the second support frame. A socket wrench,  122 ,  FIG. 1 , matching the shape of the headpieces of the screw-in and self digging burial containers to be interred is mounted on the output shaft,  108 ,  FIG. 1 , of the motor. 
         [0028]    The second support frame has a fixed cross beam,  110 ,  FIG. 1 , extending out to each side on which are affixed brackets to hold the upper ends of extendible and retractable linear actuators,  101  and  105 ,  FIG. 1 , which are attached at their opposite ends to arms,  111 ,  FIG. 1 , on each side of the main body of the second support frame. The arms,  111 ,  FIG. 1 , pivot on a second fixed cross beam,  109 ,  FIG. 1 , and extend downward past the pivot point. The section of these arms below the pivot point contain hinge lines for front holding arms,  112  and  113 ,  FIG. 1 , and rear holding arms,  119  and  121 ,  FIG. 2 . Extendible and retractable linear actuators,  114  and  115 ,  FIG. 1 , attached to the pivot arms at one end, between the hinge lines, and to the holding arms at their opposite ends, provide control for opening and closing the holding arms 
         [0029]    The invented apparatus is attached to a vehicle,  100 ,  FIG. 8 , and hooked up to the power of the vehicle. The holding arms,  113 ,  FIG. 8 , are opened and the apparatus is rotated to align with the burial container,  131 ,  FIG. 8 . The burial container, having a shaped headpiece,  140 ,  FIG. 8 , is picked up by the, apparatus, with its shaped socket wrench,  122 ,  FIG. 8  fitted over the headpiece of the burial container. The holding arms,  113 , are closed as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0030]    The vehicle moves the burial container to the grave site, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . Once the burial container is at the spot where it is to be interred,  145 ,  FIG. 10 , it is rotated by way of the linear actuator,  107 ,  FIG. 1 , to be perpendicular to the ground surface. The burial container is then pressed downward into the receiving material. This action securely sets the top of the burial container into the socket wrench,  122 ,  FIG. 1 , mounted on the motor. The holding arms  112  and  113 ,  FIG. 1 , are then loosened slightly to reduce drag and the motor is rotated to cause the socket wrench to rotate the container in the proper direction. The burial container enters and continues into the receiving material,  FIG. 11 . Downward pressure and rotation are maintained on the burial container until the bottom edges of the holding arms,  112 ,  FIG. 11 , approach ground level,  142 ,  FIG. 11 . The holding arms,  112 ,  FIG. 12 , are then opened and pivoted upward away from the ground, allowing the entire apparatus to continue downward until the socket wrench,  122 ,  FIG. 12 , has interred the burial container to a position at or below ground level,  142 ,  FIG. 12 .