Abstract:
A cremation niche including a concrete masonry block formed as a single unit having an uninterrupted cross section which includes rectangular sides, top and bottom panels and open rectangular front and rear openings providing access into a hollow horizontally disposed interior of the concrete block. The concrete block material consistency and overall outside dimensions are equal to those of a conventional concrete building block. A plastic liner having an open front is snugly fit within and mating against inner surfaces of the concrete block which define the interior. A decorative faceplate covers the front opening, mating with the front surface and against a perimeter of the front opening of the liner.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to cremation niches, and particularly to a cremation niche having an improved concrete building block configuration of uniform size and fabrication and having a completely open ended interior for ease of manufacture and economy. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Cremation has become an increasingly popular burial means for human and animal remains. Popularity is increasing as the cost of conventional funerals and burial property dramatically increases. Cremation internment typically involves the storage of a relatively small volume of finely ground ash produced during the cremation process. Although disposal of cremation ash is also quite popular wherein the ash is spread over a particular area, terrain or at sea, nonetheless retaining the cremated remains for various reasons is also quite popular. 
     Although one storage means for cremation ash is within a portable urn, cremation niches used in a crypt or mausoleum to form, or be positioned against a vertical wall add further dignity to the cremation internment process. In my previous patent, I utilized a well-known building block structure in the form of a concrete building block or cinderblock formed of cured aggregate concrete material having a size and shape of a conventional concrete building block. Each niche, formed to include one of these concrete blocks, was then used to form an entire display wall within a crematorium or the like. However, the manufacturer of the concrete block with a closed end cavity as best seen in FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,637 was found to be uneconomical to manufacture. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,306 to Green discloses a device for storing remains. Kele et al. teaches a burial crypt arrangement in U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,745. A self-mountable niche for remains ashes is disclosed by Bach Lahor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,439. Zartman et al. teach a columbarium and niche unit therefor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,323. 
     The present invention provides an improved concrete block structure utilized to form a cremation niche. This improved concrete block has only parallel side, top and bottom walls, the front and back walls being completely open to define a completely open ended interior thereof. However, the benefits of forming such an improved concrete block having the same size and shape as that of a conventional concrete building block have been retained, the improvement affording substantial decreases in the cost of manufacture. Because of the completely open interior, it is preferred that this improved cremation niche be utilized to form a bank of niches against a support wall which is preferably formed of the same improved concrete block structure. 
     The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to a cremation niche including a concrete masonry block formed as a single unit having an uninterrupted cross section which includes only rectangular sides, top and bottom panels with open rectangular front and rear openings providing access into a hollow horizontally disposed interior of the concrete block. The concrete block material consistency and overall outside dimensions are equal to those of a conventional concrete building block. A niche liner having an open front is preferably snugly fit within and mating against inner surfaces of the concrete block which define the interior. A decorative faceplate covers the front opening, mating with the front surface and against a perimeter of the front opening of the niche liner. 
     It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a cremation niche formed from a uniquely configured concrete building block or “cinderblock” structure absent any front or back walls so as to define an economically manufacturable concrete block structure. 
     Still another object is to provide a concrete block for a cremation niche which has only outer symmetric walls and an open-ended interior and which may be used to form a support wall against which a bank of cremation niches may be installed. 
     The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative and not limiting in scope. In various embodiments one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated while other embodiments are directed to other improvements. In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following descriptions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a cremation niche system having a single bank of cremation niches. 
         FIG. 2  is a vertical section view of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a faceplate support strap. 
         FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6  are orthogonal side plan and end views, respectively, of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the support strap blank of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of a double-banked cremation niche system. 
         FIG. 9  is a vertical section view of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a double-ended faceplate support strap used in the embodiment in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 11  is a side elevation view of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a top plan view of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in reference figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered to be illustrative rather than limiting. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     List of Components 
     
         
         
           
               10 . cremation niche system  10 ′. double cremation niche system 
               11 . first bank of cremation niches 
               12 . precast concrete block 
               13 . second bank of cremation niches 
               14 . niche liner 
               16 . urn 
               18 . faceplate 
               20 . faceplate support strap 
               20   a . support strap blank 
               20 ′. double faceplate support strap 
               22 . faceplate attaching bolt 
               24 . rosette 
               26 . concrete block interior 
               28 . support wall upright side 
               30 . liner interior 
               32 . liner mounting flange 
               33 . cover plate 
               34 . flat bar 
               36 . upright lower stop 
               38 . upright upper stop 
               40 . faceplate support 
               42 . faceplate support 
               44 . bolthole 
               46 . upper stop cutout 
               48 . block alignment tab pair 
               50 . block alignment tab pair 
               52 . bar end 
               54 . block alignment tab pair 
               56 . block alignment tab pair 
               58 . block alignment tab pair 
           
         
       
    
     Referring now to the drawings, and firstly to  FIGS. 1 to 7 , one embodiment of the invention is there shown generally at numeral  10  and includes a plurality of precast concrete blocks  12  formed by the same process and having exactly the same dimensions and material consistency and content as that of a conventional concrete building block or “cinderblock” used in building construction. The concrete block  12  thus generally has nominal overall dimensions of 8″×8″×16″ or 8″×16″×16″. Moreover, the manufacturing process of the concrete block  12  is the same process as that used for the concrete building blocks for both economy and rapidity of production. 
     Each concrete block  12  is formed having side, top and bottom walls defining an interior  26  which is hollow and open at each end thereof. Moreover, this structure may be viewed as being symmetric. A molded, preferably plastic niche liner  14  closely mates against all of the interior wall surfaces of cavity  26  and defines an interior  30  having a rectangular opening at one end thereof and enclosed bottom and side walls which define the interior  30 . A liner mounting flange  32  mates against the front surface of the concrete block  12  and defines a perimeter of the niche liner  14 . A sealed urn  16  formed of any suitable material such as stainless steel, plastic, or wood which contains cremated remains, the urn  16  being sized to fit within the interior  30  of the niche liner  14 . 
     In this embodiment  10 , a single column or bank  11  of concrete blocks  12  are stacked vertically and in vertical alignment one block atop another with adjacent columns of aligned blocks  12  in horizontal alignment one column to the next to form the bank  11  of cremation niches. As previously described, each of the concrete blocks  12  is open at each end of the interior  26  so as to be substantially symmetric in both vertical and horizontal cross section. A support wall is formed of concrete block  12   a  which are identical to the concrete blocks  12  except for the vertical orientation of the interior  26   a . The concrete blocks  12   a  of the support wall are stacked in horizontal alignment with the concrete blocks  12  as best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In order to establish a proper vertical spacing between each row of concrete blocks  12  and  12   a , an elongated faceplate support strap  20  formed of a flat aluminum or stainless steel bar best seen in  FIG. 7  is provided. Each of these faceplate support straps  20  include pairs of opposingly vertically oriented block alignment tab pairs  48  and  50 . These alignment tab pairs  48  and  50  are centered along the longitudinal center line of the faceplate support strap  20  and, as best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , provide horizontal alignment between each horizontally adjacent concrete block  12  of the bank  11  of niches and each concrete block  12   a  of the support wall. One end of the faceplate support strap  20  also includes an upwardly extending upright upper stop  38  and a downwardly extending upright lower stop  36 . These stops  36  and  38  simultaneously bear against the front surface of a total of four concrete blocks  12  along the “quadraedge” formed by each group of four blocks. 
     The formed end of the faceplate support strap  20  also includes outwardly extending faceplate supports  40  and  42  which are coplanar with the flat bar  34  and serve to align and support two adjacent faceplates  18  which are preferably formed of granite material and provide an exposed surface for identifying the cremation remains of the deceased and other visual memorabilia to enhance the ceremonial aspects of each of the niches. 
     In order to retain the faceplates in place after niche liners  14  have been inserted into the interior  26  and the urn  16  has been placed into the interior  30  of the niche liner  14 , a flat plastic cover plate  33  sized in length and width to substantially equal that of the liner mounting flange  32  and the overall vertical and horizontal dimensions of each concrete block  12 , will seal and protect the urn  16  positioned within the interior  30  of the niche liner  14 . Thereafter, the faceplate  18  will be positioned against the cover plate  33  resting on the corresponding faceplate support  40  or  42 . 
     To secure each of the faceplates  18  in place, a combination mechanical fastener  22  and enlarged rosette  24  are threadable engaged into an aperture  44  positioned centrally at the base of upright upper stop  38 . The rosette  24  is sufficiently large to overlap and cover the quadraedge intersection of the four corners of the respective faceplates  18 . The overall length of each of the flat bars  34  of the faceplate support strap  20  is generally equal to the thickness of two of the concrete blocks  12  and  12   a  ( 16 ″) so that the opposite end  52  is generally in alignment with the back surface of the concrete blocks  12   a  of the support wall. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 8 to 12 , a second embodiment of the invention is there shown generally at numeral  10 ′ and includes a plurality of the precast concrete blocks  12  as previously described. However, in this embodiment  10 ′, two outwardly facing banks of cremation niches  11  and  13  are provided. Each of these niche banks  11  and  13  outwardly extend from the common support wall and are positioned and attached against upright wall surfaces  28  and  28   a , respectively. All identically numbered features as previously described are also provided in this embodiment  10 ′. 
     To vertically and horizontally space each side-by-side and stacked blocks, and to horizontally align each block of concrete blocks  12 , an elongated faceplate support strap  20 ′ is provided. This support strap  20 ′ has a first end with structural features at  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 , and  44  as previously described. However, the flat bar  34 ′ is elongated to span three concrete block widths, or approximately 24″ and includes a second end which is configured identically to that of the first end such that, as best seen in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , upright stops  36  and  38 , being symmetric end to end, hold the concrete blocks  12  and  12   a  together and tightly against the upright wall surfaces  28  and  28   a  of the support wall. The block alignment tab pairs  54  and  58  properly space apart and align adjacent pairs of concrete blocks  12 , while the block alignment tab pair  56  aligns and properly spaces apart the concrete block  12   a  forming the support wall. Each end of this double faceplate support strap  20 ′ includes the faceplate supports  40  and  42  as previously described. Again, all of these concrete blocks  12  and  12   a  are identical and have dimensional identity width conventional concrete blocks as previously described. Each end of this double faceplate support strap  20 ′ includes the faceplate supports  40  and  42  as previously described. 
     While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permeations and additions and subcombinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereinafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permeations, additions and subcombinations that are within their true spirit and scope.