Abstract:
A trailer for transport, positioning and removal of grave-site supports by one workman provides a U-shaped base frame supporting an upstanding peripheral frame that carries an upstanding storage bin for tools and accessories required for set up of the grave-site support and supports a hoist structure. The U-shaped base frame defines a rearwardly opening medial space within which the grave-site support is carried for transport while allowing trailer positioning over the grave-site support for removal and placement. The hoist provides a depending tension element interconnecting plural connector elements which interconnect the grave-site support for vertical motion for positioning and transport.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Related Applications 
     There are no applications related hereto heretofore filed in this or any foreign country. 
     Field of Invention 
     This invention relates generally to article handling and more particularly to a load bridging vehicle for transport of grave-site supports, tools and accessory materials. 
     IIC. Background and Description of Prior Art 
     The disposal of human remains and the processes and practices associated therewith have a sophisticated historicity, probably about as long as human life itself. Through that historical period the associated practices and procedures have changed quite materially. Ground burial in individual rigid containers such as caskets, vaults or the like has been and remains a popular method for such disposal. In the more recent history of ground burial, it has become common to encase a rigid coffin within a burial vault formed of some rigid durable material such as concrete, plastic or the like as this practice benefits cemeteries in preventing grave subsidence and also benefits the aesthetic tastes and psychological needs of a decedent&#39;s survivors. 
     Both caskets and burial vaults are relatively large heavy structures that are difficult to manually move and manipulate. Responsively various mechanical devices have heretofore been developed to aid in accomplishing these functions. As such devices were developed and came into use, they tended to offend the aesthetic and psychological sensitivity of a decedent&#39;s survivors when the devices were present at grave-site funerary services, probably because they demonstrate rather graphically the nature of death and the disposal of human remains, which in general tend to upset the human psyche. 
     Responsively the more massive unconcealed transportation and lowering devices for vaults and caskets fell out of popularity at grave-site services and smaller more concealable grave-site supports have become popular in the present day. The smaller grave-site supports in general provide a relatively flat base configured to extend smaller about the periphery of a pre-formed grave excavation and support an upstanding pedestal type base for the ultimate support of a casket. The support may be covered partially or completely with drapery, grass mats or the like for at least partial concealment to lessen the impact of its significance while yet allowing the device to be used to lower a casket into the grave excavation therebeneath, which generally already contains at least part of a pre-placed burial vault, after grave-site funerary service participants have left the grave-site. Such grave-site supports of the present day marketplace are still relatively large, bulky and relatively heavy devices that present problems for transport, establishment and removal. The instant invention provides a trailer for transport, placement and removal of such supports which additionally provides facilities for transport and storage of tools and accessory materials required for use with the supports or at the grave site. 
     Though smaller concealable grave-site supports have been known and used for some time, they generally have been transported, positioned and removed partially manually and partially by use of general vehicular material handling machinery that is not specifically designed for nor adapted to use with grave-site supports. Such activity generally has required the services of at least two workers in addition to the machinery involved. The expenditure of substantial time and effort in dealing with concealable grave-site supports tends to make grave-site burial services difficult and not particularly economically viable for the service providers, though such services still are often desired by a decedent&#39;s survivors. The instant invention seeks to provide a trailer type vehicle to aid in resolving this problem. 
     The instant trailer provides a U-shaped base frame having the back of the “U” forwardly positioned to attach a tongue while leaving an open rearward portion so that a grave-site support may be carried within the void defined by the frame and yet the trailer may be moved in an elongate direction over a ground supported grave-site support for either placement or removal. This type of U-shaped base frame is distinguished from prior devices for transport and placement of burial vaults and caskets which have provided a completely closed peripheral frame defining a medial void wherein a casket or vault is supported and through which they may be vertically moved. With such prior devices, the casket or vault remains on or in the device and is lowered vertically therefrom for placement in a grave-site so that the mechanism does not need to be moved horizontally over or away from any ground supported structure such as grave-site support that remains on the surface of the earth after placement. The instant type of peripherally defined U-shaped base frame allows the creation of a smaller, more compact trailer that yet provides greater utility at an established grave-site during grave-site support placement and removal than has been provided by prior methods and devices. The instant trailer also allows the supporting wheels of the trailer to be maintained laterally outwardly of the grave excavation so as not to put any substantial supportative force directly on the peripheral edges or side walls defining the grave excavation to cause collapse of that area into the grave excavation. 
     The base frame supports an upstanding peripheral frame carrying a relatively large five sided box-like storage bin for transport and storage of tools and ancillary materials required at a grave-site for establishment, use and removal of a grave-site support. The medial portion of the storage box supports a winch carrying a tension element depending downwardly through the storage box and therebelow to carry plural cables for attachment to a grave-site support to interconnect the support, maintain it within the void defined by the peripheral frame and move it vertically for placement on or removal from a grave-site. 
     My invention resides not in any one of these features individually, but rather in the synergistic combination of all of its structures that give rise to the functions necessarily flowing therefrom as herein specified and claimed. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The instant trailer for grave-site supports provides a U-shaped base frame having the back of the “U” forwardly positioned to attach a hitch for interconnection with a propelling vehicle and rearwardly extending legs to define a partially enclosed medial void within which a grave-site support may be carried. Each leg of the frame carries a laterally extending wheel truck journaling a supportative wheel. The opposed legs of the base frame support two elongately spaced sets of laterally spaced opposed upstanding posts, each pair of which are connected in their upper end portions by laterally extending beams which support an elongate storage bin. The storage bin supports a laterally extending beam to interconnect the tension elements for vertical motion and carry an electrically powered winch having a tension element depending through and below the storage bin to interconnect plural tension elements that connect the grave-site support for vertical positioning and motion. The forward portion of the base frame carries a forwardly extending hitch to interconnect with a propelling vehicle and support within the medial void defined by the base frame. 
     In providing such an apparatus, it is: 
     A principal object to create a trailer particularly adapted for transport, positioning and removal of smaller concealable grave-site support devices of the modern funerary arts. 
     A further object is to provide such a trailer that has a wheel supported U-shaped base frame carrying an upstanding peripheral frame supporting an elongate storage bin spacedly above the base frame. 
     A further object is to provide such a trailer that has a powered winch, supported on a beam carried by the storage bin, with a tension element depending through and below the storage bin to releaseably interconnect and support a grave-site support between the rearwardly extending legs of the trailer base frame for vertical positioning responsive to hoist operation. 
     A further object is to provide such a trailer that has plural adjustable supports to maintain the carried grave-site support between the lateral legs of the base frame and spacedly distant therefrom. 
     A still further object is to provide such a trailer that has a storage bin to carry hand tools and ancillary materials required to establish a grave-site support for use at a grave-site. 
     A still further object is to provide such a trailer that is of new and novel design, of rugged and durable nature, of simple and economic manufacture and one that is otherwise well suited to the uses and purposes for which it is intended. 
     Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following specification and accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. In carrying out the objects of my invention however, it is to be understood that its features are susceptible of change in design and structural arrangements with only one preferred and practical embodiment being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specified as is required. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     In the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein like numbers of reference refer to similar part throughout: 
     FIG. 1 is a somewhat generic isometric view of a typical grave-site support having fastening structures to adapt the support for use with the instant invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an oblique rearwardly looking isometric view of the right side of my trailer showing various of its parts, their configuration and relationships. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial isometric view of the hoist structure of the trailer of FIG. 2, showing details thereof. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial isometric view of an adjustable support device of the trailer of FIG. 2 for positional maintenance of a grave-site support in the trailer. 
     FIG. 5 is an oblique forward looking isometric view of the right side of the trailer of FIG. 2, showing its parts, their configurations and relationships from this aspect. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     My grave-site support trailer generally comprises base frame  10  carrying depending wheel trucks  11  and supporting upstanding peripheral frame  12  which supports storage bin  13  which in turn supports hoist structure  14  to vertically move a grave-site support  15  carried by the trailer. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, base frame  10  is a U-shaped structure formed by similar opposed lateral legs  16  interconnected in their forward portions by back beam  17 . The legs  16  and back beam  17  preferably are formed from box type beams structurally interconnected at their immediately adjacent portions by welding to provide the structural integrity required of the frame. The rearward portion of the undersurface of each leg  16  carries similar opposed bumpers  18  providing a housing to movably carry pugs  18   a  biased to an inward position, but movable by applied force, or manually by ring  18   b , spacedly outward against their bias to aid in stabilizing and positionally maintaining a grave-site support carried by the trailer spacedly distant from each of the legs  16 . The under surface of back beam  17  carries at least one bumper  19  having structure similar to bumpers  18  to maintain the forward portion of a grave-site support spacedly distant from the rearward surface of back beam  17 . Such bumpers are known in material handling vehicles and are commercially available. They therefore are not described in detail because they do not constitute an essential part of the instant trailer per se. 
     Elongate tongue  20  extends forwardly from the forward surface of back beam  17  to carry hitch  21  at its forwardmost portion to interconnect with a propelling vehicle. Similar angulated tongue supports  22  extend rearwardly from the medial portion of each side of tongue  20  to interconnect with back beam  17  to provide additional strength and support for the tongue structure. The tongue structure elements in the form illustrated comprise box beams structurally interconnected at their intersecting portions by welding. 
     Wheel trucks  11  are carried by the rearward medial portion of each base frame leg  16  to depend therefrom to support the trailer on a surface therebeneath. The wheel trucks  11  provide supports  23  structurally carried by the undersurface of leg beams  16  to depend therefrom to support wheel bearings  24  in their lower extension. Each wheel bearing  24  rotatably supports a jack shaft (not shown) which in turn supports wheel  25  carrying tire  26 . Fenders  27  are supported by the laterally outer sides of each base frame leg  16  to prevent debris from moving upwardly and either forwardly or rearwardly from the rotating tires  26 . This wheel truck structure is well known, commonly used in many trailer-type vehicles and therefore not described in ultimate detail. 
     Peripheral frame  12  provides two elongately spaced sets of paired opposed upstanding posts  28  with a first post of each set supported on the upper surface of one leg beam  16  and the second post of each set support upon the upper surface of the other leg beam. The upper ends of each set of posts  28  are interconnected by laterally extending peripheral frame beams  29 . Similar paired opposed angled supports  30  extend from the lower portion of each forward and rearward side of each post  28  to the upper surface of the adjacent leg beam  16  and upper angulated supports  31  extend between the inner facing surface of each post  28  and the lower surface of the adjacent laterally extending peripheral framed beam  29 . In the instance illustrated, these peripheral frame members are formed of box beams and the immediately adjacent portions of the box beams are structurally joined by welding to provide a peripheral frame having the required strength, rigidity and durability. 
     Secondary peripheral frame elements  32  extend spacedly upwardly from the upper surface of lateral peripheral frame beams  29  to structurally interconnect and support storage bin  13 . The storage bin  13  is a five sided open top rectilinear box defined by similar longer sides  33  interconnected by shorter ends  34  supported on bottom  35 . The lower lateral sides of the bin  13  are reinforced by similar angle beams  36  extending over the laterally outer surface of each side  33  and the adjacent lower surface of the bottom  35 . The angle beams  36  are supported on and interconnected with laterally extending box end beams  37  carried therebelow in a position with their elongately outer surfaces parallel with the outer surfaces of the box ends  34 . The storage bin is configured with an elongate length greater than the distance between the distal surfaces of lateral peripheral frame beams  29  and a width less than the length of those beams. The horizontal legs of angle beam  36  are supported on the elongately paired spaced secondary supports  32  carried by each lateral peripheral frame beam  29 . The adjacent surfaces of the angulated beams and secondary supports are structurally joined by welding. 
     Similar paired opposed hoist posts  38  extend upwardly from structural support on the outer vertical surface of the medial portion of each angle beam  36  spacedly above the uppermost edge of storage bin sides  33 . Hoist beam  39  extends laterally between the hoist beam posts  38  and is structurally joined to the posts to support hoist structure  14 . The storage bin bottom  35  defines tension element orifice  40  beneath and immediately forwardly of hoist beam  39  to allow passage of a hoist tension element through and beneath the storage bin. Preferably box channel element  41  is supported on bottom  35  about orifice  40  to extend upwardly approximately to the level of hoist beam  39  to protect the hoist tension element within the storage bin containment chamber. 
     Hoist structure  14  provides bracket  42  structurally carried by the medial portion of the upper surface of hoist beam  39  to mount hoist  43  powered by electric motor  44 . The hoist  43  carries elongate tension element  45 , in the case illustrated a cable. The hoist  43  is so positioned that the tension element  45  depends without interference downwardly through the channel of box channel element  41  and orifice  42  to a position spacedly beneath storage bin  13 . The tension element  45  in its depending end carries connector ring  46  which in turn carries four separate flexible connector elements  47  attached by hook-type connectors  48 . In their depending outer end portions the connector elements  47  interconnect with grave-site support  15 . The length of the connector elements  47  is substantially the same so that when those elements are interconnected between a grave-site support therebeneath and ring  46  of tension element  45  the grave-site support will be substantially oriented horizontally. The one particular configuration of bracket  42  for mounting the hoist structure that is illustrated is operative in performing its desired function, but this element may assume various other configurations that are operative with my invention and those variants are within the spirit and scope of my invention. Various known releaseable connectors may be provided at either or both ends of connector elements  47  rather than at the upper end only as illustrated and these variants are within the ambit, spirit and scope of my invention. Hoist motor  44  preferably is electrically powered either by the electrical system of a transport vehicle associated with the trailer or by a separate battery power source carried on the trailer, preferably within the chamber defined by the storage bin  13 (not shown). Control mechanism  49 , of known type commonly used in material moving vehicles is provided to regulate motor operation for starting, stopping and reversing to responsively regulate vertical positioning of tension element  45 . The control mechanism  49  preferably is carried on the outer surface of storage bin  13  for easy location and access, though this is not necessary or essential to the trailer structure. 
     From the foregoing description of the structure of my trailer, its operation and function may be understood. 
     A somewhat generic view of a typical grave-site support  15  available in present day commerce is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Flat elongate base  50 , often formed of expanded metal, defines elongate medial orifice  51  of a size somewhat greater than the size of a casket to be lowered therethrough. The base normally extends approximately 18 to 24 inches outwardly from the orifice to define an area that is supported on the surface of the earth about a grave excavation. The base  50  supports an upstanding casket channel element extending upwardly about the casket orifice  51 . The casket channel element is formed by upper peripheral frame  53  covered externally by sheet material  55 , generally comprising sheets of expanded metal, supported on the upper surface of base  50  to define medial casket channel  52  communicating with orifice  51  in the base. 
     The upper peripheral frame  53  carries an upstanding casket support formed by four similar upstanding corner pylons  57  carrying rod-like similar side rails  58  and end rails  59  to define medial casket channel  52  communicating with orifice  51  in the base. The side rails  58  are journaled in the supporting pylons  57  for adjustable rotation so that they may be rotated to lower a casket through the casket channel  52  and casket orifice  51  into a grave excavation. Each side rail carries two spaced flexible bands  62  having their ends rolled somewhat equally on each side rail  58  and a length sufficient to allow a casket supported thereon between the side rails to be lowered into a grave excavation upon unrolling the rolled ends of each band. The flexible bands are formed of woven fabric banding, such as nylon of appropriate strength to support a casket during its positioning in a. grave excavation. At least one end rail  59 a carries a roller  60  that may be moved to upstanding position to aid in moving a casket onto the casket support structure. Each side rail carries two perpendicularly extendable side rollers  61  that may be moved to a horizontal position to further aid in moving a casket in an elongate direction onto the casket support and in supporting the casket for positional maintenance thereon. These side rollers  61  are releasably journaled on the side rails carrying them to provide the casket support required of them when fixedly engaged but yet when released to allow rotation of the side rails for lowering of the casket downwardly therepast and into a grave excavation. 
     With this grave site support structure then, a casket may be supported for viewing at a grave excavation during a grave side service and thereafter may be lowered by the grave-site support into the grave excavation for ultimate burial. Most such grave-site supports have reasonably standardized peripheral configuration and dimensioning and a trailer of the instant invention may be used for transport and positioning of many such grave-site supports of present day commerce produced by different manufacturers. 
     Such grave-site supports are modified for use with my invention by attaching thereto four connectors  63  to releasably attach the hooks  48  of the connector elements  47  or by directly attaching the connector elements themselves. Connectors  63  preferably are metallic bands connected to the opposed end portions of each side element of the peripheral frame  53  of the casket channel to extend spacedly above the peripheral frame where each band defines orifice  64  to receive hooks  48  of the connector elements  47 . Similar connectors may be used to permanently attach one end of each connector element  47  to the grave-site support when the other end of the connector may be releaseably attached to connector ring  46  of tension element  45 . The connectors may be provided at various positions on the grave-site support and be operative, but they tend to provide more stable and convenient support if positioned symmetrically spacedly distant from both ends of each side of the casket channel  52 . 
     To move such a grave-site support  15  as described with my trailer, the grave-site support is positioned on some supportative surface, generally not substantially higher then the height of base frame  10  of my trailer above the supportative surface, and the trailer is moved in an elongate direction over the grave-site support with a trailer wheel  26  on each side of the base  50  of the support. Normally the trailer will be interconnected with a propelling transport vehicle such as a pick-up truck and moved by that vehicle, but if fine control of the trailer is required during the trailer positioning operation, the trailer may be manually moved by a workman to a position over the grave-site support. After positioning of the trailer over the grave-site support, winch  43  is operated, if necessary, to lower tension element  45  to provide sufficient slack to allow the four connector elements  47  to be interconnected in holes  64  of connectors  63  or with connector ring  46  as the case may be to interconnect the tension element  45  with grave-site support. The winch  43  then is operated to raise the interconnected grave-site support  15  to a level with its base  50  substantially coplanar with base frame  10  of the trailer. The bumper supports  18 ,  19  then are moved to positionally maintain the base  50  of the grave-site support, if required, and the trailer is ready for transport to a grave-site. 
     At the grave-site the trailer is moved in an elongate direction over the grave excavation (not shown) with tires  26  supported on the earth spacedly adjacent the sides of the grave excavation. This trailer motion is usually accomplished by use of the propelling vehicle, but if fine control of the motion is required that cannot be provided by vehicular motion, the trailer may be detached from its propelling vehicle and manually moved by a workman. When the grave-site support  15  is in position over the grave excavation winch  43  is operated to lower the grave-site support to the earth about the grave excavation. The connectors  63  are released from the tension elements  41  and the tension element is raised to a storage position. The trailer then is moved from the grave-site and the grave-site prepared for grave side services in the traditional fashion heretofore known. After the grave side services and subsequent casket lowering have been accomplished, the trailer is moved back over the grave-site support, the tension element  45  is reattached to the grave-site support by the connector elements and is picked-up in the same fashion as it was initially from its storage area to be taken back to that storage area where it again is deposited in the same fashion as over a grave site for its next use. 
     The foregoing description of my invention is necessarily of a detailed nature so that a specific embodiment of its best known mode might be set forth as required, but it is to be understood that various modifications of detail, rearrangement and multiplication of parts might be resorted to without departing from its spirit, essence or scope. 
     Having thusly described my invention, what I desire to protect by letters patent, and