Improvements in Burial Casket Handles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1892-Accepted, 6th Aug., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Burial Casket Handles.
I, JOHN MCCARTHY of 119 Market Street, Syracuse, in the State of New
York, United States of America, Undertaker, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My invention relates to burial casket handles, which are re-inforced, so as to
remove a part of the strain off from the pins or pintles in the hinges which connect
the handle bars or grips to the body plates.
My object is to produce a casket handle in which the handle bar is hinged to
the body plate, so that it can be folded down against the side of the casket, and
which is provided with a re-inforcement which distributes the strain of the weight
upon the handle when the casket is being carried by the handles, relieving the hinge
pin or pintle of part of such strain, and reducing the danger of the breakage of
said pintle, said re-inforcement being also adapted to be folded or shut up, when
the handle is let down, so that the handle bar will then lie substantially as close to
the casket body as when no re-inforcement is used.
It is constructed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
in which
Fig. 1, is a front elevation of part of the side of a casket, and a handle thereon
provided with a chain re-inforcement.
Fig. 2, is a sectional elevation thereof, on line xx, in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, is a front clevation of a handle and a re-inforcement consisting of
sectional bars pivotally connected together, and to the handle, and hinged to the
side of the casket.
Fig. 4, is a sectional elevation of the same, folded down, showing it extended by
dotted lines.
Fig. 5, is a front elevation of a handle and two forms of re-inforcing bars hinged
to or around the handle bar, and having their free ends provided with a T head,
which is adapted to traverse a scat for it in the body plate.
Fig. 6, is a sectional elevation of Fig. 5, on line z.
Fig. 7, is a perspective of a handle and re-inforcement connected thereto, on
the upper side, and bearing against the body plate or casket side, or having one
end secured to the plate or casket, and adapted to bear against the handle when it
is raised.
"A," is a part of one side of a casket, and a a are body plates secured
thereon, said plates being provided with sockets which receive the ends of the
arnis b of the handle bar c, and through which the pintle d passes, creating
a hinge joint, which permits the handle to be folded down against the side when
desired.
To re-inforce the handle bar and relieve the hinge pintle from part of the strain
thereon, which causes it to break, in many cases, I use a re-inforcement "B."
In Figs. 1 and 2 it consists of a chain or chains e secured to the handle
bar, and also secured to a stopper fadapted to be drawn up against the
stop g, when the handle is raised; or it may be secured to the side of the
casket in any ordinary manner, in which case the chain will hang in pendent bights
when the handle is folded down; while, as shown in the drawings, the stopper f
will lower and draw the chain through the stop, substantially as shown by the
dotted lines.
The stop g is secured by a screw or screws to the side of the casket.
In Figs. 3 and 4, the re-inforcement consists of two bars h, pivotally connected
to each other, one bar section being pivotally connected to the handle bar, and

page_text: the other being connected or hinged to a pin, eye or staple i, secured upon one
side of the casket; so that the sections will fold as shown by the dotted lines when
the handle is let down.
In Fig. 5, on the right, and in Fig. 6, I show the re-inforcement having a
loose sleeve around the handle bar, and at the other end provided with lateral studs
or arms, constituting a T head, which fits into a seat therefor in the body plate,
said arms fitting under the inwardly projecting flange m, and when the handle is
folded down, said head will traverse the seat in said plate.
In the construction upon the left, in Fig. 6, the bar kis hinged to the handle
bar, or to a sleeve thereon.
In Fig. 7, the bars n are secured to sleeves around the handle and their
free ends bear against the plate, or the side of the casket when the handle is
raised; and then when the handle is lowered, they will follow and at last lie upon
the arms.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination of a casket, handles hinged thereto, and the re-inforce-
inents extending from the casket and attached to the handles adjacent to their
point of connection with the casket, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
2. The combination of a casket, handles hinged thereto, and re-inforcements
connected to them at or near their ends and to the casket, for relieving a part of
the vertical strain, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination of a casket, the handles hinged thereto, and re-inforcements
hinged to said handles and engaging the casket for relieving a part of the vertical
strain substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of a casket, the handle bars e provided with arms b
which are hinged to the casket, and re-inforcing links or chains connected to
the casket and to the handle bars adjacent to the arms b, substantially as
set forth.
Dated this. 29th day of February 1892.
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for Applicant.