Improvements in Burial Cases.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1893-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Burial Cases.
I, JAMES ALFRED LAKIN of No. 91 Court Street, in the Town of Westfield,
County of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Manufacturer, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide an improved and unusually effectual
means for hermetically sealing the lid of a casket or other form of burial case,
the advantages of which manner of sealing are obvious, and need no mention
herein.
And the invention consists in a burial case comprising the receptacle and the
lid, the one or both having a groove along the line of closure and an inflatable air-
tube in the groove-constituted space, and an air-conduit leading from the exterior
of the case, and communicating with the air-tube and having a check-valve.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a casket, showing the lid open and having
applied thereto the features of novelty comprised in, or pertaining to, the present
invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the air-ring and inflating conduit connected
thereto.
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken centrally and longitudinally, and comprising
but a small portion of the length of the closed casket.
Figure 3 is a face view of an external plate, or bushing, which has a connection
with the inflating air-tube, combined with which is shown a check-valve, and
Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-section of the closed casket.
In the drawings, A represents the body of the casket, and B the lid, hinged or
connected, and both of metal, or any suitable impervious material, as usual, but it
will be noticed that the adjoining edges of both the body and cover have grooves, a
and b, which, together, form a space extending entirely around the casket and at
the place of closure in which the air-tube, C, is placed. This air-tube may be
composed solely of india rubber, at a proper condition of vulcanization, or it may
be composed of india rubber in any of its elastic compounds, or of rubber in com-
bination with a reinforcing thickness of textile or other material. This air-tube is
inflated or inflatable, so that when the lid is closed the expansive tendency of the
air-tube will ensure the complete filling of the continuous space constituted by
the matching grooves and ensure the exclusion of air to, or of gases from, the closed
burial case.
d represents a conduit which communicates with the air-tube and leads to a
suitable external part of the case whereby connection therewith of an air-pump may
be had for the inflation of the air-tube to the proper degree of distension, and at
the left of Figure 1, and indicated by D, is shown an air-forcing-pump, the con-
struction of which may be as already well known, and hence requiring no special
description herein.
As shown the conduit, d, has something the form of a T-coupling and the median
member thereof may be of metal and is flaring or bell-mouthed at its one end; to
the branches, d,, which are of rubber or other yielding material, the ends of the
air-tube are cemented or otherwise connected, and the Haring portion, d³, as here
shown, terminates at the outer surface of the body of the casket and receives the
bushing or plate, f, which is secured in place by screws, or otherwise, and may,
if deemed desirable, be lead-jointed or otherwise packed and will be plated or
finished as deemed appropriate.

page_text: This bushing or plate has through it an opening, ƒ2, here indicated as being
screw-threaded, although not necessarily so, for the reception of a nozzle of the
air-pump; and a check-valve is provided for the inflating conduit, d, so that air
forced therethrough may not escape, and to this end the hinged valve, g, is
pivotally hung between the ear-lugs, g², to swing at the inner side of the aforesaid
plate, f.
Valves of other description might be applied for the stated purpose and the
application or arrangement thereof might be otherwise than as specifically shown,
the primary purpose being to securely retain, for an indefinite period, practically all
of the air within the air-tube which shall have been forced thereinto.
While, as shown and as will be inanifest, it is preferred to have an approximately
semi-circular groove and the contiguous edges of both lid and body of the casket,
limitation is not intended to be made with respect to the duplicated grooving for
either, the case or the lid might be provided with a groove having a depth almost or
quite as great as the diameter of the inflated air-tube into which the latter might
be placed without departing from the invention.
In some kinds of burial cases it may be desirable to form the tube-receiving
groove or grooves and provide the air-tube therein lengthwise along but part of the
edge of the case. And, again, of course, the conduit, d, might be extended to the
outside of the lid from its connection with the air-ring; but such arrangements, as
just above mentioned, merely involve judgment and expediency.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A burial case comprising the receptacle and the lid, the one or both having
a groove along the line of closure and an inflatable air-tube in the groove-constituted
space, and an air-conduit leading from the exterior of the case, and communicating
with the air-tube and having a check-valve, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the burial case with the lid grooved, substantially as
described, and the air-tube, of the conduit, d, having the flexible branches, d², d²,
to which the terminals of the air-tube are connected, said conduit also having the
flaring extremity, terminating at the exterior of the case and the bushing plate, f,
having the opening and a check-valve thereat, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Dated this Sixteenth day of May 1893
JAMES ALFRED LAKIN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.