Appliance to Facilitate the Lowering of Heavy Weights, and especially for Lowering Coffins.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Appliance to Facilitate the Lowering of Heavy Weights, and especially
for Lowering Coffins.
I, MARIA ANN ANDREWS, of Highland Road, Southsea, in the County of Hants,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as follows:-
a
This invention relates to appliances mainly designed for use in lowering a
coffin into the grave and has for its object to provide a more elegant means of
performing the operation than the ordinary unsightly ropes usually employed.
The coffin-lowering appliance of my invention comprises two parts one
permanent attachment to the coffin in addition to the usual coffin furniture and
the other a part which detached from the coffin after the lowering operation is
completed, the two parts being so constructed and connected as to admit of
their casy disconnection by merely slacking out the suspension bands.
The first mentioned part consists of a looped bracket of wrought iron or
other suitable metal of a substantially L-shape in side view adapted to embrace
the lower side edge of the coffin, the lower horizontal member of the bracket
taking under and being screwed to the bottom of the coffin whilst the uprising
member extends up the side of the coffin at a sufficient distance therefrom to
enable the engagement therewith of a hook attached to a band of webbing and
forming the other part of the coffin-lowering appliance. For this purpose the
upwardly extending member of the bracket is a broad loop of rectangular form
internally and is formed externally of any suitable configuration and may be
lacquered, enamelled, or otherwise ornamented to match the rest of the coffin
furniture. The looped portion may be screwed to the side of the coffin at its
lower part in order to reinforce the attachment of the bottom plate and it is
inclined slightly outwards or offset towards its upper part so as to diverge
sufficiently from the side of the coffin to admit of the point of the hook passing
between it and the coffin side in order that the hook may enter into secure but
easily detachable engagement with the cross member of the loop.
The hook is formed with a broad loop through which the end of the lowering
band of strong flat webbing is passed and is securely attached by being folded
on itself and secured by being rivetted between clamping plates or otherwise,
whilst the hook proper is of a breadth to correspond to the loop with which it is
to be engaged, the upwardly extending point of the hook being of sufficient
length to engage between the loop of the bracket and the side of the coffin and
being V-shaped in the direction of its width so as to be readily detachable by
merely slacking out the lowering band when the coffin comes to rest.
A suitable number of such brackets would be affixed to the coffin at each side
for engagement by as many lowering bands in the hands of the respective bearers.
Dated this 5th day of May 1899.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London..

page_text: Appliance to Facilitate the Lowering of Heavy Weights, and especially
for Lowering Conffis.
.
I, MARIA ANN ANDREWS, of Highland Road, Southsea, in the County of Hants,
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 follow-
ing statement:-
i
.. This invention relates to appliances mainly designed for use in lowering a
coffin into the grave and has for its object to provide a more seemly means of
performing the operation than the unsightly ropes usually employed.
The coffin-lowering, appliance of my invention, comprises, two members one a
permanent attachment to the coffin (in addition to the usual coffin-furniture)
and the other a member which is detached from the coffin after the lowering
operation is completed, the two members being so constructed and connected as
to admit of their casy disconnection by merely slacking out the bands (to which
the detachable member is secured) by which the coffin or other article is slung in
lowering.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
wherein Figure 1 shews a 'side elevation and Figure 2 a cross section of a
coffin, the two parts being applied thereto, as in the act of lowering the coffin
into the grave.
Figure 3 shews, separately, the detachable member, drawn to
about full size; and Figure 4 the permanently attached member, the other
member being shewn in dotted lines in engagement therewith.
For
The permanently attached member consists of a looped bracket a of wrought
iron or other suitable metal of substantially L-shape in side view, adapted to
embrace the lower side edge of the coffin, the lower horizontal member a of the
bracket taking under and being screwed to the bottom of the coffin whilst the
uprising member a² extends up the side of the coffin at a sufficient distance
therefrom to enable the loop a³ to be engaged by a hook 6' attached to a band
of webbing band forming the other part of the coffin-lowering appliance.
this purpose the upwardly extending member aª of the bracket is a broad loop of
substantially rectangular form internally and is formed externally of any suit-
able configuration and may be lacquered, enamelled, or otherwise ornamented to
match the rest of the coffin furniture. The looped portion may be screwed to
the side of the coffin at its lower part in order to reinforce the attachment of the
bottom plate and it is inclined slightly outwards or offset towards its upper part
so as to diverge sufficiently from the side of the coffin to admit of the point of
the hook passing between it and the coffin-side, in order that the hook may
enter into secure but easily detachable engagement with the cross member of the
. loop.
The hook b¹ is formed with a broad loop ba through which 'the' end of the
lowering band 6 of strong flat webbing or its equivalent, is passed and securely
attached by being folded on itself and secured by being rivetted between clamp-
ing plates or otherwise, whilst the hook proper is of a breadth to correspond to
that of the loop with which it is to be engaged, the upwardly extending point 63
of the hook being of sufficient length to engage between the loop of the bracket
and the side of the coffin and being V-shaped in the direction of its width so ȧs
to be readily detachable by merely slacking out the lowering band when the
coffin comes to rest. The nose of the hook is substantially parallel with the
shank and at a distance therefrom no greater than is required to accommodate
the loop of the bracket so that the hook shall be readily detachable even in the

page_text: confined space usually left between the side of the coffin and the side of the
grave.
Two or more brackets, such as a, would be affixed to the coffin at each side for
engagement by as many lowering bands in the hands of the respective bearers.
The appliance may be employed for lifting and carrying the coffin, the band
being for this purpose provided with a handle or ring attached to the band
within a few inches of the hook so that the bearer may grasp the ring or handle
with one hand and with the other hand grasp the other end of the band which
would be passed over the shoulder. By this means the necessity of carrying the
coffin on the shoulder, which is objectionable for many reasons, is avoided
Although I have described and illustrated the invention as applied to the
lowering of coffins, I would have it clearly understood that the appliance may be
used for lowering other heavy articles into positions inaccessible for the detach-
ment of the device by which the article is slung.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. An appliance for lowering coffins into graves, and for lowering other heavy
articles into inaccessible positions consisting of looped brackets permanently
attached to the coffin or other article to be lowered and hooks secured to sus-
pension bands or webbing, the brackets and hooks being so formed as to be
capable of becoming readily disengaged when the coffin or other article comes to
rest and the lowering bands are slackened substantially as specified.
2. A permanent attachment for coffins for facilitating their lowering into
graves consisting of an L-shaped looped bracket whose vertical member is out-
wardly bent to afford passage for the hook or band by which the lowering is
effected substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 12th day of September 1899
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.