CASKET ARRANGEMENT WITH HANDLE CLEARANCE AND PERSONALIZATION RECEIVER

Abstract

A casket arrangement includes a casket base, panels extending upwardly from the casket base, and a receiver fixedly coupled to at least one of the panels. Each panel includes inwardly facing and outwardly facing surfaces. At least one of the panels includes an opening formed through the inwardly facing surface and the outwardly facing surface. A receiver or guard is fixedly coupled to the inwardly facing surface of the at least one of the panels at a portion of the inwardly facing surface that is vertically between the opening and the casket base. At least a portion of the receiver is vertically aligned with the opening and spaced apart from the inwardly facing surface.

Claims

1. A casket arrangement, comprising: a casket base; panels extending upwardly from the casket base to define a container having an interior, each panel an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein at least a first panel of the panels includes an opening extending therethrough from the inner surface to the outer surface; and a receiver fixedly coupled to the inner surface of the first panel, wherein at least a portion of the receiver is vertically aligned with the opening, the receiver configured to support a decorative insert in a position inward of said inwardly facing surface, said decorative insert visible from an exterior of the casket arrangement.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view a casket arrangement including openings at least partially vertically aligned with the handle;

[0016] FIG. 2 depicts an alternative embodiment of the casket arrangement of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3A depicts a perspective view of a fragmentary detail of the casket assembly of FIG. 1 including a receiver that is fixedly coupled to the casket arrangement;

[0018] FIG. 3B depicts another perspective view of the fragmentary detail of the casket assembly of FIG. 1 including the receiver that is fixedly coupled to the casket arrangement; and

[0019] FIG. 4 depicts an alternative embodiment of the receiver shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a casket arrangement 100 including a casket 104, handles 106, a plurality of openings 110, and a receiver 114 corresponding to each of the openings 110. As shown in FIG. 1, the casket 104 has a casket base 116, which forms the bottom of the casket 104, and panels 120a, 120b extending upwardly from the casket base 116 to form the sides of the casket 104 having an interior 136. The interior 136 in this embodiment is sized and configured to receives the body of an adult human.

[0021] Two of the panels 120a form longer sides of the casket 104, and one handle 106 is fixedly coupled to each of these two panels 120a to facilitate moving and carrying the casket arrangement 100. Each of these two panels 120a also includes openings 110 formed through the panel 120a to provide space (also referred to herein as handle clearance) for the fingers, knuckles, and backs of the hands of casket carriers gripping the handles 106. As described in more detail below, the receivers 114 are fixedly coupled to the inside of the casket 104 on these two panels 120a in positions adjacent to and corresponding to each of the openings 110, and each receiver 114 is configured to receive and retain a personalization or decorative item 124 to be viewed through the corresponding opening 110. The two panels 120a in this embodiment have an identical structure. The receiver 114 also defines a hand guard that separates the knuckles and fingers of a person holding the handle 106 within handle clearance from the contents (e.g. a deceased human) in the interior 136. In an alternative embodiment, the receiver 114 need not be configured to receive or support a separate decorative item 124, but have the structure that defines the hand guard.

[0022] The other two panels 120b form the short sides or end panels of the casket 104. The two end panels 120b in this embodiment have an identical structure.

[0023] Thus, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the casket 104 is shaped as an open topped rectangular container having two longer sides and two shorter sides. Accordingly, the casket 104 has four rectangularly shaped panels 120a, 120b, two forming the longer sides and two forming the shorter sides of the casket 104, and a rectangularly shaped casket base 116. The panels 120a, 120b and the casket base 116 are arranged to form the open topped rectangular prism or box, which can be covered by a complementarily shaped lid. FIG. 1 depicts the casket arrangement 100 with the lid removed to show the interior thereof, but the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 depicts a lid 128. In alternative embodiments, the casket 104 can have a different shape. Thus, the casket 104 can have a casket base 116 and/or panels having different shapes than those shown and/or the casket 104 can have a number of panels other than four.

[0024] Regardless of the shape of the casket 104, each of the panels 120a, 120b has a corresponding inwardly facing surface 132a, 132b, which faces inwardly, toward the other panels 120a, 120b and toward an interior 136 of the casket 104, and a corresponding outwardly facing surface 140a, 140b, which faces outwardly, away from the other panels 120a, 120b and away from the interior 136 of the casket 104. Thus, the inwardly facing surface 132a and the outwardly facing surface 140a of each corresponding panel 120a are on opposite sides of the panel 120a, and face in directions that are directly opposite one another. Likewise, the inwardly facing surface 132b and the outwardly facing surface 140b of each corresponding panel 120b are on opposite sides of the panel 120b, and face in directions that are directly opposite one another. Each panel 120a, 120b also has a corresponding bottom 144a, 144b, which is arranged vertically nearest to the casket base 116, and a corresponding top 148a, 148b, which is disposed vertically farthest from the casket base 116. As used herein, the term vertically refers to the direction extending along the y-axis of the drawing shown in FIG. 1.

[0025] Each handle 106 is fixedly coupled (directly or indirectly) to the outwardly facing surface 140a of one of the panels 120a that forms the longer sides of the casket 104. In FIG. 1, only one of the handles 106 is visible, as the other is obscured by the opposite panel 120a to which it is coupled. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, handles may also be included on the panels 120b that form the shorter sides of the casket 104. In embodiments having handles included on the panels 120b that form the shorter sides of the casket 104, the panels 120b may include openings 110 and receivers 114 substantially similar to those formed on the panels 120a. Alternatively, the panels 120b may include openings 110 and receivers 114 despite including no handles. In which case, the openings 110 and receivers 114 included on the panels 120b provide additional opportunities for displaying personalization items 124 without also providing handle clearance.

[0026] In this embodiment, each handle 106 is fixedly coupled to the corresponding panel 120a via a plurality of spacer elements 152. The spacer elements 152 provide some clearance between the outwardly facing surface 140a and the handle 106, but not necessarily enough clearance for grasping the handle 106. Instead, it is the use of the spacer elements 152 combined with the opening 110 (and depth of the corresponding guard/receiver structure 114) that provides sufficient handle clearance at the openings 110. In some embodiments, the spacer elements 152 are not employed, and the corresponding depth of the receiver 114 is increased to compensate. However, it will be appreciated that the use of the spacer elements 152 allows the receiver 114 to intrude into the interior 136 to a lesser degree.

[0027] The handles 106, which are generally made of wood or a wood-like stiff material, but which may be plastic or other material, may be directly bolted to the panels 120a. In the case of panels 120a constructed of wood, any conventional bolt, nut and washer combination of suitable size, not shown, may be used. Typically, the bolt extends from the handle 106, through the panel 120a (and the optional spacer 152), and is secured by a nut that traps the washer against the inwardly facing surface 132a. To accommodate the decreased strength of panels 120a constructed of paperboard in other embodiments, the nut, bolt and washer are implemented in the same way, but the washer is wider than normal to distribute more widely the force over the inwardly facing surface 132a.

[0028] In any event, the handles 106 are connected at intermediate spots defined in FIG. 1 by the location of the spacers 152 in order to distribute the force of the load on the handle 106 over the length of the panel 120a. The length of the panel 120a extends in the direction along the z-axis in the drawing shown in FIG. 1. In the embodiment shown, each handle 106 is fixedly coupled to the corresponding panel 120a so as to be positionally fixed relative to the panel 120a. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the handles 106 can be fixedly coupled to the panels 120a so as to be movable relative to the panels 120a. Moreover, each of the handles 106 can be coupled to the corresponding panel 120a by other means of fixation which is sufficient to withstand the force of the load at the handle spacer 152.

[0029] The casket assembly 100 also includes three openings 110 in each of the panels 120a that form the longer sides of the casket 104. Each of the openings 110 is formed between two handle spacers (i.e. bolt connection locations) 152 and is formed through the inwardly facing surface 132a and the outwardly facing surface 140a of the panel 120a such that each opening 110 (without the receiver or guard 114) provides access to the interior 136 of the casket 104 through the panel 120a. The positioning of the openings 110 between the mounting locations (e.g. at the handle spacers 152) provides handle clearance at locations along the handle 106 that are gripped by a carrier. It will be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments, the casket assembly 100 could include more than three openings 110 in each of the panels 120at. For example, each of the panels 120a that form the longer sides of the casket 104 could include six openings 110, two between each of the handle spacers 152. Additionally, the casket assembly 100 could include further openings, which are substantially similar to the openings 110, positioned at locations other than between the handle spacers 152. For example, the casket assembly 100 could include further openings positioned vertically above the handle spacers 152. Such further openings would provide additional opportunities for displaying personalization items 124 without also providing handle clearance.

[0030] Each opening 110 is sized to enable viewing of personalization items 124. Accordingly, each opening 110 has an opening width W.sub.O, which defines the extent of the opening 110 in the direction extending along the z-axis, and an opening height H.sub.O, which defines the extent of the opening 110 in the direction extending along the y-axis. (In embodiments including openings 110 formed in the panels 120a that form the shorter sides of the casket 104, the opening width W.sub.O defines the extent of the opening 110 in the direction extending along the x-axis and the opening height H.sub.O defines the extent of the opening 110 in the direction extending along the y-axis.) By way of example, the opening width W.sub.O can be at least approximately seven inches, and the opening height H.sub.O can be at least approximately five inches. However, the opening width W.sub.O and opening height H.sub.O can have other dimensions which are sufficient to enable viewing of personalization items 124 and provide enough handle clearance to enable easily gripping the handles 106. In embodiments including openings 110 that provide opportunities for displaying personalization items 124 without also providing handle clearance, such openings can have dimensions which are sufficient to enable viewing of personalization items 124 but do not provide enough handle clearance to enable easily gripping the handles 106. Additionally, it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, each opening 110 may have a different shape, size, and/or dimensions than the other openings 110.

[0031] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the openings 110 are rectangularly shaped. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the openings 110 can have shapes other than rectangles and that the openings 110 can be shaped as polygons, rounded shapes, or irregular shapes. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the openings 110 have rectangular bottoms and arched tops. The openings 110 can have any shape that provides handle clearance for gripping the handle 106 and that enables viewing the item 124 received in the corresponding receiver 114.

[0032] As noted above, the casket assembly 100 further includes a receiver 114 corresponding to each opening 110. Each receiver 114 is fixedly coupled to the inwardly facing surface 132a of one of the panels 120a, and each receiver 114 is configured to receive a personalization item 124 such that the item 124 is arranged on the interior 136 of the casket 104 and is visible through the corresponding opening 110. In embodiments including openings 110 formed in the panels 120b that form the shorter sides of the casket 104, the receivers 114 would be fixedly coupled to the inwardly facing surface 132b of one of the panels 120b such that a receiver 114 corresponds with each opening 110.

[0033] The receiver 114 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3A and 3B. As shown, the receiver 114 includes a ledge 156 (shown in FIG. 3A) and a back 160. The ledge 156 is not visible in FIG. 3B, as it is obscured by the back 160, but its location is indicated by an arrow labeled 156. The ledge 156 provides a bottom support for the personalization item 124 (shown in FIG. 1) to prevent gravity from pulling the item 124 downwardly out of the receiver 114. In other words, the bottom of the item 124 can rest on the ledge 156 of the receiver 114. Accordingly, the ledge 156 is arranged on the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a at a position vertically between the opening 110 and the bottom 144a of the panel 120a (shown in FIG. 1) to position the item 124 to be visible through the opening 110. Thus, the receiver 114 is coupled, by way of the ledge 156, to the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a at a portion of the inwardly facing surface 132a that is vertically between the opening 110 and the casket base 116 (shown in FIG. 1).

[0034] The back 160 is supported by the ledge 156 and is spaced apart from a plane P (shown in FIG. 3B) defined by the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a to which the receiver 114 is coupled. More specifically, the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a lies in the plane P that is parallel to the y-axis and to the z-axis. The back 160 of the receiver 114 does not lie in this same plane P, but is spaced apart from plane P by the ledge 156 such that the back 160 is parallel to the plane P. (In embodiments where the panels 120b forming the shorter sides of the casket 104 have openings 110, the plane P is parallel to the x-axis and to the y-axis.) Accordingly, the item 124 can be inserted into and retained within the receiver 114 between the back 160 of the receiver 114 and the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a.

[0035] Each receiver 114 is sized and positioned such that when the receiver 114 is coupled to the panel 120, the receiver 114 covers the entire corresponding opening 110, ensuring that the deceased cannot be viewed or contacted via the opening 110. Accordingly, at least a portion of each receiver 114 is vertically aligned with the corresponding opening 110, at least a portion of each receiver 114 is positioned vertically above the corresponding opening 110, and at least a portion of each receiver is positioned vertically below the corresponding opening 110. Furthermore, each receiver 114 has a receiver width W.sub.R, which defines the extent of the receiver 114 in the direction extending along the z-axis, and a receiver height H.sub.R, which defines the extent of the receiver 114 in the direction extending along the y-axis. The receiver width W.sub.R is equal to or larger than the opening width W.sub.O (shown in FIG. 1), and the receiver height H.sub.R is equal to or larger than the opening height H.sub.O (shown in FIG. 1), so that when the receiver 114 is coupled to the panel 120, the receiver 114 covers the entire opening width W.sub.O and the entire opening height H.sub.O.

[0036] When the receiver 114 is coupled to the panel 120, the receiver 114 has an open top 164 that is formed between the back 160 of the receiver 114 and the plane P defined by the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a. This open top 164 enables the item 124 to be inserted into the receiver 114 from above. The open top 164 also has an open top width W.sub.OT which defines the extent of the open top 164 in the direction extending along the z-axis. The open top width W.sub.OT is equal to the receiver width W.sub.R, and is also therefore equal or larger than the opening width W.sub.O, so that the entire open top 164 of the receiver 114 can be utilized when inserting an item 124 into the receiver 114.

[0037] Furthermore, when the receiver 114 is coupled to the panel 120a, the open top 164 of the receiver 114 is vertically aligned with a portion of the inwardly facing surface 132a that is vertically between the opening 110 and the top 148a of the panel 120a. Accordingly, the back 160 of the receiver 114 extends in the direction along the y-axis to a position that is vertically above a top 154 of the opening 110. The position of the open top 164 of the receiver 114 relative to the top 154 of the opening 110 and the size of the open top width W.sub.OT and the receiver width W.sub.R relative to the opening width W.sub.O enable the receiver 114 to retain an item 124 that is larger than the opening 110, and thus facilitate retention of the item 124 in the receiver 114 without the item 124 passing through the opening 110.

[0038] Moreover, the opening 110 has an opening perimeter P.sub.O (also shown in FIG. 1), which defines the extents of the opening 110 in the direction of the y-axis and in the direction of the z-axis, and the back 160 has a back perimeter P.sub.B (also shown in FIG. 1), which defines the extents of the back 160 in the direction of the y-axis and in the direction of the z-axis. (In the case of openings 110 formed in the panels 120b that form the shorter sides of the casket 104, the opening perimeter P.sub.O defines the extents of the opening 110 in the direction of the y-axis and in the direction of the x-axis, and the back perimeter P.sub.B defines the extents of the back 160 in the direction of the y-axis and in the direction of the x-axis.) The back perimeter P.sub.B is larger than the opening perimeter P.sub.O, to facilitate retention of the item 124 in the receiver 114 without the item 124 passing through the opening 110.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, at least a portion of each opening 110 is vertically aligned with the handle 106 to enable grabbing the handle 106 by passing the hand through the opening 110 and thus, at least partially into the receiver 114. As discussed above, the receiver 114 is at least as large as the corresponding opening 110 and is positioned to cover the entire corresponding opening 110. Accordingly, at least a portion of each receiver 114 is also vertically aligned with the handle 106.

[0040] The personalization item 124 is configured to be inserted into the receiver 114 through the open top 164 between the back 160 of the receiver 114 and the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the item 124 is a decorative insert and is configured to be removably inserted into the receiver 114 such that at least a portion of the item 124 is vertically aligned with the opening 110. More specifically, the item 124 is, for example, a photograph, a printed image, a card, or another article configured to fit in the receiver 114. The item 124 can be affixed to the back 160 of the receiver 114 by, for example, an adhesive, to hold the item 124 in place in the receiver 114 during use of the casket 104.

[0041] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the item 124 has an item perimeter P.sub.I (only part of which is visible) that is larger than the opening perimeter P.sub.O such that the entire opening 110 is visually filled by the item 124. Moreover, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the item 124 is sturdy and durable enough that it will not be damaged by hands reaching through the opening 110 to grasp the handle 106. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, if the item 124 is more flexible and/or delicate, the item 124 can be mounted to a backing material that increases the stiffness and durability of the item 124.

[0042] In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 4, the item 124 is held in place in the receiver 114 by a transparent panel 168. The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is substantially similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except for the inclusion of the transparent panel 168. Accordingly, FIG. 4 only depicts the receiver 114 of the embodiment. As shown, the item 124 is removably inserted in the receiver 114 between the back 160 and the transparent panel 168 such that at least a portion of the item 124 is vertically aligned with the corresponding opening (not shown in FIG. 4).

[0043] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the transparent panel 168 is sized to be smaller than the receiver 114 but larger than the corresponding opening. Accordingly, the transparent panel 168, like the item 124, is received within the receiver 114 so as to be arranged between the back 160 of the receiver 114 and the inwardly facing surface of the corresponding panel (not shown in FIG. 4). At least a portion of the transparent panel 168 is vertically aligned with the corresponding opening, and the transparent panel 168 is prevented from passing outwardly through the opening. In this embodiment, a flexible and/or delicate item 124 can be inserted into the receiver 114, because the transparent panel 168 acts as a stiff and durable material to protect the item 124 from being inadvertently moved or damaged by hands reaching through the opening to grasp the handle (not shown in FIG. 4).

[0044] The transparent panel 168 can be held in place in the receiver 114 by, for example, adhesive 170 applied to the ledge 156 and/or to the perimeter P.sub.TP of the transparent panel 168. Alternatively, the transparent panel 168 can be held in place by a groove formed in the ledge 156 and configured to receive the perimeter P.sub.TP of the transparent panel 168 therein. In embodiments where the transparent panel 168 is held in place by a groove, the transparent panel 168 can be the same size or larger than the receiver 114.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the ledge 156 of each receiver 114 extends along the entire back perimeter P.sub.B except for along the open top 164 of the receiver 114. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the ledge 156 can extend along a smaller amount of the back perimeter P.sub.B than is shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, the ledge 156 can be embodied as more than one separate ledge portion arranged spaced apart along the back perimeter P.sub.B to separate the back 160 from the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a.

[0046] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, each receiver 114 also includes three flanges 172 configured to fixedly couple the receiver 114 to the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a around the opening perimeter P.sub.O. In the embodiment shown, the receiver 114 includes flanges 172 extending from the ledge 156 along each side of the receiver 114 except for along the open top 164 of the receiver 114. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the receiver 114 could include one continuous flange extending continuously from the entire ledge 156 of the receiver 114 except for along the open top 164 of the receiver 114. Additionally, the flange 172 can be embodied as more than three flanges 172 that are spaced apart along the ledge 156. The flanges 172 are fixedly coupled to the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a to fixedly couple the receiver 114 to the panel 120a. By way of example, the flanges 172 can be fixedly coupled to the inwardly facing surface 132a by adhesive, by staples, by nails, or by another type of fastener. In yet another alternative embodiment, the receiver 114 can include no flanges and the ledge 156 can be directly fixedly coupled to the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a.

[0047] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the receiver 114 is rigid and is immovable relative to the panel 120a. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the receiver 114 can be flexible and/or movable relative to the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a. For example, the receiver 114 can be embodied as a resilient clip such that the back 160 is movable away from the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a by the application of force, and automatically returns toward the inwardly facing surface 132a of the panel 120a upon the removal of the force.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the receiver 114 covers all of the opening 110 in the panel 120a. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the receiver 114 can cover only a portion of the opening 110. In such embodiments, the open top 164 of the receiver 114 is vertically aligned with the opening 110. In such embodiments, the item 124 still covers the entire opening 110, but is not completely supported by the back 160 of the receiver 114.

[0049] As discussed further above, the structure of the receiver 114 may readily be adapted to function as a handguard with no personalization item 124 or other decorative insert. Indeed, such a guard itself may have its own integral pattern or design, such that an insert 124 is not necessary. It will be appreciated that the decorative insert for the receiver need not be a unique design, but may one of multiple standard decorative designs. A design may include, among other things, one or more patterns, one or more colors, photographs, or combinations thereof.

[0050] It will be appreciated that the above identified embodiments are merely illustrative, and that those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations and modifications that incorporate the principles of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.