Beds – Combination furniture
Reexamination Certificate
1996-04-03
2003-10-07
Santos, Robert G. (Department: 3673)
Beds
Combination furniture
C005S003000, C005S907000, C027S027000, C027S035000, C108S157110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06629321
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to undertaking, and more particularly to apparatus for and method of displaying human remains for viewing purposes, for example at a memorial service or the like, and subsequently transporting those remains to a final destination for ultimate disposition, for example to a crematory for cremation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditionally, the body of a deceased has been presented in a casket selected by surviving members of the deceased's family for display of the body for viewing by mourners at a funeral or other memorial service. Subsequently, if in-ground burial was chosen by the surviving family members, the body would be buried in the selected casket.
Some find it distressing or otherwise objectionable to view their deceased loved one in a casket at the funeral or other memorial service. One attempt to remedy this problem is disclosed in Tanner U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,675. In Tanner there is disclosed a casket which converts from a casket to a couch or sofa and back again to a casket. To convert the casket to a couch, the casket lid is removed and a couch back and couch arms are removably mounted to the back and end edges of the casket shell. An upper portion of the casket shell front wall pivots downwardly and upholstery overlays and hides the downwardly pivoted portion. Pillows are added to the “couch” to enhance its couch-like appearance. A body may then be displayed on this “couch” providing a more natural, serene and less distressing appearance than that achievable when displaying the body in a casket. After viewing and prior to burial, the couch arms and back are removed from the casket shell (for subsequent reuse), the forward shell portion is pivoted upwardly and the lid is replaced to return the casket to its original configuration for burial purposes.
Other more conventional supports or furniture items, in addition to couches or sofas, which have heretofore been utilized to display bodies supported thereby for viewing thereof include beds and day beds, a day bed being a structure which includes a conventional bed mattress supported on a frame having a couch-like “back” and “arms”. When “made up” a day bed appears much like a couch and is usable as such, but when “turned down” at night is utilizable as a bed. The couch “back” may be designed to resemble a bed headboard.
Cremation is a growing segment of the undertaking industry. While initially such services as embalming and funeral or memorial services were likely not desired by the surviving family members of the deceased when cremation was chosen as the method of ultimate disposition of the remains of the deceased (known as “direct cremation”), a growing portion of cremation customers are requesting of funeral directors and funeral homes that such traditional services be provided in addition to the service of cremation.
Cremation presents its own peculiar problems associated with dignified handling of the body up to and including the time the body is cremated. A cremation casket, generally a traditional appearing wooden casket with little or no metal used in its construction, and including the traditional casket interior trimmings, is one alternative for dignified handling of the body and display of the body if embalming and funeral or memorial services are requested. Such cremation caskets can be relatively expensive, however, and some object to burning such a casket with the body during cremation. Some of the cost can be eliminated by substituting less expensive materials, such as fiberboard (sometimes known as “hardboard”), for the more costly wood, though, as can be expected, there will be a consequent reduction in the aesthetics of the appearance of the product, which can be proportionate to the cost savings.
Another cremation alternative is a so-called cremation container, generally fabricated of cardboard and including no decorative interior. Such containers are much less expensive than cremation caskets and as such it is generally not objectionable to burn the container during cremation of the body. However, as can be expected, such containers are not particularly suited for display of a body for viewing or for a funeral or other memorial service do to their inexpensive construction and consequent sparse appearance.
One proposed solution to the problem of providing an attractive casket for viewing purposes without requiring a customer to purchase the casket and burn it during cremation is the so-called rental casket. Such caskets are generally fabricated of the same quality of materials and workmanship as traditional burial caskets, but may include certain specialized features such as a pivoting shell end wall which allows a body, contained in a cardboard box for instance, to be slid into and out of the casket from the end. In this way, a customer need only rent the use of the attractive, traditional casket for the viewing or the funeral service while purchasing only the cardboard box for handling and transportation of the body to the crematory. One example of such a casket is disclosed in Kirby U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,189.
A similar proposed solution is the use of a permanent casket “facade” which is removably placed over a disposable bottom container which includes bedding therein. The facade, placed over the container bottom, gives the appearance of a conventional casket. When the deceased is to be cremated, the facade is removed and the container bottom and the bedding within it, together with the deceased are covered with a cover member and sent to the crematory. The removable casket shell is thus not destroyed and can be reused during another funeral ceremony. Examples of such are disclosed in Havey, III U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,063,337 and 4,176,431.
However, these proposed solutions, while eliminating the necessity of burning a relatively expensive casket during the cremation, nonetheless suffer from the disadvantage mentioned above associated with the display of a body in any casket, namely, that many find the display of a deceased loved one in a casket especially distressing in their time of grief.
It is therefore a main objective of the present invention to provide apparatus for and method of displaying human remains for viewing purposes and for transporting the remains to a final destination for ultimate disposition, yet which do not result in the destruction of a relatively expensive casket, by way of either in-ground burial or cremation, and which do not compound the distress experienced by grieving loved ones by having to view the loved ones' deceased being displayed in a traditional casket.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the stated objective, the present invention provides both apparatus for and method of displaying human remains for viewing purposes and for transporting the remains to a final destination for ultimate disposition, yet which do not suffer from the many disadvantages of the prior art products and techniques. The apparatus of the present invention comprises a support structure configured into the appearance of a day bed and adapted to support and display the body of a deceased. A body supporting and transporting tray is removably positioned atop the support structure. The tray supports a body thereon when positioned atop the support structure and, when removed from the support structure, transports the body to a final destination for ultimate disposition.
The body supporting tray of the present invention comprises a bottom, a pair of opposed sides connected to the bottom and a pair of opposed ends connected to the bottom and to the pair of sides. Each end of the pair of ends includes a pair of elongated horizontal slots therein serving as handholds for grasping and lifting the tray.
The support structure preferably includes a back with an upper edge having a decorative profile. At least one of the tray sides includes an upper edge which has a decorative profile which complements the decorative profile of the upper edge of the back. The support structure is preferably open and unobstructed along a forward edge
Hunt Scot B.
Meyer Dale
Batesville Services, Inc.
Santos Robert G.
Wood Herron & Evans L.L.P.
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