Undertaking – Coffins
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-20
2001-11-20
Dayoan, B. (Department: 3628)
Undertaking
Coffins
C027S010000, C027S014000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317942
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to caskets, and more particularly to economically manufactured wood caskets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Caskets have for many years been fabricated of wood. Fine woods, such as those used in the manufacture of fine furniture, are often used, for example, mahogany, cherry, oak and the like. As is to be expected, one of the greatest costs associated with the manufacture of wood caskets is the cost of the wood itself. At least two factors drive this cost.
First, the cost per unit length of these fine woods is relatively expensive. Second, it is desirable, from an aesthetic standpoint, to utilize so-called “full length” boards and panels in the construction of wood caskets, that is boards and panels that are the full length of the portion of the casket to be constructed, for example shell side wall, shell end wall and/or cap, rather than short pieces or “scrap.” This is because it is desirable to have a uniform wood grain the entire length of the casket, whether it be for the casket shell side walls and end walls, each of which are normally constructed of a single, unitary full length panel, or for the casket caps, which are fabricated of a plurality of full length boards formed into a convex shape for the crown portion of the cap and then sawed in two to create the separate head end and the foot end caps. The former provides for a continuous wood grain on the casket shell side walls and end walls; and the latter provides for a continuous wood grain for each of the boards forming the crowns of the head end and foot end caps. Utilizing such full length boards and panels results in smaller boards and portions of panels, which are cut from the full length boards and panels, being scrapped, thus increasing manufacturing costs.
It would be desirable from a cost perspective to be able to utilize smaller pieces of wood in the construction of wood caskets, for example to use more than one panel to fabricate a casket shell side wall or end wall, and/or to utilize something other than full length boards to fabricate the casket lids. However, prior attempts have not met with complete success.
For example, if one were to abut a pair of wood panels together to form a casket shell side wall, joint is readily apparent to observers of the casket shell side wall, not only because of the seam created by the abutted edges of the panels, but because of the discontinuous or non-matching wood grains of the two panels, i.e. the wood grain is discontinuous at the seam and is therefore not continuous across the joint from one panel to the other panel. Such is generally unsightly and therefore undesirable.
Second, if one were to utilize non-full length boards from which to fabricate the head and the foot end lids, the grains of each and every corresponding board of the head end cap and foot end cap would be non-matching and would be readily apparent upon viewing the casket with both caps in the closed position.
Yet another drawback to utilizing non-full length boards from which to manufacture the head end and foot end caps is that, by and large, the current tooling in the industry is set up to fabricate these lids from full length boards; if non-full length boards were utilized, new tooling would likely have to be designed, purchased and/or built and then implemented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward overcoming the aesthetic deficiencies of prior wood casket construction techniques when non-full length wood, whether either panels or boards, are used in the construction of wood caskets. Thus, manufacturing costs are reduced, but not with a consequent reduction in aesthetics or ornamentality of the caskets. In addition, tooling currently in use in the industry is able to be continued to be utilized.
The present invention is a casket comprising a casket shell including a floor, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls. A lid is closable upon the shell. At least one of the walls is constructed of at least two panels having adjacent abutting edges forming a joint between the panels. A decorative feature disguises the joint to create the appearance of the two panels being a single panel. The decorative feature may either be formed in the two panels or placed over the two panels.
The one wall referred to above is preferably a side wall, having a longer dimension and a shorter dimension with the joint being transverse to the longer dimension. The joint joining the two panels is preferably a finger joint. The decorative feature preferably comprises at least one groove extending the visible length of the joint. More preferably, the one groove is formed partially in one of the two panels and partially in the other of the two panels. The decorative feature may further comprise a second groove formed in one of the two panels parallel to and coextensive with the one groove.
More preferably, the casket of the present invention comprises a casket shell including a floor, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls, and further including a top mold around an upper portion of the walls and a base mold around a lower portion of the walls. A lid is closable upon the shell. Each side wall is constructed of at least two panels having adjacent abutting edges forming a joint between the panels, the joint being visible from a lowermost edge of the top mold to an uppermost edge of the base mold. A plurality of grooves are provided in the two panels extending from the lowermost edge of the top mold to an uppermost edge of the base mold disguising the joint to create the appearance of the two panels being a single panel.
The grooves are preferably spaced apart longitudinally and are V-shaped in cross section, and the joint preferably lies in the trough of one of the V-shaped grooves. Each side wall is preferably constructed of three panels, which are equal in length to each other and to the end walls. Thus, the walls of the casket shell may be fabricated of eight equal length or identical panels thereby simplifying construction.
Additional grooves may be provided in the side and end walls of the casket shell at the corners to match and compliment the grooves in the panels making up the side walls.
In another aspect of the present invention, a casket comprises a casket shell including a floor, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls. A head end cap and a foot end cap, each closable upon the shell, each have a crown, a longer dimension and a shorter dimension. Each cap crown is constructed of a plurality of boards extending parallel to the longer dimension of the caps and includes a center spine board. Only the center spine board of both the crowns is fabricated from a single full length board which is sawed in two such that the grains of the head end and foot end spine boards match. The remaining ones of the plurality of cap crown boards are non-full length boards. The gap between the head and foot end caps, when closed upon the shell, in combination with the matching grain of the spine boards of the caps, helps to create the appearance of the cap crowns being fabricated of full length boards. In addition, while continuing to fabricate the head end and foot end caps utilizing at least one full length board, for example a full length center spine board, tooling currently in use for forming the caps is still usable.
A method of manufacturing a casket shell including a floor, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls is also provided. The method comprises providing a pair of panels having respective end edges, abutting the respective end edges of the panels together forming a joint therebetween, disguising the joint with a decorative feature to create the appearance of the pair of panels being a single panel and forming at least a portion of one of the casket shell walls with the pair of panels. The step of disguising the joint preferably comprises forming a groove in the panels along the joint, and more preferably comprises the step of forming additional grooves in the panels near the joint.
A method of manufacturing head and foot end
Hankel Bryan M.
Laphan Dennis C.
Maier Donald R.
Neth William F.
Ritter Hans E.
Batesville Services, Inc.
Dayoan B.
Miller William L.
Wood Herron & Evans L.L.P.
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