Undertaking – Coffins – Foldable sections
Patent
1996-11-19
1998-04-21
Nguyen, Kien T.
Undertaking
Coffins
Foldable sections
27 19, A61G 17013
Patent
active
057405921
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to improvements in or relating to coffins and more particularly to lightweight coffins making limited use of timber materials.
Conventional coffins are constructed using a combination of timber materials. An all timber construction produces a heavy coffin which is difficult to carry and transport especially when combined with the weight of a corpse. Further, an all timber construction necessitates the use of a large volume of timber which is environmentally damaging. The construction time involved in producing an all timber coffin is considerable and timber itself is an expensive commodity.
A coffin should perform two basic functions. Firstly, a coffin should be able to hold and store a corpse for a limited period of time. Secondly, a coffin should be able to be sealed to prevent a corpse inside from being attacked by external environmental agents over a limited period of time.
The present invention seeks to provide a coffin which is lightweight and which requires significantly less timber than a conventional all timber coffin construction.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a coffin comprising an open receptacle assembly for receiving a corpse and a cover assembly, in which coffin at least one of the receptacle assembly and the cover assembly is constructed from corrugated panels fixed to a skeletal frame structure.
In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a coffin embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower cover assembly of the coffin of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wooden frame for use with the lower cover assembly shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the construction of a corner of the lower cover assembly shown in FIG. 2;
FIGS. 5A-5C are perspective views of an upper cover assembly of the coffin shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a panel of the coffin of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another coffin embodying the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a coffin according to the present invention. The coffin 1 comprises an open receptacle assembly 2 in which a corpse may be rested and a cover assembly 3 for attachment to the receptacle assembly 2 to act as a lid to close the receptacle assembly 2.
Referring to FIG. 2, the receptacle assembly 2 comprises a shallow elongate box having an elongate rectangular floor 4, two elongate side walls 5, 5' and two end walls 6, 6' extending upwardly from the transverse edges of the floor 4. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side walls 5, 5' are rectangular and extend at an angle to the floor 4 to diverge upwardly from the floor 4. The end walls 6, 6' are trapezium-shaped and extend perpendicular to the floor.
The floor 4 comprises an inner floor panel 4a and an outer floor panel 4b (not shown) spaced apart from one another and each side wall 5, 5', comprises an inner side wall panel 5a and an outer side wall panel 5b spaced apart from one another. Each of the end walls 6, 6' comprises a single end panel 6. Each of the floor panels 4a and 4b, the side wall panels 5a and 5b and the end panel 6 is made of corrugated cardboard.
The inner panels 4a, 5a and the outer panels 4b, 5b of the floor 4 and of each side wall 5, 5' are fixed to and spaced apart by a plurality of substantially U-shaped wooden frames 7. Each U-shaped frame 7 comprises two divergent arms 8a, 8b extending from respective ends of a cross-member 9 as shown in FIG. 3. The arms 8a, 8b of each frame 7 separate the inner and outer panels 5a, 5b of the respective side walls 5, 5' and the cross-member 9 of the U-shaped frame 7 separates the inner panel 4a from the outer panel 4b of the floor 4.
The receptacle assembly 2 shown in FIG. 2 has a skeletal frame structure comprising four such U-shaped wooden frames 7 equally spaced along the length of the receptacle assembly 2. O
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Excel Machine Tools Ltd.
Nguyen Kien T.
Wisner Mark R.
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