US1091196A - Grave-vault. - Google Patents

Description

w. U. COLTHAR. GRAVE VAULT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. '7, 1912!.

1,091,1 96. Patented Mar. 24, 19h;

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WILLIAM U. COLTI-IAR, 0F SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, TO THE CHAMPION CHEMI- GAL COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

GRAVE-VAULT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 24,1914.

Application filed March '7, 1912. Serial No. 682,252.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM U. COLTHAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grave-Vaults, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying draw- This invention relates to grave vaults and the object of the invention is to provlde a vault, the available interior dimensions of which can be increased without altering the exterior dimensions or structure, thus enabling the vault to receive a casket of a size larger than the size for which it was designed.

Metallic grave vaults are usually provided with internal locking devices which necessarily project into the interior of the vault and reduce the available length or width, as the case may be, of the vault. Inasmuch as these locking devices are usually secured to the lid and upper portion of the body of the vault at a height greater than the height of the widest portions of the casket there is ample space withinthe vault for a casket of a width greater than the width of the space between the locking devices. This wider space cannot be utilized because the casket cannot be passed between the locking devices.

In order to make this space available it is a further object of the invention to provide means for detachably connecting the locking devices to the body of the vault, thus enabling the same to be removed to permit the casket to be placed within the vault and then reattached to the vault to enable the closure to be locked in its closed position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a grave vault with the closure in its open position and showing the invention embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a detail view of the locking lug and its connecting device showing theparts separated; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the locking lug rigidly secured to the wall of the vault.

In these drawings I have illustrated the invention as applied to a metallic grave vault of a well known construction comprising a body portion 1 and a hinged closure or lid 2. This vault is of the burglar proof type and is provided with automatic looking devices which comprise lugs 3 secured to the inner surfaces of the end and side walls of the vault and automatically acting movable locking devices 4:, which, in the present instance, are in the form of spring-pressed jaws having portions adapted to extend beneath the edges of the lugs and automatically lock the closure in its closed position.

It will be noted that these lugs are of considerable width, that is, they project for some distance into the body of the vault. As these lugs are actually constructed they are from three-fourths of an inch to an inch in width and inasmuch as they are secured to both side walls and both end walls of the vault it will be obvious that the available width and length of the vault are reduced about an inch and one-half or two inches. The lugs, as shown, are secured to the side walls of the vault near the top thereof and occupy positions above the level of those portions of the casket of the greatest width and length. However, the available width and length of the vault is limited to the space between the lugs, as the casket must pass between these lugs to enter the vault. It not infrequently happens that a casket is a trifle larger than the standard size for which the vault was built and the undertaker will have on hand the standard size vault but cannot use it because the casketis slightly larger than the standard size. To overcome this difliculty and enable the available width of the vault to be increased either at the ends or the sides or both can be made removable but as a matter of practice it is the width of the vault that it is most frequently desired to increase and, therefore, I have, in the present construction, shown only those lugs on the side walls of the vault as removable. The lugs may be removably attached to the walls of the vault in any suitable manner but I prefer to attach them so that the lug and its fastening devices will be arranged entirely within the 'vault and, further, to make the fastening device of such a character that no tools will be required to remove or attach the same other than a hammer or some other device with which a blow can be struck. To accomplish this I have mounted each lug on a supporting plate 5 having in that surface thereof which lies adjacent to the vault wall a horizontal, tapered, dovetailed groove, as indicated at 6. Rigidly secured to the inner surface of the vault wall at a point at which it is desired to attach the lug is a tapered, dovetailed connecting plate 7 adapted to enter the dovetailed groove in the supporting plate 5 of the lug.

It will be obvious that the lug can be attached to the wall by driving the same onto the connecting plate 7 and removed in the same manner. It will thus be noted that a frictional connection is formed between the wall of the body portion and the lug. Further, the dovetailed groove and fastening plate being horizontal the lug will be rigidly held against upward movement and, therefore, its function as a locking device is in no wise interfered with or its efficiency decreased. The connecting plate 7 is preferably welded to the inner surface of the vault wall, as this forms a very strong, sightly connection and one which cannot be tampered with from the exterior of the vault. Further, I prefer to form the connecting plate of relatively heavy sheet metal, the edges of the plate being bent inward to give it the dovetailed shape. These outwardly bent edges form flanges which have a certain amount of resiliency, which resiliency, while very slight, is sufiicient to impart to the connecting plate a very strong gripping action and serves to make the connection between the lug and the connecting plate a firm one and to prevent it from jarring loose.

While I have shown and described the invention as applied to one particular form of fastening device it will be understood that it is equally applicable to fastening devices of other kinds and further that I do not wish to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifieations will occur to a person skilled in the'art.

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is t- 1. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closure, of a locking device comprising two cooperating members, one of said members being connected to the closure and the other of said members being mounted within said body portion on one of the side walls thereof, and means for detachably connecting the last-mentioned member to said side wall, said connecting means being so constructed and arranged that the transverse movement of said member will detach the same from said wall.

2. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closure, of a locking device comprising two cooperating members, one of said members being connected to the closure and the other of said members being mounted within said body portion on one of the side walls thereof, said last mentioned member and said side wall having wedge-shaped interlocking parts cooperating to connect said last-mentioned member to said side wall.

3. In a grave vault, the co1nbination,with a body portion and a closure, of a locking device comprising two cooperating parts, one of said parts being connected to the closure and the other of said parts being carried by a supporting plate, said supporting plate having a groove in one surface thereof and a fastening plate rigidly secured to the wall of said vault and adapted to enter the groove in said supporting plate.

at. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closure, of a locking device comprising two cooperating parts, one of said parts being connected to the closure and the other of said parts being carried by a supporting plate, said supporting plate having a tapered, dovetailed groove extending transversely to its length and a substantially horizontal tapered, dovetailed plate rigidly secured to the wall of said vault and adapted to enter the groove in said supporting plate.

5. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closure therefor, of a locking lug, a supporting plate for said lug having a tapered, dovetailed groove in one face thereof, a tapered, dovetailed plate rigidly secured to the body portion of said vault and adapted to enter the groove in said supporting plate, and a pair of springpressed locking jaws mounted on said closure and adapted to engage said lug.

6. The combination, with a lug, and a supporting member therefor having a tapered groove therein, of a connecting plate adapted to be secured to the supporting member for said lug and having two of its edges bent outward to form converging flanges adapted to enter said dovetailed groove.

7. In a grave vault, the combination, with a body portion and a closure, of a connect- 1' ing plate rigidly secured to one of the walls ing device carried by the closure and adapt- 10 ed to cooperate with the lug to lock said closure to the body portion.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM U. COLTHAR. Witnesses:

GEO. W. WINANs, CLAY W. MoIN'rmE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Pstents, Washington, D. G."

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