US1369919A - Hermetically-sealed casket - Google Patents

Description

0. H. ELIEL.

,- HERMETICALLY SEALED GASKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAH.19,1920.

1,369,919', y Patented Mar.1,1`921.

1 ME E 0 me ff. l/54.

OSCAR H. ELIEL, OF LA SALLE, ILLINOIS.

HERMETICALLY-SEALED GASKET.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

Application led March v19, 1920. Serial No. 367,181.

' To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, OSCAR H. ELIEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city ofLa Salle, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hermetically-Sealed Gaskets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a hermetically sealed burial casket of a type wherein the sealing material comprises a fusible metal.

Since the body must necessarily be placed in the casket before the sealing is effected, it is extremely desirable that an efficient and rapid method of sealing be provided. If it is desirable 4to re-open a hermetically sealed casket in order to re-view the body or remove it therefrom it is necessary that some means be rovided for fusing the sealing material wlliereby the cover may be removed from the casket Without defacing the same.

It is also desirable that the fusible material, used in sealing the casket, so engage the cover thereof that it acts to lock said cover securely in position on the casket.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method for hermetically sealing a casket or other container with fusible ma-p.

terial such as fusiblemetal or solder.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a method for^ hermetically sealing a casket with electrically fused metal.

It is another object of this invention to provide a hermetically sealed casket having the cover thereof securely locked in position by the sealing material.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a casket adapted to be hermetically sealed by electrically fused material and having means `associated therewith whereby the sealing material may again be electrically fused after sealing.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

The invention (in a preferred form) 1s illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

in Fig. 3.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a horizontal section taken through the cover of a hermetically sealed casket embodying the principles of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section showing the method of sealin the cover of the casket to the rim thereo provided by this invention. Fig. 4 isa section on line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section showing a modified method of sealing the casket cover to the rim thereof.

As shown on the drawings:

The method of this invention is adapted to be used on a casket 1, which is provlded with a ycover 2. lThe vertical Walls of the casket l are bent downwardly at their upper edge and again upwardly to form a channel 3 around the rim of said casket. Downwardly extending flanges 4: are provided on ment which may be composed of a strand l of high-resistance Wire 9 is inserted inside the insulating tube 7 and the ends of said heating element 9 extend outwardly from the downwardly bent portions of said tube 7 The operation is as follows:

The cover is placed on the casket and fusible tube 7 placed in position in the channel 3 as heretofore described. A source of electrical energy such as an electrical machine or storage battery is connected to the terminals of the heating element 9 and the circuit is closed. This causes the heating element 9 to become incandescent, and the fusible material of the tube 7 is melted and fills the channel 3, as shown in dotted lines This fusedA material flows between the projections 5 and thus securely seals the `projection 4 in the channe1'3,`

Since the insulating tube 7 is composed of non-inammable insulating material, said tube 7 and the heating element 9 remain embedded in the fused material. After the casket is thoroughly sealed by complete fusion of the tube 7, the electric circuit is opened and the source of electrical energy disconnected. If at any subsequent time it it desired to open the casket the same can be easily effected without defacing the cas ket. This is accomplished by again connecting a source of electrical energy to the terminals of the heating element 9 and refusing the material from the tube 7. When said material is fused and soft the cover 2 may be easily lifted from the casket without damaging the same and the sealing material removed from the channel 8. When it is desired to seal the casket again new fusible material may be readily added or a new tube 7 supplied if necessary. As shown in Fig. 6, the casket may be hermetically sealed without the aid of electric means by simply pouring fusible material into the channel 3. Said sealing material readily Hows between the projections 5 on the flanges 4 and thus completely seals both sides of said ange 4 in the channel 3. While the method and construction shown applies particularly to a burial casket, it is not necessarily limited to the same, but the method may be readily and effectively used in hermetically sealing any form of vessel and provides a desirable means for readily unsealing the same when desired. Y A

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I thereforel do not propose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a casket and the cover therefor, of means for hermetically sealing the cover on the casket, and electric heating means embedded in said sealing means.

2. The combination with a casket having a channeled rim7 of a cover for said casket, downwardly extendingr flanges on the cover engaged in said channeled rim, fusible material in the channeled rim for hermetically sealing the covers thereto, and electrical means for fusing said fusible material.

8. The combination with a container having a channeled rim, of a cover therefor engaged in the channel in said rim, fusible material in the channel and surrounding said cover, and an electrical heating element in the fusible material whereby said fusible material may be melted and the cover hermetically sealed on the container.

4. rIhe combination with a container having a flanged rim, of a channel formed in said rim, a cover for the container engaged in the channel,fusible material in the channel adjacent the cover, an insulated electric heating element in the fusible material whereby said fusible material may be melted to seal the casket and remelted when it is desired to unseal the casket.

5. The combination with a container having a channeled rim, of a downwardly flanged passaged cover engaged in the channel inssaid rim, and a fusible metallic substance in the channel and engaged through the'passage for sealing the cover in said channel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR H. ELIEL.

Witnesses LAWRENCE REIBSTEIN, CARLTON HILL.

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