Adjustable temporary casket
View Patent ↗A temporary casket made substantially from burnable material, having a positionable inclining mechanism inside a casket shell. The temporary casket may be inserted into a formal, traditional casket where the temporary casket shell protects the traditional casket. Inside the temporary casket, a plank is attached by a clamp or bracket to an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the tilt angle between the plank and the floor of the casket shell. The mechanism also includes a vertical threaded rod that engages the clamp, allowing the rod to be rotatable and move the clamp axially along the rod to lift or lower the plank. This allows a funeral director to easily adjust the deceased to achieve the most “restful” state, and without jostling or appearing disrespectful to the deceased. After a service, the deceased, along with the temporary casket and the mechanism itself, may be cremated.
1. A crematable adjustable temporary casket, comprising:
a casket shell having a floor and at least two sides extending upwardly from the floor;
a plank overlying the floor and being tiltable with respect thereto;
a mounting wall abutted to an interior surface of one of the casket shell sides;
an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a tilt angle defined between the plank and the casket shell floor, the adjusting mechanism including a clamp affixed to an end of the plank;
a threaded rod engaging the clamp and being rotatable for moving the clamp axially along a length thereof;
a stopper assembly including a stopper device attached proximal to a top end of the threaded rod and limiting a distance that the clamp travels axially along the threaded rod, and a concentrical housing maintaining the threaded rod in a generally upright position and affixed to the mounting wall;
and a crank handle removably attached to the threaded rod; and
wherein the casket shell, plank and mounting wall are fully combustible.
2. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 1 , wherein the crank handle and the threaded rod have cooperating engaging structures for temporarily locking the crank handle and threaded rod into rotational unison with each other.
3. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the clamp, the treaded rod, stopper device, and crank handle remains in the temporary crematable casket during a cremation process.
4. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 3 , wherein the entire adjusting mechanism remains in the casket shell during a cremation process.
5. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 1 , wherein the plank, the casket shell, the mounting wall, and the adjustment mechanism remain with a deceased person during a cremation process.
6. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 1 , wherein the crank handle includes a pin as an engaging structure and wherein the threaded rod includes an aperture as an engaging structure.
7. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 1 , wherein the casket shell is made of cardboard.
8. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 1 , wherein the plank and the mounting wall are made of wood.
9. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 1 , wherein the adjusting mechanism is removable from the plank.
10. The crematable adjustable temporary casket according to claim 1 , wherein the casket shell fits into a traditional casket, allowing adjustment of a deceased person to appear sleeping.
11. A method for cremation of a deceased person, the steps comprising:
providing a temporary casket including a traditional casket encasing a cardboard casket shell having a substantially box-shaped configuration including a floor, a combustible plank set within the casket shell and overlying the floor, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a tilt angle defined between the plank and the casket shell floor;
positioning the deceased person on the plank;
adjusting a position of the deceased person by adjusting the tilt angle of the plank by way of the adjustment mechanism so that the person lies flat within the casket shell;
removing the casket shell from the traditional casket;
inserting the casket shell into a retort chamber of a cremator;
operating the cremator and substantially combusting the cardboard casket shell and the plank;
removing the cremains from the retort chamber; and
separating the adjustment mechanism from the cremains.