US 5,485,661 A · Environmentally-protective combination burial/shipping/cremation case

Abstract

An environmentally-protective body container comprises a burnable double-walled utility case which can be used either as a shipping container and/or as a casket for burial or for cremation. The case is blow-molded from an organic thermoplastic which does not create explosive gases during burning and which leaves little ash or residue. At least the outer walls of the case are impervious to liquids, thereby preventing body and embalming fluids from contaminating the adjacent ground water supply in the case of burial. Air injection holes created in the inner walls during the conventional blow-molding process make the inner walls air pervious and thereby provide expansion space for body gases between the inner and outer walls. Use of a double-walled case also enables hand recesses to be formed into the lower section of the case and thereby eliminate the need for costly metallic pallbearing hardware. Forklift truck recesses are conveniently molded into the bottom of the case to enable lifting and handling of the case while at least its top, sides and ends are surrounded by a corrugated air tray.

Claims13

Dependent claims

In a corpse-containing utility case, a generally-rectangular lower section comprising an elongated horizontal bottom barrier, a pair of opposed side barriers extending vertically upward from opposite side edges of said bottom barrier and a pair of opposed end barriers extending vertically upward from opposite end edges of said bottom barrier;

all of said sid barriers and end barriers being essentially of the same height and forming a horizontal upper edge around said lower section of said case;
and a generally-rectangular lid for enclosing and sealing the upper edge of said lower section;
the improvement comprising:
said lower section having a unitary liquid-impervious outer jacket and a unitary air-pervious shell located inwardly of said outer jacket and providing a space between said shell and said jacket, said shell and said outer jacket being joined around the upper edges of said side barriers and said end barriers to thereby form an integral double-walled lower section of said case.

1 more element

A combination case usable as any of a burial casket, body shipping container or cremation container for a corpse, said case comprising a generally-rectangular body-containing lower section having an elongated horizontal bottom barrier, a pair of opposed side barriers extending vertically upward from opposite side edges of said bottom barrier, and a pair of opposed end barriers extending vertically upward from opposite end edges of said bottom barrier;

all of said side barriers and end barriers being essentially of the same height and forming a horizontal upper sealing edge;
and a generally-rectangular lid for enclosing and sealing with the upper edge of said lower section, the improvement comprising:
The lower section and the lid of said case each consisting of a liquid-impervious unitary outer jacket and an air-impervious inner shell formed from a blow-molded parison of thermoplastic material to thereby provide an open air space between each associated said shell and said jacket, the shell and outer jacket of said lower section being joined at their upper edges to enclose said open air space in said lower section and the shell and outer jacket of said lid being joined at their outer lower edges to enclose said open air space in said lid, thereby forming said case into an integral double-walled blow-molded lower section and an integral double-walled blow-molded lid.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Environmentally-protective combination burial/shipping/cremation case

Life of this patent

Environmentally-protective combination burial/shipping/cremation case

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13