Columbarium and niche unit therefor

A columbarium, said columbarium including, in combination,

• support means for a plurality of niche units,
• said support means including
• front horizontal members for supporting a plurality of horizontally aligned niche units beneath their outer, lower front end portions, and
• rear horizontal members for supporting said plurality of horizontally aligned niche units from locations at the rear end portions of said niche units above the bottoms thereof, and
• vertical support members connected to the front and rear horizontal members to form a rigid, self standing support means, and
• a plurality of niche units connected to the self standing support means.

A niche unit for a columbarium, said niche unit including

• a niche assembly consisting of a niche, a cover for the niche, and means for creating a less than atmospheric pressure within the niche assembly when the niche cover is sealingly secured to the niche, and
• an exterior facing member,
• said exterior facing member being connectable to the niche assembly by
• connecting means which firstly, permits repeated assembly and disassembly of the facing member to the niche assembly prior to activation of the niche unit, and
• secondly, permanently secures the facing member to the niche assembly upon activation of the niche unit.

A niche unit for a columbarium, said niche unit including

• a niche assembly consisting of a niche and a cover for the niche, and
• an exterior facing member,
• said exterior facing member being connectable to the niche assembly by
• connecting means which firstly, permits repeated assembly and disassembly of the facing member to the niche assembly prior to activation of the niche unit, and
• secondly, permanently secures the facing member to the niche assembly upon activation of the niche unit,
• the means for connecting the facing member to the niche assembly being a plurality of spring clips carried by the facing member,
• said spring clips being received in apertures in the outer end portions of the niche,
• the facing member being engageable with the niche in two relative positions of the facing member and niche,
• said facing member, when in the first position, enabling the spring clips to be easily assembleable to and disassembleable from the niche, and
• when in the second position, causing the facing member to be permanently locked to the niche.

A columbarium, said columbarium including, in combination,

• support means for a plurality of niche units,
• said support means including
• front horizontal members for supporting a plurality of horizontally aligned niche units beneath their outer, lower front end portions, and
• rear horizontal members for supporting said plurality of horizontally aligned niche units from locations at the rear end portions of the said niche units, and
• vertical support members connected to the front and rear horizontal members to form a rigid, self standing support means, and
• a plurality of niche units connected to the self standing support means,
• characterized
• firstly, in that each niche unit includes a niche assembly consisting of a niche and cover for the niche, and
• secondly, in that the closed bottom of the niche has a concave depression therein,
• said concave depression being arranged to receive an associated rear horizontal member of the support means in snug supporting relationship with the rear of the niche.

A columbarium, said columbarium including in combination,

• support means for rigidly supporting a plurality of niche units,
• said support means including
• front horizontal members for supporting a plurality of horizontally aligned niche units at their outer, lower front portions,
• rear horizontal members which engage and support each of said plurality of horizontally aligned niche units at the locations at the rear end portions of each of said niche units and between the tops and bottoms of each of said niche units,
• vertical support members connected to the front horizontal members,
• only two rear vertical support members connected to the rear horizontal members, one at each end of the plurality of horizontally aligned niche units, which fixedly space the rear horizontal members from one another and form a rigid, self-standing support means, and
• a plurality of niche, wits connected to the self-standing support means.

In a niche assembly consisting of a niche and a cover for the niche,

• a facing member for the niche assembly,
• said facing member being engageable with the niche assembly in two relative positions of the facing member and the niche assembly,
• said facing member, when in one position, being easily assembleable and disassembleable from the niche assembly and
• when in another position, causing the facing member to be permanently locked to the niche assembly.

In a columbarium system comprising a plurality of niche assemblies and a support structure for said niche assemblies,

• said niche assemblies forming a columbarium wherein each niche assembly includes
• a niche,
• a cover means for said niche,
• bottom means for said niche opposite said cover means,
• said bottom means having a concave depression adapted, when seated in a fixed, elongated horizontal support member of the support structure to support the bottom means in a vertical orientation.