Batesville Casket Company

Leslie W Smith

Wilbur A Schebler

Dennis C Laphan

John R Enneking

Gary L Henby

Carl A Wettering

Kenneth J Gulick

Carolyn Wetzler

James F Kirschner

A casket is assembled from prefabricated components to provide an attractive and aesthetically appealing casket design with a minimum amount of metal components so that the casket is adapted for cremation. A shell of the casket is constructed from upstanding sidewalls with a peripheral frame and facing panel secured to the frame. The respective walls are joined by cooperating cam and post connectors that they can be easily assembled without skilled personnel or specialized tooling. A cap enclosing the casket shell is constructed with a peripheral rim formed from rim members also joined by the cam and post connectors. A dish assembly is positioned on an inside surface of the cap and includes puffing members which are securely retained within cooperating grooves on the rim and dish assembly to thereby avoid the need for metal staples or other mechanical fasteners. The panels of the casket are preferably formed by hardboard to provide a structurally rigid and stable shell without the need for additional reinforcing members and which are readily consumable in the cremation process.

Ready-to-assemble casket

An apparatus and method for laminating a fabric material to a substrate, and in particular for laminating velvet to a cardboard puffing section to be assembled into a burial casket cap panel dish, without marring or bubbling of the fabric, is disclosed. The fabric material is positioned on a laminating surface and held in place by a vacuum. A substrate is coated with adhesive on a substantial portion of one side and subsequently positioned by a transfer means on top of the fabric and adhered thereto by action of the adhesive and by the uniform vacuum pressure applied to the fabric and the adhesive-laden substrate. As the substrate is passed through the adhesive applicator, it is positioned onto the transfer means. An electric eye senses the trailing edge of the substrate as it passes to the adhesive applicator and after a delayed period, triggers the movement of the transfer means to position the substrate onto the back side of the fabric. After the substrate has been adhered to the fabric, the fabric may be trimmed if necessary and the fabric/substrate laminate removed from the laminating surface. The lamination process is repeated for each new puffing board to be adhered to an additional section of velvet.

Laminating apparatus and method

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Batesville, IN, United States of America

Leslie W Smith