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(11) | EP 2 045 525 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Mobile cremation systems |
| (57) The invention concerns a system (11) and a funerary cell for the cremation of the
deceased and exhumed bodies. The system is on wheels to be towed, to transfer in block
and be used in any location. It comprises in combination a cremation chamber (13),
an afterburner (18), one fumes/air exchanger (22), a fan (26) for the circulation
of gaseous fluids and means of control of the process to be carried out, all installed
on a lowered deck of a vehicle (12), in particular a semi-trailer, which can be connected
up to a tractor.
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Field of the Invention
[0001] This invention concerns in general the field for cremation systems of bodies and exhumed corpses.
State of the Technique
[0002] Following a systematic verification of the cremation systems field for human corpses, the inadequacy, when not the total lack of this service, appears evident.
[0003] Considering Italy, but true also in other countries, this situation has become more marked in recent years due also to the changes in traditions and increase in the demand for cremation of the dead.
[0004] An important factor is represented also by the practice to exhume the dead which in some areas is carried out after a set period of time and this period is gradually becoming much shorter; exhumation in the past in fact was carried out after 50 years from time of burial, then shortened to 30; now the objective in some regions, which has become the tendency, is to exhume after only 10 or even 5 years. Treatment then of the exhumed bodies presents problems which are almost totally unsolved. In fact, the dead bodies in such a brief period (already a reality for the 30 year period) are still whole, tonic and sometimes perfectly preserved, the same applying to the coffins, even when underground and above all when in above ground vaults.
[0005] Now it is extremely dangerous and delicate, let alone not ethical and not hygienic, to manually remove the bodies from the coffins and then "break them up" in order to be able to place them in an ossuary or in small coffins which are then placed in special small above ground vaults, such is the tendency and consolidated custom.
[0006] From the above it can be deduced that the real important and never resolved problem lies in the absolutely inadequate amount of space at the disposition of cemeteries.
[0007] The basic idea of all local administrations is to maintain the present size of the cemeteries but to increase the capacity. In this light, cremation, both as a custom at the end of the funeral service and as treatment of the exhumed coffins, appears to be the most suitable solution and certainly practicable to reach the aforesaid objective.
[0008] Indeed the widespread introduction of this practice, which in truth would not mean a radical change from old habits, would allow the rationalisation of the spaces and could be the key to success for this basic strategy.
[0009] The delocalization, the realisation all over again or the simple enlargement of the cemetery is very complex at least for the following reasons:
- in countries with a long and antique history such as Italy, the cemeteries, were situated in the outskirts of villages and cities, and now they are enclosed in the urban system with little or no possibility of expansion;
- to move a cemetery is literally an undertaking, if not impossible, unimaginable because of the implications involved besides the very complex legal and institutional practicalities;
- the necessities for these places of veneration and congregation be close to the urban centre makes it even more complicated: in fact frequentation of the cemeteries on the part of the people is often monthly, when not weekly or even daily, and furthermore the people who regularly visit these places, for obvious reasons, are the elderly, and consequently less able to face long distances;
- to build a new cemetery means to occupy a very large area, bearing in mind also the numerous obligatory questions to be respected envisaged by the law;
- what is more these areas of respect, really and truly become parks, preferably quiet, so they cannot be positioned near industrial areas or zones dedicated to amusement, above all nocturnal.
- in addition sacredness must be taken into account which is expressed almost always in the form of monuments, respect for the dead, considered for thousands of years as an example of the level of civilisation, and this will give the picture, even if partial, of the difficulty an administration has to face in regulating, projecting and planning an area for a cemetery which takes into account all the various local and legal aspects.
[0010] The realization of cremator furnaces however appears to be the direction to take for the treatment of the dead and to adequately resolve the problems tied to cemetery areas. However, even the realisation of permanent cremator furnaces, as have been established up to now; have to face very complex problems, such as:
- the exorbitant costs, excessive for the administration of small to medium sized urban agglomerates;
- legislation; demanding, subdivided, complex above all in reference to the impact on the environment, insertion in the surrounding architecture, the hygiene and in particular the emission of fumes into the atmosphere, rightly so considering that human material is involved;
- the problematic location of cremator furnaces inside the cemetery, totally removed from the complex and perceived as a foreign body compared to the context and original project
- the very complex management and obviously to be placed in the hands of trained operators and with a sufficient level of specialisation;
- the absolute necessity for cleanliness, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance to be programmed with great precision and strictness on the crematorium complex so as to maintain the system responsible for the delicate job as efficient as possible and to avoid any malfunction or interruption during a cremation process.
- It should be said that the use of a cremator furnace is statistically, and because of its nature, irregular, that is to say discontinuous, not programmable because neither the frequency nor the death rate is predictable.
[0011] All this gives us to understand that only large communities cam or will be able to afford a permanent cremator furnace.
Objects of the Invention
[0012] This invention has been conceived on the basis of these general considerations and one of its objects is to provide a cremator f furnace with trolley, consequently movable to be inserted in a new integrated treatment system of the corpses. The objective has been achieved with a mobile cremation system as in claim 1.
[0013] The basic philosophy behind this invention, therefore, is no longer based on the creation of stable cremator furnaces so as to increase their availability, but to propose an autonomous cremator furnace that can be moved from one place to another on request and only when needed, thus avoiding respectively, that the corpses have to be moved, which incredibly has been the practice for years, to the cemeteries equipped with furnaces, and where often they are left for a long time and often in inappropriate conditions for the cremation process.
[0014] With a movable cremation system according to this invention a number of practical and money saving advantages are reached, such as:
- the possibility to park the autonomous mobile cremation system temporarily in any cemetery and or in adjacent parks without disturbing the existing architectural aspects;
- the possibility even for the smaller and secluded communities to fittingly cremate their deceased , even when exhumed;
- the realisation of a furnace with very high level technological requirements, with process controls always updated, strict qualified environment regulations respected and able to be met even where a high level of sterility is required;
- the possibility of a shelter and deposit of these travelling furnaces in conditions that allow effortless maintenance and a constant reestablishment taking advantage of the fixed appropriate tools together with big savings;
- no investment on the part of the local administrations, only a normal service cost at the charge only of the users of the service;
- no maintenance cost at the charge of local administration even if they have at their disposal a modem and updated cremation plant;
- no cost for the local administrations for trained personnel or personnel requiring training;
- the possibility of use at "campaigns" and at set preparation times of the furnaces to deal with exhumations, finally rationalizing these operations and furthermore avoiding dangerous contact with the corpses.
[0015] The mobile cremation system has moreover been implemented and further improved with innovative features regarding, firstly, the temporary custody of the body while waiting to be cremated and then the introduction of the body into the treatment chamber.
[0016] Cremation of bodies is generally carried out by introducing the coffin into the cremator furnace so that the ashes of the coffin and the body become mixed together, consequently increasing the mass. At the same time the burning of the coffin is to say the least a waste of money.
[0017] More often than not the coffins are made of wood, lined internally and closed by a covering. They can be of different shapes and finishing, but they also contain metals of various types, varnish, glues, and repellents, rarely made using bio-resistant products. Even the internal lining is often made of synthetic material, anyway of uncertain origin and susceptible to creating unacceptable emissions when burnt. Therefore, the presence of a coffin in a cremation process can become a source of harmful emissions that therefore require specific fumes damping devices.
[0018] This invention has also the objective of presenting a funerary cell suitable in particular for funeral ceremonies which are followed by a cremation procession of the deceased person to a cremator furnace, with the advantages of being able to cremate the corpse without a coffin; reducing the harmful emissions during cremation, by being able to simplify the process furnace; noticeably reducing cremation time compared to the traditional processes carried out with the body closed in a coffin; reducing the quantity of final ashes, basically limiting them only to the ashes of the body; being able to use continuously a same coffin; and, not least, economising on the consumption of a prime material such as wood usually used to make coffins and therefore also achieving economic advantages.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0019] The invention will however be illustrated in greater detail in the follow on of the present description and making reference to the enclosed indicative and not limiting drawings, in which;
Fig. 1 shows a side view of a cremation system fitted on a semi-trailer;
Fig. 2 shows the system in Fig. 1 seen from above;
Fig. 3 shows the system seen from the rear;
Figs. 4 and 5 show the views from the side and top of a closed coffin;
Figs. 6 and 7 show, respectively, a view of one end and a cross section of the coffin;
Figs. 8 and 9 show two different views of the lining closed covering; and
Figs. 10 and 11 show cinerary urn seen from the front and from above.
Detailed Description of the invention
[0020] In the illustrated example, the cremation system as a whole is numbered 11 and is fitted on a semi-trailer 12. The latter has a depressed deck and it can be connected to a tractor - not shown - to transfer it according to needs and left on the spot to be used when detached from the tractor.
[0021] The system 11 comprises a cremation chamber 13 with a relative loading door 14 on one side, with a possible rear door 14' on the opposite side, and a removable container 15 to collect the ashes. Said chamber 13 can be positioned lengthwise or, preferably, crosswise on the deck of the semi-trailer as shown in the drawings.
[0022] The cremation chamber 13 includes a respective burner 16 and is managed by means of a switchboard with control panel.
[0023] Said chamber is in communication with an afterburner 18 fed by a respective burner 19. The afterburner has a chimney 20 with an emergency outflow valve and it is connected, by means of a tube 21, to a fumes-air exchanger 22.
[0024] The gaseous effluent fluid from the exchanger 22 is canalized by means of a tube 23, into a bag filter 24 with a compressor 25.
[0025] The cremation system 11 is completed by a fumes extraction ventilator 26 with a process flue 27, an electric generator 28 to feed electricity to the system and a combustion reserve tank 29 to feed the burners.
[0026] The cremation process foresees and advantageously uses a coffin that comprises (Figs. 4 - 7) a body 111 and a covering 112, where said body has a bottom 113 and at least one side wall 114 which can be opened for unloading, and the covering is hinged to the wall 115 of said body opposite the one that can be opened and connected to an auxiliary system 116 able to assist it and keep it open. The coffin body 111 has lifting handles 117 attached to it, preferably the imbedded type.
[0027] The inside of the coffin can be cooled, at least temporarily, and for this reason a heat absorber 118 can be provided such as lithium iodides, positioned in a recess in the bottom 113 and in communication with the inside of coffin through openings 119. In addition, the coffin can also be provided with an ozone generator 120 which can also be placed in the bottom and a suction device 121 positioned for example on a level with a side wall and in communication with the external environment to create a slight depression inside the coffin.
[0028] Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings show a covering 122 to be coordinated with the coffin and preferably provided to carry out the dual function of acting as a lining for the inside of the coffin or as a bag to enclose the corpse. It can be quilted, decorated in different ways and however configured to pass, starting from a flat folded condition to an open unfolded condition to cover the inside of the coffin when the latter is open to expose the body and, then, to a closed condition with a three-dimensional set up in order to be used. To close it the covering can be provided with at least one longitudinal zip 123. The covering 122 is also provided with handles 124 to facilitate handling, in particular to make it easier to extract it with the body inside using the wall of the coffin that can be opened 114, when the deceased person is taken to the cremation system without the coffin.
[0029] Finally Figs. 10 and 11, show a cinerary urn 125 for collecting and preserving the ashes following cremation of the body, which, as there is no coffin, are purer and the quantity is not as much. Such an urn, which can be made of unbreakable glass, has a metal or the like bottom 126 and a cover 127 and inside at least one of which there can be a recess 128 in which to house and seal, parts or fragments of the deceased person, not only to preserve them perennially, but also to be able to use them for example at any moment for identification purposes using a DNA examination.
1. System for cremating the deceased and the cremation of exhumed corpses, characterized by the fact that it has a carriage in order to be moved and transferred in block and
used on any site.
2. System for cremating according to claim 1, comprising, in combination a cremation
chamber, an afterbceller, a fumes/air exchanger, a filtering group the effluent fumes
from the afterbceller, a fan for the circulation of the gaseous fluids and control
devices of the process to be carried out, characterized in that it is installed on a depressed deck of a vehicle, in particular a semi-trailer, connectable
to a tractor.
3. System for cremating according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it also comprises an electric generator and a fuel reserve tank to autonomously feed
the process to be carried out.
4. System for cremating according to claims 1 or 2 and 3, characterized in that the cremation chamber is facing longitudinally in comparison with the towing direction.
5. System for cremating according to claims 1 or 2 and 3, characterized in that the cremation chamber is oriented crossways in comparison with the towing direction.
6. System for cremating according to claim 5, characterized in that the cremation chamber has at least one front door through which to insert the body
to be cremated.
7. System for cremating according to any of the previous claims, including also a funerary
cell to receive and preserve temporarily a deceased person, where said funerary cell
includes a coffin with folding cover and a covering in the form of a container or
waterproof bag with at least a longitudinal means for closing and able to contain
and hold the body, the lateral wall of the coffin being which can be opened enabling
the enclosed body to be extracted from the side at the moment to be inserted into
a cremation system, without the coffin.
8. System for cremating according to claim 7, wherein the cover of the coffin can be
hinged to a lateral wall and connected to an auxiliary system to facilitate and maintain
its open position, and in which the wall that can be opened is a longitudinal folding
wall on one side compared with the bottom.
9. System for cremating according to claims 7 or 8, wherein the coffin is equipped respectively
with at least a heat absorber and an ozone generator positioned in a recess provided
in the bottom of the coffin to cool and sanitize its inside.
10. System for cremating according to claim 9, wherein the coffin furthermore comprises
a suction device to generate a slight vacuum inside the coffin at least when it is
closed.
11. System for cremating according to claim 7, wherein the waterproof covering is configured
for a disposition, starting from a flat folded condition, to an open unfolded condition
to cover the inside of the coffin when the latter is open for the exposition of the
body of the deceased person and a closed condition with a three-dimensional set up
of containers for its use, said covering being equipped with at least one longitudinal
hinge to close it in the shape of a container.
12. System for cremating according to claim 11, wherein said covering is equipped with
lateral grip handles.
13. System according to any of the previous claims, in which the coffin can be made of
a light, resistant and long-lasting material such as a light alloy, fibre or the like,
the cover made of a transparent or opaque material and the covering in biological
polymer that is in an ecological cloth, perhaps quilted.
14. Funerary cell according to any of the previous claims, in combination with a cinerary
cell to preserve the ashes consequential of the cremation process of the deceased
person without a coffin, the cell having a bottom and a cover, at least one of which
with a recess to accept and preserve over the years parts or fragments coming from
the body of the deceased person.