Casket lock structure

Claim 1

FOR USE WITH A CASKET STRUCTURE INCLUDING A CASKET BODY GENERALLY OPEN AT ITS UPPER END AND HAVING FOUR MARGINAL EDGES, A TOP PIVOTED TO THE BODY AND ADAPTED TO CLOSE THE OTHERWISE OPEN UPPER END, HINGES BETWEEN ONE OF THE MARGINAL EDGES AND THE TOP, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A LOCK STRUCTURE ON THE MARGINAL EDGE OF THE BODY OPPOSITE THE HINGES, SAID LOCK STRUCTURE INCLUDING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED HOUSING, OPEN AT THE SIDE, MOUNTED ON THE MARGINAL EDGE AND EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, A HANDLE PIVOTED TO THE HOUSING ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS TO SWING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID HANDLE HAVING HORIZONTAL SIDE WALLS AND A VERTICAL FRONT WALL WHICH OVERLIE AND CLOSE THE HOUSING, A LOCK SLIDE WITHIN THE HOUSING ADAPTED TO MOVE LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN LOCKED AND UNLOCKED POSITIONS, A HOLD-DOWN ELEMENT ON THE TOP OPPOSITE THE HINGES ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH THE HOUSING, AN OPENING THROUGH THE TOP OF THE HOUSING TO ACCEPT THE HOLD-DOWN ELEMENT ALLOWING IT TO ENTER THE HOUSING TO BE ENGAGED BY THE LOCK STRUCTURE, A LINK PIVOTED TO THE HANDLE AND TO THE LOCK SLIDE CONSTRUCTED TO MOVE THE LOCK SLIDE BACK AND FOURTH BETWEEN LOCKED AND UNLOCKED POSITIONS IN RESPONSE TO PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE HANDLE, A SPRING CONNECTED BETWEEN THE HANDLE AND LINK FOR BIASING THE HANDLE AND LOCK SLIDE TOWARD LOCKED POSITION, SAID LOCK SLIDE INCLUDING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT, A CAM SURFACE FORMED IN THE LOCK SLIDE ALONG ONE SIDE OF THE SLOT, A CAM GROOVE IN THE HOLD-DOWN ELEMENT ALIGNED WITH THE CAM SURFACE ON THE LOCK SLIDE, SAID LOCK SLIDE AND HOLDDOWN ELEMENT BEING RELATIVELY POSITIONED, WHEN THE CASKET TOP IS CLOSED, TO PERMIT THE LOCK SLIDE TO MOVE INTO THE CAM GROOVE WITH THE CAM SURFACE APPLYING A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED LOCKING FORCE TO THE HOLD-DOWN ELEMENT.