Californian inventor Donald Scruggs has been granted a patent on the most morbid gadget you might ever not experience. As burial space in cemeteries runs thin with all the horizontal resters, Donald wants you to remain on your feet to conserve precious burial space.

Scruggs’ has been granted a patent on a giant, screw-shaped coffin into which is loaded your inanimate corpse, ready to be twisted into the ground. The patent application was filed back in 2006, you probably don’t need to read it to get the idea but take a look at the drawings.

One of the main problems was making a shell that could withstand the twisting forces involved. While the patent has been granted, Scruggs is still working on prototypes to overcome this. No digging is needed as the coffin displaces dirt as it is screwed into the ground. This might even be a comfort to those with a fear of being buried alive as the lid could be made with an emergency exit, this also ruins many movie plot devices.

Easy Inter Burial Container [Google Patents]

Screw It, You’re Dead Anyway [Discovery News]

Inventor Donald Scruggs and the Screw-in Coffin [Discover]