Patent Application
20230250667
The present invention relates generally to burial memorials. More specifically, the present invention discloses a decorative burial memorial substituting for prior art urns or vessels for holding cremains, the decorative memorial being placed in any of an indoor or outdoor location. The cremains are held within a separate enclosure removably mounted within the memorial which can be viewed through one or more windows configured in a superstructure of the assembly. A further removable top piece can include, without limitation, any of a lamp, globe, planter, birdbath, or the like and which, upon removal, allows easy access to the separate enclosure holding the cremains.
The prior art is documented with numerous examples of burial urns vessels for holding such as cremains. Traditionally, such enclosures have been associated with cemeteries or mausoleums however, and in more recent years, the ability to safely and attractively store and display/present the decedent' cremains has gained popularity. This can also include presentation in memorial niches as well as in residential settings.
Examples of known cremation containers include U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,961, disclosing a combination lawn/garden ornament and cremation container. U.S. Pat. No. 7,272,874 teaches a cremation urn convertible into a birdhouse, with U.S. Pat. No. D920,621 disclosing a funerary urn.
The present invention discloses a memorial such as for displaying cremain remains, including a superstructure defining an open interior. A removable top piece is attached atop the superstructure for permitting access to a cremain holding enclosure supported within the interior.
The removable top piece can include any of a lamp, globe, planter or birdbath. Other features include a solar lighting element incorporated into the removable top piece for illuminating, such as during periods of darkness.
At least one viewing window is configured within the superstructure for viewing the internally held cremain holding enclosure. In one non-limiting construction, the superstructure further includes a plurality of inter-assembled and beveled staves.
The enclosure further incorporates each of a bottom cap, sleeve shaped body and top cap. The bottom cap defines a platform for the cremain enclosure secured within the interior in order to array the cremain enclosure level with the viewing window.
Reference will now be made to the attached drawings, when read in combination with the following detailed description, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
With reference to the attached illustrations, the present invention discloses a decorative burial memorial, see generally at 10 in
As again shown in the perspective view of
The removable top piece 12 is dimensioned so that it includes a bottom annular support surface 13 (see again
As also shown in the views of
It is also envisioned that the conical shaped body of the superstructure can be formed from a single continuous piece, such as through milling in the case of natural (e.g. wooden or cellulosic) materials, as well as the creation of the shell through such as an injection molding or casting process in the instance of forming the outer shell of the body or memorial utilizing a synthetic plasticized or faux wooden appearing material (see again the general representation of the conical shaped shell in
Also depicted in each of
Without limitation, the window aperture profiles can be either pre-formed or post-machined into the individual elongated staves 16, 18, 20, et. seq. at any point before, during or after assembly, and which is further. It is also envisioned that the window profiles can be modified from the capsule like configuration shown for utilization in alternate variants and can also include forming an annular ring shaped structure, such as a transparent viewing window, and such as which can be incorporated into a one piece superstructure.
Finally,
Having described my invention, other and additional preferred embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains, and without deviating from the scope of the appended claims. The detailed description and drawings are further understood to be supportive of the disclosure, the scope of which being defined by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the claimed teachings have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the disclosure defined in the appended claims.
The foregoing disclosure is further understood as not intended to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. As such, it is contemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modifications to the present disclosure, whether explicitly described or implied herein, are possible in light of the disclosure. Having thus described embodiments of the present disclosure, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is limited only by the claims.
In the foregoing specification, the disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, as one skilled in the art will appreciate, various embodiments disclosed herein can be modified or otherwise implemented in various other ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, this description is to be considered as illustrative and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the manner of making and using various embodiments of the disclosure. It is to be understood that the forms of disclosure herein shown and described are to be taken as representative embodiments. Equivalent elements, materials, processes or steps may be substituted for those representatively illustrated and described herein. Moreover, certain features of the disclosure may be utilized independently of the use of other features, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the disclosure. Expressions such as “including”, “comprising”, “incorporating”, “consisting of”, “have”, “is” used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural.
Further, various embodiments disclosed herein are to be taken in the illustrative and explanatory sense, and should in no way be construed as limiting of the present disclosure. All joinder references (e.g., attached, affixed, coupled, connected, and the like) are only used to aid the reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and may not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the systems and/or methods disclosed herein. Therefore, joinder references, if any, are to be construed broadly. Moreover, such joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected to each other.
Additionally, all numerical terms, such as, but not limited to, “first”, “second”, “third”, “primary”, “secondary”, “main” or any other ordinary and/or numerical terms, should also be taken only as identifiers, to assist the reader's understanding of the various elements, embodiments, variations and/or modifications of the present disclosure, and may not create any limitations, particularly as to the order, or preference, of any element, embodiment, variation and/or modification relative to, or over, another element, embodiment, variation and/or modification.
It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings/figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner, or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certain cases, as is useful in accordance with a particular application. Additionally, any signal hatches in the drawings/figures should be considered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwise specifically specified.
The present application claims the priority of U.S. Ser. No. 63/306,521 filed Feb. 4, 2022.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63306521 | Feb 2022 | US |
