Patent Application
20250222369
The present invention pertains to a do-it-yourself (DIY) memorial plushy kit system and method for memorializing a deceased loved one to honor the deceased loved one while providing comfort to a bereaved person by keeping the memory of the deceased loved one alive. The present invention further pertains to a kit system containing a plushy stuffed animal, a customizable plushy accessory comprising a removable protective paper liner covering a heat activated permanent double-sided adhesive on an accessory front surface of the customizable plushy accessory, a personalization template substantially formed to a shape of the customizable plushy accessory, and a cutting tool used to form a pattern piece from a garment of a deceased loved one, as well as a method of accomplishing the same.
The loss of a loved one causes great pain and anxiety in individuals experiencing bereavement. Often the bereaved individual is left with a feeling of emptiness at the loss of the loved one. Having an emotionally satisfying way to memorialize and honor a deceased loved one is an extremely important way of processing such a loss. The additional ability to keep a piece of the deceased loved one alive with the added benefit of getting anxiety relief is an excellent way of processing bereavement as well as being able to hold onto the memory of the deceased loved one.
Memorial products have been available in the market for quite some time. Existing memorial products are available in a multitude of various shapes, sizes, and formats, which have the basic utility of preserving the memory of a deceased loved one. Some memorial products are designed to be left at the grave of the deceased, while others are meant to be kept on a mantle or shelves of the bereaved individual.
Many people find comfort and a sense of security in cuddling or sleeping with a stuffed animal. The texture and familiarity of a plushy stuffed animal can help create a soothing and calming environment for sleep or times that individuals may experience struggles with anxiety, depression, and/or insomnia. The ability to get back to sense of “normalcy” is an important step for bereaved individuals who may be experiencing anxiety and/or depression as a result of the loss of a loved one. It is the goal of the present invention to utilize the benefits of plushy stuffed animals while providing the ability to incorporate a part of a deceased loved one's memory into a product that honors the deceased loved one while providing relief and a sense of safety for the bereaved individual.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0355214 A1 discloses a weatherproof stuffed animal for placement on gravesites and external memorial sites. The stuffed animal can be placed by a person at a gravesite (or memorial site) as a memorial for a person who has passed away. The stuffed animal includes a weatherproof outer cover and inner filling. The weatherproof properties prohibit the stuffed animal from becoming tattered and deteriorated in harsh weather elements. The stuffed animal also can include customized mourning/remembrance messages on the outer cover for mourning. Additionally disclosed, the stuffed animal can have LEDs to illuminate the remembrance messages and can also have a protective slot for securing a name, a message, and/or a photo of the person on whose gravesite the stuffed animal is kept.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,308,741 B1 discloses a system for storing cremated remains in one or more holders that an individual may physically hold onto. The cremated remains storage system incorporates a “plush container” that incorporates ornamental symbols associated with a deceased individual's life while keeping the cremated remains of the deceased individual inside of a pocket of the stuffed animal.
All aforementioned patents and publications are incorporated herein by reference.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, they would not be as suitable, or suitable at all, for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
While the prior art discloses various devices and apparatuses for memorializing the deceased, the present invention implements the use of a system that helps a bereaved individual to work through their grief and improve the mental health of the individual by utilizing the therapeutic aspects of crafts projects while including a portion of a deceased loved one's clothing in a healthy manner. Additionally, the invention disclosed herein provides the advantage of having a comforting plushy stuffed animal that incorporates a memory of the deceased loved one by utilizing a piece of an article of clothing of the deceased loved one on the cuddly plushy stuffed animal to help the bereaved individual deal with feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
It is one prospect of the present invention to provide a novel system for memorializing a deceased loved one by way of utilizing a convenient do-it-yourself plushy kit along with an article of the deceased loved one's clothing to honor the deceased loved one while providing comfort to a bereaved person by keeping the memory of the deceased loved one alive.
The following presents a simplified summary of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented herein.
Therefore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a DIY memorial kit system. The DIY memorial kit system includes at least one plushy stuffed animal that has an outer shell material and an inner stuffing material. Included within the DIY memorial kit system is at least one customizable plushy accessory, which has an accessory front surface that includes a first end section. The accessory front surface is located opposite an accessory back surface that includes a second end section. The at least one customizable plushy accessory has at least one frontside adhesive material that is attached to the first end section of the accessory front surface and at least one backside adhesive material that is attached to the second end section of the accessory back surface. The at least one backside adhesive material is designed to receive and retain the at least one frontside adhesive material whereby the at least one customizable plushy accessory is designed to wrap around the at least one plushy stuffed animal. In accordance with the present invention, the DIY memorial kit system requires at least one garment of a deceased loved one provided by the bereaved person as well as a pen that is also provided by bereaved person that is designed to place markings on the at least one garment of the deceased loved one. The DIY memorial kit system includes at least one personalization template that is amply formed to a shape of the at least one customizable plushy accessory and a cutting tool that is designed for shearing the at least one garment of the deceased loved one is also provided. The at least one garment of the deceased loved one forms at least one pattern piece in the shape of the at least one customizable plushy accessory when sheared with the cutting tool. In accordance with the present invention, the accessory front surface of the at least one customizable accessory includes a removable protective paper liner that covers a heat activated permanent double-sided adhesive. The heat activated permanent double-sided adhesive is designed to receive and retain the at least one pattern piece when the at least one customizable plushy accessory and the at least one pattern piece are exposed to heat and pressure.
In one embodiment, the outer shell material of the at least one plushy stuffed animal is made of at least one of or a combination of the materials that include weatherproof and tear resistant material, felt, mohair, faux fur, cotton, fleece, corduroy, canvas, and jeans.
In another embodiment, the inner stuffing material is made out of at least one of or a combination of materials that include cotton, wool, down, beads, plastic pellets, beans, synthetic fiber, and bamboo fibers.
In yet another embodiment, the DIY memorial kit system further includes a weighted interior material designed to provide anxiety relief to the bereaved person by increasing the weight of the at least one plushy stuffed animal. In accordance with such embodiment of the present invention the weighted interior material is evenly distributed within the at least one plushy stuffed animal and is made of at least one of or a combination of materials that include glass beads, plastic pellets, rice, buckwheat, and beans.
In one embodiment, the DIY memorial kit system further includes a weighted interior material designed to provide anxiety relief to the bereaved person by increasing the weight of the at least one plushy stuffed animal. In accordance with such embodiment of the invention, the weighted interior material is contained in at least one bag that is sewn onto an interior surface of the outer shell material. The weighted interior material contained in the at least one bag is made of at least one of or a combination of materials that include glass beads, plastic pellets, rice, buckwheat, sand, and beans.
In another embodiment, the at least one customizable plushy accessory is an accessory that is optionally either a bandana bib, vest, dress, pants, skirt, shirt, jacket, scarf, hat, headband, or mask.
In yet another embodiment, the at least one backside adhesive material and the at least one frontside adhesive material are made of either Velcro®, double sided adhesive glue, snap buttons, or hook-and-loop fasteners.
In one embodiment, the heat activated permanent double-sided adhesive is made of at least one of or a combination of chemical components that include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyamide (nylon), natural resins, synthetic resins, waxes, calcium carbonate, talc, silica, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA).
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, a DIY memorial kit system is presented. The DIY memorial kit system includes at least one plushy stuffed animal made of an outer shell material and an inner stuffing material. The DIY memorial kit system includes at least one customizable plushy accessory that has an accessory front surface oriented opposite an accessory back surface. Included is at least one frontside adhesive material located on a plushy front surface of the at least one plushy stuffed animal and at least one backside adhesive material located on the backside of the accessory back surface. The at least one backside adhesive material is designed to receive and retain the at least one frontside adhesive material and the at least one customizable plushy accessory, which is designed to attach to the at least one plushy stuffed animal. In accordance with such preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one garment of a deceased loved one is provided by a bereaved person along with a pen that is designed to place markings on the at least one garment of the deceased loved one. The DIY memorial kit system includes at least one personalization template that is largely formed in the shape of the at least one customizable plushy accessory and a cutting tool that is designed for shearing the at least one garment of the deceased loved one. The at least one garment of the deceased loved one forms at least one pattern piece that is in the shape of the at least one customizable plushy accessory when sheared with the cutting tool. In accordance with the present invention, the accessory front surface includes a removable protective paper liner that covers a heat activated permanent double-sided adhesive, which is designed to receive and retain the at least one pattern piece when the at least one customizable plushy accessory and the at least one pattern piece are exposed to heat and pressure.
In one embodiment, the outer shell material of the at least one plushy stuffed animal is made of at least one of or a combination of the materials that include weatherproof and tear resistant material, felt, mohair, faux fur, cotton, fleece, corduroy, canvas, and jeans.
In another embodiment, the inner stuffing material is made out of at least one of or a combination of materials that include cotton, wool, down, beads, plastic pellets, beans, synthetic fiber, and bamboo fibers.
In yet another embodiment, the DIY memorial kit system further includes a weighted interior material designed to provide anxiety relief to the bereaved person by increasing the weight of the at least one plushy stuffed animal. In accordance with such embodiment of the present invention the weighted interior material is evenly distributed within the at least one plushy stuffed animal and is made of at least one of or a combination of materials that include glass beads, plastic pellets, rice, buckwheat, and beans.
In one embodiment, the DIY memorial kit system further includes a weighted interior material designed to provide anxiety relief to the bereaved person by increasing the weight of the at least one plushy stuffed animal. In accordance with such embodiment of the invention, the weighted interior material is contained in at least one bag that is sewn onto an interior surface of the outer shell material. The weighted interior material contained in the at least one bag is made of at least one of or a combination of materials that include glass beads, plastic pellets, rice, buckwheat, sand, and beans.
In another embodiment, the at least one customizable plushy accessory is an accessory that is optionally either a flower, star, square, rectangle, circle, oval, triangle, or heart.
In yet another embodiment, the at least one backside adhesive material and the at least one frontside adhesive material are made of either Velcro®, double sided adhesive glue, snap buttons, or hook-and-loop fasteners.
In one embodiment, the heat activated permanent double-sided adhesive is made of at least one of or a combination of chemical components that include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyamide (nylon), natural resins, synthetic resins, waxes, calcium carbonate, talc, silica, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA).
Therefore, in accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, a method of creating a DIY customized memorial plushy stuffed animal is presented. The method of creating a DIY customized memorial plushy stuffed animal includes step a) receiving a DIY customized memorial plushy stuffed animal kit. The DIY customized memorial plushy stuffed animal kit includes a plushy stuffed animal, a customizable plushy accessory including a removable protective paper liner that covers a heat activated permanent double-sided adhesive on an accessory front surface of the customizable plushy accessory, a personalization template that is significantly formed in the shape of the customizable plushy accessory, and a cutting tool.
The method includes a step b) of selecting a garment of a deceased loved one for personalization that can safely be ironed followed by a step c) of identifying a usable area of the garment which does not exhibit significant signs of wear or staining and does not include seams, buttonholes, or hardware.
In accordance with the present method, the method includes a step d) of spreading the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one over a flat surface, then a step e) of removing wrinkles from the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one by smoothing the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one on the flat surface, and then a step f) of placing the personalization template carefully and firmly on top of the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one. A step g) of drawing markings on the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one using a pen that is provided by the bereaved person by trace around the outer edges of the personalization template, followed by a step h) removing the personalization template from the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one, then a step i) of verifying the visibility of the markings on the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one, and a step j) of grasping an outermost fabric layer of the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one.
The method then includes a step k) of cutting along the markings on the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one with the cutting tool to form a pattern piece, then a step l) of removing the customizable plushy accessory from the plushy stuffed animal, followed by a step m) of spreading the customizable plushy accessory on a flat heat resistant surface, and a step n) removing and discarding the removable protective paper liner from the accessory front surface. In accordance with the present invention, the method includes a step o) of placing the pattern piece face up on top of the accessory front surface, followed by a step p) of lining up the pattern piece on top of the customizable plushy accessory to cover the entire area once covered by the protective liner, then a step q) of preheating an iron to medium heat without the use of steam, and a step r) of placing the preheated iron over the pattern piece lined up with the customizable plushy accessory for at least 5 seconds.
The method then includes a step s) of ironing the pattern piece lined up with the customizable plushy accessory in a circular motion for at least 5 seconds, then a step t) of allowing the ironed pattern piece lined up with the customizable plushy accessory to cool briefly for at least 30 seconds, and a step u) of flipping the pattern piece lined up with the customizable plushy accessory on top of the flat heat resistant surface. The method then includes a step v) of ironing in a circular motion using firm pressure on the customizable plushy accessory lined up with the pattern piece for at least six to eight seconds until the customizable plushy accessory and the pattern piece are securely bonded, followed by a step w) of confirming that the customizable plushy accessory and the pattern piece are securely bonded.
The method includes a step x) of flipping the customizable plushy accessory securely bonded to the pattern piece over, and finally a step y) of attaching the customizable plushy accessory securely bonded to the pattern piece to the plushy stuffed animal.
In one embodiment, the at least one customizable plushy accessory is an accessory that is optionally either a bandana bib, vest, dress, pants, skirt, shirt, jacket, scarf, hat, headband, or mask.
In another embodiment, the at least one customizable plushy accessory is an accessory that is optionally either a flower, star, square, rectangle, circle, oval, triangle, or heart.
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
For a further understanding of the nature and function of the embodiments, reference should be made to the following detailed description. Detailed descriptions of the embodiments are provided herein, as well as, the best mode of carrying out and employing the present invention. It will be readily appreciated that the embodiments are well adapted to carry out and obtain the ends and features mentioned as well as those inherent herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, persons of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following disclosure is illustrative only and not in any way limiting, as the specific details disclosed herein provide a basis for the claims and a representative basis for teaching to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure, or manner. It should be understood that the devices, materials, methods, procedures, and techniques described herein are presently representative of various embodiments. Other embodiments of the disclosure will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure.
Referring initially to
Included within the DIY memorial kit system 100 is at least one customizable plushy accessory 110, shown in
In accordance with the present invention, turning back to
In accordance with the present invention, illustrated in
In one embodiment, the outer shell material 104 of the at least one plushy stuffed animal 102, shown in
In another embodiment, the inner stuffing material 106 is made out of at least one of or a combination of materials that include cotton, wool, down, beads, plastic pellets, beans, synthetic fiber, and bamboo fibers. Similarly, such options would be available as options upon purchase of the DIY memorial kit system 100.
Turning to
In one embodiment, as shown in
In another embodiment, the at least one customizable plushy accessory 110 is an accessory that is optionally either a bandana bib, vest, dress, pants, skirt, shirt, jacket, scarf, hat, headband, or mask. As an exemplary illustration of the present invention, the at least one customizable plushy accessory 110 is depicted as a bandana bib such as that depicted in
In yet another embodiment, shown in
In one embodiment, the heat activated permanent double-sided adhesive 136, as shown in
Now turning to
The DIY memorial kit system 200 includes at least one customizable plushy accessory 210, illustrated in
In accordance with such preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in
In accordance with the present invention, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, as illustrated in
In another embodiment, the inner stuffing material 206 is made out of at least one of or a combination of materials that include cotton, wool, down, beads, plastic pellets, beans, synthetic fiber, and bamboo fibers. Similarly, Such options would be available as options upon purchase of the DIY memorial kit system 200.
Turning to
In one embodiment, as shown in
In another embodiment, the at least one customizable plushy accessory 210 is an accessory that is optionally either a flower, star, square, rectangle, circle, oval, triangle, or heart. As an exemplary illustration of the present invention, the at least one customizable plushy accessory 210 is depicted as a flower such as that depicted in
In yet another embodiment, shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
In accordance with embodiments of the invention, there is provided a method 300 for creating a DIY customized memorial plushy stuffed animal 300 comprises the components of the embodiments previously described above in detail in this specification.
Now turning specifically to
Continuing to refer to
The method 300 then includes a step k) 322 of cutting along the markings on the usable area of the garment of a deceased loved one with the cutting tool to form a pattern piece, then a step l) 324 of removing the customizable plushy accessory from the plushy stuffed animal, followed by a step m) 326 of spreading the customizable plushy accessory on a flat heat resistant surface, and a step n) 328 of removing and discarding the removable protective paper liner from the accessory front surface.
Furthermore, in continuing to refer to
Still referring to
In one embodiment of the method 300, the at least one customizable plushy accessory 110 is an accessory that is optionally either a bandana bib, vest, dress, pants, skirt, shirt, jacket, scarf, hat, headband, or mask. As an exemplary illustration of the present invention, the at least one customizable plushy accessory 110 is depicted as a bandana bib such as that depicted in
In another embodiment of the method 300, the at least one customizable plushy accessory 210 is an accessory that is optionally either a flower, star, square, rectangle, circle, oval, triangle, or heart. As an exemplary illustration of the present invention, the at least one customizable plushy accessory 210 is depicted as a flower such as that depicted in
It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should only be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. All patents and publications discussed herein are incorporated in their entirety by reference thereto.
