Patent Application
20150026938
N/A
This invention relates generally to caskets, and more particularly to mechanisms for attaching ornaments to caskets, urns, and other funerary articles.
It is known to attach decorative ornaments to caskets to “personalize” the casket to the deceased. Examples of mechanisms for attaching generally three-dimensional “figurine” style ornaments to the exterior of a casket, for example to the corners of the casket shell, are shown in, for example, the assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,591,466, 6,928,706, 7,340,810 and 7,591,052, and US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0077579, all hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in their entireties. The casket corner ornaments of the '466, '706, and '810 patents, and the '579 publication, utilize fasteners with heads, for example shoulder screws, mounted on the rear side of the ornament, the heads of which are secured in keyhole slots, for example L-shaped keyhole slots, in the casket shell corners. These ornaments are commercially available from the assignee as its LIFESYMBOLS® line of casket shell corner ornaments.
Examples of mechanisms for attaching ornaments to the interior of a casket, for example to the cap panel mounted in the underneath side of the head end casket cap, are shown in, for example, the assignee's US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0299895, hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety. One embodiment of the ornaments for attachment to the cap panel disclosed in the '895 publication utilizes one or more magnets mounted on the rear side of a generally two-dimensional “medallion” style ornament (a relatively thin, flat, circular medal, for example) for magnetically attaching the medallion to a magnetic cap panel. These ornaments are commercially available from the assignee as its LIFESTORIES® line of casket cap panel medallions.
It was desirable to be able to utilize the medallion ornaments with magnets thereon with the casket shell L-shaped keyhole slots so that the medallions could also be mounted on the casket shell corners. To that end, a casket ornament attachment mechanism of the type shown in the assignee's US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0266423, hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety, was devised. The '423 publication discloses a medallion casket ornament having at least one magnet mounted on the rear side thereof, and a magnetic adapter plate having at least one fastener with a head thereon mounted on the rear side thereof. The adapter plate is removably secured to the casket shell by inserting the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove of the casket shell and seating the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove. The casket ornament is then removably magnetically secured to the shell by positioning the magnet of the ornament on the adapter plate.
It was also desirable to be able to use the casket corner ornaments having fasteners with heads on magnetic cap panels. To that end, the assignee devised a conversion kit for supply to funeral directors for converting a casket shell corner compatible ornament into a magnetic cap panel compatible ornament. That conversion kit comprised of two magnets and two Phillips screws. Each magnet has a bore for accepting its screw. To convert the casket corner ornament, the two shoulder screws (that cooperate with the L-shaped keyhole slots in the casket shell corner) are removed, and each is replaced with one of the magnets and one of the Phillips screws. The casket corner ornament can then be attached to a magnetic cap panel for display.
While the above-described casket ornament attachment mechanism of the '423 publication and conversion kit both function as designed, nevertheless they are not without drawbacks. For example, the funeral director or funeral home owner must keep on hand several adapter plates and conversion kits, at extra cost. Each conversion kit, while separately packaged, nevertheless includes four fairly small parts which are readily lost, misplaced, etc. And, the act of converting casket corner compatible ornaments into magnetic cap panel compatible ornaments with conversion kits is time consuming.
Accordingly, it is further desirable to devise a single or universal casket ornament attachment mechanism which would permit both the generally three-dimensional figurine type casket shell corner ornaments as well as the generally two-dimensional medallion type casket lid cap panel ornaments to be readily secured to either the casket shell corner or to the casket cap magnetic cap panel. This would permit a funeral director to be able to quickly and easily attach either type of ornament to either casket location without having to change out the fastener hardware, keep on hand and keep track of loose magnets, lose screws, adapter plates, and the like.
In one aspect, a casket comprises a casket shell including at least one keyhole groove in an exterior surface thereof, a casket lid closeable on the shell, the lid including a magnetic cap panel mounted therein, a universal ornament base having a front side and a rear side, the rear side including at least one magnet mounted thereon and at least one fastener secured thereto, the fastener having a head thereon, and an ornament insert secured to the front side of the ornament base. The ornament base and ornament insert can be removably secured to the shell by inserting the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove of the shell and seating the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove, or to the lid by positioning the magnet on the magnetic cap panel, as desired.
The ornament insert can be either a generally three-dimensional figurine type ornament or a generally two-dimensional medallion type ornament. The ornament base can be fabricated of plastic, for example. The magnet can be positioned on an axis of symmetry of the ornament base and the fastener can be positioned offset from the axis of symmetry of the ornament base. The at least one magnet preferably comprises a single magnet positioned near a perimeter of the ornament base and on an axis of symmetry of the ornament base, and the at least one fastener preferably comprises a pair of vertically spaced fasteners positioned well within the perimeter of the ornament base and offset from the axis of symmetry of the ornament base.
In another aspect, a universal ornament base for removably securing a casket ornament insert to a keyhole groove in an exterior of a casket shell, or to a magnetic cap panel mounted in a casket lid, as desired, is provided. The universal ornament base comprises an ornament base body having a front side and a rear side, the rear side of the ornament base body including at least one magnet mounted thereon and at least one fastener secured thereto, the fastener having a head thereon, and the front side of the ornament base body configured to have the casket ornament insert secured thereto. The ornament base and the ornament insert can be removably secured to the shell by inserting the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove of the shell and seating the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove, or to the lid by positioning the magnet on the magnetic cap panel, as desired.
In another aspect, a method of personalizing a casket according to a family member's wishes, the casket having a keyhole groove in an exterior of a shell of the casket and a magnetic cap panel mounted in a lid of the casket, is provided. The method comprises receiving the casket, receiving an ornament insert, receiving a universal ornament base configured to have the ornament insert secured on one side thereof, and configured to have a fastener with a head thereon and a magnet secured on the other side thereof, receiving the fastener, receiving the magnet, querying the family member as to whether the ornament insert and ornament base are to be mounted to the casket shell or to the casket lid, securing the ornament insert to the ornament base, and in response to the answer received from the family member to the query, removably securing the ornament insert and ornament base either to the casket shell by inserting the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove of the shell and seating the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove, or to the casket lid by positioning the magnet on the magnetic cap panel.
The method can further comprise the step of, prior to the step of removably securing the ornament insert and ornament base either to the casket shell or to the casket lid, securing either the fastener or the magnet to the ornament base in response to the answer received from the family member to the query. The steps of receiving the ornament base, receiving the fastener, and receiving the magnet can comprise receiving the ornament base with the fastener and the magnet preinstalled thereto. The universal ornament base can be a universal medallion base and the universal ornament insert can be medallion insert. The medallion insert can be a metallic die-struck medallion insert, a button medallion insert, or a domed medallion insert.
In another aspect, a method of personalizing a casket according to a family member's wishes is provided. The method comprises receiving a plurality of ornament inserts, receiving a universal ornament base configured to have a selected ornament insert of the plurality of ornament inserts secured on one side thereof, and configured to have a fastener with a head thereon and a magnet secured on the other side thereof, receiving the fastener, receiving the magnet, presenting the plurality of ornament inserts to the family member, allowing the family member to select an ornament insert from the plurality of ornament inserts, querying the family member as to whether the selected ornament insert and ornament base are to be mounted to a casket shell or to a casket lid, securing the selected ornament insert to the ornament base, and in response to the answer received from the family member to the query, removably securing the selected ornament insert and ornament base either to the casket shell by inserting the head of the fastener in a keyhole groove in an exterior of the casket shell and seating the head of the fastener in the keyhole groove, or to the casket lid by positioning the magnet on a magnetic cap panel mounted in the casket lid.
The universal ornament base can be a universal medallion blank and the ornament insert can either be a medallion insert or a figurine insert.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the summary of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
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The universal medallion base 50 preferably has three threaded inserts 60, 62, and 64 molded therein. Threaded insert 60 is positioned so as to position magnet 32 on an axis of symmetry A-A of universal medallion base 50 and near a perimeter of universal medallion base 50. Threaded inserts 62, 64 are horizontally offset from the axis of symmetry A-A of universal medallion base 50, are vertically aligned, and are positioned well within the perimeter of the universal ornament base 50. The horizontal offset corresponds to and is to compensate for the horizontal offset of the vertical terminal portions of keyhole slots 46, 46 in the corner back plate 40. A screw 70 passes through bore 72 in magnet 32 and threads into threaded insert 60 to secure magnet 32 onto the rear face of universal medallion base 50. Shoulder screws 74, 76, each having a shoulder 80 and a head 82, are threaded into threaded inserts 62, 64, respectively. A pair of felt or the like pads 86, 86 can be secured onto the rear face of the universal medallion base 50 to stabilize medallion base 50 when placed on magnetic cap panel 24 (
Medallion insert 52 is received into recess 54 of universal medallion blank 50 and is secured there with adhesives, double-sided adhesive tape, etc 57. Medallion insert 52 is preferably fabricated of brass or bronze and has text and/or graphics in the form of a three-dimensional image 90 die-struck into the medallion insert 52. The medallion insert 52 can have a diameter of about 3.75 inches and a thickness of about 0.030 inches, and the three-dimensional image 90 of the medallion insert 52 can have a height of about 0.065 inches. When installing medallion insert 52 into medallion base 50, care should be taken so as to orient the three-dimensional image 90 so that it is upright and aligned with the axis of symmetry A-A of medallion base 50.
In use, a funeral home will receive one or more shipments of caskets 10, universal ornament bases 50 and ornament inserts 52. During funeral planning, the family member/loved one will be offered a number of different ornament inserts 52 from which to choose. Once the family member/loved one has made their selection, the funeral director will ask the family member/loved one whether the ornament is to be mounted to the casket shell or to the casket lid. The funeral director will then secure the selected ornament insert 52 to the universal ornament base 50, and, depending on the answer received from the family member/love one, removably secure the ornament base 50 with ornament insert 52 secured thereto either to the casket shell 12 by inserting the heads 82 of shoulder screws 74, 76 into respective ones of the keyhole grooves 42, 42 in casket shell corner back plate 40 and seating the heads 82 in the grooves 42, 42, or to the casket lid 14 by positioning magnet 32 on the magnetic cap panel 24.
Ideally, a funeral home will receive caskets each of which has both the keyhole groove casket shell feature and the magnetic cap panel feature. However, it is possible for the funeral home to receive one group of caskets having just the keyhole groove casket shell feature, and another group of caskets having just the magnetic cap panel feature. In that case, the answer from the family member/loved one as to the location of mounting the ornament will dictate from which group of caskets the family member/loved will make their casket selection. The invention is also applicable to this scenario and consequently this scenario also falls within the scope of the invention.
Ideally, universal medallion bases 50 will be shipped to the funeral home with magnets 32 and shoulder screws 74, 76 preinstalled thereto. However, it is possible that the universal medallion bases 50 and hardware 32, 70, 74, 76 therefore could be shipped separately requiring assembly by the funeral director. In that case, once the family member/loved one has instructed the funeral director to mount the ornament to the casket shell or the casket lid, the funeral director need only install either both shoulder screws 74, 76 if the ornament is to be mounted to the casket shell, or the magnet 32 with screw 70 if the ornament is to be mounted to the casket lid. The invention is also applicable to this scenario and consequently this scenario also falls within the scope of the invention.
Alternatively still, the universal medallion bases 50 could be shipped to the funeral home with either just both shoulder screws 74, 76 installed, or with just the magnet 32 installed. In the former case, should the family member/loved one opt for casket shell mounting no manipulation of hardware is required. Also in the former case, should the family member/loved one opt for casket lid mounting the magnet 32 is installed; the shoulder screws 74, 76 can be removed or left installed. In the latter case, should the family member/loved one opt for casket shell mounting the shoulder screws 74, 76 are installed; the magnet 32 can be removed or left installed. In the latter case, should the family member/loved one opt for casket lid mounting no manipulation of hardware is required. The invention is also applicable to this scenario and consequently this scenario also falls within the scope of the invention.
The invention herein is usable with button medallion inserts to produce a button medallion of the type disclosed in the assignee's US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0074299, hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety. See
The invention herein is also usable with domed medallion inserts to produce a domed medallion of the type disclosed in the assignee's U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/675,628 filed Jul. 25, 2012, hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety. See
The invention herein is further usable with medallion inserts of other designs/constructions. For example, a porcelain medallion insert could be used with the universal medallion base 50 to produce a porcelain medallion.
The invention herein is therefore usable with a myriad of generally two-dimensional medallion style ornament inserts to produce a myriad of generally two-dimensional medallion style ornaments capable of being mounted to either the casket shell corner or the casket cap panel.
The invention herein is still further usable with a myriad of generally three-dimensional figurine style ornament inserts to produce a myriad of generally three-dimensional figurine style ornaments capable of being mounted to either the casket shell corner or the casket cap panel. See
The various embodiments of the invention shown and described are merely for illustrative purposes only, as the drawings and the description are not intended to restrict or limit in any way the scope of the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate various changes, modifications, and improvements which can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details and representative apparatus and methods shown and described. Departures may therefore be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept. Accordingly, the scope of the invention shall be limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.
