Abstract:
A memorial family finder has a container having an opening shaped to receive a message having contact information. The container is positioned in proximity to a headstone of an ancestor, thereby allowing the message to be left in proximity to the headstone of an ancestor. The memorial family finder enables a method of finding distant relatives by leaving the message in proximity to the headstone of the ancestor. Distant relatives who visit the headstone of the common ancestor can then retrieve the message and contact the user as directed by the contact information.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to methods of contacting distant relatives, and more particularly to a memorial family finder that enables a novel method of transmitting contact information to distant relatives who visit a grave site of a common ancestor. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     There are many methods that can be used to track down distant relatives. These methods usually involve hiring professionals to search through governmental records to recreate family trees. However, there are many problems with using this process. First, it can be expensive and time consuming to pay someone to do the extensive research that is often required. Second, governmental records are often incomplete. Third, it is very difficult to track down some distant relatives if they have moved or changed their name. 
     The prior art teaches the method of searching government records to track down distant relatives. However, the prior art does not teach the use of a grave site of a common ancestor as a mechanism for sending messages to distant relatives who visit the grave site. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below. 
     The present invention provides a memorial family finder for attachment to a headstone and a method of attaching the memorial family finder to a headstone of an ancestor to locate distant relatives. The memorial family finder includes a container having an opening shaped to receive at least one information card. In use, a user leaves a message having his or her contact information in a container located in proximity to the headstone of the headstone. Distant relatives who visit the headstone of the common ancestor can then retrieve the at least one information card and contact the user. 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a memorial family finder and method of use having advantages not taught by the prior art. 
     Another objective is to provide a memorial family finder that allows a user to establish contact with distant relatives through their common association with a headstone of a common ancestor. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 2 is a back perspective view thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The above described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a memorial family finder  10  and a method for finding distant relatives by leaving a message  40  in proximity to a headstone  12  of an ancestor. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in its preferred embodiment the memorial family finder  10  includes a container  20  having an opening  22  shaped to receive a message  40 , preferably at least one information card. The container  20  is preferably constructed of a transparent synthetic resin such as Plexiglas™, although it is possible to construct the container  20  from almost any material capable of forming a containment device. The container  20  is preferably made of Plexiglas™ because this material is both transparent and durable. It is preferred that the container  20  be transparent so that people can see the at least one information card  40  inside the container  20  when they pass near the headstone  12 . In an alternative embodiment, the container  20  is constructed of bronze or a similar high quality material to provide a more expensive alternative to the Plexiglas™ embodiment. 
     The container  20  preferably includes a mounting block  28  which can be attached to the headstone  12 . The mounting block  28  is preferably integral with the container  20  and preferably has an adhesive  32  for attaching the container  20  to the headstone  12 . The adhesive  32  is preferably covered with peel-removable paper  33  so that a the adhesive  32  is protected until the memorial family finder  10  is ready for attachment to the headstone  12 . 
     The container  20  preferably also includes at least one weep hole  30 , preferably through a bottom surface  24  of the container  20 . The at least one weep hole  30  is preferred because the presence of a hole allows moisture to drain from the container  20 . This is important because the at least one information card  40  may be damaged if moisture accumulates within the container  20 . 
     The at least one information card  40  has contact information  42  printed thereon, the contact information  42  giving instructions on how to contact the user. The at least one information card  40  can be constructed with any material upon which the contact information  42  can be conveniently printed, preferably paper. While it is preferred that the at least one information card  40  be at least partially laminated to protect it from the weather, the at least one information card  40  can be a simple business card. It is preferred that the user leave more than one business card in the container  20  so that one of the distant relative may remove one of the business cards to take home and contact the user, while still leaving other business cards in the container  20  for additional distant relatives to find and use. The container  20  is preferably large enough to hold several business cards from many people at once, to facilitate the simultaneous contact of one user with many distant relatives. 
     A lid  34  is hingable attached to the container  20  with a hinge  36 . The lid  34  pivots from a closed position for covering the opening  22 , to an open position for receiving and dispensing the at least one information card  40 . The lid  34  is preferably constructed of Plexiglas™ to match the container  20 . The lid  34  preferably extends slightly beyond the opening  22  of the container  20  to prevent moisture from leaking into the container  20 . In the preferred embodiment, the mounting block  28  is a Plexiglas™ block that extends from a rear surface  26  of the container  20  further than the hinge  36 . By mounting the container  20  on a mounting block  28  that extends from the rear surface  26  further than the hinge  36 , the lid  34  is allowed to open when the container  20  is mounted on the headstone  12  without being hindered by lid  34  or hinge  36  hitting the headstone  12 . 
     The invention further includes a method for finding distant relatives using the above-described memorial family finder  10 . In its broadest sense, the method requires a message  40  having contact information  42  to be left in close proximity to the headstone  12 . The message  40  is preferably the at least one information card described above; however, the message  40  can be almost any item or device that can convey the contact information  42 , including a printed message, a recording, a video, a magnetic storage disk, or any equivalent device. A container  20  is provided to protect the message  40  from the elements; however, the container  20  can be constructed in almost any way out of a wide variety of materials, as long as it is shaped to receive the message  40  and protect the message  40  from the elements. This container  20  is then placed in close proximity to a headstone  12  of an ancestor and the message  40  is left in the container  20  for distant relative to find and use. In one alternative embodiment, the container  20  is actually cut into the headstone  12  or built onto the headstone  12  when the headstone  12  is first constructed. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the user first prints his or her contact information  42  onto the at least one information card  40 . The contact information  42  preferably includes information such as the user&#39;s name, address, and telephone number; however, for security reasons the information should be reasonably limited and may be limited to a special post office box address or telephone answering service. The use then attaches the container  20  to the headstone  12  of the ancestor of the user. The attachment structure described above is preferred; however, other equivalent structures can be devised by those skilled in the art. A container  20  can be attached to the headstone  12  in many ways; or the container  20  can simply be placed in close proximity to the headstone  12 , as long as it does not interfere with the work of the graveyard groundskeepers. Any container  20  for holding the at least one information card  40  that is closely associated with the headstone  12  is equivalent for purposes of this method. The information card  40  is then inserted into the container  20  and the lid  34  is closed to protect the information card  40 . 
     From this point onwards, anyone visiting the headstone  12  will have ready access to the at least one information card  40  and the contact information  42  printed thereon. Distant relatives that are far removed and otherwise untraceable will be able to contact the user at their convenience without any expensive search. Furthermore, the distant relatives can leave at least one information card  40  of their own so that when the user re-visits the headstone  12  he or she may find business cards of his or her distant relatives. Upon retrieving the at least one information card  40  bearing contact information  42  of a distant relative who has visited the headstone  12  and left the at least one information card  40 , the user can contact the distant relative using the contact information  42  on the at least one information card  40 . By placing memorial family finders  10  on the headstones  12  of many ancestors, the user will thereby be able to eventually establish contact with a large number of distant relatives regardless of where they live, how distant the relation, or whether the distant relative has changed their name. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims.