Abstract:
A pendant for hermetically sealing the crematory remains, hair samples or the like of a loved one or pet, utilizing threaded fasteners and a sealing member to fasten and seal first and second housing elements together, preserving the contents there within.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to preserving crematory remains, a hair sample or the like. Specifically this invention relates to hermetically preserving the organic remains in a decorative jewelry-pendant for attachment to a neck chain, maintaining the remains in close proximity to the holder thereof. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Cremation of the remains of humans and animals, such as pets, has now become a common alternative for preservation and burial of the deceased. The ashes of the cremated decedent are sometimes distributed in accordance with the wishes of the decedent, but can also be deposited in urns for storage and memorialization purposes. The urns may be retained by the family in a home or other location, or held in permanent storage in a mausoleum. 
         [0003]    One example of a storage container for human remains is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,603 to Schorman. The &#39;603 patent describes a storage container for human ashes that includes a bottom portion, a plurality of walls, a rim portion, a cover which fits into a recessed portion of the rim portion, a retainer portion which retains the cover within the recessed portion, and fastener means to fasten the retainer portion to the cover. The cover can include indicia or other decoration. One disadvantage of the container of the &#39;603 patent is that the boxy structure of the container is designed for assemblage with other containers and suitable only for use in a mausoleum type setting and would not be desirable for a stand alone display. Furthermore, the container is placed on a shelf or other suitable storage location wherein it is visited on occasion by those who so desire, and cannot easily be transported or carried around by one who may wish to retain the remains near their person. 
         [0004]    In the alternative, U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,116 to Sparacino et al. discloses remembrance preserving jewelry and method for its use, comprising a chamber for sealing a sample there within. The invention utilizes interconnecting front and rear housing members, wherein the ashes are placed there between and sealed by means of either silicone sealant, or a threaded connection. Other crematory pendants historically, have been sealed by means of a stopper, or jewelers epoxy, and although sufficient sealing may be achieved through these means, it is possible that the threaded cover, alone, may not create an adequate seal, or that the silicone seal may deteriorate, exposing the organic remains to the outside. 
         [0005]    Furthermore, if a silicone sealant or epoxy is utilized, during assemblage, it may come in contact with the contents intended to be contained therein, which is undesirable. It is therefore beneficial to create a jewelry pendant containing the crematory ashes or other organic remembrances of a loved one utilizing other sealing means of maintaining the contents therein, eliminating the possibility of inadvertent exposure of the organic remains to the outside, while preserving the integrity of the contents during assemblage of the pendant. The present invention is directed to meeting these needs, among others. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    It is an object of the present invention to create a hermetically sealed jewelry pendant, including a first housing element, a second housing element, and a sealing member, for containing the ashes or other organic remembrances of a loved one or pet there within. 
         [0007]    It is a further object of the present invention is to create a jewelry pendant which comprises a variety of aesthetical shapes, including but not limited to hearts, crosses, or teardrop shapes. 
         [0008]    Another object of the invention is to provide a sealed container which will not damage the contents stored within during assembly, while still providing a secure concealment. 
         [0009]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide a hermetically sealed jewelry pendant, which can be readily disassembled. 
         [0010]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a sealing means for manufacturing the hermetically-sealed jewelry pendant, utilizing a rubber gasket and one or more fasteners, for precisely sealing the two housing members together. 
         [0011]    A final object of the present invention is to provide a hermetically sealed pendant for containing the ashes or other organic remembrances of a loved one or pet therein, whereby the sealing member is concealed by the first and second housing elements. 
         [0012]    These and other objects are accomplished in the present invention by providing a capsule comprising front and rear housing elements, having continuous adjoining edges, that are sealed with a rubber sealing member and fastened together once the desired organic sample is contained there between. 
         [0013]    Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the pendant; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional side view of the pendant wherein the first and second housing elements are adjoined, prior to fastening; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  shows an exploded, cross sectional side view of the pendant, wherein the first and second housing elements are confrontingly aligned, prior to adjoining; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional side view of the pendant comprising an alternative second housing element wherein the first and second housing elements are adjoined; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of the pendant comprising a further alternative second housing element and an alternative first housing element, wherein the first and second housing element are adjoined; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the pendant. 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of a first housing element of the second embodiment of the pendant 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
         [0023]    As best can be observed in  FIG. 1 , an exemplary pendant  10  is shown. The pendant  10  includes a bail  40  for hanging by a neck chain or the like. The pendant  10  here shown having an oval shape, although a plurality of shapes may be embodied by this invention. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the pendant  10  includes a first housing element  12 , a second housing element  14 , and a sealing member  15 . The first housing element  12  can be fixedly attached to the second housing element  14  by a plurality of fasteners  17 , to form a hollow, sealed chamber  16  there between, giving the pendant a three-dimensional shape and providing room for the placement of crematory ashes, a lock of hair, or any other personal remembrance so desired. As mentioned, the pendant  10  can be designed to embody any one of a plurality of different shapes, including but not limited to round, oval, rectangular, square, teardrop, triangular, or cross-shaped. 
         [0025]    The first and second housing elements  12 ,  14  can each be formed from any of a number of thin precious or common metals commonly used to create decorative jewelry, such as karat gold or silver, and may be used in combination if so desired. It should also be appreciated that the sealing member  15  may be composed of any number of materials, including but not limited to various types of rubbers and various types of plastics. 
         [0026]    As can best be observed in  FIG. 3 , the first housing element  12  may include a first inner space  20  for placement of the personal remembrance. The first inner space  20  may be defined by a first inner surface  22  surrounded by a first inner wall  24 , a resting surface  26 , and a second inner wall  28 . First inner surface  22  may be substantially concave with respect to first inner space  20 , so as to increase the size of first inner space  20 . A chamfered edge  30  may extend from the first inner wall  24  to the resting surface  26  to assist in creating a seal between the first housing element  12  and the second housing element  14 . The first housing element  12  may contain one or more threaded bores  32  to assist in fastening the first housing element  12  to the second housing element  14 . The threaded bores  32  may extend from the resting surface  26  to a bottom surface  34  of the first housing element  12 . 
         [0027]    The second housing element  14  is defined by a second inner surface  36 , an outer surface  38 , and an outer wall  42 . The second housing element  14  may contain a plurality of threaded apertures  54  extending from the outer surface  38  to the second inner surface  36 . The size and placement of the threaded apertures  54  in the second housing element  14  may correspond with the size and placement of the threaded bores  32  in the first housing element  12  to further assist fastening the first housing element  12  to the second housing element  14 . The outer surface  38  of the second housing element  14  may also have a plurality of countersinks  56  that are generally concentric to, and of a larger diameter than, the plurality of apertures  54 , in order to allow a head surface  19  of fasteners  17  to rest flush with, or counter to, the outer surface  38  of the second housing element  14 . 
         [0028]    The second housing element  14  may further include a continuous shoulder  44 , defined by a first shoulder wall  46  and a second shoulder wall  48 , protruding from, and integrally formed with, the second inner surface  36 . The shoulder  44  and the second inner surface  36  may help secure the sealing member  15  to the second housing element  14 . In order to improve the sealing properties of pendant  10 , continuous shoulder  44  may be formed on second inner surface  36  such that sealing member  15  is located between the plurality of threaded apertures  54 . 
         [0029]    As shown by an alternative second housing element  60  in  FIG. 4 , shoulder  44  may include a lip portion  62 . The lip portion  62  may be integrally formed with, and extend from, the first shoulder wall  46  and further help secure sealing member  15  to the second housing element  14 . 
         [0030]    An alternative pendant  70  is shown in  FIG. 5 . Pendant  70  includes a first housing element  72 , a second housing element  74 , and a sealing member  75 . A chamfered or curved edge  76  may extend from a first inner wall  78  to a resting surface  80  of first housing element  72  to assist in creating a seal between the first housing element  72  and the second housing element  74 . An inner surface  82  of second housing element  74  may include a groove  84 . As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the width of groove  84  at inner surface  82  may be substantially smaller than the width of groove  84  at a location between the inner surface  82  and an outer surface  86  of second housing element  74 . Sealing member  75  may be located substantially within groove  84 , such that a portion of sealing member  75  is positioned on both sides of inner surface  82 . The width of groove  84  at inner surface  82  may be smaller than the largest cross-section of sealing member  75 , such that a surface edge  88  of groove  84  secures sealing member  75  within groove  84 . An outer edge  90  of first housing element  72  may extend beyond resting surface  80 , such that an inner wall  92  of first housing element  72  substantially surrounds an outer wall  94  of second housing element  74 . 
         [0031]    Another alternative pendant  100  is shown in  FIG. 6 . The pendant  100  here shown is substantially cross-shaped. A cross-shaped first housing element  102  of pendant  100  is shown in  FIG. 7 . Cross-shaped first housing element  102  includes a substantially cross-shaped cavity  104 . Cross-shaped cavity  104  will create a larger space for placement of a personal remembrance. As shown in  FIG. 7 , cross-shaped first housing element  102  and cross-shaped cavity  104  may include substantially curved corners  106  and  108 , respectively. An upper edge of cross-shaped cavity  104  creates a sealing member resting surface  110 . The cross-shaped first housing element  102  may contain one or more threaded bores  112 , located external to cross-shaped cavity  104 , to assist in fastening the first housing element to a second housing element (not shown). Pendant  100  may be formed in substantially the same manner described above with respect to pendant  10 . 
         [0032]    As can best be observed in  FIG. 2 , pendant  10  may be formed by aligning the second housing element  14  with the first housing element  12  such that the outer wall  42  of the second housing element  14  rests substantially against the second inner wall  28  of the first housing element  12 . Upon assembling the first housing element  12  with the second housing element  14 , the second inner surface  36  of the second housing element  14  may rest substantially against the resting surface  26  of the first housing element  12 . The threaded apertures  54  of the second housing element  14  should be substantially aligned with the threaded bores  32  of the first housing element  12 . The sealing member  15  may rest substantially against the chamfered edge  30  of the first housing element  12 , thereby sealing chamber  16 . The first housing element  12  may be secured to the second housing element  14  by threading one or more of fasteners  17  through the threaded apertures  54  and the threaded bores  32 . 
         [0033]    To reemphasize its versatility, the invention can apply to a plurality of various pendant designs, utilizing a plurality of metals, with the same results. The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.