Abstract:
A display case for holding mementos having a pair of opposed ends, a pair of opposed sides, a bottom, and a top which defines the display case and forms an interior space within for holding the mementos, the top having an opening therein to permit access to the interior space. A cover is provided for selectively closing the top opening of the case. The bottom of the display case is configured to have a central indentation for accommodating an apex of a lid of a casket, a pair of rounded feet on each side of the indentation for providing a sturdy base upon which the display case sits on the lid, and a pair of stabilizing fins extending outwardly and downwardly to each side of the bottom of the display case to stabilize the display case on a curved or inclined top surface of the lid of the casket.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/092,490 filed on Dec. 16, 2014. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    The present invention was not developed with the use of any Federal Funds, but was developed independently by the inventor. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    1. Field 
         [0004]    The present invention relates generally to the field of display cases and more particularly to a receptacle specially designed for housing the flowers, as well as other mementos, that are typically placed on top of a coffin for memorials and funeral services to provide a more secure means of holding flowers in place, along with a tangible keepsake that commemorates the life of the lost loved one. 
         [0005]    2. Background 
         [0006]    However unfortunate or ironic as it may seem, a guarantee of death is the one thing in life that all people hold in common. Whether a result of a long-term illness or a sudden and unexpected passing caused by an accident, death eventually will find us all. The most typical reaction to the death of a loved one is to celebrate and honor the life of the departed, via a wake or a funeral. Allowing family members to gather, friends to reminisce, and providing an outlet for people to express their love and fond memories of the departed, funerals and memorial services offer a sense of closure for those loved ones who are left behind. 
         [0007]    When a loved one is lost, many want to do something or create something to honor the deceased, something that commemorates and memorializes them with dignity, style, love, and the tribute they deserve. The act of planting a tree, creating a special place for meditation, designing a scrapbook, constructing an online tribute page, or tending a garden in memory of someone who has died can be a source of comfort and healing for those left behind. Many psychologists and grief counselors readily agree that a human being&#39;s capacity to remember is one of the best things they can do in connection with death and grief. To create a special spot or a concrete emblem to remember somebody is perhaps one of the healthiest things to do to heal the heart and soul after a loss. 
         [0008]    Thus, a need exists for a reliable Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets, a receptacle specially designed for housing the flowers, as well as other mementos, that are typically placed on top of a coffin for memorials and funeral services to provide a more secure means of holding flowers in place, along with a tangible keepsake that commemorates the life of the lost loved one and to avoid the above-mentioned problems. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    A display case for holding mementos having a pair of opposed ends, a pair of opposed sides, a bottom, and a top which defines the display case and forms an interior space within for holding the mementos, the top having an opening therein to permit access to the interior space. A cover is provided for selectively closing the top opening of the case. The bottom of the display case is configured to have a central indentation for accommodating an apex of a lid of a casket, a pair of rounded feet on each side of the indentation for providing a sturdy base upon which the display case sits on the lid, and a pair of stabilizing fins extending outwardly and downwardly to each side of the bottom of the display case to stabilize the display case on a curved or inclined top surface of the lid of the casket. 
         [0010]    In one form of the invention, the cover slides within a frame provided on the top of the display case to extend between an open position which provided access to the interior of the display case and a closed position which prevents access to the interior of the display case. 
         [0011]    A lock may be provided on the frame to secure the cover in the closed position. 
         [0012]    In another form of the invention, the sides are defined by side walls and the stabilizing fins extend a length of the opposed side walls; 
         [0013]    In yet another form the indentation has a planar horizontal surface which defines the indentation between the rounded feet, and wherein the rounded feet extend the length of the bottom wall of the display case and the stabilizing fins extend lower than the rounded feet to stabilize the display case on an inclined or convex surface. 
         [0014]    In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known display case device art, the present invention provides a novel Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a receptacle specially designed for housing the flowers, as well as other mementos, that are typically placed on top of a coffin for memorials and funeral services to provide a more secure means of holding flowers in place, along with a tangible keepsake that commemorates the life of the lost loved one. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements wherein: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a display receptacle for caskets in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the display receptacle of  FIG. 1  in an open position. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the display receptacle of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the display receptacle of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the display receptacle of  FIG. 1  shown in use on a casket. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    Referring now to the Drawing,  FIGS. 1 through 5 , there is shown a display case  10 . As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to the display case device and more particularly to a Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets, a receptacle specially designed for housing the flowers, as well as other mementos, that are typically placed on top of a coffin for memorials and funeral services to provide a more secure means of holding flowers in place, along with a tangible keepsake that commemorates the life of the lost loved one. 
         [0022]    Referring now to the drawings  FIG. 1 , the Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets  10  comprises a novel product offering consumers a practical solution to the aforementioned challenges. As the name implies, the Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets comprises a specially designed display case  10  having a top  12 , a pair of opposing ends  14 , a pair of opposing sides  16 , and a bottom  28 . As best seen in  FIG. 2 , the top  12 , ends  14 , sides, and bottom form and define an enclosed space  38  within the display case  10  to form a receptacle. 
         [0023]    The opposing ends  14  and sides  16  preferably comprise walls. The end walls  14  and side walls  16  preferably have an ornamental appearance as described in greater detail below. In the embodiment shown, the end walls and side walls  16  define a central convex portion  22 . Above the convex portion  22 , a top sidewall portion  24  extends upwardly and outwardly as best seen in  FIGS. 1-3 . Below the convex portion  22 , bottom sidewall portions  50  and  52  extend inwardly and downwardly from the apex of the convex portions  22  and terminate and define a base upon which the display case  10  sits during use. These bases define feet upon which the display case may sit during use. 
         [0024]    Inflection lines  44  and  42  run the length of the side wall  16  and define the intersection between the top sidewall  24  and the convex portion  22  and the outwardly jutting leg  30  and the convex portion, respectively. 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the bottom  28  comprises a flat central portion  48  located between the pair of downwardly extending feet  50  and  52 . 
         [0026]    Intermediately disposed on the bottom sidewall portions  50  and  52  are outwardly extending walls  26  which form stabilizing feet. Decorative piping  30  may also be provided at the joining edges of the side and end walls  16  and  14 , respectively. The outwardly and downwardly extending walls  26  meet at inflection lines  54  and  56  which extend the length of the display casket. 
         [0027]    Turning now to  FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 , there is shown the top  12  which typically comprises a generally planar top wall extending around the periphery of the of the display case  10  and forming a centrally disposed opening  38  into the interior of the display case  10 . 
         [0028]    Disposed on the top  12  is a frame  30  having a shape that is complementary to the shape of the top  12  of the case  10 . In the embodiment shown, the shape of the top  12  and the frame  30  is generally rectangular, but it should be understood that the top can be of any suitable shape. 
         [0029]    Similarly, the sides  16 , the ends  14  and the bottom  28  may be of any suitable shape to define the ornamental appearance of the display case  10  and to permit the required functionality of the various functional elements, such as walls  26 ,  28 ,  50 ,  52 , and the like. 
         [0030]    Turning back to the top  12  of the display case  10 , the frame  30  includes a lower wall  34  and an upper wall  32 . The upper wall  32  preferably slides within channels formed on the edges of the frames to form a slidable cover  32  that extends between an open position (shown in  FIG. 2 ) and a closed position (Shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0031]    In the open position shown in  FIG. 2 , the slidable cover  32  exposes an opening  38  into the interior of the display case  10  near one end  36  of the display case  10 . As should be readily understood, the bottom wall  34  has an opening formed therein adjacent end  36  as best seen in  FIG. 2 . It should also be understood that other suitable covers are contemplated and fall within the scope of the present invention, such as pivoting covers, removable covers, telescoping covers and the like. 
         [0032]    Preferably a lock  40  is provided on the frame  30  to secure the cover  32  in the closed position of  FIG. 1 . Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a key  60  is also provided which coacts with the lock  40  to secure the cover  32  in the closed position. 
         [0033]    Turning now to  FIG. 5 , the display case is shown in use atop a casket  100 . The casket typically includes a top having curved opposed top end surfaces  102  and curved side surfaces  104  which meet at a longitudinally extending apex axis  106  which forms the top of the casket. The irregularly shaped top surface of the casket makes it difficult for objects to be placed atop the casket  100 . For this reason the cut out portion defined between the bottom feet  52  and  50  and central bottom wall  48  (best seen in  FIG. 3 ) are provided to accommodate the upwardly extending apex  106  of the top of the casket. The large rounded feet  50  and  52  also serve to accommodate the curved surface  104  of the casket  100 . Similarly, the outwardly extending walls  26  serve as stabilizing fins to also keep the display case  10  in a generally horizontal position atop the irregular top surface of most caskets. It should also be noted that the configuration of the feet  50  and  52  along with fins  26  also function to provide a stabilized base on generally planar horizontal surfaces as well. 
         [0034]    As best seen in  FIG. 5 , the display case  10  is configured to be placed atop a casket  100  and is able to house chosen mementos of the decedent, as described in detail below. Moreover, the Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets would serve as a more secure holder for loose flowers placed on top of coffins as well as the funeral sprays that typically adorn the tops of caskets. 
         [0035]    The display case  10  is preferably a durably constructed, generally rectangular yet elegantly shaped container, sized appropriately (various sizes) to rest atop a casket to hold and collect mementos and flowers. Lending an air of reverence and elegance, silver or gold trim, or plating (such as piping  30 ) would adorn the Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets. In addition, Victorian style embellishments would be featured inside and out for high quality presentation. Appropriately, the base and legs of the box would be built to accommodate the curvature of the standard casket top. This base could also boast adjustable legs, and likely suction cups, or rubber gripping feet to facilitate secure placement. The Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets would be accessed via a lockable sliding door, or the like. 
         [0036]    The interior  38  of the case  10  is preferably lined with a soft velvet material. Here is where items such as photographs, notes, roses, and other tributes to the decedent would be placed. Because loosely placed flowers (and other items) on top of coffins tend to easily fall away, this invention would be able to hold a copious amount of flowers within its confines, keeping them in place, as to not upset attendees. Should the family wish the Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets to be interred with the decedent, the secured case would be able to be easily lowered into the ground on the casket, with its contents, the flowers, and any other items placed within steadfastly intact. As this product is also designed as a keepsake, the unit, or unit top can be embossed or engraved according to preference of the family, and presented to them following the burial. Alternately, the decorative key which locks and unlocks the sliding door could be presented to the family as the keepsake. 
         [0037]    Attractive and distinct, the Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets would provide a tangible memory of a beloved friend or family member, offering a beautiful acknowledgment for a life well lived. In this manner, the product would allow grieving consumers to find an inspirational outlet for dealing with, and healing from, their loss. Another advantage is that through the Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets, users could create customized, lasting keepsakes for future generations. 
         [0038]    Passed down to children and grandchildren, a souvenir Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets engraved cover or treasured key would offer a lasting memento and treasured heirloom to be viewed and talked about for years to come, preserving family history and serving as a visual reminder of the person&#39;s accomplishments in life. Practical and versatile, this useful product overall would hold the sentimental items placed within dearly, and close to the family member or loved one. With this is mind, the Sentimental Memories Box for Caskets should be well received by funeral directors and their clientele. 
         [0039]    Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.