Patent Publication Number: US-2003221377-A1

Title: Monument marker for grave-site

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to grave-site monument markers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a monument marker for beautifying a grave-site.  
       [0003] 2. Description of Prior Art  
       [0004] People often desire to decorate and personalize grave-sites of deceased loved ones. A commonly accepted method of decorating a grave-site is to place flowers at the grave-site. However, flowers must be periodically replaced and are often removed by cemetery grounds keepers. Moreover, flowers do not serve to emphasize a particular former interest of the deceased, for example, that the deceased was an avid golfer or devout church-goer.  
       [0005] People also often desire to mark grave-sites in such a manner to distinguish a particular grave-site from other grave-sites. Because grave-site monuments are typically stone tablets with similar characteristics, it can be difficult to distinguish one grave-site from another. Flowers left at a particular grave-site may be the most readily apparent means of distinguishing that particular grave-site; however, flowers are often removed and are commonly placed at many sites and therefore do not easily distinguish one grave-site from another.  
       [0006] Another method of distinguishing a grave-site is to illuminate it with lighting. Unfortunately, lighting a particular grave-site is typically costly and time consuming and only possible when a source of power is nearby and readily accessible.  
       [0007] Accordingly, there is a need for an improved monument marker that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008] The present invention overcomes the above-identified problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of monument markers. More particularly, the present invention provides a relatively inexpensive monument marker that both beautifies and customizes a grave-site in a tasteful manner.  
       [0009] The marker is preferably placed on or adjacent to a grave-site monument of a deceased person. The marker broadly comprises an ornament for providing an aesthetic display, a pedestal for supporting the ornament, a mirror secured to the pedestal for reflecting light onto the ornament, a light source for generating the light, and a power source for providing power to the light source. The ornament is preferably semitransparent thereby allowing the light to permeate and refract therethrough. The ornament may also be colored in order to add additional visual effects to the marker. The ornament preferably reflects a former hobby, habit, or characteristic of the deceased person so as to customize the grave-site of that person. For example, the ornament may be a three-dimensional angel, golfer, other figurine, or any other item associated with the deceased person.  
       [0010] The pedestal is preferably hollow and configured to be opened thereby allowing the pedestal to accept one or more mementos therein. For example, the pedestal may contain mementos in the form of flowers or sports memorabilia, such as golf balls and/or baseball cards. Alternatively, the pedestal may be solid and molded around the mementos and/or the mirror.  
       [0011] The mirror is preferably mounted to a bottom surface of the pedestal and may be either mounted inside or outside of the pedestal. The mirror receives the light from the light source through the pedestal and reflects the light back through the pedestal toward the ornament. Therefore, care should be taken to not overload the pedestal with too many mementos and thereby prevent the light from being reflected onto the ornament.  
       [0012] The light source may shine the light on the ornament either directly or indirectly using the mirror. The light source is preferably an incandescent lamp but may be any light generating device, such as a light emitting diode. The light source may also provide colored light in order to add additional visual effects to the marker. The light source is preferably enclosed within a housing.  
       [0013] The power source is preferably also enclosed within the housing and may include a battery and/or a solar panel in order to power the light source where no other power source is available. The solar panel may used to charge the battery. Alternatively, the solar panel may be used without the battery and provide power directly to the light source.  
       [0014] The power source may also include a light detector, such as a light sensitive diode, that may be used to turn the light source off and on. For example, the light detector may be used to turn the light source off during the day and on at night thereby allowing the solar panel to more fully charge the battery during the day and allowing the light source to operate at only night when the light may be more easily seen. Alternatively, the light detector may be configured to turn the light source on during the day and off at night thereby conserving power stored in the battery.  
       [0015] In an alternative embodiment, the ornament is a two dimensional design etched in a top surface of the pedestal. When used in conjunction with the alternate embodiment of the ornament, the housing described above is preferably secured within the pedestal thereby allowing the pedestal to be mounted flush with the ground or another surface. One advantage of the alternate embodiment of the ornament is that the marker may be permanently installed in the ground while not inhibiting normal grave-site maintenance, such as lawn-mowing. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0016] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:  
     [0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a monument marker constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention and shown next to a monument of a grave-site for beautifying the grave-site;  
     [0018]FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the marker without the monument;  
     [0019]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of certain electrical components of the marker; and  
     [0020]FIG. 4 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of an ornament for the marker.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0021] Referring to FIG. 1, a monument marker  10  constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated resting on a monument or tombstone  12  of a grave-site of a deceased person. Referring also to FIGS.  2 - 3  the marker  10  broadly comprises an ornament  14  for providing an aesthetic display, a light source  16  for shining light onto the ornament  14 , and a power source  18  for providing power to the light source  16 .  
     [0022] The ornament  14  is preferably semitransparent thereby allowing the light to permeate and refract therethrough. The ornament  14  may also be colored in order to add additional visual effects to the marker  10 . The ornament  14  preferably reflects a former hobby, habit, or characteristic of the deceased person so as to customize the grave-site of that person. For example, the ornament  14  may be a three-dimensional angel, golfer, other figurine, or any other item associated with the deceased person.  
     [0023] The ornament  14  is preferably secured to a top surface  20  of a pedestal  22  which is also preferably semitransparent. The ornament  14  may be secured to the top surface  20  using adhesives, screws, or other commonly used means. Additionally, the ornament  14  and the top surface  20  may be molded as a singe unit.  
     [0024] Both the ornament  14  and the pedestal  22  are preferably made of acrylic but may be made of any semi-transparent material. The pedestal  22  is preferably in the form of a box that is approximately five inches wide, approximately six inches deep, and approximately three inches high. However, the pedestal  22  may be of another shape, such as a column.  
     [0025] The pedestal  22  may also contain a mirror  24  for reflecting the light from the light source  16  onto the ornament  14 . The pedestal  22  may also include mounting hardware allowing the pedestal  22  to be mounted to a vertical surface, such as a wall of a mausoleum or a face of the monument  12 .  
     [0026] The pedestal  22  is preferably hollow and configured to be opened thereby allowing the pedestal  22  to accept one or more mementos, such as flowers or any item associated with the deceased person. For example, the pedestal  22  may contain the mementos in the form of sports memorabilia, such as golf balls and/or baseball cards. Alternatively, the pedestal  22  may be solid and molded around the mementos and/or the mirror  24 .  
     [0027] The mirror  24  is preferably mounted to a bottom surface  26  of the pedestal  22  and may be either mounted inside or outside of the pedestal  22 . The mirror  24  receives the light from the light source  16  through the pedestal  22  and reflects the light back through the pedestal  22  toward the ornament  14 . Therefore, care should be taken to not overload the pedestal  22  with too many mementos and thereby prevent the light from being reflected onto the ornament  14 .  
     [0028] The light source  16  may shine the light on the ornament  14  either directly or indirectly using the mirror  24 . The light source  16  is preferably an incandescent lamp but may be any light generating device, such as a light emitting diode. Through testing, it has been found that the light source  16  preferably consumes 1.4 or more watts of power in order to provide sufficient light. The light source  16  may also provide colored light in order to add additional visual effects to the marker  10 . It is anticipated that colored light may require more power in order to provide sufficient light.  
     [0029] The power source  18  preferably includes a battery  28  and/or a solar panel  30  in order to power the light source  16  where no other power source is available. The battery  28  may be replaceable and/or charged through any conventional charging means. Additionally, the solar panel  30  may used to charge the battery  28 . Alternatively, the solar panel  30  may be used without the battery  28  and provide power directly to the light source  16 .  
     [0030] The power source  18  is preferably enclosed within a housing  32 . Additionally, the light source  16  may also be enclosed within the housing  32 . The housing  32  is preferably secured to the top surface  20  of the pedestal  22  and may be either mounted inside or outside of the pedestal  22 . The housing  32  may also be semitransparent and made of acrylic. Alternatively, the housing  32  may be designed to match the monument  12 .  
     [0031] The power source  18  may also include a light detector  34 , such as a light sensitive diode, that may be used to turn the light source  16  off and on. For example, the light detector  34  may be used to turn the light source  16  off during the day and on at night thereby allowing the solar panel  30  to more fully charge the battery  28  during the day and allowing the light source  16  to operate only at night when the light may be more easily seen. Alternatively, the light detector  34  may be configured to turn the light source  16  on during the day and off at night thereby conserving power stored in the battery  28 .  
     [0032] Referring to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the ornament  114  is a two dimensional design etched in the top surface  20  of the pedestal  22 . When used in conjunction with the alternate embodiment of the ornament  114 , the housing  32  described above is preferably secured within the pedestal  22  thereby allowing the pedestal  22  to be mounted flush with the ground or another surface. One advantage of the alternate embodiment of the ornament  114  is to allow the marker  10  to be permanently installed in the ground while not inhibiting normal grave-site maintenance, such as lawn-mowing.  
     [0033] While the present invention has been described above, it is understood that other materials and/or dimensions can be substituted. Additionally, the marker  10  may be designed to mount flush with a vertical surface, such as the wall of the mausoleum. In this case, references in this document to the top surface  20  and the bottom surface  26  would be replaced with references to an exposed surface and a recessed surface, respectively. These and other minor modifications are within the scope of the present invention.