Patent Publication Number: US-7210204-B2

Title: Personalized casket ornament display plaque

Description:
The instant application is continuation of application Ser. No. 10/427,299 filed on May 1, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,212, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/972,464 filed on Oct. 5, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,222. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for memorializing a deceased individual and, more specifically, to apparatus and methods for providing the survivors of the deceased a personalized keepsake after the deceased is buried or cremated. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   When an individual passes away it is customary for the body of the individual to be viewed by family and friends at a funeral home. After the viewing, a memorial service or funeral is generally held at the funeral home or a church to commemorate the life of the deceased. Thereafter, a grave side service may be held with family and friends looking on. With the completion of the grave side service the casket is lowered into the grave where it will remain. A similar service may be held prior to or after the deceased is cremated. Usually after cremation the cremated remains are collected and presented to the family in a cremation urn. 
   The casket in which the deceased is displayed can be customized to fit the needs and preferences of the deceased and the family. For instance, a wide variety of materials, finishes, colors and decorative ornamentation can be chosen to meet these needs. The purchaser of a casket can also customize the casket using a variety of interchangeable stylized trim, for example, or corner pieces. The purchaser may select from a number of stylized corner pieces each of which has been ornamented to represent a “theme.” The purchaser thus selects a corner piece design having a theme representative of an aspect of the deceased&#39;s life to personalize the casket, for example, a golf corner piece design could be selected for installation on the casket to reflect that the deceased was an avid golfer. 
   Once the casket is buried or the deceased is cremated and the funeral services are completed, the families are left with few tangible reminders of the funeral and memorial services. Most families receive flowers at the funeral home which pay respect to the deceased and his or her surviving family. These flowers, however, wilt and die after a short time, leaving the family with few remembrances of the funeral or other memorial services. It is desirable for the families to receive a more tangible and permanent reminder of the funeral or memorial services. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a casket ornament display plaque comprises a decorative board, a casket ornament attached to the board, and indicia attached to the board identifying a deceased to be memorialized. The casket ornament is one having been removed from a casket in which the deceased was displayed. 
   The indicia may be a nameplate bearing the name of the deceased, a photograph of the deceased, or both. 
   The board may include a pair of dowels installed in openings in a rear side thereof along a lower edge thereof permitting the display plaque to be displayed upright on a horizontal surface. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the board may include an opening in a rear side thereof at an upper edge thereof permitting the display plaque to be hung on a vertical surface. 
   Preferrably, the nameplate is a brass nameplate secured to the board with push pins, and the photograph is displayed beneath a transparent acrylic panel secured to the board with push pins. 
   The ornament may include a pair of screws screwed into a rear side thereof. The board may include a pair of keyhole slots formed in a forward side thereof, which receive respective heads of the screws. The ornament is preferably a casket corner ornament. 
   According to another aspect, a method for memorializing a deceased who is to be buried in a casket comprises displaying the casket containing the deceased therein, the casket having at least one selectively removable ornament, removing the ornament from the casket prior to inserting the casket into a grave, affixing the ornament to a display plaque, and presenting the display plaque and ornament to survivors of the deceased so that the deceased can be remembered by the plaque and ornament. 
   According to yet another aspect, a method for memorializing a deceased who is to be cremated comprises the steps of displaying a casket containing the deceased therein, the casket having at least one selectively removable ornament, removing the ornament from the casket, cremating the deceased, collecting the remains of the cremated deceased, affixing the ornament to a display plaque, and presenting the remains and display plaque and ornament to survivors of the deceased so that the deceased can be remembered by displaying the plaque and ornament. 
   The methods may further comprise the step of attaching a nameplate bearing the name of the deceased to the plaque, the step of attaching a photograph of the deceased to the plaque, or both. The ornament is preferably a casket corner ornament. 
   Various additional features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a partial perspective view of a casket corner piece attached to a casket and which is removable for placement onto a casket ornament display plaque; 
       FIG. 2  is a disassembled front perspective view of the casket ornament display plaque; and 
       FIG. 3  is a partially disassembled rear perspective view of the casket ornament display plaque. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring first to  FIG. 1 , decorative casket hardware or a decorative casket hardware component such as a casket corner piece  10  is shown attached to the corner of a burial or cremation container or casket  12  (shown in phantom). The casket corner piece  10  is selectively removable from the corner of the casket  12 . Upon removing the casket corner piece  10  from the casket  12 , the casket corner piece may be affixed to a casket ornament display plaque  14  such as the one shown in  FIG. 1  constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the casket corner piece  10  may preferably include personalized graphics  16  such as pictures, names, dates, and the like emblazoned onto the exterior surface  18  of the casket corner piece  10 . These personalized graphics  16  are intended to help memorialize the deceased by reminding those who see the casket corner piece  10  of a particular aspect of the deceased&#39;s life. For instance, the placement of golf related items on the casket corner piece  10  would be suitable personalized graphics  16  for a deceased who was an avid golfer. 
   With reference now to  FIG. 2 , the casket ornament display plaque  14  is constructed of a generally rectangular board  20  to which is attached a casket ornament  22 , for example casket corner ornament  10 . Indicia identifying the deceased to be memorialized, such as a photograph  24  and/or a nameplate  26 , may also be attached to the board  20 . Casket ornament  22  includes a fastener element, for example a pair of shoulder screws  28 ,  28  screwed into a rear surface  30  of the ornament  22  in a vertically spaced and aligned manner. Board  20  includes a cooperating fastener element, for example a pair of keyhole slots  32 ,  32  each of which includes a circular portion  34  and a narrower slot portion  36  depending from the circular portion  34 . To attach the casket ornament  22  to the board  20  the heads  38 ,  38  of the screws  28 ,  28  are passed through the circular portions  34 ,  34  of the keyhole slots  32 ,  32 . Ornament  22  is then slid downwardly relative to the board  20  such that the heads  38 ,  38  are captured behind and retained by the narrower slots  36 ,  36 . 
   Photo  24  may be retained behind a transparent acrylic photograph cover  40  which is attached to the board  20  with four decorative push pins  42 . Nameplate  26  is preferably a decorative brass nameplate also attached with a pair of decorative push pins  42 . Nameplate  26  may be engraved with, for example, the deceased&#39;s name, date of birth, date of death, etc. 
   The casket ornament display plaque  14  may be displayed on either a horizontal surface, for example a table top, or displayed hanging from a vertical surface, for example a wall. Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the rear side of the board  20 , along an upper edge thereof, includes an opening, preferably an elongated keyhole slot  50 , including a circular portion  52  and a narrower elongated slot portion  54  extending laterally or widthwise of the board  20  from the circular portion  52 . A fastener, such as a screw, may be installed in a wall, and the head thereof may be passed through the circular portion  52  of the keyhole slot  50 ; then the board  20  may be slid horizontally relative to the screw so as to capture the head of the screw behind the narrower slot portion  54 . Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the board  20  includes a pair of spaced bores  60 ,  60  near a lower edge thereof. These bores  60 ,  60  accept a pair of dowel pins  62 ,  62  thus permitting the plaque  14  to be displayed in a generally upright, slightly tilted orientation on a horizontal surface. 
   The casket ornament display plaque  14  can be made from any suitable structural material. It is contemplated, however, that the casket ornament display plaque  14  will be constructed of furniture grade wood that is suitable for receiving various stains and from which are constructed caskets. For example, a variety of woods could be utilized such as mahogany, cherry, walnut, maple, and oak. 
   The casket ornament display plaque is suited for presenting to the family members with the personalized casket corner piece  10  at a grave side service much like a flag presentation ceremony during military funerals. Specifically, before the casket is lowered into the grave, the funeral director would remove the casket corner piece  10  from the corner of the casket  12 . The funeral director would then secure the casket corner piece  10  to the casket ornament display plaque  14  and present it to the family. Before or after the funeral service, the funeral director or family can place a picture of the deceased into the transparent cover as a way to further memorialize the deceased. The casket ornament display plaque  14  can also be similarly used for memorializing a deceased who is cremated as opposed to being buried. The individual to be cremated may still be viewed in a casket at the funeral home. The casket would be adorned by a casket corner piece  10  during such viewing. After cremation, the funeral director would collect the cremated remains and place them within a cremation urn. In addition, the funeral director will secure the casket corner piece  10  from the casket in which the deceased was displayed to the casket ornament display plaque  14 . Thereafter, the funeral director will present the casket ornament display plaque  14  and urn to the family members of the cremated individual. 
   While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of a preferred embodiment and while this embodiment has been described in considerable detail in order to describe the best mode of practicing the invention, it is not the intention of applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will readily appear to those skilled in the art. For example, casket ornaments other than corner ornaments could be attached to the display plaque, to include other decorative casket hardware or hardware components such as escutcheons, ears, handle portions, base mold, top mold, and the like. The invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims.