Patent Publication Number: US-7904998-B2

Title: Casket and memorialization accessory

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None. 
     FIELD 
     This relates generally to caskets, and more particularly to memorialization accessories for use separately and/or with caskets. 
     BACKGROUND 
     There is a trend in the death care industry towards personalizing to the deceased the funeral products and the funeral or other memorial service to provide a more meaningful memorial experience for the family and friends of the deceased. 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 for the casket. 
     Some casket designs incorporate decorative corner ornaments secured to the casket during fabrication thereof. In many, if not most, prior designs, these ornamental corner pieces are rigidly affixed to the casket shell. Consequently, if a customer purchasing the casket is not pleased with the particular pre-installed ornamental corner pieces, and wishes to customize the casket exterior to his or her taste, the funeral director must go through a lengthy and complicated process to first remove the original ornamental corner pieces and then reinstall the ornamental corner pieces chosen by the customer. This process typically requires manual manipulation and access to the interior of the casket which may require the removal of bedding, lining, and the like. Such a process is time consuming and can damage the otherwise new casket and is thus frowned upon and generally avoided by the funeral director. 
     To more effectively market caskets, the funeral director desires to offer a wide variety of ornamental corner pieces from which a customer can select according to the customer&#39;s taste. However, to offer such a wide selection, and to avoid the undesirable practice mentioned above, the funeral director would have to maintain a large inventory of many different casket material/finish and corner piece combinations, which is also undesirable. To minimize the required inventory of finished caskets, the funeral director could simply have one casket of each material/finish on hand provided that the funeral director had some means providing for the quick and efficient changing of the ornamental corner pieces on each casket. As such, the customer could quickly view numerous corner pieces on a single casket, and the funeral director would need only stock a single casket of each material finish. Many prior casket designs, which rigidly affix the ornamental corner pieces, do not permit such quick and efficient changing of the ornamental corner pieces as discussed above. 
     A quick-change casket corner mechanism is disclosed in Acton et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,591,466, 5,928,706, and 7,340,810, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. The Acton et al. patents disclose an ornamental corner piece assembly having a back plate that attaches to the corner of a casket. The back plate includes a clip member having at least one keyhole groove. A decorative corner insert includes at least one attachment member that slidingly engages the keyhole groove in the clip member such that the corner insert removably couples to the back plate. In this way, a funeral director may quickly and conveniently change out the decorative corner pieces to provide a wide variety of casket designs personalized to the deceased. Such a quick change casket corner ornament is commercially available from the assignee as its LIFESYMBOLS® line of corner ornaments. 
     A further advance in the areas of personalization and memorialization is the subject of Groemminger et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,557,222, 6,883,212, and 7,210,204, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. The Groemminger et al. patents disclose a casket ornament display plaque and associated methods for memorializing a deceased. The casket ornament display plaque comprises a decorative board, a casket ornament attached to the board, and indicia attached to the board identifying the deceased to be memorialized. The casket ornament is one having been removed from a casket in which the deceased was displayed or one that is substantially identical thereto. 
     Advances have therefore been made in the area of casket designs incorporating decorative or ornamental corner pieces as demonstrated with the product discussed above. However, there continues to be room for improvement in the area of personalization in the death care industry. 
     SUMMARY 
     A casket and memorialization accessory combination comprises a casket comprising a casket shell having a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls and a casket lid closable on the casket shell, a decorative ornament, and a planter adapted to receive a plant therein. The casket shell and ornament are configured such that the ornament is removably attachable to the casket shell. The planter and ornament are configured such that the ornament is attachable to the planter. The ornament can be removed from the casket in which a deceased was displayed for viewing and attached to the planter so that the planter and ornament can be presented to a loved one of the deceased as a memorial to the deceased. 
     The combination can further comprise apparatus for removably securing the ornament to the shell and to the planter, comprising a first attachment element associated with the shell, a second attachment element associated with the ornament, and a third attachment element associated with the planter. The first and second attachment elements are configured for removably securing the ornament to the shell, and the second and third attachment elements are configured for securing the ornament to the planter. One of the first and second attachment elements can be at least one groove and the other of the first and second attachment elements can be at least one fastener having a head thereon. The third attachment element can be the same type of attachment element as the first attachment element. The groove can comprise a slot and an opening communicating with the slot, the opening being of a greater dimension than the slot. The fastener can be a threaded fastener, for example a screw, for example a shoulder screw. The shell can have a mounting member disposed between adjacent ones of the side and end walls, and the ornament can be mounted to the mounting member. The mounting member can be oriented at about a 45° angle relative to the adjacent ones of the side and end walls. The first, second, and third attachment elements can be configured such that the ornament is removably secured to the shell and to the planter via motion in first and second non-parallel directions generally parallel to a plane defined by a mounting surface of the shell and the planter. The motion in the first and second directions can be rectilinear. The groove can include a first keyhole portion and a second non-keyhole portion. The first keyhole portion can have a first longitudinal axis, the second non-keyhole portion can have a second longitudinal axis, and the first and second longitudinal axes can be non-parallel. The first and second longitudinal axes can be perpendicular. The ornament can be a corner ornament. The planter can have an alcove structure on a side wall thereof for receiving the ornament. 
     In another aspect, a memorialization accessory for memorializing a deceased comprises a planter adapted to receive a plant therein and having a first fastener element, an ornament including a second fastener element, the ornament attached to the planter with the first and second fastener elements, the ornament being previously attached to a casket in which the deceased was displayed for viewing, or being substantially identical to an ornament attached to the casket in which the deceased was displayed for viewing. 
     In another aspect, a method of memorializing a deceased comprises displaying the deceased for viewing in a casket to which is mounted an ornament, removing the ornament from the casket, mounting the ornament on a planter, and presenting the planter and ornament to a loved one of the deceased as a memorial to the deceased. 
     The method can further comprise placing a plant in the planter prior to presenting the planter to the loved one. 
     In another aspect, a method of memorializing a deceased comprises displaying the deceased for viewing in a casket to which is mounted an ornament, providing a planter, mounting an ornament, which is substantially identical to the ornament mounted on the casket, to the planter, and presenting the planter and ornament to a loved one of the deceased as a memorial to the deceased. 
     The planter can be a combination planter and cremation urn. 
     The combination can further comprise an attachment clip for removably attaching the ornament to the shell and/or for removably attaching the ornament to the planter. The attachment clip can comprise a front portion having a pair of vertically spaced right angle keyhole grooves therethrough, having a rearwardly projecting circular post, and having a rectangular rib adjacent said post, and a back portion having a pair of vertically spaced spring tabs each of which cooperates with one of the pair of vertically spaced right angle keyhole grooves, having a circular hole for receiving the circular post, and having a rectangular hole for receiving the rectangular rib. The ornament can include a pair of vertically spaced fasteners on a rear side thereof, each of which includes a head thereon. Each spring tab can include a pair of ribs spaced apart to accept the head of a respective one of the pair of fasteners. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a partial perspective view of a casket and memorialization accessory. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded partial perspective view of the casket and ornament of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the memorialization accessory and ornament of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 3  wherein the memorialization accessory is a combination planter and cremation urn. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of an attachment clip for attaching the ornament to the casket. 
         FIG. 6  is an assembled perspective view of the attachment clip of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7A  is a view taken along line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 6  showing the ornament and its fastener prior to attachment to the attachment clip. 
         FIG. 7B  is a view similar to  FIG. 7A  showing the ornament fastener head inserted into the attachment clip. 
         FIG. 7C  is a view similar to  FIG. 7B  showing the ornament fastener head slid into its final position in the attachment clip and coming to rest between the two ribs on the spring tab. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the figures, a casket  10  comprises a casket shell  12  having a pair of side walls  14  and a pair of end walls  16 , a casket lid  18  closable on the casket shell  12 , and an ornament  20 , for example a corner ornament, mounted to the shell  12 . Memorialization accessory  22  takes the form of a planter which is adapted to receive a plant  24  therein. The casket shell  12  and ornament  20  are configured such that the ornament  20  is removably attachable to the casket shell  12 . The planter  22  and ornament  20  are configured such that the ornament  20  is attachable to the planter  22 . The ornament  20  can be removed from the casket  10  in which a deceased was displayed for viewing and attached to the planter  22 . In this way that the planter  22  and ornament  20  can be presented to a loved one of the deceased as a memorial to the deceased. 
     The casket  10 , ornament  20 , and memorialization accessory  22  can further comprise apparatus  32  for removably securing the ornament  20  to a mounting surface  34  of the shell  12  and for securing the ornament  20  to the planter  22 . That apparatus  32  can comprise a first attachment element  36  associated with the mounting surface  34  of the shell  12 , a second attachment element  38  associated with the ornament  20 , and a third attachment element  39  associated with the planter  22 . The first  36  and second  38  attachment elements are for removably securing the ornament  20  to the shell  12 , and the second  38  and third  39  attachment elements are configured for securing the ornament  20  to the planter  22 . One of the first  36  and second  38  attachment elements can be at least one groove  40  and the other of the first  36  and second  38  attachment elements can be at least one fastener  42  having a head  44  thereon. The third attachment element  39  can be of the same type of attachment element as the first attachment element  36 . The groove  40  can comprise a slot  50  and an opening  52  communicating with the slot  50 , the opening  52  being of a greater dimension than the slot  50 . The fastener  42  can be a threaded fastener, for example a screw. The screw can be for example a shoulder screw. 
     The shell  12  can have a mounting member  60  disposed between adjacent ones of the side  14  and end  16  walls, and the ornament  20  can be mounted to the mounting member  60 . Accordingly in this example the mounting surface  34  is a part of the mounting member  60  of the shell  12 . Mounting member  60  can be the back plate shown and described in the Acton et al patents. Other mounting surfaces and members are possible. The mounting member  60  can be oriented at about a 45° angle relative to the adjacent ones of the side  14  and end  16  walls. The first attachment element  36  can be associated with the mounting member  60 , and the second attachment element  38  can be associated with the ornament  20 . For example, groove  40 , or a pair of grooves  40 , can be formed in an attachment clip  62  secured to mounting member  60  with screws  64 , and the shoulder screws  42  can be secured to the rear side of the ornament  20 . The third attachment element  39  can also be a groove  40  or pair of grooves  40  formed in an attachment clip  62  secured to a mounting surface or member of planter  22 , which as illustrated, is a rear wall  70  of an alcove structure  72  formed in one of the walls  74  of the planter  22 . An exemplary planter  22  is the one illustrated which has four walls  74 , a bottom  76 , and an open top  78 . Other configurations of planter are of course possible and are within the scope of the claims. The illustrated alcove structure  72 , as mentioned, has a rear wall  70  and can have a floor  80 , side walls  82 , and a top wall  84 , and decorative molding  86  around a perimeter of the opening of the alcove  72 . Other configurations of alcove structures and planter mounting surfaces are of course possible and are within the scope of the claims. For additional details of a similar alcove structure usable in cap panels of caskets, see the assignee&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,080, hereby incorporated by reference herein. A second alcove structure  72  can be included as shown in  FIG. 4  with a removable cover  90  for receiving cremation remains. 
     The first  36  and second  38  attachment elements can be configured such that the ornament  20  is removably secured to the shell  12  via motion in first and second non-parallel directions generally parallel to a plane defined by the mounting member  60 . The groove(s)  30  can include a first keyhole portion  66  and a second non-keyhole portion  68 . The first keyhole portion  66  can have a first longitudinal axis, the second non-keyhole portion  68  can have a second longitudinal axis, and the first and second longitudinal axes can be non-parallel. For example, the first and second longitudinal axes can be perpendicular. For examples, the first and second directions can be rectilinear or curvilinear. 
     To install the ornament  20 , the head(s)  44  of the fastener(s)  42  are inserted into opening(s)  52  of groove(s)  40 ; ornament  20  is then moved generally parallel to a plane defined by mounting member  60  or  70  from left to right as illustrated thus sliding head(s)  44  from left to right in slot(s)  40 . The ornament  20  is then moved again generally parallel to the plane defined by the mounting member  60  or  70  downwardly thus sliding head(s)  44  down in slot(s)  50 . While not required, the multi-direction movement to install ornament  20  can reduce the potential for the ornament  20  to become inadvertently dislodged. 
     In use, a deceased is displayed for viewing in the casket  10  to which is mounted an ornament  20 . After the viewing or funeral or other memorial service, the ornament  20  is removed from the casket  10  and mounted on the planter  22 . The planter  22  with ornament  20  mounted thereon can then be presented to a loved one of the deceased as a memorial to the deceased. If desired a plant can be placed in the planter  22  prior to presenting it to the loved one. Alternatively, an ornament which is substantially identical to the ornament that was mounted on the casket can be mounted on the planter, if for some reason the actual ornament cannot be removed from the casket. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5-7C , one form of attachment clip  62  which could be used is illustrated. The attachment clip  62  can have a front portion  100  having a pair of vertically spaced right angle keyhole grooves  102  therethrough, a rearwardly projecting circular post  104 , and a rectangular rib  106  adjacent the post  104 . The attachment clip  62  can have a back portion  110  having a pair of vertically spaced spring tabs  112  each of which cooperates with one of the pair of vertically spaced right angle keyhole grooves  102 , a circular hole  114  for receiving the circular post  104 , and a rectangular hole  116  for receiving the rectangular rib  106 . Post  104 , rib  106 , hole  114 , and hole  116  are to properly orient the front portion  100  with the back portion  110 . Both portions have holes  108 ,  118 , respectively, for receiving screws  54 , rivets, etc. Each spring tab  112  can include a pair of ribs  120  which are spaced apart to accept the head  34  of fastener  32 . As seen in  FIGS. 7A-7C , heads  34  are inserted into keyhole grooves  102 , slid to the right, and then slid down. Sliding the heads  34  down causes the spring tabs  112  to deflect rearwardly as heads  34  travel down and over the uppermost ones of the pairs of ribs  112 . Once over the uppermost ones of the pairs of ribs  112 , spring tabs spring forwardly retaining heads  34  between ribs  112  and against a rear surface of keyhole grooves  102 . 
     The embodiments shown and described are merely for illustrative purposes only. The drawings and the description are not intended to limit in any way the scope of the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate various changes, modifications, and other embodiments. All such changes, modifications and embodiments are deemed to be embraced by the claims. Accordingly, the scope of the right to exclude shall be limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.