Abstract:
An architecture is presented that provides an hourglass device that can be used as a decorative urn to allow users to display the remains of their loved one in a respectful manner, while also accommodating the storage of valuables in a surreptitious manner. The hourglass and urn combination device is preferably comprised of a base with a hidden compartment contained therein, a top, more than one pillar, a hourglass, and an hourglass support structure that permits the hourglass to rotate with respect thereto. The hourglass may be filled with sand, soil and/or the cremated remains of a loved one such as a family member, friend or pet, or the cremated remains may be stored in the secret compartment in the base with other valuables such as money, jewelry and the like.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/426,114 filed Dec. 22, 2010. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to an improved urn device for storing the cremated remains of a loved one and other valuables in a stylish and functional timepiece. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Many individuals keep the cremated remains of their beloved family members, friends or pets in a decorative urn or other container. However, oftentimes individuals do not feel as though conventional urns are special enough to be displayed on a fireplace mantel or other highly visible area within a home. Thus, many individuals place these urns in their closet or in storage. Families and others often desire a more respectful way to honor their deceased loved ones. 
         [0004]    Many individuals are also concerned about safely storing money, jewelry and other valuable assets in a surreptitious manner to prevent the same from being lost or stolen. Heretofore, many individuals stored such assets in a safety deposit box at a bank, or in a large safe or strong box, neither of which are particularly convenient to access. Moreover, a safe or strong box is typically one of the first places that a thief will look for valuables, oftentimes stealing or taking the whole safe or strong box if the same is not secured to the structure in which it is housed. 
         [0005]    Still other individuals desire to also display a decorative or elegant timepiece, such as an hourglass, on their mantle or in other highly visible areas of the home. Consequently, there exists a long-felt need for a device that combines a timepiece, such as an hourglass, with an urn, and that permits an individual to honor and display the cremated remains of their beloved family members, friends or pets as well as store other valuables in a surreptitious manner. 
         [0006]    The present invention provides a decorative timepiece and urn combination device that allows individual to display the ashes of their loved ones in a respectful manner, while also permitting the surreptitious storage of other valuables. The timepiece and urn combination device is preferably comprised of a base with a hidden compartment contained therein, a top, more than one pillar, a hourglass, and an hourglass support structure that permits the hourglass to rotate with respect thereto and without having to remove said hourglass from said hourglass support structure. The hourglass may be filled with sand, soil and/or the cremated remains of a loved one such as a family member, friend or pet. Alternatively, the cremated remains may be stored in the hidden compartment in the base with other valuables such as money, jewelry and the like. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
         [0008]    The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof is an hourglass device that can also be used as a decorative urn to allow users to display the ashes of their loved one in a respectful manner, while also permitting the owner to store other valuables in a surreptitious manner. The timepiece and urn combination device is preferably comprised of a base with a hidden compartment contained therein, a top, more than one pillar, an hourglass support structure, and an hourglass. The hourglass may be filled with sand, soil and/or the cremated remains of a loved one such as a family member, friend or pet, or the cremated remains may be stored in the secret compartment in the base with other valuables such as money, jewelry and the like. Further, the hourglass support structure comprises a pivot clamp or axle that permits the hourglass to rotate with respect thereto, and permits the user to reset the hourglass without having to remove the hourglass from the hourglass support structure which could result in damage or breakage of the hourglass. 
         [0009]    To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a front elevational view of one embodiment of timepiece and urn combination device of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates a side elevational view of the timepiece and urn combination device depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of the timepiece and urn combination device depicted in  FIG. 1 , but depicting an alternative embodiment of the base. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the timepiece and urn combination device depicted in  FIG. 1  with the compartment cover installed thereon. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the base depicted in  FIG. 4  with the door removed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. 
         [0016]    Referring initially to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of the timepiece and urn combination device  100  of the present invention. Device  100  preferably comprises a base  110 , a top  120 , more than one pillar  130 , an hourglass support structure  140  and a hourglass  180 . As best shown in the  FIGS. 1 and 2 , base  110  is preferably generally rectangular in shape and constructed out of a decorative material such as wood, metal, plastic, marble, stone or the like, though it is contemplated that other shapes and materials could be used without affecting the overall concept of the present invention. Base  110  is further comprised of a top surface  112 , a front  113 , sides  114 , a back  115 , a bottom surface  116 , a hidden compartment  117  formed within said bottom  116  and a door  118  for accessing compartment  117 , as best illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 4A  and further described below. 
         [0017]    In the preferred embodiment, base  110  is preferably between 8 to 16 inches in length measured between sides  114 , between 6 to 14 inches in width measured from front  113  to back  115  and between 1 to 4 inches in height measured from top  112  to bottom  116 , though it is contemplated that other sizes can also be used to suit user preference. Similarly, the dimensions of hidden compartment  117  are preferably between 7 to 15 inches in length measured from one side to the opposite side, between 5 to 13 inches in width measured from front to back and between ½ to 3½ inches in depth measured from bottom  116  and in the direction of top  112 , though it is contemplated that other sizes can also be used to suit user preference provided that the dimensions of compartment  117  do not exceed those of base  110 . Door  118  is preferably sized to correspond with the size of the opening of compartment  117  in bottom  116 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 4 , and the exterior surface of door  118  is preferably substantially flush with bottom  116  when door  118  is properly installed on base  110 . Door  118  can be removably installed on base  110  by any means as is commonly known in the art, such as with hinges (not shown) or with the use of fasteners  1181  such as screws and the like. It is also contemplated that door  118  could further comprise a handle and a lock (not shown) for preventing unauthorized access to compartment  117 . As further described below, compartment  117  is useful for surreptitiously storing valuables such as money, jewelry, important paperwork, and the like. It is also contemplated that the remains of loved owns could also be stored within compartment  117 . 
         [0018]    Similar to base  110 , top  120  is also preferably generally rectangular in shape and constructed out of a decorative material such as wood, metal, plastic, marble, stone or the like, though it is contemplated that other shapes and materials could also be used without affecting the overall concept of the present invention. Top  120  is further comprised of a top surface  122 , a front  123 , sides  124 , a back  125 , and a bottom surface  126 , as best illustrated in the FIGS. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, top  120  is in substantially parallel, spaced apart relationship with base  110 , and is connected to base  110  by a plurality of decorative pillars  130 . More specifically, each of said plurality of decorative pillars  130  is an elongated member that extends from, and is fixedly attached to, the top surface  112  of base  110  to the bottom surface  126  of top  120 , where it is fixedly attached to top  120  by any means that is commonly known in the art such as with glue, epoxy, welding, fasteners, etc. 
         [0019]    Each of pillars  130  is preferably cylindrical in shape and constructed out of a decorative material such as wood, metal, plastic, marble, stone or the like, though it is contemplated that other shapes and materials could be used without affecting the overall concept of the present invention. Further the decorative pillars  130  can be designed to represent any design, shape, pattern, etc., as is known in the art. The height of pillars  130 , measured from the top surface  112  of base  110  to the bottom surface  126  of top  120  is preferably between 8 and 12 inches, though it is contemplated that pillars  130  could be taller or shorter without affecting the overall concept of the present invention, provided that the spacing between base  110  and top  120  is sufficient to accommodate the rotation of hourglass  180  as shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 1 . Pillars  130  are preferably positioned in substantially parallel, spaced apart relationship to one another along the top surface  112  of base  110  as depicted in the FIGS., though it is contemplated that other pillar arrangements could also be employed without affecting the overall concept of the present invention. 
         [0020]    As best illustrated in  FIG. 3 , hourglass support structure  140  is preferably comprised of a plurality of posts  142 , plates  150  and a pivot clamp or axle  160 . Similar to pillars  130 , each of said plurality of decorative posts  142  is an elongated member that extends from, and is fixedly attached to, the top surface  112  of base  110  to the bottom surface  126  of top  120 , where it is fixedly attached to top  120  by any means that is commonly known in the art. Each of posts  142  is preferably cylindrical in shape and constructed out of a decorative material such as wood, metal, plastic, marble, stone or the like, though it is contemplated that other shapes and materials could be used without affecting the overall concept of the present invention. Further, decorative posts  142  can be designed to represent any design, shape, pattern, etc., as is known in the art. The height of posts  142  is substantially equal to the height of pillars  130 . In the preferred embodiment of device  100 , posts  142  are positioned in substantially parallel, spaced apart relationship to one another along the top surface  112  of base  110  as depicted in  FIG. 3 , with two of posts  142  positioned towards the front of base  110  (the front posts) and two posts  142  positioned towards the back of base  110  (the back posts), though it is contemplated that other post arrangements could also be employed. 
         [0021]    The two front posts  142  are preferably connected to one another by a plate  150  as is depicted in  FIG. 1 , and the two back posts  142  are also preferably connected to one another by a plate  150  in similar fashion. Plates  150  can be of virtually any shape and size, and can be comprised of any decorative materials such as wood, metal, plastic, stone, and the like. Plates  150  are useful in adding strength to hourglass support structure  140 , as well as supporting pivot clamp  160  and other ornamentation as is further described below. Plates  150  may be connected to posts  142  by any means commonly known in the art. For example, plates  150  may be glued or spot welded to posts  142 , or each of plates  150  may further comprise continuous openings  152  therein for receipt of posts  142 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Each of plates  150  further comprise an outboard surface  154  and an inboard surface  156 , and a clock  190 , or other decoration or ornamentation, can be attached to outboard surface  154  by any suitable means known in the art such as glue, epoxy, welds, screws, etc. Clock  190  can be any type of clock known in the art such as a digital clock or an analog clock, as is shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0022]    In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pivot clamp  160  is attached to, and extends between, each of said inboard surfaces  156  to connect plates  150  to one another and to support hourglass  180 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Pivot clamps are well known in the art and can be secured around the neck  186  of hourglass  180 , as described more fully below. For example, pivot clamp  160  may comprise a rod that encircles approximately half the circumference of the neck  186 , and a second rod that encircles approximately the other half of the circumference of the neck  186 , wherein such said rods are mated and secured via screws or any other suitable fastener as is known in the art and commonly used with pivot clamps. Once attached, pivot clamp  160  preferably substantially encircles the neck  186  for greater stability. As further described below, pivot clamp  160  permits hourglass  180  to rotate so that it can be reset without removing hourglass  180  from hourglass support structure  140 . 
         [0023]    Alternatively, and in lieu of pivot clamp  160 , it is also contemplated that neck  186  could be attached to an axle or rod in any manner known in the art that would permit hourglass  180  to rotate about the axle as depicted in dashed lines in  FIG. 1 . It is also contemplated that pivot clamp  160  or axle could also extend from the inboard surface  156  of a single plate in a cantilever fashion, thereby eliminating the need for one of the plates  150 , without affecting the overall concept of the present invention. 
         [0024]    Hourglass  180  can be any hourglass typically known in the art and preferably comprises a first chamber  182  and a second chamber  184 . The first chamber  182  and the second chamber  184  each comprise a first predetermined diameter and are separated by a neck  186  having a second, smaller diameter. Each of the first chamber  182  and the second chamber  184  are approximately between 3 and 4 inches in inside diameter, and approximately between 2 and 4 inches in height, though it is contemplated that different sized chambers  182 ,  184  could also be used without affecting the overall concept of the present invention provided that the overall size of hourglass  180  has sufficient clearance from the top surface  112  of base  110  and the bottom surface  126  of top  120  to rotate about pivot clamp  60  or an axle, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0025]    In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of first chamber  182  and second chamber  184  may further comprise a stopper or cap  188  which is useful for filling and/or emptying the contents of first chamber  182  and second chamber  184  and which prevents the contents of the chambers  182 ,  184  from spilling. Stopper  188  may be removably attached to the end of the first chamber  182  opposite neck  186 , and a second stopper  188  may be removably secured to the end of the second chamber  184  opposite neck  186 . Stoppers  188  are removably secured via any typical fastening means such as friction fit, threading, etc. It is also contemplated that only one chamber may contain a stopper  188  and that the other chamber may be permanently sealed, or that both chambers can be partially filled with sand, soil and/or ash and be permanently sealed as is known in the art. 
         [0026]    Neck  186  provides a continuous opening between first chamber  182  and second chamber  184  for permitting the contents  189  to flow between chambers via gravitational force as is known in the art. At its narrowest point, neck  186  is preferably between 1/64 and ½ of an inch in interior diameter, but should be sized in accordance with user preference. For example, the duration of an hourglass cycle (i.e., the time it takes for the contents of one chamber to flow entirely into a second chamber) is a function of, among other things, the size of the opening in neck  186  and the amount of the contents (i.e., sand, ash, etc.) that must pass therethrough. 
         [0027]    First chamber  182  and second chamber  184  are typically hollow, funnel-shaped chambers, however any other suitable shape can be used such as rounded, oval, etc. without affecting the overall concept of the invention. First chamber  182 , second chamber  184 , and neck  186  are also preferably constructed of glass, though any other suitable material may be used. The contents  189  of the chambers  182 ,  184  can comprise the cremated remains of an individual or animal, sand, symbolic soil, and/or a combination of these, etc. 
         [0028]    It is also contemplated that a commemorative name plate  192  could be affixed to device  100 . For example,  FIG. 1  depicts name plate  192  attached to the front  113  of base  110 . Name plate  192  may contain virtually any combination of messages, letters, numbers, or symbols and can be designed to user preference. 
         [0029]    What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.