AU2386999A - Memento cabinet - Google Patents

Description

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Atk P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 a a.

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ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: "MEMENTO CABINET" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 2 TITLE OF THE INVENTION "MEMENTO CABINET" BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to a memento cabinet which is used for storing ashes of the deceased after cremation.

Usually ashes of the deceased are stored in urns which are usually hollow vessels which usually have a height that is greater than the width of the hollow vessel. Such urns may be formed from earthenware or porcelain and are also normally provided with a foot or pedestal.

10 Usually, if desired, mementos could also be stored in the urn.

Other conventional methods of disposal of the ashes were by scattering or interring the ashes in a suitable memorial, such as a granite wall having hollow compartments. Alternatively, the ashes were buried in rose gardens and rockeries.

Reference may also be made to U.S. Patent No. 4688359 which refers to a mausoleum for cremated remains which included linear and columnar displays of arrays of transparent display vessels which are relatively small but which may be illuminated if required. Such vessels rest on linear displays which were usually horizontally orientated as well as columnar displays which were usually vertically orientated. The transparent display vessels were of a triangular prism shape having rounded corners. The display vessels included a base comprising a block of stone powder as well as an outer wall of glass or other transparent material which surrounded a plastics body of monolithic nature that filled 3 the entire interior of the glass wall. During the formation of the plastics body which usually occurred through a casting process, a number of articles were included in the display vessel such as a decorative urn containing cremated ashes as well as memorabilia or mementos including photographs or religious items.

However, it is important to stress that the articles were meant to be permanently retained within the display vessel. The display vessel was also specifically designed for retention within the mausoleum and thus had formed part of a vertical or horizontal array which were to be 10 illustrated by fluorescent tubes in the case of a horizontal array and a plurality of small lamps in the case of a vertical array.

S-It will be appreciated that display vessels of the type described above were not designed to be retained by a particular S.individual for the purpose of sentiment because of the fact that they were

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meant to be part of a permanent display in a mausoleum and also that 55.555 S" articles located in the transparent interior of each display vessel were also meant to be permanently retained therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a memento cabinet for storing cremated ashes which form part of the possessions of an individual which may adopt a variety of different structures and which may be stored in different locations in a room such as, for example, on a mantlepiece or shelf in a room or in a cabinet for storing personal items having glass doors.

4 With the foregoing objective in mind, the memento cabinet of the invention has a hollow storage chamber having an internal partition which divides the chamber into a memento storage section and an ashes storage compartment.

The memento storage section in one form may comprise a compartment which may be provided with a transparent external panel, such as a glass panel or a panel formed from plastics material so that the mementos stored in the memento storage compartment are viewable from the outside. Suitably the glass panel is releasably attached to the cabinet and this may be achieved in any suitable manner. The advantage of having the transparent panel removable is that the mementos are aaccessible so that they may be removed from time to time for cleaning or replacement if they became tarnished or were damaged.

Preferably the mementos are mounted on a front face of the aO..

partition so that they could function as a suitable display whereby photographs, war medals, lockets, pipes or other form of personal memorabilia can be readily viewed through the transparent panel or window.

The cabinet may adopt any suitable shape but is preferably cuboidal having a pair of opposed side walls and a pair of opposed end walls. The transparent panel or window usually functions as a front wall of the memento storage compartment so that the rear wall forms part of the ashes storage compartment.

The glass panel may be mounted within the cabinet using any suitable mounting means which permits removal of the glass panel when required. This may be provided, for example, by provision of one or more clips or movable retaining members which, in the closed position, inhibit removal of the glass panel from the cabinet. Suitably in this arrangement there is provided a narrow slot in a wall of the cabinet and more preferably the base wall for insertion or removal of the glass panel as may be required.

In another arrangement, the memento storage section may comprise a display wall which may be on an external surface of the cabinet for mounting of memorabilia and more particularly photographs.

S•In this particular embodiment, the display wall may have a transparent cover, such as a glass panel which, if desired, may be permanently sealed within the cabinet.

It will also be appreciated that the memento cabinet of the S•el

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invention may be provided with other concealed compartments to store *55e5S valuables, letters and mementos of a private nature which belonged to the deceased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference may be made to a preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in the attached drawings, wherein:- FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a memento cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the memento cabinet shown in FIG. 1 showing partial insertion or removal of 6 a glass panel; FIG. 3 is a similar view to FIG. 2 showing the insertion of the glass panel within the memento cabinet; FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of another memento cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the memento cabinet of FIG.

in an assembled condition; FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of another form of memento cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention; and 10 FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the memento cabinet of FIG.

S"6 in an assembled condition.

~DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 0 In the drawings, there is shown memento cabinet 10 having a pair of side walls 11, a removable rear panel 12, a partition 13, a top wall 14 and a base wall 15. The base wall has a surround flange 16.

°sool S• There are also provided mementos 17 attached to a front surface 18 of o partition 13. The rear panel 12 is attached to end surfaces or edges 19 of side walls 11 and adjacent end surfaces or edges 20 and 21 of top wall 14 and base wall 15 by fasteners 15A which extend through attachment apertures 15B in rear wall 12. There is also shown a glass panel 22 which may be inserted into cabinet 10 in the direction indicated by the arrows in full outline. There is also provided a memento storage compartment 23 and an ashes storage compartment 24. In memento storage compartment 23, glass panel 22 is spaced from partition 13 to 7 define the dimensions of compartment 23.

In FIGS. 2-3, there is shown bottom surface 25 of base wall which are provided with feet 26 suitably formed from rubber or other elastomeric material. There is also provided a socket 27 and a movable retaining member 28 having a protrusion 29. There is also provided a finger projection 30 to initiate movement of retaining member 28 when required. Socket 27 has a vertical surface 31 which abuts with or is closely adjacent to protrusion 29 when in the closed position as shown in ~FIG. 3. It therefore will be appreciated that removal or insertion of glass 10 panel 22 may be readily accomplished through elongate slot 32.

:'t In the memento cabinet shown in FIG. 4, the memento cabinet 10OA has a pair of side walls 11A, a pair of end walls 11B, base panel 12A, a partition 13A and a top wall or window assembly 14A. There is also provided memento storage compartment 23 and ashes storage g o compartment 24. The window assembly 14A has a transparent window 33 and a surround frame 34. The window assembly 14A is attached to side wall 11A by hinges 35 and there is also provided a retaining chain 36 restricting the pivotal movement of window assembly 14A relative to side wall 11A. FIG. 4 shows the window assembly 14A at the maximum of its pivotal movement relative to side wall 11A. There is also provided fasteners or screws 37 which interconnect base panel 12A to flange 38 of cabinet 11A after insertion through attachment apertures 39.

FIG. 5 shows the cabinet 10A in a closed state with window 33 displaying items of memorabilia which includes a set of war medals 8 and a photograph 41.

In FIG. 6, there is provided memento cabinet 10B having a memento storage section 23 in the form of a display wall 23A which is located closely adjacent to window 33 as shown in FIG. 7. There is also provided base panel 12A which may be optional. Window assembly 14A in this particular embodiment can be sealed permanently within cabinet OB although this is not essential. Similar reference numerals are used in FIGS. 6-7 that are already used in the FIGS. 4-5 embodiment. In the FIGS. 6-7 embodiment, the flange 38 is omitted when compared to the 10 FIGS. 4-5 embodiment and fasteners 37 pass through attachment

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S•apertures 39 to pass through bottom faces 42 of side walls 11A and end walls 11B.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing and, in particular, oo:: the illustrated embodiments above that the memento cabinet of the

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invention provides a highly personalized method of cremated ashes S: storage which does not require the ashes to be stored in an urn but in a plastics bag if desired which is not viewable to the owner or user of the memento cabinet. The ashes may be removable if desired or the items of memorabilia stored in the memento storage section can be removed for maintenance and cleaning if desired. The shape and structure of the memento cabinet may be readily varied as may be required by the user.

It will be further appreciated that the memento cabinet of the invention provides a combination of cremated ashes storage and personal memorabilia which is convenient to the user and may be located 9 in locations convenient to the user, such as a bedroom or living room, without the requirement for visiting graves or mausoleums as the case with the prior art. In fact, the memento cabinet of the invention may be considered as a form of "time capsule" and thus provide storage of birth, death and marriage certificates, passports, awards, photographs, military medals and other personal items.

Claims (13)

1. A memento cabinet having a hollow storage chamber having a partition which divides the chamber into a memento storage section and an ashes storage compartment.

2. A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 1 having a transparent external panel so that mementos stored in the memento storage section are viewable from outside.

3. A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the ve 0 transparent external panel is releasably attached to the cabinet.

4. A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 1 wherein mementos in the memento storage compartment are attachable to a front face of the partition.

A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the memento storage section is a compartment wherein the transparent p external panel is spaced from the partition to define dimensions of the S: memento storage compartment.

6. A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the memento storage section is an exposed or front face of the partition wherein mementos are attachable to said front face.

7. A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 6 wherein a transparent external panel is attached to the cabinet adjacent to the partition to facilitate viewing of the mementos.

8. A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the external panel is permanently or non-releasably attached to the cabinet. 11

9. A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 1 wherein at least one panel of the ashes storage compartment is removable.

A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the transparent external panel may be passed into a desired alignment or orientation adjacent the partition within the cabinet by passage through a narrow slot located in a base wall of the cabinet.

11. A memento cabinet as claimed in Claim 10 wherein the 0:6 transparent external panel after passage through the narrow slot is fixed 0* 0 in position by retaining members located in said base wall abutting an 10 adjacent edge of the transparent external panel. 0 S"

12. A memento storage cabinet as claimed in Claim 11 wherein the retaining members include a movable protrusion movable in a mating socket in the base wall.

13. A memento storage cabinet substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 0:0900 SDATED this twenty-first day of April 1999. IAN HAMILTON MILLS, by his Patent Attorneys, FISHER ADAMS KELLY.