GB2210080A - Tombstones of plastic with name plate - Google Patents

Abstract

A tombstone, as a memorial to a deceased pet or human, is made at least substantially wholly of plastics material for cheapness and strength and has at least one recess for receiving a plate for bearing details of the deceased. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements Relating to Memorials such as Tombstones This invention relates to memorials such as tombstones of the type used usually at the head of the graves and burial places, particularly but not exclusively, of deceased pets.

Tombstones are of course used extensively to commemorate lives of humans, and typically such tombstones are made of hard natural material such as stone and granite. Conventional tombstones are however exceedingly expensive, and often beyond the resources of pet lovers. Furthermore, they are relatively brittle and often break beyond repair.

Tombstones and other memorials, whether to commemorate humans or pets, may take various forms. For example they may take the form of figures, but more usually they are in the form of upright tablets on which are inscribed, usually by hand sculpting, the name of the deceased, some decorative material such as flowers or sanctus material such as religious figures.

The present invention takes the new approach to the manufacture of memorials such as tombstones and provides that the memorial is formed in plastics material, thereby reducing the basic cost compared to the natural material tombstones, and wherein the memorial is adapted to receive a plate, insert or decoration, the said plate insert or decoration and the memorial being adapted such that one can be fixed securely within the other in a pre-determined location.

Where a plate is provided it may be for carrying particulars of the deceased and, for receiving such plate insert and decoration, the memorial may be recessed so that when the plate insert or decoration is applied thereto it will be flush with the adjacent surface of the memorial. It is of course nct necessary that the plate insert or decoration should be flush with the adjacent surface and indeed in some cases where the decoration or insert is provided it may be desirable that the decoration or insert should be embossed for the enhancement of the appearance of the memorial.

Preferably, when intended to commemorate a deceased human and to be set in a graveyard or cemetry, the memorial is a tombstone in the form of a head slab, and the head slab is provided with a front side and a rear side. The front side may be provided with several recesses to receive respective nameplates for example for the respective members of a family, whilst the rear side may be provided with a recess for the receipt of a decorative plate, for example a plate which carries a wreath of flowers such as poppies or carnations, or the rear inset may be adapted to receive a decorative plate in the form of a laurel wreath.

In another arrangement, the front of the tombstone may be provided with a plurality of recesses adapted to receive respective parts which interfit jigsaw like of for example a floral design. Said parts may be in plastics material and may be in different colours or in a colour different from that of the tombstone in order to enhance the appearance thereof, and the tombstone may be of material such as to simulate natural materials such as stone, granite and marble.

Preferably the memorial and all the plates, inserts or decorations are in plastics material but the plates, inserts or decorations may be in a material which is different from that of the plastics material of the memorial body.

The memorial body is preferably moulded in solid plastics material, although it could be hollow and filled with a ballasting material.

The inserts, decorations and plates may be fitted to the memorial in any convenient manner, but in one particular arrangement, these various parts to be fitted to the memorial are provided with fixing plugs, and the memorial is provided with receiving apertures in the base of the recess for receiving the plate, decoration or insert so that the part simply plugs into the memorial. If desired and in order to ensure that the fixing is permanent, which is what is required, fixing adhesive which firmly anchors the decoration, insert or plate may be used.

It can be seen that a memorial designed and constructed according to the invention has particular advantage.

One type of memorial body can be used for creating different end results depending upon the wish of a customer. For example, different customers may choose different colours for the inserts, decorations and plates or indeed different forms of inserts and decorations and the invention can therefore introduce a large degree of standardisation into the manufacture of memorials, thereby significantly reducing the cost, whilst retaining a certain amount of individuality by the user picking his own inserts and decorations.

The memorial may be fixed by the graveside in any convenient manner such as being set into concrete or by being pinned into the earth using long plastic pins.

It is to be appreciated that although one application of the invention is in relation to a headstone which basically is in the form of a rectangular upright slab, it is to be appreciated that the invention is not to be limited to this construction, and indeed the headstone may take different forms for example it may be in the form of a crucifix or it may be in the form of a slab with a sculpted top head and indeed any suitable form.

In a form which is particularly suitable to commemorate a deceased pet, being inexpensive to produce, the memorial preferably comprises a block of transparent plastics material having an edge intended in use to be lowermost, said block being recessed upwardly from said edge for the reception of a plate carrying particuls of the deceased. The memorial may also comprise a plinth, recessed to receive said edge of the block.

The block may be of clear or tinted plastics material, and may be moulded in one piece or formed of separate front and rear portions spaced apart except at top and side edges.

The plate may be of plastics material and may comprise an area to receive embossed or other worked inscription and a further area for the mounting of a photograph.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a headstone according to an embodiment of the invention and also shows the various nameplates and inserts which can be inserted in the headstone; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the headstone of Fig. 1 when viewing the rear thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the headstone of Fig. 1 when viewing the base thereof and illustrates the means whereby the headstone is fixed in position in relation to the grave which the headstone is to indicate; Fig. 4 is an exploded front view of a tombstone for a pet; Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the tombstone of Fig. 4 with description plate omitted; and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the tombstone of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Figs. 1 to 3, the headstone indicated comprises a rectangular slab 10 of plastics material which is of a composition to be as unbreakable and indestructible as possible. The headstone may be moulded with a plinth 12, and on its front face 14 it is provided with a plurality of recesses 16, 18, 20 and 24 for receiving nameplates 26, 28, 30 and 32, with a recess 3 34 for receiving a decoration plate 36, and a shaped recess 38 for receiving correspondingly shaped insert 40.

The headstone 10 would be formed in plastics material so as as closely as possible to simulate the materials conventionally used for headstones such materials including marble, granite and limestone.

Moulded in the plinth 12 is a flower urn receptacle 42 covered by an appropriate cover.

The headstone shown is for a family of four, and as each member of the family dies so an appropriate nameplate with relevant information is inserted in the recesses 16 to 24. The bases of the recesses 16 to 24 are provided with socket holes for receiving socket pins or plugs 44 on the plates 26 to 32, and the plate 36 may be adapted for positioning in recess 34 in the same fashion. The insert 40 may also be engaged in recess 38 by pin and socket hole arrangements, although other forms of insertion of the inserts may be effected provided that when thee inserts are placed in the headstone they are fixed as firmly as possible. To this end plastics anchoring glue may be utilised in conjunction with the pins and holes.

Alternatively or in addition, the side edges of the inserts may be provided with projections which engage the walls of the recesses.

In the arrangement described, and illustrated in Fig.

1, the various inserts will lie flush with the surrounding surface of the headstone when inserted, but it is not necessary that this construction be adopted.

The decorative plate 36 and the decorative insert 40 may be in a different colour from the headstone body, and petals of the flower insert 40 in fact interfit jigsaw fashion and may therefore be in different colours. This concept of utilising different insert portions of different colours can be utilised in other fashions to create more elaborate designs. Delicate colours may be used for these inserts and to improve the effect.

As shown in Fig. 2, the rear of the headstone 10 is provided with a circular recess 50 for receiving circular insert 52 and on the outside of the insert 52 is a decorative design 54 in the form of a laurel wreath. Again the insert 52 is received in the recess 50 and is held fast therein by means of pin and hole arrangements.

The plinth 12 or the base of the headstone can be fixed in relation to the grave in any suitable manner, but in the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 the plinth on its underside has long spiked plastic rods 56 so that the device can be impaled on the ground. Other fixing arrangements may be used if desired.

In a further embodiment, the headstone 10 and the plinth 12 may be moulded as separate components and assembled for example by means of pins and sockets.

Figs. 4 to 6 show an embodiment of the invention which is particularly suitable for use as a headstone to commemorate a deceased pet, although the arrangement is of course capable of employment to commemorate a human.

The memorial comprises an upright flat rectangular box 60 of clear plastics material having a front portion 61 and a rear portion 62 disposed to leave a space 64 therebetween. The space 6 64 is closed off except at the lower edge 66 by a top member 68 and by side edges 70.

As shown in the exploded view in Fig. 4, the inner space 64 is intended to receive a memorial plate 72 carrying on one or both sides details of the deceased to be remembered. The plate 72 is made of coloured plastics material simulating marble, though in other embodiments not shown the material may be of plastics in other colours or indeed of metal or other suitable material.

The dimensions of the plate 72 are such that when fully inserted fills the void 64 with its lower edge 74 flush with the lower edge 66 of the front, rear and side portions 60, 62 and 70 of the memorial body.

The memorial further compries a plinth 76 having holes 78 for the passage of fixing spikes, bolts or screws and in its upper face a recess 80 of such dimension as to accommodate the lower edge of the box 60. As shown in Fig. 5 the upright box may be secured in the recess 80 by means of adhesive 82 which serves not only to retain the box-like structure upright but also prevents ingress of moisture between the plate 72 and the surfaces of the void 74.

In other embodiments the box 60 is made of a one-piece plastics moulding and in other embodiments not shown, the box may have other external forms as mentioned in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3. For the sake of standardisation, however, the internal void 64 is preferably of standard, rectangular, shape and dimensions, though of course the void could have other shapes and dimensions according to requirement.

Bearing in mind that memorials for pets are likely commonly to be visited by young children, it is desireeable that the external corners and edges of the box 60 to be bevelled or rounded for the sake of safety.

It will be understood that tombstones constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention can be constructed more rapidly and more cheaply than the conventional tombstones of marble and granite and the like, and moreover by using recesses and inserts, the tombstones will have considerable flexibility.

The invention can be applied to any graveyard or sanctuary memorials such as flower urns, crucifixes, tablets, headstones, footstones and kerbing.

Claims (7)

1. A tombstone formed of plastics material and having at least one recess for the reception of a plate for carrying particulars of the deceased.

2. A tombstone according to Claim 1 in the form of a slab having front and rear faces, at least one of said faces having at least one of said recesses for the reception of a plate.

3. A tombstone according to Claim 1, formed of transparent plastics and intended in use to be arranged upright with one edge lowermost, said one recess extending upwardly from said edge.

4. A tombstone according to Claim 3 comprises an upright flat box, open at its lower edge and defining a flat space for reception of a plate.

5. A tombstone according to Claim Li wherein the box is formed of a one-piece moulding.

6. A tombstone according to any one of the preceding claims having a plate in the or each recess.

7. A tombstone of plastics material, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1-3 or 4-6 of the drawings.