Patents by Inventor Donald R. Maier

Donald R. Maier has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7774908
    Abstract: A casket is provided with an integral memorabilia compartment for the placement, display and storage therein of personal effects and mementos of memorialization of the deceased. In one form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the cap. In another form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the shell. In both forms the memorabilia compartment is so positioned and configured as to provide convenient access to mourners paying respects to the deceased for placing personal effects and mementos therein and to provide display of the personal effects and mementos placed therein for viewing by the mourners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Biondo, Dennis C. Laphan, Donald R. Maier, William F. Neth, Charles F. Winburn
  • Patent number: 7247264
    Abstract: A method of making a lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a one-piece, unitary casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling, permitting the settable material to set thereby producing a one-piece, unitary casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, and adhesively applying a wood veneer sheet to at least a portion of the lid. The veneer sheet can be applied with either a membrane press or a profile wrapping machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin R. Buchler, Gary R. Cunningham, Todd K. Dennis, Bryan M. Hankel, John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Stephanie E. Mauch, Vincent Mark Moster, Roger L. Reuss, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Patent number: 7147811
    Abstract: A method of making a one-piece, unitary lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material, preferably a mixture of wood chips and binder, from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling and permitting the settable material to set. The tooling transmits a wood grain pattern into the settable material. The wood grain pattern of the lid is continuous when viewed rotated 180° about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lid, located medially of the transverse extent of the lid and coinciding with the header end edge of the lid. Thus two such caps placed end-to-end have a continuous wood grain pattern extending from the head end of the casket to the foot end of the casket. Resin impregnated tissue paper is applied to the settable material prior to molding. The resin impregnated tissue paper conforms to the wood grain and conceals the wood chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Patent number: 6976294
    Abstract: A casket is provided with an integral memorabilia compartment for the placement, display and storage therein of personal effects and mementos of memorialization of the deceased. In one form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the cap. In another form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the shell. In both forms the memorabilia compartment is so positioned and configured as to provide convenient access to mourners paying respects to the deceased for placing personal effects and mementos therein and to provide display of the personal effects and mementos placed therein for viewing by the mourners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Biondo, Dennis C. Laphan, Donald R. Maier, William F. Neth, Charles F. Winburn
  • Patent number: 6922877
    Abstract: A method of making a one-piece, unitary lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material, preferably a mixture of wood chips and binder, from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling and permitting the settable material to set. The tooling transmits a wood grain pattern into the settable material. The wood grain pattern of the lid is continuous when viewed rotated 180° about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lid, located medially of the transverse extent of the lid and coinciding with the header end edge of the lid. Thus two such caps placed end-to-end have a continuous wood grain pattern extending from the head end of the casket to the foot end of the casket. Resin impregnated tissue paper is applied to the settable material prior to molding. The resin impregnated tissue paper conforms to the wood grain and conceals the wood chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Patent number: 6849141
    Abstract: A method of making a lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a one-piece, unitary casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling, permitting the settable material to set thereby producing a one-piece, unitary casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, and adhesively applying a wood veneer sheet to at least a portion of the lid. The veneer sheet can be applied with either a membrane press or a profile wrapping machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin R. Buchler, Gary R. Cunningham, Todd K. Dennis, Bryan M. Hankel, John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Stephanie E. Mauch, Vincent Mark Moster, Roger L. R uss, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Patent number: 6836936
    Abstract: A casket is provided with an integral memorabilia compartment for the placement, display and storage therein of personal effects and mementos of memorialization of the deceased. In one form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the cap. In another form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the shell. In both forms the memorabilia compartment is so positioned and configured as to provide convenient access to mourners paying respects to the deceased for placing personal effects and mementos therein and to provide display of the personal effects and mementos placed therein for viewing by the mourners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Biondo, Dennis C. Laphan, Donald R. Maier, William F. Neth, Charles F. Winburn
  • Publication number: 20040244163
    Abstract: A method of making a lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a one-piece, unitary casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling, permitting the settable material to set thereby producing a one-piece, unitary casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, and adhesively applying a wood veneer sheet to at least a portion of the lid. The veneer sheet can be applied with either a membrane press or a profile wrapping machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Applicant: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin R. Buchler, Gary R. Cunningham, Todd K. Dennis, Bryan M. Hankel, John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Stephanie E. Mauch, Vincent Mark Moster, Roger L. Reuss, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Publication number: 20040200046
    Abstract: A casket is provided with an integral memorabilia compartment for the placement, display and storage therein of personal effects and mementos of memorialization of the deceased. In one form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the cap. In another form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the shell. In both forms the memorabilia compartment is so positioned and configured as to provide convenient access to mourners paying respects to the deceased for placing personal effects and mementos therein and to provide display of the personal effects and mementos placed therein for viewing by the mourners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Applicant: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Biondo, Dennis C. Laphan, Donald R. Maier, William F. Neth, Charles F. Winburn
  • Publication number: 20030122280
    Abstract: A method of making a lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a one-piece, unitary casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling, permitting the settable material to set thereby producing a one-piece, unitary casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, and adhesively applying a wood veneer sheet to at least a portion of the lid. The veneer sheet can be applied with either a membrane press or a profile wrapping machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2002
    Publication date: July 3, 2003
    Inventors: Kevin R. Buchler, Gary R. Cunningham, Todd K. Dennis, Bryan M. Hankel, John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Stephanie E. Mauch, Vincent Mark Moster, Roger L. Reuss, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Publication number: 20030097739
    Abstract: A method of making a one-piece, unitary lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material, preferably a mixture of wood chips and binder, from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling and permitting the settable material to set. The tooling transmits a wood grain pattern into the settable material. The wood grain pattern of the lid is continuous when viewed rotated 180° about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lid, located medially of the transverse extent of the lid and coinciding with the header end edge of the lid. Thus two such caps placed end-to-end have a continuous wood grain pattern extending from the head end of the casket to the foot end of the casket. Resin impregnated tissue paper is applied to the settable material prior to molding. The resin impregnated tissue paper conforms to the wood grain and conceals the wood chips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2003
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Applicant: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Publication number: 20030024090
    Abstract: A casket is provided with an integral memorabilia compartment for the placement, display and storage therein of personal effects and mementos of memorialization of the deceased. In one form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the cap. In another form the casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and closable memorabilia compartment forming a part of the shell. In both forms the memorabilia compartment is so positioned and configured as to provide convenient access to mourners paying respects to the deceased for placing personal effects and mementos therein and to provide display of the personal effects and mementos placed therein for viewing by the mourners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Biondo, Dennis C. Laphan, Donald R. Maier, William F. Neth, Charles F. Winburn
  • Patent number: 6503429
    Abstract: A method of making a one-piece, unitary lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material, preferably a mixture of wood chips arid binder, from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling and permitting the settable material to set. The tooling transmits a wood grain pattern into the settable material. The wood grain pattern of the lid is continuous when viewed rotated 180° about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lid, located medially of the transverse extent of the lid and coinciding with the header end edge of the lid. Thus two such caps placed end-to-end have a continuous wood grain pattern extending from the head end of the casket to the foot end of the casket. Resin impregnated tissue paper is applied to the settable material prior to molding. The resin impregnated tissue paper conforms to the wood grain and conceals the wood chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Patent number: 6446315
    Abstract: In an effort at increasing the quality and styling of the casket interior, and in particular the casket cap dish assembly, and in an effort to increase the quality of the memorialization aspect of the casket and memorial service, the present assembly was devised which comprises, in one aspect, a dish assembly for installation into an underside of a casket cap, the assembly comprising a foam dish including an opening therethrough, and a cap panel installed in the opening in the foam dish. In a second aspect, the dish assembly comprises a dish including an opening therethrough and a cap panel removably installed in the opening in the dish, the cap panel being personalized to the deceased and being removable from the dish by a loved one of the deceased subsequent to a memorial service for the deceased and retained by the loved one as a memorial to the deceased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: David L. Agee, Rosalie J. Calhoun, Richard A. Colangelo, Donna F. Gould, Brian K. Groemminger, Bryan M. Hankel, Donald R. Maier, Donald D. Maple, William F. Neth, Ilija Rojdev, Scott A. Schultz
  • Patent number: 6317942
    Abstract: A casket comprises a shell including a floor, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls. A pair of caps are closable upon the shell. At least one of the walls is constructed of at least two panels having adjacent abutting edges forming a joint between the panels. A decorative feature disguises the joint to create the appearance of the two panels being a single panel. Each cap has a crown, a longer dimension and a shorter dimension, and is constructed of a plurality of boards extending parallel to the longer dimension and including a center spine board. The center spine board is fabricated from a single full-length board sawed in two; remaining ones of thee cap crown boards are non-full length boards. The gap between the head and foot end caps when closed in combination with the matching grain of the spine boards creates the appearance of the cap crowns being constructed of full length boards. Also, by utilizing at least one full length board in the cap, current tooling may be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan M. Hankel, Dennis C. Laphan, Donald R. Maier, William F. Neth, Hans E. Ritter, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Publication number: 20010027591
    Abstract: In an effort at increasing the quality and styling of the casket interior, and in particular the casket cap dish assembly, and in an effort to increase the quality of the memorialization aspect of the casket and memorial service, the present invention was devised which comprises, in one aspect, a dish assembly for installation into an underside of a casket cap, the assembly comprising a foam dish including an opening therethrough, and a cap panel installed in the opening in the foam dish. In a second aspect, the dish assembly comprises a dish including an opening therethrough and a cap panel removably installed in the opening in the dish, the cap panel being personalized to the deceased and being removable from the dish by a loved one of the deceased subsequent to a memorial service for the deceased and retained by the loved one as a memorial to the deceased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Publication date: October 11, 2001
    Applicant: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: David L. Agee, Rosalie J. Calhoun, Richard A. Colangelo, Donna F. Gould, Brian K. Groemminger, Bryan M. Hankel, Donald R. Maier, Donald D. Maple, William F. Neth, Ilija Rojdev, Scott A. Schultz
  • Publication number: 20010027592
    Abstract: A method of making a one-piece, unitary lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material, preferably a mixture of wood chips and binder, from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling and permitting the settable material to set. The tooling transmits a wood grain pattern into the settable material. The wood grain pattern of the lid is continuous when viewed rotated 180° about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lid, located medially of the transverse extent of the lid and coinciding with the header end edge of the lid. Thus two such caps placed end-to-end have a continuous wood grain pattern extending from the head end of the casket to the foot end of the casket. Resin impregnated tissue paper is applied to the settable material prior to molding. The resin impregnated tissue paper conforms to the wood grain and conceals the wood chips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2001
    Publication date: October 11, 2001
    Applicant: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Patent number: 6243931
    Abstract: A method of making a one-piece, unitary lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material, preferably a mixture of wood chips and binder, from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling and permitting the settable material to set. The tooling transmits a wood grain pattern into the settable material. The wood grain pattern of the lid is continuous when viewed rotated 180° about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lid, located medially of the transverse extent of the lid and coinciding with the header end edge of the lid. Thus two such caps placed end-to-end have a continuous wood grain pattern extending from the head end of the casket to the foot end of the casket. Resin impregnated tissue paper is applied to the settable material prior to molding. The resin impregnated tissue paper conforms to the wood grain and conceals the wood chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Linville, Donald R. Maier, Patrick M. Saaf
  • Patent number: 6237202
    Abstract: In an effort at increasing the quality and styling of the casket interior, and in particular the casket cap dish assembly, and in an effort to increase the quality of the memorialization aspect of the casket and memorial service, the present invention was devised which comprises, in one aspect, a dish assembly for installation into an underside of a casket cap, the assembly comprising a foam dish including an opening therethrough, and a cap panel installed in the opening in the foam dish. In a second aspect, the dish assembly comprises a dish including an opening therethrough and a cap panel removably installed in the opening in the dish, the cap panel being personalized to the deceased and being removable from the dish by a loved one of the deceased subsequent to a memorial service for the deceased and retained by the loved one as a memorial to the deceased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: David L. Agee, Rosalie J. Calhoun, Richard A. Colangelo, Donna S. Gould, Brian K. Groemminger, Bryan M. Hankel, Donald R. Maier, Donald D. Maple, William F. Neth, Llija Rojdev, Scott A. Schultz
  • Patent number: 6094789
    Abstract: A casket comprises a shell including a floor, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls. A pair of caps are closable upon the shell. At least one of the walls is constructed of at least two panels having adjacent abutting edges forming a joint between the panels. A decorative feature disguises the joint to create the appearance of the two panels being a single panel. Each cap has a crown, a longer dimension and a shorter dimension, and is constructed of a plurality of boards extending parallel to the longer dimension and including a center spine board. The center spine board is fabricated from a single full-length board sawed in two; remaining ones of thee cap crown boards are non-full length boards. The gap between the head and foot end caps when closed in combination with the matching grain of the spine boards creates the appearance of the cap crowns being constructed of full length boards. Also, by utilizing at least one full length board in the cap, current tooling may be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: Batesville Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan M. Hankel, Dennis C. Laphan, Donald R. Maier, William F. Neth, Hans E. Ritter, Patrick M. Saaf