Pendant for carrying remembrances such as cremation remains and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

A method of manufacturing, and resulting pendant for hermetically sealing the crematory remains, hair samples or the like of a loved one or pet, utilizing a laser-welding operation to seal congruent front and rear concave housing members together, preserving the contents there within. The metal utilized is thin, therefore each housing member provides a continuous sacrificial lip of metal along the seam to prevent the laser from blowing a hole through the metal housing. Unlike conventional welding or soldering means, the laser produces very minimal heat build up, preventing damage to the contents therein during welding.

1 . A neck chain supported pendant for carrying organic material such as cremation remains, hair samples, and the like, said pendant comprising: 
 a first and second substantially identically shaped concave housing members disposed in aligned confronting relationship and defining an organic material chamber there between,    said housing members fabricated of a thin metallic material and having integral heat sacrificial rim portions extending continuously around the outer periphery thereof,    said rim portions of said housing members disposed in contact with one another around the entire periphery of the pendant and being fixedly joined to one another by a laser welding operation so as to hermetically seal said chamber, the heat of which operation results in the sacrificing of said rim portions in a manner as to not adversely affect the organic material in said chamber, and    a trim element disposed substantially entirely around the pendant adjacent and substantially concealing the laser welding joint securing said housing members together.    
   
   
       2 . The neck chain supported pendant of  claim 1  wherein said housing members have a shape selected from the group consisting of round, oval, teardrop, rectangle, square, triangle, heart, and cross shaped.  
   
   
       3 . The neck chain supported pendant of  claim 1  wherein said neck chain is slidably attached to said pendant through a welded loop on said trim element.  
   
   
       4 . The neck chain supported pendant of  claim 1  wherein said metallic material composing said housing is gold.  
   
   
       5 . The neck chain supported pendant of  claim 1  wherein said metallic material composing said housing is silver.  
   
   
       6 . The neck chain supported pendant of  claim 1  wherein said laser welding operation utilizes a power between the range of 180-280 Volts.  
   
   
       7 . The neck chain supported pendant of  claim 1  wherein said laser welding operation utilizes a welding contact duration of between 2.0 and 6.0 milliseconds.  
   
   
       8 . The neck chain supported pendant of  claim 1  wherein said laser welding operation utilizes a laser beam having a width between 0.6 and 1.6 millimeters.  
   
   
       9 . The neck chain supported pendant of  claim 1  wherein said laser welding operation utilizes a pulse repetition frequency of 1.0-4.0 hertz.  
   
   
       10 . A method of producing a pendant for carrying organic materials such as cremation remains, hair samples, and the like, the steps which include: 
 fabricating a pair of substantially identical thin metallic concave housing members,    providing each of said housing members in aligned confronting relation so as to provide an organic material containing chamber there between,    inserting an organic material into said chamber and thereafter juxtapositioning said housing members whereby said sacrificial rim portions are continuously engaged with one another around the entire periphery of the pendant,    laser welding the rim portions of the housing members together in a manner so as to hermetically seal the chamber and sacrifice the rim portions thereof to minimize heat buildup that might adversely affect the organic material contained within the chamber, and    placing a continuous trim element around the periphery of the pendant adjacent the laser weld of the rim portions and thereby substantially concealing the laser weld joint between the housing members.