US Patent 11959296 Graveside memorial telepresence method, apparatus and system

Apparatus and associated methods relate to a graveside communications device exchanging multimedia between a grave and a user's communications device remote from the grave, activating an energy emitter configured by the graveside device to physically interact with the grave responsive to the remote user's activity, and sending to the user's communication device a live indication of the interaction. In an illustrative example, the device at the grave may include a video camera. The user's device may be configured to exchange multimedia with the graveside device. In some examples, the energy emitter may be a laser pointer directed at the grave. The remote user's activity may be, for example, the user1 s voice captured by the user's smartphone modulating the laser pointer light. Various examples may advantageously provide graveside telepresence, permitting a user physical interaction with a grave, and providing live indication of the interaction to the user.