Patent Application
20110294096
The present disclosure relates to oral care devices and, more particularly, to acoustically monitoring one or more characteristics of the oral care devices.
As background, people use oral care devices to clean their teeth. The effectiveness of the oral care device in cleaning one's teeth depends on, among other things, how the oral care device is used by that person and the duration of such use. For example, it has been established that the recommended time for brushing teeth is approximately two minutes. However, most persons do not brush their teeth for the recommended period of time. Instead of two minutes, most brush for a time period which is closer to one minute or less.
Furthermore, many people, when cleaning their teeth, may apply too much force to the brush in an effort to get the brush into hard to reach places. Unfortunately, the application of greater force to the brush results in greater pressure applied to the surface of the teeth and gums. The increased pressure against the teeth can cause premature wear in the enamel of the teeth and similarly can cause gum irritation and gum recession.
Accordingly, there is a need for automatically monitoring one's use of the oral care device and to inform the person of his brushing habits, such as the length of time for cleaning the teeth and the force or pressure applied by the user when cleaning the teeth.
In one embodiment, a monitoring device for acoustically determining one or more characteristics of a powered oral care (POC) implement comprises a transducer and a processor, wherein: the transducer receives sound generated by the POC implement and converts the sound into a signal representative of the sound; the transducer is in electrical communication with the processor and transmits the signal representative of the sound to the processor; and the processor determines one or more characteristics of the POC implement based on the signal representative of the sound.
In another embodiment, a system comprises a powered oral care (POC) implement and a monitoring device, wherein: the POC implement cleans teeth and generates sound; the monitoring device is in acoustic communication with the POC implement and receives the sound generated by the POC implement; and the monitoring device determines one or more characteristics of the POC implement based on the sound received by the monitoring device.
In yet another embodiment, a method for determining one or more characteristics of a powered oral care (POC) implement comprises: receiving sound generated by the POC implement; identifying one or more acoustic characteristics of the sound; and determining one or more characteristics of the POC implement based on the one or more acoustic characteristics of the sound.
The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative in nature and not intended to limit the invention defined by the claims. The following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:
Before describing the various embodiments, it is instructive to define the various types of motions that the brush head may undergo. As used herein, the term “angular motion” refers to any angular displacement. “Linear motion” is movement along a straight or substantially straight, line or direction. “Curvilinear motion” is movement that is neither completely linear nor completely angular but is a combination of the two (for example, curvilinear). These motions can be constant or periodic. Constant motion refers to motion that does not change direction or path (i.e., is unidirectional). Periodic motion refers to motion that reverses direction or path. Constant angular motion is referred to as rotary motion, although features herein may be described as “rotatably mounted” which is intended to merely mean that angular motion, whether periodic or constant, is possible. Periodic angular motion is referred to as oscillating motion. Curvilinear motions can also be either constant (i.e., unidirectional) or periodic (i.e., reverses direction). Periodic linear motion is referred to as “reciprocation”. “Orbital motion” is a type of angular motion about an axis that is distinct from and is some distance apart from the center of the moving component, for example, a shaft. This distance is referred to herein as the extent of offset of the orbital motion. Orbital motion may be either constant angular motion or periodic angular motion.
The above-described motions can occur along one or more axes of a bristle carrier, a toothbrush, a toothbrush head, etc. Accordingly, motion is described herein as being either one, two, or three dimensional motion depending upon the number of axial coordinates required to describe the position of a bristle carrier during its movement. One dimensional motion is motion that can be described by a single coordinate (for example, X, Y, or Z coordinates). Typically, only linear motion can be one dimensional. For example, periodic linear motion substantially along only the Y axis is one dimensional motion (referred to herein as a “pulsing motion” or an “up and down motion”). Two dimensional motion is movement by a bristle carrier that requires two coordinates (for example, X and Y coordinates) to describe the path of travel of the bristle carrier. Angular motion that occurs in a single plane is two dimensional motion since a point on a bristle carrier would need two coordinates to describe the path of travel. Three dimensional motion is movement by a bristle carrier that requires three coordinates (for example, X, Y, and Z coordinates) to describe the path of travel of the bristle carrier. An example of three dimensional motion is movement by a bristle carrier in the path of a helix. A multi-motion toothbrush is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0084527, owned by The Procter and Gamble Company, and hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The invention is described below using powered oral care (POC) implement 14 as an example, which is shown in
The types of characteristics determined by the monitoring device 18 may include, but are not limited to, whether the POC implement 14 is switched on or off, an amount of time the POC implement 14 is used to clean the user's teeth, an amount of pressure applied by the POC implement 14 to the teeth, which brushing mode the POC implement 14 is in, a manufacturer of the POC implement 14, and a model number of the POC implement 14. Other characteristics of the POC implement 14 may be determined as well. The acoustic characteristics of the sound 16 generated by the POC implement 14 may be used to determine one or more of the characteristics of the POC implement 14. Acoustics characteristics of the sound 16 may include, but are not limited to, the amplitude, frequency, change in amplitude, change in frequency, and combinations thereof.
Monitoring the characteristics of the POC implement 14 may help the user 12 improve his or her brushing habits. For example, the system 10 may help the user 12 ascertain that he or she is not brushing for the recommended time, or that the user 12 is applying too much pressure when cleaning his or her teeth. As another example, the system 10 may recommend that the user 12 install a new brush head on the POC implement 14, or that the battery in the POC implement 14 is approaching its end of life. Both recommendations may be based upon time of use determined via the monitored acoustic characteristics. Furthermore, if the characteristics are monitored and recorded over a time period (for example, one month), it may provide a history of the user's oral hygiene routines and habits. This history may be analyzed by the user 12 or by an oral care professional in order to improve the user's brushing habits and/or make recommendations.
Referring to
As described above, the brush head 14b may undergo angular motion, linear motion or curvilinear motion and that motion may be constant or periodic when driven by the actuator 14a. The brush head 14b may rotate only, or it may rotate and move in and out of the POC implement 14 along an axis that is parallel to its axis of rotation. The brush head 14b comes into contact with the user's teeth, and the motion of the brush head 14b as it comes into contact with teeth causes the teeth to be cleaned. Tooth paste or other suitable materials may be used in conjunction with the POC implement 14 in order to improve the effectiveness of the cleaning process. The brush head 14b is typically removable and may be replaced with a new brush head when desirable or when the old one wears out.
The POC implement 14 has a power source 14p which provides energy to operate the actuator 14a. The power source 14p may permit the POC implement 14 to operate wirelessly, that is, without having a wire or a cable leading to another source of power such as, for example, a common household 110-Volt electrical outlet. The power source 14p may be, for example, a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery. A rechargeable battery may employ lithium-ion or nickel-metal hydride technology, and a non-rechargeable battery may employ alkaline or zinc-carbon technology. Other types of rechargeable and non-rechargeable battery technologies may be used as well, including those presently known and those yet to be developed. In addition to batteries, the power source 14p may comprise other types of energy sources as well.
The POC implement 14 has a switch 14s which allows the user 12 to switch it on and off. The switch 14s may be electrically coupled to the power source 14p and to the actuator 14a such that the switch 14s is capable of connecting (for example, when “on”) or disconnecting (for example, when “off”) the power source 14p to the actuator 14a. The switch 14s may be a sliding switch, a pushbutton switch, or any type of suitable switch. Additionally, the POC implement may have an “auto-on” switch which when the user presses the brush head against their teeth, the POC implement 14 turns on. When the user pulls the POC implement 14 away from their teeth and the pressure is released, the POC implement 14 turns off.
The POC implement 14 generates sound when it is operating. The sound may be the result of the movement of any of the components which comprise the POC implement such as, for example, the actuator 14a, the brush head 14b, the drive mechanism 14d, and the switch 14s. As discussed herein, the drive mechanism 14d may contain gears and/or other suitable items, some or all of which may individually generate sound when the POC implement 14 is operating. Furthermore, sound may be generated by the movement of the brush head 14b as it contacts the teeth during the cleaning process. Thus, the sound generated by the POC implement 14 may be the collective result of the sound generated by some or all of the individual components which make up the POC implement 14.
The POC implement 14 may also comprise a dedicated acoustic device 14t which is capable of generating sound. The dedicated acoustic device 14t may be a speaker, a buzzer, a piezoelectric transducer, other suitable device, or any combination thereof. The purpose of the dedicated acoustic device 14t may be to generate sound encoded with information from the POC implement 14 which can by received by the monitoring device (for example, monitoring device 18 of
If the POC implement 14 has a dedicated acoustic device 14t, the dedicated acoustic device 14t may be exclusively used to acoustically transmit information about the POC implement 14 to the monitoring device. That is, in this embodiment, the monitoring device may only recognize sound generated by the dedicated acoustic device 14t. In another embodiment, the monitoring device may recognize both sound generated by the dedicated acoustic device 14t as well as sound generated by the other components of the POC implement 14 as described above. For purposes of this disclosure, sound generated by the POC implement 14 includes sound generated by the dedicated acoustic device 14t (if it is used) as well as sound generated by the other components of the POC implement 14 (for example, actuator 14a, brush head 14b, refills, etc.), unless otherwise indicated. For example, in one embodiment, the actuator 14a could modify its sound, for example by “stuttering”, in order to generate sound encoded with information which can be received by the monitoring device. In another embodiment, each category or type of brush head 14b for use with POC implement 14 could have a unique sound which can be transmitted to the monitoring device to alert the monitoring device that a new or different brush head is in use. In one embodiment, the unique sound may be delighting to the user. In another embodiment, the unique sound may be brand-identifiable to the user.
Referring again to
Referring to
Referring still to
Referring to
The processor 24p may include a compressor 24c, an automatic gain control 24a, an averaging circuit 24v, and a detection circuit 24d. In certain embodiments, the compressor 24c may be a dynamic range compressor and be operable to compensate for transient background noise having a relatively large amplitude. The compressor 24c may receive the signal 26t (representative of the sound) from the transducer and produce a compressed signal 26c such that the compressor 24c attenuates the amplitude of the signal 26t when it is above a compressor threshold. This may permit the compressor 24c to reduce background noise spikes, such as speech and so forth. The compressor threshold may be set by the manufacturer of the monitoring device, or it may be set by the user in the location in which the monitoring device will be used via a calibration routine (discussed herein). In one embodiment, the compressor threshold may be −10 dB (decibels).
In addition to the compressor threshold, the compressor 24c may also have a corresponding attack time, which is the time the compressor 24c takes to react to a signal transitioning from below to above the compressor threshold. Likewise the compressor 24c may also have a corresponding release time, which is the time the compressor 24c takes to react to a signal transitioning from above to below the compressor threshold. Both the attack time and release time may be from about 10 to about 50 milliseconds, in another embodiment from about 20 to about 40 milliseconds and in another embodiment from about 25 to about 35 milliseconds. In one embodiment, the attack time is about 38 milliseconds, and the release time may be about 49 milliseconds. The compressor 24c may permit signals to pass through unattenuated if they are below the compressor threshold. However, as set forth above, in some embodiments herein, the compressor 24c attenuates signals above the compressor threshold. The attenuation may be linear or non-linear, and the compressor 24c may attenuate the signal based on how far the signal rises above the compressor threshold. In one embodiment, the attenuation is about 20-30:1 when the signal exceeds the compressor threshold.
The automatic gain control 24a (or AGC 24a) receives the compressed signal 26c and produces a gain-adjusted signal 26a such that an amplitude of the gain-adjusted signal 26a is within an AGC amplitude range based on an AGC time period. As compared to the compressor 24c, the AGC 24a may have a relatively long response time. In one embodiment, the AGC time period may be on the order of about 5 to about 7 seconds. This means that the AGC 24a adjusts its gain based on the average amplitude of the compressed signal over the previous 5 to 7 seconds. The AGC 24a linearly amplifies or attenuates the compressed signal so that the average amplitude of its output (i.e., the gain-adjusted signal 26a) falls within an AGC amplitude range. The AGC 24a may help compensate for weakness or strength of the sound generated by the POC implement due to its location with respect to the transducer of the monitoring device. The further the POC implement is from the transducer, the higher the gain of the AGC 24a. Thus, the AGC 24a produces a gain-adjusted signal 26a which has a relatively constant amplitude, independent of the location of the POC implement and the amplitude of the background noise.
The averaging circuit 24v receives the gain-adjusted signal 26a from the AGC 24a and produces an average amplitude 26v of the sound based on an averaging time period, which may be about 200 milliseconds in one embodiment. Thus, the averaging circuit 24v responds more quickly than the AGC 24a which, in one embodiment, is about 10 times faster.
The detection circuit 24d receives the average amplitude 26v generated by the averaging circuit 24v and determines whether the POC implement is switched on by determining whether the average amplitude exceeds an amplitude threshold for at least a minimum threshold duration period. In one embodiment, the amplitude threshold is about −108 dB, and the minimum threshold duration period is about 876 milliseconds. That is, the average amplitude 26v must remain above about −108 dB for at least about 876 milliseconds in order for the processor to determine that the POC implement has been switched on. If the average amplitude 26v ever falls below this amplitude threshold, then the processor determines that the POC implement has been switched off. It is contemplated that other embodiments may use a different amplitude threshold and/or minimum threshold duration period.
The block diagram 24 of the monitoring device shown in
Although the block diagram 24 of
Other components may be added to the transducer 24t or the processor 24p in order to facilitate the operation of the monitoring device. For example, a band-pass filter may be added between the transducer 24t and the compressor 24c in order to remove background noise which is outside the frequency range of the sound produced by the POC implement. As another example, one or more gain multipliers may be added to the transducer 24t or the processor 24p in order to suitably scale the signal. This may include amplifying the signal (i.e., the gain multiplier is greater than 1) or attenuating the signal (i.e., the gain multiplier is less than 1). For instance, a gain multiplier may be added between the averaging circuit 24v and the detection circuit 24d. It is contemplated that other types of devices or circuits may be added to the monitoring device, as are known in the art.
The processor 28p may be a computer, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, or any other suitable processor which is capable of receiving the digital signal 30a from the analog-to-digital converter 28a and determining one or more characteristics of the POC implement based on the digital signal 30a. This determination may be embodied in a computer program which is read and executed by the processor 28p. The computer program may be stored in a memory 28x which is electrically coupled to the processor 28p. The computer program may comprise computer-readable and computer-executable instructions which embody one or more of the algorithms or methods shown and described herein to analyze the digital signal 30a and determine one or more characteristics of the POC implement based thereon.
The processor 28p is capable of performing a variety of algorithms in the time domain, frequency domain, or both. As discussed above, the algorithms (for example, the methods) may be embodied in computer instructions which are executed by the processor 28p. It is also contemplated that the processor 28p may perform one or more algorithms in order to determine one or more characteristics of the POC implement. The one or more algorithms may be executed by the processor in parallel or in series.
The processor 28p may be capable of storing the digital signal 30a (which represents the sound generated by the POC implement) in the memory 28x such that the processor 28p can keep a history of the digital signal 30a from the present time to some time in the past. The length of this history can vary and can, for example, be about 10 seconds. That is, the processor 28p may store the history of the digital signal 30a from the present time to a time about 10 seconds in the past. This may comprise a number of samples of the digital signal. As a new sample of the digital signal 30a is transmitted to the processor 28p, the oldest sample in the history may be overwritten so that the history always has the most recent samples of the digital signal 30a. The length of the history may be adjusted based on the types of algorithms performed or based on the amount of memory 28x available. The algorithms executed by the processor 28p may able to analyze the history and determine one or more characteristics of the POC implement based on this history (which, of course, represents a history of the sound generated by the POC implement as well as any background noise).
Because the processor 28p may keep a history of the digital signal 30a, the algorithms executed by the processor 28p may select a specific point in time in that history, called the “analysis time,” in order to analyze the digital signal 30a. For example, if the history has a length of 10 seconds, the algorithm could set the analysis time to the present time and analyze the previous 10 seconds of the digital signal 30a. Alternatively, the algorithm could set the analysis time to any time within the history. For example, the algorithm could set the analysis time to 5 seconds in the past, in which case the processor has 5 seconds of “historical data ” (i.e., from 10 seconds in the past to 5 seconds in the past) and 5 seconds of “future data ” (i.e., from 5 seconds in the past to the present) to analyze. If different algorithms are used by the processor 28p to analyze the history of the digital signal 30a, each algorithm may use a different analysis time. For example, a first algorithm may use the present time as the analysis time, and a second algorithm may use a time of 2 seconds in the past as the analysis time.
In addition to setting an analysis time, the algorithms executed by the processor 28p may be capable of defining one or more “time windows” which may comprise a continuous portion of the history of the digital signal 30a. For example, the algorithm may define a window as 1 second, that is, one continuous second of digital signal 30a data. If the history is 10 seconds in length, there are 10 one-second windows in the history. Depending upon the signal, reference points for analysis may be chosen such that some time windows may be analyzed in the relative past and some in the relative future. Depending on the analysis time, some windows may be in the past (i.e., historical data) and some may be in the future (i.e., future data). As described herein, the algorithms may analyze a series of time windows in order to ascertain one or more acoustic characteristics of the sound generated by the POC implement.
The monitoring device of
The sound generated by the POC implement may comprise a sum of discrete sine waves, each having a particular frequency, amplitude, and phase (for example, a Fourier series). Thus, the monitoring device may use a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and/or the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to analyze the acoustic signals by converting them into a series of frequencies. The DFT and FFT may be implemented in computer-readable and computer-executable instructions (for example, software) which are executed by the processor. After using the DFT and FFT to decompose the acoustic signal into a series of discrete frequency components, the relative amplitudes of the frequency components may be analyzed in order to determine the one or more characteristics of the POC implement. This may include the presence or absence of a particular frequency or frequency range. For example, if the POC implement, when operating, always generates sound at a particular frequency, then the presence of this particular frequency may be used to ascertain that the POC implement is operating (i.e., switched on). In addition to detecting the presence or absence of a particular frequency in the acoustic signals, the change in amplitude at a particular frequency may also contain information about one or more characteristics of the POC implement.
Also, specific forms of frequency processing may include signature detection or matching. This may include matching how the frequency strength has changed over time (i.e., by extracting amplitude information). Other types of acoustic characteristics which may be detected and analyzed include, for example: 1) the attack time of the on-transient (for example, measured in milliseconds); 2) the frequency spectrum of the on-transient (for example, measured in Hertz); 3) the frequency spectrum of the steady state actuator (for example, a motor) at a fixed speed without any variations in the speed; 4) individually resolvable frequencies detected in the steady-state at a fixed speed via pitch detection (for example, measured in Hertz); and 5) a quantifiable variation or lack of individually resolvable frequencies (for example, measured in Hertz). For examples 1 through 4 set forth above, a frequency signature could be matched in order to detect one or more characteristics of the POC implement. For example 5 set forth above, a change in the frequency and/or amplitude could be detected. The result of one or more of these algorithms may be combined (for example, summed) in order to detect one or more characteristics of the POC implement. These and other acoustic characteristics may be analyzed, as is known in the art.
Step 86 of the method comprises determining the time windows that will be subsequently analyzed. As discussed herein, the monitoring device may record and store the past history of the digital signal representing the sound generated by the POC implement (including background noise), and this history may be divided into a series of time windows that may be analyzed individually. For example, 10 seconds of past history may be stored, which may be divided into 10 one-second time windows, 20 half-second time windows, or any other suitable number of time windows.
Step 88 of the method comprises determining the amplitude of the sound for each frequency range for each time window. Thus, if there are N frequency ranges, there will be N amplitudes for each time window. This step may include performing a DFT or FFT for each time window. Finally, step 90 of the method comprises analyzing the N amplitudes for each time window and determines one or more characteristics of the POC implement based on the analysis. For example, in order to determine whether the POC implement has been switched on, the analysis may be based on whether the amplitude of the F1 frequency range increased from a lower threshold to an upper threshold for at least a minimum time period. Other analyses may be based on the change of amplitude of one or more frequency ranges. It is also contemplated that the analysis may be based on the absence of an amplitude (for example, an amplitude below a threshold) for one or more frequency ranges.
Referring again to
The calibration procedure may be relatively simple and may only have to be performed once (for example, when the POC implement 14 and monitoring device 18 are initially put into use). One example of a calibration procedure may be as follows. First, the monitoring device 18 is placed on a stable surface with the transducer (for example, microphone) pointed in the direction of the POC implement. Having the transducer as close as possible in elevation to the POC implement is preferred, but is not required since transducers typically have an omni-directional pick up pattern. Second, the POC implement is turned and held a constant distance away from the transducer for a short period of time (for example, about 10 seconds). Generally, there should be no other dominant or loud background noise at this time. And third, only the background noise (with no other loud sound) is sampled for a short period of time (for example, about 10 seconds) with the POC implement switched off. This step allows the monitoring device 18 to measure the effective combined noise of the monitoring device (for example, transducer, filter, analog-to-digital conversion, and so forth) plus the background noise of the room. These calibration steps allow the monitoring device 18 to adjust the parameters based on the acoustic characteristics of the room in which the monitoring device 18 will be used. These parameters may be stored in memory of the monitoring device 18 and may be subsequently used when the monitoring device 18 is used to determine one or more characteristics of the POC implement.
During the calibration procedure, the monitoring device 18 may adjust one or more parameters in order to improve the operation of the components (i.e., hardware or software) which are used to detect the acoustic characteristics of sound generated by the POC implement. For example, if the embodiment of the monitoring device 18 uses a compressor, the calibration procedure may adjust the compressor threshold, the compression ratio, the attack time, and/or the release time in order to improve the operation of the compressor. These parameters may be adjusted at the same time or in series. Likewise, if the monitoring device 18 uses an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit, the calibration procedure may adjust the rise time or the AGC amplitude range in order to improve the operation of the AGC circuit.
If the embodiment of the monitoring device 18 uses a frequency-domain algorithm, the calibration procedure may permit the monitoring device 18 to capture the frequency characteristics of the POC implement as well as the background noise. This may allow the monitoring device 18, when subsequently determining the characteristics of the POC implement, to analyze the frequencies of interest (i.e., the frequencies of sound generated by the POC implement) while ignoring other frequencies (i.e., the frequencies of the background noise).
Referring still to
When the monitoring device 18 has been informed that the user 12 is ready to brush his or her teeth, the user 12 may then pick up the POC implement 14 and begin brushing his or her teeth. The monitoring device 18 may then receive sound generated by the POC implement 14 and may determine one or more characteristics of the POC implement 14 using this sound generated by the POC implement 14. The sound generated by the POC implement 14 may include, as discussed herein, sound generated by its mechanical parts (e.g., actuator, brush head, etc.), sound generated by a dedicated acoustic device, or a combination thereof. Also as discussed herein, such characteristics may include how long the POC implement is used, how much pressure the user 12 applies to his or her teeth, and so forth.
After the user 12 finishes brushing his or her teeth and the monitoring device 18 has determined one or more characteristics of the POC implement 14 (for that particular brushing session), the monitoring device 18 may store these characteristics in a memory. The monitoring device 18 may store the characteristics over a long period of time (for example, one month, three months, a year, etc.) so that the monitoring device 18 maintains a history of user's brushing habits. This history may be used by the user 12 or the user's oral care professional (for example, dentist) to ascertain whether the user 12 is properly brushing his or her teeth. Based on the history, the user 12 may be able to improve his or her brushing habits in order to prevent cavities and other oral cavity (for example, mouth) or tissue (for example, gums and teeth) problems. The monitoring device 18 may also display the characteristics on the display 18d of the monitoring device 18 so that the user 12 may see them immediately. The monitoring device 18 may also be able to make recommendations to the user 12 concerning his or her brushing habits and/or the POC implement 14, itself. For example, the monitoring device 18 may recommend brushing more frequently or changing the brush head either based on acoustic characteristics of sound generated by the POC implement 14 or based on user input (for example, via the keys 18k) of when the brush head was last replace. As another example, the monitoring device 18 may be able to determine when the battery of the POC implement needs replacement.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
