Patent Application
20180134464
The present invention relates generally to containers for materials. More particularly, the present invention is directed to cans or containers for holding beverages, foods or other substances and materials. Specifically, the present invention is directed to a carrying assembly that includes a plurality of covers that may be used to reseal an opened can or container; where the cover includes a base that engages an upper rim on the can or container and a lid that is movable to a position vertically over the base; and where a first sealing member on the base is engaged with a complementary second sealing member on the lid and pressure is applied progressively around a perimeter of the lid to seal the lid to the base.
Food and beverages are frequently placed and sealed in metal cans to preserve them for long periods of time. One of the issues with this method of preservation is that cans typically are fabricated so that a section of the can is removed in order to gain access to the food or beverage placed therein. Once the section of the can is removed, the food or beverage must be consumed within a fairly short period of time or the contents of the can must be thrown away.
One of the issues with keeping an open food or beverage container around for even a few days is that the food or beverage therein is open to the air. In the case of a beverage this can lead to loss of carbonation in a very short time. In the case of a food substance (whether for human or animal consumption), the open can may lead to the food substance drying out very quickly. Additionally, there is also the possibility that the can may be knocked over and the contents be spilled therefrom. Furthermore, leaving the can open can also provide access for insects such as flies and bees. Contact with flies, for example, may lead to contamination of the food or beverage. Contact with bees in an open beverage can, for example, may result in a person being stung when they drink from the can.
One of the solutions commonly used is that a consumer will place a piece of plastic film or wrap over the top of the food or beverage can. While this solution may slow down the loss of carbonation from a beverage and prevent spillage therefrom to a limited extent, the seal around the plastic film may not be adequate to prevent spillage if the can is knocked over nor will it necessarily prevent ingress of insects. This is because plastic films have a tendency not to stick very well and therefore can easily slide off the top of the can or container.
A number of solutions to this problem have been proposed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. D353,328 (Nuffer) is directed to a pop or soda can cover that includes a lower portion which is presumably engageable around an upper end of the can and an upper portion that is connected to the lower portion by a living hinge. The upper portion is selectively movable into a position where it presumably slides around an exterior surface of the lower portion to close off access to the interior of the can. A flange is provided on the upper portion to enable the user to move the lid back to an open position. While the can cover can close off access to the beverage retained within the can, the can is by no means sealed. Tipping the can upside down will cause liquid to leak between the contact regions of the upper and lower portions and it is likely the upper portion will be moved back to an open position by the weight of liquid pushing thereon when the can is inverted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,097 (Meins) discloses a plastic cover for a beverage can that snap-fits over the upper rim of the can. The cover includes a collapsible straw that is positionable over an opening in the can. The straw may be moved to an extended position to allow a user to drink from the can; and the straw may be moved to a collapsed position when the straw is not required. The cover is rotated in order to move the straw out of alignment with the opening and thereby close off access to the contents of the can. It will be appreciated that while the rotated cover closes off access to the opening in the can, liquid can still escape from the can's opening and become trapped between the top of the can's metal lid and the plastic cover. This liquid may then cause issues when the straw is realigned with the can opening or the liquid may leak out from the perimeter of the lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,009 (Sawatani) is a plastic lid for a cup. This lid includes a central aperture that has flaps which extend across the aperture initially and are pushed out of the way when a straw is inserted through the aperture. The flaps aid in somewhat closing off parts of the aperture that are located around the exterior of the straw but they do not seal around the straw.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,084 (Chmela et al) discloses a cover that has an eating utensil engaged with the cover via a living hinge. The cover includes a rim that snap-fits onto a can and when the rim is so engaged, a top wall of the cover extends across an opening to the interior of the can. The cover is designed so that, initially, the eating utensil will be folded inwardly under the top wall of the cover so that the eating utensil is positioned between the top wall of the cover and the top wall of the can. The cover is removed from the can, the can is opened by removing its top wall; the eating utensil is detached from the cover and is used to eat some of the contents of the can. The cover may be placed back on the can to close off access to the interior of the can.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,086 (Viola) discloses a can cover that is specially designed to have the appearance of an animal. The cover is designed to close off access to the interior of cans of pet food. The cover includes flanges to pull the cover off the can to regain access to the interior. The bottom surface of the cover is profiled in a similar manner to the profile of an upper end of the can and has a plurality of different engaging rings to allow the cover to be used on a number of differently sized cans of pet food.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,644,832 (Tsengas et al) discloses a lid for a can of pet food that includes a flange that may be grasped to pull the lid off the can. The lid also includes a slot through which a handle of a spoon may be engaged so that the scoop region of the spoon is received within the interior of the can.
Bratsch (U.S. Pat. No. 8,720,740) discloses a two part sealing lid for a beverage container. The first part of the lid is seated within the opening to the can and seals the can. This first part is secured to the can by snap hooks that are integrally formed with the cover and are configured to engage a flanged edge of the can. An outlet is provided in the first part of the lid and through which the contents of the can may be accessed. The second part of the lid is a cover that is twisted relative to the first part to close off access to the outlet or permit access to the outlet. A seal is provided between the first and second parts of the lid.
Scarborough (U.S. Patent No. 2007/0257037) discloses a beverage can resealing machine that has a body which conforms to the top of a can. There are two openings in the top wall of the body and a U-shaped metal rod that includes a pivotable member. The pivotable member engages the ceiling of the can and is movable in a first direction to allow liquid to flow from the can and in a second direction to seal the can. One of the biggest issues with this device is that it is quite complex and likely expensive to fabricate.
There remains a need in the art for a simple but effective device for sealing opened beverage containers and cans for food, pet food or other substances or materials and for a carrying case for transporting a plurality of cans or containers at the same time.
A carrying assembly including a support member integrally molded with sealing covers that have a base connected via a bridge to a lid. The base is engaged with can top end and the lid is rotatable to seal the can. A four-pack of cans is secured together by a sealing member having an annular ring defining an aperture and four radial arms. Each base is engaged with two adjacent arms. A six-pack of can is secured together by a sealing member having a central strip with an annular ring at each end and a plurality of tabs extending between adjacent bases. Each annular ring defines an aperture therein. The annular rings are rotated relative to the strip to bring the apertures into alignment. A user will insert one or more fingers into the aperture in the four-pack or the aligned apertures in the six-pack to lift and carry the same.
In one aspect the present disclosure may provide a carrying assembly for transporting a plurality of cans or containers; said carrying assembly comprising a support member; at least one sealing cover engaged with the support member; wherein each of the at least one sealing cover comprises a base having an upper end and a lower end; wherein the lower end is complementary to a top end of one of the plurality of cans or containers; an opening defined by an inner surface of the base, wherein the opening extends between the upper end and the lower end; a lid that is complementary to the upper end of the base; and a bridge connecting the base and lid together.
The support member may include an annular ring adapted to be secured to one of the base or the lid of the at least one sealing cover; wherein the annular ring has an upper surface and a lower surface; and an aperture defined in the annular ring; said aperture extending between the upper surface and lower surface of the annular ring; wherein the aperture is sized to receive at least one finger of a user therein.
The support member may further comprise at least one arm extending radially outwardly from the annular ring; and wherein the one of the base or the lid of the at least one sealing cover is engaged with the at least one arm. A line of weakness may extend between the support member and each of the at least one sealing cover. The line of weakness may be located between the at least one arm and the one of the base or the lid. The support member may include four arms that extend radially outwardly from the annular ring; and wherein the at least one sealing cover comprises four sealing covers; and each of the four sealing covers is secured to two of the four arms. The four arms may be arranged in an X-shape and adjacent arms in the four arms may be oriented substantially at generally ninety degrees to each other. A space may be defined between adjacent arms extending radially from the annular ring and a portion of the one of the base or lid of each sealing cover is received in the space between two adjacent arms. The support member may be integrally molded with the at least one sealing cover or otherwise be secured thereto. The support member is fabricated from a sheet material such as a sheet of plastic.
In other embodiments, the support member may further comprise a strip having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a second annular ring and a second aperture defined in the second annular ring and extending between an upper surface and a lower surface of the second annular ring. The annular ring may extend outwardly from a first end of the strip in a first direction and the second annular ring extends outwardly from a second end of the strip in a second direction. In this instance, six sealing covers may be integrally molded with the support member to form the carrying assembly. The support member may further comprise a plurality of tabs; and each tab is secured between two of the six sealing covers. A line of weakness may be defined between each tab and the two of the six sealing covers engaged therewith. The six sealing covers may be arranged in two parallel rows of three sealing covers; wherein the strip is positioned between a central sealing cover of the three sealing covers in a first row of the two parallel rows; and a central sealing cover of the three sealing covers in a second row of the two parallel rows; and wherein the strip is integrally molded with the two central sealing covers. A line of weakness may also be defined between each of the central sealing covers and the strip. The annular ring and second annular ring are movable between a first position where the annular ring, the strip and second annular ring are aligned along a same plane; and a second position where the annular ring and the second annular ring are oriented at an angle relative to an upper surface of the strip. The aperture in the annular ring and the second aperture in the second annular ring are alignable when the annular ring and second annular ring are in the second position; and when aligned, the aperture and second aperture are adapted to receive at least one finger of a user therethrough.
In another aspect, the present disclosure may provide a method of carrying a plurality of cans or containers comprising providing a carrying assembly comprising a support member; a plurality of sealing covers engaged with the support member; each of the sealing covers including a base having an upper end and a lower end; wherein the lower end is complementary to a top end of one of the plurality of cans or containers; an opening defined by an inner surface of the base, wherein the opening extends between the upper end and the lower end; a lid that is complementary to the upper end of the base; and a bridge connecting the base and lid together; and wherein the support member includes an annular ring, an aperture defined in the annular ring and extending between the upper surface and lower surface of the annular ring; and a plurality of arms extending radially outwardly from the annular ring; wherein the base of each of the plurality of sealing covers is engaged with a pair of adjacent arms; engaging the plurality of cans or containers with the carrying assembly by engaging the bases of each sealing cover with a top region of one of the cans or containers and thereby forming a multi-pack; inserting a finger through the aperture in the support member; and lifting and carrying the multi-pack using the finger engaged with the support member.
In yet another aspect, the present disclosure may provide a method of carrying a plurality of cans or containers comprising providing a carrying assembly comprising a support member; a plurality of sealing covers engaged with the support member; each of the sealing covers including a base having an upper end and a lower end; wherein the lower end is complementary to a top end of one of the plurality of cans or containers; an opening defined by an inner surface of the base, wherein the opening extends between the upper end and the lower end; a lid that is complementary to the upper end of the base; and a bridge connecting the base and lid together; and wherein the support member includes a strip having an annular ring defining an aperture therein on a first end and a second annular ring defining a second aperture therein on a second end; and a plurality of tabs; engaging a plurality of cans or containers with the carrying assembly by securing one of the plurality of tabs between each adjacent pair of bases and thereby forming a multi-pack; rotating the annular ring and the second annular ring from a first position to a second position; aligning the aperture in the annular ring with the second aperture in the second annular ring; inserting one or more fingers through the aligned aperture and second aperture; and lifting and carrying the multi-pack using the one or more fingers engaged with the support member.
In yet another aspect, the present disclosure may provide a cover for sealing a container having an interior chamber that holds a quantity of material therein is also disclosed herein. A first channel provided on a base of the cover receives a rim on the container's side wall. A first sealing member is provided on the base. A second sealing member provided on the lid is complementary to the first sealing member and is engageable therewith when the lid is moved to a closed position. A flexible bridge extends between the base and the lid. One of the first or second sealing members is a protrusion and the other is a second channel. The protrusion may be received within the second channel when the lid is closed. Pressure may be progressively applied to the lid to zipper the cover into a sealed position. When the lid is in the sealed position material cannot be accidentally or purposefully removed from the interior chamber of the container
In one aspect, the invention may provide a cover for use in sealing a container that has a side wall with an upper rim; said cover comprising a base having an upper end and a lower end; an opening defined by an inner surface of the base, wherein the opening extends between the upper and lower ends; a first sealing member provided on the base; a lid having a top wall and a side wall circumscribing the top wall; wherein the lid is movable between an open position and a closed position; and when the lid is in the closed position, access to the opening in the base is prevented; and when the lid is in the open position, access to the opening in the base is permitted; and a second sealing member provided on the lid; wherein the first sealing member and the second sealing member are engageable with each other when the lid is moved to the closed position.
In another aspect, the invention may provide a method of resealing a container containing a substance, wherein the container has a side wall with an upper rim; said method comprising steps of engaging a base of a sealing cover on the upper rim of the side wall of the container; moving a lid engaged with the base into a position vertically above the base; aligning a channel defined in one of the lid and the base with a protrusion provided on the other of the lid and the base; pushing the lid downwardly toward the base to engage the protrusion in the channel; progressively applying pressure to a perimeter of an outer surface of the lid; and sealing the lid and base together.
The step of engaging the base on the upper rim of the side wall of the container comprises positioning a channel defined in a lower end of the base over the upper rim; applying pressure to the base; and receiving the upper rim in the channel. Alternatively, the step of engaging the base on the upper rim of the side wall of the container comprises: overmolding the upper rim of the side wall of the container with the base. The step of positioning the lid over the base further comprises heat-sealing the lid to the base.
The method may further comprise steps of moving the lid to an open position to gain access to an interior chamber of the container; and moving the lid to a closed position to prevent access to the interior chamber. The method may further comprise folding a flexible bridge extending between the lid and base when the lid is moved to the closed position; and unfolding the flexible bridge when the lid is moved to the open position.
The method may further comprise breaking the sealing cover out of a blister pack comprising a sheet of material having a plurality of individual sealing covers formed therein; and applying the base of the single sealing cover removed from the blister pack to the side wall of the container after purchase of the container.
The method may further comprise applying the base to the side wall of the container after fabrication of the container but prior to purchase of the container.
In another aspect, the invention may provide in combination a container having a bottom wall and a side wall; said bottom and side walls bounding and defining an interior chamber adapted to hold a quantity of material therein; and a sealing cover that is selectively engageable with an upper rim on the side wall of the container; wherein the sealing cover comprises; a base that is engaged with the upper rim of the container; wherein the base has an upper end and a lower end; an opening defined by an inner surface of the base; a first sealing member provided on the base; a lid shaped and sized to close off access to the opening when the lid is positioned vertically above the base; and a second sealing member provided on the lid; said second sealing member being complementary to the first sealing member and being engageable with the first sealing member; a flexible bridge extending between the base and the lid; wherein the lid is movable relative to the base between an open position and a closed position; and when the lid is in the closed position the first and second sealing members seal the container against material being accidentally or purposefully removed from the interior chamber. The first or second sealing members may be received within the other of the first or second sealing members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
A sample embodiment of the invention is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims.
Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to
Base 28 may be configured to be engaged with an upper rim of a beverage container 12 (
It should be noted that when cover 10 is in the closed position, lid 32 is located vertically above and aligned with base 28. The bridge 24 that extends between lid 32 and base 28 may be folded back upon itself as shown in
It will be understood that instead of a flexible or living hinge, bridge 24 may be replaced with any other type of hinge or connecting mechanism to secure lid 32 and base 28 together and prevent them from becoming detached from each other.
Sealing cover 10 may be fabricated from one or more plastic materials that are appropriate and approved for use in the food industry for coming into direct contact with solid or liquid foods and beverages. Suitable plastic materials for sealing cover 10 may include but not be limited to polypropylene, polyethylene, or polycarbonate.
Base 28 may comprise a wall shaped and sized to be complementary to the beverage container 12 with which sealing cover 10 is to be engaged. Since beverage container 12 is illustrated as being generally circular in shape when viewed from a top end (i.e., the end that includes the opening through which the contents of container 12 are accessed), the wall of base 28 may be generally circular in shape when viewed from above. This can be seen in
An inner surface of the wall of base 28 bounds and defines an opening 28a through which the aperture defined in a top end of container 12 may be accessed. Opening 28a may extend from proximate an upper end of the wall to proximate a lower end of the wall. A first sealing member may be provided on base 28. As shown in
A lower end of the wall of base 28 defines a first channel 34 that may extend along substantially the entire circumference of the wall. First channel 34 may be configured to be complementary to a rim 12a (
The inner surface of the wall of base 28 may also define an annular first groove 28b (
One or more first flanges 36 (
Lid 32 or at least a portion of lid 32 may be configured to be complementary in shape and size to base 28. So, as is illustrated in
Lid 32 comprises a top wall 26 and an annular wall 27 that circumscribes top wall 26. Annular wall 27 defines a second channel 30 in a location that is complementary to the location of protrusion 22 on base 28. As illustrated, second channel 30 may be provided on a lowermost surface of annular wall 27. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, second channel 30 may be defined to be complementary in shape, size and location to protrusion 22 provided on base 28. When lid 32 is positioned vertically above and aligned with base 28 by moving lid 32 to the closed position (
A second flange 38 may extend radially outwardly from an exterior surface of annular wall 27. Second flange 38 may be located in such a way on annular wall 27 that when lid 32 is moved to a closed position, second flange 38 is located laterally adjacent at least one of the first flanges 36. Preferably, second flange 38 may be seated in the recessed region 37 defined between the two first flanges 36.
A first end of flexible bridge 24 may integrally formed with an exterior surface of base 28 and a second end of flexible bridge 24 may be integrally formed with an exterior surface of lid 32. As shown in
Sealing cover 10 may be formed as an individual component (
Once lid 32 is moved to the closed position, a user may initially align first second channel 30 with protrusion 22 and press downwardly in the direction of arrow “A” (
During the sealing engagement of lid 32 and base 28, annular shoulder 27a on lid 32 enters into annular first groove 28b on base 28, thereby ensuring a close seal between lid 32 and base 28. This is shown in
If a user later decides he or he wishes to gain access to the contents 13 in the interior chamber 12b (
A method of resealing a container 12 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, where the container 12 contains a substance, such as a beverage, food or another material in the interior chamber 12b thereof, and wherein the container has a side wall with an upper rim 12a, may comprise steps of engaging a base 28 of a cover 10 on the upper rim 12a of the side wall of the container 12; moving a lid 32 engaged with base 28 into a position vertically above base 28 (such as is shown in
If the user does not wish to reseal can, lid 46 may be disengaged from base 48 by applying a pulling force thereto to break the seal at tab 58.
The can 40 will be purchased by the consumer looking the same way as is illustrated in
In use, lid 86 will be moved to the open position in order to gain access to the paint within paint can 82. When the consumer wishes to close and seal paint can 82 to prevent the paint from drying out or from becoming contaminated, lid 86 is moved to the closed position by pushing downwardly thereon until a protrusion on the base 84 is received in a channel on the lid 86. This latches lid 86 to base 84. The consumer will then push downwardly and move their finger along the top surface of the lid 86 and around the perimeter thereof to progressively zipper lid 86 closed to base 84. A flange 89 on lid 86 may be engaged and pushed upwardly to reopen lid 86 at a later time.
Referring to
In accordance with an aspect the present disclosure, a support member 202 is integrally molded with four sealing covers 210 to form the carrying assembly 200. Support member 202 may therefore be comprised of the same material as sealing covers 210. Support member 202 may be a flat or planar member that is in the form of an “X”. In particular, support member 202 may comprise an annular ring 203 that defines a central aperture 204. Aperture 204 extends between an upper surface and a lower surface of the annular ring 203. Aperture 204 is of a size and shape suitable to receive one or more fingers of a user's hand therethrough.
Annular ring 203 is illustrated as being circular in shape when viewed from above and the aperture 204 defined therein is also illustrated as being circular in shape when viewed from above. It should be noted however, that one or both of ring 203 and aperture 204 may be differently configured from what is shown in
A plurality of arms 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d extends radially outwardly from a perimeter of annular ring 203 of support member 202. Adjacent arms 202a, 202c for example, are oriented at about ninety degrees relative to each other. Additionally, opposed arms, such as arms 202a and 202b are oriented at about one-hundred-and—eighty degrees relative to each other. Each arm 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d may be slightly narrower proximate ring 203 and wider proximate a terminal end thereof, where the terminal end is located a distance remote from ring 203. Alternatively, each arm 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d may be of a substantially constant width from a first side to a second side thereof (where the sides extend between the upper and lower surfaces of support member 202. The bases 228 of the four sealing covers 210 may be integrally molded with the support member 202 in such a way that a region of each base 228 is located in a space 205 defined between two adjacent arms. For example, the base 228′ of a first sealing cover is secured in the space 205 defined between arm 202a and arm 202c of support member 202. A portion of each arm 202a, 202c is connected to the exterior circumferential surface of base 228′. A line of weakness 206 is formed between each arm 202a, 202c and the exterior circumferential surface of base 228′. The lines of weakness are formed by creating a series of spaced apart perforations in the material used to fabricate carrying assembly 200. (Any other type of line of weakness may be incorporated into support member 202 such as, for example, a groove of thinner wall thickness may be utilized instead of a plurality of perforations.) Each base 228 of the four sealing covers 210 is secured to support member in a similar fashion to base 228′.
It will be understood that instead of forming carrying assembly 200 such that bases 228 are engaged with support member 202, carrying assembly 200 may be fabricated by integrally molding lids 232 with the arms 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d of support member 202 and having bridges 224 and bases 228 radiating outwardly from those lids 232.
Support member 302 comprises a base member 303 that includes a planar strip 303a with a first annular ring 303b at a first end of strip 303a and a second annular ring 303c at a second end of strip 303a. The base member 303 substantially resembles a dumbbell when viewed from above or below. Each of the annular rings 303b, 303c defines an aperture 304 therein. Each aperture 304 extends from an upper surface of base member 303 to a lower surface thereof and is of a size and shape suitable to receive one or more fingers of a user's hand therethrough.
Support member 302 further comprises six tabs 302a, 302b, 302c, 302d, 302e, and 302f. Each tab 302a-302f is integrally molded with the exterior circumferential surface of the bases 328 of two adjacent sealing covers 310. A line of weakness 306 is formed between each tab 302a-302f and the associated bases 328. Each base 328 therefore has two tabs 302a-302f engaged therewith. The bases 328 of the two bases 328′ and 328″ adjacent strip 303a are also integrally molded with strip 303a and are separated therefrom by lines of weakness 306. The two bases 328′ and 328″ are therefore secured to support member 302 by three attachment points, namely strip 303a and two associated tabs 302b, 302c and 302e, 302f, respectively.
As shown in
The annular ring 303b and second annular ring 303c may be movable between a first position (such as in
When it is desired to carry the six-pack of cans 12, the user will rotate the two annular rings 303b, 303c from the first position to the second position where they are located substantially above strip 303a and the apertures 304 in rings 303b and 303c are substantially aligned with each other. The user then inserts one or more fingers through the aligned apertures 304 and may thereby lift and carry the six-pack via the carrying assembly.
When it is desired to access the contents of the can, the desired can 12 is twisted so that the lines of weakness 306 between the can 12 and the associated tabs 302a-302f of support member 302 break and the can 12 will break free of support member 302. Sealing cover 310 is used in the same manner as sealing cover 210 to preserve and seal the contents of can 12 within can 12 as desired.
It will be understood that the sealing cover disclosed herein is contemplated to be fabricated in any size or shape and to be used on cans or containers that contain any type of product, but particularly food and beverages.
It will be understood that while this invention has been described mainly for use in conjunction with a metal can or container, the sealing covers disclosed herein may be engaged with the rims of glass or plastic jars or bottles or any other types of containers no matter the type of material from which those containers are fabricated.
An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.
If this specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
Moreover, the description and illustration of the preferred embodiment of the disclosure are an example and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/453,671 filed Mar. 8, 2017, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/421,161 filed on Nov. 11, 2016, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62421161 | Nov 2016 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15453671 | Mar 2017 | US |
| Child | 15800244 | US |
