Patent Grant
11692506
The present invention relates generally to the field of cooling systems for air-cooled internal combustion engines.
Many air-cooled engines include a blower housing and a rotating screen. The rotating screen is positioned over a flywheel and a fan coupled to the crankshaft of engine. As the engine operates, the flywheel, the fan, and the rotating screen rotate with the crankshaft. Under this configuration, cooling air is drawn into the blower housing to cool the engine, while the rotating screen acts to prevent debris from entering blower housing and/or to break or cut any debris entering the blower housing into relatively small pieces. Because of the rotation of rotating screen, debris is not able to quickly build up on the rotating screen and restrict airflow across the engine. However, there may be instances where access to moving parts of the engine, including a rotating screen, must be restricted. Also, the rotating screen may restrict air flow into the blower housing.
Additionally, in many air-cooled engines, the flywheel, the fan, and the rotating screen are coupled to the crankshaft of engine to rotate when the engine is operational. However, due to this coupling, the fan, and the rotating screen are only able to rotate in one direction and are only operational when engine is running. Additionally, because the fan is coupled to the crankshaft, the location and orientation of the fan is limited by the location of the crankshaft.
In engine configurations that do not require the ignition trigger coils to be located adjacent the flywheel (e.g., electronic fuel injection systems), the exact placement of the ignition trigger coils may be varied without adversely affecting the operation of the engine. Some engine manufacturers mount the ignition trigger coils externally on a side of the engine/blower housing. However, this placement opens the ignition trigger coils up to debris and incidental contact.
It would be advantageous to provide a cooling system for an air-cooled internal combustion engine that effectively restricts access to moving parts while still allowing for sufficient airflow and debris management.
One embodiment of the invention relates to an air-cooled internal combustion engine. The air-cooled internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft rotating about a crankshaft axis, a first cylinder having a first cylinder head, a second cylinder having a second cylinder head, and a blower assembly. The blower assembly includes a blower housing, a first fan, and a second fan. The first fan is positioned proximate first cylinder and the second fan is positioned proximate the second cylinder. The first fan and the second fan are each received within the blower housing.
In some embodiments, the first cylinder and the second cylinder arranged in a V-twin configuration. In some embodiments, the first fan is positioned above the first cylinder and the second fan is positioned above the second cylinder.
In some embodiments, the first fan includes a first fan axis of rotation at an angle relative to the crankshaft axis and the second fan includes a second fan axis of rotation at an angle relative to the crankshaft axis.
In some embodiments, the first fan comprises a first electric motor and the second fan includes a second electric motor. In some embodiments, the first electric motor is controlled by a first controller and the second electric motor is controlled by a second controller.
In some embodiments, the first fan comprises a first electric motor and the second fan comprises a second electric motor. In some embodiments, the first electric motor and the second electric motor are controlled by a single controller.
In some embodiments, the first fan and the second fan are structured to move air into the blower housing when rotating in a first direction in a cooling mode and to move air out of the blower housing when rotating in an opposite second direction in a debris-removal mode.
In some embodiments, the small air-cooled internal combustion engine includes a static cover including a main body, a first arm extending from the main body and aligned with the first cylinder, a second arm extending from the main body and aligned with the second cylinder, and a plurality of air intake openings. In some embodiments, a first subset of the plurality of air intake openings is formed through the main body, a second subset of the plurality of air intake openings is formed through the first arm, and a third subset of the plurality of air intake openings is formed through the second arm.
In some embodiments, the second subset of the plurality of air intake openings is located above the first cylinder, and the third subset of the plurality of air intake openings is located above the second cylinder.
In some embodiments, the main body includes a top surface and a side surface extending from the top surface. In some embodiments, the first subset of the plurality of air intake openings is formed through the top surface and the side surface.
In some embodiments, the first arm includes a first arm top surface and the second subset of the plurality of air intake openings is formed through the first arm top surface. In some embodiments, the second arm includes a second arm top surface and the third subset of the plurality of air intake openings is formed through the second arm top surface.
In some embodiments, the static cover is formed as a unitary component.
In some embodiments, the small air-cooled engine includes a rotating screen coupled to and driven by the crankshaft.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to an air-cooled internal combustion engine. The air-cooled internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft rotating about a crankshaft axis, a cylinder, and a blower assembly including a fan and a blower housing having one or more openings. The fan is configured to move air into the blower housing through the one or more openings when rotating in a first direction in a cooling mode and to move air out of the blower housing through the one or more openings when rotating in an opposite second direction in a debris-removal mode.
In some embodiments, the fan rotates about a fan axis of rotation at an angle relative to the crankshaft axis.
In some embodiments, the fan rotates about a first fan axis independent of the crankshaft axis, and wherein the fan includes fan blades driven by an electric motor.
In some embodiments, the small air-cooled engine includes a user input device, wherein the user input device is configured to allow a user to control the fan between the cooling mode and the debris-removal mode.
In some embodiments, the fan includes fan blades driven by an electric motor, wherein the electric motor is controlled by a controller, wherein the controller is configured to operate the fan in the debris-removal mode for a first time and operate the fan in the cooling mode for a second time different than the first time.
In some embodiments, the controller is configured to operate the fan in the debris-removal mode for the first time and operate the fan in the cooling mode for the second time based on an input from at least one of a sensor, a timer, or a user input device.
In some embodiments, the cylinder includes a first cylinder having a first cylinder head and the engine further comprises a second cylinder having a second cylinder head.
Alternative exemplary embodiments relate to other features and combinations of features as may be generally recited in the claims.
The invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention relates to a cooling system for an air-cooled internal combustion engine. Embodiments of a cooling system in accordance with the present application include a static screen used to shield moving parts of the engine while minimizing airflow restriction and/or one or more electric cooling fans which may be operated in two directions—forward to draw cooling air into and around the engine, and reverse to blow debris away from the air intake vents.
Before turning to the figures, which illustrate the exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the application is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.
Referring to
The engine 10 further includes a blower assembly 19 configured to direct air to the engine block 12 to cool the engine 10 by removing waste heat from the engine block 12. As shown in
The blower assembly 19 may be an active system with components that draw air in through a static cover 30 and the blower housing 20 to cool the engine. According to one exemplary embodiment illustrated in
The rotating screen 29 includes a central hub and blades extending outward from the hub to an outer band. The hub, the blades, and the outer band may all be interconnected and integrally formed as a single unitary piece by a suitable process, such as injection molding or casting. In an exemplary embodiment, the rotating screen 29 included between 4 and 16 blades. According to the embodiment illustrated in
The blades each include a root adjacent the hub and a tip spaced outwardly from the root. In one embodiment, the blades may extend outward in a radial direction (i.e. without skew). In another embodiment, the blades may include a forward or backward skew or the blades may intersect the hub in a substantially tangential manner. The radial distance between the rotational axis of the rotating screen and the tips of the respective blades is defined as the maximum blade radius of the rotating screen, while the radial distance between the root and the tip of each blade is defined as the blade span. Several characteristics of the blade may vary over the span. The blades further include a leading edge between the root and the tip and a trailing edge between the root and the tip relative to the direction of rotation of the rotating screen (e.g., a clockwise rotational direction).
The blade-style rotating screen 29 is further described in commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/592,803 filed on Aug. 23, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The engine 10 still further includes the static cover 30 (e.g., stationary screen, grill, non-rotating screen, etc.) that is coupled to the blower housing 20. The static cover 30 includes multiple intake openings 32 that allow air to pass through the static cover 30 but restrict the intake of debris (e.g., leaves, grass clippings, sticks, etc.). A rotating screen may be coupled to the crankshaft and provided below the static cover 30. The static cover 30 prevents access to moving components of the engine 10 (e.g., the crankshaft 14, the flywheel 18, the rotating screen, fans, etc.).
According to an exemplary embodiment, and shown in more detail in
The air intake openings 32 of the static cover 30 are not only positioned above the fan/flywheel region of the engine 10, but also over the respective cylinders of the engine 10. The intake openings 32 may be formed on any surface of the static cover, including the top 35, the sidewalls 36, or the arms 38. This additional coverage over the respective cylinders of the engine 10 allows for the static cover 30 to includes a greater number of air intake openings 32, which allows for more potential air flow into the blower housing 20. While air intake openings 32 are shown as slots being formed in a grill-like manner, the static cover 30 is not limited to such a formation. According to other exemplary embodiments, the air intake openings 32 may be slots arranged in other patterns or may be another shape that allow for a sufficient airflow into the blower housing 20 while preventing access to the moving parts and limiting the intake of debris (e.g., perforations, holes, openings, apertures, mesh, a screen, etc.).
In the embodiment illustrated in
Mesh-style rotating screens having relatively small openings in the screen (e.g., multiple openings each about 0.14 to about 0.23 inches in diameter providing total open areas of about 25 to 32 square inches) substantially restrict air flow through the blower assembly. When such a mesh-style rotating screen is used in combination with a guard or cover formed as a wire cage with large openings (i.e., larger than the air intake openings 32), the mesh-style rotating screen is the restriction point for the blower assembly. These large openings may not completely prevent user access to the moving parts of the engine.
The static cover 30 provides significantly more open area than the mesh-style rotating screens described above while preventing user access to the moving parts of the engine. In one embodiment, the static cover 30 provides 42.58 square inches of open area. This increase in open area is achieved by providing air intake openings 32 in the sidewalls 36 and the arms 38 of the static cover. For example, the static cover 30 provides about 56% more open area than a similar static cover in which air intake openings are only formed in the top of the central portion. This similar static cover may be known as “top hat” cover. Providing air intake openings 32 in the arms 38 also helps to minimize the overall height of the static cover 30 by providing air intake openings 32 in locations other than the central portion 34. A similar static cover with air intake openings only in the central portion would likely need to have a relatively large overall height in order to provide the necessary airflow through the blower assembly.
The combination of the blade-style rotating screen 29 and the static cover 30 reduces the restriction of air flow through the blower assembly 19 as compared to previous cooling systems for air-cooled engines. The restriction point for this combination is the static cover 30, which has greater open area than mesh-style rotating screens (the restriction point in other blower assembly), thereby restricting air flow through the blower assembly 19 less than a mesh-style rotating screen. The blade-style rotating screen 29 has little to no impact on the overall restriction of air-flow through the blower assembly 19 when used in combination with the static cover 30.
Referring now to
The fan 50 may be operated in a cooling mode or in a debris-removal mode. In an exemplary embodiment, the engine 10 may include a user input device 40 configured to allow a user to manually switch the fan 50 between the cooling mode or the debris-removal mode. While the user input device 40 is shown in
In the cooling mode, the motor 52 is configured rotate the fan blades 54 in a first direction (e.g., clockwise) to move air into the blower assembly 19 through an airspace defined between the engine block 12 and the blower housing 20. Referring to
Operation of the fan 50 in the cooling mode may cause debris to collect over the air intake openings 32 on the top 35, the sidewalls 36, and/or the arms 38 of the static cover 30. If the engine 10 is run for an extended period of time with the fan 50 in the cooling mode, the blockage of the air intake openings 32 can reduce the potential airflow into the blower housing 20 and reduce the cooling capabilities of the fan 50. If the engine 10 is positioned on a vehicle out of sight of the operator (e.g., on a typical zero-turn mower with the engine mounted behind the operator), debris may collect on a static screen without the knowledge of the operator. Referring to
The rotational speed of the fan 50 may be altered depending upon the temperature of the engine. For example, a sensed temperature rise in the engine block 12 may cause the fan 50 to rotate at a faster speed to increase the airflow. Additionally, the direction of rotation of the fan 50 may be reversed based on the needs of the system. Such sensing being achieved by various techniques described below (temperature, airflow, time, etc.). For example, if it is sensed that the static cover 30 is plugged with debris obstructing the air intake openings 32, the fan 50 may be reversed from the engine-cooling mode to the debris-removal mode to direct air up, away from the engine block 12 and towards the static cover 30 to clear the collected debris. The timing of conversion of the fan 50 from the cooling mode to the debris-removal mode may be based on a variety of input, such as engine temperature, time, air flow volume, air flow rate, and/or when the engine is turned off.
Alternatively, the engine 10 may include both a blower fan coupled to the flywheel 18 (e.g., centrifugal fan 26) and a second fan not coupled to the flywheel 18 or crankshaft 14 (e.g., fan 50). This allows the blower fan to provide a minimum amount of airflow through the blower assembly 19 when the engine 10 is running and for the second fan to supplement this airflow as needed by operating in the cooling mode or to clear debris from the static screen 30 by operating in the debris-removal mode.
Referring now to
In some embodiments, the control circuitry 62 includes a processor 70 and a memory device 72. The processor 70 can be implemented as a general purpose processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a group of processing components, or other suitable electronic processing components. The memory device 72 (e.g., memory, memory unit, storage device, etc.) is one or more devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash memory, hard disk storage, etc.) for storing data and/or computer code for completing or facilitating the various processes, layers and modules described in the present application. The memory device 72 may be or include volatile memory or non-volatile memory. The memory device 72 may include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities and information structures described in the present application. According to an exemplary embodiment, the memory device 72 is communicably connected to the processor via the processing circuit and includes computer code for executing (e.g., by processing circuit and/or processor) one or more processes described herein. In another exemplary embodiment, the control circuitry 62 is implemented as non-programmable circuitry, one or more circuit boards, or one or more linear circuits. “Non-programmable circuitry” consists of analog or digital hard circuitry that does not utilize a microcontroller or software. It is believed that embodiments in which the control circuitry is implemented as non-programmable circuitry including discrete components may be less expensive than embodiments implemented with microcontrollers or using software. Such non-programmable circuitry embodiments do not include a microcontroller. Non-programmable circuitry may include multiple discrete components that implement the various operations described herein.
The power supply 64 provides an on-board power source for the fan 50. According to an exemplary embodiment, the fan 50 is an electric fan and the power supply 64 is a device capable of providing an electric voltage to the fan 50, such as a battery (e.g., a lead-acid battery, nickel-cadmium battery, lithium polymer battery, lithium-ion battery, etc.) or an ultracapacitor. The fan 50 may be electrically coupled to the power system of a vehicle in which the engine 10 is installed and the power supply 64 may be device such as an onboard battery or an alternator coupled to the crankshaft that is configured to power other electrical systems (e.g., the engine starter motor, lights, gauges, etc.). In another embodiment, the power supply 64 may be a dedicated device providing power only to the fan 50 and the control system 60. According to another exemplary embodiment, the fan 50 may not be an electric fan and the power supply may store or provide power in another form, such as mechanically or via a hydraulic system.
The sensor 66 monitors the engine 10 such that the fan 50 may be utilized to maintain the engine 10 at a desired operating temperature. In one exemplary embodiment, the sensor 66 may be configured to sense the temperature of a portion of the engine 10 and may be a temperature sensor, such as a conventional oil temperature sensor, cylinder head temperature sensor, bi-metallic temperature sensor used for choking/governing, or dedicated temperature sensor(s) used solely for fan operation. In another exemplary embodiment, the sensor 66 may be configured to sense the airflow through the static screen and/or downstream of the fan 50 and may be an air flow sensor such as a vane meter sensor, hot wire sensor, membrane sensor, or may be a pressure sensor (e.g., a differential pressure sensor that measures the difference in pressure across the static cover 30). The control system 60 may include multiple sensors 66 positioned in various portions of the engine 10. The control circuitry 62 may further be configured to monitor other engine systems, such as the state of a starter system 68 for the engine 10.
According to one exemplary embodiment, the fan 50 is configured to operate in different modes based on a specified timing. For example, the control circuitry 62 may operate the fan 50 in the debris-removal mode for a first time and operate the fan 50 in the cooling mode for a second time. In some embodiments, the first time and the second time are not equal. The first time and the second time may be controlled by inputs from one or more timers (e.g., a cooling mode timer 74, a debris-removal timer 76), by one or more sensors (e.g. sensor 66), or by the user (e.g., via the user input device 40). For example, the fan 50 may be configured to operate in the debris-removal mode for a period of time when the engine 10 is initially turned on and then periodically for as long as the engine 10 is running (e.g., for 10 seconds every 3 minutes). The control circuitry 62 may include the cooling mode timer 74, the debris-removal mode timer 76, and a delay timer 78. When the engine 10 is started, the control circuitry 62 starts the fan 50 in the debris-removal mode and begins the debris-removal mode timer 76. Once the debris-removal mode timer 76 expires, the control circuitry 62 switches the fan 50 to operate in the cooling mode and starts the cooling mode timer 74. Once the cooling mode timer 74 expires, the control circuitry 62 switches the fan 50 to operate in the debris-removal mode again and starts the debris-removal mode timer 76, beginning the cycle again. When the engine 10 is stopped, the control circuitry 62 may immediately stop the fan 50 or may continue to operate the fan 50 in either the cooling mode or the debris-removal mode for a time period after the engine 10 is stopped.
In another embodiment, the control circuitry 62 normally operates the fan 50 in the cooling mode until a sensor input indicates an elevated temperature above a predetermined threshold, at which time the control circuitry 62 directs the fan 50 to operate in the debris-removal mode. For example, the fan 50 may run in the cooling mode until an elevated temperature in the engine block 12 is detected by the sensor 66 (e.g., due to an obstructed airflow and an insufficient flow of cooling air). The control circuitry 62 then switches the fan 50 to operate in the debris-removal mode. The control circuitry 62 may switch the fan 50 back to the cooling mode after a specified time (e.g., using the debris-removal mode timer 76 as described above). Alternatively, the control circuitry 62 may switch the fan 50 back to the cooling mode when the temperature drops below the previously mentioned threshold or when the temperature drops below a second, predetermined threshold lower than the first predetermined threshold.
In another embodiment, the control circuitry 62 normally operates the fan 50 in the cooling mode until a sensor input indicates an airflow below a predetermined threshold, at which time the control circuitry 62 directs the fan 50 to operate in the debris-removal mode. For example, the fan 50 may run in the cooling mode until a reduced airflow is detected by the sensor 66. The control circuitry 62 then switches the fan 50 to operate in the debris-removal mode. The control circuitry 62 may switch the fan 50 back to the cooling mode after a specified time (e.g., using the debris-removal mode timer 76 as described above) or once the sensor 66 detects that the airflow has exceeded a predetermined threshold indicating that the air intake openings 32 in the static cover 30 are unobstructed. Alternatively, the control circuitry 62 may switch the fan 50 back to the cooling mode when the airflow exceeds a second, predetermined threshold higher than the first predetermined threshold.
In the cooling mode, the control circuitry 62 may alter the behavior of the fan 50 to achieve a desired cooling of the engine block 12. In one embodiment, the fan 50 is a variable speed fan. The control circuitry 62 may adjust the speed of the fan 50 based on input from the sensor 66. For example, if the sensor 66 detects an increased temperature in the engine block 12, the control circuitry 62 may increase the speed of the fan to provide additional cooling air. The control circuitry 62 may switch the fan 50 to the debris-removal mode periodically (e.g., every three minutes) or based on input from the sensor 66 to clear any accumulated debris from the static cover 30. For example, the control circuitry 62 may compare a first sensed engine temperature taken at a lower fan speed to a second sensed engine temperature taken at a higher fan speed a specified time period after the first sensed temperature. If the second temperature is not lower that the first temperature, it may be determined that the static screen 30 is obstructed. The control circuitry 62 may then switch the fan 50 to operate in the debris-removal mode.
In another embodiment, the fan 50 may only be operated periodically. When the engine 10 is started, the control circuitry 62 starts the fan 50 in the cooling mode and starts the cooling mode timer 74. Once the cooling mode timer 74 expires, the control circuitry 62 turns the fan 50 off and starts the delay timer 78. Once the delay timer 78 expires, the control circuitry 62 turns the fan 50 on again in the cooling mode and starts the cooling mode timer 74, beginning the cycle again. The durations of the cooling mode timer 74 and the delay timer 78 may be static values, may be user configurable, or may be adjusted automatically based on input from the sensor 66. The on/off cycle may be interrupted periodically by the control circuitry 62 to switch the fan 50 to the debris-removal mode. The control circuitry 62 may switch the fan 50 to the debris-removal mode periodically (e.g., every three minutes) or based on input from the sensor 66 to clear any accumulated debris from the static cover 30. Alternatively, the control circuitry 62 may start the fan 50 in the debris-removal mode before intermittently operating the fan 50 in the cooling mode.
Referring to
The fans 90 may both be controlled by a single control system, similar to the control system 60 described above. The single controller may control the multiple fans 90 independently or in parallel. In another embodiment, each of the fans 90 may be controlled by a separate, independent control system. The control system(s) may alter the direction of rotation of the fans 90 between a cooling mode and a debris-removal mode to provide sufficient cooling to the engine block 82 and to remove any accumulated debris from a static cover covering the fans 90.
According to still other exemplary embodiments, the engine 10 may be equipped with three or more fans. For example, the engine 10 may include three or more fans positioned above three or more cylinder heads to maximize the cooling air provided to the individual cylinders.
In configurations that do not require ignition trigger coils 96 to be located adjacent the flywheel 88 (e.g., electronic fuel injection systems), the exact placement of the ignition trigger coils 96 may be varied without adversely affecting the operation of the engine 80. Referring still to
Referring to
With the fan being operated in the first operating mode, the control system monitors the state of the engine (step 108). If the engine is running, the control system monitors various input conditions related to the fan (step 110). The input condition is utilized to determine if the fan should operate in the first operating mode or the second operating mode. In some embodiments, the input condition is provided by a first operating mode timer (e.g., cooling mode timer 74). In some embodiments, the input conditions may be provided by one or more sensors (e.g., temperature sensors, airflow sensors, etc.) or a manual user input or activation. The fan remains in the first operating mode unless the input condition changes. A changing input condition may be, for example, the expiration of the first operating mode timer, a change in temperature beyond a predetermined threshold, a reduction in airflow below a predetermined threshold, a manual user input for changing modes, etc. If the input condition changes, the fan switches from the first operating mode to the second operating mode.
The control system continues to monitor the state of the engine (step 112) with the fan in the second operating mode. The control system also continues to monitor the input conditions related to the fan (step 114). In some embodiments, the input condition is provided by a second operating mode timer (e.g., debris-removal mode timer 76). In some embodiments, the input conditions may be provided by one or more sensors (e.g., temperature sensors, airflow sensors, etc.) or a manual user input or activation. The fan remains in the second operating mode unless the input condition changes. A changing input condition may be, for example, the expiration of the second operating mode timer, a change in temperature beyond a predetermined threshold, an increase in airflow above a predetermined threshold, a manual user input for changing modes, etc. If the input condition changes, the fan switches from the second operating mode to the first operating mode.
The control system continues to monitor the input condition to switch the fan between the first operating mode and the second operating mode until the engine is turned off. If the engine is turned off, the fan may operate in a shutdown mode (step 116) before turning off (step 118). In the shutdown mode, the fan may continue to operate for a predetermined amount of time in one of the operating modes, for a predetermined amount of time in one of the two operating modes and then for a predetermined amount of time in the other of the two operating modes, or in one of the two operating modes until receiving an input from a sensor (e.g., sensor 66), for example, that the engine temperature is below a threshold temperature indicating that the engine is cooled down or that air flow is above a threshold air flow indicating that debris has been removed from a static cover (e.g., static cover 30). The amount of time in which the fan operates in the shutdown mode may be determined by a first shutdown timer, by a second shutdown timer, by the first operating mode timer or the second operating mode timer. The second shutdown timer may be set for a different amount of time than the first shutdown timer. In other embodiments, the fan may not operate in either the first or the second operating modes in shutdown mode and may stop immediately when the engine is turned off.
The construction and arrangement of the apparatus, systems and methods as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.). For example, some elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed from multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure contemplates methods, systems and program products on any machine-readable media for accomplishing various operations. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using existing computer processors, or by a special purpose computer processor for an appropriate system, incorporated for this or another purpose, or by a hardwired system. Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure include program products comprising machine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a machine, the machine properly views the connection as a machine-readable medium. Thus, any such connection is properly termed a machine-readable medium. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions.
Although the figures may show or the description may provide a specific order of method steps, the order of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Such variation will depend on various factors, including software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software implementations could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/562,580 filed on Sep. 6, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/352,443 filed on Nov. 15, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/035,469 filed on Sep. 24, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/777,947, filed Mar. 12, 2013, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 16562580 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Child | 17748689 | US | |
| Parent | 15352443 | Nov 2016 | US |
| Child | 16562580 | US | |
| Parent | 14035469 | Sep 2013 | US |
| Child | 15352443 | US |
