Patent Grant
10709953
The present disclosure relates generally to sports machinery and, more particularly (although not necessarily exclusively), to sports projectile launching machines or robotic ball throwing machines.
Training in most team sports often requires a minimum of two people, for example, a passer (e.g., a thrower or kicker) and a receiver. This often leads to many players not being able to practice to the extent they would like and therefore not achieving the level of proficiency they desire, furthermore, the passer typically has to pass a high number of times to the receiver, which can be physically taxing and not frequently done to maintain the athlete's performance during games.
In many sports, including football, some inventions began to appear in the 1980's to help alleviate these issues. In particular, some machines were created to consistently throw balls to a set location. Another player would still have to feed balls into the machine, and set up the machine to fire to a certain location, with a certain speed and angle, but it was physically far less taxing to the player than to constantly throw the ball. This quickly became popular in training facilities.
Known devices for simulating throwing a football to an athlete are generally characterized by having to manually adjust the rotation of the throwing machine, adjust the angle at which the ball will be released, and adjusting the speed of the rotor wheels, which is proportional to the release velocity of the ball. The ball throwing devices heretofore require a user to approximate the position of the moving receiver, and time the release of the ball to deliver an accurate ball. This process presents many difficulties in receiving an accurate ball, setting the system up for use, and performing the task in a time-efficient manner.
The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
Various embodiments herein relate to a sports projectile delivery system, such as for targeted delivery of American footballs (although the system alternatively may be optimized for use with other types of sports projectiles). The system can correspond to a machine that includes a launcher, a feeder, and a controller. The launcher includes components for launching a respective football. The feeder moves respective balls into position to be launched by the launcher. The controller controls components of the launcher and/or the feeder to cause the football to be launched with particular characteristics (such as speed and angle) to achieve a particular goal (such as to reach a particular location in a certain amount of time). In various aspects, the controller utilizes information from a tracking system to achieve the particular goal, such as delivering a football at a certain speed and height relative to a moving player. In some aspects, the controller may control the feeder and or launcher without using a tracking system to achieve a particular goal, such as delivering a ball to a certain location on the field with a certain hang time, e.g., to simulate a specific type of punt.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, in which:
In the following description, various embodiments will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.
The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the claims.
Disclosed herein are sports projectile delivery systems and various features and associated components thereof. Reference will now be made to the Figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the Figures. In many instances, similar elements may be identified by the same reference numeral and differentiated by a different letter suffix in the Figures. Thus in the following text description, elements may be referenced with suffixes (e.g., for referencing individual or specific elements such as a first player 106A or a second player 106B) or without suffixes (e.g., for generally or collectively referencing elements such as one or more of the players 106).
In operation, a planned route 110 may be set for a first player 106A to follow to reach a target location 112 for catching a ball (or other form of sports projectile) from the launcher 102. As the first player 106A runs along the route, the position and progress of the player 106A may be tracked using a tag 107A clipped on or otherwise worn by the player 106A. An amount of time anticipated until the player 106A reaches the target location 112 (e.g., a “user time to target”) may be calculated based at least in part on the tracked progression of the player 106A. Likewise, an amount of time anticipated between a firing signal for the launcher 102 and the launched ball arriving to the target location 112 (e.g., a “ball time to target”) can be calculated based at least in part on settings for the launcher 102. Thus, the launcher 102 may receive a firing signal when the player 106A is detected as having reached a match point 114 along the route 110 at which the “user time to target” and the “ball time to target” match. As a result, the ball may travel from the launcher 102 to the target location 112 (e.g., along line 116) in the same amount of time that it will take for the player 106A to progress from the match point 114 to the target location 112 (e.g., along segment 118). This may present the ball and player 106A at the target location 112 at the same time for the player 106A to be able to make an attempt at catching, blocking, or otherwise interacting with the ball, for example, without the player 106A breaking stride.
The system 100 may permit multiple players 106 to utilize the same launcher 102 for separate or combined drills. For example, as shown in
In another example, the second player 106B may deviate from the planned route 110, such as by starting to break across the field 108 earlier than in the planned route 110 (e.g., which may correspond to the player 106B following the actual route 117 shown in
In other examples, the launcher 102 may operate without a planned route 110. For example, information from tracking a player 106 may be used to accurately place a ball for the player 106. For example, if a target location 112A is designated, the launcher 102 may delay launching until a tracked player 106B is identified as moving at a sufficient speed and direction to reach the target location 112A at the same time as the ball. As another example, the launcher 102 may be set to launch the ball after a certain duration of time. As the expiration of the time duration approaches, an expected location 112A of the player 106 may be calculated based at least in part on speed, direction, or other tracking information about the player 106, and the launcher 102 may be adjusted to launch the ball to arrive at that expected location 112A at the same time that the player 106B is expected to arrive. Such functionality may be useful, for example, for scramble drills or other scenarios where a pre-determined route 110 may not be designated.
Various components that may facilitate the functions described above (and/or others) are described in greater detail below beginning with the description of
As shown in
The launching system 204 may be an example of the launcher 102 described with reference to
For the sake of simplicity, examples herein will mainly refer to rotors for launching a football; however, the launcher 204 is not so limited. Rather, the launcher 204 may be customized for use with any suitable sports projectile, including, but not limited to footballs, soccer balls, rugby balls, baseballs, softballs, lacrosse balls, tennis balls, table tennis balls, water polo balls, hockey pucks, field hockey balls, volleyballs, basketballs, jai alai balls, racquet balls, squash balls, cricket balls, flying discs, medicine balls, dodgeballs, golf balls, or whiffle balls. Moreover, the launcher 204 is not limited merely to rotors, but may additionally or alternatively include any suitable motion-imparting components, which may include, but are not limited to, rotating arms, translating arms, cannons, slingshots, ballistas, catapults, trebuchets, or any other mechanically-, electrically-, magnetically-, and or chemically-driven launcher 204.
The aiming system 206 includes components for arranging, re-orienting, or otherwise controlling elements of the launcher 204 to cause the launcher 204 to launch the sports projectile to a particular locution. For example, in various embodiments herein, the aiming system 206 includes a “yaw” positioning motor capable of rotating the rotor assembly of the launcher 204 about a yaw axis (e.g., for adjusting leftward or rightward), a “pitch” positioning motor capable of rotating the rotor assembly of the launcher 204 about a pitch axis (e.g., for adjusting upward or downward), and a speed control capable of varying a speed of the rotors (e.g., for adjusting an initial velocity imparted to the football). The components of the aiming system 206 can be controlled in combination to change an initial vector (e.g., direction and speed) at which the football is launched, which may determine a resulting location that the football will reach and/or particular characteristics (such as speed or orientation) of the football when reaching that resulting location. However, the aiming system 206 is not limited to motors that control rotation of respective components, but may additionally or alternatively include sliding rails, adjustable springs, adjustable dampers, or any other any other components capable of adjusting relative placement and/or magnitude of components of the launcher 204.
The location sensors 208 include components for providing information about a location of the launcher 204 and/or other components relative to other points of interest. For example, the location sensors 208 may provide information about a location of the launcher 204 relative to points on a field of play and/or relative to targets (such as moving players 106). The location sensors 208 can be distributed among any suitable location or structure, including structures associated with the launcher 204, with tags 107 to be worn by players 106, and/or anchors 104 to be located on the field. The location sensors 208 can use any infrastructure for providing location reference points. For example, the anchors 104 and player tags 107 may be located by use of an Ultra Wide Band (“UWB”) localization system; however, the location sensors 208 may additionally or alternatively utilize GPS tracking, triangulation, or other locating techniques or technologies. In operation, a UWB may advantageously provide the ability to receive input from a wide range of anchors 104 (e.g., between 3 and 12) and may permit a wide variety of calibration options by selecting among different UWB channels, bitrates, pulse repetition frequencies, and preamble lengths.
The user interface 210 includes components for facilitating information transfer from a user to the computer system 202 and/or from the computer system 202 to a user, e.g., regarding operation of the sports projectile delivery system 200. For example, the user interface 210 may include an input device through which a user can indicate a place on a field to which a ball is to be delivered. As another example, the user interface 210 may allow the user to specify where relative to a player's body the ball is to be delivered. As a further example, the user interface 210 may allow the user to specify characteristics of the ball, such as a speed at which the ball is to be travelling when arriving to its target destination, an amount of time a ball is to be in the air before arriving to its target destination, whether a ball is to mimic a throw or a kick or other movement pattern, etc.
The user interface 210 can correspond to any single component or combination of components. In one example, the user interface 210 includes a touch screen and joystick that are physically joined with the launcher 204, while another portion of the user interface 210 corresponds to buttons or other input devices positioned on tags 107 worn by players 106 that are physically separate from the launcher 204. However, the user interface 210 is not limited to this example, and may include components at least partially physically attached with or at least partially detached from the launcher 204 or any other component of the system 200.
The user interface 210 can additionally or alternatively include components for alerting users as to operation of the sports projectile delivery system 200. For example, the user interface 210 may include a monitor that displays information about settings of the launcher 204 or other components of the system 200. In some examples, the user interface 210 may provide visual, audio, or tactile alerts that operations have started or stopped. For example, a speaker, light, and/or vibrating panel may alert a player 106 that it is time to begin running a route.
The illustrated computer system 202 includes a communication interface module 212, a processor 214, a memory 216, a planning module 218, a locating module 220, a tracking module 222, a logging module 224, and a database 226. The computer system 202 may represent a single component, multiple components located at a central location within the sports projectile delivery system 200, or multiple components distributed throughout the sports projectile delivery system 200. In general, the computer system 202 may include any appropriate combination of hardware and/or software suitable to provide the described functionality.
The processor 214 is operable to execute instructions associated with the functionality provided by the computer system 202. The processor 214 may comprise one or more general purpose computers, dedicated microprocessors, or other processing devices capable of communicating electronic information. Examples of the processor 214 include one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs) and any other suitable specific or general purpose processors.
The memory 216 stores processor instructions, state information for the various components of the sports projectile delivery system 200 and/or any other appropriate values, parameters, or information utilized by the computer system 202 during operation. The memory 216 may represent any collection and arrangement of volatile or non volatile, local or remote devices suitable for storing data. Examples of the memory 216 include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) devices, read only memory (ROM) devices, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices or any other suitable data storage devices.
The communication interface module 212 facilitates communication between the computer system 202 and other components of the sports projectile delivery system 200, including information and or instructions conveyed between any of the launching system 204, the aiming system 206, the location sensors 208, the user interface 210, the planning module 218, the locating module 220, the tracking module 222, and the logging module 224, and the database 226. These communications may represent communication of any form appropriate based at least in part on the capabilities of the computer system 202 and may include any suitable information. Depending on the configuration of the computer system 202, the communication interface module 212 may be responsible for facilitating either or both of wired and wireless communication between the computer system 202 and the various components of the sports projectile delivery system 200. In particular embodiments, the computer system 202 may communicate using communication protocols such as 802.11, Bluetooth, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standards.
In general, the planning module 218, the locating module 220, the tracking module 222, the logging module 224, the database 226, and the communication interface module 212 may each represent any appropriate hardware and/or software suitable to provide the described functionality. In addition, as noted above, the computer system 202 may, in particular embodiments, represent multiple different discrete components and any or all of the planning module 218, the locating module 220, the tracking module 222, the logging module 224, the database 226, and the communication interface module 212 may represent components physically separate from the remaining elements of the computer system 202. Moreover, any two or more of the planning module 218, the locating module 220, the tracking module 222, the logging module 224, the database 226, and the communication interface module 212 may share common components. For example, in particular embodiments, the planning module 218, the locating module 220, the tracking module 232, the logging module 224, and the database 226 represent computer processes executing on the processor 214, and the communication interface module 212 comprises a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a related computer process executing on processor 214.
The planning module 218 includes components for controlling the aiming system 206 and the launching system 204 to cause the launcher 204 to deliver the football (or other sports projectile) to a particular location at a particular time. For example, the planning module 218 may utilize suitable computer processes to determine an amount of time that the football will take to move from the launcher 204 to a particular location aimed at by the aiming system 206 and cause the launcher 204 to fire at a corresponding time to cause the football to arrive to the particular location at a certain time. For example, the planning module 218 may receive input about a route to be run by a player 106 and control the aiming system 206 and the launching system 204 to cause the football to arrive to a location at the specific point in time that the player 106 is anticipated to arrive at the same location (e.g., the target location 112 of
The locating module 220 can determine the location of components of the sports projectile deliver) system 200 relative to a common frame of reference (e.g., the field 108) and/or relative to one another. For example, the locating module 220 may receive input from the location sensors 208 to determine such relative locations. In one example, a pair of anchors 104 are positioned on opposite ends of the mid-field line, and the locating module 220 uses signals conveyed between the launcher 204 and each of the anchors to determine relative distances to the anchors 104, which may provide sufficient information for triangulating a position of the launcher 204 relative to the anchors 104 and thus relative to the field 108. Similarly, a tag 107 of a player 106 may include a location sensor 208 that can provide information that can be used by the locating module 220 to determine a position of the player relative to the field 108 or other reference point.
The tracking module 222 includes components for tracking the position of a player. For example, the tracking module 222 may obtain information from the location sensors 208 (e.g., as processed by the locating module 220) to provide information about the position of the player relative to the launcher 204. The position of the player may be utilized as input to the planning module 218. For example, the planning module 218 may update and/or otherwise alter a target location and/or delivery time of a football based at least in part on the position of the player provided by the tracking module 222.
The logging module 224 includes components for logging activity of players and/or the sports projectile delivery system 200. For example, information from the tracking module 222 may be recorded and aggregated to provide historic information about player performance, e.g., which may be stored in the database 226 for later access and review by users and/or the sports projectile delivery system 200. For example, the communication interface module 212 may convey information from the logging module 224 to the database 226 or other point of access for the players 106 or coaches.
The database 226 can include a store of information that can be accessed and/or updated by the sports projectile delivery system 200. In some examples, information from the database 226 may be utilized to tailor operation of the system 200. For example, the database 226 may include player profiles with overall height, arm length, torso length, leg length, or other metrics that may be useful for determining an appropriate location to target in order to deliver the ball at a particular position relative to the player, such as below the player's knees, above the player's waist, etc.
Features of the sports projectile delivery system 200 may be incorporated into various respective components. One example of a device that may incorporate features of the system 200 is shown in
The lower 304 also includes a first joint 316 and a second joint 318 that may be adjusted individually or collectively to adjust a position and/or orientation of the rotors 310 and/or other elements of the launcher 309 relative to the base 302. Such adjustment may vary the flight of the launched football 314 and the placement of the location to which the football 314 is delivered by the launcher 309. The first joint 316 and the second joint 318 may correspond to components of the aiming system described above with reference to
The control panel 308 may provide an interface through which a user can provide input for the machine 300. For example, the first joint 316 and the second joint 318 may be adjusted based at least in part on input received through the control panel 308 or other user interface. The control panel 308 is shown with a display 320 (e.g., a touchscreen) and a joystick 322, but may include additional or alternative input devices. The control panel 308 may correspond to components of the user interface 210 described above with reference to
The machine 300 may be collapsible. Being collapsible may facilitate storage or transport of the machine 300 when not in use. In one example, the machine 300 may collapse from a full height of approximately 6 feet (1.8 meters) to a collapsed height of approximately 32 inches (0.8 meters), e.g., which may allow the machine 300 to fit within the height clearance of a typical sports utility vehicle cargo space for transport between different fields of use.
A lock 332 may alternatively secure the tower 304 in the stowed position (
Referring to
An example of electrical routing for components of the machine 300 is also shown in
As may be seen in
Various portions of the electrical routing are shown relative to the frame 324 in
Various components in the tower 304 may receive power in the manner just described, or via other methods of electrical routing. In many examples, components in the tower 304 may be controlled to change a manner in which the launcher 309 supported relative to the base 302 will deliver a football or other sports projectile.
The different trajectories capable by different settings of the launcher 309 may be captured at least partially in look up charts to facilitate targeted operation of the launcher 309. In one example, 6 different look up charts are utilized, each corresponding to a different height 0 through 10 feet above a field of play at 2-foot increments. The lookup charts may be initially populated by testing each of a large number of orientations (e.g., pitch) and imparted velocity (e.g., speed of rotors 310) and recording where the ball lands for each combination. Such a combination of settings and resulting landing point can provide a basis for determining where the ball will travel for a particular set of settings. Using the quadratic equation, it can be estimated where the ball will travel at a given distance, d. Testing can be performed to verify these assumptions for each angle and speed. An error coefficient can be measured comparing the height of the ball at d to what the expected value was. Recording this value and multiplying it through the table at each discrete, respective value, can provide an adjusted distance d′ for each height 2-10 feet. Thus, for example, if input is received that a ball is to be thrown “above the athlete's head”, rather than determining an analytical solution from scratch, the 8 foot look up chart can be searched (e.g., for the “distance” that the athlete is either at, or expected to be at) and the speed and orientation in the 8 foot lookup chart for that “distance” can be utilized to inform the settings of the launcher 309 (e.g., the orientation and speed) to be used for delivering the ball.
Referring to
The pitch positioning motor 362 may correspond to any suitable electrically controllable adjustment device. Non-limiting examples include stepper motors or servo motors. Worm gears or other forms of suitable gearing may be utilized to provide an appropriate degree of mechanical transfer of force from the pitch positioning motor 362 to movable elements of the machine 300 to achieve appropriate degrees of electrically controllable movement.
The pitch positioning motor 362 may adjust a pitch orientation of the launcher 309 independent of other settings of the launcher 309. For example, in
Referring to
The yaw positioning motor 368 may correspond to any suitable electrically controllable adjustment device. Non-limiting examples include stepper motors or servo motors. Worm gears or other forms of suitable gearing may be utilized to provide an appropriate degree of mechanical transfer of force from the yaw positioning motor 368 to movable elements of the machine 306 to achieve appropriate degrees of electrically controllable movement.
Moreover, although the above description refers to the first joint 316 of the tower 304 including the yaw positioning motor 368 for pivoting about the yaw axis 366 and the second joint 318 of the lower 304 including the pitch positioning motor 362 for pivoting about the pitch axis 363, other arrangements are possible. For example, relative vertical placement could be inverted such that the first joint 316 of the tower 304 pivots about the pitch axis 363 and the second joint 318 of the lower 304 pivots about the yaw axis 366. Additionally or alternatively, instead of being located in separate joints, both the pitch positioning motor 362 and the yaw-positioning motor 368 could be located within the same joint while being arranged to cause different forms of pivoting relative to opposite ends of that same joint.
Similar to the pitch positioning motor 362, the yaw positioning motor 368 may adjust a yaw orientation of the launcher 309 independent of other settings of the launcher 309. For example, the yaw positioning motor 368 may adjust the yaw orientation of the launcher independent of the pitch orientation of the launcher 309 and/or independent of the relative orientation of the rotors 310 and feeder 312 relative to one another.
The initial velocity imparted by the launcher 309 may be adjusted by controlling rotation of the rotors 310, for example, as shown in
In
In
In
In
For example,
A relevant portion of the system 200 (such as the planning module 218) may receive a variety of inputs such as those described with reference to
Additionally, the user interfaces discussed in
The process at 1010 includes setting a field frame of reference. This may include receiving information about the location of anchors 104 relative to the field. In one example, the anchors 104 may have designated locations associated with them (e.g., marked to be placed at the 50-yard line, the end zone line, or at other respective reference points of the field) such that the locating module 220 receives respective signals from the anchors 104 and automatically correlates the location of the anchors 104 with the associated reference points on the field. In another example, the anchors 104 may have indicia associated with them, and a user may be prompted to input where on the field respective anchors have been placed so that location information from the anchors can be correlated to reference points on the field. The field frame of reference may be utilized for any subsequent location actions to determine relative location of other components to the field and/or one another.
The process at 1020 includes determining a location or the launcher. In one example, the location of the launcher may be based at least in part on the field frame of reference determined at 1010. In another example, a user may be prompted to input a location of the launcher relative to the field. In some examples, the launcher may be a reference point from which all other location references are figured.
The process at 1023 includes providing a cue to a player to begin. This may correspond to activating or otherwise controlling components to alert the player to begin running a route or drill. As an illustrative example with reference to elements identified in
The process at 1025 includes receiving a player position. This may entail tracking the player based at least in part on information from the player tag 107. The player position may be used for subsequent determinations.
The process at 1030 includes determining a target location. In some examples, this may entail the user inputting a particular location, for example, relative to the field or the launcher. In some examples, this may entail determining a location based at least in part on the end location of a pro-determined route. In some examples, this may entail determining a location based at least in part on the tracked movement of a player, for example, based at least in part on information received at 1025. In some examples, this may entail determining a location based at least in part on one or more user-input criteria such as speed at which the projectile is to be travelling when launched and/or when arriving to the target, time between route start and end, time between ball launch and arrival to target, delivery location relative to a player's body, distance between launcher and target location, a type of drill or route to be performed, or any other user-input criteria. For example, the user-input criteria may be utilized to determine appropriate trajectories that may be utilized to satisfy the criteria. In some examples, the target location (or associated criteria) may be determined based at least in part on an assignment set by a coach or otherwise programmed for a player to complete, such as may be retrieved on the player's behalf from the database.
The process at 1040 includes determining a target delivery time. In some examples, the target delivery time may be based at least in part on a predetermined route (e.g., which may be based at least in part on other user input, such as that described above with reference to 1030). In some examples, the target time is determined based at least in part on information about a players position obtained at 1025.
The process at 1050 includes determining launcher settings for the delivery. This may entail determining a target orientation for the launcher and/or a target initial velocity to be imparted by the launcher, for example, this may include determining a pitch orientation, a yaw orientation, and an imparting speed that can satisfy criteria for the delivery. For example, the planning module 218 may determine suitable settings for the launcher based at least in part on the delivery criteria of the target location and/or target delivery time.
The process at 1060 includes controlling the aiming system per the launcher settings. For example, the planning module 218 may control the aiming system 206 to implement the launcher settings determined at 1050, such as by controlling the pitch positioning motor 362 to arrange the launcher 309 at a suitable pitch, controlling the yaw positioning motor 368 to arrange the launcher 309 at a suitable yaw, and controlling the rotors 310 of the launcher 309 to reach a suitable speed for imparting the intended initial velocity.
The process at 1070 includes determining a firing time. In some examples, this may entail receiving a user input about when to fire (e.g., firing immediately in response to a user button push, or allowing a user to cuter or designate a particular future firing time or delay until firing). In some examples, this may be based at least in part on a comparison of a “ball to target” time and a “user time to target.” In some examples, this may be based at least in part on an expected lag time between providing a signal to fire and actual firing of the launcher 204. In some examples, this may be based at least in part on a calculation related to the target delivery time determined at 1030.
The process at 1080 includes controlling the launcher to launch at the firing time. For example, this may include providing a command to the feeder 312 to move a holder 378 toward the rotors 310 so that the football will be launched. As an illustrative example with reference to
The process at 1090 includes providing information associated with the delivery. For example, this may entail continuing to track players at least until an expected target delivery time (e.g., as determined at 1040). In some examples, the operation at 1090 includes providing information to a database for later review by players and/or coaches.
The process at 1095 includes controlling the launcher to prepare for subsequent launch. For example, with reference to
Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the disclosure to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to coverall modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents failing within the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as defined in the appended claims.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure.
Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is intended to be understood within the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.
Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate and the inventors intend for the disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
All references, including publications, patent applications and patents, cited herein or in any contemporaneously filed Information Disclosure Statements are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/604,457, filed May 24, 2017, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/340,961, filed May 24, 2016, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety for all purposes.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190232145 A1 | Aug 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62340961 | May 2016 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15604457 | May 2017 | US |
| Child | 16293274 | US |
