Patent Application
20240268730
The present disclosure generally relates to intravenous (IV) blood draw from a patient, and particularly to systems and methods to reduce hemolysis in an over-the-needle peripheral IV catheter (PIVC) blood draw whilst reducing blood spillage.
Catheters are commonly used for a variety of infusion therapies. For example, catheters may be used for infusing fluids, such as normal saline solution, various medicaments, and total parenteral nutrition, into a patient. Catheters may also be used for withdrawing blood from the patient.
A common type of catheter is a PIVC. As its name implies, the over-the-needle catheter may be mounted over an introducer needle having a sharp distal tip. A catheter assembly may include a catheter hub, the catheter extending distally from the catheter hub, and the introducer needle extending through the catheter. The catheter and the introducer needle may be assembled so that the distal tip of the introducer needle extends beyond the distal tip of the catheter with the bevel of the needle facing up away from skin of the patient. The catheter and introducer needle are generally inserted at a shallow angle through the skin into vasculature of the patient.
In order to verify proper placement of the introducer needle and/or the catheter in the blood vessel, a clinician generally confirms that there is “flashback” of blood in a flashback chamber of the catheter assembly. Once placement of the needle has been confirmed, the clinician may temporarily occlude flow in the vasculature and remove the needle, leaving the catheter in place for future blood withdrawal or fluid infusion.
For blood withdrawal or collecting a blood sample from a patient, a blood collection container may be used. The blood collection container may include a syringe. Alternatively, the blood collection container may include a test tube with a rubber stopper at one end. In some instances, the test tube has had all or a portion of air removed from the test tube so pressure within the test tube is lower than ambient pressure. Such a blood collection container is often referred to as an internal vacuum or a vacuum tube. A commonly used blood collection container is a VACUTAINER® blood collection tube, available from Becton Dickinson & Company.
The blood collection container may be coupled to the catheter. When the blood collection container is coupled to the catheter, a pressure in the vein is higher than a pressure in the blood collection container, which pushes blood into the blood collection container, thus filling the blood collection container with blood. A vacuum within the blood collection container decreases as the blood collection container fills, until the pressure in the blood collection container equalizes with the pressure in the vein, and the flow of blood stops.
Unfortunately, as blood is drawn into the blood collection container, red blood cells are in a high shear stress state and susceptible to hemolysis due to a high initial pressure differential between the vein and the blood collection container. Hemolysis may result in rejection and discard of a blood sample. The high initial pressure differential can also result in catheter tip collapse, vein collapse, or other complications that prevent or restrict blood from filling the blood collection container. Furthermore, blood spillage during and/or after blood draw commonly occurs.
The description provided in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely because it is mentioned in or associated with the background section. The background section may include information that describes one or more aspects of the subject technology.
In one or more embodiments, a flow restriction device, comprises: a proximal housing configured to couple to a fluid collection device; a distal housing configured to couple to a catheter assembly; an intermediate housing interposed between the proximal and distal housings; an internal fluid channel extending transversely through the proximal, intermediate and distal housings; and a fluid shield device coupled to the distal housing, the fluid shield device comprising a flexible material. The fluid shield device is configured to cover an end portion of a male center post of the distal housing in an unconnected position, to compress down the male center post into a groove of the distal housing in a connected position, and to recover the end portion of the male center post to contain fluid within the male center post upon returning to an unconnected position.
In one or more embodiments, a blood collection system comprises: a blood collection device; a catheter assembly; and a flow restriction device fluidly coupled to the blood collection device. The flow restriction device comprises: a proximal housing coupled to a male connector of the blood collection device; a distal housing comprising a male luer connector configured to couple to a female connector of the catheter assembly; an intermediate housing interposed between the proximal housing and the distal housing; an internal fluid channel extending transversely through the proximal, intermediate and distal housings; and a fluid shield device coupled to the distal housing, the fluid shield device comprising a flexible shape memory material. The fluid shield device is configured to cover an end portion of a male center post of the male luer connector in an uncompressed position, to slide down the male center post into a groove of the distal housing in a compressed position, and to slide up the male center post and over the end portion of the male center post to contain fluid within the male center post upon returning to an uncompressed position.
In one or more embodiments, a fluid shield device for a male luer connector comprises a flexible shape memory material. The fluid shield device is configured to cover an end portion of a male center post of the male luer connector in an uncompressed position, to slide down the male center post into a compressed position, and to slide up the male center post and over the end portion of the male center post to contain fluid within the male center post upon returning to an uncompressed position.
It is understood that other configurations of the subject technology will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various configurations of the subject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the subject technology is capable of other and different configurations and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the scope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of the embodiments and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modifications, alterations, combinations, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the art and having the benefit of this disclosure.
The detailed description set forth below describes various configurations of the subject technology and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the subject technology may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the subject technology. Accordingly, dimensions may be provided in regard to certain aspects as non-limiting examples. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject technology may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the subject technology.
It is to be understood that the present disclosure includes examples of the subject technology and does not limit the scope of the appended claims. Various aspects of the subject technology will now be disclosed according to particular but non-limiting examples. Various embodiments described in the present disclosure may be carried out in different ways and variations, and in accordance with a desired application or implementation.
Blood draw via a vascular access device has drawn increasing attention attributed to minimized needle sticks and improved operation efficiency as compared with traditional blood draw methods with venipuncture. Current blood draw using a PIVC has seen some challenges, one of the most critical is hemolysis related blood quality. In particular, with currently existing PIVC products in the market, along with the standard connection (such as a short extension set and a needleless connector), and blood collection devices (such as a Vacutainer), the shear stress exerted onto blood cells tends to be on the verge of hemolyzing.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to providing assemblies and methods to address blood spillage in PIVC blood draw with a hemolysis reduction accessory (also referred to herein as a flow restriction device) which is pre-attached to the PIVC and serves as a flow restrictor to reduce risk of hemolysis. The hemolysis-reduction accessory is advantageously compatible with PIVC placement and does not necessitate change to any of the existing operations. The hemolysis-reduction accessory of the various embodiments described herein is potentially applicable to a wide variety of PIVC products, and compatible with existing blood collection devices and infusion disposables.
Here, the flow restriction device regulates the overall flow rate of the entire fluid path as blood cells travel through. The flow restriction device can be either assembled with the PIVC or co-packaged with the PIVC. As such, there is no additional operation during catheter placement since the device has a vented lumen that enables blood flashback. The clinician may connect a blood collection device to the port of the accessory and can then draw blood to the intended volume. After blood draw, the clinician may disconnect and discard the flow restriction device and the blood collection device together. As such, this flow restriction device can be either for single blood draw or stay inline throughout indwell.
In some embodiments, the flow restriction device may be an integral connector that includes a proximal housing, a distal housing and an intermediate housing, each having an aligned fluid channel disposed axially within. Accordingly, fluid communication may be established between the proximal, distal, and intermediate housings to allow a fluid to flow from the distal housing to the proximal housing via the intermediate housing. The aligned internal fluid channels together may define a linear internal flow channel through the flow restriction device. As such, during blood collection or withdrawal from the patients, blood may flow from the patient's vein into a blood collection device via the internal flow channel of the flow restriction device.
In some embodiments, the flow restriction device may be an extension set that includes an IV tube with a male luer connection on one end and a female luer connection on the other end. Accordingly, fluid communication may be established between the male and female luer connections and the IV tube to allow a fluid to flow from the female luer connection to the male luer connection via the IV tube. As such, during blood collection or withdrawal from the patients, blood may flow from the patient's vein into a blood collection device via an internal flow channel of the flow restriction device.
During blood draw with currently existing blood draw devices, for example, blood cells may experience shear stress as they flow from the distal housing to the proximal housing. The maximum shear stress may be along the wall of the blood cell, often referred to as wall shear stress. Wall shear stress on blood cells is considered a major source of mechanical damage to blood cells causing hemolysis of the blood cells. In some embodiments, the linear internal flow channel of the flow restriction device having minimal diameter may facilitate increased flow resistance within the vascular access system to distribute the pressure differential and reduce shear stress experienced by the red blood cells of the blood. For example, the minimized diameter of the internal flow channel may provide increased resistance to flow of the blood and thereby decrease blood flow rate within the flow resistance device. Since the decreased blood flow rate causes a reduction in shear stress experienced by the red blood cells of the blood, a risk of hemolysis during blood collection may advantageously be reduced.
In some embodiments, the integral connector flow restriction device distal housing may include a male connector, such as a male luer connector, and the proximal housing may include a female connector, such as a needleless connector. In some embodiments, the extension set flow restriction device may include a male connector, such as a male luer connector, and a female connector, such as a needleless connector. In some embodiments, the flow restriction device may include a fluid shield assembly coupled to the distal housing or the male connector. For example, the fluid shield assembly may include a split septum and an enclosure to fit on the male luer connector.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to providing assemblies and methods to address blood spillage in PIVC blood draw with an extension set with a male luer connector on one end and a female luer connector on the opposing end. A standard ISO male luer connector is used to be connected to a catheter side needle-free connector, which has the potential of blood exposure from the male luer connector while disconnecting after blood draw is complete.
A blood draw device is often used with a luer lock access device (LLAD) or a syringe (e.g., the blood draw device is connected with an LLAD or a syringe and then used for a blood draw). It is typically prescribed to dispose the LLAD or the syringe and the blood draw device together to avoid blood spillage. After the blood draw, i.e., after removal of a blood filled container (e.g., Vacutainer), the next step is to disconnect the blood draw device that is filled with remaining blood. Thus, an issue is the potential blood exposure to a clinician as the clinician disconnects the blood draw device from the PIVC needle-free connector.
In some embodiments, a split septum with a small enclosure around the male luer is provided at the front of the blood draw device connector. The needle-free connector is pushed into the split septum while it is connected to the blood draw device. The split septum self-seals and prevents or minimizes left over blood from spilling from the blood draw device when the needle-free connector is removed. The septum blocks within the enclosure and avoids any spillage. The split septum may be made of silicone material and may be coupled to the luer enclosure in any suitable manner (e.g., glued, welded, overmolded). The split septum may also be coupled to the blood draw device connector at the front of the male luer. For example, the split septum may be glued to the enclosure and the enclosure may be friction fit over the front end of the male luer connector of the blood draw device, where the split septum may also be glued to the front rim of the male luer connector.
The flow restriction devices and associated blood collection systems of the various embodiments described herein additionally provide further advantages over currently existing blood collection systems. For example, add-on flow restriction devices described herein allow for hemolysis-reduction function to be integrated for PIVC blood draw. Further, the flow restriction devices described herein are compatible with PIVC placement and allow for seamless blood draw at insertion. Additionally, since the flow restriction devices are an add-on which can be easily incorporated without any changes to existing PIVC, there is minimal impact to clinical setting and operations. As another example, extension sets with a male luer connector described herein allow for safe disconnection from an existing PIVC.
In some embodiments, the catheter assembly 50 may include or correspond to any suitable catheter assembly 50. In some embodiments, the catheter assembly 50 may be integrated and include an extension tube 60, which may extend from and be integrated with a side port 59 of the catheter hub 52. A non-limiting example of an integrated catheter assembly is the BD NEXIVA™ Closed IV Catheter system, available from Becton Dickinson and Company. In some embodiments, a proximal end of the extension tube 60 may be coupled to an adapter, such as, for example, a Y-adapter 70. In some embodiments, the flow restriction device 110 may be fluidly coupled to the Y-adapter 70, such as to a needle free connector 72.
In some embodiments, the catheter assembly 50 may be non-integrated and may not include the extension tube 60. In these and other embodiments, the flow restriction device 110 may be configured to couple to the proximal end 56 of the catheter hub 52 or another suitable portion of the catheter assembly 50. In some embodiments, the flow restriction device 110 may be coupled directly to the catheter assembly 50, eliminating the extension tube 60 and providing a compact catheter system.
In accordance with some embodiments, the flow restriction device 110 may be configured to couple to a blood collection device 40. For example, the flow restriction device 110 may include a female luer connector 113 at proximal housing 112, which may be coupled with a male luer connector 42 of the blood collection device 40. In some embodiments, the blood collection device 40 may be a LLAD.
In some embodiments, the flow restrictor device 110 may be in the form of a cylindrical body extending from the proximal housing 112 to the distal housing 114, with the intermediate housing 116 interposed between the proximal and distal housings 112 and 114. An internal flow channel 170 may be disposed through the proximal, intermediate and distal housings 112, 116, 114, providing a fluid flow pathway from end to end of the flow restrictor device 110.
The distal housing 114 may include a male luer center post 115 and a fluid shield device 120 may be coupled to the distal housing 114. The fluid shield device 120 may be an elastomeric seal that partially or fully covers the male luer center post 115. For example, the fluid shield device 120 (e.g., elastomeric seal) may be stretched over the male luer center post 115. The fluid shield device 120 may be removably coupled to the male luer center post 115 by a friction fit. As another example, the fluid shield device 120 may be integrally coupled to the male luer center post 115 (e.g., glued, welded, overmolded).
In accordance with some embodiments, the flow restriction device 210 may be configured to couple to a blood collection device 40. For example, the flow restriction device 210 may include a female luer connector 213 at proximal housing 212, which may be coupled with a male luer connector 42 of the blood collection device 40.
In some embodiments, the flow restrictor device 210 may be in the form of an IV tube 216 extending from the proximal housing 212 to the distal housing 114, with the IV tube 216 interposed between the proximal and distal housings 212 and 114. An internal flow channel 270 may be disposed through the proximal housing 112, the IV tube 216 and the distal housing 114, providing a fluid flow pathway from end to end of the flow restrictor device 210.
The distal housing 114 may include the male luer center post 115 and the fluid shield device 120 may be coupled to the distal housing 114 and/or the male luer center post 115 of flow restrictor device 210. The fluid shield device 120 may be removably or integrally coupled to the distal housing 114 and/or the male luer center post 115 in any suitable manner as described herein.
In some embodiments, the fluid shield device 120 may be affixed to the distal housing 114. For example, an adhesive or solvent may be placed in the groove 117 prior to sliding the fluid shield device 120 into the groove 117 and over the male luer center post 115. As another example, the fluid shield device 120 may be overmolded onto the distal housing 114, where the fluid shield device 120 is molded into the groove 117 and over the male luer center post 115. As another example, a portion of the fluid shield device 120 may be welded (e.g., sonic welding, heat welding) into the groove 117 and/or onto the male luer center post 115.
As shown in
The fluid shield device 120 may be used with any male luer connector, such as a standalone male luer connector, or a male luer connector that is part of any infusion component (e.g., drip chamber, syringe, valve, flow controller). Here, the fluid shield device 120 may be sized and shaped to cover a portion of or all of the center post of the male luer connector.
The fluid shield device 120 may be formed of any suitable material, such as a shape memory material (e.g., elastic rubber, elastomeric silicone, latex) that will return to an uncompressed shape (e.g., shape shown in
In use, the fluid shield device 120 is coupled to the distal housing 114 such that at least an end of the male luer center post 115 is enclosed within the fluid shield device 120. Any suitable female connector (e.g., proximal end 56, needle free connector 72, female connector 310) may then be coupled to the distal housing 114/male luer center post 115. For example, as shown in
When disconnection of the flow restriction device 110, 210 is desired, the female connector 310 is uncoupled from the distal housing 114/male luer center post 115 and then the female connector 310 is pulled out of the groove 117 and the fluid shield device 120 may expand back over the male luer center post 115 to cover the internal flow channel 170, 270 of flow restriction device 110, 210. Thus, any fluid (e.g., blood) remaining in the internal flow channel 170, 270 (e.g., lumen) of the male luer center post 115 is contained within the male luer center post 115.
In aspects of the disclosure, the fluid shield device 120 avoids blood exposure and/or spillage during disconnection of the female connector 310 from the distal housing 114/male luer center post 115. Thus, no secondary action, such as manually covering the distal housing 114/male luer center post 115, needs to be performed by the clinician as any blood remaining within the male luer center post 115 will be blocked within the internal flow channel 170, 270 (e.g., lumen) by the fluid shield device 120 that is redisposed around the male luer center post 115. Thus, in aspects of the disclosure, the fluid shield device 120 self-seals upon removal of the female connector 310.
According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a flow restriction device with a fluid shield assembly may include affixing the fluid shield device 120 to the distal housing 114 and/or male luer center post 115. For example, an end portion of the fluid shield device 120 may be affixed to the groove 117 and/or an end portion of the fluid shield device 120 may be affixed to the outer surface of the male luer center post 115, while the unaffixed portion of the fluid shield device 120 may slidably move within the groove 117 and/or along an outer surface of the male luer center post 115. In aspects of the disclosure, the end portion of the fluid shield device 120 may be affixed to the groove 117 and/or the male luer center post 115 via glue or solvent. In aspects of the disclosure, the end portion of the fluid shield device 120 may be affixed to the groove 117 and/or the male luer center post 115 by any suitable method, such as gluing, welding, molding and overmolding. In aspects of the disclosure, the distal housing 114, the male luer center post 115 and the fluid shield device 120 may be molded as a single component in one or more molding operations.
In operation, the flow restriction device 110, 210 with fluid shield device 120 may be connected between the catheter assembly 50 and the blood collection device 40 as shown in
The flow restriction devices 110, 210 of the various embodiments described herein are advantageous over currently existing blood collection systems. For example, during blood draw with currently existing blood draw devices, blood cells may experience shear stress as they flow from a catheter (e.g., catheter system 50) to a blood draw device (e.g., blood collection device 40). The maximum shear stress may be along the wall of the blood cell, often referred to as wall shear stress. Wall shear stress on blood cells is considered a major source of mechanical damage to blood cells causing hemolysis of the blood cells. In some embodiments, the linear internal flow channel 170, 270 having minimal diameter may facilitate increased flow resistance within the vascular access system 100 to distribute the pressure differential and reduce shear stress experienced by the red blood cells of the blood. For example, the minimized diameter of the internal flow channel 170, 270 may provide increased resistance to flow of the blood and thereby decrease blood flow rate within the flow resistance device 110, 210. Since the decreased blood flow rate causes a reduction in shear stress experienced by the red blood cells of the blood, a risk of hemolysis during blood collection may advantageously be reduced.
In addition, the aforementioned configurations of the flow restriction device 110, 210 in which the fluid shield device 120 blocks fluid leakage or spillage from the male luer center post 115 is advantageous over other blood collection systems in that it is capable of preventing blood spillage from the flow restriction device 110, 210 during disconnection from the blood collection device 40. For example, with other blood collection systems, the recommended blood draw procedures dictate that the blood draw connector should not be disconnected from blood collection device (e.g., luer lock access device (LLAD)) after completion of a blood draw procedure. If the blood draw connector is disconnected from blood collection device, it may cause potential blood spillage from the blood draw connector channel when it is disconnected from blood collection device. In contrast, the fluid shield device 120 of the flow restriction devices 110, 210 of the various embodiments described herein in which the fluid shield device 120 blocks fluid from passing from the male luer center post 115 provides for the blood to be contained within the fluid shield device 120, thereby preventing blood spillage when the flow restriction device 110, 210 is disconnected from the blood collection device 40 for disposal.
The flow restriction devices and associated blood collection systems of the various embodiments described herein additionally provide further advantages over other blood collection systems. For example, add-on flow restriction devices described herein allow for hemolysis-reduction function to be integrated for PIVC blood draw and reduce hemolysis significantly. Further, the flow restriction devices described herein are compatible with PIVC placement and allow for seamless blood draw at insertion. Furthermore, since the flow restriction devices are an add-on which can be easily incorporated without any changes to existing PIVC, there is minimal impact to clinical setting and operations. Additionally, the flow restriction devices described herein minimize or otherwise eliminate the risk of blood spillage during disconnection from the blood draw device. Furthermore, the flow restriction devices described herein have low blood wastage due to a smaller priming volume as compared with other blood collection systems. In addition, the flow restriction devices described herein require less fill time as compared with currently existing blood collection systems.
The subject technology is illustrated, for example, according to various aspects described below. Various examples of aspects of the subject technology are described as examples and do not limit the subject technology. It is noted that an aspect may be combined in any combination with one or more other aspects.
In one or more embodiments, a flow restriction device, comprises: a proximal housing configured to couple to a fluid collection device; a distal housing configured to couple to a catheter assembly; an intermediate housing interposed between the proximal and distal housings; an internal fluid channel extending transversely through the proximal, intermediate and distal housings; and a fluid shield device coupled to the distal housing, the fluid shield device comprising a flexible material, wherein the fluid shield device is configured to cover an end portion of a male center post of the distal housing in an unconnected position, to compress down the male center post into a groove of the distal housing in a connected position, and to recover the end portion of the male center post to contain fluid within the male center post upon returning to an unconnected position.
In aspects of the disclosure, the flexible material of the fluid shield device comprises a shape memory material. In aspects of the disclosure, the shape memory material comprises one of elastic rubber, elastomeric silicone and latex. In aspects of the disclosure, a portion of the flexible material is affixed to the groove by one of an adhesive and a solvent. In aspects of the disclosure, a portion of the flexible material is affixed to the male center post by one of an adhesive and a solvent. In aspects of the disclosure, a portion of the flexible material is welded to the distal housing. In aspects of the disclosure, a portion of the flexible material is welded to the male center post. In aspects of the disclosure, a portion of the flexible material is molded to the distal housing. In aspects of the disclosure, a portion of the flexible material is molded to the male center post. In aspects of the disclosure, the fluid shield device is coupled to the male center post by a friction fit.
In aspects of the disclosure, a portion of the fluid shield device is configured to slide down into the groove along an outer surface of the male center post under a compressive force. In aspects of the disclosure, the portion of the fluid shield device is configured to slide up along the outer surface of the male center post upon removal of the compressive force. In aspects of the disclosure, the flow restriction device is configured to flow blood from the proximal housing to the distal housing and into the fluid collection device, and the fluid collection device comprises a blood collection device. In aspects of the disclosure, the proximal housing, the intermediate housing and the distal housing comprise an integral connector assembly having a female connector at the proximal housing and a male connector at the distal housing. In aspects of the disclosure, the intermediate housing comprises an intravenous tube connecting a female connector at the proximal housing and a male connector at the distal housing.
In one or more embodiments, a blood collection system comprises: a blood collection device; a catheter assembly; and a flow restriction device fluidly coupled to the blood collection device. The flow restriction device comprises: a proximal housing coupled to a male connector of the blood collection device; a distal housing comprising a male luer connector configured to couple to a female connector of the catheter assembly; an intermediate housing interposed between the proximal housing and the distal housing; an internal fluid channel extending transversely through the proximal, intermediate and distal housings; and a fluid shield device coupled to the distal housing, the fluid shield device comprising a flexible shape memory material, wherein the fluid shield device is configured to cover an end portion of a male center post of the male luer connector in an uncompressed position, to slide down the male center post into a groove of the distal housing in a compressed position, and to slide up the male center post and over the end portion of the male center post to contain fluid within the male center post upon returning to an uncompressed position.
In aspects of the disclosure, the fluid shield device is affixed to the male luer connector by one of an adhesive, a solvent, a weld and an over mold. In aspects of the disclosure, the proximal housing, the intermediate housing and the distal housing comprise an integral connector assembly having a female connector at the proximal housing and the male luer connector at the distal housing. In aspects of the disclosure, the intermediate housing comprises an intravenous tube connecting a female connector at the proximal housing and the male luer connector at the distal housing.
In one or more embodiments, a fluid shield device for a male luer connector, comprises: a flexible shape memory material, wherein the fluid shield device is configured to cover an end portion of a male center post of the male luer connector in an uncompressed position, to slide down the male center post into a compressed position, and to slide up the male center post and over the end portion of the male center post to contain fluid within the male center post upon returning to an uncompressed position.
The present disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The disclosure provides various examples of the subject technology, and the subject technology is not limited to these examples. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects.
A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit the invention.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example or illustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. In one aspect, various alternative configurations and operations described herein may be considered to be at least equivalent.
As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series of items, with the term “or” to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than each item of the list. The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection of at least one item; rather, the phrase allows a meaning that includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. By way of example, the phrase “at least one of A, B, or C” may refer to: only A, only B, or only C; or any combination of A, B, and C.
A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect is essential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an aspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. An aspect may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment may apply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. An embodiment may provide one or more examples. A phrase such an embodiment may refer to one or more embodiments and vice versa. A phrase such as a “configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential to the subject technology or that such configuration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples. A phrase such a configuration may refer to one or more configurations and vice versa.
In one aspect, unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are set forth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, are approximate, not exact. In one aspect, they are intended to have a reasonable range that is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain.
It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps, or operations in the processes or methods disclosed are illustrations of exemplary approaches. Based upon implementation preferences or scenarios, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps, operations or processes may be rearranged. Some of the steps, operations or processes may be performed simultaneously. In some implementation preferences or scenarios, certain operations may or may not be performed. Some or all of the steps, operations, or processes may be performed automatically, without the intervention of a user. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps, operations or processes in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.
All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.” Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The Title, Background, Summary, Brief Description of the Drawings and Abstract of the disclosure are hereby incorporated into the disclosure and are provided as illustrative examples of the disclosure, not as restrictive descriptions. It is submitted with the understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the Detailed Description, it can be seen that the description provides illustrative examples and the various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects described herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims and to encompass all legal equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirement of 35 U.S.C. § 101, 102, or 103, nor should they be interpreted in such a way.
