The present disclosure relates generally to apparatus, systems, and methods for creating pockets, hems, seams, and overlaps on plastic fabrics or textiles. More particularly, the apparatus, systems and methods relate to creating pockets, hems, seams, and overlaps on plastic fabrics utilizing heat-welding. Specifically, the apparatus, systems and methods automatically fold and weld a pocket proximate an edge of a plastic fabric by pushing a portion of the fabric into a gap with a pusher plate of a folding assembly, pivoting the folding assembly to lay a portion of the folded fabric back on itself, moving a welding bar into contact with the folded fabric, and then applying heat and pressure to create the weld.
The creation of a hem along an edge of a sheet of material is well known in the art. In an effort to reinforce fabric around its perimeter, an edge of the fabric is folded back onto the sheet of material and is secured to that sheet. By so doing, at least a portion of the perimeter of the sheet of material is reinforced in that the perimeter is twice the thickness relative to the rest of the sheet of fabric. This provides for a fabric that can be used in awnings and signage that has reinforced edges that can now better withstand weather and wind. Additionally, an elongated pocket can be formed by not completely attaching all of the folded fabric to the underlying sheet of fabric. This allows an elongated structure, such as a rod or a rope, to be inserted into the pocket. The rod or rope can be then be used to hang the fabric sheet or to secure the sheet to some other structure. This enables the fabric to be used as signage or allows the fabric to be mounted to a frame for use in awning applications. Current methods of manipulating fabric and welding/connecting the folded material to the main sheet of fabric can be labor intensive as plastic fabric is difficult to manipulate. Therefore, a better way of creating a fold at an edge of a sheet of fabric is desired.
The folding system disclosed herein is contemplated to be used for multiple purposes including but not limited to welding seams, hems, or pockets for awnings, screens, blinds, and marine products. The folding system is a welding machine that may be utilized to weld a wide variety of different plastic fabrics and textiles. The welding machine is able to be operated by a single operator.
A machine for welding sheets of a plastic material and a method of use thereof is disclosed herein. The machine includes a housing with a lower weld bar and an upper weld bar. A vertically-oriented gap is defined in a gripper assembly pivotally mounted to the housing beneath the work surface. A sheet of material is laid over the work surface covering the lower weld bar and gap. The upper weld bar is lowered to hold the sheet in place and a pusher plate is lowered relative to the upper weld bar to push some material into the gap, thereby creating a fold in the material. After withdrawing the upper weld bar and pusher plate, the gripper assembly is pivoted through ninety degrees and lays some of the folded material over the lower weld bar. The upper weld bar is lowered to weld a portion of the folded material and thereby create a pocket in the material.
In one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a machine for welding a sheet of plastic material comprising a housing; a lower weld bar fixedly secured to the housing; an upper weld bar secured to the housing a distance above the lower weld bar; said upper weld bar being vertically movable up and down relative to the lower weld bar; a gap defined in the work surface proximate the lower weld bar; and a pusher plate mounted proximate the upper weld bar and being selectively movable up and down relative to the upper weld bar; wherein said pusher plate is vertically aligned with the gap and is selectively receivable in the gap.
In one example, the gap is selectively variable in width. In one example, the gap is part of a gripper assembly and is defined between a front plate and a clamping plate; wherein the front plate and clamping plate are oriented parallel to each other and at right angles to the work surface; and wherein the clamping plate is movable relative to the front plate. The welding machine further comprises an actuator operatively engaged with the front plate; and wherein the front plate is pivotally engaged with the work surface; and wherein the actuator is selectively operable to move the front plate between a first vertical position and a second horizontal position. In one example the gripper assembly further comprises a rear plate spaced from the front plate and fixedly engaged therewith, wherein a gap is defined between the front plate and the rear plate; and wherein the clamping plate is located in the gap. The actuator pivots the rear plate, the front plate, and the clamping plate in unison. In one example, the welding machine further includes one or more first actuators engaged with the clamping plate, said one or more actuators being are operable to move the clamping plate one of toward the front plate and away from the front plate and thereby change a width of the gap.
In one example, the welding machine further comprises an upper beam provided on the housing; wherein the upper weld bar is located in the upper beam and wherein the welding machine further comprises a translation mechanism operatively engaging the pusher plate to the upper beam, wherein the translation mechanism selectively raises and lowers the pusher plate relative to the upper beam. A fabric position stop is provided on the work surface, said fabric position stop being selectively horizontally movable across the work surface toward and away from the lower weld bar.
In another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a method of forming a fold or a pocket in a sheet of plastic material, said method comprising defining a gap in a work surface; placing a sheet of plastic material over an opening to the gap, wherein the opening is defined in the work surface; moving a pusher plate into contact with a region of the sheet of plastic material that extends over the opening; moving the pusher plate inwardly into the gap; and creating a fold in the sheet of plastic material as the pusher plate moves inwardly into the gap.
In one example, the defining of the gap comprises defining a vertically-oriented gap in the work surface; and the providing of the pusher plate comprises providing a vertically-oriented pusher plate that is aligned with the vertically-oriented gap. In one example, the defining of the gap comprises providing a front plate having a front surface and a rear surface that are oriented at right angles to the work surface; providing a clamping plate having a front surface and a rear surface that are oriented at right angles to the work surface; and the gap is defined between the rear surface of the front plate and the front surface of the clamping plate; and wherein the method further comprises inserting the pusher plate between the front surface of the clamping plate and the rear surface of the front plate.
In one example the method further comprises inserting the pusher plate into the gap when the gap is set at a first width; withdrawing the pusher plate from the gap when the fold has been created in the sheet of plastic material; reducing the first width of the gap to a second width; and clamping the fold between the front plate and the clamping plate. In one example, the reducing of the first width of the gap includes activating one or more actuators engaged with the clamping plate; and moving the clamping plate toward the front plate. The moving of the clamping plate toward the front plate includes keeping the clamping plate parallel to the front plate.
In one example, the method further comprises rotating the clamping plate, the front plate and the fold in the sheet of plastic material from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation. In one example, the method further includes placing a portion of the fold that extends outwardly from the gap onto an upper surface of the sheet of plastic material and over a lower weld bar; moving an upper weld bar into contact with the portion of the fold; and heat-welding the portion of the fold to the upper surface of the sheet of plastic material.
In one example the method further comprises determining a depth of the pusher plate into the gap relative to an axis of rotation of the front plate; and selecting the depth of the pusher plate so that when rotation of the front plate occurs, a portion of the fold extends outwardly beyond an end wall of the front plate. In one example the method includes abutting an edge of the sheet of plastic material on the work surface against a face of a fabric position stop prior to moving the pusher plate into the gap. The method further includes adjusting a location of the fabric position stop on the work surface prior to abutting the edge of the sheet of plastic material against the end face
A sample embodiment of the disclosure is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are fully incorporated herein and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various examples, methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.
Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to
Referring to
The housing of welding machine 10 includes a frame 12 that supports an upper housing 14 and a lower housing 16. Frame 12 holds upper housing 14 a distance vertically above lower housing 16. At least a portion of upper housing 14 is selectively movable downwardly toward lower housing 16 or upwardly away from lower housing 16. The portion of the upper housing 14 is moved downwardly in order to create a fold in a sheet of fabric and/or to perform a welding operation on the sheet of fabric.
Frame 12 is comprised of a plurality of different members, only some of which are illustrated in the figures for clarity of illustration. As illustrated in the attached figures, frame 12 includes a first end support 18 and a second end support 20 that are longitudinally spaced a distance apart from each other. The first and second end supports 18, 20 are substantially identical in structure and function and will be described hereafter in greater detail. First end support 18 includes a first leg 18a and a second leg 18b that are connected to each other via crossbars 18c. Both of first leg 18a and second leg 18b are generally vertically oriented and second leg 18b is located a distance rearwardly from first leg 18a. First leg 18a and second leg 18b may be laterally aligned with each other. First leg 18a is engaged with a front region of lower housing 16 and second leg 18b is engaged with a rear region of lower housing 16. A portion of second leg 18b extends upwardly beyond lower housing 16 and has an inverted “J-shape” or inverted “L-shape”. A terminal end 18d (
In a similar fashion, second end support 20 includes a first leg 20a and a second leg 20b that are engaged with each other via crossbars 20c. Both of first leg 20a and second leg 20b are generally vertically oriented and second leg 20b is located a distance rearwardly from first leg 20a and may be laterally aligned therewith. First leg 20a is engaged with a front region of lower housing 16 and second leg 20b is engaged with a rear region of lower housing 16. A portion of second leg 20b extends upwardly beyond lower weld bar and may have an inverted “J-shape” or inverted “L-shape” as is best seen in
It will be understood that in one example, first leg 18a and first leg 20a are longitudinally aligned with each other; and second leg 18b and second leg 20b are longitudinally aligned with each other. It will further be understood that various side panels and guard plates may be engaged with various parts of the frame to limit access and protect the operator. Most of these components have been omitted from the figures for clarity of illustration.
Various components of welding machine 10 may be supported or carried by first legs 18a, 20a, and/or second legs 18b, 20b. For example, one or more transformers 24 are illustrated as being engaged with first and second legs 20a, 20b. Additionally, a user interface 26 is illustrated as being engaged with terminal end 20d of second leg 20b via a pivot assembly 26a. The pivot assembly 26a permits an operator to pivot the user interface 26 relative to terminal end 20d. The operator is able to orient the user interface to a desired position suitable for entering and viewing information on the user interface 26. In one example, user interface 26 is provided with controller logic useful for operating welding machine 10. “Logic”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations of each to perform a function(s) or an action(s), and/or to cause a function or action from another logic, method, and/or system. For example, based on a desired application or needs, logic may include a software controlled microprocessor, discrete logic like an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmed logic device, a memory device containing instructions, or the like. Logic may include one or more gates, combinations of gates, or other circuit components. Logic may also be fully embodied as software. Where multiple logics are described, it may be possible to incorporate the multiple logical logics into one physical logic. Similarly, where a single logical logic is described, it may be possible to distribute that single logic between multiple physical logics. The operator may enter control parameters into user interface 26 prior to and/or during a welding operation by using a touch screen or other controls provided on interface 26.
Another component that may be engaged with one of the first and second legs 18, 20, or with an upper beam 30 (
Referring now to
Upper housing 14 further includes an upper welding assembly 36 that is engaged with upper beam 30 and extends downwardly from bottom surface 30d thereof. The upper welding assembly 36 will be described in greater detail hereafter. A plurality of controls 32 and sensors 34 are provided on upper beam 30. Controls 32 are illustrated as being mounted on front surface 30a and sensors 34 are illustrated as being mounted on rear surface 30b thereof. It will be understood, however, that the controls 32 and sensors 34 may be provided at any suitable location on welding machine 10.
Controls 32 may include any desired buttons and/or switches for controlling various aspects of welding machine 10. For instance, controls 32 are provided proximate right end support 20 and include but are not limited to an emergency shut-off button, a pause button, and a reset button. Similar controls 32a (
Upper housing 14 further includes an upper welding assembly 36. Referring to
Upper beam 30 is able to be moved upwardly and downwardly relative to lower housing 16 so as to be able to move upper weld bar 36a into contact with a lower weld bar that will be described later herein. A lowering mechanism 38 (
Referring to
Upper housing 14 further includes a flexible drive shaft 64 (
It will be understood that a guard plate is engaged with front surface 30a of upper beam 30 and extends downwardly for a distance below bottom surface 30d thereof. The guard plate is provided is prevent access and contact with upper weld bar 36a during a welding operation. The guard plate preferably is transparent so that an operator can observe the welding operation occurring behind the guard plate.
Referring now to
A lower weld bar 70 (
A fabric position stop 72 is provided to permit an operator to set a length of fabric that is positioned on the upper surface of lower housing 16. As best in
As shown in
Gripper mechanism 88 comprises a plurality of elongate, longitudinally-extending plates that are engaged with each other as will be described hereafter. As shown in
Front plate 90 is substantially rectangular in cross-section and planar along its length, having a front surface 90a and a rear surface 90b. Rear plate 92 is substantially “L-shaped” in cross-section, having a front surface 92a and a rear surface 92b. Each intermediate plate 93 is substantially rectangular in cross-section and planar along its length, having a front surface 93a and a rear surface 93b. Each clamping plate 94 is substantially rectangular in cross-section and planar along its length, having a front surface 94a and a rear surface 94b. Top plate 96 is substantially rectangular in cross-section and planar along its length, having an upper surface 96a and a lower surface 96b.
A first end of the rear plate 92 is welded to the lower surface 96b of top plate 96. A second end of rear plate 92 is welded to rear surface 90b of front plate 90. The rear surface 93b of each intermediate plate 93 is welded to the front surface 92a of rear plate 92. The rear surface 94b of each clamping plate 94 is located adjacent the front surface 92a of rear plate 92. A gap 89 is defined between the rear surface 90b of front plate 90 and the front surfaces 93a, 94a of the intermediate plates 93 and the clamping plates 94, respectively. Top plate 96 is located such that a side edge thereof is flush with front surface 92a of rear plate 92 and the rest of the top plate 96 extends rearwardly beyond the rear surface 92b of rear plate 92. Front plate 90, rear plate 92, intermediate plates, and top plate 96 are welded to one another or are otherwise secured together and therefore move in unison as will be described later herein. Clamping plates 94 are capable of being selectively moved forwardly and rearwardly within gap 98 and relative to rear surface 90b of front plate 90. Clamping plates 94 are also capable of moving in unison with front plate 90, rear plate 92, intermediate plates 93, and top plate 96.
A linkage 100 (
Prior to gripper mechanism 88 being actuated to pivot front plate 90 from the first position to the second position, top plate 96 is oriented so that it is flush with central region 68c (
Gripper mechanism 88 further includes one or more pin cylinders 106 that are engaged with rear plate 92 and with each clamping plates 94. Each pin cylinder 106 may be a single acting, spring return pin cylinder. In particular, each pin cylinder may have a 16 mm bore with a 10 mm stroke, i.e., a 19/32 inch bore with a 25/66 inch stroke. Each pin cylinder 106 may include a push-in air fitting elbow that is threaded. As can be seen by comparing
Welding machine 10 is used in the following manner. A length of fabric 108 to be welded is placed in front trough 68d. The operator will determine how much fabric 108 needs to be utilized in a fold and will adjust the position of fabric position stop 72 accordingly. The location of fabric position stop 72 on central region 68c may be changed by the operator entering the appropriate parameters into the welding machine 10 utilizing user interface 26.
The operator will then grasp a free end of fabric 108 (which includes edge 108a) and will draw the same rearwardly in the direction of arrow “B” and toward rear trough 68e (shown in
The operator will enter further operating information into user interface 26 and this will cause upper welding assembly 36 to move downwardly toward lower housing 16 in the direction of arrow “C” (
The operator will enter further information into user interface 26 and this will cause folding assembly 56 to move downwardly relative to upper welding assembly 36 and thereby cause pusher plate 60b to move downwardly toward central region 68c. The downward movement of folding assembly 56 is shown by arrow “D” in
Preferably, the distance on central region 68c from gap 98 to front face 72a of fabric position stop 72 is greater than the depth “L1” to which pusher plate 60b is moved downwardly into gap. This relationship will help to ensure that when the folded material is rotated, as will be described later herein with reference to
In a next step, shown in
Upper welding assembly 36 is lowered once again in the direction of arrow “L” (
Once a weld 110 has been formed (
While not illustrated herein, it will be understood that welding machine 10 may be used to create a hem in a sheet of fabric. This is accomplished by lowering the upper weld bar 36 but not lowering the folding assembly 56. The folding assembly 56 will remain in a location where no part of the assembly extends below the lower end 36a″ of upper weld bar 36a when spring 36b is fully compressed, i.e., when downward force has been applied to upper weld bar 36a. Creation of the hem is accomplished by folding an end portion of a sheet of fabric back on itself and temporarily securing that folded or overlapped region in place. The fabric sheet is then inserted into the gap between the upper housing 14 and lower housing 16 and so that the fold-line is aligned along the rear end of the lower weld bar 70. The exact position for the fold-line can be set by switching on a laser beam on the welding machine 10 and then aligning the fold-line along the laser beam. (The laser beam may be set to fall vertically over the rear end of the lower weld bar 70.) The upper beam 30 is then lowered as described earlier herein to bring the upper weld bar 36 into contact with the overlapped region of the sheet of fabric. One or both of the upper weld bar 36 and lower weld bar 70 are heated and a downward force is applied by the upper weld bar 36 to create a weld. The area where the weld is created is the hem of the sheet of fabric.
Additionally, while not illustrated herein, it will be understood that welding machine 10 may also be able to create a seam between two separate pieces of fabric. Again, this operation requires that the folding assembly 56 not be lowered relative to upper beam 30. The seam is created by placing inserting a first end of a first piece of fabric into the gap between upper housing 14 and lower housing 16 and moving the first piece of fabric over the central region 68c. The inward movement is continued until a second end of the first piece of fabric is aligned generally with the front end of the lower weld bar 70. A first end of a second piece of fabric can then be inserted between the upper housing 14 and lower housing 16 and the second piece of fabric can be moved inwardly until it overlaps a portion of the first piece of fabric. The exact position for the first end of the second piece of fabric can be set by switching on a laser beam and aligning the first end of the second piece of fabric along the laser beam. (The laser beam may be set to fall vertically over the rear end of the lower weld bar 70.) The upper weld bar 36 can then be lowered into contact with the overlapped region of the first and second pieces of fabric. One or both of the upper weld bar 36 and lower weld bar 70 can be heated and downward force is applied by the upper weld bar 36 to the overlapped region after application of the heat to form the weld. If desired, a length of bonding tape may be applied between the first piece of fabric and the second piece of fabric in the region where the second piece of fabric will overlap the first piece. The bonding tape is applied prior to laying the second piece of fabric over the first piece.
Still further, welding machine 10 may be able to secure two pieces of fabric together by simply overlapping two regions of the two pieces of fabric and then welding them together by lowering the upper weld bar 36a, applying heat to the overlap followed by pressure. The welding machine 10 may also be used to secure an overlay over a piece of fabric by aligning the perimeter of the overlay material with the perimeter of the piece of fabric and welding wherever securement between the two materials is desired. Again, both of the aforementioned operations are performed by only lowering the upper weld bar 36a and keeping the folding assembly 56 in the non-extended position.
Various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.
While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.
All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
The articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims (if at all), should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.
When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “above”, “behind”, “in front of”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “lateral”, “transverse”, “longitudinal”, and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.
Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features/elements, these features/elements should not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element. Thus, a first feature/element discussed herein could be termed a second feature/element, and similarly, a second feature/element discussed herein could be termed a first feature/element without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
If this specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in the examples and unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if the term does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and/or position to indicate that the value and/or position described is within a reasonable expected range of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +/−0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−2% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−5% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein.
Additionally, any method of performing the present disclosure may occur in a sequence different than those described herein. Accordingly, no sequence of the method should be read as a limitation unless explicitly stated. It is recognizable that performing some of the steps of the method in a different order could achieve a similar result.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
Moreover, the description and illustration of various embodiments of the disclosure are examples and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/124,726, filed Sep. 7, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/861,475 filed Sep. 22, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,081,907, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/071,143, filed Nov. 4, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,169,595, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/722,432, filed Nov. 5, 2012; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61722432 | Nov 2012 | US |
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Parent | 14071143 | Nov 2013 | US |
Child | 14861475 | US |
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Parent | 14861475 | Sep 2015 | US |
Child | 16124726 | US |
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Parent | 16124726 | Sep 2018 | US |
Child | 16546445 | US |