Patent Application
20230404205
This patent document contains material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of this patent document or any related materials in the files of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
This invention relates headwear and headwear manufacture. More particularly, this invention relates to expandable bands having absorption and wicking properties, and headwear with same.
Headwear, when worn, may include a portion in substantial contact with the wearer's head. That portion may be an expandable circumferential band or the like that may be used to provide a proper fit for the headwear.
As the headwear is worn, the band portion in contact with the wearer's head heats up to match the temperature of the wearer. And as the wearer's head heats up, so does the band portion in contact with the wearer's head. This heat, in addition to the wearer's sweat, may cause the band to deform and become uncomfortable.
Some caps have incorporated sweatbands to try to deal with this problem. However, these sweatbands tend to be bulky and do not retain the form or structure of the caps. Over time, these sweatbands may stretch out and become misshapen, e.g., as a result of the wearer's body temperature.
Some headwear has incorporated elastic bands to provide a tight fit.
Elastic bands may include rubber, and over time, as headwear with such bands are used, the rubber within the elastic may lose its recovery properties, begin to loosen, and eventually break down completely. Laundering (e.g., washing and drying with heat) may accelerate the breakdown of the rubber and thereby of the elastic.
In addition, elastic headbands tend to trap body heat, causing the wearer to become hot and uncomfortable.
Furthermore, elastic has poor (if any) absorption properties, and as such, moisture (e.g., perspiration) in the wearer's head area may not be adequately absorbed, causing further discomfort.
Further, even if combined with some absorption, an elastic headband (or a headband having an elastic portion against the wearer's head) will not wick moisture away from the wearer.
It is desirable and an object hereof to provide headwear with a headband that expands around the head, as needed to improve comfort, while keeping its shape, and for headband to return to its original length and size after expansion.
It is further desirable and an object hereof to provide an expandable headband that has beneficial absorption and wicking properties.
It is further desirable and an object hereof to provide an expandable headband that is breathable to allow heat to escape.
The present invention is specified in the claims as well as in the below description.
These features along with additional details of the invention are described further in the examples herein, which are intended further to illustrate the invention but are not intended to limit its scope in any way.
One general aspect includes a headband for headwear. The headband includes a material formed by an absorption layer fused with a wicking layer, the material having stretch and recovery properties, where the wicking layer controls stretch and recovery of the absorption layer. The headband also includes where the wicking layer may include a wicking fusible substrate. The headband also includes where the absorption layer may include a material substrate having absorptive fibers. The headband also includes where the headwear may include a second material and where a shrinkage of the material substrate substantially matches a shrinkage of the second material.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features, alone or in various combination(s):
Another general aspect includes a method of making a headband. The method may include: (a) positioning a fusible substrate on a material substrate; (b) fusing the fusible substrate and the material substrate to form a fused combination; and (c) spooling the fused combination as a spool of headbands.
The method may include one or more of the following features, alone or in various combination(s):
Another general aspect includes a headband formed by the method of any one of the preceding method aspects.
Another general aspect includes a spool of headbands formed by the method of any one of the preceding method aspects.
Below is a list of headband aspects. Those will be indicated with a letter “H”. Whenever such aspects are referred to, this will be done by referring to “H” aspects.
Below is a list of headwear aspects. Those will be indicated with a letter “H”. Whenever such aspects are referred to, this will be done by referring to “H” aspects.
Below is a list of method aspects. Those will be indicated with a letter “M”. Whenever such aspects are referred to, this will be done by referring to “M” aspects.
Below are other aspects:
The above features along with additional details of the invention are described further in the examples herein, which are intended further to illustrate the invention but are not intended to limit its scope in any way.
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
In the following description, headbands are described in connection with caps. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize and appreciate, upon reading this description, that the headbands may be configured and incorporated with other types of headwear such as hats, visors, etc. As should be appreciated, the scope of the embodiments described herein is not limited in any way by the type of headwear with which a headband may be configured.
As used herein, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “headwear” includes, without limitation, caps such as baseball caps, hats, visors, etc. Headwear may be pre-sized to fit certain head circumferences and/or it may be adjustable.
With reference now to
A headband 18 according to exemplary embodiments hereof, and described in greater detail below, may extend around some or all of the circumferential edge 14 of the crown portion 12 and may be affixed to the crown portion 12, as described below, such that it is fully located within the crown portion 12.
The crown portion 12 may be made from several panels 20a, 20b, 20c, 20e, and 20f (individually and collectively panel(s) 20). In the exemplary cap 10 shown in
As those of skill in the art will know and understand, the number of panels 20 may depend on various factors, including, e.g., the desired size of the crown 12, the size of the panels, and the material being used.
As shown in
The panels 20 may be made of synthetic or natural materials, such as a polyester, cotton, woven and non-woven material, felt, poly-cotton (e.g., cotton with spandex), and other similar stretchable or non-stretchable materials. The panels 20 may be made entirely or partially out of material that allows airflow to the scalp of the wearer.
The Headband
With reference to
The headband 18 preferably forms a closed loop, and its ends may be joined by being sewn together. Preferably the join seam is located at the rear of the cap. In adjustable headgear (e.g., caps with a clasp or the like at the rear), the headband 18 may extend around the peripheral edge of the crown portion without forming a closed loop.
Thus, with reference to
For demonstration, the headband 18 of
When formed from more than one section, the sections that may form the headband 18 may be formed of the same or different materials. Furthermore, when formed from multiple sections, the sections need not all be the same length.
The scope hereof is not limited in any way by the number of sections or pieces used to form the headband 18. When formed of multiple sections, the headband is not limited by the manner in which sections are joined, by the material(s) used for the section(s), or by the length(s) of the sections.
With reference now to
As show, e.g., in
As noted above, a headband 18 may extend around some or all of the circumferential edge 14 of the crown portion 12. When the headband 18 forms a closed loop (e.g., as shown in
When the straight headband 18 of
The length L of the headband 18 may generally determine (or be determined by) the size of the headwear 10.
The headband 18 may include one or more open junctions that may be located anywhere along its length (or circumference).
As will be appreciated, embodiments described herein are not limited in any way by the location and/or number of open junctions that the headband 18 may include, or the type of attachment mechanism(s) that may be used to generally secure the ends of the headband 18 together at the junction P-Q, or at any other junction(s).
In exemplary embodiments, the headband 18 may be a closed loop as shown in
In other embodiments, the headband 18 may be a closed loop that may be directly formed as a loop (e.g., on a loom) and may thereby not include any open ends (e.g., may not include an end at P and an end at Q).
The headband 18 may or may not include brand labels, size labels, decorative elements (e.g., decorative stitching), and/or other elements.
As noted, for a straight headband 18, when formed in a loop (e.g., when the ends at P and Q are joined as shown, e.g., in
For a curved headband 18, when formed into a loop (e.g., as shown in
The difference between the diameter D3 and the diameter D4 may be proportional to the amount of contour (e.g., generally concave) that the curved headband 18 may include. That is, a headband 18 with a higher amount of contour may exhibit a greater difference between the diameter D3 and the diameter D4 compared to a headband 18 with a lesser amount of contour.
In other exemplary embodiments, the curved headband 18 may be oriented with the larger diameter D4 as the top edge and the smaller diameter D3 as the lower edge. In such cases, the outer surface of the curved headband 18 may generally slant outwards away the center of the headband 18 as it extends upward.
Note that for purposes of this description, unless specifically stated otherwise, all embodiments, examples, references, descriptions, and details pertaining to the headband 18 will refer to and be applicable to both a straight headband and a curved headband.
In embodiments described herein of the may or may not have constant widths (e.g., W of
With reference to
In the following exemplary embodiments, the inner piece 34 is the headband 18. However, those of skill in the art will understand, upon reading this description, that the inner piece 34 may be combined with other substrates or materials (e.g., an outer layer (not shown) on the fusible side. In such cases, the headband 18 may include those other substrates or materials.
With reference to
The material substrate 38 preferably has absorption properties. Thus, in exemplary embodiments hereof, the material substrate 38 may include fibers that may be absorbent. Absorbent fibers may include molecules (such as the sugar molecules in the cellulose of cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc.) that when in contact with moisture, may break the moisture's surface tension, allowing the moisture to move into the spaces between the fibers and into the fibers themselves. For example, cotton may absorb up to 7% of its weight in water that may be regarded in the art as substantial. In one exemplary implementation, the material substrate 38 may include absorbent fibers such as cotton, hemp, bamboo, other absorbent fibers, or any combination thereof. In this way, the material substrate 38 may be an absorbent material.
In exemplary embodiments hereof, the material substrate 38 may comprise 100% cotton.
In exemplary embodiments hereof, the material substrate 38 may contain other types of fibers, such as synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester, polypropylene) or natural fibers (e.g., Merino wool). In exemplary embodiments hereof, the material substrate 38 may include a blend of cotton and polyester. In this way, the material substrate 38 may be an absorbent material and a wicking material simultaneously. That is, the polyester fiber content of the material substrate 38 may provide wicking and the cotton fiber content may provide absorption. This may result in a more comfortable headband 18 that may wick and absorb moisture away from the wearer's skin.
In exemplary implementations, the material substrate 38 may comprise about 65% cotton and about 35% polyester. In another implementation, the material substrate 38 may comprise about 50% cotton and about 50% polyester. Other proportions of cotton to polyester may also be used, and it is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the material substrate 38 is not limited in any way by the proportions of cotton (or other absorbent fibers) to other materials (e.g., polyester) contained within the material substrate 38. It is also understood that the material substrate 38 may comprise other materials in addition to or instead of the polyester, and in similar or different proportions with respect to the cotton (or other absorbent fibers) content.
The fabric or material substrate 38 may be a single-ply of material, a double-ply of material, or any other number of plies or types of materials or pieces. In addition, the fabric or material substrate 38 may be cut in any way, including, e.g., along its length, breadth, or on a bias thereof.
The material substrate 38 preferably has stretch properties. These stretch properties may be imparted by the cut of the material substrate 38 (e.g., on a bias thereof) and/or by the fabric or material used to form the material substrate 38.
The fusible substrate 40 preferably has wicking properties. Thus, the combination of a material substrate 38 (with absorption properties) and a fusible substrate 40 (with wicking properties) results in a headband 18 that may wick and absorb moisture away from a wearer's skin. Wicking generally refers to the action of drawing moisture (e.g., perspiration) away from a wearer's skin, typically through the process of capillary action.
When combined with headwear (e.g., the caps of
The fabric or material substrate 38 may also be referred to as an absorption layer or substrate, and the fusible substrate 40 may also be referred to as a wicking layer or substrate, e.g., as shown in
The fusible or fusible substrate 40 may preferably be a two-way fusible substrate 40, although other fusible substrates 40 (e.g., one-way, four-way or n-way fusible substrates 40 where an n-way fusible substrate 40 is a fusible substrate 40 that provides stretch and recovery in n directions, and n may equal any number) may also be used and are contemplated. A two-way fusible substrate may be a fusible substrate that provides stretch and recovery in two directions thereof (preferably in non-opposing directions), typically, but not necessarily, perpendicular to each other. The directions may also be opposing directions. A two-way fusible substrate may also be referred to as a two-way stretch fusible or a two-way stretch fusible substrate. In general, an n-way fusible substrate may also be referred to as an n-way stretch fusible or an n-way stretch fusible substrate.
For the purposes of this discussion, one of the stretch (and recovery) directions may be referred to as a horizontal direction. The fused material (e.g., the headband 18 or inner 34) formed by fusing the fabric 38 with a fusible substrate 40 may preferably be formed with the horizontal direction of the fusible substrate substantially along the length of the headband 18.
As used herein, with reference to the stretch (and/or recovery) properties of a material, a direction may refer to a single direction with respect to a particular point or location or orientation or to substantially opposing directions with respect to that particular point or location or orientation. The term “opposing directions” refers to directions that are at or about 180 degrees opposed to each other. In other words, directions that are substantially opposed to each other. Thus, e.g., with respect to a mid-point on the headband 18, a particular fabric having horizontal stretch (and recovery) may have stretch (and recovery) to the left and right (i.e., in two opposing directions).
In some preferred embodiments, the fusible substrate 40 may be a two-way fusible substrate having greater stretch in the horizontal or length direction thereof, preferably about 90% horizontal stretch, with the other direction of stretch being about 10%. In other preferred embodiments, the fusible substrate 40 (preferably a two-way fusible substrate) may have somewhat equal stretch and recovery in the horizontal and vertical directions. The fusible substrate 40 may also have other amounts of stretch and recovery in the horizontal direction compared to the vertical direction, and the scope of the embodiments described herein is not limited by the amounts of stretch and recovery that the fusible substrate 40 may have in any direction with respect to any other direction.
The material formed by fusing the fabric 38 with a fusible substrate 40 may be referred to as performance material. As used herein, a performance material is a material having stretch and recovery properties.
In some exemplary embodiments, one or more layers of the headband 18 may include perforations.
Various non-limiting examples of perforations in the headband (or parts thereof) are shown in the drawings in
In the example headband 18′ in
In the example in
In the example headband 18′″ (comprising inner 34′″) of
In the example headband 18″″ of
Although not shown, the headwear to which the headband is attached may also be perforated.
Perforations may be provided over the entire length and/or width of headband or over portions and/or layers thereof (e.g., material substrate 38 and/or fusible 40). In some cases, different degrees of perforations may be provided over different portions of a headband.
Perforations in the headband may comprise patterns corresponding, e.g., to text, logos, etc., e.g., as shown in
Wicking may be provided over the entire length and/or width of a headband or over portions thereof. In some cases, different degrees of wicking may be provided over different portions of the headband.
The material substrate 38 and the fusible 40 may be cut, knit, woven, spun, or otherwise formed into lengths of material generally having a similar or the same desired width as the headband 18 (e.g., W1 of
The underlying fabric of material substrate 38 may initially be with or without stretch. In some embodiments, the headband 18 may be formed by first compacting the underlying fabric of material substrate 38 to give it stretch properties, and then combining the compacted underlying fabric of material substrate 38 with the fusible substrate 40 (to control and give memory to the stretch imposed by the compaction). As should be appreciated, the underlying fabric of material substrate 38 may have the capacity to extend, and that the extension and recovery may be affected by the fusible substrate 40.
In exemplary embodiments, the lengths of the fabric or material substrate 38 and the lengths of the fusible 40 may each be formed into sections that may be substantially longer than L1 in
To achieve this, the underlying material substrate 38 and/or the fusible 40 may be directly formed into the lengths desired, or may be formed in shorter sections that may be combined end-to-end (or in any other way or orientation) to form the desired lengths.
The underlying material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40 may each be provided on spools, rolls, troughs or the like which may be positioned to feed appropriate amounts of the material substrate 38 and fusible substrate 40 into a fusing press or fuser 54, substantially tension free. The spools may be positioned such that the fusible substrate 40 is appropriately located on top (or bottom) of the underlying material substrate 38.
As shown in the exemplary system 50 in
The material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40 may next be fed into a fuser or fusing press 54. Before entry to the fuser 54, the fusible substrate 40 may be positioned on top of the compacted fabric 42, e.g., by aligning the center longitudinal axis of the fusible 40 with the center longitudinal axis of the underlying material substrate 38 along their respective lengths (e.g., along L1 of
The fusing press or fuser 54 may fuse the material substrate 38 and fusible substrate 40 together under conditions (e.g., at temperature, pressure, and speed) appropriate for the materials being used. Those of ordinary skill in the art will know and understand what settings to use for the fuser 54 based on the materials being used for the underlying material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40. The output of the fuser 54 may be a fused combination 34 comprising the underlying compacted material substrate 38 and the fusible substrate 40 (e.g., the headband 18 of
After exiting the fuser 54, the fused combination (a stream of headbands) 18 may be cooled by passing through a cooler 56. The cooler 56 may be a dedicated cooler (e.g., a refrigeration unit) or may comprise cooling bins, cooling troughs, and/or spacing between the equipment components. The resulting stream of headbands 34 may be substantially longer than a single headband (e.g., twenty-five times the length of an individual headband 18) and may be referred to as a continuous stream of headbands. The continuous stream of headbands 34 may then be collected, for example, by a spooler 58, and wound onto rolls or spools 60, or may be cut to measurement.
The continuous stream of headbands 34 may be later cut to the desired lengths and formed with headwear. This may allow for long lengths of headbands 34 to be more easily transported, stored, and utilized. For example, the spooled headbands 34 may be provided to an entity that may manufacture headwear. Accordingly, the entity may receive the spooled stream of headbands 34, and subsequently, as needed for production, cut the stream of headbands 34 into lengths as required for each item of headwear (e.g., cap, hat, or the like). The continuous stream of headbands 34 may also be provided in other ways that may be appropriate depending on the lengths of the continuous streams of headbands 34.
In other exemplary embodiments hereof as depicted in
For purposes of this description, all references to a headband and/or a continuous stream of headbands will also refer to a printed headband and/or a continuous stream of printed headbands, respectively, and the details, information, and descriptions with reference to a headband and/or a continuous stream of headbands, whether in the written specification or the figures, will also pertain to a printed headband and/or a continuous stream of printed headbands, respectively.
The material substrate 38 and/or the fusible 40 used to form the headbands 34 may also be formed in shorter sections that may or may not be provided on rolls. The headbands 34 may also comprise sections of the material substrate 38 fused with the fusible 40 that may be joined end-to-end to generally form the headbands 34.
As discussed above, the headband or portions thereof may be perforated.
In cases corresponding to the perforated inner 34′ of
For the inner 34″ of
In the system 50′ shown in
In some cases, only the material substrate 38′ is perforated (e.g., as shown in
Although either (or both) of the material substrate 38 and the fusible 40 may be pre-perforated, additional perforation may be provided (e.g., individually, at location P2 for the fusible 40 and either P0 or P1 for the fabric 38).
Those of skill in the art will understand, upon reading this description, if perforations are already present in the headband exiting the fuser 54 (either because the fabric and/or fusible were provided pre-perforated and/or because the fabric and/or fusible were perforated prior to being fused), the system need not (but may) still perforate (using perforator 64 in
In the systems shown in
As described, the fabric 38 may be compacted (e.g., by compactor 52 in
For the purposes of this specification, the term shrinkage may refer to a change in dimensions across the length and/or width of the fabric, e.g., after washing, usage and relaxing. Shrinkage may be determined as a percentage, e.g.:
Shrinkage percentage=(length of fabric before wash)−(length of fabric after wash))/(length of fabric after wash)×100
There are various standard test methods used to determine shrinkage. For example, AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) Test Method 135, Dimensional Change of Fabrics After Home Laundering Scope: Determines the dimensional changes of garments when subjected to home laundering procedures used by consumers. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize and appreciate, upon reading this description, that any method can be used to determine shrinkage, although the same method is preferably used for all components.
In exemplary embodiments hereof, the shrinkage of the headband 18 may be generally matched to the shrinkage of the fabric used for the headwear. In this way, the headband 18 and the headwear to which it is attached may shrink the same or a similar amount (e.g., when laundered) and may thereby not bind, pucker, or otherwise become deformed when the overall shrinkage of the headband 18 occurs.
The shrinkage of the headband 18 may be matched to the shrinkage of the headwear by choosing an appropriate inner fabric for the material substrate 38, an appropriate amount of compaction for the inner fabric and an appropriate fusible 40. In some embodiments, the following acts may be performed to match the shrinkage of the headband 18 with the shrinkage of the headwear:
It can be seen that by choosing an inner fabric 38 with substantially greater shrinkage (e.g., 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, etc.) than the headwear material (and the fusible 40), that a greater amount of compaction may be implemented into the inner fabric 38. It is also understood that the greater amount of compaction may result in a greater amount of stretch. Given this, it may be preferable to choose the fusible substrate 40 in (2) above that may also include stretch and recovery properties equal to or greater than the amount of compaction implemented into the inner fabric 38. In this way, the inner fabric 38 may stretch the full amount of the compaction and the fusible 40 may provide recovery for the full amount of the stretch.
Further examples of shrinkage vs. compaction are shown in Table 1 below.
It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading this specification, that the examples described above are meant for illustrative purposes, and that the fabric 38 may undergo any amount of compaction as necessary to result in the desired stretch/recovery properties and the desired shrinkage percentages. It is also understood that the scope of the headband 18 is not limited in any way by the amount of compaction applied to the fabric 38 and/or the type of fusible 40 used. It is also understood that the acts described above may be performed in different order, that not all of the acts may need to be performed, and that additional acts not described may also be performed as required.
The resulting headband 18 may thereby provide one or more of the following benefits:
Regarding items (1), (2) and (3) above, when configured on the inside of the headband 18 facing towards the body of the wearer, the headband 18 may wick and absorb moisture away from the wearer's head, thus providing a more comfortable fit.
Aspects the above item (4) are described in further detail with reference to
As shown in
In addition (or instead), in some exemplary embodiments the headband 18 may include stretch and recovery in other directions that may be at different angles (offset angles) with respect to the vertical or horizontal directions (e.g., in the directions of arrowed lines C-C′ and/or D-D′, G-G′ and/or H-H′ and K-K′ and/or L-L′ in
While
In addition, it is understood that the headband 18 may include stretch and recovery properties in multiple directions and in multiple locations along its lengths and widths simultaneously. For example, the headband 18 may simultaneously include stretch and recovery in the horizontal direction (e.g., in the direction of arrowed lines A-A′, E-E′ and I-I′) as well as in the directions of any offset angles represented by the angled arrow lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′. Recall that while the arrowed lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′ are depicted as being generally 45 degrees with respect to the arrowed lines A-A′ and B-B′, E-E′ and F-F′, and I-I′ and J-J′ respectively, the angled arrowed lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′ may represent directions of stretch and recovery at any offset angles with respect to the arrowed lines A-A′ and B-B′, E-E′ and F-F′, and I-I′ and J-J′. The headband 18 may include stretch and recovery properties simultaneously in multiple directions, and each direction may be at any offset angle with respect to the offset angles represented by the arrowed lines C-C′, D-D′, G-G′, H-H′, K-K′ and L-L′. This example is meant for illustrative purposes, and it is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the headband 18 may include stretch and recovery properties simultaneously in any combination of angles and/or directions, and in any location or at any point on the headband 18.
While the headband 18 may have substantial stretch and recovery in the vertical and horizontal directions, the headband 18 may have at least some stretch and recovery in any other direction with respect to the headband 18. Furthermore, while preferable embodiments have primary stretch and recovery (i.e., the most stretch and recovery) in substantially the horizontal direction (i.e., along line A-A′, E-E′ and I-I′ in
While the constellations of arrowed lines in
In some exemplary embodiments hereof, it may be preferable for the headband 18 to have stretch and recovery of at least 0.5 to 2.0 inches in the horizontal direction (e.g., along the length of the headband 18). However, lesser or greater amounts of stretch and recovery may also be used and are contemplated herein.
The headband 18 may be joined with the headwear with the inner (material substrate 38) facing inward (e.g., facing towards the head of the person wearing the headwear). With the inner fabric (material substrate 38) facing towards the head when worn, the inner fabric 38 may absorb moisture (e.g., perspiration) away from the head and the fusible substrate 40 may wick moisture (e.g., perspiration) away from inner fabric 38.
The headbands may also each be formed in individual lengths generally equivalent to the desired length of the headband 18 and joined together to form the headband 18 of the desired length. This may be preferable if the resultant headbands 18 may be curved headbands.
The headband 18 may be formed into a loop as described above with reference to
As represented by the arrowed lines in
It is understood that the headband 18 may include all of the expansion and contraction (stretch and recovery) properties described with reference to
The headbands 18 may be produced using any colored fabric and/or fusible substrates and may also include printed, stitched, or sewn-in graphics, logos, branding, text, or other types of images or patterns. The headbands may also be unprinted. The headbands may also include labels such as size and fit labels, garment care instructions, and other types of labels.
Thus are described headbands and methods of making and using them, e.g., in headgear.
Where a process is described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process may operate without any user intervention. In other embodiments, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., an act is performed by or with the assistance of a human).
As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “at least some” means “one or more,” and includes the case of only one. Thus, e.g., the phrase “at least some ABCs” means “one or more ABCs” and includes the case of only one ABC.
As used herein, including in the claims, term “at least one” should be understood as meaning “one or more”, and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with “at least one” have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as “the” and “the at least one”.
As used in this description, the term “portion” means some or all. So, for example, “A portion of P” may include some of “P” or all of “P”. In the context of a conversation, the term “portion” means some or all of the conversation.
As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “using” means “using at least,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “using P” means “using at least P.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “using P” does not mean “using only P.”
As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “based on” means “based in part on” or “based, at least in part, on,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “based on factor P” means “based in part on factor P” or “based, at least in part, on factor P.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “based on P” does not mean “based only on P.”
In general, as used herein, including in the claims, unless the word “only” is specifically used in a phrase, it should not be read into that phrase.
As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “distinct” means “at least partially distinct.” Unless specifically stated, distinct does not mean fully distinct. Thus, e.g., the phrase, “P is distinct from Q” means that “P is at least partially distinct from Q,” and does not mean that “P is fully distinct from Q.” Thus, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “P is distinct from Q” means that P differs from Q in at least some way.
It should be appreciated that the words “first” and “second” in the description and claims are used to distinguish or identify, and not to show a serial or numerical limitation. Similarly, the use of letter or numerical labels (such as “(a)”, “(b)”, and the like) are used to help distinguish and/or identify, and not to show any serial or numerical limitation or ordering.
As used herein, including in the claims, the terms “multiple” and “plurality” mean “two or more,” and include the case of “two.” Thus, e.g., the phrase “multiple ABCs,” means “two or more ABCs,” and includes “two ABCs.” Similarly, e.g., the phrase “multiple PQRs,” means “two or more PQRs,” and includes “two PQRs.”
As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Throughout the description and claims, the terms “comprise”, “including”, “having”, and “contain” and their variations should be understood as meaning “including but not limited to” and are not intended to exclude other components unless specifically so stated.
It will be appreciated that variations to the embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. Alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose can replace features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values, and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).
Use of exemplary language, such as “for instance”, “such as”, “for example” (“e.g.,”) and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless specifically so claimed.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of PCT/IB2021/056421, filed Jul. 16, 2021, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application No. 63/060,220, filed Aug. 3, 2020, the entire contents of both of which are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63060220 | Aug 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/IB2021/056421 | Jul 2021 | US |
| Child | 18105618 | US |
