Patent Application
20250122872
This application relates generally to fluid pumps and more particularly to multiple channel parallel peristaltic pumps.
Cell cultures, consisting of cells growing suspended in a growth media, or on the surface of suspended particles, in solution are produced within bioreactors with careful control of several parameters. Within a bioreactor it is important to carefully control the environment to which the cells are exposed. Subtle changes in the environment can have major effects on the physiology of the cells and the amount of the target product. This in turn has a major impact on the economics of the production process.
A range of nutrient feeds may be dispensed into the reactor. Typically, these include media feeds which supply additional amino acids and carbon sources to replace those used in cell growth. Multiple different feeds may be added to a bioreactor on different schedules, often including pure carbon sources such as glucose. Generally, such feeds are added in response to the measurement of parameter levels within the bioreactor. In addition, reactors are often connected to supplies of acid and base (alkali) in order to control the cell processes within. Also, a supply of anti-foaming agent may be connected to a reactor to minimize the foaming caused by the stirring of the liquid.
It is time-consuming and often manually complex for an operator to connect and disconnect the fluid conduits to the respective inlet/outlet ports so as to establish the multiple fluid pathways for the input of gases, and/or nutrients, and/or acid, base, and anti-foaming agents into the bioreactor.
Moreover, the bioreactor system must remain sterile, which requires the different nutrient feeds to be supplied from sterile sources. Typically, fluid feed containers have been loaded with the nutrients-for example within a laminar flow hood-at the point of use of the bioreactor, with the loaded fluid feed containers being connected up to the bioreactor under sterile conditions. One exemplary known way to make such connections in a sterile manner outside of laminar flow hoods is through the use of tube welders, which are for cutting and thermally fusing two previously unconnected thermoplastic tubes in a sterile welding operation. To perform the operation multiple times, on the different lines of tubing needed to connect the multiple sources to the bioreactor can be complicated, time-consuming, and relatively expensive.
Peristaltic pumps have long been favored for their ability to provide a sterile pumping environment, making them suitable for various industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and food processing. However, traditional peristaltic pumps are typically designed with one pumping channel per pump, leading to inefficiency and clutter when multiple channels are required. Users often face challenges when installing multiple tubes, which can result in workspace clutter and confusion.
Various implementations of the present disclosure relate to peristaltic pump systems to overcome the limitations of traditional pump systems for bioreactors when multiple pumping channels are required. In an embodiment, a peristaltic pump system may include multiple pumping rollers on a single common shaft and connected indirectly to separate motors via belts or gears, allowing for the independent control of multiple channels within a compact assembly.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system that may include a plurality of wheels arranged along a length of a common shaft mounted to a support structure, a wheel of the plurality of wheels including a drive portion, and a plurality of rollers disposed about a circumference of the wheel. Each roller of the plurality of rollers may be configured to freely rotate about a rotation axis parallel with the common shaft and the rollers may extend beyond a perimeter of the wheel. The system may further include a plurality of tubes extending substantially perpendicular to the common shaft and connecting between a source and a vessel. The system may further include a pump clip securable to the support structure and configured to position the plurality of tubes between the pump clip and the plurality of wheels. The system may further include a plurality of motors. A motor of the plurality of motors is configured to engage with a drive portion of a respective wheel of the plurality of wheels.
In some aspects, the system may include a controller configured to independently control each motor of the plurality of motors. The system may also include a capacitive sensor disposed adjacent to a tube at a first side of the plurality of wheels. The capacitive sensor is in communication with the controller, and the controller is configured to control operation of the motor in response to sensor data from the capacitive sensor to prime the system. The drive portion may include a gear assembly operably connected with an output shaft of a respective motor, which gear assembly is configured to drive the wheel in response to rotation of the respective motor. The drive portion may include a first belt interface and a respective motor includes a second belt interface. The motor may be configured to engage with the drive portion, which includes a belt extending between the first belt interface and the second belt interface. The plurality of tubes may include an elastomeric material deformed between the pump clip and the plurality of rollers of a respective wheel to cause a peristaltic pump action. The pump clip may include a radial portion configured to interface with respective wheels of the plurality of wheels when the pump clip is secured to the support structure.
In some aspects, the systems described herein relate to a pump that may include a shaft and one or more peristaltic wheels. The peristaltic wheels of the one or more peristaltic wheels may include a drive portion and a plurality of rollers disposed about a circumference of the peristaltic wheel. Each roller of the plurality of rollers has a diameter that extends beyond a perimeter of the peristaltic wheel, and each roller is configured to freely rotate about a shared rotation axis parallel with the shaft. The system may also include one or more motors configured to drive the drive portion of a respective peristaltic wheel and one or more tubes extending across the shaft and the one or more peristaltic wheels. The tubes may connect between a source and a vessel and one or more pump clips configured to position the one or more tubes between a respective pump clip and a respective peristaltic wheel.
The following figures, which form a part of this disclosure, are illustrative of described technology and are not meant to limit the scope of the claims in any manner.
Various implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals present like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items. Furthermore, the drawings may be considered as providing an approximate depiction of the relative sizes of the individual components within individual figures. However, the drawings are not to scale, and the relative sizes of the individual components, both within individual figures and between the different figures, may vary from what is depicted. In particular, some of the figures may depict components as a certain size or shape, while other figures may depict the same components on a larger scale or differently shaped for the sake of clarity. Additionally, examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible implementations.
A system as described herein may include a bioreactor system that includes a bioreactor vessel contained within a housing and connected through one or more tubes to a source of nutrients for providing to the interior of the bioreactor vessel. The one or more tubes pass through a pump system to control the delivery of nutrients through the tubing in a sterile and controllable manner. In particular, the pump system may provide for independent control of multiple channels of nutrient sources to the bioreactor vessel. Though described herein with respect to a bioreactor vessel, the pump system described herein may be implemented in any system where one or more fluid-based components are controllably delivered to a destination vessel.
The pump system provides for compact delivery and control of fluids through parallel tubes to a destination without requiring separate control systems and pump components for each of the liquids for delivery. In addition to the compact delivery structure, the system also provides for sterile and controllable delivery of the fluids over time. The pump system may further include a sensor system for consistently priming the fluid pumps without requiring user control and manual priming. The sensor system and motors may be communicatively coupled with a controller, such as a computing device of a bioreactor system to control operation of the motors for controlled delivery rates of each of the separate and parallel fluid flows. The computing device further automates a loading and priming system such that when the bioreactor vessel is initially installed, the computing device causes the fluids within the tubes to be primed such that delivery of specific and accurate amounts of the various fluids may be delivered from the outset.
The pump system includes a peristaltic pump system that implements a series of peristaltic pump modules. The peristaltic pump in accordance with the description herein includes hardware assembly components contained in a pump housing and a removable cartridge or pump clip assembly component. The peristaltic pump is provided to control accurate fluidic delivery into the vessel of the bioreactor in a sterile manner. The peristaltic pump modules may be arranged in parallel with one another, with each of the peristaltic pumps arranged and sharing a common rotation shaft. The peristaltic pump modules may be scaled according to the number of tubes of fluids for a particular use case and situation. In an example, the pump system may include one or more peristaltic modules disposed on the common rotation shaft. In an example, the pump system may include two or more peristaltic modules disposed on the common rotation shaft. Each of the peristaltic modules may rotate independently about the common rotation shaft, for example by having bearings or bushings coupling between the peristaltic modules and the common rotation shafts. In this manner, the peristaltic modules may rotate at different rates but share a single common rotation shaft.
The peristaltic pump modules include a wheel that rotates about the common rotation shaft. The wheel has an interface end or drive portion that is driven by a controllable motor. The controllable motor may be controllable through a variable frequency drive or duty cycle control to provide speed and/or rotation angle control of an output shaft of the motor. The output shaft of the motor is coupled with the drive portion of the wheel such that rotation of the drive shaft causes direct rotation in a corresponding amount, of the wheel. The wheel further includes a peristaltic interface is used to form a peristaltic pump. A peristaltic pump uses a flexible tube fitted within a circular, partially circular, or radial casing. A rotor of the peristaltic pump may have several “wipers” or “rollers” attached to its external circumference, which compress the flexible tube as they rotate. The part of the tube under compression is closed, forcing the fluid to move through the tube and be forced by the rotation of the rollers. Additionally, as the tube opens to its natural state after the rollers pass, more fluid is drawn into the tube from the source. Typically, there will be two or more rollers compressing the tube, trapping a body of fluid between them. The body of fluid is transported through the tube, toward the pump outlet. Peristaltic pumps may run continuously, or they may be indexed through partial revolutions to deliver smaller and controllable amounts of fluid.
As part of the wheel, a plurality of rollers are provided, with each roller designed to provide pumping motion to an individual tube and thereby provide for peristaltic pumping of the fluid. The plurality of rollers are disposed about a circumference of the wheel that is secured along the common rotation shaft. The plurality of rollers extend radially outwards and interface with a tube and a pump clip to form the peristaltic pump. The pump clip includes a radial portion that secures to a structure of the pump system at a position relative to the common rotation shaft such that rotation of the wheel causes the rollers to compress the tube between the rollers and an internal surface of the pump clip. The internal surface of the pump clip may have a radius that is greater than a radius of the wheel and/or the rollers (e.g., a radial distance from the common rotation shaft to the wheel perimeter or rollers). The distance between the pump clip internal surface and the rollers may correspond to a thickness of the tube, when compressed, such that the motion of the rollers compress and close off the tube to provide the peristaltic action of the peristaltic pump.
The pump system may include multiple wheels disposed along the common rotation shaft. The multiple wheels are connected to and controllable through motors that connect to the multiple wheels through gear, belt, or other drive systems that drive the wheels in response to rotation of the output shafts of the motors. By using the multiple wheels along the length of the common rotation shaft, each wheel acts as an independent peristaltic pump, therefore each motor may be controlled independently to deliver fluid through the tubes at controllable rates as required for a particular system or experiment in the bioreactor vessel.
The pump clip that interfaces with the tube and wheels may be releasably secured relative to the wheels through one or more latches such that different tubes or fluids may be configured to flow through the pump system. Additionally, the pump clips and wheels may be added or removed to change the number of tubes used to deliver fluids to the vessel. The pump clip latches may secure the pump clip in position relative to the common rotation shaft and may be releasably secured through the latches. The pump clip secures a tube to the pump system and can be pre-installed during manufacturing and/or setup of a particular experiment or reaction. This installation process ensures the sterility of the tubing and the pumped fluids and also ensures a known length of tubing is used, which is important to the use of capacitive sensing to complete automated pump priming. The pump clip assembly may be disposable, although a non-disposable, reusable pump clip assembly can be utilized. When installed with the hardware assembly components, the pump clip assembly locates the tubing onto each wheel of the pump system, and the pump clip assembly housing provides the required pressure to ensure an adequate seal of the tube within the pump system.
The priming system of the pump system may use a capacitive sensor to detect the presence of a fluid at an output side of the pump system. The controller of the system may use sensor data to detect the presence of fluid at the output side, indicating that the fluid has flowed through the pump and the system is primed for operation. Accordingly, the capacitive sensor detects the presence of liquid within the tubing, allowing for automated priming of the pump and ensuring reliable operation. The sensor can be present on the hardware side of the assembly, and the pump clip can be used to accurately locate the tubing so that it can interact with the capacitive sensor.
While additional applications are contemplated within the scope of the disclosure, a particular application of a peristaltic pump system in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure is in bioreactor systems. In this application, the disposable pump clip assembly can be packaged with the bioreactor and sterilized. In an example, a pump clip assembly, such as depicted and described with respect to
Accordingly, a pump system in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure offers several distinct advantages, including individual channel control, space efficiency, simplified assembly, and automated priming. The ability to control each channel independently allows for precise manipulation of flow rates and directions, accommodating a wide range of applications. By placing multiple channels closely together, the design minimizes the required installation space, making it ideal for settings with spatial constraints. The pre-installed tubing in the top half of the pump streamlines the assembly process. The capacitive sensor system enhances usability by automatically priming the pump, eliminating the need for manual priming procedures.
Bioreactor systems 100 are vital tools in various industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and industrial microbiology. Bioreactor systems 100 are essential for the controlled cultivation and production of a wide array of biological materials, such as therapeutic proteins, vaccines, antibiotics, and biofuels. Single-use bioreactor systems have gained popularity due to their advantages, such as reduced contamination risk and simplified maintenance; however, traditional single-use bioreactors face several limitations, particularly concerning real-time monitoring and measurement capabilities.
Typical bioreactor systems are frequently limited by an inability to collect continuous data throughout experiments, thus impeding the ability to make precise adjustments and enhance processes effectively. Conventional single-use bioreactor systems often lack the necessary interfaces for advanced measurement techniques, such as Raman spectroscopy, which allows for in-situ analysis of the composition and quality of biological media during the bioprocessing. By integrating Raman spectrometry into bioreactors, real-time monitoring of critical parameters like glucose levels, cell density, and amino acid concentrations become possible. Raman spectroscopy refers to a spectroscopic technique used to determine vibrational modes of molecules. Raman spectroscopy is used to provide a structural fingerprint by which molecules can be identified. Raman spectroscopy relies upon inelastic scattering of photons, known as Raman scattering. A source of monochromatic light, usually from a laser in the visible, near infrared or near ultraviolet range is used. The laser light interacts with molecular vibrations, phonons or other excitations in the system, resulting in the energy of the laser photons being shifted up or down. The shift in energy gives information about the vibrational modes in the system.
Typically, a sample is illuminated with the laser beam. Electromagnetic radiation from the illuminated spot is collected with a lens and sent through a monochromator. Elastic scattered radiation at the wavelength corresponding to the laser line (Rayleigh scattering) is filtered out by either a notch filter, edge pass filter or a band pass filter, while the rest of the collected light is dispersed onto a detector. However, the prohibitive costs and complex installation requirements of individual Raman spectrometers have discouraged their widespread use in existing bioreactor systems. Furthermore, the materials commonly used in single-use bioreactors may not be suitable for Raman spectroscopy due to their inherent lack of transparency and inconsistent Raman signatures.
The bioreactor system 100 may include a housing 102 that houses components of the system as well as a lid 104 that, when combined with the housing 102, encloses the vessel 110. The housing 102 may include and/or contain a controller, such as a computing device that may provide control of operations and devices as described herein. The housing 102 defines an imaging port 106 through which one or more optical sensors may detect characteristics or data relating to the contents of the bioreactor system 100. One or more interfaces 108 on the lid 104 may be used to control operation of the bioreactor system 100, such as to control temperature, sample collection, nutrient delivery, timing, and other such parameters of the system contained within the bioreactor system 100.
The vessel 110 includes a reactor tank which typically is a cylindrical container having a lid 112 that encloses a volume for containing and controlling an environment within the vessel 110. A liquid medium can be provided by a pump system 114 via one or more liquid input lines 116. Liquid input lines 116 enable precise control over the addition of nutrients, supplements, or other liquids required for the bioprocess within the vessel 110. This control is important for maintaining optimal conditions for a particular reaction or bioprocess. Gas can be provided by a gas pump via a gas input line. Gas input lines allow for the controlled delivery of gases, including oxygen and carbon dioxide, which are important for cellular respiration and pH regulation in the vessel 110.
The pump system 114 is depicted with a pump clip 118 that may be removed, as shown in
The pump system 114 includes a peristaltic pump system that implements a series of peristaltic pump modules 202. The peristaltic pump modules 202 are provided to control accurate fluidic delivery into the vessel 110 of the bioreactor in a sterile manner. The peristaltic pump modules 202 may be arranged in parallel with one another, with each of the peristaltic pump modules 202 arranged and sharing a common rotation shaft (not shown in
The peristaltic pump modules 202 include a wheel that rotates about the common rotation shaft. The wheel has an interface end or drive portion that is driven by a controllable motor 204. The controllable motor 204 may be controllable through a variable frequency drive or duty cycle control to provide speed and/or rotation angle control of an output shaft of the controllable motor 204. The output shaft of the controllable motor 204 is coupled with the drive portion of the wheel such that rotation of the drive shaft causes direct rotation in a corresponding amount, of the wheel. For example, a belt 206 couples between the peristaltic pump module 202 and the controllable motor 204.
The peristaltic pump module 202 further includes a peristaltic interface that is used to form a peristaltic pump. The peristaltic pump module 202 uses a flexible tube fitted within a circular, partially circular, or radial casing. A rotor of the peristaltic pump module has a number of “wipers” or “rollers” attached to its external circumference, which compress the flexible tube as they rotate. The part of the tube under compression is closed, forcing the fluid to move through the tube and be forced by the rotation of the rollers. Additionally, as the tube opens to its natural state after the rollers pass, more fluid is drawn into the tube from the source. Typically, there will be two or more rollers compressing the tube, trapping a body of fluid between them. The body of fluid is transported through the tube, toward the pump outlet. Peristaltic pump modules 202 may run continuously, or they may be indexed through partial revolutions to deliver smaller and controllable amounts of fluid.
As part of the peristaltic pump modules 202, a plurality of rollers are provided, with each roller designed to provide pumping motion to an individual tube and thereby provide for peristaltic pumping of the fluid. The plurality of rollers are disposed about a circumference of the wheel of the peristaltic pump modules that is secured along the common rotation shaft. The plurality of rollers extend radially outwards and interface with a tube and a pump clip to form the peristaltic pump module 202.
The pump clip 118 includes a radial portion that secures to a structure of the pump system 114 at a position relative to the common rotation shaft such that rotation of the peristaltic pump module 202 causes the rollers to compress the tube between the rollers and an internal surface of the pump clip 118. The internal surface of the pump clip 118 may have a radius that is greater than a radius of the wheel and/or the rollers (e.g., a radial distance from the common rotation shaft to the wheel perimeter or rollers). The distance between the pump clip internal surface and the rollers may correspond to a thickness of the tube, when compressed, such that the motion of the rollers compress and close off the tube to provide the peristaltic action of the peristaltic pump module 202.
The pump system 114 may include multiple peristaltic pump modules 202 disposed along the common rotation shaft. The multiple peristaltic pump modules 202 are connected to and controllable through motors 204 that connect to the multiple peristaltic pump modules 202 through gear, belt 206, or other drive systems that drive the peristaltic pump modules 202 in response to rotation of the output shafts of the controllable motors 204. By using the multiple peristaltic pump modules 202 along the length of the common rotation shaft, each peristaltic pump module 202 acts as an independent peristaltic pump, therefore each controllable motor 204 may be controlled independently to deliver fluid through the tubes at controllable rates as required for a particular system or experiment in the vessel 110.
An agitator can be provided within the vessel 110 consisting of a motor driving a shaft having a plurality of mixing propellers positioned in the reactor tank. The inclusion of an agitator ensures thorough mixing of the biological media, promoting even distribution of nutrients and gasses. The agitator enhances the growth and productivity of the cultured organisms. Sensors connected to a system monitor, such as, for example, a pH sensor and a dissolved oxygen sensor can be provided. The pH sensor provides real-time monitoring and feedback on the acidity or alkalinity of the biological media. This information is important for maintaining the desired pH level throughout the bioprocessing. The dissolved oxygen sensor measures the concentration of oxygen dissolved in the biological media, providing important data for ensuring adequate oxygen supply to the cultured organisms.
The multi-channel peristaltic pump 300 includes a frame 302 that is used to mount the components of the multi-channel peristaltic pump 300. The frame 302 may also connect to a second frame 304 that supports one or more motors. The motors may include motor 306A, 306B, 306C, and 306D (collectively “motors 306”) that connect to the second frame 304 to position the motors 306 relative to the frame 302. The motors 306 include interfaces 308 such as belt wheels or pulleys to interact with belts 310A, 310B, 310C, and 310D (collectively “belts 310”). The belts 310 connect between the motors 306 and wheels 312A, 312B, 312C, and 312D (collectively “wheels 312”). The wheels 312 each form a peristaltic pump module when paired with a pump clip, such as depicted in
The wheels 312 include a first disk and a second disk (e.g., with first disk depicted as wheels 312 and the second disk including disk 314A, 314B, 314C, and 314D (collectively “second disks 314”)). The first disk and the second disk support rollers 316A, 316B, 316C, and 316D (collectively “rollers 316”). The rollers 316 are free to rotate about individual axis that extend perpendicular to the wheels 312 and/or second disks 314. The rollers 316 have a diameter that interfaces with the pump clip to form a peristaltic pump, as described herein. The rollers 316 may be formed of a rigid material such that compression of the tube is accomplished by pressure applied between the rollers 316 and the internal surface of the pump clip.
The wheels 312 are disposed on a common rotation shaft 318 such that the wheels 312 share a single rotation axis. The rollers 316 may rotate about axes that are parallel with the axis of the common rotation shaft 318. The wheels 312 rotate about the common rotation shaft 318 as controlled by the motors 306 to cause a peristaltic pumping action.
The multi-channel peristaltic pump 300 includes latches 320 to secure the pump clip relative to the wheels 312 and the common rotation shaft 318. The latches 320 are depicted as levers that pivot to release a hook at an end of the latch that engages with the pump clip to hold the pump clip in place and enable the rollers 316 to apply pressure against the internal surface of the pump clip.
The peristaltic modules 508 each include a first wheel 512, drive portion 514, second wheel 516, rollers 518, and third wheel 520. The peristaltic modules 508 may be formed of a single piece and/or be composed of multiple pieces assembled together into the peristaltic modules 508. The first wheel 512, drive portion 514, and the second wheel 516 define a pulley for receiving a drive belt from a controllable motor to control rotation of the peristaltic modules 508 about the axis 510. In examples, the drive portion 514 may include a gear system or other drive components including a chain, sprocket, or other drive system that couples between an output shaft of the motor and the drive portion 514 to cause rotation of the peristaltic modules 508.
The second wheel 516 and the third wheel 520 may be coupled through one or more pins that support rollers 518 and enable rollers 518 to rotate about the axes of the pins (e.g., about a central axis of the rollers 518). In an example, the rollers 518 may be rotationally fixed with respect to the second wheel 516 and the third wheel 520 and may include a low-friction material that interfaces with the material of the tubing without wearing through the tubing or causing undue heat through friction. For example, a high-density polyethylene material may be used for the rollers 518. In examples, the rollers 518 may be mounted to the pins using one or more bushings or bearings that enable free rotation of the rollers 518.
The surface of the pump clip 618 includes a radial portion that is co-radial (e.g., shares a center of rotation) with the wheel 606 and the rotation shaft 608 when the pump clip 618 is secured to the support structure 602. The pump clip 618 is secured in place using latch 620 such that the pump clip 618 may be removed for installation into a bioreactor system, such as shown and described with respect to
The pump module 600 is further depicted with a sensor 624 for detecting fluid at an outlet side of the pump module, for example to detect when the pump module 600 is primed for operation with a fluid in the tube 616. The sensor 624 is disposed adjacent to the tube 616 such that it can be used to generate sensor data to detect fluid within the tube 616 at the outlet side of the pump module 600. The sensor 624 may include a capacitive sensor that detects the presence of fluid within the tube 616. In some examples, the sensor 624 may also include optical sensors or other types of sensors capable of detecting the presence of fluid at the output side of the pump module 600. A controller of the system may cause the motor 604 to rotate and thereby cause rotation of the wheel 606 to draw fluid through the tube 616 into the inlet 622 of the pump module 600 and to the output side of the pump module 600. In this manner, the pump module 600 may automatically prime the fluid delivery system, which provides for additional accuracy of nutrient or fluid delivery based on consistent fluid priming levels within the tube 616.
Generally, for one or more of the embodiments described herein, numerous alternative arrangements may be described; it should be appreciated that these are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting of the embodiments contained herein or the claims presented herein in any way. One or more of the arrangements may be widely applicable to numerous embodiments, as may be readily apparent from the disclosure. In general, arrangements are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice one or more of the embodiments, and it should be appreciated that other arrangements may be utilized and that structural, logical, software, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.
As used herein, the term “based on” can be used synonymously with “based, at least in part, on” and “based at least partly on.”
As used herein, the terms “comprises/comprising/comprised” and “includes/including/included,” and their equivalents, can be used interchangeably. An apparatus, system, or method that “comprises A, B, and C” includes A, B, and C, but also can include other components (e.g., D) as well. That is, the apparatus, system, or method is not limited to components A, B, and C.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/543,682, filed Oct. 11, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63543682 | Oct 2023 | US |
