Patent Application
20250041752
This invention relates to manually thrown toy torpedoes suitable for recreation in a body of water, such as a swimming pool. Described are structures of toy torpedoes that improve the safety when intentionally thrown underwater by hand, aiming to hit another player, for example, whose role in a game is to dodge or avoid being touched or hit by the toy torpedo.
Solid rubber or plastic torpedo-shaped projectiles that are intended to be thrown by hand underwater in a swimming pool have existed since the 1990's. An early such toy, called Poolaris™, was sold through Walmart stores. Later, a similar product named Toypedo™ marketed by Swimways™, formerly of Norfolk. West Virginia and which is marked with patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,023 (Warner 1996). Those products were typically sold alongside swimming pool supplies and water toys.
Modified, toy, underwater projectiles have been described, including a 3-finned projectile used in conjunction with a hand-held device that launches the projectile (Silverglate 2006) (U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,357). Other modified projectiles for underwater use have been described that incorporate various adjustable tail sections or tail fins (Warner 1996) (Warner U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,091 B1). Hollow projectiles such as the Sharkpedo® that fill with water from openings at front and back of the projectile also exist. Alternatively, hollow, torpedo shaped objects, such as the Toypedo Hydro, by Swimways, currently a division of Spinmaster Inc. are filled with water from a hose through an inflation pin, the way soccer and basketballs are filled with air. These toy torpedoes are summarized in Table 1.
Hydrodynamic testing has shown that for submarines. “The ideal form involves a continuously changing diameter along its length. The bow would be ellipsoidal and the stern paraboloidal in shape” (Joubert 2004). The classic implementation of this design was the 1950's-era. United States Navy's Albacore submarine. The navy discontinued use that hydrodynamically optimal, tear-dropped hull shape, because the shape made construction complex, and because of the poor utility of the irregular shape of the interior volume (Joubert 2004). An implementation of this shape relevant to toy torpedoes was the original Toypedo® by Swimways Inc. USA. That product was discontinued after 2015, but manufacture of a similar toy torpedo having that exact size and shape has been subsequently continued by the Underwater Torpedo League, and is currently sold through Amazon.com. Also on Amazon.com is the Torpedo STRIKE, of the identical shape as the Toypedo and the Underwater Torpedo Leage products. These and previous toy torpedoes have been made of hard materials, and newer models tend to be harder than the earlier products. Sec Table 1 for a summary of features of prior art passive-motion toy and experimental torpedoes. Early models had Shore-A durometer values between 70 and 80, while the newest toy torpedoes, sold on Amazon by the Underwater Torpedo League and the product called Torpedo Strike have a hardness reading of 87 durometer, which is the durometer-hardness reading of an ice-hockey puck.
Existing toy torpedoes were never intended for throwing at, or hitting, another person (who is trying to avoid it) underwater. Thus, they were not designed or structured for such a purpose. Instead, the marketing of prior products has focused specifically on their hydrodynamics. Existing toy projectiles are typically advertised as being able to move up to 9 meters (30 feet) underwater. However, through experimentation, it was found that the projectiles only move quickly during the first 5 meters (16 feet) from where they are thrown. Beyond that distance, even the best hand-thrown current projectiles, weighing less than 400 grams drift downward in a slow-moving and feeble manner that is not suitable for a sport or playing catch. Hand-propelled projectiles that travel farther do exist. For example, the Toypedo Hydro is a large. 1.6 kilogram projectile, whose mass helps it to possess the momentum to push the projectile a longer distance. However, this mass makes the projectile too difficult to aim quickly in a competitive sports environment, and the propulsion force required, will cause pain or injury if the projectile hits others in the pool.
One purpose of the present disclosure, was to create and provide a recreational water projectile or torpedo that is safe to throw underwater by hand, even when it is thrown with the intent of hitting another person.
The present disclosure describes a projectile for a water sport-type game, which can be played in a swimming pool, for example. In one application of this game, one person throws one or more projectiles, intending for the projectiles to hit or touch another person who tries to dodge to avoid being hit or touched by each projectile. Players may alternate between being the thrower and the dodger and score can be kept by counting the number of times the projectiles hit or touch each player.
In some examples, the present disclosure describes a projectile for throwing underwater by hand or single-handedly, the projectile comprising: an elongate body having a hemispherical nose and a paraboloid tail portion extending from the hemispherical nose to a flat end; and multiple tail fins extending away from the elongate body and positioned proximate the flat end.
In some examples, the outer surface of the paraboloid tail portion tapers generally according to the equation:
wherein Y is a length from a vertex of a parabola defining the paraboloid tail portion, and X is a distance from a midline of the parabola.
In further examples, the elongate body is solid and the hemispherical nose comprises a channel extending therethrough, the channel being orientated perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongate body, creating a bumper between a tip of the hemispherical nose and the channel.
In further examples, the elongate body is hollow and comprises a first section, and a second section releasably securable to the first section, the first section forming at least 15 percent of the elongate body, the first section and the second section collectively forming an interior space within the elongate body when releasably secured together.
In further examples, the elongate body is hollow, and comprises an interior space and a hole positioned at the flat end in fluid communication with the interior space.
The present disclosure further describes a method of filling the above described projectile with water, the method comprising: holding the projectile under the water with the flat end of the projectile facing a top surface of the water; and shaking the projectile vertically under the water.
The present disclosure further describes a method of using the above described projectile in a game played in a body of water, the method comprising the steps of: positioning a first player a predetermined distance from a second player in the body of water; the first player throwing the projectile underwater at the second player; and the second player dodging or attempting to dodge the thrown projectile from the first player.
Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example only in association with the accompanying drawings in which:
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following discussion and a review of the attached drawings in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention will now be illustrated by way of example only.
It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Also, unless otherwise specifically noted, all of the features described herein may be combined with any of the above aspects, in any combination. In the drawings, like reference numerals depict like elements.
As noted previously, toy torpedoes were never intended for throwing at, or hitting, another person (who is trying to avoid it) underwater. Thus, they were not designed or structured for such a purpose, particularly with safety for such a purpose in mind. One purpose of the present disclosure, then, was to create and provide a recreational water projectile or torpedo that is safe to throw underwater by hand, even when it is thrown with the intent of actually hitting another person. Secondary features that were considered included the distance through which a suitable projectile could be thrown underwater by hand and continue to move quickly enough to make the game/sport a challenge, as well as the ease of controlling the projectile for throwing during a competitive play.
To address the above issues, the present disclosure relates to a recreational water projectile 10 and uses thereof. The recreational water projectile 10 generally includes an elongate body 12 and multiple tail fins 14 extending away from the elongate body 12.
In known toy torpedoes, features for the projectile were optimized hydrodynamically, which included features such as a pointy nose and pointed tail. However, a hard, pointed nosed tend to be dangerous if the object is thrown in a forceful manner and hits another player, particularly in in the face or the eye. It was discovered that a projectile with a hemispherical nose and paraboloid body shape offered the best compromise between safety and speed of the projectile for a dodge-the-torpedo type of game. Thus, as best seen in
The paraboloid tail portion 18 may be paraboloid in that an outer surface of the paraboloid tail portion 18 tapers or narrows as it extends from the hemispherical nose 16. In some applications, the outer surface of the paraboloid tail portion 18 tapers generally according to the equation:
where Y is a length in (centimeters) from a vertex of a parabola defining the paraboloid tail portion, and X is a distance (in centimeters) from a midline of the parabola.
It had long been known that a hemispherical nose is far less streamlined than the shape of other torpedo-shaped underwater projectiles, and no prior toy torpedo has used such a nose. The drag coefficient on a spherical nose structure is generally understood to be six times greater than the drag coefficient on a more pointy, ellipsoidal nose (page 41 of Joubert document) (Joubert 2004). To compensate for the drag of the hemispherical nose, the tail portion was designed to be fully paraboloid, and asymptotic to the hemisphere at the nose. This paraboloid body shape helps to compensate for the initial resistance at the nose by lowering water pressure and flow along the rear section of the torpedo. In effect, this adjusts the flow of water along the body length to helping push the device forward.
Based on direct measurements of material hardness, as set out in Table 1, existing toy torpedoes manufactured using solid rubber or solid plastic all have a hardness of at least 70 durometer. Indeed, the material hardness has actually trended higher over the years. The newest available toy torpedoes include that produced by the Underwater Torpedo League (UTL) that copies the V2-rocket-shape of the Original Toypedo of Warner 1996, as well as the identically shaped Torpedo STRIKE® that are intended for team sport similar to underwater rugby. The UTL torpedo and the Torpedo Strike products are all about 87 durometer in hardness, which is the same hardness as an ice-hockey puck. The official torpedo of the Underwater Torpedo League and the Torpedo Strike® product are both exact physical copies of the shape of the discontinued original Toypedo, which measured 79 durometer in hardness. The rationale for using such a hard material for the UTL torpedo league may be to suit that rugby-like sport, in which players battle underwater to rip the torpedo out of each others hands. Even all of the versions of the Toypedo by Swimways has/had a hardness of 79 to 88 durometers (see Table 1).
For the present application, the recreational water projectile 10 is intended to be thrown with the intent of actually hitting another person. Thus, the recreational water projectile 10 may have a hardness of 70 durometer or less, preferably a hardness of 65 durometer or less, and more preferably a hardness of 60 durometer.
To identify the preferred hardness of the recreational water projectile 10, prototype toy torpedoes with hardness values of 49, 55, 60, 65, and 70 durometer were made of rubber and tested (see Table 1). The feel in the hand during game play, and the performance through the water were found to be the same for all hardness values tested. However, the most striking difference between the different rubber-hardness prototypes was observed by bumping the nose of the prototype torpedoes onto a person's forehead by hand. The 49-durometer toy torpedo was tolerable when hitting or tapping it on a person's forehead, and the 49-durometer torpedo was very unlikely to cause a bump on the forehead from underwater play. However, the 65 and 70-durometer toy torpedoes were found to be very painful when hitting or tapping on the forehead, and those could certainly cause a bump on the head during underwater play. It was found that toy torpedoes manufactured of solid rubber or solid plastic material with a hardness reading that is less than 60 durometer perform as well as those made of harder materials.
Further, the recreational water projectile 10 may be solid (see
In applications where the recreational water projectile 10 is solid, a further safety feature is shown in
The channel 17 positioned in the hemispherical nose 16 creates a type of “bumper” 19 at the tip 15 end of the recreational water projectile 10. With harder materials, a bumper may not be of much use, because the harder material will not flex much. But in application where the recreational water projectile 10 is made from 60-or-lower durometer rubber, the introduction of the channel 17 just behind the tip 15 allows the bumper 19 of the hemispherical nose 16 to compress (such as by a few millimeters) if/when the recreational water projectile 10 hits a person or object underwater. The presence of the flexible bumper 19 helps to improve the safety of the recreational water projectile 10 for people when thrown at someone.
Hollow, water-filled toy torpedoes are known, for example, the Toypedo Hydro by Swimways, is filled with water through an inflation nozzle that seals the water cavity like air in an inflated ball. Another water-filled toy torpedo is the Sharkpedo®®, which has openings at the bow and the stern (nose and tail) to let air escape so water fills the device easily. However, those underwater projectiles that are filled with water are heavy, and they weigh more than one kilogram. They are far too cumbersome for use in a one-on-one goal-scoring game, and can cause injury if thrown at another player. The current underwater projectiles that have openings at the front and back may be easy to fill and empty with water. However, they are inefficient for the present purposes, because the sudden throwing force tends to push water out of the hole at the back of the object. The acceleration from throwing the object, like the Sharkpedo, drains water out through the tail end, wasting much of the kinetic energy of momentum that would normally push a solid device forward through the water.
Thus.
In the depicted embodiment, a seam 34 between the sections 26, 28 is positioned laterally, approximately halfway, along the elongate body 12. In this manner, the first section 26 forms approximately half of the elongate body 12 and includes the hemispherical nose 16, while the second section 26 forms approximately the other half of the elongate body 12 and includes the flat end 20. In other applications, the first section 26 may form 15 percent or more (preferably 25 percent or more) of the elongate body 12, with the second section 28 forming the remaining portion of the elongate body 12. In that regard, the seam 34 may be positioned laterally at a different place along the elongate body 12, for example, where the hemispherical nose 16 meets the paraboloid tail portion 18. In alternative applications, the seam 34 may be positioned longitudinally along the elongate body 12, or may be positioned at a non-perpendicular or non-parallel angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body 12.
With this embodiment, the recreational water projectile 10 may be filled with water by holding the first and second sections 26, 28 under the water and twisting the threaded portion 30 and the corresponding threaded portion 32 together. The recreational water projectile 10 may correspondingly be emptied of water by unscrewing the first and second sections 26, 28 apart.
In some applications, the first and second sections 26, 28 may be made of the same material with the same or similar hardness level. In other applications, the first and second sections 26, 28 may be made of different materials that may have different hardness levels. For example, for further safety purposes, the first section 26 may be made of a material with a lower hardness level (i.e. is softer) than the second section 28.
Some of the advantages of the recreational water projectile 10 are that the plastic parts can be manufactured inexpensively, they are light when empty, and are exceptionally easy to fill and empty with water (as will be described further below).
The embodiments of the recreational water projectile 10 shown in
The recreational water projectile 10 of the present disclosure may range in length from about 10 to 40 cm, and more preferably, between 18 cm and 26 cm, with a length to width ratio of about 4 and 6, and more preferably, between 4.5 and 5.5. They preferably have a mass of between about 50 and 500 grams, and more preferably, between 250 and 350 grams.
To assess the ability of the recreational water projectile 10 to travel through water via manual propulsion, three-dimensional, hollow plastic printings were made.
The ellipsoid shape of
The embodiments depicted in
The prototypes of
At first, the hollow shell prototypes were tested for underwater performance by injecting them with a semi-solid jell, through a 10 mm hole drilled into the tail. Performance of the gel-filled modified ideal form prototype was suitable, but eventually, the gel broke down, since the three-dimensional printed shell was porous and storage of the device in the water dissolved the gel. Subsequently, it was discovered that performance of the water-filled prototype remained acceptable.
Generally, it was expected that the less-streamlined, hemisphere-paraboloid design would be less efficient than the more streamlined ellipsoid toy torpedoes. Another expectation was that the passive travel distance with the hemisphere structure, when thrown by hand underwater, would not be as far as the distance of the modified ideal form described above, or of the original Toypedo, with its shape that matches the ideal form according to Joubert (Joubert 2004) and of Warner (Warner 1996).
Testing was done by throwing the modified ideal form, the hemisphere-parabola versions, the original Toypedo, of similar size and mass of about 290 grams (but which has the ideal form), and other existing toy torpedoes in a swimming pool with a constant water depth of four feet. See Tables 3 and 4. The toy torpedoes were thrown by hand using about 75% maximal throwing force, releasing them from the hand within one foot (30 cm) of the water surface. Harder throws using 100% effort were found to cause the torpedoes to veer wildly off course. Manual testing was used because the purpose of the experiment was to study torpedo performance using the hands of a person, as that is the method of actual and intended use for the recreational water projectile 10.
The distance travelled was measured from the wall of the swimming pool, which was the point where the thrower's back foot was planted, to the point where the torpedo settled on the bottom. One throw of each torpedo was done in random order, and the distance recorded. The process was repeated, and the results, the mean distances travelled, and the variability of those distances are presented in Table 3.
It was found that there were no statistically significant differences among the projectiles in terms of the mean distance travelled. The fact that no difference in distance was detected despite a large number of replications for statistical analysis, is attributable to the structures and shapes of these toy torpedoes that were all designed to be efficient in the context of their use. However, the original Toypedo, with its ideal body form and large fins, demonstrated the greatest variability in distance travelled. That variability is attributable to the difficulty in handling and throwing toy torpedoes that have a pointy tail end, and the large, exaggerated tail fins. This conclusion is confirmed by the results with the toy torpedo that had the second worst reproducibility, namely, the 3D-printed, hemisphere-parabola torpedo (
Surprisingly, there was no statistical difference in mean of distance travelled among the devices tested. Moreover, the hemisphere-parabola shaped projectiles/torpedo travelled a conventional, straight, downward-curving path (see Table 4). In contrast, the prototypes that were of the modified-ideal form exhibited a consistent, and unusual, upward-pitching behavior. The hollow plastic, or a solid rubber, toy torpedo that has a hemispherical nose has a broader area of impact when it hits another person, and therefore, it is implicitly safer than a conventional toy torpedo nose shape that is ellipsoidal or pointed. Importantly. and surprisingly, that additional safety feature does not come with the cost of impaired performance relative to the original Toypedo, whose body shape is of the ideal form. Based on the empirical data of the experiments summarized in Tables 3 and 4, theoretical differences in terms of distance and speed from optimal hydrodynamics were not statistically evident when used in a pool.
During the study, it was also unexpectedly discovered that the hollow recreational water projectiles 10 with the hole 24 could be filled with water in a short period of time by shaking it up and down underwater, with its tail pointing up. Conversely, the hollow recreational water projectiles 10 with the hole 24 could also be emptied easily of water by shaking it above the water with its tail pointing down.
Thus, the present disclosure provides a method of filling the recreational water projectile 10 with water, the method comprising holding the recreational water projectile 10 under the water with the flat end 20 facing a top surface of the water, and shaking the recreational water projectile 10 vertically under the water. The shaking may be performed for 35 second or less before the recreational water projectile 10 was filled with water. With more vigorous shaking, the recreational water projectile 10 may be filled with water within 30 seconds.
In a similar manner, the present disclosure also provides a method of emptying the recreational water projectile 10 of water, the method comprising holding the recreational water projectile 10 out of the water with the flat end 20 facing downwards, and shaking the recreational water projectile 10 vertically. The shaking may be performed for 35 second or less before the recreational water projectile 10 was emptied of water. With more vigorous shaking, the recreational water projectile 10 may be emptied of water within 30 seconds.
This case and speed of filling and emptying came as a surprise, because it had been expected that the hole 24 was too small to permit rapid passage of water, due to the single opening and water viscosity. It was only after performing the procedure, as described above, that it was realized that the single opening/hole 24 was practical for emptying and filling, with the shaking producing an energetic pumping action to fill and empty the recreational water projectile 10. Moreover, with a single opening/hole 24, the loss of water due to the acceleration from the throw was prevented. The suitability of a hard shell 3-dimensional (3D) printed prototype with the hole 24 (diameter of 10 mm) at its stern came as a surprise, both in terms of the case of filling and emptying, as well as due to its in-water performance. The present hard plastic hollow recreational water projectile 10 has the commercial advantage that it can be manufactured inexpensively by injection moulding, or blow-moulding, and the hollow recreational water projectile 10 is lighter to ship and carry than the solid version.
This “dodge-the-torpedo” game may involve the offence player 100 throwing one or more of the recreational water projectiles 10 at another player 102, who tries to evade or dodge being hit or touched by the recreational water projectiles 10. This dodge-the-torpedo game can be played in shallower water that is 3-4 feet deep (90-120 centimeters) so that one can jump or dodge the recreational water projectiles 10 more readily. In some instances, the thrower 100 must be at least 6 feet (two meters) from the player being aimed at 102 (the dodger). As well, during the game, the dodger 102 must remain between the two vertical markers 104 along the wall of the swimming pool 108 that demarcate the zone for game play. Without a suitable zone for play, the game becomes a less interesting chasing game, like tag. Markers 104 along the wall of the swimming pool 108 make this dodge-the-torpedo a practical game of throwing and dodging.
The two vertical markers 104 may each be one-inch (2.5 cm)-wide straps. Affixed at the bottom end of each strap 104 may be a weight 114 of at least two ounces (60 grams). The strap 104 must be long enough such that the other end of each strap 104 extends above the water 110 so that it can be clamped in place, or held with a weight 106 on the deck of the pool 108. The markers 104 may long enough to reach at least 3 feet down below the water surface 110.
A particularly enjoyable version of the dodge-the-torpedo game may be for the thrower 100 to start by holding three recreational water projectiles 10, and then throwing them, one after the other, at the dodger 102 inside the area defined by the markers 104 along the wall of the pool 108. Three throws in rapid sequence adds fun and action for the person doing the dodging 102.
For three or more players.
Various methods may be employed to throw the recreational water projectile 10. One method is to place a finger at the flat end 20 while gripping the elongate body 12 around the fins 14, and throwing it underwater with a follow-through flick of the finger that propels the recreational water projectile 10 into a unique path through the water, whereby it consistently pitches upward toward the surface, before slowing to settle on the bottom.
Another method of throwing this modified “ideal form” of the recreational water projectile 10 is by holding it at its tail end, the way one would hold the handle of a pan, and then smacking the recreational water projectile 10 down onto the water surface at a slightly downward angle. This method propels the recreational water projectile 10 initially downward under the water, and then the recreational water projectile 10 pitches up out of the water like a dolphin's leap over the water. The additional speed from smacking the recreational water projectile 10 into the water amplifies the upward pitch of this device, whereby it initially goes downward into the water, and then jumps up from the water like a dolphin, as shown in
There are three ways that might cause this upward-pitching behavior: (i) net buoyancy, that is, it floats; (ii) if overall density is greater than that of water, but if the nose is less dense than the tail, then the recreational water projectile 10 points upward as it moves through the water; (iii) appropriately angled tail fins or a curvature in the body of the recreational water projectile 10 act like a rudder to steer the projectile's forward motion upward. But none of those apply here. For a solid object like a rubber torpedo, the curvature-of-projectile's-body approach was described previously (PCT/CA2021/051021). The approach of using fins or body shape to direct the curvature of the path of motion requires the projectile to be positioned correctly around its long axis so that the fins produce a predictable path during the throw. That directional positioning to ensure that the rudder-fin direction is pointing up, down, left or right is very difficult to achieve for a player during a competitive game. The surprising and consistent upward motion, or positive pitch, of the spinning, hollow-shell, as well as the identically shaped solid rubber toy torpedo prototypes, reveals a fourth (iv) method of directing the recreational water projectile 10 upward, and that method is a beneficial feature during the two-person goal-scoring game described by Vieth (Vieth 2022) (PCT/CA2021/051021). That upward pitch of the solid rubber toy torpedo prototype happens regardless of its rotational positioning when it is thrown underwater. If the torpedo moves fast, as happens when it is splashed down onto the water surface, the upward pitch is so severe that it makes the toy torpedo jump out of the water like a dolphin. That is, even if the throw initially aims the solid rubber toy torpedo prototype downwards at a slight angle of about 10 degrees below horizontal, the projectile will curve and move upward, before eventually slowing and settling to the bottom of the pool.
To test whether the upward rising, positive pitch is related to the spiral-inducing fins, or whether the positive pitch is because of an artifact of weight or density distribution along the solid rubber torpedo, other torpedoes were manufactured having five fins that were directed in line with the long axis of the torpedo; i.e. fins that were not angled, and did not cause spiralling (see Table 4). The result of underwater testing using the straight-finned projectile design was a conventional, generally descending path of motion to the toy torpedo. Hence, the upward rising, dolphin-like-leap phenomenon of the solid rubber torpedo with its distinctive combination of its five angled tail-fins, its modified ideal form at the nose, and its flat tail, is not an artifact of weight or density distribution, or a rudder-type effect.
The dolphin-like leap is a useful feature when playing catch underwater or if standing in a shallow pool, because the leap keeps the recreational water projectile 10 closer to the surface, and in play.
Thus, it is apparent that there have been provided, in accordance with the present invention, useful modifications to projectiles suitable for sport, and methods for throwing and playing catch underwater. The present invention provides structures and equipment which fully satisfy the goals, objects, and advantages set forth herein-before. Therefore, having described specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that alternatives, modifications and variations thereof may be suggested to those skilled in the art, and that it is intended that the present specification embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Additionally, for clarity and unless otherwise stated, the word “comprise” and variations of the word such as “comprising” and “comprises”, when used in the description and claims of the present specification, is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. Further, the invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.
Moreover, words such as “substantially” or “essentially”, when used with an adjective or adverb is intended to enhance the scope of the particular characteristic; e.g., substantially planar is intended to mean planar, nearly planar and/or exhibiting characteristics associated with a planar element.
Further, use of the terms “he”, “him”, or “his”, is not intended to be specifically directed to persons of the masculine gender, and could easily be read as “she”, “her”, or “hers”, respectively.
Also, while this discussion has addressed prior art known to the inventor, it is not an admission that all art discussed is citable against the present application.
