BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to mobile houses. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a mobile house having a rollable roof that moved between a stowed position, adjacent a side of the mobile house, to a use position, acting as a roof over an extension section of the mobile house.
2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information
The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
Recently, the expandable house structure is attracting more attention both in the fields of mobile homes and recreational vehicles (RVs). The expansion mode will determine the effective living area, complexity of the driving and control system, and cost for purchase and maintenance. Exploring a concise and reliable folding/expansion mechanism is of great importance.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an expandable house structure that occupies a small spatial area when driving on the road or when stored at home, while also gives a large living space whenever it is parked and ready for use while allowing the roof to be angled to protect from the weather while keeping the height of the structure relatively low.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention aim to solve the aforementioned problems in conventional expandable structures by providing a rollable roof that can move from a position alongside the main structure to cover an expansion section thereof. The roof of the entire structure can also be angled for improved water shedding.
Embodiments of the present invention provide an expandable structure comprising a main structure having a main structure roof; a first expansion section, the first expansion section expandable outward in a first direction from a first side of the main structure; and a rollable roof movable from a stowed position, with the rollable roof vertically disposed adjacent the first side of the expandable structure, to a use position, with the rollable roof disposed above the first expansion section, the rollable roof formed in multiple pivotable segments that change direction from an upward movement to an inward movement during movement of the rollable roof from the stowed position to the use position.
Embodiments of the present invention provide an expandable structure comprising a main structure having a main structure roof; a first expansion section, the first expansion section expandable outward in a first direction from a first side of the main structure; a rollable roof movable from a stowed position, with the rollable roof vertically disposed adjacent the first side of the expandable structure, to a use position, with the rollable roof disposed above the first expansion section, the rollable roof formed in multiple pivotable segments that change direction from an upward movement to an inward movement during movement of the rollable roof from the stowed position to the use position; and a moveable outer end wall movable from the stowed position, sandwiched between the rollable roof structure and the main structure, to the use position, away from the main structure to form an expansion section between the movable outer end wall and the main structure, wherein the main structure roof and the rollable roof, in the use position, are movable between a flattened state and a sloped state when the expandable structure is in the use position.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a expandable structure comprising a main structure having a main structure roof; a first expansion section, the first expansion section expandable outward in a first direction from a first side of the main structure; a first rollable roof movable from a stowed position, with the first rollable roof vertically disposed adjacent the first side of the expandable structure, to a use position, with the first rollable roof disposed above the first expansion section, the first rollable roof formed in multiple pivotable segments that change direction from an upward movement to an inward movement during movement of the first rollable roof from the stowed position to the use position; a second expansion section, the second expansion section expandable outward in a second direction, opposite the first direction, from a second, opposite side of the main structure; a second rollable roof movable from the stowed position, with the second rollable roof vertically disposed adjacent the second side of the expandable structure, to the use position, with the second rollable roof disposed above the second expansion section, the second rollable roof formed in multiple pivotable segments that change direction from an upward movement to an inward movement during movement of the second rollable roof from the stowed position to the use position; first and second moveable outer end walls movable from the stowed position, sandwiched between respective first and second rollable roofs and the first and second sides of the main structure, to the use position, away from the main structure to form first and second expansion sections between the movable first and second outer end walls and the main structure; and first and second sets of pivotable front and rear extension section walls pivotably attached to the main structure at respective first and second sides of the main structure, wherein each set of the pivotable front and rear extension section walls are sandwiched between the main structure and the respective first and second movable outer end walls in the stowed position; the pivotable front and rear extension section walls pivoting outward in the use position to extend between the main structure and the first and second movable outer end wall to provide front and rear walls of the first and second expansion sections; and the main structure roof and the rollable roof, in the use position, are movable between a flattened state and a sloped state when the expandable structure is in the use position.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.
FIG. 1A illustrates a top view of a mobile house in a stowed state, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of the mobile house of FIG. 1A;
FIG. 1C illustrates a front view of the mobile house of FIG. 1A;
FIG. 1D illustrates a side view of the mobile house of FIG. 1A;
FIG. 2A illustrates a top view of a mobile house in an expanded, flattened roof state, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of the mobile house of FIG. 2A;
FIG. 2C illustrates a front view of the mobile house of FIG. 2A;
FIG. 2D illustrates a side view of the mobile house of FIG. 2A;
FIG. 3A illustrates a top view of a mobile house in an expanded, sloped roof state, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3B illustrates a perspective view of the mobile house of FIG. 3A;
FIG. 3C illustrates a front view of the mobile house of FIG. 3A;
FIG. 3D illustrates a side view of the mobile house of FIG. 3A;
FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded top view of a mobile house in a stowed state, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5A illustrates a top view of a rollable roof member of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5B illustrates a perspective view of the rollable roof member of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 5C illustrates a front view of the rollable roof member of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 5D illustrates a side view of the rollable roof member of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 5E illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 5D;
FIG. 6A illustrates a top view of an outward moving side wall of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6B illustrates a perspective view of the outward moving side wall of FIG. 6A;
FIG. 6C illustrates a front view of the outward moving side wall of FIG. 6A;
FIG. 6D illustrates a side view of the outward moving side wall of FIG. 6A;
FIG. 7A illustrates an exterior side view of the outward moving side wall of FIG. 6A-6D;
FIG. 7B illustrates an exterior perspective view of the outward moving side wall of FIG. 7A;
FIG. 8A illustrates a top view of an expansion section of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, separated from the main structure, with its front extension wall removed for clarity, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8B illustrates a perspective view of the expansion section of FIG. 8A;
FIG. 8C illustrates a front view of the expansion section of FIG. 8A;
FIG. 8D illustrates a side view of the expansion section of FIG. 8A;
FIG. 9A illustrates an inside view of the outward moving side wall of the movable house of FIG. 1A;
FIG. 9B illustrates a perspective view of a pivot-sliding floor connector for pivotably attaching the floor member and sliding along the outward moving side wall;
FIG. 9C illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 9A;
FIG. 9D illustrates a detail view taken along detail IX of FIG. 9C;
FIG. 10A illustrates a top view of a main section of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10B illustrates a rear perspective view of the main section of FIG. 10A;
FIG. 10C illustrates a front view of the main section of FIG. 10A;
FIG. 10D illustrates a side view of the main section of FIG. 10A;
FIG. 11A illustrates a top view of a main structure rising roof support of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11B illustrates a perspective view of the main structure rising roof support of FIG. 11A;
FIG. 11C illustrates a front view of the main structure rising roof support of FIG. 11A;
FIG. 11D illustrates a side view of the main structure rising roof support of FIG. 11A;
FIG. 12A illustrates a front view of a pivoting roof support wedge of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12B illustrates a perspective view of the pivoting roof support wedge of FIG. 12A;
FIG. 13A illustrates a top view of a front rotatable expansion section wall of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13B illustrates a perspective view of the front rotatable expansion section wall of FIG. 13A;
FIG. 13C illustrates a front view of the front rotatable expansion section wall of FIG. 13A;
FIG. 13D illustrates a side view of the front rotatable expansion section wall of FIG. 13A;
FIG. 14A illustrates a top view of a rear rotatable expansion section wall of a mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 14B illustrates a perspective view of the rear rotatable expansion section wall of FIG. 14A;
FIG. 14C illustrates a front view of the rear rotatable expansion section wall of FIG. 14A;
FIG. 14D illustrates a side view of the rear rotatable expansion section wall of FIG. 14A;
FIG. 15A illustrates a front view of the main section roof in a flattened state;
FIG. 15B illustrates a front view of the main section roof in a sloped state;
FIG. 16A illustrates a side view of the action of extending the movable outer wall and lowering a floor member, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 16B illustrates a perspective view of the action shown in FIG. 16A;
FIG. 17 illustrates a top view, with the roof removed for clarity, showing the pivoting of the front and rear expansion section walls, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 18A illustrates a side view of the action of rolling the roof structure into place over the extension sections, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 18B illustrates a perspective view of the action shown in FIG. 18A;
FIG. 19A illustrates a top view of a rollable roof member of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 19B illustrates a perspective view of the rollable roof of FIG. 19A;
FIG. 19C illustrates a front view of the rollable roof of FIG. 19A;
FIG. 19D illustrates a side view of the rollable roof of FIG. 19A;
FIG. 19E illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line XIX-XIX of FIG. 19D;
FIG. 20A illustrates a top view of a mobile house having the roof of FIGS. 19A-19E, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 20B illustrates a perspective view of the mobile house of FIG. 20A;
FIG. 20C illustrates a front view of the mobile house of FIG. 20A;
FIG. 20D illustrates a side view of the mobile house of FIG. 20A;
FIG. 21A illustrates a top view of a main section roof member of the mobile house of FIG. 1A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 21B illustrates a top perspective view of the main section roof member of FIG. 21A;
FIG. 21C illustrates a front end view of the main section roof member of FIG. 21A; and
FIG. 21D illustrates a bottom perspective view of the main section roof member of FIG. 21A.
The illustrations in the figures may not necessarily be drawn to scale.
The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE OF INVENTION
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.
In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal configuration of a commercial implementation of any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may be configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.
Broadly, embodiments of the present invention provide an expandable house that has a roof that can be adjusted to a set angle. The house can be expanded to more than 3 times the space as compared to its original size when it is extended. The unique design in the method of making an expandable house is that the roof is very flexible, so it can be angled whenever it is required. When the house is retracted, the roof is stored on the side of the house, so the height of the house can be reduced in its compact form. This house can expand in two opposite directions. The walls and floors of the expandable rooms are stored on the sides of the main structure where the house expands, behind the stored roof. The house can freely expand and retract any number of times. The expansion process is returnable, and the mechanism is not single-use. The entire expanding and retracting processes are aided with electric motors, so no manual labor is required. The house can be used as a mobile house that serves a similar function as a recreational vehicle (RV).
The figures are briefly described below, followed by a broader discussion of each figure and the components therein.
FIGS. 1A through 1D show the overall design of the rollable roof mobile house when it is in its retracted, or stowed state. In this formation, the house is shrunk to a container the size of a small trailer. Part of the roof are retracted to the side of the house like a shutter wall to save space. Behind the shutter wall-roof is the outward moving sliding side wall. Then behind that are two rotatable front and rear walls. Storage space is present in the retracted form of the house for storing items during transit, for example.
FIGS. 2A through 2D show the rollable roof mobile house when it is in its expanded state. When it expands, the bottom hydraulic rods push the outer wall to move it to its position. The wall can be connected with the shutter roof and the rotatable floor, so they move along with the outer wall when the house expands. The shutter roof moves to the top of the house (over the expansion sections) since the inmost roof block can be connected to the main section roof by a connector chain piece, for example. When the outer wall moves, the roof can be pulled to the top and center of the house. Each of the roof pieces can roll up a rail on the outer wall and rotate 90 degrees to form the roof over the expansion section. The roof does not fall since the roof pieces can be chained together with connector pieces. The floor can be connected to the outer wall with a connector piece. The side rotatable walls can be powered by the mechanisms at the top and bottom of the house, for example. They can be turned by electric motors on the two ends of their shaft.
FIGS. 3A through 3D show the rollable roof mobile house when the roof is raised and angled/sloped. The roof can be raised by two hydraulic rods under the center most piece of a roof board. When the roof is raised, it can also bring out the triangle shaped thin boards on the front and rear sides of the house. These thin boards can fit into the notch on the roof boards, so they are tightly secured without any gap. The boards are for preventing any wind or rain from getting into the house when the roof is raised while providing support for the shutter roof. There are three boards on each of the front and rear of the expanded structure, one on the main structure, and one on each of the expansion section rotatable walls. These boards are stored inside the wall when they are not required. They are powered by a rack and pinion mechanism, for example, alongside a hydraulic rod inside the wall.
FIGS. 4A through 4D show an exploded view of the house. Most the components of the design can be seen in these Figures.
FIGS. 5A through 5E show a view of the shutter-type expansion section roof. It can be seen on the cross-sectional view that each block of the roof is connected to its neighbors by a small connector piece. These pieces are present on both the left and right sides of the blocks, and there can possibly be more of them on each block depending on the structural strength needed. The blocks are slightly longer than the main house frame so the roof can have an overhang to prevent rain from leaking into the house. The roof blocks also have a lip at the edge to ensure the water drips down at the edge of the block.
FIGS. 6A through 7B are views of the outward moving outer side walls of the house. When looked from the inside, the rails for the floor connector piece can be seen on both sides. There are also teeth like extrusions on both edge of the wall. These teeth are for locking the rotating front and rear walls in place and providing some support for them. On the outside of the wall, there are two sets of slots for constraining the shutter roof when they are retracted to the side of the house. Each block of the shutter roof has a shaft at the bottom center of its sides. These shafts allow them to move along the slots on the outward moving outer walls when the house is extending or retracting. The two big windows is not a requirement for the design and may be omitted if desired.
FIGS. 8A through 8D show a view from inside the house at the extending outer walls. More details on how the walls are connected to each other is described below.
FIGS. 9A through 9D show a more detailed view of how the sliding blocks for the rotating/pivoting floor are connected to the outward moving outer walls.
FIGS. 10A through 10D show a view at the frame of the main structure. Some details of how each of the parts are connected to the frame can be seen.
FIGS. 11A through 12B are views at the triangular boards that block the rain and wind when the roof is angled.
FIGS. 13A through 14D show views at the rotatable front and rear walls of the extension sections of the house. Notice that the walls are slightly different near their shaft. This is due to the wall being on a different planes when they are retracted, so one needs to be slightly longer than the other.
FIGS. 15A and 15B show a view of the main section roof before and after it is angled. The edge of the centermost piece of the roof where it meets with the other roof pieces is made of soft body material, such as rubber, so that the edge can cover the seam between the roof boards no matter if the roof is angled or not.
FIGS. 16A through 18B displays the motion of the house during expansion. The range of motion for each of the moving pieces can be seen in these Figures.
FIGS. 19A through 21D show another design of the rollable roof. In this design of rollable roof, the roof blocks are in a different shape. The side of the blocks are sealed when they are in a chain, so they can better block out any rain or wind when the roof is not raised. The connection between roof blocks and the roof blocks to the center roof can be changed from a small connector piece to a connector shaft that runs through two neighboring roof pieces. The overall function and movement between two designs remain unchanged.
Referring now FIGS. 1A through 1D, a mobile house 100 can include a main structure having a main structure roof 18, a front side 14, a back side 16 and main structure sides 12. A door 22 may be present in the front side 14, however, other locations for a door may be possible within the scope of the present invention.
A rollable roof 20 may be disposed on sides 12 of the mobile house 100 when the mobile house 100 is in the stowed state, as shown in FIGS. 1A through 1D.
As shown in FIGS. 2A through 2D, the mobile house 100 may be expanded, where the rollable roof 20 covers expansion sections 24 that extend from one or both sides of the main structure 10. Movable outer end walls 26 may extend from the sides of the main structure, as discussed below. Pivotable front extension section walls 28 may pivot into place to form the front walls for the extension sections 24. Similarly, pivotable rear extension section walls 30 (not shown, see FIGS. 4 and 17, for example) can pivot to form rear walls for the extension sections 24.
As shown in FIGS. 3A through 3D, The main structure roof 18 may be raised on each side of main section roof central strip 18A to form a sloped roof. The rollable roof 20 over the extension sections 24 may also be sloped, where the roof 18 and the rollable roof 20 form a generally continuously pitched roof structure.
Referring to FIG. 4, an exploded view of the movable house 100 is shown in its stowed state as shown in FIGS. 1A through 1D. As can be seen, on the side of the main structure 10, there is disposed the pivotable rear extension section wall 30, the pivotable front extension section wall 28 (note that these can be reversed, with certain changes, as described below), a pivoting floor member 32, the movable outer end wall 26 and the rollable roof 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a main roof riser 38 may be used to raise the main section roof 18 as described below. A wedge roof filler 34 may pivot from the main structure 10 to provide structure between the rollable roof 20 and the front and rear pivotable extension walls 28, 30 when the roof is raised in its sloped configuration as shown in FIG. 3B, for example.
FIGS. 5A through 5D show the rollable roof 20. The rollable roof 20 may be formed from a plurality of roof slats 20A. The roof slats 20A may be joined together in various manners provided that the slats 20A permit angling of the rollable roof as it is raised up over a top edge 26C of the movable outer end wall 26 as described below.
FIGS. 6A through 8D show the movable outer end wall 26, which may include a roof channel 26A, through which the rollable roof 20 can slide as it is moved into its use position. The movable outer end wall 26 can further include a floor track 26B. The floor track 26B may be disposed vertically on opposite sides on an interior of the movable outer end wall 26.
Referring now to FIGS. 9A through 9D, a locking block 40 can include a channel 41 that can ride along a protrusion (the floor track 26B) of the movable outer end wall 26. In some embodiments, the channel 41 may be T-shaped and the floor track 26B may be T-shaped to mate into the channel 41, thus preventing the locking block 40 from being pulled horizontally away from the floor track 26B. As shown and described below, the locking block 40 may slide along the movable outer end wall 26 as the floor 32 is moved into an expanded state. A pivot pin 42 on the locking block 40 may fit into the floor 32 to permit the floor to pivot relative tot eh locking block 40 as the expansion or folding of the movable house 100 is performed.
Referring to FIGS. 10A through 10D, the main structure 10 is shown with movable elements removed therefrom. The main structure 10 can include a base 44, a top 46 with the front 14 and rear 16 being disposed therebetween. Typically, there is no structure on the sides of the main structure 10, however, passage walls, doors, or the like, maybe disposed on sides of the main structure depending on the desired configuration.
FIGS. 11A through 12B show the structures that become exposed with the roof is raised into a sloped configuration. The main roof riser 38 may include a drive shaft 38A, or some other feature, to permit raising the main roof riser 38 from within the main structure 10. Thus, a user may, if desired, raise the roof of their structure by choosing to raise the main roof riser 38. Such a raised roof may be helpful for rain drainage or to provide a more roomy interior of the movable house 100.
When the man roof 18 is raised by the main roof riser 38, the wedge roof filler 34 may pivot outward to provide structure between the pivotable front and rear extension walls 28, 30 and the rollable roof 20.
Referring to FIGS. 13A through 14D, the pivotable front and rear extension section walls 28, 30 are shown. A pivot axis 50 may be defined along one vertical edge thereof to pivot the walls 28, 30 outward from the main structure, as illustrated in FIG. 17. A patterned edge 48 may be disposed along a side opposite the pivot axis 50 to structurally engage the movable outer end wall 26 when the movable house 100 is in the expanded state. As can be seen, the pivotable rear extension section wall 30 includes an extension portion 52 that causes the pivotable rear extension section wall 30 to be longer (in a horizontal direction) than the length of the pivotable front extension section wall 28. This difference in length permits the walls 28, 30 to lay on top of each other (in the stowed state, see FIG. 4) and suitable deployment without gaps between the walls 28, 30 and the movable outer end wall 26 or the main structure 10.
FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate how the roof 18 may be flexibly attached to the central strip 18A so that the roof 18 may angle relative to the central strip 18A when the roof is in the sloped configuration, as shown in FIG. 15B.
FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate the floor 32 being moved downward as the movable outer end wall 26 is pushed outward by upper arms 56 and/or lower arms 58. While the arms 56, 58 are shown, various mechanisms may be deployed to move the movable outer end wall 26 inward and outward.
After the movable outer end wall 26 is fully extended, the pivotable front and rear extension section walls 28, 30 may pivot to form from and rear walls of the expansion sections 24, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B.
The rollable roof 20 may be attached, via connector 36 (see FIG. 4), for example, to the main structure roof 18. Thus, as the movable outer end wall 26 is moved outward, the rollable roof 20 may automatically move to cover the expansion section 24, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B.
Referring now to FIGS. 19A through 21D, an alternate type of rollable roof 60, as described above, is shown. The rollable roof 60 may form a roof over the expansion sections 24 of the movable house 100 in a manner similar to that described above.
All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples and that they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different ones of the disclosed elements.
The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification the generic structure, material or acts of which they represent a single species.
The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to not only include the combination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.
The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essential idea of the invention.
Patent Application
20240271410
