Patent Application
20230364453
Strap adjusters are often used e.g. with straps of harnesses, in order to tighten or loosen one or more straps so that the individual straps, and the harness as a whole, are appropriately fitted to a user. Harnesses with which strap adjusters may be used include e.g. fall-protection full-body safety harnesses of the general type often used with self-retracting lifelines or other types of fall-protection safety apparatus.
In broad summary, herein is disclosed a strap adjuster comprising an adjustment knob and a biased pin. In one aspect, the adjustment knob may comprise a first interior annular collar that is configured to accept the head of the biased pin thereinto, the first interior annular collar comprising a first circumferentially-oriented notch defined on one circumferential end by a circumferential wall and defined on a second, opposing circumferential end by a circumferential ramp. In another aspect, the adjustment knob may comprise a second interior annular collar that is configured to accept the head of the biased pin thereinto, the second interior annular collar comprising a second circumferentially-oriented notch defined on one end by a circumferential wall and defined on a second, opposing circumferential end by a circumferential wall. These and other aspects will be apparent from the detailed description below. In no event, however, should this broad summary be construed to limit the claimable subject matter, whether such subject matter is presented in claims in the application as initially filed or in claims that are amended or otherwise presented in prosecution.
Like reference numbers in the various figures indicate like elements. Some elements may be present in identical or equivalent multiples; in such cases only one or more representative elements may be designated by a reference number but it will be understood that such reference numbers apply to all such identical elements. Unless otherwise indicated, all figures and drawings in this document are not to scale and are chosen for the purpose of illustrating different embodiments of the invention. In particular the dimensions of the various components are depicted in illustrative terms only, and no relationship between the dimensions of the various components should be inferred from the drawings, unless so indicated. Although terms such as “first” and “second” may be used in this disclosure, it should be understood that those terms are used in their relative sense only unless otherwise noted.
As used herein as a modifier to a property or attribute, the term “generally”, unless otherwise specifically defined, means that the property or attribute would be readily recognizable by a person of ordinary skill but without requiring a high degree of approximation (e.g., within +/−20% for quantifiable properties). The term “substantially”, unless otherwise specifically defined, means to a high degree of approximation (e.g., within +/−10% for quantifiable properties). The term “essentially” means to a very high degree of approximation; it will be understood that the phrase “at least essentially” subsumes the specific case of an “exact” match. However, even an “exact” match, or any other characterization using terms such as e.g. same, equal, identical, uniform, constant, and the like, will be understood to be within the usual tolerances or measuring error applicable to the particular circumstance rather than requiring absolute precision or a perfect match. The term “configured to” and like terms is at least as restrictive as the term “adapted to”, and requires actual design intention to perform the specified function rather than mere physical capability of performing such a function. All references herein to numerical parameters (dimensions, ratios, and so on) are understood to be calculable (unless otherwise noted) by the use of average values derived from a number of measurements of the parameter.
Disclosed herein is a strap adjuster that can be used for tightening and/or loosening a strap. Such a strap adjuster may be used e.g. to take up excess (slack) length in a strap to tighten the strap, and/or to give out a previously taken-up length of the strap to loosen the strap, as discussed in detail later herein.
In some embodiments, a strap adjuster as disclosed herein may be used with a harness, e.g. a fall-protection safety harness 1 as shown in exemplary representation in
As illustrated in generic representation in
Such straps are interconnected with each other to form the harness (some straps may be integral continuations of other straps, e.g. a chest strap may be an integral continuation of a shoulder strap) and are often fitted with various pads (e.g. shoulder pads 4 and waist/hip pad 8) to enhance the comfort of the harness, as well as various buckles, latches, connectors, loops, guides, additional pads such as e.g. chest pads and/or leg pads, and so on. Such components and exemplary arrangements of such components are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,959,664, 9,174,073, and 10137322, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. It will be understood that the particular arrangements of
In some embodiments, one or more strap adjusters may be present to allow one or more of the straps of the harness to be adjusted. The exemplary depictions of
An exemplary strap adjuster 20 is shown in
Strap adjuster 20 also comprises a shaft 30 (made of a rigid material, e.g. a metal such as aluminum or steel). A portion of a first end section 34 of shaft 30 is rotatably seated in a first shaft-seating opening 25 of first sidewall 22, and a second end 32 of shaft 30 is rotatably seated in a second shaft-seating opening 26 of second sidewall 23. Openings 25 and 26 are most easily seen in the exploded view of
An end section 111 of a first strap (strap 11, in the depicted embodiment) is non-detachably attached to shaft 30. In the depicted embodiment (and most easily viewed in
Strap adjuster 20 is provided with an adjustment knob 70 to facilitate these operations. Adjustment knob 70 is disposed on first end section 34 of shaft 30, in a location that is axially (laterally) outward of first sidewall 22, as evident e.g. in
In some embodiments, adjustment knob 70 is reversibly movable along the above-described axial direction “a”, between a first, axially outwardly retracted position and a second, resting position. (The term “retracted” thus denotes that knob 70 has been moved axially outward relative to frame 21 and specifically to first sidewall 22 thereof, noting again that this axial direction corresponds to the lateral direction of the frame). The second, resting position is axially inward of the first, axially outwardly retracted position.
When knob 70 is in the second, resting position, at least one tooth 74 that is located on an axially inward side of knob 70 and that is axially-inwardly-facing, will fit at least partially within a complementary aperture 24 of first sidewall 22 of frame 21, so that knob 70 cannot rotate (in any direction) while in the second, resting position. Any suitable number of teeth (and corresponding apertures) may be used, e.g. one, two, three, four, five, six, or more. In the depicted embodiment most easily seen in
With such an arrangement, adjustment knob 70 is not rotatable while in the second, resting position, due to the interference of the apertures 24 of frame sidewall 22 with the teeth 74 of the knob. However, adjustment knob 70 can be retracted axially outward to a first, axially outwardly retracted position in which teeth 74 are clear of apertures 24 and thus allow knob 70 to be rotated.
In some embodiments, adjustment knob 70 may be biased axially inwardly toward the second, resting position. This can provide that knob 70 will spend the majority of its time in this second, resting position, excepting when knob 70 is actively grasped and retracted axially outward, overcoming the biasing force. In some embodiments, knob 70 may be biased by an arrangement of the general type shown in
Adjustment knob 70 and strap-bearing shaft 30 will not be fixed to each other so that they must always co-rotate (or remain stationary) with each other. Rather, knob 70 and shaft 30 are configured to so that with knob 70 in the above-described first, axially outwardly retracted position, shaft 30, although always able to co-rotate with knob 70 in a strap-unwinding direction, will co-rotate with knob 70 in a strap-winding direction under some conditions but will cease co-rotating with knob 70 in the strap-winding direction under other conditions.
Interactions between adjustment knob 70 and strap-bearing shaft 30 to achieve the above effects can be facilitated by the use of a pin 50. Pin 50 will be mounted in a radial bore 35 located in first end section 34 of shaft 30 as seen e.g. in
Pin 50 will be mounted in radial bore 35 so that a radially-outward head 51 of pin 50 is located proximate the first, open end 36 of bore 35 (in many embodiments, head 51 of pin 50 may be located approximately flush with the radially outward surface of shaft 30). Such arrangements are most visible in
Coil spring 53 is held in at least slight compression so as to impart a biasing force on pin 50 that urges head 51 of pin 50 in a radially outward direction relative to shaft 30. Various geometric and material properties (e.g. the geometric parameters of coil spring 53, the material of which coil spring 53 is made, and so on) can be chosen so that coil spring 53 imparts the desired biasing force. In some embodiments, the force exerted by coil spring 53 may be adjustable by adjusting (turning) set screw 56 so as to put coil spring 53 in a desired state of compression. Thus in some embodiments, multiple strap adjusters 20 may be produced with the same components and in the same general arrangement, but with different strap adjusters having biased pins 50 that are subject to different biasing forces depending on the setting of their set screws 56. In some embodiments, spring-supporting surface 57 against which opposing end 55 of spring 53 is abutted, may be fixed (e.g. factory-set and non-adjustable). This may be achieved e.g. by providing radial bore 35 in the form of a blind cavity in which second, opposing end 37 of bore 35 is provided by the material of shaft 30 itself, at the terminus of the blind bore. Or, if a set screw is used, the set screw may be factory-set to a desired value and may then be permanently held in place e.g. by a threadlocker.
Biased pin 50 (as well as coil spring 53, and set screw 56 if present) is a durable item, made e.g. of a suitable metal. Biased pin 50 is not configured to permanently deform, break or shatter upon the application of a high force to pin 50 during use of the strap adjuster. In other words, biased pin 50 is not, and will not function in the manner of, a shear pin of the general type sometimes used in drive trains, snowblower augers, and the like. Arrangements of the general type discussed above can provide a biased pin 50 that facilitates interaction between a strap-bearing shaft 30 and an adjustment knob 70 so that the effects described herein may be achieved. These arrangements can be used in combination with features of adjustment knob 70 that will now be described.
Adjustment knob 70 is configured so that a first portion of a radially-inward surface of adjustment knob (i.e., within the above-described cavity 75) defines a first interior annular collar 81, as visible in
The at least one notch 82 of first interior annular collar 81 is defined on a second, opposing circumferential end by a circumferential ramp 84, as visible in
However, rotation of adjustment of knob 70 in an opposite direction will cause different behavior. Rotating knob 70 in this opposite direction (which will be referred to as a torque-limited direction as made clear by the following discussion) will cause head 51 of pin 50 to be impinged upon by ramp 84 rather than by wall 83. As long as the torque that is applied to knob 70 remains below a predetermined threshold, pin head 51 can remain abutted against the foot of ramp 84 and the torque that is applied to knob 70 (and thus to ramp 84) will cause pin 50 (and thus shaft 30) to co-rotate with knob 70. However, if the torque that is applied to knob 70 exceeds the above-mentioned threshold, the gradual slope of ramp 84 (in contrast to a steep wall 83) allows ramp 84 to begin to slidably move along head 51 of pin 50. In doing so, ramp 84 will urge pin 50 radially inward (overcoming the biasing force of coil spring 53).
Continued rotation of knob 70 at this high level of torque will cause ramp 84 to continue to slidably move along pin head 51 (followed by plateau 85 of annular collar 81 slidably moving along pin head 51). In other words, once the force that is applied by ramp 84 to pin head 51 exceeds a specified threshold, pin 50 will be pushed radially inward within bore 35 by ramp 84 so that ramp 84 is no longer able to apply sufficient torque to pin head 51 to cause pin 50 (and thus shaft 30) to continue to rotate. Rather, further rotation of knob 70 will cause knob 70 to continue to rotate independently of shaft 30, which will have ceased rotating. Adjustment knob 70 and strap-bearing shaft 30 will thus have become decoupled from each other so that rotation of knob 70 no longer causes commensurate rotation of shaft 30. Such an arrangement, in which a sufficiently high torque applied to knob 70 causes shaft 30 to become decoupled from knob 70, is what is meant by a strap adjuster exhibiting a torque-limiting functionality. In other words, with knob 70 in the first, axially outwardly retracted position, no matter how great a torque may be applied to knob 70 in the torque-limited rotation direction, this torque will not reach shaft 30 in a manner that causes shaft 30 to rotate further.
The above-described arrangements can be configured so that rotation of adjustment knob 70 in a strap-unwinding direction causes head 51 of pin 50 of strap-bearing shaft 30 to be impinged upon by wall 83 of notch 82, so that shaft 30 will co-rotate with knob 70 in this direction irrespective of the particular torque that is applied to knob 70. (Strap-winding and strap-unwinding directions “w” and “u” are indicated in
Within the general outlines provided above, any suitable arrangement may be chosen. It will be appreciated that various straps (e.g. a strap of a fall-protection full-body safety harness versus a strap of e.g. a backpack harness or general-purpose harness) may be adjusted, e.g. tightened, to different degrees. Any of the above-discussed parameters (e.g. the steepness of a wall 83 and/or of a ramp 84, the biasing force exerted on pin 50, and so on), may be chosen as desired for a particular type of harness and use. Other parameters (e.g. the sharpness or roundedness of the edges of head 51 of pin 50) may be similarly chosen as desired to achieve the desired effects.
In various embodiments, a wall 83 may rise from the floor 86 of notch 82 at an angle of at least 65, 70, 75, 80, or 85 degrees. In some embodiments, such a wall may exhibit an angle of approximately 90 degrees, e.g. so that the wall rises more or less straight up (in a radially-outward sense) from floor 86 of notch 82. In various embodiments, a ramp 84 may rise from the floor of notch 82 at an angle of at most 50, 45, 40, 35, 30 or 25 degrees. In various embodiments, such a ramp may rise from floor 86 at an angle of at least 5, 10, 20, or 25 degrees. A wall or a ramp may exhibit an angle that is constant over the extent of the wall or ramp; or, the angle may change at least slightly from the radially-outwardmost “bottom” of the wall or ramp to the radially-inwardmost “top” of the wall or ramp. (In such a case, a best-fit tangent plane to the wall or ramp may be selected for the purpose of evaluating the overall angle of the wall or ramp.)
In addition to the absolute values of the wall angle and ramp angle, the difference between these angles may be suitably chosen. For example, such a wall angle—ramp angle difference may be at least 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 degrees (and, again, such a parameter may be chosen along with various of the other above-mentioned parameters, to achieve the desired overall effect). By way of a specific example, the exemplary walls 83 and ramps 84 of notches 82 as depicted in
In various embodiments, the height (along a radially inward-outward direction) of a wall, and/or of a ramp, relative to the floor of the notch, may be any suitable value. In some embodiments, a wall and/or a ramp may exhibit a height of at least 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, or 1.6 mm. In further embodiments, a wall and/or a ramp may exhibit a height of at most 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, or 1.5 mm. In many embodiments, the wall 83 and ramp 84 of a notch (and of multiple notches, if such notches are present as discussed below) will be equal in height, as evident in
According to the disclosures herein, at least one notch 82, with a wall 83 at one circumferential end of the notch and a ramp 84 at an opposing circumferential end, of the notch will be present in first interior annular collar 81. In some embodiments, multiple such notches, walls and ramps may be present, e.g. spaced circumferentially along annular collar 81. In various embodiments, two, three, four, five, or six such notches (and corresponding walls and ramps) may be present. In the depicted exemplary embodiment shown in
As adjustment knob 70 is rotated to remove the “slack” from a strap by winding the “excess” portion of the strap upon shaft 30, the eventual tightening of the strap will cause the above-described effects. That is, head 51 of pin 50 that is present within a notch 82, will slidably move along ramp 84 (strictly speaking, it is knob 70 and ramp 84 that are moving with respect to pin 50, but movement of pin 50 is referred to here for ease of description). Head 51 of pin 50 will reach the top (radially inwardmost) edge of ramp 84 and then (with continued rotation of knob 70) will traverse circumferentially along plateau 85. As head 51 of pin 50 traverses across plateau 85, it will eventually reach the wall 83 of a neighboring notch 82. As pin head 51 continues moving circumferentially, it will “fall off” wall 83 into this neighboring notch 82. That is, pin 50, once it moves circumferentially off of plateau 85, will move quickly radially outward under the above-discussed biasing force of coil spring 53, so that head 51 of pin 50 strikes the floor 86 of neighboring notch 82. The impact of head 51 on floor 86 can be sufficient to make an audible noise (e.g. a click). Continued rotation of knob 70 will cause pin 50 to climb the ramp 84 of this neighboring notch 82 and to traverse the next plateau 85, to fall into the next notch 82 and impact its floor 86, and so on.
Continued rotation of knob 70 after the torque threshold has been exceeded will thus cause a series of clicks as pin 50 sequentially strikes the floors 86 of successive notches 82. In the depicted embodiment, with four notches 82 spaced circumferentially along annular collar 81, there will be four clicks for every full (360°) rotation of knob 70. Such arrangements can advantageously provide that once the tightening of the strap has reached the desired threshold, further rotation of knob 70 will cause a series of audible clicks, thus providing confirmation that the desired degree of strap-tightening has been achieved and that rotation of knob 70 can be discontinued.
In some embodiments, adjustment knob 70 may be configured so that a second portion of the radially-inward surface of adjustment knob 70 (i.e., within the above-described cavity 75) defines a second interior annular collar 91, as visible in
Second annular collar 91 thus differs from first annular collar 81 in that second collar 91 has notches 92 with walls at each end, rather than having notches with a ramp at one end and a wall at the other end in the manner of first collar 81. Such a design can provide that when biased pin 50 is positioned in second annular collar 91 of knob 70, knob 70 will interact with the biased pin 50 (and thus with shaft 30) in a symmetric manner. Specifically, rotation of knob 70 in either direction (the strap-winding direction “w” or the strap-unwinding direction “u”) will cause head 51 of pin 50 to impinge on an (unclimbable) wall 93 or 94 of a notch 92. So, when adjustment knob 70 is disposed (e.g. in a second, resting position) so that pin 50 is located within annular collar 91 rather than within annular collar 81, knob 70 and shaft 30 will remain fixed to each other (within the limits established by the circumferential length of each notch 92) so that they co-rotate with each other (or both remain stationary) rather than decoupling so that one is able to rotate independently of the other.
In some embodiments, a second annular collar 91 will be positioned axially outward from first annular collar 81. And, in some embodiments adjustment knob 70 will be movable along the axial direction between a first, axially outwardly retracted position in which the head 51 of biased pin 50 is axially aligned with, and resides within, the above-described first annular collar 81, and a second, axially inward position in which head 51 of pin 50 is axially aligned with, and resides within, the second annular collar 91. In some embodiments, the number of notches 92 of second annular collar 91 may be equal to the number of notches 82 of first annular collar 81. Notches 92 of second collar 91 may be circumferentially spaced, may exhibit floors 96, and may be separated by plateaus 95, all in similar manner as for notches 82 of first collar 81 and as evident in
In some embodiments, each notch 92 of second collar 91 may be circumferentially aligned with a notch 82 of first collar 81 (as is evident with notches 82 and 92 as visible in
When knob 70 is in the first, axially outwardly retracted position knob 70 and shaft 30 are asymmetrically coupled as described above; when knob 70 is in the second, axially inward position knob 70 and shaft 30 are symmetrically coupled so that they co-rotate together or remain stationary together. In some embodiments, adjustment knob 70 may be axially inwardly biased (e.g. by a biasing spring 42) in the manner described earlier herein; in such embodiments, the second, axially inward position of knob 70 may be a “resting” position into which knob 70 is urged by the biasing force and in which knob 70 remains in the absence of any force that is applied to overcome the biasing force.
As discussed earlier, in some embodiments adjustment knob 70 may comprise at least one radially inwardly facing tooth 74 that is configured to be at least partially seated in a complementary aperture 24 of a sidewall of the frame of the strap adjuster. In some such embodiments, the strap adjuster may be configured so that any such tooth or teeth are seated in any such complementary aperture, when knob 70 is in the second, (e.g. resting) axially-inward position. Recalling that a tooth 74 of adjustment knob 70 being at least partially seated in any such aperture 24 will prevent knob 70 from rotating (in any direction), such arrangements can provide that when knob 70 is in the second, axially inward position, knob 70 will be prevented from rotating. In some embodiments such arrangements can be combined with the above-described configuration in which with knob 70 in the second, axially inward position, biased pin 50 will reside in the second annular collar 91 (with notches that are terminated by walls at both ends) so that shaft 30 will be substantially unable to rotate relative to knob 70 (except to a very limited extent commensurate with the circumferential length of the notch 92 in which the head 51 of pin 50 is seated). Thus, in some embodiments, when adjustment knob 70 is in the second, axially inward position, knob 70 will be unable to rotate relative to frame 21 and shaft 30 will be substantially unable to rotate relative to knob 70. And, in some embodiments knob 70 may be biased axially inward so that this second, axially inward position is a resting position in which knob 70 remains unless a force is applied to overcome the biasing force.
Thus in some embodiments, a strap adjuster may be configured so that the adjustment knob 70 remains, at most times, in a second, axially inward, resting position in which knob 70 is unable to turn relative to frame 21 and shaft 30 is substantially unable to rotate relative to knob 70. Knob 70 can then be purposely axially retracted (e.g. by the fingers of a user) to a first, axially retracted position. With the knob in this first axial position the knob can be rotated in a strap-winding direction to tighten the strap, with the rotating continuing until the strap is sufficiently tight and a clicking sound is heard. The knob can then be allowed to return (e.g. under the biasing force) axially inward to the second, resting position (e.g. with any small rotation being performed if needed to ensure that the teeth of the knob align with, and enter, the apertures of the sidewall of the frame). The user can let go of the adjustment knob and the strap will be maintained in this optimally-tightened condition. If it is desired to loosen the strap, the knob can be manually axially retracted into the first axial position and rotated in a strap-unwinding direction to the extent needed. When this is complete, the knob can be allowed to return to the second, resting position, in which it will remain.
The condition that adjustment knob 70 will be unable to rotate when in the second, resting position in which the at least one tooth of the knob is at least partially residing in a complementary aperture of the frame sidewall can be facilitated by way of the at least one tooth 74 of knob 70 having circumferential sidewalls that are at least substantially vertical, meaning that they extend at least substantially in a strictly radially-outward direction. Circumferential sidewalls that are vertical in this manner are exemplified by circumferential sidewalls 79 of teeth 74 as indicated in
However, in some embodiments, the at least one tooth 74 of adjustment knob 70 may comprise a circumferential sidewall that is sloped so as to allow knob 70 to be rotated e.g. in a strap-winding direction even when in a second, resting position. In such a configuration, knob 70, when rotated, will typically be urged axially outward by the camming action of the tooth, will then return axially inward under the biasing force (if a biasing spring is present), will again be urged axially outward by the camming action of the tooth or teeth, and so on, as the knob continues to rotate. In some such embodiments the centrifugally-opposing sidewalls may remain at least substantially vertical (unsloped) so that the knob cannot be rotated in an opposing (e.g. strap-unwinding) direction when in the second, resting position.
Numerous variations of the above-presented arrangements are possible. For example, rather than having an end of a second strap 13 fixed to strap adjuster 20 as described earlier herein, a strap adjuster may have a portion of a buckle fixed to it. Such an arrangement is depicted in exemplary embodiment in
In some embodiments a harness (e.g. a fall-protection full-body safety harness) with which one or more strap adjusters will be used may be a so-called H-style harness, e.g. that is donned by wrapping the harness laterally around the user's body (as in donning a jacket or vest) and with the harness including left and right chest/torso straps that respectively extend down left and right portions of the user's chest and torso, with the chest straps being connected by a cross-chest strap of the general type shown as item 7 in
In embodiments in which one or more herein-disclosed strap adjusters are used with a fall-protection full-body safety harness, such a harness may be used with any suitable fall protection apparatus or system. Such apparatus or systems include, but are not limited to, so-called self-retracting lifelines (SRLs, whether e.g. overhead-mounted, horizontally-mounted, or so-called personal SRLs comprising a housing that is attached to the user's harness), positioning lanyards, and so on. In some embodiments, such a fall-protection full-body harness may meet the requirements of ANSI Z359.12. Fall-protection harnesses with which one or more herein-described strap adjusters may be used, and fall-protection apparatus and systems with which a harness that is equipped with one or more herein-described strap adjusters may be used, are described in detail e.g. in the 3M DBI-SALA Fall Protection Full Line Catalog 2021/2022.
Although discussions herein have focused on the use of the herein-disclosed strap adjusters with harnesses that are fall-protection full-body safety harnesses, the disclosed strap adjusters may find use with any type of harness, e.g. an SCBA harness, a climbing harness, a general purpose harness, and so on. Some such harnesses may not be subject to the specific regulatory requirements that are applicable to fall-protection full-body safety harnesses. This being the case, a strap adjuster that is used for such a harness may not necessarily need one or more of the features, properties or attributes disclosed herein. For example, an adjustment knob of a strap adjuster for a general purpose harness may be able to be made of molded plastic rather than metal.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the specific exemplary elements, structures, features, details, configurations, etc., that are disclosed herein can be modified and/or combined in numerous embodiments. All such variations and combinations are contemplated by the inventor as being within the bounds of the conceived invention, not merely those representative designs that were chosen to serve as exemplary illustrations. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the specific illustrative structures described herein, but rather extends at least to the structures described by the language of the claims, and the equivalents of those structures. Any of the elements that are positively recited in this specification as alternatives may be explicitly included in the claims or excluded from the claims, in any combination as desired. Any of the elements or combinations of elements that are recited in this specification in open-ended language (e.g., comprise and derivatives thereof), are considered to additionally be recited in closed-ended language (e.g., consist and derivatives thereof) and in partially closed-ended language (e.g., consist essentially, and derivatives thereof). Although various theories and possible mechanisms may have been discussed herein, in no event should such discussions serve to limit the claimable subject matter. To the extent that there is any conflict or discrepancy between this specification as written and the disclosure in any document that is incorporated by reference herein but to which no priority is claimed, this specification as written will control. This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/341,124, filed 12 May 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63341124 | May 2022 | US |
