Patent Application
20240167762
This invention related to the beverage cooling arts, specifically reducing bottled or canned beverages to sub-freezing temperatures.
Bringing a fluid to lower-than-freezing temperatures is a delicate task because crystallization tends to form at the freezing point. There are ways to reduce fluids below standard freezing points by rapidly dropping temperatures, controlling air pressure around the fluid, altering the freezing temperature by adding a solute, and denying a fluid a nucleation point.
Beverages are enjoyed and often marketed for consumption at extremely low temperatures. Traditional coolers can bring temperatures low through placing containers in ice and restricting heat transfer through insulation and capping to restrict air flow. Electric freezers can bring fluids to low temperatures through the cyclic use of compressor, condenser, evaporator and expansion valve. These methods of cooling beverages are often incapable of fine-tuning to beverage-specific use, are not portable and easily transportable, and are not specialized to prevent nucleation.
The existing ways of greatly reducing beverage temperatures to below freezing temperature are cumbersome, not easily portable, not specialized for the purpose of individually sized beverages, and risk spontaneous crystallization through stationary liquid, accidental impact, or excessive cooling. Some of the foregoing aspects are addressed in the following disclosure.
Some or all of the foregoing problems in the art are addressed through a two part cooling system for circulating fluids cooled below beverage freezing points. The top segment of the present invention includes in some embodiments an insulated basin with immobilizing holders for spaced beverage bottles to hold fluids that remain in liquid form at temperatures below the freezing temperature of the beverages, such as highly salted iced water brine with a lower freezing temperature than beer. To promote circulation of the brine and prevent crystallization of the beverages, the top segment is placed on a powered base, allowing for constant movement of the brine and the beverages. The moving base can be powered and can impart reciprocal or linear motion onto the top segment to circulate the brine between the bottles and to ensure the beverages do not become solid until desired.
The foregoing design takes advantage of the property of water-based fluid's tendency to remain unfrozen at temperatures well below the regularly understood freezing point. While water may become solid at 32° F., it does not have to become solid until a temperature far below that. That liquid is termed ‘supercooled.’ Liquid water can reach temperatures as low as minus 55° F., at which point it must become solid. It is at this temperature that the molecular structure of water changes physically to form tetrahedron shapes, with each water molecule loosely bonded to four others. Below the traditionally understood freezing temperatures (i.e., 32° F., 0° C.) ice forms when a small nucleus provides a center on which ice crystals can form. Otherwise, water can be cooled until it reaches its homogenous nucleation temperature, a number far below the typical freezing point. A nucleus for crystallization can be provided by many things, including a shock wave caused by impact, as is one intended use of the teachings of the present disclosure.
The above-mentioned aspects and other aspects of the present techniques will be better understood when the present application is read in view of the following figures in which like numbers indicate similar or identical elements:
Where appropriate, sectional views are included and are to be interpreted as continuous of the designs or patterns shown therein, unless specifically described otherwise. That is, pieces appearing as cylindrical sectioned are to be interpreted as continuing cylindrical shape throughout. Where there is conflict in interpretation of a sectional view and a more complete view, the more complete view should be assumed to control. Where there is a conflict in interpretation of a written description and a figure, the written description should be assumed to control. Where descriptions are of geometric or spatial terms, strict mathematical interpretation of those terms is not intended.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The drawings may not be to scale. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
To mitigate the problems encountered in beverage cooling as described herein, the inventors had to both invent solutions and, in some cases just as importantly, recognize problems overlooked (or not yet foreseen) by others in the fields of supercooling liquids, beverage cooling, and consumer products. Indeed, the inventors wish to emphasize the difficulty of recognizing those problems that are nascent and will become much more apparent in the future should trends in the foregoing industries continue as the inventors expect. Further, because multiple problems are addressed, it should be understood that some embodiments are problem-specific, and not all embodiments address every problem with traditional systems described herein or provide every benefit described herein. That said, improvements that solve various permutations of these problems are described below.
Some embodiments of this present disclosure include a two part cooling system for circulating fluids cooled below beverage freezing points. The top segment of the present invention includes in some embodiments an insulated basin with immobilizing holders for spaced beverage bottles, within the basin and between the bottles is sufficient space to hold fluids that remain in liquid form at temperatures below the freezing temperature of the beverages, such as highly salted iced water brine with a lower freezing temperature than beer. To promote circulation of the brine and prevent crystallization of the beverages, the top segment is placed on a rotating base. The moving base can be powered and can impart reciprocal or linear motion onto the top segment to circulate the brine, to keep an even distribution of the brine between the bottles, and to ensure the beverages do not crystalize prematurely or at all. In a preferred embodiment, the top segment comprises four main parts, an outer shell 100, an inner lining 300, insulation, and a beverage separator 500. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom segment comprises a rotating head, a rotating mount, a motor with a power source, and a base motor housing. In this embodiment, the two segments are held together by gravity and can be separated without tools and without latches by lifting the top segment off the bottom segment.
Unless the context clearly means otherwise, throughout this specification, the terms upper, top, upward, down, lower, downward, and bottom are intended to mean the corresponding direction with respect to a fully assembled device made under the teachings of this disclosure placed upright and sitting on its lower base.
In some embodiments, the upper body of the cooler comprises a substantially cylindrical hollow insulated tub. The top of the upper body is open to allow for the insertion and removal of beverages. The tub is insulated. In some embodiments, the body comprises three main parts, the outer shell 100, the inner lining 300 and insulation layer. One embodiment of the outer shell 100 is shown in
The inner lining layer 300 of the cooler can be generally cylindrical and sized appropriately to create an inner volume to hold the beverage containers and cooling fluid. One embodiment of the inner lining layer 300 is shown in
In some embodiments, the inner lining layer 300 is formed of an approximately constant 0.125 inch thick suitable plastic material. It can follow a slightly tapered cylindrical path to allow for ease of removal from mold when molded manufacture is selected and for ease of use allowing more space for bottle removal.
In one embodiment, the diameter of the inner liner at its widest point is 19.750 inches including the lip, and 12.125 inches tall. In this embodiment its inner diameter at the top, from the inside surface to inside surface is 17.286 inches. Because of the slight taper, in this embodiment its inner diameter at the bottom from inside surface to inside surface is 16.754 inches. In other embodiments, the inner lining layer 300, insulation, and outer shell 100 are all changed to fit the expected uses including particular beverage bottles including soft drinks, beer, wine, alcohol, water, and others. These modifications can be based on the height of the beverage containers, the number of beverage containers, the amount of fluid to be used, and otherwise.
In the described embodiment, the outer shell 100 is sized and shaped to fit the inner lining layer 300 within and leave space along its circumference for insulating material. One embodiment of the outer shell 100 is shown in
In a preferred embodiment, the outer shell 100 has a height of 14.875 inches. The outer shell 100 can have at its widest point at top a diameter of 23.000 inches an inner diameter of 19.750. Here, the inner diameter matches the largest outer diameter of the inner lining 300 which allows the two to be placed together and result in a tight fit. The outer shell 100 has a shelf in this embodiment that extends from the diameter of 18.971 inches to the inner diameter of 19.750. This sizing allows for the inner lining 300 to be placed within the outer shell 100 and have approximately 0.779 inch overlap of the inner lining lip with the shelf. As with the inner lining, in this embodiment the outer shell 100 is constructed of 0.125 inch material. It can taper downward with a bottom diameter of 19.217 inches, which in this embodiment would be the appropriate width to match the taper of the inner lining. The slots 101 each have a height of 0.875 inches in this embodiment.
There are a variety of suitable insulation materials for the including but not limited to polyethylene and polystyrene. In some embodiments, the inner lining 300 and the outer shell 100 are of unitary construction and the insulation can include vacuum. The insulation in some embodiments is of two-part construction, one approximating a curved surface of a cylindrical to fill the space circumferential to the inner lining 300 and one approximating the flat surface of a cylinder beneath the bottom of the inner lining, both of appropriate thickness. In some embodiments, the insulation is of single construction as both the curved and flat surface of the cylinder of adequate thickness. In some embodiments, the insulation layer is added after assembly of the upper section and pumped into the space between the inner lining 300 and outer shell 100 as a hardening liquid or semi-liquid.
Some embodiments include a lid 600 sized to cover the top of the inner shell 300. One embodiment of the lid 600 is shown in
In some embodiments, in the assembled state, the upper body rests on the power section. The power section of the cooler in a particular embodiment comprises a motor housing stand, a rotating head 200, a motor, a rotating mount and an electrical line or battery. In some embodiments, the motor is secured within the housing and rotationally secured to the rotating head 200. The rotating head 200 serves as the contact point between the power section and the body of the cooler and to transfer rotational energy from the motor to the cooler. In some embodiments, the power section imparts linear motion instead of rotational motion. Other movements can similarly be incorporated into the teachings of the present disclosure.
In the preferred embodiment, the rotating head 200 is a thin circular member that is operationally affixed (e.g., secured through bolts and/or other connecting parts) to the motor linkage and provides a plate-like base on which the upper body can sit when the device is in its fully assembled state. An embodiment of this rotating head 200 is shown in
In one embodiment, the largest diameter of the rotating head 200 is its upper portion and is 18.265 inches and the narrow diameter on the opposite lower side after the taper is 17.915 inches. The total thickness of the rotating head 200 in this embodiment is 2.063 inches, which comprises the 0.750 inch tabs 201 and 1.313 inch height for the main body of the rotating head 200. In the assembled state the motor housing stand is below the rotating head 200.
In the preferred embodiment, the motor is fixedly attached to the rotating head 200 or interface plate 200 such that the head or plate can be alternatively rotated clockwise and counter clockwise in a repeating pattern about the centerpoint of the rotating head 200. In that embodiment, the rotation is horizontal; that is, in its assembled state and operable, under the teachings of this disclosure, the largest surface of the rotating head 200 is substantially parallel to the ground and when powered rotates in that same plane. In one embodiment, the motor is connected to a rotating mount, which in turn connects to the rotating head 200. In this embodiment, the linkage arm from the motor connects to the rotating mount by a fastener in such a position that a revolution of the motor and the consequent movement of the linkage arm of does not cause full circular motion of the rotating mount. In this manner, the linkage arm extends from the motor, located approximately centered within the motor housing 400, to a point near the outer edge of the rotating head. The center-points of the motion of each side of the linkage arm (the motor side and the rotating head side) can be vertically aligned or non vertically aligned, with the rotating head side having a larger radius than the motor side. Because of the geometries of this embodiment, as the motor turns, the linkage arm is in alternating tension and compression, as it pulls and pushes the rotating head in a reciprocating arc motion, necessarily less than 180°. This can be implemented with different linkages between the motor and the rotating head 200, including double rocker mechanisms, crank-rocker mechanisms, and triple rocker mechanisms. In the preferred embodiment, the linkage arm connects to the rotating mount at the same vertical position as the pass-through hole in the rotating head 200, such that a single fastener of sufficient length (e.g., a bolt) can connect each of the three pieces. The speed of rotation and possible angle of rotation of rotating head 200 is determined by the speed of the motor, the length of the linkage arm, and the location of the connection between the linkage arm and the rotating mount. This specification contemplates variations in each to change the speed and angle of rotation. In the preferred embodiments, the range of motion of the rotating head 200 is substantially smaller than a full revolution. In a particular embodiments, the range of motion of the rotating head 200 is between 30 and 60 degrees. In certain embodiments, considerations of the amount of jostling of the beverage containers, stress on the motor and connecting parts, and power requirements are evaluated for proper speed of rotation. With respect to each consideration, the lower amount of each is preferred. In many embodiments, the reciprocation of the rotating head 200 ranges between 0.5-2.0 Hz. This range has been determined through testing to be an adequate range to prevent premature crystallization and limit the agitation of typically carbonated beverages, wherein carbonation can cause the beverage to overly bubble upon opening. The purpose of the rotation of the head is to impart rotational energy on the body of the cooler to cause constant agitation of the cooling material (e.g., ice and water) therein to facilitate even distribution of the fluid within the basin and to keep the beverages circulating to oppose crystallization. With the reciprocatory motion imparted by the engine, the cooling fluid within the body is alternatively forced in different directions and avoids settling in any position and freezing. Because of, for instance, the frictional forces between the various surfaces (e.g., the walls and the floor of the basin, the sizes of the beverage containers) and the cooling fluid, the fluid is first forced in once direction and begins a circular path in that direction. Soon, however, the alternatively rotating motion of the basis switches direction, and the cooling fluid is then forces in the opposite direction. In this manner, the inertia of the cooling fluid results in a lag between the motion of the beverage containers and the cooling fluid. There is constant relative motion between the fluid itself and the beverage containers.
In some embodiments, the rotating head 200 and motor are attached by fasteners, e.g., bolts passing through the rotating head 200, through other combinations of pieces, including mounts, direct linkage arms, gears or otherwise. The rotating head 200 has appropriately sized pass-through holes sized and shaped to meet the motor linkage beneath. In the preferred embodiment each of the pass-through holes are 0.469 inches in diameter and placed approximately on the midpoint of the sides of a square centered on a center-point of the rotating head 200, with approximately 7.436 sides; that is, each hole is approximately 3.718 inches from the midpoint. It should be understood that this feature is designed for the purpose of meeting up with the motor linkage below; if the motor linkage varied in size, position, or shape, the corresponding holes would need to moved accordingly.
The motor is housed in some embodiments in the motor housing stand 400. One embodiment of the motor housing stand is shown in
A beverage separator 500 can be placed in some embodiments inside the upper cooler body. One embodiment of the beverage separator device 500 is shown in
In some embodiments, the beverage separator 500 contains keys 501 that align with slots 303 in the cooler body, such as the inner surface of the inner lining, to allow consistent placement of the beverage separator 500 in the cooler body. In an embodiment, the keys 501 are eight tabs that extend radially from the beverage separator 500 a short distance of approximately one half inch. These keys 501 align with slots 303 in the cooler body that allow for placement of the beverage separator 500 within the cooler body such that the circular spaces align over the beverage depressions 302 within the cooler body. In a preferred embodiment, the slots 303 are formed in the inner lining 300 of the cooler body. In some embodiments, the keys 501 and slots 303 are not symmetrically arranged around the circumference of the beverage separator 500 and the inner shell lining such that the beverage separator 500 can only be placed in the inner shell one way. In other embodiments one or more of the tabs and slots 303 are uniquely shaped or positioned to allow for only one correct way to insert the beverage separator 500 into the cooler body. The reader will appreciate there are a number of ways to accomplish substantially the same goal of providing the user an indication of the proper alignment of the beverage separator 500, including markings, non-circular shapes, coloring, limiting removability and so on. Each version is contemplated within this disclosure.
In many embodiments, each of the separator and the upper basin, particularly the inner liner, is made of a material that does not generate high shocks when impacting the beverage containers, e.g., molded plastics. The system is able to maintain sub-freezing temperatures within the beverages because of the elimination or substantial elimination of nucleation points within the beverage containers. Shock waves can provide nucleation points. In this manner, the occasional impact between the beverage container and the surrounding materials can undo the efforts of lowering the beverage temperature to sub-freezing without crystallizing.
In some embodiments, supercooled temperatures are reached in the beverages. Under the techniques taught by this disclosure, the beverages can be lowered below their typically understood freezing point without solidifying or crystallizing. Freezing points are understood in lay terms to be the point at which crystallization of the fluid occurs in the presence of a nucleation point, but are more accurately understood to be the opposite: the point at which solid water transforms into liquid water. It takes more energy transfer for water to transform from liquid to solid because of the energy necessary to manipulate the water molecules into a crystalline structure. In many beverages or in distilled water, there are no impurities to serve as points of nucleation or if such impurities exist they are wholly dissolved in the beverage. In this state with no points of nucleation in an ideal scenario, the freezing point is a point much lower than the traditionally understood freezing point; instead, it freezes at the point of crystal homogenous nucleation. In many embodiments, the crystallization will begin when the beverage container is tapped or otherwise impacted on the side. This tapping tends to cause a shock wave or force the formation of bubbles from the trapped gasses within the beverage and provide one or more nucleation points for the ice crystals to begin to form. Salt water or other fluid with a freezing temperature below the freezing temperature of water (or other beverage to be cooled) can be used as a fluid to circulate between the bottles. A fully saturated salt water solution has a freezing temperature of around minus 21° C. or minus 6° F. A fluid such as fully or semi-saturated salt water solution can be maintained in a liquid state and circulated using the reciprocal or linear motion of the motor imparted onto the upper portion of the cooler under the teachings of this disclosure. The beverages likewise are constantly moving because of the same reciprocal or linear motion; as the motor rotates the rotating head 200 in those embodiments, circular motion is imparted onto the upper container and on the bottles held therein. This constant-motion, supercooled, low-impact state that the bottles are in is ripe for supercooling beverages without crystallizing. Once a beverage is removed from the cooling environment in the device under this disclosure and while it remains in its supercooled state, it is possible to induce crystallization in a number of ways. In some embodiments, a shock wave is presented through a light impact on the bottle. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a physical shock section is included. This physical shock section can include points designed for impact of a beverage container. The physical shock section can be incorporated into the lid 600 or side of the device, including the exterior of the basin. The shock section can be one or more metal points or points made of other materials designed to give sharp reaction when impacted with the beverage containers. In some embodiments, the points are arranged in a ring larger than the typical diameter of a beverage container such that a container can be placed in the middle of the ring and tapped in a circle to begin the crystallization process. In these embodiments, the shock section and resulting crystallization is intended to be used immediately before drinking the beverage. In some embodiments, a nucleus point can be added to the beverage, or the beverage could be poured into a second container, which would provide a nucleation point and result in the poured liquid becoming slush-like.
As shown in
Some aspects of the present disclosure include a system for cooling beverages, comprising: an upper insulated basin having a floor and a side surface, the upper insulated basin further comprising an interior volume sized to allow placement of cooling fluid and a plurality of beverage containers; a separator device sized to restrain the plurality of beverage containers such that during agitation, each of the plurality of beverage containers does not impact any other of the plurality of beverage containers or the side surface of the upper insulated basin and allows for cooling fluid to contact an exterior surface of each of the plurality of beverage containers; and an agitation section placeable in physical communication with the upper basin that can provide, when activated, motion to the upper insulated basin.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above system, wherein the agitation section comprises an electric motor in rotatable communication with the upper insulated basin, said rotatable communication including counterclockwise and clockwise motion.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above system, wherein the floor of the upper insulated basin further comprises a plurality of recesses sized to fit a lower portion of each of the plurality of beverage containers; and wherein the separator device further comprises a plurality of individual sections for each of the plurality of beverage containers and is securable such that the plurality of recesses is vertically aligned with the plurality of individual sections.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above system, wherein the agitation section and the upper basin are connected by a removable connection.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above system, wherein the system has an upright orientation such that the upper insulated basin is vertically above the agitation section; and the removeable connection comprises: one or more extrusions; and one or more recesses sized and positioned to mate with each of the one or more extrusions, such that, when the system is in the upright orientation, the recesses and extrusions limit relative horizontal motion between the agitation section and the upper basin and do not limit the upper basin from being vertically removed from the agitation section.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above system wherein the agitation section comprises an electric motor in rotatable communication with the upper insulated basin, said rotatable communication including counterclockwise and clockwise motion.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above system wherein the separator device comprises eighteen sections and the upper basin comprises eighteen sections sized to fit beverage containers.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above system further comprising a physical shock section.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include a portable beverage cooler device, comprising: an basin comprising waterproof walls and fillable with at least five vertical inches of cooling fluid; a power section in moveable communication with the basin that, when activated, provides movement to the basin.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above device wherein the movement provided by the power section to the basin is alternating clockwise and counterclockwise rotation.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above device wherein the power section comprises an electric motor, the electric motor is connected by an arm to a rotating head by a place connection, the place connection and arm sized and positioned such that circular motion in a single direction by the electric motor results in alternating circular clockwise and counterclockwise motion by the rotating interface.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above device wherein the alternating clockwise and counterclockwise rotation is between 0.5 Hz and 2.0 Hz.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above device wherein the alternating clockwise and counterclockwise rotation is between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include a method of cooling beverages, comprising the steps of: filling, at least in part, a basin with cooling fluid below 32° F.; placing a first beverage container within the basin such that a surface of the first beverage container is in contact with the cooling fluid; and agitating the basin with an agitation section; wherein the agitation section comprises an electric motor in rotatable communication with the basin, said rotatable communication including counterclockwise and clockwise motion.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above method further comprising the steps of: restraining a plurality of beverage containers within the basin adjacent to the first beverage containers such that none of the plurality of beverage containers nor the first beverage containers are in contact with any of the other beverage containers.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above method wherein the plurality of beverage containers are restrained by a separator comprising circles sized and spaced to allow the cooling fluid to contact each of the plurality of beverage containers.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above method where the agitation section comprises and electric motor linked to a rotating head; and the counterclockwise and clockwise motion being between 0.5 Hz and 2.0 Hz.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above method further comprising the steps of: lowering the temperature of a beverage within the first beverage container to a temperature less than 32° F.; and maintaining the beverage in a fluid state.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above method further comprising the step of: circulating the cooling fluid within the basin.
Some aspects of the present disclosure include the above method wherein the clockwise and counterclockwise motion is between 30° and 60°.
The reader should appreciate that the present application describes several inventions. Rather than separating those inventions into multiple isolated patent applications, applicants have grouped these inventions into a single document because their related subject matter lends itself to economies in the application process. But the distinct advantages and aspects of such inventions should not be conflated. In some cases, embodiments address all of the deficiencies noted herein, but it should be understood that the inventions are independently useful, and some embodiments address only a subset of such problems or offer other, unmentioned benefits that will be apparent to those of skill in the art reviewing the present disclosure. Due to costs constraints, some inventions disclosed herein may not be presently claimed and may be claimed in later filings, such as continuation applications or by amending the present claims. Similarly, due to space constraints, neither the Abstract nor the Summary of the Invention sections of the present document should be taken as containing a comprehensive listing of all such inventions or all aspects of such inventions.
It should be understood that the description and the drawings are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description and the drawings are to be construed as illustrative only and are for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and processes may be reversed or omitted, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims. Headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description.
As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). The words “include”, “including”, and “includes” and the like mean including, but not limited to. As used throughout this application, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content explicitly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “an element” or “a element” includes a combination of two or more elements, notwithstanding use of other terms and phrases for one or more elements, such as “one or more.” The term “or” is, unless indicated otherwise, non-exclusive, i.e., encompassing both “and” and “or.” Terms describing conditional relationships, e.g., “in response to X, Y,” “upon X, Y,”, “if X, Y,” “when X, Y,” and the like, encompass causal relationships in which the antecedent is a necessary causal condition, the antecedent is a sufficient causal condition, or the antecedent is a contributory causal condition of the consequent, e.g., “state X occurs upon condition Y obtaining” is generic to “X occurs solely upon Y” and “X occurs upon Y and Z.” Such conditional relationships are not limited to consequences that instantly follow the antecedent obtaining, as some consequences may be delayed, and in conditional statements, antecedents are connected to their consequents, e.g., the antecedent is relevant to the likelihood of the consequent occurring. Statements in which a plurality of attributes or functions are mapped to a plurality of objects (e.g., one or more processors performing steps A, B, C, and D) encompasses both all such attributes or functions being mapped to all such objects and subsets of the attributes or functions being mapped to subsets of the attributes or functions (e.g., both all processors each performing steps A-D, and a case in which processor 1 performs step A, processor 2 performs step B and part of step C, and processor 3 performs part of step C and step D), unless otherwise indicated. Further, unless otherwise indicated, statements that one value or action is “based on” another condition or value encompass both instances in which the condition or value is the sole factor and instances in which the condition or value is one factor among a plurality of factors. Unless otherwise indicated, statements that “each” instance of some collection have some property should not be read to exclude cases where some otherwise identical or similar members of a larger collection do not have the property, i.e., each does not necessarily mean each and every. Limitations as to sequence of recited steps should not be read into the claims unless explicitly specified, e.g., with explicit language like “after performing X, performing Y,” in contrast to statements that might be improperly argued to imply sequence limitations, like “performing X on items, performing Y on the X'ed items,” used for purposes of making claims more readable rather than specifying sequence. Statements referring to “at least Z of A, B, and C,” and the like (e.g., “at least Z of A, B, or C”), refer to at least Z of the listed categories (A, B, and C) and do not require at least Z units in each category. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the discussion, it is appreciated that throughout this specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining” or the like refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic processing/computing device. Features described with reference to geometric constructs, like “parallel,” “perpendicular/orthogonal,” “square”, “cylindrical,” “centerpoint” and the like or mathematical constructs like numerical designations of uncountable nouns such as “half of a liter of water” or “two inches”, should be construed as encompassing items that substantially embody the properties of the geometric construct, e.g., reference to “parallel” surfaces encompasses substantially parallel surfaces and reference to “half” a measurement of a fluid encompasses substantially half. The permitted range of deviation from Platonic ideals of these geometric and mathematic constructs is to be determined with reference to ranges in the specification, and where such ranges are not stated, with reference to industry norms in the field of use, and where such ranges are not defined, with reference to industry norms in the field of manufacturing of the designated feature, and where such ranges are not defined, features substantially embodying a geometric construct should be construed to include those features within 15% of the defining attributes of that geometric construct.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/675,552, filed Nov. 6, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/757,334, filed Nov. 8, 2018.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62757334 | Nov 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16675552 | Nov 2019 | US |
| Child | 18517116 | US |
