Patent Application
20130321145
The present invention and its preferred embodiments relates to an e-Health, telematics classification of e-health patient care monitoring systems in general, but more specifically to a congregate facility resident-patient environment and critical assets monitoring and maintenance system.
Healthcare IT spending is expected to reach $45 billion by the end of 2012, according to a study from market research firm RNCOS.
Much of that growth will come from spending on electronic health record (EHR) systems, mobile health applications, resident patient e-health care, and efforts to comply with new government standards.
Boosted by increased spending on healthcare software—which is needed for the rollout of EHR systems and resident patient e-health care—the U.S. healthcare IT market is expected to grow at a rate of about 24% annually from 2012 to 2014, the study said. Spending on healthcare software rose 20.5% in the past year, from $6.8 billion in 2010 to a projected $8.2 billion this year, according to RNCOS.
Recent mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare IT market also point to growing private-sector interest in software, which will see sales grow at rate of more than 30% annually from 2012 to 2014, the report said.
The study attributed some of the increase in spending to the Healthcare Reform Act, the new ICD-10 coding system, and adoption of EHR systems, which will be mandatory by 2015. Also a factor: Medicaid enrollment, which is expected to increase by 16 million people by 2019.
ICD-10 is a comprehensive medical coding system that includes more than 550,000 codes; hospitals are required to be using it by Oct. 1, 2013.
And the adoption of EHR technology—hastened by the requirement that healthcare facilities must achieve “meaningful use” of such systems—is forcing hospitals and other healthcare providers to move ahead with technology implementations faster than ever.
In addition, the RNCOS report noted that consumers are keenly interested in the benefits of mobile health technology. The mobile health market is estimated to hit $2.1 billion by the end of the year. It has grown by 17% in each of the past two years.
The main driver behind that double-digit growth rate is the increasing use of smartphones, GPS, and continuous wireless patient monitoring. By the end of 2011, 50% of mobile phones in the U.S. are expected to be smartphones, up from 21% in 2009.
As a result, according to market research firm Research2guidance, healthcare-related smartphone apps are set to become hugely popular. The research firm projects that some 500 million people will be using such apps within five years.
According to the Global Mobile Health Market Report 2010-2015 compiled by Research2guidance, more than one-third of 1.4 billion smartphone users in 2015 will be running some kind of mobile healthcare app.
A recent online survey sponsored by the wireless industry association CTIA found a similar level of interest in health-oriented apps. In the CTIA survey, 78% of respondents said that they were interested in mobile health products and services and 15% said that they were extremely interested in learning more. “This signifies that the awareness among the consumers regarding [mobile health] services is increasing, which has played an important role in the growth of the market,” the RNCOS report said.
More than 72% of physicians in the U.S. are now smartphone users, according to the RNCOS report. And tablet devices are also catching on in the medical community: More than 20% of all U.S. physicians have iPads.
Healthcare apps for smartphones are one of the main reasons for this increased usage. There are already more than 10,000 mobile applications related to health, and about 40% of those are designed for healthcare professionals. That figure includes remote monitoring and healthcare management applications. Even Apple's iTunes store has about 6,000 mobile health apps.
As the mobile health market surges ahead, there is an emerging call within the medical community for a dedicated wireless spectrum for healthcare use. That spectrum would augment commercial mobile broadband networks, which have significant coverage gaps and face reliability issues.
Earlier this year, healthcare providers and the aeronautics industry association urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve a mobile body area network (MBAN) plan. The MBAN radio spectrum would create a wireless body sensor network for remotely monitoring critically and chronically ill people via small wireless devices. That would allow caregivers to track a person's health status and take swift action in any emergencies.
The American Telemedicine Association also has asked the FCC to consider setting aside small portions of spectrum for the exclusive use of healthcare professionals. No decision on the spectrum requests has yet been made.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a software rules engine controlled and monitored e-health telematics system called TracPoint™. TracPoint™ is a comprehensive solution, combining uniquely designed Resident Management Information Software with state of the art UWB (ultra wide band)/RTLS (real time location system) technology.
TracPoint™ enables a plurality of e-healthcare givers to assess the disparate needs of a plurality of individuals entrusted in an e-healthcare giver's care and determines the specific range of that resident's independence. Key features for utilizing wireless TracPoint™ are:
Prior art in hospitals, nursing homes, or congregate facilities have long struggled with problems related to resident-patient wandering and elopement. This is further compounded in a hospital or congregate facility e-healthcare resident-patient environment. Behavior management and e-healthcare resident-patient safety are two of the most essential requirements of Federal and State licensing agencies and regulations on all long term care providers. If a resident-patient leaves a facility un-noticed by staff, said e-healthcare resident-patient is at high risk of imminent danger of personal harm possibly ending in loss of life. In addition to the severe ramifications on a Facility from a liability and public relations perspective, the facility is also subject to potentially crippling, regulatory sanctions and reimbursement fines. This prior art concept also extends to current care systems of prior art in addition to a common scenario of a e-healthcare resident-patient wearing a passive RFID device approaches a door or elevator which then sets off a loud audible alarm for staff to respond. The alarm sound, alarm radius and sensitivity are fixed for all e-healthcare residents regardless of their individual behavior or needs. The system is fixed to ring an alarm and/or lock a door only when approached with no tracking or monitoring capability, and no ability for the facility to adjust the system for a specified e-healthcare resident-patient and their specific needs. They are useless for any other purpose other than their limited range and function.
It is a goal of said present invention to allow for and enable interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted safety and mobility of said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient in a hospital or congregate environs without any lapse or compromising of safety or care of said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient. This novelty of said present invention is put into practice with interminable communication coordination amongst an on-site caregiver or a plurality of on-site caregivers so defined as on-site in all locations within said internal and said external designated perimeter mesh zones; and a designated remote guardian on-site caregiver or a plurality of designated remote guardian on-site caregivers; and a on-site central computer portal method means with high speed internet access; and a remote administrator computer portal with high speed internet access.
It is another goal of said present invention to provide said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient with a non-compromising wristband method means, but not limited to just a wristband method means in combination with said attached RF wireless tag method means that is in interminable communication with said RF wireless reader method means all effectively communicating with all said readers in all said designated safe perimeter mesh zones.
It is another goal of said present invention to provide a wristband method means with embedded wire trigger method means to be the alert means for annunciating any attempted severing of said wristband method means by said patient, but not limited to said patient; and said severing attempt being carried out by any intruder or safety compromising personage or plurality of said safety compromising personage, not in the category of said on-site caregiver or plurality of on-site caregivers.
It is another goal of said present invention to provide an RF wireless reader method means or plurality of RF wireless reader method means that are in interminable communications with all other RF wireless reader method means and all other RF wireless tag method means, with purpose of providing said interminable and non-compromising care to said hospital or congregate facility resident-patients or plurality of said hospital or congregate facility resident-patients.
It is another goal of said present invention to have uncompromising and interminable awareness of said on-site caregiver or a plurality of said on-site caregiver personage location within said internal and said external designated perimeter mesh zones.
Another goal of said present invention is to provide within said internal and said external designated perimeter mesh zones an infra-red wireless transceiver method means that provides interminable motion interrogation of said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient's movement throughout said mesh zones.
Another goal of said present invention to incorporate within said wrist band tag method means, an accelerometer motion detector method means that is in interminable communications through electrical connexion to said RF wireless wearer's tag transmitter method means that is in interminable communication with a designated high speed internet access in interminable communication with said remote administrative computer portal method means. Where said accelerometer motion detector method means emits and propagates effectively, a burst ping alert signal periodically and interminably; and where said alert signal's periodicity is optimized for the longest amount of emitted ping signal per unit time so adjusted to provide the maximum battery lifetime of said wrist tag method means operation.
It is a goal of said present invention embodiments to enable said GPS RF wireless transceiver method means to take control once a hospital or congregate facility resident-patient is out of range of said designated safe perimeter mesh zones; and annunciate said location of said a hospital or congregate facility resident-patient or a plurality of a hospital or congregate facility resident-patients periodically so that constant updating of said location under question will be received by said on-site caregiver or plurality of said on-site caregivers and said remote administrator computer portal by way of high speed internet access. Where said GPS RF wireless transceiver method means interminably emits and propagates effectively, a burst ping alert signal periodically and interminably; and where said alert signal's periodicity is optimized for the longest amount of emitted ping signal per unit time so adjusted to provide said maximum battery lifetime of said wearer's tag method means operation.
Further goal of said present invention is the interminable monitoring of said on-site caregiver and if for any reason said on-site caregiver leaves said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient designated perimeter mesh zones without notice; or failure to announce a report-in absence validation voucher, said internet accessed administration portal is alerted and said on-site caregiver, or plurality of said on-site caregiver personage is signaled if failure to summon said on-site caregiver arises. In addition said GPS wireless transceiver method means embedded in said on-site caregiver RF wireless transceiver tag method means monitors and communicates said movement of said absent on-site caregiver when out of range of all said designated mesh zones.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver method means, but not limited to a battery-less and wireless transceiver method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted safety and mobility of said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient in a hospital or congregate environs without any lapse or compromising of safety or care of said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver method means, but not limited to a battery-less and wireless transceiver method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted assets security and location monitoring.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver method means, but not limited to a battery-less and wireless transceiver method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted on-site resident patient monitoring method means.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver method means, but not limited to a battery-less and wireless transceiver and DEAK™ battery-less power source method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted on-site resident patient motion detection method means.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patented DEAK™ battery-less power source method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted on-site resident patient motion detection method means.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patented DEAK™ battery-less power source method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted on-site resident non-patient assets security detection and tracking method means.
TracPoint™ is a rule based patient care locationing system for use in healthcare and or residential locations. The software utilizes a rule based logic that combines RFID locationing information with preset location, time or relationship based rules (or combinations thereof) to monitor and automatically notify caregivers upon the violation of one or more specific or general rules. Said rules engine applies selected rules stored in the data base to individual tags worn by people or applied to objects, to produce an output based on the individualized rule set for that specific tag, triggering a notification sequence that can include preprogrammed notifications via email, text or audible alerts when the specific parameters of the applied rule is violated. The tracking of said rules is in real time against the second by second location data provided by the RFID reader device means located throughout an area.
For example:
Time Based Rule
Send an alert if a patient does or does not leave their room within a set time frame.
Rules can change based on time of day.
Location Based Rules
Send an alert if a patient tries to use an exit area at any time.
Send an alert if a resident gets within 5/10/15 feet of an exit.
Send an alert if a resident enters an unsafe area (kitchen, stairway, exit door);
said unsafe areas are programmed into said rules engine.
Relational Based Rules
Send an alert if a resident gets within a specified distance of another resident.
Send an alert if a resident is not associated with said other resident (within 3 or less feet) or a piece of equipment (i.e. wheelchair, IV pole).
Send an alert if 2 tags get within a specified range of another tag device means.
The TracPoint™ software compares said rule set for each resident against the second by second location data for the specified tag device means and triggers various alerts when a rule is violated.
Said rules are both positive and negative—if a tag device means enters a zone it will activate a rule versus a resident not being in the zone will also trigger a rule.
Resident A: Dementia, Wandering
Rule Sets:
Resident B: Self Isolates, Fights with Resident C
Resident C: Alert, Short Term Patient
Equipment TAG—on a Rented Concentrator Attached Asset
In accord with the preferred embodiments and goal of said present invention; there is provided and maintained a designated mesh zone means, patient medical monitoring means, assets security location monitoring, and communications system method means capable of interminable and non-compromising hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient care; based upon said preferred embodiments that are a composite patient care and security software rules engine that commands all activities and establishes any and all rule changes and system variations that can be initiated and altered by an authorized administrator rules command control method means, for any purpose that secures and guarantees a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted system method means of patient care, safety, and protection.
It is a further intention of said invention to provide a general monitoring care system means that can be applied without restriction to any type of patient care or living being care, such as animals in confined places of interest and environs; or inanimate objects in confined and private or public places of interest and environs.
It is an intention of said present invention to provide by a computer system means or a plurality of computer systems means with high speed internet access and communications means; interminable and uninterrupted hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient monitoring or a plurality of home or congregate facility resident-patients monitoring; executed by wearable hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient identification tag means, which through RF wireless device means and IR (infra-red) wireless device means; transmit and communicate within vicinity of said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient on site caregivers, remote from said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient on site caregivers, and computer system with high speed internet access and communications means administration portals.
It is another intention of said present invention to calculate and report said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient or a plurality of said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patients movement and all kinetic activity within the perimeter of all designated interior and exterior approved and validated location and environment definitions.
It is another intention of said present invention to enable adequate unrestricted hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient mobility without any harm to said home or congregate facility resident-patient or plurality of home or congregate facility resident-patients.
It is another intention of said present invention to monitor and report on site caregiver location information by RF wireless means.
It is another intention of said present invention to monitor and report on site caregiver location information by IR (infra-red) wireless means.
It is another intention of said present invention to prevent said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient or a plurality of said home or congregate facility resident-patients from diverting away from all designated safe perimeter mesh zones by wearing a non-compromised wireless wristband tag means that has GPS transceiver capabilities and a transceiver means to report an instant location of said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient or a plurality of said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patients.
It is another intention of said present invention to insure said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient or plurality of said patients from removing said RF wireless wristband tag means by said novelty of an embedded wire means in said strap band of said RF wireless wristband tag device means. In order to remove said wristband and tag, any personage must sever and consequently cut and break the circuitous continuity of said embedded wire means.
It is another intention of said present invention for said rules engine to monitor and maintain secured, all portals of egress germane to all said internal and said external designated safe perimeter mesh zones for safe hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient mobility within said safe designated perimeter mesh zones.
It is another intention of said present invention to, by action of its said rules engine teaching and design, to assign and validate all designation of said non-compromising with interminable wireless transmission reporting hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient and on site caregiver location system with all affinitive on site caregivers, all affinitive remote guardian on site caregivers, affinitive on-site high speed internet access computer portal, and said affinitive administrative high speed internet access computer portal.
It is another intention of said present invention for said rules engine to teach that said custom software rules engine development means is unique and effective to orchestrate aggregate of said present contiguous system component means and aggregate personage with said on-site high speed internet access computer portal means and said administrative high speed internet access computer portal means, to insure non-compromised safety and care of said hospital, nursing home, or congregate facility resident-patient or ward or said plurality of patents or wards.
Further it is another intention of said present invention rules engine that by using a GPS satellite transceiver device means in interminable and non-compromising communications with said hospital, nursing home, or congregate resident-patient's wearable wristband RF transceiver tag device means, said hospital, nursing home, or congregate resident-patient or a plurality of said hospital, nursing home, or congregate resident-patients are monitored for their instant location, safety, and caregiving. Through the obvious means offered and executed by said present invention and it should be obvious to anyone steeped in the art that these means are carried out in said manner.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patent pending or patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver device means, but not limited to a battery-less and wireless transceiver device means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted safety and mobility of said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient in a hospital or congregate environs without any lapse or compromising of safety or care of said hospital or congregate facility resident-patient.
One of the major common problems with prior art is that their wireless tags or communications links are powered by batteries to establish portability and mobility, which remains as a potential maintenance problem and constraint. To overcome this critical problem and maintenance constraint, by its preferred embodiments, it is the intention of said TracPoint™ system to teach that any battery related power loss problem will be eliminated by utilizing a battery-less and wireless transceiver tag device method means like that of the patent pending or patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver device method means to establish a battery-free continuous powered operation; thus ensuring improved performance and a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted operation over that of prior art.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patent pending or patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver device method means, but not limited to a battery-less and wireless transceiver device method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted assets security and location monitoring.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patent pending or patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver device method means, but not limited to a battery-less and wireless transceiver device method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted on-site resident patient monitoring method means.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patent pending or patented DEAK™ battery-less and wireless transceiver device method means, but not limited to a battery-less and wireless transceiver and a patent pending or patented DEAK™ battery-less power source device method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted on-site resident patient motion detection method means.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patent pending or patented DEAK™ battery-less power source device method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted on-site resident patient motion detection method means.
Another embodiment and intention of said present invention is to utilize a patent pending or patented DEAK™ battery-less power source device method means for further enhancing and validating the concept of a feasible interminable, non-compromising and unrestricted on-site resident non-patient assets security detection and tracking method means.
With said present invention there are actions of said rules engine that can be programmed for a variety of possibilities for accommodating any hospital, healthcare facility that caters to a large or small congregate community and design program criteria are changed to meet different healthcare facility situations that can easily be programmed and updated by any administrator of designated member of staff. Further said TracPoint™ invention can be easily expanded or contracted to meet ever changing healthcare patient population, assets volume, building expansion, internet access vendors, and GPS vendors.
As stated in the afore described abstract of disclosure and shown in
The specific telematics e-health patient care software utilizes a rules engine based logic that combines RFID locationing information with preset location, time or relationship based rules (or combinations thereof), utilizing RFID reader repeaters device means 101F, 101CY, 101G with ranging to cover all of a facility interior 102, facility court yards 103 and associated grounds 101; to monitor and automatically notify caregivers upon the violation of one or more specific or general rules. A rules engine applies selected rules stored in the data base to individual tag device means worn by people or applied to objects, to produce an output based on the individualized rule set for that specific tag, triggering a notification sequence that can include preprogrammed notifications via email, text or audible alerts when the specific parameters of the applied rule is violated. The tracking of the rules is in real time against the second by second location data provided by the RFID reader repeaters device means 101F, 101CY, 101G located throughout an area that is further enhance by utilizing GPS tracking information 106T from a GPS receiver embedded with said patients 109, caregivers 111, or assets 112 tag device means. Said RFID reader repeaters device means 101F, 101CY, 101G are comprised of a device method means of decoding patient identity information and RF relaying said information back to a receiver in communication with a on-site facility central administrative computer that is by LAN (Local Area Network) 107 connected to a plurality of on-site daughter computers.
Said present TracPoint™ invention 100 is overviewed utilizing the graphics of
In
Ergo, during any given session of operation; an administrator or other staff member can select a plurality of situations and condition for setting up or changing a set of rules that are contained with said rules engine algorithms from said Rules Editor menu 1B05 and this is entered into said Reports menu 1B06 for healthcare records history. Said “My Home” menu 1B01 contains general submenu information regarding the software version, company, healthcare facility, administration IDs, staff members, patient lists, and assets ID and vendor information. Said “Assets Management” menu 1B02 contains specific submenu information on prescribed storage location, quantity of assets, maintenance and tracking information, and rental versus owned assets with rental vendor information. Said “Tag Administration” menu contains submenus of what patients ID, caregiver staff ID, and assets ID are along with location and time constraints and allowances that are programmed for; and this information is updated for records history in system memory. Said “Floor View” menu 1B04, contains submenus of any of a plurality of facility floor plans and sub-floor plans for viewing of patient, staff, and assets instant location and ID information with constraints, allowances, and prescribed slotted times for same. Said “Settings” menu 1B07, contains a plurality of submenus for adjusting and changing on-screen display formats, patient, staff, and assets graphic models and other miscellaneous items of floor plan colour, rooms, and general program features selections.
With
Gathering GPS Positioning Data 1403 is utilized for the location assessment means 1404 that determines instantly location information of patients, staff, and assets that are stored and updated by said TracPoint™ Microcontroller 1410.
Said Wireless Sensor Decoder means 1402 ID all tag wearers and exchanges information with said TracPoint™ Microcontroller 1410.
Further, said Panic Button Operative 1407 alerts all concerned through communication with TracPoint™ Microcontroller 1410.
Said Assets and Vendor Alert Operative 1409 is in communication with TracPoint™ Microcontroller 1410 relating to information of asset rental monitoring.
Said Two Way Wireless Operative 1401 is in two way communication with TracPoint™ Microcontroller 1410 for all tag wearers for ID, location, and compliance information.
Said Staff Alert Beep Operative 1405 ensures by its action to that alert emergency status signal is sent to all concerned tag wearing caregivers and administrators local and remote.
Said Battery-less Power Operative 1406 maintains constant quite mode device to computer communication information on status of said battery-less power source levels; and when a set minimum level exists an alert is given to administrator and staff to alleviate said situation by tag omni-directional movement to increase power levels. This can be done on a patient or asset by simple vibrational movement or can be applied remotely by a mechanical or electrical vibration sub-station. Usually patient and assets daily movement is sufficient for said battery-less power source to be full charged under a continuous electrical activity load condition.
Said Wrist Breach Panic Operative 1408 will send an alert to all tag wearers and administrators when a patient cuts or breaks a wrist band tag; and further said alert provides storage memory history information.
Note: For those steeped in the art, it should be obvious that Ephemerides and Almanac Data refer to the Geo Positioning Space Satellite Vehicles (GPSSV) that broadcast two types of data, Almanac and Ephemeris. Almanac data is course orbital parameters for all GPSSV s. Each GPSSV broadcasts Almanac data for ALL GPSSV s. This Almanac data is not very precise and is considered valid for up to several months. Ephemeris data by comparison is very precise orbital and clock correction for each GPSSV and is necessary for precise positioning. EACH GPSSV broadcasts ONLY its own Ephemeris data. This data is only considered valid for about 30 minutes. The Ephemeris data is broadcast by each GPSSV every 30 seconds.
When said GPS receiver module is initially turned on after being off for more than 30 minutes, it “looks” for GPSSV s based on where it is based on the Almanac and current time. With this information, appropriate GPSSV s can be selected for initial search.
The GPS receiver initially locks onto a GPSSV, said GPS receiver module displays on administrator computer. At this time, said Ephemeris data has yet to be completely collected. Once the ephemeris data is collected from EACH GPSSV in turn, the associated signal strength will be displayed on screen and then said data from that GPSSV is considered valid for patient, staff and assets position location validation.
If power is cycled on a GPS unit, and when turned back on, the Ephemeris data is less than 30 minutes old, lock-on will be very quick since the GPS does not have to collect new Ephemeris Data. This is called a “warm” start. If it is later than 30 minutes, this is considered a “cold” start and all Ephemeris Data will have to be recollected.
An embodiment is an implementation or example of said invention. References in the specification to “an embodiment,” “another embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” or “other embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments of said present invention. The various appearances of “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” or “some embodiments” are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.
If the specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may,” “might,” “can,” or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
Said present invention is not restricted to the particular details described herein. Indeed, many other variations of the foregoing description and drawings may be made within the scope of said present invention. Accordingly, it is the following claims including any amendments thereto that define the scope of said present invention.
