Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a valve that may be used on a container.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Food or other perishables are often stored in reclosable containers such as thermoplastic pouches. To keep food stored inside a pouch fresh for an extended period, a user may evacuate gas out of the pouch before completely sealing a closure mechanism of the pouch. Other reclosable pouches have been developed that have a valve that allows gas to be evacuated from the pouch after the closure mechanism has already been sealed.
Some pouch valves have a patch of thermoplastic material covering an aperture in a pouch wall and sealed over a limited area of the pouch wall around a periphery of the patch. The patch has an aperture therethrough that is offset from the aperture in the pouch wall. Pressure from outside of the pouch forces the patch against the pouch wall, keeping the valve closed. However, pressure from within the pouch forces the patch to separate from the pouch wall to allow air to flow through both apertures and out of the pouch. Another valve has a highly cohesive fluid in the space between the offset apertures to resist separation of the patch and the pouch wall. Still another valve has a porous layer of material secured over the aperture in the pouch wall, wherein the porous layer has a smaller area than the patch.
Other valves have a cover flap disposed over an aperture in a pouch wall, wherein the cover flap lacks an aperture. The valves have an unsealed edge that provides a path for escaping air. One such valve has a separator layer disposed between an adhesive layer disposed on an inner surface of the cover flap and an aperture in the pouch wall. The separator layer is smaller than the cover flap, but larger than the aperture, and is shaped so that the adhesive layer makes asymmetrical contact with the pouch wall around a periphery of the cover flap. Pressure from within the pouch forces a portion of the cover flap having a smaller adhesive contact area to separate from the pouch wall. The valve may also have an intermediate gas permeable layer between the separator layer and the aperture.
Another valve has a cover flap that is disposed across an entire width of a pouch wall. The flap overlays one or more apertures in the pouch wall to allow air to escape from within the pouch and to prevent air from entering the pouch.
Yet another valve for a pouch has a patch that is disposed across an entire width of a pouch wall and is sealed to the pouch wall around a periphery of the patch. A first plurality of apertures extending through the pouch wall is offset from a second plurality of apertures extending through the patch. An adhesive is disposed between the first and second pluralities of apertures. Pressure from within the pouch overcomes the adhesive and forces the patch to separate from the pouch wall to allow air to escape from within the pouch.
A still further valve has a patch that is sealed around a periphery of the valve over an inner or outer surface of a plastic tube. The patch may be oriented axially along a length of the tube, or circumferentially around the tube. The patch has a vent opening that is offset from a vent opening through the tube surface. A vent seal zone is defined between the patch and the tube surface. The tube is sealed on both ends such that pressure from within the tube forces the patch to separate from the tube surface to allow air to escape from within the tube.
Yet another valve has first and second zipper flanges sealed to an inside surface of a pouch wall. A line of apertures is disposed through the pouch wall, wherein the first zipper flange is attached to the pouch wall on a first side of the apertures and the second zipper flange is attached to the pouch wall on a second, opposite side of the apertures. An air path is formed between the first and second zipper flanges and the apertures. Pressure from within the pouch forces the second flange away from the first flange and pressure from outside the pouch forces the second flange into contact with the first flange. Alternatively, the second flange is eliminated, and the pouch wall on the second side of the line of apertures makes contact with the first flange. In another variation, one or more apertures disposed through the first flange are covered in flap fashion by the second flange.
Multiple layers of film material may be joined together, for example, by ultrasonic vibration, heat sealing, an adhesive, or by other means, as known to one skilled in the art, to form gastight sealed regions between the multiple layers. In one instance, multiple layers of film are bonded together by an intermittent ultrasonic bond. The intermittent bond has a number of bond points, spaced close together along a line to provide a leak-proof seal between the layers. Material displaced from each of the bond points may make contact with or may be close enough to material displaced from an adjacent bond point to block passage of fluid therebetween.
Sealed regions between multiple layers of film material may be formed by application of an adhesive between the layers. Adhesives generally provide an enduring gastight seal, but environmental conditions may cause the gastight seal to degrade. For example, an adhesive may suffer from loss of tact in cold conditions, or may become excessively fluid in hot or microwave conditions, resulting in flow of the adhesive into areas of the container where the adhesive may not be intended to go, such as into contact with food. A thermal seal may be more resistant than an adhesive seal to degradation caused by environmental conditions. A thermal seal between multiple layers of film material may be created by application of energy in the form of heat and/or ultrasonic vibration to a target sealing region. The applied energy may cause material within the target region to become molten, and to thereby bond the layers in a gastight seal. However, the molten material may flow away from the target region, and cause expansion and/or shrinkage of the film material surrounding the target region, which may form wrinkles in one or more layers of the film material outside of the target region.
According to one aspect of the invention, a reclosable pouch having a valve comprises first and second opposing sidewalls and complementary interlocking closure elements disposed on the respective first and second opposing sidewalls. Opposing first and second film layers are disposed over the first sidewall. The first film layer is attached to the second film layer by a first intermittent spot seal disposed at least across a first edge of the first film layer and a second intermittent spot seal disposed at least across a second edge of the first film layer. The second film layer is sealed to the first sidewall by a third intermittent spot seal disposed at least across a fourth edge of the second film layer. Opposing surfaces of the first and second film layers form a substantially gastight seal therebetween upon contact of the film layers, respectively. One of the first and second apertures is in fluid communication with an interior of the pouch and the other of the first and second apertures is in fluid communication with an exterior of the pouch. A fifth intermittent spot seal connects the first and second film layers, the fifth intermittent spot seal surrounding a region defined by the first and second apertures.
According to another aspect of the invention, a reclosable pouch having a valve comprises first and second opposing sidewalls. Opposing first and second film layers are disposed on the first sidewall. The first film layer is attached to the second film layer by a first intermittent spot seal disposed at least across a first edge of the first film layer and a second intermittent spot seal disposed at least across a second edge of the first film layer. The second film layer is sealed to the first sidewall by a third intermittent spot seal disposed at least across a third edge of the second film layer and a fourth intermittent spot seal disposed at least across a fourth edge of the second film layer. Opposing surfaces of the first and second film layers form a substantially gastight seal therebetween upon contact of the film layers. Offset first and second apertures extend through the first and second film layers, respectively. One of the first and second apertures is in fluid communication with an interior of the pouch and the other of the first and second apertures is in fluid communication with an exterior of the pouch. The first film layer is configured to separate from the second film layer to allow gas to exhaust from the pouch when a vacuum pressure is disposed over the one of the first and second apertures in fluid communication with the exterior of the pouch.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a gastight valve strip comprises opposing first and second film layers adapted to be disposed over a first aperture through a sidewall of a container. The first film layer is attached to the second film layer by a first thermal seal disposed around the periphery of the first film layer. An attachment surface of the second film layer is adapted to be sealed to the sidewall of the container, and opposing surfaces of the first and second film layers form a substantially gastight seal therebetween upon contact of the film layers. Offset second and third apertures extend through the first and second film layers, respectively. The second aperture is in fluid communication with an exterior side of the valve strip and the third aperture is configured to be in fluid communication with the first aperture, wherein the second aperture is spaced from the third aperture. A second thermal seal is disposed between the first and second layers, the second thermal seal comprising an intermittent spot seal and surrounding a region including the second and third apertures.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, wherein similar structures have similar reference numerals.
While the present invention may be embodied in many forms, several embodiments are discussed herein, with the understanding that embodiments illustrated are to be considered only as an exemplification of the invention and are not intended to limit the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated. For example, while a reclosable pouch and a reclosable hard-walled container are shown, any other container, such as reclosable or non-reclosable, soft- or hard-walled, to which a valve can be applied to evacuate gas therefrom, can also be used with the present invention.
Turning now to the figures, a reclosable thermoplastic pouch 50, illustrated in
The closure mechanism 60 comprises first and second complementary interlocking closure elements 200, 202 (illustratively shown in
In a further embodiment, one or both of the first and second complementary interlocking closure elements 200, 202 may include one or more textured portions, such as a bump or crosswise groove in one or more of the first and second closure profiles 200a, 202a in order to provide a tactile sensation, such as a series of clicks, as a user draws the fingers along the closure mechanism 60 to seal the closure elements across the opening. In another embodiment, the first and second interlocking closure profiles 200a, 202a include textured portions along the length of each profile to provide tactile and/or audible sensations when closing the closure mechanism 60. In addition, protuberances, for example, ridges (not shown), may be disposed on the inner surfaces 152, 154 of the respective first and second sidewalls 52, 54, proximate to the opening 56, to provide increased traction in a convenient area for a user to grip, such as a gripping flange, when trying to open the sealed pouch 60.
Further, in some embodiments, a sealing material, such as a polyolefin material or a caulking composition, such as silicone grease, may be disposed on or in the interlocking profiles 200a, 202a or closure elements 200, 202, to fill in any gaps or spaces therein when occluded. The ends of the interlocking profiles 200a, 202a or closure elements 200, 202 may also be welded or sealed to provide an end-stomp seal between the first and second closure elements 200, 202 by, for example, crushing, ultrasonic vibration, and/or application of heat, as is known in the art. Illustrative interlocking profiles, closure elements, sealing materials, tactile or audible closure elements, and/or end-stomps useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, Pawloski U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,474, Dais et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,584, No. 5,478,228, and No. 6,021,557, Tomic et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,273, Sprehe U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,969, Kasai et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,866, Ausnit U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,796, Wright et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,041,249, Pawloski et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,736, Tilman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,660, Anderson U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0091179, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,305,742, Pawloski U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0234172, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,410,298, and Anzini et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0093242 and No. 2006/0111226, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,527,585. Other interlocking profiles and closure elements useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/725,120, filed Mar. 16, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,886,412, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/818,585, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,857,515, No. 11/818,593, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,784,160, and Ser. No. 11/818,586, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,946,766, each filed on Jun. 15, 2007, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/146,015, filed on Jun. 25, 2008, which was published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0324141 on Dec. 31, 2009. It is further appreciated that the interlocking profiles or closure elements disclosed herein may be operated by hand, or a slider (not shown) may be used to assist in occluding and de-occluding the interlocking profiles and closure elements.
The resealable pouch described herein can be made by various techniques known to those skilled in the art, including those described in, for example, Geiger, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,248. Other useful techniques to make a resealable pouch include those described in, for example, Zieke et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,789. Additional techniques to make a resealable pouch include those described in, for example, Porchia et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,561. Additional examples of making a resealable pouch as described herein include, for example, a cast post applied process, a cast integral process, and/or a blown process.
A first layer 64 of a film material may be disposed on the first sidewall 52. A second layer 66 of film material may also be disposed on the first sidewall 52 between the first sidewall and the first layer 64. Each of the first and second layer 64, 66 may be disposed on a portion of the first sidewall 52, or across the full width 62 of the first sidewall 52, as illustrated in
Referring next to an embodiment of the valve 40, as seen in
Referring now to
The second layer 66 is sealed to the first sidewall 52 at a periphery of the overlap region 70 of the second layer 66, including, for example, around a periphery of the overlap region or on at least a portion of the overlap region. In the embodiment of
A third aperture 82 extends through the thermoplastic weld layer 80 and a fourth aperture 84 extends through the first sidewall 52, as illustrated in
One or both sidewalls, such as the second sidewall 54, may also be embossed or otherwise textured with a pattern 254, as illustrated in
Referring next to
In one embodiment, the first and second sidewalls 52, 54 and/or the closure mechanism 60 are formed from thermoplastic resins by known extrusion methods. For example, the sidewalls 52, 54 may be independently extruded of thermoplastic material as a single continuous or multi-ply web, and the closure mechanism 60 may be extruded of the same or different thermoplastic material(s) separately as continuous lengths or strands. Illustrative thermoplastic materials include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), metallocene-polyethylene (mPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), ultra low density polyethylene (ULDPE), biaxially-oriented ppolyethylene terephthalate (BPET), high density polyethylen (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), among other polyolefin plastomers and combinations and blends thereof. Further, the inner surfaces 152, 154 of the respective sidewalls 52, 54 or a portion or area thereof may, for example, be composed of a polyolefin plastomer such as an AFFINITY™ resin manufactured by Dow Plastics. Such portions or areas include, for example, the area of one or both of the sidewalls 52, 54 proximate to and parallel to the closure mechanism 60, to provide an additional cohesive seal between the sidewalls 52, 54 when the pouch 50 is evacuated. One or more of the sidewalls 52, 54 in other embodiments may also be formed of an air-impermeable film. An example of an air-impermeable film includes a film having one or more barrier layers, such as an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) ply or a nylon ply, disposed between or on one or more of the plies of the sidewalls 52, 54. The barrier layer may be, for example, adhesively secured between the PP and/or LDPE plies to provide a multilayer film. Other additives, such as colorants, slip agents, and antioxidants, including, for example, talc, oleamide or hydroxyl hydrocinnamate, may also be added as desired. In another embodiment, the closure mechanism 60 may be extruded primarily of molten PE with various amounts of slip component, colorant, and/or talc additives in a separate process. The fully formed closure mechanism 60 may be attached to the pouch body using a strip of molten thermoplastic weld material, or by an adhesive known by those skilled in the art, for example. Other thermoplastic resins and air-impermeable films useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, Tilman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,660.
With reference to
The valve 40 provides a fluid path with direct fluid communication between the interior 58 and the exterior 68 of the pouch 50. Although not shown, in some embodiments, a second valve may be disposed in or through the closure mechanism 60 or in one of the side edges 56a-56c of the pouch. Illustrative second valves useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, Newrones et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0228057, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,838,387. Other valves useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/818,586, and 11/818,592, each filed on Jun. 15, 2007, now U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,946,766 and 7,967,509, respectively.
In use, application of a vacuum pressure over the exterior of the first and second apertures 74 and 76 causes the interior 58 of the pouch 50 below the first and second apertures to have a greater pressure than the exterior. Vacuum pressure may be applied by an evacuation pump or a device or any other source of vacuum pressure known in the art, for example, by placing a vacuum cup of the evacuation pump in contact with an outer surface of the pouch and drawing a vacuum on an interior of the vacuum cup, thereby creating an expansive pressure imbalance and holding down the first and second layers 64 and 66 around the pressure imbalance. Illustrative evacuation pumps or devices useful in the present invention include those disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/818,703, filed on Jun. 15, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,096,329, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/008,164, filed on Jan. 9, 2008, which was published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0175747 on Jul. 9, 2009.
In another embodiment, as illustrated in
It is further contemplated that the pouch 50 may include a one-way valve disposed on at least one of the first and second pouch sidewalls and flow channels disposed on at least one of the first and second pouch sidewalls and in fluid communication with the one-way valve, and may be provided as a component of a kit or package that comprises a vacuum pump to evacuate gas from the interior of the pouch through the one-way valve.
Although not shown, a porous or adhesive layer disposed between one or more of the valve layers 64, 66 may also be desired in any of the embodiments disclosed herein. Examples of adhesives useful in the present invention include those described in, for example, Hamilton U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,632 or Mizuno U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,608. Examples of a porous material useful in the present invention include those described in, for example, Mizuno U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,608 or Shah et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0223667, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,738.
In the creation of a thermal seal between two or more layers of thermoplastic material, energy and/or pressure may be applied to a target sealing region to at least partially melt one or more of the layers, such that melted portions between any two layers create a bond therebetween. A consequence of applying energy and/or pressure to melt the material in the target region may be that the melted material flows away from the target region. This flow of material away from the target region may form wrinkles in one or more of the layers. Such wrinkles may be aesthetically or otherwise undesirable. For example, such wrinkles may inhibit or prevent formation of a gastight seal between the wrinkled layers. However, the creation of wrinkles may be alleviated by several techniques. For example, in the creation of a heat seal, heat may be applied to an entire layer (or layers) to pre-heat the material prior to creating the heat seal. Further, heat may be applied to multiple layers of material from both a top side and a bottom side to alleviate uneven material expansion due to temperature gradients through the material. In the creation of a seal by ultrasonic vibration, a vibrating surface may be forced against the layers of material to melt the layers and to create a bond therebetween. Wrinkling may be alleviated in a desired region of the material by angling the vibrating surface away from the desired region to push the melted material away therefrom.
Wrinkling may also be alleviated by the use of intermittent spot seals to create a seal region. For example, referring to
Optional strips 80a, 80b of the thermoplastic weld layer material may extend along the respective peripheral edges 94, 98, as illustrated by dashed lines in
Each of the individual sealing spots that comprise the intermittent spot seals 178b and 278b that are schematically illustrated in
Illustratively referring to
Referring to
In another embodiment, depicted in
Referring next to
Although the individual sealing spots that comprise the intermittent spot seals 178a, 178b, and 192 are shown in
In another embodiment, the intermittent spot seal 192 may be comprised of an odd plurality of triangular individual sealing spots 402, as illustrated in
In yet another embodiment, as seen in
A still further embodiment is depicted in
Referring next to
In a yet further embodiment, as seen in
The first and second layers 64 and 66 of any of the valves 40 as disclosed herein may be independently composed of any thermoplastic material, such as would be used for the first and second sidewalls 52 and 54 of the pouch 50 as described herein. Each of the first and second layers 64 and 66 may be composed of the same material as the other layer or could be independently composed of different material than that of the other layer. In addition, each of the first and second layers 64 and 66 may also have multiple plies, each ply being independently composed of any thermoplastic material, such as would be used for the first and second sidewalls 52 and 54 of the pouch 50 as described herein, or a blend of any thermoplastic material, such as would be used for the first and second sidewalls of the pouch as described herein. Illustratively, the first and second layers 64 and 66 may, for example, be composed of a polyolefin plastomer, such as an AFFINITY™ resin manufactured by Dow Plastics.
As seen in
Referring next to
Although not shown, it is also contemplated that one or more of the valves 40 or valve layers, for example, the first and second layers 64 and 66, may extend along a portion of the width 62 of the pouch 50. For example, one or more of the valve layers may extend only along a portion of the pouch 50 proximate to one side edge of the pouch, or may be disposed away from the side edges of the pouch toward the center of the pouch, or may be offset from the center of the pouch. However, by extending the valve 40 across the entire width 62 of the pouch 50, it is contemplated that the complexity of manufacturing the valve and/or pouch may be reduced, because the first and second layers 64 and 66 may be applied in a continuous process.
Referring next to
In this embodiment, a first layer 364 is disposed over an opening 320 defined by an inner annular flange 368 of the lid 302. A second layer 366 is also disposed over the opening 320. A first aperture 374 extends through the second layer 366, and a second aperture 376 is offset from the first aperture 374 and extends through the first layer 364. Illustratively, a peripheral thermoplastic weld layer 396 extends partially under the first layer 364 to weld the first and second layers 364 and 366 together, and to weld the first and second layers to the inwardly projecting annular flange 368. The annular flange 368 has an extension 370 that further extends from the annular flange toward the opening 320. A third aperture 378 extends through the peripheral thermoplastic weld layer 396, and a fourth aperture 380 extends through the flange extension 370. The second, third, and fourth apertures 376, 378, and 380 are aligned along a line perpendicular to the flange extension 370, such that the second aperture 376 is in fluid communication with an interior 322 of the container body 304 when the lid 302 is applied thereto.
Referring to
This embodiment is similar to the embodiment discussed in regards to
Further, it is also contemplated that any of the valves described herein, for example, the valve 340, may be constructed independently of the container 300 and applied to the container, such as to the pouch 50, the container lid 302, or the container body 304, after or during the manufacturing thereof. One such embodiment is illustrated in
Further, it is believed that the embodiments shown in
Another embodiment of a valve that may be constructed independently of the container 300 as a valve strip 440 and applied to the container, such as to the pouch 50, the container lid 302, and/or the container body 304, after or during the manufacturing thereof is illustratively shown in
A first aperture 474 extends through the first layer 464 and a second aperture 476 extends through the second layer 466. A surrounding thermal seal 492 that connects the first and second layers 464 and 466 surrounds the first aperture 474 and the second aperture 476. The surrounding thermal seal 492 may be a heat seal, a seal formed by ultrasonic vibration, or a thermal seal formed by any thermal sealing method known in the art. Although shown as circular in
A third aperture 484 extends through an exterior wall of the container 300, such as the first sidewall 52, the lid 302, or the container sidewall 316. The second layer 466 has an attachment surface 468 that is adapted to be attached facing the third aperture 484. At least a portion of the attachment surface 468 may also be embossed or otherwise textured with a pattern 486 to define a region of flow channels 488. The valve strip 440 may have a means for attachment 490, for example, a strip or layer or thermoplastic weld material, a direct thermal seal, or an adhesive disposed around the periphery 494 of the attachment surface 468. The means of attachment 490 may be coincident with or one and the same as the thermal seal 478.
In use, the valve strip 440 is placed over the third aperture 484 to create an evacuable container that can be evacuated by a user through the region of flow channels 488 defined between, for example, the attachment surface 468 and the first sidewall 52, the lid 302, or the container sidewall 316. The valve strip 440 may have any convenient shape, for example, including rectangular, circular, elliptical, star shaped, or as desired to match a seating surface of an evacuation source (not shown) that may be applied to the container 300 or the pouch 50.
In another embodiment of a valve strip 442, as illustrated in
It is further contemplated that any of the embodiments of the valve strip 440, 442 may be provided as a component of a kit or a package that comprises a tool, for example, a hole punch, for creating an aperture in a wall of a container, and/or a vacuum pump to evacuate gas from the interior of the container through the aperture via the valve strip applied over the aperture. In this, or in any of the embodiments shown, the valve 40, 340, or valve strip 440, 442 may be adhered to the pouch 50 or to the container lid 302, film layer 324, or container body 304, as described herein, or by an adhesive known to those skilled in the art, such as described in Engel et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,555 or Hartman et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0030472, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,223. Further, it is contemplated that a variety of containers are suitable for application of the valves 40, 340, or 440 herein described, including, for example, pouches, bowls, bottles, Ziploc® containers, storage boxes, canisters, or other containers, and any lids or covers that may be attachable thereto.
A container is presented that includes a valve to evacuate gas from the container. The valve may include first and second layers of film material that form a substantially gastight seal therebetween upon direct contact of the layers. An intermittent spot seal may attach the first and second layers of film material. A first aperture through the first layer is offset from a second aperture through the second layer. Vacuum pressure disposed over both of the first and second apertures, for example, causes the first layer to separate from the second layer to allow gas to exhaust from the container.
Numerous modifications to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and to use the invention, and to teach the best mode of carrying out the same. The exclusive rights to all modifications that come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved. All patents, patent publications and applications, and other references cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
This application is a divisional application of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/383,127, filed Mar. 20, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,197,139 which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11/818,591, filed Jun. 15, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,731, issued on Jan. 25, 2011, which are incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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Machine translation of Geman Document No. DE 35 21 373 A1. Translated on May 14, 2014. |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12383127 | Mar 2009 | US |
Child | 13471576 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 11818591 | Jun 2007 | US |
Child | 12383127 | US |