Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02587132 2007-05-03
ROTATION BRUSH DRIVING APPARATUS FOR VACUUM CLEANER
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(a) from
Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2006-0124981 filed December 8, 2006, in the Korean
Intellectual Property
Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more
particularly, to a rotation
brush for the vacuum cleaner.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] Generally, a vacuum cleaner is provided with a rotation brush for
clearly removing dust
attached to a surface to be cleaned such as a carpet and other surfaces. The
rotation brush is
rotated by force transmitted from a motor.
[0004] However, in a case that the rotation brush rotates in contact with a
bare floor, the
rotation brush may damage the bare floor. In other words, the rotation brush
increases a
roughness of a smoothly processed surface of the bare floor and decreases a
gloss and a sense of
beauty in external appearance.
[0005] It is therefore necessary to operate the rotation brush selectively
according to user's
intention so that the rotation brush is rotated in a case of cleaning a
surface to be cleaned having
much dust thereon such as a carpet and the rotation brush is not rotated in a
case of cleaning a
smooth surface to be cleaned such as a bare floor.
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[0006] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional upright vacuum cleaner
with a rotation
brush.
[0007] Referring to Fig. 1, the upright vacuum cleaner 1 includes a cleaner
body 3 formed with
a hand grip 2 at an upper side thereof, a suction nozzle 5 placed at a lower
end of the cleaner
body 3 for drawing-in outside air and dirt together and a traveling wheel 7
installed at a lower
side of the cleaner body 3 for moving the cleaner body 3 over the surface.
[0008] Inside the cleaner body 3 is installed a dust collecting apparatus (not
shown) for
removing dirt from the air drawn-in through the suction nozzle 5 and
discharging cleaned air.
[0009] In addition, in front of the suction nozzle 5 is rotatably installed a
rotation brush 8
having a brush helically formed at an outside surface thereof and, thus,
capable of effectively
brushing off dust attached to a surface to be cleaned such as a carpet. The
rotation brush 8 is
driven by a brush motor (not shown) which is separate from a main motor (not
shown) for
rotating a suction fan in the cleaner body 3 and generating suction force for
drawing-in the d'ut.
[0010] Thus, user can control the rotation brush 8 not to rotate in a case of
cleaning a bare floor
or to rotate in a case of cleaning a carpet by operating a switch for turning
on/off the brush
motor.
[0011] However, there is a problem that cost for manufacturing the vacuum
cleaner is
increased as the vacuum cleaner with the above described structure is provided
with the brush
motor for driving the rotation brush 8 besides the main motor for generating
suction force.
[0012] In addition, there is another problem that structure of the cleaner
body is complicated
and size of the cleaner body is large as the main motor and the brush motor
are installed in the
cleaner body 3.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present disclosure has been developed in order to overcome the
above drawbacks
and other problems associated with the conventional arrangement. An aspect of
the present
disclosure is to provide a rotation brush driving apparatus for a vacuum
cleaner capable of
selectively rotating a rotation brush using power of a motor for generating
suction force in a
simple structure.
[0014] The above aspect and/or other feature of the present disclosure can
substantially be
achieved by providing a rotation brush driving apparatus for a vacuum cleaner,
which includes a
motor for generating suction force; a rotation brush; a belt for transmitting
rotation force of the
motor to the rotation brush; and a driving selection unit installed rotatably
around a rotation shaft
of the motor, for selectively transmitting the rotation force of the motor to
the rotation brush by
selectively contacting the belt with the rotation shaft of the motor.
[0015] The driving selection unit includes a bar shaped selection link
installed rotatably around
the rotation shaft of the motor; and an idle pulley installed rotatably at an
end of the selection
link and supporting the belt; wherein the rotation shaft of the motor comes to
contact with the
belt and thus the rotation force of the motor is transmitted to the rotation
brush by pulling the
selection link. In addition, the rotation shaft of the motor is separated from
the belt and thus the
rotation force of the motor is not transmitted to the rotation brush by
pushing the selection link
in the opposite direction.
[0016] The driving selection unit may further include a fixing unit for fixing
the selection link
to a predetermined position.
[0017] The fixing unit includes a fixing shaft having a front end formed to
selectively project to
a side surface of the selection link; a guiding holder for guiding the fixing
shaft to move
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perpendicular to the side surface of the selection link and installed on the
selection link so that a
rear end of the fixing shaft is projected; and an elastic member installed
inside the guiding
member and elastically supporting the fixing shafft.
[0018] In addition, the rotation brush driving apparatus for a vacuum cleaner
may further
includes a link supporting shaft for supporting the selection link so as to
rotate in relation to the
rotation shaft of the motor.
[0019] The link supporting shaft is installed on a supporting bracket which is
installed at a front
of the motor.
[0020] The above aspect and/or other feature of the present disclosure can
also substantially be
achieved by providing a rotation brush driving apparatus for a vacuum cleaner,
which includes a
rotation brush provided with a pulley; a belt installed to transmit force by
contacting with the
pulley of the rotation brush; a motor for generating suction force having a
rotation shaft which
projects to a side; a link supporting shaft formed with a hole through which
the rotation shaft of
the motor passes; a supporting bracket for supporting the link supporting
shaft and installed at a
side of the motor, and a driving selection unit installed rotatably on the
link supporting shaft, for
selectively transmitting the rotation force of the motor to the rotation brush
by selectively
contacting the belt with the rotation shaft of the motor thereby allowing the
rotation brush to
rotate.
[0021] The driving selection unit includes a bar shaped selection link
installed rotatably on the
link supporting shaft; and an idle pulley installed rotatably at an end of the
selection link and
supporting the belt; wherein by the pulling the selection link in one
direction, the belt is moved
by the idle pulley and thus the belt comes to contact with the rotation shaft
of the motor, the idle
pulley and the pulley of the rotation brush.
[0022] In addition, by the idle pulley by pushing the selection link in the
opposite direction, the
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belt is moved and, thus, the belt comes to contact with the idle pulley and
the pulley of the
rotation brush while separated from the rotation shaft of the motor.
[0023] Other objects, advantages and salient features of the disclosure will
become apparent
from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the
annexed drawings,
discloses preferred embodiments of the disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TUE DRAWINGS
[0024] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will become
apparent and
more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary
embodiments, taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0025] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional vacuum
cleaner;
[0026] Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a suction nozzle of a vacuum
cleaner having a
rotation brush driving apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present
disclosure;
[0027] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the rotation brush
driving apparatus
of the vacuum cleaner of Fig. 2;
[0028] Figs. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a selection link when force
of the motor is
transmitted to the rotation brush by the rotation brush driving apparatus of
the vacuum cleaner
of Fig. 2;
[0029] Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a selection link in a case
that the force of the
motor is not transmitted to the rotation brush by the rotation brush driving
apparatus of the
vacuum cleaner of Fig. 2;
[0030] Fig. 6A is a partial sectional view illustrating a state that a fixing
unit is inserted into a
fixing hole and thus the selection link is fixed in the rotation brush driving
apparatus of the
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vacuum cleaner of Fig. 2;
[0031] Fig. 6B is a partial sectional view illustrating a state that the
fixing unit is removed from
the fixing hole and thus the selection link is movable in the rotation brush
driving apparatus of
the vacuum cleaner of Fig. 2.
[0032] Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to
refer to like
parts, components and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0033] Hereinafter, certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure
will be described
in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0034] The matters defined in the description, such as a detailed construction
and elements
thereof, are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the
disclosure. Thus, it is
apparent that the present disclosure may be carried out without those defined
matters. Also,
well-known functions or constructions are omitted to provide a clear and
concise description of
exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0035] Fig. 2 illustrates a case that a rotation brush driving apparatus 100
of a vacuum cleaner
according to the present disclosure is installed in a suction nozzle 10 of an
upright vacuum
cleaner. Fig 2 illustrates not cleaner body of the upright vacuum cleaner, but
only the suction
nozzle 10. A structure of the cleaner body of the upright vacuum cleaner using
the rotation
brush driving apparatus 100 according to the present disclosure is similar to
the conventional art
and therefore will not be described herein.
[0036] Refening to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4, the rotation brush driving apparatus 100
of a vacuum
cleaner according to the present disclosure includes a motor 110, a rotation
brush 120, a belt
130, and a driving selection unit 140.
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[0037] The motor 110 is installed inside the cleaner body (not shown) of the
vacuum cleaner
and a rotation shaft 111 thereof is projected from a side thereof. In
addition, the motor 110 acts
to generate suction force so that the vacuum cleaner can draw-in dirt. In
other words, the motor
110 used in the rotation brush driving apparatus 100 of a vacuum cleaner
according to the
present disclosure is the same as the motor for generating the suction force
in the vacuum
cleaner. Thus, the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110 also rotates when
cleaning using the
vacuum cleaner.
[0038] The rotation brush 120 is rotatably installed in the suction nozzle 10
and a plurality of
brushes 122 are fonned helically on a cylindrical body 121. A pulley 124 is
formed at a side of
the rotation brush 120.
[0039] The belt 130 is for transmitting rotation force of the motor 110 to the
rotation brush 120
and is installed between the pulley 124 of the rotation brush 120 and an idle
pulley 145 of the
driving selection unit 140 which will be described herein after.
[0040] The driving selection unit 140 is for transmitting the rotation force
of the motor 110 to
the rotation brush 120 selectively by user's operation and includes a
selection link 141, the idle
pulley 145, and a fixing unit 150.
[0041] The selection link 141 is installed rotatably around the rotation shaft
111 of the motor
110 and formed in a bar shape in which two arms extend to both sides from a
rotation center
portion 141a. A rotation hole 143 through which the rotation shaft 111 of the
motor 110 passes
is formed at the rotation center portion 141a of the selection link 141.
[0042] The selection link 141 is preferably supported by a link supporting
shaft 160 so that the
selection link 141 can rotate around a rotation center of the rotation shaft
111 of the motor 110
without interference with the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110. The link
supporting shaft 160
is formed in a hollowed cylindrical shape and is inserted in the rotation hole
143 of the selection
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link 141. The selection link 141 can therefore rotate around the link
supporting shaft 160. A
link flange 161, for fixing the link supporting shaft 160, is formed at an end
of the link
supporting shaft 160. The link flange 161 is formed with a plurality of fixing
holes 161a. The
rotation shaft 111 passes through an inner hole 163 of the link supporting
shaft 160. The
selection link 141 can therefore rotate while sliding on an outer surface of
the link supporting
shaft 160 without interference with the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110.
[0043] Though the link supporting shaft 10 may be installed on the motor 110,
in the present
embodiment the link supporting shaft 10 is installed on a separate supporting
bracket 170. The
supporting bracket 170 is installed at a front of the motor 110, that is, in a
direction to which the
rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110 projects, and formed with a shaft hole 171
through which the
link supporting shaft 160 passes. The link supporting shaft 160 is installed
in the supporting
bracket 170 using a plurality of bolts 164. For this end, a plurality of bolt
holes 172 for fLxing
the link supporting shaft 160 is formed around the shaft hole 171 of the
supporting bracket 170.
[0044] The idle pulley 145 is rotatably installed at an end of the selection
link 141 and supports
the belt 130 so as to move the belt 130 according to the rotation of the
selection link 141. The
idle pulley 145 is rotatably installed on a pulley shaft 146 installed in a
pulley hole 144 formed
in the end of the selection link 141. The idle pulley 145 therefore rotates
around the pulley shaft
146 together with the belt 130 when the belt 130 rotates.
[0045] At this time, rotation centers of the rotation brush 120, the selection
link 141 and idle
pulley 145 are set to satisfy the following condition. That is, when the
selection link 141 rotates
by a predetermined angle in a first direction around the rotation shaft 111 of
the motor 110, the
belt 130 is moved by the idle pulley 145 and thus the inner surface of the
belt 130 is in contact
with all of the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110, the idle pulley 145 and
the pulley 124 of the
rotation brush 124 and the belt 130 is applied with tension. If the belt 130
comes to contact with
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all of the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110, the idle pulley 145 and the
pulley 124 of the
rotation brush 124, the rotation force of the motor 110 is transmitted through
the belt 130 to the
rotation brush 120.
[0046] In addition, if the selection link 141 rotates by a predetermined angle
in the opposite
direction around the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110, the idle pulley 145
moves the belt 130
and thus the inner surface of the belt 130 is in contact with only the idle
pulley 145 and the
pulley 124 of the rotation brush 120 and is separated from the rotation shaft
111 of the motor
110. If the belt 130 is not in contact with the rotation shaft 111 of the
motor 110, the rotation
force of the motor 110 does not transmitted to the rotation brush 120.
[00471 For this end, in the present embodiment, the idle pulley 145, the
rotation shaft 111 of the
motor 110 and the pulley 124 of the rotation brush 120 are located
substantially in a line so that
the belt 130 is not in contact with the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110 in
the case that the
rotation force is not transmitted, while in the case that the rotation force
is transmitted the idle
pulley 145 is located below the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110 so that
the rotation shaft 111
of the motor 110 is in contact with the inner surface of the belt 130.
[0048] In one embodiment, an end of the selection link 141 is formed as a hand
grip 142 so that
the user can easily rotate the selection link 141. In addition, in order to
easily operate the
selection link 141, it is preferable that a length from the rotation center of
the selection link 141
to an end 142a of the hand grip 142 is longer than a length from the rotation
center of the
selection link 141 to where the idle pulley 145 is installed. Furthermore, it
is preferable that an
upper portion of the hand grip 142 is exposed to an upside of a cover 11 of
the suction nozzle 10
in which the rotation brush driving apparatus 100 is installed.
[0049] The fixing unit 150 is for fixing the selection link 141 to a
predetermined position and
includes a fixing shaft 151, a guiding holder 153, and an elastic member 155.
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[0050] The fixing shaft 151 is assembled inside of the guiding holder 153 and
formed so that
its front end 151 a is selectively projected or recessed for a side surface of
the selection link 141.
A supporting sill 151b for supporting the elastic member 155 is formed on the
fixing shaft 151.
The projected front end 151a of the fixing shaft 151 is inserted in one of
fixing holes 181 and
182 formed on the supporting bracket 170. The two fixing holes 181 and 182 are
formed on the
supporting bracket 170.
[0051] The fiust fixing hole 181 is formed in a position at which the
selection link 141 can be
fixed so that the rotation force of the motor 110 is transmitted to the
rotation brush 120 through
the belt 130. In other words, when the selection link 141 is fnted to the
first fixing hole 181, the
belt 130 comes to contact with the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110 and
thus the rotation force
of the motor 110 is transmitted to the rotation brush 120. The second fixing
hole 182 is formed
in a position at which the selection link 141 can be fixed so that the
rotation force of the motor
110 is not transmitted to the rotation brush 120. In other words, when the
selection link 141 is
fLxed to the second fixing hole 182, the belt 130 does not come to contact
with the rotation shaft
111 of the motor 110 and thus the rotation force of the motor 110 is not
transmitted to the
rotation brush 120.
[0052] In the present embodiment, the first fixing hole 181 and the second
fixing hole 182 form
substantially a right angle on the shaft hole 171. In this case, the selection
link 141 is a shape of
a bar, which is bent on the rotation hole 143. At this time, the degree that
the selection link 141
is bent can be properly determined according to specifications and
arrangements of the idle
pulley 145, the pulley 124 of the rotation brush 120, and the rotation shaft
111 of the motor 110.
[0053] The guiding holder 153 is installed at a side surface of a side of the
selection link 141
that the hand grip 142 is fonned and guides so that the fixing shaft 151 can
move
perpendicularly to the side surface of the selection link 141.Thus, the
guiding holder 153 is
CA 02587132 2007-05-03
formed in a hollowed cylindrical shape and a holder flange 154 for fixing the
guiding holder
153 to the selection link 141 is formed at a front end of the guiding holder
153. At each of the
holder flange 154 and the selection link 141 are formed two bolt holes 154a
and 149 for fixing
the guiding holder 153 to the selection link 141. Between the two bolt holes
149 formed at the
selection link 141, a through hole 148 through which the front end 151a of the
fixing shaft 151
passes is fonned. In addition, a guiding hole 153a through which a rear end
151c of the fixing
shaft 151 can project is formed at a rear end f the guiding holder 153. A
fixing button 157 may
be installed at the rear end 151c of the fixing shaft 151 so that the user can
easily pull the fixing
shaft 151.
[0054] The elastic member 155 is installed inside the guiding holder 153 and
elastically
supports the fixing shaft 151. In other words, the elastic member 155 is
installed inside the
guiding holder 153 with a state that it is inserted on the rear end 151c of
the fixing shaft 151.
Thus, when the user pulls the fixing shaft 151, which projects to a rear end
of the guiding holder
153, the elastic member 155 is pressed by the supporting sill 151b while the
fixing shaft 151
moves rearward, and thus the front end 151 a of the fixing shaft 151 is
removed from the fixing
holes 181 and 182. When the fixing shaft 151 is released, the fixing shaft 151
moves forward
due to the restoring force of the elastic member 155 and thus the front end
151a of the fixing
shaft 151 is inserted into the fixing holes 181 and 182.
[0055] Operation of the rotation brush driving apparatus 100 of a vacuum
cleaner according to
the present disclosure with the above described structure will be described
herein after with
reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5.
[0056] The user check where the selection link 141 of the rotation brush
driving apparatus 100
is positioned in a case that the user intends to operate the rotation bn,ish
120 to clean a carpet If
the selection link 141 is in a state of being fixed in the fust fixing hole
181, the user performs
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cleaning in the state. However, if the selection link 141 is in a state of
being fixed in the second
fixing hole 182, the user moves the selection link to fix it into the first
fixing hole 181.
[0057] The fixing button 157 is firstly pulled in order to move the selection
link 141. By
pulling the fixing button 157, the fixing shaft 151 is moved rearward in an
inside of the guiding
holder 153 and the front end 151 a of the fixing shaft 151 is removed from the
second fixing hole
182, thereby resulting a state shown in Fig. 6B. In this state, the user grips
the hand grip 142
and rotates the selection link 141 toward the first fixing hole 181. When the
selection link 141 is
rotated by the predetermined angle toward the first fixing hole 181 around the
link supporting
shaft 160, the front end 151 a of the fixing shaft 151 comes to a position of
the fnst fixing hole
181. In this position, the front end 151a of the fixing shaft 151 is
automatically inserted into the
first fixing hole 181 by the restoring force of the elastic member 155. Fig.
6A illustrates the
state that the front end 151a of the fixing shaft 151 is inserted in the first
fixing hole 181. When
the front end 151a of the fixing shaft 151 is inserted in the fiust fixing
hole 181, the selection link
141 comes to a fiYed state in which the selection link 141 is not rotated by
the external force.
[0058] During the movement of the selection link 141 toward the first fixing
hole 181, the idle
pulley 145 is moved downward together with the belt 130. When the selection
link 141 is fixed
into the first selection hole 181, the idle pulley 145 is located below the
rotation shaft 111 of the
motor 110 and the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110, which was separated
from the belt 130,
comes in to contact with the inner surface of the belt 130. In other words,
the belt 130 is in
contact with all of the pulley 124 of the rotation brush 120, the idle pulley
145 and the rotation
shaft 111 of the motor 110 and thus is applied with a predetermined tension.
In this state, upon
rotation of the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110, the belt 130 is rotated
by the rotation shaft
111 of the motor 110 and then the rotation brush 120 is rotated by the belt
130. The rotation
brush 120 therefore rotates in high speed to clean dirt on a surface to be
cleaned such as a carpet.
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[0059] The rotation brush 120 should not rotate in a case that the user
intends to clean a bare
floor. That is, the selection link 141, which is fixed in the first fixing
hole 181, should be moved
and fixed to the second fixing hole 182 when rotation of the rotation brush
120 is desired.
[0060] For this end, firstly, the selection link 141 is moved to the second
fixing hole 182 after
the front end 151a of the fixing shaft 151 is removed from the first fixing
hole 181 by pulling
the fixing button 157. By rotating the selection link 141 by the predetermined
angle, the front
end 151a of the fixing shaft 151 is automatically inserted into the second
fixing hole 182 and
thus the selection kink 141 is fixed into the second fixing hole 182.
[0061] As the selection link 141 is rotated toward the second fixing hole 182,
the idle pulley
145 is moved upward together with the belt 130. After that, the selection link
141 is fixed in the
second fixing hole 182 so that the idle pulley 145 is located at a position in
which the idle pulley
145 is approximately in a line together with the pulley 124 of the rotation
brush 120 and the
rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110. In this position, the inner surface of
the belt 130 is not in
contact with the rotation shaft 111 of the motor 110. Thus, even if the
rotation shaft 111 of the
motor 110 rotates, the belt 130 does not rotate and thus the rotation brush
120 also does not
rotate. In other words, the rotation force of the motor 110 is not transmitted
to the rotation brush
120 even if the motor 110 operates for generating the suction force when the
selection link 141
is fixed in the second fixing hole 182.
[0062] According to the rotation brush driving apparatus 100 of the present
disclosure, the user
can select two operation mode of the rotation brush 120 by rotating the hand
grip 142 by
predetermined angle after pulling the fixing buttonl57. In other words, the
user may select a
rotation mode in which force of the motor 110 is transmitted and thus the
rotation brush 120
rotates or select a stop mode in which force of the motor 110 is cut off and
thus the rotation
brush 120 does not rotate, only by using the hand grip 142 and the fixing
button 157, if
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necessary. Thus, it is very simple and convenient for the user to transmit or
cut off the force of
the motor 110 to the rotation brush 120.
[0063] The rotation brush driving apparatus 100 according to the present
disclosure is applied
to an upright vacuum cleaner in the above description, however this does not
limit the kind of
the vacuum cleaner to which the present disclosure can be applied.
[0064] As described above, with rotation brush driving apparatus 100 according
to the present
disclosure, a separate motor for rotating the rotation brush is not necessary
as the rotation brush
can be rotated using the motor for generating the suction force. Thus, the
cost of materials can
be reduced.
[0065] In addition, rotation brush driving apparatus 100 according to the
present disclosure has
a simple structure as the force of the motor is selectively transmitted to the
rotation brush using a
single belt, a pulley and a selection lever. Thus, it is easy to assemble and
it is possible to reduce
the time taken to assemble.
[0066] While the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been
described,
additional variations and modifications of the exemplary embodiments may occur
to those
skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore,
it is intended that the
appended claims shall be construed to include both the above embodiments and
all such
variations and modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the
disclosure.
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