Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 1 -
MATERIAL DISPENSING DEVICE WITH FILL/DISPENSE INSERT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a material dispensing device. More particularly, the
present invention relates to a material dispensing device to be inserted into
a container
before the container is filled with the material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are numerous devices currently available for dispensing a predetermined
amount of material from a container. Most of these devices, however, require
insertion of
the device into a container after the container has been filled with the
relevant product or
material to be dispensed. Most such devices comprise a funnel shaped extension
which
forms a reservoir used to capture a pre-measured amount of material from
inside the
container. Such a device is shown, for example in U.S. Patent No. 5,323,938.
In order to
install such a device in a container prior to filling, it would be necessary
to manoeuvre the
reservoir into the container and then attempt to fill the container through
the same opening
communicating with the reservoir which is economically not feasible.
In other prior devices, for example as shown in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,523, a
device
for dispensing a pre-measured amount of material has a pivoting reservoir
which can be
pivoted from a first position, where the reservoir is insertable into the
container, to a
second position, where the reservoir is usable for dispensing. The difficulty
with such a
device is that the additional number of parts dramatically increases the cost
of manufacture.
Furthermore, the additional movement of the devices increases the likelihood
of damage
during transport or use which can render the entire container, as well as the
material
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 2 -
container therein, unusable. Furthermore, it is difficult to fill the
container after the
dispensing device has been inserted in part due to the number of parts, and, a
separate tube
support collar being required in addition to a connecting collar.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a fluid dispensing device which
overcomes at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art. Also, there is a
need in the art
for a fluid dispensing device which facilitates filling of the container after
the measuring
reservoir has been inserted into the container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to at least partially overcome
some of
the disadvantages of the prior art. Also, it is an object of this invention to
provide an
improved type of material dispensing device which facilitates filling of the
container after
the device has been inserted.
Accordingly, in one of its aspects, this invention resides in a material
dispensing
device for facilitating filling and dispensing material from a container, said
container
having a container opening, said dispensing device comprising: a fill/dispense
insert to be
sealably fitted to the container opening of the container, said fill/dispense
insert having a
dispensing opening for dispensing the predetermined amount of material from
the
container, and, a fill opening, separate from the dispensing opening, for
receiving the
material into the container during filling and after sealably fitting the
fill/dispense insert
into the container opening; a measuring reservoir for measuring a
predetermined amount of
material for dispensing, said measuring reservoir in fluid communication with
the
dispensing opening; and a material impervious plug received by the fill
opening after the
container has been filled with the material, said material impervious plug
restricting
discharge of the material through the fill opening after the plug has been
received therein;
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 3 -
and wherein, after the container has been filled with material through the
fill opening of the
fill/dispense insert, the material impervious plug is inserted into the fill
opening to permit
the predetermined amount of material to be measured by the measuring reservoir
and
dispensed by the dispensing opening without discharge of the material through
the fill
opening.
In a further aspect, the present invention resides in a method of inserting a
material
dispensing device into a container having a container opening and filling the
container with
material, said method comprising: providing a material dispensing device with
a
fill/dispense insert having a dispensing opening in fluid communication with a
measuring
reservoir, said measuring reservoir for measuring a predetermined amount of
material, and,
a fill opening separate from the dispensing opening, for receiving material
into the
container during filling; before filling the container with material,
inserting the material
dispensing device with the measuring reservoir into the container opening;
sealably fitting
the fill/dispense insert of the material dispensing device to the container
opening; filling
the container with material through the fill opening in the fill/dispense
insert; after the
container has been filled with the material, inserting a material impervious
plug into the fill
opening of the fill/dispense insert.
In one aspect, an advantage of the present invention is that the dispensing
device
has a fill/dispense insert which is sealably received in the container opening
prior to the
container being filled with the material. The fill/dispense insert has a fill
opening which
can be used by most standard machines to fill the container with material even
after the
dispensing device has been inserted into the container. A material impervious
plug is then
inserted in the fill opening to prevent the material from exiting through the
opening after
the container has been filled. Preferably, the material impervious plug is not
air
impervious such that air may flow into the container after the plug has been
inserted into
the fill opening, to facilitate dispensing of the material during use.
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 4 -
The fill/dispense insert may also have a dispensing opening spout which is in
fluid
communication with the measuring reservoir and a dispensing spout for pouring
the
material. The dispensing opening and spout is preferably separated from the
filling
opening in the fill/dispense insert. In such cases, a further advantage of the
present
invention is that a standard filling nozzle will only interact with the
filling opening and not
damage or affect the dispensing opening or dispensing spout.
During use, rotating the container from an upright position to an angled or
inverted
position will cause a predetermined amount of material to be captured in the
measuring
reservoir and dispensed through the dispensing spout. Simultaneously, in a
preferred
embodiment, air will enter through the material impervious plug in the fill
opening
facilitating the dispensing of the measured amount of material.
In a further aspect, preferably the outer surface of the fill/dispense insert
has a
concave shape with the lowest point coinciding with one side of the spout.
This prevents
any excess fluid from accumulating around the spout or the side of the
container as any
excess material will accumulate in the concave portion of the fill/dispense
insert and be
received in the dispensing spout.
More preferably, the fill/dispense insert, the measuring reservoir and the
flow tube,
which connects the measuring reservoir to the dispensing opening are
integrally formed.
More preferably, the fill/dispense insert, the measuring reservoir and the
flow tube
connecting the measuring reservoir to the dispensing opening are in fluid
communication
with each other and are molded from plastic with no moving components. This
decreases
tooling costs. This also decreases the potential breakage during insertion and
use and thus
decreases the overall cost of manufacture. Having a single component
fill/dispense insert
with a separate filling opening and dispensing opening also prevents damage
during filling
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 5 -
as the standard filling nozzle will only interact with the larger filling
opening. It is noted
that the plug is inserted into the fill opening after the container has been
filled.
Preferably, the fill opening is at least a size to allow standard filling
nozzles to fill
the container after the fill/dispense insert has been inserted into the
container opening.
More preferably, the material impervious plug can be inserted in the fill
opening
automatically after filling to decrease the cost of manufacture and filling
the container.
Further aspects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the
following
detailed description and drawings, which illustrate the invention and
preferred
embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the material dispensing device according to
one
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a further side view of the device shown in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a top perspective view of the device shown in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a top view of a further embodiment of the invention;
Figure 6 is a side cross-sectional view of a material impervious plug
according to
the further embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 5;
Figure 7A a side-cross sectional view of the material dispensing device
according
to one embodiment of the present invention as it is being filled by a standard
filling
nozzle;
Figure 7B is a side-cross sectional view of the material dispensing device
according
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 6 -
to one embodiment of the present invention inserted in to a container that has
been
filled with material;
Figure 8 is a top view of a fill/dispense insert according to one embodiment
of the
present invention before insertion of the material impervious plug;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a fill/dispense insert 18 according to one
embodiment of the present invention before insertion of the material
impervious
plug; and
Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the method of inserting the material
dispensing
device into a container and filling the container according to one embodiment
of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the invention and its advantages can be understood by
referring to the present drawings. In the present drawings, like numerals are
used for like
and corresponding parts of the accompanying drawings.
As shown in Figure 1, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a
material
dispensing device, shown generally by reference numeral 10. The material
dispensing
device 10 facilitates filling and dispensing material from a container, shown
generally by
reference numeral 8 in Figures 7A and 7B. As shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the
container
8 has a container opening 2 for receiving the material dispensing device 10.
The material,
shown generally by reference numeral 6 in Figures 7A and 7B is inserted into
the container
8 after the material dispensing device 10 has been sealably fit into the
container opening 2
of the container 8. The material 6 may be a liquid as shown in Figures 7A and
7B or a
powder or other form.
'
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 7 -
Figures 1 to 4 show the material dispensing device 10 from different views. As
illustrated in Figure 1, the material dispensing device 10 has a fill/dispense
insert 18 for
sealably fitting into the container opening 2 of the container 8. Preferably,
the
fill/dispense insert 18 has a container engaging surface, shown generally by
reference
numeral 200, which extends about the perimeter 202 of the fill/dispense insert
18. More
preferably, the container engaging surface 200 creates a friction fit with the
container
opening 2. In one preferred embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 1, the
container engaging
surface 200 comprises a rib 204 extending across at least some, and preferably
all, of the
perimeter 202 of the fill/dispense insert 18 to form the friction fit with the
container
opening 2.
The fill/dispense insert 18 preferably comprises a fill opening 30 and a
dispensing
opening 20, as illustrated, for instance, in Figure 4 as well as Figures 8 and
9. The fill
opening 30 in Figure 4 is shown with the material impervious plug 130 inserted
therein. It
is understood that when the material dispensing device 10 is initially
inserted into the
container 8 the material impervious plug 130 will not yet have been inserted
into the fill
opening 30, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. In this case, as illustrated in
Figures 8 and 9, the
fill opening 30 provides a relatively unobstructed opening for a filling
nozzle, shown
generally by reference numeral 4 in Figure 7A, as discussed further below, to
fill the
container 8 with the material 6. The fill opening 30 is separate from the
dispensing
opening 20. Thus, the dispensing opening 20 can be customized for the
dispensing of the
material 6 from the container 8 without concern regarding filling of the
container 8.
The material dispensing device 10 further comprises a measuring reservoir,
shown
generally by reference number 40. The measuring reservoir 40 is used for
measuring a
predetermined amount of material 6 for dispensing from the container 8 after
the material
dispensing device 10 has been inserted into the container 8. The measuring
reservoir 40 is
inserted in the container 8 during insertion of the dispensing device 10 into
the container 8.
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 8 -
Preferably, the measuring reservoir 40 is in fluid communication with the
dispensing
opening 20 to permit the measured predetermined amount of material 6 to be
dispensed
from the measuring reservoir 40 to the dispensing opening 20. This can be
accomplished
in a number of different ways, however, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the
material
dispensing device 10 further comprises a flow tube 120 connecting the
dispensing opening
20 and the measuring reservoir 40 to permit flow of the material 6 from the
measuring
reservoir 40 to the dispensing opening 20. In this way, after insertion of the
material
dispensing device 10 into the container 8 and after the container 8 has been
filled with the
material 6, a predetermined measured amount of material 6 can be dispensed
from the
dispensing opening 20.
Preferably, the fill/dispense insert 18, the flow tube 120 and the measuring
reservoir
40 are integrally formed. In this way, the material dispensing device 10 can
be formed
from two separate parts, namely the integrally formed fill/dispense insert 18,
flow tube 120
and measuring reservoir 40, and, the impervious plug 130 which is received in
the fill
opening 30 after the container has been filled with the material 6 as
described more fully
below. This decreases the costs of manufacturing as only two components need
be made.
Furthermore, the cost of assembling the material dispensing device 10 is
lessened because
there are essentially no moving parts. In particular, as will be appreciated,
there are no
moving parts in the material dispensing device 10 either at the time of
insertion of the
material dispensing device 10 into the container 8, nor while the material 6
is being filled
into the container 8, nor during use of the material dispensing device 10 to
dispense the
predetermined amount of material 6.
The fill opening 30 is separate from the dispensing opening 20 and the fill
opening
30 receives the material 6 into the container 8 during filling and after the
fill/dispense
insert 8 has been sealably fitted into the container opening 2 as illustrated
in Figure 7A. In
a further preferred embodiment, the fill opening 30 is at least the size of a
standard filling
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 9 -
nozzle 4, shown generally in Figure 7A, to permit the container 8 to be filled
with the
material 6 through the fill opening 30. In other words, as described more
fully below and
illustrated in Figure 7A, the fill/dispense insert 18 is sealably fit into the
container opening
2 with the measuring reservoir 40 inserted into the container, and, the
container 8 is then
filled with material 6 through the fill opening 30. The fill opening 30 is
separate from the
dispensing opening 20 which is in fluid communication with the measuring
reservoir 40.
In this way, as material 6 is inserted into the fill opening 30, the measuring
reservoir 40 and
the flow tube 120 do not restrict the flow of the material 6, and, the
material 6 does not
damage or otherwise affect the dispensing opening 20, the flow tube 120 or the
measuring
reservoir 40.
As illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the fill/dispense insert 18 initially does
not have a
material impervious plug 130 inserted therein. In this way, while the
container 8 is in the
fill line (not shown) the filling nozzle 4 can be inserted into the fill
opening 30. As the
container 8 is filled with material 6 from the standard filling nozzle 4
through the fill
opening 30, other containers 8 at other positions in the fill line can be
automatically
processed. For instances, at an earlier stage in the fill line, the material
dispensing device
10, including the measuring reservoir 40, would have been inserted into the
container 8.
Preferably, at about the same time, the fill/dispense insert 18 would have
been sealably
fitted to the container opening 2. In this way, each of the steps up to and
including filling
of the container 8 with material 6 can be done automatically on the fill line.
It is also noted from Figures 7A, 7B, 8 and 9, that the standard filling
nozzle 4
would not interact with the dispensing opening 20 so as not to damage the
dispensing
opening 20, nor the flow tube 120 or measuring reservoir 40 thereby permitting
the
dispensing opening 20 to be shaped and selected in the most beneficial manner
possible for
dispensing material 6. In other words, depending on the material 6, the
dispensing opening
20 may be of different shape or size to best accommodate the material 6 of the
dispensing
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 10 -
opening 20 independent of the fill opening 30 used for filling the container 8
with the
standard filling nozzle 4. Similarly, it is understood that the measuring
reservoir 40 and
flow tube 120 are selected, sized and shaped to best accommodate the material
6
independent of the fill opening 30. It is understood that the standard filling
nozzle 4 would
be connected to another tank or material holding reservoir (not shown) from
which the
material 6 can be inserted into the container 8 and is known in the art. In
other words,
because the fill opening 30 is generally large enough to accommodate the
standard size of a
filling nozzle 4, generally, there will be no changes required to the filling
line, including
the filling nozzle 4, when the material dispensing device 10 of the present
invention is
used. As such, the material dispensing device 10 of the present invention can
be easily
retrofitted onto existing filling lines having standard filling nozzles 4, and
existing fill lines
can also be used to fill containers 8 that do not have the material dispensing
device 10
according to this invention.
After the container 8 has been filled with the material 6 through the fill
opening 30
of the fill/dispense insert 18, the material impervious plug 130 is inserted
into the fill
opening 30. This permits the predetermined amount of material to be measured
by the
measuring reservoir 40 and dispensed by the dispensing opening 20 without
discharge of
the material 6 through the fill opening 30. To accomplish this, the material
impervious
plug 130 is preferably received by the fill opening 30 after the container 8
has been filled
with the material 6, and, the material impervious plug 130 restricts discharge
of the
material 6 through the fill opening 30 after the material impervious plug 130
has been
received in the fill opening 30. Preferably, the material impervious plug 130
has a plurality
of holes shown generally by reference numeral 132 in Figs. 1 to 4. Figs. 5 and
6 show an
alternate embodiment where the material impervious plug 130 has a different
shape, shown
generally by reference numeral 230, with a larger number of holes 232 as shown
in cross-
section in Fig. 6. In either case, the holes 132, 232, are beneficial in that
they permit air to
enter the container 8 during dispensing of the material 6 to improve the flow
of the material
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 11 -
6 outside of the container 8. Nevertheless, the holes 132, 232 restrict
discharge of the
material 6 from the container 8. In this way, the plurality of holes 132 or
232, or any
alternate arrangement, as could be appreciated by a person skilled in the art,
allow air to
enter into the container 8 facilitating flow of the material through the
dispensing opening
20, but restricting the discharge of material 6 through the fill opening 30
from the container
8. It is understood that in some embodiments, such as if the material 6 is a
powder, no
holes 132 or 232 may be desired.
To facilitate the material impervious plug 130, 230 being received by the fill
opening 30 after the container 8 has been filled with the material 6, the
material impervious
plug 130 or 230 is preferably press fitted into the filling hole 30 after the
material 6 has
been inserted into the filling hole 30. In this way, the material impervious
plug 130, 230
can be press fitted into the filling hole 30 in the filling line (not shown)
after the container
8 has been filled with the material 6 and not be removed from the filling
line. In this way,
the material impervious plug 130 or 230 can be inserted automatically by
machine thereby
decreasing the costs and time required to fill the container 8 with the
material 6.
Furthermore, by automating the insertion of the material impervious plug 130
into the fill
opening 30 after the container 8 has been filled with material 6, a higher
degree of
consistency and quality can be achieved, thereby decreasing the number of
material
dispensing devices 10 and resulting containers 8 which must be destroyed for
quality
control.
In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the material impervious
plug 230
has a perimeter 233 with at least one and preferably two ribs 234 extending
across at least
some, and preferably all, of the perimeter 233. This facilitates the material
impervious
plug 230 being press fitted into the filling hole 30 after the material 6 has
been inserted into
the filling hole 30. It is understood that the ribs 234 along the perimeter
233 can exist on
other types of material impervious plugs, including the material impervious
plug 130 as
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
.. .
- 12 -
shown in Figs. 1 to 4. It is also understood that other types of methods and
means can be
used to press fit the material impervious plug 130, 230 into the filling hole
30 after the
material 6 has been inserted into the filling hole 30 and preferably the
manner or method
for press fitting the material impervious plug can be accomplished using an
automated
means along the filling line.
In a further preferred embodiment, inserting the material dispensing device 10
into
the container opening 2 occurs while the container 8 is being formed. In this
way, the
filling line includes a container manufacturing line whereby the container is
manufactured,
generally by plastic, the material dispensing device 10 is inserted into the
container 8, the
container 8 is then filled with material 6 through the fill opening 30 and the
material
impervious plug 130, 230 is inserted into the fill opening 30. In this case,
if the material
dispensing device 10 is inserted into the container 8, it is preferable that
this is done while
the container 8 is warm either as a result of manufacture or heating
afterwards. More
preferably, the container 8, or at least the container opening 2, is at a
temperature of 24 C
to 40 C when the material dispensing device 10 is inserted into the container
opening 2 of
the container 8. In this way, the warmer container opening 2 can be fused to
the container
engaging surface 200 of the material dispensing device 10 to provide a better
seal between
the fill/dispense insert 18 and the container opening 2.
To facilitate dispensing of the material 6, the dispensing opening 20
preferably
comprises a dispensing spout 22. In this way, once the measuring reservoir 40
has
measured a predetermined amount of material 6, the predetermined measured
amount of
material 6 can be dispensed through the dispensing opening 20 and engage the
dispensing
spout 22 to avoid spillage of the now measured predetermined amount of
material 6.
Preferably, the dispensing spout 22 dispenses from the side 23 of the
dispensing opening
20 which is remote from the filling opening 30. As such, the material 6 being
dispensed
from the container 8 would exit over the edge of the container 8 rather than
over the fill
i
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 13 -
opening 30. This avoids spillage and also decreases the likelihood of material
6 being
inadvertently discharged through the plurality of openings 132, 232 in the
material
impervious plug 130, 230.
In a further preferred embodiment, the fill/dispense insert 18 has a concave
surface,
as shown generally by reference numeral 180 in Fig. 4 and also in Fig. 5. The
concave
surface 180 has a lowest point 182 which is preferably coincident with a low
edge 24 of the
dispensing opening 20 proximate the filling opening 30. Furthermore, as
illustrated in
Figs. 4 and 5, the fill opening 30 is preferably located on a slope 184 of the
concave surface
180. In this way, if any material 6 inadvertently is discharged either through
the dispensing
opening 20 or the fill opening 30, the inadvertently discharged material 6
will accumulate
at the lowest point 182 of the concave surface 180 and eventually enter
through the low
edge 24 of the dispensing opening 20, which is preferably coincident with the
lowest point
182 of the concave surface 180 and re-enter the container 8 through the
discharge opening
20 in the flow tube 120.
Figure 10 illustrates a flow chart, shown generally by reference numeral 300,
outlining a method of using the material dispensing device 10 according to one
preferred
embodiment. As illustrated in Figure 10, the initial step 310 of the flowchart
300 shows
providing a material dispensing device 10 with a fill/dispense insert 18
having a dispensing
opening 20 in fluid communication with the reservoir 40, the measuring
reservoir 40 for
measuring the predetermined amount of material 6, and, a fill opening 30
separate from the
dispensing opening 20, for receiving material 6 into the container 8 during
filling. In step
320, before filling of the container 8 with the material 6, the material
dispensing device 10,
with the measuring reservoir 40, is inserted into the container opening 2 of
the container 8.
In step 330, the fill/dispense insert 18 is sealably fitted to the container
opening 2 of the
container 8.
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 14 -
At this point in time, the container 8 is filled with the material 6 through
the fill
opening 30 and the fill/dispensing insert 18 as illustrated in step 340. After
the container 8
has been filled with the material 6, the material impervious plug 130 can be
fitted into the
fill opening 30 of the fill/dispenser input 30 as shown in step 350. At this
point in time, the
container and material dispensing device are ready to be capped, as is known
in the art, on
the fill line and then shipped and/or used to dispense a predetermined amount
of material
from the reservoir 40.
As indicated above, these steps 330 of inserting the material dispensing
device 10
into the container 8 further comprises doing so while the container is warm
such as
between 25 C to 35 C and more preferably between 26 C and 32 C. This
facilitates
creating the sealable fit between the fill/dispense insert 18 and the
container opening 2. In
a further preferred embodiment, step 340 also includes fusing the warm
container opening
2 to the container engaging surface 200 of the material dispensing device 10
to create a
better seal with the container opening 2.
In a further preferred embodiment, the step 350 of inserting the material
impervious
plug 130 into the fill opening 30 of the fill/dispense insert 18 preferably is
done through
snap fitting the plug 130 into the fill opening 30 after the container 8 has
been filled with
material 6. In this way, it is possible for the snap fitting of the plug 130
to be done
automatically in the fill line. As such, the material dispensing device 10 can
be inserted
into the container 8, the container 8 may be filled with a material 6 through
the fill opening
30, and the plug 130 may be snap fitted into the fill opening 30 with each
step 310-350
done automatically on the fill line. Furthermore, as discussed above, the fill
opening 30 is
preferably sized to accommodate a standard filling nozzle 4 such that the
entire process can
be retrofitted onto existing fill lines with minimum of interruption and
change to the
existing flow lines including the standard filling nozzle 4.
CA 02821648 2013-07-23
- 15 -
It is understood that, while the invention has been described with respect to
material
6 which is shown as a liquid in Figures 7A and 7B, the material 6 is not
limited to a liquid.
Rather, the material 6 can be any type of material, that is commonly used for
dispensing.
For instance, the material 6 could be dishwashing fluid, clothes washing
fluid, a
pharmaceutical or any other type of material 6 which is commonly distributed,
sold and/or
dispensed from a container 8.
To the extent that a patentee may act as its own lexicographer under
applicable law,
it is hereby further directed that all words appearing in the claims section,
except for the
above defined words, shall take on their ordinary, plain and accustomed
meanings (as
generally evidenced, inter alia, by dictionaries and/or technical lexicons),
and shall not be
considered to be specially defined in this specification. Notwithstanding this
limitation on
the inference of "special definitions," the specification may be used to
evidence the
appropriate, ordinary, plain and accustomed meanings (as generally evidenced,
inter alia,
by dictionaries and/or technical lexicons), in the situation where a word or
term used in the
claims has more than one pre-established meaning and the specification is
helpful in
choosing between the alternatives.
It will be understood that, although various features of the invention have
been
described with respect to one or another of the embodiments of the invention,
the various
features and embodiments of the invention may be combined or used in
conjunction with
other features and embodiments of the invention as described and illustrated
herein.
Although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain preferred
embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not
restricted to
these particular embodiments. Rather, the invention includes all embodiments,
which are
functional, electrical or mechanical equivalents of the specific embodiments
and features
that have been described and illustrated herein.
