Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 2015/051124 PCT/US2014/058836
OVEN HAVING A ROTATING DOOR
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No.
14/045,257 filed on
October 3, 2013,
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to ovens in general, and in particular
to an oven having
a rotating door, wherein the oven is capable of providing continuous food
cooking while
minimizing heat loss.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A conveyor oven typically has a first opening through which uncooked
food enters
and a second opening at the opposite end of the oven through which cooked food
exits. A
stainless steel conveyor belt is commonly used to carry food items from a
loading platform
through a heated cavity between the first and second openings and ultimately
onto an unloading
platform. The conveyor belt extends past both openings sufficiently to allow
safe insertion and
retrieval of food items from the loading and unloading platforms. This
arrangement allows food
items to be placed on the conveyor belt on a continuous basis to achieve
sequential steady state
cooking. The only limit to how many substantially identical food items may be
placed in the
conveyor oven is the speed of the conveyor belt, which correlates to the
residence time inside the
heated cavity for food items to be sufficiently cooked.
[0004] When food items offered by a commercial foodservice operation such
as a restaurant
are to be cooked at the same temperature for the same amount of time in a
relatively large
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kitchen area, a conveyor oven is particularly advantageous. The operator needs
to only set the
temperature, blower speed and conveyor belt speed as necessary to cook the
selected foods.
Once these three parameters are set, the oven may be operated continuously
without any further
adjustments. Even a person unskilled in the art of cooking is able to prepare
high quality cooked
food products simply by placing them on the loading platform of a conveyor
oven. The ease of
operation and high throughput make conveyor ovens highly desirable in
restaurants and other
commercial food service settings that have sufficient space to accommodate
them.
[0005] However, conveyor ovens also have their disadvantages. For example,
most
commercial foodservice operations offer a variety of different food items,
such as pizza, chicken,
vegetables and pie, which require a wide range of cooking times and heat
transfer profiles. Even
a single food order at a restaurant may include a variety of food items, and
different food items
require different cooking times, temperatures and blower speeds. Conveyor
ovens arc very
efficient when cooking similar food items, but not for cooking a variety of
food items that
require vastly different cooking times and heat transfer profiles. In
addition, the two openings
contribute to tremendous heat loss during the operation of conveyor ovens. The
lost heat must
be replaced in order to maintain cook temperature, and as a result conveyer
ovens are not energy
efficient. Furthermore, the space required by the loading and unloading
platforms of conveyor
ovens limit the application of conveyor ovens to relatively large commercial
kitchens.
[0006] Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a reduced footprint
oven with the
efficiency of conveyor ovens while enabling different cooking times and
temperatures, and
without the large amount of heat loss associated with conveyor ovens.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, further
objects, and
advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following
detailed description of
illustrative and exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction with the
accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0008] Figure 1 is an isometric view of an oven, in accordance with an
exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[0009] Figures 2A-2B are top and front cross sectional views of a housing
for the oven from
Figure 1, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0010] Figure 3A is a diagram of a heating and airflow system within the
oven from Figure
1, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] Figure 3B is a diagram of top and bottom nozzle plates within the
oven from Figure
1, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] Figures 4A-4C illustrate a method of cooking when only one of food
loading sections
of the oven from Figure 1 is being used, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0013] Figures 5A-5F illustrate a method of cooking when both food loading
sections of the
oven from Figure I are being used, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment
of the present
invention.
[0014] Figures 6A-6D illustrate a method of rapidly reducing the
temperature of the cavity
from Figures 2A-2B, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] It has now been found that the above and related objects of the
present invention are
obtained in the form of several related aspects, including an oven having a
rotating door.
[0016] More particularly, the present invention relates to an oven
comprising a housing, a
cavity located within the housing, a rotator comprising a first food loading
section and a second
food loading section, and a heat source for providing heat to the cavity. The
cavity includes a
single opening for loading a food item into the cavity. When one of the first
food loading section
and the second food loading section is located outside of said cavity, the
other of the first food
loading section and the second food loading section is located within said
cavity. A first cook
setting of the oven when the first food loading section is within the cavity
and a second cook
setting of the oven when the second food loading section is within the cavity
are independently
controllable. The first food loading section and the second food loading
section may be
separated by a divider, which prevents heat from escaping from the cavity
through the opening.
The divider may be removable. The oven may further comprise a motor for
rotating the rotator.
[0017] The present invention also relates to an oven comprising a housing,
a cavity located
within the housing, a rotatable surface, a controller, and a heat source for
providing heat to the
cavity. The cavity includes a single opening for loading a food item into the
cavity. When a first
half of the surface is located substantially within the cavity, a second half
of the surface is
located substantially outside the cavity. When the first half of the surface
is located substantially
outside the cavity, the second half of the surface is located substantially
within the cavity. The
controller applies a first cook setting to the oven when the first half of the
surface is within the
cavity and a second cook setting to the oven when the second half of the
surface is within the
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cavity, wherein the first cook setting and the second cook setting can be
independent of each
other. The controller may comprise a first control panel for entering the
first cook setting and a
second control panel for entering the second cook setting. The oven may
further comprise a
divider placed on the surface for separating the first half and the second
half of the surface,
wherein the divider prevents heat from escaping from the cavity through the
opening. The
divider may be removable. The oven may further comprise a motor for rotating
the surface.
[0018] All features and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent in the
following detailed written description.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] Referring now to the drawings and in particular to Figure 1, there
is depicted an
isometric view of an oven, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
As shown, an oven 10 includes a housing 11 and a base 12. Housing 11 includes
a single front
opening 18 for loading a food item into the oven. In addition, the housing 11
may also include a
side opening 19 for maintenance purposes. During cooking operations, front
opening 18 can be
covered by a divider 23 located on a rotator 20, and side opening 19 can be
covered by a side
door 14.
[0020] Base 12 includes a first control panel 15 and a second control panel
16. First and
second control panels 15, 16 may be implemented with touchscreens. They can
also be
implemented with keypads, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and/or other means
for entering cook
settings. An operator can enter commands and/or cook setting parameters, such
as cooking
temperature, cooking time, blower speed, etc., via first and second control
panels 15, 16 to
effectuate cooking controls on any food items placed within oven 10.
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[0021] With reference now to Figures 2A-2B, there are depicted top and
front cross sectional
views of housing 11, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention. As
shown, housing 11 accommodates a cavity 17 and rotator 20 that supports a
first food loading
section 21 and a second food loading section 22. Preferably, the surface of
the rotator 20
forming or supporting the first and second food loading sections 21, 22 is
substantially
symmetric in 180 rotation. For example, as shown in Figure 2A, the first and
second food
loading sections 21, 22 together form a dodecagon (regular 12-sided polygon).
In another
example, the first and second food loading sections 21, 22 may be in semi-
circular shapes, which
together form a complete circular shape. The surfaces of first and second food
loading sections
21, 22 may be substantially planar. When one of the first and second food
loading sections 21,
22 is rotated into within the cavity 17 for cooking operation, the other one
of the first and second
food loading sections is located outside of the cavity 17 (e.g., in ambient
air of a kitchen). First
and second food loading sections 21, 22 are configured to receive cooking
plates 27, 28,
respectively. Any food item intended to be cooked by oven 10 may be initially
placed on either
one of cooking plates 27, 28, though it will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art that
certain food items may be placed directly on food loading sections 21, 22.
Cooking plates 27, 28
can be identical or different from each other, depending on the types of food
items to be
prepared. Thus, cooking plate 27 may be made of a different material and/or a
different design
from cooking plate 28.
[0022] Divider 23 serves as a divider between first and second food loading
sections 21, 22
as well as an oven cover to prevent heat from escaping from cavity 17 through
front opening 18,
depending on the placement of divider 23 in relation to front opening 18.
Cavity 17 can be
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conveniently accessed via side opening 19 that can be covered by side door 14.
(See, e.g., Figure
3B).
[0023] In various embodiments, the divider 23 may be removable from the
rotator 20 to
provide a larger food loading area on the surface of the rotator 20 so that a
large food item, such
as a large circular pizza, can be placed and cooked. In such configuration,
the energy saving
feature of the divider 23 would be traded off for the ability to cook a large
food item. For
example, this could be of particular benefit to commercial foodservice
operations, such as a
convenience store, which may need to cook several different types of food
items but have only a
small footprint available for cooking equipment to do so. This feature of a
removable divider 23
would enable the oven 10 to be used for different purposes -- for example, to
cook a large food
item with divider 23 removed from the rotator 20 or to cook different types of
smaller food items
with divider 23 placed on the rotator 20.
100241 In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the cook setting
for the oven 10 when the first food loading section 21 is located within the
cavity 17 and the
cook setting for the oven 10 when the second food loading section 22 is
located within the cavity
17 may be independently controllable (e.g., via a controller, one or more
control panels 15 and
16). In other words, the cook setting for cooking a food item placed on the
first food loading
section 21 when it is located within the cavity 17 can be different from the
cook setting for
cooking a food item placed on the second food loading section 22 when it is
located within the
cavity 17. Examples of cook setting parameters include, without limitation,
cooking time,
cooking temperature or a pre-set sequence of different cooking temperatures,
blower speed, the
type(s) of heating element to be used during cooking operation (e.g.,
pressurized hot air stream,
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microwave heating, infrared radiation heating, depending on its availability
in the oven 10),
and/or any other cooking condition that can be set or provided by the oven 10.
[0025] In addition, the oven 10 may be pre-programmed with a separate and
independent
cook setting before each of the first and second food loading sections 21, 22
rotates into the
cavity for cooking operation. For example, operating parameters for the oven
10 to cook any
food items placed on food loading section 21 to be rotated into cavity 17
through the opening 18
can be entered at first control panel 15 (from Figure 1). Similarly, operating
parameters for the
oven 10 to cook any food items placed on food loading section 22 to be rotated
into the cavity 17
through the opening 18 can be entered at second control panel 16 (from Figure
1).
[0026] When food loading section 21 is located inside cavity 17 where food
is being cooked,
food loading section 22 is located outside cavity 17 where it is being cooled
by, for example, the
ambient air of a kitchen in which the oven 10 may reside. Similarly, when food
loading section
22 is located inside cavity 17 where food is being cooked, food loading
section 21 is located
outside cavity 17 where it is being cooled by the ambient air of the kitchen
in which the oven 10
may reside. Due to the large temperature differential between the cooled food
loading section 21
(or food loading section 22) and heated cavity 17, food loading section 21 (or
food loading
section 22) can be sent into cavity 17 to rapidly bring down the temperature
of cavity 17, when
necessary, after food loading section 21 (or food loading section 22) has been
sufficiently cooled
down by the ambient air. In essence, the air-cooled food loading section 21
(or food loading
section 22) serves as a heat sink for absorbing the heat within cavity 17.
From a time-saving
standpoint, this maneuver is particularly advantageous in getting the oven 10
ready for cooking a
food item that requires a lower cooking temperature than the current
temperature of cavity 17.
This is because it takes less time to raise the temperature of cavity 17 up to
the desired
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temperature by the heating and airflow system (after cavity 17's current
temperature has been
lowered by one of food loading sections 21-22) than to lower cavity 17's
current temperature
down to the desired temperature by allowing heat to escape from cavity 17.
[0027] Rotator 20 can be driven by a stepper motor 26 that provides the
rotational movement
for rotator 20. Although rotator 20 is shown to be moved by a stepper motor,
it is understood by
those skilled in the art that rotator 20 can also be rotated manually and/or
by a variety of other
motorized movement designs.
[0028] Oven 10 includes a heating and airflow system to supply heat to
cavity 17 for heating
up any food items that have been carried into cavity 17 from front opening 18
via rotator 20. As
shown in Figure 2B, the heating and airflow system may include a top plenum 35
and a bottom
plenum 38. Top plenum 35 is connected to a top nozzle plate 34. Bottom plenum
38 is
connected to a bottom nozzle plate 37. Heated air in top plenum 35 and bottom
plenum 38 are in
gaseous communication with cavity 17 through top nozzle plate 34 and bottom
nozzle plate 37,
respectively. Each of top nozzle plate 34 and bottom nozzle plate 37 includes
one or more
conical shape nozzles for directing hot pressured airstream towards any food
items placed on the
portion of rotator 20 located within cavity 17.
[0029] For additional heating, a heating element 30, such as an infrared
radiation heating
element, can be placed within cavity 17 somewhere between rotator 20 and
bottom nozzle plate
37 (as shown in Figure 2B) or between rotator 20 and top nozzle plate 34 for
supplying heat
towards any food located on first loading section 21 or second loading section
22 of rotator 20
within cavity 17. It is understood by those skilled in the art that other
heating elements, such as
microwave, steam or a combination thereof, can be used instead of infrared
radiation heating
element.
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[0030] Referring now to FIG. 3A, there is depicted a diagram of the heating
and airflow
system within the oven 10, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
Air within cavity 17 is initially pumped in to a heater plenum 31 via an
intake opening 40.
Heater plenum 31 includes a heater 39 (which is also shown in Figure 2A).
After it has been
sufficiently heated by heater 39, the hot air is then directed to top plenum
35 via a top blower 32
and to bottom plenum 38 via a bottom blower 33. The pressurized hot air formed
within top
plenum 35 is subsequently directed to cavity 17 via multiple nozzles located
on top nozzle plate
34 (from Figure 2B). Similarly, pressurized hot air formed within bottom
plenum 38 is
subsequently directed to cavity 17 via multiple nozzles located on bottom
nozzle plate 37 (from
Figure 2B). Although heated air is shown to be sent to top plenum 35 and
bottom plenum 38 via
separate blowers, it is understood by those skilled in the art that heated air
can be sent to both top
plenum 35 and bottom plenum 38 via a single blower.
100311 Top nozzle plate 34 and bottom nozzle plate 37 can be removed from
cavity 17 via
side opening 19, as shown in Figure 3B. Although air passes through top nozzle
plate 34 and
bottom nozzle plate 37 into cavity 17, it is understood by those skilled in
the art that top plenum
35 or bottom plenum 38 can be in gaseous communication through a variety of
air opening
configurations such as tubes, rectangular openings and the like. Moreover, air
could enter cavity
17 only through top plenum 35 or only through bottom plenum 38.
100321 Preferably, the diameter of the openings of nozzles on top and
bottom nozzle plates
34, 37 may range from 1/4" to 1.3". Each of the nozzles can provide a
pressurized hot airstream
of about 1" to 3" diameter coverage directed towards any food items placed on
the portion of
rotator 20 located approximately 4" from top nozzle plate 34 or bottom nozzle
plate 37. After a
food item has been placed within cavity 17, rotator 20 can stop moving, and
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airstreams can be directed towards the food item placed on rotator 20 to begin
the cooking
process. At this point, rotator 20 may oscillate in a slight clockwise and
counter-clockwise
fashion in order to increase the hot airstream coverage on the food item on
rotator 20, and to
avoid overheating of a food item at any spot located directly underneath
and/or above one of the
nozzles. For example, rotator 20 may oscillate clockwise and counter-clockwise
within the
width of the divider 23 so that the edges of the divider 23 do not go beyond
the opening 18. In
another example, rotator 20 may oscillate between 5 clockwise from the
stopping point and 5
counter-clockwise from the stopping point. It will be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that
the placement of nozzles in top nozzle plate 34 and also the placement of
nozzles in bottom
nozzle plate 37 will be selected such that the slight clockwise and anti-
clockwise movements by
rotator 20 will be sufficient to travel the left to right distance between
individual nozzles in top
nozzle plate 34 and bottom nozzle plate 37.
100331 With reference now to Figures 4A-4C, there are illustrated
schematically a method of
cooking when only one of food loading sections 21, 22 of rotator 20 is used,
in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention. An uncooked raw food item (RF)
is initially
placed on food loading section 21 (or 22), as shown in Figure 4A. An operator
then enters an
appropriate cook settings for cooking the food item via control panel 15 (or
16), and food
loading section 21 (or 22) is subsequently rotated into and located within
cavity 17, as depicted
in Figure 4B. After a period of time has lapsed, food loading section 21 (or
22) exits cavity 17,
and the fully cooked food item (CF) is ready to be removed from food loading
section 21 (or 22)
by an operator, as shown in Figure 4C.
100341 Referring now to Figures 5A-5F, there are illustrated schematically
a method of
cooking when both food loading sections 21, 22 of rotator 20 are being used,
in accordance with
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a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A first uncooked raw food
item (RF-1) is
initially placed on food loading section 21, and an operator then enters an
appropriate cook
settings for cooking the first food item via control panel 15, as shown in
Figure 5A. Food
loading section 21 is subsequently rotated inside cavity 17, as depicted in
Figure 5B. While the
first food item is being cooked (F-1-C), a second uncooked raw food item (RF-
2) can be placed
on food loading section 22, and the operator enters an appropriate cook
settings for cooking the
second food item via control panel 16, as depicted in Figure 5C. After a
period of time has
lapsed, food loading section 21 on which the first food item is fully cooked
(CF-1) exits cavity
17 while food loading section 22 is being rotated inside cavity 17, as shown
in Figure 5D. While
the second food item is being cooked (F-2-C), the fully cooked first food item
(CF-1) is ready to
be removed by the operator from food loading section 21, as shown in Figure
5E.
[0035] While the second food item is being cooked (F-2-C), a third uncooked
raw food item
(RF-3) can be placed on food loading section 21, and the operator enters an
appropriate cook
settings for cooking the third food item via control panel 15, as depicted in
Figure 5F.
[0036] The above mentioned sequence can be performed repeatedly for
different food items.
Since different cooking times can be entered by an operator, any of the above
mentioned food
items can be completely different from each other.
[0037] When the cooking temperature of a to-be-cooked food item is
relatively close to the
temperature of cavity 17, no adjustment is typically required. When the
cooking temperature of
a to-be-cooked food item is higher than the temperature of cavity 17, heater
39 (from Figure 3A)
may be turned on, and heated air will be directed to cavity 17 via top blower
32 and bottom
blower 33 in order to increase the temperature of cavity 17. The time for
heating up cavity 17
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should be relatively short (e.g., no wait time) due to the placement of
divider 23 within the
opening 18.
[0038] When the cooking temperature of a to-be-cooked food item is lower
than the
temperature of cavity 17, it is important to lower the temperature of cavity
17 before starting the
cooking process again, or else there may be a risk of overcooking the food
item. The time for
cooling down cavity 17 to the desired temperature may take several minutes,
which is usually not
acceptable in a fast pace commercial kitchen. Thus, the temperature of cavity
17 needs to be
rapidly lowered by, for example, the following methods. If the newly entered
cook temperature
is approximately 40 F. (or approximately 10% in F.) less than the
temperature of cavity 17,
cavity 17's temperature can be rapidly lowered by rotating either one of food
loading sections 21,
22 into cavity 17. This is because one of food loading sections 21, 22, which
has been cooled by
the ambient air of a kitchen, can serve as a heat sink to absorb the heat
within cavity 17.
100391 However, if the newly entered cook temperature is substantially
lower than the
temperature of cavity 17 (such as more than 40 F. or 10% in F.), the
temperature of cavity 17
needs to be further lowered by using a different method, in conjunction with
the usage of one of
food loading sections 21, 22 as a heat sink, in order to avoid any
overcooking. The temperature
of cavity 17 can be further lowered rapidly as follows. Referring now to
Figures 6A-6D, after a
raw food item RF has been placed on loading section 22 (or 21), as depicted in
Figure 6A, a
foodservice personnel can enter a desired cook temperature for cooking the
food item RF via
control panel 16 (or 15) (from Figure 1). If the desired cook temperature is
substantially lower
than the temperature of cavity 17, top and/or bottom blowers 32, 33 (from
Figure 3A) may be
activated as soon as food loading section 22 (or 21) begins moving into cavity
17. At this point,
the forced air from top blower 32 and/or bottom blower 33 push the heated air
within cavity 17
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out via opening 18, thereby lowering the temperature of cavity 17. Food
loading section 22 (or
21) may then be moved partially but not completely within cavity 17 such that
opening 18 is not
covered by divider 23, as depicted in Figure 6B. In this position, heated air
within cavity 17 is
allowed to escape until the temperature of cavity 17 is reduced to the desired
temperature, and at
which point, food loading section 22 (or 21) is moved completely within cavity
17 with opening
18 completely covered by divider 23, as shown in Figure 6C.
[0040] Alternatively, instead of waiting for the temperature of cavity 17
to drop to the
desired temperature before the cooking cycle begins, the cooking cycle can
start and rotator can
oscillate clockwise and counter-clockwise to permit the edges of divider 23 to
travel beyond
opening 18 such that hot air is allowed to escape from cavity 17, as can be
illustrated by rotating
food loading section 22 in an oscillatory fashion between the positions shown
in Figures GB, 6C,
and 6D repeatedly. After the temperature of cavity 17 has been reduced to the
desired
temperature, the food loading section 22 returns to and stays in the cooking
position shown in
Figure 6C. In various embodiments, in order to increase the hot airstream
coverage on the food
item on the food loading section 22, and to avoid overheating of a food item
at any spot located
directly underneath and/or above one of the nozzles, the food loading section
22 in the cooking
position shown in Figure 6C may also oscillate in a slight clockwise and
counter-clockwise
fashion, as described above.
[0041] In addition, an interrupt mode can be added to oven 10. For certain
food items, a
foodservice personnel may require to interrupt the normal cooking cycle by
entering a cook
temperature that is less than the preset cook temperature of oven 10. If the
newly entered cook
temperature is approximately within 20% less than the preset cook temperature
of oven 10, the
process of cooling cavity 17's temperature can be accelerated by using one of
food loading
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sections 21, 22 that has been cooled by ambient air of a kitchen as a heat
sink to lower the
temperature of cavity 17. For much of the duration of the cook cycle, the
preset temperature of
oven 10 at which the temperature feedback loop operates is temporarily lowered
to the new
temperature entered by the foodservice personnel. Once the cook cycle is near
completion, the
preset temperature of oven 10 reverts back to the original preset temperature
so that the next
cooking cycle will not start from an unacceptably low starting temperature.
[0042] As has been described, the present invention provides an oven having
a rotating door
for continuously and efficiently cooking a wide variety of food items while
minimizing heat loss
resulting in improved energy efficiency.
[0043] While this invention has been described in conjunction with
exemplary embodiments
outlined above and illustrated in the drawings, it is evident that many
alternatives, modifications
and variations in form and detail will be apparent to those skilled in the
art. Accordingly, the
exemplary embodiments of the invention, as set forth above, are intended to be
illustrative, not
limiting, and the spirit and scope of the present invention is to be construed
broadly and limited
only by the appended claims, and not by the foregoing specification.
