Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02497986 2005-02-23
HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND KEYBOARD HAVING
MULTIPLE-FUNCTION KEYS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to handheld electronic devices and, more
particularly, to a keyboard for a handheld electronic device.
Background Information
Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples of such
handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal data assistants
(PDAs),
handheld computers, two-way pagers, cellular telephones, and the like. Such
handheld
electronic devices are generally intended to be portable and thus must be
relatively small.
Many handheld electronic devices feature wireless communication capability,
although
many such handheld electronic devices are stand-alone. Since handheld
electronic devices
typically are portable, it is also desired that the form factor of the devices
be sufficiently
small and ergonomic that they can conveniently be transported with a belt
clip, in a user's
pocket, manually, or in a briefcase. Advancements in technology have permitted
the form
factor of such handheld electronic devices to be reduced while increasing
their versatility
and functionality, such as by increasing the number of functions provided by
the device as
well as increasing the number of software applications and the variety of
their features.
However, as the form factor of a handheld electronic device decreases and the
number of
functions provided by the device increases, the device potentially can become
awkward
and difficult to use. Thus, it is also desirable to improve the usability of a
handheld
electronic device as its form factor is reduced and its versatility is
increased. Previous
attempts to increase such usability have had limitations.
One such type of solution has involved the use of large numbers of keys which,
when pressed in various combinations, would produce various functions. For
instance,
adjacent keys were depressed simultaneously to provide additional functions.
In mobile
electronics, keys oftentimes are operatively connected with metal or carbon
coated poly
domes that act as switches for the keys and that are collapsible and provide
tactile
feedback to a user when the domes are collapsed from a relaxed position to a
deflected
position. The simultaneous pressing of multiple keys to provide a given
function thus
oftentimes can result in the collapsing of multiple domes, which can result in
a confusing
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and/or undesirable tactile feedback to a user. Other attempts at improving
usability have
involved decreasing the quantity of keys on a handheld device while increasing
the
number of functions each key is to serve. Such systems potentially can become
cumbersome because the various functions of a given key may additionally
require the
pressing of a SHIFT key, an ALT key, or another key to provide the various
functions. In
such a circumstance, the required multiple key pushing requires multiple hand
movements
which interfere with user friendliness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An improved handheld electronic device and keyboard in accordance with the
invention meet these and other needs. An improved handheld electronic device
having an
improved keyboard provides enhanced usability with fewer keys by enabling the
keys to
pivot slightly to provide multiple functions to the keys. The improved
keyboard may, for
example, include internal strips of conductive carbon that are disposed
adjacent the keys
and are electrically engageable with contacts on a printed circuit board.
Specifically,
when a key is pressed directly downward it collapses a single dome and
connects together
a set of primary contacts to provide a first function. When the key is pressed
at the side
thereof, the key pivots slightly, collapses the dome and connects together the
primary
contacts, and also engages a carbon strip with a pair of secondary contacts to
connect
together the secondary contacts, all of which provide a second function. The
keyboard
may be configured to be of a QWERTY configuration while using only a
relatively small
number of keys.
Accordingly, an aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheld
electronic device and an improved keyboard that provide enhanced usability
while
employing a relatively small number of keys.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheld electronic
device and an improved keyboard having keys that each include multiple
functions that are
provided by pressing the key at one side thereof, at another side thereof, or
in the center
thereof.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheld electronic
device and an improved keyboard that provide both collapsible domes (or
alternative
switches providing tactile feedback) and conductive carbon strips (or
alternative switches
generally not providing tactile feedback), with collapsing of a dome providing
a first
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function, and with collapsing of the dome and engaging a carbon strip
providing a second
function.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheld electronic
device and an improved keyboard that provide keys having multiple functions
with a
single press while providing a desirable tactile feedback of a single
collapsing dome to the
user.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheld electronic
device and an improved keyboard of a QWERTY configuration having a relatively
small
number of keys with multiple characters being provided on each key.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheld electronic
device and an improved keyboard having a plurality of multi-function keys,
with each key
being movable between an initial position and a plurality of terminal
positions, and with
the various terminal positions of the key and the various functions of the key
corresponding with one another.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheld device and
an
improved keyboard that enables a small form factor while still providing
enhanced
usability or user friendliness.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved keyboard of the type
that
is structured to be incorporated into an electronic device, in which the
general nature of
the keyboard can be stated as including a printed circuit board, a primary
conductor
portion, a secondary conductor portion, and a number of keys. The printed
circuit board
has a plurality of electrical contacts. The primary conductor portion includes
a number of
primary conductors, with each one of said primary conductors being elastically
deflectable
between a relaxed position and a deflected position, and with each one of said
primary
conductors in the deflected position electrically connecting together a pair
of the electrical
contacts. The secondary conductor portion includes a number of secondary
conductors,
with each one of said secondary conductors being elastically deflectable
between a relaxed
position and a deflected position, and with each one of said secondary
conductors in the
deflected position electrically connecting together a pair of the electrical
contacts. Each
one of said keys is cooperable with a corresponding one of said primary
conductors and at
least a first corresponding one of said secondary conductors. The primary
conductors and
the secondary conductors are disposed between the printed circuit board and
the keys.
Each one of said keys is movable between an initial position, a first terminal
position, and
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a second terminal position, with the key in the first terminal position
deflecting the
corresponding one of said primary conductors to its deflected position, and
with the key in
the second terminal position deflecting the corresponding one of said primary
conductors
and the at least a first corresponding one of said secondary conductors to
their deflected
positions.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an improved handheld electronic
device, the general nature of which can be stated as including a keyboard, a
display
positioned adjacent the keyboard, and a processor structured to receive inputs
from the
keyboard and to output to the display as a function of said inputs. The
keyboard may
include a printed circuit board, a primary conductor portion, a secondary
conductor
portion, and a number of keys. The printed circuit board has a plurality of
electrical
contacts. The primary conductor portion includes a number of primary
conductors, with
each one of said primary conductors being elastically deflectable between a
relaxed
position and a deflected position, and with each one of said primary
conductors in the
deflected position electrically connecting together a pair of the plurality of
electrical
contacts. The secondary conductor portion includes a number of secondary
conductors,
with each one of said secondary conductors being elastically deflectable
between a relaxed
position and a deflected position, and with each one of said secondary
conductors in the
deflected position electrically connecting together a pair of the plurality of
electrical
contacts. Each key is cooperable with a corresponding one of said primary
conductors and
at least a first corresponding one of said secondary conductors, and the
primary conductors
and the secondary conductors are disposed between the printed circuit board
and the keys.
Each one of said keys is movable between an initial position, a first terminal
position, and
a second terminal position, with the key in the first terminal position
deflecting the
corresponding one of said primary conductors to its deflected position, and
with the key in
the second terminal position deflecting the corresponding one of said primary
conductors
and the at least a first corresponding one of said secondary conductors to
their deflected
positions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following
Description
of the Preferred Embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings
in which:
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Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an improved handheld electronic device in
accordance
with the invention;
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of an improved keyboard in accordance with the
invention;
Fig. 3 is an exploded isometric view of the keyboard of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the primary conductor portion of the keyboard of
Fig.
2;
Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the secondary conductor portion of the keyboard
of Fig.
2;
Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the spacer of the keyboard of Fig. 2;
Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the printed circuit board of the keyboard of Fig.
2;
Fig. 7A is a bottom plan view of the printed circuit board of the keyboard of
Fig. 2;
Fig. 8 is a sectional view as taken along Line 8-8 of Fig. 2 and depicting a
key of
the keyboard in an initial position;
Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, except depicting the key in the first
terminal
position;
Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 8, except depicting the key in the second
terminal
position; and
Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 8, except depicting the key in the third
terminal
position.
Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An improved handheld electronic device 4 in accordance with the invention is
shown in Fig. 1. The handheld electronic device 4 includes an improved
keyboard 8 in
accordance with the invention that is depicted, in whole or in part, in Figs.
2-11. More
particularly, the handheld electronic device 4 includes the keyboard 8, a
housing 12, a
display 16, and a suitable processor 18 (e.g., without limitation, a
microprocessor) having
software 20 that resides in the handheld electronic device 4 and that provides
functionality
to inputs received from the keyboard 8 and provides outputs to the display 16.
The
keyboard 8 and the display 16 are disposed on the housing 12, and the
operability of the
software 20 is enabled by the processor 18. Examples of handheld electronic
devices are
included in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,452,588 and 6,489,950.
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As can be seen in Fig. 2, the exemplary keyboard 8 includes a plurality of
keys 60,
each of which includes a number of characters 24. As used herein, the
expression "a
number of' and variations thereof shall refer broadly to any non-zero positive
quantity,
including a quantity of one. The exemplary keys 60 depicted and described
herein each
include a first character 28 that is generally centrally disposed on the key
60, a second
character 32 that is generally disposed at a left end (from the perspective of
Fig. 2) of the
key 60, and a third character 36 that is generally disposed at a right end
(from the
perspective of Fig. 2) of the key 60, with the first, second, and third
characters 28, 32, and
36 being referable collectively, in whole or in part, by the aforementioned
numeral 24.
As can further be seen in Fig. 2, many of the exemplary first characters 28
are
digits, and many of the second and third characters 32 and 36, respectively,
are letters.
Also, many of the second and third characters 32 and 36, respectively,
together are of a
QWERTY configuration to provide a QWERTY key configuration for the handheld
electronic device 4 of Fig. 1. It is understood, however, that the arrangement
of the
characters 24 can be different than the exemplary arrangement depicted in Fig.
2. For
instance, the first, second, and third characters 28, 32, and 36,
respectively, can together
form a QWERTY arrangement. Alternately, the characters 24 could be numerical
or
mathematical symbols, could be characters of different languages, or could be
of virtually
any other character and/or keyboard configuration.
As can be best understood from Fig. 3, the keyboard 8 includes a keypad 40, a
primary conductor portion 44, a secondary conductor portion 48 having a spacer
52, and a
printed circuit board 56. The aforementioned components of the keyboard 8 can
be
adhered together or otherwise attached to one another, while in other
embodiments the
components need not be adhered to one another in any fashion.
The keypad 40 includes the aforementioned keys 60 and a key panel 64. The keys
60 are movably disposed on the key panel 64 and are permitted to pivot
slightly with
respect thereto.
The primary conductor portion 44 includes a plurality of conductive domes 68
disposed on a dome panel 72. The dome panel 72 includes a plurality of primary
holes 74
(Fig. 8) formed therein and a plurality of flexible adhesive members 70 (Fig.
8) disposed
on one surface of the dome panel 72 and positioned adjacent the primary holes
74. The
domes 68 extend through the primary holes 74, and the apex of each dome 68,
i.e., the
proud portion thereof, is adhered to one of the adhesive members 70. The
circular edge of
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each dome 68 opposite the apex thereof protrudes outwardly from and beyond the
associated primary hole 74. While in the depicted exemplary embodiment the
domes 68
are adhered to the dome panel 72 with the adhesive members 70, it is
understood that in
other embodiments the domes 68 and the dome panel 72 may be connected together
in
other fashions, or might not be connected together at all, without departing
from the
concept of the invention.
The domes 68 are elastically deflectable between a relaxed position, i.e.,
Fig. 8,
and a deflected position, i.e., Figs. 9-11. The movement of the domes 68
between the
relaxed and deflected positions occurs via elastic deformation of the domes 68
and causes
the domes to "snap" between the relaxed and deflected conditions to provide a
desirable
tactile feedback.
The secondary conductor portion 48 includes a plurality of elongated
conductive
carbon strips 76 disposed on a flexible support sheet 80. The support sheet 80
includes a
plurality of primary holes 84 formed therein between pairs of adjacent carbon
strips 76.
The primary holes 84 in the support sheet 80 are arranged to correspond with
and be
similar to the arrangement of the primary holes 74 in the dome panel 72. It is
understood
that in other embodiments the secondary conductor portion 48 could have
elongated strips
of a different conductive material, such as a metal or other material, without
departing
from the concept of the invention. The support sheet 80 may be a thin plastic
sheet,
although other configurations are possible.
It is understood that the primary conductor portion 44 and the secondary
conductor
portion 48 can be said to provide switches for the keys 60. Such switches of
the primary
conductor portion 44 provide a tactile feedback, and such switches of the
secondary
conductor portion 48 generally do not provide tactile feedback, but such
switches could be
of other configurations.
The spacer 52 is a sheet of material that can be generally said to space the
carbon
strips 76 away from the printed circuit board 56. The spacer 52 includes a
plurality of
circular primary holes 88 arranged in rows similar to the arrangement of the
primary holes
84 in the support sheet 80 and the primary holes 74 in the dome panel 72. The
spacer 52
additionally includes a plurality of elongated secondary holes 92 that
correspond generally
with the arrangement of the carbon strips 76 on the support sheet 80. In the
exemplary
embodiment, the spacer 52 is a thin sheet of an insulative material, such as
plastic,
although configurations are possible. It is also understood that the keyboard
8 potentially
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could be configured in other fashions that would eliminate the need for the
spacer 52 but
would still be considered to be within the scope of the invention.
As is best shown in Fig. 7, the printed circuit board 56 includes a plurality
of
primary contacts 96 and a plurality of secondary contacts 100. The primary and
secondary
contacts 96 and 100, respectively, are electrically conductive electrical
contacts which,
when connected with one another, such as with a conductor extending
therebetween,
completes a circuit or completes an open portion of a circuit. The primary
contacts 96 are,
in the depicted exemplary embodiment, arranged in pairs and specifically
include a ball
contact 98 and a ring contact 102, with the ring contact 102 extending
concentrically about
the ball contact 98.
The domes 68 (Fig. 8) each also extend through an aligned pair of the primary
holes 84 and 88 formed in the support sheet 80 and the spacer 52,
respectively. The
circular ends of the domes 68 rest on the ring contacts 102 of the primary
contacts 96.
The secondary contacts 100 are arranged in pairs and are generally of an
"intermeshed comb" arrangement. In the exemplary embodiment of the printed
circuit
board 56 depicted in Fig. 7 and described herein, certain of the primary
contacts 96 are
electrically connected with leads to certain of the secondary contacts 100,
and numerous
other contact configurations are possible without departing from the concept
of the
invention.
As can be understood from Figs. 8-11, each key 60 includes a finger plate 104,
a
first protrusion 108 in the exemplary form of a hollow cylinder, a second
protrusion 112,
and a third protrusion 116. The finger plate 104 is engageable by a user's
finger and
includes the characters 24 (Fig. 2) disposed thereon. The first, second, and
third
protrusions 108, 112, and 116, respectively, extend outwardly away from the
finger plate
104 in a common direction which, in the exemplary embodiment, is opposite the
characters 24. In the exemplary key 60 of Figs. 8-11, the free ends of the
first, second, and
third protrusions 108, 112, and 116, respectively, do not lie within a plane
and may be of
configurations other than that depicted herein depending upon the
configuration of the
other components of the keyboard 8.
As can further be understood from Fig. 8, each key 60 is associated with one
of the
domes 68 and with a pair of the carbon strips 76 (Fig. 3). In Fig. 8, the key
60 is in an
initial position which corresponds with the relaxed position of the associated
dome 68 and
the relaxed positions of the associated carbon strips 76. When the key 60 is
depressed
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straight toward the printed circuit board 56, such as is depicted generally in
Fig. 9, and
which would correspond with a user pressing the key 60 at the first character
28 (Fig. 2),
the first protrusion 108 of the key 60 engages the dome 68 that is associated
with the key
60 and elastically collapses the dome 68 to the deflected position, while the
carbon strips
76 associated the dome 68 remain in their relaxed positions. The key 60 in
Fig. 9 is in the
first terminal position, and thus it can be seen that the key 60 is movable
between the
initial position and the first terminal position.
When the dome 68 is in the deflected position, it contacts the ball contact 98
of the
associated pair of primary contacts 96. The domes 68 are primary conductors
which,
when engaged with a corresponding set of primary contacts 96, electrically
connect
together the pair of primary contacts 96 in order to complete a circuit or to
complete an
open portion of a circuit, which provides a first function associated with the
first terminal
position of the key 60. The dome 68 is configured to "snap" when moving
between the
relaxed position (Fig. 8) and the deflected position (Fig. 9), and such a
"snap" provides a
desirable tactile feedback to the user.
As can be understood from Figs. 10 and 11, the key 60 is also movable between
the initial position and the second terminal position, i.e., Fig. 10, that
would correspond
with a user pressing the second character 32 (Fig. 2), which provides the key
60 with a
second function associated with the second terminal position of the key 60.
The key 60 is
also movable between the initial position and the third terminal position,
i.e., Fig. 11,
which would correspond with a user pressing the third character 36 (Fig. 2) of
the key 60
to provide the key with a third function associated with the third terminal
position of the
key 60.
When the key 60 is in the second terminal position, i.e., Fig. 10, the
associated
dome 68 is in its deflected position, and one of the carbon strips 76
associated with the key
60 is also in its deflected condition. When the key 60 is in the third
terminal position, i.e.,
Fig. 11, the associated dome 68 is in its deflected position, and the other of
the carbon
strips 76 associated with the key 60 is also in its deflected condition. Each
carbon strip 76
serves as a secondary conductor that is engageable with a pair of the
secondary contacts
100 for the purpose of electrically connecting together the pair of secondary
contacts 100
to complete a circuit or to complete an open portion of a circuit.
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The carbon strips 76 are mounted on the support sheet 80 (Fig. 5), which is
flexible, and which permits elastic deflection of the carbon strips 76 between
a relaxed
position (Fig. 8) and the aforementioned deflected position (Figs. 10 and 11).
The carbon
strips 76 in the deflected position extend through the associated secondary
holes 92 in the
spacer 52 (Fig. 6). In the exemplary embodiment depicted herein the carbon
strips 76 do
not "snap" or otherwise provide a discrete tactile feedback to the user. Some
feedback to
the user is acceptable, however, such as the slight additional finger force
required to
elastically deflect the carbon strips 76 between the relaxed and deflected
positions.
The key 60 in the second terminal position is pivoted slightly in a direction
away
from the first terminal position. In the exemplary embodiment depicted herein,
the second
terminal position, i.e., Fig. 10, is pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction
from the first
terminal position, i.e., Fig. 9, from the perspective of Figs. 9 and 11.
When the key 60 is in the third terminal position, as is depicted in Fig. 11,
the
associated dome 68 is in the deflected condition, and the other associated
carbon strip 76
is deflected from its relaxed position to its deflected position. The key 60
in the third
terminal position is pivoted in a different direction away from the first
terminal position,
which direction in the depicted embodiment is a clockwise direction from the
first terminal
position, i.e., Fig. 9, from the perspective of Figs. 9 and 11.
When the carbon strips 76 are moved to their deflected positions, which
alternately
occur at the second and third terminal positions of the key 60, the deflected
carbon strip 76
engages an associated pair of the secondary contacts 100 and, being a
conductor,
electrically connects together the pair of secondary contacts 100. In the
embodiment
depicted herein, a given pair of the secondary contacts 100 extends along the
printed
circuit board 56 adjacent a plurality of the pairs of primary contacts 96 and,
in the depicted
embodiment, the primary contacts 96 of some of the pairs of the primary
contacts 96 lie on
opposite sides of the given set of secondary contacts 100. Since, in the
depicted
exemplary embodiment, a single pair of the secondary contacts 100 extends past
a
plurality of pairs of the primary contacts 96, the single set of secondary
contacts 100
serves as the associated secondary contacts 100 for all of the keys 60 with
which the
adjacent pairs of primary contacts 96 are associated.
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It thus can be seen that each key 60 is movable between the initial position
and a
plurality of terminal positions, i.e., the first, second, and third terminal
positions, depicted
in Figs. 9-11, respectively. The three terminal positions are associated with
the three
characters 24 (Fig. 2) on the keys 60, and the various engagements of the
domes 68 and
the carbon strips 76 provide various inputs to the handheld electronic device
4 and to
which the processor 18 and the software 20 provide functionality.
EXAMPLES
An keying chart is provided in Table 1. The vertical column Key Out refers to
five
outputs from the processor 18 to the keyboard 8 which are normally set to
HIGH. Key In
refers to eight inputs to the processor 18 from the keyboard 8 which are
normally set to
LOW. The numerals Cl, C2, C3, C4, C5, and C6 (Fig. 5) refer to the exemplary
six
carbon strips 76 identified from left to right from the perspective of Fig. 5.
TABLE 1
Key IN
Key
OUT 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 QW AS ZX ALT C1
1 ER DF CV NEXT C2
2 TY GH BN <SPACE> C3
3 UI JK M CAP C4
4 OP L <Backspace> <ENTER> C5 C6
The processor 18 scans the Key Out outputs and scans the Key In inputs to
detect
changes of state. For instance, if the QW key is pressed to the third terminal
position, the
dome that corresponds with the QW key would electrically connect the
corresponding
primary contacts 96, and the C2 carbon strip (Fig. 5) would electrically
connect the
corresponding secondary contacts 100. From the collapsing of the QW dome, the
processor 18 would detect that the voltage of Key Out 0 had dropped and that
the voltage
of Key In 0 had risen. This would provide an input (0,0) to the processor 18.
From the
deflection of the C2 carbon strip the processor 18 would detect that the
voltage of Key Out
1 had dropped and that the voltage of Key In 4 had risen. This would provide
an input
(1,4) to the processor 18.
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An key combination chart is provided in Table 2. From the example given above,
the combination of inputs QW, i.e., (0,0) and C2, i.e., (1,4) results in the
character W. The
processor 18 sends an appropriate signal to the display 16 to depict the
character W.
In the exemplary embodiment, the second and third characters 32 and 36,
respectively, i.e., the various letters of the keyboard 8, are generated from
inputs of
combinations of keys 60 and carbon strips 76, although this need not be the
case. The first
characters 28, i.e., the digits and symbols of the keyboard 8, are generated
from inputs of
combinations of the key 60 on which the digit or symbol appears and the ALT
key 62,
although this need not be the case. Various configurations of Key In and Key
Out, as well
as the key combination, can be employed without departing from the concept of
the
invention.
TABLE 2
Key combinations
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 ALT
QW Q W I
ER E R I
TY T Y 2
UI U I 3
OP O P
AS A S ?
DF D F 4
GH G H 5
JK J K 6
L L L ,
ZX Z X SYM
CV C V 7
BN B N 8
M M M 9
Backspace DEL
NEXT
Space 0
CAP #
Another example, for which sample keying and key combination charts have not
been provided, would include a situation in which the actuation of a single
key 60 to the
first terminal position would result in an input to the processor 18 which the
processor 18
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would recognize as the first character 28 disposed at the center of the key
60. When one
of the keys 60 is pressed to the first terminal position, the processor 18
would recognize
the action as the input of the first character 28 without the need to press
additional keys,
such as the ALT key 62. Furthermore, such a key 60 could additionally include
a fourth
character 24 disposed at the center of the key 60 which, when combined with
the ALT key
62, could be recognized by the processor 18 as a different fourth input.
The improved keyboard 8 can be employed in numerous different advantageous
fashions with the handheld electronic device 4. For instance, and as depicted
herein, the
second and third characters 32 and 36, respectively, (Fig. 2) can be letters
that together
form a QWERTY keyboard, and the first characters 28 can be digits and the
other symbols
found on a typical keyboard. The software 20 potentially could provide a
predictive text
function which reviews a user's inputs from the keyboard 8 and corrects errors
(e.g.,
without limitation, spelling and/or grammar errors), such as if the first
character 28 is
pressed instead of the second character 32, then the software 20 concludes
that the second
character 32 was desired to have been input.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it
will
be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and
alternatives to
those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the
disclosure.
Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be
illustrative only and
not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full
breadth of the
claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.
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