PRODUCT LABELS, TRUST IDENTIFIER SYSTEMS CONTAINING THE SAME, AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF
20220171951 · 2022-06-02
Inventors
Cpc classification
G06Q10/087
PHYSICS
International classification
Abstract
A distributed ledger-based system and methods for tracking products using the same are described herein. The method ensures authenticity by allowing verification of the digital identity of a physical item at each step of the supply chain. The method may include receiving and verifying integrated circuit chips manufactured by a trusted supplier, assembling the chips into a roll inlay, assembling the inlay rolls into a carton, palletizing the cartons, updating the distributed ledger, e.g., blockchain, with roll, carton, and pallet codes, taking receipt from a specific trusted individual and adding verification to the distributed ledger, e.g., blockchain, and activating a digital identity. GPS information may be associated with every step in order to ensure that the product is properly present at certain manufacturing and encoding locations. Once a digital identity is produced for the product, it may be added to by subsequent use, such as may be desired.
Claims
1. A method of implementing a trust identifier system to track a product, the method comprising: providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) label or tag, wherein the label or tag is serialized to indicate a specific distributed ledger and/or source application provider; applying the RFID label or tag to the product; and associating the product with the distributed ledger and/or source provider.
2. A method for authenticating a product, the method comprising providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) label or tag, wherein the label or tag is serialized to indicate a specific distributed ledger and/or source application provider; applying the RFID label or tag to the product; and associating the product with the distributed ledger and/or source provider.
3. A method for tracking a product through a supply chain, the method comprising providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) label or tag, wherein the label or tag is serialized to indicate a specific distributed ledger and/or source application provider; applying the RFID label or tag to a product; and associating the product with the distributed ledger and/or source provider.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the label or tag is serialized with a 38-bit serial number.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein a portion of the 38-bit serial number indicates the specific distributed ledger and/or source provider.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the portion of the 38-bit serial number is a 2-bit fixed identifier.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein a 16-bit portion of the 38-bit serial number defines the PCID.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the remaining 20-bit portion defines the serial number block.
9. The method of claim 4, wherein a portion of the 38-bit serial number indicates the specific distributed ledger and/or source provider and a changing characteristic.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the changing characteristic is selected from the group consisting of time period, region or location, program type, supplier, wholesaler, distributor, customer, logistics company, freight carrier, environmental conditions, and combinations thereof.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a verification report for the product.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the verification report comprises at least one of the following confirmations: (a) that the RFID label came from a trusted source; (b) that the RFID label has been provided to a correct location; (c) that the RFID label has been updated by a trusted party; (d) that the RFID label has been properly encoded; (e) that the RFID label has been applied to a product at a defined location; and (f) that the RFID label has been activated.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a digital identity for the product.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising updating the digital identity of the product.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein a global position system is used to determine the location of the RFID label or tag.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the specific distributed ledger or source application provider is associated with a second distributed ledger or source provider.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second distributed ledger is associated with one of the following attributes of the product: (a) a raw material; (b) a source of the raw material; (c) a source of labor; and (d) a source of transportation.
18. A trust identifier system for tracking a product comprising: a radio frequency identification (RFID) label or tag for applying to the product, wherein the label or tag is serialized to indicate a specific distributed ledger and/or source application provider; a first specific distributed ledger or source application provider associated with the RFID label; and a digital identity associated with the product.
19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a second specific distributed ledger or source application provider associated with a raw material for the product or a source of a raw material for the product.
20. The system of claim 18 further comprising an additional specific distributed ledger associated with a labor source for the product.
21. The system of claim 18 further comprising an additional distributed ledger associated with a transportation source for the product.
22. A radio frequency identification (RFID) label serialized to indicate a specific distributed ledger and/or source application provider.
23. The label of claim 22, wherein the label or tag is serialized with a 38-bit serial number.
24. The label of claim 23, wherein a portion of the 38-bit serial number indicates the specific distributed ledger and/or source provider.
25. The label of claim 23, wherein in a portion of the 38-bit serial number indicates the specific distributed ledger and/or source provider and a changing characteristic.
26. The label of claim 25, wherein the changing characteristic is selected from the group consisting of time period, region or location, program type, supplier, wholesaler, distributor, customer, logistics company, freight carrier, environmental conditions, and combinations thereof.
27. The label of claim 23, wherein the portion of the 38-bit serial number is a 2-bit fixed identifier.
28. The label of claim 27, wherein a 16-bit portion of the 38-bit serial number defines the PCID.
29. The label of claim 28, wherein the remaining 20-bit portion of the 38-bit serial number defines the serial number block.
30. The label of claim 23, wherein the 38-bit serial number comprises a portion of a 96-bit electronic product code (“EPC”).
31. A system as shown and described in claim 1.
32. A method as shown and described in claim 1.
33. An apparatus as shown and described in claim 1.
34. A computer program product as shown and described in claim 1.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0048] Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments thereof, which description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements, in which:
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[0050]
[0051]
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0055] Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the description discussion of several terms used herein follows.
[0056] As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the described embodiments are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.
[0057] Further, many embodiments are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequence of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon execution would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the invention may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the embodiments described herein, the corresponding form of any such embodiments may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.
[0058] “Distributed ledger”, as used herein, typically refers to a consensus of replicated, shared, and synchronized digital data geographically spread across multiple sites (e.g., nodes), countries, or institutions. Distributed ledges are typically characterized by having no central administrator or centralized data storage. In some embodiments, the distributed ledger includes a peer-to-peer network and consensus algorithms to ensure replication across multiple nodes. Exemplary distributed ledgers include, but are not limited to, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, BigchainDB, IOTA Tangle, Hyperledger, and Hedera.
[0059] “Source application provider”, as used herein, refers to the entity or platform that uploads the product information into the distributed ledger.
[0060] “Record”, as used herein, means a unit within a distributed ledger, for example a block within a blockchain.
[0061] According to an exemplary embodiment, and referring generally to the Figures, various exemplary implementations of product labels, a trust identifier system containing the same, and methods of use thereof are described herein.
[0062]
[0063] As discussed briefly, in an exemplary embodiment, the distributed ledger(s) or record(s) associated with a particular RFID tag in a label, such as distributed ledger or record 102, may be combined with a pre-existing distributed ledger or record associated with a product, or with any other component of the process. For example, it may be contemplated to have a distributed ledger or record associated with the raw materials used to make the product (for example, fabric used to make clothing) 104, a distributed ledger or record associated with transportation services 106, and a distributed ledger or record associated with manufacturing labor 108. Each of the ledger components may incorporate specific information regarding their history and the locations at which each event in the history occurred; for example, according to an exemplary embodiment, a distributed ledger corresponding to the RFID label of a product 102 may provide the history of the product from initial integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing all the way to its combination with the raw materials used to make the product (in whatever form those materials were in at the time, such as a nearly-finished product) which may be tracked through its own distributed ledger 104 up until the point at which it is combined.
[0064] Once the distributed ledger(s) or record(s) are combined, it may be contemplated to add certain other information to the combined distributed ledger as a next step of the fork chain process. For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, branding information 110 may be added to the combined product, after which the product may be distributed to retailers, and retail information 112 may be added to the combined product. (In an exemplary embodiment, this may allow the distributed ledger to be used to such purposes as inventory tracking at the retailer, allowing the retailer to know exactly which products are in stock where and allowing the retailer to know how long these products have been in stock. This may also, for example, allow feedback regarding retailer activities to be easily passed back up the chain to any other interested parties; a manufacturer or distributor may be able to easily determine, from tracking all of the products having distributed ledgers that they have been associated with, which products are selling well and which are not, or which are most likely to be returned, resold, donated, etc. This may also allow for new types of business activity on the part of the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer; for example, a luxury brand of clothing may sell a limited run of designer clothing for an extremely inexpensive price with the caveat that the clothing cannot be sold or transferred, and may make use of the combined ledger system in order to determine if any future transfers are made.
[0065] Looking next at exemplary
[0066] In a first step of a process flow diagram 200, an IC chip may be produced 202. According to an exemplary embodiment, the IC chip may be assigned particular information, such as a secure chip ID, branding information, and TID information, all of which may, in an exemplary embodiment, be associated with timestamp and location information. The IC chip may then be shipped, which may add a shipping event to a distributed ledger or may update an associated shipping ledger, such as may be desired.
[0067] In a next step 204, the IC chips may be incorporated into an inlay. It may be contemplated that, during this process, not all of the received IC chips may successfully be incorporated into the inlay; for example, it may be contemplated that some of the received IC chips may be defective, and may be contemplated that some of the IC chips may not be used (or even may be lost/undelivered). According to an exemplary embodiment, the shipping events of the ledger may be updated to show which IC chips have been received, waste chip ledgers may be updated in order to show the defects, and other ledgers may be updated as appropriate.
[0068] In a next step 206, labels may be produced from the inlay. (According to an exemplary embodiment, labels may be printed on and/or cut at this stage; in an exemplary embodiment, further finishing or cutting steps may be performed at a later part of the process, such as may be desired.) According to an exemplary embodiment, some of the labels may be identified as being unreadable or defective even after passing the previous stage, and such labels may be identified and removed as appropriate, with the distributed ledger(s) corresponding to those labels being updated.
[0069] In a next step 208, the labels may be provided to a customer in some form and finalized. For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, the labels may be provided in a blank or partially printed form, and the customer may perform additional printing to finalize the labels. In such an exemplary embodiment, the customer may print and encode each of their received labels, also encoding location information such as is appropriate.
[0070] Turning now to exemplary
[0071] For example, the map featured in
[0072] A summary 308 of the activity grouped under location 1 may be provided as part of the mapping interface, and in this case may be shown in the bottom right corner of the map. According to an exemplary embodiment, the distributed ledger, e.g., fork chain ledger, associated with a particular product may indicate that certain manufacturing for the label was performed in location 1 302, in this case, a company based in location 1 performed manufacturing of an RFID chip, and manufactured the inlay in which these chips were disposed. The verification of a particular employee 310 is associated with this data. Each of the other locations shown on the map 304, 306 may also be selectable, and may provide similar information when selected. For example, location 3 306 may be a retail site in which the product ended up.
[0073] Such a system may also support product status inquiries during production. For example, after a particular roll or carton has been scanned and associated with GPS coordinates, it may be represented on the map after being added to the distributed ledger, e.g., fork chain ledger, associated with the roll. This may provide an indication to a downstream retailer as to which products are where and in what quantity, if it is desired to make these distributed ledgers publicly accessible before the product changes hands. Upstream manufacturers may also be able to verify which products properly reached their destinations, allowing them to address any issues involving transportation if any should exist.
[0074] Turning now to exemplary
[0075] In a first step, an IC chip may be manufactured 402. This may result in certain information being added to the distributed ledger associated with this specific IC chip, such as a batch ID, a wafer ID, a TID (and any other identification information), an intended shipping destination, and a chip counter indicating the chip's position in a production run, such as may be desired.
[0076] Specifically, in an exemplary embodiment of this manufacturing process 402, a set of wafers may be produced with a unique TID and a unique brand ID (or BID) on the die. Each wafer may also have a unique wafer ID associated therewith, along with any other identifying information that may be appropriate. Such identifying information may be provided as unalterable data in the chip.
[0077] In a next step 404, a label roll may be initially prepared, for example by integrating the IC chips produced in the previous stage into an inlay. According to an exemplary embodiment, this roll may be updated to provide a roll ID as well as a TID/BID of chips within the roll, as well as mapping information, such as may be desired.
[0078] Specifically, in such a step, the TID of the chips used in manufacturing the roll may be tracked and recorded, and waste material may be contained. Bad product may be identified through an appropriate testing method, and defective products may be eliminated; the chips in question may be crushed. Each roll may thus be provided with a unique ID and an association with all known good labels in the roll. This may be provided in a roll distributed ledger, which may contain the TID/BID of the labels. Likewise, in an exemplary embodiment, a waste distributed ledger may be created in order to keep track of all of the chips that needed to be discarded or otherwise went unused.
[0079] In a next step, the rolls may be assembled into a carton or pallet 406. In this step, the roll IDs of the rolls in the distributed roll ledger may be associated with the carton ID and stored within a distributed carton ledger (along with a GPS location), and the carton ID may then be stored in a distributed pallet ledger along with a pallet ID, a customer ID, and a supplier ID, along with any other information such as may be desired.
[0080] In a next step 408, the pallet, once shipped, may be received. This receipt may be stored in a distributed receipt ledger. This ledger may store a data and time of receipt, a received pallet ID, a carton ID for each carton on the pallet, a GPS location or other location information, as well as a supplier ID indicating the point of origin. As such, once the customer receives the pallet or carton, the system may log the GPS location of the site of receipt or other location information in order to tie it to a receipt log.
[0081] In a next step 410, a distributed shipment ledger may also be created, identifying how the pallet has been shipped for consumption by the customer after having been received. (In an exemplary embodiment, it may be contemplated to have this step provided as part of an initial shipment phase, such that, rather than having the customer receive all pallets at a single location, multiple pallets may be shipped to multiple different sites for the same customer, if desired.) According to an exemplary embodiment, a distributed shipment ledger may include a pallet ID, a case ID, a location ID (which may be GPS information if desired) or any other identification information such as may be desired.
[0082] In a next step 412, once all of the pallets are at the proper location they may be activated at the location, and may then be applied 414. According to an exemplary embodiment, upon receipt at an application location, the location may receive the pallet and scan the shipment, causing a GPS location to be captured.
[0083] In an exemplary embodiment, the application step 414 for the label may include steps of printing, encoding, and application. In a printing step and then an encoding step, or a printing and encoding step if both are to be performed by the same device, a printer may be activated and may be tasked with printing label material on a roll. The labels may then be encoded. As part of this process, the roll ID for each of the label rolls that may be fed into the printer may be scanned, and each of the TIDs of the individual labels may be read, so that each can be validated. The printer may then encode a GPS location (or other location information) when encoding the RFID in the label, along with a printer ID, which may be added to a distributed printer ledger or distributed label ledger such as may be desired. (For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, a distributed printer ledger may include a printer ID, a roll ID, the TID/BID of each label associated with the roll that passes through the printer, a counter value for number of labels that pass through the printer, a GPS location, an encoded EPC, and any other variable data that may be desired.
[0084] In a final application step, a label may be applied and associated with a particular product. According to an exemplary embodiment, activation may be manual, such that the label may be read by a trusted employee after being applied or may even be hand-applied by the trusted employee. The employee may read and scan the label, adding a verification to a distributed ledger associated with the label, in order to properly activate it. Subsequent updates to the location of the product may then be added to the distributed based on later access.
[0085] Turning now to exemplary
[0086]
[0087] Such a process may, as discussed, be used to connect the roll ID for the roll of labels, the tag ID for an individual tag, the GPS locations that the two had been taken through, the authentication key (such as a biometric authentication key) and the timeline of transfer of ownership, in order to allow this information to be used to authentically connect digital identifiers to physical items.
[0088] In still further exemplary embodiments, a distributed ledger, such as the Food Trust hyperledger, can be utilized to provide enhanced visibility and traceability of products, such as food products. Such a system can be further enhanced to provide for item level identification in large quantities, for example also using auto-identification data capture (AIDC) technologies.
[0089] In order to achieve this, Food Trust ready identifications at a point of manufacturing can be produced and shared. For example, companies such as IBM are utilizing the Food Trust hyperledger and Food Trust ready identifications can be made and shared directly with IBM or other appropriate entities. For example, specific identifiers in the Food Trust data structure could be pre-loaded in order to help drive further adoption of the Food Trust hyperledger and provide for enhanced and stronger data integrity.
[0090] In such an exemplary implementation, identifiers (IDs) that are specific to the IBM Food Trust (or some other entity) may be generated. Any IDs that are outside of the range of those associated with the IBM Food Trust could then be easily identified and interrogated.
[0091] Next, IDs could be loaded at a point of manufacture. Further, it is possible to associate product details at a desired or easiest point of data capture downstream. For example, an ID can be read at an inbound data capture and then associated once it is processed for shipment. Using such an exemplary implementation, historical data related to the ID can also be maintained.
[0092] Next, IBM (or some other entity) can have item level data flow for all new products entering the Food Trust prior to the track and trace scanning process. The enhanced item level data flow can provide for desired stronger data integrity and help drive wider adoption of the Food Trust.
[0093] Further, it is envisioned that such a system could be implemented using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, barcodes, QR codes, including the GS1 Digital Link standard, data matrix codes, or the like. Such a system could maintain Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) compliance. Further, depending on implementation, for RFID tags, RFID components could be utilized that are entity-specific, such as using on-chip identifiers that are IBM-specific. Such use of specific and related RFID elements can allow for enhanced security as the RFID information may not be accessed by outside sources. In still other exemplary embodiments, unique serialization schemes may be created for specific entities, such as IBM. Such implementations of barcodes, QR codes, data matrix codes, or other printable, two dimensional indicia capable of being scanned, may provide for rapid deployment to further promote adoption of the IBM Food Trust, or similar platforms.
[0094] Other exemplary embodiments may include implementing the above-discussed features with respect to other mandates-in-progress, such as, but not limited to, the Walmart Food Trust initiative. Such implementations, for example using either optical barcode, QR code, data matrix, or RFID solutions may be made such that they adhere to the GS1 and EPCIS standards.
[0095] In yet another exemplary embodiment, a point of origin on a distributed ledger or a track/trace-based label creation method and system may be utilized. In such exemplary embodiments, it is known that item level digital identities can be commissioned from a variety of sources. For example, a serialization manager can automatically manage unique digital identities across billions of products using a proprietary schema. This schema can be compatible with GS1 and other industry standards, as desired, and may also be interoperable with other digital identity providers. The unique digital identifiers supplied by a serialization manager may be printed on an item, used to encode RFID tags or otherwise associated as a unique ‘digital twin’ for a pre-encoded RFID tag or item, as desired.
[0096] Additionally, as adoption expands in track and trace and distributed ledgers, a print and encode process can, and in some exemplary embodiments, should represent an origin point for traceability of a product associated with a digital ID. At point of digital ID creation, a system and method can automatically capture important and valuable data inputs for traceability. These data inputs include, but are not limited to, origin printer ID, date, time, operator, and, with permission, can also capture printer specific data, such as, but not limited to, item description, origin location, expiry information, item characteristics, and other EPCIS data points that may be valuable or important to show provenance, origin and authenticity of an associated product.
[0097] Additionally, this product data can be particularly valuable when the next read point of the digital ID is not connected to the original database or data stream of the item. For example, a system and method using printers, print/encoders, bulk encoders, and other such devices can automatically capture and transfer relevant product information to proprietary databases for track and trace, public or private distributed ledgers for reference further downstream. The print or encode process can be automatically captured and transferred from an internet of things (IoT) device to a digital distributed ledger. This can make the machine to machine transfer a more reliable origin capture/block for the data stream.
[0098] Thus, in a further exemplary embodiment, an automatic data transfer may be utilized to drive machine to machine transfer of origin data at a point of item level digital identity creation. In other words, at the time a digital ID is created, data may automatically be sent to a digital ledger to provide enhanced product tracking and tracing.
[0099] In one exemplary embodiment, a system and method for automatic data transfer for origin data at a point of item level digital identity creation may utilize a variety of components and steps. For example, a tabletop printer, a portable printer or printer/encoder, a bulk encoding system, such as the Avery Dennison RFID tunnel or high definition read chamber, bulk encoding at a point of manufacturing, and a chipset pre-encoding assignment may all be utilized to facilitate the method and system.
[0100] In one exemplary method, an automated, predetermined item level serialization with designated schema to identify the distributed ledger and identify the user may be provided. This is exemplified in the following table where a portion of a 38-bit serial number is isolated to identify the distributed ledger, provider, or user. In this particular example, binary ID is shown as an optional implementation. Such use of a portion of the 38-bit serial number for distributed ledger, provider, and/or user identification can provide for ease of implementation with current systems while also providing the desired specific identifier information.
TABLE-US-00001 SGTIN-96 Encoding Company Item Serial Header Filter 1 Partition Prefix Reference Number 8 bits 3 bits 3 bits 24 bits 20 bits 38 bits
TABLE-US-00002 Serial Number 38 Bits Fixed IDENTIFIER Serial Number 36 bits BINARY ID FOR PCID Serial Number Block PROVIDER 16 bits 4 hex 20 bits 5 hex 00: Blockchain 1 01: Blockchain 2 10: Blockchain 3 11: Blockchain 4 01 binary 1111111111111111 11111111111111111111 binary binary 65,535 ID's 1,048,575 Labels per available unique UPC and PCID** FFFF hex FFFFF hex
[0101] In another exemplary embodiment, a method using a rotating serialization string with an identifier code encryption may be utilized. The rotating serialization and encryption may be based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, period of time, program type, and/or supplier, where a value can then be used to identify the distributed ledger, user, and/or provider.
[0102] In this example, and as shown in the below table, a portion of a 38-bit serial number may again be isolated. The isolated portion of the 38-bit serial number may be used to identify the distributed ledger, provider, and/or user. However, in this exemplary embodiment, specific changing characteristics may also be utilized to enhance security of the system. The changing characteristics include, but are not limited to, time period, region, program type, supplier, and the like. Similar to the above, this example also uses a binary ID number.
TABLE-US-00003 SGTIN-96 Encoding Company Item Serial Header Filter 1 Partition Prefix Reference Number 8 bits 3 bits 3 bits 24 bits 20 bits 38 bits
TABLE-US-00004 Serial Number 38 Bits Fixed IDENTIFIER Serial Number 36 bits BINARY ID FOR PROVIDER PCID Serial Number Block 00: Blockchain 1 Date Range 1 16 bits 4 hex 20 bits 5 hex 01: Blockchain 1 Date Range 2 10: Blockchain 1 Date Range 3 11: Blockchain 1 Date Range 4 01 binary 1111111111111111 11111111111111111111 binary binary 65,535 ID's available 1,048,575 Labels per unique UPC and PCID** FFFF hex FFFFF hex
[0103] In another exemplary embodiment, a method using a license plate identifier with corresponding item information capture capabilities may be utilized. In this example, hardware similar to that used for capturing license plate data on automobiles may be utilized to identify the distributed ledger, user, and/or provider. An example of this is shown in the below table.
TABLE-US-00005 SGTIN-96 Encoding Company Item Header Filter 1 Partition Prefix Reference Serial Number 8 bits 3 bits 3 bits 24 bits 20 bits 38 bits
TABLE-US-00006 License Plate Serial Number 38 bits or variant with assigned chip ID or brand ID function
[0104] The foregoing description and accompanying figures illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art (for example, features associated with certain configurations of the invention may instead be associated with any other configurations of the invention, as desired).
[0105] Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.