Gripping Apparatus

Abstract

A gripping apparatus is provided to reduce friction and skin impingements on a user's hand and prevent friction and skin impingement related injuries. The gripping apparatus comprises a strap and a cushion configured to define a wearable band that provides a barrier between a user's skin and an object being gripped. A ridge is disposed on an inside of the cushion to provide a barrier between folds of skin on the user's palm, thus further reducing the friction and impingements caused by the skin rubbing against itself. At least one groove defines an edge of the cushion, which is configured to prevent the edge of the cushion from digging into a user's hand when gripping an object. The band comprises elastic material, which allows the band to be worn in multiple configurations and flex to fit the unique shape of each individual user.

Claims

1. A gripping apparatus, comprising: a strap having a first end, a second end, an inner surface, and an outer surface; a cushion having a front edge and a rear edge, the front edge defined by at least one groove, the front and rear edges separated from one another by a first and a second side edge, and the cushion further having an inside and an outside; and a ridge disposed along the inside of the cushion spanning the distance between the first and second side edges; wherein the first side edge of the cushion is connected to the first end of the strap, and the second side edge of the cushion is connected to the second end of the strap to define a band.

2. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one groove is configured to align with a proximal phalanx of at least one of a user's fingers.

3. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the front edge of the cushion is defined by up to four grooves corresponding to one each of a palm-side of a proximal phalanx of a user's four fingers.

4. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein any of the at least one groove is offset from at least one other groove in imitation of the natural curvature of a top edge of a human palm.

5. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one groove is defined by at least one peak operative to align with at least one of the user's interdigital folds.

6. The gripping apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one peak is further configured to separate the user's fingers from one another when in use.

7. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ridge is configured to align with a user's palmar digital crease and define a barrier between any skin along a top edge of the user's palm and any skin along a base of the user's fingers when the user's first is curled.

8. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ridge is configured to mold to the shape of any surface in contact with the inside of the cushion.

9. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the cushion tapers as it extends proximally from the ridge to the rear edge.

10. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gripping apparatus comprises an elastic material.

11. The gripping apparatus of claim 1, wherein the band is sized to receive a user's hand therethrough, the strap corresponding to a dorsal surface of the user's hand and the cushion corresponding to a palmar surface of the user's hand.

12. A gripping apparatus comprising: a strap having a first end, a second end, an inner surface, and an outer surface; a cushion having a front edge and a rear edge, the front edge defined by a first groove, a second groove, a third groove, a fourth groove, the front and rear edges separated from one another by a first and a second side edge, and the cushion further having an inside and an outside; and a ridge disposed along the inside of the cushion spanning the distance between the first and second side edges, the ridge having a height selected from a range from about 0.15 to about 0.31 inches at an angle operative to engage a user's palmar digital crease; wherein each groove has a width selected from a range inclusive of 0.62 and 1.21 inches; and wherein the first edge of the cushion is connected to the first end of the strap, and the second side edge of the cushion is connected to the second end of the strap to define a band.

13. The gripping apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first groove has a width selected from a range inclusive of 0.75 and 1.21 inches; wherein the second groove has a width selected from a range inclusive of 0.70 and 1.00 inches; wherein the third groove has a width selected from a range inclusive of 0.69 and 0.86 inches; and wherein the fourth groove has a width selected from a range inclusive of 0.62 and 0.81 inches.

14. The gripping apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth grooves are offset from one another in imitation of the natural curvature of a top edge of a user's palm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a top rear perspective view of a gripping apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a top front perspective view of a gripping apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of a gripping apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a top view of a gripping apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

[0049] FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate alternative bottom views of an embodiment of the invention in use.

[0050] FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the invention in use.

[0051] The disclosed embodiments may be better understood by referring to the figures in the attached drawings, as provided below. The attached figures are provided as non-limiting examples for providing an enabling description of the method and system claimed. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered as limiting of its scope. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without some of the details included in order to provide a thorough enabling description of such embodiments. Well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.

[0052] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.

[0053] The terms first, second, third, fourth, and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms include, and have, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus

[0054] The terms couple, coupled, couples, coupling, and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements or signals, electrically, mechanically or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled, but not mechanically or otherwise coupled; two or more mechanical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled; two or more electrical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled. Coupling (whether mechanical, electrical, or otherwise) may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant.

[0055] The provided measurements are for the purpose of providing exemplary dimensions for the band. The provided ranges are inclusive of all numbers within the range and the bounds. The term about and the like should be broadly understood to refer to a suitable tolerance, such as, 10%.

[0056] A person of ordinary skill will further appreciate that human anatomy varies greatly between individuals. As such, all dimensions provided are for certain exemplary embodiments and are without limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] Having summarized various aspects of the present disclosure, reference will now be made in detail to that which is illustrated in the drawings. While the disclosure will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. Rather, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0058] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a gripping apparatus may comprise a strap 110 and a cushion 120 connected to form a band 100. It is contemplated that the strap 110 and cushion 120 may be formed as discrete, joined elements or as in the non-limiting examples shown in the figures, as a single fully integrated piece.

[0059] The strap 110 may have a first end 111, a second end 113, an inner surface, and an outer surface. With reference to FIG. 3, the first end 111 of the strap 110 may connect to a first side edge 121 of the cushion 120 and the second end 113 of the strap 110 may connect to a second side edge 123 of the cushion 120 to form the band 100. The cushion 120 may further comprise an inside and an outside. The inside and outside of the cushion 120 may be configured to align with the inner surface and outer surface of the strap 110, respectfully. As such, the band 100 may have an inner surface defined by the inner surface of the strap 110 and the inside of the cushion 120 and an outer surface defined by the outer surface of the strap 110 and the outside of the cushion 120.

[0060] With particular reference to FIG. 1, the band 100 may comprise an opening 102, defined by the inner surface of the strap 110 and the inside of the cushion 120, operative to receive a user's hand 202, as illustrated in FIGS. 5-7 and discussed in further detail below.

[0061] Returning to FIG. 1, the distance between the inner surface of the strap 110 and the inside of the cushion 120 may be about 0.25 inches to about 1.0 inches. In one embodiment, such distance may be about 0.31 inches to about 0.53 inches. In another embodiment, such distance may be about 0.51 inches to about 0.84 inches.

[0062] As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the strap 110 may be configured to hold the cushion 120 against the user's hand 202. In some instances, the strap 110 may comprise an elastic material operative to engage the user's hand 202. For example, and without limitation, the elastic material may be silicone rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane, polypropylene, or combinations thereof, however, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other elastic materials that may be used with the invention. It is contemplated that the strap 110 and the cushion 120 may comprise the same or different materials.

[0063] The strap 110 may have a length defined by the distance between the first end 111 and the second end 113. In one embodiment, when worn as illustrated in FIG. 6, the strap 110 may be operative to connect to the first side edge 121 and the second side edge 123 of the cushion 120 and extend over a dorsal surface of the user's hand (obscured from view). For example, the strap 110 may be about 2.5 inches to about 5.5 inches long. In a further exemplary embodiment, the strap 110 may be about 2.75 inches to about 4.5 inches long. More particularly, the strap 110 may be about 2.97 inches to about 5.0 inches long. Although pictured as a single length, it is contemplated that the strap 110 may comprise a plurality of segmented lengths adjustably joined together in any manner known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0064] The strap 110 may be any width operative to secure the band 100 to the user's hand 202. For example only and not for limitation, the strap 110 may be about 0.25 inches to about 0.75 inches wide. In a further example, the strap 110 may be about 0.43 to about 0.60 inches wide. In yet another example, the strap 110 may be about 0.56 to about 0.65 inches wide.

[0065] It is contemplated that the strap 110 may comprise a solid material, as shown in the figures. However, it is also contemplated that the strap 110 may comprise one or more apertures on its surface (not shown). In some embodiments, the strap 110 may comprise embossing, such that the strap 110 may comprise a design, image, logo, pattern, trademark, or other word(s)/phrase(s).

[0066] The cushion 120 may be configured to provide a barrier between the skin of a user and an object 160, such as a bar, being gripped as shown in FIG. 7. In some instances, the cushion 120 may further provide a barrier between multiple folds of skin on a user's palm 200 and may prevent skin impingement. As shown in FIG. 7, the cushion 120 may provide a barrier between the skin distal and proximal to the palmar digital crease. It is contemplated that the cushion 120 may be of any size suitable to provide a barrier between the object 160 and the user's palm 200.

[0067] The width of the cushion 120 may be defined by a distance between the first side edge 121 and the second side edge 123. The distance between the first side edge 121 and the second side edge 123 may be equal to the length of the front edge 127 and the rear edge 125. The front edge 127 and the rear edge 125 may comprise different lengths, thus the cushion 120 may have a non-uniform width. With particular reference to FIG. 3, the first side edge 121 and second side edge 123 may be rounded in order to create a continuous line in instances where the cushion 120 has a non-uniform width.

[0068] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cushion 120 may have a width sufficiently sized to extend across the width of the user's palm 200. The width of the cushion 120 may be about 2 inches to about 5 inches, about 2.5 inches to about 3.5 inches, about 2.8 inches to about 4.0 inches, and about 3.5 inches to about 4.25 inches. It is contemplated that the exemplary widths may be used to create a variety of different sized bands 100 to accommodate a range of hand sizes.

[0069] Returning to FIG. 3, the height of cushion 120 may be defined by the distance between the front edge 127 and the rear edge 125. In some embodiments, the distance between the front edge 127 and the rear edge 125 may be equal to the length of the first side edge 121 and the second side edge 123. In another embodiment, the distance between the front edge 127 and the rear edge 125 may be greater than the length of the first side edge 121 and the second side edge 123.

[0070] It is contemplated that the cushion 120 may have any height appropriate to provide a barrier to any portion of the user's palm 200. It is contemplated that the cushion 120 may provide a barrier to the entire length of the user's palm 200 or less than all the length of the user's palm 200. In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the height of the cushion 120 may comprise a distance from a point proximal to the proximal interphalangeal crease and a distal palmar crease on the user's hand 202. Of course, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize such inherent portions of an average human hand. The height of the cushion 120 may be about 0.8 inches to about 1.7 inches, about 1.0 inches to about 1.25 inches, or about 1.3 inches to about 1.55 inches. It is contemplated that the exemplary heights may be used to create a variety of band sizes to accommodate a range of hand sizes.

[0071] In some embodiments, the cushion 120 may comprise a smooth, solid material, as shown in the figures. However, it is contemplated that the cushion 120 may be embossed, so that the cushion 120 may feature, display, or otherwise comprise a design, image, logo, pattern, trademark, or other word(s)/phrase(s). In one embodiment, the embossing may be disposed on the inside of the cushion 120. In another embodiment, the embossing may be disposed on the outside of the cushion 120. Further, the embossing may be disposed on the inside and the outside of the cushion 120. In some embodiments, the material may even be textured to further increase friction and improve grip security on a surface.

[0072] The cushion 120 may have any thickness operative to provide a barrier between the user's palm 200 and the object 160 being gripped. It is further contemplated that the thickness of the cushion 120 may widen the user's grip in order to stimulate a wider range of muscles when performing a workout. Exemplary thicknesses may include from about 0.01 inches to about 0.44 inches and from about 0.1 inches to about 0.3 inches. In some embodiments, the cushion 120 may have the same thickness throughout or may comprise a variety of thicknesses. For example, and without limitation, the thickness of the cushion 120 at the rear edge 125 may be thinner than the thickness at the first side edge 121. As a further clarifying example, the rear edge 125 and the front edge 127 of the cushion 120 may be thinner than a central portion of the cushion 120 to reduce resistance when bending the cushion 120 allowing the cushion 120 to form to the user's hand, preventing the rear edge 125 and front edge 127 from digging into the user's palm 200.

[0073] With particular reference to FIG. 1, the cushion 120 may further comprise a ridge 122 disposed along the inside of the cushion 120. In some instances, the ridge 122 may define a barrier operative to separate folded skin on the user's hand 202 in order to prevent skin impingement and reduce the friction caused by the skin rubbing against itself. In one embodiment, the ridge 122 may be configured to engage a ridge of skin on the user's palm 200 proximal to the user's fingers 204 when worn in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5, thus creating a barrier between the user's palm 200 and fingers 204. Returning to FIG. 1, the ridge 122 may be of any shape suitable to create a barrier. For example, and without limitation, the ridge 122 may be formed as a beam, fin, or dome.

[0074] In some embodiments, the ridge 122 may span the distance between the first side edge 121 and the second side edge 123, thus the ridge 122 may have a length equal to the width of the cushion 120. However, it is contemplated that the ridge 122 may, in some embodiments, span less than all the distance between the first side edge 121 and the second side edge 123.

[0075] It is contemplated that the ridge 122 may have any dimensions suitable to create separation between the skin on the user's hand 202. For example, the ridge 122 may have a height in the range of about 0.10 inches to about 0.40 inches. In another example, the ridge 122 may have a height in the range of about 0.15 inches to about 0.35 inches. As yet another example, the ridge 122 may have a height in the range of about 0.20 inches to about 0.31 inches.

[0076] In some embodiments, the configuration of the ridge 122 may be defined by the slope angle of each side of the ridge 122 relative to the same-side edge 125, 127 of the cushion 120. In some embodiments, for example, a side of the ridge 122 corresponding to the rear edge 125 of the cushion 120 may have a slope angle of about 20 to about 40 with respect to the cushion 120. The same may be said for the slope angle of a side of the ridge 122 corresponding to the front edge 127 of the cushion 120. In some embodiments, a side of the ridge 122 may have a slope angle of about 20, 25, 30, 31, 32, 35, and 40 with respect to the corresponding front or rear edge 125, 127 of the cushion 120. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize an entire range of sloping sufficient to practice the invention, and further, that each side of the ridge 122 may be sloped to a greater or lesser degree than the other side of the ridge 122 relative to the cushion 120.

[0077] In some embodiments, the ridge 122 may be flexible in order to allow the ridge 122 to conform to a surface in contact with the inside of the cushion 120. As shown in FIG. 6, the band 100 may be worn at a point on the user's palm 200 proximal to the palmar digital crease requiring the ridge 122 to compress against the surface of the user's palm 200 thus the height of the ridge 122 when in use may be less than the height of the ridge 122 when worn as shown in FIG. 5.

[0078] The width of the ridge 122 may be any size suitable for separation while allowing for the user to grip the object 160 as shown in FIG. 7. For example, the width may be defined by the height of the ridge 122 and a desired radius of a dome. It is further contemplated that ridge 122 may in some embodiments comprise a fillet 128 on a proximal side of the ridge 122, as shown in FIG. 1, in order to approximate the surface of the user's palm 200. It is contemplated that providing a fillet may eliminate sharp edges that could injure or otherwise be uncomfortable to the user when the cushion 120 is handled or pressed into contact with the hand. Indeed, it is even contemplated that design features other than a fillet may be utilized to approximate the surface of the user's palm 200 and eliminate potentially uncomfortable sharp edges.

[0079] With particular reference to FIG. 2, the front edge 127 of the cushion 120 may be defined by at least one groove 124. It is contemplated that the at least one groove 124 may comprise any number of grooves, such as one, two, three, or as in the non-limiting examples shown in the figures, four grooves. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, any of the at least one groove 124 may comprise different dimensions from another of the at least one groove 124. It is further contemplated that the at least one groove 124 may be a rectangular groove, a T-slot, a dovetail groove, or as in the non-limiting examples shown in the figures, a radius groove. Each of the at least one groove 124 may be defined by at least one peak 126. The at least one peak 126 may be configured to align with a user's interdigital folds, or more colloquially, an outer side of the user's fingers, to create a barrier between the user's fingers.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 5, each of the at least one groove 124 may be sized in order to align with any of the user's fingers 204. Each of the at least one groove 124 may have a width defined by the distance between an adjacent two of the at least one peak 126.

[0081] In one embodiment, the at least one groove 124 may, for example, have a width in the range of about 0.25 to about 4.0 inches. The at least one groove 124 may further have a width in the range of about 0.5 to about 1.15 inches. In a further exemplary example, the at least one groove 124 may have a width in the range of about 0.75 to about 1.25 inches.

[0082] In an embodiment shown in FIG. 3, any of the at least one groove 124 may be a different size than any of the other at least one groove 124. For example, a first groove may be operative to engage a user's pointer finger and thus sized accordingly. As such, the first groove may be sized such that it has a width in the range of about 0.68 to about 1.25 inches. In another embodiment, the first groove may have a width in the range of about 0.75 to about 1.13 inches. In a further exemplary embodiment, the first groove may have a width in the range of about 0.83 to about 1.2 inches.

[0083] A second groove may be operative to engage a user's middle finger and thus may be sized accordingly, for example, having a width selected from a range of about 0.6 to about 1.13 inches. The second groove may further have a width in the range of about 0.65 to 0.87 inches. Further exemplary widths for the second groove may be in the range of about 0.7 to about 1.0 inches.

[0084] A third groove may be operative to engage a user's ring finger and thus may be sized accordingly. For example, the third groove may have a width in a range of about 0.53 to about 1.0 inches. It is further contemplated that the third groove may have a width in a range of about 0.62 to about 0.75 inches. In some embodiments, the range may be from about 0.69 to about inches.

[0085] A fourth groove may be operative to engage a user's little finger and thus may be sized accordingly and thus may have a width in the range of about 0.43 to about 0.93 inches. It is further contemplated that the fourth groove may have a width in the range of about 0.5 to about inches. In some embodiments, the range may be from about 0.62 to about 0.81 inches.

[0086] Notwithstanding the foregoing, in some embodiments, the width of each groove may be selected to widen the user's grip relative to such user's natural resting or even unaugmented gripping position. That is, the width of each groove may be selected to gently separate the user's fingers from one another when in use. As such, it is contemplated that each groove may be relatively wider than each of a user's fingers, though this may not be necessary to practice the invention.

[0087] With particular reference to FIG. 3, any of the at least one groove 124 may be offset from another of the at least one groove 124. As such, any of the at least one peak 126 may have a height different from another of the at least one peak 126. It is contemplated that the offset may be offset to increase the fit of the band 100 to the user's hand 202. Thus, in some embodiments, the at least one groove 124 may be offset in order to approximate the natural curvature of a top edge of the user's palm. In yet a further embodiment, the band 100 may be specific to a left hand and thus the at least one groove 124 may be offset in order to approximate the natural curvature of a top edge of the user's left palm. Of course, in another embodiment the band 100 may be specific to a right hand and thus the at least one groove 124 may be offset in order to approximate the natural curvature of a top edge of the user's right palm. However, in yet another embodiment, the at least one groove 124 may approximate the natural curvature of both the top edge of the user's left and right palms, and thus the band 100 may be used on either the left or the right hand, as needed or desired.

[0088] With reference to FIG. 7, an embodiment of the band 100 is shown in use with one possible orientation. In particular, FIG. 7 demonstrates the band 100 in use as positioned on the user's hand 202 shown in FIG. 5. With continued reference to FIG. 5, the band 100 may be worn such that each of the at least one groove 124 aligns with the user's fingers 204 and the strap 110 rests over a dorsal side of the fingers 204. It is contemplated that the ridge 122 (obscured) may align the front edge 127 of the cushion 120 and the at least one groove 124 with the ridge of skin on the user's palm 200 proximal to the user's fingers 204. This portion of the user's palm may be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art as the palmar digital crease. Aligning the ridge 122 in this manner may effectively anchor the user's hand 202 around an object, in turn providing additional support and reducing pressure on the user's joints. With continued reference to FIG. 7, the cushion 120 may form to the user's hand 202 such that it flexes to allow for gripping of the object 160. Further, the ridge 122 (obscured) may align with the ridge of skin on the user's palm 200 proximal to the user's fingers 204 and thus may prevent impingement when worn as shown in FIG. 7. Preventing impingement may, as a person of ordinary skill will appreciate, prevent formation of calluses and friction related injuries.

[0089] FIG. 6 illustrates the band 100 when worn across a user's palm 200 to protect the user's palm 200. Wearing the band 100 in this configuration may be particularly advantageous in instances where the user is performing a pushing motion during which parallel force will be returned and applied throughout the user's palm 200 by the object 160 being gripped, particularly in the area of the hand where the cushion 120 rests.

[0090] It is contemplated that the band 100 may be worn around the user's wrist (not illustrated) such that it is out of the way when not being used for gripping.

[0091] It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

[0092] Moreover, embodiments and limitations disclosed herein are not dedicated to the public under the doctrine of dedication if the embodiments and/or limitations: (1) are not expressly claimed in the claims; and (2) are or are potentially equivalents of express elements and/or limitations in the claims under the doctrine of equivalents.

CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

[0093] While certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications are contemplated and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the gripping apparatus is discussed in use with exercise equipment, however it is contemplated that the gripping apparatus may be used with household tasks, such as gardening or opening jars. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited, except as by the appended claim(s).

[0094] The teachings disclosed herein may be applied to other systems, and may not necessarily be limited to any described herein. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the above patents and applications and other references, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention.

[0095] Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being refined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the gripping apparatus with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be constructed to limit the gripping apparatus to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification unless the above description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosed system, method and apparatus. The above description of embodiments of the gripping apparatus is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the precise form disclosed above or to a particular field of usage.

[0096] While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the method, system, and apparatus are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible for which those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.

[0097] While certain aspects of the method and system disclosed are presented below in particular claim forms, various aspects of the method, system, and apparatus are contemplated in any number of claim forms. Thus, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the gripping apparatus.