Special Personal Cooling Device Called the Breezy Belt

Abstract

A Special Personal Cooling device that acts as an air distribution system for use by an individual to prevent heat stress and fatigue. It is a lightweight plenum manifold which spreads, throws, and distributes a flow of pressurized air about the upper or lower body of an individual, the flow of air itself capable of cooling the skin directly or cooling the clothing worn by the individual by providing a pressurized air stream that evaporates moisture and perspiration. The device is made of a resilient and durable materials configured as a belt system; a power system; a fan system; a means to mechanically and integrally secure the fan system, power system and belt system together; and an electrical control system for controlling the power from the battery to the motor and fan.

Claims

1. A Special Personal Cooling device made of a resilient and durable materials and comprised of: (a) a belt system; (b) a power system; (c) a fan system; (d) a means to mechanically and integrally secure the fan system, power system and belt system together; and (e) an electrical control system for controlling the power from the battery to the motor and fan wherein the Special Personal Cooling device can be secured onto a torso of a user, secured to the shirt of the user, worked with a shirt plenum as an exit feature of the fan system and fan portion inside the shirt with a shirt cloth clip, and turned on through the speed control to provide a controlled amount of air into the interior of a shirt and to allow the air to aid and to improve the natural cooling process of the user by providing the additional airflow across the surface of the skin of the user.

2. The Special Personal Cooling device in claim 1 further comprised with leg ducts (130).

3. The Special Personal Cooling device in claim 1 wherein durable and resilient material of the belt is selected from a group consisting of natural leather, synthetic leather, cotton webbing, nylon, polyester, and composite materials.

4. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 1 wherein the durable and resilient material of the plenum, fan containers, and battery containers is selected from a group consisting of poly vinyl chloride (pvc), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyester, nylon, reinforced nylon, aluminum, steel and composite materials.

5. The Special Personal Cooling device in claim 1 wherein the durable and resilient material of the fan is selected from a group that can handle expected centrifugal forces, the group consisting of poly vinyl chloride (pvc), acrylonitr butadiene styrene (ABS), polyester, nylon, reinforced nylon, aluminum, steel and composite materials.

6. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 1 wherein the battery type is selected from a group consisting of 12-volt, 6 volt, and 18 volt.

7. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 1 wherein the battery type is selected from a group consisting of a rechargeable type and a standard replaceable type.

8. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 1 wherein the battery material type is selected from a group consisting of Alkaline battery, Lead-acid battery, Lithium-ion battery, Nickel-cadmium battery, and Zinc chloride battery.

9. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 1 wherein the means to mechanically and integrally secure is selected from a group consisting of small threaded fasteners, clips, pop rivets, and plastic rods and spin over heads.

10. A Special Personal Cooling device (30) made of resilient and durable materials and comprised of: (a) a belt system including a belt (60), clip receiver (50) and belt clip (52); (b) a power system including a pair of a battery containers (47), a battery (46), and container cover (47A); (c) a fan system including a fan base (66), a fan drive shaft (68) and electric motor (70), a fan (44), a fan cover (64), and a finger guard (45); (d) a means to mechanically secure the fan system, power system and belt system; and (f) an electrical control system wherein the Special Personal Cooling device can be secured onto a torso of a user (100), secured to the shirt (54) of the user (100), and turned on through the speed controller (56) to provide a controlled amount of air into the interior of a shirt (54) and to allow the air to aid and to improve the natural cooling process of the user (100) by providing the additional airflow across the surface of the skin of the user.

11. The Special Personal Cooling device in claim 10 further comprised with leg ducts (130).

12. The Special Personal Cooling device in claim 10 wherein durable and resilient material of the belt is selected from a group consisting of natural leather, synthetic leather, cotton webbing, nylon, polyester, and composite materials.

13. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 10 wherein the durable and resilient material of the plenum, fan containers, and battery containers is selected from a group consisting of poly vinyl chloride (pvc), acryloitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyester, nylon, reinforced nylon, aluminum, steel and composite materials.

14. The Special Personal Cooling device in claim 10 wherein the durable and resilient material of the fan is selected from a group that can handle expected centrifugal forces, the group consisting of poly vinyl chloride (pvc), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyester, nylon, reinforced nylon, aluminum, steel and composite materials.

15. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 10 wherein the battery type is selected from a group consisting of 12-volt, 6 volt, and 18 volt.

16. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 10 wherein the battery type is selected from a group consisting of a rechargeable type and a standard replaceable type.

17. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 10 wherein the battery material type is selected from a group consisting of Alkaline battery, Lead-acid battery, Lithium-ion battery, Nickel-cadmium battery, and Zinc chloride battery.

18. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 10 wherein the means to mechanically and integrally secure is selected from a group consisting of small threaded fasteners, clips, pop rivets, and plastic rods and spin over heads.

19. The Special Personal Cooling device (30) in claim 10 wherein the an electrical control system for controlling the power from the battery (46) to the motor (70) and the fan (44) through a shaft (68) is comprised of a set of wiring and typical wire connectors (59), a speed controller (56), a power plug-in (58), and a kill switch (48).

20. A Special Personal Cooling device (30) made of resilient and durable materials and comprised of: (a) a belt system including a belt (60), clip receiver (50) and belt clip (52); (b) a power system including a pair of a battery containers (47), a 12 V rechargeable battery (46), and container cover (47A); (c) a fan system including a fan base (66), a fan drive shaft (68) and electric motor (70), a fan (44), a fan cover (64), and a finger guard (45); (d) a means to mechanically secure the fan system, power system and belt system; (f) an electrical control system for controlling the power from the battery (46) to the motor (70) and the fan (44) through a shaft (68) comprised of a set of wiring and typical wire connectors (59), a speed controller (56), a power plug-in (58), and a kill switch (48); and (g) a set of leg ducts (130) wherein the Special Personal Cooling device can be secured onto a torso of a user (100), secured to the shirt (54) of the user (100), and turned on through the speed controller (56) to provide a controlled amount of air into the interior of a shirt (54) and to allow the air to aid and to improve the natural cooling process of the user (100) by providing the additional airflow across the surface of the skin of the user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the Special Personal Cooling Device for various applications device that is preferred. The drawings together with the summary description given above and a detailed description given below serve to explain the principles of the Special Personal Cooling Device. It is understood, however, that the Special Personal Cooling Device is not limited to only the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

[0046] FIGS. 1 A through 1 D are sketches of the general special personal cooling device called Breezy Belt.

[0047] FIGS. 2 A and 2 B are sketches of the special personal cooling device with components and features noted.

[0048] FIGS. 3 A through 3 D are more sketches of the special personal cooling device with the components and features shown from a top, front, side, and isometric view.

[0049] FIG. 4 is a sketch of the special personal cooling device with an exploded view of the components.

[0050] FIGS. 5 A through 5 G are sketches of the prototype special personal cooling device in use.

[0051] FIGS. 6 A through 6 F are sketches of prior art related to personal cooling devices.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSREFERENCE ITEMS

[0052] The following list refers to the drawings:

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE B Reference numbers Ref # Description 30 special personal cooling device 30 called Breezy Belt 31 prototype 31 of special personal cooling device 30 33 isometric 33 of special personal cooling device 30 35 exploded view 35 of special personal cooling device 30 40 shirt plenum 40, exit feature of the container and fan portion inside the shirt; 42 shirt cloth clip 42 44 fan 44 45 finger guard 45 46 battery 46-12-volt, 6 volt, 18 volt or the like, rechargeable or standard replaceable, and Alkaline battery, Lead-acid battery, Lithium-ion battery, Nickel-cadmium battery, Zinc chloride battery, or the like 47 battery container 47 47A battery cover 47A over battery 46 in container 47 48 kill switch 48 50 clip receiver 50 for the belt clip 52 52 belt clip 52 54 shirt 54 of the operator 100 56 speed controller 56 56A pre-selected four (4) position push button speed controller 56A 58 power plug-in 58 59 set of wiring and typical wire connectors 59 60 belt 60 64 fan cover 64 66 fan base 66 68 fan drive shaft 68 70 electric motor 70 100 operator/user 100 110 shirt-fan off 110 120 shirt expanded-fan on 120 130 optional leg ducts 130 132 aperture or opening 132 into plenum for optional leg ducts 130 150 prior art 150 U.S. Pat. No. 9,851,113 151 prior art 151 U.S. Pat. No. 9,488,447 152 prior art 152 U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,242 153 prior art 153 U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,762 154 prior art 154 U.S. patent Application 2002/0153126 155 prior art 155 U.S. Pat. No. 9,308,121

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0053] The present development is a Special Personal Cooling device called the Breezy Belt. This invention relates to a field of personal comfort devices, specifically to personal cooling devices. It relates generally to a hands-free apparatus for selectively heating or cooling the human body trunk which is adapted to be worn under outer protective equipment or clothing items. The Special Personal Cooling device relates to an air distribution system for particular use by an individual who is required to wear restrictive, protective clothing and/or equipment in an ambient atmosphere conducive to excessive perspiration. The Special Personal Cooling Device called the Breezy Belt relates to a self-contained air distribution system for particular use by an individual to prevent heat stress and fatigue by evaporating body moisture and perspiration when exposed to high ambient temperature. The present invention as described has a particular cooling and evaporative effect.

[0054] The advantages for the Special Personal Cooling device 30 are listed above in the introduction. Succinctly the benefits are that the device: [0055] A. Is compact and lightweightweighs 1.2 pounds with batteries. [0056] B. Can be used to cool the body, neck, and head and pants too with up-coming attachment. [0057] C. Is easy to use, maintain and carry with associated branded sling bag. [0058] D. Has a 12 volt fan motor (battery sold separately) compatible with other 12 v electric systems. [0059] E. Maintains body temperature at a safe level and can lower the perceived temperature up to 15 to 20 degrees. [0060] F. Protects personnel in extreme hot environments up to around 110 degrees heat index. [0061] G. The buffer of ambient air holds the garment of the wearer away from the body and skin even in a high heat index. [0062] H. Improves workers safety, performance, alertness and concentration. [0063] I. Allows for one size to easily adjust for many users. [0064] J. Is a Quiet design, won't interfere with conversation. [0065] K. Will not interfere with most normal activities and operates hands-free. [0066] L. Is a modular design that allows for easy cleaning and user defined ergonomic comfort. [0067] M. Hands free for ease of movement.

[0068] The preferred embodiment of the Special Personal Cooling device 30 made of resilient and durable materials and comprised of: (a) a belt system including a belt 60, clip receiver 50, and belt clip 52; (b) a power system including a pair of battery containers 47, a re-chargeable battery 46, and container cover 47A; (c) a fan system including a fan base 66, a fan drive shaft 68, and an electric motor 70, a fan 44, a fan cover 64, and a finger guard 45; (d) a means to mechanically and integrally secure the fan system, power system and belt system together such as fasteners or integrally molding the systems together as an assembly; and (e) an electrical control system for controlling the power from the battery 46 to the motor 70 and fan 44 through the shaft 68 including but not limited to a set of wiring and typical wire connectors 59, a speed controller 56, a power plug-in 58, and a kill switch 48 wherein the Special Personal Cooling device 30 can be secured onto a torso of a user 100, secured to the shirt 54 of the user 100, worked with a shirt plenum 40 as an exit feature of the fan system and fan portion inside the shirt with a shirt cloth clip 42, and turned on through the speed controller 56 to provide a controlled amount of air into the interior of a shirt and to allow the air to aid and to improve the natural cooling process of the user by providing the additional airflow across the surface of the skin of the user 100.

[0069] There is shown in FIGS. 1-6 a complete description and operative embodiment of the Special Personal Cooling device 30. In the drawings and illustrations, one notes well that the FIGS. 1-6 demonstrate the general configuration and use of this product. The various example uses are in the operation and use section, below.

[0070] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the Special Personal Cooling device 30 that is preferred. The drawings together with the summary description given above and a detailed description given below serve to explain the principles of the Special Personal Cooling device 30. It is understood, however, that the Special Personal Cooling device 30 is not limited to only the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. Other examples of personal cooling and thermal controlling devices and uses are still understood by one skilled in the art of cooling and heating personal devices to be within the scope and spirit shown here.

[0071] FIGS. 1 A through 1 D are sketches of the general special personal cooling device 30 called Breezy Belt. In these lead-off sketches are shown: a special personal cooling device 30 called Breezy Belt; a prototype 31 of special personal cooling device 30; an exploded view 35 of special personal cooling device 30; a feature of shirtfan off 110; and a feature of shirt expandedfan on 120.

[0072] FIGS. 2 A and 2 B are sketches of the special personal cooling device 30 with components and features noted. Demonstrates here are components and features including: a special personal cooling device 30 called Breezy Belt; a shirt plenum 40, exit feature of the container and fan portion inside the shirt; a shirt cloth clip 42; a finger guard 45; a battery 46; a battery container 47; a battery cover 47A over battery 46 in container 47; a kill switch 48; a clip a speed controller 56; a power plugin 58; a set of wiring and typical wire connectors 59; a belt 60; and a fan cover 64. Note that the battery 46 could be a 12 volt, 6 volt, 18 volt or the like and could be rechargeable or a standard replaceable type. Various types include an Alkaline battery, Lead-acid battery, Lithium-ion battery, Nickel-cadmium battery, Zinc chloride battery, or the like

[0073] FIGS. 3 A through 3 D are more sketches of the special personal cooling device 30 with the components and features shown from a top, front, side, and isometric view. Provided in these views are: a special personal cooling device 30 called Breezy Belt; an isometric 33 of special personal cooling device 30; a shirt plenum 40, exit feature of the container and fan portion inside the shirt; a shirt cloth clip 42; a finger guard 45; a 12 volt battery 46; a battery container 47; a battery cover 47A over battery 46 in container 47; a kill switch 48; a speed controller 56; a power plugin 58; a set of wiring and typical wire connectors 59; a belt 60; and a fan cover 64. Various resilient and durable materials anticipated for the device 30. The belt can be natural or synthetic leather or the like, fabrics such as cotton webbing, nylon, polyester, composite materials, etc. The plenum, fan containers, and battery containers can be one of the plethora of plastics such as poly vinyl chloride, ABS, polyesters, nylon and reinforced nylon, light metals such as aluminum, steel or the like, and various composite materials. The fan itself should be a plastic, composite material or light weight metal that can handle the centrifugal forces encountered when the blade or impeller is spinning. Likewise, depending on how the manufacturing processes and materials are matched up, there can be either stampings, castings or integral molding that connect the fan, belt and battery sub-systems or sub-assemblies. If not, small threaded fasteners, clips, pop rivets, plastic rods and spin over or smashed heads can be used to connect the sub-assemblies and to secure them into a one piece assembly for the Special Personal Cooling device. Plastics and composites can be friction, ultrasonic, or heat welded. Likewise, some adhesives may serve to connect the sub-assemblies and manufacture the full assembly.

[0074] FIG. 4 is a sketch of the special personal cooling device 30 with an exploded view 35 of the components. This sketch clearly shows: a special personal cooling device 30 called Breezy Belt; an exploded view 35 of special personal cooling device 30; a shirt plenum 40, exit feature of the container and fan portion inside the shirt; a shirt cloth clip 42; a fan 44; a finger guard 45; a 12 volt battery 46; a battery container 47; a battery cover 47A over battery 46 in container 47; a kill switch 48; a clip receiver 50 for the belt clip 52; a belt clip 52; a speed controller 56; a power plugin 58; a set of wiring and typical wire connectors 59; a belt 60; a fan cover 64; a fan base 66; and a fan drive shaft 68 and electric motor. As one skilled in the art of any battery operated device with a small electric motor knows, the 12 volt batteries 46, the small electric drive motor and shaft 68 that turns the fan 44, the speed controller 56, power plug 58 and kill switch 48 al must be electrically connected by a wiring harness or a set of discrete wires 59. The electrical wiring system or means to transfer the electric energy from the batteries 46 to the motor and shaft 68 and then permit the rotating shaft to mechanically turn the fan 44 is not a new or unique idea. There are a plethora of ways to engineer and design this part of the Special Personal Cooling device 30. For one skilled in the art of electrically powered fans with simple speed controls and kill switches, it is well known art and need not be limited or described herein with this cooling device 30. The electrical means to take the electrical power from the batteries and power the motor and shaft 68 connected to the fan is needed in the device 30 but the many ways and manners of doing so are well understood by the persons skilled in the art of cooling devices. Therefore, the means need not be intricately deigned here no is claimed as unique.

[0075] FIGS. 5 A through 5 G are sketches of the prototype special personal cooling device in use. These sketches are discussed below in the Operation Section.

[0076] FIGS. 6 A through 6 F are sketches of prior art related to personal cooling devices. Here former patents and applications for various Personal Cooling devices are shown. These include: a prior art 150 U.S. Pat. No. 9,851,113; a prior art 151 U.S. Pat. No. 9,488,447; a prior art 152 U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,242; a prior art 153 U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,762; a prior art 154 US Patent Application 2002/0153126; and a prior art 155 U.S. Pat. No. 9,308,121. As can be seen, the Special Personal Cooling device 30 is a unique combination device.

[0077] The details mentioned here are exemplary and not limiting. Other specific components and manners specific to describing a Special Personal Cooling Device 30 may be added as a person having ordinary skill in the field of the art of cooling devices, personal care devices and the like and their uses well appreciates.

OPERATION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0078] The Special Personal Cooling Device 30 has been described in the above embodiment. The manner of how the device operates is described below. One notes well that the description above and the operation described here must be taken together to fully illustrate the concept of the Special Personal Cooling Device 30. The preferred embodiment of the Special Personal Cooling device 30 made of resilient and durable materials and comprised of: (a) a belt system including a belt 60, clip receiver 50, and belt clip 52; (b) a power system including a pair of battery containers 47, a re-chargeable battery 46, and container cover 47A; (c) a fan system including a fan base 66, a fan drive shaft 68, and an electric motor 70, a fan 44, a fan cover 64, and a finger guard 45; (d) a means to mechanically and integrally secure the fan system, power system and belt system together such as fasteners or integrally molding the systems together as an assembly; and (e) an electrical control system for controlling the power from the battery 46 to the motor 70 and fan 44 through the shaft 68 including but not limited to wiring and typical wire connectors, a speed controller 56, a power plug-in 58, a set of wiring and typical wire connectors 59; and a kill switch 48 wherein the Special Personal Cooling device 30 can be secured onto a torso of a user 100, secured to the shirt 54 of the user 100, worked with a shirt plenum 40 as an exit feature of the fan system and fan portion inside the shirt with a shirt cloth clip 42, and turned on through the speed controller 56 to provide a controlled amount of air into the interior of a shirt and to allow the air to aid and to improve the natural cooling process of the user by providing the additional airflow across the surface of the skin of the user 100.

[0079] The Special Personal Cooling device 30 known as the Breezy Belt operates in the following manner: Each of the pair of 12 volt batteries 46 are pre-charged. Next the each of the batteries 46 is placed into the battery container 47 and the respective battery cover 47A is placed over each of the battery 46 in the container 47. Alternatively, if the batteries 46 are in place, they may be re-charged by connecting the power plug 58 to an appropriate source of electric power (such as a transformer and cigarette lighter/power plug or the like. Once the batteries 46 are charged and ready, the device 30 is placed and secured around a torso of the operator/user 100. The belt is held firmly in place by securing the belt clip 52 into the clip receiver 50 and adjusting the length of the belt 60. Next the shirt 54 of the operator 100 is brought around the shirt plenum 40, exit feature of the container and fan portion inside the shirt of the device 30 and attached to the shirt cloth clip 42 on each side of the plenum 40. Excess shirt 54 may be tucked in or will soon billow outward when the device 30 is engaged. Now the Special Personal Cooling device 30 is in place and ready to operate. The speed controller 56 switch is engaged and the dial can be adjusted for more or less speed (which controls the volume and cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air being discharged from the device 30 through the plenum 40. If more air is desired, the speed controller dial 56 is increased. If less air or CFM is needed the speed controller 56 the dial is turned down and the CFM is reduced. At any time, the device 30 can be fully stopped or disengaged by hitting the kill switch 48 which interrupts the power from the batteries 46 to the fan 44. During the operation, the Special Personal Cooling device 30 can be plugged into an alternative power source though the power plug-in 58 and a set of wiring and typical wire connectors 59. This will charge the batteries 46 and increase run time for the device 30. The alternative source can be a plug on a mower, a cigarette lighter in a truck or vehicle, or the like. When complete and finished using the Special Personal Cooling device 30, the shirt 54 is unsecured at the shirt clips 42, the belt 60 is disengaged at the belt clip 52 and the clip receiver 50, and the batteries 46 are removed from the container 47 and recharged. When and if desired, an optional set of leg ducts 130 can be connected at the aperture or opening 132 into plenum for optional leg ducts 130 and inserted into the pant leg of the trousers of an operator 100. These can divert air from the device 30 into the leg regions for cooling the lower extremities. It can be noted that batteries 46 will be permanently glued in their containers 47. It is the complete and assembled battery containers 47 that can either be charged while clipped into the unit 30 or removed for charging. The fan unit 30 can also be worn without the batteries 46 to be lighter. Power would then be drawn from an external source such as associated 12v machinery or a satellite battery pack connected by a power source wire. Also, the units 30 are designed with either a speed dial controller 56 or a pre-selected four (4) position push button speed controller 56A. The kill switch 48 is only disengaged when the finger guard 45 is removed for cleaning.

[0080] FIGS. 5 A through 5 G are sketches of the prototype special personal cooling device in use. The components and features shown in the views are a prototype 31 of special personal cooling device 30; an operator/user 100; a shirt 54 of the operator 100; a feature of shirtfan off 110; and feature of shirt expandedfan on 120. The Figures show:

TABLE-US-00003 FIGURE Description Fig. 5 A Front View Special Personal Cooling device ready but Fan Off, no action or cooling Fig. 5 B Side View Special Personal Cooling device ready but Fan Off, no action or cooling Fig. 5 C Front View Special Personal Cooling device Fan On an the action of cooling underway Fig. 5 D Side View Special Personal Cooling device Fan On an the action of cooling underway Fig. 5 E Another Front View Special Personal Cooling device ready but Fan Off, no action or cooling Fig. 5 F Another Side View Special Personal Cooling device ready but Fan Off, no action or cooling Fig. 5 G Another Front View Special Personal Cooling device Fan On an the action of cooling underway

[0081] Many uses are anticipated for the Special Personal Cooling Device 30. Portable cooling methods and/or systems would be beneficial not only for lawn care, landscaping, and military applications but also, for example, in sports (e.g. cooling athletes during training and competition), industrial and medical applications. Some examples, and not limitations, are shown in the following Table.

TABLE-US-00004 Item Uses 1 Landscapers and outdoor workers 2 Industrial workers 3 First Responders 4 Construction workers 5 Handicapped 6 Welders 7 Farmers 8 Miners 9 Medical patients 10 Athletes 11 Motor sports 12 Sports enthusiasts 13 Firefighters 14 Military 15 Law enforcement

[0082] With this description it is to be understood that the Special Personal Cooling Device 30 is not to be limited to only the disclosed embodiment of product. The features of the Special Personal Cooling Device 30 are intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the description.

[0083] While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

[0084] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which these inventions belong. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present inventions, the preferred methods and materials are now described above in the foregoing paragraphs.

[0085] Other embodiments of the invention are possible. Although the description above contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. It is also contemplated that various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at least some of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above.

[0086] The terms recited in the claims should be given their ordinary and customary meaning as determined by reference to relevant entries (e.g., definition of plane as a carpenter's tool would not be relevant to the use of the term plane when used to refer to an airplane, etc.) in dictionaries (e.g., widely used general reference dictionaries and/or relevant technical dictionaries), commonly understood meanings by those in the art, etc., with the understanding that the broadest meaning imparted by any one or combination of these sources should be given to the claim terms (e.g., two or more relevant dictionary entries should be combined to provide the broadest meaning of the combination of entries, etc.) subject only to the following exceptions: (a) if a term is used herein in a manner more expansive than its ordinary and customary meaning, the term should be given its ordinary and customary meaning plus the additional expansive meaning, or (b) if a term has been explicitly defined to have a different meaning by reciting the term followed by the phrase as used herein shall mean or similar language (e.g., herein this term means, as defined herein, for the purposes of this disclosure [the term] shall mean, etc.). References to specific examples, use of i.e., use of the word invention, etc., are not meant to invoke exception (b) or otherwise restrict the scope of the recited claim terms. Other than situations where exception (b) applies, nothing contained herein should be considered a disclaimer or disavowal of claim scope. Accordingly, the subject matter recited in the claims is not coextensive with and should not be interpreted to be coextensive with any particular embodiment, feature, or combination of features shown herein. This is true even if only a single embodiment of the particular feature or combination of features is illustrated and described herein. Thus, the appended claims should be read to be given their broadest interpretation in view of the prior art and the ordinary meaning of the claim terms.

[0087] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers or expressions, such as those expressing dimensions, physical characteristics, etc. used in the specification (other than the claims) are understood as modified in all instances by the term approximately. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the claims, each numerical parameter recited in the specification or claims which is modified by the term approximately should at least be construed in light of the number of recited significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

[0088] The present invention contemplates modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art. While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the figures and the foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only selected embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes, modifications and equivalents that come within the spirit of the disclosures described heretofore and or/defined by the following claims are desired to be protected.