SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR STATUS DETECTION AND REPORTING OF VEHICLE PASSENGER SEAT SAFETY DEVICES

Abstract

Systems and methods for detecting and reporting a status of safety devices installed in a vehicle having a plurality of seat groups, each seat group having a plurality of neighboring passenger seats. The seats are divided into seat groups. The system includes a plurality of safety devices disposed at the passenger seats and a plurality of safety device sensors coupled to the safety device which detect a safety status of the safety devices and output a signal representing the safety status. The sensors are operably coupled to an onboard management system. The onboard management system is configured to receive safety status signals based on the signals output by the sensors and generate and display on a display monitor a status screen indicating the status of the safety devices.

Claims

1. A system for detecting and reporting a status of safety devices installed in a vehicle having a plurality of seat groups, each seat group having a plurality of neighboring passenger seats, the system comprising: a plurality of first safety devices, each first safety device disposed at a respective passenger seat; a plurality of first safety device sensors, each first safety device sensor operably coupled to a respective first safety device and configured to detect a first safety status of the respective first safety device and to output a first signal representing the safety status of the respective first safety device, wherein the first signal comprises a binary signal which indicates either a fault or a no fault condition of the first safety device; each first safety sensor associated with a respective one of the seat groups; and an onboard management system comprising a system computer, system software and a display monitor; wherein for each seat group, the system is configured to process the respective first signals to generate a single discrete safety status signal representing a single status of the first safety devices for the seat group for input to the onboard management system, the safety status signal comprising a binary signal which indicates either a fault or a no fault condition of the first safety devices for the respective seat group, and the onboard management system is configured to receive the safety status signals for each seat group and to display on the display monitor a status screen indicating a status of each of the first safety devices based on the safety status signals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein: each of the safety status signals corresponds to a respective seat group, and the status screen indicates a respective status of each passenger seat based on the safety status signal of the respective seat group.

3. (canceled)

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of junction modules, each junction module having junction inputs operably connected to a respective group of first safety device sensors in a respective seat group and a junction output connected to the onboard management system, wherein each junction module is configured to receive the first signals from the connected first safety sensor and output the safety status signal of the respective seat group.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each junction module comprises logic that causes the safety status signal output by the junction module to be a fault when at least one of the first signals is a fault.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the logic causes the safety status signal output by the junction module to be a no fault when all of the first signals are no fault.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein: the onboard management system comprises a plurality of seat box modules, each seat box module in network communication with the system computer and operably coupled to each of the first safety device sensors in a respective seat group; and wherein each seat box module is configured to receive the first signals from the respective first safety device sensors in the respective seat group and to transmit the safety status signal based on the first signals output by the respective first safety devices.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein: the onboard management system comprises a plurality of seat box modules, each seat box module in network communication with the system computer and operably coupled to each of the first safety device sensors in a respective seat group via a respective junction module, each junction module having junction inputs operably connected to the respective the first safety device sensors in a respective seat group and a junction output connected to a single discrete input for the respective seat box, wherein each junction module is configured to receive the first signals from the connected first safety device sensors and output the safety status signal of the respective seat group.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each junction module comprises logic that causes the safety status signal output by the junction module to be a fault when at least one of the first signals.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the logic causes the safety status signal output by the junction module to be a no fault when all of the first signals are no fault.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first safety devices are seatbelts, and the first safety device sensors are seat belt sensors each configured to output the respective first signal indicating whether the respective seat belt is fastened or unfastened.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of second safety devices, each second safety device disposed at a respective passenger seat; a plurality of second safety device sensors, each second safety device sensor operably coupled to a respective second safety device and configured to detect a second safety status of the respective second safety device and to output a second signal representing the safety status of the respective second safety device, wherein the second signal comprises a binary signal which indicates either a fault or a no fault condition of the second safety device; each second safety device sensor associated with a respective one of the seat groups; and wherein each second safety device sensor is operably coupled to the onboard management system, and the onboard management system is configured to receive a plurality of safety status signals based on the second signals output by the second safety device sensors and to display on the display monitor a status screen indicating a status of each of the second safety devices based on the safety status signals based on the second signals output by the second safety device sensors, and wherein the safety status signals based on the second signals output by the second safety device sensors each comprise a binary signal which indicates either a fault or a no fault condition of the respective second safety devices.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein: the first safety devices are seatbelts, and the first safety device sensors are seat belt sensors each configured to output the respective first signal indicating whether the respective seat belt is fastened or unfastened; and the second safety devices are life vests, and the second safety device sensors are life vest sensors each configured to output the respective second signal indicating whether the respective life vest is properly installed at the respective passenger seat.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the status screen includes a layout of the passenger seats showing an icon representing each of the passenger seats and the status of the respective first safety device disposed at each passenger seat indicated at the location of the icon for such passenger seat.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the status of each first safety device is indicated by a color coding in which a fault status is indicated by a first color and a no fault status is indicated by a second color different than the first color.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the onboard management system is installed on the vehicle and the vehicle is an airplane.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the onboard management system is installed on the vehicle and the vehicle is an airplane.

18-20. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The foregoing and other aspects of embodiments are described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements and the description for like elements shall be applicable for all described embodiments wherever relevant, wherein:

[0029] FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram of an onboard safety device detection and reporting system installed on an airplane, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 2 is a block schematic diagram of the onboard safety device detection and reporting system of FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a block schematic diagram of an onboard safety device detection and reporting system of FIG. 1, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computing device (computer) which may be utilized in the onboard management system and/or the handheld electronic device of FIGS. 1-3.

[0033] FIG. 5 illustrates a status screen showing the status of the seat belts for each passenger seat, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates a status screen showing the status of the life vests for each passenger seat, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] FIG. 7 illustrates a status screen showing the status of the seat belts and life vests for each passenger seat, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present invention is directed to systems and methods for detecting and reporting status of the safety devices installed on a passenger vehicle having a plurality of passenger seats. Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an onboard safety device detection and reporting system 100 for a passenger vehicle 102 is shown. The embodiments described and shown in the drawings are directed to systems and methods for a system installed on an airplane 102, but it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to airplanes, but may be installed on any suitable passenger vehicle, including trains, buses, ships, boats, automobiles, etc.

[0037] The airplane 102 has a passenger cabin having a plurality of passenger seats 104 arranged according to a passenger seat layout. In the example of FIG. 1, a front cabin 106 of the cabin (e.g., first class cabin) is arranged in a 1-2-1. In other words, going across a row, there is one window seat, then a first aisle, then 2 adjacent seats, then a second aisle and then another window seat. In the next cabin 108, the seats are arranged in a 2-2-2 seat arrangement. In other words, there are 2 adjacent seats, then a first aisle, then 2 adjacent seats, then a second aisle and then 2 more adjacent seats. In the next cabin 110, the seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 seat arrangement. In the next cabin 112, the seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 seat arrangement. The schematic of FIG. 1 shows only a few of the rows of seats in each cabin, with the understanding that the number of rows may vary according to the type of airplane and seat particular seat layout of the airplane. For example, some airplanes have rows arranged 3-3 (i.e., a single aisle), or 3-2-3, or 2-3-2, or 3-4-3, etc.

[0038] The seats 104 are grouped into a plurality of seat groups 114, such that each seat 104 is assigned to one of the seat groups 114. Each seat group 114 includes a plurality of neighboring seats 104, such as adjacent seats 104 in one or more rows. In the example of FIG. 1, the seats 104 are assigned to seat groups 114 comprising the seats 104 in the same row separated by the aisles of the cabin 108. For example, seat group 114a includes 2 seats 104 in the same row between the window and the first aisle. Seat group 114b includes the 4 seats 104 between the window and the first aisle in two adjacent rows. Seat group 114c includes the 3 seats in a single row between the first and second aisles. To avoid too much clutter in FIG. 1, not all of the seat groups are identified. However, it is understood that all of the seats 104 are assigned to one of the seat groups 114.

[0039] The seat groups 114 may be assigned to conveniently connect to a respective seat box module 116 for the seat group 114. For instance, each seat group 114 may have an individual seat box module 116 for the particular seat group 114. Each seat box module 116 is installed at one of the seats 104 of the respective seat group 114, such as under the seat 104. The seat groups 114 may be sized with a number of seats 104 which may be accommodated by a seat box module 116.

[0040] As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, each seat 104 is equipped with safety devices, including a seat belt 120 and a life vest 122. Each of the seat belts 120 has a respective seat belt sensor 124. The seat belt sensors 124 are configured to detect whether the seat belt 120 is properly fastened. Each seat belt sensor 124 outputs a first signal which represents the safety status of the seat belt 120, namely, fastened or unfastened. The first signal is a binary signal which outputs only one of two possible signals, a no fault signal when the seat belt 120 is fastened and a fault signal when the seat belt 120 is not fastened. As one example, the seat belt sensor 124 may be configured to close a circuit when the seat belt is fastened, and open the circuit when the seat belt is not fastened. In this case, when the seat belt 120 is fastened, the first signal is a closed circuit (no fault signal) indicating the seat belt 120 is fastened, and when the seat belt 120 is unfastened, the first signal is an open circuit indicating the seat belt 120 is not fastened.

[0041] Similarly, each of the life vests 122 is equipped with a respective life vest sensor 126. Each life vest sensor 126 is configured to detect tampering with the life vest 126. For instance, the life vest sensor 126 may be configured to detect whether the life vest 122 is removed from a compartment under the seat 104 in which the life vest 122 is stored at each seat 104. Each life vest sensor 126 outputs a second signal which represents the safety status of the respective life vest 126. The safety status of a life vests 126 may indicate that the life vest is being tampered with or that it is not being tampered with. Like the first signal, the second signal is also a binary signal which outputs only one of two possible signals, a no fault signal when the life vest 126 is not tampered with, and a fault signal when the life vest 122 is not fastened. For example, the life vest sensor 126 may be configured to close a circuit when the life vest compartment is closed, and open the circuit when the life vest compartment is not opened. In this case, when the seat life vest compartment is closed, the second signal remains a closed circuit (no fault signal) indicating the life vest 122 is not being tampered with, and when the life vest compartment is opened, the second signal is an open circuit indicating the life vest 122 is being tampered with.

[0042] Each seat 104 also has a respective in-seat display system 128. The in-seat display system 128 is part of an onboard entertainment system (e.g., an in-flight entertainment system IFE). The in-seat display system 128 includes a display monitor, a controller for a passenger to control the in-seat display system 128, and may include additional features, such as charging port(s), headphone jack(s), etc. The in-seat display system 128 for each seat 104 may be installed in the seatback of the and/or on cabin walls, deployable from an armrest, etc.

[0043] As shown in the FIGS. 1 and 2, the onboard safety device system 100 also includes an onboard management system 130 which is configured to manage the safety device system 100, including receiving the first signals from the seat belt sensors 124 and second signals from the life vest sensors 126, and reporting the status of the seat belts 120 and life vests 122 on a status screen displayed on a display monitor 132 of the onboard management system 130. The onboard management system 130 includes a system computer 134 having system software 136 for configured to operate the onboard management system 130. The display monitor 132 is operably coupled to the system computer 134. The display monitor 132 is a crew member monitor for a cabin crew member to interface with onboard management system 130. The onboard management system 130 may also include a network controller 136 for communicating with the seat box modules 116.

[0044] The onboard management system 130 also may include a content server 138 which stores media content and distributes the media to the in-seat display systems 128 via the communication network comprising the network controller 136, and network switches 120 of the seat box modules 116.

[0045] FIG. 4 generally shows a block diagram of the components of an example of a computer (computing device) 300 that may be used as the system computer 134 in the onboard management system 130 and/or the content server 138 in the onboard safety device system 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The computer 300 includes memory 310, an application software program 312, a processor or controller 314 to execute the application software 312, a network or communications interface 316, e.g., for communications with a network or interconnect 218 between the components. The memory 310 may be or include one or more of cache, RAM, ROM, SRAM, DRAM, RDRAM, EEPROM, SDRAM and other types of volatile or non-volatile memory capable of storing data. The processor or controller 314 may be or include multiple processors, a single threaded processor, a multi-threaded processor, a multi-core processor, or other type of processor capable of processing data. Depending on the particular system component (e.g., whether the component is a computer or a hand held mobile communications device), the interconnect 318 may include a system bus, LDT, PCI, ISA, or other types of buses, and the communications or network interface may, for example, be an Ethernet interface, a Frame Relay interface, or other interface. The network interface 316 may be configured to enable a system component to communicate with other system components across a network which may be a wireless network or various other communication networks. It should be noted that one or more components of computer 300 may be located remotely and accessed via a network. Accordingly, the system configuration provided in FIG. 4 is provided to generally illustrate how embodiments may be configured and implemented.

[0046] The onboard management system may also include a plurality of seat box modules 116, such as one seat box module 116 for each seat group 114. Each seat box module 116 is operably coupled to the onboard management system 130. The seat box modules 116 may be operably connected directly to the onboard management system 130, or they may be connected to a respective floor distribution box 140 which is in turn operably connected to the onboard management system 130. Each seat box module 116 includes a power supply 118 and network switch 120 which can provide power and network communications for each of the in-seat display systems 128 in the respective seat group 114. The seat box modules 116 also include one or more discrete inputs 117 for inputting discrete inputs, such as binary signals, for monitoring or controlling onboard devices, including the seat belt sensors 124 and life vest sensors 126.

[0047] The onboard management system 130 may also include one or more floor distribution boxes 140. Each floor distribution box 140 is operably connected to a plurality of seat box modules 116, and to the onboard management system 130. The floor distribution boxes 140 are configured to distribute power to the seat box modules 116, and distribute network communications between the seat box modules 116, the system computer 134 and the content server 138. The floor distribution boxes 140 may include one or more network switches, power switches, inverters, converters, etc.

[0048] In one embodiment, the onboard management system 130 may comprise, or be integrated with, an onboard entertainment system, such as an in-flight entertainment system, or other onboard system. Alternatively, the onboard management system 130 may be a stand-alone system.

[0049] The block schematic diagram of FIG. 2 illustrates the onboard management system 130 connected to two of the seat groups 114 of FIG. 1. It is understood that the onboard safety system 100 of FIG. 1 includes additional seat groups 114, and seat box modules 116 for each of the other seat groups 114. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the seat belt sensors 124 and life vest sensors 126 is operably connected to a discrete input 117 of a respective seat box module 116. The seat box modules 116 may be configured to simply pass through the first signals and second signals from the seat belt sensors 124 and life vest sensors 126, respectively, to the system computer 134, or they may be configured to process the signals and output a safety status signal based upon the first signals and second signals. For instance, a seat box module 116 may receive the first signals from the seat belt sensors 124 in the seat group 114 connected to the seat box module 116, and then transmit the first signals to the system computer 134. Alternatively, the seat box module 116 may receive the first signals from the seat belt sensors 124 in the seat group 114 connected to the seat box module 116, and then generate a safety status signal for the entire seat group 114. For instance, the seat box module 116 may include logic in which the safety status signal is a fault if any one or more of the first signals is a fault, and the safety status signal is a no fault if all of the first signals are a no fault. The safety status signal may be a binary signal (fault signal or no fault signal), same as, or similar to, the first and second signals, which indicates either a fault condition (indicating seat belt unfastened, or life vest tampered) or a no fault condition (indicating seat belt fastened, or life vest not tampered). Of course, the seat box modules 116 may be configured to process the second signals from the life vest sensors 126 in the same way.

[0050] The system computer 134 is configured to receive the safety status signals from each of the seat box modules 116 and to generate one or more status screen(s) of the status of seat belt sensors 124 and life vest sensors 126 at each of the passenger seats 104. The system computer 134 displays the status screen(s) on the display monitor 132. In order to generate the status screen(s), the system computer 134 is configured to associate each passenger seat 104 or seat group 114, with a fault condition or no fault condition, based on the safety status signals received by the system computer 134. For the seat belt 120 status, a fault condition is assigned for a fault signal indicating an unfastened seat belt 104 and a no fault condition is assigned for a no fault signal indicating a fastened seat belt 104. For the life vests 122, a fault condition is assigned for a tampered life vest 122 and a not fault condition is assigned for non-tampered life vest.

[0051] As explained herein, the safety status signal may be for each individual passenger seat 104, or it may be for all of the passenger seats 104 in a seat group 114. In the case of individual passenger seats 104, the system computer 134 assigns a safety status to each individual seat, either a fault condition or no fault condition, based on the safety status signal. In the case of a seat group safety status signal, the system computer 134 assigns the same safety status to all of the passenger seats 104 in the respective seat group 114.

[0052] The system computer 134 then generates one or more status screen(s) 200, as shown in FIGS. 5-7. Referring to FIG. 5, a status screen 200a showing the status of the seat belts 120 for each passenger seat 104 is shown. The status screen 200a has a passenger seat layout 202 which includes seat icons 204 arranged to emulate the actual layout of the passenger seats 104 in the airplane 102. For example, the icons 204 have the same number of seats 104 row, and arranged in a pattern similar to the seat layout of the airplane. The icons 204 may also include a seat identifier, such as the row number and seat letter of the seat 104 in the airplane 102. The status screen 200a also has a safety status indicator which indicates the safety status assigned by the system computer 134 to each respective seat 104. In the examples of FIGS. 5-7, the indicator is a color of the icon. The icons 204 for the seats 104 associated with a fault condition (unfastened seat belt) have a first color (red), and the seats 104 associated with a no fault condition (fastened seat belt) are green. The status screen 200a also has user interface controls 204 for scrolling up and down the layout, and paging forward and backward through the layout.

[0053] Turning to FIG. 6, a status screen 200b showing the status of the life vests 122 for each passenger seat 104 is shown. The status screen 200b is basically the same as the status screen 200a for the seat belts 120, except that it shows the status of the life vests 122. Thus, the icons 204 for the seats 104 associated with a fault condition (life vest tampered) have a first color (e.g., red), and the seats 104 associated with a no fault condition (life vest not tampered) have second color different from the first color (e.g., green).

[0054] FIG. 7 show another example of a status screen 200c showing the status of both the seat belt 122 and the life vest 124 for each respective passenger seat 104. The status screen 200c is similar to the status screens 200a and 200b, except that the status screen 200c shows the status of both the seat belt 122 and the life vest 124. The icons 204 are split between a seat belt portion 208 (the top half) and a life vest portion 210 (the bottom half). The seat belt portion 208 shows the safety status of the seat belts 122 for each passenger seat 104 in the same fashion as the status screen 200a, and the life vest portion 210 shows the safety status of the life vests 122 for each passenger seat in the same fashion as the status screen 200c.

[0055] The onboard management system 130 may also include a status indicator 133 which indicates a safety status event regarding the status of the seat belt sensors 124 and/or life vest sensors 126. The status indicator 133 may be multi-color light, a small display (e.g., an LCD, or LED display) or other visual indicator which provides a warning when there is safety status event, such as a life vest sensor 126 showing a fault condition, or a seat belt sensor 124 showing a fault condition or changing from a no fault condition to a fault condition. The status indicator 133 may be located on or near the display monitor 132 so that a crew member can easily see the indicator. For instance, the status indicator 133 may be a multi-color light that lights up a first color (e.g., green) to indicate a no fault condition for all of the seat belt sensors 124 and/or all of the life vest sensors (126), lights up a second color (e.g., red) when there is a fault condition in any one or more of the seat belt sensors 124, and/or lights up a third color (e.g., yellow) when there is a fault condition with any one or more of the life vest sensors 126.

[0056] The system computer 134 may be configured to allow a user to select between each of the status screens 200a, 200b, 200c. In this way, a user can view the status of the seat belts 122, or the status of the life vests 124, or the status of both.

[0057] In another aspect, the onboard safety system 100 may also be configured to utilize a portable, handheld electronic device 160 for allowing a user to wireless communicate with the system, such as viewing the status screens 200, receiving status notifications, and performing any other functions of the user interface for system computer 134. The handheld electronic device 160 may be a smartphone, tablet computer, or the like. The electronic device 160 has a wireless communication module 162 for wireless communicating with a wireless communication module 164 of the onboard management system 130. The wireless communication modules 162, 164 may be configured for any suitable wireless communication protocol, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular phone, etc. The electronic device 160 also has a display 166, such as an LCD, LED or other suitable display. The display 166 may be a touchscreen display. The onboard management system 130 is configured to transmit the status screens 200 to the electronic device 160. The electronic device 160 is configured to display the status screens 200 on the display 166, and allow the user to utilize any of the same functionality of the status screens 200 as the display monitor 132. The electronic device 160 may also be configured to provide a safety status notification, such as an audible tone or vibrate mode to provide a warning when there is safety status event, same or similar to the status indicator 133.

[0058] Turning now to FIG. 3, a diagram of another embodiment of an onboard safety device detection and reporting system 100b for a passenger vehicle 102 is shown. The onboard safety device system 100b is the same as the onboard safety system 100a, except that the system 100b includes a plurality of junction devices 150 for connecting each of the seat belt sensors 124 in a seat group 114 to a single discrete input 117 of the seat box module 116, and connecting each of the life vest sensors 126 in a seat group 114 to a single discrete input 117 of the seat box module 116. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the seat belt sensors 124 in a respective seat group 114 is operably connected to a respective junction device 150. Each junction device 150 has a plurality of junction inputs 152, wherein each junction input 152 is connected to a respective seat belt sensor 124 in a seat group 114. Each junction device 150 has a junction output 154 connected to a respective single discrete input 156 of the seat box module 116 (or a single discrete input 156 of the onboard management system 130). Each of the junction devices 150 is configured to receive the first signals from the seat belt sensors 124 in its respective seat group, and output the safety status signal for the seat belt sensors 124 of the respective seat group 114. Similar to the first signals, the safety status signal output of each junction device 150 is a binary signal which indicates either a fault or a not fault condition of the seat belt sensors 124 in the respective seat group 114. Each junction device 150 includes logic, which may be in the form of a logic circuit or a processor having firmware and/or software, that causes the safety status signal output by the junction device 150 to be a fault signal when any one of the first signals from the seat belt sensors 124 in the respective seat group 114 is a fault. This would indicate that at least one of the seat belts 120 in the respective seat group is unfastened. The logic is also be configured to cause the safety status signal output by the junction device to be a no fault signal when all of the first signals from the seat belt sensors 124 in the respective seat group 114 is a no fault, indicating that all of the seat belts 120 in the seat group 114 are fastened.

[0059] Also as shown in FIG. 3, each of the life vest sensors 124 in a respective seat group 114 is operably connected to a respective junction device 150. The junction devices 150 connected to the life vest sensors 126 are configured similarly to the junction devices 150 connected to the seat belt sensors 124, in order to output a safety status signal based on the second signals from the life vest sensors 126 in respective seat group 114.

[0060] In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the safety status signal of the onboard safety device system 100b is an indication for all of the passenger seats 104 in a seat group 114. Accordingly, the system computer 134 utilizes a group safety status and therefore assigns the same safety status to all of the passenger seats 104 in a respective seat group 114.

[0061] The operation and features of the onboard safety device system 100b includes all of the features and functionality described herein for the onboard safety device system 100a.

[0062] Although particular embodiments have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the above description is not intended to limit the scope of these embodiments. While embodiments and variations of the many aspects of the invention have been disclosed and described herein, such disclosure is provided for purposes of explanation and illustration only. Thus, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, not all of the components described in the embodiments are necessary, and the invention may include any suitable combinations of the described components, and the general shapes and relative sizes of the components of the invention may be modified. Accordingly, embodiments are intended to exemplify alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may fall within the scope of the claims. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except to the following claims, and their equivalents.