EXTENDED SLIDE STOP

Abstract

An accessory slide stop is retrofit for commercially available and military application pistols. The slide stop acts as an add-on lever that replaces an existing lever of the pistol. The slide stop helps decrease the time it takes to reload the pistol. The slide stop is an extended body over that which is known in the art. The slide stop optimizes a position from which the slide stop can be hit by the operator, allows the operator to use either hand as the his or her support hand (non-trigger hand) without having to include two slide stops on each side of the pistol, and even changes the direction in which the operator is allowed to hit the slide stop in order to release the slide such that it is consistent with the direction in which the operator's support hand is already traveling as a result of reloading a charged magazine into the pistol.

Claims

1. An extended slide stop comprising: an elongated body comprising: a first end; a second end located opposite the first end; a mechanism for releasing a slide of a firearm, said mechanism located near the first end; a contact surface extending from the second end, said contact surface being at least twice as wide as a width of the elongated body near said second end; and a mountable member extending away from a central location the body at a substantially orthogonal angle.

2. The extended slide stop of claim 1 wherein the contact surface is curved concave toward the direction that the rod extends from the elongated body.

3. The extended slide stop of claim 1 wherein the mechanism is a latch.

4. The extended slide stop of claim 1 wherein the mountable member is a rod.

5. The extended slide stop of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a raised surface at the first end, said raised surface being raised from the body in a direction opposite the direction the mountable member extends away from the body.

6. The extended slide stop of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a first portion extending from the first end to the mountable member and a second, extended portion from the mountable member to the second end.

7. The extended slide stop of claim 6 wherein the first portion, the second, extended portion, and the contact surface each comprise approximately the same length.

8. The extended slide stop of claim 6 further comprising a first, elongated aperture centrally located within the first portion.

9. The extended slide stop of claim 6 further comprising a second, elongated aperture located partially within the second, extended portion and partially within the contact surface.

10. The extended slide stop of claim 6 wherein the mountable member is configured to act as a fulcrum such that when an operator presses downward on the first portion, the second, extended portion travels upward, and vice-versa.

11. A firearm comprising: a handle comprising a grip; a frame extending substantially orthogonal to said handle; a slide slidably attached at a top of the frame; a barrel located within the frame and the slide; the extended slide stop of claim 1, wherein the contact surface of the extended slide stop is located at a more forward position of the firearm than the trigger; and a trigger that when pulled, allows a hammer to release a bullet through said barrel if a cartridge containing the bullet is located within a magazine properly seated within the firearm.

12. The firearm of claim 11 wherein: the extended slide stop is retrofit for said firearm; and the extended slide stop is designed to change a direction in which the operator must rotate the extended slide stop in order to release a slide of the firearm.

13. The firearm of claim 11 further comprising a seat for a magazine, said seat being located within the handle.

14. The firearm of claim 11 wherein the firearm is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol.

15. The firearm of claim 11 wherein the firearm is a polymer-framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistol.

16. A method of assembling the firearm of claim 11 further comprising replacing an existing slide stop with the extended slide stop.

17. A method of reloading the firearm of claim 13 comprising releasing a magazine from the seat and reloading a charged magazine into the seat.

18. A method of transitioning the firearm of claim 11 from a recoil position to a forward position, said method comprising pushing upward on the contact surface to release the slide.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the slide comprises a spring.

20. A method for firing the firearm of claim 1, said method comprising pulling said trigger.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Several embodiments in which the present invention can be practiced are illustrated and described in detail, wherein like reference characters represent like components throughout the several views. The drawings are presented for exemplary purposes and may not be to scale unless otherwise indicated.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a bottom perspective view of an extended slide stop.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a top perspective view of the extended slide stop of FIG. 1.

[0037] FIG. 3A projects a front elevation view of the extended slide stop of FIG. 1.

[0038] FIG. 3B projects a rear elevation view of the extended slide stop of FIG. 1. FIG. 3C projects a left-side elevation view of the extended slide stop of FIG. 1. FIG. 3D projects a right-side elevation view of the extended slide stop of FIG. 1. FIG. 3E projects a top plan view of the extended slide stop of FIG. 1. FIG. 3F projects a bottom plan view of the extended slide stop of FIG. 1.

[0039] FIG. 4 implements the extended slide stop of FIG. 1 on a firearm.

[0040] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional plan view of the firearm of FIG. 4.

[0041] FIG. 6A shows a detailed, cutaway view of a hammer assembly of the firearm of FIG. 4. FIG. 6B shows a rear elevation view of a hammer assembly of the firearm of FIG. 4.

[0042] FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a receiver group of the firearm of FIG. 4.

[0043] FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of a slide and barrel group of the firearm of FIG. 4.

[0044] FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of a magazine group of the firearm of FIG. 4.

[0045] FIGS. 10A-H illustrate an operator working an example of an improved reloading method. In practice, this saves time during reloading.

[0046] An artisan of ordinary skill in the art need not view, within isolated figure(s), the near infinite number of distinct permutations of features described in the following detailed description to facilitate an understanding of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] The present disclosure is not to be limited to that described herein. Mechanical, electrical, chemical, procedural, and/or other changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. No features shown or described are essential to permit basic operation of the present invention unless otherwise indicated.

[0048] Referring now to the figures, FIGS. 1-2 and FIGS. 3A-3F show details of the extended slide stop 100. To employ the extended slide stop 100 on a particular firearm, the existing slide stop is preferably replaced in its entirety, though it is to be understood that there exist extensions having similar features to the integral extended slide stop 100 shown in the figures that can fit over existing slide stops so as to cause similar technical effects. The extended slide stop 100 can be custom made to retrofit almost any firearm 200, such as the one shown in FIG. 4 (a modern M1911, which is based off of the M1911 designed by J. M. Browning, originally designated with the formal name: “Automatic Pistol, Caliber 0.45, M1911”). The firearm 200 incorporates a short recoil principle in its design.

[0049] The improved slide stop 100 includes a body 102, typically formed from hardened, heat-treated steel. The body is an elongated member that includes a first end 102A and a second end 102B. The first end 102A is located adjacent a first portion 104 of the body and the second end 102B is located a second, extended portion 106 of the body 102. Implemented on a firearm 200, the first end 102A is a rearward end that includes the mechanism for engaging/disengaging the slide 208, such as a latch 108. This latch 108 is designed to disengage and automatically puts the slide 208 into a recoil position when a magazine in the firearm 200 is completely emptied. The latch 108 can re-engage the slide 208 when a contact surface 110 of the extended slide stop 100 is bumped upward.

[0050] The contact surface 110, when implemented on the firearm 200, is distinguishably located at a position more forward than the trigger 212 of the firearm 200. The contact surface 110 achieves this position by extending away from the second end 102B in a direction parallel to an axis running longitudinally through the elongated body 102. The contact surface 110 is preferably curved concave toward the direction that the rod 112 extends away from the body 102. Curving the contact surface 110 allow for more comfort when bumping same so as to release the slide 208.

[0051] The rod 112 acts as a dowel that fits into a hole of the frame 206 right above the trigger 212. Though the rod is shown as and is preferably characterized by a cylindrical shape, other suitable shapes can be used (or even warranted depending on the firearm design) for the rod 112. In other words, the rod 112 may have to be designed differently in position, size, and/or orientation if the model of pistol deviates. If the model of pistol deviates significantly, it is to be appreciated that other suitable mounting members aside from rods can be employed and the rod potentially omitted from the design. The internal end of the rod 112 can include a chamfered or filleted perimeter.

[0052] The rod 112 keeps the extended slide stop 100 stable during operation of the firearm 200. In some embodiments, the extended slide stop 100 can also be manufactured with an offset 118 (e.g., a raised surface), pin and lip engagement surface, and/or other surfaces that help cause tighter lockup with custom designs and/or custom barrels. The offset 118 can be, but is not limited to being, approximately 0.020 inches in thickness. The offset 118 can also help provide space to stop the slide stop from abrading and/or otherwise scratching the frame 206 from repeated use.

[0053] Optionally, to reduce weight of the slide stop without sacrificing too much durability, the body 102 can be partially hollowed to reduce the amount of material needed to manufacture the extended slide stop 100. To accomplish this, first and second oval-shaped apertures 114, 116 are included in the body 102. In some embodiments, the first aperture 114 is located in the first portion 114 and the second aperture 116 is located partially within each of the second portion 116 and contact surface 110. In a subset of said embodiments, there exist further embodiments where the first aperture 114 is approximately half the length of the length of the second aperture 116. Each aperture 114, 116 is relatively uniform in shape and dimension and extends the entire thickness through the body 102.

[0054] With reference to FIG. 4, the firearm 200 includes major components such as the handle 202 (with stock 204 also shown), a frame 206, a slide 208, a barrel 210, a trigger 212, a hammer 214, and a magazine seat 216. The handle 202 attaches to the frame 206, which is further attached to the slide stop 100, slide 208, barrel 210, trigger 212, and hammer 214.

[0055] The handle 202 can be a pistol grip with a removable hand grip portion, or stock 204. The handle 202 distinctly protrudes from underneath the main mechanism, to be held by the user's hand at a more vertical (and thus more ergonomic) angle. The handle 202 extends away from the frame 206 at a substantially orthogonal angle or, in some embodiments, at an obtuse angle. The handle 202 allows for the ergonomic positioning the operating controls for use with minimal hand movement. The handle 202 is located behind the trigger 212 and generally held by the hand that operates the trigger 212. The handle 202 can facilitate the manipulation of the trigger 212. The handle 202 also houses the magazine via the magazine seat 216 and allows for the release of the magazine from said magazine seat 216.

[0056] Preferably, the handle 202 is configured to meet relevant regulations under United States gun laws so as to provide the user the ability to keep the firearm 200 in their home and to use the firearm 200 for purposes of self-defense. The handle 202 can be a defining feature that further allows the firearm 200 to be classified as a gun.

[0057] The slide 208 is slidably mounted to the top of the frame 206 and is selectively removable. The barrel 210 is a straight tube, usually made of rigid high-strength metal, through which a contained rapid expansion of high-pressure gas is used to propel a projectile out of the front end (muzzle) at a high velocity. The barrel 210 is preferred “blued” with a bluing process involves treating a gun with a solution that turns red iron oxide or rust (Fe.sub.2O.sub.3) into black iron oxide (Fe.sub.3O.sub.4).

[0058] It is to be appreciated that other components can also be blued and/or other surface finishes that result from a process other than bluing can also be used to improve the durability of any one or more components of the firearm 200.

[0059] With reference to FIG. 5 and each of FIGS. 6-9, the firearm 200 includes several groups of components that effect operation of the firearm. The several groups can include, but are not limited to including, the following: the improved slide stop 100 (FIGS. 1-2, 3A-3F, and 5) the hammer assembly (FIG. 5 and FIGS. 6A-6B), the receiver group (FIG. 5 and FIG. 7), the slide and barrel group (FIG. 5 and FIG. 8), and the magazine group (FIG. 5 and FIG. 8). It should be appreciated that some of the components within the firearm 200 are utilized by one or more of the several groups.

[0060] FIGS. 6A-6B show the hammer assembly, with a specific focus on how the hammer 214 interacts with the slide 208. The hammer assembly can include, but is not limited to including, the following components: the slide 208, the hammer 214, a firing pin 218, a stop 220 for the firing pin/striker 218, an extractor 222, an ejector 224, an ejector pin 226, and a receiver 228 which forms part of the frame 206 of the firearm 200.

[0061] In particular, the slide 208 is the upper part that slides with recoil during the operating cycle of the firearm 200. The slide 208 serves as the bolt carrier group and contributes to the receiver 228, and generally houses the firing pin 218, the extractor 222, and the barrel 208. The slide 208 provides a mounting platform for sights 304, 306.

[0062] As shown, the hammer 214 is the part of a firearm 200 that operates to strike the firing pin 218. The hammer 214 is a metal piece that forcefully rotates about a pivot point. After being operably struck by the hammer 214, the firing pin/striker 218 impacts a primer in the base of a cartridge and causes the firearm 200 to fire. A striker is a particular type of firing pin 218 in which a compressed spring (e.g., firing pin spring 288) acts directly on the firing pin 218 to provide the impact force rather than the firing pin 218 directly being struck by the hammer 214. A firing pin stop 220, when at rest, obstructs forward travel of the firing pin 218, and is operably linked to the trigger mechanism. The firing pin stop 220 aids in clearing obstruction(s) to the firing pin 218 just before the hammer 214 or firing pin 218 is released. This prevents the firing pin 218 from striking a chambered cartridge unless the trigger 212 is pulled, even if the hammer 214 is released due to a faulty sear (e.g., sear 240) or the firing pin 218 is dropped or struck by object other than the hammer 214.

[0063] The extractor 222 is an action component that serves to remove spent casings of previously fired cartridges from the chamber 300, in order to vacate the chamber 300 for loading a fresh round of ammunition. The extractor 222 can be a set of hook-like flanges on the bolt head that grab onto the casing's rim. When the bolt moves rearward, the casing is pulled out of the chamber 300. It is typically aided by a protruding ejector 224 in the receiver or the bolt, which provides an opposite counter-push that couples with the extractor 222 pull to expel the casing entirely out of the firearm 200.

[0064] Through the principles of short recoil or simple blowback operations, the slide 208 is moved backwards with each shot by the energy of expanding gasses caused by the combusting propellant, such as a nitrocellulose-based smokeless powder (modern), a black powder (historical), etc. Because the slide 208 is spring-loaded (spring 280; FIG. 8), once at the rearmost position, the spring tension will push it back toward the front. The movement of the slide 208 serves the following functions: the extractor 222 empties the chamber 300 by pulling out the spent casing from the previous shot (which then gets removed out of the firearm 200 by the ejector 224), the slide inertia will cock the hammer 214 and striker 218 to prepare for the next shot, and the bolt will push a new cartridge from the magazine into the chamber 300 when the slide 208 comes back forward. This action cycle will be repeated for continued firing as long as ammunitions are replete, and that there are no failure(s) to extract, eject, or feed.

[0065] Once the magazine is empty, the slide stop 100 will catch and lock the slide 208 at its rearmost position. The slide 208 will only be released to move back forward after a new magazine is inserted and the contact surface 110 slide stop 100 simultaneously pushed upward. Having the slide 208 automatically loading the chamber 300 and cocking the hammer 214/striker 218 with each prior shot is particularly beneficial for the function of double-action/single-action pistols.

[0066] FIG. 7 shows components of the receiver group. To facilitate proper operation of the receiver of the frame 206, the receiver group of the firearm 200 can include, but is not limited to including, the following components: the slide stop 100, a slide stop plunger 230, and a slide stop spring 232; the hammer 214, a hammer pin 234, a hammer strut 236, and a hammer strut pin 238; a sear 240, a sear spring 242, and a sear pin 244; a disconnector 246 attached to the sear 240; the trigger 212; left stock 204L and right stock 204R and screws 248 for the stocks 204L, 204R; a safety 250, a safety lock 252, and a safety plunger 254; a mainspring 256, a mainspring housing 258, a mainspring cap 260, a mainspring cap pin 262, a mainspring housing pin 264, and a mainspring retainer pin 266; a magazine catch 268, a magazine catch spring 270, and a magazine catch lock 272.

[0067] The slide stop plunger 230 can be a hardened pin which bears against the slide stop 100. More particularly, the slide stop plunger 230 rests on the slide stop 100 with just enough pressure to keep the slide 208 from locking open before the magazine is empty. The slide stop spring 232 rests on the thumb safety 250. The slide stop spring 232 helps eliminate slide stop 100 and thumb safety failures caused by a broken plunger 230.

[0068] The hammer pin 234 pivotably mounts the hook portion of the hammer 214 to the frame 206. The hammer strut pin 238 is mounted through a pair of holes in the hammer 214 and an aperture in the hammer strut 236. The hammer strut 236 is sandwiched between the pair of plates that contain the pairs of holes in the hammer 236 such that the aperture of the hammer strut 236 aligns with said holes.

[0069] The hook of the hammer 214 enables the double action mechanism to be fitted within the frame 206. The fit between the hammer strut pin 238 and the hammer 214 is preferably a light interference fit, e.g., the hammer strut pin 238 can be lightly tapped into the hammer 214 such that the hammer strut pin 238 cannot be removed therefrom by hand (without the use of tools). The hammer pin 234 and sear pin 244 together give a smooth hammer 214 and sear 240 rotation possible.

[0070] The sear 240 is pivotably mounted to the frame 206 by a sear pin 244. The bottom end of the sear 240 is biased forward by the sear spring 242. The disconnector 246 keeps the hammer in place until the trigger 212 is released and the sear 240 takes over. When the trigger 212 is still under pressure, the disconnector 246 will not retract to its resting position. A disconnector 246 captures the hammer 214 in the cocked position after a shot has been fired, even if the trigger 212 is held to the rear as the gun cycles. This ensures the firearm 200 can only fire in the semi-automatic mode, as the trigger 212 needs to be released to ‘reset’ and have the disconnector 246 release the hammer 214 back to the sear 240. The disconnector 246 also helps prevent out-of-battery “slamfire” malfunctions that occur when a hammer 214 follows the bolt carrier group forward as it closes.

[0071] A lock 252, which can be a firing pin block, is the main internal mechanism of the thumb-operated safety 250. The lock 252 which is disengaged by the disconnector 246 after the trigger 212 is pulled. Spring tension is placed on the disconnector 246 by the safety lock 252 and the safety plunger 254, which affects the weight of the trigger pull.

[0072] The hammer strut 236 is spring loaded by the mainspring 256 against the hammer strut pin 238. The hammer strut 236 engages the mainspring 242 through mainspring cap 260. The mainspring 256 engages the mainspring housing 258 through the mainspring cap pin 262, which acts as a roll pin, and the mainspring retainer pin 266.

[0073] The magazine catch 268, magazine catch spring 270 and magazine catch lock 272 are provided coupled to frame 206 to retain and release the magazine.

[0074] FIG. 8 shows components of the barrel group. To facilitate proper operation of the barrel 210, the barrel group of the firearm 200 can include, but is not limited to including, the following components: the barrel 210, a barrel bushing 274, a barrel link 276, a barrel link pin 278; a recoil spring 280, a recoil spring guide 282, and a recoil spring plug 284; a slide assembly 286; the firing pin 218, a firing pin stop 220, the extractor 222, and a firing pin spring 288.

[0075] A barrel link 276 connects the barrel 210 to the frame 206 with a barrel link pin 278. The barrel link pin 278 includes a slot and sits at the bottom rear portion of the barrel 210. The barrel link 276 causes the barrel 210 to move relative to the frame 206 when stimulated by the slide assembly 286.

[0076] The slide assembly 286 houses the recoil spring 280, which engages the recoil spring guide 282 that is coupled to frame 206. The recoil spring 280 biases the slide forward relative to frame 206. The recoil spring plug 284 is coupled to the slide assembly 286.

[0077] A main portion of the barrel 210 is located in the main channel of the slide assembly 286 and is guided by barrel bushing 274. The rear of the slide 208 has the firing pin 218. The firing pin 218 is preloaded by firing pin spring 288 against the firing pin stop 222. The extractor 222 is also retained in the slide by firing pin stop 220 for ejection of spent cartridges. The firing pin spring 288 is provided to prevent the firing pin from advancing to the cartridge when the firing pin is improperly engaged.

[0078] FIG. 9 shows components of the magazine group. To facilitate proper operation of the magazine and its cartridges (an individual unit of ammunition), the magazine group of the firearm 200 can include, but is not limited to including, the following components: a magazine base 290, magazine base pins 292; a magazine tube 294, a magazine spring 296, kinks and/or tension in the spring; and a follower 298.

[0079] The cartridge consists of a casing which contains the bullet, gunpowder, and a primer. When the primer is hit by the firing pin 218, a chemical reaction inside causes an explosion which ignites the powder, which burns rapidly, which increases the pressure within the enclosed cartridge dramatically. The resultant force propels the bullet forward and out of the barrel 210. Equal force also goes in the opposite direction, pushing the slide 208 back. This motion is used to eject the spent casing. Thereafter, the next cartridge is pushed forward by the spring 296 in the magazine into the barrel 210 and this cyclical process repeats until the magazine is completely emptied.

[0080] The magazine stores the cartridges and feeds cartridges to the repeating firearm 200. As shown, the magazine is removable from the firearm 200, which causes some to refer to the magazine as a clip. The magazine tube 294 includes a base 290 which is secured with magazine base pins 292. The magazine tube 294 functions holds several cartridges therewithin and works with the spring 296 to push each cartridge into a position where it may be readily loaded into the barrel chamber 300 by the firearm's moving action.

[0081] The follower 298 is the part of the magazine that the bullets rest upon. Beneath the follower 298 is the magazine spring 296. The magazine spring 296 pushes the follower 298. The follower 298 and the spring 296 keep the cartridge in tension. Bullets within the magazine tube 294 are pushed toward the bullet seat 302. This facilitates feeding rounds into the firearm 200. The magazine is designed only to push cartridges forward. When pulling the slide 208 back, the hammer 214 is cocked. Upon released the hammer 214, the recoil spring 280 snaps the slide 208 back forward, which upon its way grabs a cartridge from the magazine and puts it into the chamber 300 of the barrel 210. When the trigger 212 is pulled, the hammer 214 drops and strikes the firing pin 218, pushing the firing pin 218 forward.

[0082] After being emptied, the magazine can be released and replaced. The magazine is able to lock into place again by utilizing the magazine catch 268, the magazine catch spring 270, and the magazine catch lock 272.

[0083] From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of the stated objectives.

Working Example

[0084] FIGS. 10A-H illustrate a working example of the present invention implemented on an M1911. An average of four seconds was saved implementing the extended slide stop described herein when compared with use of a similar reloading method that implements only the OEM slide stop included with the M1911 at the time of purchase. The implemented method of FIGS. 10A-H was carried about so as to allow the firearm to achieve positions shown in FIGS. 10A-H, the order of said positions being achieved as you ascend in the alphabet from A-H. The worked example method can be described as follows.

[0085] FIG. 10A shows the pistol in a forward position, ready for filing so long as the firearm includes a magazine with remaining cartridges. FIG. 10B shows the pistol in a recoil position, which occurs after the magazine is completely emptied. FIG. 10C shows an operator releasing the empty magazine from the firearm. FIG. 10D shows the operator acquiring a new, charged magazine. FIG. 10E shows the operator loading the charged magazine into the pistol. FIG. 10F shows the operator pressing the charged magazine into the pistol such that a catch of the magazine passes a receiver in the magazine seat and locks the magazine in place, with the pistol still in the recoil position. FIG. 10G shows the operator pushing upward on the contact surface of the extended slide stop to release the slide and put the firearm back into a forward position. FIG. 10H shows the operator becoming ready to fire the pistol once again.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0086] The following table of reference characters and descriptors are not exhaustive, nor limiting, and include reasonable equivalents. If possible, elements identified by a reference character below and/or those elements which are near ubiquitous within the art can replace or supplement any element identified by another reference character.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 List of Reference Characters 100 extended slide stop 102 body 102A first end 102B second end 104 first portion 106 second, extended portion 108 latch 110 contact surface 112 rod 114 first aperture 116 second aperture 118 offset 200 pistol 202 handle (with grip near the arrow) 204 stock (part of handle) 206 frame 208 slide 210 barrel 212 trigger 214 hammer 216 magazine seat 218 firing pin/striker 220 stop 222 extractor 224 ejector 226 ejector pin 228 receiver 230 side stop plunger 232 slide stop spring 234 hammer pin 236 hammer strut 238 hammer strut pin 240 sear 242 sear spring 244 sear pin 246 disconnector 248 stock screws 250 safety 252 safety lock 254 safety plunger 256 mainspring 258 mainspring housing 260 mainspring cap 262 mainspring cap pin 264 mainspring housing pin 266 housing pin retainer 268 magazine catch 270 magazine catch spring 272 magazine catch lock 274 barrel bushing 276 barrel link 278 barrel link pin 280 recoil spring 282 recoil spring guide 284 recoil spring plug 286 slide assembly 288 firing pin spring 290 magazine base 292 magazine base pins 294 magazine tube 296 magazine spring 298 follower 300 chamber 302 bullet seat 304 rear sight 306 front sight 308 lanyard loop

Glossary

[0087] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used above have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the present invention pertain.

[0088] The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include both singular and plural referents.

[0089] The term “or” is synonymous with “and/or” and means any one member or combination of members of a particular list.

[0090] The terms “invention” or “present invention” are not intended to refer to any single embodiment of the particular invention but encompass all possible embodiments as described in the specification and the claims.

[0091] The term “about” as used herein refer to slight variations in numerical quantities with respect to any quantifiable variable. Inadvertent error can occur, for example, through use of typical measuring techniques or equipment or from differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of components.

[0092] The term “substantially” refers to a great or significant extent. “Substantially” can thus refer to a plurality, majority, and/or a supermajority of said quantifiable variable, given proper context.

[0093] The term “generally” encompasses both “about” and “substantially.”

[0094] The term “configured” describes structure capable of performing a task or adopting a particular configuration. The term “configured” can be used interchangeably with other similar phrases, such as constructed, arranged, adapted, manufactured, and the like.

[0095] Terms characterizing sequential order, a position, and/or an orientation are not limiting and are only referenced according to the views presented.

[0096] The “scope” of the present invention is defined by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. The scope of the invention is further qualified as including any possible modification to any of the aspects and/or embodiments disclosed herein which would result in other embodiments, combinations, subcombinations, or the like that would be obvious to those skilled in the art.