U.S. patent application number 11/067104 was filed with the patent office on 2006-04-27 for pill fill tray and packaging system.
Invention is credited to Terrance O. Noble, Robert N. Priebe.
Application Number | 20060086639 11/067104 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36205216 |
Filed Date | 2006-04-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060086639 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Priebe; Robert N. ; et
al. |
April 27, 2006 |
Pill fill tray and packaging system
Abstract
A pill fill tray that includes a primary surface having a
plurality of tray apertures formed therein and at least one
indexing member. The primary surface is configured to support a
blister pack having a plurality of blister apertures formed therein
that provides access to blister compartments associated with each
blister aperture. A pill card is positioned over the blister pack.
The pill card includes a plurality of pill apertures. The indexing
member of the tray is configured to engage an indexing aperture of
the blister pack and an indexing member of the pill card to align
the tray apertures, blister apertures and card apertures. The
blister pack and pill card are secured together with a sealing
member positioned therebetween to seal a pill in the blister
compartment.
Inventors: |
Priebe; Robert N.;
(Bloomington, MN) ; Noble; Terrance O.;
(Burnsville, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MERCHANT & GOULD PC
P.O. BOX 2903
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402-0903
US
|
Family ID: |
36205216 |
Appl. No.: |
11/067104 |
Filed: |
February 25, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10970203 |
Oct 21, 2004 |
|
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11067104 |
Feb 25, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/528 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61J 1/035 20130101;
B65B 5/103 20130101; B65B 5/068 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/528 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/42 20060101
B65D085/42 |
Claims
1. A pill packaging system, comprising: a pill fill tray having a
plurality of tray apertures defined in a primary surface thereof
and having at least one indexing member protruding from the primary
surface; a blister pack having a plurality of blister apertures, a
separate blister container aligned with each of the plurality of
blister apertures, and at least one indexing aperture formed
therein; and a pill card having a plurality of pill apertures
formed through a primary surface of the pill card, and at least one
indexing aperture formed therein; wherein the primary surface of
the pill fill tray is configured to support the blister pack, the
blister pack being configured to support the pill card, and the at
least one indexing member is configured to engage the at least one
indexing aperture of each of the blister pack and the pill card to
provide alignment of the tray apertures, the blister apertures, and
the pill apertures.
2. The pill packaging system of claim 1, wherein the pill fill tray
includes at least two indexing members and the blister pack and
pill card each include at least as many indexing apertures as the
number of tray indexing members.
3. The pill packaging system of claim 1, wherein the at least one
indexing member is positioned at a first end of the pill fill tray,
the at least one blister indexing aperture is formed along an edge
at an end of the blister pack, and the at least one indexing
aperture is formed along an edge at an end of the blister pack.
4. The pill packaging system of claim 3, wherein the pill card
includes a sealing layer formed on the primary surface thereof, the
sealing layer covering at least one of the pill apertures, and
puncturing the sealing layer over the at least one pill aperture
provides access to the blister container.
5. The pill packaging system of claim 4, wherein the pill card
includes an adhesive and a protective liner covering the adhesive,
the protective liner being removable to expose the adhesive before
coupling the pill card to the blister pack.
6. A method of using a pill packaging system, the pill packaging
system including a pill fill tray having a plurality of tray
apertures formed in a primary surface and at least one indexing
member exposed at the primary surface, a pill card having at least
one indexing aperture and at least one pill aperture formed
therein, a sealing member, and a blister pack having a plurality of
blister apertures and a separate blister container aligned with
each of the plurality of blister apertures, and at least one
indexing aperture formed in the blister pack, the method comprising
the steps of: positioning the blister pack on the tray primary
surface with the at least one tray indexing member engaging the
blister pack at the blister indexing aperture; filling at least
some of the blister containers with pills; positioning the pill
card on the blister pack with the at least one card indexing
aperture engaging the tray indexing member; positioning the sealing
member between the pill aperture and the blister aperture; and
securing the pill card to the blister pack to seal the pills
between the pill card and the blister pack.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein engaging the at least one tray
indexing member with the at least one blister indexing aperture and
the at least one card indexing aperture aligns the tray apertures
with the blister apertures and aligns the pill apertures with the
blister pack apertures.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the pill card further comprises
an adhesive applied to a primary surface of the pill card and a
liner covering the adhesive, the method further including removing
the liner before the step of securing the pill card to the blister
pack.
9. The method of claim 6, further comprising applying a label to
the card, the label identifying at least one of the pills.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein the pill card includes graphics
indicating dates or times when the pill associated with each
blister container must be taken by a user.
11. The method of claim 6, wherein positioning the blister pack on
the tray primary surface includes inserting the blister containers
in the tray apertures.
12. The method of claim 6, wherein the tray includes three indexing
members and the pill card and blister pack each include at least
three indexing apertures.
13. The method of claim 6, wherein the system further comprises an
adhesive applied to the sealing member on a side of the sealing
member facing the blister pack, and a removable liner covering the
adhesive, the method further including removing the liner before
the step of securing the pill card to the blister pack.
14. A pill packaging card, comprising: first and second opposed
primary surfaces; first and second ends; first and second sides; a
pill aperture formed between the first and second opposed primary
surfaces, the aperture being sized for a pill to pass there
through; and at least one indexing aperture formed in at least one
of the first end, the second end, the first side, and the second
side.
15. The pill packaging card of claim 14, wherein the card comprises
a material selected from a group comprising cardboard and a polymer
based material.
16. The pill packaging card of claim 14, further comprising a
sealing member coupled to the first primary surface and arranged to
cover the pill aperture.
17. The pill packaging card of claim 16, further comprising
graphics applied to the sealing member or the first or second
primary surface.
18. The pill packaging card of claim 14, wherein at least two
indexing apertures are formed in only the first end of the pill
packaging card.
19. The pill packaging card of claim 14, wherein the pill packaging
card is configured for attachment to a bubble sheet, the bubble
sheet having a plurality of bubble compartments, and the pill
aperture aligns with at least one of the bubble compartments.
20. The pill packaging card of claim 14, further comprising an
adhesive material applied to the first primary surface and a
removable protective liner coupled to the adhesive material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to packaging
products and systems, and more specifically relates to pill fill
trays and pill packaging systems and methods.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] Pill packaging is an important aspect of patient care that
is typically handled by a pharmacist or pharmaceutical company.
Individualized pill packaging for a particular patient can be very
helpful to ensure proper administration of the pills to the
patient. Pills can be packaged in containers or other storage
devices that have individual compartments for storage of pills that
are to be taken on a particular day or at a particular time of the
day. The compartments are typically labeled to promote proper
administration of the pills.
[0005] Packaging systems and methods for such individualized pill
packaging are known in the art and may include a pill filling
apparatus that is configured to fill a pill container with an
individualized pill regime. Proper alignment and positioning of the
pill container relative to the pill filling apparatus to ensure
correct filling of the pill container is an important
consideration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is generally directed to pill fill
trays and pill packaging systems and methods that provide proper
alignment of a pill tray, a pill container or blister pack, and a
pill card when assembling the blister pack and pill card. One
aspect of the invention relates to a pill packaging card that
includes first and second opposed primary surfaces, first and
second ends, first and second sides, graphics applied to the first
primary surface, a pill aperture formed between the first and
second opposed primary surfaces, and at least one indexing
aperture. The pill aperture is sized for a pill to pass there
through. The indexing aperture is formed in at least one of the
first end, the second end, the first side, and the second side.
[0007] Another aspect of the invention relates to a pill packaging
system that includes a pill fill tray, a blister pack, and a pill
card. The pill fill tray includes a plurality of tray apertures
defined in a primary surface thereof and having at least one
indexing member protruding from the primary surface. The blister
pack includes a plurality of blister apertures, a separate blister
container aligned with each of the plurality of blister apertures,
and at least one indexing aperture formed therein. The pill card
includes a plurality of pill apertures formed through a primary
surface of the pill card, and at least one indexing aperture formed
therein. The primary surface of the pill fill tray is configured to
support the blister pack, the blister pack is configured to support
the pill card, and the at least one indexing member is configured
to engage the at least one indexing aperture of each of the blister
pack and the pill card to provide alignment of the tray apertures,
the blister apertures, and the pill apertures.
[0008] A further aspect of the invention relates to a method of
using a pill packaging system. The pill packaging system includes a
pill fill tray having a plurality of tray apertures formed in a
primary surface thereof and at least one indexing member exposed at
the primary surface, a pill card having at least one indexing
aperture and at least one pill aperture formed therein, a sealing
member, and a blister pack having a plurality of blister apertures
and a separate blister container aligned with each of the plurality
of blister apertures and at least one indexing aperture formed in
the blister pack. The method includes positioning the blister pack
on the tray primary surface with the at least one tray indexing
member engaging the blister pack at the blister indexing aperture,
filling at least some of the blister containers with pills, and
positioning the pill card on the blister pack with the at least one
card indexing aperture engaging the tray indexing member. The
method also includes positioning the sealing member between the
pill aperture and the blister aperture and securing the pill card
to the blister pack to seal the pills between the pill card and the
blister pack.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The invention may be more completely understood in
consideration of the following detailed description of various
embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example pill fill tray
according to principles of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a front view of the pill fill tray shown in FIG.
1;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a side view of the pill fill tray shown in FIG.
1;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a top view of the pill fill tray shown in FIG.
1;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a further example pill fill
tray according to principles of the invention;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a front view of the pill fill tray shown in FIG.
5;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a front view of the pill fill tray shown in FIG.
5;
[0017] FIG. 8 front view of the pill fill tray shown in FIG. 5;
[0018] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a yet further example pill
fill tray according to principles of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a front view of a still further example pill fill
tray according to principles of the invention;
[0020] FIG. 11 is a side view of the pill fill tray shown in FIG.
10;
[0021] FIG. 12 is a top view of the pill fill tray shown in FIG.
10;
[0022] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the pill fill tray shown in
FIG. 1 with a bubble card mounted to the pill fill tray; and
[0023] FIG. 14 is a partial top view of the bubble card shown in
FIG. 13.
[0024] While the invention is amenable to various modifications and
alternate forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of
example and the drawings, and will be described in detail. It
should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit
the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the
contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents,
and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] The present invention is generally directed to pill fill
trays and pill packaging systems and methods that provide proper
alignment of a pill tray and a pill container (or blister pack)
when filling the pill container. One example embodiment is directed
to a pill fill tray that includes an indexing member that extends
from a surface of the pill fill tray that supports a blister pack
and pill card. The blister pack and pill card include a notch or
indexing aperture that aligns with and engages the indexing member
thereby properly aligning the blister pack and pill card relative
to the pill fill tray.
[0026] Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, an example pill fill tray 10 is
shown and described. Tray 10 includes a base portion 12, first and
second alignment walls 14, 16, a handle recess 18, and first,
second and third indexing members 20, 22, 24. The base portion 12
includes first and second ends 26, 28, first and second sides 30,
32, top and bottom primary surfaces 34, 36, and a plurality of pill
apertures 38 extending through the top primary surface 34. The
first alignment wall 14 extends along the second side 32, and the
second alignment wall 16 extends across the second end 28. The
handle recess 18 is formed at the first end 26 and extends into the
top primary surface 34.
[0027] The indexing members 20, 22, 24 are positioned along the
second alignment wall 16. The members 20, 22, 24 include a height
40, a width 42, and a length 44 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The height 40
is preferably great enough to provide engagement with a blister
pack having notches in an end of the blister pack (see for example,
the blister pack 60 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 and described in
further detail below) engage the indexing members 20, 22, 24 when
assembling the blister pack with the pill fill tray 10. The height
20 may vary depending on such considerations as, for example, the
thickness of the blister pack and the size or shape of the pill
compartments (e.g., feature 72 in FIG. 13) of the blister pack. The
width and length 42, 44 may also vary depending on considerations
such as features of the blister pack. Also, there may be minimum
and maximum dimensions of the indexing members 20, 22, 24 depending
on the particular forming technique used for forming the assembly
10 such as, for example, molding, stamping, or other forming
techniques.
[0028] The thirty-two aperture arrangement of pill apertures 38 may
be well suited for a one-month pill schedule when using 1 pill
aperture per day. The four columns of eight apertures shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 may also be well suited for an 8-day period of time
in which a set of 4 pill apertures in each column corresponds to
morning, midday, afternoon, and bedtime regime of pills.
[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 5-8, another example pill fill tray
100 is shown. Tray 100 includes a base portion 112, first and
second alignment walls 114, 116, a handle recess 118, and first,
second, and third indexing members 120, 122, 124. The base portion
112 includes first and second ends 126, 128, first and second sides
130, 132, top and bottom primary surfaces 134, 136, and a plurality
of pill apertures 138. Base portion 12 includes sixty-two pill
apertures 138, which number of apertures may be well suited for any
continuous 2-month period of time when using one of the pill
apertures 138 per day.
[0030] Referring now to FIG. 9, another example pill fill tray 200
is shown and described. Pill fill tray 200 includes a base portion
212, first and second alignment walls 214, 216, a handle recess
218, and first, second and third indexing members 220, 222, 224.
Base portion 212 includes first and second ends 226, 228, first and
second sides 230, 232, top and bottom primary surfaces 234, 236,
and a plurality of pill apertures 238. The arrangement of ninety
pill apertures 238 may be well suited for a 3-month pill regime
wherein each of the pill apertures corresponds to a single day.
[0031] Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, another example pill fill tray
300 is shown and described. Pill fill tray 300 includes a base
portion 312, first and second alignment walls 314, 316, a handle
recess 318, first, second and third indexing members 320, 322, 324
positioned along the second alignment wall 316, and fourth, fifth
and sixth indexing members 350, 352, 354 positioned along the first
alignment wall 314.
[0032] The base portion includes first and second ends 326, 328,
first and second sides 330, 332, top and bottom primary surfaces
334, 336, and a plurality of pill apertures 338. The fourth, fifth
and sixth indexing members 350, 352, 354 may be used in addition to
or in place of the indexing members 320, 322, 324. Using two sets
of indexing members may provide additional assurance of aligning
the corresponding pill container (or blister pack) along the top
surface 334. Using two sets of indexing members may require that
the card notches be fit down vertically over the top of the
indexing members rather than sliding in horizontally in a plane of
the surface 334 as may be possible with fill trays 10, 100, 200
described above.
[0033] Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, an example blister pack 60
is shown with the pill fill tray 10, a pill card 80, and a sealing
member 90. The blister pack 60 includes first and second ends 62,
64, first and second sides 66, 68, a plurality of blister apertures
70, a plurality of blister housings or compartments 72, and first,
second and third notches 74, 76, 78 formed along the second end 64.
The layout of the apertures 70 substantially matches the layout of
the apertures 38 of pill fill tray 10. The dimensions of notches
74, 76, 78 are also substantially equivalent to the width and
length of the first, second, and third indexing members 20, 22, 24
of the fill tray 10.
[0034] The pill card 80 includes first and second ends 82, 83,
first and second sides 85, 87, a plurality of apertures 81, and
first, second and third notches 84, 86, 88 formed along the second
end 83. The layout of the apertures 81 substantially matches the
layout of the apertures 38 of pill fill tray 10 and blister
apertures 70. The dimensions of notches 84, 86, 88 are also
substantially equivalent to the width and length of the first,
second, and third indexing members 20, 22, 24 of the fill tray 10
and the notches 74, 76, 78.
[0035] The sealing member 90 includes first and second ends 92, 93,
first and second sides 95, 97, and first, second and third notches
94, 96, 98 formed along the second end 93. The sealing member 90 is
sized and positioned to cover the apertures 70, 81 thereby sealing
closed the blister compartments 72 when the blister pack 60, pill
card 80, and sealing member 90 are coupled together with the
blister apertures 70 and pill apertures 81 aligned.
[0036] In some embodiments, the sealing member 90 may be secured to
the pill card 80 in a preliminary step before securing the pill
card 80 to the blister pack 60 using the pill tray 10. In one
embodiment (not shown), the sealing member is embedded between two
layers of the pill card. In another example embodiment, the sealing
member is secured to the pill card with an adhesive. In some
embodiments, the sealing member includes a plurality of pieces
configured to cover primarily the card apertures and does not
extend over an entire primary surface of the pill card as is shown
in the embodiment of FIGS. 13 and 14.
[0037] An adhesive layer may be applied to the sealing member 90 on
a surface of the sealing member facing the bubble pack 60. This
adhesive layer (not shown) may be covered with a removable liner
(see FIG. 18) that protects the adhesive layer until the time that
the sealing member 90 and pill card 80 are coupled to the blister
pack 60. This adhesive layer and removable liner may be coupled to
the sealing member 90 and pill card 80 in a preliminary step before
assembly of the pill card 80 with the blister pack 60 according to
the method steps discussed below with reference to FIGS. 16-21.
[0038] The blister pack 60, pill card 80, and sealing member 90 may
comprise different materials that are advantageous for each member.
For example, the blister pack may comprise a transparent or
translucent material such as a polymer based material that provides
viewing of the contents of the blister compartment. In some
embodiments, the blister pack comprises a material that can be torn
or punctured with relative easy to provide access to the blister
compartment contents without puncturing or tearing the pill card
and/or sealing member. In such an embodiment, the sealing member
may not be required. In other embodiments, the blister pack may be
a relatively stiff material that provides structure and support for
the blister compartment contents, the pill card and the sealing
member. In other embodiments, the pill card may comprise a
relatively stiff material that provides the support necessary of
the blister compartment contents.
[0039] The pill card may comprise any desired material that is
transparent/translucent like the blister pack, or may be an opaque
material such as a colored polymer based material or a paper based
material such as cardboard. The sealing member comprises a material
that maintains an airtight seal while being configured for
puncturing with relative ease to gain access to the contents of the
blister compartments. One example material for the sealing member
is a metal foil such as aluminum foil.
[0040] In some embodiments, the blister pack, pill card and sealing
member may include descriptive text and graphics related to the
content of the blister compartments. The graphics may also relate
to, for example in the case of pill being held in the blister
compartments, the days of the week or time of the day in which the
pills should be taken by a patient. The text may be oriented around
the rows and columns of apertures 70, 81 or any other position on
any of the blister pack, sealing member, and pill card.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 15, an example notch 474 is shown in
greater detail. Notch 74 is merely exemplary of any of the notches
74, 76, 78, 84, 86, 88, 94, 96, 98 discussed above, or other
notches provided for features that are used with pill fill trays
according to principles of the present invention. Notch 474
includes an incoming radius R.sub.1, a lower end radius, R.sub.2,
and a sidewall angle .beta.. The specifications of the radiuses
R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and sidewall angle .beta. may provide certain
advantages for both manufacturing of the notch as well as improving
engagement between the notch 74 and a corresponding indexing member
on the pill fill tray. In one example, the angle .beta. may be
between about 0 and 30 degrees. The radius values R.sub.1, R.sub.2,
may vary depending on, for example, the size of the corresponding
indexing member to which it engages, material properties of the
bubble sheet, pill card and sealing member, the method of forming
the notch (e.g., stamping versus molding), and other relevant
considerations.
[0042] In one embodiment, the blister pack, pill card, and sealing
member may include more notches than the number of indexing members
on a corresponding pill fill tray. In still further embodiments,
the bubble card may include several different notch sizes.
Different notch sizes may be useful if corresponding indexing
members also have varying sizes, or may be useful to improve the
ease of alignment of the notches with the indexing members.
[0043] The embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-21 include indexing
features provided in sets of three. Other embodiments may include
only a single indexing member on the tray along one of the
alignment walls. In still other embodiments, the indexing member
may be positioned along one of the first end or the first side end
of the tray and configured so as to extend vertically above the top
primary surface of the tray for engagement with indexing features
of the blister pack and pill card resting on top of the top primary
surface of the pill fill tray. In yet further embodiments, the
blister pack and pill card may include flanges or other bent
structure that wrap around from a top surface to a side surface of
the pill fill tray along at least one of the sides or ends of the
pill fill tray. These flanges or bent edges may include notches
formed therein that engage an indexing member positioned along the
first end or first side of the tray. This type of configuration may
eliminate the need to position the indexing member in a position
protruding vertically above the top primary surface of the
tray.
[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 16-21, an example method of
assembling a pill package using an example pill fill tray 10 is
described. In a first step (see FIG. 16), a blister pack 60 is
mounted to the pill tray 10 so that the pill compartments 72 fit
within the apertures 38 on the tray 10. The indexing members 20,
22, 24 of the tray 10 (see FIG. 18) engage the indexing apertures
72, 74, 76 of the blister pack 60 (see FIG. 18) to properly align
the blister pack 60 on the tray 10.
[0045] In a second step (see FIG. 17), at least some of the blister
compartments 72 of the blister pack 60 are filled with pills 100.
Filling the compartments 72 with pills may be at least partially
completed prior to the blister pack 60 being mounted to the pill
tray 10 as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.
[0046] In a third step (see FIG. 18), a liner 102 is removed from
the sealing member 90 to expose an adhesive positioned on the
sealing member 90. The sealing member 90 may be coupled to the pill
card 80 in a separate or preliminary step. With the liner 102
removed, the combination pill card 80 and sealing member 90 is
prepared for coupling to the blister pack 60. A plurality of
graphics 104 are applied to the sealing member 90 to provide
information related to the blister compartments 72 and the contents
of those compartments.
[0047] In a fourth step (see FIG. 19), the combination pill card 80
and sealing member 90 is aligned with respect to the blister pack
60 by engaging the indexing members 20, 22, 24 of the tray 10 with
the indexing apertures 84, 86, 88, 94, 96, 98. In a fifth step (see
FIG. 20), the combination pill card 80 and sealing member 90
secured to the blister pack 60 by engaging the exposed adhesive
against the blister pack 60 and pressing the members 60, 80, 90
together to create a pill package.
[0048] In a sixth step (see FIG. 21), a plurality of labels 106 are
applied to the sealing member 90. The labels 106 may provide
further information about the blister compartment contents, such as
the type of pill, a pill regime, a patient's identification
information, etc. The labels 106 may be applied to the pill card 80
or to the blister pack 60. The labels 106 or other labels may be
added between any of the steps described with reference to FIGS.
16-21.
[0049] Various other configurations and embodiments may fall within
the spirit and scope of the present invention. Such alternative
embodiments may include some type of protrusion or recess that
engages a respective notch or protrusion of the pill container or
blister pack that is to be filled to align features of the
container/card with features of the fill tray. Alignment of the
pill compartment of the container/card with apertures of the pill
fill tray may be particularly important. In one embodiment in which
the pill fill tray includes more apertures than the number of pill
compartments of the container/card, proper alignment using the
indexing features described herein may be especially useful.
[0050] The present invention should not be considered limited to
the particular examples or materials described above, but rather
should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as
fairly set out in the attached claims. Various modifications,
equivalent processes, as well as numerous structures to which the
present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to
those of skill in the art to which the present invention is
directed upon review of the instant specification.
* * * * *