U.S. patent application number 11/348145 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-12 for segmented roman window shade.
Invention is credited to John A. Corey, Thomas J. Marusak, Richard D. Watkins.
Application Number | 20060225845 11/348145 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39251270 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060225845 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Marusak; Thomas J. ; et
al. |
October 12, 2006 |
Segmented Roman window shade
Abstract
A window covering is described having a carrier grid and
plurality of horizontal strips of fabric secured to the carrier
grid. The strips are disposed in overlapping and vertically spaced
relation to cover an area of a window.
Inventors: |
Marusak; Thomas J.;
(Loudonville, NY) ; Watkins; Richard D.; (Lake
Luzerne, NY) ; Corey; John A.; (Melrose, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RADER, FISHMAN & GRAUER PLLC
39533 WOODWARD AVENUE
SUITE 140
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
MI
48304-0610
US
|
Family ID: |
39251270 |
Appl. No.: |
11/348145 |
Filed: |
February 6, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60669189 |
Apr 6, 2005 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
160/126 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B 2009/2625 20130101;
E06B 2009/2458 20130101; E06B 9/262 20130101; E06B 2009/2622
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
160/126 |
International
Class: |
A47H 1/00 20060101
A47H001/00 |
Claims
1. A window covering comprising: a carrier grid; and a plurality of
horizontal strips of fabric secured to an exterior portion of said
carrier grid, said strips being in overlapping and vertically
spaced relation to cover an area of a window, each of said
plurality of horizontal strips having an upper edge and a lower
edge; and at least one of said upper edge and said lower edge being
secured to said exterior portion.
2. The window covering of claim 1, wherein said carrier grid
includes spacing cords for spacing and securing each of said
plurality of horizontal strips from one another.
3. The window covering of claim 2, wherein said spacing cords
include engagement clips adapted to secure at least one of said
upper edge and said lower edge.
4. The window covering of claim 1, wherein said carrier grid is a
backing material.
5. The window covering of claim 4, wherein said backing material
includes at least one side that is non-pleated.
6. The window covering of claim 4, wherein said backing material is
a cellular backing material.
7. The window covering of claim 6, wherein said cellular backing
material includes a plurality of cell wall ligaments.
8. The window covering of claim 7, wherein at least one of said
upper edge and said lower edge is secured to at least one cell wall
ligament by a backing clip.
9. The window covering of claim 8, wherein said backing clip
includes at least two generally "C" shaped portions.
10. The window covering of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality
of horizontal strips includes a stiffener proximate at least one of
an upper edge and a lower edge.
11. The window covering of claim 10, wherein said stiffener is
secured by at least one engagement clip secured to said carrier
grid.
12. The window covering of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality
of horizontal strips includes a first stiffener proximate an upper
edge and a second stiffener proximate a lower edge.
13. The window covering of claim 12, wherein both said first
stiffener proximate said upper edge and said second stiffener
proximate said lower edge are secured to said carrier grid.
14. The window covering of claim 13, wherein a width of each of
said plurality of horizontal strips is greater than a distance
between said first stiffener and said second stiffener forming a
billow at each of said plurality of horizontal strips.
15. A backing clip for securing a fabric strip of a window covering
comprising: an elongated body; a first portion of said body being
adapted to secure the fabric strip and a stiffener to said body; a
second portion of said body being adapted to secure said body to a
window covering material.
16. The backing clip of claim 15, wherein said first portion is
generally C-shaped.
17. The backing clip of claim 15, wherein said second portion is
generally C-shaped.
18. The backing clip of claim 15, wherein said second portion is
adapted to engage said window covering material and a
stiffener.
19. The backing clip of claim 15, wherein said first portion
includes a first opening and said second portion includes a second
opening, said first opening being at generally a right angle to
said second opening.
20. A window covering comprising: a carrier grid having vertical
spacing cords; a plurality of horizontal strips of fabric secured
to an exterior portion of said carrier grid, said strips being in
overlapping and vertically spaced relation to cover an area of a
window, said plurality horizontal strips having a stiffener
proximate at least one of an upper edge and a lower edge; said
spacing cords having engagement clips adapted to secure said
plurality of horizontal strips to said spacing cords; and said
carrier grid maintaining a spacing relation between said plurality
of horizontal strips.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/669,189 filed Apr. 6, 2005, which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The embodiments herein are directed to a retractable window
covering that can be manufactured from strips of material arranged
in overlapping relation to cover an area of a window.
BACKGROUND
[0003] An ancient, but ever-popular form of window covering is
known as a Roman Shade. This type of shade conventionally comprises
a fabric sheet as wide as the window to be covered and as long as
or longer than the window. A fabric is fitted with
periodically-spaced rings or equivalents on the back
(outward-facing) surface of the fabric, aligned in vertical
columns. Cords are passed through the rings and attached at the
bottom of the fabric or sometimes to a rigid bar. When the cords
are pulled from their free ends (typically directed through a top
rail and cord locking device, so as to be pulled by an operator),
the shade is raised, permitting view through the window and
cleaning. A variant, called `hobbled` adds a second set of cords or
a second fabric layer with shorter periodicity, joined to the back
of the first fabric, to form a sequence of billows in the front
fabric. The periodic spacing of the rings causes the fabric to be
taken up in sequential folds as lower rings are lifted into contact
with rings just above and held together by the cord passing
through. Because this type of shade is readily made from any
fabric, Roman shades have been associated with expensive custom
treatments made by hand in custom-chosen fabrics. As such, they are
perceived as having a very desirable appearance.
[0004] In recent years, some attempts have been made to improve on
the manufacturability and function of Roman shades. One example is
given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,735 to Jelic and now manufactured by
Comfortex Corporation. The shade uses U-section ribs pressed onto
the fabric in a spaced array, combined with snap-on beaded cords
that connect to the ribs to set the billows or flat spacing of the
flat fabric. Lift cords through eyes in the clips perform the usual
Roman gathered lift. This design simplifies the assembly of a Roman
shade without altering its basic appearance, but the cutting and
measuring of a fabric piece and positioning of the ribs remain
labor-intensive.
[0005] Other disadvantages of Roman shades include low thermal
insulating value, fragility in shipping as the fabric is gathered
in folds and easily crushed or creased in packaging, low solar
reflectance (enhanced reflectance is often obtained, for instance
in cellular shades, with a white outward surface despite choice of
interior face colors), accessible cords (potential safety hazard),
and an unattractively large, bulging accumulation of folded fabric
when raised. The embodiments described herein address some or all
of these shortcomings.
SUMMARY
[0006] In the embodiments described, a window covering is employed
having a carrier grid and plurality of horizontal strips of fabric
secured to the carrier grid. The strips are disposed in overlapping
and vertically spaced relation to cover an area of a window.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The features and inventive aspects of the present invention
will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed
description, claims, and drawings, of which the following is a
brief description:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a
partially assembled window covering;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a
partially assembled widow covering showing material strips on a
cellular backer material and internal lift cords;
[0010] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the second embodiment of
FIG. 2 showing a partially assembled window covering having lift
cords not internal to the ligaments or cells;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective detailed view of a first example of
a material strip having two folded-over pockets;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective detailed view of a second example of
a material strip having pockets formed from joining two smaller
pieces of material;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective detailed view of a third example of
a material strip having a pocket on a first side and an attachment
strip on a second side;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a
partially assembled window covering having a stiffener at both the
upper edge and lower edge of the material strip;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective detailed view of an exemplary
connection between a pocket segment of the cellular backing
material of FIG. 2 and the material strip using a backing clip;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a side view of a first example of the backing clip
of FIG. 7;
[0017] FIG. 9 is a side view of a second example of the backing
clip of FIG. 7; and
[0018] FIG. 10 is a side view of a third example of the backing
clip showing a larger opening adapted to receive two
stiffeners.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Referring now to the drawings, illustrative embodiments are
shown in detail. Although the drawings represent the embodiments,
the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may
be exaggerated to better illustrate and explain an innovative
aspect of an embodiment. Further, the embodiments described herein
are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict
the invention to the precise form and configuration shown in the
drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.
[0020] The embodiments described herein are directed to a window
covering 20 having a plurality of horizontal, overlapping and
vertically-spaced material strips 22, secured to a carrier grid 24
that maintains their spacing as shown in FIG. 1. The window
covering 20 may include lift cords 26 secured to a bottom-most
strip 28 or a rail 30 that draws up the strips 22 into a nested
stack when the cords 26 are pulled in a downward direction. The
lower edges 32 of the strips 22 are free-hanging having either a
plain edge or an edge with a stiffening rib as further described
below so that the strips 22 remain free-hanging when the strips 22
are drawn up. In another example of the strips 22, the lower edges
32 of the strips 22 are secured to the carrier grid 24 also, for
instance near an upper edge 34 attachment of the next lower strip
22, so as to provide a folding of each strip 22 when drawn up and
optionally, a hobbled look when the strips 22 are lowered. In the
embodiment of the window covering 20 as shown in FIG. 1, the
free-hanging lower edges 32 of each strip 22 generally covers and
overlaps the upper edge 34 of the strip directly below it.
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a partially-assembled window covering 20 of a
basic type, according to a first embodiment. The material strips 22
are shown having edge stiffeners 36 secured to spacing cords 38 by
engagement clips 40. A headrail 42 is disposed at an upper portion
of the window covering 20 and is formed from a material including
plastic, metal, aluminum, wood, polyamide resin and the like. The
headrail 42 guides lift cords 44 from a cordlock 46 and pull
tassels 48 through spaced drops 50 to bottom rail 30. The pull
tassels 48 move the window covering 20 between an open and closed
orientation as known in the art. By way of example, four upper
strips and one lower strip are omitted from this partial assembly.
The engagement of clips 40 to the first strip 52 and stiffener 36
can be seen at the uppermost first strip 52 shown. Further, the
securement stiffener 36 of strip 22 is from an exterior orientation
of spacing cords 38. In other words, the strips 22 are not secured
within the spacing cords 38 so that each strip 22 may not be easily
removed independently of the other strips 22. Each strip 22 is
secured by the engagement clips 40 allowing a user to remove a
single target strip 22 without removing the entire window covering
20 from an installed orientation or disassembling the window
covering 20 in order to access the target strip 22. By providing a
window covering 20 that permits the removal of a single strip 22
without removal or disassembly of the window covering 20, the user
saves time and effort in the replacement of the strip 22.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 2, a second embodiment of the window
covering 20 is shown. The covering 20 includes a plurality of
material strips 22. Two strips 22 are shown removed to show other
parts of the covering 20. The covering 20 further includes a
cellular backing material 54 with internal lift cords 56. In this
embodiment, the cellular backing material 54 is adapted to
generally extend over most of the length of the window covering 20.
Because of the weight of the bottom rail 60, cell-wall ligaments 58
are pulled downwardly into general alignment providing a uniform
pitch of the exterior of the ligaments 58 so that the cell-wall
spacing becomes generally uniform. The material strips 22 secured
to consistently-separated cell-wall ligaments 58 also obtain
generally uniform spacing in the fully extended orientation.
Specifically, the cellular backing material 54 includes an interior
portion of the ligaments 58 that are under constant tension by the
weight of the bottom rail 60 and are generally vertical while
having a pitched exterior portion. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of
an alternative window covering 20 showing a partially assembled
window covering 20 having lift cords 56 not internal to the
ligaments 58.
[0023] The stiffener 36 may be included at the lower edge of each
strip 22 to maintain its general flatness and uniformity and to
prevent excessive flapping of the strip 22 in a breeze. Attachment
to the cellular backing material 54 by any known method such as
adhesive, stitching, clamping, fastening, and the like provides
securement of the upper-edge 34 of the strip 22. The combination of
cellular backing material 54 and the strip 22 material provides
excellent thermal insulation.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a detail view of a first embodiment of the
material strip 22 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The material strip 22 includes
edge pockets 64 that may be formed by folding the lower edge 32 and
upper edge 34 of the strip 22 and joining each portion at an
attachment area 66. Any joining method may be used including
sewing, using an adhesive, adhesive heat welding, stitching,
mechanically attaching and the like. The strip 22 may be laminated
or include a printed material that presents a white or reflective
face on one side and an attractive color or texture on the other
side.
[0025] FIG. 4 is a detail view of a second embodiment of the
material strip 22 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The material strip 22 includes
a face material 68 and may include at least a partially-laminated
back material 70. The material may be fabric, plastic, vinyl,
polyester, a woven and non-woven film, and the like. Attachment
areas 66 are adapted to form pockets 64 and may be formed by any
joining method including sewing, using an adhesive, adhesive heat
welding, stitching, mechanically attaching and the like. The back
material may be white for reflectivity or any color for
uniformity.
[0026] FIG. 5 is a detail view of a third embodiment of the
material strip 22 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The material strip 22 includes
the face material 68, at least one stiffener 36, and at least one
attachment strip 72. The stiffener 36 is disposed inside pocket 64
between attachment areas 66. The attachment strip 72 is shown to be
secured to the upper edge 34. However, the attachment strip 72 may
be secured to the strip 22 at any location along the width of the
strip 22 by any known attachment method including using
pressure-sensitive or heat-sensitive adhesive, stitching, and the
like.
[0027] FIG. 6 is a third embodiment of a window covering 20. The
window covering 20 includes stiffeners 36 at both the upper edge 34
and the lower edge 32. Each edge 34, 32 is secured to the carrier
grid 24. The carrier grid 24 may include spacing cords 38 or a
cellular backing material 54 as shown in FIG. 2 and described
above. When the width of the strip 22 is greater than the distance
between engagement clips 40, represented by grid pitch P, the
strips 22 form billows 72 and resemble conventional hobbled Roman
shades. When the width of the strip 22 is generally the same length
as grid pitch P, then the strip 22 resembles a conventional flat
Roman shade. In one example, the stiffeners 36 engage one another
within the engagement clip 40. The upper edge 34 of a first strip
22 having a first stiffener 36 abuts the lower edge 32 of an
adjacent strip 22 having a second stiffener 36. This can be
achieved, for instance, by making the strips 22 interlocking along
their length. Alternatively, the stiffeners 36 may be adjacent, and
be clipped together by the carrier grid 24. Where the carrier grid
24 is cellular material, one or both of the edge stiffeners 36 may
be omitted.
[0028] FIG. 7 is a detailed view of an exemplary connection between
a pocket segment 73 of the cellular backing material 54 using a
backing clip 74 and the material strip 22. The backing material 54
includes a plurality of pocket segments 73. A section of cellular
backing material 54 is shown securing one material strip 22. The
material strip 22 includes the face material 68 projecting in a
downward direction from the backing clip 74. The stiffener 36 is
disposed within the pocket 64 thereby securing the strip 22 to a
first portion 76 of the backing clip 74. A second portion 78 of the
backing clip 74 is secured to the cellular backing material 54 by
having a stiffener 36 placed inside the pocket segment 73 and
secured within the second portion 78 of the backing clip 74. The
backing clip 74 captures the cellular backing material 54 at a
predetermined line of connection. A first portion opening 80 is
sized to secure the strip 22 and the stiffener 36 and minimize any
slipping between the strip 22 and the backing clip 74. A second
portion opening 82 is sized to secure the pocket segment 73 to the
backing clip 74 and minimize distortion of the cellular backing
material 54.
[0029] In operation, the backing clip 74 is slid over the pocket 64
and stiffener 36, thereby securing the strip to the backing clip
74. The backing clip 74 is then slipped over the pocket segment 73
and stiffener 36, thereby securing the backing clip to the cellular
backing material 54. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, to enable the above
described assembly, the backing clip 74 includes at least two
receiving openings: the first portion opening 80 and the second
portion opening 82. A first portion mouth 84 is configured to allow
the stiffener 36 and pocket 64 to pass through during installation
while providing securement of the stiffener 36 and pocket 64 in the
installed orientation. A second portion mouth 86 is configured to
allow the stiffener 36 and a portion of the pocket segment 73 to
pass through during installation while providing securing of the
stiffener 36 and the pocket segment 73 in the installed
orientation. The orientation between the first portion 76 and the
second portion 78 is shown to be generally ninety degrees to one
another. However, any angle between the first portion 76 and the
second portion 78 is contemplated. FIG. 8 shows a generally larger
first portion 76 than the second portion 78 and FIG. 9 shows the
first portion 76 generally equal in size to the second portion 78.
However, any combination of the first portion 76 and the second
portion 78 is contemplated. Furthermore, in yet another example,
one or both ends of the openings 80, 82 may be sealed, either at
the time of segment cutting to length or later to retain the
stiffeners 36. For material segments, cutting to length may be done
with a sealing cutting. By way of example, hot wire cutters,
ultrasonic cutters, and the like may be used to seal the pocket
ends at generally the same time. A small slit (not shown) may also
be made in the backside of the pocket 64 to insert the stiffener
36.
[0030] Three distinct appearances are achieved by the variant
embodiments described above: hobbled, flat-continuous, and
flat-shingled. For the hobbled appearance, the clip 74 is disposed
at both the lower edge 32 and the upper edge 34 of each strip 22,
with the lower edge 32 secured to a pocket segment 73 at the same
location as the upper edge 34 of the next lower strip 22, and at a
distance less than the width of the strip 22, such that each strip
22 bows out over the next lower strip 22, at least generally
covering the clip 74 with a billow. For the flat-continuous
application formed from strips 22, two smaller-diameter stiffeners
36 may be used to fit the lower edge 32 of one strip 22 and the
upper edge 34 of the adjacent strip 22 into a single larger opening
80 of clip 74 as shown in FIG. 10 showing two adjacent strips 22
sharing the opening 80. Alternately, the clip 74 may have three
pockets (not shown), with the two pockets for adjacent strips
22.
[0031] As will be clear to one skilled in the art, the described
embodiments, though having the particular advantages of compactness
and convenience, are not the only embodiments or arrangements that
fall within the scope of the present invention. Some exemplary
variants may include: a) use of a pleated grid in place of the
cellular backing material 54 for spacing; b) using external instead
of internal, pocketed stiffeners 36; c) including quilted or other
multi-layer material strips 22; d) having non-linear (wavy or
scalloped) free edges 34, 36 on strips 22, especially for the
flat-shingled embodiment; e) using rigid or resilient, stiff strips
22 instead of a fabric material, especially on the flat-shingled
embodiment where the strips 22 are generally flat; f) having
top-down instead of bottom-up actuation; and g) the use of two
spacer cords in the hobbled embodiment, instead of sharing
attachments to one set, whereby raising the spacer set attached to
the lower edges 32 of the strips 22 provides a Venetian-like view
through mode by opening gaps between adjacent strips 22.
[0032] The embodiments described above offer a number of advantages
over various prior art shades. Some of these advantages are
aesthetic and others are practical, either in manufacturing cost or
serviceability of the end product. Below are some exemplary
elements of the described embodiments with notes of comparison to
earlier approaches.
[0033] Rollable strips: The strips 22 as described above could
provide the appearance and function of a single sheet covering an
entire window; but made instead from controlled strips 22 of
material that allows efficient use of goods and minimal scrap in
fabrication. Strips 22 (before insertion of stiffeners 36) also
ease packaging and stock storage before fabrication because they
can be stored in rolls. Damage is easily replaced at minimal cost,
rather than losing the entire window covering 20.
[0034] Fast assembly: In comparison to the handling of a
conventional Roman window covering, made from a single, large sheet
of material equal in extent to a window, a strip-fabricated system
can be built rapidly with minimal floor space demand and convenient
equipment. No large flat cutting table is required. No marking and
measuring of the broad goods is required to locate multiple rings
or other attachments that are automatically located by the
dimensions intrinsic to the strips.
[0035] Insulation: By comparison to ordinary Roman window
coverings, the cellular-backed embodiments provide multiple air
cells behind the facing to significantly increase the thermal
insulation value of the product.
[0036] White back: In modern homes, interior rooms are commonly
decorated in different colors, yet the house presents a more
formal, uniform face to the outside world. Products which can
present a white outer face sustain that uniformity, even as the
interior faces carry the differing room colors. The embodiments
described above enable such a dichotomy through its layered or
laminated construction.
[0037] Cord contained: Safety is a primary concern in the window
coverings 20. One of the primary risks is associated with
accessible cords that can entangle small children in a choking
hazard. The embodiments described, in one of the cellular-backed
embodiment, fully encapsulate the cords that lift the covering 20
within the cells, unlike any other Roman-style product, reducing
that hazard. The second example of the cellular backed embodiment
shown in FIG. 2A, though not completely encapsulating cords,
nonetheless shields them from accidental entanglements by enclosing
them between the strips 22 and backing material 54.
[0038] View-through option: Conventional Roman-look shades are made
from continuous material. The embodiments described, by mimicking
the look of such a continuous piece, although made from multiple
strips, offer the option of independent articulation of those
strips to allow a view-through mode more like that of a Venetian
blind.
[0039] Multiple product looks from same stock: The embodiments
described may all be assembled from the same basic parts (material
strips, cord or cellular backing material, and hardware), providing
a significant economy of scale and lower stock-carrying costs for
fabricators and retailers. This latter feature is of particular
importance in lowering the costs of such custom-made window
treatments through direct finishing at the retail level and
elimination of one level in the distribution.
[0040] Low waste from strip construction, including flaw removal
and cutting efficiency: When large rectangles must be cut from yard
goods, as in the conventional Roman process, there is always a
higher waste factor as differing sizes of rectangle are fitted to
finite-width goods. In the embodiments described, continuous ribbon
is cut to strips of window size, with little or no waste between
succeeding strips. Even when a flaw occurs in the ribbon, the loss
can be no more than the length of one strip, where in a broadgoods
cutting, an inconveniently located flaw can prevent the usage of a
large area of fabric.
[0041] Unlimited width and length: In conjunction with to the low
waste with ribbon-strip construction comes the better orientation
of raw material run with respect to finished product dimension. If
cut from broad goods, either the length or width is constrained by
the width of the source material. With ribbons to strips, the
unlimited length of their ribbons (corresponding to the production
run direction of the original material) is oriented to the width of
the window covering 20 and so can provide unlimited width to the
shade. Because the window covering 20 length is then built up from
unlimited numbers of such strips, the length of the shade, too, is
unlimited. This is becoming more important in modern homes where
"window walls" are part of the design: high and wide glass areas
too large for conventional window coverings.
[0042] Ready replacement of damaged or soiled areas without total
loss: This is another feature of economy and convenience that
derives from the strip construction. Not being a single expanse of
material, a window covering 20 may be repaired at low cost by
replacing only those strips 22 that suffer damage or discoloration
in service. With some materials, it may even be possible to remove
individual strips 22 for cleaning and replacement.
[0043] The present invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to the foregoing embodiments, which are
merely illustrative of the best modes for carrying out the
invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that
various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described
herein may be employed in practicing the invention without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in
the following claims. It is intended that the following claims
define the scope of the invention and that the method and apparatus
within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered
thereby. This description of the invention should be understood to
include all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements
described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later
application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these
elements. Moreover, the foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and
no single feature or element is essential to all possible
combinations that may be claimed in this or a later
application.
* * * * *