U.S. patent application number 11/714236 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-22 for cool air supplying apparatus and refrigerator having the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to LG Electronics Inc.. Invention is credited to Jun-Ho Bae, Chang-Joon Kim, Soo-Kwan Lee.
Application Number | 20070266718 11/714236 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38462431 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070266718 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Soo-Kwan ; et
al. |
November 22, 2007 |
Cool air supplying apparatus and refrigerator having the same
Abstract
A cool air supplying apparatus for a refrigerator is disclosed.
The cool air supplying apparatus includes a freezing chamber
evaporator that generates cool air supplied to a freezing chamber,
a refrigerating chamber evaporator that generates cool air supplied
to a refrigerating chamber, a freezing chamber cross flow fan that
blows cool air generated by the freezing chamber evaporator toward
the freezing chamber, a refrigerating chamber cross flow fan that
blows cool air generated by the refrigerating chamber evaporator,
and a driving motor that drives the freezing chamber cross flow fan
and the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan. With this structure,
cool air introduced in the evaporators is substantially uniform,
thus enhancing heat exchanging efficiency.
Inventors: |
Lee; Soo-Kwan; (Seoul,
KR) ; Bae; Jun-Ho; (Seoul, KR) ; Kim;
Chang-Joon; (Seoul, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KED & ASSOCIATES, LLP
P.O. Box 221200
Chantilly
VA
20153-1200
US
|
Assignee: |
LG Electronics Inc.
|
Family ID: |
38462431 |
Appl. No.: |
11/714236 |
Filed: |
March 6, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/187 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2317/0683 20130101;
F25D 2317/0682 20130101; F25D 17/065 20130101; F25D 2500/02
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/187 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/04 20060101
F25D017/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 19, 2006 |
KR |
10-2006-0045310 |
Claims
1. A cool air supplying apparatus for a refrigerator, comprising: a
freezing chamber evaporator that generates cool air to be supplied
to a freezing chamber; a refrigerating chamber evaporator that
generates cool air to be supplied to a refrigerating chamber; a
freezing chamber cross flow fan that blows cool air generated by
the freezing chamber evaporator toward the freezing chamber; a
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan that blows cool air generated
by the refrigerating chamber evaporator; and at least one driving
motor that drives the freezing chamber cross flow fan and the
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one driving motor
comprises a single driving motor that simultaneously drives the
freezing chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber cross
flow fan.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one driving motor
comprises a pair of driving motors that separately drive the
freezing chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber cross
flow fan, respectively.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a width of the freezing
chamber cross flow fan is equal to that of the freezing chamber
evaporator.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a width of the refrigerating
chamber cross flow fan is equal to that of the refrigerating
chamber evaporator.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one driving motor
is installed within a separation wall that separates the freezing
chamber and the refrigerating chamber.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one driving motor
is an outer rotor type motor.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a guide that
receives the cross flow fan; and at least one duct connected with
the guide that provides cool air.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one duct
comprises a plurality of ducts installed along side corners of the
respective freezing chamber or refrigerating chamber.
10. A refrigerator comprising the cool air supplying apparatus of
claim 1.
11. A refrigerator, comprising: a freezing chamber; a refrigerating
chamber separated by a separation wall from the freezing chamber; a
freezing chamber evaporator that generates cool air to be supplied
to the freezing chamber; a refrigerating chamber evaporator that
generates cool air to be supplied to the refrigerating chamber; a
freezing chamber cross flow fan that blows cool air generated by
the freezing chamber evaporator toward the freezing chamber; a
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan that blows cool air generated
by the refrigerating chamber evaporator; and at least one driving
motor that drives the freezing chamber cross flow fan and the
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan.
12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the at least one driving
motor comprises a single driving motor that simultaneously drives
the freezing chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber
cross flow fan.
13. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the at least one driving
motor comprises a pair of driving motors that separately drive the
freezing chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber cross
flow fan, respectively.
14. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein a width of the freezing
chamber cross flow fan is equal to that of the freezing chamber
evaporator.
15. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein a width of the
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan is equal to that of the
refrigerating chamber evaporator.
16. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the at least one driving
motor is installed within a separation wall that separates the
freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber.
17. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the at least one driving
motor is an outer rotor type motor.
18. The refrigerator of claim 11, further comprising: a guide that
receives the cross flow fan; and duct at least one connected with
the guide that provides cool air.
19. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the at least one duct
comprises a plurality of ducts installed along side corners of the
respective freezing chamber or refrigerating chamber.
Description
[0001] The application claims priority to Korean Application No.
10-2006-0045310, filed on May 19, 2006, which is herein expressly
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] A refrigerator and, more particularly, a cool air supplying
apparatus for a refrigerator are disclosed herein.
[0004] 2. Background
[0005] Reducing energy loss and increasing efficiency and capacity
are important and desirable in the art of refrigerators.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The embodiments will be described in detail with reference
to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to
like elements wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a refrigerator having
a cool air supplying apparatus according to an embodiment;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a cool air supplying apparatus
for a refrigerator according to an embodiment;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.
2;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a cool air supplying apparatus
for a refrigerator according to another embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a cool air supplying apparatus
for a refrigerator according to another embodiment; and
[0012] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a cross flow fan according to
an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] In general, a refrigerator includes a freezing chamber and a
refrigerating chamber separated by a separation wall. The freezing
chamber maintains a very low internal temperature to keep items
stored therein, such as food, in a frozen state, and the
refrigerating chamber maintains a low temperature, at which stored
items, such as food, are not frozen but maintained in a fresh
state.
[0014] A cool air supplying apparatus for a refrigerator according
to an embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1-3. FIG. 1 is a front
perspective view of a refrigerator having a cool air supplying
apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of
a cool air supplying apparatus for a refrigerator according to an
embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in
FIG. 2.
[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, in the refrigerator 10, a freezing
chamber 20 and a refrigerating chamber 30 are separated by a
separation wall 40. A cool air inlet 24 is formed at a lower
portion of a freezing chamber 20, through which cool air, which has
performed a cooling operation while circulating through the
freezing chamber 20 and the refrigerating chamber 30, is introduced
again at an increased temperature. An evaporator 23 is installed at
an upper side of the cool air inlet 24 and heat-exchanges the cool
air having the increased temperature. An evaporator cover 23a is
installed at one side of the evaporator 23, and a fan 22 for
blowing cool air having a lowered temperature is installed at an
upper side of the evaporator 23. The fan 22 is driven by a motor 25
and is installed within a guide (not shown).
[0016] The motor 25 is installed at an upper side of the evaporator
cover 23. An orifice 22a that directs the cool air toward the fan
is formed at an upper side of the evaporator cover 23a such that
the motor 25 and the fan 22 face each other across the orifice 22a.
The evaporator 23 and the fan 22 are installed only in the freezing
chamber 20, not in the refrigerating chamber 30.
[0017] A cool air duct 21 that provides the cool air having the
lowered temperature to the freezing chamber 20 is formed at an
upper side of the fan 22, and a plurality of cool air outlets 21a
that provide the cool air into the interior of the freezing chamber
20 are formed in the cool air duct 21. The cool air duct 21 is
installed along a rear wall (not shown) of the freezing chamber
20.
[0018] In the refrigerating chamber 30, a cool air duct 31 is
installed along a rear wall (not shown) of the refrigerating
chamber 30 and communicates with the cool air duct 21 of the
freezing chamber 20. A plurality of cool air outlets 31a that
provide cool air to the refrigerating chamber 30 are formed in the
cool air duct 31 of the refrigerating chamber 30.
[0019] A process of transferring cool air to the freezing chamber
20 and the refrigerating chamber 30 in the refrigerator 10
disclosed in FIGS. 1-3 will now be described below.
[0020] When the refrigerator 10 is operated, a compressor (not
shown) is operated to cool the evaporator 23. Cool air having an
increased temperature, which has been introduced through the cool
air inlet 24 provided at the lower portion of the evaporator 23,
passes through the evaporator 23 installed within the evaporator
cover 23a, and is heat-exchanged so as to be changed to cool air
having a lowered temperature, which is then introduced into the fan
22 through the orifice 22a. Most of the cool air discharged by the
fan 22 is supplied to the freezing chamber 20 through the cool air
duct 21 installed at the freezing chamber 20 and the cool air
outlets 21a.
[0021] Meanwhile, the remaining portion of the cool air is
introduced into the cool air duct 31 installed in the refrigerating
chamber 30 through a cool air communicating hole (not shown) and
then is provided to the refrigerating chamber 30 through the cool
air outlets 31a. As the air flow is repeated, the interiors of the
freezing chamber 20 and the refrigerating chamber 30 are
cooled.
[0022] However, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, a centrifugal fan
is used as the fan 22, which is generally smaller than a width of
the evaporator 23, so the cool air which passes through the
evaporator 23 cannot be entirely introduced into the fan 22, making
heat exchanging at the evaporator 23 non-uniform and reducing the
efficiency of the refrigerator 10 is degraded. In addition, when an
internal temperature of one of the freezing chamber 20 and the
refrigerating chamber 30 does not satisfy a pre-set temperature,
the compressor or the fan is operated to lower the unsatisfied
internal temperature, causing unnecessary power consumption.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a cool air supplying apparatus
for a refrigerator according to another embodiment. FIG. 5 is a
sectional view of a cool air supplying apparatus for a refrigerator
according to another embodiment. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a
cross flow fan according to an exemplary embodiment. Like elements
are designated with like reference numerals and repetitive
descriptions have been omitted. Further, in FIGS. 4 and 5, W1
denotes a width of the freezer chamber evaporator 230, W2 denotes a
width of the refrigerating chamber evaporator 330, W3 denotes a
width of the cross flow fan installed in the freezing chamber 200,
W4 denotes a width of the cross flow fan installed in the
refrigerating chamber 300, and .omega. indicates a rotational
direction of the cross flow fan.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, a cool air supplying apparatus for a
refrigerator 100 according to one embodiment includes a freezing
chamber evaporator 230 and a refrigerating chamber evaporator 330
installed in a freezing chamber 200 and a refrigerating chamber 300
separated by a separation wall 400 that generate cool air,
respectively, a freezing chamber cross flow fan 600 and a
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700 that blow cool air
generated from the freezing chamber evaporator 230 and the
refrigerating chamber evaporator 330, respectively, a driving motor
500 that simultaneously drives the freezing chamber cross flow fan
600 and the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700, respectively,
and first and second ducts 210 and 310 that distribute cool air
generated from the freezing chamber evaporator 230 and the
refrigerating chamber evaporator 330 to the freezing chamber 200
and the refrigerating chamber 300, respectively.
[0025] The freezing chamber evaporator 230 and the refrigerating
chamber evaporator 330 are installed within an evaporator cover
23a, shown in FIG. 3. Cool air inlets 240 and 340 are formed at a
lower side of the freezing chamber evaporator 230 and the
refrigerating chamber evaporator 330, respectively, and allow cool
air having an increased temperature to be introduced therethrough
after having circulated to cool the interior of the freezing
chamber 200 or the refrigerating chamber 300. Because the freezing
chamber 200 and the refrigerating chamber 300 may each need
different freezing capacity or refrigerating capacity, it may be
effective for a width W1 of the freezing chamber evaporator 230 and
a width W2 of the refrigerating chamber evaporator 330 to be
different.
[0026] The freezing chamber cross flow fan 600 may be installed at
an upper side of the freezing chamber evaporator 230. The
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700 may be installed at an
upper side of the refrigerating chamber evaporator 330. The
freezing chamber cross flow fan 600 and the refrigerating chamber
cross flow fan 700 may be installed at an upper side in a cool air
flow direction in order to allow more cool air generated from the
evaporators 230 and 330 to be introduced into the ducts 210 and
310.
[0027] Because the cool air supplying apparatus of the freezing
chamber 200 and the cool air supplying apparatus of the
refrigerating chamber 300 have the same structure, only the cool
air supplying apparatus of the freezing chamber 200 will be
described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 hereinbelow.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 6, the freezing chamber cross flow fan 600
may be installed within a guide 620. A lower portion of the guide
620 may be connected with an upper portion of the freezing chamber
evaporator 230. An upper portion of the guide 620 may be connected
with the first duct 210.
[0029] The freezing chamber cross flow fan 600 may have the same
width W3 as a width of the cool air inlet 240 or a width W1 of the
freezing chamber evaporator 230. The cross flow fan 600 may include
a plurality of blades 611. By forming the cross flow fan 600 such
that it has the same width W3 as the width W1 of the freezing
chamber evaporator 230, cool air may be introduced into the cross
flow fan 600 without a flow loss and make heat exchanging at the
evaporator uniform. In this manner, by blowing the cool air using
the cross flow fan 600, cool air may be blown in a vertical
direction (in a direction of the arrows in FIG. 6) without a flow
loss of the cool air.
[0030] With reference to FIG. 4, the freezing chamber cross flow
fan 600 and the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700 may be
driven together using a single driving motor 500. A rotational
shaft 510 may be mounted at a center of the driving motor 500 such
that it protrudes in both directions from the driving motor 500.
The freezing chamber cross flow fan 600 and the refrigerating
chamber cross flow fan 700 may be connected with both end portions
of the rotational shaft 510, respectively. Namely, the freezing
chamber cross flow fan 600 and the refrigerating chamber cross flow
fan 700 may be driven by the single common driving motor 500. Thus,
costs for producing and maintaining the driving motor 500, as well
as power consumption, may be reduced.
[0031] The driving motor 500 may be installed between the freezing
chamber 200 and the refrigerating chamber 300. This may increase an
internal capacity of the refrigerator 100 by reducing a space
required for installation of the driving motor 500.
[0032] The freezing chamber 200 and the refrigerating chamber 300
may be spatially separated by a separation wall 400. Because the
driving motor 500 may be installed within the separation wall 400,
a wasted space, that is, a space for installing the driving motor
500 may not be necessary, and accordingly, the internal capacity of
the refrigerator 100 may be increased.
[0033] If the separation wall 400 does not have a sufficient width,
a height or a thickness of the driving motor 500 may be made
smaller than the width of the separation wall 400. Due to this
structural restriction, an outer rotor type driving motor (not
shown) may be used as the driving motor 500.
[0034] An outer rotor type motor is formed such that a stator is
positioned at an inner side and a rotor is positioned at an outer
side of the stator, and the rotor is engaged with a rotational
shaft to rotate the rotational shaft. Compared with an inner rotor
type motor, the outer rotor type motor has a relatively small
overall height or thickness compared with the inner rotor type
motor; however, it can have a larger diameter to exert sufficient
driving force. The outer rotor type motor may be used as the
driving motor 500 to simultaneously drive the two cross flow fans
600 and 700 within the separation wall 400.
[0035] In another embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, a driving motor
500a that drives the freezing chamber cross flow fan 600 and a
driving motor 500b that drives the refrigerating chamber cross flow
fan 700, respectively, may be provided. With this structure, a loss
of the cool air introduced into the freezing chamber cross flow fan
600 and into the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700 may be
reduced, and a driving time of the freezing chamber cross flow fan
600 and the refrigerating cross flow fan 700 may be controlled to
be different according to a cooling capacity required for the
freezing chamber 200 or the refrigerating chamber 300. That is,
only the cross flow fan of the freezing chamber 200 or the
refrigerating chamber 300 may be driven while that of the freezing
chamber 200 or the refrigerating chamber 300 where cool air has
been sufficiently supplied would not be driven, so unnecessary
power consumption may be reduced.
[0036] The cool air discharged from the freezing chamber cross flow
fan 600 and the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700 may be
introduced into the first and second ducts 210 and 310,
respectively. The first and second ducts 210 and 310 may be
connected with the guide 620 of the freezing chamber cross flow fan
600 and the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700. In addition,
the first and second ducts 210 and 310 may include a plurality of
cool air outlets 211 and 311, respectively.
[0037] The first and second ducts 210 and 310 may be formed to be
thin, large and long, and may be installed along side corners of
the freezing chamber 200 and the refrigerating chamber 300,
respectively. Accordingly, not only the internal capacity of the
refrigerator 100 may be increased but the cool air may be evenly
supplied from both sides of the freezing chamber 200 and the
refrigerating chamber 300.
[0038] A refrigerator having a cool air supplying apparatus
according to embodiments disclosed herein will now be explained
hereinbelow.
[0039] When a user connects a refrigerator to a power source, a
compressor (not shown) is operated to cool the freezing chamber
evaporator 230 and the refrigerating chamber evaporator 330. Cool
air is introduced through the cool air inlets 240 and 340,
respectively, formed at the lower side of the freezing chamber
evaporator 230 and the refrigerating chamber evaporator 330 and
performs a cooling operation. After the cooling operation, cool air
having an increased temperature is heat-exchanged by the freezing
chamber evaporator 230 and the refrigerating chamber evaporator 330
so as to be changed to cool air having a lowered temperature, which
is then introduced to the freezing chamber cross flow fan 600 and
the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700. The freezing chamber
cross flow fan 600 and the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan 700
may be connected with both end portions of the rotational shaft
510, respectively, of the single driving motor 500 and be driven
thereby.
[0040] Because widths W1 and W2 of the freezing chamber evaporator
230 and the refrigerating chamber evaporator 330 and width W3 and
W4 of the cross flow fans may be the same, the cool air which has
passed through the freezing chamber evaporator 230 and the
refrigerating chamber evaporator 330 may be introduced to the first
and second ducts 210 and 310 without a flow loss. The cool air
introduced into the first and second ducts 210 and 310 may be
supplied to the freezing chamber 200 or the refrigerating chamber
300 through the plurality of cool air outlets 211 and 311 formed in
the first and second ducts 210 and 310 to evenly freeze or
refrigerate items stored therein.
[0041] A cool air supplying apparatus for a refrigerator and the
refrigerator using the same according to embodiments disclosed
herein have at least the advantages discussed below.
[0042] That is, for example, because the freezing chamber cross
flow fan and the refrigerating chamber cross flow fan may be driven
by a single driving motor, additional driving motors are not
required. Thus, the costs for manufacturing and maintaining the
driving motor may be reduced and power consumption of the driving
motor may be also reduced.
[0043] Also, because the driving motor may be installed within the
separation wall that separates the freezing chamber and the
refrigerating chamber, a space required for installation of the
driving motor may be reduced, thus increasing the internal capacity
of the refrigerator.
[0044] Additionally, because the flow of the cool air generated
from the evaporators may become uniform using the cross flow fan
and may be entirely introduced into the interior of the ducts, heat
exchanging efficiency of the evaporator may be enhanced.
[0045] Embodiments disclosed herein provide a cool air supplying
apparatus for a refrigerator capable of improving efficiency by
making heat exchanging uniform at the evaporator.
[0046] Further, embodiments disclosed herein are capable of
reducing power consumption of the refrigerator by separately
providing cool air into a freezing chamber and a refrigerating
chamber.
[0047] Additionally, embodiments disclosed herein provide a cool
air supplying apparatus for a refrigerator capable of increasing an
internal capacity of the refrigerator.
[0048] One embodiment disclosed herein provides a cool air
supplying apparatus for a refrigerator which may include a freezing
chamber evaporator that generates cool air supplied to a freezing
chamber, a refrigerating chamber evaporator that generates cool air
supplied to a refrigerating chamber, a freezing chamber cross flow
fan that blows cool air generated by the freezing chamber
evaporator toward the freezing chamber, a refrigerating chamber
cross flow fan that blows cool air generated by the refrigerating
chamber evaporator, and a driving motor that drives the freezing
chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber cross flow
fan. By using the cross flow fan as the blow fan, cool air
generated from the evaporator may be uniformly introduced into the
cross flow fan in a vertical direction, so efficiency of the cool
air flow and efficiency of heat exchange between the cool air
having an increased temperature being introduced into the
evaporator and the evaporator can be improved.
[0049] The driving motor may simultaneously drive the freezing
chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber cross flow
fan, reducing costs incurred for producing and manufacturing the
driving motor of the freezing chamber cross flow fan and
refrigerating chamber blow fan, so the overall production cost of
the refrigerator and power consumption of the driving motor may be
reduced. Further, the freezing chamber cross flow fan and the
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan may be separately driven by
respective driving motors, so that an operation time of the
freezing chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber cross
flow fan may be independently controlled.
[0050] The freezing chamber cross flow fan and the freezing chamber
evaporator may have the same width. Further, the refrigerating
chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber evaporator may
have the same width. This allows cool air generated from the
respective evaporator to be introduced into the cross flow fan
without loss.
[0051] The driving motor may be installed within a separation wall
that separates the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber.
That is, the separation wall may be formed between the freezing
chamber and the refrigerating chamber, and by installing the
driving motor within the separation wall, a space required for
installing the driving motor may be reduced, and thus an internal
capacity of the refrigerator may be increased.
[0052] The driving motor may be an outer rotor type motor having
its rotational shaft rotated by a rotor mounted at an outer side of
a stator. The outer rotor type motor may have an overall height
which is less than an inner rotor type motor, so it may be easily
installed within the separation wall. Also, because it has a
stronger driving force compared with the inner rotor type motor, it
may be suitable for driving a plurality of blow fans.
[0053] A guide for receiving the cross flow fan and a duct
connected with the guide and supplying cool air may be additionally
provided. A plurality of ducts may be installed at each corner of
the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber.
[0054] Another embodiment disclosed herein provides a refrigerator
which may include a freezing chamber, a refrigerating chamber
separated by a separation wall from the freezing chamber, a
freezing chamber evaporator that generates cool air supplied to the
freezing chamber, a refrigerating chamber evaporator that generates
cool air supplied to the refrigerating chamber, a freezing chamber
cross flow fan that blows cool air generated by the freezing
chamber evaporator toward the freezing chamber, a refrigerating
chamber cross flow fan that blows cool air generated by the
refrigerating chamber evaporator, and a driving motor that drives
the freezing chamber cross flow fan and the refrigerating chamber
cross flow fan. The freezing chamber cross flow fan and the
refrigerating chamber cross flow fan may be driven together by a
single driving motor, or may be separately driven by a driving
motor.
[0055] Any reference in this specification to "one embodiment," "an
embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., means that a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with
the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the
invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the
specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it
is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the
art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in
connection with other ones of the embodiments.
[0056] Although embodiments have been described with reference to a
number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood
that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by
those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope
of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various
variations and modifications are possible in the component parts
and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within
the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims.
In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts
and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to
those skilled in the art.
* * * * *