U.S. patent application number 11/440982 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-29 for universal funnel.
Invention is credited to Hungkun James Chang.
Application Number | 20070272328 11/440982 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38748431 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070272328 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chang; Hungkun James |
November 29, 2007 |
Universal funnel
Abstract
A universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body and a
tube-like enclosure. The tapered hollow body has an exterior and an
interior and has a wide end defining a wide inlet opening and a
narrow end defining a narrow outlet opening. The tube-like
enclosure has an exterior and an interior and has one end defining
an attached end and the other end defining an opened end. The size
of the attached end of the tube-like enclosure is larger than the
size of the narrow outlet opening of the tapered hollow body. And
the size of the attached end of the tube-like enclosure is equal to
or smaller than the size of the wide inlet opening of the tapered
hollow body. The attached end of the tube-like enclosure is
attached to the exterior surface of the tapered hollow body by
first introducing the narrow outlet opening of the tapered hollow
body into the attached end of the tube-like enclosure till the
attached end of the tube-like enclosure is in contact with the
exterior surface of the tapered hollow body. The tube-like
enclosure is long enough in order to keep the narrow outlet opening
of the tapered hollow body inside and away from the opened end of
the tube-like enclosure. Therefore, the universal funnel can be
used for transferring liquids into bottles or separating a mixture
of liquids of different specific gravities, e.g. oil and water; oil
is a light weight liquid and water is a heavy weight liquid.
Inventors: |
Chang; Hungkun James;
(Hoffman Estates, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HUNGKUN J. CHANG
1501 CROWFOOT CIRCLE NORTH
HOFFMAN ESTATES
IL
60194
US
|
Family ID: |
38748431 |
Appl. No.: |
11/440982 |
Filed: |
May 25, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
141/331 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67C 11/02 20130101;
B01D 17/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
141/331 |
International
Class: |
B65B 39/00 20060101
B65B039/00 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A universal funnel for transferring a liquid into a long narrow
neck bottle, e.g. a wine bottle, and for separating a mixture of
liquids of different specific gravities, e.g. oil and water,
comprising: (a) a tapered hollow body with an exterior and an
interior and having a wide end defining a wide inlet opening and a
narrow end defining a narrow outlet opening; the exterior adjacent
to said narrow outlet opening of said tapered hollow body will be
engaged in resting position against the mouth of the long narrow
neck bottle so that said tapered hollow body will nest on the mouth
of the long narrow neck bottle; (b) a tube-like enclosure with an
exterior and an interior and having one end defining an attached
end and the other end defining an opened end; the diameter of said
tube-like enclosure is equal to the diameter of said wide inlet
opening of said tapered hollow body; (c) a connection means for
attaching said attached end of said tube-like enclosure to the
exterior surface of said tapered hollow body by introducing said
narrow outlet opening of said tapered hollow body into said
attached end of said tube-like enclosure till said attached end of
said tube-like enclosure is in contact with the exterior surface of
said tapered hollow body; said tube-like enclosure is long enough
so that said narrow outlet opening of said tapered hollow body is
kept inside of said tube-like enclosure and said narrow outlet
opening of said tapered hollow body is kept away from said opened
end of said tube-like enclosure for a sufficient distance; whereby,
when the universal funnel is used for transferring a liquid into a
long narrow neck bottle, said wide inlet opening of said tapered
hollow body will receive the liquid; said narrow outlet opening of
said tapered hollow body will channel the liquid into the mouth of
the long narrow neck bottle; and said tube-like enclosure will
serve as a fence remotely surrounding the long narrow neck of the
bottle to prevent the universal funnel from falling or tilting off;
whereby, when the universal funnel is used for separating a mixture
of liquids of different specific gravities, the light weight liquid
of the mixture will be concentrated at said narrow outlet opening
of said tapered hollow body; a cup will be formed and bounded by
said tapered hollow body and said tube-like enclosure for
collecting the separated light weight liquid; the space between
said narrow outlet opening of said tapered hollow body and said
opened end of said tube-like enclosure will prevent the mixture of
liquids from flowing over said opened end of said tube-like
enclosure while the light weight liquid of the mixture being
concentrated and collected.
12. The universal funnel of claim 11, wherein said tube-like
enclosure is further extended longitudinally; whereby, when the
universal funnel is used for transferring the liquid into the long
narrow neck bottle, the extension of said tube-like enclosure will
further prevent the universal funnel from falling or tilting off
the long narrow neck of the bottle; and the stability of nesting
said tapered hollow body on the mouth of the long narrow neck
bottle will be further strengthened; whereby, when the universal
funnel is used for separating a mixture of liquids of different
specific gravities, the extension of said tube-like enclosure will
further prevent the mixture of liquids from flowing over said
opened end of said tube-like enclosure so that the universal funnel
can dip further into the mixture of liquids in which the light
weight liquid has a thicker layer.
13. The universal funnel of claim 11, wherein the universal funnel
further comprising a spout attached to said narrow outlet opening
of said tapered hollow body; said tube-like enclosure is long
enough so that said spout is kept inside said tube-like enclosure
and also said spout is kept away from said opened end of said
tube-like enclosure for a sufficient distance; whereby, when the
universal funnel is used for transferring a liquid into a long
narrow neck bottle, said spout will be inserted into the mouth of
the long narrow neck bottle to facilitate the liquid flow; whereby,
when the universal funnel is used for separating a mixture of
liquids of different specific gravities, said spout will raise the
depth of said cup which is formed and bounded by said tube-like
enclosure, said tapered hollow body, and in addition, said
spout.
14. The universal funnel of claim 13, wherein said tube-like
enclosure is further extended longitudinally; whereby, when the
universal funnel is used for transferring the liquid into the long
narrow neck bottle, the extension of said tube-like enclosure will
further prevent the universal funnel from falling or tilting off
the long narrow neck of the bottle; and the stability of nesting
the tapered hollow body on the mouth of the long narrow neck bottle
will be further strengthened; whereby, when the universal funnel is
used for separating a mixture of liquids of different specific
gravities, the extension of said tube-like enclosure will further
prevent the mixture of liquids from flowing over said opened end of
said tube-like enclosure so that the universal funnel can dip
further into the mixture of liquids in which the light weight
liquid has a thicker layer.
15. A universal funnel for transferring a liquid into a long narrow
neck bottle such as a cork sealed wine bottle and for separating a
mixture of liquids of different specific gravities, e.g. oil and
water, comprising: (a) a tapered hollow body with an exterior and
an interior and having a wide end defining a wide inlet opening and
a narrow end defining a narrow outlet opening; the exterior
adjacent to said narrow outlet opening of said tapered hollow body
will be engaged in resting position against the mouth of the long
narrow neck bottle so that said tapered hollow body will nest on
the mouth of the long narrow neck bottle; (b) a tube-like enclosure
with an exterior and an interior and having one end defining an
attached end and the other end defining an opened end; the diameter
of said tube-like enclosure is equal to the diameter of said wide
inlet opening of said tapered hollow body; (c) a connection means
for attaching said attached end of said tube-like enclosure to the
exterior surface of said tapered hollow body by introducing said
narrow outlet opening of said tapered hollow body into said
attached end of said tube-like enclosure till said attached end of
said tube-like enclosure is in contact with the exterior surface of
said tapered hollow body; said tube-like enclosure is long enough
so that said narrow outlet opening of said tapered hollow body is
kept inside of said tube-like enclosure and said narrow outlet
opening of said tapered hollow body is kept away from said opened
end of said tube-like enclosure for a sufficient distance; whereby,
when the universal funnel is used for transferring a liquid into a
long narrow neck bottle, said wide inlet opening of said tapered
hollow body will receive the liquid; said narrow outlet opening of
said tapered hollow body will channel the liquid into the mouth of
the long narrow neck bottle; and said tube-like enclosure will
serve as a fence remotely surrounding the long narrow neck of the
bottle to prevent the universal funnel from falling or tilting off;
whereby, when the universal funnel is used for separating a mixture
of liquids of different specific gravities, the light weight liquid
of the mixture will be concentrated at said narrow outlet opening
of said tapered hollow body; a cup will be formed and bounded by
said tapered hollow body and said tube-like enclosure for
collecting the separated light weight liquid; the space between
said narrow outlet opening of said tapered hollow body and said
opened end of said tube-like enclosure will prevent the mixture of
liquids from flowing over said opened end of said tube-like
enclosure while the light weight liquid of the mixture being
concentrated and collected.
16. The universal funnel of claim 15, wherein said tube-like
enclosure is further extended longitudinally; whereby, when the
universal funnel is used for transferring the liquid into the long
narrow neck bottle, the extension of said tube-like enclosure will
further prevent the universal funnel from falling or tilting off
the long narrow neck of the bottle; and the stability of nesting
said tapered hollow body on the mouth of the long narrow neck
bottle will be further strengthened; whereby, when the universal
funnel is used for separating a mixture of liquids of different
specific gravities, the extension of said tube-like enclosure will
further prevent the mixture of liquids from flowing over said
opened end of said tube-like enclosure so that the universal funnel
can dip further into the mixture of liquids in which the light
weight liquid has a thicker layer.
17. The universal funnel of claim 15, wherein the universal funnel
further comprising a spout attached to said narrow outlet opening
of said tapered hollow body; said tube-like enclosure is long
enough so that said spout is kept inside said tube-like enclosure
and also said spout is kept away from said opened end of said
tube-like enclosure for a sufficient distance; whereby, when the
universal funnel is used for transferring a liquid into a long
narrow neck bottle, said spout will be inserted into the mouth of
the long narrow neck bottle to facilitate the liquid flow; whereby,
when the universal funnel is used for separating a mixture of
liquids of different specific gravities, said spout will raise the
depth of said cup which is formed and bounded by said tube-like
enclosure, said tapered hollow body, and in addition, said
spout.
18. The universal funnel of claim 17, wherein said tube-like
enclosure is further extended longitudinally; whereby, when the
universal funnel is used for transferring the liquid into the long
narrow neck bottle, the extension of said tube-like enclosure will
further prevent the universal funnel from falling or tilting off
the long narrow neck of the bottle; and the stability of nesting
the tapered hollow body on the mouth of the long narrow neck bottle
will be further strengthened; whereby, when the universal funnel is
used for separating a mixture of liquids of different specific
gravities, the extension of said tube-like enclosure will further
prevent the mixture of liquids from flowing over said opened end of
said tube-like enclosure so that the universal funnel can dip
further into the mixture of liquids in which the light weight
liquid has a thicker layer.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] This invention relates to funnels for transferring liquids
into bottles or for separating a mixture of liquids of different
specific gravities, e.g. oil and water.
[0004] 2. Description of Prior Art
[0005] Funnels are used to transfer liquids from one container to
another container. Because of the narrow neck of a bottle, usually
one hand is required to keep the funnel in place and, at the same
time, to hold the narrow neck of the bottle to avoid spilling while
transferring liquids into bottles.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,347 B1 to Theodore W. Selby discloses a
self-supporting, adjustable funnel. The support of the funnel sits
on the top of a storage vessel and the drain of the funnel must be
stretched out of the lower support edge of the support to avoid
spilling. This configuration applies to a storage vessel with a
sufficient flat top so that the support of the funnel can be
settled. However, the configuration does not apply to a storage
vessel which having no sufficient flat top, such as a bottle.
[0007] The present invention will improve funnel's stability
without a hand to keep the funnel in place when transferring
liquids into bottles.
[0008] Over the years, various approaches have been proposed for
removing light weight liquid from a mixture of liquids of different
specific gravities, e.g. separating oil from an oil/water mixture;
oil is a light weight liquid and water is a heavy weight liquid.
One popular approach is to apply oil adhesive materials on the
surface of cloths or drums. A rotating structure is made to allow
the cloths or drums dipping into the oil/water mixture. Above the
oil/water mixture, an oil removing device is used to remove oil
from the surfaces of cloths or drums. The oil removing devices for
example, could be rollers pressing the cloths or blades scraping
the drum surfaces. In general, it has been found that this approach
lacks the separation efficiency and separation throughput. The
worn-out cloths require replacement and the worn-out drum surfaces
need to be resurfaced.
[0009] The other approaches include oil filtering, chemical
treatment and oil burning. Over a period of time, the oil filtering
facility needs maintenance. The chemical treatment is costly. The
oil burning pollutes environments.
[0010] The present invention will improve the efficiency and
throughput of separating oil from an oil/water mixture. Further
more, the present invention is reusable, minimum maintenance and
environmental friendly.
SUMMARY
[0011] In accordance with the present invention a universal funnel
comprises a tapered hollow body and a tube-like enclosure. One end
of the tube-like enclosure is attached to the exterior surface of
the tapered hollow body to become a device for providing the
stability of the tapered hollow body when transferring liquids into
bottles. Also, the device can be used for separating a mixture of
liquids of different specific gravities, e.g. oil and water.
DRAWING FIGURES
[0012] Brief description of the drawings:
[0013] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a universal funnel which
having additional components--a filter and a spout.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body
and a tube-like enclosure.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body
and a tube-like enclosure. In addition, the tapered hollow body has
a filter attached to its wide inlet opening and a spout attached to
its narrow outlet opening.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body
and a tube-like enclosure. The universal funnel is used for
transferring liquids into bottles.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body
and a tube-like enclosure. In addition, the tapered hollow body has
a spout attached to its narrow outlet opening. The universal funnel
is used for transferring liquids into bottles.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body
and a tube-like enclosure. The universal funnel is partially dipped
into an oil/water mixture. The snapshot shows the universal funnel
concentrates oil into the narrow outlet opening area of the tapered
hollow body.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body
and a tube-like enclosure. In addition, the tapered hollow body has
a spout attached to its narrow outlet opening. The snapshot shows
the universal funnel reaches the surface of an oil/water
mixture.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body
and a tube-like enclosure. In addition, the tapered hollow body has
a spout attached to its narrow outlet opening. The universal funnel
is partially dipped into an oil/water mixture. The snapshot shows
the universal funnel concentrates oil into the narrow outlet
opening area and the spout of the tapered hollow body.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow body
and a tube-like enclosure. In addition, the tapered hollow body has
a spout attached to its narrow outlet opening. The universal funnel
is further dipped into an oil/water mixture. The snapshot shows oil
is forced to flow out of the spout and collected into the cup of
the universal funnel.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow
body and a tube-like enclosure. In addition, the tapered hollow
body has a spout attached to its narrow outlet opening. The
tube-like enclosure is in a hollow frustum shape. The universal
funnel is used for transferring liquids into bottles.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a universal funnel comprises a tapered hollow
body and a tube-like enclosure. In addition, the tapered hollow
body has a spout attached to its narrow outlet opening. The
tube-like enclosure is in a hollow frustum shape. The universal
funnel is used for separating a mixture of liquids of different
specific gravities, e.g. oil and water.
REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS
[0024] 10 universal funnel [0025] 100 tapered hollow body [0026]
110 wide inlet opening [0027] 120 narrow outlet opening [0028] 130
spout [0029] 200 tube-like enclosure [0030] 210 attached end [0031]
220 opened end [0032] 300 filter [0033] 400 cup
DESCRIPTION
[0034] A preferred embodiment of a universal funnel 10 of the
present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. The universal funnel 10
comprises a tapered hollow body 100 tube-like enclosure 200. The
tapered hollow body 100 has an exterior and an interior and has a
wide end defining a wide inlet opening 110 and a narrow and
defining a narrow outlet opening 120. The tube-like enclosure 200
has an exterior and an interior and has one end defining an
attached end 210 and the other end defining an opened end 220.
[0035] The size of the attached end 210 of the tube-like enclosure
200 is larger than the size of the narrow outlet opening 120 of the
tapered hollow body 100. And the size of the attached end 210 of
the tube-like enclosure 200 is equal to or smaller than the size of
the wide inlet opening 110 of the tapered hollow body 100.
[0036] The attached end 210 of the tube-like enclosure 200 is
joined to the exterior surface of the tapered hollow body 100 by,
first, introducing the narrow outlet opening 120 of the tapered
hollow body 100 into the attached end 210 of the tube-like
enclosure 200 till the attached end 210 of the tube-like enclosure
200 is in contact with the exterior surface of the tapered hollow
body 100.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, an additional spout 130 can be attached
to the narrow outlet opening 120 of the tapered hollow body 100 to
facilitate channeling the flow of liquids into bottles as shown in
FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 8, when the universal funnel 10 is used to
separate a mixture of liquids of different specific gravities, e.g.
oil and water, the spout 130 of the tapered hollow body 100 will
further concentrate the light weight liquid of the mixture of
liquids of different specific gravities, e.g. oil and water. And
also, the spout 130 will increase the volume of a cup 400 which is
bounded by the tube-like enclosure 200, the tapered hollow body
100, and, in addition, the spout 130.
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6, the tube-like enclosure 200
must be long enough so that a sufficient space will be kept between
the narrow outlet opening 120 of the tapered hollow body 100 and
the opened end 220 of the tube-like enclosure 200. In other words,
the narrow outlet opening 120 of the tapered hollow body 100 must
be kept inside the tube-like enclosure 200. And also, the narrow
outlet opening 120 of the tapered hollow body 100 must be kept away
from the opened end 220 of the tube-like enclosure 200.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the tube-like enclosure 200 will
serve as a fence surrounding the narrow neck of a bottle to prevent
the tapered hollow body 100 from over tilting or falling when
transferring liquids into bottles. As shown in FIG. 6, when the
universal funnel 10 is used for separating a mixture of liquids of
different specific gravities, e.g. oil and water, the sufficient
space between the narrow outlet opening 120 of the tapered hollow
body 100 and the opened end 220 of the tube-like enclosure 200 will
prevent the mixture of liquids from flowing over the opened end 220
of the tube-like enclosure 200 while the light weight liquid of the
mixture of liquids being concentrated and collected into the cup
400.
[0039] As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, when the
additional spout 130 is attached to the narrow outlet opening 120
of the tapered hollow body 100, the tube-like enclosure 200 must be
long enough so that a sufficient space will be kept between the
spout 130 of the tapered hollow body 100 and the opened end 220 of
the tube-like enclosure 200. In other words, the spout 130 of the
tapered hollow body 100 must be kept inside the tube-like enclosure
200. And also, the spout 130 of the tapered hollow body 100 must be
kept away from the opened end 220 of the tube-like enclosure 200.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, the tube-like enclosure 200 will
serve as a fence surrounding the narrow neck of a bottle to prevent
the tapered hollow body 100 from over tilting or falling when
transferring liquids into bottles. As shown in FIG. 9, when the
universal funnel 10 is used for separating a mixture of liquids of
different specific gravities, e.g. oil and water, the sufficient
space between the spout 130 of the tapered hollow body 100 and the
opened end 220 of the tube-like enclosure 200 will prevent the
mixture of liquids from flowing over the opened end 220 of the
tube-like enclosure 200 while the light weight liquid of the
mixture of liquids being concentrated and collected into the cup
400.
[0040] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an additional filter 300 can be
attached to the wide inlet opening 110 of the tapered hollow body
100 in order to separate out unwanted matter.
Operation
[0041] Funnels are used for catching and directing a downward flow
of liquids, for example, transferring liquids into storage vessels.
When the storage vessels are bottles, usually one hand is required
for keeping the funnel in place and, at the same time, holding the
narrow neck of the bottle for stabilization in order to avoid
spilling while transferring liquids into bottles.
[0042] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tube-like enclosure 200
serves as a fence surrounding the narrow neck of a bottle. Since
the attached end 210 of the tube-like enclosure 200 is joined to
the exterior surface of the tapered hollow body 100, the tapered
hollow body 100 is prevented from over tilting and falling
accordingly.
[0043] Traditionally, funnels are used for catching and directing a
downward flow of liquids. However, if the tapered hollow body 100
is kept in a position where the wide inlet opening 110 downward and
the narrow outlet opening 120 upward, the tapered hollow body 100
can function as a concentrator. This concentration function can be
used to separate a mixture of liquids of different specific
gravities, e.g. oil and water. As shown in FIG. 6, the cup 400 is
bounded by the tube-like enclosure 200 and the tapered hollow body
100. As shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the spout 130 is attached to the
narrow outlet opening 120 of the tapered hollow body 100.
Therefore, the cup 400 is bounded by the tube-like enclosure 200,
the tapered hollow body 100, and the spout 130.
[0044] To illustrate the operation of separating a mixture of
liquids of different specific gravities, an oil/water mixture is
used as an example. In this example, oil is light weight liquid and
water is heavy weight liquid. As shown in FIG. 7, the universal
funnel 10 is slightly dipped into the oil/water mixture. As shown
in FIG. 8, when the universal funnel 10 is dipped further, oil
begins concentrating toward the narrow outlet opening 120 of the
tapered hollow body 100. When the universal funnel 10 is dipped
further more, oil begins concentrating into the inside of the spout
130. As shown in FIG. 9, when the dipping continues, oil
concentrated inside the spout 130 will be forced out of the spout
130 and flow into the cup 400. The depth of dipping can be
controlled by visual observation or a sensor equipped machine. The
operation can be repeated at the same location since oil tends to
even up above the water surface. Or the universal funnel 10 can be
moved and operated in another location.
CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE
[0045] Accordingly, the reader will see that the universal funnel
10 of this invention can be used for providing stability of the
tapered hollow body 100 when transferring liquids into bottles. Or
this invention can be used for separating a mixture of liquids of
different specific gravities, e.g. oil and water. Furthermore, the
universal funnel 10 has the additional advantages in that [0046] it
is scalable; for example, the miniaturized universal funnel 10 can
be used to remove a thin layer of oil from a soup. For example, the
thickness of oil is T=0.1 inches, the radius of the wide inlet
opening 110 of the tapered hollow body 100 is R=1.5 inches and the
radius of the spout 130 of the tapered hollow body 100 is r=0.25
inches, the volume of oil to be concentrated is equal to
V=(.pi.).times.(R.sup.2).times.(T)=(3.14).times.(1.5).times.(1.5).times.(-
0.1)=0.71 cubical inches. When oil is concentrated into the spout
130 of the tapered hollow body 100, the thickness of oil becomes
(V/(.pi.).times.(r.sup.2) )=0.71/(3.14.times.0.25.times.0.25)=3.6
inches. With visual observation, oil can be forced out of the spout
130 and collected into the cup 400 by dipping the universal funnel
10 into the soup. [0047] It is simple in structure, inexpensive in
production, and ease of use. [0048] Since the universal funnel 10
is simple in structure, the modularized tapered hollow bodies 100
and the modularized tube-like enclosures 200 can be in different
sizes and shapes. And the modularized tapered hollow bodies 100 and
the modularized tube-like enclosures 200 can be interchangeable to
fit a variety of bottles for liquids transferring or to fit in a
variety of environments for separating a mixture of liquids of
different specific gravities, e.g. oil and water.
[0049] Although the description above containing many
specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope
of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of the
presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For examples,
the tube-like enclosure 200 of the universal funnel 10 is a
tube-like device which can be in different shapes, for examples: a
cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a frustum shape as
shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a barrel shape, and so on. The tapered
hollow body 100 can be in different shapes as well, for examples: a
cone shape or an ogive shape with the pointy section cut off.
[0050] Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the
appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the
examples given.
* * * * *