U.S. patent application number 12/960747 was filed with the patent office on 2011-08-11 for seamless sleeve and seamless substrate.
This patent application is currently assigned to Illinois Tool Works. Invention is credited to Shannon K. Crawford-Taylor, Matthew J. Deschner, William A. Herring, Paul R. Jelonek, Dean J. Randazzo, Suwit Sangkaratana, Louis M. Spoto, Alan J. Varacins.
Application Number | 20110195266 12/960747 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44353947 |
Filed Date | 2011-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110195266 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Spoto; Louis M. ; et
al. |
August 11, 2011 |
SEAMLESS SLEEVE AND SEAMLESS SUBSTRATE
Abstract
A seamless, embossed or cast substrate is formed using a
seamless sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed thereon and
configured to slide over an cylindrical base in an embossing or
casting assembly. The substrate is a flat web, foil, or film of,
for example, paper, polyester, polypropylene, metal or other
elongated flat material. The surface relief can be applied through
interfering ablation, non-interfering ablation, ink jet printing,
or other techniques wherein a seamless surface relief is formed
onto the seamless sleeve. A method of making a seamless, embossed
or cast substrate includes expanding a diameter of a seamless
sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed thereon, sliding the
expanded seamless sleeve onto a cylindrical base, allowing the
diameter of the seamless sleeve to contract around the cylindrical
base, and conveying a substrate through the embossing or casting
assembly and embossing or casting the seamless surface relief into
the substrate.
Inventors: |
Spoto; Louis M.; (Hampton
Falls, NH) ; Randazzo; Dean J.; (Chicago, IL)
; Deschner; Matthew J.; (Downers Grove, IL) ;
Herring; William A.; (Valparaiso, IN) ;
Crawford-Taylor; Shannon K.; (Merrillville, IN) ;
Sangkaratana; Suwit; (Crown Point, IN) ; Jelonek;
Paul R.; (Geneva, IL) ; Varacins; Alan J.;
(Burlington, WI) |
Assignee: |
Illinois Tool Works
Glenview
IL
|
Family ID: |
44353947 |
Appl. No.: |
12/960747 |
Filed: |
December 6, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61302118 |
Feb 6, 2010 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/586 ;
428/156; 428/161; 428/34.1; 428/34.4; 428/36.9; 428/36.91; 428/600;
72/252.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 428/12389 20150115;
B41N 6/00 20130101; Y10T 428/24479 20150115; B21B 27/02 20130101;
B44B 5/0047 20130101; Y10T 428/1393 20150115; Y10T 428/24521
20150115; B29C 59/026 20130101; B29C 59/04 20130101; Y10T 428/139
20150115; B44B 5/026 20130101; B21B 27/005 20130101; Y10T 29/49563
20150115; B31F 2201/0723 20130101; B31F 1/07 20130101; Y10T 428/131
20150115; B44B 5/0052 20130101; Y10T 428/12292 20150115; Y10T
428/13 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
428/586 ;
428/156; 428/600; 428/161; 428/34.1; 428/36.91; 428/34.4; 428/36.9;
72/252.5 |
International
Class: |
B32B 3/30 20060101
B32B003/30; B32B 1/08 20060101 B32B001/08; B21D 22/08 20060101
B21D022/08 |
Claims
1. A seamless, embossed or cast substrate formed using a seamless
sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed on an exterior
surface of the seamless sleeve, the seamless sleeve configured to
slide over a cylindrical base in an embossing or casting assembly,
the seamless, embossed or cast substrate comprising: a surface
relief formed in the substrate, wherein the surface relief is
seamlessly formed along a length of the substrate.
2. The seamless, embossed or cast substrate of claim 1 wherein the
substrate is a flat web, foil or film.
3. The seamless, embossed or cast substrate of claim 1 wherein the
substrate is a paper, a polyester, a polypropylene, a metal, or a
thermoplastic polymer.
4. The seamless; embossed or cast substrate of claim 1 wherein the
substrate has a surface treatment thereon.
5. The seamless, embossed or cast substrate of claim 4 wherein the
surface treatment is a coating.
6. A seamless sleeve for use with an cylindrical base in an
embossing or casting assembly comprising: a seamless sleeve; and a
seamless surface relief applied on an exterior surface of the
seamless sleeve, the seamless sleeve configured to slide over the
cylindrical base in the embossing or casting assembly.
7. The seamless sleeve of claim 6 wherein the surface relief is
formed on an exterior surface of the seamless sleeve through
interfering ablation, non-interfering ablation, micro-etching, or
ink jet printing.
8. The seamless sleeve of claim 6 wherein the seamless sleeve
further includes a laser-ablatable surface.
9. The seamless sleeve of claim 6 wherein an exterior surface of
the seamless sleeve is directly laser-ablatable.
10. The seamless sleeve of claim 6 wherein an exterior surface of
the sleeve is coated with a laser ablatable coating.
11. The seamless sleeve of claim 10 wherein the laser ablatable
coating is UV or EB curable.
12. The seamless sleeve of claim 10 wherein the laser ablatable
coating is a polyimide or gelatin coating.
13. The seamless sleeve of claim 6 wherein the surface relief is
applied directly to an exterior surface of the seamless sleeve.
14. The seamless sleeve of claim 6 wherein the surface relief is
applied in an ablatable material applied to an exterior surface of
the seamless sleeve.
15. The seamless sleeve of claim 6 wherein the seamless sleeve is
formed of a metal.
16. The seamless sleeve of claim 15 wherein the sleeve is
nickel.
17. The seamless sleeve of claim 6 wherein the seamless sleeve is
formed of a ceramic or polymeric material.
18. A method of making a seamless, embossed or cast substrate in an
embossing or casting assembly comprising: expanding a diameter of a
seamless sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed thereon;
sliding the expanded seamless sleeve onto a cylindrical base;
allowing the diameter of the seamless sleeve to contract around the
cylindrical base; and conveying a substrate through the embossing
or casting assembly and embossing or casting the seamless surface
relief into the substrate.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of
Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/302,118, filed Feb.
6, 2010.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is directed to a relief pattern on a
substrate. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
substrate having a seamless surface relief embossed or cast therein
and a sleeve and method for making same.
[0003] Pressing a surface relief into a substrate under heat and
pressure results in a "transfer" or replication of the surface
relief onto the substrate. A surface relief is a structure, image,
or representation of a three-dimensional (3D) relief, holographic
image, diffractive pattern, non-diffractive pattern, or surface
texture. A substrate is a material that can receive a surface
relief, such as a continuous web of film(s), foil(s), coated
film(s), coated foil(s), or coated paper or board, that may be
untreated or pre-treated, as by plasma, metalizing, vacuum coating
or the like, as desired. A metal or plastic shim (hereafter "shim")
is often used to transfer the surface relief onto the
substrate.
[0004] Typically, a shim is created as a flat sheet that is then
wrapped around and attached (mounted) to a large cylindrical roller
(hereafter "cylindrical base") using adhesives and/or fasteners.
The cylindrical base, with the shim mounted thereon, is mounted
into an embossing or casting assembly wherein an impression or
replication of the surface relief is transferred from the shim onto
the substrate during, the embossing or casting process.
[0005] The resulting embossed or cast substrate is generally
accumulated on large rolls which can be cut into smaller rolls or
sheets as desired for a variety of uses such as wallpaper, wrapping
paper, magazines, and the like. The roll or sheets of embossed or
cast substrate also can be printed, metalized and/or laminated to
board stock, plastic films, or other surfaces to create decorative,
secure, and/or functional surfaces that have distinctive images,
patterns, textures or color variations as the viewing angle
changes.
[0006] While using shims on cylindrical bases is an effective
method in producing embossed or cast substrates, there are several
disadvantages to using shims. First, shims are time-consuming to
prepare. Several steps, including creating an image onto a
photoresist plate, plating, coating, peeling, and the like are only
a few of the steps involved in producing one shim.
[0007] In addition, wrapping a flat shim around a cylindrical base
leaves a void or join line where the side edges of the shim meet.
Furthermore, in some cases, the cylindrical base may be of such
length that one shim is insufficient to cover the entire length of
the cylindrical base. Accordingly, there may be more than one flat
shim required to cover the surface of the cylindrical base. When
more than one shim is present, not only is a join line present
where the ends of the shim meet when encircling the cylindrical
base, but there are also join lines evident where the two or more
shims abut one another along the width of the cylindrical base.
Consequentially, with each revolution of the cylindrical base, an
impression of the join line(s) is transferred into the substrate
along with the surface relief. These join lines are often referred
to as a repeats, interruptions, or seams (hereafter collectively
referred to as "seam(s)") that are visible on the substrate. With
multiple shims per cylindrical base, there can be an increasing
number of seams. The multiple seams create a "parquet" effect on
the embossed or cast substrate, not unlike multiple tiles on a
floor.
[0008] Seams present in the final embossed or cast substrate are
difficult to eliminate in the final product. Seams can be
particularly noticeable in continuous holographic or textured
patterns and are highly undesirable.
[0009] Therefore, in order to ensure that scams do not appear as
flaws or defects in an end product, when cutting the embossed or
cast substrate, downstream converters are forced to calibrate and
register or index equipment to avoid incorporating the seams into
the end product. Having to work around the seams increases the
material scrap; a great deal of waste is produced in addition to
the inconvenience of having to calibrate machinery to avoid the
transition areas while cutting the embossed or cast substrate to
size.
[0010] Furthermore, once the shims have been used in the embossing
or casting processes, the shims are difficult to remove from the
cylindrical base when the shim is no longer useful. The shim needs
to be scraped off the cylindrical base in order for the cylindrical
base to be prepared for a different shim. The used shim cannot be
recovered or stored and is no longer useful as a shim. Once
removed, the shim is then discarded as waste or recycled and the
cylindrical base needs to scrubbed and prepared to host a new
shim.
[0011] Efforts to reduce reliance on shims included forming the
surface relief directly onto a photoresist material on the
cylindrical base itself. Unfortunately, photoresist or other
typical material used cannot withstand high temperature. Usually,
the photoresist or other materials can only endure temperatures of
less than 150 degrees Celsius; in addition, the embossing or
casting cylinder and resultant embossed or cast substrate has less
durability than perhaps is desired. Another method involved etching
a surface relief directly onto the cylindrical base. In both cases,
however, the cylindrical base cannot be reused for other patterns
once the surface relief formed thereon is no longer useful. In
addition, the size, weight, and cost of cylindrical bases makes
forming the surface relief directly on the cylindrical base
impractical.
[0012] Accordingly, there is a need for an embossed or cast
substrate having no seams. Desirably, such an embossed or cast
substrate is formed using an embossing media that is easy to
manufacture, cost effective, easily removed, storable, and
reusable, while minimizing necessary cleaning and maintenance of
associated machinery.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] A seamless, embossed or cast substrate is formed using a
seamless sleeve having a seamless surface relief formed on an
exterior surface of the sleeve. The seamless sleeve is cylindrical
in shape and is configured to slide over a cylindrical base in an
embossing or casting assembly. The surface relief is seamlessly
formed along a length of the substrate. A "seamless" surface relief
refers to a continuous, uninterrupted surface relief pattern having
no seams, repeat lines, or join lines. The substrate is a flat web,
foil, or film of for example, paper, polyester, polypropylene,
metal or other elongated flat material into which a surface relief
can be formed. The substrate, in one embodiment, has a coating or
other surface preparation thereon to enable or facilitate embossing
or casting of the surface relief.
[0014] A sleeve for use with an embossing or casting assembly
having a cylindrical base has a seamless surface relief applied on
an exterior surface of the sleeve. The surface relief can be
applied to the sleeve through interfering ablation, non-interfering
ablation, ink jet printing, or other techniques wherein a surface
relief is formed (e.g. impressed, etched, microetched, applied,
brushed, engraved, created, cast or otherwise applied) onto an
exterior surface of the sleeve. The surface relief is formed
directly onto/into the exterior surface of the sleeve in one
embodiment, while in another embodiment, the surface relief is
formed in or on a coating applied on the exterior surface of the
sleeve.
[0015] The sleeve can be a metal such as nickel or aluminum, but
may also be a ceramic, polymer, thermopolymer (e.g.
polyvinylchloride (PVC)), or other suitable material. In one
embodiment, the coating is uniformly applied and has a thickness,
in one example, of 18-25 microns. The coating may be, for example,
a polyimide, gelatin, or an ultraviolet (UV) or electron beam (EB)
curable coating.
[0016] A method for coating a seamless sleeve with a coating
includes inserting the sleeve into a variable controlled air motor
rotisserie and spraying the sleeve with the coating while rotating
the sleeve to form a uniform coating thickness. A spraying
apparatus is mounted to an automated linear movement to apply the
coating. In another embodiment, the coating is sprayed on manually
or applied using for example, a paint, annular ring system/coater,
blade system, dip coating, or application roller system. The
coating is applied over all or almost all of a length of the sleeve
and around the entire circumference of the sleeve in order to form
a coating of generally uniform thickness on the sleeve.
[0017] A method of making a seamless, embossed or cast substrate in
an embossing or casting assembly includes expanding slightly the
diameter of the seamless sleeve having the seamless surface relief
formed thereon and sliding the expanded seamless sleeve onto a
cylindrical base. The diameter of the seamless sleeve is allowed to
contract around the cylindrical base. A substrate is then conveyed
or passed through the embossing or casting assembly over the
seamless sleeve and the seamless surface relief is seamlessly
embossed or cast into the substrate.
[0018] These and other features and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent from the following detailed description,
in conjunction with the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The benefits and advantages of the present invention will
become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the
relevant art after reviewing the following detailed description and
accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a side view of a system for seamlessly embossing
or casting a substrate in accordance with the principles of the
present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 a perspective view of a sleeve mounted on a
cylindrical base to form an embossing or casting roll;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cylindrical base;
and
[0023] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in
various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter
be described a presently preferred embodiment with the
understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an
exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the
invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.
[0025] It should be further understood that the title of this
section of this specification, namely, "Detailed Description Of The
Invention", relates to a requirement of the United States Patent
Office, and does not imply, nor should be inferred to limit the
subject matter disclosed herein.
[0026] The present invention eliminates the need for the commonly
used flat shim in favor of a seamless sleeve that slides easily
over the surface of an cylindrical base in an embossing or casting
system. A surface relief is a structure, image, or representation
of a 3D relief, holographic image, diffractive pattern,
non-diffractive pattern, or surface texture. A substrate is a
material that can receive a surface relief, such as, for example, a
continuous web of films, foils, coated films, coated foils, or
coated paper or board.
[0027] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a seamless embossing or
casting assembly or system 100 for embossing or casting on a
substrate 104, is shown. It will be appreciated by those skilled in
the art that FIG. 1 is intended to illustrate embossing and casting
systems in general and that other embodiments of the system 100 are
anticipated and contemplated and within the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0028] The embossing or casting system 100 includes a supply reel
102 having a supply of substrate 104 for the embossing or casting
system 100. The substrate 104 is conveyed around one or more web
rollers 106 and enters a nip formed between the cylindrical base
110 having a seamless sleeve 130 thereon (wherein the cylindrical
base having a sleeve thereon is hereafter collectively referred to
as an "embossing or casting roll" 119), and a roller 112. A
pressure roller 1.14 may also be present. The substrate 104 is
seamlessly embossed or cast with a surface relief identical or
similar to that present on the seamless sleeve 130. The
now-embossed or cast substrate 104 is gathered or accumulated on a
take-up reel 120. The embossed or cast substrate 104, on take-up
reel 120, can be further processed downstream, such as by vacuum
metalizing, plasma treating, coating, painting, laminating,
slitting, sheeting, die cutting and/or otherwise treated to form a
desired effect or product.
[0029] An embodiment of the seamless sleeve 130 for use in the
above described seamless embossing or casting system 100 is shown
in greater detail in FIG. 2. The seamless sleeve 130 is a metal,
polymeric, thermopolymeric (e.g. PVC), or ceramic cylinder having
an interior surface 131 and an exterior surface 134. The seamless
sleeve 130 is hollow and has a length L.sub.1, a diameter D.sub.1,
and a wall thickness t.sub.1. The circumference C of seamless
sleeve 130 can be any dimension; in one example, the circumference
is between ten (10) inches and thirty (30) inches. In another
example, the length L.sub.1 of the seamless sleeve 130 is between
twenty-five (25) and sixty-six (66) inches or more, while a
diameter D.sub.1 is between three (3) and ten (10) inches. It will
be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a seamless sleeve
130 may be created having dimensions different than those
described, and are within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0030] In an embodiment, the seamless sleeve 130 has no coating on
the exterior surface 134. In another exemplary embodiment, the
seamless sleeve 130 has a coating 132, such as a laser-ablatable
coating (e.g., a UV or EB curable or polyimide material). In
another embodiment, the coating 132 is a non-ablatable-type coating
capable of having an surface relief formed thereon. The seamless
sleeve 130 can be coated by means of a spray, e.g., manually or
automatically spraying or applied using for example, a paint,
annular ring system/coater, blade system, dip coating, or
application roller system and may be dried and/or cured. The
coating is applied over all or almost all of a length of the sleeve
and around the entire circumference of the sleeve in order to form
a coating of generally uniform thickness on the sleeve. In a
casting application, to replicate the relief surface, a curable
liquid (e.g., a UV or EB curable monomer/oligomer mixture or the
like), is uniformly applied to the relief pattern or the substrate
surface and the two layers are brought together through a nip
(e.g., between rollers) to intimately contact the coating between
the surfaces and the coating is cured, preferably but not
necessarily before separating the substrate from the relief
surface. In this manner, the relief surface is replicated in situ,
by the cure coating, and will have adhered itself to the
substrate.
[0031] The coating 132 on the seamless sleeve 130 possesses, or is
configured to possess, physical and/or chemical properties, as
appropriate, such as: low surface energy, ease of processing (the
ability to coat or spray), heat stability (withstand temperatures
of up to 280 degrees Celsius or more), chemical resistance,
mechanical durability, and increased adhesion/affinity to the
sleeve material. In addition, the coating 132 has or is configured
to have the ability to be ablated, optically imaged, or laser
etched. In an exemplary embodiment, the coating has
flexibility/elasticity to accommodate expansion and contraction of
the seamless sleeve without damaging the surface relief or causing
a loss of adhesion of the coating to the sleeve. Furthermore, the
coating 132 can be configured to assist or facilitate in the
control of the surface energy of the seamless sleeve 130.
[0032] The groups of polymers that can be utilized to meet the
different performance levels required through the sleeve coating,
ablating, imaging and casting/embossing processes can be selected
from several tiers of polymers; for example, the family known as
`Ultra` polymers may be used for more demanding applications. For
less demanding situations, the class of `Engineering` polymers may
also be successfully employed.
[0033] A seamless surface relief 136 is formed on the outer or
exterior surface 134 of the seamless sleeve 130, along almost all
or all of the entire length L.sub.1 of the seamless sleeve 130, and
along the circumference C.sub.1 of the seamless sleeve 130. The
surface relief 136 may be any text or graphic, micro-etch, three
dimensional relief, holographic image, diffractive and
non-diffraction patterns and/or surface texture which can be
embossed or cast onto a substrate. Such surface reliefs may be
obtained from photographs, digitally created images, paintings,
other textured surfaces and the like.
[0034] The surface relief 136 is formed on the exterior surface 134
of the seamless sleeve 130 through interference ablation techniques
or non-interference ablation techniques either directly onto the
surface 134 of the seamless sleeve 130 or onto the coating 132 on
the surface 134 of the seamless sleeve 130. The seamless sleeve 130
is rotated while simultaneously being advanced to create a seamless
(e.g. continuous, uninterrupted) surface relief 136 along the
entire circumference, and along at least a portion of the length
L.sub.1 of the seamless sleeve 130.
[0035] Turning now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cylindrical base 110 is
cantilevered, having a first end 152 and a second end 154. The
first end 152 is free while the second end 154 is connected to a
frame 160 of the embossing or casting assembly 100 (shown in FIG.
1).
[0036] The first end 152 of the cylindrical base 110 has a quick
connect air intake 158 and pin holes 156 located circumferentially
around the second end 154 in fluid communication with an interior
161 and an exterior 162 of the cylindrical base 110. The pin holes
156 in an exemplary embodiment, are about 3/32 inch in diameter and
are equally spaced about the circumference C.sub.2 of the
cylindrical base 110. The pin holes 156 are positioned near the
second end 154. In addition, the second end 154 has a beveled edge
164 having a length of about 0.25 inches and formed at an angle
about 20 degrees from the horizontal.
[0037] The method of producing a seamless, embossed or cast
substrate 104 as disclosed above includes sliding the seamless
sleeve 130 onto the cylindrical base 110 using an "air-greased"
type mechanism. The quick connect 158 of the cylindrical base 110,
along with the pin holes, nozzles, or apertures 156 (hereafter "pin
holes" 156) along the wall of the cylindrical base 110, allow air
or other gas 120 to travel through the center or interior 161 of
the cylindrical base 110 and out the pin holes 156. The force of
the air or gas through the pin holes 156 expands the walls of the
seamless sleeve 130, making the seamless sleeve 130 slightly larger
in diameter than the diameter of the cylindrical base 110 and
enables the seamless sleeve 130 to easily slide onto the
cylindrical base 110. Once positioned on the cylindrical base 110,
the air pressure is removed or deactivated and the seamless sleeve
130 contracts to fit the cylindrical base 110 snugly.
[0038] The seamless sleeve 130 is removed from the cylindrical base
110 as it has been put on: an air grease nozzle is produced,
expanding the sides/diameter of the seamless sleeve 130 slightly in
order to slide the seamless sleeve 130 from the cylindrical base
110. After removal, the seamless sleeve 130 may then be stored
and/or reused.
[0039] In another embodiment, the coating is stripped from the
seamless sleeve, and the seamless sleeve can be re-coated and
re-used. In yet another embodiment, the coated sleeve would not be
stripped, but rather, a new layer of coating may be applied over
the previous coating, and a new surface relief is formed in the new
coating. In yet another example, an already imaged sleeve can be
replicated by embossing or casting another sleeve into a sleeve
coated with the same material, effectively producing a positive
image from a separately formed negative image. In still yet another
example, a relief surface can be created by embossing a standard
shim into the surface using known techniques of feathering and/or
hiding the seam.
[0040] The advantages of the present seamless substrate, seamless
sleeve and method for making a seamless substrate using the
seamless sleeve will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The
present apparatus and method eliminates use of flat shims and their
many inherent disadvantages not least of which are undesirable
seams. In addition, the sleeve of the present invention is easily
removable from the cylindrical base, easily storable, and
conveniently reusable, reducing waste and providing an efficient
and cost-effective alternative to metal shims. Furthermore, such a
method is 25% faster than traditional embossing or casting
preparation and produces a brighter, more vibrant product. The
sleeve and cylindrical base are able to be used for longer periods
of time without maintenance or cleaning.
[0041] Using a seamless sleeve instead of a shim also saves time in
loading and unloading of the sleeve when compared to shim
preparation, and adhesion to and removal from the cylindrical base.
With the present apparatus and method, no developing of an image
and no secondary plating is required, as is required in shim
preparation. Most importantly, however, the sleeve and method of
making and using same produces a seamless embossed or cast
substrate forming an unlimited length of substrate seamlessly,
where the width of the surface relief on the substrate depends only
on the length of the sleeve.
[0042] All patents referred to herein, are incorporated herein by
reference, whether or not specifically done so within the text of
this disclosure.
[0043] In the present disclosure, the words "a" or "an" are to be
taken to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any
reference to plural items shall, where appropriate, include the
singular.
[0044] From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous
modifications and variations can be effectuated without departing
from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present
invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect
to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be
inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover by the appended
claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the
claims.
* * * * *