U.S. patent application number 13/087316 was filed with the patent office on 2012-10-18 for device to improve accuracy of a small arm.
Invention is credited to James J. Farquhar, William G. Gnesda, Rob Golden, Daniel P. Simpson.
Application Number | 20120260553 13/087316 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47005321 |
Filed Date | 2012-10-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120260553 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gnesda; William G. ; et
al. |
October 18, 2012 |
DEVICE TO IMPROVE ACCURACY OF A SMALL ARM
Abstract
An insert assembly for a weapon is disclosed. The weapon may be
a rifle, such as an M4 carbine. The insert assembly is configured
to support a bolt while the bolt moves during recharging and firing
cycles. The insert may be configured to continuously press on an
upper receiver when the rifle is assembled. These features improve
shooting accuracy of the rifle by minimizing and/or making
consistent movements of the rifle's internal components (i.e.,
there is less wobbling of the components with respect to each
other). The insert assembly may include a support plate and a
hollow protrusion rigidly attached to the plate. A piston and a
spring are inserted into the protrusion. The piston slides within
the protrusion and is pushed against the bolt of the rifle by the
spring.
Inventors: |
Gnesda; William G.;
(Imperial Beach, CA) ; Farquhar; James J.;
(Coronado, CA) ; Simpson; Daniel P.; (Warrenton,
VA) ; Golden; Rob; (Discovery Bay, CA) |
Family ID: |
47005321 |
Appl. No.: |
13/087316 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
42/16 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A 3/26 20130101; F41A
35/00 20130101; F41A 3/64 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
42/16 |
International
Class: |
F41A 3/12 20060101
F41A003/12; F41C 7/00 20060101 F41C007/00 |
Claims
1. An insert assembly for a weapon, the insert assembly comprising:
a support plate that is received in a lower receiver of the weapon;
a hollow protrusion rigidly attached to the support plate and
extending upward relative to a top surface of the support plate; a
piston inserted into the hollow protrusion, the piston sliding
inside the hollow protrusion, the piston including a top surface to
support a bolt of the weapon when the bolt slides over the top
surface of the piston; and a spring inserted into the hollow
protrusion between the piston and the top surface of the support
plate, the spring exerting a force on the piston, thereby pushing
the piston against the bolt.
2. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the
piston is substantially parallel to the top surface of the support
plate.
3. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein the hollow protrusion
and the piston include aligning features to control the orientation
of the piston with respect to the support plate.
4. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the
piston includes a chamfer.
5. The insert assembly of claim 4, wherein the chamfer locates a
bolt keyway when the bolt moves reciprocally between two working
positions during firing and reloading.
6. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein any of the support
plate, the hollow protrusion, and the spring are made of stainless
steel.
7. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein the hollow protrusion
includes a positive stop feature to limit an upmost position of the
piston.
8. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein the spring exerts a
force of between about 5 lbs and about 15 lbs on the piston when
the top surface of the piston is in an upmost position.
9. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein the spring exerts a
force of about 10 lbs on the piston when the top surface of the
piston is in an upmost position.
10. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein the piston extends out
of the hollow protrusion about 0.5 inches when the top surface of
the piston is in an upmost position.
11. The insert assembly of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the
piston conforms to a profile of the bolt.
12. The insert assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second
protrusion attached to the support plate and extending upward from
the top surface of the support plate in the same direction as the
hollow protrusion, the second protrusion including a second top
surface that presses on an upper receiver of the weapon when the
upper receiver is engaged with the lower receiver.
13. The insert assembly of claim 12, wherein friction maintains the
insert assembly in position with respect to other components of the
weapon.
14. The insert assembly of claim 12, wherein the second top surface
is formed from a compressible material.
15. The insert assembly of claim 12, wherein the second top surface
is formed from Santoprene.TM. TPV 111-35.
16. The insert assembly of claim 12, wherein the second top surface
extends upward from the second protrusion to engage the upper
receiver of the weapon.
17. The insert assembly of claim 12, wherein the second top surface
compresses about 0.125 inches while engaging the upper receiver of
the weapon.
18. An insert assembly for a weapon, the insert assembly
comprising: a support plate received in a lower receiver of the
weapon; and a protrusion attached to the support plate and
extending away from a top surface of the support plate, the
protrusion including a top surface that presses on an upper
receiver of the weapon when the upper receiver is engaged with the
lower receiver.
19. The insert assembly of claim 18, wherein friction maintains the
insert assembly in position with respect to other components of the
weapon.
20. An insert assembly for a weapon, the insert assembly
comprising: a support plate that is received in a lower receiver of
the weapon; a hollow protrusion rigidly attached to the support
plate and upward relative to a top surface of the support plate; a
piston inserted into the hollow protrusion, the piston sliding
inside the hollow protrusion, the piston including a top surface to
support a bolt of the weapon, the top surface of the piston
including a chamfer to locate a bolt keyway when the bolt moves
reciprocally between two working positions during firing and
reloading; a spring inserted into the hollow protrusion between the
piston and the top surface of the support plate, the spring
exerting a predetermined force of between about 5 lbs and about 15
lbs on the piston, thereby pushing the piston against the bolt; and
a second protrusion attached to the support plate, the second
protrusion including a top surface that presses on an upper
receiver of the weapon when the upper receiver is engaged with the
lower receiver.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This application relates generally to firearms and more
specifically to an insert for a small arm, typically a rifle, which
provides greater accuracy for the weapon.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many firearms, such as the assault rifles commonly used in
military and law enforcement situations, are designed by their
manufacturers to have a bolt assembly driven in a reciprocal motion
between two positions. One example includes the AR-15 family of
firearms, which in turn includes the M16-type firearms. The
M16-type firearms are military versions and are capable of
operating in a fully automatic mode. As originally designed, the
AR-15, M16, and M4 firearms are collectively and generically
referred to as "M16-type" firearms or rifles. An M16-type rifle
includes auto loading features and is capable of operating in a
semi-automatic regime, a full-automatic regime, a burst-fire
regime, a selective-fire regime, or various combinations of the
above. As such, the M16-type rifle is used for a higher volume of
firing than many other types of firearms and accordingly may be
susceptible to higher levels of heat, fouling, and component
failures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of
the claimed subject matter.
[0004] Provided is an insert assembly for installing into small
arm, typically a rifle such as an M4 carbine. The insert assembly
is received in a lower receiver of the rifle. The insert assembly
is configured to support a bolt while the bolt moves during firing
and reloading cycles. In some exemplary embodiments, the insert is
configured to continuously press on an upper receiver when the
rifle is assembled. These features tend to improve shooting
accuracy of the rifle by minimizing and/or making consistent some
undesirable movements of the rifle's internal components (i.e.,
there is less wobbling of the components with respect to each
other). In some exemplary embodiments, the insert assembly includes
a support plate and a hollow protrusion rigidly attached to the
plate. A piston and a spring are inserted into the protrusion. The
piston slides within the protrusion and is pushed against the bolt
of the rifle by the spring.
[0005] In some exemplary embodiments, an insert assembly for a
rifle includes a support plate configured for insertion into a
lower receiver of the rifle, a hollow protrusion rigidly attached
to the support plate, a piston inserted into the hollow protrusion,
and a spring inserted into the hollow protrusion between the piston
and the support plate. A combination of the support plate and the
hollow protrusion is sometimes referred to as a body. The piston is
sometimes referred to as a "nub pilot" or as a "nubbin." The
support plate has a front surface that contacts the protrusion and
a spring. The protrusion, in fact, extends away from the front face
of the support plate. The piston is configured to slide inside the
hollow protrusion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the
front surface. The piston includes a top surface for supporting a
bolt of the rifle while the bolt slides over the top surface in a
direction substantially parallel to the top surface. The spring is
configured to exert a predetermined force on the piston, thereby
pushing the piston against the bolt and away from the front
surface. In some exemplary embodiments, the top surface of the
piston is substantially parallel to the front face of the support
plate.
[0006] The top surface of the piston may include a chamfer. The
chamfer may be used to allow uneven portions of the bolt to slide
over the top surface. The chamfer may be also used to locate the
bolt keyway when the bolt moves reciprocally between its two
working positions during firing and reloading. In certain
embodiments, the hollow structure and piston include one or more
aligning features for controlling orientation of the chamfer with
respect to the support plate and/or the protrusion.
[0007] The top surface of the piston may be made of wear resistant
stainless steel, such as 17-4 Stainless 43/45 RC. The support plate
and protrusion may be made from a more general grade of stainless
steel, such as 303 Stainless Steel. The spring is also generally
made from stainless steel. The spring may be configured to exert a
force of between about 5 lbs. and 15 lbs. on the piston when the
top surface of the piston is in the upmost position. In an
exemplary embodiment, the spring is configured to exert a force of
about 10 lbs. In some exemplary embodiments, the hollow protrusion
includes a positive stop feature configured to limit an upmost
position of the top surface of the piston. For example, a piston
may not need to contact the bolt of the rifle at all times during
firing and reloading cycles, and at certain points, a positive stop
controls the extension of the piston out of the hollow protrusion.
The piston may be configured to extend out of the hollow protrusion
less than about 0.5 inches when the top surface of the piston is in
the upmost position.
[0008] The insert assembly may also include a second protrusion
attached to the support plate and extending away from the front
face of the support plate in the same direction as the hollow
protrusion. The second protrusion includes a second top surface
configured to press on an upper receiver of the rifle and exert a
force on that receiver when the upper receiver is engaged with the
lower receiver (i.e., when the rifle is in an assembled state). A
friction created supports the insert assembly with respect to other
components of the rifle. This friction may exist between the second
top surface and the upper receiver as well as between the support
plate and the lower receiver. The second top surface may include a
rubber-like compressible material. More specifically, the second
top surface may include Santoprene.TM. TPV 111-35. The second top
surface may extend at least about 0.25 inches from the second
protrusion prior to engaging with the upper receiver of the rifle.
The second top surface is configured to compress by at least about
0.125 inches while engaging with the upper receiver of the
rifle.
[0009] In some exemplary embodiments, an insert assembly for
installing into a rifle includes a support plate configured for
insertion into a lower receiver of the rifle and a protrusion
attached to the support plate and extending away from a front face
of the support plate. The protrusion includes a second top surface
configured to press on an upper receiver of the rifle and exert a
force on the upper receiver when the upper receiver is engaged with
the lower receiver. The friction created by this force supports the
insert assembly with respect to other components of the rifle.
[0010] The insert assembly may include a support plate, a hollow
protrusion, a piston inserted into the hollow protrusion, a spring
inserted into the hollow protrusion between the piston and the
support plate, and a second protrusion attached to the support
plate and having a second top surface. The support plate is
configured for insertion into a lower receiver of the rifle. The
hollow protrusion rigidly attaches to the support plate and extends
away from a front face of the support plate. The piston is
configured to slide inside the hollow protrusion in a direction
substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the support
plate. The piston includes a top surface for supporting a bolt of
the rifle while the bolt slides over the top surface in a direction
substantially parallel to the top surface. The top surface includes
a chamfer configured to locate the bolt keyway when the bolt moves
reciprocally between its two working positions during firing and
reloading. The spring is configured to exert a predetermined force
of between about 5 lbs. and 15 lbs. on the piston, thereby pushing
the piston against the bolt and away from the front surface of the
support plate. The second top surface of the second protrusion is
configured to press on an upper receiver of the rifle and exert a
force on the upper receiver when the upper receiver is engaged with
the lower receiver.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not
limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which
like references indicate similar elements.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a rifle.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a partial schematic cross-sectional side view of a
rifle assembly.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a general schematic view of a bolt within a
rifle.
[0015] FIGS. 4A and 4B are general schematic views of a bolt
supported by an insert assembly at two different positions of the
bolt.
[0016] FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic views of an insert assembly at
two different positions of its piston.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of an insert
assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] In the following description, numerous specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
present invention. The present invention may be practiced without
some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well
known process operations have not been described in detail to not
unnecessarily obscure the present invention. While the invention
will be described in conjunction with the specific embodiments, it
will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention
to the embodiments.
[0019] Various embodiments of the device are configured to improve
the accuracy of small arms by removing unwanted motion from the
components. While the following description refers generally to a
rifle, it will be recognized that the device can also be used in
small arms not generally described as a rifle.
[0020] Some components of a bolt action rifle will now be briefly
described in order to provide a better understanding of various
claimed features. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a rifle 100
that includes an upper receiver 105 pivotally coupled to a lower
receiver 110. Upper receiver 105 includes a barrel 115 that may be
attached to upper receiver 105 using threaded or other types of
mechanical couplings. Barrel 115 has a front sight assembly 120
securely attached thereto and is partially enclosed by a pivotable
hand-guard assembly 125. Hand-guard assembly 125 is pivotally
mounted to barrel 115 using a pivot pin 165. Barrel 115 has a gas
port passing inside and through the top portion of barrel 115 to
communicate with a gas cylinder assembly 130. Certain details of
the gas port and gas cylinder assembly are further described below
in the context of FIG. 2.
[0021] Upper receiver 105 and lower receiver 110 are braced by the
butt-stock assembly 135, which is attached to lower receiver 110
using threaded or other types of mechanical couplings. A handgrip
140 is attached to lower receiver 110 directly behind a trigger
assembly. A removable magazine 145 is fitted into a magazine well
of lower receiver 110. A rear sight assembly 150 is adjustably
mounted on upper receiver 105. A charging handle 155 is attached to
upper receiver 105 and is used to engage bolt assembly 160. As can
be seen from FIG. 1, a coupling between upper receiver 105 and
lower receiver 110 establishes references between various other
components of rifle 100. Specifically, a reference is provided
between front sight assembly 120, rear sight assembly 150 and
barrel 115 secured on upper receiver 105 with respect to butt-stock
assembly 135 and handgrip 140 secured on lower receiver 110. This
reference may be important while supporting rifle 100 by butt-stock
assembly 135 and handgrip 140 and aiming at a target using front
sight assembly 120 and rear sight assembly 150, particularly when
firing in a continuous mode. Any slop between upper receiver 105
and lower receiver 110 may interfere with this aim and, therefore,
needs to be minimized.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a partial schematic cross-sectional view of a
rifle assembly 200, in accordance with certain embodiments.
Assembly 200 is shown with cut-away portions of upper receiver 105
and lower receiver 110.
[0023] A bolt carrier 205 carries a bolt 210 and is slidably
mounted to upper receiver 105. Bolt carrier 205 is also affixed at
the top to a gas key 215, which is used to seal off the gas
passages to bolt carrier 205. A gas system 220 includes a
cylindrical gas cylinder 225 rigidly mounted to the front sight
assembly and containing therein a slidable piston 230 having a
dished gas pressure face and being fixedly secured to a slidable
piston rod 235. Piston rod 235 extends concentrically down gas
cylinder 225 and slidably engages a cylinder nut 240, which is
threadably engaged in the left-most end of gas cylinder 225. Gas
cylinder 225 and piston 230 may be made of a hard structural
material, such as steel or stainless steel. Gas cylinder 225 is
closed at the opposite end by cylinder nut 240. The length of gas
cylinder 225 varies depending upon the amount of stroke needed to
completely cycle the bolt 210 and bolt carrier 205 sufficiently
backward in the receiver to eject a fired cartridge and to load a
new unfired cartridge into chamber 245. Gas cylinder 225, slidable
piston 230, and piston rod 235 are arranged to lay substantially
parallel to barrel bore 250 such that piston rod 235 passes through
an opening 255 formed in upper receiver 105. Piston rod 235 extends
through opening 255 and engages in passage 260.
[0024] A bolt contacts a breech and then rotates and locks into a
place in which it is being held by lugs attached to the breech or
to the barrel extension. Upon closing, the bolt passes through the
slots cut in the front of the barrel extension and then rotates. At
this point it is locked in place. The bolt remains locked until the
action is cycled. This could be performed either manually by the
operator or mechanically by the gas system described above in the
context of FIG. 2. In this later example, the gas created by
discharging the rifle pushes on the bolt carrier. The bolt carrier
then rotates the bolt and unlocks it from the breech so that it can
be withdrawn in order to extract and eject the spent casing and
chamber a new round. It should be noted that rotating bolts are not
exclusive to gas-operated weapons and can be found in some
bolt-action, lever-action and pump-action rifle designs. As such,
various inventive aspects described in this document may be applied
to all bolt-type rifles.
[0025] A magazine of a typical rifle includes a spring that forces
bullets towards the bolt. Compression springs are typically used
for this purpose. These springs provide variable forces depending
on their compression levels, which in turn depend on a number of
bullets remaining in the magazine. Therefore, when the magazine is
fully loaded, the force may be much greater then when the magazine
is almost empty. The bolt typically has some clearance, which is
often referred to as "slop." The clearance may be needed for the
bolt to freely move and to avoid jamming the rifle during firing
and recharging. However, a combination of this clearance and a
variable force applied to the bolt may cause the bolt to operate
differently at different magazine loadings. This in turn may
interfere with the shooting precision as further described
below.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a rifle assembly 300 including
a bolt 305, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Bolt 305 is
configured to move in a direction 310 between two operating
positions during firing and reloading. Direction 310 is typically
substantially parallel or, more specifically, substantially coaxial
to a barrel of the rifle. The clearance in the bolt assembly
described above allows bolt 305 to move within that assembly in
other directions (e.g., a left-right direction 315 and an up-down
direction 320 as shown in FIG. 3). Motion of a bolt in these other
directions 315 and 320 is not desirable because it may cause the
entire rifle to shake and interfere with shooting accuracy,
particularly when shooting in an automatic mode. A force from the
magazine's spring helps to push bolt 305 to an upward position.
However, this force is variable and causes variations in how much
bolt 305 moves in directions 315 and 320. A user may experience
gradually increasing vibrations as he continues to shoot and empty
the magazine. These vibrations abruptly disappear when the magazine
is replaced and shooting is resumed.
[0027] It has been found that shooting accuracy may be improved by
minimizing unnecessary movements of a rifle's internal components
or at least making these movements more constant and less
dependent, for example, on the magazine's loading. A specific
insert assembly has been designed to exert a constant force on a
bolt while it moves between the two operating positions. The insert
may be installed into a lower receiver of the rifle. In certain
embodiments, the insert is equipped with a rubber button that
pushes on the upper receiver of the rifle, thereby producing a
constant force between the two receivers and preventing the
receivers from moving with respect to each other.
[0028] FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views of a bolt 405 supported
by an insert assembly 420 at two different positions of the bolt
405, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. In FIG. 4A, bolt
405 is shown in a forward position. In FIG. 4B, bolt 405 is shown
in a rearward position.
[0029] Bolt 405 will generally have a variable cross-sectional
profile. For example, bolt 405 may have a narrow portion 410 and a
wider portion 415. While bolt 405 is movable within the rifle,
insert assembly 420 is stationary. Insert assembly 420 is
configured to exert a force on bolt 405 as bolt 405 moves within
the rifle. The force applied is variable according to the strength
of the spring selected. The applied force may be about 5 lbs.,
about 10 lbs, or about 15 lbs. Unlike the force from the magazine's
spring which varies with the number of rounds in the magazine, the
force exerted by the insert assembly is constant. The amount of
applied force may be chosen by the user of the weapon.
[0030] FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic views of an insert assembly
500 at two different positions of a piston 520. Insert assembly 500
includes a support plate 505 configured to be received in a lower
receiver of the rifle. Support plate 505 includes a top surface 510
which may be used for reference purposes.
[0031] Insert assembly 500 includes a hollow protrusion 515, which
may be rigidly attached to support plate 505. As shown in FIG. 5A,
hollow protrusion 515 may extend away from the top surface 510 of
the support plate. Hollow protrusion 515 may be configured to
receive a piston 520, which may slide within hollow protrusion 515
in a direction substantially perpendicular to the top surface 510
of support plate 505. Piston 520 has a top end extending out of
hollow protrusion 515 and configured to support a bolt. The piston
520 supports the bolt as the bolt slides over the top surface of
the piston 520 in a direction substantially parallel to the top
surface 510 of the support plate 505.
[0032] The top surface of the piston 520 may have a chamfer 535.
Chamfer 535 may be configured to allow uneven portions of the bolt
to slide over the top surface. Hollow protrusion 515 and piston 520
may include an aligning feature for controlling the orientation of
chamfer 535 with respect to support plate 505. The top surface of
piston 520 is substantially parallel to front face 510 of support
plate 505.
[0033] Insert assembly 500 also includes a spring 525 inserted into
hollow protrusion 515 between piston 520 and top surface 510 of
support plate 505. Spring 525 may be configured to exert a
predetermined force on piston 520 and push piston 520 upward
relative to the top surface 510 of support plate 505. Hollow
protrusion 515 may include a positive stop feature configured to
limit an upmost position of piston 520 such as a base element that
contacts a lip of hollow protrusion 515.
[0034] Spring 525 may be selected to exert a force as desired by
the user. The force may be between about 5 lbs. and 15 lbs. exerted
on piston 520 when piston 520 is in the upmost position.
[0035] Insert assembly 500 may include a second protrusion 530
attached to support plate 505 and extending away from top surface
510 in the same direction as hollow protrusion 515. Second
protrusion 530 includes a second top surface configured to support
an upper receiver of the rifle and exert an upward force on the
upper receiver when the upper receiver is engaged with the lower
receiver. The second top surface may be made from a rubber-like
compressible material, such as Santoprene.TM. TPV 111-35. The
second top surface may extend by between about 0.25 inches from top
surface 510 of support plate 505 prior to engaging with the upper
receiver of the rifle. The second top surface may be configured to
compress by at least about 0.125 inches while engaging with the
upper receiver of the rifle. If desired for a particular
application, insert assembly 500 may include only the second
protrusion 530 and no hollow protrusion 515, piston 520, or spring
525.
[0036] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of an insert assembly
500 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Specifically, the
support plate 505 is shown as having the top surface 510 with the
hollow protrusion 515 positioned on the top surface 510. The hollow
protrusion 515 is shown as receiving the piston 520, which may
expand and contract within the hollow protrusion 515 in a direction
substantially perpendicular to the top surface 510 of the support
plate 505. The piston 520 has a top surface which extends beyond
the hollow protrusion 515. Furthermore, the top surface of the
piston 520 is shown as including the chamfer 535.
[0037] As mentioned above, the hollow protrusion 515 and the piston
535 may include aligning features for controlling orientation of
the chamfer 535 with respect to the support plate 505. FIG. 6 shows
a slideable arrangement of a channel on the hollow protrusion 515
and a guide on the piston 520 used for alignment. The chamfer 535
may be used to allow portions of the bolt to slide over the top
surface as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The chamfer 535 may be
also used to locate the bolt keyway when the bolt moves
reciprocally between its working positions during firing and
reloading.
[0038] The insert assembly 500 may also include the spring 525
inserted into the hollow protrusion 515 between the piston 520 and
the top surface 510 of the support plate 505. The spring 525 may be
configured to exert a predetermined force on the piston 520 and
push the piston 520 upward relative to the top surface 510 of the
support plate 505, thereby providing a stabilizing force for the
bolt of the weapon.
[0039] The above description is illustrative and not restrictive.
Many variations of the invention will become apparent to those of
skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. The scope of the
invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to
the above description, but instead should be determined with
reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of
equivalents. While the present invention has been described in
connection with a series of embodiments, these descriptions are not
intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular
forms set forth herein. It will be further understood that the
invention is not necessarily limited to the discrete features or
the order of the features described. To the contrary, the present
descriptions are intended to cover such alternatives,
modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit
and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and
otherwise appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.
* * * * *