U.S. patent application number 13/546329 was filed with the patent office on 2013-02-14 for system and method for aligning material onto a guide roll.
The applicant listed for this patent is Theodore Gary Ohl, George Zias. Invention is credited to Theodore Gary Ohl, George Zias.
Application Number | 20130037646 13/546329 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47676915 |
Filed Date | 2013-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130037646 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ohl; Theodore Gary ; et
al. |
February 14, 2013 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ALIGNING MATERIAL ONTO A GUIDE ROLL
Abstract
A variable acoustic absorption banner roller system is provided,
including a frame assembly having a first and second end, and a top
and bottom end; a guide roller for storing a multi-panel banner,
the guide roller located toward the top end of the frame assembly,
rotatably attached to, and extending from the first to the second
end of the frame assembly; a fabric compression roller for pressing
the multi-panel banner together prior to being furled onto the
guide roller; first and second alignment rollers for aligning the
multi-panel fabric banner during deployment and furling; and a
closure panel assembly having a bottom roller for rotatably
engaging the multi-panel fabric banner during deployment and
furling.
Inventors: |
Ohl; Theodore Gary;
(Larchmont, NY) ; Zias; George; (Larchmont,
NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ohl; Theodore Gary
Zias; George |
Larchmont
Larchmont |
NY
NY |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47676915 |
Appl. No.: |
13/546329 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61506335 |
Jul 11, 2011 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/388 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B 9/56 20130101; E06B
9/42 20130101; E04B 1/994 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
242/388 |
International
Class: |
B65H 75/44 20060101
B65H075/44 |
Claims
1. A variable acoustic absorption banner roller system, comprising:
a frame assembly having a first end and a second end, and a top end
and a bottom end; a guide roller for storing a multi-panel fabric
banner, the guide roller located toward the top end of the frame
assembly, and being rotatably attached to, and extending from the
first end to the second end of, the frame assembly; alignment
rollers for aligning the multi-panel fabric banner during
deployment and furling, the alignment rollers being rotatably
attached to, and extending in a parallel plane from, the first end
to the second end of, the frame assembly, and positioned at a
location spaced below an axis of elongation of the guide roller;
and a closure panel assembly having a bottom roller for rotatably
engaging the multi-panel fabric banner during deployment and
furling.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the guide roller is
motorized.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the fabric is between 26'' inches
and 60'' inches wide.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the fabric is between 4' feet and
24' feet long.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the banner fabric is a porous
wool material having a rough surface texture.
6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a fabric compression
roller for pressing the multi-panel fabric banner together prior to
being furled onto the guide roller, the fabric compression roller
being offset from and spaced below an axis of elongation of the
guide roller, and above the alignment rollers, the fabric
compression roller being rotatably attached to, and extending from,
the first end to the second end of, the frame assembly, and wherein
the alignment rollers are positioned in different planes.
7. A variable acoustic absorption banner roller system, comprising:
a frame assembly having a first end and a second end, and a top end
and a bottom end; a guide roller for storing a multi-panel fabric
banner, the guide roller located toward the top end of the frame
assembly, and being rotatably attached to, and extending from, the
first end to the second end of, the frame assembly; a fabric
compression roller for pressing the multi-panel fabric banner
together prior to being furled onto the guide roller, the fabric
compression roller being offset from and spaced below an axis of
elongation of the guide roller, the fabric compression roller being
rotatably attached to, and extending from, the first end to the
second end of, the frame assembly; first and second alignment
rollers for aligning the multi-panel fabric banner during
deployment and furling, the alignment rollers being rotatably
attached to, and extending from the first end to the second end of,
the frame assembly, and spaced below an axis of elongation of the
fabric compression roller; and a closure panel assembly having a
bottom roller for rotatably engaging the multi-panel fabric banner
during deployment and furling.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the guide roller is
motorized.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the fabric is between 26'' inches
and 60 inches wide.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the fabric is between 4 feet and
24 feet long.
11. The system of claim 7, wherein the fabric is a porous wool
material having a rough surface texture.
12. The system of claim 7, wherein the frame assembly is encased in
a housing.
13. A method for aligning a multi-panel variable acoustic
absorption banner, comprising: providing a variable acoustic
absorption banner roller system as described in claim 7
hereinabove; activating the guide roller to begin furling a
multi-panel variable acoustic absorption banner; compressing the
multi-panel variable acoustic absorption banner prior to
encountering the guide roller; whereby compressing the multi-panel
variable acoustic absorption banner causes the panels to self-align
and precisely position onto the guide roller.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising aligning the
multi-panel variable acoustic absorption banner prior to
encountering the fabric compression roller.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the multi-panel variable
acoustic absorption banner has sufficient weight and porosity,
whereby the surface texture is rough enough to substantially
minimize lateral movement during furling after being compressed.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/506,335, filed on Jul. 11, 2011, the
entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a system and method for
aligning material onto a guide roll and in particular to a variable
acoustic absorption banner ("VAAB") roller system and method for
aligning the VAAB onto a guide roll.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] There are a variety of assemblies for aligning a single
panel of lightweight fabric material onto guide rolls. These
assemblies are used, for example, to wind projection screens and
window shades. A common characteristic of these assemblies is that
the width of the material is commonly greater than its length when
the material is partially or fully unfurled during operation. In a
few cases, the length of the material may be as much as twice the
width but usually not much more. This length to width ratio,
together with the lightweight nature of the fabric being rolled,
and that only a single layer is rolled, allows these known devices
to be effective without much misalignment of the material when it
is being rolled onto a guide roll or unfurled for operation.
[0006] Acoustic absorption systems allow a room to exhibit varying
reverberation times, depending upon the use of the room. A long
reverberation time is typically created in a room with a large
volume and/or predominantly hard, reflective interior surfaces. For
example, a room best suited for a choral recital would have a long
reverberation time, allowing the natural amplification and blending
of sounds to be produced to enhance the musical experience. If,
however, that same room is hosting a meeting, the long
reverberation time would muddle the intelligibility of the spoken
words, sounding "boomy" and creating distracting echoes. Deploying
variable acoustic absorption banner systems provides a facility
operator with a means to adjust the reverberation time in a room.
For example, a room can be designed with a long reverberation time
for live music performances, and equipped with variable acoustic
banners which, when deployed, can make the same room suitable for
speech events or amplified performances and film showings, with
this versatility increasing the value and utility of the room.
[0007] Existing acoustic absorption systems used for this purpose
are either simple drapery on tracks or variable acoustic absorption
banners ("VAAB"). The VAAB's have at least two advantages. First,
VAAB's are more effective in reducing the reflection of low
frequency sound, which has been proven by ASTC testing. Second,
VAAB's can store vertically, which eliminates the need for
providing floor-space-consuming storage areas for the drapery.
[0008] Acoustic absorption systems, especially relatively longer
multi-layered VAAB's, however, tend to move laterally when being
rolled onto and off of a guide roll or motor tube, especially when
the ratio of length to width becomes greater than about two times.
Therefore, although a superior product from a versatile acoustic
standpoint, the manufacture and usage of such VAAB systems has been
limited as a result of this misalignment or lateral shifting during
operation.
[0009] The effectiveness of a VAAB, as currently constructed,
derives, in part, from heavy weight fabric, the porous nature of
the fabric, the ability of the fabric to be placed under tension
without stretching beyond that encountered in the initial assembly,
and the creation of a consistent air space between panels of
fabric, e.g., a minimum of 3'', between two panels of fabric
causing diffusion of the sound energy.
[0010] Existing VAAB's, for example, the acouStac.RTM. VAAB,
available through acouStaCorp LLC, Bronx, N.Y., pulls the fabric up
from the bottom of the banner into a stack or drops the fabric into
a storage box below. In either case, the volume of space needed to
store the banner is substantial, and the space required for the
banner to travel is at least three times the 3'' minimum distance
or gap between the panels of fabric; a 10'' "chase" is not
available or desired.
[0011] This has led to the development of a roller VAAB system,
such as the acouRoll.RTM. VAAB system, also available through
acouStaCorp LLC. This VAAB has succeeded in meeting tested
performance standards desired by acousticians, due to its use of
the proper fabric and specific arrangement of the fabric in terms
of a gap between panels, fabric tension and locations placed within
the room. The main limitation of the VAAB that rolls up on a guide
roll for storage, however, is that in lengths of greater than about
8', the lateral movement of the fabric as it rolls is very
difficult to control and is unpredictable.
[0012] Due to this unwanted lateral movement during winding,
currently, the most desirable fabric is available only in widths a
maximum of 1.5 meters wide in an attempt to avoid the lateral
movement. Further, room heights in public assembly spaces, often
for effective use, require VAAB's of 20' long or more and these are
difficult to achieve without the unwanted lateral movement during
winding of the VAAB.
[0013] Guides on the ends of the bottom roller are somewhat capable
of keeping the fabric aligned, but over time the fabric curls and
then is worn by these types of devices. Other attempts, such as
keeping the rolling tube absolutely level, tend to reduce the
amount of lateral movement of the fabric when rolled to an
acceptable amount. Certain devices allow the rolling tube to be
adjusted for level within the assembly. However, these techniques
cannot tolerate any variation in the fabric stretch or any degree
of out-of-level installation and are cumbersome at best.
[0014] Thus, there is a need for a system and method that enables
relatively long and wide, multi-panel VAAB's to be rolled onto a
guide roller with little or no lateral movement of the VAAB.
SUMMARY
[0015] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a variable acoustic absorption banner roller
system, comprising a frame assembly having a first end and a second
end, and a top end and a bottom end; a guide roller for storing a
multi-panel fabric banner, the guide roller located toward the top
end of the frame assembly, and being rotatably attached to, and
extending from the first end to the second end of, the frame
assembly; alignment rollers for aligning the multi-panel fabric
banner during deployment and furling, the alignment rollers being
rotatably attached to, and extending in a parallel plane from the
first end to the second end of, the frame assembly, and positioned
at a location spaced below an axis of elongation of the guide
roller; and a closure panel assembly having a bottom roller for
rotatably engaging the multi-panel fabric banner during deployment
and furling.
[0016] In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a variable acoustic absorption banner
roller system, comprising a frame assembly having a first end and a
second end, and a top end and a bottom end; a guide roller for
storing a multi-panel fabric banner, the guide roller located
toward the top end of the frame assembly, and being rotatably
attached to, and extending from the first end to the second end of,
the frame assembly; a fabric compression roller for pressing the
multi-panel fabric banner together prior to being furled onto the
guide roller, the fabric compression roller being offset from and
spaced below an axis of elongation of the guide roller, the fabric
compression roller being rotatably attached to, and extending from
the first end to the second end of, the frame assembly; first and
second alignment rollers for aligning the multi-panel fabric banner
during deployment and furling, the alignment rollers being
rotatably attached to, and extending from the first end to the
second end of, the frame assembly, and spaced below an axis of
elongation of the fabric compression roller; and a closure panel
assembly having a bottom roller for rotatably engaging the
multi-panel fabric banner during deployment and furling.
[0017] In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a method for aligning a multi-panel
variable acoustic absorption banner, comprising: providing a
variable acoustic absorption banner roller system; activating a
guide roller to begin furling a multi-panel variable acoustic
absorption banner; compressing the multi-panel variable acoustic
absorption banner prior to encountering the guide roller; whereby
compressing the multi-panel variable acoustic absorption banner
causes the panels to self-align and precisely position onto the
guide roller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] So the manner in which the above recited features of the
present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular
description of embodiments of the present invention, briefly
summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, which are
illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however,
the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments
encompassed within the scope of the present invention, and,
therefore, are not to be considered limiting, for the present
invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments,
wherein:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a variable acoustic
absorption banner ("VAAB") system in a lowered, deployed,
operational position in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the roller assembly of
the VAAB system of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the roller assembly of
the VAAB system of FIG. 1 in accordance with another embodiment of
the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the roller assembly of
FIG. 3;
[0023] FIG. 5 is an exploded, perspective view of the roller
assembly of FIG. 3;
[0024] FIG. 6 is an assembled, perspective view of the roller
assembly of FIG. 5;
[0025] FIG. 7 is an assembled, perspective view of a closure panel
assembly having a bottom roller in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention; and
[0026] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of winding a VAAB onto
a guide roll in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0027] The headings used herein are for organizational purposes
only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the
description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the
word .sup.may is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having
the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning
must). Similarly, the words "include", "including", and "includes"
mean including but not limited to. To facilitate understanding,
like reference numerals have been used, where possible, to
designate like elements common to the figures. Optional portions of
the figures may be illustrated using dashed or dotted lines.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Embodiments of the present invention comprise a system and
method for furling and unfurling a multi-panel fabric banner
substantially aligned onto and off of a rolling tube or guide roll,
with minimal or no linear movement of the banner.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided a variable acoustic
absorption banner ("VAAB") rolling system 100. The VAAB rolling
system 100 comprises a roller assembly 110 having a housing 112, a
multi-panel VAAB 120 and a closure panel assembly 130 having a
bottom roller 132. The multi-panel VAAB 120 comprises at least two
panels spaced apart by a gap 140 of at least 3 inches. The gap 140
may vary between 3 inches and 10 inches, depending upon the
particular acoustic characteristics so desired. The panels of the
VAAB 120 can be made from any material that is relatively porous
and weighted to achieve a particular acoustic response and
roughness. The material is suitable for acoustic absorption, light
blocking, thermal insulation, or other purposes. In one embodiment,
the material may be a woolen fabric. The width of the panels of the
VAAB 120 may range from 26'' to 5 feet wide and 4' to 24' feet
long.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the roller assembly
210 comprises a frame assembly 220, having a first end and a second
end (not shown--See FIG. 4), and a top end 222 and a bottom end
224. The roller assembly 210 also includes a guide roller 226, also
referred to herein as a motor tube. The guide roller 226 is used
for storing the multi-panel fabric banner 120 and is located toward
the top end 222 of the frame assembly 220. The guide roller 226 is
rotatably attached to, and extends from the first end to the second
end of the frame assembly 220. The guide roller 226 or motor tube
is actuated by means of any suitable, known motor linked with
suitable, known gears to the shaft of the guide roll 226. The motor
is energized by any suitable energy source, such as alternating
current, direct current or other type power sources. The guide
roller 226 may be actually manually, wired or remotely/wirelessly
as well. It should be readily understood by one of ordinary skill
in the art that the power required to actuate the guide roller 226
should be sufficient to furl and unfurl varying lengths and widths
of banner.
[0031] The roller assembly 210 in this embodiment also includes a
first alignment roller 228 and a second alignment roller 230. The
alignment rollers 228 and 230 are configured and arranged for
aligning the multi-panel fabric banner 120 before the banner 120 is
furled onto the guide roller 226. The alignment rollers 228 and 230
are also employed during deployment of the banner 120 so the banner
120 aligns with and unfurls substantially evenly down and around
the bottom roller 232 of the closure panel assembly 240. The
alignment rollers 228 and 230 are rotatably attached to, and extend
in a parallel plane from the first end to the second end of the
frame assembly 220 and are positioned at a location spaced below an
axis of elongation of the guide roller 226. The alignment rollers
228 and 230 serve to align the depth deployed banner 120 and stay
in position within the frame assembly 220 during deployment of the
banner 120. The closure panel assembly 240 includes the bottom
roller 232 for rotatably engaging the multi-panel fabric banner 120
during deployment and furling. The entire closure panel assembly
240 is deployed length wise down through the bottom 224 of the
frame assembly 220 as the banner 120 is rolled off the guide roller
226 and past the alignment rollers 228 and 230 for full deployment.
The closure panel assembly 240 is configured to level the banner
120 as it is being deployed.
[0032] In furling operation, the banner 120 is aligned using
alignment rollers 228 and 230 just prior to being received by the
guide roller 226. This alignment substantially reduced the banner
120 from linear movement during furling. Similarly, in deployment
operation, the banner is aligned using alignment rollers 228 and
230 before it is lengthened through the bottom 224 of the frame
assembly 220 of the roller assembly 210.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 3, in accordance with another embodiment,
there is provided a roller assembly 310. For the sake of clarity,
like elements described in detail with respect to FIG. 2 will not
be further described herein. It is to be understood that the like
elements have the same or similar structure and perform the same or
similar functions as described in detail with respect to FIG.
2.
[0034] Positioned between the guide roller 336 and the first and
second alignment rollers 328 and 330 is a fabric compression roller
360 for pressing the multi-panel fabric banner 120 together prior
to being furled onto the guide roller 336. The fabric compression
roller 360 is offset from, and spaced below, an axis of elongation
of the guide roller 336 and is rotatably attached to, and extending
from the first end to the second end of, the frame assembly 320.
The first alignment roller 328 remains substantially in the same
position as that shown and described in FIG. 2. However, the second
alignment roller 330 in this embodiment is not in a parallel plane
with the first alignment roller 328. Rather, in this embodiment,
the second alignment roller 330 is rotatably attached to the frame
assembly 320, downward and toward the bottom roller 332 for
aligning the multi-panel fabric banner during deployment and
furling. In this new position, the second alignment roller 330
serves to fix the depth deployed banner and also functions as a
stored position stop which ensures that the closure panel assembly
340 is aligned to the frame assembly 320 in retracted position.
[0035] In addition to that described in connection with FIG. 2, the
fabric compression roller 360 is configured and arranged to
compress the multi-paneled banner 120 just prior to being rolled on
the guide roller 336 such that the fabric aligns with itself and
substantially eliminates lateral movement of the banner 120 before
it is furled. The fabric compression roller 360 ensures that the
fabric is under the necessary amount of tension to improve tracking
onto the guide roll 336. The fabric compression roller 360 helps
align the two sheets of fabric, in particular if the apparatus is
not level when installed. The fabric compression roller (when
furling) tends to press together the two sheets of fabric so they
are more effectively bound together by friction as the fabric is
rolled around the guide roller 336.
[0036] In operation, the alignment rollers of both FIGS. 2 and 3,
as well as the fabric compression roller 360 (see FIG. 3) stay in
position as shown. As the closure panel assembly 340 drops down, a
distance (i.e., a depth) approximately equal to the diameter of the
main roller of the closure panel assembly is maintained. This
distance has been experimentally determined to be important to
produce the desired acoustic response.
[0037] The fabric in either of the embodiment described in FIG. 2
or FIG. 3 is typically one which has sufficient texture, capable of
creating a high coefficient of friction. An example would be a
heavy weight 100% wool fabric. This helps keep the sheets from
slipping past each other as they are wound around the guide
roller.
[0038] FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the roller assembly 410
of the embodiment described in detail with respect to FIG. 3. From
this view, the first 423 and second 425 ends of the frame assembly
are shown. For the sake of clarity, like elements described in
detail with respect to FIG. 3 will not be further described herein.
It is to be understood that the like elements have the same or
similar structure and perform the same or similar functions as
described in detail with respect to FIG. 3.
[0039] FIG. 5 depicts an exploded perspective view of the
embodiment described in detail with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4. For
the sake of clarity, like elements described in detail with respect
to FIG. 3 will not be further described herein. It is to be
understood that the like elements have the same or similar
structure and perform the same or similar functions as described in
detail with respect to FIG. 3.
[0040] FIG. 6 depicts an assembled perspective view of the
embodiment described in detail with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4. For
the sake of clarity, like elements described in detail with respect
to FIG. 3 will not be further described herein. It is to be
understood that the like elements have the same or similar
structure and perform the same or similar functions as described in
detail with respect to FIG. 3.
[0041] FIG. 7 depicts a perspective assembled view of the closure
panel assembly 740 with the bottom roller 732 and the banner 120.
For the sake of clarity, like elements described in detail with
respect to FIG. 1 will not be further described herein. It is to be
understood that the like elements have the same or similar
structure and perform the same or similar functions as described in
detail with respect to FIG. 1.
[0042] FIG. 8 describes a method for aligning a multi-panel
variable acoustic absorption banner, comprising providing a
variable acoustic absorption banner roller system as described
hereinabove. The steps begin at 810. At step 820, the method
provides a VAAD roller system. At step 830, the method activates
the guide roller to begin furling a multi-panel variable acoustic
absorption banner. At step 840, the fabric compressing roller
compresses the multi-panel variable acoustic absorption banner
prior to encountering the guide roller; whereby compressing the
multi-panel variable acoustic absorption banner causes the panels
to self-align and precisely position onto the guide roller,
minimizing lateral movement of the banner. The method further
comprising aligning the multi-panel variable acoustic absorption
banner prior to encountering the fabric compression roller. The
multi-panel variable acoustic absorption banner has sufficient
weight and porosity, whereby the surface texture is sufficiently
rough to substantially minimize lateral movement during furling
after being compressed.
[0043] An advantage of the VAAB system as hereinabove described is
to vary the reverberation time in a space of public assembly by
varying the amount of sound absorbing surface material present in
the space. It accomplishes this by raising and lowering a banner
consisting of, for example, two panels of about 26 ounce, 100%
wool. The two panels are held at a consistent distance from each
other by positioning rollers.
[0044] In one embodiment, a motorized roller stores the fabric when
it is desired to be out of sight. With the banners in this stored
configuration, the room is more reverberant. The motorized roller
when activated in the reverse then lowers the banner, making the
room less reverberant.
[0045] The consistency of this design allows for acoustic testing
permitting design professionals to predict the performance of the
banners in a given space. The above-described embodiments have
advantages over previously known roller assemblies for at least the
structure and functionality described hereinabove.
[0046] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the
present invention, other and further embodiments of the present
invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope
thereof. It is understood that various embodiments described herein
may be utilized in combination with any other embodiment described,
without departing from the scope contained herein. Further, the
foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit
the present invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications
and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may
be acquired from practice of the present invention.
[0047] No element, act, or instruction used in the description of
the present application should be construed as critical or
essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such.
Also, as used herein, the article "a" is intended to include one or
more items. Where only one item is intended, the term "one" or
similar language is used. Further, the terms "any of" followed by a
listing of a plurality of items and/or a plurality of categories of
items, as used herein, are intended to include "any of," "any
combination of," "any multiple of," and/or "any combination of
multiples of" the items and/or the categories of items,
individually or in conjunction with other items and/or other
categories of items.
[0048] Moreover, the claims should not be read as limited to the
described order or elements unless stated to that effect. In
addition, use of the term "means" in any claim is intended to
invoke 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, 6, and any claim without the word
"means" is not so intended.
* * * * *