U.S. patent application number 13/923393 was filed with the patent office on 2014-01-09 for ultrasonically excited comb.
The applicant listed for this patent is Alma Lasers Ltd.. Invention is credited to Alexander BRITVA, Alexander DVERIN, Ziv KARNI, Itay MEIR, Sergey STOLIAROV.
Application Number | 20140007895 13/923393 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46766212 |
Filed Date | 2014-01-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140007895 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BRITVA; Alexander ; et
al. |
January 9, 2014 |
ULTRASONICALLY EXCITED COMB
Abstract
A comb for hair or fibres is discloses which comprises a rigid
comb body having a spine extending along a longitudinal axis and a
plurality of teeth projecting from the spine and extending
transversely to the longitudinal axis, and at least one ultrasound
generator connected to the spine . In the invention, the or each
ultrasound generator comprises at least one ultrasonic transducer
operative to apply compression waves to the spine in a direction
transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spine so as to cause
surface waves to propagate along the spine and the teeth of the
comb body.
Inventors: |
BRITVA; Alexander; (Migdal
Ha'Emek, IL) ; DVERIN; Alexander; (Netanya, IL)
; MEIR; Itay; (Haifa, IL) ; STOLIAROV; Sergey;
(Haifa, IL) ; KARNI; Ziv; (Kfar Shmaryahu,
IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Alma Lasers Ltd. |
Caesarea |
|
IL |
|
|
Family ID: |
46766212 |
Appl. No.: |
13/923393 |
Filed: |
June 21, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61669684 |
Jul 10, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
132/200 ;
132/114; 132/148 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D 19/02 20130101;
A45D 2200/207 20130101; A45D 24/007 20130101; A45D 24/00 20130101;
A45D 24/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
132/200 ;
132/148; 132/114 |
International
Class: |
A45D 24/00 20060101
A45D024/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 5, 2012 |
GB |
1212000.2 |
Claims
1. A comb for hair or fibres comprising a rigid comb body having a
spine extending along a longitudinal axis and a plurality of teeth
projecting from the spine and extending transversely to the
longitudinal axis; and at least one ultrasound generator connected
to the spine, wherein the or each ultrasound generator comprises at
least one ultrasonic transducer operative to apply compression
waves to the spine in a direction transverse to the longitudinal
axis of the spine, so as to cause surface waves to propagate along
the spine and the teeth of the comb body.
2. The comb of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound generator comprises
a plurality of transducers arranged with an equal number of
transducers on each side of the spine, the spine being clamped
between the ultrasonic transducers.
3. The comb of claim 2, wherein the comb body is made of metal.
4. The comb of claim 3, wherein the comb body serves as an
electrical ground plane of the transducers.
5. The comb of claim 1, further comprising a source of a.c. voltage
connected to the ultrasonic transducers, the source having an
excitation frequency tuned to cause resonance of the ultrasonic
vibrations travelling along the teeth of the comb body in at least
one mode of propagation.
6. The comb of claim 5, wherein the excitation frequency is
selected such that the length of the teeth is an integer multiple
of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations induced
in the comb body.
7. The comb of claim 4, wherein the teeth of the comb body are
separated from one another by a distance that is an integer
multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations
induced in the comb body.
8. The comb of claim 5, wherein the teeth of the comb body are
separated from one another by a distance that is an integer
multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations
induced in the comb body.
9. The comb of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic vibrations produced
by the ultrasound generator propagate as Lamb waves along the teeth
of the comb body.
10. A hair or fibre treatment apparatus comprising a comb and a
dispenser for applying a hair treatment product to be worked into
the hair or fibre by the comb, the comb comprising: a rigid comb
body having a hollow spine extending along a longitudinal axis and
a plurality of hollow teeth projecting from the spine and extending
transversely to the longitudinal axis, the hair treatment product
being able to flow from the dispenser through the hollow spine and
teeth to the hair or fibre being treated; and at least one
ultrasound generator connected to the spine; wherein the or each
ultrasound generator comprises at least one ultrasonic transducer
operative to apply compression waves to the spine in a direction
transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spine, so as to cause
surface waves to propagate along the spine and the teeth of the
comb body.
11. The treatment apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ultrasound
generator comprises a plurality of transducers arranged with an
equal number of transducers on each side of the spine, the spine
being clamped between the ultrasonic transducers.
12. The treatment apparatus of claim 11 wherein the comb body is
made of metal.
13. The treatment apparatus of claim 12, wherein the comb body
serves as an electrical ground plane of the transducers.
14. The treatment apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a
source of a.c. voltage connected to the ultrasonic transducers, the
source having an excitation frequency tuned to cause resonance of
the ultrasonic vibrations travelling along the teeth of the comb
body in at least one mode of propagation.
15. The treatment apparatus of claim 14, wherein the excitation
frequency is selected such that the length of the teeth is an
integer multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic
vibrations induced in the comb body.
16. The treatment apparatus of claim 13, wherein the teeth of the
comb body are separated from one another by a distance that is an
integer multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic
vibrations induced in the comb body.
17. The treatment apparatus of claim 13, wherein the teeth of the
comb body are separated from one another by a distance that is an
integer multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic
vibrations induced in the comb body.
18. The treatment apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic
vibrations produced by the ultrasound generator propagate as Lamb
waves along the teeth of the comb body.
19. A method of treating hair or fibre which comprises: providing a
comb body having a spine extending along a longitudinal axis and a
plurality of teeth projecting from the spine and extending
transversely to the longitudinal axis, combing the hair or fibre by
means of the comb body, and transmitting ultrasound along the spine
and the teeth of the comb body during the combing; wherein the
transmitting of ultrasound along the spine and the teeth of the
comb body comprises causing surface waves to propagate along the
spine and the teeth of the comb body by connecting at least one
ultrasonic transducer to apply compression waves to the spine in a
direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spine.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Pat. No.
61,669,684 filed on Jul. 10, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by
reference in its entirety.
FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a comb for hair or fibres
that is coupled to an ultrasound generator.
BACKGROUND
[0003] It has previously been proposed to couple a comb to an
ultrasound generator so that ultrasonic vibrations travel along the
teeth. Such a device is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.
6,575,173.
SUMMARY
[0004] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a comb that
acts as a sonotrode of an ultrasonic transducer to apply the
generated ultrasound energy effectively to the hair or fibres being
treated.
[0005] According to the some embodiments, there is provided a comb
for hair or fibres comprising a rigid comb body having a spine
extending along a longitudinal axis and a plurality of teeth
projecting from the spine and extending transversely to the
longitudinal axis, and at least one ultrasound generator connected
to the spine, characterised in that the or each ultrasound
generator comprises at least one ultrasonic transducer operative to
apply compression waves to the spine in a direction transverse to
the longitudinal axis of the spine so as to cause surface waves to
propagate along the spine and the teeth of the comb body.
[0006] Ultrasonic vibrations can travel through a rigid sheet in a
variety of modes that include both bulk waves (compression waves
and shear waves) and surface waves, such as Rayleigh-Lamb waves.
Whereas prior art proposals relied on ultrasound propagating as
bulk waves along the length of the spine to cause the teeth to
vibrate in a manner similar to the prongs of a tuning fork, the
present invention relies on the ultrasound energy propagating as
surface waves along the teeth. As it is only the surface of the
comb that comes into contact with the hair or fibres, the invention
achieves more efficient coupling of the generated ultrasonic
energy.
[0007] The ultrasound generator preferably comprises a plurality of
transducers arranged with an equal number of transducers on each
side of the spine, the spine being clamped between the ultrasonic
transducers.
[0008] In an embodiment of the invention, the comb body is made of
metal and preferably serves as an electrical ground plane of the
transducers.
[0009] In an embodiment of the invention, the ultrasonic
transducers are excited by an a.c. HF voltage of which the
frequency is tuned to cause resonance of the ultrasonic vibrations
travelling along the teeth of the comb body in at least one mode of
propagation.
[0010] The excitation frequency may suitably be selected such that
the length of the teeth is an integer multiple of one half of the
wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations induced in the comb
body.
[0011] Advantageously the length of the spine and the separation
between the teeth of the comb body may be selected to be
harmonically related to one half of the wavelength of the
ultrasonic vibrations induced in the comb body.
[0012] In an embodiment of the invention, the excitation frequency
is selected such that resonance occurs in the ultrasonic vibrations
that propagate as Lamb waves along the teeth of the comb body.
[0013] The effective coupling of the ultrasound energy together
with excitation of resonance in selected modes of propagation
results in heating of the comb body which is very advantageous in
certain applications, as will be disclosed below.
[0014] It is now disclosed a hair or fibre treatment apparatus
comprising an ultrasonically excited comb as set forth above
integrated with a dispenser for applying a hair treatment product
to be worked into the hair by the teeth of the comb.
[0015] It is now disclosed a comb for hair or fibres comprising a
rigid comb body having a spine extending along a longitudinal axis
and a plurality of teeth projecting from the spine and extending
transversely to the longitudinal axis; and at least one ultrasound
generator connected to the spine, wherein the or each ultrasound
generator comprises at least one ultrasonic transducer operative to
apply compression waves to the spine in a direction transverse to
the longitudinal axis of the spine, so as to cause surface waves to
propagate along the spine and the teeth of the comb body.
[0016] In some embodiments, the ultrasound generator comprises a
plurality of transducers arranged with an equal number of
transducers on each side of the spine, the spine being clamped
between the ultrasonic transducers.
[0017] In some embodiments, the comb body is made of metal.
[0018] In some embodiments, the comb body serves as an electrical
ground plane of the transducers.
[0019] In some embodiments, the comb further comprises a source of
a.c. voltage connected to the ultrasonic transducers, the source
having an excitation frequency tuned to cause resonance of the
ultrasonic vibrations travelling along the teeth of the comb body
in at least one mode of propagation.
[0020] In some embodiments, the excitation frequency is selected
such that the length of the teeth is an integer multiple of one
half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations induced in the
comb body.
[0021] In some embodiments, the teeth of the comb body are
separated from one another by a distance that is an integer
multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations
induced in the comb body.
[0022] In some embodiments, the teeth of the comb body are
separated from one another by a distance that is an integer
multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations
induced in the comb body.
[0023] In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibrations produced by
the ultrasound generator propagate as Lamb waves along the teeth of
the comb body.
[0024] It is now disclosed a hair or fibre treatment apparatus
comprising a comb and a dispenser for applying a hair treatment
product to be worked into the hair or fibre by the comb, the comb
comprising: a rigid comb body having a hollow spine extending along
a longitudinal axis and a plurality of hollow teeth projecting from
the spine and extending transversely to the longitudinal axis, the
hair treatment product being able to flow from the dispenser
through the hollow spine and teeth to the hair or fibre being
treated; and at least one ultrasound generator connected to the
spine; wherein the or each ultrasound generator comprises at least
one ultrasonic transducer operative to apply compression waves to
the spine in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the
spine, so as to cause surface waves to propagate along the spine
and the teeth of the comb body.
[0025] In some embodiments, the ultrasound generator comprises a
plurality of transducers arranged with an equal number of
transducers on each side of the spine, the spine being clamped
between the ultrasonic transducers.
[0026] In some embodiments, the comb body is made of metal.
[0027] In some embodiments, the comb body serves as an electrical
ground plane of the transducers.
[0028] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a
source of a.c. voltage connected to the ultrasonic transducers, the
source having an excitation frequency tuned to cause resonance of
the ultrasonic vibrations travelling along the teeth of the comb
body in at least one mode of propagation.
[0029] In some embodiments, the excitation frequency is selected
such that the length of the teeth is an integer multiple of one
half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations induced in the
comb body.
[0030] In some embodiments, the teeth of the comb body are
separated from one another by a distance that is an integer
multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations
induced in the comb body.
[0031] In some embodiments, the teeth of the comb body are
separated from one another by a distance that is an integer
multiple of one half of the wavelength of the ultrasonic vibrations
induced in the comb body.
[0032] In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibrations produced by
the ultrasound generator propagate as Lamb waves along the teeth of
the comb body.
[0033] It is now disclosed a method of treating hair or fibre which
comprises: providing a comb body having a spine extending along a
longitudinal axis and a plurality of teeth projecting from the
spine and extending transversely to the longitudinal axis, combing
the hair or fibre by means of the comb body, and transmitting
ultrasound along the spine and the teeth of the comb body during
the combing; wherein the transmitting of ultrasound along the spine
and the teeth of the comb body comprises causing surface waves to
propagate along the spine and the teeth of the comb body by
connecting at least one ultrasonic transducer to apply compression
waves to the spine in a direction transverse to the longitudinal
axis of the spine.
[0034] It is now disclosed a method of treating hair or fibre which
comprises providing a comb body having a hollow spine extending
along a longitudinal axis and a plurality of hollow teeth
projecting from the spine and extending transversely to the
longitudinal axis, the hollow spine and the hollow teeth defining
fluid flow channels in the comb body; providing a dispenser in
communication with the fluid flow channels for dispensing a hair
treatment product to be applied to the hair or fibre; combing the
hair or fibre by means of the comb body so as to apply to the hair
the treatment product from the dispenser, and transmitting
ultrasound along the spine and the teeth of the comb body during
the combing to work the treatment product into the hair or fibre;
wherein the transmitting of ultrasound along the spine and the
teeth of the comb comprises connecting at least one ultrasonic
transducer to apply compression waves to the spine in a direction
transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spine, the compression
waves causing surface waves to propagate along the spine and the
teeth of the comb body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] The invention will now be described further, by way of
example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0036] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a metallic comb body,
[0037] FIG. 2 shows the comb body of FIG. 1 sandwiched between the
individual ceramic piezoelectric transducers of an ultrasound
generator,
[0038] FIG. 3 is a section through the comb body passing through
the spine and one of the teeth and showing the elliptical motion of
particles on the surface of a plate during propagation of a Lamb
wave.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a comb that includes
internal passageways to allow a liquid to flow from a dispenser to
the hair being combed,
[0040] FIG. 5 is a section through the comb body of FIG. 4, with
the section plane intersecting the teeth of the comb body, and
[0041] FIG. 6 is a second section through the comb body of FIG. 4,
in a section plane coinciding with the plane of symmetry of the
comb body and normal to the section plane of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT
[0042] FIG. 1 shows a comb body 10 made of a solid plate of
aluminium or stainless steel, fashioned in the shape of a comb with
a spine 12 and teeth 14. The spine 12 is formed with holes 16, any
one or more of which may be used to couple an ultrasound generator
to the comb body 10.
[0043] The ultrasound generator 20 shown in FIG. 2 comprises four
ceramic piezoelectric transducers 22 having electrodes 26 and
arranged as a stack with two transducers 22 on each side of the
spine 12. Two sound reflectors 24 are arranged at the opposite ends
of the stack of transducers 22 and all the components of the
generator 28 are clamped to one another and to the spine 12 by
means of a bolt 28, fitted with two nuts.
[0044] The electrode 26 in electrical contact with the spine 12 and
the two outer electrodes 26 of the stack of transducers 22 are
connected to ground. The electrodes 26 common to the two
transducers in each of the two pairs arranged on the opposite sides
of the spine 12 are commonly connected to an alternating voltage
supply 32 by way of an inductor 30. The four ceramic piezoelectric
transducers 22 behave electrically as four capacitors connected in
parallel between the inductor 30 and ground. The parallel connected
capacitances of the transducers 22, in conjunction with the
inductor 30, form a series resonant circuit which maximises the
a.c. HF voltage acting on the transducers 22 when the frequency of
the voltage supply source matches the resonance frequency of the
series resonant circuit.
[0045] Some or all of the dimensions of the comb body, that is to
say the length of the spine L1, the total height of the comb body
L1, the distance l.sub.2 from the ultrasound generator 20 to the
teeth, the length l.sub.1 of the teeth, as well as the thickness
t.sub.1, separation t.sub.2 and width t.sub.3 of the teeth may be
selected to enhance mechanical resonance of the comb at the
excitation frequency of the transducers 22, to increase the
amplitude of the acoustic waves propagating through the comb
body.
[0046] In the invention, the waves achieving the desired effect on
the hair or fibres are surface waves. Lamb waves are surface waves
that travel through a body of finite thickness and the mode of
propagation is explained with reference to FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the
arrows 42 indicate the compression forces applied by the ultrasound
generator 20 along its axis 40. The region of the spine 12 placed
under stress by the ultrasound generator 20 is designated 44 and
the arrow 46 represents the direction of propagation of the
surfaces waves along the teeth 14. The particles near the surfaces
of the comb body move with an elliptical motion and the height of
the minor axis of the ellipses decreases with distance of the
particles from the surface. If the directions of movement of the
particles are as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3, the wave
envelope will travel from left to right, as viewed. The vibrations
travel along all surfaces of the teeth so that the wave motion
shown in section in FIG. 3 occurs both on the interstitial surfaces
of the teeth (varying the gap between the teeth) and on their
lateral surfaces. The combined effect results in a form of
barrel-type wave propagation (resembling peristaltic motion) along
the length of the teeth.
[0047] While it is essential for the comb body to be rigid, the
teeth and the spine may be hollow. Such an embodiment is shown in
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 in which the spine 112 has an internal passageway
135 that communicates with further passageways 137 extending along
the teeth 114. An ultrasound generator 120, as described
previously, is mounted on the spine 112, the end of which is
coupled to a dispenser 150. The passageways 135, 137 allow a
liquid, such as a dye or a treatment solution, stored in the
dispenser 150 to be applied to the hair as it is being combed. The
hollow teeth also serve to enhance the amplitude of vibration on
the surface of the teeth.
[0048] It is an advantage of embodiments of the invention that the
comb body may be heated by the ultrasonic energy and it is possible
to reach thermal stability by controlling the ultrasound power. In
hair dying application, the elevated temperature and increased
ultrasonic efficiency improve dye penetration into hair shaft and
improve dying of hair roots.
[0049] The comb also has application in control of lice and for
this purpose the comb may be integrated with a dispenser of an
active pharmaceutical agent, as shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 4
to 6.
[0050] In an embodiment of the invention, the comb dimensions
facilitate ultrasound propagation with maximum of amplitude of
acoustic surface waves (antinodes) at the tips of the teeth of the
comb. Alternatively, the resonance frequency may be selected to
maximise mechanical vibration at other positions along the length
of the teeth.
[0051] The present invention sets out to provide strong ultrasound
wave coupling between the teeth side walls and the hairs. Such
ultrasonic vibrations have been found in practice to facilitate
passage of the comb through curly and tangled hairs and to assist
in applying dyes and pharmaceutical compositions to the hair.
[0052] The working elements of the comb are the teeth, or more
correctly gaps between the teeth. Therefore, it is desirable to
provide teeth vibrations in the direction orthogonal to the hair.
Antinodes, midway along the length of the teeth may lead to tooth
oscillations and rotative motion that should facilitate a tangled
hair combing.
[0053] As earlier mentioned, the ultrasonic vibration of the comb
results in heating, which assists in hair dying, as the colorant
penetrates better into the hair.
[0054] The combination of ultrasonic vibration and heat has also
been found to be helpful for parasite (lice, ticks, fleas) control
and destruction of parasite eggs. In particular they assist in
dislodging nits that are well known to adhere strongly to the hair
shaft. Ultrasound in combination with heat can mechanically and
thermally destroy nits and for such an application, the above
described barrel type teeth oscillations are very helpful.
[0055] An additional factor resulting from the use of ultrasound is
that cavitations can be caused in gels, creams or liquids used for
hair dying or parasite control. Such cavitations may be a powerful
factor in improving these processes.
[0056] The comb body, in an embodiment of the invention is made of
metal. Stainless steel is preferred for use with active chemical
ingredients, and aluminium for massaging and skin processing combs.
The comb body may also be made of other rigid material, including
plastic or ceramic. The teeth may be solid or hollow. A hollow
tooth may have an additional improvement (increased amplitude) of
cross-sectional vibration in the plane orthogonal to the tooth
axis.
[0057] The preferred length of the teeth is n*lambda/2, lambda
being the wavelength. For example at an operating frequency 450
kHz, the preferred range being 100-1000 kHz, the wavelength is
equal to 13 mm in stainless steel or 14 mm in aluminium. Therefore
the preferred tooth lengths are 7, 14, 21 and 28 mm (in the case of
aluminium); the distances between transducer axis line and tooth 12
root may be resonant (lambda*.lamda./2). The width L1 of the comb
may be resonant also.
[0058] The ultrasound generator shown in FIG. 2, is a pre-stressed
Langevin (sandwich) type generator assembled in such way that a
central sonotrode/electrode is a comb-resonator. It is important to
note that the generator is symmetrical about the plane of the comb
body with an equal number of transducers on each side. The number
of transducers in this configuration should 4n (n=1, 2, 3 etc).
This configuration will provide an electrical ground electrode on
the comb sonotrode.
[0059] The ultrasound excited comb operates as follows:
[0060] A high frequency (HF) power source excites the ultrasound
transducers in the regular manner. A switching module (not shown)
forms rectangular pulses, which are coupled to the transducer
through resonant inductor 30, which acts as an autotransformer to
increase HF-voltage. The inductor 30 in series with the intrinsic
capacitance of the transducers 22 for an HF resonator. The
HF-voltage in this resonator is a sine-wave.
[0061] Sweeping (or modulation) of the excitation frequency can be
applied for compensation of thermal deviation of resonant
frequency. The range of frequency sweep may be +/-2 to 7% over the
operating frequency.
[0062] Though the spine has been shown as being flat and in the
same plane as the teeth, it is alternatively possible to the comb
body to be in the form of a rake with spine having a first section
in the plane of the teeth and a section, serving as a handle, lying
in a plane inclined relative to the plane of the teeth.
[0063] The ultrasonically excited comb described above, which has
as acting factors ultrasound, mechanical vibration, cavitation (if
liquid medium is present) and ultrasonically generated heat, may,
in some embodiments, offer one or more of the following
advantages:
[0064] Better penetration of the comb through tangled hair,
[0065] Better application of dyes and chemical compositions to the
hair,
[0066] Mechanical cleaning of hairs by vibrations
[0067] Cavitation cleaning of hairs if a liquid fraction is
present,
[0068] Vibration massage of hairs and follicles),
[0069] Improved killing of lice, nits and fleas,
[0070] Possibility of under-hair skin massaging, introducing
anti-dandruff and anti-alopecia pharmaceuticals (sonophoresis)
[0071] Application in perming and hair straightening,
[0072] Can be used device, in veterinary and home care of pets.
[0073] The device can be used in commercial or clinical
applications, as well as home use, and can serve for processing or
treating human hair, animal hair, and natural or artificial
fibres.
[0074] The present invention has been described using detailed
descriptions of embodiments thereof that are provided by way of
example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The described embodiments comprise different features, not all of
which are required in all embodiments of the invention. Some
embodiments of the present invention utilize only some of the
features or possible combinations of the features.
[0075] Variations of embodiments of the present invention that are
described and embodiments of the present invention comprising
different combinations of features noted in the described
embodiments will occur to persons of the art.
* * * * *