U.S. patent application number 14/116434 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-01 for support frame assembly and method of forming a support frame assembly.
The applicant listed for this patent is Michael Stephen Lalka, II, Steven Joseph Schwartz, Mark F. Werner. Invention is credited to Michael Stephen Lalka, II, Steven Joseph Schwartz, Mark F. Werner.
Application Number | 20140117190 14/116434 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47216484 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140117190 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Werner; Mark F. ; et
al. |
May 1, 2014 |
Support Frame Assembly And Method Of Forming A Support Frame
Assembly
Abstract
At least one aspect of the present invention is related to a
support frame assembly for supporting a solar device, such as an
array of mirror elements and/or photovoltaic panels. The support
frame assembly includes a plurality of support arm assemblies, each
of which includes a pair of rails and a plurality of web structures
interconnecting the rails. Specifically, each of the web structures
has a base which is attached to one of the rails and a pair of legs
extending towards and attached to the other of the rails. The web
structures are preferably formed through a single stamping process
with at least one of the web structures being at least partially in
a nesting relationship with another of the web structures.
Inventors: |
Werner; Mark F.; (LaSalle,
CA) ; Schwartz; Steven Joseph; (Almont, MI) ;
Lalka, II; Michael Stephen; (Macomb, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Werner; Mark F.
Schwartz; Steven Joseph
Lalka, II; Michael Stephen |
LaSalle
Almont
Macomb |
MI
MI |
CA
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47216484 |
Appl. No.: |
14/116434 |
Filed: |
May 24, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
May 24, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CA2012/000496 |
371 Date: |
January 14, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61489518 |
May 24, 2011 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/346.03 ;
29/897.312 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02E 10/40 20130101;
Y02E 10/47 20130101; F24S 23/74 20180501; E04C 3/08 20130101; E04C
3/09 20130101; F24S 25/632 20180501; E04C 2003/0491 20130101; Y10T
29/49627 20150115; F24S 23/77 20180501; F24S 25/30 20180501; F24S
25/13 20180501; F24S 2025/013 20180501 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/346.03 ;
29/897.312 |
International
Class: |
F24J 2/52 20060101
F24J002/52; E04C 3/08 20060101 E04C003/08 |
Claims
1. A support frame assembly for supporting a solar device,
comprising: at least two rails at least partially spaced from one
another and converging towards one another from a first end to a
second end; at least two web structures spaced from one another
with each web structure extending between and being attached to
said at least two rails; and wherein at least one of said web
structures has a base attached to one of said rails and at least
two legs extending to the other of said rails and an opening
between said legs.
2. The support frame assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein at
least one of said web structures is sized and shaped to nest within
said opening of said at least one web structure with said base and
said legs.
3. The support frame assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein each
of said web structures is generally U-shaped.
4. The support frame assembly as set forth in claim I wherein each
of said rails extends generally linearly.
5. The support frame assembly as set forth in claim 1 further
including a torque tube extending generally perpendicularly to said
pair of rails and wherein said first ends of said rails are
attached to said torque tube.
6. The support frame assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said
pair of rails and said web structures are part of a support arm
assembly and further including a plurality of support arm
assemblies spaced axially from one another along said torque
tube.
7. The support frame assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein each
of said rails presents a pair of flanges and wherein one side of
each of said web structures is sandwiched between said flanges of
one of said rails and the other side of each of said web structures
is sandwiched between said flanges of the other of said rails.
8. The support frame assembly as set forth in claim 7 further
including a plurality of adjustable fasteners attached to one of
said rails and extending generally upwardly therefrom for receiving
an array of solar panels.
9. The support frame assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
rails are formed of a first material and said web structures are
formed of a second material being lighter than said first
material.
10. A method of forming a support frame for a solar assembly,
comprising the steps of: preparing at least two rails and a
plurality of web structures with at least one of said web
structures having a base and a pair of legs; positioning the at
least two rails in a predetermined configuration relative to one
another; and attaching the at least one base to one of the rails
and the pair of legs to the other of the rails to interconnect the
at least two rails and present a support arm assembly.
11. The method as set forth in claim 10 wherein the step of
preparing the plurality of web structures is further defined as
stamping a plurality of web structures through a single stamping
process with at least one of the web structures being at least
partially in a nesting relationship with another of the web
structures.
12. The method as set forth in claim 10 wherein the step of
preparing the at least two rails is further defined as roll forming
the at least two rails.
13. The method as set forth in claim 10 further including the step
of forming a plurality of support arm assemblies and a torque
tube.
14. The method as set forth in claim 13 further including the step
of attaching the plurality of support arm assemblies to the torque
tube.
15. The method as set forth in claim 10 wherein the step of
positioning the rails is further defined as positioning the two
rails in a converging relationship relative to one another.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION
[0001] This PCT patent application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/489,518 filed May 24,
2011, entitled "Support System And Method For Supporting Solar
Related Devices," the entire disclosure of the application being
considered part of the disclosure of this application and hereby
incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to support frame
assemblies for solar related devices, and more particularly to a
support frame assembly for supporting a solar device and method of
forming a support frame assembly to support a solar device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] As solar energy devices are now being required to satisfy
ever-larger energy requirements, they necessarily become physically
larger. In some devices, the aggregate surface of the solar device
being supported by the support structure may typically approach
hundreds of square meters. Consequently, a reliable support
structure for large solar devices (e.g., mirrors or photovoltaic
modules) is critical to ensure excellent performance in varying
atmospheric conditions and to guard against breakage of such
devices. The weight of the support structure itself, and that of
the attached solar devices along with wind loads and/or snow loads,
can cause significant loads on the support structure.
[0004] Such solar devices requiring reliable support structures may
include solar tracker devices and/or heliostats. A solar tracker
device is a generic term for devices that orient various payloads
toward the sun. Such payloads can be photovoltaic panels,
reflectors, lenses or other optical devices (all hereinafter
referred to as "mirrors" or "mirror elements"). A heliostat is a
device that includes a plane mirror which turns to compensate for
the sun's movement so as to keep reflecting sunlight toward a
predetermined target.
[0005] In photovoltaic (PV) applications, solar trackers are
typically used to minimize the angle of incidence between the
incoming light and a photovoltaic panel. This increases the amount
of energy produced from a fixed amount of installed power
generating capacity. In concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) and
concentrated solar thermal (CSP) applications, solar trackers are
typically used to enable the optical components in the CPV and CSP
systems. The optics in concentrated solar applications accept the
direct component of sunlight and therefore must be oriented
appropriately to collect energy. As such, tracking systems are
found in virtually all concentrator applications because such
systems do not produce energy unless oriented closely toward the
sun.
[0006] For heliostats, the target may be a physical object, distant
from the heliostat, or a direction in space. To reflect the
sunlight, the reflective surface of the mirror is kept
perpendicular to the bisector of the angle between the directions
of the sun and the target as seen from the mirror. In almost every
case, the target is a solar power generator which is held
stationary relative to the heliostat, so the sunlight is reflected
in a fixed direction. Most heliostats are used for the production
of concentrated solar power, usually to generate electricity.
[0007] Many known solar devices rely on steel fabrications and
weldments or aluminum extrusions configured and joined together
using techniques developed in the building construction industry.
Such techniques require pre-assembly and transportation of large
frame sections, often to locations that are difficult to access, or
they require labor intensive assembly of components on-site, often
under unfavorable conditions.
[0008] A need exists for a simplified support system and method of
construction which overcomes at least some of the limitations
associated with the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] According to at least one aspect of the present invention, a
support frame assembly for supporting a solar device is provided.
The support frame assembly includes at least one support arm
assembly with at least two rails at least partially spaced from one
another and converging towards one another from a first end to a
second end. At least two web structures are spaced from one another
and extend between the first and second rails with each web
structure extending between and being attached to the at least two
rails to interconnect the rails. At least one of the web structures
has a base attached to one of the rails and at least two legs
extending to the other of the rails and an opening between the
legs. The web structures can be easily adapted to support arm
assemblies having various shapes, sizes and designs. The web
structures also allow for less strict tolerances between the
components of the support frame assembly and for reduced assembly
time and cost as compared to other known support frame
assemblies.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, at least one
of the web structures is shaped and sized to at least partially
nest within the opening of another of the web structures. The
nesting relationship of the web structures allows the components of
the support frame assembly to be more efficiently shaped and
shipped to an assembly location. Additionally, the nesting
relationship allows multiple web structures to be stamped at one
time from a single blank with very little material waste.
[0011] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the web
structures are formed of a different, lighter material than the
rails. Thus, the mass of the support arm assemblies may be reduced
without compromising their structural integrity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Exemplary embodiments of the instant invention will now be
described in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like
reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout
the several views, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a known support frame
assembly for a trough-shaped solar concentrator assembly;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective and elevation view of a first
exemplary support frame assembly constructed according to one
aspect of the present invention and supporting an array of mirror
elements;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a side view of a second exemplary support frame
assembly;
[0016] FIG. 4a is a side view of a pair of support arm assemblies
of the first exemplary support frame assembly;
[0017] FIG. 4b is a side view of one of the support arm assemblies
of the first exemplary support frame assembly;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a plurality of web
structures nested together after being stamped from a single
blank;
[0019] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional profile of the first rail of
a support arm assembly of the first exemplary support frame
assembly and showing an adjustable fastener attaching the first
rail to a mirror attachment bracket;
[0020] FIG. 7a is a cross-sectional view of a pair of rails of a
support arm assembly of the first exemplary support frame assembly
interconnected to one another through a web structure and wherein
the rails are welded to the web structure;
[0021] FIG. 7b is a cross-sectional view of a plurality of rails of
a support arm assembly of the first exemplary support frame
assembly interconnected to one another through a web structure and
wherein the rails are attached to the web structure through
rivets;
[0022] FIG. 8 shows a perspective and elevation view of a support
arm assembly of the second exemplary support frame assembly;
[0023] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of mirror elements mounted to
the support arm assembly of the first exemplary support frame
assembly;
[0024] FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of the first rail of
one of the support arm assemblies of the first exemplary support
frame assembly attached to a torque tube.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The following description is presented to enable a person
skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided
in the context of a particular application and its requirements.
Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles
defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications
without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the
present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments
disclosed, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with
the principles and features disclosed herein.
[0026] In order to facilitate a better understanding of the
features that are present in at least some of the embodiments of
the present invention, one known type of support frame assembly 100
is described herein below, with reference to FIG. 1. The known
support frame assembly 100 includes a parabolic, generally
trough-shaped array of mirror elements 102 for reflecting solar
rays to a solar power generator (not shown). The support frame
assembly 100 includes a plurality of support arms, each of which
includes an upper tube 104 and a lower tube 106 which are connected
to an elongated central support element, or a torque tube 110. In
particular, the upper tube 104 is connected to torque tube 110 via
an upper structure-attachment bracket (not shown), and the lower
tube 106 is connected to torque tube 110 via lower
structure-attachment bracket 112. The upper and lower tubes 104,
106 are interconnected with one another via a plurality of lacing
elements 108 which are arranged in a zig-zag pattern. The mirror
elements 102 of the array are attached to and supported by the
support arms via a plurality of mirror-attachment brackets 114,
which are mounted to the upper tube 104 at predetermined locations
along the length thereof. A torque plate 116 is provided at each
end of the torque tube 110 for transferring rotational motion from
a drive mechanism (not shown) to the torque tube 110 to rotate the
support frame assembly 100 about a longitudinal axis which extends
along the length of the torque tube 110. In this fashion, the
parabolic trough-shaped solar array may be dynamically reoriented
to track the movement of the sun across the sky, thereby maximizing
the amount of solar rays reflected to the solar power
generator.
[0027] In the known support frame assembly 100 of FIG. 1, the upper
tubes 104, the lower tubes 106, and each of the lacing elements 108
are individually formed tubular structures. The shapes of the upper
and lower tubes 104, 106 are typically created either by bending
sections of a tubing that has been cut to length or by welding
together shorter tubular sections with angled ends. Each of the
individual lacing elements 108 must be cut to a specified length
within very close tolerances and must be positioned precisely
during the assembly of assembling the supports arms. Very close
tolerances and precise positioning of the lacing elements 108 are
necessary since each lacing element 108 must be welded at one end
to a predetermined location along the upper tube 104 and at the
other end to a predetermined location along the lower tube 106.
Even relatively small cutting or positioning errors can result in
difficulty during the assembly process and could compromise the
structural integrity of the support arms. Further, since a large
number of individual tubular structures are welded together to form
the support arms, the process of assembling the known support frame
assembly 100 of FIG. 1 winds up being very labor-intensive.
[0028] When a trough-shaped solar array is to be installed using
the known support frame assembly 100 of FIG. 1, a plurality of the
support arms are typically preassembled in a factory setting and
then transported to the installation site or they must be assembled
at the installation site, which could be under adverse working
conditions. In either case, the resulting support frame assembly
100 is excessively heavy and often provides unsatisfactory
rigidity. In addition, the support frame assembly 100 cannot be
easily modified for supporting solar arrays of varying sizes and/or
shapes since any such modification involves a redesigning a large
number of components in order to ensure that all of the components
fit together sufficiently closely.
[0029] Referring now to FIG. 2, a support frame assembly 200
constructed according to one aspect of the invention is generally
shown. The exemplary support frame assembly 200 is shown supporting
a generally flat (or planar) array of mirror elements 202 for
reflecting solar rays to a solar power generator (not shown).
However, it should be appreciated that the solar device could be an
array of photovoltaic panels or any desirably type of solar
collector or reflector. The support frame assembly 200 is
preferably part of a larger sun tracker or heliostat assembly but
could alternately be non-movably mounted, if desired.
[0030] The exemplary support frame assembly 200 includes an
elongated central support element, or a torque tube 204, extending
along an axis and a plurality of support arm assemblies 206
extending generally perpendicularly outwardly from the torque tube
204. As best shown in FIG. 4a, each of the support arm assemblies
206 includes a first rail 208 and a second rail 210 interconnected
by a plurality of web structures 212a-d. Referring back to FIG. 2,
the first and second rails 206, 208 each extend from a first end
which is coupled to the torque tube 204, to a distal second end. In
this exemplary embodiment, the first and second rails 206, 208
converge towards one another from the first ends to the second
ends. Thus, the first and second rails 206, 208 extend in
non-parallel relationship with one another with the second ends
being closer to one another than the first ends.
[0031] The first rails 206 of the support arm assemblies 206 are
each attached to the torque tube 204 via an upper structure
attachment bracket 214 (best shown in FIG. 10), and the second
rails 208 of the support arm assemblies 206 are each attached to
the torque tube 204 via a lower structure attachment bracket 216.
The structure attachment brackets 214, 216 could be fastened to the
torque tube 204 and to the respective rail 208, 210 through any
suitable process including, for example, fasteners, riveting, spot
welding, Tox.RTM. joining, etc. The upper and lower structure
attachment brackets bracket 214, 216 may include either holes or
slots depending on the functionality required for each application.
In this exemplary embodiment, each of the upper structure
attachment brackets 214 has a hole for receiving fasteners, such as
bolts, which also extends through the brackets 214. It may be
desirable to fabricate the upper and lower structure attachment
brackets 214, 216 with slots (not shown) to allow for adjustments
of the orientations of the support arm assemblies 206 relative to
the torque tube 204 by adjusting the position of the fasteners
within the slots.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 9, in this exemplary embodiment, a
plurality of mirror elements 202 are shown in attachment with one
of the first rails 206 of one of the support arm assemblies 206 via
a plurality of mirror attachment brackets 218 disposed underneath
the mirror elements 202 and a plurality of adjustable fasteners 220
located at predetermined locations along the lengths of the first
rails 206. As shown in FIG. 6, each of the exemplary fasteners 220
includes a threaded rod 222 extending through the upper surface of
the first rail 208 and through a hole in a mirror attachment
bracket 218. The first rail 204 includes an aperture 224 to permit
access to a nut 226 (or any other fastener) which is threaded onto
the end of the threaded rod 222. Another nut 226 is disposed within
the mirror attachment bracket 218, and at least one nut 226 is
disposed between the mirror attachment bracket and the first rail
206. In the exemplary fastener 220, adjustment of the positions of
the nuts 226 along the threaded rods 222 allows for the gap (i.e.,
the vertical distance) between the mirror element 222 and the first
rail 206 to be adjusted. Thus, the mirror elements 202 may be
mounted at varying distances above the first rail 208 relative to
one another. This adjustment feature may be useful depending on the
functionality of the mirror elements 202 including, without
limitation, whether a partial parabolic shape of the solar array is
desirable and also to accommodate dimensional variations in the
mirror elements 202. It should be appreciated that the mirror
elements 202 (or other elements of the solar device) could
alternately be attached to the support arms 206 through any
suitable adjustable or non-adjustable process including, for
example, other types of fasteners, adhesives, brazing, welding,
etc. The mirror attachment brackets 218 could also be fixed to the
mirror elements 202 through any suitable process, and any desirable
number of mirror attachment brackets 218 may be attached to each
support arm assembly 206. The number of mirror attachment brackets
218 may depend, at least partially upon among other things, the
length of the first rail 204 and the size and mass of the solar
device being supported, etc.
[0033] Referring now to the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 7a and
7b, each of the exemplary first and second rails 208, 210 is shaped
to present a generally rectangular opening with a pair of flanges
228 extending downwardly therefrom in spaced and parallel
relationship with one another and extending substantially the
entire length of the first and second rails 208, 210. The spacing
of the flanges 228 from one another presents an open channel for
receiving the web structures 212a-d. In FIG. 7a, the web structure
212a is attached to the flanges 228 via a weld 229a which fixedly
secures the sides of the web structure 229a to the ends of the
flanges 228. In contrast, the web structure 212a of FIG. 7b is
attached to the flanges 228 via a rivet 229b which extends through
the flanges 228 and the web structure 212a. It should be
appreciated that the web structures 212a-d could alternately be
attached to the first and second rails 208, 210 through any
suitable process including, for example, other types of welding,
other types of fasteners, brazing, adhesives, riveting, press metal
joining (such as toggle locking or Tox.RTM. joining), etc. It
should be appreciated that the first and second rails 208, 210
could have any desirable cross-sectional profile including, without
limitation, a generally triangular, rectangular or circular shape.
The shape and dimensions of each rail's profile are preferably
selected according to the specific requirements of a particular
application. The first and second rails 208, 210 are preferably
shaped through a roll forming process. However, it should be
appreciated that the rails 208, 210 could alternately be shaped
through an extrusion, stamping, machining or any suitable
process.
[0034] Referring now to FIG. 5, each of the web structures 212a-d
is generally U or chevron shaped with a base 230a-d in engagement
with one of the rails 208, 210 and a pair of legs 232a-d extending
to the other of the rails 208, 210. The legs 232a-d of the web
structures 212a-d diverge away from one another as they extend from
their respective bases 230a-d, and whichever leg 232a-d is to be
positioned closer to the torque tube 204 is longer than the other
leg to compensate for the greater distance between the first and
second rails 206, 208 at this location. The particular shape and
size of each of the web structures 212a-d is determined based on
the requirements of a particular application including, without
limitation, such considerations as strength, load, wind, and
cost.
[0035] As also shown in FIG. 5, each of the web structures 212a-d
of the support frame of FIG. 2 has an opening between the legs
232a-d. Each of the smaller web structures 212a-c is shaped and
sized to nest, at least partially, within the opening of the larger
web structures 212b-d. This provides for manufacturing advantages
as well as cost savings since these web structures 212a-d can be
stamped from a single blank in a single press with little wasted
material. The web structures 212a-d can also be packaged
efficiently for transportation before installation within one of
the support arm assemblies 206. By way of a specific and
non-limiting example, steel rule dies are used to stamp out the
plurality of web structures 212a-d in a single press. It should be
appreciated that the web structures 212a-d could have any desirable
shape with at least two legs and an opening including, without
limitation, a square, triangular, or W shape.
[0036] The torque tube 204 is preferably mounted to a drive
mechanism (not shown) for rotating the support frame assembly 200.
In this fashion, mirror elements 202 may be re-oriented to follow,
or track, the movement of the sun across the sky, thereby
maximizing the amount of solar rays reflected to a solar power
generator (now shown). However, as discussed above, the support
frame assembly 200 could alternately be non-movably mounted.
[0037] According to at least one embodiment, the first and second
rails 208, 210 and the plurality of web structures 212a-d are
fabricated from the same material, such as for instance
high-strength steel. In this case, the plurality of web structures
212a-d are preferably attached to the first and second rails 208,
210, respectively, by one of welding, riveting or Tox.RTM. joining
or any other suitable coupling mechanism.
[0038] According to another embodiment, the first and second rails
208, 210 and the plurality of web structures 212a-d are fabricated
from different materials. For instance, the first and second rails
208, 210 are fabricated from high-strength steel and the web
structures 212a-d is fabricated from aluminum or an alloy thereof,
or from a composite material, etc. In this embodiment, the use of
aluminum for the web structures 212a-d will provide less overall
weight to the support frame assembly 200. Some examples of
composite materials which may be suitable include
steel/plastic/steel sandwich materials or steel/paper/steel
sandwich materials. Depending on the specific combination of
materials that is used, the plurality of web structures 212a-d may
be attached to the first and second rails 208, 210 through welding,
riveting, Tox.RTM. joining or any other suitable coupling
mechanism.
[0039] Another aspect of the present invention provides for a
process of fabricating a support frame assembly 200. The exemplary
process includes roll forming a torque tube 204, a plurality of
first rails 208 and a plurality of second rails 210. A plurality of
web structures 212a-d are then formed through a single stamping
process. The web structures 212a-d are formed with a base 230a-d
and a pair of legs 232a-d to present an opening. During the
stamping process, the smaller web structures 212a-c are at least
partially formed in nesting relationship with the respective larger
web structures 212b-d. The first and second rails 208, 210 are then
positioned in a predetermined configuration relative to one
another, e.g. converging towards one another from first ends to
second ends. Next, the web structures 212a-d are attached between
the first and second rails 208, 210 to define a plurality of
support arm assemblies 206. The support arm assemblies 206 are then
attached to the torque tube 204 through a plurality of upper and
lower structure attachment brackets 214, 216. The assembly of the
support arm assemblies 206 and the attachment of the support arm
assemblies 206 to the torque tube 204 can either be done in a
factory setting or in the field at an installation location.
[0040] Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternative exemplary embodiment
of the support frame assembly 300 is generally shown. In this
embodiment, the first and second rails 308, 310 extend in generally
parallel relationship with one another. This embodiment also
includes a torque tube 304 and plurality of support arm assemblies
306 with web structures 312a-d and fasteners 320, similar to the
exemplary embodiment. It should be appreciated that the shape of
the second rail may differ from the exemplary embodiment depending
on a number of factors including, for example, strength, cost,
functionality, etc. For example, the second rail could alternately
have an arcuate shape.
[0041] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present
invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be
practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *