U.S. patent application number 15/199461 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-29 for apparatus, systems and methods for rotational drive modules for use with cigarette tobacco filling devices.
The applicant listed for this patent is FAN BAO. Invention is credited to Fan Bao, Aiguang Chen.
Application Number | 20160374389 15/199461 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57794007 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160374389 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bao; Fan ; et al. |
December 29, 2016 |
APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ROTATIONAL DRIVE MODULES FOR USE
WITH CIGARETTE TOBACCO FILLING DEVICES
Abstract
A cigarette tobacco filler device includes a cigarette tobacco
loader for loading tobacco leaves into a tobacco receiving cavity,
wherein the cigarette tobacco loader includes a loader body and a
loader arrangement. The loader body has a loading cavity and a
loading opening aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity. The
loader arrangement includes a loading pusher movably supported by
the loader body to move between first and second positions, and a
loader handle pivotally coupled at the loader body with a
rotational drive module to move the loading pusher between said
first and second positions. At the first position, a loading gap is
formed between the pusher end of the loading pusher and the loading
opening for receiving the tobacco leaves within the loading gap. At
the second position, the pusher end of the loading pusher is driven
for pushing the tobacco leaves within the loading gap into the
tobacco receiving cavity.
Inventors: |
Bao; Fan; (Brea, CA)
; Chen; Aiguang; (Dong Guan, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FAN BAO |
Brea |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57794007 |
Appl. No.: |
15/199461 |
Filed: |
June 30, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13374219 |
Dec 15, 2011 |
9380808 |
|
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15199461 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
131/108 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24C 5/398 20130101;
A24C 5/42 20130101; A24C 5/40 20130101; A24C 5/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A24C 5/06 20060101
A24C005/06; A24C 5/40 20060101 A24C005/40; A24C 5/39 20060101
A24C005/39 |
Claims
1. A cigarette tobacco loader for a cigarette tobacco filler device
having a tobacco receiving cavity, comprising: a loader body having
a loading cavity for receiving a predetermined amount of tobacco
leaves and a loader opening arranged for alignment of the tobacco
receiving cavity with a filling opening of the cigarette tobacco
filler device; a loader arrangement, comprising: a loading pusher
movably supported by the loader body to move between a first
position where a pusher end of the loading pusher is positioned
above the loader opening and a second position where the pusher end
of the loading pusher is moved to pass through the loader opening;
and a loader handle pivotally coupled with the loader body to move
the loading pusher between the first and second positions, such
that when the loading pusher is at the first position, a loading
gap is formed between the pusher end of the loading pusher and the
loader opening of the loader body for receiving the tobacco leaves
within the loading gap, and when the loading pusher is at the
second position, the pusher end of the loading pusher is driven for
pushing the tobacco leaves within the loading gap into the tobacco
receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device using a
rotational drive module.
2. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 1, wherein the
loader handle is operatively coupled to a drive shaft of the
rotational drive module and the rotational drive module further
comprises: a slide disk; a drive disk; a cylinder; and a secondary
shaft operatively coupled to the loading pusher.
3. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the
switch disk is coupled to the loader body such that it remains
stationary with respect to the loader body during operation of the
loader drive module.
4. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the
drive disk and the cylinder are removably coupled during operation
of the loader drive module.
5. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 4, wherein the
drive disk and cylinder are removably coupled using one or more
detents.
6. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 5, wherein the
one or more detents are at least partially housed within one or
more holes through the drive disk.
7. The cigarette tobacco loader as described in claim 5, wherein
the drive disk and cylinder are coupled in a first orientation and
decoupled in a second orientation.
8. The cigarette tobacco loader as described in claim 6, wherein
the one or more detents engage one or more depressions of the
cylinder in the first orientation and disengage the one or more
depressions of the cylinder in the second orientation.
9. The cigarette tobacco loader as described in claim 8, wherein
the one or more detents slide through one or more channels of the
slide disk in the second orientation.
10. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 5, wherein at
least one of the one or more detents are spherically shaped.
11. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 5, wherein at
least one of the one or more detents are pins.
12. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the
drive disk is permanently coupled with the drive shaft.
13. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 12, wherein
the drive disk is permanently coupled with the drive shaft using
one or more shaft pins.
14. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the
cylinder is permanently coupled with the secondary shaft.
15. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the
drive shaft and the secondary shaft are rotationally coupled.
16. The cigarette tobacco loader as recited in claim 2, wherein the
shift disk, drive disk and cylinder are each substantially the same
circumference.
17. A method of loading tobacco leaves into a tobacco receiving
cavity of a cigarette tobacco filler device by a cigarette tobacco
loader which comprises a loader body and a loader arrangement,
wherein the method comprises the steps of: (a) disposing the
tobacco leaves in a loading cavity of said loader body, wherein a
loading opening of said loader body is aligned with the tobacco
receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device; (b)
remaining a loading pusher of said loader arrangement at a first
position that a pusher end of said loading pusher is positioned
above said loading opening, such that a loading gap is formed
between said pusher end of said loading pusher and said loading
opening of said loader body for receiving said tobacco leaves
within said loading gap; (c) moving said loading pusher from said
first position to a second position that said pusher end of said
loading pusher is moved to pass through said loading opening for
pushing said tobacco leaves within said loading gap into the
tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device by
operating a rotational loading drive module; (d) moving said
loading pusher back to said first position from said second
position, such that said tobacco leaves within said loading cavity
are dropped to said loading gap; and (e) repeating the steps (c)
and (d) until the tobacco leaves are filled in the tobacco
receiving cavity.
18. The method recited in claim 17, wherein moving the loading
pusher between the first and second positions further comprises:
operating the rotational drive module by performing a pivotal
movement of a loader handle that is operatively coupled to the
rotational loading drive module of the loader arrangement.
19. The method recited in claim 17, wherein operating the
rotational loading drive module further comprises: engagement
between at least two components of the loading drive module in a
first loading drive module orientation; and disengagement between
the at least two components of the loading drive module in a second
loading drive module orientation.
20. The method recited in claim 19, wherein engagement and
disengagement occur due to movement of one or more detents.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to and is a
Continuation-in-Part of U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No.
13/374,219 filed Dec. 15, 2011, titled "CIGARETTE TOBACCO FILLER
DEVICE" which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
This application is also related to the subject matter disclosed in
U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/209,953 filed Mar. 9, 2009,
titled "CIGARETTE TUBE INJECTOR"; U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/584,110 filed Aug. 31, 2009, titled "CRANK TYPE AUTOMATIC
CIGARETTE TUBE INJECTOR"; U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/507,774 filed Jul. 26, 2012, titled "CRANK TYPE AUTOMATIC
CIGARETTE TUBE INJECTOR" and U.S. patent application Ser. No.
14/224,036 filed Mar. 24, 2014, titled "CIGARETTE TOBACCO FILLER
DEVICE" which are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention is related to drive modules for use with a
cigarette tobacco filling devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to a cigarette making machine,
and more particular to a cigarette tobacco filler device, which is
easy to operate by pivotally moving down an operation handle to
actuate the plunger for filling the tobacco into the cigarette
tube.
[0004] The cigarettes consumed by people are normally manufactured
by factories and are sold in market. A cigarette is a paper wrapped
tube stuffed with finely cut tobacco leaves. Generally, the tobacco
leaves are cured and processed with additives. There are many
tastes and brands of cigarettes people can select because of the
different types of tobacco leaves, different cure processes and
additives. However, some people still wish to fill and smoke their
own tobacco cigarettes.
[0005] For those people wishing to fill and smoke their own tobacco
cigarettes, they have to prepare their cigarettes by rolling the
paper to wrap their cut tobacco leaves inside. Doing this by hand
requires a lot of time and it is also difficult to stuff tobacco
leaves with a uniform and proper compactness. If the tobacco leaves
are wrapped too compressed, the cigarettes can be difficult to
smoke; if the tobacco leaves are wrapped too loose, it can be easy
to drop the tobacco leaves and thereby extinguish the lit
cigarette.
[0006] Currently there are machines can help people to make
cigarettes with their own tobacco, but there are some problems that
plague these machines.
[0007] For example, a manual crank type machine can be operated
manually by filling the tobacco leaves into the crank nozzle such
that when the crank nozzle is inserted into the cigarette paper
tube, the tobacco leaves loaded therein. The advantage of the
manual crank-type machine is that the tobacco leaves will not be
shred when the tobacco leaves are loaded in the cigarette paper
tube. However, one of the drawbacks of the manual crank-type
machine is that the injection is not automatic. The user has to use
both hands to provide force. Another drawback is that the tobacco
leaves cannot be evenly loaded within the cigarette paper tube such
that compactness of the resulting cigarette is not uniform.
[0008] Some machines are driven by electric power. The tobacco
leaves are injected automatically. But the problem is the size of
this kind of machine is large. Particularly, the length of this
kind of machine has to be more two times the length of a standard
cigarette. For example, such an automatic machine generally has a
chamber to contain tobacco, which can be injected into the
cigarette paper tube. In order to fulfill the cigarette paper tube,
the volume of the chamber is the same or little larger than the
cigarette paper tube, and the length of the chamber is the same or
a little longer than the length of the cigarette paper tube. At one
end of the chamber is a nozzle which is inserted into one open end
of the cigarette paper tube. At the other end of the chamber is a
piston to inject the tobacco inside the chamber into the paper tube
through the nozzle. The piston is driven by a driving shaft, for
example, a worm shaft. Because the piston will slide through the
chamber from one end to another to push the tobacco leaves into the
cigarette paper tube, the driving shaft at least has to be the same
length as the length of the chamber. When the tobacco leaves are
loaded into the chamber, the driving shaft has to stay outside the
chamber and align with the chamber longitudinally. Considering the
driving mechanism, the total length of this machine must be longer
than the length of the driving shaft plus the length of the chamber
which is at least two times of the length of a standard
cigarette.
[0009] Another type of automatic machine incorporates with a spiral
nozzle for delivering the tobacco leaves into a cigarette paper
tube. However, when the spiral nozzle is rotated for delivering the
tobacco leaves, the tobacco leaves can be shredded into small
pieces within the cigarette paper tube. Therefore, when the
cigarette is lit, the cigarette ash cannot be held properly while
smoking and will fall unexpectedly, causing a messy and potentially
dangerous situation.
[0010] A conventional cigarette machine generally comprises an
injection device received in a casing and a manually actuation
device for actuating the injection device. The injection device
comprises a plunger being actuated by the actuation device for
filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette
tube.
[0011] There is therefore a need for methods, devices and systems
that allows users to easily, simply and effectively insert tobacco
into a cigarette paper tube with an automatic drive mechanism.
SUMMARY
[0012] Provided herein are embodiments of cigarette tobacco filler
devices, that are easy to operate by pivotally moving down an
operation handle in an ergonomically actuating manner to actuate
the plunger for filling tobacco into a cigarette tube.
[0013] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, wherein the pivotally downward movement of
the operation handle will ensure the device is stable on a loading
surface to prevent any unwanted movement of the device during
operation.
[0014] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, wherein the pivotally downward movement of
an operation handle will transmit a rotatable force to drive a
power shaft and rotational drive shaft module to effectively
actuate the enclosing window and the plunger. In other words, the
enclosing window and the plunger are actuated by the power shaft to
effectively transmit the rotatable force to the enclosing window
and the plunger.
[0015] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, wherein an operation handle provides
triple-action actuation of an enclosing window, a plunger, and
release of a cigarette tube in one single downward movement.
[0016] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, wherein a power shaft is made of rigid
material and is strong enough to transmit the rotatable force to
actuate an enclosing window and a plunger.
[0017] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, wherein an operation handle can be unlocked
to freely rotate with respect to a power shaft such that a plunger
and an enclosing window will not be actuated by the operation
handle when the devices are not intentionally used.
[0018] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, wherein a tobacco receiving cavity can be
closed by an enclosing window when the devices are not in use so as
to prevent dust or other particles being accumulated in a tobacco
receiving cavity.
[0019] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, wherein an enclosing window is stably moved
between an opened position and a closed position by an even
transverse force, which is transmitted from the rotatable force of
a power shaft.
[0020] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, which do not involve complicated mechanical
structures or expensive components so as to minimize manufacturing
costs.
[0021] Another advantage of the invention is to provide cigarette
tobacco filler devices, wherein no expensive or complicated
structure is required to employ in the present invention in order
to achieve the above mentioned objects. Therefore, embodiments
described herein are successful in providing an economic and
efficient solution for providing a stable configuration and easy
operation of cigarette tobacco filler devices.
[0022] Other systems, devices, methods, features, objectives and
advantages of the subject matter described herein will be or will
become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of
the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that
all such additional devices, methods, features and advantages be
included within this description, be within the scope of the
subject matter described herein, and be protected by the
accompanying claims. In no way should the features of the example
embodiments be construed as limiting the appended claims, absent
express recitation of those features in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0023] The details of the subject matter set forth herein, both as
to its structure and operation, may be apparent by study of the
accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to
like parts. The components in the figures are not necessarily to
scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the
principles of the subject matter. Moreover, all illustrations are
intended to convey concepts, where relative sizes, shapes and other
detailed attributes may be illustrated schematically rather than
literally or precisely.
[0024] Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one
of the best mode embodiments of the present invention. In such
drawing(s):
[0025] FIG. 1 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a
conventional cigarette making machine, illustrating a rotatable
handle being rotated above the top side of a casing, thereby
extending a plunger.
[0026] FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate an example embodiment of an
operation of the conventional cigarette making machine from a
cutaway top view.
[0027] FIG. 3A is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a
cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating the operation handle
at an initial position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for
actuation.
[0028] FIG. 3B is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a
cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating the operation handle
at a second position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for
actuation of the enclosing window.
[0029] FIG. 3C is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a
cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating the operation handle
at a third position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for
completing the tobacco insertion actuation.
[0030] FIG. 4 is an example embodiment of an exploded perspective
view of a cigarette tobacco filler device.
[0031] FIG. 5 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a
cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating a normal first
position of the device.
[0032] FIG. 6 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a
cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating a second position of
the device to close a tobacco receiving cavity.
[0033] FIG. 7 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a
cigarette tobacco filler device, illustrating a third position of
the device to actuate a plunger.
[0034] FIG. 8 is an example embodiment of a rotational drive module
in a distal facing exploded view.
[0035] FIG. 9 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module in a first state from a distal facing perspective
view.
[0036] FIG. 10 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module in a first state from a side view.
[0037] FIG. 11 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module in a second state from a distal facing perspective
view.
[0038] FIG. 12 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module in a second state from a side view.
[0039] FIG. 13 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module in a first state from a proximal facing side view.
[0040] FIG. 14 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module in a second state from a slightly distal facing
perspective view.
[0041] FIG. 15 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module in a second state from a proximal facing side
view.
[0042] FIG. 16 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module in a first state from a slightly distal facing
perspective view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0043] Before the present subject matter is described in detail, it
is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the
particular embodiments described, as such may vary. It is also to
be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose
of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to
be limiting, since the scope of the present disclosure will be
limited only by the appended claims.
[0044] A conventional cigarette machine generally comprises an
injection device received in a casing and a manually actuation
device for actuating the injection device. The injection device
comprises a plunger being actuated by the actuation device for
filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette
tube.
[0045] FIG. 1 is an example embodiment of a perspective view of a
conventional cigarette making machine 100, illustrating a rotatable
handle 12A being rotated above the top side of a casing 10A,
thereby extending a plunger 11A.
[0046] FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate an example embodiment of an
operation of the conventional cigarette making machine 100, from a
cutaway top view. As shown in the example embodiment, cigarette
making machine 100 includes an opening of a tobacco receiving
chamber or cavity 11B for receiving a sufficient amount of tobacco
to fill a cigarette casing provided on a top side of casing 10A.
Casing 10A can enclose internal components of an injection device,
wherein when a plunger 11A is actuated, it pushes tobacco contained
in tobacco receiving chamber 11B into an open end of a cigarette
tube. In particular, window 18A can be provided at the top side of
casing 10A and can be actuated, for instance by cranking handle
12A, whereby the actuation device closes the tobacco receiving
chamber 11B. Window 18A can have a sharp cutting edge arranged in
such a manner that when window 18A is moved to close tobacco
receiving chamber 11B, the cutting edge of window 18A is moved and
can cut any excessive amount of tobacco out of or otherwise away
from tobacco receiving chamber 11B so as to retain a sufficient
amount of tobacco therein, to fill a single cigarette tube.
[0047] The actuation device can include a number of mechanically
coupled components, including rotatable handle 12A, which can be
rotatably coupled on a top side of the casing 10A. The actuation
device can also include an actuation link between rotatable handle
12A and plunger 11A, as shown in FIG. 2A. Rotatable handle 12A is
rotated above the top side of casing 10A about a central point in a
single plane in two directions, in order to provide dual action
operation, as shown in FIG. 1. In other Words, rotatable handle 12A
is rotated to actuate window 18A for closing tobacco receiving
chamber 11B first and then serves to actuate plunger 11A to pushing
the tobacco into the cigarette tube. The actuation device can also
include a cam 13A driven by the rotatable handle 12A, a window link
connected between cam 13A and window 18A, and a plunger link
connected between cam 13A and plunger 11A. The window link can
include a transverse link 14A and a plurality of longitudinal links
15A. The plunger link can include a plunger actuation arm 16A
connected to plunger 11A.
[0048] Rotatable handle 12A can be manually rotated by a user,
resulting in a corresponding rotary movement in an axle and
integrally attached cam 13A, wherein the rotary movement of cam 13A
urges transverse link 14A to move. The longitudinal links 15A can
be rotatably pivoted at one end to the transverse link 14A to
actuate window 18A for closing the tobacco receiving chamber, as
shown in FIG. 2B.
[0049] Once window 18A is actuated to close tobacco receiving
chamber 11B, the rotatable handle 12A can be further rotated in
order to actuate the plunger actuation arm 16A. The rotatable
movement of the plunger actuation arm 16A can be transmitted to
move plunger 11A in a linear movement. A compression spring 17A can
be coupled to plunger actuation arm 16A to pull plunger actuation
arm 16A back to its original position, so as to move plunger 11A
back in a linear movement.
[0050] Referring to FIGS. 3A-3C and FIGS. 4-7, a cigarette tobacco
filler device according to an example embodiment is illustrated,
wherein the cigarette tobacco filler device, which is arranged for
filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette
tube, include a casing 10, an injection unit 20 and a plunger
actuation unit 30.
[0051] Casing 10 can have a tobacco receiving cavity 11 provided at
a top side of casing 10 for receiving tobacco, and an outlet 12
provided at a front side of casing 10 for holding a cigarette tube
in position, wherein outlet 12 is in communication with the tobacco
receiving cavity 11. Outlet 12 can have a tubular structure having
a circumferential size slightly smaller than the circumferential
size such that the outlet 12 is adapted for inserting into the
opening end of the cigarette tube to hold the cigarette tube in
position. Casing 10 can further have a sloping platform 13 provided
at the top side of casing 10 to align with the top opening of
tobacco receiving cavity 11, wherein sloping platform 13 is
downwardly extended to tobacco receiving cavity 11 such that a user
is able to brush tobacco at sloping platform 13 into tobacco
receiving cavity 11. Casing 10 further includes a handle bar 14
spacedly extended above the top side of casing 10 and extended
between the front and rear sides of casing 10 for carrying
purpose.
[0052] Casing 10 can further have or enclose an interior cavity for
receiving injection unit 20 and plunger actuation unit 30, such
that a bottom panel 15 can be coupled at the bottom side of casing
10 to enclose the interior cavity.
[0053] Injection unit 20 can comprise a plunger 21 movably
supported in casing 10 at a position that a front pushing end 211
of plunger 21 is moved forward through tobacco receiving cavity 11
to outlet 12 for delivering or otherwise pushing the tobacco into
the cigarette tube. Accordingly, plunger 21 can have an elongated
structure and be slid or otherwise moved in casing 10 in a
longitudinal direction within casing 10. In particular, plunger 21
can be coaxially aligned with outlet 12, such that when the plunger
21 is moved forward in a linear manner, front pushing end 211 of
plunger 21 will push the tobacco contained within tobacco receiving
cavity 11 into the cigarette tube through outlet 12.
[0054] Injection unit 20 can further include a linear guiding
channel 22 longitudinally formed within casing 10 to guide the
longitudinal movement of plunger 21. Accordingly, injection unit 20
can include two elongated plunger guiding arms 23 defining the
sides of guiding channel 22 therebetween, wherein plunger 21 is
slidably coupled between plunger guiding arms 23 along guiding
channel 22 to ensure plunger 21 is being moved longitudinally,
without angular deviation.
[0055] Plunger actuation unit 30 can include a power shaft 31
rotatably supported in casing 10 to couple with plunger 21 and an
operation handle 32 pivotally extended above the top side of the
casing 10, wherein when operation handle 32 can be pivotally moved
down toward the top side of casing 10, such that power shaft 31 is
driven to rotate. Accordingly, power shaft 31 can provide a
rotatable power to actuate plunger 21 for inserting tobacco
contained within tobacco receiving cavity 11 into the cigarette
tube through outlet 12. When operation handle 32 is pivotally moved
up and away from the top side of casing 10, power shaft 31 can be
driven to rotate in an opposite direction, wherein plunger 21 can
move backward in a linear manner so as to move back to its original
position.
[0056] Power shaft 31 can be the main power transmitting element
for transmitting the rotatable power from the operation handle 32.
One end of the power shaft 31 can be coupled with the bottom end of
operation handle 32 such that when the upper end of operation
handle 32 is pivotally moved down toward the top side of casing 10,
power shaft 31 can be driven to rotate for generating the rotatable
power. Accordingly, plunger 21 and power shaft 31 are spacedly
supported within casing 10 and are extended parallel to each
other.
[0057] In various embodiments, a user is able to apply a downward
force at operation handle 32 to drive operation handle 32, thereby
pivotally moving it down toward the top side of casing 10. The
pivotally downward movement of operation handle 32 allows the user
to easily operate operation handle 32 in an ergonomically actuating
manner for completing the filling of tobacco into the cigarette
tube. In other words, the pivotally downward movement of operation
handle 32 is designed to optimize how the force applied by the user
and to enhance the overall device performance.
[0058] By applying the downward force, casing 10 will be stably
rested on a surface, such as a table surface, so as to prevent any
unwanted movement of casing 10 during the operation of the
cigarette tobacco filler device. In some embodiments, operation
handle 32 is coupled at a rear side of casing 10 to maximize the
distance between operation handle 32 and outlet 12 for easy
operation.
[0059] According to some embodiments, the plunger actuation unit 30
further comprises a gear unit 33 driven by the power shaft 31 and
an actuation arm 34 for actuating the plunger 21. The actuation arm
34 has a pivot end operatively coupled with the gear unit 33 and a
driving end operatively coupled with the plunger 21 in such a
manner that when the power shaft 31 is driven to rotate, the
actuation arm 34 is pivotally moved to longitudinally move the
plunger 21 forward for pushing the tobacco to the outlet 12.
[0060] As shown in FIGS. 4-7, the actuation arm 34 comprises a
first arm member 341 pivotally coupled with the gear unit 33 and a
second arm member 342 pivotally coupled at the rear end of the
plunger 21, wherein the first and second arm members 341, 342 are
pivotally coupled with each other in an end-to-end manner.
Accordingly, the pivot end of the actuation arm 34 is defined at
the first arm member 341 to pivotally couple with the gear unit 33
while the driving end of the actuation arm 34 is defined at the
second arm member 342 to couple at the rear end of the plunger
21.
[0061] Therefore, when the first arm member 341 is pivotally moved
to the front side of the casing 10, the second arm member 342 is
driven to longitudinally move the plunger 21 forward. When the
first arm member 341 is pivotally moved back to the rear side of
the casing 10, the second arm member 342 is driven to
longitudinally move the plunger 21 backward.
[0062] The gear unit 33 is arranged to transmit the rotatable power
from the power shaft 31 to a pivotal movement of the actuation arm
34. In particular, the gear unit 33 comprises a first gear 331
coaxially coupled at the power shaft 31 and a second gear 332 which
is coupled at the pivot end of the actuation arm 34 and is
operatively engaged with the first gear 331. In particular, the
second gear 332 will also transmit the direction of the rotatable
power from the first gear 331 to the actuation arm 34.
[0063] The first gear 331 has a teething edge portion and a
non-teething edge portion provided at the circumferential edge of
the first gear 331. The second gear 332 has a teeth edge portion to
selectively engage with the teething edge portion and the
non-teething edge portion of the first gear 331 when the first gear
331 is rotated.
[0064] Accordingly, when the first gear 331 is rotated at a
position that the non-teething edge portion of the first gear 331
is engaged with the second gear 332, the second gear 332 is idle
such that the actuation arm 34 is remained at a motionless manner.
When the first gear 331 is rotated at a position that the teething
edge portion of the first gear 331 is engaged with the second gear
332, the second gear 332 is driven to rotate to pivotally move the
actuation arm 34 so as to longitudinally move the plunger 21
forward.
[0065] It is worth mentioning that the non-teething edge portion of
the first gear 331 is initially engaged with the second gear 332.
When the operation handle 32 is pivotally moved downward, the
teething edge portion of the first gear 331 will then be engaged
with the second gear 332. Therefore, the second gear 332 will be in
an idle position at the first pivotal moving path of the operation
handle 32. In addition, the curvature length of the teething edge
portion of the first gear 331 is long enough to driven the plunger
21 to longitudinally move by the actuation arm 34 for inserting the
tobacco into the cigarette tube.
[0066] As shown in FIGS. 3-7, the plunger actuation unit 30 further
comprises a resilient element 35 coupled at the actuation arm 34
for applying an urging force thereagainst so as to longitudinally
move the plunger 21 backward. Accordingly, the resilient element 35
comprises a coil spring for urging the actuation arm 34. In
particular, the coil spring of the resilient element 35 has a coil
portion coaxially coupled at the pivot end of the actuation arm 34
and two spring arms spacedly extended from the coil portion to bias
against an inner wall of the casing 10 and the actuation arm 34
respectively. Accordingly, the respective spring arm of the
resilient element 35 is coupled at the actuation arm 34 between the
pivot end and the driving end. In particular, the respective spring
arm of the resilient element 35 is coupled at the first arm member
341. It is worth mentioning that the coil spring has a spring
property to move the actuation arm 34 is a pivotally movable
manner. Therefore, the fatigue life of the coil spring
incorporating with the actuation arm will be substantially
prolonged to extend the service life span of the resilient element
35.
[0067] According to the preferred embodiment, the cigarette tobacco
filler device further comprises an enclosing window 40 movably
coupled at the casing 10 to enclose the tobacco receiving cavity 11
thereof. Accordingly, the enclosing window 40 has a planar
structure and is transversely moved to close the tobacco receiving
cavity 11. In particular, the enclosing window 40 is movably
coupled at the interior of the top side of the casing 10 such that
when the top opening of the tobacco receiving cavity 11 is closed
by the enclosing window 40, the tobacco receiving cavity 11 will
house a predetermined amount of the tobacco in order to insert the
tobacco into the cigarette tube. It is worth mentioning that the
tobacco receiving cavity 11 is normally closed by the enclosing
window 40 to prevent the dust and particles entering into the
tobacco receiving cavity 11 when the cigarette tobacco filler
device is not in use, as shown in FIG. 5.
[0068] The cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises a
window actuation unit 50 operatively coupled between the enclosing
window 40 and the power shaft 31, wherein when the power shaft 31
is rotated, the enclosing window 40 is moved by the window
actuation unit 50 to enclose the tobacco receiving cavity 11 before
the plunger 21 is moved.
[0069] In particular, the window actuation unit 50 is actuated by
the power shaft 31 when the non-teething edge portion of the first
gear 331 is initially engaged with the second gear 332. Therefore,
the enclosing window 40 is actuated to close the tobacco receiving
cavity 11 before the actuation of the plunger 21, as shown in FIG.
6. In other words, the operation handle 32 provides dual actions to
actuate both the enclosing window 40 and the plunger 21
subsequently in one single pivotally moving down movement. In other
words, at the first pivotal moving path of the operation handle 32,
i.e. the non-teething edge portion of the first gear 331 is
initially engaged with the second gear 332, the enclosing window 40
is actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11. At the second
pivotal moving path of the operation handle 32, i.e. the teething
edge portion of the first gear 331 is then engaged with the second
gear 332, the plunger 21 is actuated to insert the tobacco into the
cigarette tube. It is worth mentioning that the first and second
pivotal moving paths of the operation handle 32 are continuous
movement of the operation handle 32 to pivotally and downwardly
move the operation handle 32 toward the top side of the casing
10.
[0070] Accordingly, the window actuation unit 50 comprises two
swinging members 51 spacedly coupled with the power shaft 31 and a
guiding panel 52 being driven to transversely shift by the swinging
members 51.
[0071] The swinging members 51 are identical and are securely
coupled at the power shaft 31, wherein the swinging members 51 are
rotatably swung when the power shaft 31 is rotated. The guiding
panel 52 has a first edge movably coupled between the swinging
members 51 and an opposed second edge pivotally coupled with the
enclosing window 40 in such a manner that when the power shaft 31
is rotated, the swinging members 51 are rotated to transversely
shift the guiding panel 52 so as to transversely move the enclosing
window 40 for closing the tobacco receiving cavity 11.
[0072] In particular, each of the swinging members 51 has an
arc-shaped guiding slot 511 that the first edge of the guiding
panel 52 is engaged between the guiding slots 511 of the swinging
members 51, such that when the swinging members 51 are driven to
swing, the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is guided to slide
therealong. In other words, when the swinging members 51 are driven
to rotate by the power shaft 31, the first edge of the guiding
panel 52 is guided to slide along the guiding slots 511 to
transversely shift the guiding panel 52. As shown in FIG. 4, the
first edge of the guiding panel 52 is engaged with the guiding
slots 511 of the swinging members 51 via an elongated swing shaft.
In addition, the guiding panel 52 is transversely shifted that when
the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is moved downwardly along
the guiding slots 511, the second edge of the guiding panel 52 is
transversely moved toward the closing direction of the enclosing
window 40. When the first edge of the guiding panel 52 is moved
upwardly along the guiding slots 511, the second edge of the
guiding panel 52 is transversely moved toward the opening direction
of the enclosing window 40.
[0073] In various embodiments, one or more components of actuation
unit 50, such as guiding slots 511 and swinging members 51 can be
complemented, supplemented or replaced with other functional drive
modules. In many embodiments these drive modules can be rotational
drive modules, such as the rotational drive modules shown in the
various example embodiments depicted in FIGS. 8-16 and described
herein.
[0074] The enclosing window 40 has a pivot edge pivotally coupled
with the second edge of the guiding panel 52 via a hinge structure
such that when the guiding panel 52 is transversely shifted, the
enclosing window 40 is pushed to close the tobacco receiving cavity
11. The enclosing window 40 further has an opposed sharp cutting
edge arranged in such a manner that when the enclosing window 40 is
transversely moved to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11, the
cutting edge is stably moved for cutting excessive amount of the
tobacco out of the tobacco receiving cavity 11, so as to retain a
predetermined amount of the tobacco in the tobacco receiving cavity
11. It is worth mentioning that the swinging members 51 are
concurrently swung about the power shaft 31 to generate an even
pushing force toward the guiding panel 52. Therefore, the pushing
force from the guiding panel 52 is evenly applied at the pivot edge
of the enclosing window 40, such that the enclosing window 40 can
be smoothly moved in a well balancing manner.
[0075] The cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises a
cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 for holding the cigarette
tube at the outlet 12 and for releasing the cigarette tube from the
outlet 12 after the tobacco is filled in the cigarette tube.
Accordingly, the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 comprises
a tube holding member 61 movably biasing against the outlet 12 for
holding the cigarette tube thereat, wherein the tube holding member
61, which is a spring-loaded member, has a holding face for
applying a spring holding force at the outer surface of the outlet
12 so as to hold the cigarette tube in position. In particular, the
tube holding member 61 is coupled with the enclosing window 40,
wherein when the enclosing window 40 is at the opened position, the
tube holding member 61 is moved away from the outlet 12 to define a
gap between the holding face of the tube holding member 61 and the
outer surface of the outlet 12 for the cigarette tube coupling with
the outlet 12. When the enclosing window 40 is moved to its closed
position, the tube holding member 61 is moved towards until the
holding face of the tube holding member 61 is biased against the
outer surface of the outlet 12 so as to hold the cigarette tube in
position. In other words, the operation handle 32 not only actuates
the enclosing window 40 but also actuates the tube holding member
61 at the same time.
[0076] The cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 further
comprises a tube releasing arm 62 which is pivotally supported in
the casing 10 and is actuated by the actuation arm 34. The tube
releasing arm 62 has a releasing end engaging with the tube holding
member 61 and an opposed control end arranged in such a manner that
after the actuation arm 34 is moved to actuate the plunger 21 for
inserting the tobacco into the cigarette tube, the control end of
the tube releasing arm 62 is actuated by the actuation arm 34.
Therefore, the releasing end of the tube releasing arm 62 is
pivotally moved to move the tube holding member 61 away from the
outlet 12 for releasing the cigarette tube from the outlet 12. It
is worth mentioning that when the front pushing end 211 of the
plunger 21 is moved out of the outlet 12 for inserting the tobacco
into the cigarette tube, the tube holding member 61 is moved away
from the outlet 12 at the same time. Therefore, the plunger 21 will
also push the cigarette tube to detach from the outlet 12 after the
tobacco is filled in the cigarette tube.
[0077] It is worth mentioning that the operation handle 32 further
provides triple actions to actuate all the enclosing window 40, the
plunger 21, and the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60
subsequently in one single pivotally moving down movement. As it is
mentioned above, the first pivotal moving path of the operation
handle 32 is to actuate the enclosing window 40 is actuated to
close the tobacco receiving cavity 11. The second pivotal moving
path of the operation handle 32 is to actuate the plunger 21 is
actuated to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. The
operation handle 32 further provides a third pivotal moving path to
actuate the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit 60 to release the
cigarette tube from the outlet 12. It is worth mentioning that the
first, second, and third pivotal moving paths of the operation
handle 32 are continuous movement of the operation handle 32 to
pivotally and downwardly move the operation handle 32 toward the
top side of the casing 10.
[0078] According to the preferred embodiment, the plunger actuation
unit 30 further comprises a releasable joint 36 for releasing an
engagement between the operation handle 32 and the power shaft 31.
Accordingly, all the actuations are powered by the rotation of the
power shaft 31. Once the power shaft 31 is in an idle state, all
the components cannot be moved correspondingly. The releasable
joint 36 is configured as safety device to ensure all the
components are at the idle state when the cigarette tobacco filler
device is not intentionally used.
[0079] The releasable joint 36 comprises a lock sleeve 361 coupled
between the operation handle 32 and the power shaft 31 and a
releasable lock 362 releasably engaged with the lock sleeve 361 to
lock up the operation handle 32 with the power shaft 31. Therefore,
when the releasable lock 362 is engaged with the lock sleeve 361,
the operation handle 32 can be moved to drive the power shaft 31 to
rotate. Likewise, when the releasable lock 362 is disengaged with
the lock sleeve 361, the operation handle 32 is freely moved to
idle the power shaft 31. It is worth mentioning that when
releasable lock 362 is disengaged with the lock sleeve 361, the
operation handle 32 will not be totally detached from the power
shaft 31. In particular, the operation handle 32 will only be
freely rotated without driving the power shaft 31 to rotate.
Therefore, when the device is not in use, the tobacco receiving
cavity 11 can be enclosed by moving the operation handle 32 to
close the tobacco receiving cavity 11 by the enclosing window 40
and by locking the operation handle 32 at the position to retain
the enclosing window 40 at the closed position so as to prevent
dust or other particles being accumulated in the tobacco receiving
cavity 11.
[0080] It is worth mentioning that the releasable joint 36 can
incorporate with a magnetic alignment unit to align the actuation
position of the operation handle 32 with respect to the power shaft
31. In other words, when the releasable lock 362 is re-engaged with
the lock sleeve 361, an angular position of the operation handle 32
can be automatically aligned with the power shaft 31 via the
magnetic alignment unit before the operation handle 32 is secured
to the power shaft 31.
[0081] In order to operate the cigarette tobacco filler device of
the present invention, the user is able to pivotally move the
operation handle 32 upward from the top side of the casing 10 in
order to move the enclosing window 40 for opening up the tobacco
receiving cavity 11, as shown in FIG. 3A. At the same time, the
tube holding member 61 is moved away from the outlet 12 for the
cigarette tube coupling with the outlet 12. Then, the user is able
to fill the tobacco into the tobacco receiving cavity 11. When the
user ergonomically applies the downward force at the operation
handle 32 to pivotally move the operation handle down toward the
top side of the casing 10, as shown in FIG. 3B, the enclosing
window 40 will be initially actuated to close the tobacco receiving
cavity 11 while the tube holding member 61 is moved to the outlet
12 for holding the cigarette tube in position. It is worth
mentioning that excessive amount of tobacco will be cut by the
cutting edge of the enclosing window 40 to prevent excessive amount
of tobacco being inserted into the cigarette tube. Accordingly, the
user is able to hold at the handle bar 14 to keep the casing 10 in
stable for easily applying the downward force at the operation
handle 32. When user keeps applying the downward force at the
operation handle 32 to pivotally move the operation handle down to
the top side of the casing 10, as shown in FIG. 3C, the plunger 21
is actuated to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. It is
worth mentioning that during the tobacco inserting operation, the
enclosing window 40 is remained at the closed position. Once the
operation handle 32 cannot be further moved downwardly, i.e. the
tobacco inserting operation is completed, the cigarette tube
hold-and-release unit 60 is actuated to release the cigarette tube
from the outlet 12. Accordingly, the user only requires a single
downward action to pivotally drop down the operation handle 32 in
order to hold the cigarette tube in position, to close the tobacco
receiving cavity 11, to fill the tobacco into the cigarette tube,
and to release the filled cigarette tube from the outlet 12.
[0082] Alternative embodiments of the invention can include
rotational drive modules which provide different benefits, such as
simplified construction, fewer moving parts and cost savings.
Example embodiments are shown and described herein with respect to
FIGS. 8-16 and their orientation, couplings and replacement options
with respect to various components in cigarette tobacco filler
devices, such as those shown in FIGS. 3A-3C and FIGS. 4-7, are
described.
[0083] FIG. 8 is an example embodiment of a rotational drive module
802 in a distal facing exploded view 800. In the example embodiment
shown major components of drive module 802 can include: a drive
shaft 810 having one or more shaft pins 870, a switch disk 860, one
or more detents 830, a drive disk 850, a cylinder 840 and a
secondary shaft 820. This listing is ordered as they will be
described throughout the application and as they are coupled from a
distal end to a proximal end of drive module 802. Generally
speaking, switch disk 860, drive disk 850 and cylinder 840 are each
cylindrically shaped and each have an exterior, circumferential
surface and a proximal and distal surface. Orientation of the
components of drive module 802 with respect to each other will now
be described with respect to the exploded view 800.
[0084] In the example embodiment, drive shaft 810 can be coupled to
an actuation handle of the device (e.g. See 32 of FIGS. 3A-3C and
FIGS. 4-7) at a distal end. In some embodiments, intermediate
shafts can be coupled between drive shaft 810 and actuation
handles. Drive shaft 810 can include a proximal section having
smaller dimensions circumferentially, such that a ridge 812 is
formed with a proximal face that is substantially perpendicular
with the circumferential surfaces of drive shaft 810. A proximal
end of drive shaft 810 rotationally couples with a distal end of a
secondary shaft 820. In various embodiments, this coupling can
occur with a male portion of either component extending into a
complementary female portion of the other component. When coupled,
they can lock into place with respect to each other in some
orientations such that rotational movement of components of drive
module 802 is possible but most proximal or distal movements are
prevented.
[0085] Switch disk 860 can include a central hole 864 that is sized
complementary to drive shaft 810 to allow for rotation of switch
disk 860 around a central axis of drive shaft 810 after being
slidably coupled together. Hole 864 also includes one or more
notches for coupling with coupling with one or more shaft pins 870
of drive shaft 810. Ridge 812 of drive shaft 810 abuts a distal
surface of switch disk 860 when coupled, thus preventing further
distal movement of switch disk 860. One or more tracks 862 are
provided on a proximal surface of switch disk 860 such that they
allow for slidable or rollable movement of the one or more detents
830. As shown, tracks 862 can have a semi-circular profile, while
detents 830 can be spherically shaped. Tracks 862 can trace a
semi-circular arc along the proximal surface of switch disk 860,
with a constant radius from a central axis of switch disk 860.
[0086] Drive disk 850 can include a central hole 854 that is sized
complementary to drive shaft 810 to allow for rotation of drive
disk 850 around a central axis of drive shaft 810 after being
slidably coupled together. A distal surface of drive disk 850 abuts
and has a similarly sized shape and profile to the proximal surface
of switch disk 860 when coupled. Drive disk 850 also includes one
or more cylindrically shaped holes 852. In general, holes 852 have
uniform circumferences and extend between the distal and proximal
surfaces of drive disk 850. Holes 852 have diameters similar to
those of detents 830, such that detents 830 can be housed within
holes 852 upon assembly of drive module 802.
[0087] Cylinder 840 can include a central hole 844 that is sized
complementary to drive shaft 810 to allow for rotation of cylinder
840 around a central axis of drive shaft 810 after being slidably
coupled together. A distal surface of cylinder 840 abuts and has a
similarly sized shape and profile to the proximal surface of drive
disk 850 when coupled. Dimples 842 in the distal surface of
cylinder 840 can be shaped in a semi-sphere such that they can
engage detents 830 in some orientations of an assembled drive
module 802. A proximal surface of cylinder 840 can engage a ridge
822 of secondary shaft 820 that is perpendicular with a
circumferential surface of secondary shaft 820. Secondary shaft 820
can be coupled with a guiding panel (e.g. see 52 of FIG. 4)
[0088] Operation of an assembled drive module will now be described
with respect to FIGS. 9-16. With respect to the example embodiments
shown in FIGS. 9-16, some general rules with respect to the
components during operation are as follows: switch disk can be held
stationary to the main housing and allows drive shaft to rotate
freely through it. Switch disks cannot rotate. Drive disks can be
permanently attached or otherwise coupled to drive shafts by shaft
pins of the drive shaft and can always rotate along with drive
shafts. Cylinders can be removably coupled to secondary shafts.
Cylinders can only rotate based on internal states of drive modules
based on orientation of detents.
[0089] FIG. 9 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module 802 in a first state from a distal facing perspective
view 900. In the first state, detents 830 are located in the holes
of drive disk 850 and are not oriented adjacent to tracks 862 of
switch disk 860. When a user causes rotation of drive shaft 810,
which is permanently coupled with drive disk 850 by shaft pins 870,
they rotate around the central axis of drive module 802, as
indicated by the movement arrow. Since detents 830 are housed
within the stationary holes 852 of drive disk 850, the rotation of
drive disk 850 causes detents to rotate with respect to the
proximal surface of switch disk 860, which can force detents 830 to
engage dimples 842 of cylinder 840 in the first state. Cylinder
840, permanently coupled to secondary shaft 820 can then rotate
based on this engagement with drive shaft 810 and drive disk 850 at
the same rate of rotation.
[0090] FIG. 10 is an example embodiment of an assembled drive
module 802 in a first state from a side view 1000. Side view 1000
shows detents 830 having orientation with and engagement of dimples
842 during the first state.
[0091] FIG. 11 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module 802 in a second state from a distal facing perspective
view 1100. In the second state, detents 830 are located in the
holes of drive disk 850 and are oriented adjacent to tracks 862 of
switch disk 860. When a user causes rotation of drive shaft 810 and
drive disk 850 in this orientation, tracks 862 of switch disk 860
provide relief for detents 830 to disengage dimples 842 of cylinder
840 and move into tracks 862. Since cylinder 840 is no longer
engaged with the rotational movement of drive shaft 810 and switch
disk 860 in the second state, they cease rotation.
[0092] FIG. 12 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module 802 in a second state from a side view 1200.
[0093] FIG. 13 is an example embodiment of an assembled drive
module 802 in a first state from a proximal facing side view
1300.
[0094] FIG. 14 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module 802 in a second state from a slightly distal facing
perspective view 1400.
[0095] FIG. 15 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module 802 in a second state from a proximal facing side view
1500.
[0096] FIG. 16 is an example embodiment of an assembled rotational
drive module 802 in a first state from a slightly distal facing
perspective view 1600.
[0097] As would be understood in the art, in various embodiments,
components of rotational drive modules can be arranged and oriented
differently than those depicted in FIGS. 8-16, while providing
similar functionality and effectiveness. In some example
embodiments, cylinder 840, drive disk 850 and switch disk 860 could
be mirrored about detents 830, as an inflection of the embodiments
shown in FIGS. 8-16, while maintaining their radii perpendicular to
the central axis of drive shaft 810.
[0098] Also, in various embodiments, different elements of
rotational drive modules can be fixed or otherwise held in a static
position with respect to the overall machine, device or apparatus
while others can be movable. In some such embodiments, drive disk
850 and detents 830 can be held in a fixed or otherwise stationary
position, while switch disk 860 can be permanently fixed or
otherwise coupled to drive shaft 810.
[0099] As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular
forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the
context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0100] The publications discussed herein are provided solely for
their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present
application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that
the present disclosure is not entitled to antedate such publication
by virtue of prior disclosure. Further, the dates of publication
provided may be different from the actual publication dates which
may need to be independently confirmed. Additionally, all
publications discussed herein are hereby incorporated by reference
in their entirety.
[0101] It should be noted that all features, elements, components,
functions, and steps described with respect to any embodiment
provided herein are intended to be freely combinable and
substitutable with those from any other embodiment. If a certain
feature, element, component, function, or step is described with
respect to only one embodiment, then it should be understood that
that feature, element, component, function, or step can be used
with every other embodiment described herein unless explicitly
stated otherwise. This paragraph therefore serves as antecedent
basis and written support for the introduction of claims, at any
time, that combine features, elements, components, functions, and
steps from different embodiments, or that substitute features,
elements, components, functions, and steps from one embodiment with
those of another, even if the following description does not
explicitly state, in a particular instance, that such combinations
or substitutions are possible. It is explicitly acknowledged that
express recitation of every possible combination and substitution
is overly burdensome, especially given that the permissibility of
each and every such combination and substitution will be readily
recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0102] In many instances entities are described herein as being
coupled to other entities. It should be understood that the terms
"coupled" and "connected" (or any of their forms) are used
interchangeably herein and, in both cases, are generic to the
direct coupling of two entities (without any non-negligible (e.g.,
parasitic) intervening entities) and the indirect coupling of two
entities (with one or more non-negligible intervening entities).
Where entities are shown as being directly coupled together, or
described as coupled together without description of any
intervening entity, it should be understood that those entities can
be indirectly coupled together as well unless the context clearly
dictates otherwise.
[0103] While the embodiments are susceptible to various
modifications and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have
been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It
should be understood, however, that these embodiments are not to be
limited to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary,
these embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and
alternatives falling within the spirit of the disclosure.
Furthermore, any features, functions, steps, or elements of the
embodiments may be recited in or added to the claims, as well as
negative limitations that define the inventive scope of the claims
by features, functions, steps, or elements that are not within that
scope.
* * * * *