U.S. patent application number 17/314072 was filed with the patent office on 2021-08-26 for consumption of material in additive manufacture.
This patent application is currently assigned to Stratasys Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is Stratasys Ltd.. Invention is credited to Boris BELOCON, Avraham TEKEN.
Application Number | 20210260828 17/314072 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005567839 |
Filed Date | 2021-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210260828 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TEKEN; Avraham ; et
al. |
August 26, 2021 |
CONSUMPTION OF MATERIAL IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURE
Abstract
A method for carrying out additive manufacture while regulating
material consumption, comprises making a digital representation of
at least part of an object for printing, the representation
comprising a plurality of voxels, and then identifying voxels which
are flexible in respect of being able to consist of any one of at
least two available materials. A balanced material consumption
policy is then used to choose between the available materials so as
to ensure that as far as possible, different materials are evenly
used and wastage is minimized. Finally the object is printed with
the selected materials.
Inventors: |
TEKEN; Avraham; (Gan-Yavne,
IL) ; BELOCON; Boris; (Rehovot, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Stratasys Ltd. |
Rehovot |
|
IL |
|
|
Assignee: |
Stratasys Ltd.
Rehovot
IL
|
Family ID: |
1000005567839 |
Appl. No.: |
17/314072 |
Filed: |
May 7, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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15772066 |
Apr 29, 2018 |
11027489 |
|
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PCT/IL2016/051158 |
Oct 27, 2016 |
|
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17314072 |
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62247785 |
Oct 29, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B33Y 10/00 20141201;
B33Y 30/00 20141201; B29C 64/393 20170801; G06Q 50/04 20130101;
B29C 64/343 20170801; B29C 64/112 20170801; G06Q 10/06313 20130101;
Y02P 90/30 20151101; G06Q 10/06 20130101; B33Y 50/02 20141201 |
International
Class: |
B29C 64/343 20060101
B29C064/343; G06Q 50/04 20060101 G06Q050/04; G06Q 10/06 20060101
G06Q010/06; B29C 64/112 20060101 B29C064/112; B29C 64/393 20060101
B29C064/393 |
Claims
1. A method for additive manufacturing comprising: obtaining a
material consumption policy; obtaining a digital representation of
a three-dimensional (3D) structure, said digital representation
comprising a plurality of voxels; identifying, in said 3D
structure, defined regions consisting of non-versatile voxels;
identifying, in said 3D structure, undefined regions consisting of
versatile voxels; selecting a consumable material for each of said
non-versatile voxels; selecting a consumable material for each of
said versatile voxels according to said material consumption
policy; and printing said 3D structure, voxel by voxel, using said
digital representation and said material selected for each of said
plurality of voxels, wherein said material consumption policy
comprises selecting a consumable material for a versatile voxel so
as to evenly balance the consumption between the different
consumable materials during the course of manufacturing.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said material consumption policy
comprises selecting for a versatile voxel, the consumable material
having the closest expiry date.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said material consumption policy
comprises selecting a consumable material for a versatile voxel so
as to prevent any one of said consumable materials from running out
prior to completion of a current printing task.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said consumable
materials are provided together in a single combination cartridge,
and wherein said material consumption policy comprises selecting a
consumable material for a versatile voxel in such a way as to
ensure balanced use of consumable materials provided together in
said cartridge.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said material consumption policy
comprises selecting a consumable material for a versatile voxel in
view of a whole printing process.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said material consumption policy
comprises selecting a consumable material based on the price of the
material.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said material consumption policy
comprises selecting a consumable material based on the availability
of the material in stock.
8. Additive manufacture apparatus comprising: a plurality of
consumable materials; a printing control unit, the printing control
unit comprising: a representation storage unit configured to hold a
digital representation of a three-dimensional (3D) structure
comprising a plurality of voxels; a versatility identification unit
configured to identify defined regions consisting of non-versatile
voxels and undefined regions consisting of versatile voxels,
wherein a consumable material for said versatile voxels may be
selected from more than one of said consumable materials; a policy
storage unit configured to hold a material consumption policy; and
a material selector unit configured to select a material among the
plurality of consumable materials for each of said non-versatile
voxels and for each of said versatile voxels according to said
material consumption policy; and a printing unit connected to said
printing control unit, and controllable to print said 3D structure,
voxel by voxel, based on said digital representation and said
materials selected by said material selector unit, wherein said
material consumption policy comprises selecting a consumable
material for a versatile voxel so as to evenly balance the
consumption between the different consumable materials during the
course of manufacture.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least two of said
consumable materials share a cartridge.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said material consumption
policy comprises selecting for a versatile voxel, the consumable
material that is the closest to its expiry date.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said material consumption
policy comprises selecting a consumable material for a versatile
voxel in order to prevent any one of said consumable materials from
running out prior to completion of a current printing task.
12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a plurality of said
consumable materials are provided together in a single combination
cartridge, and wherein said material consumption policy comprises
selecting a consumable material for a versatile voxel in such a way
as to ensure balanced use of said consumable materials provided
together in said cartridge.
13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said material consumption
policy comprises selecting a consumable material for a versatile
voxel in view of a whole printing process.
14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said material consumption
policy comprises selecting a consumable material based on the price
of the material.
15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said material consumption
policy comprises selecting a consumable material based on the
availability of the material in stock.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 15/772,066 filed on Apr. 29, 2019, which is a
National Phase of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL2016/051158
having International Filing Date of Oct. 27, 2016, which claims the
benefit of priority under 35 USC .sctn. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 62/247,785 filed on Oct. 29, 2015. The
contents of the above applications are all incorporated by
reference as if fully set forth herein in their entirety.
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates
to consumption of material during additive manufacture.
[0003] Additive manufacture, or 3D printing, generates 3D objects
by printing successive layers of material one on top of the other.
The materials used are defined according to the requirements of the
objects being made. Some of the material is very strongly defined
by the object requirements, whereas with some parts of the object
there is some flexibility in the material that can be used.
Furthermore, in additive manufacture, some of the material printed
is not part of the object at all, but instead part of a scaffold to
give parts of the object mechanical support during the course of
manufacture.
[0004] Different materials have different shelf lives, and often
certain materials have to be replaced unused, simply because they
have reached their expiry dates. Sometimes materials run out in the
middle of printing, so that the printing has to be stopped until a
cartridge can be replaced. 3D printing is a process that takes
several hours, so generally printers are left unsupervised. The
operator may return hours later expecting to find the finished
product but instead finding that the process was halted some time
before pending cartridge replacement.
[0005] In general, material requirements are included in the
product design, and the 3D printing software translates the
requirements into the actual materials available at the printer.
Sometimes the materials are tightly defined, as with design
critical parts of the object being printed, and sometimes the
materials are more loosely defined, allowing some leeway for the
materials actually available to the individual printer.
[0006] Often material is supplied in combination packs, in which
two or more materials are provided together. As soon as one of the
materials runs out, the entire combination pack has to be replaced,
just as in conventional printing where the entire color ink pack
has to be replaced when the first color runs out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present embodiments attempt to balance consumption of
materials during the course of manufacture. The material usage for
the entire object is initially calculated and then a second
calculation is made to exchange materials where possible in order
to arrive at a more even consumption.
[0008] One possible element in the recalculation is to use the
material packages or cartridges efficiently rather than have to
replace entire packages just because one material is being used
more heavily than others. Another element may relate to finishing
up certain materials before they reach the end of their shelf life.
Another element may relate to avoiding having to change cartridges
during the current printing operation, and another element may
relate to making effective and balanced use of the available
materials in general, irrespective of whether they are available in
combination cartridges or independent cartridges. The elements may
more generally relate to avoiding waste or to avoiding
inconvenience or both.
[0009] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present
invention there is provided a method for carrying out additive
manufacture while regulating material consumption, the method
comprising:
[0010] making a digital representation of at least part of an
object for printing, the representation comprising a plurality of
voxels;
[0011] identifying voxels which are flexible in respect of being
able to consist of any one of at least two available materials;
[0012] obtaining a material consumption policy;
[0013] for the flexible voxels selecting one of the at least two
available materials using the material consumption policy;
[0014] printing the plurality of voxels in the representation,
wherein the flexible voxels are printed using the material selected
according to the material consumption policy.
[0015] In an embodiment, the material consumption policy selects a
material for a given voxel based on a function for balancing
between different ones of the available materials.
[0016] In an embodiment, the material consumption policy selects a
material for a given voxel based on a preference for using a
material that is close to an expiry date.
[0017] In an embodiment, the material consumption policy selects a
material for a given voxel in order to prevent any one of the
available materials from running out prior to completion of a
current printing task.
[0018] In an embodiment, a plurality of the available materials is
provided together in a single combination cartridge, the material
consumption policy selecting the material for a given voxel in such
a way as to ensure balanced use of the materials provided together
in the cartridge.
[0019] The method may comprise implementing the material
consumption policy as a minimization of a cost function.
[0020] In an embodiment, the cost function applies a penalty to use
of a given material beyond an average over the available
materials.
[0021] In an embodiment, the cost function applies a penalty to use
of a given material sharing a cartridge with at least one other
given material, beyond an average of all materials sharing the
cartridge.
[0022] In an embodiment, the cost function applies a penalty to use
of materials in proportion to an amount of remaining shelf life,
thereby to encourage use of materials having little remaining shelf
life.
[0023] According to a second aspect of the present embodiments,
there is provided additive manufacture apparatus with a plurality
of available consumable materials, for carrying out additive
manufacture while regulating material consumption, the apparatus
comprising: [0024] a printing control unit, the printing control
unit comprising: [0025] representation storage configured to hold a
digital representation of at least part of an object for printing,
the representation comprising a plurality of voxels; [0026] a
versatility identification unit configured to identify voxels which
are flexible in respect of being able to consist of any one of at
least two of the consumable materials; [0027] policy storage
configured to hold a material consumption policy; and [0028] a
material selector for flexible voxels, the material selector
configured to select one of the at least two available materials
for each of the flexible voxels using the material consumption
policy; and [0029] a printing unit connected to the printing
control unit, and controllable to print the plurality of voxels in
the representation, wherein the flexible voxels are printed using
the material selected according to the material consumption
policy.
[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and/or scientific
terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by
one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains.
Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those
described herein can be used in the practice or testing of
embodiments of the invention, exemplary methods and/or materials
are described below. In case of conflict, the patent specification,
including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials,
methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to
be necessarily limiting.
[0031] Implementation of the method and/or system of embodiments of
the invention can involve performing or completing selected tasks
manually, automatically, or a combination thereof. Moreover,
according to actual instrumentation and equipment of embodiments of
the method and/or system of the invention, several selected tasks
could be implemented by hardware, by software or by firmware or by
a combination thereof using an operating system.
[0032] For example, hardware for performing selected tasks
according to embodiments of the invention could be implemented as a
chip or a circuit. As software, selected tasks according to
embodiments of the invention could be implemented as a plurality of
software instructions being executed by a computer using any
suitable operating system. In an exemplary embodiment of the
invention, one or more tasks according to exemplary embodiments of
method and/or system as described herein are performed by a data
processor, such as a computing platform for executing a plurality
of instructions.
[0033] Optionally, the data processor includes a volatile memory
for storing instructions and/or data and/or a non-volatile storage,
for example, a magnetic hard-disk and/or removable media, for
storing instructions and/or data. Optionally, a network connection
is provided as well. A display and/or a user input device such as a
keyboard or mouse are optionally provided as well.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by
way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is
stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for
purposes of illustrative discussion of embodiments of the
invention. In this regard, the description taken with the drawings
makes apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the
invention may be practiced.
[0035] In the drawings:
[0036] FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic block diagram illustrating
apparatus for 3D printing using multiple materials and with
controls for balancing the usage of the different materials
according to embodiments of the present invention;
[0037] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D show four stages in the assignment
of material to a 3D object being printed according to embodiments
of the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic block diagram illustrating
apparatus for 3D printing using multiple materials and with
controls for balancing the usage of the different materials
according to embodiments of the present invention;
[0039] FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C show three stages in the assignment of
material to a 3D object being printed according to embodiments of
the present invention;
[0040] FIG. 5 is a simplified flow chart illustrating a procedure
for assigning materials, balancing the assignment of materials and
then printing a 3D object, according to embodiments of the present
invention;
[0041] FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram illustrating elements of a
balanced material usage policy according to embodiments of the
present invention; and
[0042] FIG. 7 is a simplified diagram illustrating in greater
detail the control unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0043] The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates
to consumption of material during additive manufacture and, more
particularly, but not exclusively, to a way of balancing between
different materials so that supplies and supply packages can be
used efficiently.
[0044] In general, plans for 3D printing specify materials. However
not all printing machines have the same range of materials
available, so plans may specify materials in terms of properties,
leaving the specific printing machines to match the specification
to the materials actually available at the machine.
[0045] Thus it may happen that the specification of a material is
very specific, but it may also happen that the specification is
more loose. Thus in some cases several materials on the particular
machine may in fact qualify for a particular voxel, and in other
cases only one material. The present embodiments may take advantage
of the cases where the material is more loosely specified to select
between the different materials in such a way as to balance overall
usage of material at the printer. Typically material within the
bulk is more loosely specified than materials at surface layers or
materials used in layers having particular tasks in the product
being printed.
[0046] Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not
necessarily limited in its application to the details of
construction and the arrangement of the components and/or methods
set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the
drawings and/or the Examples. The invention is capable of other
embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various
ways.
[0047] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a simplified
diagram showing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the
present invention for additive manufacture. The apparatus comprises
printing material containers 104 A, B and S. Container 104 A is
independent but containers B and S are in single cartridge 102.
Container 104A feeds through pipe 108A and control valve 112A to
printing reservoir 120A which is located in printing block 122.
From printing reservoir 120A printing is carried out by spraying
the substance via nozzle 116A.
[0048] Likewise containers B and S feed material through pipes 108B
and 108S respectively and valves 112B and 112S to reservoirs 120B
and 120S, and then printing is carried out by spraying through
nozzles 116B and S.
[0049] Control unit 130 controls the printing head by controlling
the valves 112 A . . . S through control lines 124 A . . . S. The
print head is controlled via line 126A . . . S and the nozzles are
controlled via control lines 128 A . . . S.
[0050] Reference is now made to FIGS. 2A to 2D, which show an
object being planned according to the present embodiments. FIG. 2A
shows the overall outline 140. FIG. 2B shows the initial
representation of the object with regions 140A, 140B and 140S
containing the materials A, B and S respectively. It is noted that
relatively little of material A is used. Also more of material B is
used than material S.
[0051] In FIG. 2C three regions are identified 140V1, 140V2 and
140V3, in which the voxel definitions allow for different materials
to be used. FIG. 2D shows areas 140A1 and 140A2 where material S is
substituted with material A. Area 140S1 is an area where material B
has been substituted for material S. Thus the final version in FIG.
2D uses the different materials more evenly than the original
version in FIG. 2B, and in particular finds a better balance
between the B and S materials.
[0052] FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram showing apparatus 200 for
additive manufacture according to an embodiment of the present
invention. The apparatus comprises printing material containers 204
Y, M, C, K and S. Containers 204Y, K and S are independent but
containers M and C are in a single cartridge 202. Container 204Y
feeds through pipe 208Y and control valve 212Y to printing
reservoir 220Y which is located in printing block 224. From
printing reservoir 220Y printing is carried out by spraying the
substance via nozzle 216Y. Container 204M feeds through pipe 208M
and control valve 212M to printing reservoir 220M which is located
in printing block 224. From printing reservoir 220M printing is
carried out by spraying the substance via nozzle 216M. Container
204C feeds through pipe 208C and control valve 212C to printing
reservoir 220C which is located in printing block 224. From
printing reservoir 220C printing is carried out by spraying the
substance via nozzle 216C.Container 204K feeds through pipe 208K
and control valve 212K to printing reservoir 220K which is located
in printing block 224. From printing reservoir 220K printing is
carried out by spraying the substance via nozzle 216K. Finally,
container 204S feeds through pipe 208S and control valve 212S to
printing reservoir 220S which is located in printing block 224.
From printing reservoir 220S printing is carried out by spraying
the substance via nozzle 216S.
[0053] Control unit 230 controls the printing block 224 by
controlling the valves 212 Y . . . S through control lines 226. The
print heads 220Y, 220M, 220C 220k and 220S are controlled via line
226 and the nozzles are controlled via control lines 228 It is
noted that printing block 224 comprises multiple printing heads,
one per reservoir 220Y . . . S, each jetting a different material,
and optionally, more than one printing head may jet the same
material.
[0054] Reference is now made to FIGS. 4A to 4C, which show an
object being planned according to the present embodiments. FIG. 4A
shows the overall outline 230. FIG. 4B shows the initial
representation of the object with regions 230YMCK which requires a
particular material selected from those available, 230S which
requires material S, and 230V1, 230V2 and 230V3, which can each
take at least two different materials or a mixture of materials
quite happily. It is noted that the mixture of MYK approximately
balances the material S and a large number of voxels have some
freedom of choice. So the initial set of defined materials is
fairly balanced but the undefined voxels make up most of the bulk,
so the task is to make a balanced selection of materials over the
undefined voxels.
[0055] FIG. 4C shows a solution in which the defined regions
230YMCK and 230S of FIG. 4B are retained and the undefined regions
uses the different materials evenly to form a region 230Y, 230M,
230C and two K regions, 230K1 and 230K2.
[0056] Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which is a simplified flow
chart that illustrates a method for carrying out additive
manufacture while regulating material consumption according to
embodiments of the present invention. Box 301 indicates that a
material consumption policy is loaded. The policy defines how
selections are made whenever a particular voxel could be
manufactured from more than one material.
[0057] Box 305 relates to obtaining a digital representation of at
least part of an object for printing. The representation is in the
form of voxels.
[0058] Box 309 relates to the task of identifying those voxels in
the design which are versatile in respect of being able to consist
of more than one of the available materials. Each of these voxels
adds one degree of freedom to the system for each material it can
allow.
[0059] In box 315, for each versatile voxel, one of the allowed
materials is selected using the material consumption policy. The
policy generally relates to usage of the materials over the
printing process as a whole and thus selects a material for the
given voxel in view of the whole process.
[0060] In box 319 the defined materials are used for the remaining,
non-versatile voxels.
[0061] Finally, box 325 relates to printing the object voxel by
voxel using the representation and the selected material for each
voxel.
[0062] Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which is a simplified chart
showing different elements of the policy and the interactions
between the elements. The policy 400 has policy elements 401 . . .
412. As explained, the material consumption policy 401 selects a
material for a given voxel based on a function for balancing
between different available materials, under the proviso that the
material selected is suitable. As indicated by box 402, the
material consumption policy may choose between suitable materials
and select that one of the suitable materials for a given voxel
which is closest to its expiry date. In this way, material is
preferentially used up before it ages, and does not need to be
disposed of unused simply because it has aged.
[0063] Box 404 indicates that the material consumption policy
selects a material for a given voxel in order to prevent any one of
the available materials from running out prior to completion of a
current printing task. That is to say, if there is only so much of
material A, then the policy will try to ensure that the available
amount or less is assigned to the current printing task, so that
containers do not need to be changed in the middle of the task.
[0064] Box 406 is for the case where several materials are provided
together in the same cartridge, that is to say they are provided in
a combination cartridge. As explained, a problem with combination
cartridges is that the whole cartridge has to be replaced when just
one of the materials runs out. The policy thus tries to use the
materials that go together in a single cartridge evenly.
[0065] Box 408 indicates price as an element in the policy, and
cheaper materials can be selected in preference to more expensive
materials when all are suitable.
[0066] Box 410 indicates issues to do with the material actually
being in stock or specific policies that the user has with respect
to particular materials. For example certain materials may be
present in the printer but may not be available from storage or it
may hard to obtain new orders. The policy can be set to use such
materials sparingly.
[0067] Box 412 indicates overall balancing of the materials
available in the product.
[0068] One way of implementing the material consumption policy 400
as shown in FIG. 6 is as a minimization of a cost function. For
each of the elements in FIG. 6 a cost can be associated. Thus
materials close to expiry can be given a lower cost than materials
well away from expiry. Materials together in a cartridge can be
given a higher cost when they are more heavily used than the other
materials in the cartridge and a lower cost when more lightly used.
The cost may be calculated against an average of the materials in
the cartridge. A material that is close to running out may be given
a high cost for any use beyond that which drains the supply.
Finally, materials overall may be assigned an increased cost the
more heavily used they are.
[0069] Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which is a simplified
diagram illustrating in greater detail the control unit 130 (230).
Control unit 130 operates the printing unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
The control unit 130 stores a representation of the object to be
printed in representation memory unit 420. The representation is in
the form of voxels 422 and each voxel is initially assigned a
material in the normal way or determined to be flexible or
versatile in the sense that more than one of the available
materials meet the criteria for that voxel. Flexibility of the
voxel is determined by versatility unit 424. If the unit is
versatile then policy unit 426 is consulted. Material selector 428
then chooses between the available materials for the voxel using
the policy.
[0070] It is expected that during the life of a patent maturing
from this application many relevant additive manufacturing devices,
techniques and materials will be developed and the scope of the
terms used herein are intended to include all such new technologies
a priori.
[0071] The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes",
"including", "having" and their conjugates mean "including but not
limited to".
[0072] The term "consisting of" means "including and limited
to".
[0073] As used herein, the singular form "a", "an" and "the"
include plural references unless the context clearly dictates
otherwise.
[0074] It is appreciated that certain features of the invention,
which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate
embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single
embodiment, and the above description is to be construed as if this
combination were explicitly written. Conversely, various features
of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context
of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any
suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described
embodiment of the invention, and the above description is to be
construed as if these separate embodiments were explicitly written.
Certain features described in the context of various embodiments
are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments,
unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.
[0075] Although the invention has been described in conjunction
with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many
alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to
those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace
all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall
within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
[0076] It is the intent of the applicant(s) that all publications,
patents and patent applications referred to in this specification
are to be incorporated in their entirety by reference into the
specification, as if each individual publication, patent or patent
application was specifically and individually noted when referenced
that it is to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition,
citation or identification of any reference in this application
shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is
available as prior art to the present invention. To the extent that
section headings are used, they should not be construed as
necessarily limiting. In addition, any priority document(s) of this
application is/are hereby incorporated herein by reference in
its/their entirety.
* * * * *