U.S. patent application number 17/492384 was filed with the patent office on 2022-01-27 for three-dimensional printer with a supporting element insertion apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.. The applicant listed for this patent is Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.. Invention is credited to William E. HERTLING, Melanie ROBERTSON.
Application Number | 20220024116 17/492384 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-01-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220024116 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HERTLING; William E. ; et
al. |
January 27, 2022 |
THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTER WITH A SUPPORTING ELEMENT INSERTION
APPARATUS
Abstract
According to an example, in a method for forming a
three-dimensional (3D) printed object, a plurality of layers of the
3D printed object and a channel that extends through the plurality
of layers may be formed, in which the plurality of layers is formed
of a first material. In addition, a supporting element may be
inserted into the channel such that the supporting element extends
through multiple layers of the plurality of layers, in which the
supporting element is formed of a second material that differs from
the first material.
Inventors: |
HERTLING; William E.;
(Portland, OR) ; ROBERTSON; Melanie; (Camas,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. |
Spring |
TX |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Hewlett-Packard Development
Company, L.P.
Spring
TX
|
Appl. No.: |
17/492384 |
Filed: |
October 1, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16069803 |
Jul 12, 2018 |
11161295 |
|
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PCT/US2016/030155 |
Apr 29, 2016 |
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17492384 |
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International
Class: |
B29C 64/118 20060101
B29C064/118; B29C 70/70 20060101 B29C070/70; B33Y 50/02 20060101
B33Y050/02; B33Y 10/00 20060101 B33Y010/00; B33Y 30/00 20060101
B33Y030/00; B29C 64/386 20060101 B29C064/386 |
Claims
1.-8. (canceled)
9. A three-dimensional (3D) printer comprising: a first material
deposition apparatus to be implemented in forming a plurality of
layers of a first material on a platform, wherein a channel is
formed through the plurality of layers; and a supporting element
insertion apparatus, wherein the supporting element insertion
apparatus is to insert a second material into the channel formed
through the plurality of layers, wherein the second material
differs from the first material and wherein the second material is
to provide structural support to the plurality of layers of the
first material.
10. The 3D printer according to claim 9, further comprising: a
processor; a memory on which is stored machine readable
instructions that are to cause the processor to: control the first
material deposition apparatus to form the channel to extend
continuously through a subset of the plurality of deposited layers;
and control the supporting element insertion apparatus to insert
the second material into the channel.
11. The 3D printer according to claim 10, further comprising: a
sensing system to obtain sensed data regarding the channel; wherein
the machine readable instructions are further to cause the
processor to: receive the sensed data; determine a location of the
channel from the received sensed data; and control the supporting
element insertion apparatus to insert the second material into the
channel based upon the determined location of the channel.
12. The 3D printer according to claim 9, wherein the second
material comprises a solid supporting element and wherein the
supporting element insertion apparatus is to drive the solid
supporting element into the channel.
13. The 3D printer according to claim 9, wherein the second
material comprises a solid supporting element, wherein the solid
supporting element comprises a helical groove, and Wherein the
supporting element insertion apparatus is to insert the solid
supporting element into the channel through application of a
screwing motion on the solid supporting element.
14. The 3D printer according to claim 9, wherein the channel is
formed at an angle that is between about normal and about parallel
to a plane of a layer of the plurality of layers.
15. (canceled)
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] In three-dimensional (3D) printing, an additive printing
process is often used to make three-dimensional solid parts from a
digital model. 3D printing is often used in rapid product
prototyping, mold generation, mold master generation, and short run
manufacturing. Some 3D printing techniques, such as fused
deposition modeling (FDM) are considered additive processes because
they involve the application of successive layers of material. This
is unlike traditional machining processes, which often rely upon
the removal of material to create the final part. 3D printing often
requires curing or fusing of the building material, which for some
materials may be accomplished using heat-assisted extrusion,
melting, or sintering, and for other materials may be accomplished
using digital light projection technology.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0002] Features of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of
example and not limited in the following figure(s), in which like
numerals indicate like elements, in which:
[0003] FIG. 1A shows a simplified block diagram of an example
three-dimensional (3D) printer for forming a 3D printed object and
a simplified cross-sectional view of an example 3D printed
object;
[0004] FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional side view of the 3D printed
object depicted in FIG. 1A in which other example configurations of
the channels and the supporting elements are depicted;
[0005] FIG. 2 shows a simplified block diagram of another example
3D printer and a simplified cross-sectional side view of the
example 3D printed object depicted in FIG. 1A;
[0006] FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, depict flow diagrams of methods
for forming 3D printed object; and
[0007] FIG. 5 shows a simplified block diagram of another example
3D printer and a simplified cross-sectional side view of the
example 3D printed object depicted in FIG. 1A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present
disclosure is described by referring mainly to an example thereof.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set
forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present
disclosure. It will be readily apparent however, that the present
disclosure may be practiced without limitation to these specific
details. In other instances, some methods and structures have not
been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the
present disclosure. As used herein, the terms "a" and "an" are
intended to denote at least one of a particular element, the term
"includes" means includes but not limited to, the term "including"
means including but not limited to, and the term "based on" means
based at least in part on.
[0009] Disclosed herein are a 3D printer and methods for
implementing the 3D printer to form a 3D part (or equivalently, a
3D object). Particularly, the 3D printer disclosed herein may
include a first material deposition apparatus and a supporting
element insertion apparatus. The first material deposition
apparatus may be implemented in the formation of a plurality of
layers of a first material and a channel may be formed in a subset
of the plurality of layers. In addition, the supporting element
insertion apparatus may insert a second material into the channel
to form a supporting element (or equivalently, a supporting
member), in which the second material differs from the first
material. In one example, the second material may be relatively
stronger than the first material to provide additional structural
support to the 3D part formed from the first material.
[0010] As discussed in greater detail herein, the second material
may be inserted into the channel in a liquid form, a gel form, or a
solid form. When inserted in liquid or gel form, the second
material may be hardened through application of heat, light, and/or
exposure to ambient air. As the supporting element may be
relatively stronger than the first material, the supporting element
may also provide additional support in the direction perpendicular
to the direction in which the layers of the first material are
formed. Additionally, an adhesive and/or epoxy may be used to bond
the supporting element to the layers of the first material, thereby
providing greater structural bonding between adjacent layers of the
first material.
[0011] With reference first to FIG. 1A, there are shown a
simplified block diagram of an example three-dimensional (3D)
printer 100 for forming a 3D printed object 110 and a simplified
cross-sectional view of an example 3D printed object 110. It should
be understood that the 3D printer 100 depicted in FIG. 1A may
include additional components and that some of the components may
be removed and/or modified without departing from a scope of the 3D
printer 100 disclosed herein.
[0012] The 3D printer 100 is depicted as including a first material
deposition apparatus 102 and a supporting element insertion
apparatus 104. Generally speaking, the first material deposition
apparatus 102 and the supporting element insertion apparatus 104
may be employed to print or form a 3D printed object 110 on a build
area platform 106. That is, the first material deposition apparatus
102 may be implemented to form a plurality of layers 112 of a first
material 108. In addition, channels 114 that extend through
multiple ones of the plurality of layers 112 may be formed and the
supporting element insertion apparatus 104 may be employed to
insert a supporting element 116 into the channels 114 formed in the
layers 112 of the first material 108.
[0013] According to an example, the first material 108 may be a
polymer and the first material deposition apparatus 102 may be an
apparatus that is to deposit or print the first material 108. For
instance, the first material deposition apparatus 102 may perform
fused deposition modeling (FDM) to deposit or print the first
material 108 into the layers 112. In this example, the first
material deposition apparatus 102 may receive a feedstock of the
polymer in a solid form, may partially melt the feedstock, and may
force a smaller diameter portion of the melted polymer to be
extruded through a nozzle (not shown) and onto the build area
platform 106 or a previously deposited layer 112 of the first
material 108. The first material deposition apparatus 102 and/or
the build area platform 106 may be moved with respect to each other
in the x, y, and/or z directions to enable the first material
deposition apparatus 102 to deposit the layers 112 of the first
material 108 on desired locations to form the 3D printed object
110.
[0014] In this example, the first material deposition apparatus 102
may be movable in at least the x and y directions such that first
material deposition apparatus 102 may deposit the first material
108 in predetermined locations with respect to the build area
platform 106. In addition, as the first material deposition
apparatus 102 deposits the first material 108 into the layers 112,
the first material deposition apparatus 102 may form the channels
114 in multiple ones of the layers 112 and in multiple locations of
the 3D printed part 110 as shown in FIG. 1A.
[0015] In another example, the first material deposition apparatus
102 may be a delivery mechanism for delivering a fusing agent onto
a powder bed. In this example, multiple layers 112 of the first
material 108 may be formed such that the locations in which the
channels 114 are to be formed do not receive the fusing agent.
Instead, the locations at which the channels 114 are to be formed
may be supplied with a fusing agent and/or may be supplied with a
detailing agent, such as a cooling liquid, to prevent the powder in
those locations from being fused together when energy from a fusing
lamp (not shown) is applied to those locations. In addition or
alternatively, the 3D printer 100 may include a mechanism (not
shown) for forming the channels 114 in the formed layers 112. The
mechanism may include, for instance, a drill bit or an auger that
is able to remove the loose or fused powder to form the channels
114.
[0016] In the examples above, the channels 114 may be formed to
have any suitable cross-sectional shape along the x-y directions,
including circular, rectangular, triangular, etc. The channels 114
may, however, be formed to have sufficiently large widths to
accommodate for the viscosities of the second material in examples
in which the second material is inserted in liquid or gel form. In
addition, as shown in FIG. 1A, the sides of the channels 114 may
have ridges, which may be formed during the deposition of the
layers 112 or may be formed through a boring operation performed on
multiple ones of the layers 112. In one regard, the ridges in the
channels 114 may enable for the supporting elements 116 to provide
greater structural support to the layers 112 over which the
supporting elements 116 extend.
[0017] The supporting element insertion apparatus 104 may insert
the supporting elements 116 into the channels 114 following the
formation of the channels 114. For instance, the supporting element
insertion apparatus 104 may insert the supporting elements 116 into
the channels 114 prior to a layer (or layers) 112 that covers the
channels 114 from being formed over the channels 114. The
supporting elements 116 may be formed of a second material that
differs from the first material 108. For instance, the second
material may be a plastic, a rubber, a metal, an epoxy, a glue,
etc., material. Generally speaking, the supporting elements 116 may
be formed of a material that is of sufficient strength to enhance
the structural integrity of the 3D printed object 110 in the
z-direction, e.g., in the direction that is perpendicular to the
direction in which the layers 112 of the first material 108 are
formed. For example, the second material may be relatively stronger
and/or more rigid than the first material 108.
[0018] According to an example, the supporting element insertion
apparatus 104 may insert the supporting elements 116 into the
channels 114 while the supporting elements 116 are in a fluid
state. In this example, the supporting element insertion apparatus
104 may include an inserting mechanism (not shown) through which
the supporting element insertion apparatus 104 may insert the
supporting elements 116 in their liquid states into the channels
114. In addition, the supporting elements 116 may harden following
insertion of the supporting elements 116 into the channels 114. For
instance, the supporting elements 116 may be formed of a material
that is to harden after exposure to sufficient levels of heat, to
light, and/or to air.
[0019] According to another example, the supporting elements 116
may be in a solid form when the supporting element insertion
apparatus 104 inserts the supporting elements 116 into the channels
114. In this example, the supporting elements 116 may be formed of
elongated members, such as rods, and the supporting element
insertion apparatus 104 may include an inserting mechanism (not
shown) that is to drive the supporting elements 116 into their
respective channels 114. The rods may be formed of a relatively
rigid material such as plastic, metal, an alloy, etc. The
supporting elements 116 may be friction fit into the channels 114.
In addition, or alternatively, the supporting element insertion
apparatus 104 may apply an adhesive to the supporting elements 116
as the supporting elements 116 are inserted into the channels 114
such that the adhesive bonds the supporting elements 116 to the
walls of the channels 114. In a further example, the supporting
elements 116 may include helical grooves and supporting element
insertion apparatus 104 may apply a screwing or rotating action on
the supporting elements 116 to drive the supporting elements 116
into the channels 114. In a still further example in which the
channels 114 are not formed prior to insertion of the supporting
elements 116, insertion of the supporting elements 116 may displace
or remove part of the first material 108 to form the channels
114.
[0020] With reference now to FIG. 1B, there is shown a
cross-sectional side view of the 3D printed object 110 depicted in
FIG. 1A in which other example configurations of the channels and
the supporting elements are depicted. The 3D printed object 110
depicted in FIG. 1B differs from the 3D printed object 110 depicted
in FIG. 1A in that the channels 120-124 are configured differently
as compared with the channels 114 depicted in FIG. 1B. In this
regard, FIG. 1B depicts a few alternate channel configurations in
which supporting elements 130-134 may be inserted. It should be
understood that the alternate channel configurations shown in FIG.
1A are not exhaustive and that other channel configurations may be
implemented without departing from a scope of the present
disclosure.
[0021] The 3D printed object 110 is depicted in FIG. 1B as
including a plurality of channels 120-124 and a plurality of
supporting elements 130-134 that have been inserted into the
channels 120-124. As shown, a first channel 120 and the second
channel 122 are depicted as extending at angles with respect to the
y-axis. That is, for instance, the first and second channels 120
and 122 are depicted as extending diagonally with respect to the
y-axis. As also shown, a third channel 124 is depicted as having a
larger bottom section as compared with a top section of the channel
124. In each of the channels 120-124, a respective supporting
element 130-134 may be inserted in any of the manners discussed
above with respect to FIG. 1A. In one regard, the channels 120-124
may be formed to have configurations other than vertical, for
instance, to provide greater strength to the 3D printed part 110.
In another regard, the channels 120-124 may be formed to have other
configurations to enable the supporting elements 130-134 to be
provided in portions of 3D printed parts that are curved or have
other shapes.
[0022] By way of particular example, the channels 120-124 may be
formed to have fixed dimensions. For instance, a channel 120 may be
1 mm.times.1 mm in the x and y directions and 4 mm in the z
direction. In addition, the channels 120-124 may be formed such
that they are offset from each other in the z direction. For
instance, a first channel 120 may start 1 mm from the bottom of the
3D printed part 110, a second channel 122 may start 2 mm from the
bottom, the third channel 124 may start 3 mm from the bottom, a
fourth channel (not shown) may start at 2 mm from the bottom, and
so forth. According to example, the channels 120-124 may be
staggered with respect to each other such that each layer 112 has
multiple channels 120-124.
[0023] Turning now to FIG. 2, there are shown a simplified block
diagram of another example 3D printer 200 and a simplified
cross-sectional side view of the example 3D printed object depicted
in FIG. 1A. The 3D printer 200 is depicted as including the first
material deposition apparatus 102 and the supporting element
insertion apparatus 104 depicted in FIG. 1A. In addition, in the 3D
printer 200, the first material deposition apparatus 102 and the
supporting element insertion apparatus 104 are depicted as being
arranged on a carriage 202. The 3D printer 200 is further depicted
as including a controller 204 that may control operations of the 3D
printer 200, a data store 206 that may include data pertaining to a
3D part to be printed by the 3D printer 200, and a memory 208 that
may store instructions that the controller 204 is to execute in
controlling the operations of the 3D printer 200.
[0024] The controller 204 may be a computing device, a
semiconductor-based microprocessor, a central processing unit
(CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and/or
other hardware device. As shown, the controller 204 may control
each of the first material deposition apparatus 102, the supporting
element insertion apparatus 104, and the carriage 202.
Particularly, for instance, the controller 204 may control
actuators (not shown) that are to move and/or activate the first
material deposition apparatus 102, the supporting element insertion
apparatus 104, and the carriage 202 based upon, for instance, the
instructions stored in the memory 208 and the data stored in the
data store 206.
[0025] The data store 206 may store data pertaining to the
locations at which the first material 108 is to be deposited, the
locations at which the channels 114 are to be formed, the timing at
which the supporting elements 116 are to be inserted into the
channels 114, etc. In addition, the controller 204 may execute the
instructions 210 to control the first material deposition apparatus
102 to cause the first material 108 to be deposited and the
channels 114 to be formed, the instructions 212 to control the
supporting element insertion apparatus 212 to cause the second
material to be inserted to form the supporting elements 116, and
the instructions 214 to control the carriage 214 to position the
first material deposition apparatus 102 and the supporting element
insertion apparatus 104 at desired locations during the material
deposition and insertion processes.
[0026] The memory 208 may be any electronic, magnetic, optical, or
other physical storage device that contains or stores executable
instructions. Thus, the memory 208, which may also be construed as
a machine-readable storage medium, may be, for example, Random
Access Memory (RAM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable
Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a storage device, an optical disc, and
the like. The memory 208 (machine-readable storage medium) may be a
non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, where the term
"non-transitory" does not encompass transitory propagating
signals.
[0027] Additionally, the 3D printer 200 is depicted as including a
sensing system 220 that may also be supported on the carriage 202.
According to an example, the sensing system 220 may include any of
an imaging system, a sonar system, a light detection and ranging
(LIDAR) system, or the like, that may sense physical conditions of
the layers 112 of first material 108. Generally speaking, the
sensing system 220 may sense the physical conditions, e.g., capture
images, detect distances, etc., and may communicate the sensed
conditions to the controller 204. The controller 204 may, for
instance, determine the locations of the channels 114 from the
sensed conditions. That is, the controller 204 may determine that a
channel 114 is located at a particular location based upon an
analysis of a captured image at that location and/or based upon a
determination that a detected distance is relatively longer at that
location. The use of the sensing system 220 may be considered to be
optional in some examples, for instance, in those examples in which
the controller 204 tracks the locations at which the channels 114
are formed during the deposition of the first material 108 into the
layers 112.
[0028] Although the first material deposition apparatus 102, the
supporting element insertion apparatus 104, and the sensing system
220 have been depicted as being supported on a carriage 202, it
should be understood that these components may be supported on
separate carriages or may otherwise be independently movable with
respect to each other without departing from a scope of the present
disclosure.
[0029] Various manners in which the 3D printer 100, 200 may be
implemented are discussed in greater detail with respect to the
methods 300 and 400 respectively depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4. It
should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the
methods 300 and 400 may represent generalized illustrations and
that other operations may be added or existing operations may be
removed, modified, or rearranged without departing from the scopes
of the methods 300 and 400.
[0030] The descriptions of the methods 300 and 400 are made with
reference to the 3D printers 100 and 200 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and
2 for purposes of illustration. It should, therefore, be understood
that 3D printers having other configurations may be implemented to
perform either or both of the methods 300 and 400 without departing
from the scopes of the methods 300 and 400.
[0031] Prior to execution of either of the methods 300 and 400 or
as part of the methods 300 and 400, the controller 204 may execute
instructions (not shown) stored in the memory 208 to access data
pertaining to a 3D part 110 that is to be printed. By way of
example, the controller 204 may access data stored in the data
store 206 pertaining to the 3D part 110 that is to be printed. The
controller 204 may determine, for instance, the placements at which
the channels 114 are to be formed in the layers 112 of the first
material 108 and the timings at which the supporting elements 116
are to be inserted into the channels 114. In other examples,
however, a processing device (not shown) outside of the 3D printer
100 may execute instructions to access the 3D part 110 data and to
determine the placements at which the channels 114 are to be formed
in the layers 112 and the timings at which the supporting elements
116 are to be inserted into the channels 114. In these examples,
the processing device may communicate this information to the
controller 204 and the controller 204 may implement this
information in executing either of the methods 300 and 400.
[0032] With reference first to FIG. 3, at block 302, a plurality of
layers 112 of the 3D printed object 110 and a channel 114 that
extends through the layers 112 may be formed. As discussed above,
the controller 204 may control the first material deposition
apparatus 102 to form the plurality of layers 112 while also
forming the channel 114. In addition, the channel 114 may be formed
to extend vertically through the plurality of layers 112 or at
various angles as discussed above with respect to FIG. 1B.
According to an example, the controller 204 may determine the
location at which the channel 114 is to be formed prior to forming
the channel 114. In one example, the controller 204 may determine
the location to be location that is sufficiently distant from edges
of the 3D printed part 110 to prevent the structural element 116
from creating artifacts on an exterior surface of the 3D printed
part 110, while also providing a desired level of structural
support to the 3D printed part 110.
[0033] At block 304, a supporting element 116 may be inserted into
the channel 114 such that the supporting element 116 extends
through multiple layers of the plurality of layers 112. The
controller 204 may control the supporting element insertion
apparatus 104 to insert a second material in liquid, gel, and/or
solid form into the channel 114. In addition, the supporting
element 116 may be formed of material that differs from the first
material. For instance, the supporting element 116 may be formed of
a material that is significantly stronger and/or harder than the
first material when the second material is hardened.
[0034] Blocks 302 and 304 may be repeated at various locations with
respect to the 3D printed part 110 to thus form a plurality of
channels 114 in a plurality of layers 112 and to insert a plurality
of supporting elements 116 into the channels 114. In this regard,
the supporting elements 116 may provide additional structural
support to the 3D printed part 110.
[0035] With reference now to FIG. 4, at block 402, a plurality of
layers 112 of the 3D printed object 110 may be formed while a
channel 114 that extends through the layers 112 is formed in any of
the manners discussed above.
[0036] At block 404, a location of the channel 114 may be
determined. In one example, the controller 204 may determine the
location of the channel 114 based upon a known location of the
channel 114 as the channel 114 was formed. In another example, the
sensing system 220 may be maneuvered with respect to the printed
layers 112 and the sensing system 220 may output sensed data to the
controller 204. In addition, the controller 204 may analyze the
sensed data to determine the location of the channel 114. According
to an example, the controller 204 may access data pertaining to a
characteristic of the channel 114, in which the characteristic may
include a location of the channel 114, an orientation of the
channel 114, a size of the channel, and the like.
[0037] At block 406, a supporting element 116 may be inserted into
the located channel 114. As discussed above, the controller 204 may
control the supporting element insertion apparatus 104 to insert
the supporting element 116 into the channel 114, in which the
supporting element 116 is formed of a second material that differs
from the first material. By way of particular example, the
supporting element 116 may be a relatively rigid elongated member,
such as a plastic or metal rod, and the supporting element
insertion apparatus 104 may drive the supporting element 116 into
the channel 114. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, which depicts a
simplified block diagram of another example 3D printer 500 and a
simplified cross-sectional side view of the example 3D printed
object depicted in FIG. 1A, the supporting element 116 may include
helical grooves and may be inserted into the channel 114 through a
rotating and/or screwing action. That is, the supporting element
insertion apparatus 104 may include a rotating element 502 that may
engage the supporting element 116. In addition, the supporting
element insertion apparatus 104 may insert the supporting element
116 into the channel 114 by causing the rotating element 502 to
rotate as depicted by the arrow 504 and driving the supporting
element 116 down in the negative z-direction.
[0038] At block 408, a determination may be made as to whether
additional layers 112 are to be formed. For instance, the
controller 204 may determine that additional layers 112 are to be
formed on top of the layers 112 in which the channel 114 has been
formed. In response to a determination that additional layers are
to be formed, blocks 402-404 may be repeated to position supporting
elements 116 at multiple locations along the height of the 3D
printed part 110. However, in response to a determination at block
408 that no additional layers are to be formed, the method 400 may
end as indicated at block 410.
[0039] Some or all of the operations set forth in the methods 300
and 400 may be contained as utilities, programs, or subprograms, in
any desired computer accessible medium. In addition, the methods
300 and 400 may be embodied by computer programs, which may exist
in a variety of forms both active and inactive. For example, they
may exist as machine readable instructions, including source code,
object code, executable code or other formats. Any of the above may
be embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage
medium.
[0040] Examples of non-transitory computer readable storage media
include computer system RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and magnetic or
optical disks or tapes. It is therefore to be understood that any
electronic device capable of executing the above-described
functions may perform those functions enumerated above.
[0041] Although described specifically throughout the entirety of
the instant disclosure, representative examples of the present
disclosure have utility over a wide range of applications, and the
above discussion is not intended and should not be construed to be
limiting, but is offered as an illustrative discussion of aspects
of the disclosure.
[0042] What has been described and illustrated herein is an example
of the disclosure along with some of its variations. The terms,
descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of
illustration only and are not meant as limitations. Many variations
are possible within the spirit and scope of the disclosure, which
is intended to be defined by the following claims--and their
equivalents--in which all terms are meant in their broadest
reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated.
* * * * *