U.S. patent number RE35,470 [Application Number 08/293,884] was granted by the patent office on 1997-03-04 for incline press exercise machine.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hammer Strength Corporation. Invention is credited to Gary A. Jones.
United States Patent |
RE35,470 |
Jones |
March 4, 1997 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Incline press exercise machine
Abstract
An exercise machine for performing an incline press includes a
frame, a declined seat connected to the frame along a vertical
midplane and two independently maneuverable levers with upper
rearward ends pivotally connected to the frame above the seat, on
opposite sides of the midplane. The lower, forward ends of the
levers are adapted to hold removable weights. Handles also extend
inwardly, rearwardly and upwardly from the lower ends of the
levers. Each handle is adapted to be grasped by a person supported
on the seat and upwardly extended and adducted in an incline press
motion against the held weights to move the respective lever along
a vertical plane that converges inwardly with respect to the
vertical midplane. This incline press exercise machine accommodates
the natural musculoskeletal movements of the arms and shoulders of
a person, thereby maximizing muscular benefit while minimizing
joint stress.
Inventors: |
Jones; Gary A. (Falmouth,
KY) |
Assignee: |
Hammer Strength Corporation
(Cincinnati, OH)
|
Family
ID: |
24893941 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/293,884 |
Filed: |
August 19, 1994 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
720411 |
Jun 25, 1991 |
05181896 |
Jan 26, 1993 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
482/97; 482/100;
482/92 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
21/0615 (20130101); A63B 21/08 (20130101); A63B
23/03533 (20130101); A63B 23/12 (20130101); A63B
21/4035 (20151001); A63B 21/4047 (20151001); A63B
23/03541 (20130101); A63B 23/1209 (20130101); A63B
2208/0233 (20130101); A63B 2225/30 (20130101); A63B
23/1263 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
23/12 (20060101); A63B 23/035 (20060101); A63B
21/06 (20060101); A63B 021/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;482/100,92,93,94,133,137,111,126 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Donnolly; Jerome
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wood, Herron & Evans,
P.L.L.
Claims
I claim:
1. An incline press exercise machine comprising:
a frame;
a seat connected to the frame and adapted to support a person in a
declined seated position straddling a vertical midplane;
a lever having an upper rearward end connected to the frame for
pivotal movement about an axis located above the seat and along an
outer vertical plane that converges toward said vertical midplane,
the lever also having a lower, forward end adapted to hold a
removable weight; and
a handle connected to the lower end of the lever and adapted to be
grasped and upwardly extended and adducted in an incline press
motion by an exerciser supported on said seat, thereby to pivot the
lever through the outer vertical plane.
2. The incline press exercise machine of claim I and further
comprising:
a second lever pivotally connected to the frame, the second lever
being a mirror image of the first lever with respect to the
vertical midplane.
3. The incline press exercise machine of claim wherein said handle
extends rearwardly and then upwardly from the lower forward end of
the lever.
4. The incline press exercise machine of claim 1 and further
comprising:
stop means connected to said lever for coacting with said frame to
limit downward pivotal movement with respect to the frame.
5. The incline press exercise machine of claim 1 wherein said outer
vertical plane converges toward said vertical midplane at an angle
of about 25.degree..
6. The incline press exercise machine of claim 1 wherein an initial
starting position of lever is oriented at an angle of about
50.degree. from horizontal.
7. The incline press exercise machine of claim 3 wherein said
handle further comprises:
a generally U-shaped member with one end thereof fixedly mounted to
the lower end of the lever and a free end thereof adapted to be
grasped by the exerciser, the member ends forming an angle of about
70.degree. therebetween and the free end rotated inwardly from the
lever at an angle of about 90.degree..
8. The incline press exercise machine of claim 1 wherein said seat
includes a back rest declined from said frame at an angle of about
10.degree. from vertical.
9. An incline press exercise machine comprising: a frame;
a seat connected to the frame and adapted to support a person in a
declined seated position straddling a vertical midplane;
two levers, each lever connected to the frame at an upper rearward
end thereof and pivotal through an outer vertical plane that
converges toward the vertical midplane, each lever also having a
lower forward end adapted to hold a removable weight; and
two handles, each handle connected to a lower forward end of a
lever and adapted to be grasped and upwardly extended and adducted
in an incline press motion by an exerciser supported on the seat,
whereby said extension and adduction pivots the levers along the
respective outer vertical planes against a predetermined weight
resistance provided by the removable weights held at said lower,
forward ends, the levers being independently pivotal to provide
simultaneous and/or independent incline press exercise along said
converging planes.
10. The incline press exercise machine of claim 9 wherein the axes
of pivotal motion of the levers are located above and behind the
seat.
11. The incline press exercise machine of claim 9 wherein each said
lever has an initial, at rest position oriented downwardly at an
angle of about 50.degree. from horizontal.
12. The incline press exercise machine of claim 9 wherein each said
handle extends rearwardly and then upwardly from the lower forward
end of the respective lever.
13. The incline press exercise machine of claim 9 wherein each said
handle further comprises:
a generally U-shaped member with one end thereof fixedly mounted to
the respective lever lower end and a free end thereof adapted to be
grasped by the exerciser, the member ends forming an angle of about
70.degree. therebetween and the free end rotated inwardly from the
lever at an angle of about 90.degree..
14. The incline press exercise machine of claim 9 wherein each
outer vertical plane is oriented at an angle of about 25.degree.
with respect to the central vertical plane.
15. The incline press exercise machine of claim 9 wherein each
lever further comprises:
stop means for coacting with the frame to limit downward pivotal
motion of said lower forward end.
16. The incline press exercise machine of claim 9 wherein said seat
includes a back rest declined from said frame at an angle of about
10.degree. from vertical.
17. An incline press exercise machine comprising:
a frame having a front facing direction along a vertical
midplane;
a seat connected to the frame and adapted to support an exerciser
in declined position looking outwardly from the front of the frame;
and
incline press exercise means pivotally connected to the frame for
providing, for a person supported in a declined position on the
seat, exercise via an extended upward and adductive incline
pressing motion against a selectable weight resistance, the incline
pressing motion producing movement along a vertical plane that
converges forwardly with respect to the front of the frame, thereby
to exercise and incline group which includes the pectoral muscle,
the tricep and the deltoid, the incline press exercise means
including a lever with an upper rearward and connected to the
frame, the lever spaced laterally from the midplane.
18. The exercise machine of claim 17 wherein each said vertical
plane converges at an angle of about 25.degree.. .Iadd.
19. An incline press exercise machine comprising:
a frame adapted to locate an exerciser in an exercise position
straddling a vertical midplane;
a lever having an upper rearward end connected to the frame for
pivotal movement about an axis located above the exercise position
and along an outer vertical plane that converges toward said
vertical midplane, the lever also having a lower forward end
adapted to hold a removable weight; and
a handle connected to the lower end of the lever and adapted to be
grasped and upwardly extended and adducted in an incline press
motion by an exerciser located in the exercise position, thereby to
pivot the lever through the outer vertical plane.
.Iaddend..Iadd.
20. An incline press exercise machine comprising:.
a frame adapted to define an exercise position for an exerciser,
whereby the exerciser in the exercise position is straddling a
vertical midplane;
two levers, each lever connected to the frame at an upper rearward
end thereof and pivotal through an outer vertical plane that
converges toward the vertical midplane, each lever also having a
lower forward end adapted to hold a removable weight; and
two handles, each handle connected to a lower forward end of a
lever and adapted to be grasped and upwardly extended and adducted
in an incline press motion by an exerciser located in the exercise
position, whereby said extension and adduction pivots the levers
along the respective outer vertical planes against a predetermined
weight resistance provided by the removable weights held at said
lower forward ends, the levers being independently pivotal to
provide simultaneous and/or independent incline press exercise
along said converging planes. .Iaddend..Iadd.
21. An incline press exercise machine comprising:
a frame having a front facing direction along a vertical midplane,
the frame defining for an exerciser an exercise position looking
outwardly from the front of the frame along the vertical midplane;
and
incline press exercise means pivotally connected to the frame for
providing, for an exerciser located in the exercise position,
exercise via an extended upward and adductive incline pressing
motion against a selectable weight resistance, the incline pressing
motion producing movement along a vertical plane that converges
forwardly with respect to the front of the frame, thereby to
exercise an incline muscle group which includes the pectoral
muscle, the tricep and the deltoid, the incline press exercise
means including a lever with an upper rearward end connected to the
frame, the lever spaced laterally from the midplane. .Iaddend.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an incline press exercise machine that
accommodates the natural musculoskeletal makeup of a person.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many athletes and non-athletes utilize weight lifting or weight
training exercises to build strength and/or bulk, to prevent
injury, or to improve overall condition and appearance. Typically,
weight training exercises are performed with either exercise
machines or free weights, i.e., barbells and weighted plates,
dumbbells, etc. For various reasons, most exercise programs
incorporate both machines and free weights in a variety of
different exercise routines in order to maximize the effect of
working out a desired number of muscle groups.
Free weights offer a number of advantages over exercise machines.
For instance, they are relatively inexpensive in comparison to
exercise machines. Free weights are also more versatile because a
variety of exercises can be performed with one set of weights,
whereas most exercise machines are designed for only one exercise.
Even though some exercise machines accommodate more than one
exercise, the cost of these machines usually increases
proportionately with the number of exercises. Use of dumbbells also
enables both arms to be exercised independently. Finally, free
weights are popular among many weight lifters because the lifting
movements are not restricted to prescribed planes of motion or
prescribed angles.
Nevertheless, there are also a number of inherent disadvantages
associated with free weights. One such disadvantage relates to
safety. Although most weight room instructors strongly advise
against an individual working out by himself or herself, this
cautionary measure is particularly important when the lifting of
free weights is involved. This is due to commonly recognized
dangers such as the possibility of dropping a weight on a body
part, or becoming trapped beneath a bar, which could easily occur
in exercises such as bench press, incline press or squat.
Additionally, through carelessness, loading and unloading of heavy
weighted plates onto the ends of a bar sometimes results in an
unbalanced bar that falls downward from its rack.
Another disadvantage associated with free weights relates to the
fact that the weight resistance, or opposing force, that is
exercised against is always directed vertically downward by
gravity. Yet, the moment arm of the weight about the pivot point
varies considerably throughout the full range of motion. This
principle is explained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,454 with respect to a
commonly performed exercise referred to as the dumbbell bicep curl.
In short, doing this exercise the applied moment arm about the
elbow varies according to the sine of the angle of the lower arm
with respect to the vertically oriented upper arm. The moment arm
is greatest when the angle is 90.degree., and it is lowest when the
angle is 180.degree. and 0.degree..
If the resistance capabilities of the muscles of the human body
matched this moment arm, the degree of difficulty experienced by
the exerciser would be uniform, or balanced, throughout the entire
range of motion. However, as reported in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,454,
the strength generated by the human muscles during this exercise is
not in fact "balanced" throughout the range of motion, and there
are some "sticking points" of increased difficulty. As a result,
maximum benefits are not achieved when performing a bicep curl with
a dumbbell.
A pullover machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,454 utilizes an
eccentric cam to vary weight resistance over the range of motion
for the muscles utilized in a pullover maneuver. Over the years,
for various muscle groups, a number of these cam and chain machines
have been designed in an attempt to match a resistance variation
through a range of motion with the natural strength curve for a
particular muscle group associated with the range of motion. To the
extent that these machines actually do succeed in approximating a
resistance variation to an appropriate strength curve, an
improvement over lifting of free weights probably has been
achieved.
As a result, applicant has recognized that a machine, rather than
free weights, must be employed to advance the state of the art with
respect to manipulating resistance variation to match a strength
curve for a particular range of motion. Nevertheless, there are a
number of practical disadvantages associated with cam and chain
machines. These disadvantages are outlined in applicant's copending
applications, entitled "Pulldown Exercise Machine" and "Dumbbell
Press Exercise Machine," filed on Apr. 26, 1990, Ser. Nos.
07/514,869 and 07/514,839. Moreover, applicant is unaware of any
incline press exercise machine that effectively and safely
exercises the triceps, the pectoral muscles and the deltoids.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an incline
press exercise machine that maximizes the exercise benefit
attainable during an incline press maneuver while minimizing
skeletal or joint stress associated therewith.
It is another object of the invention to provide an incline press
exercise machine which combines the advantageous features of both
free weight exercise and exercise machines without incorporating
the attendant disadvantages normally associated therewith.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an incline
press exercise machine which is particularly suitable for
exercising one arm at a time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention contemplates an incline press exercise machine that
includes a frame which supports a declined seat straddling a
vertical midplane and two levers with upper ends that pivotally
connect to the frame above the seat on opposite sides of the
mid-plane. Lower ends of the levers are adapted to hold removable
weights, and the lower ends further include handles adapted to be
grasped by a person declined on the seat. In this position, the
exerciser upwardly extends and adducts the arms against the
resistance of the supported weights to move the levers through
outer vertical planes which converge with respect to the forward
facing direction of the seat. This movement advantageously
exercises the pectoral, triceps, and the deltoid muscles. This
incline press exercise machine facilitates safe and efficient
performance of an incline press exercise because it accommodates
the natural musculoskeletal makeup of the human body, while at the
same time maximizing the muscular benefits attainable during this
exercise movement.
More particularly, the natural musculoskeletal makeup of the body
is accommodated by the structural orientation of the levers, the
lever axes and the handles connected to the levers. The particular
combination of all of these structural aspects results in a machine
which, based upon feedback from a number of individuals involved in
the field of strength training, more naturally couples the muscular
exertion of the incline press motion against a preselected weight
resistance and in a direction of motion that is compatible with the
musculoskeletal structural makeup of the body.
Because it has two independently pivotal levers, this incline press
machine enables the performance of either simultaneous or alternate
exercise of both arms. This feature is particularly advantageous in
monitoring rehabilitation progress after an injury, where it is
often necessary to compare the relative strengths of the arms.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an
incline press exercise machine includes a frame, a declined seat
connected to the frame and two levers having upper, rearward ends
pivotally connected to the frame. Lower, forward ends of the levers
include hubs for holding weighted plates. The lower forward ends
also include handles that extend rearwardly toward the seat and
slightly upwardly, thereby to provide a natural grasping position
for coupling an applied, incline press force to two outer
converging vertical planes of lever motion. That is, the levers
pivot along outer vertical planes which converge forwardly with
respect to the forward facing direction of the seat, or forwardly
with respect to the vertical midplane that bisects the seat.
These outer vertical planes naturally accommodate the structure of
the human body relative to the pressing motion utilized in an
incline press. As a result, a person supported on the seat is able
to maximize the muscular benefits attainable by performing an
incline press exercise, while minimizing joint stress. Use of this
invention provides exercise for a muscle group that includes the
pectoral, triceps and deltoid muscles, and it does so in a manner
that does not stress joints or skeletal structure associated with
this muscle group.
The structural orientation of this incline press exercise machine
evolved from applicant's belief that most exercise machines
oversimplify the musculoskeletal movements of the human body. While
his accumulated years of observing and analyzing athletic movements
of the body led him to conclude that most musculoskeletal movements
are rather complex and involve multiple joints and multiple degrees
of freedom, he also recognized that most exercise machines require
bodily movement in directions or planes that are oriented simply at
right angles or parallel to the torso of the body. Based on these
observations, and bolstered by his opinion that the ultimate
objective of any exercise machine is to provide maximum muscular
benefit with minimum joint stress, applicant perceived a need for
improvement in the design of exercise machines and began working
toward that goal. Feedback from athletes who have used this
inventive incline press exercise machine has confirmed that it
constitutes a marked improvement over preexisting machines or free
weight methods for performing an incline press.
This incline press machine provides the benefits of both free
weight exercise and exercise with weight machines, while avoiding
the attendant disadvantages commonly associated with each of these
methods of exercising.
With this machine, for persons of average size, the moment arm
about the pivot point is lowest upon initiation of the upward
extension and adduction motion, and the moment arm increases
gradually throughout the motion until the lever is parallel with
the ground. For other persons, or those with longer arms, the
moment arm about the pivot point begins decreasing again from the
maximum value as lower end of the lever is rotated above the
parallel position.
These and other features of the invention will be more readily
understood in view of the following detailed description and the
drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an incline press exercise machine
in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the incline press exercise machine shown
in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the incline press exercise machine shown
in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the incline press exercise machine shown
in FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1-4 show an incline press exercise machine 10 in accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the invention. This machine 10
includes a frame 11 made of a number of straight and/or curved
sections of heavy duty steel that are either welded or bolted
together, or pivotally connected. Exercise levers 12 and 13 are
pivotally connected to the frame 11 at their upper rearward ends.
Handles 16 and 17 connect to the lower forward ends of levers 12
and 13, respectively. The handles 16 and 17 are adapted to be
grasped by an exerciser supported in a declined position on a seat.
The seat includes a decline bottom rest 19 and declined back rest
20. By simultaneous upward extension and adduction of the arms in
an incline press motion, the exerciser pivots the levers 12 and 13
against the weight resistance provided by removable weight plates
22 and 23 supported on hubs 24 and 25, respectively.
The bottom rest 19 and back rest 20 are bisected by a vertical
midplane 27 (shown an FIG. 3) that extends through the middle of
the frame 11. The frame 11 has two sides that are mirror images
with respect to vertical midplane 27. Each side has a bottom
support, a rear leg, a front leg and a top support. On the left
side of the frame 11, as viewed by an exerciser supported on bottom
rest 19 and back rest 20, these parts are numbered 30, 32, 34 and
36. Similarly, on the right side of frame 11 these parts are
numbered 31, 33, 35 and 37, respectively. The two sides of the
frame 11 are connected by bottom brace 40, lower intermediate brace
41, upper intermediate brace 42 and top brace 43. Top brace 43 has
a central bend to accommodate the forward convergence of the sides
of the frame 11. The components of the left and right sides of the
frame 11 form forwardly converging planes which are designated by
numerals 28 and 29, respectively. Each of the planes 28 and 29
preferably converges toward midplane 27 at an angle of about
25.degree., as best shown in FIG. 3. Each of the metal sections
forming the sides are preferably connected together by welds. The
braces are connected to the sides by either welds or bolts extended
through welded on end plates. The frame 11 is supported at its
corners by welded bottom plates 44, 45, 46 and 47 (see FIG. 3 for
plate 47). Preferably, the bottom plates have bolt holes for
optional securement of the machine 10 to a portable base.
Bottom rest 19 and back rest 20 are connected to a central leg 48
that extends along vertical midplane 27. Central leg 48 has an end
plate 49 welded at its bottom end, which is in turn secured to
bottom brace 40. The top of center leg 48 is supported by upper
intermediate brace 42 at an angle designated by numeral 51, as
shown in FIG. 4. Preferably, this angle is about 10.degree. so that
the seat declines rearwardly from vertical by about 10.degree..
Bottom rest 19 extends perpendicularly from back rest 20, so that
bottom rest 19 declines rearwardly from horizontal by about
10.degree..
The bottom rest 19 is preferably adjustable upwardly or downwardly
along leg 48. Adjustment is provided by frictional engagement
between parallel spaced bars (not shown) connected to bottom rest
19 and two planar pieces 52 and 53 that are secured to central leg
48 in a sandwiching arrangement. To raise or lower the bottom rest
19, a forward end thereof is tilted rearwardly, or upwardly with
respect to central leg 48, so that the spaced parallel bars move
away from, or provide clearance from pieces 52 and 53. In this
orientation, the bottom rest 19 may be moved upwardly or downwardly
along the planar pieces, parallel to leg 48. When the forward end
is subsequently tilted downwardly, the parallel bars will
frictionally engage pieces 52 and 53. Any number of other methods
for providing adjustability for bottom rest 19 along leg 48 would
be equally suitable.
Uprights 56 and 58 on one side of the frame 11 and uprights 57 and
59 on the opposite side of the frame 11 are welded in spaced
relation to the top of top brace 43. These uprights define the
locations of axles 62 and 63 to which levers 12 and 13 are
connected, respectively. The axles 62 and 63 are connected to frame
11 by bearings. A pillow block bearing sold by Browning, Part No.
VF 2S 116 has proved suitable. These bearings require maintenance
only once a year, maintenance which consists of one shot of
lubricating oil. For additional strength and stability, levers 12
and 13 include diagonal stabilizing braces 64 and 65, respectively.
Rubber stops 66 and 67 are mounted to the bottoms of levers 12 and
13, respectively, to limit downward pivotal movement and to
establish the desired initial angle for commencing an incline press
exercise.
Each lever 12 or 13 preferably has a length of about 36 1/4", and
is oriented downwardly at an initial angle designated by numeral 70
in FIG. 4. Preferably, this initial angle is about 50.degree.. The
hubs 24 and 25 are connected at a predetermined distance between
the top and bottom ends of the levers 12 and 13, respectively,
preferably about 24 1/2" from the top ends thereof. The distance
from the ground to the center of the axle 62 is designated by
numeral 72, and this distance is preferably about 68 2/3".
Each handle 16 or 17 is preferably a bent metal member with one end
inserted and welded in place within an opening in a lower end of a
respective lever. The angle between the two ends of each handle is
designated by numeral 74, (FIG. 2), and is preferably about
70.degree.. The free end of each handle is oriented at a 90.degree.
angle from the respective lever. This places the handles at a
25.degree. inward tilt, toward the exerciser. The bend in the
handles also provides about a 20.degree. upward extension, from the
perspective of an exerciser supported on the seat. The angles of
the handles couple natural grasping positions for the hands to the
converging planes of lever movement, thereby enabling the motive
force of an incline press to be applied in a manner which naturally
accommodates the musculoskeletal structure of a human being.
As mentioned previously, frame 11 enables a person to perform an
incline press exercise, either simultaneously with both arms or
independently, a feature which is particularly desirable for
rehabilitation.
For this embodiment, the moment arm about the pivot point through
the duration of the pressing maneuver is related to the sine of the
angle of the lever with respect to vertical. Initially, this angle
is 40.degree., or the complement of initial angle 70. As this
complement angle approaches 90.degree., the exercise becomes
increasingly difficult. Past 90.degree., the moment arm again
decreases. However, most persons are neither tail enough nor have
long enough arms to move the lever past this 90.degree. position.
This invention provides an incline press exercise machine that
couples a varying moment arm to an incline pressing exercise
performed from a declined, seated position, with the moment arm
varying according to the first quarter of a sine wave for most
persons.
As such, this machine 10 provides a moment arm increase that
substantially matches the physical strength curve for an incline
press maneuver. This is true because, as the arms of a person are
upwardly extended and adducted towards the "lock out" position, the
physical resistance capabilities increase tremendously. Thus, for
most individuals using this machine 10, this increasing physical
capability is matched by a sinusoidally increasing moment arm. As a
result, the degree of difficulty of the exercise remains relatively
constant throughout, and there are no "sticking points."
It is also to be understood that the strength curve for a declined
pressing maneuver is related to the angle of push, which is
determined by the seat angle and the arm length of the person
exercising. For this machine, the angle of push is relatively
constant throughout.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described,
it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereby
and that in light of the present disclosure, various other
alternative embodiments will be apparent to a person skilled in the
art. For instance, the structural orientation of some parts or
portion of the frame 11 is not critical, so long as the positioning
of the lever pivot points, the lever lengths, the handles and the
vertical planes of motion are maintained. Additionally, while the
particular angles shown are considered to be optimum at this point
in time, based upon feedback from those involved in strength
training, it is entirely possible that some further refinements may
evolve. Accordingly, it is to be understood that changes may be
made without departing from the scope of the invention as
particularly set forth and claimed.
* * * * *