SEAL-BREAKING APPARATUS AND METHOD

BACKGROUND

[0001]The embodiments described herein relate to an apparatus and methods for breaking a seal of a door, with particular embodiments shown for a bottom mounted freezer door.

[0002]Refrigerator and freezer doors can sometimes be difficult to open. In a typical freezer (residential or commercial), when the freezer door is opened and then closed, the rapid cooling of the volume of trapped warm air creates a small vacuum within the freezer compartment. This vacuum increases the difficulty in opening the door, as the user must pull against the pressure differential until the door's gasket is unseated enough from the refrigerator chassis to release the vacuum and facilitate door opening.

[0003]Various refrigerator and freezer configurations are available, including side-by-side, French door, three-door, and four-door models. Some popular configurations include bottom mounted freezers, where the freezer compartment is mounted below the refrigerator compartment. In many of such units, the upper refrigerator compartment typically includes two French-doors that open into a large upper refrigerator. Simultaneously, the bottom mounted freezer compartment typically includes a door that is fitted onto one or more sliding rails such that the contents of the freezer are contained within a sliding drawer to which the outer door is coupled. It is common that such drawers are loaded with frozen contents having significant weight. This significant weight of the freezer drawer makes it additionally difficult to open the drawer, even when a partial vacuum is not present. Such weight concerns are not present in a normal hinged door that rotatably opens to expose a compartment.

[0004]Additionally, many users prefer bottom mount freezer drawer doors that have a recessed or “pocket” handle, as opposed to an external handle. Such recessed handles provide a sleek look for the door and eliminate the need to have a door handle protruding outwardly from the face of the door. Such recessed handles, however, typically utilize the fascia of the door itself as the structure against which a user pulls to open the drawer.

[0005]What is needed is a mechanism for a recessed handle appliance drawer door that can facilitate the opening of an appliance drawer by breaking the vacuum seal created by the appliance.

SUMMARY

[0006]The herein-described embodiments address these and other problems associated with the art by providing a seal break mechanism for a recessed handle appliance drawer door that allows a user to break the vacuum within an appliance. Such an apparatus enables the appliance to have a recessed handle, yet still be operable to easily open the appliance drawer, even when the drawer is heavily loaded.

[0007]In some embodiments, an appliance door seal-breaking apparatus is provided comprising an appliance having a chassis surrounding at least one appliance compartment and a drawer configured to be selectively housed within and partially withdrawn from the compartment, wherein the drawer has a door thereon configured to provide a user access to the compartment, and wherein the door has a front surface and a rear surface. The appliance further includes a recessed handle that is fully disposed within a recess within the door. A paddle is located within the recessed handle and is configured to rotate from a paddle first orientation to a paddle second orientation about an axis of rotation within the recess upon activation by a user. A shaft having a first end, a second end, and a shaft length therealong between the first end and the second end is also provided, wherein the shaft is directly coupled without intervening structure to the paddle at some point along the shaft length. A cam has a first portion directly coupled to the shaft somewhere along the shaft length, preferably but not required to be at or near a first end of the shaft, and has a second portion depending from the first portion, the cam being rotatably received within a housing and being configured to rotate about the axis of rotation from a cam first position to a cam second position. A slider is also included, having a first end and a second end, the slider first end being in contact with the second portion of the cam, the slider being configured to translate in a direction substantially transverse to the shaft from a slider first position to a slider second position. When the paddle is in the paddle first orientation, the cam is in the cam first position and the slider is in the slider first position and the rear surface of the door is disposed a first distance from the chassis; and wherein as the paddle is rotated about the shaft from the paddle first orientation toward the paddle second orientation, the cam also rotates about the shaft from the cam first position toward the cam second position, and the slider translates from the slider first position toward the slider second position; and wherein when the paddle is in the paddle second position, the cam is in the cam second position and the slider is in the slider second position and the rear surface of the door is disposed a second distance from the chassis, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.

[0008]In some embodiments, a method of reducing the force required to open a drawer of an appliance is provided, comprising the steps of: providing an appliance having a compartment that is accessible via a door; providing on the door a recessed handle within a recess of the door; providing an activation assembly within the door, wherein the activation assembly further comprises a paddle within the recess, a shaft directly coupled to the paddle, a cam directly coupled to the shaft, and a slider engageable with the cam; wherein the paddle is configured to rotate directly about the shaft from a paddle first orientation to a paddle second orientation upon application of applied force to the paddle; and wherein the cam rotates about the shaft from a cam first position to a cam second position; and wherein the slider translates from a slider first position to a slider second position by direct physical engagement with the cam; applying a force to the paddle to begin rotating the paddle about an axis of rotation centered at a centroidal axis of the shaft; continuing to apply force to the paddle to move the paddle from the paddle first orientation toward the paddle second orientation, which moves the cam from the cam first position toward the cam second position, which thereby moves the slider from the slider first position toward the slider second position until the slider contacts the chassis; continuing to apply force to the paddle to move the paddle to the paddle second position, which moves the cam to the cam second position, which thereby moves the slider to the slider second position, which physically separates the door from the chassis.

[0009]In some embodiments an appliance door seal-breaking apparatus is provided, comprising: an appliance having a refrigerated compartment and a chassis, wherein the refrigerated compartment is accessible via a door that seals the refrigerated compartment about the chassis, and wherein the door has a recessed handle; a paddle disposed within the recessed handle and rotatable from a first orientation to a second orientation about a first axis of rotation; a shaft having a first end and a second end, the shaft coupled to the paddle between the first end and the second end. The first end of the shaft extends to a corner of the door, the shaft is rotatable about the first axis of rotation. A cam is directly coupled the first end of the shaft and rotatable from a first orientation to a second orientation about the first axis of rotation. A slider is translatably coupled to the cam and movable from a first position to a second position as a result of the cam moving from the first orientation of the cam to the second orientation of the cam; wherein when the paddle is in the first orientation, the cam is in the first orientation and the slider is in the first position and the door is engaged with the chassis, and when the paddle is in the second orientation, the cam is also in the second orientation and the slider is also in the second position and the door is disengaged with the chassis.

[0010]These and other advantages and features are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the figures, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described example embodiments of the invention. This summary is merely provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description, and is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 is a right perspective view of an appliance according to a first embodiment having an upper refrigerator and a lower freezer drawer.

[0012]FIG. 2 is a right perspective view of the upper portion of the freezer drawer door of the appliance of FIG. 1 with the corner covers removed, according to one embodiment.

[0013]FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the components associated with the upper portion of the freezer drawer door of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0014]FIG. 4 is a close-up right perspective view of the freezer drawer door of FIG. 1 in a first, undeployed state.

[0015]FIG. 5 is a close-up right perspective view of the freezer drawer door of FIG. 1 in a second, deployed state.

[0016]FIG. 6A is a section view taken at line 6A-6A of FIG. 2.

[0017]FIG. 6B is a section view taken at line 6B-6B of FIG. 2.

[0018]FIG. 6C is a section view taken at line 6C-6C of FIG. 2.

[0019]FIG. 6D is a section view taken at line 6D-6D of FIG. 2.

[0020]FIG. 7 is a left perspective view of the seal break apparatus according to an embodiment, shown without the drawer door for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021]Turning now to the drawings, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an appliance such as a refrigerator-freezer appliance 1 according. The appliance 1 includes an upper refrigerator compartment 2 and a lower freezer compartment 3. Each compartment has a frame or chassis 7 that provides the structural support for the appliance. The refrigerator compartment 2 in the embodiment shown includes doors 4, shown as French doors. In embodiments where the appliance is a refrigerator and/or freezer, each door 4 typically includes a gasket 8 that helps to seal the compartment from the room environment. The gasket 8 is typically a flexible gasket that is compressible and that has a magnetic flux such that the gasket is attracted to the chassis 7. The doors 4 are openable to provide access to the refrigerator compartment 2 therewithin by pulling on the handles 5, shown in this embodiment as external handles. The freezer compartment 3 in the embodiment shown includes a slidable drawer 6 that slides into and out of the freezer compartment 3. A drawer door 100 is coupled to the front of the drawer 6 to match the overall look and design of the appliance 1. The drawer 6 contains items to be frozen and can include various structures. To access the drawer 6, a user pulls open the drawer 6 by pulling the drawer door 100.

[0022]FIG. 2 depicts the upper portion of an exemplary drawer door 100. The drawer door 100 includes a recessed handle, or recess 110, coupled within or to a frame 112 of the drawer door 100. A top cap 114 resides atop the frame 112 in the central region of the drawer door 100. Corner caps 116 are located at the top corners of the drawer door 100 to cover the functioning components of the seal-breaking apparatus 10 as will be described. The drawer door 100 includes a front surface 111 and a rear surface 113. The corner caps 116 are visible in FIG. 1 but have been removed from the remaining figures for clarity. With continued reference to FIG. 2, one or more seal-breaking apparatus 10 is coupled to the drawer door 100. In the embodiment shown in the figures, portions of a seal-breaking apparatus 10 are located at each of the top corners of the drawer door 100. In other embodiments the seal-breaking apparatus 10 can be located at other locations around the perimeter of the drawer door 100. For example, in embodiments that are foot-activated, the seal-breaking apparatus 10 can be located at the bottom, and or the bottom corners, of the drawer door 100.

[0023]FIG. 3 provides an exploded view of the seal-breaking apparatus 10 that is contained within the freezer drawer door 100 of the depicted embodiment. A paddle 120 is provided and configured to be rotatably received within a recess 118 of the drawer door 100. The paddle 120 includes a first end 121 and a second end 122 and an interface surface 123 therebetween. The paddle also includes a shaft-receiving portion 125 and a free end 126 depending therefrom. The shaft-receiving portion 125 of the paddle 120 is configured to receive a shaft 130 about which the paddle 120 can rotate about a longitudinal axis of the shaft 130. The shaft 130 is an elongated body having a cross-section and a longitudinal axis along its length. The shaft 130 includes a first end 131 and a second end 132 and an outer surface 133. Typically the shaft 130 is an elongate member that is rotationally symmetric about its longitudinal centroidal axis. As an example, if the shaft 130 is cylindrical, the shaft 130 is rotationally symmetric about its longitudinal centroidal axis, and it would have a circular cross-sectional shape. The shaft 130 need not be limited to being cylindrical, and indeed the outer surface 133 of the shaft 130 can assume any number of cross-sectional shapes, including circular, triangular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, n-gonal, star, etc., as well as irregular shapes. Also, the shaft 130 need not have the same cross-sectional shape along its entire length. For example, portions of the shaft 130 can have one cross-sectional shape (e.g., circular), while other portions of the shaft 130 can have a different cross-sectional shape (e.g., hexagonal). In such an embodiment (not shown), the shaft 130 can be seen as being primarily a cylindrical shaft (i.e., having a circular cross section) while also having one or more portions of the shaft 130 having one or more “flats” machined thereon. Indeed, one or more flats can be machined onto the outer surface 133 at any desired location. Also, as described above, the shaft 130 can itself be other forms of generally cylindrical (though not circular cylindrical) shapes, for example a square elongated shaft, a pentagonal or hexagonal elongated shaft, and the like.

[0024]Regardless of the desired outer surface 133 shape of the shaft 130, the paddle 120 is configured to receive the shaft 130 in such a manner that, as the paddle 120 is rotated (i.e., squeezed by a user's hand or activated by a user's foot), the shaft 130 likewise directly rotates about its longitudinal axis, with no intervening structures or additional connections needed. Various options for providing this functionality exist depending on the outer shape 133 of the shaft 130. For example, if the shaft 130 were cylindrical with a circular cross section where the shaft 130 is coupled to the paddle 120, the shaft 130 can be secured to the paddle 120 in various means, including without limitation, adhesive, radial pins, or other coupling mechanisms that make the shaft 130 directly rotate upon rotation of the paddle 120. Where the outer surface 133 of the shaft 130 is other than circular in cross section, obviously the flats of the outer surface 133 can engage mating flats of an interior surface of the paddle 120, such that rotation of the paddle 120 thereby rotates the shaft 130. As depicted in the embodiment shown in the figures, the shaft 130 has one or more portions therealong that comprise a hexagonal outer surface 133. This hexagonal outer surface 133 is coupled to a mating hexagonal inner surface 124 of the shaft-receiving portion 125 of the paddle 120. With this physical coupling, rotation of the paddle 120 directly causes corresponding rotation of the shaft 130.

[0025]The paddle 120 is rotatable from a first, undeployed orientation through a range of orientations to a second, deployed orientation. As shown in FIGS. 1-7, a user rotates the paddle 120 through its range of orientations by placing the user's hand on the interface surface 123 of the paddle 120 and pulling or squeezing the paddle 120 toward the user. The extent of rotation allowed for the paddle 120 to progress through depends on several factors, including but not limited to how far the sliders 150 (described below) need to laterally move to effectuate the assistance for opening the drawer door 100, as will be described, as well as how much space the paddle 120 is provided within the recessed handle 110. In general, the typical range of rotation of the paddle 120 (and therefore also the shaft 130) from the first, deployed orientation to the second, deployed orientation can be anywhere from approximately 0 degrees to approximately 130 degrees of rotation. Preferably, the preferred range of rotation is from approximately 0 degrees to approximately 30 degrees of rotation, and most preferably from approximately 0 degrees to approximately 22 degrees of rotation.

[0026]With reference to FIGS. 2-5, the seal-breaking apparatus 10 further includes one or more activation assemblies 140. In the embodiment shown, each of the upper corners of the drawer door 100 includes an activation assembly 140. However, any number of activation assemblies 140 can be utilized, including only one or any number more than one. And, as stated, such activation assemblies 140 can be located at various locations about the perimeter of the drawer door 100, including the top corners, bottom corners, and other locations, depending on the embodiment. Each activation assembly 140 includes a cam 150 that is coupled to the shaft 130, and a slider 160 that is coupled to the cam 150. In FIG. 3, a first activation assembly 140 is shown wherein the cam 150 is coupled to the first end 131 of the shaft 130, and a second activation assembly 140 is shown wherein the cam 150 is coupled to the second end 132 of the shaft 130.

[0027]The activation assemblies 140 convert the rotational movement of the paddle 120, and therefore of shaft 130, into translational movement of a slider 160 via direct connection of the shaft 130 to a cam 150. The cam 150 pivotally resides within a housing 151. The housing 151 has a first portion 151a and a second portion 151b. The cam 150 of the embodiment depicted in the figures includes a base portion 152 having a receptacle 153 therein that receives an end of the shaft 130. In this embodiment, as shown in the section views of FIGS. 6A and 6C, the receptacle 153 has a hexagonal shape to receive and be directly driven by the hexagonal outer surface 133 of the shaft 130. The first portion 151a of the housing 151 includes a cradle 154 that receives the base portion 152 and allows the base portion 152 to rotate therewithin. The cam 150 has an arm 155 that extends from the base portion 152 toward a terminal end 156.

[0028]With reference to FIGS. 2-7, the slider 160 is translatingly coupled to the second portion 151b of the housing 151. The slider 160 includes a first end 161 and a second end 162. The slider 160 slides along the second portion 151b of the housing 151 guided by rails 151c. Preferably, the slider 160 slides in a direction somewhat transverse (i.e., perpendicular or approximately perpendicular) to the length of the shaft 130. Although, technically any direction that is not parallel with the shaft 130 is possible, it is preferable that the direction the slider 160 slides to be perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the shaft 130. The first end 161 of the slider 160 contacts the terminal end 156 of the base portion 152 of the cam 150. The second end 162 of the slider 160 serves to selectively push against a chassis 7 of the freezer compartment 3, as will be explained below. Preferably, the activation assembly 140 is spring biased toward a position in which the paddle 120 occupies its first, undeployed orientation. This spring bias can be achieved in a number of ways. One or more linear springs can be coupled to any one or more than one components, such as the paddle 120, the cam 150, and/or the slider 160. Additionally, one or more torsion springs can be coupled to the shaft 130 or the paddle 120 to bias the paddle 120 into or toward its first orientation. In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, a linear spring 163 has a first end 164 coupled to a portion of the slider 160 and a second end 165 coupled to the housing 151. The spring 163 serves to bias the slider 160 in a direction corresponding to that which places the paddle 120 in its first, undeployed orientation.

[0029]With reference now to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6A-6D, the operation of the apparatus 10 will be described. FIGS. 4 and 6A show the activation assembly 140 in a first, undeployed configuration, while FIGS. 5 and 6C shows the activation assembly 140 in a second, deployed configuration. As stated, the spring 163 biases the slider 160 in a first direction. For example, in the view shown in FIG. 4, the spring 163 biases the slider 160 toward the left of the figure. And, because the slider 160 is directly contacting the cam 150, and because the cam is directly coupled to the shaft 130, which is in turn directly coupled to the paddle 120, the spring 163 also biases the paddle 120 into its first orientation. When the paddle 120 is in this undeployed orientation, the second end 162 of the slider 160 does not contact the chassis 7. Depending on tolerances and design goals, the second end 162 may be separated from the chassis 7 by a gap, and the gap dimension is subject to design goals and can depend, in part, on the size, type, and magnetic flux capacity of the gasket 8 being used. The gap dimension also depends directly on the total distance traveled by the slider 160 from the slider first position to the slider second position. The gap dimension can theoretically be any reasonable amount from zero to approximately two inches, but preferably is in the range of from about 0.175 inch to about 1 inch, and most preferably from about 0.175 inch to about 0.25 inch.

[0030]FIGS. 6B and 6D show the paddle 120 in its first, undeployed orientation and second, deployed orientation, respectively. When it is desired to access the freezer compartment, a user places a hand within the recessed handle 110 and on the interface surface 123 of the paddle 120 and squeezes. This squeezing motion rotates the paddle 120 about the shaft-receiving portion 125 and brings the free end 126 closer to the user. The paddle 120 continues to be rotated until it has reached its second, deployed orientation, depicted in FIG. 6D.

[0031]As described above, FIG. 4 and FIG. 6A depict the cam 150 and slider 160 in the first configuration, when the paddle 120 occupies its first orientation, shown in FIG. 6B. As seen, the terminal end 156 of the cam 150 engages the first end 161 of the slider 160 while the second end 162 of the slider 160 is not in contact with the chassis 7. As the paddle 120 is rotated by the user by squeezing the paddle 120, the shaft 130 rotates from its first orientation (FIG. 6B) to its second orientation (FIG. 6D). In FIGS. 6B and 6D this rotation is seen as a clockwise rotational direction. This rotation of the paddle 120 causes corresponding rotation of the shaft 130, which thereby directly rotates the cam 150 from its first orientation (FIG. 6A) to its second orientation (FIG. 6C). This is also a clockwise rotational direction as shown in the figures. Upon full rotation of the paddle 120, the cam 150 occupies its second, deployed configuration, as shown in FIG. 6C. Because the terminal end 156 of the cam 150 engages the first end 161 of the slider 160, rotation of the cam 150 causes linear movement of the slider 160. As stated above, as the cam 150 rotates and pushes the slider 160 (toward the right in FIGS. 6A and 6C), this translation of the slider 160 acts against the spring bias of the spring 163. During translation of the slider 160, the distance between the second end 162 and the chassis 7 decreases. This decrease in distance continues until the second end 162 eventually contacts the chassis 7. The translation continues beyond this point as the paddle 120 continues to be rotated toward its second orientation. During this time, the second end 162 of the slider 160 starts applying a force against the chassis 7. As the slider 160 continues to be translated due to continued rotation of the paddle 120, the applied pushing force against the chassis 7 continues to increase as the distance between the rear surface 113 of the drawer door 100 and the second end 162 continues to increase. Eventually the paddle 120 is rotated fully into its second orientation, as shown in FIG. 6D, which has moved the slider 160 to its second position, where the second end 162 of the slider 160 has traveled approximately 0.2 to 0.25 inches beyond the rear surface 113 of the drawer door 100. This causes the pushing force of the second end 162 against the chassis to be great enough to overcome the internal vacuum within the freezer compartment 3 and to overcome the flexibility, thickness, and magnetic attraction of the gasket 8 surrounding the drawer door 100 so as to open the drawer door 100. The second end 162 is thus now in its second configuration, as shown in FIG. 6C, and the drawer door 100 is easily pulled away from the chassis 7. The preferred overall distance traveled by the second end 162 of the slider 160 from its first position to its second position is approximately 0.375 inch to 0.5 inch (i.e., approximately 0.175 inch to approximately 0.25 inch to reach the chassis 7, and then another 0.2 inch to 0.25 inch beyond that).

[0032]FIG. 7 depicts the activation assembly 140 from a left perspective view, without the drawer door 100, for clarity. In this view the paddle 120 and shaft 130 rotate in a counterclockwise direction as they move from their respective first orientations to their respective second orientations. As stated, there can be various numbers of paddles, shafts, cams, and sliders, but preferably, as shown in the figures, there is one paddle 120, one shaft 130 that extends through and is physically fastened to the paddle 120, two cams 150 directly driven by the shaft 130, and two sliders 160, each slider 160 directly driven by one cam 150. Preferably the cams 150 and sliders 160 are mounted at the corners of the drawer door 100, and in the preferred embodiment depicted, the cams 150 and sliders 160 are mounted to the upper corners of the drawer door 100.

[0033]Many alternative embodiments are possible for various components that make up the seal-breaking apparatus, as well as for the type, style, and location of the functional aspects of the apparatus. In one alternative embodiment, instead of having the paddle 120 have its shaft-receiving portion 125 at the upper end of the paddle 120 (i.e., the top pivoting structure shown in FIGS. 2-7), the paddle 120 could have its shaft-receiving portion 125 at a lower end of the paddle 120. In such case, the paddle 120 could be made to be located at a bottom of a drawer door 100, as opposed to a top of a drawer door 100. In this embodiment, the paddle 120 can be activated by a user's foot instead of by a user's hand. Alternatively, such a bottom pivoting alternative could still be employed at the top of the drawer door 100 and be activated by a user's hand, but instead of the user reaching into the recess 110 and squeezing the interface surface 123, the user could reach into the recess 110 and push the paddle 120. The shaft 130 would still be directly connected to the paddle 120 and the cam 150 to drive the cam 150 and slider 160 in similar fashion.

[0034]In another embodiment, the paddle 120 can be coupled to one or more cables, wherein rotation of the paddle 120 pulls a cable that is connected to the cam 150 at a point below the receptacle 153 (i.e., below the pivot point) so that as the cable pulls on the base portion 152 of the cam 150, the cam 150 rotates in similar manner as described above to translate the slider 160. In this embodiment, the spring 163 can be implemented with the cable to provide the desired spring bias force to keep the paddle 120 in its first orientation.

[0035]In another embodiment, the cable can instead be coupled to a linear actuator instead of the cam 150, wherein rotation of the paddle 120 pulls the cable to engage the linear actuator, which then translates the slider 160 between the slider first position and the slider second position. Alternatively, instead of using a cable that is pulled by rotation of the paddle 120, the paddle 120 could have an appurtenance on the side opposite to that which would have had the cable, and the appurtenance would serve to push to engage the linear actuator.

[0036]In another embodiment, the shaft 130 could include a gear thereon that meshes with one or more additional gears of desired diameter that in turn rotate the cam 150. Alternatively, the gear of the shaft 130 could be coupled at one end of the shaft 130 to a gear rack that directly drives the slider 160 toward and away from the chassis 7.

[0037]In another embodiment, one or more sensors can be used in conjunction with a control module to detect the presence of a user's body part (i.e., hand, foot, etc.). Various types of sensors can be used, including but not limited to, motion sensors, infrared sensors, visual detectors, heat sensors, and the like. The sensor can be coupled to the drawer door 100 so as to detect the presence of a user's body part. If the sensor detects a body part, the sensor sends a signal to the control module to initiate (or continue) an open or close sequence. The control module can activate a linear actuator, motor, gear train, and the like to move the slider 160 between its first position and second position to open and close the drawer door 100.

[0038]While several embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0039]All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0040]The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

[0041]The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

[0042]As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

[0043]As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

[0044]It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited.

[0045]In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

[0046]It is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” “in communication with,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

[0047]The foregoing description of several embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise steps and/or forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.