BALL RETRIEVING AND STAND ASSEMBLY

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/471,401 filed Jun. 6, 2023, the entire contents of which are hereby fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to sporting goods accessories, including a ball retrieving and stand assembly.

BACKGROUND

While practicing ball sports, e.g., baseball, softball, and tennis, it is not uncommon for a coach to provide a plurality of balls for the players to practice with. For example, during batting practice, a coach may pitch a plurality of balls one after another for a player to hit. At the end of the practice, the balls are typically scattered all over the ground over a wide area.

In such cases, the coach and/or the players are then required to walk the field to collect the balls. This entails bending over to pick up each and every ball and to place the balls in a bucket or similar. Given this, the process of collecting the balls may be quite laborious and time consuming.

Accordingly, there is a need for a handheld ball retrieving assembly. There also is a need for a stand assembly that may be configured with the ball retrieving assembly to hold the balls and/or to be used as a tee ball stand as described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows aspects of a ball retrieving and stand assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 2 shows of a ball retrieving assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIGS. 3-4 show aspects of a container assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIGS. 5-6 show aspects of a container assembly and a ball scooping assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 7 shows aspects of a connector and handle according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIGS. 8-9 show aspects of a ball retrieving assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 10 shows aspects of a handle assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 11 shows aspects of a stand assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 12 shows aspects of a connection of a stand according to exemplary embodiments hereof; and

FIG. 13 shows aspects of a stand assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In general, the ball retrieving and stand assembly according to exemplary embodiments hereof includes a handheld tool to facilitate the retrieval of balls (e.g., baseballs, softballs, tennis balls, golf balls, etc.) off the ground without having to bend over and retrieve the balls by hand. The ball retrieving and stand assembly also includes a foldable stand that may position the assembly as an elevated basket to hold the balls, and/or as a tee ball stand for batting practice.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, as shown in FIG. 1, the ball retrieving and stand assembly 10 (also referred to herein as simply the assembly 10) includes a ball retrieving assembly 100 and a stand assembly 200. In general, the ball retrieving assembly 100 provides a handheld tool for retrieving balls from the ground (e.g., baseballs, tennis balls, etc.) and the stand assembly 200 provides a base to hold and position the ball retrieving assembly 100 as an upright ball basket and/or as a tee ball stand. The ball retrieving and stand assembly 10 also may include other elements as necessary for it to fulfill its functionalities.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the ball retrieving assembly 100 includes a handle assembly 102 and a container assembly 104. In use, a user may generally hold the ball retrieving assembly 100 by gripping the handle assembly 102 while utilizing the container assembly 104 to retrieve one or more objects (e.g., balls) from the ground.

In some embodiments, the handle assembly 102 includes a handle body 106 including a proximal end 108 and a distal end 110. The proximal end 108 may be coupled to the container assembly 104 and the distal end 110 may extend away therefrom. In some embodiments, the handle body 106 may be elongate (e.g., in the form of a pole or rod) and may extend substantially linearly between its proximal end 108 and its distal end 110. However, it also is contemplated that the handle body 106 may include one or more curvatures (e.g., ergonomic curvatures). The handle body 106 may be formed of metal, wood, plastic, other suitable materials, and any combinations thereof. It may be preferable that the handle body 106 be rigid. Additional details of the handle assembly 102 will be described in further detail in other sections.

FIG. 3 shows an isotropic view of the container assembly 104, and FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the same.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the container assembly 104 includes a container 112 (e.g., a basket, a bucket, and/or other types of containers) including a top side 114, a bottom side 116, a front side 118, a rear side 120, a left side 122, and a right side 124 defining a container inner volume 126. In some embodiments, it may be preferable that the top side 114 is at least partially open (e.g., in the area of the container's front side 118), and more preferably, completely open unless intentionally covered using a cover as described in other sections. The container assembly 104 may be formed as a cuboid and/or as any other suitable shape(s).

In some embodiments, the container 106 (e.g., its sides 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124) may comprise a material that may be preferably flexible and porous (e.g., a mesh or netting material) such that dirt, sand, and/or other small debris that may be inadvertently picked up during use of the assembly 10 may fall through the pores or openings and be discarded. In some embodiments, it may be preferable that the pores or openings be smaller than the diameter of any balls that may be retrieved such that the retrieved balls may be held within the container until purposely removed.

In other embodiments, the container 106 may comprise other materials such as non-porous fabric(s), flexible or semi-flexible plastic sheets, and/or other types of material(s). In this case, it may be preferable that the material(s) include one or more holes through which the dirt or debris may escape the container 106.

In other embodiments, the container 106 may comprise a solid and/or rigid (or semi-rigid) material such as plastic or other suitable solid materials. The solid material(s) may preferably include holes to allow for the removal of dirt and small debris, but this may not be necessary.

In some embodiments, the container assembly 104 includes a frame member 128 that may be coupled to and extend about the perimeter or periphery of the container's top side 114 to hold the top side 114 open and to provide support thereto. As shown in FIG. 4, the frame member 128 may include a rod, bar, or other suitable elongate member that may be formed into a substantially closed loop, with the possible exception of the frame's first end 130 and second end 132 being slightly separated and spaced apart from one another, e.g., at the container's rear side 120 generally opposite the container assembly's front side 118 when assembled as shown. As will be described in other sections, the frame's ends 130, 132 may be coupled to the handle assembly 102 to connect the handle assembly 102 and the container assembly 104 together. The frame member 128 may comprise metal, plastic, wood, composite materials, other suitable materials, and any combinations thereof. It may be preferable that the frame member 128 (or at least some portions thereof) be rigid and/or semi-rigid to provide rigidity to the top side 114 of the container 104.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the frame member 128 may be formed into a square or rectangular shape thereby defining the shape of the container's top side 114. As such, the frame member 128 may include a front portion 129 that may generally define the upper front edge 131 of the container assembly 104. In some embodiments, it may be the front upper edge 131 that may be manipulated by the user to scoop one or more balls from the ground.

In some embodiments, it also is contemplated that the frame member 128 may be formed as other shapes such as, without limitation, trapezoidal, triangular, polygonal, circular, oval, into other suitable shapes, and as any combinations thereof. If the frame member 128 is formed as a circular, oval, or other types of shapes that may include non-linear curvatures, it may be preferable that the frame's front portion 129 be generally linear such that the upper front edge 131 may be held generally straight to facilitate the retrieval of balls from the ground. This also may facilitate the configuration of the container 104 with the ball scooping assembly 142 as described below.

In addition, if the container 104 comprises hard material, the container's frame 128 may be integrated directly into the container 104. That is, the frame 128 may comprise the container's upper peripheral edge that defines its open top.

FIG. 5 shows an isotropic view of the container assembly 104 oriented with its top side 114 facing forward and its front side 118 generally parallel to a ground surface beneath, and FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the of the container assembly 104 in the same orientation.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, to facilitate the scooping of a ball into the container assembly 104, the container assembly 104 may include a ball scooping assembly 142 generally configured with the container assembly's upper front edge 131 (oriented as the lower front edge given the perspective of FIGS. 5 and 6).

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ball scooping assembly 142 includes a scooping bracket 144, a scooping guard 146, and a scooping blade 148 (e.g., a front lip). The scooping blade 148 may include a blade attachment member 149 that facilitates the releasable attachment of the blade 148 to the bracket 144. The ball scooping assembly 142 may be configured such that when the upper front edge 131 of the container 104 is engaged with the ground to scoop a ball (as shown in the perspective of FIGS. 5 and 6), the scooping assembly 142 provides a wedge structure to facilitate the scooping of the ball and the movement of the ball into the container's inner volume 126.

In some embodiments, the scooping bracket 144 includes a left pivot arm 150 and a right pivot arm 152 generally opposite the left pivot arm 150 with the body of the bracket 144 extending between the two arms 150, 152. The arms 150, 152 may extend generally orthogonally from the bracket 144 as shown. In some embodiments, a distal portion of the left pivot arm 150 is pivotally configured with the frame member 128 at a left side position 154 on the frame 128 (e.g., via a pivot connector such as a bolt or pin passing through a hole in the frame 128 at the left side position 154) and a distal portion of the right pivot arm 152 is pivotally configured with the frame member 128 at the right side position 156 on the frame 128 (e.g., using a pivot connector such as a bolt or pin passing through a hole in the frame member 128 at the right side position 156). In this way, the scooping bracket 144 may rotate or pivot about a longitudinal axis of the frame 128 defined by the left and right side positions 154, 156. The benefit of this arrangement will be described below. In addition, it also is contemplated that the bracket 144 may be rotatably configured with the container's front edge 131 using a hinge mechanism that extends laterally across at least a portion of the container's front edge 131 and that is attached to a rear portion of the bracket 144.

In some embodiments, the scooping bracket 144 extends outward from the container's front edge 131 (lower front edge given the perspective of FIGS. 5 and 6) generally orthogonally with respect to the frame member 128. In this way, the scooping bracket 144 may be an extension of the container assembly's upper front edge 131.

In some embodiments, the scooping blade 148 is coupled to the scooping bracket's front edge (e.g., the edge opposite the container's front edge 131) via a blade attachment member 149 that facilitates the releasable attachment of the blade 148 to the bracket 144. As shown in FIG. 6, the blade 148 may be coupled to the attachment member 149 (preferably fixedly) and the attachment member 149 is attached to the scooping bracket 144 (preferably releasably). Once configured, the blade 148 may preferably extend laterally generally from the left side of the bracket 144 to the right side of the bracket 144 as shown in FIG. 5.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the attachment member 149 includes one or more attachment mechanisms 151 (e.g., three tabs as shown) that extend towards the bracket 144 and that may be releasably coupled to the bracket 144 to secure the blade 148 thereto. In some embodiments, the attachment mechanisms 151 may be received into corresponding attachment mechanisms on the bracket 144 (e.g., slots) and may include detents, latches, spring mechanisms, other releasable attachment mechanisms, and any combinations thereof to releasably secure the attachment member 149 to the scooping bracket 144. It is understood that other types of attachment mechanisms also may be utilized. In some embodiments, the blade 148 includes a tapered side cross-section such that the blade 148 resembles a wedge with its apex along its outer facing distal edge.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the ball scooping assembly 142 includes a scooping guard 146 coupled to the scooping bracket 144 at its rear portion generally at the container's front edge 131 when assembled. The guard 146 is positioned slightly below the plane of the forward portion of the scooping bracket 144 (i.e., the portion coupled to the blade 148) and extends rearwardly to overlap a portion of the container's front side behind its front edge 131. In this way, the guard 146 may protect the container 104 in this area during the engagement of the container's front edge 131 with the ground during the ball scooping motion. In some embodiments, the scooping bracket 144 and the scooping guard 146 comprise hard and/or rigid materials (e.g., plastic or metal) and the blade 148 comprises semi-hard and/or semi-rigid (or flexible) materials such as rubber or hard plastic. However, it also is contemplated that the blade 148 comprise hard and/or rigid materials.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the frame member 128, the handle body 106, and a first connector 134 designed to couple the frame 128 and the handle 106 together. For clarity, the container 104 is not shown, however, it is understood that by connecting the handle 106 to the frame 128, the handle 106 also is attached to the container 104 when the overall ball retrieving assembly 100 is assembled.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the frame's first and second ends 130, 132 may extend away from (e.g., rearwardly from) the loop portion of the frame 128 and generally opposite the frame's front edge 129. In some embodiments, the first and second ends 130, 132 may extend generally parallel with one another an equal length from the loop portion of the frame 128. In addition, it may be preferable that the ends 130, 132 be located generally in the middle between the frame's left and right sides.

In some embodiments, the handle body's proximal end 108 may be coupled to the first and second ends 130, 132 of the frame member 128 thereby connecting the handle assembly 102 to the container assembly 104. In this way, a user may grasp the handle body 106 and manipulate the container assembly 104 as desired.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the proximal end 108 of the handle body 106 is connected to the frame member's first and second ends 130, 132 using a first connector 134. In some embodiments, the first connector 134 includes a body with a first through hole 136 designed to receive the frame members first end 130 and a second through hole 138 adjacent, generally aligned with, and generally parallel to the first through hole 136 and designed to receive the frame member's second end 132. As such, it is preferable that the frame member's first and second ends 130, 132 be arranged in a side-by-side configuration that corresponds to the arrangement of the first and second through holes 136, 138 so that the ends 130, 132 may be received into the through holes 136, 138 and be secured therein, respectively. Accordingly, it is preferable that the diameter of the through holes 136, 138 generally matches the diameter of the ends 130, 132. In this way, the connector 134 may be connected to the frame member 128 by receiving the ends 130, 132 and securing them (preferably releasably) thereto. In some embodiments, the through holes 136, 138 may include locking bolts or other adjustable locking members that may be used to releasably lock the ends 130, 132 within each respective through hole 136, 138 when assembled.

In some embodiments, the first connector 134 includes a third through hole 140 preferably generally parallel with the first and second through holes 136, 138. While the third through hole 140 is shown in FIG. 7 as being located between the first and second through holes 136, 138, it is understood that third through hole 140 may be located in any suitable position with respect to the first and second through holes 136, 138. The third through hole 140 is designed to receive the proximal end 108 of the handle body 106 such that the handle body 106 may be connected to the first connector 134 and thereby to the frame member 128 and the container assembly 104. Accordingly, it is preferable that the diameter of the third through hole 140 match the diameter of the proximal end 108 of the handle body 106. The result of this configuration is shown in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the third through hole 140 includes a locking bolt that can be tightened to lock the proximal end 108 of the handle body 106 within the through hole 140 during use.

In some embodiments, the handle body 106 may include a polygonal cross-section (e.g., octagonal as shown in FIG. 7) and the third through hole 140 may include a corresponding polygonal cross-section designed to receive and secure the polygonal cross-section of the handle body 106. Other corresponding cross-sectional shapes also may be used.

In some embodiments, the third through hole 140 may be positioned to enable the handle's proximal end 108 and at least a portion of the handle body 106 to slide forward and into the inner volume 126 of the container 104, e.g., to reduce the extension length of the handle 106 for stowage. In this case, the locking bolt holding the handle 106 secure within the third through hole 140 may be loosened to enable the movement of the handle.

It also is contemplated that the first connector 134 includes a hinge member that when unlocked enables the handle 106 to be rotated upward about the first connector 134 such that the handle 106 overlays the top 114 of the container 104 to collapse the assembly 102 for stowage.

In other embodiments, the container 104 may include side handles (e.g., flexible strap handles on the left and right sides of the frame 128) that may be grasped and used to carry the container 104. Other types of handles also may be configured with the container 104 and/or with the frame 128.

As will be described in other sections, the first connector 134 also may include an attachment member to facilitate the connection of the ball retrieving assembly 100 to the stand assembly 200. This will be described in other sections.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the ball retrieving assembly 100 positioned vertically on a ground surface in an initial position to scoop one or more balls from the ground, and FIG. 9 shows the assembly 100 angled forward to represent a ball scooping motion.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, with the ball scooping assembly 142 configured with the container assembly 104 as described above, for use, the ball retrieving assembly 100 may be placed into an initial vertical position as shown with the scooping guard 146 generally resting flat against the ground surface. In this position, the left and right pivot arms 150, 152 may extend generally orthogonally upward from the guard 146 and the scooping bracket 144 and its blade 148 may extend generally forward and parallel to the guard 146. In some embodiments, while in this position, the bracket 144 and the blade 148 are slightly elevated with respect to the guard 146 by a height H1 as shown. That is, the ball scooping assembly 142 is formed such that the plane of the guard 146 is configured slightly below the plane of the bracket 144 and its blade 148. In some embodiments, H1 is about 0.1″ to about 1.0″, and preferably about 0.5″ to about 0.75″, and more preferably about 0.625″.

As shown in FIG. 9, the ball retrieving assembly 100 may be rotated from its initial position (see FIG. 8) to a forward tilted position to perform a ball scooping motion. In this scenario, when the handle body 106 is tilted forward in the direction of the arrow A and pressed downward for further engagement with the ground surface, the ball scooping assembly 142 also may rotate forward in the direction of the arrow B. This motion may place the blade 148 in contact with the ground surface at a wedge angle θ to scoop the ball(s). The handle 106 may be further tilted depending on the ground surface and the balls while the ball scooping assembly 142 may be generally held at the wedge angle θ. As shown, the scooping guard 146 may remain generally beneath the front edge 131 of the container to protect it as it may scrape against the ground surface during the scooping motion to retrieve the ball. The guard 146 also provides a stop that limits the amount of rotation of the ball retrieving assembly 142 during use.

FIGS. 8 and 9 generally depict how a user may use the ball retrieving assembly 142 to retrieve one or more balls from a ground surface. For example, a user may hold the assembly 142 by the handle 106 and may place the assembly 142 in the initial position of FIG. 8. The user may then tilt the assembly 142 forward as shown in FIG. 9 and generally scrape the assembly 142 forward in the direction of the arrow C until the blade 148 engages the ball at an interface generally between the ball and the ground surface. Then, by continuing the forward scraping motion, the blade 148 may slide underneath the ball as it moves forward thereby causing the ball to move over the blade 148 and the bracket 144 and into the container 104.

To assist with this scooping motion, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, the handle assembly 102 may include an arm support member 107 (e.g., a wrist and/or elbow support) and a secondary handle 109 to provide a user with a higher-torque gripping arrangement for the assembly 102. In use, a user may place his/her elbow within the arm support member 107 while grasping the secondary handle 109 with his/her hand on the same arm. This holding technique may enable the user to retrieve and carry a larger and/or heavier load of balls during the retrieving process. It also is contemplated that the arm support member 107 not include the back wall designed to cup the user's elbow, and instead may simply include a pad or lateral member to engage and support the user's arm at other locations, e.g., at the user's forearm. In some embodiments, the secondary handle 116 may rotatable extend upward from the handle 108 to a generally orthogonal orientation with respect to the handle 108 when to be used and subsequently may be folded downward when not needed. In other embodiments, it may be simply removed by removing the locking screw or bolt that may attach the secondary handle 109 to the primary handle 106. The position of the secondary handle 109 also may be adjusted by choosing one of several locking bolt positions (e.g., holes to receive a locking bolt) along the length of the primary handle 106.

Once the balls are retrieved into the container 104, for use as a ball basket, the ball retrieving assembly 100 may be reoriented with its upper side 114 facing upward such that the retrieved balls may be held within the inner volume 126 of the container 104. In addition, the container 104 may include a top cover extendable over the top of the container 104 to effectively close the container 104 to secure the balls therein.

For stowage, the ball scooping assembly 142 may then be rotated in a direction opposite the direction of the arrow B such that the blade 148 extends rearwardly over the top 114 of the container.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11, the stand assembly 200 includes a stand 202 including lower legs 204 supporting an upright support member 206. The lower legs 204 may preferably include three or more legs 204 that may be extendable for use and collapsible for storage. The upright support member 206 may attach to the legs 204 (e.g., via a center bracket where the proximal ends of the legs 204 join together) and extend upward. In some embodiments, the upright support member 206 may be telescoping so that its height may be adjustable.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 12, the top end of the upright support member 206 includes a second connector 208 designed to mate with a third connector 158 attached to a lower portion of the first connector 134. In some embodiments, the third connector 158 is coupled to the bottom (or other suitable portion) of the first connector 134 and extends downward and generally orthogonal to the three through holes 136, 138, 140 in the first connector 134.

In some embodiments, the third connector 208 is designed to be received into an upper receiving portion 210 (e.g., an upper aperture) of the second connector 208. In this way, the ball retrieving assembly 102 may be removably attached to the stand 200. In some embodiments, the upper aperture 210 includes at least one first notch 212 in its inner circumferential surface. In addition, the third connector 158 also includes a corresponding second notch 160 such that when the third connector 158 is received into the aperture 210, the third connector's notch 160 may be aligned and engaged with the aperture's notch 212 such that the third connector 158 may not rotate within the aperture 210. In some embodiments, the aperture 210 includes a plurality of notches 212, e.g., forming a star configuration or other suitable shape as shown, and the third connector 158 includes a plurality of corresponding notches 160. In this way, the third connector 158 and the handle 106 and container 104 attached thereto may be configured with the aperture 210 at a plurality of notch settings to adjust the angular position of the handle 106 and container 104 with respect to the stand 200. The result of this is shown in FIG. 10. This configuration enables a user easy access to a plurality of balls held within the container 104.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the stand assembly 200 includes a tee ball attachment 208. For stowage, the attachment 208 may be connected to a holding bracket 210 configured with the stand 200 (e.g., configured with one of its legs 204 as shown in FIG. 11). When in use, the tee ball attachment 208 may be removed from the bracket 210 and connected to the top end of the stand's upright support member 206 as shown in FIG. 13.

In some embodiments, the bottom end of the tee ball attachment 208 may include a fourth connector 212 that may be identical or similar to the third connector 158 (e.g., including at least one notch that corresponds to the at least one notch 212 in the aperture 210 of the second connector 208). In this way, the end of the tee ball assembly 208 (e.g., the fourth connector 212) may be inserted into the second connector's aperture 210 and be secured therein for use.

The upper end of the tee ball attachment 208 may be generally circular and may be open such that the ball may easily rest thereon. In this way, the ball may be positioned to be hit with a bat during a game of tee ball. The tee ball attachment 208 may be cylindrical, an upside-down frustum (or similar), any other suitable shape(s), and any combinations thereof. When not in use, the tee ball attachment 208 may be removed from the upright member 206 and releasably attached to the bracket 210 configured with the stand 200 (e.g., to one of the stand's legs 204).

It is understood that any aspect and/or element of any embodiment of the assembly 10 described herein or otherwise may be combined with any other aspect and/or element of any other embodiment described herein or otherwise in any way to form additional embodiments of the assembly 10 all of which are within the scope of the assembly 10.

Where a process is described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process may operate without any user intervention. In another embodiment, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., a step is performed by or with the assistance of a human).

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “at least some” means “one or more,” and includes the case of only one. Thus, e.g., the phrase “at least some ABCs” means “one or more ABCs”, and includes the case of only one ABC.

As used herein, including in the claims, term “at least one” should be understood as meaning “one or more”, and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with “at least one” have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as “the” and “the at least one”.

As used in this description, the term “portion” means some or all. So, for example, “A portion of X” may include some of “X” or all of “X”. In the context of a conversation, the term “portion” means some or all of the conversation.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “using” means “using at least,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “using X” means “using at least X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “using X” does not mean “using only X.” As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “based on” means “based in part on” or “based, at least in part, on,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “based on factor X” means “based in part on factor X” or “based, at least in part, on factor X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “based on X” does not mean “based only on X.” In general, as used herein, including in the claims, unless the word “only” is specifically used in a phrase, it should not be read into that phrase.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “distinct” means “at least partially distinct.” Unless specifically stated, distinct does not mean fully distinct. Thus, e.g., the phrase, “X is distinct from Y” means that “X is at least partially distinct from Y,” and does not mean that “X is fully distinct from Y.” Thus, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “X is distinct from Y” means that X differs from Y in at least some way.

It should be appreciated that the words “first,” “second,” and so on, in the description and claims, are used to distinguish or identify, and not to show a serial or numerical limitation. Similarly, letter labels (e.g., “(A)”, “(B)”, “(C)”, and so on, or “(a)”, “(b)”, and so on) and/or numbers (e.g., “(i)”, “(ii)”, and so on) are used to assist in readability and to help distinguish and/or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting or to impose or imply any serial or numerical limitations or orderings. Similarly, words such as “particular,” “specific,” “certain,” and “given,” in the description and claims, if used, are to distinguish or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting.

As used herein, including in the claims, the terms “multiple” and “plurality” mean “two or more,” and include the case of “two.” Thus, e.g., the phrase “multiple ABCs,” means “two or more ABCs,” and includes “two ABCs.” Similarly, e.g., the phrase “multiple PQRs,” means “two or more PQRs,” and includes “two PQRs.” The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3″ or ”approximately 3″ shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Throughout the description and claims, the terms “comprise”, “including”, “having”, and “contain” and their variations should be understood as meaning “including but not limited to”, and are not intended to exclude other components unless specifically so stated.

It will be appreciated that variations to the embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. Alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose can replace features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

Use of exemplary language, such as “for instance”, “such as”, “for example” (“e.g.,”) and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless specifically so claimed.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.