Abstract:
A foldaway truck bed extender provides a truck bed extension that is unobtrusive regardless of whether the extender is deployed or folded away so that the extender can be permanently affixed to a vehicle without changing the vehicles cargo hauling capacity or functionality. The extender comprises a planar body having rotatable sidewall extensions all configured to fit within a thin low profile area. The extender rotates folds to and deploys from a tailgate of a truck or other vehicle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates generally to truck bed extenders and in particular to a foldaway truck bed extender that elongates truck beds when in use and folds away to be nonintrusive when not in use. 
         [0003]    2. Related Art 
         [0004]    The development of pickup trucks has followed a path whereby truck beds have been reduced in length over time. When hauling longer objects, truck owners often lower the tailgate of their trucks, which elongates the truck bed by providing an additional horizontal surface at the back end of the truck bed (formed by the tailgate itself). The object may be tied down so as to prevent it from sliding or falling out of the back end of the truck bed while the tailgate is lowered. 
         [0005]    Alternatively or in addition, a separate barrier may be installed to enclose the truck bed while the tailgate is lowered. The barrier generally extends between the sidewalls of the truck bed at the tailgate. In this manner, objects are secured in the truck bed, while the tailgate is lowered, because the barrier physically blocks objects from sliding or falling out of the truck bed. 
         [0006]    From the discussion that follows, it will become apparent that the present invention addresses the deficiencies associated with the prior art while providing numerous additional advantages and benefits not contemplated or possible with prior art constructions. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    A foldaway truck bed extender and methods for extending a truck bed using the same are disclosed herein. The foldaway truck bed extender is highly advantageous in that it provides truck bed extension on demand. As discussed further herein, the foldaway truck bed extender has a thin planar design that allows a user to permanently install the foldaway truck bed extender on his or her truck. In this manner, the foldaway truck bed extender is available whenever it is needed and can fold away without limiting the cargo capacity or functionality of the user&#39;s truck bed or tailgate. 
         [0008]    Various embodiments of the foldaway truck bed extender are disclosed herein. For example, the foldaway truck bed extender may be provided as part of an extender assembly for a truck bed. Such extender assembly may comprise a foldaway truck bed extender and a tailgate. 
         [0009]    The foldaway truck bed extender itself will typically comprise a planar body having a recess, a first hinge at a first side of the planar body, and a second hinge at a second side of the planar body. In addition, a first sidewall extension rotatably attached to the planar body by the first hinge and configured to fit within the recess and a second sidewall extension rotatably attached to the planar body by the second hinge and configured to fit within the recess along with the first sidewall extension will typically be included. 
         [0010]    The first hinge and the second hinge are typically oriented to allow the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension to rotate outward from a retracted position where the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension are within the recess to an extended position where the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension are substantially perpendicular to the planar body. 
         [0011]    The tailgate will typically comprise a pivoting mechanism at its proximal end, wherein the pivoting mechanism configured to allow the tailgate to rotate between a raised position and a lowered position. 
         [0012]    Also, a rotatable mounting assembly is typically included to rotatably attach a proximal end of the planar body of the foldable truck bed extender to a distal end of the tailgate such that the foldable truck bed extender is rotatable between a folded position where the foldable truck bed extender is adjacent to the tailgate to a deployed position where the foldable truck bed extender extends outward from the tailgate. The planar body is oriented such that the recess in the planar body opens towards the tailgate when in the folded position. This conceals the first and second sidewall extensions when the foldaway truck bed extender is in the folded position. 
         [0013]    It is noted that the first hinge and the second hinge may include a biasing spring configured to bias the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension outward from the planar body. In addition, the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension may be thinner than the planar body&#39;s recess to fit completely therein when in the retracted position. Also, the planar body may comprise an elongated rectangular frame having a peripheral size and shape substantially the same as that of the tailgate. 
         [0014]    A second recess may be located in the tailgate and configured to accept at least a portion of the foldaway truck bed extender&#39;s body therein. When attached to the truck bed, the tailgate and foldable truck bed extender rotate vertically. When the foldable truck bed extender is rotated to be perpendicular to the tailgate, the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension rotate horizontally. 
         [0015]    In another exemplary embodiment, the foldaway truck bed extender for attachment to a tailgate may comprise a planar body having a rectangular frame dimensioned to match a length and height of the tailgate, and a back panel attached to the rectangular frame and configured to enclose a back side of the rectangular frame. 
         [0016]    In this exemplary embodiment, the foldaway truck bed extender also comprises a first hinge at a first side of the planar body, a second hinge at a second side of the planar body, and first and second sidewall extensions. The first sidewall extension is rotatably attached to the planar body by the first hinge and configured to fit within the recess, and the second sidewall extension is rotatably attached to the planar body by the second hinge and configured to fit within the recess along with the first sidewall extension. 
         [0017]    The first hinge and the second hinge will typically be oriented to allow the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension to rotate outward from a retracted position where the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension are adjacent the planar body to an extended position where the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension are substantially perpendicular to the planar body. 
         [0018]    In addition, a rotatable mounting assembly is at a proximal end of the planar body and configured to rotatably attach the planar body to a distal end of the tailgate such that the foldable truck bed extender is rotatable between a folded position where the foldable truck bed extender is adjacent to the tailgate to a deployed position where the foldable truck bed extender extends outward from the tailgate. The first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension will typically be positioned at the lateral ends of the tailgate when in the deployed position. 
         [0019]    It is contemplated that the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension may be sized to match the height of the tailgate. Also, the first hinge and the second hinge may include a biasing spring configured to bias the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension outward from the planar body. In addition, the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension may be thinner than the planar body to fit completely within the planar body&#39;s frame when in the retracted position. The planar body may itself be dimensioned such that it is thinner than the tailgate as well. In operation, the planar body of the foldable truck bed extender rotates vertically when installed. 
         [0020]    As stated, various methods for extending a truck bed with a foldaway truck bed extender are disclosed herein. For example, a method for extending a truck bed with a foldaway truck bed extender may comprise rotatably attaching a proximal end of a planar body of the foldaway truck bed extender to a distal end of a tailgate of the truck bed using a rotatable mounting assembly where the proximal end extends between and perpendicular to a first lateral end and a second lateral end of the planar body, rotatably attaching a first sidewall extension to the first lateral end of the planar body using a first hinge, and rotatably attaching a second sidewall extension to the second lateral end of the planar body using a second hinge, the second lateral end opposite the first lateral end. 
         [0021]    The first sidewall extension and second sidewall extension typically rotate between a retracted position where the first sidewall extension and second sidewall extension are positioned adjacent the planar body and an extended position where the first sidewall extension and second sidewall extension extend outward perpendicular to the planar body, while the planar body rotates between a folded position where the planar body is adjacent the tailgate and a deployed position where the planar body is perpendicular to the tailgate. 
         [0022]    Deployment of the foldaway truck bed extender may be accomplished by rotating the planar body outward from the folded position to the deployed position, and rotating the first sidewall extension and second sidewall extension outward from the retracted position to the extended position. The foldaway truck bed extender may be folded away by rotating the first sidewall extension and second sidewall extension inward from the extended position to the retracted position, and rotating the planar body inward from the deployed position to the folded position. 
         [0023]    It is noted that a distal end of the first sidewall extension and the second sidewall extension may be attached to a back end of each sidewall of the truck bed using one or more fasteners. In this manner, the fasteners hold the first sidewall extension and second sidewall extension in the extended position. The tailgate may be rotatably attached to the back end of the truck bed. Also, a recess may be formed in the tailgate to receive the planar body of the foldaway truck bed extender. 
         [0024]    Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]    The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
           [0026]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an exemplary extender assembly and foldaway truck bed extender in a folded configuration; 
           [0027]      FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of an exemplary extender assembly and foldaway truck bed extender in a deployed configuration; 
           [0028]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of an exemplary extender assembly and foldaway truck bed extender in a folded configuration; 
           [0029]      FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of an exemplary extender assembly and foldaway truck bed extender in a lowered position; 
           [0030]      FIG. 2C  is a perspective view of an exemplary extender assembly and foldaway truck bed extender in a partially deployed configuration; 
           [0031]      FIG. 2D  is a perspective view of an exemplary extender assembly and foldaway truck bed extender in a deployed configuration; 
           [0032]      FIG. 3A  is a top view of an exemplary foldaway truck bed extender in a folded configuration; 
           [0033]      FIG. 3B  is a top view of an exemplary foldaway truck bed extender in a deployed configuration; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 3C  is a front view of an exemplary foldaway truck bed extender in a folded configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0035]    In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. 
         [0036]    The foldaway truck bed extender herein provides a number of benefits. In addition to extending a truck bed, the foldaway truck bed extender is compact and unobtrusive and therefore does not unnecessarily occupy space in a truck bed regardless of whether the foldaway truck bed extender is or is not in use. In addition, the foldaway truck bed extender does not obstruct vehicle brake, tail or turn signal indicators regardless of whether it is or is not in use. This efficient space utilization allows the foldaway truck bed extender to be permanently installed, if desired. In fact, it is contemplated that the foldaway truck bed extender may be integrated or built into a truck&#39;s tailgate in one or more embodiments. 
         [0037]    A user therefore need not worry if he or she has the foldaway truck bed extender since the foldaway truck bed extender will always be available for use. Also, when not in use the foldaway truck bed extender “folds away” so as to not intrude upon the storage space of a truck bed or alter the appearance of the truck. 
         [0038]      FIGS. 1A-1B  illustrate an exemplary truck  108  that has the foldaway truck bed extender  112 . As will be described further below, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  may be part of an extender assembly  104  that comprises a tailgate  116  and the foldaway truck bed extender  112 . When in a folded configuration, the extender assembly  104  is configured to provide a proximal rear wall  148 , such as shown in  FIG. 1A . When deployed (to extend a truck bed), the extender assembly provides a distal rear wall  152  while extending a truck&#39;s bed  120 , such as shown in  FIG. 1B . 
         [0039]    As can be seen, the truck  108  has a cab  132  or passenger compartment at its front end, and a bed  120  or cargo compartment forming its back end. It is noted that the cab  132  and bed  120  may be supported by a frame that also supports the drive train, engine, suspension, wheels and other components of the truck  108 . 
         [0040]    The bed  120  is configured to accept cargo or one or more other objects to be hauled by the truck  108 . As shown in  FIGS. 1A-1B  for example the bed  120  comprises a bottom  136 , two sidewalls  140 A,  140 B and a front wall  144 . Any objects placed into the bed  120  are thus held therein by the sidewalls  140 A,  140 B and front wall  144 , while being supported by the bed&#39;s bottom  136 . 
         [0041]    A tailgate  116  is located the back end of the bed  120 , and will typically be rotatable or movable between a raised position and a lowered position. In the raised position, the tailgate  116  forms a proximal rear wall  148  of the bed  120  between the sidewalls  140 A,  140 B of the bed. Any objects placed into the bed  120  are thus prevented from escaping at the back end of the bed  120  by the tailgate  116 . In the lowered position, the tailgate  116  extends outward from the back end of the bed  120 , and no longer forms or provides the proximal rear wall  148 . 
         [0042]    Typically the tailgate  116  will be coplanar with the bottom  136  of the bed  120  when in its lowered position, such as shown in Figure lB. This serves to extend the length of the bed&#39;s bottom  136 . The foldaway truck bed extender  112 , when deployed, then extends the length of the sidewalls  140 A,  140 B and forms a distal rear wall  152  at an extended distance from the front wall  144 , as will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1A-1B . 
         [0043]    In  FIG. 1A , the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  are in a folded configuration. As can be seen the foldaway truck bed extender  112  is positioned adjacent and parallel to the truck&#39;s tailgate  116 . In the folded configuration, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  occupies very little space in the bed  120 . This is because the foldaway truck bed extender  112  has a thin planar shape that adds very little to the width to the extender assembly  104 . 
         [0044]    It is contemplated that a tailgate  116  may be made thinner so that the overall extender assembly  104 , when folded, has the same or similar width as a traditional tailgate. In addition or alternatively, it is contemplated that a tailgate  116  may have a recess configured to accept the foldaway truck bed extender  112 . In this manner, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  is coplanar with the tailgate  116  when in a folded configuration and therefore the extender assembly  104  occupies no more space than the tailgate  116  itself. 
         [0045]    In  FIG. 1B , the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  are in a deployed or extended configuration. As can be seen, the tailgate  116  of the extender assembly  104  has been placed in its lowered position. This allows the foldaway truck bed extender  112  to be unfolded (i.e., deployed/extended) from the lowered tailgate  116  to provide a distal rear wall  152 , and to extend the sidewalls  140 A,  140 B of the bed  120  with a pair of side wall extensions  128 A,  128 B. This provides a significant expansion of the bed  120  allowing larger, longer or more cargo to be placed securely within the bed. 
         [0046]    When extension/enlargement of the bed  120  is no longer desired, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  and extender assembly  104  can be folded back to its planar folded configuration where it occupies little or no additional space in the truck bed  120  or elsewhere, such as shown and described with regard to  FIG. 1A . This is in contrast to traditional truck bed extenders, which occupy a significant amount of storage space in a truck bed when not deployed. Traditional truck bed extenders may be removed completely from a truck to alleviate this issue; however, this is inconvenient and reduces the utility of the extender since it will inevitably not be installed on the truck just when it is needed. In addition, when removed from a truck, a user must then find and/or allocate significant storage space elsewhere to store a traditional truck bed extender. 
         [0047]    In contrast, the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  can be used in a wide variety of usage scenarios while, in no case, reducing the functionality of a truck  108  or its bed  120  as provided by an OEM. For instance, as described above, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  occupies little or no space in the bed  120  of a truck  108  when not deployed. In addition, there is no limitation on the movement or functionality of a truck&#39;s tailgate  116  caused by the installation of the foldaway truck bed extender  112 . For example, a user may raise and lower the tailgate  116  without deploying the foldaway truck bed extender  112 . 
         [0048]    Further details regarding the operation of the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  will now be described with regard to the partial cross-sectional perspective views of  FIGS. 2A-2D . As can be seen,  FIGS. 2A-2D  show the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  progressing from a folded configuration to a deployed or extended configuration. It is noted that these steps may be reversed to return the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  from the deployed configuration to the folded configuration. 
         [0049]      FIG. 2A  provides a perspective view of the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  in a folded configuration. The extender assembly  104  is also shown in a raised position to form a proximal back wall  148  that encloses the back end of the bed  120 . The foldaway truck bed extender  112  is adjacent and parallel to the tailgate  116  in this configuration. As can be seen, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  may be rotatably attached to the tailgate  116  by one or more hinges  124  (such as piano hinges or the like), pivots or the like. Typically a hinge  124  will attach the foldaway truck bed extender  112  to the distal end  204  of the tailgate  116 , such as shown. This connects a proximal end  212  of the foldaway truck bed extender  112  to the distal end  204  of the tailgate  116  and allows the foldaway truck bed extender to rotate relative to the tailgate  116 . 
         [0050]    The tailgate  116  itself will typically be rotatably attached to the truck bed  120  by a rotatable mounting assembly  208 . The rotatable mounting assembly may comprise a socket  216  and corresponding socket pin  224 , rod or axel. To illustrate, as shown the tailgate  116  has a socket  216  at its proximal end  220  configured to accept the pin  224  extending from the bed  120 . In operation, the tailgate  116  is rotatable between its lowered and raised position about this axel. It is noted that the rotatable mounting assembly  208  may be formed by other rotating mechanisms. For example, the rotatable mounting assembly  208  may comprise one or more hinges, pivots or the like that rotatably attach the proximal end  220  of the tailgate  116  to the distal end  228  of the bed  120 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 2B  illustrates shows the extender assembly  104  having been rotated from the raised position of  FIG. 2A  to a lowered position. As can be seen, the tailgate  116  is now coplanar with the bottom  136  of the bed  120 . The tailgate  116  extends the bottom  136  of the bed  120  in this manner. It is noted that, since the foldaway truck bed extender  112  has a compact planar shape that is parallel with the tailgate  116 , the extender assembly  104  may be used while in this lowered position without any further action. For example, as can be seen from  FIG. 2B , an object may be placed in the bed  120  and extend onto or beyond the foldaway truck bed extender  112  while the extender assembly  104  is at its lowered position. Such object would likely need to be tied down or otherwise secured to the bed  120  so as to prevent it from falling or sliding out of the back end of the bed however. 
         [0052]      FIG. 2C  illustrates partial deployment of the foldaway truck bed extender  112  of the extender assembly  104 . As can be seen, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  may be rotated from its lowered position, shown in  FIG. 2B , to the raised position shown in  FIG. 2C . It can be seen that the foldaway truck bed extender  112  forms a distal back wall  152  for the bed  120  when raised. 
         [0053]    As can also be seen from  FIG. 2C , raising the foldaway truck bed extender  112  exposes its sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B so that they may be deployed or extended as well. In one or more embodiments, the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B are rotatably mounted to each side of the foldaway truck bed extender&#39;s body  236  at their proximal ends  240 . As shown for example, the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B are rotatably mounted to the body  236  by one or more hinges  232 A,  232 B such that the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B may swing outward in a lateral direction. It is noted that various other rotating or pivoting mechanisms may be used to rotatably attach the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B. 
         [0054]    The sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B are rotatably attached such that they can swing outward laterally from their retracted position, shown in  FIG. 2C , to an extended position, such as that shown in  FIG. 2D . As can be seen from  FIG. 2D  for instance, the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B have both been rotated laterally about their respective hinges  232 A,  232 B to the sides of the tailgate  116 . In this manner, the distal ends  244  of the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B become positioned adjacent the ends of the sidewalls  140 A,  140 B of the bed  120 , thereby extending the sidewalls of the bed. 
         [0055]    In one or more embodiments, a locking mechanism may be used to hold the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B in an extended position. For example, spring or other biased hinges  232 A,  232 B may be used to hold the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B in an extended position once they are extended from the body  236  of the foldaway truck bed extender  112 . Alternatively or in addition, one or more folding struts may be extended between a sidewall extension  128  and the body  236  to hold the sidewall extension in an extended position. In yet another example, one or more fasteners  248  (such as one or more magnets, latches, pins and corresponding openings) at the distal end  244  of the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B may engage corresponding fasteners at the back end of the sidewalls  140 A,  140 B to hold the sidewall extensions at an extended position. 
         [0056]    It can be seen from  FIG. 2D  that when the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  are fully deployed, the bed  120  is extended and expanded by a significant amount while also being enclosed (by the foldaway truck bed extender&#39;s body  236  and sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B) to ensure cargo does not fall out of the bed  120 . 
         [0057]    When the above-described process is performed in reverse, the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  are returned to a folded configuration that is compact and unobtrusive, as previously described. To illustrate, the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B can be rotated from their extended position, shown in  FIG. 2D , to a retracted position, such as that shown in  FIG. 2C . Thereafter, the body  236  of the foldaway truck bed extender  112  can be rotated from the raised position shown in  FIG. 2C  to its lowered position shown in  FIG. 2B . The entire extender assembly  104  can then be raised, such as by rotating the tailgate  116  to a raised position, to arrive at the raised position shown in  FIG. 2A . As can be seen, even though the foldaway truck bed extender  112  remains installed and attached to the tailgate  116  (i.e., available for use at any moment), it is completely unobtrusive and preserves the cargo capacity and functionality of the truck bed  120  when in a folded configuration. In fact, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  is not even readily visible. 
         [0058]    Components and construction of an exemplary foldaway truck bed extender  112  will now be described with regard to  FIGS. 3A-3C . Referring to the top view of Figure  3 A (showing the foldaway truck bed extender  112  in a folded configuration), it can be seen that the foldaway truck bed extender&#39;s body  236  has a thin planar shape with a recess  308  or cavity therein configured to accept and store the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B. To illustrate,  FIG. 3A  illustrates the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B retracted in the recess  304  of the body  236 . The recess  308  may be configured to accept the entirety of the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B such that they do not protrude outward from the recess. This reduces the thickness of the foldaway truck bed extender  112 . As noted above, the foldaway truck bed extender  112  itself may optionally be installed within a recess  308  or cavity in a tailgate  116  to greatly reduce or eliminate the amount of truck bed space occupied by the foldaway truck bed extender. Such an embodiment is shown in  FIG. 3A . 
         [0059]    The sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B are rotatably attached to the body  236  via hinges  232 A,  232 B, which allow the sidewall extensions to rotate outward laterally to their extended position as shown in the top view of  FIG. 3B . A strut  312  and fastener  248 , as described above with regard to  FIG. 2D , is shown in  FIG. 3B  to hold the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B in an extended position. It is noted that a strut  312  and/or fastener  248  are optional and need not be included in all embodiments. 
         [0060]      FIG. 3C  provides a front view of the foldaway truck bed extender  112  in a folded configuration. Similar to  FIG. 3A ,  FIG. 3C  shows the sidewall extensions  128 A,  128 B in a retracted position. As can be seen, the body  236  of the foldaway truck bed extender  112  may comprise an outer frame  312  that forms the outer periphery of the body. It is contemplated that the frame  312  may comprise individual tubes or other members connected together to form a planar frame. A back panel  316  may be attached to one side of the frame  312  to enclose the back of the frame. It is noted that the back panel  316  provides a barrier that forms the distal back wall to prevent items from falling out of the bed when extended by the foldaway truck bed extender  112 . In addition, the back panel  316  may serve as a supporting surface when the extender assembly  104  is in a lowered position and the foldaway truck bed extender  112  has not been deployed/extended, such as shown in  FIG. 2B . 
         [0061]    Typically, the extender assembly  104  and foldaway truck bed extender  112  will be constructed from one or more rigid materials, such as one or more metals or alloys thereof. Other non-metal materials may be used as well, such as carbon fiber, plastics or other synthetic materials. In some embodiments, various portions of the foldaway truck bed extender  112  may be constructed from different materials. For example, the frame  312  may be constructed from a first material, such as a metal, while the back panel  316  (or other portion(s)) are constructed from a second material, such as plastic. The materials may be selected based on desired characteristics, such as to improve rigidity, prevent rust, reduce weight, lower cost, or the like. 
         [0062]    While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention. In addition, the various features, elements, and embodiments described herein may be claimed or combined in any combination or arrangement.