Abstract:
A game hoist and skinner apparatus for raising game off the ground and transferring it to a vehicle includes a carriage guide assembly, a sliding carriage assembly, a load attachment means, and a raising mechanism. The carriage guide assembly includes a lower member affixed to a 360° rotating mechanism at one end and a hitch receiver adapter affixed to the opposite end. The sliding carriage assembly includes a horizontal member having a first end opposite a second end, and the first end is affixed to a vertical member that slides along a vertical support between the upper end and the bottom end of the carriage guide. A load attachment means is secured to the second end of the sliding carriage assembly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority to, U.S. Serial No. 10/223,448, filed on Aug. 19, 2002. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to devices used for lifting and supporting game animals and other objects for the purpose of skinning and processing, and/or for transferring the object to the vehicle in which the invention is attached by providing a 360° pivoting vertical support member which allows the object to be positioned over the vehicle prior to lowering the object on or into the vehicle.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Throughout history, man has found a need to hunt big game animals for food and sport. Big game in North America typically range in weight from 100 to 500 pounds and more. As is well known by experienced hunters, bagging the game is only half the job. The other half of the job consists of retrieving, skinning and processing the game.  
           [0006]    The effort required to secure and transport the carcass after a successful hunt expels a significant toll on the hunter, not to mention the effort required to then skin and process the carcass upon retrieval. When retrieving the carcass there are two practical options: either the hunter must drag the carcass along the ground where it is susceptible to bruising and contamination, or the carcass must be raised off the ground and loaded onto a vehicle and transported. Ideally, the carcass would be loaded onto a vehicle and carried to a more desirable location where the skinning and processing of the carcass can take place in more sanitary conditions. The skinning and processing procedure of the carcass could take place while the carcass is lying on the ground, but again this raises sanitary and health concerns along with the added strain to the hunter himself. Both the skinning and processing is best preformed while the carcass is hanging off of the ground. To date, there have been several devices designed to assist the user in the retrieval and/or skinning and processing of the carcass.  
           [0007]    In general, these previous designs can be categorized into one of three groups. The first group consists of devices designed to raise the carcass off of the ground for the sole purpose of assisting the user with the loading of the carcass onto a supporting vehicle. The second group consists of devices designed to raise the carcass off of the ground for the dual purpose of transporting the carcass while it is attached to the device and to assist the user in the skinning and processing of the carcass. The third group consists of devices designed to raise the carcass off of the ground for the dual purpose of transferring the carcass to the supporting vehicle and to assist the user with the skinning and processing of the carcass.  
           [0008]    Unfortunately, each of these designs possesses one or more significant deficiency in their design. For example, these designs necessitate a complex attachment means requiring customized attachment bracketry that is costly to manufacture and difficult to use. Most of these devices were designed to fit a specific vehicle type and cannot be transferred from one vehicle type (i.e., a pickup truck) to another type of vehicle (i.e., four-wheeler, ATV) without the addition of the customized bracketry designed for each specific vehicle type. Another deficiency is that some of these devices occupy the cargo area of the supporting vehicle, thereby limiting its usability. Yet another deficiency is that these devices do not raise the carcass to the height required to provide practical assistance during the skinning and processing procedure. Additionally, these devices do not provide lateral support of the raising mechanism or the carcass during the raising and lowering operation. Without lateral support, the raising mechanism and anything attached to it can move and spin freely, thereby providing inadequate control of the connected load. Since this type of apparatus is intended for use in the outdoors where emergency assistance is difficult to receive, the user must be provided with the most secure and stabilized lifting device possible.  
           [0009]    Another deficiency with some of these devices is that they utilize one or more pulleys to assist the lifting mechanism, which make the device more costly and is another source of potential mechanical failure. Another deficiency with some of these devices is that they do not provide an additional supporting means from the ground which can be implemented when the connected load is greater than the supporting vehicles load rating. These devices also lack a rotating capability that allows the user to position the carcass over the supporting vehicle prior to lowering it onto the vehicle. Finally, these devices do not allow a user to easily replace the load attachment means on the unit with the one that best accommodates the application of the device. All of the designs disclosed in the prior art could be greatly improved so as to provide the user with a more flexible, safe, stable, cost-efficient, and user-friendly device to lift and support an animal carcass for skinning, processing and/or lifting the animal.  
           [0010]    Therefore, what is needed is a vehicle mounted game hoist and skinner that can be easily secured to, and transported by, various types of vehicles, including ATV&#39;s, without the need for customized vehicle attachment bracketry. What is further needed is a unit that permits full use of the vehicle cargo space. What is further needed is a unit that will provide the vertical raising capability of the carcass off the ground for proper skinning and processing. What is further needed is a unit that provides lateral stabilizing support of the raising mechanism and connected load throughout the entire vertical travel of the invention which will prevent the connected load from swinging or spinning during the raising and lowering process. What is further needed is a lifting mechanism that is attached to the invention such that it requires no additional pulleys or rollers. What is further needed is a unit that provides a means for activating additional support to the invention from the ground when needed and disengagable when no longer needed. What is further needed is a unit that provides the capability of a 360° rotation of the unit to allow the carcass to be rotated over the vehicle in which the unit is attached prior to lowering the load into the supporting vehicle. What is still further needed is a unit that provides the user the ability to easily attach to the invention the best load attachment means available that will both support and control the intended load.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle mounted game hoist and skinner that can be removablly attached to the hitch receiver of any vehicle including an ATV without requiring any additional securing or stabilizing bracketry for the purpose of transporting the unit. It is another object of the present invention to provide full use of the cargo space of the vehicle in which the unit is attached. It is another object of the present invention to utilize a single vertical support member of adequate length so as to provide the required vertical raising of the carcass for proper skinning and processing and to facilitate the loading of the carcass onto the supporting vehicle. It is another object of the present invention to provide the capability of attaching a raising mechanism that can be secured to the invention such that it can be utilized to raise and lower the carcass throughout the full vertical capability of the invention without the need of additional pulleys or rollers. It is another object of the present invention to provide a means of interlocking both, the raising mechanism and the load attachment means, either directly or indirectly, with the vertical support member, in such a way so as to provide full and free vertical (up and down) movement of the invention while at the same time providing lateral support, preventing the raising mechanism and the load attachment means from swinging or spinning during the raising and lowering process. It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for supporting the invention from the ground when needed and to be capable of disengaging such means when it is no longer needed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a 360° rotating capability of the vertical support member that will allow the user to rotate a raised carcass over the supporting vehicle in either direction where it then can be lowered onto and supported by the vehicle. It is another object of the present invention to locate the rotating mechanism of the invention near the ground where it is conveniently accessible by the user and to provide a locking means on the rotating mechanism that will allow the user to lock the mechanism in 90° increments. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide the ability to easily replace the load attachment means with the one that will best suit the purpose in which the invention is being used without affecting the raising mechanism&#39;s construction or integrity.  
           [0012]    The present invention, the vehicle mounted game hoist and skinner, includes a vertically standing carriage guide assembly, a sliding carriage assembly, a load attachment means, a raising mechanism, and a detachable and rotatable ground support jack. The carriage guide assembly is comprised of a vehicle hitch receiver adapter, a lower horizontal member, and a single vertical support member. The vehicle hitch receiver adapter is used to attach the invention to any vehicle equipped with a tublar style hitch receiver. The sliding carriage assembly is comprised of a horizontal member and a vertical member. The vertical member is attached to one end of the horizontal member and is mechanically interlocked with the vertical support member of the carriage guide assembly. At the opposite end of the horizontal member the load attachment means is attached. The load attachment means is not limited to one type of attachment; different attachment means can be easily interchanged for different applications. The raising mechanism can consist of any manually operated or powered mechanized means for holding the sliding carriage assembly, load attachment means, and therefore connected load in a stationary position along the single vertical support member of the carriage guide assembly when not in operation and will cause the sliding carriage assembly, load attachment means, and therefore connected load to move vertically along the single vertical support member when in motion. The attachment of the raising mechanism to the present invention is an important part of the invention. One end of the raising mechanism is attached to the top portion of the horizontal member of the sliding carriage assembly and the other end is attached to the top portion of the vertical support member of the carriage guide assembly. This provides a laterally supported assistive means for moving the sliding carriage assembly, and therefore the load attachment means, up and down the vertical support member of the carriage guide assembly. The detachable and rotatable ground support jack is removably attached to the lower horizontal member of the carriage guide assembly in such a way so that it can be rotated vertically and locked into position where it then can be manually adjusted to provide ground support to the invention when needed. When no longer needed, the detachable and rotatable ground support jack can either be removed from the invention or rotated 90° horizontally and locked into position where it is held out of the way.  
           [0013]    An obvious advantage of this invention is the ability to easily secure the invention to any type of vehicle equipped with a tublar style hitch receiver, which are commonly installed on, or are available for installation on almost all vehicles sold in America today, including pick-up trucks, cars, garden tractors and four-wheelers. The unique ability of this design allows the hitch receiver adapter of the invention to be inserted into the vehicles hitch receiver and locked in place with a single locking pin. The locking pin is provided as part of the hitch receiver and is therefore not considered part of this invention. It is also due to this design that the invention can be installed onto any of these vehicle types or transferred from one type to another without requiring the user to purchase and install any vehicle specific customized bracketry. Another obvious advantage of this invention and it&#39;s vehicle attachment design is that it does not take up any cargo space of the supporting vehicle and even allows the tailgate of a standard pickup truck to be lowered and utilized when the invention is in use.  
           [0014]    Another obvious advantage of this invention is that the sliding carriage assembly is mechanically interlocked with the single vertical support member of the carriage guide assembly. This unique mechanically interlocked design allows for free up and down movement of the sliding carriage assembly along the carriage guide assembly while at the same time preventing it from turning or spinning around the carriage guide assembly. Another obvious advantage of this invention is the ability to attach a raising mechanism which may include, but is not limited to, hydraulics, electric motor, gears and crank, winch, etc. Another obvious advantage of this invention is that the raising mechanism is attached to both the sliding carriage assembly and the carriage guide assembly, thus allowing it to take advantage of the lateral support given to the sliding carriage assembly. Another obvious advantage of this invention is that the load attachment means is connected to the free end of the sliding carriage assembly, thus allowing it also to take advantage of the lateral support given to the sliding carriage assembly. Another obvious advantage of this invention is the ability to easily attach the best load attachment means necessary for the purpose for which the invention is being used, without modifying the integrity of the raising mechanism. Some load attachment means which could be used with this invention include, but are not limited to, a hook, a gambrel, a sling, a chain, a cargo net, etc.  
           [0015]    Another obvious advantage of this invention is the ability to removably attach the vertical support member to the rotating mechanism of the carriage guide assembly with a single locking pin for the purpose of convenient storage. Another obvious advantage of this invention is the length of the single vertical support member which provides the necessary raising capability of the invention required for the proper skinning and processing of game. Another obvious advantage of this invention is the ability of the vertical support member to rotate 360° allowing for the controlled transfer of game to and from the supporting vehicle. Another obvious advantage of this invention is that the rotating mechanism is conveniently located near the ground where it is accessible by the user and provides a locking means in any of four 90° increments with the use of a locking pin. Another obvious advantage of this invention is the ability to removably attach a common detachable and rotatable ground support jack to the base of the carriage guide assembly, which can then provide ground support to the invention relieving the excess weight and stress from any vehicle hitch receiver which is not rated for the applied load. This same detachable and rotatable ground support jack then can be rotated 90° out of the way and locked into position or can be removed from the invention when not required.  
           [0016]    Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon review of the drawings, detailed description of the device, and the appended claims.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0017]    A clear understanding of the various advantages and features of the present invention, as well as the construction and operation of conventional components and mechanisms associated with the present invention, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the following drawings which accompany and form a part of this patent specification.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 a  illustrates a side view of the present invention secured to a vehicle while in the fully lowered position;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 b  illustrates a side view of the present invention secured to a vehicle while in the fully raised position;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 c  illustrates a side view of the present invention secured to a vehicle while in the fully raised position and rotated 180°;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 d  illustrates a side view of the present invention secured to a vehicle while in the lower position and rotated 180°;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 a  illustrates a front view of the present invention secured to a vehicle in the fully raised position;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 b  illustrates a front view of the present invention secured to a vehicle in the fully lowered position;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the present invention secured to an alternative vehicle (ATV) in the fully raised position;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 a  illustrates a side view of the present invention without the vehicle in the fully raised position;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 b  illustrates a side view of the present invention without the vehicle in the fully lowered position;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 c  illustrates an exploded side view of the present invention&#39;s three main assemblies and two system components;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 a  illustrates a side view of the carriage guide assembly according to the present invention;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 b  illustrates an exploded side view of the carriage guide assembly according to the present invention;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 a  illustrates a side view of the sliding carriage assembly according to the present invention;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 6 b  illustrates an exploded side view of the sliding carriage assembly according to the present invention;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 7 a  illustrates a side view of the load attachment means according to the present invention;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 7 b  illustrates a front view of the load attachment means according to the present invention;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 7 c  illustrates an exploded front view of the load attachment means according to the present invention;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded side view of the raising mechanism according to the present invention;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 9 a  illustrates an exploded side view of the detachable and rotatable ground support jack according to the present invention; and  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 9 b  illustrates an exploded front view of the detachable and rotatable ground support jack according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0038]    The preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 9 b.  FIGS. 1 through 3 show various views of a basic version of a vehicle mounted game hoist and skinner  16  attached to a vehicle—pickup truck  24   a  and a vehicle—ATV  24  in various states of use. FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b  show a side view of a basic version of the vehicle mounted game hoist and skinner  16  without the vehicle in various states of use. FIG. 4 c  shows an exploded side view of the vehicle mounted game hoist and skinner  16  separating the invention into its three main assemblies; a carriage guide assembly  20 , a sliding carriage assembly  32 , and a load attachment means  52 . FIG. 4 c  also illustrates a raising mechanism  28 , and a detachable and rotatable ground support jack  66 .  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 5 a  shows a side view of the carriage guide assembly  20  and FIG. 5 b  shows an exploded side view of the same assembly. In FIG. 5 b,  the carriage guide assembly  20  consists of a carriage guide assembly—hitch receiver adapter  20   b  attached to a carriage guide assembly—lower horizontal support member  20   a.  The carriage guide assembly—hitch receiver adapter  20   b  is removably inserted into and supported by a tubular style vehicle hitch receiver  22  of the supporting vehicle. The opposite end of the carriage guide assembly—lower horizontal support member  20   a  is perpendicularly attached to a carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft receiver  20   n.  A carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft  20   l  is inserted into the vertically running hole of the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft receiver  20   n.  The carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft receiver  20   n  has a locking pin through hole machined horizontally perpendicular to the vertical hole in which the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft  20   l  resides.  
         [0040]    The carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft  20   l  has two locking pin through holes, each one 90° from the other. These holes are machined horizontally perpendicular to the length of the shaft. To prevent the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft  20   l  from falling through the vertical hole of the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft receiver  20   n , a carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft locking collar  20   m  is attached to the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft  20   l  such that the bottom of the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft locking collar  20   m  rests on the top of the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft receiver  20   n  insuring that the horizontal locking pin holes are vertically aligned in both the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft receiver  20   n  and the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft  20   l.    
         [0041]    It is this structure that provides the invention with the 360° rotating ability with locking capability at 90° intervals. Attached to the top of the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft  20   l  is a carriage guide assembly—vertical support member receiver insert  20   j . Attached to the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member receiver insert  20   j  is a carriage guide assembly—vertical support member receiver  20   i.  The lower portion of a carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d  is then removably inserted into the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member receiver  20   i  and held in place with a carriage guide assembly—locking pin  20   o.    
         [0042]    The carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d  is used to both guide and support the sliding carriage assembly  32  throughout the raising and lowering process and is described in more detail later in this section. Near the top of the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d,  a carriage guide assembly—sliding carriage assembly stop bolt  20   r  is attached and secured with a carriage guide assembly—sliding carriage assembly stop bolt nylon lock nut  20   s  and a carriage guide assembly—sliding carriage assembly stop bolt lock nut  20   t.  It is the carriage guide assembly—sliding carriage assembly stop bolt  20   r  that will provide the raising limit of the invention.  
         [0043]    At the top of the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d,  a carriage guide assembly—raising mechanism linkage bolt  20   p  is attached and secured with a carriage guide assembly—raising mechanism linkage bolt nylon lock nut  20   q.  The carriage guide assembly—raising mechanism linkage bolt  20   p  is used to provide a means for attaching and securing a raising mechanism—Linkage  30  (in this case a powered winch cable) which is described later in this section.  
         [0044]    A carriage guide assembly—jack adapter  20   u  is attached to the vertical side of the carriage guide assembly—lower horizontal support member  20   a  near the same end of the carriage guide assembly—lower horizontal support member  20   a  in which the carriage guide assembly—rotating shaft receiver  20   n  is also attached. The carriage guide assembly—jack adapter  20   u  is used to provide a means for attaching and securing a detachable and rotatable ground support jack  66  which is described later in this section.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 6 a  shows a side view of the sliding carriage assembly  32  and FIG. 6 b  shows an exploded side view of the same assembly. In FIG. 6 b  the sliding carriage assembly  32  consists of a sliding carriage assembly—vertical member  32   a  perpendicularly attached to one end of a sliding carriage assembly—horizontal member  32   c.  A sliding carriage assembly—stiffener gusset  32   b,  which there are two, is attached to each vertical side of the perpendicular intersection of the sliding carriage assembly—vertical member  32   a  and the sliding carriage assembly—horizontal member  32   c.    
         [0046]    The sliding carriage assembly—vertical member  32   a  is constructed of a non-circular tublar material of the same shape of that which the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d  is constructed except that the inside dimension of the sliding carriage assembly—vertical member  32   a  is slightly larger than the outside dimension of the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d.    
         [0047]    The sliding carriage assembly  32  is interlocked with the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d  by inserting the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d  into and through the sliding carriage assembly—vertical member  32   a  prior to its insertion into the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member receiver  20   i  as described earlier in this section.  
         [0048]    This interlocking means allows the sliding carriage assembly—vertical member  32   a  (and therefore the sliding carriage assembly  32 ) to freely slide vertically, up and down, along the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d  while at the same time member  32   a  is prevented from turning or spinning laterally around the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d  due to the non-circular shape of the tublar structure of each.  
         [0049]    The interlocking means between the sliding carriage assembly—vertical member  32   a  and the carriage guide assembly—vertical support member  20   d  described herein as a single tube within a single tube, is one embodiment of interlocking means, but it should be understood that this same interlocking capability can also be accomplished utilizing more complex machining tactics, including but not limited to, machining slots, groves, or utilizing shapes made from extruded or molded materials in combination with the use of additional mechanical components such as, but not limited to, cam followers, rollers, roller bearings, etc.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 7 a  shows a side view of the load attachment means  52 , FIG. 7 b  shows a front view of the load attachment means  52 , and FIG. 7 c  shows an exploded front view of the same assembly. In FIG. 7 c,  the load attachment means  52  consists of a load attachment means—attachment eyebolt with hook  52   b  which is attached to the opposite end of the sliding carriage assembly—horizontal member  32   c  from that which is attached to the sliding carriage assembly—vertical member  32   a  and secured with a load attachment means—attachment nut  52   c.    
         [0051]    The load attachment means—attachment eye bolt with hook  52   b  is used to provide a means for attaching and securing the load to be raised and is easily replaced by the user with another device which is deemed more suitable for the application for which it is being used. All three FIGS. 7 a,    7   b  and  7   c  also illustrate the load attachment means  52  connected to a skinning gambrel  54 .  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 8 shows an exploded side view of the raising mechanism  28 , which in this case is a powered winch. In FIG. 8 the powered winch  28  is attached to the top of the sliding carriage assembly—horizontal member  32   c  by a raising mechanism—attachment bolt  28   b , of which there are two, and secured with a raising mechanism—attachment nylon lock nut  28   c , of which there are also two. A raising mechanism linkage  30 , which in this case is a powered winch cable with hook, is connected at one end to the powered winch  28  and at the other end to the carriage guide assembly—raising mechanism linkage bolt  20   p  via the hook.  
         [0053]    It should be understood that the powered winch  28  and its associated powered winch cable with hook  30  could be replaced with a multitude of other mechanical devices designed and built to assist in the raising and lowering process of the invention. It should also be understood that regardless of which one of the available raising mechanisms  28  are used on the invention, if it interlocks the sliding carriage assembly  32  with the top portion of the carriage guide assembly  20  without the need or usage of any other mechanical means it is incorporated into the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 9 a  illustrates a side view of the detachable and rotatable ground support jack  66  and FIG. 9 b  illustrates a front view of the same assembly. The detachable and rotatable ground support jack  66  shown in FIGS. 9 a  and  9   b  depict a commonly available trailer jack and is not considered part of this invention.  
         [0055]    The attachment means, however, is a component of the present invention. In particular, the trailer jack  66  is equipped with a detachable and rotatable ground support jack—rotating attachment sleeve  66   a  which is inserted over and around the carriage guide assembly—jack adapter  20   u  and held in a vertical position with a detachable and rotatable ground support jack—attachment sleeve locking pin  66   b  that is provided as a part of the trailer jack  66 . After jack  66  is installed, a user manually turns a detachable and rotatable ground support jack—hand crank  66   c  which, in turn, causes a detachable and rotatable ground support jack—extendable foot plate  66   d  to extend, eventually making contact with the ground&#39;s surface relieving most of the weight and stress experienced by the supporting vehicle during the raising processes of the present invention when required by a supporting vehicle which has a lower load rating than that of the applied load which is to be raised by the present invention.  
         [0056]    When or if the supporting ability of the trailer jack  66  is no longer needed, the user retracts the detachable and rotatable ground support jack—extendable foot plate  66   d  by turning the detachable and rotatable ground support jack—hand crank  66   c  in the opposite direction sufficiently so as to allow the trailer jack  66  to be unlocked and either rotated 90° and relocked in a horizontal position or removed completely.  
         [0057]    The scope of the application is not to be limited by the description of the preferred embodiments described above, but is to be limited solely by the scope of the claims that follow. For example, instead of a rotating carriage guide assembly, a non-rotating carriage guide assembly could be utilized without departing from the scope of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.