Abstract:
A high-volume low pressure axial flow water pump with a flexible coupler and at least one bearing to increase the lifetime of the integral pump motor is disclosed. Both propeller and impeller units are disclosed for submersible pond pumps of the present invention. Various aspects include a floating display fountain pump and further include optional suction screens and/or sand slingers. Axial flow high pressure low volume pumps made in accordance with the present invention experience long life and higher efficiency. Inclusion of flexible couplers alleviate many problems with vibration and other fatal defects in the prior art, taking a vertical rotational direction from a central shaft to transfer vibration to a stable position. Another aspect of the invention includes using multiple bearings for stability, whether sleeve bearings or thrust bearings.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/241,870, filed on Oct. 15, 2015. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED, INCLUDING ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0004]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0006]    The present invention relates to a sustainable and long lasting high volume pond pump and methods of using same. More particularly, the invention relates to a very efficient high volume, low pressure pond pump and its operation. 
         [0007]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0008]    Conventional pond pumps are used for water fountains, decorative water sprays and aeration. These pond pumps draw water from the pond itself and spray it up into the air to make tall fountains and decorative spray patterns by using high volume, high pressure (HVHP) water pumps for high flow water generation. Typically, the pumps can spray something on the order of 20+ gallons per minute (GPM) at 100 plus pounds per square inch (psi). Rarely can they spray more water than that. When high flow water generation was needed, prior art motors connected to those water pumps needed to work very hard to create sufficient hydraulic horsepower, typically on the order of from ½ horse power (HP) to about 5 HP for most of these applications. Traditional radial flow impellers utilized within radial flow pumps for such applications are considered to have a good efficiency when they are only 65% efficient. Alternatively, traditional axial flow propeller pumps typically have a very low efficiency, and are therefore undesirable for these applications. 
         [0009]    Furthermore, conventional pump motor efficiencies have been affected by mechanical drag on the motor, typically due to the use of multiple bearings. The motor uses energy to move the propeller in order to move the water, and is not used to move extra bearings or seals. Due to this extra energy requirement, the mechanical drag on these motors causes premature motor failure. Although the industry has become somewhat accustomed to this, it is not a desirable attribute. The mechanical drag is also increased by a radial or side load, and when coupled with a typical rigid mechanical attachment, extra strain is put on the motor, decreasing its useful life. It would be of a great advantage to the industry to have a low maintenance, higher efficiency pump if one could design a pump that utilized less mechanical drag. 
         [0010]    Submersible pond pumps are intended to remain in the water, producing fountains and water sprays for a long time. Purchasers of pond pumps usually want a maintenance-free pump assembly in order to have them operate continuously. Consequently, it would be desirable to the pond maintenance industry if there was provided a longer lasting water pump, as well as the method of using it. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The present invention discloses such a desirable fountain pump, with several advantages added to its design by the incorporation of a flexible coupler to provide longer life for the pond pump, and use of suitable bearings for stabilization, also increasing the lifespan of the pump motor. These advantages provide superior efficiencies and significantly add to the life of the pond pump, and nearly eliminate any required maintenance. Methods are also disclosed as well for how to make it and how to operate it. 
         [0012]    A high volume pond pump is disclosed including a pump housing and a pump motor integral with the pump housing, a pump shaft mechanically in communication with the pump motor, and being put into rotational motion by the pump motor, along with at least one water thruster attached to the pump shaft. At least one bearing is located on the pump shaft, and a flexible coupler connects the pump motor to the at least one water thruster, whereby the rotational motion is dampened from vibration, thereby lengthening the life of the pump motor. 
         [0013]    The pond pump is a preferably a submersible pump, and may further comprise a suction screen located around the motor to strain out pond water particulates that could harm the pump motor. The at least one water thruster is either an impeller or a propeller. At least one bearing type may be selected from the group consisting of sleeve bearings, thrust bearings, roller bearings, and any combination thereof. In certain aspects of the invention, the at least one bearing includes both an upper and a lower bearing for added stability. The preferred bearing type is a thrust bearing made of a ceramic material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, alumina, silicon nitride and any combination thereof, in order to forestall corrosion. 
         [0014]    Rather than a rigid coupler, the present invention may use a flexible coupler to absorb vibrational motion while the pump is operating, thereby greatly increasing the lifetime of the motor. Such a flexible coupler is advantageously made of any suitable material selected from the group consisting of linear low density polyethylene, rigid polymeric materials, semi-rigid polymeric materials, polyvinyl chloride, PETG, butyrate, ABS, high impact polystyrene, styrene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and thermoplastic elastomers, and combinations thereof. 
         [0015]    A method of pumping pond water is disclosed, comprising providing a pond pump with a water thruster mechanism in accordance with the present invention, attaching a float to the pond pump, and floating the pond pump in a body of water, such as a pond. By providing power to the motor, the water thruster is put into motion and water is sprayed upward into the air by converting rotational motion of the pond pump into linear forces on the pond water, whereby the pond water is forced upward into the air above the water. 
         [0016]    By practicing this method, the pond water is aerated and algae growth is stunted to a great extent. Because algae growth is encouraged in anaerobic conditions, the present method helps to prevent this favorable anaerobic situation. 
         [0017]    Although the invention will be described by way of examples herein below for specific aspects having certain features, it must also be realized that minor modifications that do not require undo experimentation on the part of the practitioner are covered within the scope and breadth of this invention. Additional advantages and other novel features of the present invention will be set forth in the description that follows and in particular will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination or may be learned within the practice of the invention. Therefore, the invention is capable of many other different aspects and its details are capable of modifications of various aspects which will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art all without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the rest of the description will be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    For a further understanding of the nature and advantages of the expected scope and various aspects of the present invention, reference shall be made to the following detailed description, and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are given the same reference numerals, and wherein: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1A  is an environmental view of a high volume pond pump used as a floating display fountain made in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 1B  is an exploded perspective view of the pond pump assembly floating display fountain of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 1C  is a side perspective view of the floating display fountain of  FIG. 1A  without the float; 
           [0022]      FIG. 1D  is a top perspective view of the pond pump assembly of  FIG. 1A  without the float; 
           [0023]      FIG. 2A  illustrates a floating display fountain pond pump assembly without a float or suction screen; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2B  shows a cut-away elevational view of the floating display fountain pump assembly without a float or suction screen; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2C  shows an enlarged cut-away elevational view of the pond pump assembly; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the pond pump showing the impeller; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a cut-away elevational view of the pond pump; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5A  shows a perspective view of the pond pump; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5B  details a bottom perspective view showing the underside of the pond pump; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the pond pump made in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 7A  is an elevational cutaway view of a single bearing axial flow design of water pump made in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 7B  is a comparative elevational cutaway view of a single bearing axial flow design; 
           [0033]      FIG. 8  is an elevational cutaway view of a dual bearing axial flow design of water pump made in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 9  is a perspective cutaway view of an axial flow high volume impeller pump; and 
           [0035]      FIG. 10  illustrates an axial flow high volume propeller pump. 
       
    
    
       [0036]    In summary, numerous benefits have been described which result from employing any or all of the concepts and the features of the various specific aspects of the present invention, or those that are within the scope of the invention. The present pump acts to more completely spray and/or aerate the pond water with a longer lifetime. 
       LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWINGS 
       [0000]    
       
         
           
               10 . Floating display fountain 
               11 . Fountain spray out of the fountain 
               12 . Pump discharge 
               13 . Mount ring 
               14 . Propeller or impeller 
               15 . Threaded discharge end 
               16 . Bearing 
               17 . Motor fairing 
               18 . Propeller shaft 
               19 . Propeller cone 
               20 . Pump housing 
               21 . Shaft sleeve 
               22 . Flexible coupler 
               23 . Outlet housing 
               24 . Motor 
               26 . Float 
               28 . Nozzle 
               30 . Pump motor assembly 
               32 . Suction screen 
               34 . Cooling shroud 
               36 . Cooling shroud handle 
               38 . Pond 
               40 . Pump handles 
               42 . Flow of water 
               44 . Mount ring inlet 
               46 . Inlet mount flange 
               48 . Mount ring inlet spokes 
               52 . Threaded inlet 
               54 . Bearing bell 
               56 . Inlet housing 
               58 . Motor mount 
               60 . Inlet housing fasteners 
               62 . Top hand grip 
               64 . Bottom hand grip 
               100 . Fountain pump 
               111 . Pump discharge 
               114 . Impeller 
               116 . Lower bearing 
               118 . Shaft 
               120 . Pump housing 
               122 . Flexible coupler 
               124 . Motor 
               134 . Cooling shroud 
               164 . Top bearing 
               200 . Axial flow high-volume impeller pump 
               202 . Impeller lock ring 
               204 . Impeller 
               206 . Impeller pump upper shroud, bearing-holder 
               208 . Impeller shaft 
               210 . Pump sleeve bearing 
               212 . Stationary upper thrust bearing 
               214 . Rotating lower thrust bearing 
               216 . Coupler 
               218 . Pump lower shroud 
               220 . Impeller sand slinger 
               222 . Pump motor mount 
               250 . Axial flow high-volume propeller pump 
               252 . Propeller lock ring 
               254 . Propeller 
               256 . Propeller pump upper shroud, bearing holder 
               258 . Pump sleeve bearing-holder 
               260 . Propeller shaft 
               262 . Coupler 
               264 . Pump lower shroud 
               266 . Propeller sand slinger 
               268 . Pump motor mount 
               270 . Motor 
           
         
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0104]    Referring now to the drawings in detail,  FIG. 1A  is an environmental view of a motorized high volume pond pump made in accordance with the present invention, and  FIG. 1A  specifically illustrates one aspect of the present invention including a floating display fountain utilizing an axial flow high pressure, low volume water pond pump generally indicated by the numeral  10 . 
         [0105]    This floating display fountain pond pump  10  includes a pump discharge  12  taking in water from pond  38  and providing a fountain spray  11  which helps to aerate the pond by exposing smaller droplets of water to the air. Increased surface area of the smaller droplets encourages aeration of the water, which, in turn, discourages algae growth and stagnation due to anaerobic conditions in the pond, or whatever body of water the pond pump is being utilized. In this figure, floating display fountain  10  is attached to a float  26  which supports the fountain nozzle  28  at the surface of the water. Underwater, and while being supported from above by float  26 , is a pump housing  20  which encases a prop cone  19  and a shaft sleeve  21 . Water is sucked up through the water pump discharge  12  through suction screen  32  and is then forced towards the surface by the pump through nozzle  28  to form fountain spray  11 . The entire assembly is easy to handle due to the pump handles  40  and the cooling shroud handle  36  attached to the bottom and top of the suction screen, respectively. 
         [0106]      FIG. 1B  is an exploded perspective view of all of the various components of the floating display fountain made in accordance with the present invention. Starting at the top, there can be seen the water fountain nozzle  28  which is a threaded device that is threaded onto a threaded mount ring  13  on top of pump discharge  12 . Float  26  was shown in its environment in  FIG. 1 . Immediately below the float  26  is the pump motor assembly  30  which encases motor  24  in the central cavity of the pump motor assembly  30 . Surrounding motor  24  is a suction screen  32  which prevents particulates from entering into pump from within the pond itself. A cooling shroud  34  is located intermediate between the motor  24  and the suction screen  32 . The cooling shroud  34  has a cooling shroud handle  36  at its distal end. 
         [0107]      FIG. 1C  will recite like elements to those delineated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . This is a perspective view of the pump portion of the floating display shown in an exploded perspective view in  FIG. 1B , only all the components have been constructed and are shown in their relative placements after manufacture. Again, suction screen  32  is attached to the bottom of pump housing  20 , which in turn is connected to a mount ring  13 . Pump handle  40  is attached to the outer perimeter of the pump housing  20 , and also connects pump discharge  12  by the use of at least one nut and bolt. At the top of pump housing  12  is a threaded discharge end  15  in order to be attached to the float as shown in  FIG. 1A . 
         [0108]      FIG. 1D  shows yet a different perspective of the floating display fountain  10  and shows impeller  14  centrally located on top of the pump housing  20  underneath mount ring  13 . Various types of water thrusting mechanisms may be used, including water thrusters of either a propeller or an impeller. Both of these aspects will be described more fully hereinbelow. Handle  40  is shown as attached by nut and bolt to the base of the pump discharge housing. Again, suction screen  32  is underneath all of this. Either water thrusting means may be located at any point along the longitudinal axis shaft, depending upon the application. 
         [0109]      FIG. 2A  shows the complete pump motor assembly with outlet housing  23  atop the pump housing  20 . Housing handles  40  are attached in between the outlet housing and the pump housing to enable an operator to easily lift and maneuver the housing. Motor  24  is shown without its other components so as to indicate the relative placement between the pump housing and the motor. 
         [0110]      FIG. 2B  is an environmental elevational view showing the present invention cut in half for a clear view of the relative placement of the components. As before, outlet housing  23  is shown attached to the pump housing  20  with handles  40  located intermediate. Motor  24  has attached to the top of it impeller  14  with a recessed area between the motor and the pump housing, to allow water to bypass the motor and be sucked upward by impeller  14 . As the water is forced upward from impeller  14 , through the outlet housing  23 , the fountain spray is created out of the top of pump housing  23 . 
         [0111]      FIG. 2C  shows an even closer cutaway view of  FIG. 2B , and also includes a showing of a motor fairing  17  for covering the seal between bearing  16 , impeller  14  and the top of motor  24 . As discussed before, pump housing  20  has motor handles  40  secured to the top of it for ease of handling. 
         [0112]      FIG. 3  is yet another view of impeller  14  connected to mount ring inlet spokes  48  attached to the top of a flexible coupler  22  in accordance with the present invention. A threaded inlet  52  is shown on the side of pump housing  20 . Mount ring inlet  44  helps to provide a waterproof seal between handles  40  and the pump housing  23  (not shown in this figure) for housing the impeller  14 . 
         [0113]    Flexible coupler  22  is made in accordance with the present invention, and substantially alleviates much of the problems with vibration and other fatal defects in the prior art. Flexible coupling  22  takes the vertical rotational direction from the shaft and transfers it upward to spokes  48  and then consequently impeller  14 , in order to provide the fountain spray and ultimately the aeration of the water. Suitable flexible couplers may be made of any flexible material, including semi-rigid rubber, polymeric or other materials capable of being submerged for lengthy time periods without any degradation whatsoever. 
         [0114]      FIG. 4  is a side elevation cutaway view of the propeller shaft  18  with its propeller cone  19  and shaft sleeve  21  in their relative placements. As can be seen, flow of water  42  comes up through the motor fairing  17  as the impeller  14  rotates on prop shaft  18 , thereby drawing water up from the bottom and spraying it out the top. Bearing  16  is used to stabilize prop shaft  18  during rotation, and is further included within bearing bell  54 . Inlet housing fasteners  60  secure the inlet mount flange  46  and the motor mount  58  to the pump housing. Suitable bearings may include sleeve bearings, roller bearings, thrust bearings or any other type of bearing to stabilize the pump shaft while in operation to minimize vibration and shaking. 
         [0115]    Suitable bearings help keep the thrust of the impeller rotor balanced so “up thrust” on the shaft will not be a problem during pump operation. Typically with conventional impeller style axial flow pumps, the impeller will have unbalanced forces in the axial direction. This causes the impeller to move up in the pump housing, eventually causing damage or de-coupling of the pump shaft. Although there are several methods and solutions to resolving up-thrust, the design of the present invention may be the most compact and evasive design as possible to reduce any negative effects of pump performance. Preferred materials include ceramics, such as silicon carbide and alumina, or any other self-lubricating material for thrust bearings in a high speed, low lubrication application. 
         [0116]    With combined reference to  FIGS. 5A and 5B , there is shown a top perspective view of the workings of the present invention, along with a bottom view to show the relative placement of various components. With like reference to elements in previous drawings, one can see that impeller  14  rides on flexible coupler  22  and is capped off by a prop cone  19 , all of which is sleeved over prop shaft  18 . The bearing bell  54  holds the prop shaft  18  and bearing  16  in place so that when prop shaft  18  rotates, the rotation is smooth and dampens any vibration. Top hand grip  62  is attached optionally to handles  40  to aid in the handling of the device after assembly. Further down prop shaft  18 , is the mount ring inlet spokes  48  for urging the water up to by pass the impeller to create the fountain. All of this is assembled onto the inlet housing  56 , which is then attached to the other components below. 
         [0117]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the entire assembly, and beginning at its tip includes prop cone  19 . Shaft sleeve  21  helps to secure impeller  14  onto prop shaft  18 . Bearing  16  is sleeved within bearing bell  54 , which is attached to the mount ring inlet  44  having mount ring inlet spokes  48  integral therewith. Flexible coupler  22  is the aspect of this invention that is providing an unexpectedly good result. Motor fairing  17  sleeves over flexible coupler  22  and is housed within inlet housing  56 . An inlet mount flange  46  is secured onto handles  40 , which may optionally include a top hand grip  62 . Further, optionally installed would be bottom hand grips  64 . 
         [0118]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a cutaway version of an optionally improved axial flow, high volume, low pressure propeller pump with an impeller  14  encased within a pump housing  20 , wherein impeller  14  is rotated axially by shaft  18  extending from motor  24 . Flexible coupler  22  surrounds shaft  18  to provide a flexible rotational coupling to lengthen the lifetime of the motor. Bearing  16  may be made of any suitable material, including a ceramic, a ceramic ball, a polymeric sleeve material or any appropriate elastomeric or polymeric materials. In addition, most of the assembly, including the pump shroud, the propeller, the bearing, the shaft, the coupler and the pump inlet shroud could all be made from various polymeric materials in order to provide damping, vibration prevention, and thereby elongating the life of motor  24 . In the original aspect of this invention, flexible coupler  22  can be purchased from Franklin Electric Company, which can be the same manufacturer of motor  24 . Franklin Electric Company is located in Fort Wayne, Ind. 
         [0119]      FIG. 7B  acts as a comparison to the second aspect of the invention illustrated in  FIG. 7A , wherein the pump discharge  12  is surrounding impeller  14 , which is held in place by bearing  16  onto shaft  18 . Pump housing  20  encapsulates the flexible coupler  22 , which helps to hold shaft  18  onto motor  24 . 
         [0120]    Looking now to  FIG. 8 , we now look at an elevational cutaway of yet another aspect of the present invention, which includes a dual bearing design that does not cause premature motor failure as it is utilizing an axial flow design rather than a radial flow design as is evident in traditional water generation pumps. Fountain pump, generally denoted by numeral  100 , includes a pump discharge  111 , not shown in this diagram, coming from a top bearing for axial flow  164  within pump housing  120 . Impeller  114  is steadied by a flexible coupler  122  and lower bearing  116 . Shaft  118  extends through the interior of both upper and lower bearings  164  and  116 , respectively, and is coupled to the motor  124  inside the cooling shroud  134 . 
         [0121]      FIG. 9  is a perspective cut-away view of yet another aspect of the present invention illustrating an axial flow high volume impeller pump, generally denoted by numeral  200 . Impeller pump  200  includes an impeller  204  held onto impeller shaft  208  by an impeller pump upper shroud  206  and impeller lock ring  202 . A pump sleeve bearing  210  is held in place by impeller pump upper shroud bearing holder  206 . In addition, a stationary upper thrust bearing  212  is preferably a silicon carbide holder bearing. While other materials are suitable, preferably the bearing is made of any non-corrosive material, such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride or any other suitable ceramic bearing. Ceramic bearings will not rust or corrode while being under water for long periods of time. A rotating lower thrust bearing  214  may also be utilized, and this thrust bearing may also be preferentially again made of a ceramic bearing material such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride or any other suitable bearing material. A coupler  216  is in mechanical contact with lower thrust bearing  214  and is located atop pump lower shroud  218 . Underneath pump lower shroud  218  is an optional impeller sand slinger  220  immediately adjacent a pump motor mount  222  on pump motor  224 . Each of these components are vertically aligned on impeller shaft  208  which extends therethrough to allow for axial flow. 
         [0122]      FIG. 10  is a cut-away perspective view of yet another aspect of the present invention illustrating an axial flow high-volume propeller pump generally denoted by the numeral  250 . Propeller  254  is the mechanical pump in this aspect, and it is mounted on a longitudinally oriented propeller shaft  260  in communication with a pump motor  270 . Propeller  254  rotates axially on propeller shaft  260  to provide upward thrust by propelling fluid and converting rotational motion into linear motion. Propeller pump sleeve bearing  258  also rotates on propeller shaft  260  and includes a coupler  262  intermediate between propeller shaft  260  and motor  270 . propeller  254  is rotatably secure onto propeller shaft  260  by propeller lock ring  252 . between coupler  262  and motor  270  is pump lower shroud  264  and optionally a propeller sand slinger  266 . propeller  254  and pump sleeve bearing  258  and coupler  262  are encased within pump upper and lower shrouds  256  and  264 , respectively. Integral and terminating in pump motor mount  268  includes interior connectors for mounting onto motor  270  and stabilizing propeller shaft  260  for rotational stability. 
         [0123]    Suitable thrust bearings come in several varieties, including thrust ball bearings, composed of ball bearings supported in a ring, appropriate for low thrust applications where there is little axial load, and cylindrical thrust roller bearings where small cylindrical rollers are arranged flat with their axes pointing to the axis of the bearing. Although cylindrical thrust roller bearings exhibit good carrying capacity and they tend to be inexpensive, they tend to wear significantly due to radial speed and friction differences, which is higher than with ball bearings. In addition, for some applications, tapered roller thrust bearings that utilize small tapered rollers arranged so that their axes all converge at a point on the axis of the bearing may be most suitable. Each of these types of thrust bearings are commercially available nationwide, and would not require undue experimentation to incorporate into the present invention. 
         [0124]    For all the aspects of the present invention, including any of the bearings, propellers, pump shrouds, shaft, coupler, or lower pump shroud, may be made of any suitable material, including ceramics, flexible materials such as polymers and elastomers, and metallic components, as well as any other suitable material. Although the motor is shown as a motor commercially available from Franklin Electric Company of Fort Wayne, Ind., any suitable motor with a rotational shaft coupler possibility may be suitable. Further, in any of the aspects detailed above, the pumps may either be high volume, low pressure pumps, or they may be a high volume, high pressure pump, depending on how much lift and/or head the pump is designed to handle. 
         [0125]    In summary, numerous benefits have been described which result from employing any or all of the concepts and the features of the various specific aspects of the present invention, or those that are within the scope of the invention. The flexible coupler acts to stabilize the prop shaft and the entire device so that there is longer life for the pump motor. Although the prior art teaches away from the use of a flexible coupler, the present invention was fully researched and after many attempts, the flexible coupler was determined to be successful. 
         [0126]    The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings with regards to the specific aspects. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various aspects and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims which are appended hereto.