Hand padding device

A hand padding device comprising a pliable enclosure containing a flowable material. The device is designed to be inserted into a ball glove. Preferably, the padding device includes two convex surfaces.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to the field of padding devices, and more 
particularly to hand padding devices which are used to partially absorb 
and distribute forces exerted on the hand when catching or contacting a 
ball. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Since the inception of games in which a ball is either caught or contacted 
by a hand, players of such games have used various innovative means to 
protect their hands from related pain, discomfort, and injury. For 
instance, baseball players have employed simple thin gloves (i.e., batting 
gloves) on the inside of baseball gloves to reduce the pain and discomfort 
often experienced when catching a ball. However, batting gloves possess 
minimal impact absorbing characteristics and, quite possibly, possess even 
less ability to distribute the forces generated at impact evenly over a 
larger area of the hand. Consequently, some players have placed foam pads 
inside the batting gloves to further enhance protection of the hand. 
However, these attempts have met with only limited success due to the 
deficiencies inherent with foam pads. 
There are a wide variety of foams which possess different properties and 
characteristics which can be used as a hand padding device. However, a 
majority of foams have certain deficiencies which results in such foams 
not being an optimal material for such padding devices. For instance, 
"soft" foams offer little protection to the hand since they are easily 
compressed and tend to "bottom out" (fully compress), and thus they absorb 
little of the ball's impact force. "Harder" foams, on the other hand, may 
improve protection of the hand by providing a higher resistance to 
compression, but they also cause the user to lose a feel for the ball and 
such foams may cause the ball to simply pop out of the glove due to their 
rigidity. Regardless of the type of foam used, such pads may also affect 
the maneuverability of the baseball glove because of their added bulk. 
Moreover, such pads generally tend to become displaced inside the baseball 
glove and thus often do not adequately cover the sensitive areas of the 
hand to be protected. Because of these deficiencies, there have been 
attempts to produce a padding device which sufficiently protects the hand 
without affecting the control and maneuverability of the baseball glove. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,684 by Green, issued Oct. 21, 1986, discloses a 
substantially planar and flexible protective palm pad of multi-layer 
construction. The ability of the user to control the baseball glove is 
allegedly not affected by the palm pad which is secured to the user's hand 
by loops to prevent the palm pad from becoming displaced. The palm pad, 
which is used inside the baseball glove, has a flexible facing layer of 
leather and a backing layer of a "shock absorbent material" which 
allegedly does not cause or permit the ball to rebound from the glove, 
unlike a compressible foam or sponge. However, there is no disclosure 
regarding the types of materials which exhibit these specific shock 
absorbing characteristics. Moreover, there is no suggestion that the pad 
functions to evenly distribute impact forces throughout the pad. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,648 by Beal, issued Jun. 24, 1975, discloses a 
protective device of single layer construction for use by a player of a 
hardball game such as baseball, the single layer being a material which 
exhibits impact absorbing characteristics such as leather or plastic. The 
protective device consists of two portions, one portion which covers the 
palm area as well as the bones at the base of the fingers, and one portion 
which extends up the index finger. A mechanism is also included with the 
device for attachment to the hand, namely a loop on a portion of the pad 
which accommodates insertion of the index finger, to prevent the 
protective device from becoming displaced. However, there is no suggestion 
that the protective device functions to evenly distribute impact forces 
throughout the device, and in fact its impact absorbing abilities may be 
somewhat limited since leather or plastics are being used. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,690 by Webster, issued Jun. 7, 1988, discloses a 
protective glove having a plurality of non-springy, shock absorbing 
cushions positioned throughout, namely in the finger and base of the 
finger regions of the hand. The protective glove is worn on the inside of 
a baseball glove to protect these areas of the hand when catching a hard 
ball. However, there is no disclosure regarding the types of specific 
materials which provide the stated impact absorbing characteristics, nor 
is there any suggestion that the cushions function to evenly distribute 
the forces exerted on the hand. 
Although devices such as those mentioned above may provide some degree of 
protection to the hand above and beyond batting gloves, such devices still 
suffer from a number of deficiencies. As a result, there is a need for a 
padding device which not only absorbs the forces of impact, but which also 
distributes such forces over a larger area. There is also a need for a 
padding device which does not become easily displaced when used and which 
does not adversely affect a user's control of a baseball glove. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a hand padding device is provided 
which utilizes flowable materials and has excellent impact absorbtion and 
distribution characteristics. The hand padding device of the present 
invention is designed for use in combination with a baseball or other 
glove in which the user experiences a concentrated force when catching or 
contacting a ball. The hand padding device can either be placed in the 
palm of the user's hand or inserted into a pocket or sleeve of the glove 
which is specifically designed for receiving the hand padding device. 
The hand padding device of the present invention employs a flowable 
material in a preformed enclosure to partially absorb and distribute 
forces generated by impact with a ball. The advantages inherent in the 
hand padding device of the present invention are largely attributable to 
the use of flowable materials and the preformed shape of the enclosure 
containing the flowable materials. The combination produces a flexible 
padding device which substantially conforms to the contour of both the 
user's hand and the ball to thereby more evenly distribute the impact 
force over a larger area. Moreover, some of the energy transferred to the 
padding device is dissipated in deforming the enclosure and in 
transferring flowable materials throughout the enclosure. 
When a user of the hand padding device of the present invention catches or 
contacts a ball, a force is indirectly exerted on the outer surface of the 
hand padding device which causes the flowable materials in the region of 
the applied force to migrate to other regions of the hand padding device. 
Consequently, some of the energy transferred at impact is dissipated by 
that energy used to transfer these flowable materials. Moreover, the 
applied force causes the outer surface of the enclosure containing the 
flowable materials to stretch which also dissipates a portion of the 
energy. A further result of the deformation of the hand padding device due 
to impact is that the enclosure substantially conforms to both the hand 
and the ball, thereby effectively distributing the impact forces over a 
larger area of the hand. 
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a pliable, three 
dimensional enclosure having two surfaces which have curvatures in at 
least one reference plane, both of such surfaces being convexly shaped. 
Preferably, both surfaces will have curvatures in two reference planes. 
The inner convex surface of the padding device contacts or faces the 
user's hand while the outer convex surface faces the palm of the baseball 
glove and thus indirectly contacts the ball. 
A second embodiment of the present invention is a pliable, 
three-dimensional enclosure having an outer surface which is substantially 
planar and an inner surface with a curvature in at least one reference 
plane, the inner curved surface being convexly shaped. Preferably, the 
inner, convex surface will have curvatures in two reference planes. The 
inner convex surface of the padding device either contacts or faces the 
user's hand, while the substantially planar outer surface faces the palm 
of the baseball glove and thus indirectly contacts the ball. 
A third embodiment of the present invention is a pliable enclosure having 
two substantially planar surfaces. Although the enclosure is a single 
chamber, the geometric configuration of the third embodiment is such that 
there is a substantially circular inner central region surrounded by a 
plurality of extensions, the outer edges of which substantially form the 
contour of a circle, which are connected to the inner central region. The 
extensions serve to reduce the number of creases which tend to develop 
within the hand padding device when the hand padding device is placed on a 
curved surface, such as the inner surface of a baseball glove and/or a 
user's hand, and when the hand padding device experiences an applied force 
causing deformation of the enclosure. 
The fourth embodiment of the present invention is a pliable enclosure 
having two substantially planar surfaces. 
Each of the above-described embodiments can include as part of the 
enclosure a portion which extends up the index finger of the user. This 
finger covering portion increases the area covered by the padding device 
and thus protects another sensitive portion of the hand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention will be discussed with reference to the attached 
figures. FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the preferred embodiment of the 
present invention. Hand padding device 10 is formed by joining pliable 
material 20 to pliable material 30 to form a generally cup-shaped 
enclosure which contains flowable material, the perimeter of which 
approximates the shape of a horseshoe. Pliable materials 20 and 30 have 
either spherical surfaces (curved in more than one reference plane) or 
surfaces which are curved in at least one reference plane, the surfaces of 
pliable materials 20 and 30 being convexly shaped. 
The convexity of pliable materials 20 and 30 offers a number of advantages. 
Initially, the preformed convexity of pliable material 20 allows padding 
device 10 to substantially conform to the curvature of each individual 
user's hand. Two elements, the preformed convexity and the general 
flexibility of hand padding device 10, work in combination to achieve this 
advantage. Substantial initial conformance of hand padding device 10 to 
the curvature of a hand is important in that more of the surface area of 
convexly shaped pliable material 20 will be in direct (if hand padding 
device 10 is placed in the hand) or indirect (if hand padding device 10 is 
inserted into a pocket or sleeve within a baseball glove) contact with the 
hand. An increase in the contact area of hand padding device 10 reduces 
the likelihood that hand padding device 10 will become displaced and not 
adequately protect the sensitive areas of the hand. Furthermore, reducing 
gaps between hand padding device 10 and the hand improves the overall 
force distribution on the hand and reduces the possibility of the 
enclosure "slapping" against the hand upon impact with a ball. 
In contrast to the convexly shaped hand padding device 10 as thus far 
described, flat foam pads will not perform these functions as effectively. 
For instance, although foam pads are flexible and will thus generally 
follow the contour of the hand, gaps tend to exist between the pad and the 
hand which will cause the pad to "slap" against the hand, causing forces 
to become concentrated on smaller areas of the hand. Moreover, without a 
separate restraining device, foam pads will tend to become displaced in 
the hand and thus increase exposure to injury. 
A second advantage of the preformed convexity of hand padding device 10 is 
that the curvature of pliable material 30 is designed to substantially 
approximate the curvature of a particular ball, for instance a baseball. 
For optimal force distribution, the curvature of pliable material 30 
should exactly correspond to the curvature of the ball to maximize the 
area of hand padding device which contacts, directly or indirectly, the 
ball. However, such a design would detract from the operability of the 
glove since the ball would have to be caught exactly within the center of 
the hand padding device 10 to avoid having the ball deflect out of the 
glove. Therefore, it is preferred that the radius of curvature of pliable 
material 30 is greater than that of the particular ball. 
The above-described interface of curved surfaces (pliable material 30 and a 
ball) is desirable in a number of respects. Initially, the substantial 
preformed conformance of pliable material 30 to a ball increases the 
surface area of hand padding device 10 which a ball will contact, thereby 
initially applying the impact forces over a larger area. Moreover, the 
preformed convexity of pliable material 30 reduces the number of creases 
which tend to develop when hand padding device 10 experiences an applied 
force. Creases create high stress concentrations in hand padding device 10 
which may ultimately lead to rupture. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce 
the number of creases and thus the high stress concentrations to reduce 
the probability of hand padding device 10 rupturing in use. 
A third advantage of the preformed convexity of both primary surfaces of 
hand padding device 10 relates to the prevention of "bottoming out." 
Bottoming out is a condition which occurs when the flowable materials 
completely migrate from the area of impact to other regions, and thus the 
pad offers little or no protection in this area. The curvatures of both 
surfaces of hand padding device 10, namely pliable materials 20 and 30, in 
combination with the amount of flowable material contained therebetween, 
substantially reduces the likelihood of hand padding device 10 bottoming 
out when subjected to an applied force. 
Another feature of hand padding device 10 is its general horseshoe shape, 
best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, which allows hand padding device 10 to 
define the perimeter of the portion of the hand most in need of 
protection. Notch 40 generally defines the shape of the portion of the 
hand from the base of the thumb to the base of the index finger. The 
remaining boundaries of hand padding device 10 follow the base areas of 
the fingers, down the side of the hand, and along the base of the hand 
near the wrist back up to the portion of notch 40 at the base of the 
thumb. Therefore, hand padding device 10 substantially covers the highly 
sensitive areas at the base of the fingers, as well as the palm of the 
hand. 
Pliable materials 20 and 30 which form hand padding device 10 define the 
above-desired horseshoe configuration. Although pliable materials 20 and 
30 will be of the same general shape, pliable material 20 must of course 
be of somewhat larger dimensions since both surfaces of hand padding 
device 10 are convexly shaped, pliable material 20 forming the inner 
convex surface. Moreover, the actual dimensions of hand padding device 10 
will vary depending upon the general size of the hand to be protected. 
However, for an average-sized hand, the length of hand padding device 10 
will range from about 75 millimeters to about 105 millimeters 
(illustrated as line A in FIG. 3) and the width from about 70 millimeters 
to about 100 millimeters (illustrated as line B in FIG. 3). The maximum 
thickness of the enclosure will typically range from about 5 millimeters 
to about 15 millimeters in the central region (illustrated as line C in 
FIG. 3), and the depth of curvature (i.e., the distance from a 
substantially horizontal plane lying across convex surface 30 to the 
center of convex surface 20 as best illustrated by line D in FIG. 2) will 
typically range from about 15millimeters to about 20 millimeters. In this 
configuration, the volume of flowable material required to optimize 
performance of hand padding device 10 will range from about 10 cm.sup.3 to 
about 25 cm.sup.3. 
In order for padding device 10 to perform properly, the key limitation on 
pliable materials 20 and 30 is that they are capable of containing the 
flowable material, that they exhibit a certain degree of flexibility, and 
that they possess a certain resistance to puncturing. Materials which are 
suitable for use in padding device 10 include polyurethane or polyvinyl 
(e.g. polyvinylchloride) materials, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) 
resins; acetals; acrylics; cellulosics; chlorinated polyethers; 
fluorocarbons, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (TFE), 
polychlorotrifluoroethylene (CTEE), and fluorinated ethylene propylene 
(FEP); nylons (polyamides); polycarbonates; polyethylenes (including 
copolymers); polybutylenes; polypropylenes; polystyrenes; polyesters; 
polysulfones; the preferred material being polyurethane. Depending on the 
resistance to puncturing of the pliable material used, the thickness of 
pliable materials 20 and 30 will typically range from about 0.01 
millimeters to about 0.08 millimeters. 
Another important feature of the hand padding device 10, as well as for all 
other embodiments, is the use of a flowable material contained within the 
particular enclosure. The primary advantage of using a flowable material 
is its ability to react to an applied force and actually migrate to other 
regions of the padding device to more effectively distribute impact forces 
over a larger area, the transfer of flowable materials also dissipating a 
portion of the energy transferred to the enclosure at impact. Therefore, 
the key limitation on the flowable material used in all embodiments of the 
present invention is that it possess fluid characteristics. Materials such 
as wax, glycerin, water, salt water, grease, fats, oils, propylene glycol, 
and syrup, with viscosities ranging from about 50 centipoise to about 
200,000 centipoise, and preferably with viscosities ranging from about 
1,000 centipoise to about 100,000 centipoise, can thus be used. The 
preferred flowable materials are HB Fuller 1454 Hot Melt.TM. (a flowable 
microcrystalline wax) and glycerine because they are nontoxic and also 
will not harm the hand or the glove in the event of a rupture of the 
enclosure. Small, lightweight particles may also be included in the 
flowable material to reduce the overall density. 
Regarding the method of constructing the preferred embodiment of the 
present invention, pliable materials 20 and 30 as described above, are 
affixed to each other, preferably by heat sealing or by using other 
methods known to those skilled in the art after convexity has been 
introduced to pliable materials 20 and 30 by vacuum forming. The resulting 
configuration is thus horseshoe-shaped to form an enclosure having 
convexly-shaped inner and outer surface. As can best be seen in FIG. 2, 
for ease of manufacturing, the seal between pliable materials 20 and 30 is 
a substantially flat surface 25. 
A small opening is left in the enclosure for insertion of a filling 
apparatus (not shown) into the formed enclosure. The filling device is 
inserted into the opening and a predetermined volume of flowable material 
is placed therein. When the desired volume has been placed into the 
enclosure of hand padding device 10, the filling device is removed and the 
opening in hand padding device 10 is sealed. It is typically unnecessary 
to remove air from the enclosure prior to sealing since the air will also 
act as a shock absorbing medium, but of course the additional step of 
removing air can also be performed so that only flowable material will 
occupy hand padding device 10. 
Regarding the impact absorbtion and distribution characteristics of hand 
padding device 10, the present invention is used in conjunction with a 
baseball or other glove which is subjected to concentrated forces 
generated by catching or contacting a ball. Hand padding device 10 is 
either placed in the user's hand before the user actually puts on a 
baseball or other glove or is placed in a sleeve or pocket contained 
within the glove which is specifically designed to contain such a padding 
device. When a user catches or contacts a ball in the area of the glove 
coinciding with hand padding device 10, the ball exerts a force on the 
glove which is then transferred to certain areas of the convexly shaped 
pliable material 30. As described above, the area of indirect contact 
between pliable material 30 and the ball is increased because of the 
preformed convexity of pliable material 30. Moreover, the convexity of 
pliable material 20, together with the general flexibility of padding 
device 10, allows hand padding device 10 to substantially conform to the 
shape of the user's hand. The cumulative effect of substantial conformance 
of hand padding device 10 to the ball and the user's hand results in the 
distribution of the force over a larger area, which in effect reduces the 
stress introduced onto any one particular region of the hand. 
Hand padding device 10 also absorbs a portion of the energy transferred at 
impact by the energy required to transfer flowable materials away from the 
point of the force application to other regions of hand padding device 10. 
Moreover, pliable material 30 will stretch and deform when experiencing an 
applied force which will also dissipate a portion of the energy 
transferred at impact. 
A second embodiment of the present invention is hand padding device 50 as 
illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. Padding device 50 is similar to hand padding 
device 10 of FIG. 1 in that it is produced by joining pliable material 60 
to pliable material 70 to form a generally horseshoe-shaped enclosure 
which contains flowable materials, and thus the length and width dimension 
for hand padding device 10 apply to hand padding device 50. Pliable 
material 60, like pliable material 20 in padding device 10, has a 
spherical surface or a surface which is curved in at least one reference 
plane, being convex in shape. However, unlike padding device 10, the outer 
surface of padding device 50, namely pliable material 70, is substantially 
planar in shape, possessing little or no curvature. Due to the planar 
outer surface of pliable material 70, the depth dimensions of hand padding 
device 50 will differ from those identified for hand padding device 10. 
For hand padding device 50, the maximum thickness at the central region of 
the enclosure, illustrated by line E in FIG. 5, will range from about 15 
millimeters to about 20 millimeters. In this configuration, the amount of 
flowable material required to optimize performance of hand padding device 
50 will range from about 10 cm.sup.3 to about 35 cm.sup.3. 
Although the outer surface of hand padding device 50 differs from that of 
hand padding device 10, the inner surface, pliable material 60, has a 
convexity similar to that of pliable material 20 in hand padding device 
10. Therefore, all of the advantages of this convexity are present in hand 
padding device 50. Moreover, for ease of manufacturing, a flat seal 65 is 
formed when pliable material 60 and pliable material 70 are affixed to 
each other after the convexity has been introduced as was described in the 
process for forming hand padding device 10. 
Particularly regarding the only substantive difference between hand padding 
device 50 and hand padding device 10, namely the outer surface forming the 
enclosure which is best illustrated in FIG. 5, hand padding device 50 will 
suffer from a number of deficiencies not present in hand padding device 
10. Specifically, since pliable material 70 is substantially planar, hand 
padding device 50 will be more likely to develop creases than will hand 
padding device 10. The creases introduce high stress concentrations which 
may eventually cause a rupture of hand padding device 50. In addition, the 
lack of a convex surface which is preformed in substantially the same 
shape as a ball will result in the forces being initially applied over a 
smaller area, and therefore will detract from the initial force 
distribution characteristics present in hand padding device 10. However, 
hand padding device 50 will still absorb and distribute impact forces more 
efficiently than known padding devices, as the method of absorbing and 
distributing impact forces will still be generally as was described for 
hand padding device 10. 
The third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 
7. Hand padding device 90 is produced by joining pliable material 100 to 
pliable material 110 to form a generally star or petal-shaped enclosure 
which contains flowable material. Pliable materials 100 and 110, as can be 
seen in FIG. 7, are substantially planar, having little or no curvature. 
Although hand padding device 90 does not have any preformed curvature, it 
is still able, based upon pliable materials 100 and 110 exhibiting 
flexibility characteristics similar to that of pliable materials 20 and 30 
in hand padding device to substantially conform to the curvature of the 
user's hand. Therefore, the previously discussed benefits of substantially 
following the curvature of the hand apply generally to hand padding device 
90. Moreover, when hand padding device 90 substantially conforms to the 
user's hand, there is a corresponding curvature which will substantially 
conform to the contour of a ball, resulting in hand padding device 90 
possessing the advantages associated with this feature. 
Hand padding device 90 is formed from pliable materials 100 and 110 which 
exhibit the same characteristics as pliable materials 20 and 30 of hand 
padding device 10. In the configuration of hand padding device 90, the 
outer contour will be substantially circular with a diameter ranging from 
about 70 millimeters to about 110 millimeters. The inner region of hand 
padding device 90 defined by indentations 120 is also substantially 
circular with a diameter ranging from about 35 millimeters to about 55 
millimeters. Hand padding device 90 typically will have a maximum 
thickness ranging from about 3 millimeters to about 20 millimeters. With 
this configuration the amount of flowable material required to optimize 
performance of hand padding device 90 will range from about 10 cm.sup.3 to 
about 20 cm.sup.3. 
The substantial feature which hand padding device 90 lacks over hand 
padding device 10 is the preformed curvature, although hand padding device 
90 conforms to a curved surface when inserted into a baseball glove. As 
previously stated, an advantage of the preformed curvatures such as those 
possessed by hand padding device 10 are a reduction of creases which form 
when a force is applied to hand padding device 90. However, since hand 
padding device 90 does not have preformed curvature, it is more likely 
than hand padding device 10 to develop creases, which may lead to the 
development of high stress concentrations which could result in the 
potential rupture of hand padding device 90. However, certain alterations 
have been made to hand padding device 90 to reduce the development of such 
creases, namely by incorporating the star- or petal-shaped design as best 
illustrated in FIG. 6. Essentially, the star or petal-shaped configuration 
of padding device 90 is produced by introducing a number of slits into a 
substantially circular material and placing a seam around these slits to 
define an enclosure. Therefore, a plurality of finger-like extensions 130 
and corresponding intentions 120 are produced. The use of these slits 
helps padding device 90 when it is cupped into the hand. 
Regarding construction of hand padding device 90, pliable materials 100 and 
110 are cut into the above-described star- or petal-shaped configuration, 
filled with flowable material and sealed together as was described for 
hand padding device 10. The shaded regions of FIG. 6 illustrate the region 
of the seal 135 between the materials which is substantially flat. Hand 
padding device 90 then absorbs and distributes impact forces in a manner 
similar to that of hand padding device 10 since convexity, although not 
preformed, is obtainable due to the pliability of hand padding device 90 
and its indentations 120. 
A fourth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 
9. As can be seen in these figures, hand padding device 140 is basically 
formed by joining pliable material 150 to pliable material 160 to form a 
generally circular shaped enclosure which contains flowable material. As 
was the case the hand padding device 90, pliable materials 150 and 160 are 
substantially planar, exhibiting little or no curvature in an undeformed 
condition. Furthermore, the outer diameter of hand padding device 140 and 
its maximum thickness will be similar to those dimensions identified for 
hand padding device 90. However, the volume of flowable material required 
to optimize performance of hand padding device 140 will range from about 
10 cm.sup.3 to about 25 cm.sup.3. 
Hand padding device 140 will behave similarly to hand padding device 90 in 
operation or use except that it lacks the means for reducing the stress 
concentrations produced by the development of creases in hand padding 
device 140. However, as was the case with hand padding device 90, hand 
padding device 140 is sufficiently flexible to conform to a curved 
surface, thereby resulting in padding device 140 possessing the advantages 
associated with these particular features. 
Modifications of the present invention which may be incorporated into any 
of the embodiments are the horseshoe shape and the extension of the 
enclosure to substantially cover the index finger. However, for the sake 
of ease of illustration, these modifications are only shown on the 
preferred embodiment in FIG. 3. Extension 200 can be added to each of the 
embodiments to provide protection to a substantial portion of the index 
finger. Extension 200 will be connected to the respective main embodiment 
and will thus contain flowable material to offer this protection. 
While various embodiment of the present invention have been described in 
detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations of those 
embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be 
expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within 
the spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forth in the claims 
which follow below.