Food store coupon organizer

A coupon organizing system having a carrying case sized to receive a coupon filing assembly, a plurality of shopping tools and a sorter. The filing assembly includes a plurality of pages having first indicia means and a plurality of substantially overlapping and staggered pockets formed therein. Each pocket is defined by a pair of walls of unequal heights and has a lip formed adjacent the top of one wall and second indicia means mounted thereto. A method for sorting and retrieval of coupons according to product type and expiration date is provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to improvements in methods and apparatus 
for organizing coupons and, more particularly, to a new and improved 
organizing system and apparatus for facilitating the selection of food 
coupons according to the expiration date and type of merchandise. 
During recent decades, the cost of living has been constantly on the 
increase. As with other consumer items, the cost of food products has also 
increased. This fact and the fact that food is one of the necessities of 
life has placed great emphasis upon cost savings in the purchase of food. 
This emphasis has resulted in the popularity of food coupons which are 
slips of paper redeemed at a food market at the time of purchase, to 
reduce the purchase price of the food item. These coupons are often used 
by the retailer or manufacturer as a marketing tool to increase the sales 
of designated merchandise by discounting the purchase price. The 
manufacturer may be introducing a new product on the market or trying to 
increase the sales of a particular item which has been overstocked. In 
addition, retailers often use coupons to attract buyers to their markets 
and consequently increase the sales of other non-discounted items. 
Expiration dates are usually placed on the coupons to temporarily limit the 
discount offer. Some reasons for the use of expiration dates include an 
attempt to correlate the demand of the item to the supply on hand of the 
particular merchandise and/or to raise the price of the item after the 
consumers have been introduced to a new product. 
Coupons are frequently distributed to the public through magazines or 
newspapers and local newspapers often have specific days of the week or 
sections of the newspaper which have a relatively large number of coupons. 
Because of the variety and number of coupons available to be collected by 
the consumer, the consumer frequently finds it difficult to organize the 
coupons for quick reference according to their particular expiration 
dates, product types or retailer. As a result, the consumer may fail to 
use the particular coupon before it expires. 
For these reasons, consumers who use coupons have long recognized the need 
for an improved coupon organizing system that enables a quick reference to 
and selection of food coupons which have been accumulated by the consumer. 
The present invention fulfills all of these needs. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Briefly and in general terms, the present invention provides a new and 
improved food coupon organizing system embodying novel methods and 
apparatus for accurately and reliably organizing accumulated food coupons 
for rapid retrieval by the consumer. Basically, the coupon organizing 
system of the present invention is directed to a system which includes a 
coupon filing assembly and a plurality of shopping tools and coupon 
sorters disposed within a carrying case or binder. 
More particularly, the coupon filing assembly of the present invention 
includes a plurality of category pages releasably attached to the carrying 
case. The pages each include a plurality of indicia means to allow sorting 
and selection of coupons on the basis of various criteria. A first indicia 
means extends from each category page to distinguish that page from 
another adjacent page and to provide a tab for manipulation by the users 
fingers. Each category page contains a plurality of coupon pockets 
substantially overlapping and staggered relative to each other across the 
page to enable quick access to each pocket. In one preferred form of the 
invention, there are at least fourteen coupon pockets for retaining and 
segregating monthly expiring coupons, non-expiring coupons and non-sorted 
coupons. Each pocket may consist of a pair of walls of unequal heights, 
joined to each along a bottom edge and having an upper lip along a front 
wall to facilitate separation of two walls and insertion of coupons 
therebetween. A second indicia means extends from each coupon pocket. A 
third indicia means is mounted on each category page to identify the goods 
to which the coupons stored on that particular page relate. 
A plurality of shopping tools, mounted to the carrying case, are also 
provided and include means for releasably attaching the necessary shopping 
tools to the carrying case. The inclusion of these items, e.g. paper pads, 
a writing instrument, a currency holder, a checkbook holder, a calculator, 
a key ring holder and scissors, allows the consumer to sort, organize and 
use the coupons while shopping without the necessity of carrying anything 
other than the coupon organizer of the present invention. 
Furthermore, to organize the coupons for distribution within the 
appropriate coupon pocket, the coupon organizing system of the present 
invention may also include a first sorter to sort the coupons according to 
the type of merchandise and a second sorter to chronologically separate 
the coupons according to their expiration dates. Each sorter may comprise 
a sorter back wall and a staggered plurality of divider walls pivotally 
mounted to the back wall along a divider wall bottom edge. Alternatively, 
staggered pockets may be used, e.g. similar to those pockets on the 
category pages as earlier described. Insertion of the coupons into their 
appropriate coupon pocket indexes and allows rapid retrieval of the food 
coupons when desired. The sorting according to the expiration date also 
prevents the consumer from inadvertently allowing the coupons to lapse and 
prevents the embarassment of trying to redeem an expired coupon. Hence, 
the system of the present invention minimizes the time lost in retrieving 
the desired food coupons and enables the consumer to best utilize the 
coupons collected. 
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent 
from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the 
accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example, the principles 
of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
As shown in FIG. 2 of the exemplary drawings, the coupon organizing system 
of the present invention, generally referred to by the numeral 10, 
includes a coupon filing assembly 12 and a plurality of shopping tools 14, 
disposed within a carrying case or binder 16. As best shown in FIGS. 10 
and 9, the system 10 may include a first sorter 18 and a second sorter 20, 
respectively, to facilitate the separation and organization of the coupons 
for placement into the filing assembly 12 as best shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 
5. 
As best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the coupon organizer of the present 
invention 10 includes a carry case 16, sized to receive the coupon filing 
assembly 12, and having a case bottom wall 22. As an example of one of the 
means by which the invention may be implemented, one preferred form of the 
invention may use a bottom wall which is about three and one-half inches 
wide (i.e. the dimension along a long transverse axis) and about fourteen 
and one-half inches long (i.e. the dimension along the longitudinal axis). 
Extending upward from the bottom wall along each longitudinal end 24 are 
upward extending side walls 26. Referring to FIG. 3, a front wall 28 and 
back wall 30 are pivotally mounted by hinges 31a and 31b to the bottom 
wall 22 adjacent bottom edges 32 and 34 of the front wall 28 and the back 
wall 30, respectively, so that they can pivot from a first or closed 
position, as best shown in FIG. 1, to a second or open position relative 
for the bottom wall 22, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The side, front 
and back walls extend upward to terminate at a top wall 36. Referring to 
FIG. 1, the front and back walls 28 and 30, respectively, are releasably 
attached to the top wall 36 by latch mechanisms 38 and 40, respectively. 
As best shown in FIG. 2, these latch mechanisms allow access to the 
interior 44 of the case 16 to gain access to the filing assembly 12 and 
the plurality of shopping tools 14 disposed therein. A handle 46 is 
pivotally mounted atop the top wall 36. The carrying case 16 may be sized 
to fit into the upper seat area of a typical supermarket shopping cart. 
For convenience and security in carrying the case, a strap having a distal 
end and a proximal end may extend from the carrying case 16. More 
particularly, the distal end may be attached to the carrying case and a 
"C" clip or clasp disposed at the distal end of the strap releasably 
secures the case 16 to the shopping cart to prevent theft of the carrying 
case therefrom. 
Referring to FIG. 2, disposed on an inside surface 55 of the carrying case 
16 is an unclipped coupon holding pocket 56. The unclipped coupon holding 
pocket 56 may be defined by a front pocket wall or flap 57 which is 
pivotally mounted about a longitudinal axis of the case to allow outward 
movement relative a back pocket wall 58. The carrying case front wall 28 
or back wall 30 may be used as the holding pocket back wall 58. The pocket 
front wall 57 may be about seven inches along the long transverse axis and 
about twelve inches along the longitudinal axis of the case. Accordian 
gussets 59 may be interposed between the front wall 57 and the back wall 
58. A resealable top 60 prevents the unwanted disbursal of the unclipped 
coupons after their insertion within the holding pocket 56. 
Referring to FIG. 4, an attachment assembly 62 mounted on the inside 
surface 64 of the carrying case 16 for selectively and releasably mounting 
of the filing assembly 12 to the interior 44 of the carrying case 16. The 
attachment assembly 62 of the present invention may include a spine 66 
mounted to the inside surface 62 by conventional attachment means (not 
shown), e.g. bolts, screws or rivets. In the preferred form, the 
attachment assembly 62 may be in the form of a conventional three-ring 
binder assembly of the type having a plurality of concentric rings 70, 
which selectively open to retain pages thereon. 
Referring more particularly to FIG. 4, the coupon filing assembly 12 
includes a plurality of category pocket pages 71. The category pocket page 
71 has a first wall 71a releasably attached to the attachment assembly 62 
adjacent a category pocket page bottom edge 72. For the purposes of 
illustration, the category pocket page 71 may be about eight and one-half 
inches along a long transverse axis, i.e. "width" and about eleven inches 
along a longitudinal axis, i.e. "long". Plural apertures 73 are formed 
adjacent the page bottom edge 72 to cooperate with the concentric rings 70 
of the attachment assembly 62. This feature of the invention allows for 
the easy insertion, sequencing or removal of category pocket pages 71. 
Referring to FIG. 5, each category pocket page 71 includes a first indicia 
74. Extending upward from a top edge 75 opposite the bottom edge 72. The 
first indicia 74 distinguishes each category pocket page 71 from one 
another by indicating the merchandise or product to which each coupon 
stored on that particular page. In addition, the identifying indicia 74 
provides a protrusion or finger tab 76 to allow the operator to manipulate 
the category pages 71 and quickly go to the desired category page. For the 
convenience of the operator, the identifying indicia 74 may include 
pre-printed labels for insertion into the finger tabs 76, e.g. "household 
cleaners", to clearly identify and distinguish each category pocket page. 
Different colors or symbols may also be used to help distinguish between 
the plurality of first indicia 74. Several blank labels may be provided 
for the operator's own category designation. Perforations may be provided 
to separate individual labels from a sheet of these pre-printed labels. In 
one preferred form, these labels may be about two inches long by about 
nine-thirty-secondths of an inch wide. As best shown in FIG. 4, these 
first identifying indicia 74 may be staggered at various locations along 
the top edge 75 relative a first side edge 77 to facilitate the reading, 
identifying and accessing of the particular category pocket page desired. 
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, each category pocket page 71 includes a 
plurality of first or coupon pockets 78. In the preferred form, there are 
a total of fourteen coupon pockets 78, the first twelve coupon pockets 
corresponding to each month of the year, another pocket for coupons which 
will expire during the next year and a last coupon pocket to retain 
coupons having no expiration date at all. 
Each of these first pockets 78 extend longitudinally along the category 
pocket page 71 from the first side edge 77. As best shown in FIG. 6a, each 
coupon pocket may be defined by a back wall 84 joined along a bottom edge 
86 to a front wall 88. In one preferred embodiment, the back wall 84 may 
be about two and one-quarter inches by about seven inches. In a preferred 
form of the invention, each separate category pocket 78 has a front wall 
88 and the back wall 84 of unequal heights to ease the insertion and 
removal of coupons therefrom and thus have a portion not overlapped by the 
other wall. In one embodiment of the invention, the front wall 88 may be 
about one-sixteenth of an inch shorter along the long transverse axis than 
the back wall 84. 
As best shown in FIGS. 6A and 7, to facilitate insertion and withdrawal of 
coupons from the coupon pocket 78, the front wall may have a heat formed 
lip 90 along a front wall top edge 92 and heat formed portion 93 upward 
along the back wall from the bottom edge 86. The heat formed portion 93 
may extend upwards for about five-eighths of an inch. 
Referring to FIG. 6a a second identifying indicia 94 may extend outward 
from a second side edge 96 of the coupon pocket to distinguish between and 
provide a finger tab for each individual coupon pocket 78. As with the 
first indicia means, the second indicia means may include a protrusion or 
tab member 96a, sized to receive a label 96b therein. For the convenience 
of the operator, the labels may be pre-printed with the month and/or other 
identifying symbols, colors, numbers, etc. 
As best shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of coupon pockets 78 are mounted to 
the pocket page 71 in a substantially overlapping or staggered manner 
upward from the bottom edge 72 across the category pocket page 71 to 
facilitate access to each pocket. In the preferred form, each successive 
pocket 78 is staggered about five-sixteenths of an inch relative the 
adjacent coupon pocket 78. Alternatively, as best shown in FIG. 7, the 
coupon pockets 78 may be defined by a plurality of substantially 
overlapping divider walls 95 mounted directly to the first wall 71a of the 
category page 71. By this alternative construction, individual pockets 
need not be separately constructed, reducing the amount of material needed 
to construct the pockets. 
Referring to FIG. 5, positioned adjacent the coupon pockets 78 is a 
category index pocket 98. The category index pocket may comprise a sheet 
of material 100, joined to the category page 71 along three edges 102 to 
define a space 104 therebetween. The index pocket 98 may be formed of 
plastic or other transparent material. Category index cards 105 are 
disposed within the space 104 and retained therein. Pre-printed labels may 
be used to list the items considered within the identified category on the 
particular pocket page 71 in question. As best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 
for the purposes of illustration, three-by-five cards may be lined front 
and back for written description of the items considered within each 
category. 
Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown the "use now" bag 103 of the present 
invention. This feature is extremely useful in preventing the expiration 
of a desireable coupon before it can be used for the purchase of 
merchandise. Positioned adjacent a first edge 106 are a plurality of 
apertures 107 to cooperate with the attachment assembly 62 e.g. with the 
concentric rings 70. A zip-lock assembly 108 may be disposed adjacent a 
second edge 109 opposite the first edge 106. This zip-lock assembly allows 
selective access to the interior 109a of the bag 103 while preventing the 
undesired disbursal of items placed therein. 
Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of various shopping tools 14 may be 
disposed on an inside surface of the back wall 30 of the carrying case 16. 
As a result, the operator need only carry the coupon organizing system 10 
of the present invention when shopping, thus dramatically decreasing the 
clutter and inconvenience associated with redeeming coupons. This 
plurality of shopping tools may include, for example, a paper pad 110, a 
writing instrument 112, a currency holder 114, a checkbook holder (not 
shown), a key ring holder 118, and a calculator 120. Referring to FIG. 3, 
a pair of scissors 122 may be mounted to the side wall 26 of the carrying 
case 16. If necessary, additional pockets (not shown) may be included 
within the case 16. 
More particularly, as best shown in FIG. 2, a paper pad 110 may be mounted 
within the carrying case 16. Two strips 128 and 130 are mounted on the 
carrying case back wall 30 and cooperate with the wall to retain the paper 
pad 110 therebetween. Mounted adjacent the paper pad 110 is a first clip 
132 to releasably engage the writing instrument 112. The first clip 132 
may be a "U" or "C" shaped clip to grasp the writing utensil between two 
prongs 134. A second clip 136 has a back portion 138 mounted to the 
carrying case 16 and a front portion 140 for releasably attaching the 
operator's car keys to the carrying case 16. The currency holder 114 may 
be provided to retain coin and currency therein. In one form of the 
invention, the currency holder may include a currency/coin pocket 142 
having a front wall 114 and a back wall (not shown) joined to each other 
along three edges 148 and resealably joined along a fourth edge 150 to 
allow containment of money therein, e.g. a coin purse. A checkbook 116 may 
be releasably mounted to the carrying case 16. In one form which may be 
used to releasably mount checkbook 116, a segment of plastic hook and loop 
tape 154, such as that sold under the trademark VELCRO, may be used. A 
calculator 120, a pair of scissors 122 and additional pockets 124 to hold 
credit cards may also be provided. Referring to FIG. 3, the scissors may 
be attached to the inside surface of the side wall 26 by a strap 160. 
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the coupon organizer 10 of the present 
invention may include a first and second sorter 18 and 20, respectively. 
Each sorter includes a sorter back wall 184 and has a plurality of sorting 
slots 186. In one embodiment, as best shown in FIG. 9, each sorting slot 
186 is defined by a plurality of divider walls 190 pivotally mounted along 
a bottom edge 192 to the sorter back wall (not shown) to allow movement of 
the divider wall 190 outward relative to the back wall 184. For the 
purposes of illustration, the divider walls may be about four inches by 
about two inches. Each successive divider wall 190 when laid down 
substantially flush against the sorter back wall has non-overlapped 
portion 191 which extends beyond the top edge of the adjacent divider 
wall. In the preferred form, each successive divider wall extends about 
five-eighths of a inch beyond each successive adjacent divider wall. 
Mounted to these sorter divider walls 190 and extending outward therefrom 
are fourth identifying indicia means 200 for identification and finger 
manipulation of the desired sorting slot. The fourth indicia means 200 may 
include a tab 204 for insertion into a label member 206. 
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the sorter divider walls 
190 may be in the form of successively longer walls, having a top edge 202 
extending the desired distance, e.g., by way of illustration, five-eighths 
of an inch, beyond each successive edge. In this form, a second plurality 
of concentric rings 207 may pivotally mount the divider walls to the 
sorter back wall. The first sorter 18 may be used to sort the coupons 
according to product type and thus may have, for example, about thirty 
sorting slots. The second sorter 20 may be used to sort the coupons 
according to expiration date and thus have a sufficient number of slots to 
correspond to the number of coupon pockets on each category pocket page, 
e.g. fourteen. As such, the first sorter may have a commensurately longer 
back wall 184 and an additional number of divider walls 190. 
In operation the user will initially gather up all the coupons and place 
them into the unclipped coupon pocket 56. The first sorter 18 is removed 
from the case and is placed in front of the operator on a flat surface. 
The first and fourth indicia means 76 and 94, including for example, 
pre-printed color-coded category labels, are removed and torn apart at the 
desired perforations. Each pre-printed category label is placed at the 
side of each empty insert tab 76 or 200, respectively. The labels are 
preferably not inserted into the tabs at this time. 
The operator then decides how the categories are to be labeled. While the 
merchandise categories are being selected and placed into the desired 
sequence, the operator should remember that the selected sequence will be 
the final means that will be used to "find" the coupons that he or she 
wishes to redeem. Those coupon categories which will be used more 
frequently should be placed at the front of the first sorter or sequence. 
When the operator has decided what category tabs 204 are going to be used 
and in what sequence they will be in, they are inserted into the 
appropriate empty label member 206 on the sorter 18. 
In preparation for the next sorting step, the plurality of category pocket 
pages 71 are removed from the case 16. Using the completed first sorter 18 
as a guide, the analagous first identifying indicia 74, e.g. matching 
pre-printed color-coded labels, are inserted into each empty first 
identifying indicia tab 76 located at the top edge 75 of each category 
pocket page 71. The sequence of first indicia label should match the order 
of fourth indicia or category labels in the first sorter 18. This allows 
for easier filing later. Alternatively, if the labels 96b are already 
affixed within the tabs 96a, the category pocket page 71 can be placed 
into the desired sequence by their removal and return to the attachment 
means 62. 
If not already so provided, the operator then matches the appropriate 
product index card 105 with the particular category of products to which 
the coupon pocket page 71 relates. This may be accomplished by removing a 
package of pre-printed category index cards 105 from the case 16 and 
inserting the appropriate category index card into the appropriate 
category index pocket 98. If needed, a hand-written description of the 
merchandise within the category may be placed upon a blank category index 
card. 
If any initial set-up is required and has been performed by the operator he 
or she may discover that there are more categories than necessary. These 
unneeded category pages may then be removed from the filing assembly 12 of 
the present coupon organizing system invention 10. Additional category 
pocket pages 71, category index cards 105 and first and fourth identifying 
indicia 76 and 200, respectively, may be used to further break down each 
particular coupon category, e.g. "beverages" may be sub-divided into 
individual categories labeled coffee, tea, juice, soda, cocoa etc. 
Additional category pocket pages may be used to designate automotive 
products, drug store articles, video rentals, department store products 
and merchandise from different grocery store chains. 
Using this process, the system is tailored to the individual operator and 
the coupon organizing system 10 of the present invention is ready for use. 
The operator may then remove the coupons from the unclipped coupon pocket 
56. The scissors 122 are then used to clip the particular coupons being 
saved for redemption. By closely clipping the coupons, i.e., removing all 
extraneous material upon initial selection, the operator will eliminate 
unnecessary bulk. The coupons are stacked into a neat pile as they are 
clipped. 
After all the coupons have been clipped, they are primarily sorted or 
inserted by the operator, one at a time, into the appropriate sorting slot 
186 of the first sorter 18. This primary sorting may also be performed by 
conventional reading machinery which can according to a first criteria, 
e.g. product type, automatically sort printed matter according to the 
distinguishing symbols on the coupons. An example could be those used by 
the United States Post Office to machine sort mail according to zip codes. 
If the operator does not have the time to finish sorting the clipped 
coupons, those already sorted may be left in the first sorter 18 and then 
into the unclipped coupon pocket 56. The stack of unsorted coupons may be 
placed behind the sorter. Using this method eliminates disorganized stacks 
lying about and frees the operator from the responsibility of remembering 
where the clipped coupons were placed. This also allows the operator to 
easily retrieve a particular coupon even if sorting has not been 
completed. 
If, while the coupons are being primarily sorted by category, a coupon is 
for a product which does not necessarily correspond with those listed on 
particular category index card 105, the coupon may be held back for later 
sorting. For example, the operator may decide what the appropriate 
category should be and fill out the necessary information on a blank 
category index card. 
After the coupons are organized according to the first criteria, e.g. 
product category, the operator removes the second sorter 20, e.g. that 
having the same number of slots 186 as the number of coupon pockets 78 in 
the category coupon page 71, e.g. fourteen. The coupons are then 
secondarily sorted according to a second criteria, e.g. expiration date. 
Only the first stack of coupons, i.e. those contained in the first slot 
186 or designated category, is sorted into the appropriate slots of the 
second sorter. The operator is therefore sorting, according to expiration 
date, the coupons already sorted according to product or merchandise type. 
When sorting of a category is completed according to the expiration date, 
the corresponding coupon pocket page 71 is located and the coupons are 
inserted into the appropriate coupon pocket 78. If coupons are discovered 
which must be used almost immediately, they may be placed into the "use 
now" pocket 109a. 
As described above, the present invention has three filing aids built into 
the coupon organizing system. First, the lip 90 of each coupon pocket 78 
is thicker than the pocket back wall 84. Second, each pocket front wall 88 
is substantially staggered or overlapping relative the pocket front wall 
88, e.g. it has a shorter height relative to the corresponding back wall 
84's dimension or successive divider walls may be positioned to have an 
unoverlapped portion extending beyond the previous divider wall's top edge 
92. Third, the first and second identifying indicia tabs are easy to 
manipulate with the operator's fingers, aiding in the rapid retrieval of 
the desired coupon. These filing aids also provide for the easy transfer 
of the coupons into and out from each particular coupon pocket 78. 
This filing procedure is repeated for each separate stack of coupons 
located in the category sorter, i.e. for each separate product type coupon 
is then placed onto one category pocket page for that product. 
Furthermore, upon each category pocket page, each pocket type is separated 
into separate temporal categories according to expiration dates. This 
places all the coupons of the same product on the same category page but 
further separates each product coupon temporally. The labeling or 
tabulation of the category pocket pages allows the operator to rapidly 
retrieve any desired product type, the operator merely manipulates the tab 
of the appropriate product type category pocket page then manipulates the 
tab of the desired expiration date pocket. By using this system, the 
operator, for any retrieval, need not redundantly scan through all the 
coupons he or she has, searching for the appropriate product coupon and 
checking the appropriate expiration dates. The operator will be able to 
tell at a glance which coupons are about to expire and can immediately 
dispose of expired coupon without further scanning. At the end of each 
month, the expired coupons which have not been redeemed may be disposed 
of. The coupons which had been filed in the pocket labeled "next year" may 
then be filed at any appropriate time and placed into the appropriate 
coupon pocket. 
The new and improved food coupon organizing system of the present invention 
is extremely reliable and easy to use. The system provides for quick and 
easy reference to coupons for their redemption at any particular time. By 
using this invention, the operator now has the flexibility of pulling 
coupons for redemption at home while scanning the advertisements in the 
newspapers or retrieving the desired coupons at the store when needed. The 
system also sorts the coupons according to their expiration dates and 
prevents the embarassment of trying to use an expired coupon at the store. 
While a particular form of the invention has been described, it will also 
be apparent to those skilled in the art, that various modifications can be 
made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is 
not intended that the invention be limited except as by the appended 
claims.