Reduced cost impregnated wipes

The present invention provides a method of reducing the cost of impregnated wipes, by including coupons for other companies' products or services within the packaging of said wipes. Also, a method is provided to track the sales, distribution and redemption of said wipes and coupons, and to electronically provide such information to retailers and advertisers over the internet. The present invention also provides an improved wipe package.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates to reduced cost impregnated wipes in general,
 and to a method of directly distributing and tracking coupons and other
 advertising to a target market.
 2. Description of the Related Art
 Various types of impregnated wipes are known in the prior art. Such wipes
 are used for the application of a variety of formularies, such as lotions,
 sunscreen, insect repellent and cleaning fluids. These wipes are typically
 marketed as an alternative means to distribute a formulary of the
 particular company marketing the wipe. For instance, an insect repellent
 company having a proprietary insect repellent may market an insect
 repellent wipe, a suntan lotion company may market a suntan lotion wipe,
 and a cleaning fluid company may market a cleaning fluid wipe.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The present inventor has developed a new and innovative approach to using,
 marketing and reducing the cost of impregnated wipes, and a method of
 improving targeted advertising and even tracking such advertising and the
 results through such impregnated wipes.
 As mentioned above, there are many different impregnated wipes known in the
 prior art. Many of these wipes have had limited success. The inventor has
 recognized that the limited success is typically due to the simple
 placement of a known formulary into an impregnated wipe by the company who
 owns the formulary.
 However, it is often desirable to have a collection of different skin
 treatment or other fluids at one time. For example, during a camping trip
 a camper may desire to have on hand sunscreen, insect repellent, anti-itch
 lotion, sunburn treatment, deodorant and moisturizer. The camper usually
 brings separate bottles of each, which adds significant unneeded weight
 and size to the camping gear. Existing impregnated wipes are not grouped
 as a collection. Rather, a company with a particular formulary simply
 markets a wipe which carries the same formulary. The present inventor
 recognized that there is a need to provide a collection of different types
 of wipes that are suited for a particular purpose or outing. However, such
 a collection has not been provided.
 In addition, the present inventor has also developed a way to more
 cost-effectively package such impregnated wipes. Most wipes are sold in
 foil or plastic packages having two sides. Typically, a package for a wipe
 has printed on it the product name and logo, company name and logo,
 package ingredients and directions for use. Packaging involves printing
 such text and designs onto foil or plastic sheets, cutting the sheets to
 the proper package size, and sealing them together in package form with
 the impregnated wipe therebetween. Unfortunately, the cost of such
 packaging is significant in comparison to the cost of making the wipes
 themselves and also causes a wipe to cost significantly more than the cost
 would be of purchasing the particular formulary in bottled or other bulk
 form. In the past, the marketers have believed that those who purchase the
 wipe will pay a premium for the convenience of having a disposable wipe.
 However, the significant premium over bulk packaged formularies also
 limits the market.
 The present invention reduces the cost of such wipes significantly,
 particularly when sold in the collection format. More revenue to the
 manufacturer or a decrease in the cost to customers can be realized by
 charging other companies to advertise their products concurrently with
 sale of the wipes. Given value-minded consumers, if the packaging cost
 could be reduced, the cost or the premium over bulk purchase of a
 particular formulary could be reduced or eliminated, and yet the
 convenience of the disposable wipe could still be provided. The revenue
 generated by charging a fee for the provision of distribution and
 advertising information to retailers and advertisers provides this cost
 savings.
 A limitation of current business methods employed to market wipes is that
 they do not take advantage of these business opportunities. Indeed, under
 the present invention, a collection of wipes can be provided or a
 collection of a particular type of wipe can be provided with advertising
 or coupons as the packaging material. More importantly, such advertising
 need not be limited to advertising for the particular owner of the
 formulary.
 For instance, the wipe would have a particular brand known to be associated
 with the line of impregnated wipes in general, such as SPORTWIPE.TM.,
 which brand could be associated with advertising and coupons which form a
 part of the packaging of the impregnated wipes. The advertising and
 coupons would be directed to the types of consumers that would select that
 particular wipe or collection of wipes. This is an unusual business method
 in that, typically, a product formulary owner does not advertise for other
 companies' products. In the present invention, the formulary need not be
 owned by the particular company marketing the wipes. Further, the coupons
 and advertising included as part of the packaging of the wipes may be
 directed to products sold by or services offered by any company which
 desires to advertise to the particular target market for the wipe or
 collection of wipes involved, including companies other than those owning
 the formulary or those marketing the wipes.
 In essence, a collection of wipes could become a type of coupon book
 directed to the target market for the particular collection of wipes.
 Thus, the present invention provides a business method to advertise other
 companies' products concurrently with the sale of the wipes, to provide
 distribution and advertising information to retailers and advertisers, and
 also to reduce the cost of the product.
 Finally, through the present invention, a coupon which forms a part of the
 packaging for a particular type of impregnated wipe would have
 significantly greater target market exposure and shelf life than a typical
 coupon used in the market today. For example, an insect repellent wipe may
 be carried in a sportsperson's jacket for months. Each time the
 sportsperson views the package, he or she will view the coupon for a
 particular product, which will provide advertising to that user in a
 repeated fashion. Moreover, when the wipe is finally used, the coupon can
 be retained for use. Accordingly, the coupon has a drastically increased
 shelf life as compared to conventional coupon systems.
 The present invention also provides for improvements to wipe configurations
 and to tracking sales on behalf of the retailers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a package 20 containing an impregnated wipe 22 in
 accordance with a first aspect of the present invention. The package 20 is
 preferably formed from thin compliant material, such as sealed paper,
 plastic or foil, as is well known in the art. It is important that the
 packaging material is sufficiently non-porous, to minimize or prevent
 absorption of substance on the wipe 22. In the present embodiment, the
 package 20 includes a front sheet 24 and a rear sheet 26. The edges 38 of
 sheets 24 and 26 are sealed together so that the rear sheet 26 can be
 peeled off of the package 20 if desired. Those in the art will understand
 that any of several well known sealing methods can be employed to achieve
 the purposes of this invention.
 The front sheet 24 of package 20 may have printed on its exterior side 30
 any materials relevant to the product, such as the product name, company
 name, logos, package ingredients, directions for use, promotional
 materials, etc.. The rear sheet 26 is preferably a coupon or other
 advertising for another company's product(s) or service(s). In one
 embodiment, the coupon is adapted to be peeled from the front sheet, as
 shown in FIG. 3. The advertisement is preferably printed onto the exterior
 surface 32 of rear sheet 26, so that a purchaser may, in some packaging
 configurations, see the coupon advertisement before purchasing the package
 20.
 An alternative configuration of a wipe package 20 is illustrated in FIG. 4.
 In this configuration, an end 40 of the package 20 can simply be ripped
 off, as is typical with impregnated wipes, and the impregnated wipe 22
 removed from the tom end 42 of the package, leaving the package edges
 still sealed together except where the wipe 22 has been removed. In this
 manner, the package 20 remains the coupon which can be saved for use.
 As mentioned previously, impregnated wipes have typically been sold as a
 single formulary item such as a hand cleaner, a baby wipe, a suntan
 lotion, or an insect repellent. These wipes are typically sold by the
 company which also sells more bulk-related products of such formularies.
 The wipes are used by these companies to provide another marketing channel
 for the particular formulary. In one advantageous embodiment of the
 present invention, the impregnated wipes are packaged as kits or
 collections of various related types of wipes. The collection could be
 according to any number of criteria. For instance, a cosmetic package may
 consist of skin care items such as moisturizers, sunblocks,
 vitamin-enhanced formulas, eye makeup remover, and hand-cleaning or
 sanitation wipes. Another kit may comprise a camping kit which may contain
 suntan lotion or block, insect repellent, analgesic lotions or ointments,
 other first aid formularies, deodorant, foaming shave gel activated upon
 exposure to oxygen and antiperspirant wipes. Other kits are envisioned for
 particular applications. A kit would be formulated for particular sports
 such as fishing, boating, biking, skiing, and any other sport in which a
 formulary product or collection of such products is useful. Kits may also
 be formulated for beach outings, picnics, swimming, etc. By grouping the
 wipes in such configurations, the need to carry containers of the various
 lotions and other products during an outing is eliminated. For instance,
 during a camping trip a camper may desire to have on hand sunscreen,
 insect repellent, anti-itch lotion, sunburn treatment, deodorant and
 moisturizer. The camper could bring bottles of each of these fluids, but
 that would add significant unneeded weight and size to the camping gear.
 In addition, with common changes of altitudes for such camping activities,
 the bottles often leak due to pressure changes in the altitude. In
 comparison, it is less burdensome to carry a collection of impregnated
 wipes, and the risk of leakage is very small. Accordingly, the present
 invention includes the provision of kits or collections of related wipes.
 As mentioned above, the wipe package 20 of the present invention includes a
 coupon 26 which forms a significant portion of the package 20. In the
 present embodiment, the back of the package comprises a coupon. There are
 numerous business advantages associated with including coupons as a part
 of the packaging of wipes. According to the business method of the present
 invention, the product marketer or manufacturer advantageously generates
 additional revenue and/or subsidizes some or all of the cost of packaging
 the wipes by including coupons or other advertisements for other
 companies' products as part of the packaging. The other companies would be
 charged a fee for placing an advertisement on a package 20 of a wipe 22.
 This advertising revenue offsets the cost of manufacturing and
 distributing the wipes 22. Preferably, these companies or
 coupon-advertisers provide camera-ready artwork for the rear sheet 26
 according to the manufacturer's specifications. The manufacturer can also
 design and make the coupons 26 for a fee.
 The provision of coupons or advertisements from companies which do not
 provide the wipes is not found in the impregnated wipes market. To the
 contrary, companies typically advertise or provide coupons for their own
 products only. By permitting other companies to advertise their related
 bulk products or to even sponsor the formulary in a particular line of the
 impregnated wipes brand, the advertiser or coupon provider will pay a fee
 which subsidizes the purchase price to the end-user. This would permit a
 substantial reduction in the purchase price which would bring the premium
 for impregnated wipes to a much lower level or equivalent to purchasing
 the bulk products. Alternatively, the additional revenue could be used to
 provide for increased margins for the maker.
 Another advantage of including coupons or advertisements on wipe packages
 is that the coupon or ad has a longer "shelf life," and thereby provides
 more advertising longevity. A wipe may be kept in the possession of the
 purchaser for a long time before being used. During that time, the
 purchaser may notice or be reminded of the coupon several times. As a
 result, the coupon or ad has a longer "shelf life" than a typical coupon
 or ad that is disposed of virtually immediately.
 For example, a wipe may have a coupon offering a discount on the purchase
 of tennis balls. At the time the purchaser buys the wipe he or she may not
 have any need for tennis balls. However, the wipe may not be used for
 weeks or months, during which time the need for tennis balls may arise.
 Because the coupon is included within the package of an unused wipe, the
 purchaser will not dispose of the coupon or ad until the wipe is used. In
 other words, the coupon or ad forms the package and, therefore, the coupon
 or ad is functional and is not disposed of in the short term unlike
 traditional advertisements in newspapers and the like. Thus, there is a
 greater opportunity for the coupon to eventually be used, resulting in a
 sale by the advertiser.
 Another advantage of including coupons on wipe packages is that coupons may
 be distributed directly to a general target market. For example, coupons
 for beach accessories could be included within packages for beach-related
 wipes, such as suntan lotion wipes. Furthermore, coupons may be
 distributed directly to a more specific target market, perhaps identified
 by the purchase orders received by the wipe manufacturer. According to the
 business method of this invention, the manufacturer gives coupon
 advertisers the option of combining their coupons with any specific
 purchase order(s) of wipes. For example, a wipe manufacturer may receive
 an order for 1000 wipes from Retailer X in City Y. Coupon Advertiser Z may
 wish to distribute coupons or ads directly to the customers of Retailer X.
 This provides for vast improvement in coupon placement and distribution
 over conventional advertising. Conventional advertisers guarantee a
 particular circulation, but it is difficult to isolate the types of
 customers who will receive the advertising. The more directly the
 advertisement can be traced to the consumer the advertisement is intended
 for, the more valuable the advertising. In one embodiment in accordance
 with the present invention, because the wipe manufacturer may solicit
 advertising for a particular known purchase order from a particular
 retailer or other customer, a prospective advertiser can be assured that
 the advertising coupons are being placed in the particular target market
 which is desired. Coupon Advertiser Z simply buys space for its coupons to
 be placed on packages of those wipes sent to the desired retailer and
 wipe.
 Another important advantage of including coupons is that, by tracking the
 sales and shipments of wipes and coupons, a wipe manufacturer can provide
 valuable distribution and advertising information to retailers and
 coupon-advertisers. According to the business method of the present
 invention, the manufacturer maintains a world wide website wherein
 retailers and coupon-advertisers can access confidential records
 pertaining to the distribution of wipes and coupons. Individual passwords
 are provided to the retailers and coupon-advertisers to maintain
 confidentiality of their records.
 According to this business method, retailers and coupon-advertisers may
 access valuable distribution information to aid them in making future
 orders and requests. In particular, a retailer can learn the quantities of
 each type of wipe and coupon that have been ordered in the past. Such
 information allows the retailer to more easily identify those wipes and
 coupons that are generating significant sales, as well as those that are
 not. The retailer can then change future orders to reflect which
 wipes/coupons are selling successfully. Similarly, the coupon-advertisers
 may receive direct data on how many of their coupons have been distributed
 to a given geographic location. They can also learn which coupon-wipe
 combinations sell most frequently. Also, by comparing the quantity of
 coupons shipped to the quantity eventually redeemed, a coupon-advertiser
 can determine the redemption rate for any given coupon in a particular
 geographic location or channel of trade. The coupon-advertiser may then
 direct the manufacturer as to how many and what types of coupons are to be
 sent to each geographic location or channel of trade, as well as which
 wipes the coupons are to be combined with.
 In accordance with the present invention, this information can be provided
 on a worldwide website accessible by the various users and the advertisers
 with a given password, as will be understood by those of skill in the art.
 This reduces the overhead for the retailers and the advertisers, who would
 typically track such information on their own, often in a less reliable
 fashion.
 FIG. 5 illustrates a coupon 26 of the present invention. According to the
 business method of this invention, each coupon 26 includes a bar code 36
 for identification purposes. Each bar code 36 is scannable by well known
 methods, and when scanned is configured to reveal a coupon identification
 code. Advantageously, the bar code may also be configured to identify the
 particular wipe from which the coupon originated, by revealing a wipe
 identification code. These identification codes correspond to the
 particular coupon and the particular type of wipe included within the
 package, respectively. Further, the bar code of a coupon may be scanned at
 three separate stages. It may be scanned when the wipe manufacturer
 distributes the wipes to a retailer (distribution stage), when the
 retailer sells the wipe package (retail stage), or when the purchaser
 redeems the coupon (redemption stage).
 According to one preferred business method of this invention, illustrated
 in FIG. 6, the regular practice of the wipe manufacturer is to scan the
 bar code 36 at the distribution stage, in order to keep track of the
 quantity of every type of wipe, coupon, and wipe-coupon combination sold
 and shipped to each retailer. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a system to
 implement this method utilizes the Internet 100. A manufacturer's local
 scan station 102 provides data via the Internet to the manufacturer's
 local server which maintains an Internet site to access relevant data.
 Alternatively, the manufacturer's local scan station 102 is coupled
 directly to the manufacturer's local server 104. However, use of the
 Internet 100 allows the manufacturer to have multiple local scan stations
 at different manufacturing points, and one server maintaining the Internet
 site. The retailers may access information about their own shipments from
 the manufacturer through their own browser 106. Similarly, advertisers may
 access the usage of their coupons, such as the numbers and locations of
 shipments via their browser 108. The retailers and advertisers,
 advantageously, access the manufacturer's Internet site through password
 protected access codes. Preferably, the manufacturer's Internet site is
 restricted to registered users, and furthermore, restricts each user to
 access to its own information. Each time the manufacturer receives an
 order for wipes of various types and quantities, the manufacturer scans
 the bar code 36 of each wipe package before packing and shipping it to the
 retailer. The manufacturer records the coupon identification code and wipe
 identification code of each coupon distributed, as well as the location of
 the retailer where the wipes will be sold. As indicated above, access to
 some or all of this information is provided to the ordering retailer and
 coupon advertiser via the Internet site controlled and maintained by the
 manufacturer.
 The same benefits may be obtained if instead, the regular practice is for
 the retailer to scan the bar code 36 at the retail stage, i.e., every time
 a wipe/coupon is sold. According to this model, illustrated in FIG. 7, the
 retailer is supplied with a middleware software program that tracks coupon
 identification codes, wipe identification codes, and location of sale. As
 illustrated in FIG. 7, again the manufacturer maintains a Internet site
 104 accessible via the Internet 100. Information stored on the
 manufacturer's Internet website with a database is provided by the
 retailer's local scan station 120. For example, each time a retailer sells
 a package of wipes, the middleware software solution may automatically
 connect to the Internet and provide such information to the manufacturer's
 server 104. Alternatively, the retailer periodically uploads such
 information to the manufacturer's server 104. Similar to the embodiment of
 tracking at the distribution station of FIG. 6, the retailers may access
 their own usage and the advertisers may access the usage of their coupons
 by accessing the manufacturer's server 104 via the Internet 100. The
 middleware may be adapted to transmit information to the manufacturer's
 server on a scheduled basis. The manufacturer's server is equipped with
 software that updates the manufacturer's website to reflect the sale of
 each particular wipe/coupon. While scanning at the retail stage provides
 the same information as scanning during the distribution stage described
 above, the latter is preferred because it provides the manufacturer with
 greater control over the entire record-keeping process, resulting in a
 better and more accurate website for the retailer and advertiser.
 Finally, scanning the bar code 36 at the redemption stage provides
 attractive benefits to coupon-advertisers. According to this model,
 illustrated in FIG. 8, retailers of all of the products and/or services
 advertised in the coupons are provided with middleware software that scans
 the bar code of a coupon and transmits the coupon identification code,
 wipe identification code, and location of redemption back to the
 manufacturer's server. The manufacturer's server 104 is equipped with
 software that updates the manufacturer's website to reflect the redemption
 of that particular coupon. The website provides this data to the
 coupon-advertisers. Preferably, the website also displays the redemption
 rates for each of the advertiser's coupon-types in each of the geographic
 locations and channels of trade to which the coupons were distributed.
 Thus, the advertiser can learn which coupons are being redeemed more
 frequently, and the location of most frequent redemption for any given
 coupon type. This, of course, allows both the wipe company and advertiser
 to more accurately value the advertising. In this embodiment, the system
 would comprise the Internet 100, the manufacturer's server 104 and the
 retailer Internet browser 106 and the advertiser Internet browser 108. In
 place of the wipe retailer's local scan station or manufacturer's local
 scan station a scan station 130 of the redeeming party is provided with a
 middleware solution which uploads data preferably on a automatically
 schedule periodic basis, to the manufacturer's server about coupon
 redemption.
 FIG. 9 depicts an alternative embodiment of an advantageous package 20 for
 use with formularies which may be particularly bothersome when left on the
 hands. As depicted in FIG. 9, the package 20 is ready for use after the
 rear sheet coupon 26 (FIG. 2) has been peeled off. Wipe 22 is preferably
 secured to the interior surface 31 of front sheet 24 of the package 20.
 Preferably, wipe 22 is glued onto surface 31. Also, wipe 22 can be formed
 from any well-known material, as will be apparent to those in the art.
 Preferably, such material is significantly porous to promote the
 absorption of lotion or other fluids. A user can apply the impregnated
 formulary to his or her skin simply by positioning the wipe 22 onto the
 skin and wiping with one hand placed on the dry exterior surface 30 (FIG.
 2) of front sheet 24. This embodiment is particularly useful for compounds
 which may be bothersome, such as a zinc oxide sunblock formulary to be
 placed on the user's nose or other sensitive sun exposed portions of the
 body without leaving the zinc oxide residue on the fingers of the user.
 Another embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 10. As
 explained above, the advantage of having a wipe attached to the package 20
 is that it allows the user to avoid leaving residue on his or her fingers
 after use. Accordingly, as depicted in FIG. 10, in order to allow for
 increased control during application, wipe 22 optionally includes a dry
 notch 28. This allows the user to place a finger on the interior surface
 31 of front sheet 24, within the notch 28, without getting lotion or other
 fluids on the user's hand. Best results are achieved by placing one's
 thumb in the notch 28 and the other four fingers on the exterior surface
 30 of sheet 24, as shown in FIG. 11. A plurality of notches 28 could also
 be provided.
 The notch 28 may be any of a wide range of shapes. For example, referring
 to FIG. 13A, the wipe 22 is secured to the interior surface 31 of front
 sheet 24, as discussed above. However, the wipe 22 is smaller than the
 interior surface 31 of the front sheet 24 so that a user may place a thumb
 or other digit on a periphery 40 of the front sheet 24 without contacting
 the formulary in the wipe 22. This may be advantageous in application of
 the formulary.
 FIG. 13B illustrates an alternative embodiment of the wipe 22 secured to
 the inner surface 31 of the front sheet 24. The wipe 22 in this embodiment
 is angled such that the notch 28 permits easy application of the
 formulary, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. As
 illustrated in FIG. 13C, the wipe 22 may be configured in any of a wide
 range of shapes to accommodate a notch 28 in the wipe 22 to permit
 application of the formulary in the wipe 22 without a user's thumb or
 other digit contacting the formulary in the wipe 22.
 FIG. 14 illustrates a wipe 22 secured to the inner surface 31 of a front
 sheet 24 of the package 20. In this embodiment, an extra layer 42 of
 cellophane or other materials known to those of skill in the art is
 provided between the wipe 22 and the second or back sheet 26 (not shown).
 Once the back sheet is removed, the layer 42 may be peeled back to permit
 application of the formulary without contact therewith. For example, an
 individual may hold the outer surface of the front sheet 24 and the
 surface of the layer 42 away from the wipe 22 so as to prevent contact
 with the wipe 22. However, because the layer 42 is peeled back exposing a
 portion of the wipe 22, application of the formulary may be accomplished,
 as will be understood by those of skill in the art.
 FIG. 12 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the present
 invention. Conventional wipes are typically rectangular or square which
 can be awkward to use. Accordingly, FIG. 12 illustrates an improved shape
 for an impregnated wipe. A wipe 34 is shaped and configured for improved
 manageability and easier application of the impregnated formulary. In
 particular, wipe 34 is adapted to prevent excessive folding or rolling
 during use. Wipe 34 has a substantially curvilinear shape, without any
 sharp comers that would normally promote folding or rolling of the wipe
 34. In an embodiment where the curved shape wipe is attached to one side
 of the package as in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the wipe could have an oval
 shape as in FIG. 12, which is approximately sized to fit within a person's
 hand. In this embodiment, the wipe 34, front sheet 24, and rear sheet 26
 may have substantially the same shape. Although shown in an oval shape,
 wipe 34 could be configured to have any of a variety of suitable shapes
 (such as circular) and sizes, giving due consideration to the goals of
 improved manageability, ease of use, and substantial prevention of rolling
 or folding of the edges of the wipe. Also, wipe 34 preferably includes a
 dry notch 28 as described above in the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11.
 Moreover, the periphery of a package 20 need not correspond with the outer
 dimension of a wipe 22. For example, the package 20 may be square or
 rectangular and the wipe 22 could be oval or round, as will be readily
 understood by those of skill in the art. For example, FIGS. 13A and 13B
 illustrate a wipe 22 having an outer periphery which does not correspond
 with the outer periphery of the package 20.
 Referring to FIG. 15, another embodiment of the package 20 is shown. In
 this embodiment, the wipe 22 is secured between a front sheet 24 and a
 rear sheet 26, as described with respect to FIGS. 1-3 above; however, an
 additional second rear sheet 44 is secured to the rear sheet 26 by any
 method known to those of skill in the art. In this embodiment, a coupon
 may be printed on the second rear sheet 44. If an individual wishes to
 redeem the coupon, the individual may peel off the second rear sheet 44
 and redeem the coupon without opening and exposing the wipe 22. That is,
 the wipe 22 would remain securely packaged between the front and rear
 sheets 24, 26. In this embodiment of the package 20, a second coupon may
 be printed on the rear sheet 26. Thus, the package 20 may contain a
 plurality of coupons on a plurality of sheets, as will be understood by
 those of skill in the art. Advantageously, this method permits consumers
 to redeem coupons immediately and use a wipe 22 at a later time.
 Although this invention has been disclosed in the context of certain
 preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled
 in the art that the present invention extends beyond the specifically
 disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the
 invention. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention
 herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed
 embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair
 reading of the claims that follow.